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

As if to prove her own rules of thumb were true, her ears twitched incessantly, and the fur on her thin tail stood on end. Hearing that Chloe, with her wildcat-like sensitivity to danger, had this intuition, Anya and Lunova, who had known her for a long time and trusted her implicitly, became extremely nervous.

Anya and the others didn't discover anything.

It was precisely because they stepped onto the 26th floor that the monster's attention was split in two, which conveniently relieved the burden on the "other team" on the same floor.

Anya and the others had no way of knowing one thing.

It was because of their valiant fight that "another team" broke through the monster barrier and actually entered the 27th floor.

They could not have known that they were sending those people into an even more dire situation.

"!...There was a scream!?"

Then...

Anya's ears perked up sharply, catching the human shouts mixed in with the monsters' roars.

○

"Floor 27!"

"Lily, we're here!"

As they rushed down the tunnel and stepped onto the crystal floor, Welf and Lily cried out.

Compared to the 25th or 26th floor, the landscape of the maze hasn't changed much. The only difference is that the overall size of the maze has increased, such as in the crystal pillars or the width of the passageways.

"Don't stand still! Keep moving!"

"Not even giving Lily and the others a moment to catch their breath," Aisha cried out.

She remained committed to her initial goal of escaping to the "lower" safe floors as soon as possible, urging the team to move forward.

"The monster is coming!"

"Get lost!"

Faced with a large number of monsters surging in from afar, Welf pushed aside the cherry blossoms and rushed forward.

"Glory Moon────────────────────!!"

In an instant, the demonic sword "Shigao·Huangyue" was raised high and swung down, spewing out a deafening blaze that burned away all the monsters.

"They've wiped out all the monsters again...!"

"Is it more powerful than the previous demon sword (that one)!?"

Seeing that scene, Cassandra and Daphne were both amazed. The power of the "Demon Sword's" cry, which had wiped out all the enemies ahead, was truly unparalleled. Leaving the main force to Welf, Aisha focused on dealing with the monsters that appeared from the side path, bathing herself alone in the swirling sparks, a smile playing on her lips.

(An indestructible "magic sword"...! That's quite an amazing thing!)

The longsword, adorned with scarlet and crimson hues, radiates a bright and brilliant light amidst this perilous realm.

Before reaching the 27th floor, most of the battles along the way were handled by Welf's "Demon Sword." They lured the monsters into confined passages and burned them all at once. Even if some monsters tried to break through during lulls in the bombardment, the "Demon Sword" didn't require incantation. As long as the timing of the shots wasn't wrong, the enemies couldn't get out of the way, and if a few escaped, Aisha and the others would help deal with them. Moreover, this time it was different from the previous "Krozo's Demon Sword," so there was no need to worry about the weapon breaking at any moment.

Given that everyone was injured or wounded, Welf's "magic sword" significantly reduced the burden of the battle and allowed everyone to achieve the slim hope of "reaching the 27th floor".

She deeply admired the blacksmith's achievement in the face of adversity.

However, it's not that there's absolutely no need to worry.

(It won't be destroyed, but relatively speaking... it probably consumes mental energy, just like "magic.")

Even now, the accumulated fatigue is evident in Welf's profile as he wields the "Demon Sword." This means that such overwhelming firepower cannot be used indefinitely.

Such a powerful artillery barrage would likely consume far more mental energy than anti-magic magic.

"It's not cold, hang in there!"

"I know!!"

As Aisha spurred on the sweating Welf, she thought to herself, "I don't want to rely on some stinky man to help me," and demanded that she fight even harder than she had before.

She repeatedly wielded her broadsword to sweep away enemies, paving the way for the team alongside the "Demon Sword".

"--Huh!?"

"This...could it be an attack on the main team...!?"

Just as the team had traveled up and down the multi-layered maze for some time...

Upon seeing the scene that had intruded into their field of vision—splattered bloodstains on the crystal wall, pools of blood that had not yet dried, and human arms or eyeballs that had been haphazardly eaten—Chigusa turned pale, and Sakura let out a groan.

These are likely the adventurers Perth spoke of, killed by the "monsters." Their lifeless corpses were probably all devoured by the monsters. The corpses may have been dragged into the water, as the water was tinged with a faint red.

Witnessing a scene that hinted at a brutal blood feast that had taken place, Aisha couldn't help but think, "Thank goodness Haruhime fainted."

"Seriously, what the hell is going on...?!"

Seeing the traces of the adventurers' murder extending deep into the building like footprints, the entire team stopped in their tracks, speculating about the "monster" that supposedly had brutally killed the expedition team.

Did that thing really ravage so many adventurers?

Could it be that the monster is still on this floor?

Will Bell and Ryu be able to escape unharmed from that kind of calamity?

Aisha was frustrated by these futile thoughts and glanced at Perth, the only one who had witnessed the "monster." She glanced at him because she suspected he might be succumbing to fear again, however…

"...I didn't hear it."

Perth remained silent.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't hear any of those...jumping, monster-like sounds..."

That was the death melody played by [Calamity].

It was a high-speed approaching sound that bounced back and forth across the ground, walls, or ceiling like diffused light. The [Calamity], which could instantly locate and attack enemies no matter where it was, had now vanished without a trace, leaving Perth, who had experienced hell, in disbelief.

"Could it be... that it's really gone? Did [Gale] and the others defeat it?"

Aisha didn't know how to interpret the content of Perth's dazed whispers.

She couldn't decide whether to view it as hope or optimistic speculation.

Therefore, Aisha decided to take action.

"Perseus, take us to the place where you parted ways with [Swift Wind] and the others!"

"Okay, sure!"

Whether the "monster" is there or not, every second counts. Rather than stagnate, Aisha prefers to take action.

She had Perth walk to the front of the group and lead everyone to the place where he last saw Bell and Ryu.

"—Yes—No!"

at this time.

She heard an incredible "human voice" coming from an unknown source.

"No...you can't go that way!"

"...?"

Fragments of sound came through the hurried footsteps of the team. It was somewhat clumsy human speech.

She looked around, but didn't see anyone.

All that could be seen were crystals emitting a ghostly glow, blood-stained weapons lying on the ground, and the flowing water right next to the land.

The "voice" that only Aisha could perceive was urgent, sounding like it was crying and pleading with them to stay.

But even with this feeling, Aisha could only ignore the warning (voice).

Because she knew that the team wouldn't stop until they found the boy and his friends.

"This is it...!"

Finally, they arrived.

It was a huge cavern.

It is a large space with a vast land area, but it is fed by several waterways.

In such places, traces of battle, telling tales of fierce fighting, are laid out.

"W-What's going on...!?"

The enormous crystal clusters seemed to have been violently struck by "something" at an alarming speed, cracking and collapsing; the ceiling was also etched with deep cracks, large perforations created cave-like holes in the walls and the ground, and the crystal pillars seemed to have melted as if heated by the extreme heat of a flare.

Everywhere in the cave, there were signs of destruction.

"What kind of monster could have wreaked such destruction, causing such a horrific scene..."

Daphne stood frozen in place, while the cherry blossoms beside her looked around in astonishment.

Without needing to be explicitly stated, the adventurers understood that a fierce battle had taken place here. And it was a "death struggle" fought against "monsters" far superior to them.

The problem is that there are neither winners nor losers on the scene.

There was neither the ashes of burnt-out monsters nor the remains of adventurers who met a tragic end. Only the devastated battlefield remained, with the incessant sound of rushing water echoing through the air.

Welf and his companions made their way to the center of the cave, but still couldn't find a single clue.

On the land so devastated that even the water flow had changed direction, Lily seemed drawn to something and walked toward it.

It was a particularly large and deep vertical hole among several perforation marks.

The cave, seemingly carved out by something rotating, appeared to lead down to the floors below. Lily peered down in silence, feeling as if the cave led straight into a deep, dark abyss.

Like other damaged areas, the cave is slowly repairing itself and will soon close up.

(Could it be that...)

Unintentionally, Lily's memories were triggered by a deep-seated species (monster) bearing the name "Ominous (Lemton)," which should not have been encountered in this waterfront layer.

An unacceptable "possibility" was sounding an alarm bell in the corner of my mind.

"Those guys who kicked the bucket right in front of me, their corpses are gone too... Could it be the same here, that they were all eaten by those monsters...?"

Perth, fearing the shadow of the "monster," looked around like a frightened bird, mentioning the adventurers who disappeared leaving behind large amounts of blood.

Hearing the only witness to the killings in the large cavern speak like this, Welf and the others looked around again.

—On a battlefield where there are no victors or vanquished, anyone who lingers where the soldiers have departed is surely a plunderer who tramples on the dignity of the fallen. They are gluttonous bandits who feast on the mountains of corpses to satisfy their own desires.

In the ruined battlefield, there are neither scavengers (hyenas) running across the land nor scavengers (vultures) soaring through the sky.

Only the "carrion fish" that lurk in the water.

「!?」

Swoosh, swoosh!

Several shadows burst through the water's surface and emerged from the current.

And so they floated in mid-air.

"A fish-like monster...? It's floating in the air...!?"

In front of the cherry blossoms, a fish-like body swam in mid-air.

These monsters are made entirely of stone, are blackish-purple in color, and range in length from one to two meters. They have eight fin-like organs, but instead of eyes, they have a single, constantly moving eye on their forehead.

The shards of human flesh peeking out from between the sharp teeth revealed the whereabouts of the adventurers' corpses.

"The 'Vortex Emperor'!"

Aisha, who had experience with floor-level obstacle courses, contorted her face in disgust.

That's the rare monster "Vortex Mai Fish" that only appears on the 27th floor.

Its potential is on par with the "Kelpie" at the top level of the "Water City". Its body, made of stone, has exceptional "durability", and its "strength" to crush adventurers' heavy equipment with its sharp fangs is astonishing.

Unlike other aquatic monsters, its most distinctive feature is that it can "float in the air".

Its structure is similar to that of the "floating crystals" that appear in the same layer, and it floats at a maximum height of about three meters. However, its speed is unmatched by the floating crystals. It can approach from the air as if fighting in "underwater warfare," making it extremely threatening. Adventurers even call it a "living fossil"... no, a "flying fossil."

This monster originally only appeared in a specific area on the 27th floor—where the water was deep and the currents intersected—but now it may have been attracted by the blood of the adventurers who were killed.

They emerged one after another from the gushing water in the cave.

"Number, quantity...!"

"We're surrounded...!?"