"Oh! This great sword looks so cool!"
After the group did a simple resupply, Takatsuki took out Murakumogiri, one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords that had been gathering dust in his backpack for a long time, and lent it to Tiona. After all, while her sister still had one blade left, she had no weapons at all.
"It's fine as long as you can use it comfortably."
As Takatsuki spoke, he took out the handles of the Black Keys and tucked them into his waist, then stuffed several Explosive Tags into his pocket. Although he didn't know if they would be useful, it was always good to be prepared.
"Don't worry! I can handle any giant weapon well. Let's go! Let's go save Lefiya!"
After spinning Murakumogiri with one hand, Tiona said.
"Is everyone ready?"
Finn came over at the right time: "If you're ready, let's head out."
Finn also picked up two long spears for the first time in a while, his face full of a heavy expression as he said to Takatsuki, "I'm sorry, Takatsuki. This is clearly our Familia's problem."
"It's fine. We are allies. Isn't it normal for allies to help when they encounter a situation? However, my two supporters will have to stay here at the passage on standby for now."
Takatsuki stood in front of Finn with the others. Because he didn't know what they would encounter next, he chose to follow Finn's command like everyone else. However, he still chose to leave behind the two puppets disguised as supporters and the Shadowkhan Soldiers. Finn didn't say anything; after all, in his eyes, the two were neither from the Loki Familia nor the Hestia Familia, and it was already impressive that they had followed this far.
"According to the records of the Zeus Familia, the Glacier Territory begins from the 59th floor."
Others also recalled the records they had seen before: "It's said that there are Ice-eroded Lakes and streams everywhere, making it difficult to advance."
"So we've prepared enough Salamander Wool, but I wonder how Lefiya is doing."
Lefiya, who had been kidnapped, didn't have any Salamander Wool on her, so she would undoubtedly suffer from the environmental erosion.
"Yes, but why is it that even though we've reached this point, no cold air is coming through?"
Everyone was currently at the entrance area of the 59th floor. The Dungeon was not a game; there were no boundaries between maps, and even monsters could move across floors. If it were truly an icy cold that made movement difficult below, it would surely affect the passage between the two floors.
"In that case, combined with the previous anomalies, the environment of the next floor might have already changed."
Takatsuki thought of the monsters that had entered the next floor earlier.
"We won't equip the Salamander Wool! Let's head out directly!"
After a brief moment of thought, everyone entered the cave. Passing through the dark and deep cave corridor, they soon saw the exit of the 59th floor.
On the other side of the exit, it wasn't the ice-eroded lake described in the records, but a forest like those on the twenty-something floors.
"Where is Lefiya?"
The surrounding woods perfectly obstructed everyone's vision; they saw neither Lefiya nor the red-haired woman who had kidnapped her.
"There are many monsters in that direction, and there's also a strange noise."
Takatsuki looked in the direction indicated by his Observation Haki. In fact, even without the feedback from his Observation Haki, the others also heard the strange sound coming from the distance.
"Let's go that way."
Without a clear target, the group could only advance toward the most suspicious place.
Passing through the dense forest, everyone soon saw the source of the strange noise. It was a monster that looked like a giant flower, and it was constantly devouring the green worms around it.
"This is..."
Everyone was stunned by the monster in front of them. Beneath its massive body were the sturdy plant monsters from the fifty-second floor.
"Is it an Enhanced Species?"
"What kind of monster is this!"
"These new species of monsters are actually just its food!"
Compared to the monster before them, Ais and Riveria were more concerned about Lefiya, who was hanging from a tree behind the monster.
"Lefiya!"
Although Ais wanted to rush over and save Lefiya immediately, the giant and eerie monster blocking their path made her afraid to act rashly.
Suddenly, the monster stopped eating and let out a blood-curdling scream.
The piercing and unpleasant sound went deep into their brains, causing everyone to subconsciously cover their ears. Even the unconscious Lefiya showed a look of pain; unlike the others, she couldn't cover her ears at all.
"Aria..."
The miserable wailing suddenly stopped. The outer shell of the giant monster's upper body shattered, revealing a female upper body. However, it only had a similar shape; both its color and aura radiated a dangerous presence. Even the scenery around the floor instantly turned dark.
"I've been waiting for you for so long. I've been waiting for you."
The monster called out to Ais, and Ais subconsciously thought of something as she looked at the monster: "A Spirit..."
"Ugh, are Spirits actually such disgusting things?"
Most people had never seen a Spirit, which only existed in fairy tales, and the monster in front of them was disgusting in both appearance and aura.
Ignoring the others' words of disgust, the Corrupted Spirit opposite them continued to call out to Ais.
"Let me... eat you!"
As her words fell, a giant wall of vines suddenly appeared, completely sealing off everyone's retreat. Countless worms and vine plants beneath her launched a surprise attack on the group.
"It seems she doesn't intend to let us leave."
Bete glanced at the wall behind them and said irritably, "It doesn't matter anyway! As long as we defeat this thing, right?"
Taking out his weapon and enchanting his iron boots with magic, Bete immediately launched a counter-attack as the enemy struck.
And the others followed, charging forward at the same time.
"I'll go save Lefiya."
Just as Ais was about to move, she was pulled back by Takatsuki.
"I'll do it. You are the target."
After pulling Ais back, Takatsuki's feet moved, and he disappeared from the spot with a 'Shave'. When he reappeared, he was already on top of a monster's head.
"Watch out!"
The monster's reaction wasn't slow either. The moment he appeared, the surrounding monsters responded immediately.
As expected of high-level monsters, they could react even to such high speed. However, the moment the monster's attack landed, Takatsuki had already disappeared from the spot.
"So fast, when did he..."
In the eyes of the others, Takatsuki had dodged the attack with extreme speed. In reality, he had just activated the power of the King Crimson, leaping himself out of the timeline.
After all, even with the Observation Haki helping him dodge attacks, it would still take some time and effort. Takatsuki had no intention of wasting his energy outwitting these monsters.
Taking advantage of the few seconds of attack immunity, he reached Lefiya's side, cut the vines binding her, and rescued her. However, for some unknown reason, she still hadn't woken up even after all this time.
"There's no other way."
Takatsuki had no choice but to carry her on his back. He couldn't activate the King Crimson's ability on the way back, so he relied on Haki to dodge and return to the group.