"This matter, spoken by my mouth, heard by your ears—after today, I will not admit a single word of it."
The dwarven man spoke in a low tone, "I advise you not to go around talking about this either... It concerns the [Demon King of the Sword] and that [Nine Hell], Riveria..."
""What?""
.
.
.
"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, we can now draw a conclusion," The Amazon spoke.
"Emiya Shirou, this man possesses immense strength and extraordinary talent. At the same time, his way of handling matters... I think we can only describe it as 'Demon King.'"
"Ruthless, cold-blooded, violent and unrestrained, holds power over life and death, indulges in debauchery, controls everything with one hand, eats and drinks without discrimination... And yet, on the surface, he appears calm as still water, hiding his true depths."
"Danger level: Black. Extremely dangerous!"
———
On the morning of the day after tomorrow, as the first rays of sunlight dispersed the mist, the Loki Familia's grand expedition team set out.
For this expedition, the Loki Familia was essentially deploying their entire force. The members of the expedition team included three Lv.6 first-tier adventurers, five Lv.5 first-tier adventurers, and numerous Lv.4 and Lv.3 second-tier adventurers. Additionally, all the supporters accompanying the expedition were at least Lv.2 upper-tier adventurers. This lineup was nothing short of luxurious.
This was the top-tier exploration-oriented adventurer faction in the city. With Freya Familia dominated by lone wolves and Ganesha Familia preoccupied with city management duties, the Loki Familia was the sole hope for Orario to break through to the deepest layers of the Dungeon labyrinth.
The purpose of this Loki Familia expedition was to break records. At this moment, the Loki Familia was at the strongest point since its establishment. Three powerhouses still in their prime, a rising new generation, and newly developed magic swords and weapons as trump cards. With all these, the Loki Familia was craving a decisive and overwhelming victory.
The grand doors of Twilight Manor were wide open. Led by the three Lv.6 adventurers with [Braver] Finn at the center, many renowned adventurers of the Dungeon City marched out in a steady stream.
Behind them, Goddess Loki gazed at their departing figures and called out: "I have only one thing to say—everyone, come back alive!"
[Braver] Finn did not turn back. He simply raised his right hand high and gave a thumbs-up to the goddess.
[Not losing a single companion]—this was the reason the Loki Familia had waited until now to challenge the theoretically conquerable Dungeon Floor Boss. It was also the goal behind all their efforts over this time.
"MOVE OUT! TARGET: BABEL TOWER!"
At the forefront of the group, Finn swung his spear, its golden tip pointing forward, glistening brilliantly under the morning sun.
"OHHHHHH!!!"
The adventurers raised their weapons in response.
The "Legion" of the Loki Familia advanced toward Babel Tower, and today, more eyes than usual were upon them.
Some were awed by the imposing might of the Loki Familia, some secretly envied the prestige of this top-tier Familia, and some simply wished the brave adventurers well as they ventured into the land of certain death.
Atop Babel Tower, the strongest individual ruling over the city, the [King], and the goddess of the strongest Familia, silently observed this scene.
"Lady Freya, after the Loki Familia's expedition is over, please allow me to undertake my own expedition," A male boaz-man spoke in a deep and steady voice.
"You wish to embark on a solo expedition, Ottar? It will be very dangerous," Freya's voice remained as calm as ever.
"The dignity of the Freya Familia must not be challenged," Ottar declared.
Recently, the Loki Familia had been growing explosively, shifting from being completely dominated by the Freya Familia in terms of both quantity and quality of first-tier adventurers to now standing on nearly equal footing.
"Has the Loki Familia begun to surpass the Freya Familia?"
This question had even become a trending topic in the city.
"You know very well that I have never cared about such things."
Freya's fair, jade-like fingers played with a lock of her silky hair, "Staying at the top of Babel Tower isn't all that interesting, really."
"...This is also to hone my abilities and combat skills," After a brief silence, Ottar spoke again.
Freya pondered for a moment, "I understand. If the Loki Familia successfully slays Balor, I will trade its intelligence with the Guild or the Loki Familia. At that time, Ottar, you may proceed as you wish."
Ottar half-bowed, "Thank you for your permission, Lady Freya."
The goddess then stood up, seemingly uninterested in lingering any longer at the summit of Babel Tower.
———
When they set out, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth were at the forefront, followed closely by Ais and the others. However, after leaving their Familia's headquarters, they immediately switched to a more practical formation.
The five Lv.5 first-tier adventurers of the Loki Familia—[Sword Princess] Ais, [Ferocious Wolf] Bete, [Great Cleave] Tiona, [Raging Snake] Tione, and [Pristine Garden] Alicia—separated from the main force and entered the Dungeon ahead.
All five possessed exceptional agility, particularly [Ferocious Wolf] Bete. Before leveling up, his average agility potential had already reached S-rank. Even among Lv.6 adventurers like [Heavy Champion] and [Nine Hell], his speed surpassed theirs.
[Ferocious Wolf] was even considered the most likely candidate to challenge the title of Fastest in Orario, held by [Goddess' Chariot].
Apart from Bete, the others also had high agility stats. Their mobility far exceeded the other Familia members, so at this stage, for the sake of efficiency, they became the "spearhead" of the expedition.
The first-tier adventurers would move at maximum speed along the Dungeon's main passage, clearing out all monsters in their path, including the reborn Floor Boss of the Floor 17, the Giant Goliath.
Their task was to pave the way for the main force, especially the supply convoy composed of supporters. By eliminating accumulated monsters and obstructing Floor Bosses, they would significantly ease the progress of the main force.
Afterward, Alicia and the others would rest in the safety zone on the Floor 18, waiting for the main force before repeating the process up to the next safety zone on the Flore 28, including slaying the Flore 27's Floor Boss—[Twin-Headed Dragon] Amphisbaena.
After reaching the Flore 28, the spearhead team and the main force would start moving together.
Before reaching the Deep Floors, efficiency was the priority. In Dungeon expeditions, supply lines were lifelines; every moment saved in the early stages translated into greater advantages in the later explorations.
However, once they reached the Deep Floors, even first-tier adventurers could be subjected to the Dungeon's malice. From that point onward, the expedition's progress would have to become increasingly cautious.
These were the lessons Riveria had taught Emiya. She generously shared the precious insights gathered from countless Loki Familia expeditions, even though this time, Emiya declined the invitation to join them as a supporter.
Rather than increasing his knowledge of the Dungeon as a supporter, he preferred to enhance himself through actual combat and adventure. Additionally, Goddess Hephaestus believed that entering the Deep Floors at his current level would expose him to unpredictable dangers.
Although Riveria regretted Emiya's refusal, she still shared a wealth of advanced adventuring knowledge with him, from which he greatly benefited. Before departing, she even placed an order with Emiya for a first-tier weapon for [Sword Princess].
No matter what, Riveria was undoubtedly the person in this world who cared most about Ais.
Emiya couldn't guarantee he could forge a [Noble Phantasm] level weapon, but creating a first-tier weapon was well within his ability.
And so, he took on the task of forging a blade for [Sword Princess], while at the same time, as the Loki Familia's expedition began, he was locked in an intense battle with [Gale] Ryuu, [Chariot's Fragment] Anya, [Black Fist] Lunoire, and [Black Cat] Chloe in a secluded training ground.
———
Outside the dungeon city Orario, on a farm in the vast open wilderness, a training ground for adventurers had been set up.
This was one of the benefits of establishing a friendly relationship with Goddess Demeter. The Demeter Familia was one of the few factions granted the right to freely enter and exit the city. In the outskirts, where land was abundant, training grounds could be easily found. Unlike in the city, where every inch of land was precious.
Near any given farm, one could easily find an open space larger than the entire Loki Familia's headquarters. Only in such places could high-level adventurer girls go all out.
By comparison, the backyard of [Hostess of Fertility] was far too small. It had barely been enough for Emiya's training before his level-up, but if Ryuu and the others were to fight at full force there, the result would be the entire tavern being destroyed by the aftershocks of their battle. Followed by the girls being torn to pieces by an enraged Mia.
On a grass field reaching down to the ankles, the figure of an elven girl moved with agility, leaving behind afterimages.
WHOOSH—
Three sharp arrows shot toward her from behind. Ryuu sidestepped, two arrows whizzed past the sides of her slender body, while the last one met a pitch-black sword light.
The blade precisely cut the arrow in half, producing a crisp metallic clang. The elven girl's sharp eyes scanned her surroundings and quickly locked onto a direction.
Meanwhile, the moment the arrow was loosed, Emiya immediately moved from his original shooting position, not even pausing to confirm whether he had hit or not.
Ryuu was even faster. She crouched low like a panther ready to pounce, once she launched, her speed was as swift as wind and thunder.
However, after taking three steps forward, she stepped into actual lightning.
[Mus Mine]—seeing the electricity and lightning spreading from the ground beneath her feet, Ryuu instantly identified the nature of this attack.
It was the magic possessed by Lyra, the former Pallum adventurer of the Astraea Familia. This spell consumed magic power to create a magical lightning trap.
It could explode on its own or be imbued with paralyzing electricity to disable enemies.
Lyra had already passed away, but two people in the city still had the ability to use this magic. One was Ryuu, who possessed [Astraea Record], and the other was Shirou Emiya, who could project the [Carnivore] (Lyra's weapon).
Among the magic within [Astrea Record], this trap magic was the one Ryuu was the least proficient at using. She only ever treated it as a disposable bomb. In contrast, Emiya was adept at using it to control the battlefield.
'That's why he shot an arrow and exposed his position—because that spot was a trap,' Realizing this, Ryuu immediately retreated. With a single powerful step, she reversed her direction by 180 degrees, retreating at high speed.
She was so fast that even the magic trap couldn't keep up, and in the blink of an eye, she was already outside the trap's range.
Then came the explosion behind her.
The two arrows that had struck the ground earlier instead of hitting Ryuu revealed their true nature. They were actually magic swords.
Although Ryuu was unharmed by either the magic swords or the [Mus Mine] trap, the delay from the trap and the swords had given the others enough time to catch up.
"Ryuu, don't think you can run, nya~", Anya charged in, gripping her golden spear tightly. Her combat power might have been slightly inferior to the Lv.4 [Gale], but when it came to speed, she absolutely lived up to her title as [Chariot's Fragment].
Especially in a straight-line charge. When she raised her first-tier armed [Golden War Spear], her momentum truly became as unstoppable as a chariot.
Even a first-tier adventurer like Ryuu didn't want to take such a charge head-on, especially when she was facing multiple enemies at once.
Ryuu sidestepped, trying to evade Anya's charge. At the same time, she lowered her head and began chanting a spell softly.
"Don't think you'll get away so easily, [Gale]!", The second one to catch up was [Black Fist] Lunoire. This former bounty hunter possessed even greater physical strength and destructive power than Anya. With her combination of [First Strike], [Crush], and [Fist Fighter] development abilities, her fists were more dangerous than weapons. Each strike could shatter rocks and leave terrifying craters in floors or walls.
Ryuu drew her second sword from her waist. The crimson longsword traced a burning arc, clashing against Anya's spear tip, while the black longsword left an afterimage as it met Lunoire's gauntlets.
The sheer force of the impact sent Ryuu back two steps, while Anya and Lunoire were both blown away. The difference in level and equipment meant that even with a two-against-one advantage, they couldn't gain the upper hand against Ryuu.
After repelling the two Lv.4 second-tier adventurers, Ryuu didn't linger but instead rushed toward Emiya.
She had already spotted the boy's location and charged without hesitation. In response, he released a smoke bomb, trying to obscure his movements.
With the speed of a Lv.5 first-tier adventurer, Ryuu quickly entered the smoke screen and caught up to the hooded figure. At that moment, the shadow under the coat reached for a dagger hidden in their chest—
Ryuu struck with a swift hand chop, knocking them to the ground. The figure tumbled across the grass, rolling several times before stopping, the dagger coated in anesthetic falling from their grasp.
"How did you notice, nya? I even mimicked the boy's posture," Lifting the hood, the face revealed beneath was the adorable countenance of a catgirl.
Lunoire: "I told you disguising as Shirou wouldn't work, [Black Cat]. You'd be better off helping us hold her off directly."
Chloe: "Nya~ I don't wanna face that muscle-obsessed elf head-on. Assassins are supposed to use their brains to win."
Anya: "One more minute… Can Shirou-kun hold out…?"
"Not likely," Chloe sighed, "Unless he uses seduction."
"Sigh, looks like we're losing again, nya~"
The catgirls sighed in frustration. Clearly, this wasn't their first time losing to the "useless elf" today.
But on the other side, Emiya wasn't about to give up so easily.
Anya and the others' efforts hadn't been in vain. Their attacks and delays had weakened Ryuu and bought Emiya enough time to recover his magic power and complete his chant.
After reaching Lv.2, his stats, especially dexterity and magic, had been growing rapidly. By now, even without the [Uchide no Kozuki], he could project that 'Noble Phantasm'.
"Behold the true radiance of the rainbow—[Fake • Caladbolg]."
"[Agaris Alvesynth], True Flame Flash—"
———
Emiya, this time, did not shoot out the [Caladbolg] using a bow but instead wielded it as a sword, utilizing its original function.
The spiral-shaped blade, like a vortex leading straight into the abyssal depths of the sea, shimmered with a seven-colored radiance. Compared to the original, which possessed the might to pierce through mountains and cleave the earth, the projected replica in Emiya's hand seemed dim. Yet, even so, it could still bloom with an instant of unparalleled brilliance.
The thunder of the gods roared, as if it had dyed half the world in a dazzling white. Meanwhile, on the other side, a deeper, more profound crimson spread, as though capable of swallowing everything.
The flames of [Agaris Alvesynth] were sealed within the blade, forming an even more extreme and violent flow of magical energy. The intense heat it stirred caused the surrounding air to distort.
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