"Hey, you bastard, Reed! I told you not to run off on your own!"
"Is Reed all right...? Eek?! W-what is this monster?!"
"This is... looking like quite a troublesome situation."
The monsters appeared one after another, as if following in the wake of the lizardman.
A gargoyle, a siren, and a redcap.
Despite living on different floors and belonging to different races, they shared one startling commonality.
"Monsters... can speak?"
They were conversing.
Nonhuman monsters were actually talking.
Even Thanatos, who had once laughed in the face of mysteries that baffled the gods, stared at them with wide eyes in utter disbelief.
And Ais—
"Ah, I'm fi— eek?!"
"Tch."
She swung her sword.
She had hesitated for a heartbeat when she realized they could speak, but in the end, they were still monsters.
To Ais, they were nothing more than fragments of the enemy she hated.
"Hey, wait a sec, little lady! I'm not a bad lizardman!"
"See! I told you humans can't be trusted!"
"That's not the problem here! First, do something about this monster...!"
"My, my, what a complete mess."
It's true. Reed, this is all your fault for charging ahead like an idiot.
Another one had joined them in the meantime. Was it an undead?
Don't be ridiculous, you damn brat! I'm human!
"In that state?"
Don't call it that! It's not like I wanted to end up like this—kh?!
While they were distracted for a mere moment, the spirit dragon's furious assault resumed.
The attacks were simple enough to barely evade, but they were relentless; even the strongest among them, the Level 4 Fels, found his attacks useless.
Tch, this thing... it's strong...!
Its repulsive form gave no clue as to what kind of monster it actually was.
Fels thought his stomach had hardened after living for centuries, but this was a sight he felt he could never get used to.
It's no ordinary creature! Estimated Level 6 or higher! Don't engage—retreat!
Level 6. A being stronger than a floor boss.
It was not a monster that should be wandering around the middle floors.
Engaging it would be nothing short of suicide. For the likes of Reed, who were barely Level 2 or 3, even escaping was a struggle.
In the end, retreat was the only answer. With a body that large, fleeing should have been easy... or so he thought.
Kgh...
The enemy's attacks were fierce. They were crude and simplistic, but because its very body was a weapon, it was devastatingly vicious.
The hem of the robe he failed to dodge was torn away, and several tools spilled out from within.
The tools that were bitten crumbled instantly. It's not just strong; it has a corrosive effect too...!
Fels's anxiety grew. Faced with an enemy far more powerful than expected, he desperately searched for a way to survive.
If they had been on the surface, he might have been able to break through with the help of other adventurers or prepared items... but of all times, this had to happen when they were completely unprepared.
"Hey, wait, little lady! This isn't the time for us to be fighting each other...!"
To make matters worse, the very person they were supposed to protect was openly hostile toward them.
Trapped in a stalemate, the struggle continued. No opening appeared.
"Hmm~ You... you know, don't you? You're Ouranos's soldier, right?"
...You know me?
"Of course~ A loser who got stabbed in the back by his own god. It'd be stranger not to know."
"I laughed so hard when I heard about it~"
Seeing the grinning male god casually poke at his deepest trauma, Fels felt his temper flare.
This is why gods are all—!
"Hey, Fels! Forget that bastard, we need to do something about this monster right now!"
"Items! Don't you have any useful items?!"
At the desperate cries, he tore his gaze away from the male god and focused on the monster again.
"Looking at you, it seems you're living in a state where you can't even die."
"How pitiful. Eternal life in the form of a monster, unable to even find eternal rest."
"Betrayed by one god, only to be used as a tool by another."
"I truly cherish my own followers, you know. You must have served a god far inferior to me."
"You really have no eye for talent. And to think you're a 'sage'—haha."
He tried to stay focused.
He really did, if not for the evil god needling him so relentlessly.
You rotten bastard...!
As his anger peaked, Fels's composure finally cracked.
"Why are you struggling so much against a single creature?"
Ghk...?!
Through that momentary lapse, a woman forced her way in.
With the sensation of something piercing through him, a thin, long object burst out from his chest.
A knife...?
When he looked back, a red-haired woman was staring at him with cold, indifferent eyes.
The blade in her hand had completely impaled Fels's body.
The woman pulled the knife free, and Fels's body began to tilt—
"...Hm?"
Just as he began to fall, he quickly moved his hand and threw a bottle.
...Had he not died? Wondering this, the woman reflexively sliced the incoming projectile with her sword.
Pshaa—
"?!"
Smoke burst out in an instant, filling the entire room.
A moment later, when the smoke cleared, only the god, the woman, and the monster remained in the room.
*
"Fels-chan! What do we do now?!"
Run! That smoke screen won't last long. We need to put some distance between us while we can!
Using Fels's quick thinking to recover from the crisis, the Xenos party and Ais fled.
Ignoring Ais as she struggled in Rey's grip, the group raced through the artificial labyrinth at full speed.
An artificially made Dungeon...
Was such a feat really possible through human power? Even Fels, who had lived for centuries, felt a sense of awe at the structure.
What was even more astonishing was that this place served as the nest for Evilus.
No wonder it was so impossible to find...
There was a reason even the Zeus and Hera Familias had failed to discover it. Of course, if they had truly committed their full resources to the search, they likely would have found it eventually.
Still, the immediate problem was that they were effectively inside the enemy's belly. The numbers, the levels, and even the terrain favored the enemy. They had escaped the immediate danger, but the situation remained dire.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
"W-wait. If you keep moving like that, I can't fly—kyah! Please stop swinging that knife?!"
"That rotten brat! Rey! Just throw her away!"
No. She is an important existence.
Thinking back on what he had heard from Ouranos, they absolutely could not let her die. It was a massive pain that she was being so hostile, but... what choice did he have? Orders were orders.
"..."
Reed, don't worry about it. She's just a child.
"R-right... yeah..."
"...Tch."
"Hmm..."
The problem was not just Ais.
The Xenos had longed to interact with humans, but they had instinctively realized that reality would be no different from Ais's reaction.
Their spirits visibly sank. This was always an issue, but in a situation like this, it was a serious liability.
Setting aside their lack of motivation, their current state would only lead to more mistakes. As Fels wondered if there was anything to distract them, a question suddenly came to mind.
Hey, doll princess. What happened to that white-haired man you were traveling with?
"...!"
The casual question stabbed straight into Ais's heart.
The past she had tried to suppress in the urgency of the moment came flooding back.
"H-hey, Fels-chan. Isn't that girl suddenly looking super depressed?"
"Fels. No matter how annoying she is, isn't that a bit much for a kid?"
"Fels-san, I'm disappointed in you."
Wait. Stop slandering me! How is this my fault?!
The noisy chatter continued, but Ais was in no state to care.
To be honest, she had hoped. She had hoped that the one who saved her just now would not have been that lizardman, but that man.
That at the moment of crisis, he would appear and rescue her—becoming the hero she had imagined.
But reality was cruel. In the end, he had not come for her.
Of course he hadn't. It was her fault in the first place.
She had relied on him without permission, gotten angry without permission, and entered a place like this without permission.
The price for doing everything she was told not to do had finally come due. Ais's mood plummeted to the depths.
Then, something was placed on her head with a soft thump.
"Don't be too scared. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"..."
A gentle word of comfort from a monster. Ais could not find the words to respond; only a soundless ache lingered in her throat.
As Ais sat there, unable to speak and only moving her lips wordlessly—
Thud—
"...What was that sound?"
"Something... like something breaking..."
"Is the wall... breaking?"
There's no way.
Fels dismissed their doubts sharply.
At a glance, any sage could tell.
The structure here was made of adamantite and orichalcum. Even a first-class adventurer would take an eternity to break through it; there was no way it could be destroyed so easily.
Bang— Crash—!
And yet it was happening—easily, and repeatedly.
It was impossible. It should not have been possible.
But...
"Fels-chan... doesn't it feel like it's getting closer?"
...
The sound drew nearer and nearer.
Then it clicked. That monster from before possessed the power of corrosion.
If not the orichalcum [doors], then perhaps the adamantite [walls]... the thought flashed through his mind just as—
KWA-BOOOOM—!
"Waaah?!"
The monster they thought they had shaken off reappeared, smashing through the wall right beside them.
"I'm sure I stabbed its heart... how is it still alive?"
...Well, maybe because it's a skeleton...?
To make matters worse, the mysterious red-haired woman appeared alongside it.
"For Lord Thanatos!"
Uwaaaah—!
A significant number of Evilus humans followed her lead.
In an instant, the Xenos were trapped like rats in a cage.
With no way out, a shadow of despair flickered across their faces.
Then—
"Capture Aria and kill the rest—"
Crackle—
Lightning sparked in the empty air.
"[Astrafe]"
Flash—!
Following the command, an enormous bolt of lightning filled the entire corridor.