Having learned from Zanis that the Xenos's smuggling route was located on Daedalus Street, Tsuna and the others headed to the area.
"It's hopeless. We cannot find anything…" Mikoto sighed.
"For someone who doesn't know the layout, this place is more of a labyrinth than the actual Dungeon," Welf grumbled.
"M-Master Welf… I honestly have no idea what you mean by that…" Haruhime murmured, looking lost.
Despite their best efforts to locate clues, Mikoto, Welf, and Haruhime were visibly exhausted.
They had come to locate the Poachers' smuggling route, but navigating the slums proved to be a nightmare. Forget finding the route—they couldn't even locate a single suspicious building.
Daedalus Street. It was the sprawling, poverty-stricken residential district situated in the Third District, wedged between Orario's eastern and southeastern main streets.
The area was named after Daedalus, a dependent of Ouranos who was among the very first humans to receive a Falna when the Gods descended. He was a legendary architect whose visionary designs laid the foundation for Orario, including the construction of Babel itself.
Due to endless, haphazard zoning expansions over the centuries, the street had warped into a complex, claustrophobic maze. The citizens of Orario widely referred to it as the 'Second Labyrinth.' It was an uncharted domain so convoluted that not even the city's most elite Dungeon exploration specialists could fully comprehend its layout.
"More importantly, I don't even know how to get back to the main street…" Tsuna admitted nervously.
"Do not worry about that. We have [Ariadne]," Lili reassured him.
"Ariadne?"
"It refers to these red lines painted on the walls. If we follow these markers, they will guide us straight back to the exit."
"Thank goodness…"
Knowing they wouldn't be permanently trapped in the sprawling slums, Tsuna let out a sigh of relief.
"Between this and Bell-kun, I really don't have any good memories associated with Daedalus Street," Hestia muttered, crossing her arms.
"Did something happen?" Tsuna asked.
"A few things…"
Hestia was recalling an incident that occurred before Tsuna arrived in this world, before Bell had even met Lili.
During the Monsterphilia—a grand festival where the Ganesha Familia's Tamers put on a spectacle by publicly taming monsters captured in the Dungeon—a Silverback had broken out of its cage. The enraged beast had attacked Bell and Hestia, forcing them to flee into the winding alleys of Daedalus Street. Cornered, Hestia had given Bell the newly forged Hestia Knife, and Bell had brilliantly slain the monster.
"A monster!?"
Welf's shout snapped them to attention. A monster resembling a Lamia was collapsed in the middle of the street. Judging by the massive craters in the walls and the pulverized buildings surrounding it, the Lamia had clearly gone on a destructive rampage. Its body was riddled with jagged debris and deep lacerations.
"Is that a monster that escaped from the enemy's hideout…?" Welf asked, reaching for the hilt of the greatsword on his back, prepared for combat.
"…Please wait, look closely!!"
Mikoto stopped him. Her [Yata no Kurogarasu] skill—which only reacted to monsters she had previously encountered—had suddenly flared to life.
"…A Vouivre!?"
Lili trembled violently. She realized that the battered creature wasn't a Lamia. It was a Vouivre. And the horrific realization of which Vouivre it was struck her like lightning.
Suddenly, the collapsed Vouivre rose from the rubble and lunged directly at them. Shocked by the sudden movement and the horrifying revelation of its identity, their reactions were delayed, and the group was violently blown backward.
"Haruhime-kun!!"
Hestia screamed. Haruhime had been thrown onto the cobblestone street, and the Vouivre was looming directly over her.
"Lady Wiene…?"
As someone who had grown incredibly close to Wiene, Haruhime instantly recognized her despite the grotesque transformation. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of her mutilated friend.
『AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!』
But Wiene, consumed by madness, didn't recognize Haruhime. She raised her massive, tree-trunk-like tail, preparing to crush the girl. Hestia and the others were too far away to intervene; they could only scream Haruhime's name in despair.
"Are you hurt, Haruhime?"
"Master Tsunayoshi…"
A fraction of a second before the tail struck, Tsuna entered Hyper Dying Will Mode, scooped Haruhime into his arms, and landed safely behind Hestia's group.
"Is everyone else okay!?"
"We sustained some minor injuries, but we are fine!! More importantly, Lady Wiene!!" Mikoto shouted.
"What the hell is going on!? What happened to her!?" Welf demanded.
Through his Hyper Intuition, Tsuna knew the beast was Wiene. However, her previously child-like stature had warped grotesquely. Her lower half had elongated into a massive serpent's tail, and her total length had ballooned to nearly seven meters. He was bewildered by the horrific mutation.
"It's the Vouivre's Tear!! If the gemstone on a Vouivre's forehead is removed, they enter a state of uncontrollable berserk madness!!" Lili explained frantically.
"!?"
Hearing the biological trigger from Lili, Tsuna realized that if they could somehow return the gemstone to her forehead, she might revert to normal. But he had no idea where the gem was. Even worse, if the Poachers had already shattered it, returning her to normal would be biologically impossible. The horrific prospect twisted Tsuna's face into a bitter grimace.
While Tsuna wracked his brain for a solution, Wiene began to move again.
"Bell!?"
The moment Wiene slithered away, Bell—who was supposed to be exploring the 18th Floor—suddenly sprinted past them, desperately chasing after her. He was so singularly focused on Wiene that he hadn't even noticed Tsuna and the rest of the Familia standing right there.
Given Bell's exceptional Agility, it wasn't impossible for him to return from the 18th Floor this quickly, but it was still highly unnatural. Realizing Bell was recklessly trying to stop her alone, Tsuna prepared to give chase.
It was then.
『AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!』
A spear shot out from an unknown direction with terrifying velocity, piercing clean through Wiene's shoulder and violently pinning her against a stone wall.
That spear…!?
A golden spear. Tsuna recognized the weapon immediately. He traced the trajectory of the throw, his eyes locking onto the roof of a nearby building.
"I suppose that beast is the cause of all this commotion?"
Standing on the rooftop, looking down at the carnage, was Finn. Behind him stood the entirety of the Loki Familia's elite executives.
Seeing the city's strongest faction arrive to save them, the terrified citizens hiding in the ruins erupted in relieved cheers.
This is the worst-case scenario…
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