Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!?"

Ais and the others were hit on the back by the shockwave and were all blown away.

The group members tumbled to the ground. The first-level adventurers barely managed to regain their footing and immediately turned around—only to see a massive silhouette looming ahead.

It has four thick, strong legs, massive but twisted horns, and steel-colored skin that is corroded by an eerie green color from its head.

Its towering body, so large that one has to look up to see it, has a shoulder height that far exceeds six meters. Its long tail is split in two, with the tip as sharp and hard as a sword.

The entire body undoubtedly resembles the shape of a "cow". If you were to find the only unusual object, it would be the "female" body located at the position of the forehead.

The upper body of a woman, with a chilling smile on her face.

"It crashed through a wall of super-hard metal...?"

As Raul whispered this, the first-level adventurers felt a strong sense of déjà vu regarding the monster's figure.

As if recalling a nightmare, Ais called out that name:

"'Celestial Spirit Clone'...!"

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 7 Chapter 5 - The Wrathful Battle

Before the Loki Familia had gathered under Ais.

"—Things are getting quite interesting."

In the frescoed corridor where Lefia and the others had left, Thanatos saw the divine object.

"You are...Ishtar."

Her tanned chest and limbs were boldly exposed, and anyone who saw such stunning beauty would be captivated.

Upon seeing Ishtar, the "goddess of beauty," holding a pipe in one hand, Thanatos narrowed his eyes.

"Isn't this the sponsor? Welcome to our establishment... I really wanted to say that, but your unsolicited arrival is giving me a headache, Ishtar?"

"It's not the first time. How many times do you think I've come all this way? Besides, you were wandering around everywhere, making me look for you for ages!"

The goddess of beauty had her young attendants (humans) stand behind her, speaking to Thanatos with practiced ease. Behind them, however, was a masked figure guiding the way.

The Ishtar Familia has some dealings with both sides of the Dark Faction remnants; more accurately, the former is limited to the main god (Ishtar) and a small number of people.

The Dark Faction—to take it a step further—is comprised of the blood relatives of the master craftsmen (Daedalus) who, in order to complete the man-made labyrinth (Knossos), needed a large amount of building materials and enormous funds. Their pact with the fishing god (Njord) to smuggle goods through the port city was one of their means of raising these funds.

Ishtar also considered Thanatos and others as business partners and made huge investments. Ishtar's faction used the "Red Street" lined with brothels as its territory and controlled the most abundant resources among the city's "familias," even surpassing the two major factions known as Loki and Freya, who were considered the largest factions in the city.

Unlike the [Familia] who tend to gamble with high risk and high reward in exploration (dungeons), they play a safe gamble with almost no cost or loss (no risk and no reward), which is why they can occupy an advantageous position.

"So? What brings you here?"

Ishtar agreed to the deal, on the condition that she receive a favorable return.

That is--

"I'm scheduled to receive the 'Heavenly Ox,' and I want to see its power."

She desires the powerful presence hidden by the remnants of the dark faction and the eccentrics.

"The opportunity has finally arrived; it's time to defeat the goddess (Freya). After capturing the bait 'Rabbit,' I will make my move within a few days. Just in case, I've already arranged to lure that woman's retinue (kids) into this labyrinth, but... before we begin, I want to ascertain just how capable she is."

"...Well—"

Faced with the inappropriately fierce smile of the "Goddess of Beauty," Sanatos stammered.

"I know that Loki and his gang have infiltrated this labyrinth. As a hypothetical Freya, there's no one more suitable than her."

"Uh, no, Ishtar? Loki's children don't have the 'key,' to put it bluntly, they're pretty much done for, aren't they? Or rather, there's no need to bring over that final boss, or rather, calling such a thing over would only create more chaos..."

"What's it to me?"

The handsome man tried to dissuade her, but Ishtar only responded with a cold smile.

"How much investment do you think I've put into you since five years ago?"

"Ah~..."

Ishtar removed the pipe from her lips, exhaled a puff of smoke at Sanatos, and he raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay, I'll do it. I'll do it and fulfill the investor's request."

"That's more like it."

Ishtar narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, then turned and left. "Take me to a good spot to watch the show," she said, as she and her entourage left the corridor.

As a masked figure vanished quickly, a member of the retinue waiting beside Thanatos approached and said:

"What... what do we do now, God Thanatos? Those strange men strictly forbade us to 'not use it yet'..."

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do. We've received so much help from Ishtar, and if we anger her now, who knows what will happen to us."

Thanatos shrugged worriedly at Aphrodite's capriciousness and loss of control, and slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"Besides—I'm also really curious to see just how powerful the Urban Destroyer (Ernio)'s ultimate trump card is."

Upon seeing the chief god's sinister smile, the robed servant trembled.

Under orders from Sanatos, they hurriedly began to act.

And so, the "monster" was freed from the chains that bound it.

★

"Damn it! These idle gods...!"

Behind the collapsed rubble, Rives felt a deep resentment and said disdainfully.

One corner of the large room was blocked by the ruins of the maze, with an astonishing number of stones and layers of super-hard metal blocks, making it impossible for her to pursue Ais and the others.

The female monster immediately realized that it was Thanatos and his group who had released the "monster," and she became angrier the more she thought about it.

"It didn't hear my 'voice'... Was it Arya's 'wind' that drove it into a rutting frenzy?"

Rives first stretched out a hand in the direction "that" was moving, then immediately clenched her fist.

"At this rate, the other 'clones' will also... tsk! Let's go check the situation."

After saying this, Rives left the scene.

"Try to hold on and not get eaten, Arya... Retrieving the remains is too much trouble."

"Miss Philweis, that voice just now was...!"

"...I don't know, but it's very close!"

Lefia and Philweis ran through the passageway.

Ais's "wind," which was blowing through the entire maze, was interrupted, causing them to lose their bearings. However, a loud noise soon followed, and the two immediately turned and headed towards the source of the sound.

Before long, as they were nearing the end of the passage, Lefia saw her fellow members and the profile of the blonde, golden-eyed girl.

"Miss Ais!"

Lefia cried out with relief and joy as she stepped into the hall, only to find her companions standing still, not even glancing at them, which she found strange.

However, this question was soon answered.

As Lefia followed Ais and the others' gaze, she froze on the spot; she also witnessed the existence of that ominous "monster" with her own eyes.

"Th-that's... the 59th floor...!?"

The lower body of a giant bull, plus the upper body of a woman positioned on its forehead. The approximately two-meter-tall woman appears extremely disproportionate to the monstrous bull's massive form.

The woman had green skin and short green hair, and wore a colorful dress. Her beauty was like that of a celestial being, yet it was also terrifying. Her smile stirred up waves in Lefia's sea of ​​memories.

The "Fairy Spirit Clone" was right in front of her, closely resembling an individual who had engaged in a deadly battle in the unreached realm—the 59th floor.

"--roar……"

At this moment, the enormous body of the "Immortal Avatar" moved.

Lefia realized that she had reunited with everyone at a time that others would consider terrible.

Without any explanation, the monster began its attack.

『——————————————————————！ ！ 』

It was just a simple raid.

However, the quality and destructive power it contains are extraordinary.

Ais and the others jumped away from the pillar and dodged with all their might. The monster rushed past their original position, perfectly embodying the phrase "ramming and crashing," and smashed the entire wall of the hall.

"No, no way!?"

"So easily, they've taken down a wall made of super-hard metal...!"

"Lefia exclaimed," Phil Weiss said, trembling. Ais and the others landed right next to the two girls, all speechless. Even Grace, who prided himself on his immense strength, had to work hard to break through that kind of wall, yet the enemy smashed the super-hard metal wall to pieces like building blocks with a single blow.

Staring at the large hole in the labyrinth wall, everyone in the Loki Familia was speechless.

"...Unlike the guy on the 59th floor, that one's a power-up version."

Grace said with a groan as she adjusted her helmet.

He said it was a natural power type, and that ordinary physical collisions could turn into deadly attacks without warning.

"Hey... what should we do, fight or not?"

"Of course we have to run!? If we don't get treatment quickly, the commander's life will be in danger!"

"But that one will definitely come after us, won't it?"

Tiony retorted fiercely to Bert's words, but Tiona had a bitter look on her face.

"...I'll be the bait..."

"veto!"

Tiona immediately refuted Ais's words, and saw a huge silhouette slowly receding into the depths of the billowing smoke-filled cave ahead. Seeing that sight, the group members all broke out in a cold sweat.

"And we don't even know how to get to the exit..."

"Can't we just let that monster run wild and wreak havoc all the way to the exit leading outside... Ha, ha..."

"I don't want to be buried alive in the collapsing maze."

Raul's face turned ashen, the girl (Navi) let out a dry laugh, and Angie pressed her upper arm wound to endure the pain.

They couldn't find any hope, but Rafia stepped forward.

"I...I've found the exit! I can lead everyone there!"

The band members seemed to only just notice Lefia, their eyes fixed on her, then erupting in cheers of "Bravo!" Tiony, in particular, cheered the loudest, saying, "Well done, Lefia!!"

"Then the next question is how to deal with that big guy..."

Almost at the same time Raul said those words, the "Fairy Clone" returned to the hall.

It slowly turned around, its eyes—the eyes of a giant bull with the lower body equivalent to its own—and the crescent-shaped pupils of a woman's body, facing Ais and the others.

Someone has to make a decision.

What's needed is a strong voice guiding everyone toward a goal, or a willingness to make sacrifices.

Second by second, precious time is slowly wasted.

Finally, the group members' wandering gazes depended on one person.

It's the little human leader carried on the back of the girl (human) group members.

"..."

Finn, on the verge of death, had his eyebrows twisted in a crooked gesture.

Was it because excessive blood loss made it difficult for him to process his thoughts, or was he simply hesitant and unable to utter the next sentence?

Just as the commander's lips hesitated—someone spoke up.

"Speak up, Finn."

It's Grace.

"Wasn't it always like this not long ago?"

The dwarf warrior picked up his axe and stood beside Finn.

"Who's protecting your asses?"