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

Because her twin sister suddenly changed direction.

Tiony was initially taken aback, but then, as if by telepathy, she guessed what her silly sister was thinking.

A thick, dark fog rose from the central area where the guards clashed with the monsters.

An unknown black mist spread around and flowed northwest.

The south side of the labyrinth street was alright, as it was only frequented by adventurers searching for monsters. However, some residents on the north side of the labyrinth street hadn't had time to evacuate, something Tione had also heard about.

If the monster moves through the fog and heads towards the northwestern outskirts, that would be disastrous. That's probably what Tiona was thinking.

"That idiot...! Does she want to disobey the commander's orders!? Hey! Stop right there!"

Since the order required the two sisters to act together, Tiony had no choice but to go after her sister who had gone northwest.

"A smokescreen!"

While Tiony and the others witnessed the black mist spreading everywhere, Grace was fighting within the mist.

It is located near the central area of ​​Daedalus Road.

Grace, whose deployment location was moved from underground to the surface, launched a fierce attack on the "armed monsters" that were driving away Tione and the others. Then, as he fully utilized his Lv.6 ability to corner the enemy, they unleashed this black smoke screen as if in a death throes.

The magician leading the monsters intervened, turning the battlefield into a chaotic melee between humans and monsters.

"Kill! Kill!"

"Goo ...

In the area that had become the main battlefield of the labyrinthine street, reinforcements from the Loki Familia arrived one after another, and the sounds of weapons clashing fiercely with sharp fangs and claws echoed in all directions.

Without hesitation, Grace ran straight out.

He rushed towards the source of the thick fog—the magician in black.

"Hmm!"

“Wu!?”

He used the force of swinging the axe to knock the other person down.

Grace ignored the other monsters and targeted their "leader".

(As long as we deal with this magician—)

The monsters will run out of tricks, and Loki's Familia will gain the upper hand.

Grace had already seen through the enemy magician's annoyingly powerful abilities. Even with such terrible vision, he still correctly sensed the approaching presence and was about to swing his battle axe—

“Hmm!?”

"Frostfire" stopped Grace.

He didn't hear any chanting. There's no doubt, it must be an ice-attribute "magic sword".

Grace froze in an unnatural position, yet she still managed to break the ice and swing her axe, but the magician used these brief openings to dodge the attack.

Seeing the man in black escape into the depths of the fog, Grace clicked his tongue and was about to give chase, but the same kind of "bombardment" came again.

"The taste of this 'demon sword'... could it be Tsubaki!?"

Faced with the "magic sword's" output power, which no ordinary blacksmith could ever replicate, Grace recalled the face of the master blacksmith with whom he had a direct pact. Moreover, he seemed to hear words like "test firing" coming from the depths of the mist.

Although she didn't know what that guy was thinking, she just couldn't stand it. Grace pursed her lips forcefully.

(I'll teach her a lesson later, but... even though Chun is a bit crazy, she at least knows when and where to look. She would never attack me just to test the power of the "Demon Sword." Thinking about it that way—)

Could it be that her goddess Hephaestus has sided with the "armed monsters"?

Was it because of her close friendship with the goddess Hestia that she had to do this, or did she judge that these "heretic monsters" should not be eliminated?

Grace thought for a moment, but the icy rain continued to fall.

It gave Grace no time to think, attacking him precisely but one person at a time.

"Mr. Grace!"

Upon discovering that Grace had been under attack for an extended period, the band members rushed to her aid—but this "backfired."

"────"

At that very moment, the "ice cannon," which was unparalleled by artillery fire to date, was launched.

A swarm of azure ice floes raced through the black mist. Faced with the sudden freezing of the stone path in their path and the relentless onslaught of blizzards, Grace had no choice but to dodge.

He protected his fellow members, taking out the shield he was carrying from under his cloak, and was then directly attacked.

"Hmph h ...

The shells produced a startling, icy sound that brought everyone on the battlefield to a standstill for a moment.

"Mr. Grace!?"

"...It's about the same as Riveria's 'magic,' so it's having some effect."

Half of Grace's body, along with the shield protruding from his left hand, was completely frozen. His beard was frozen, and his face was frostbitten, as if it had been hit by a blizzard in a cold country.

If fired at full power, Riveria's artillery magic (Ecstasy of Fimbulwinter) would likely be more powerful. However, what's frightening is that this attack is unleashed by a "magic sword" capable of rapid fire.

"You all step back!"

Even when forced to chase a monster, Grace, whose instincts as a vanguard wall were triggered, couldn't help but grin and successfully blocked the second bombardment.

"Shh! Eee-ee-ee!"

"What... is it a 'colorful monster'!?"

At this moment, the group members let out a startled cry.

Grace, who was defending against the ice cannon, also saw the silhouette of the water spider (monster) emerge from the swaying black mist.

Moreover, it wasn't just one; countless monsters appeared, attacking the Loki Familia or the Armed Monsters indiscriminately, friend or foe.

"Tch! Those guys from the dark faction... trying to take advantage of the situation, huh!"

They probably learned that Grace and his troops had retreated from the southwest underground, so they climbed up through the man-made maze.

This fog-shrouded state is nothing more than an easy battlefield for the dark faction to exploit. They are clearly taking advantage of the chaos to steal the key to the "Armed Monster."

Although the original plan for the operation was to lure them out with "bait," the current situation is not good.

"Navi, catch those dark factions! We mustn't let them come into contact with the monsters!"

“Okay, okay!”

Grace's loud voice spurred the band members to work harder.

With the distinction between friend and foe no longer clear, a three-way war ensued.

Now, the Loki Familia must not only chase the monster but also deal with the dark faction; they must obtain the "key" before they do.

The main battlefield is no longer just chaotic, but utterly chaotic.

"The 'key,' steal the 'key'! Find the monsters, and get it from them—"

"What's with all that squawking, you little rascal?!"

"──Guh!?"

Grace took advantage of the opening and knocked away the dark faction henchmen who were charging at him in robes and wielding swords.

The soldiers sent here must have all "discarded their pieces," and probably didn't bring the "keys" to return to camp.

Grace also wanted to chase after the "armed monster," but the surrounding circumstances did not allow him to do so.

"It's [Elgarm], crush him────!"

"【Ice Eagle】!"

"All we need to do is get rid of this dwarf!"

"【Ice Eagle】!"

"Take this monster down!?"

"【Ice Eagle】!"

"Please, please forgive my sneak attack!"

"【Ice Eagle】!"

"Sh ...

"【Ice Eagle】!"

"That dwarf won't die from a hit or two! Everyone, attack together!"

"Ooh o ...

The remnants of the dark faction swarmed forward, using the lingering ripples of the snowstorm as a marker. Some shouted what appeared to be the name of the demonic sword. A girl, seemingly from the Far East, launched a surprise attack, and colorful monsters attacked. Not only that, but a stinky blacksmith master deliberately shouted and incited the crowd for amusement.

All factions have made Grace their target, and everyone is determined to suppress her.

Everyone viewed Chongjie as a dangerous individual and attacked him en masse.

Despite being frozen several times and still displaying great power, Grace couldn't take it anymore and howled in pain:

"Enough, you lot! Don't you know anything about respecting the elderly and honoring the wise?"

"Who's going to fall for that?!"

Not only the two blacksmiths who were randomly firing ice cannons, but even the henchmen of the dark faction shouted in unison.

If this dwarf is left unattended, both he and the target (the monster) will be "completely wiped out".

The dark faction's lackeys were so certain of this that sweat and snot streamed down their faces; the two blacksmiths, along with them, frantically tried to hold the dwarf back.

Grace was undoubtedly the one who suffered the most in the "flanking maneuver"—a three-way battle fought on two fronts—and he roared with veins popping out of his forehead:

"Get out of my way!!"

"Wa ...

As a result, the Loki Familia, which was blocked by others, lost track of the Armed Monsters in this battle that became the main battlefield.

"Hmm—I was just browsing casually, I didn't expect... Well, since I've found it, there's nothing I can do about it, right?"

Tiona stood firmly on the rooftop platform with her brown bare feet, looking down at "that".

After seeing the thick black fog, she left Tione's side and went to the northwest district, where she saw a "Vivel" wandering through the fog on the street.

It was dressed in a long robe, with red gems gleaming under its pulled-down hood; it was a "humanoid monster".

"I'm going to beat you up!"

Tiona, wielding two large blades, leaps from the rooftop platform.

Seeing the Amazonian figures leap into the air and approach, the Dragon Girl (Vivel) ran in the opposite direction in fear.

"Miss Tiona!"

"Ax, and everyone else! Are you chasing that dragon girl?"

"Yes! A monster escaped from Mr. Grace's place...!"

"Alright, let's chase it together!"

"good!"

She reunited with the other members of the group who had come after the Dragon Girl and rushed across the street.

Tiona accelerated continuously, closing the distance in an instant. For once, she wasn't lost in thought; her mind wasn't blank.

(The "humanoid monster" is a dragon girl... although she's different from the dragon girl I know, but... the one I'm currently following must be the first monster to appear on the streets... hmm.)

Tiona, recalling her original appearance as a dragon girl resembling a half-human, half-snake (Lamia), chased after the monster that was desperately fleeing in all directions. She was chasing the back of what appeared to be nothing more than a young girl running away in fear.

A week ago, a "humanoid monster" appeared in the western part of the city.

It is said that the "winged monster" attempted to attack the children.

That must have been the first catalyst for unrest in the city.

This was the starting point of this incident.

(In short, that's where it all started, right?)

Tiona's understanding is limited to this level.