Tales Of Fate: F Chapter 40, a dungeon ni deai o motomeru no wa machigatte iru darou ka fanfic

AN:

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

*Sigh*

You may not see it, but Beta Reader is lying on a bed connected to a machine monitoring his condition. This chapter was just too much for him. It has once again been sitting on my drive for some time, first because of a writer's block that I will explain later and second because BR over here let it sleep again.

*Beep* BR: Fuck… You *Beep*

As for the block itself. As you may have noticed, there are a lot of characters involved in this. I think every author (that actually writes a plot and not just smut) knows dealing with such a large number of characters in a single event gets complicated and convoluted because of keeping track of them.

Hell, I forgot to add Daphne and Cassandra on this during the last chapter, even if it was a single scene.

And as it was to be expected, this means it is a long chapter… until I decided to split it in two rather than having over 30K words. The good news is that the second part is 90% ready for my part, so I will hopefully be posting it next week if BR is available.

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

Oh, it looks like he passed away… *Sigh* I hope you enjoy the chapter. If you excuse me, I am going to look for some airmid art and see if I can revive BR with it.

BR: AYO! Did someone mention Airmid!?

Chapter 40

Flashback

She panted heavily.

Feeling her very knees burning, wanting to give up on her.

Her tight grip on her blade bruised the palms of her hands.

She moved from left to right, back and forth, mainly on defense. There was no time for offense, surrounded by endless darkness.

Her faceless enemy didn't help things, relentlessly attacking with her blades, exploiting every opening she created.

She gritted her teeth in frustration, releasing a scream of anger and frustration as she let herself be more open. Trading defense for offense, she shifted the balance of the fight.

Her opponent was pushed back, but due to restless behavior, she was on her last legs now; she knew this. So, she released another scream and went for one final push. Her blade met her target, thrusting through their chest before finally twisting their weapon.

She released her breath, panting erratically as she kept staring at her opponent's face… his face finally taking shape. Her eyes widened slightly first, only to then fully open in horror at the sight of a familiar pair of green draconic emerald eyes… and bright blonde hair.

He just stared blandly, slowly frowning at her as his body broke into pieces.

Her eyes snapped open, instinctively sitting on her bed once she woke up. Her breathing was erratic, as was her vision by how blurry everything appeared to her.

Tsubaki Collbrande calmed herself, steading her breath gradually before her panting stopped. She closed her eye, grabbing the side of her head as a headache decided it was the best time to assault her.

"Bad dream?"

Her eye snapped at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked to the side, seeing her Patron Deity sitting on a chair not too far from her bed. The Goddess' legs were crossed, while her elbow rested on a small circular table so she could rest her chin on her hand as she gave her child a judging - and somewhat annoyed- look.

Tsubaki could tell Hephaestus was mad; the bottle of alcohol on the table clearly indicated it.

"… What are you doing in my room?" Tsubaki asked, almost instinctively.

"Your room?" the Goddess snapped back with an incredulous tone. "Does it look like this room is made of tatami floor or that you are sleeping on a futon?"

Tsubaki blinked, noticing the very thing her Goddess mentioned. "No shit, this bed felt too comfortable."

Hephaestus rolled her eyes, picking a piece of paper on the table that made Tsubaki remember why she had come to her Goddess in the first place; to update her status.

Now she knew why the redhead was in a sour mood. Almost every Deity hated finding big surprises in the Children's status because they could get a lot of unwanted attention from other Familias.

'A reminder that Orario's Familias can be as hungry as a pack of piranhas.' Tsubaki thought, seeing her Goddess extending the paper at her.

"Your stats have been maxed."

The Adventurers' eyes snapped open before taking the paper in a hurry. "Oh damn!"

"Some of your skills changed, and you have five new ones."

"Oh damn!" she clenched the paper more excitedly.

"And you are now ready for a Level up." The Goddess ran her hand through her face in exasperation; she could already imagine this impact from other Familias. However, her scowling stopped, hearing… or rather, the lack of not hearing the surprise from Tsubaki's voice.

She looked at her child, her eye widening at the reflection of something akin to sorrow while she gripped the paper tightly.

"Goddess…" she said thoughtfully, making Hephaestus tense momentarily as she waited for Tsubaki to continue. "What kind of scribbles are these?"

Hephaestus sighed, tossing away her worries.

"Heck, if I know, I bet they are related to all the new forging skills you learned from Drake. So the Falna probably can't seem to translate it, seeing as it's knowledge from another world."

Tsubaki narrowed her eye. "Just like Lili." She recalled the event; Drake had somehow affected the girl's Falna, causing it to develop a skill that not even her God could translate; only Drake or his brothers could.

"I will ask Drake to translate these later," Tsubaki sighed, turning her body on the bed to place her feet on the ground. She was about to stand up, only to be forced down after her Goddess had put her hand on the Adventurer's shoulder.

"Not so fast. As much as a headache will be, let's deal with your Level up at once. Just lay down on the bed again; you are already ready for it anyway."

Tsubaki blinked, looking down to see she was indeed topless already.

"I also want to know what exactly happened when you were gone. Let me get my needle so we can be done with-" She had turned around, ready to go to the table to get her needle, only to stop the moment she felt her child holding the back of her shirt.

"Tsubaki?" Hephaestus looked back, seeing the same conflicted look in her eye, an utterly out-of-character from her.

Present

"Keep dreaming, bitch," Tsubaki replied, waving her hammer to release a small shockwave around her.

"Tempest!" Ais Wallenstein shouted, charging at Tsubaki with a thrust to cripple her.

Tsubaki Collbrande grinned madly; quickly detecting the intent to kill from the Sword Princess.

'Great,' Tsubaki raised her hammer, grabbing it with both hands. 'I can claim self-defense after this bullshit.'

Ais stared warily as she closed the distance, seeing as Tsubaki slammed her hammer down while she wasn't near close enough for the hit to land.

She saw the hammer slowly descending on the ground as sparks of blue lightning ran through its head freely… her eyes widened as she noticed a massive shockwave of that element being created… efficiently dissipating her wind and pushing her back, rolling on the ground.

Ais tried to recover as she got pushed back, but she could feel the lightning running around her body, enveloping and paralyzing her.

"Tem... Temp… Temp…!" she couldn't even call for her magic because of the debuff. But she kept trying, sensing she would soon be free of it.

"Coming through!"

Her eyes widened, hearing Tsubaki shout; Ais' eyes managed to see Tsubaki leaping into the air in her direction, hammer ready to smash down on her.

"Tem-! Tempe-!" she panicked, seeing Tsubaki descending on her without mercy. "Tempes-!" she bit her tongue, getting a feeling of pain other than numbness. "TEMPEST!"

Wind expanded off Ais in all directions, forcing Tsubaki to shift the position of her hammer quickly. She swiftly rotated it, placing both feet on the inferior part of the head as the wind reached her. The wind pushed her back as the hammer took more of the impact.

"I thought the famed wind of the Sword Princess would be stronger." The Blacksmith said as she calmly placed her weapon over her shoulder after swiftly landing. "What now, Doll Princess? Reconsidering your life choices?" There was no humor in her tone, even when she saw Ais trying not to stumble; lightning was still running around her body.

"Mind if I give you some advice?" Rita's voice came through the device in Tsubaki's ear. "Stop playing with your food and end it already." she had been the one who told Tsubaki she was being tailed, explicitly telling her not to waste time with the girl.

Tsubaki's seriousness faded with a groan. "Listen, I would like to break this bitch in like any other fed-up gal." she sighed, placing her hammer on the ground before resting her foot on it. "But there are repercussions for killing someone that classifies as 'very important' in the city."

'Not to mention, Loki would be a pain to deal with… no, seriously, she was annoying even when her threats were real, according to Hephaestus.'

"Here's another piece of advice then; just break her fucking legs. You call her a doll; she can get new ones."

Tsubaki snorted. "You sound like that one bitch that broke all of her toys in her childhood."

She heard Rita snort. "I don't know, never played with a damn Barbie in my life… I did destroy some of my labs, though."

Tsubaki blinked a few times. "The fuck is a Barbie?"

Ais just stared, utterly confused about who Tsubaki Collbrande was speaking to. After a moment she gritted her teeth, concluding she was being mocked and disregarded as unimportant.

"Eno-! Enou-!" and the damn debuff was still active, but at least Tsubaki suddenly remembered Ais existed.

"Oh! Is little Ais angry because no one is paying attention to her?" her eye twitched. "Is little Ais gonna cry?" Tsubaki adopted a mocking, sad face and rubbed her eye as if wiping away tears. "Is little Ais…" she dropped the mocking persona. "Ok, I am gonna be honest. Can you think of anything else to mock her with?"

Ais's eyes widened as she saw the Blacksmith pick up her hammer and turn around.

"You are really not gonna cripple her?"

"None of the people in this World have any Aura resistance," Bete was the only exception; Tsubaki cursed him for it. "The lightning is infused with it; she isn't gonna get rid of that debuff for a while."

She replied out loud, not caring about turning around to see Ais's reaction.

Ais gritted her teeth, hearing Tsubaki's words and how easily she was disregarded.

'Wait!' she wanted to shout but couldn't.

She was sick of it all.

Nobody had listened when it came to the threat that he symbolized.

Every attempt she had made against him has failed.

And his so-called brothers had gone and warned her Familia against antagonizing him any further.

It wasn't fair to her. She felt as if all the cards were stacked against her. As if the World was against her, mocking her by placing the source of all of her pain and hate in front of her eyes while making it nigh impossible for her to deal with it.

Her breathing intensified, making it harder to mutter a single word as the stun debuff remained. But even so, she pushed through it once more with her rage as fuel as a black wind started to surround her.

Tsubaki sighed, stopping in her tracks. "You know, this is what I get for trying to be nice."

"Awaken, Tempest:"

"You were right, Rita," She turned around, noticing a violent black wind surrounding Ais. "I should have crippled her from the start."

"Why the fuck am I getting Drake vibes out of this bitch?"

Tsubaki snorted.

"Avenger!" The wind around her exploded, nearly pushing Tsubaki back as she prepared her hammer again.

"Nah, she's just a fucking wanna-be." Her smirk faded, seeing Ais shoot herself forward with another thrust. But Tsubaki didn't have time to counter it like before, now that her opponent was far closer than before.

Instead, she was forced to raise the pole of her hammer at the right time to parry the attack… at least, that was the intention, seeing as the impact pushed her back.

Tsubaki gritted her teeth; it seemed like all of Ais's stats were boosted in this state.

"Are you sure?" Ais was already pushing forward again, rushing closer before engaging in close combat with Tsubaki. "Black energy, clear anger issues, something avenger related?"

"Not now, Rita!" she shouted, trying to gain her footing as she avoided Ais' attacks; she used her hammer to block all the attacks she could not dodge, stepping back and dodging yet another thrust, each of Ais's attacks releasing a wave of piercing wind in her direction.

It was not that Ais was faster and more robust; it was that she could not find a suitable timing because of that damned wind.

There it was again, the rotten wind Ais had used when she 'visited' her Forge. Yeah, it was rotten indeed, managing to give her a creepy feeling that ran down her spine, but she was getting slowly used to it, along with something else…

'Thrust, thrust, thrust, slash, slash'

'Thrust, thrust, slash, slash, slash'

Tsubaki mentally stated, over and over.

She hated to say it, but many Adventurers could not be considered warriors or fighters.

They rely solemnly on their stats and weapons to push through the Dungeon.

Then, some put some work into it and practice it. But with no guidance or training in the arts of actual combat, their growth was minimal.

And then there were people like Ais that had traits of both types.

The stats to push through the Dungeon and enough guidance to be considered adept in combat regarding how to approach it with strategy. Not to mention, there was also her wind magic, something no other Adventurer in Orario could compare to… and therein laid the problem for the Sword Princess; her strikes were solid and fast… but also predictable.

Despite all of her fortitude and training, Ais Wallenstein could easily be considered an amateur when it came to using her weapon. To add insult to injury, her current mental state made her even more predictable than usual.

'Thrust, thrust, slash… parry.'

She swiftly moved the opposite end of her hammer to parry an upper slash that pushed Ais back, making her lose her balance.

Tsubaki took this opportunity without delay; stepping forward and using the momentum of her previous move to maneuver the pole around her neck like a Bo Staff.

Ais saw everything in slow motion as she was still airborne during this, seeing the hammer go around Tsubaki's neck before she moved her back to grab it… with the front of the hammer now directed at her.

"Say cheese!"

The Blacksmith moved her hand forward with force, propelling the weapon towards its target.

*CRACK*

Successfully realizing another lightning shockwave the moment the hammer's upper part met Ais' face.

Ais' vision became blurry, barely registering that she was now rolling on the ground again.

Her vision began to clear little by little. The first thing she noticed was her gaze was currently looking down, and she was on her knees. There were drops of blood dropping on the floor, making her unconsciously raise her free hand towards their face.

Her eyes slowly widened, recognizing her whole face was bruised and bloodied… along with something missing in her numb mouth… it wasn't until her vision finally cleared that she could see some of her broken teeth on the ground.

"Ah…" her mind started to feel dull as the pain finally started to settle in. "Aaaaaah…" her vision failed her again, turning blurry before completely fading. "aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" her reasoning crumbled, completely shutting down any semblance of reason left within her fragile mind. "…AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" but her anger and rage remained strong.

"That last strike should have cracked her head open like a watermelon," Rita curtly commented, making Tsubaki mentally growl, recalling Drake had vaguely mentioned Ais had Spirit blood in her. However, the Blacksmith didn't say anything about that, not wanting to hear another parallel between Drake and Ais Wallenstein from the AI.

"...and so starts round three," Tsubaki commented, seeing as the black wind around the Sword Princess increased exponentially. To make things worse, she could tell her eyes had gone completely blank even from a distance.

"She has lost consciousness; her pupils are likely rolled back… she reminds me of Carrie with that bloodied face."

Tsubaki didn't have time to ask who that was supposed to be, seeing Ais shoot herself forward even faster than before. But the distance was just big enough enough for Tsubaki to swing her hammer horizontally, aiming for her blade.

However, that didn't seem to go as planned.

Tsubaki saw how some tornado-like wind expanded off Ais' back. She cursed, seeing her target using them to pivot to the side as if they were wings of wind. Tsubaki backstepped as Ais went for her blindside, barely avoiding her attack. Even so, she was pushed back by the force of the wind she left behind with her attack.

She looked for her, noticing Ais pivoting all around her, destroying the area in which they were fighting thanks to the tornados on her back.

The Blacksmith quickly stabbed the head of the hammer to create another lightning shockwave like before, but-

"Wait! The floor's durability is already compromised."

"I know!" she completed her action, creating a shockwave that managed to push Ais back, but it seemed like she wasn't paralyzed from it like the last time… no, it seemed as if her body was pushing through it through sheer tenacity, thanks to her current berserk-like state.

But either way, that wasn't Tsubaki's plan to begin with.

The floor broke and the Blacksmith fell down to the next Floor.

"What's the big idea? She can now hover thanks to impromptu winds." Rita commented in a relatively calm tone. Tsubaki could imagine she was just used to watching this kind of thing.

The Blacksmith took hold of her hammer with both hands, flipping the mechanism near its head to change shape; the edges of the hammer expanded, making the current concentrate solely within its head before it created a pure ball of lightning.

Tsubaki gritted her teeth, flipping the mechanism again to increase energy output.

"Crazy bitch incoming from the floor above."

She actually appreciated the warning as she saw the ball reaching a size two times bigger than the head of the hammer. "Here goes!" she fixed her body while still airborne, all the while looking up as she kept falling. She aimed her hammer at Ais, who had started to fly towards her target.

"Wait for her to get clo-"

"BANG!" Tsubaki could hear a facepalm coming from the other line as she jacked off the handle near the head of the hammer, shooting the electro-ball toward Ais.

Her single eye stared, seeing Ais and the attack getting ever closer, ready to collide within the span of the blink of an eye… However, the Sword Princess dodged at the very last minute, and to this…, Tsubaki just grinned madly as she let go of her hammer and went for another object behind her waist.

It was a red handle without a blade. "Time for the awaited return-!" she flipped the switch, making the main body of a claymore full of runes that glowed red before materializing a blazing red edge. "Of the explosive sword!"

"...Basic bitch."

She ignored Rita's comment even if her eye twitched in annoyance as she flipped the potency lever to its max. She swiftly looked up, noticing Ais was getting closer to her… along with all of the electricity lingering in the air between them.

Tsubaki Collbrande grinned in such a way one might have called her a wicked devil; the anticipation was killing her.

She took hold of her weapon, finding the force to turn her body around to do a one-eighty turn in the air before sending a flaming slash at Ais… who easily dodged it… and yet the grin on Tsubaki's face remained.

Rita Mordio wanted to know what was so thrilling about two failed attacks. It wasn't until she noticed the electricity lingering between both combatants that she figured out what Tsubaki was going for.

"Huh… not bad." The explosive attack finally reached the ceiling above, hitting the very spot her electro-ball had just moments prior.

The explosion caused the ceiling above them to explode, and debris started to fall down on them. But the most notorious thing about it all was how the fire from the explosion seemed to extend all the way toward them.

Ais never saw it coming, not even with her very tornado-like wings of wind serving as a conduit to the flames before they finally reached her back, causing light explosions to go off behind her.

"Physics! Bitch!" Tsubaki shouted proudly as she retracted her sword and pulled it away before using her clock to cover herself from the fire, feeling proud of herself for coming up with the idea in the spur of the moment.

[Science Pioneer]

That was what Drake translated out of the new skills she got from her latest Falna Update.

It seems her Falna tried to convert the new knowledge acquired from studying with Rita into a Skill.

It was complete and utter bullshit; Drake had commented in the past how ridiculous the Falna system was, seeing how it was capable of transforming anything into a skill. The fact he grinned smugly at her after seeing the skill that proved him right annoyed her.

The electro-ball was not shot with the intent to hit Ais… even though it would have been an acceptable solution. Its objective was to leave faint lightning in the air as it traveled through its trail.

The slash from the explosive sword would later ignite a fire from the very spot the electro-ball had hit. After that, the fire used the lightning as a conduit to expand all the way down.

However, there was something Tsubaki didn't expect in her initial plan, and it was Ais' wing getting stuck with the lightning due to flying through it. The Captain of the Hephaestus Familia had warned Loki she wouldn't be holding her punches when they met on the surface; this was proof of that Resolve.

"Here it is," Tsubaki commented, picking up her hammer from the ground.

Her latest stunt had completely discharged the core. It would take a little time for it to be usable again and even more time for it to be at its maximum capacity… but-

"It was so fucking worth it." She muttered in delight as the weapon retracted into its compact form before putting it behind her waist.

The area around her was a complete mess. There were rocks of all sizes everywhere, some even as big as the fists of a Goliath. Not to mention, the smoke and dust around made everything barely visible. She could only find her hammer because Rita had managed to track the closest object with Aura around her.

"Let's move on; we wasted enough time as it is," she sighed, knowing fully well her plan of going down in the Dungeon with the excuse of returning to the surface was now null. Why? Because Loki's precious doll was not with her Familia. There was no way Finn would let her disappear just like that.

'… then again, they are incredibly irresponsible with her. So… they might not notice she's gone…' she sighed in resignation, knowing things wouldn't go her way that easily.

She hoped Shakti didn't have a hard time because of her.

"What about her? Are you really gonna leave her in this mess?"

Tsubaki shrugged. "She'll walk it o-" She shut her mouth, feeling the instincts she had developed from her deathly sparring with Drake kick in. She didn't waste a second, instantly ducking to the ground to avoid a massive blast of black wind.

There was a roar… no, it was the furious scream of a teenage girl with one too many issues, which echoed all around the area as she blasted her wind attacks.

Tsubaki, for her part, just adopted a blank expression as she crawled with her body fully pressed to the ground until she found cover behind a large rock. She sat behind it with her knees close to her chest, looking around before picking up a decent-sized rock with her hand and tossing it far away.

*BANG*

Her expression remained the same as part of her hair flew before her face. Ais seemed to now focus on the opposite side of where the Blacksmith was as she continued abusing her wind despite the state of her body.

"COLLBRANDE!" She ignored the shouts of the mentally ill girl. "TSUBAKI COLLBRANDE! COME OUT YOU COWARD!"

Her stoic expression nearly broke as her eye twitched. "Wow, full name and anything."

Tsubaki didn't reply; her patience had already reached its limit when Ais decided to tail her, and now she was something beyond furious.

"Rita," she mouthed, not uttering a single sound, knowing the cat girl was watching her. "Mind helping out a gal here?"

Her response didn't come in the form of words. Instead, Tsubaki could see how the spherical drone that had been following her all this time stopped its camouflage function.

"What do you need?"

Tsubaki didn't smile this time; a scowl was all she had to give, taking out the handle of another weapon. "I am gonna punch every single trauma button on that bitch and end this for good."

Her whole back arched.

Her whole face hurt.

The taste of her own blood was disgusting…

And yet, her anger persisted through all that pain.

Some of her consciousness had returned to her, recalling the moments of her her loss of control… and despite all of it, Ais could only think of the power Tsubaki held because of her weapons….

She wanted that, all for the sake of killing the Monster at the end of her story.

"Aaaaaaisu~"

Her eyes widened, instantly using her wind to shoot an attack in the direction from which she heard Tsubaki's voice coming.

"Aaaaaaaisu~"

And again.

"Aaaaaaaisu~"

And again.

She heard Tsubaki's voices coming from all directions.

'No,' her mind reasoned. It was impossible for Tsubaki to move that fast.

"Aaaaaaaisu~"

And yet the Blacksmith seemed pretty adamant to prove her wrong.

"Why is it that you are such a conceited bitch?"

She prepared to blast in that direction, but her voice beat her to it.

"You had everything handed to you. Yet, you still can't do shit."

She looked in a different direction… the Sword Princess couldn't even raise her hand to blast her wind this time.

"A strong Familia that treats you like a golden goose,"

Her head snapped, raising her arm to-

"Money, weapons, equipment,"

She no longer had time to react, seeing as the direction the voice came from was not almost instantaneous.

"food, clothes, training, a roof to sleep under."

By this point, her voice finally started to reach Ais' feelings.

"You discard all of it like a conceited brat, and you still can't do anything right!"

Ais clenched her fist, hearing Tsubaki's snort and mockery.

"Daddy must really be crawling in his grave, seeing his daughter discarding everything he wanted for his little girl."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, releasing a weaker version of her black wind around her, blasting it in all directions as the Blacksmith's voice now echoed all around the area.

"This isn't your hero tale in which the protagonist kills the Monster, going through all the obstacles because he's entitled thanks to his role."

"AAAAAAAAAH!" she waved her slash and weapon, screaming as tears started to stream down her eyes, fatigue catching up to her by the second.

"This is real life, you fucking brat. You aren't entitled to shit just because you had a tragic backstory, for fucks sake… all for worthless revenge that isn't even what you should be focusing on."

Her screams intensified as she released a massive shockwave from her body, cleaning the whole area around her. And yet… she couldn't see Tsubaki at all as the dust covered everything once again.

"THIS IS ALL I HAVE! WHAT ELSE SHOULD I BE FOCUSING ON!? I HAVE NOTHING ELSE!"

"Conceited until the end… fine, I will point it out for you,"

Her eyes widened, hearing the Blacksmith's voice coming from a single direction; close, very close. She instantly turned at her, arm raised… but no one could be seen.

"Your mother."

Her eyes widened, turning around only to feel something sharp going through her, piercing her elbow and knees… forcing her down as she stared at none other than Tsubaki with a bow aimed at her.

"Good job," Tsubaki commented, seeing an Orb-like object levitating next to her before disappearing.

Thanks to her drone, Rita had done all of the talking, imitating Tsubaki's voice all around the area. Tsubaki had given the whole script with how much Drake had complained about the girl's issues.

Tsubaki Collbrande retracted her bow, placing it behind her waist before going for the holster on her hip… to take out what Ais could identify as a wand.

"I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt here…" she narrowed her eye. "Are you gonna keep being a bitch and chase me despite being completely broken right now?"

Tsubaki really wasn't in the mood for broken doll jokes, even if her message came out as one.

"…"

Ais didn't reply… but her eyes, filled with hate and Resolve, were more than enough for the Blacksmith.

"… go deaf then," Tsubaki uttered a single word… a word that made Ais' eyes widen in sheer and pure terror, a voice she hadn't heard in six damn years and secretly hoped she would never hear again.

Despite all the darkness in the Dungeon, Ais Wallenstein finally passes out as she sees only white after being hit point-blank with a Spell that would terrify all of Orario, one that left only silence in its wake.

Minutes before

Everything was a mess.

But what else was new for Finn Deinme, Captain of the Loki Familia?

The whole Familia had become alerted when Bete had stated she was nowhere to be found. They had gone as far as asking other Familias, waking them up in the process in hopes the worst possible alternative was on play; her going looking for Drake once more, alone.

Sadly, it seemed that was the case as none of the Familias gave a positive report .

He had to admit, though, that his strategic mind had almost shifted its priorities when they reached for Ganesha Familia and saw that Tsubaki Collbrande wasn't with them.

Gareth had taken the chance to share his epiphany with them. At first, he couldn't help but groan about how the lack of communication slowed them down in finding the connection between Drake and Tsubaki. It also explained why the Goddess of the Forge had chosen not to participate in the incursion for the blonde; they were all on it, probably from the very beginning.

He and Riveria felt even more stupid when they thought of the excuse she had given them, 'My friend is missing.'

He wanted to confront Shakti, who only stated that the Blacksmith and other Adventurers had returned to the surface.

The Pallum mentally sighed, priority shifting towards finding the wayward child first.

He had announced that Loki Familia alone would dive again into the Dungeon, this time in search of Ais, seeing as he didn't want to involve others in their personal problems… and they were not in a position they could give incentive to other Familias due to past events, to begin with. Surprisingly, or rather suspiciously, some Familias had volunteered to lend a helping hand.

Freya being one of them… as previously mentioned, that was suspicious. Finn still couldn't tell what their game was, but he wouldn't start any altercations now. He couldn't afford it.

Ganesha understood the situation, considering they consistently offered support. However, he couldn't fully trust Shakti if she collaborated with Tsubaki.

The rest consisted of minor Familias who seemed to lend a helping hand if only to earn their favor. Nevertheless, he felt content and thankful that the Dian Cetch Familia chose to come with them; Airmid really was a saint among people for that.

So, here they were now, going down the Floors for a second time in the middle of the night… while hearing the criticism of others… mainly Hedin Selland.

"I had heard that your Princess had been unpredictable in recent weeks, but her decision to act independently, especially after it was agreed upon that no action would be taken, sets a new precedent."

Finn didn't say anything, not having the patience to engage in a fruitless conversation… the rest of his Familia had different thoughts on the matter, however.

"I don't think a dude who is part of a Familia which licks the very floor their Goddess walks upon has any right to speak of weird behaviors."

Tione was an example of this.

"May I add," Riveria interjected, consciously trying to avoid provoking any situations at the moment. "It was never agreed that we would refrain from taking action concerning our current mission."

"What do you call turning back when we were in front of that damn blind mutt? It looked like a silent agreement to me." Allen Fromel, of all people, replied, accepting the reality of how things had turned out.

Finn's eye twitched, recalling how they had been unable to say or do anything when they faced the wall which was Jude.

*BOOM*

The shouting ceased, prompting everyone to instinctively glance down as they arrived at the same conclusion: that sound originated from the lower Floor.

However, for an explosion that big to occur and for it to be felt on the upper Floor would indicate someone was fighting.

They sped up in going down, hoping another Floor hadn't been completely blown up again.

The next Floor had indeed shown extensive signs of a recent fight.

"Damn static electricity," Allen remarked, feeling the hairs on his body stand up. He noticed that he wasn't alone in this sensation; even Ana Kitty, with her animal-like features, appeared troubled by it—everyone except Bete.

The Werewolf was fixated, staring at the spot where the battle had unfolded. For a fleeting moment Finn thought he saw the Werewolf's eyes shimmering with an eerie glow.

"Bete?"

Their Wolf didn't reply right away.

Bete Loga froze momentarily, then sprinted as his ears twitched. The Pallum trailed behind him, allowing the rest of the party to survey the surroundings. He slowed his pace upon noticing that the area appeared scorched.

"Over here!" The Werewolf shouted, standing over a hole that led to the next Floor. "… She's down there."

Riveria caught his words and swiftly moved to the edge to listen. She heard her own voice yelling in anger, mingling with the gusts of wind. Although the High-Elf couldn't decipher Ais' words, she realized the battle was not going in Ais' favor.

Without pausing she rushed toward the next Floor, hearing the footsteps of others close behind her. Her ears suddenly twitched. She didn't slow down, but something ominous yet familiar had just occurred.

"What the hell was that?"

She wasn't alone in her concern as Gareth expressed his thoughts on the situation as well. The High-Elf chose not to respond, instead quickening her pace to catch up with Ais as she descended the stairs to the next Floor.

"Ottar?" Allen asked, showing a scowl that could be considered a sign of mild concern. The Boaz didn't reply, remaining still with widened eyes as he tried to make sense of his feelings.

"...Impossible."

"Ais!" Riveria called out, seeking the path to the location she had glimpsed from the earlier Floor, realizing the fight had ceased as all sounds faded away.

"To your left."

Without hesitation she followed Bete's lead, not questioning his certainty. As it turned out he was right, and she was far from pleased with what she encountered.

The room was completely dark, forcing them to enter it slowly… until they finally saw a visage no one considered possible.

Tsubaki Collbrande held Ais by the neck; her armor and appearance were in complete disarray. From her vantage point, Riveria couldn't discern the full extent of Ais's wounds, but they were extensive to say the least.

"AIS!" she shouted, seeing a blur rushing past her with a weapon at the ready.

Tsubaki kept her gaze on Ais, her single eye fixed as she drew her katana with her free hand; raising it to chest level and slightly unsheathing it to block the incoming attack.

"What is the meaning of this, Collbrande?"

Tsubaki snorted, holding her blade steady while their weapons stayed locked. She found it hilarious that Finn's foolish grin had vanished, replaced by the gaze usually reserved for someone like Evilus.

"Isn't it clear enough, Braver?" She narrowed her gaze, intensifying her strength slightly as she deflected the attack. "I told you already; if this one over here makes another move against me, I won't pull my punches."

"And how are we sure it wasn't you who assaulted her?" Tsubaki blinked several times, doing a double take at the Pallum. "The audacity of this fucking Pallum," Finn, to his credit, did not flinch at her choice of words—unlike some others. "Do we really need to go over the time this doll wrecked my Forge just because I didn't give her a damn sword!?"

Finn could hear murmurs behind his back, seeing reason in her words.

"And what about you? Last I heard, you were supposed to be back on the surface." He eyed Shakti for a moment, seeing no reaction from Ganesha's Captain before addressing Tsubaki.

"I lied," the Blacksmith replied nonchalantly. "I wanted the opportunity to search for my friend alone rather than being dragged along by a group. " She glanced at Riveria and her apprentice. "Or the pathetic pointy-eared squad."

Lefiya twitched; Riveria did not.

Tsubaki glanced at Shakti for a moment. Both were already embodying their roles to make the performance convincing. "Sorry for that," Tsubaki said, to which Shakti merely sighed.

"Would you like to hear something intriguing, your Highness?" Now it was her chance to poke them. "Ais unleashed a black wind and began to act unpredictably. There was even a moment when she shouted without responding to anything around her; really crazy behavior."

"Black wind?" Riveria gulped, hearing inquiries coming from the rest of the party.

"Enough," Finn planted the end of his spear on the ground, demanding silence. "We have reason to believe you are related to the person in the wanted posters; we would like you to come with us for some questioning on the subject."

His thumb twitched for a moment, warning him of the potential danger in front of him.

"Deinme…" Tsubaki scowled deeply. "It looks like saying stupid things is becoming second-nature to all of your Familia members; you better have the necessary proof to back up those claims." Her hand rested on the handle of her blade. "We are going to have to address things in a pretty different manner, otherwise."

The Pallum didn't bother smiling this time.

"The incident you reported to the Guild regarding the Black Sword was noted as being acquired by a third party. Members of my Familia saw an acquaintance of our target wielding that same sword."

Tsubaki remained unresponsive.

"Additionally, there's the katana Gareth identified in your Forge, which closely resembles the weapon the assailant used."

"You mean the Forge your Princess destroyed?" She twitched, only to sigh after a moment. "I explained to Gareth that I had someone else use the blade in the Dungeon; I was trying to replicate it," Tsubaki answered calmly.

"Lass..." She tensed briefly upon seeing Gareth Landrock standing next to the Pallum.

"You had mentioned this friend you are looking for a couple of times in your conversations. You also mentioned he had been teaching you new forging skills, like the blade in your Forge." He leveled his glare with hers. "They are both the same individual, aren't they?"

The stare contest continued, as did the pain in Finn's thumb.

"Say… Gareth…" she stated with a somber tone. "Were you the one to figure it out?"

Gareth frowned, taking her words as a confession. A part of him hoped she wasn't involved with him.

"I see… thank the Gods," her demeanor changed entirely, returning to her usual self as she laughed. "It's wonderful to have you solve this instead of that arrogant princess or the bastard Pallum next to you; that's Dwarven pride for you."

Everyone had to do a double take. It was unusual to witness someone who had been reserved about this situation suddenly fill with joy.

"Hey, Airmid," Dia Saint snapped, not expecting to hear her name being called out. "Catch."

Riveria's eyes widened as Tsubaki tossed Ais towards Airmid, who caught her with a bit of effort.

The High Elf covered her mouth, terrified by the state of the girl's body: all of her limbs had perforating wounds, her back and half of her torso were burned, her eyes seemed to be rolled all the way back… and her ears seemed to be bleeding as well.

"Honestly, I already knew you guys would figure it out eventually when Orario's resident airhead confronted me about the same thing." Tsubaki's lips twitched upward, almost mockingly. "One can see how much trust and respect there is between your Familia if she kept this to herself."

"And you confronted her because she knew about it?" Finn inquired, hesitant to support that argument with the rest of their Familia being present.

"Oh, no. As I mentioned, she came up intending to deal with me. She viewed me as an imminent threat once she realized I had some connection to Drake."

The Pallum studied Ais' injuries briefly, evaluating the danger represented by Tsubaki. Tsubaki was certainly not weak; she was a Level Five, after all. Yet, neither he nor the other members of his Familia could envision Ais being defeated in a fight between the two, especially with her wind—her black wind, to be precise.

"… Did you level up?"

The Blacksmith scoffed, aware that she was seen as a threat. "C'mon, pal. We all know you struggle with women, but you should never ask a lady her stats." She grinned smugly. "No, I didn't level up… but I did max out my stats."

Yeah, they didn't believe that at all.

It was more believable that one would level up rather than max their stats.

Finn sighed, knowing this could only end badly in the long run.

"Tsubaki… we mean no harm-"

"Yeah, right," she snorted, but he still continued.

"We had already agreed that what follows is beyond our control," he claimed he could hear Allen Fromel snorting from the back. "So please, just return back to Rivira with us so we can-"

"Can you just shut the fuck up already?" she snapped, finally reaching her limit. "Every time Drake mentioned your Familia I wondered when you would finally learn some humility." She scoffed. "Honestly, I should be applauding him, right? I would have lost my shit a long time ago if I had to deal with all the crap you put him through. I would have faced you in battle ages ago… but you know what?"

The Pallum tightened his grip on the spear, wincing as his thumb throbbed painfully. Indeed, it was clear: she was much stronger than she was revealing.

"My patience is only for the Forge… everything else is scarce." She gazed at him, realizing she would have to deal with Loki Familia and possibly Freya's interference if they opted to get involved. Shakti didn't worry her; she was sure they could create a convincing story between the two.

Tsubaki reached for her holster, poised to unleash chaos; she had no intention of holding back... until—

"Ah," she exclaimed, a puzzled look crossing her face as her fighting spirit evaporated while she touched her ear. "... Are you serious?"

Everyone appeared puzzled as Tsubaki momentarily addressed nobody in particular, expressing concerns about her own safety before sighing in resignation.

"Damn it. Alright! I'm going for it," she quickly drew a handle from her cloak, which transformed into a red magical sword, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"Here goes!" Everyone tensed, prepared for anything… not expecting Tsubaki to do a full one-eighty spin on the ground. "See ya-" she used her cloak to cover herself as the circle she made started to glow "-suckers!"

Finn dashed forward, already figuring out what Tsubaki was trying to do. But he was far too late.

*BOOM*

He was pushed back, not expecting such an explosion from such a small circle.

"Is she still here!?" Riveria inquired, observing as Gareth swung his axe to clear the smoke. He revealed that Tsubaki had already vanished, leaving behind only an opening leading to the next Floor as evidence of her presence.

Jude Lowell sat motionless, breathing steadily as the hours ticked by. It was nearly two full days since he had been assigned to guard duty, and the fatigue was beginning to take its toll on him.

To complicate matters, his blindness made him acuately aware of his surroundings. Despite the Dungeon's unusual kindness, which was far from doing nothing, he could still sense when someone was watching him intensely.

"Is there something you might want to ask, Miss Lion?"

He noticed no sounds, just the outline of her Aura as her head turned to him.

"Is this fucking Elf actually pretending to sleep?" Yuri's voice cut through the air, causing the Elf to flinch at being caught. "Just because Jude can't see doesn't mean we can't… also, she's blushing."

Jude sighed. "Thanks for the input, bro." he focused on Ryuu. "So… is something the matter? Are you perhaps still feeling fatigued?"

Ryuu paused briefly, letting out a resigned sigh. "I feel much better," she said, glancing to the side where Lunor and Chloe slept closely together. Seeing those two so close and sleeping peacefully rather than seeing them at each other's throats was quite the sight. "I am sure both of them are fine as well…" she looked down for a moment. "There's just a lot in mind right now…"

"Regarding all of this?"

She simply nodded.

"The chance of a Juggernaut being out there, who could have possibly set up such an elaborate scheme in such little time? Drake's condition in that dome… and you," she narrowed her eyes. "All of you."

The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.

The ability to manifest someone like that seemed far beyond mere skill. Thoughts, memory, and ultimately souls—the first two concepts she could somewhat grasp, but the last one was beyond what any mortal should be able to comprehend.

'It is almost as if he were a…' she shook her head, discarding such a ridiculous notion before she could complete the idea.

"I understand your worries," he turned his head toward the dome. "The fact that we can't tell what the time dilation is in there is something that worries us." He mildly scowled; there was also the fact that the dome's influence was extending little by little.

"Hmm…"

His thoughts halted as he turned to see Lili beside him, asleep with her arms crossed and her back against the wall.

Jude sighed and leaned against the wall, attempting to meditate to occupy his mind, but something caught his attention.

"… what is it?" the Elf asked, seeing the Wolf Faunus stand up without awakening the others.

"I feel an imminent headache incoming."

"You might look at me with enough intensity to bore a hole into my head, but that won't alter the truth, Lett."

The Goblin ignored everything else, fixating on his pointless task while glaring at the Centurion of Darkness. "I've been monitoring the situation here for nearly two full days, not to mention everything I endured before that!"

Indeed, the Goblin continued to harbor resentment for having been used as bait even now.

"Given all this time, all I ask for in return is a meal."

*GRUMBLE*

His stomach made itself known as if all of it had been planned. "See?"

The black cat-like figure let out a sigh. "I don't see Gross complaining."

The Gargoyle let out a soft growl. Tenebrae knew that the second Xenos was also hungry, but chose to endure it just to toy with Lett a little.

"Aaaaaaah," Lett groaned in frustration, falling to his knees before weakly punching the ground.

Tenebrae looked at Gross, seeing the Goblin was in no state to give him a report regarding the current situation.

Tenebrae arrived to assess the situation when he sensed a disruption in his connection with Adam. While this wasn't the worst possible outcome, it still posed a risk that could jeopardize much in the Dungeon and the city.

"How is our gatekeeper holding on?"

Gross huffed. "The blind Werewolf has been conscious ever since the dome was created, his presence alone is enough to keep me awake…"

"But?" Tenebrae felt the Gargoyle's hesitation.

"It appears that it's genuinely affecting him. His presence feels weaker than at the start, and one of his arms has also faded as a result." He explained, possessing a fundamental understanding of how the Guardians could manifest into the physical world.

"It's only a matter of time," the Centurion mused, aware that Jude wouldn't be able to keep the dome under control for more than a day longer. "If it had been the Original, he would have dismissed it instantly."

"To outsiders, it might seem like you're complimenting me," Jude M. Lowell suddenly entered the area, wearing a neutral expression… yet his tone conveyed a different message. "But we both know that's not true." The Centurion's underhand comment was clear, calling him a mere fake rather than a real person.

Tenebrae remained silent, choosing instead to bow his head in respect. "I hereby pay my respects and greet you, Maxwell, Lord of the Elements."

Jude narrowed his eyes at the Centurion as Ryuu walked next to him. She stopped mid-step at the sight of a big black cat, and she felt something akin to Divinity from it.

"Ah, greetings to you, Miss Elf. "

The Elf paused, recognizing the strangely familiar voice. Her eyes widened as she remembered the voice of the dark entity confronting Flynn during the Bete incident. 'We sensed when Drake arrived in Orario, but we never sensed when you or the rest of your companions arrived.'

Tenebrae noticed her gaze but his eyes soon moved to her waist, eyeing the wooden sword next to her hip.

"It isn't the time to focus on that," Jude said sternly, knowing what was going through the Centurion's mind.

"I apologize, but since we're on this topic," the Centurion fixed his gaze on Jude. "Shouldn't your focus be on the dome? Don't think I haven't noticed the extra effort you're putting in by walking alone."

The Elf's eyes widened, noticing the blind wolf saying nothing on that subject.

"Would you look at this piece of shit caring?" Yuri made his voice heard. "Talking about getting on someone's nerves."

Tenebrae ignored the others completely, smiling and almost taunting them with its mere presence.

"Seeing as you care so much," Jude looked up again, a deadpan expression on his face. "Mind giving me a hand with… that?"

Tenebrae raised an eyebrow and observed the large empty void created by the explosion that destroyed three Floors. The cat-like entity stared momentarily, pondering what the youngest Guardian was talking about… and then his ears twitched.

It was faint, but he could hear heavy steps coming their way; not speeding down for a mere moment.

Ryuu Lyon looked up, feeling a blend of annoyance and intrigue. She couldn't stop thinking about the only other person who would rush here despite being asked to leave.

"... JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDEEEEEEEEE-"

Her intrigue was answered as her ears caught the familiar sound of Tsubaki's voice.

"… She's not stopping," Tenebrae mentioned, noticing how her pace just kept increasing.

"I am well aware." The Guardian replied.

"YOU BETTER CATCH ME!"

Her stops had suddenly stopped, making Ryuu slowly facepalm, knowing the Blacksmith had jumped from all the way up there.

She looked over at Jude and Tenebrae, but not 'glaring' at each other as Tsubaki fell towards them. The Elf didn't need to know all of the details to know the creature was being antagonistic by not doing anything.

"As you wish," the creature's tail stretched and swirled like shadows, bringing to mind Drake usage of shadows. It moved forward, transforming into a massive sheep that captured Tsubaki... then disappeared, dropping her a short distance onto the floor.

"Argh…." Tsubaki groaned, rolling a little on the ground before she slowly stood up. "What the fuck!?"

She stood up, annoyed.

Ryuu eyed her, noticing her cloak showed signs of a recent fight… and that the Blacksmith was carrying some sort of spherical object with her.

"The damn drone switched off as we approached. I'm guessing it was the interference Rita mentioned earlier," her gaze shifted to Jude. "I assume the problem remains unresolved?"

"No... your presence here only complicates matters," Jude replied wearily, making Tsubaki look offended.

"Excuse me, your Greatness; I apologize if my presence bothers you." The crowd stared at her blankly. "I understand you advised me to 'Wait and Hope,' so I figured I'd do just that right here." The onlookers narrowed their eyes, fully aware that something had occurred before they arrived. "Could you please stop staring at me like I'm a black sheep? I won't cause any trouble, honestly!"

Jude wasn't amused as he looked up. "Is that why a large group of Adventurers are coming our way?"

Tsubaki drew a blank expression on her face. "You know, you keep claiming you are blind, but your vision seems pretty damn good for one who lost his sight."

There was a collective groan.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault, alright!? Drake's biggest hater came after me, and she almost knocked my damn head off with her wind!"

"Did you at least win?" Tsubaki nearly did a double take when she recognized Yuri's voice while Jude was still present.

"… Hell yes! I even gave her a major makeover to that 'Sword Princess' title."

"Nice," Jude sighed, facepalming as he heard some of his brother's approval regarding a grown woman beating up a troubled teenager. Although others understood the implications, Loki Familia was likely now aware of the connection between Drake and Tsubaki, as well as Hephaestus.

'Nobody dares to jinx the situation,' Flynn commented, feeling a headache setting in as Jude just nodded.

"It shouldn't be a problem, right?" Everyone looked at Lett, lying on the ground out of sheer hunger. "Wolfy here just has to pull the same number he did earlier without letting them pass."

Jude mildly frowned at the Goblin's words, ready to refute his words… but Tenebrae beat him to it.

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible," Tsubaki blinked, glancing oddly at the creature before her.

"What's with the black and bald ass talking cat?"

Ryuu didn't agree with the words Tsubaki used, but she agreed with their meaning.

"Lord Maxwell has already used most of his life essence in keeping the dome at bay," Jude grunted, almost feeling the smugness coming off the Centurion, rubbing his state with joy. "Another stunt like the last one would make his domain over the dome fade."

Ryuu paled, recalling she almost died just from getting close to it.

"Could someone clarify? What dome?" The Blacksmith raised her hand innocently but was simply ignored. Only Ryuu glanced her way, prompting her to know she'd have to explain later.

"Then it seems we're in charge," Lett commented, still seated on the ground, choosing a blue and green spell knife. "I could always use [Tidal Wave] or [Tornado]."

"Denied, the damage would be too big." Jude refused, thinking with his brothers the best way to deal with this.

"May I offer something,"

His head turned towards the Centurion. "I seem to remember that besides Drake, some of you also got high marks in 'Combat Tactics'. I would suggest using that knowledge here."

'As much as Flynn and I appreciate the compliment, our resources are limited.' Guy commented, thinking that even the Floor wasn't the most adequate given the protection objective was on a straight path.

Tenebrae let out a light chuckle. "Solum, Glacies, approach me." Two glyphs emerged from the ground as he spoke, summoning two small creatures. One was a mole-like creature adorned with antlers, the other a tiny white bear.

"What do you need, Tene-" the bear stopped mid-sentence, seeing Jude really close by. "Maxwell! Maxwell!" the creature said in a panic, hiding behind Tenebrae out of instinct.

'Cute,' Ryuu thought, seeing their appearances as adorable… although she was curious as to why it was panicking at the side of Jude.

"Now, now, behave…we are all allies here." Everyone could feel the animosity in Tenebrae's tone. "The situation at hand calls for both of your talents," he looked at Jude. "Coordinate with the Guardians for the task at hand."

Glacies nodded hesitantly while Solum yawned with a nod.

"I will head back to my Lord and update you on the situation, we will send back up if we see it fit to do so," the cat commented, extending his tail to take something out of the shadows and tossing it at Lett. "Don't ever say I didn't do anything for you."

Lett turned his head, noticing a warm sensation on his belly. Tears welled up in his eyes as he spotted a warm sandwich.

Jude sighed, feeling Tenebrae's presence disappear. "Miss Ryuu, please wake up Lili and the others." The Elf nodded and walked away, while Jude turned towards the two other Centurions…. The animosity between the two groups was crystal clear.

"… Can anyone just fill me in already!?" Tsubaki asked, being completely ignored as Lett just enjoyed his food.

LINEBREAK

Raul Nord had been an Adventurer of the Loki Familia for almost a full decade.

One would believe that someone of such a Familia would develop a reputation through the years… suffice to say, the reputation he got was lackluster in a lot of ways, especially inside of his own Familia.

No, he wasn't unappreciated.

To someone unfamiliar with his Familia, he might appear as an excessively celebrated errand boy. Yet, he was also Finn Deinme's right hand, a role that made him acutely aware that the situation was deteriorating rapidly.

"…lence…" He looked down at Ais' state. Dia Saint had tried to use her magic on their fellow Adventurer. "…Si…lence."

She continuously repeated the word, 'Silence', again and again. But there wasn't a single soul saying anything around her.

He looked around, seeing that the whole incursion seemed to be on standby as they waited for a decision on how to proceed.

There were those Familias that joined the incursion, murmuring among them. According to Anakitty, they seemed to be gossiping at the prospect of the 'Sword Princess' losing to the 'Cyclops.'

To be fair, Raul was also astonished at how decisively Ais had been defeated; Tsubaki appeared entirely unscathed… while Ais… has definitely seen better days. Much better days.

Ganesha seemed to be by themselves, but one could tell Shakti seemed tense.

Then, there was Freya Familia.

All the executives and Adventurers seemed to circle around Ottar, discussing something urgent, as evidenced by the glare Hedin Selland was giving the Boaz… who seemed suspiciously pale for some reason. Then again, maybe he was wrong.

And finally, there were his top executives… and Bete.

The latter seemed apprehensive as there was an exchange among them all; they seemed taken back by something the Werewolf had said… only to then leave with gritted teeth.

Gareth appeared to be struggling the most with this small confirmation despite having known Tsubaki for years. He wore a sort of frown throughout their discussion.

Riveria scowled throughout, and Raul was certain she had never gripped her staff so tightly in her life. Despite her anger, she maintained her composure, or at least a modicum of it. Anyone familiar with Riveria and Ais's relationship could see her frustration, yet she remained composed for the incursion's sake.

As for Finn… Raul could not tell. There was that glint in his eyes that indicated his Captain was thinking about something. Gareth seemed to be the only one against it; Riveria wanted to be assured of his plan; this caused a civil argument between them that seemed to conclude in everyone's agreement.

Raul gulped, seeing no smile on Finn's face as he addressed everyone.

"Listen up, from here on, this is a Loki Familia matter alone. We will be pursuing Tsubaki Collbrande, Captain of the Hephaestus Familia, for assaulting one of our fellow Adventurers."

Raul was genuinely taken aback as he watched Finn apparently throw away their advantage in numbers for personal reasons. This was understandable since it had become a matter solely concerning the Familia. No, that was just too simple a reason for someone like his Captain.

"What are you on about, Braver?" Shakti narrowed her eyes. "Cyclops claimed it had been the other way around," the Captain of the Ganesha Familia gave a step forward. "And let me remind you Ais hasn't got the best track record with her." Finn knew Shakti was recalling the event in which Ais destroyed Tsubaki's Forge.

"This and that have no connection whatsoever," Shakti's eye twitched at the audacity of the Pallum. "Ais had spotted Tsubaki sneaking back down into the Dungeon. Ais had decided to follow her, given the recent suspicions of Tsubaki being allied with our target."

Shakti's index finger tapped on her weapon's pole in exasperation. "And what proof do you have of those suspicions?"

Finn smiled. "Guilty people don't run, Shakti. Not to mention Tsubaki herself confirmed their connection with the target."

She gritted her teeth; he controlled the narrative in his favor, avoiding answering the so-called 'suspicions' about Tsubaki.

"Now that we are on that matter," he narrowed his eyes. "Wasn't Tsubaki supposed to be under your care, Shakti Varma?"

Now, she could feel all eyes on her, but she was already prepared for this kind of accusation. As Tsubaki and she had planned, she lied through her teeth. "Do I look like a babysitter to you, Braver?" she glared back. "She also claimed she was returning to the surface; neither I nor my Familia has any reason to question her statements."

"I see, I apologize," she tried her best not to pop a vein at the sight of his smile. "But that doesn't change the fact she assaulted Ais intending to cover her tracks." His smile faded. "Which is why this is now a personal matter regarding only our Familia, and we will be heading back down to address the issue."

There were several murmurs among the group.

"You said she was allied with the target? So what? We all know none of us could go past that blind Werewolf, and I do need to add that nobody here wants to be the next Hyakinthos."

Hums of agreement were heard.

"Do you expect it to be any different now? Because Cyclops has most likely already reached her destination by now."

Finn gazed at the Adventurer calmly for a moment before he responded. "That's of no concern to you," the Adventurer reacted with surprise. "As I mentioned, this is now a Loki Familia issue; every other Familia is free to act as they please." He smiled, delivering a line that Raul seldom heard from Finn as he smiled. "The incursion has ended as a failure; I now dissolve it."

Many argued.

The incursion's failure was clear as soon as they retreated from Jude Lowell, but Finn's explanation made the realization hit harder. Now, Loki Familia would dive alone in the name of one of their own… It was almost awe-inspiring.

"There's also the fact that we cannot let what happened before repeat itself, even if it is out of our hands; it is our city on the line, after all. Someone is breaking the rules regarding the use of Arcanum in the Mortal Realm, and Tsubaki might have a larger part in the bigger picture than all of us. We need to know the truth for everyone's sake."

Raul could hear how the voices of others turned positive on their behalf.

"We will be heading out as well," everyone's eyes widened when Hedin Selland suddenly announced this as he and the rest of his Familia headed their way.

Finn nodded, soon accompanied by other Familias who decided in their favor to go down once more as well.

"How's she?" Raul's eyes snapped, seeing Riveria now next to him, kneeling to caress Ais' bruised face.

"I am afraid I can't do anything, it is as if her wounds have a… external energy protecting them from my healing. I just can't explain it."

Riveria moved her head up, looking at Bete as he himself examined Ais' wounds… only to then nod in confirmation.

"Thank you, Airmid. Please get some rest," the healer frowned, returning to her Familia while Riveria spoke to a few of her lower-level Adventurers. "Take Ais back to Riviria and attend to her needs if necessary; but try to restrain her if she attempts to leave, and cover her mouth if she tries to chant her magic."

They all nodded and gently carried Ais's body as they continued on their journey. Riveria said in a final prayer, "Please be careful," while Finn arranged their Familia before they set off.

"Are you happy?"

Finn dropped his smile, being in front of the line as Gareth walked next to him. "Not one bit."

It was obvious there was no way of asking everyone who wasn't part of his Familia to dive again… but there was no way Loki Familia could do this alone.

So, Finn opted to do what he did best; play the Hero.

A selfless individual who would go against any adversity for the sake of others, going against impossible odds but not wavering at any moment.

Yes, he used that idea to rally them to his cause and raise morale. It wasn't anything new to him, but this time it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Even if none of the accusations towards Tsubaki were false; including her now-confirmed involvement with Drake, he also lied about Ais' actions.

He accepted the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia's accusation that Ais had assaulted her, even detailing Ais' 'Avenger' skill. None of her Familia members were allowed to know about her actions, nor that he had covered for her.

In the most unfavorable situation, he might argue that he merely acted on the evidence presented, alleging that Tsubaki fled and thus implicating her as the culprit. However, he still had to be cautious about the deceit he fabricated.

*GRUMBLE GRUMBLE*

Finn continued walking, but he was sure everyone was aware of the slight tremors on the ground: something was happening on the Floors below once again.

"How… how is this possible?" Riveria asked, having climbed down the large hole with the rest.

They arrived at the Floor, where they met Jude. Instead of a single way forward, two paths lay ahead, and there was no unseen gatekeeper to hinder their progress.

"Looks like we are gonna have to each take a path…" Hedin fixed his glasses. "Take your pick, Braver. We will take the other one."

The Pallum glanced at Bete. The Werewolf pondered Finn's intention, thinking that Bete could discern the correct path through his Aura. Yet, he sensed that both paths still radiated the same foreboding aura as before.

Although his input seemed unnecessary, seeing someone else beat him to it.

"We will choose the right path," Ottar declared suddenly, stepping forward as Hedin sighed, not bothering to conceal his frustration. He sensed that Ottar had selected the more difficult route this time.

Finn mentally shrugged and chose the left path with his Familia while the others debated whom to join. Looking back, he noticed that Shakti and her Familia decided to accompany Freya Familia.

A slight frown crossed his face, realizing he couldn't keep track of her.

"… You have got to be shitting me." Tione thought out loud as they stumbled upon another path, splitting into two after stepping through the first entrance.

"… They want to divide us," Riveria concluded swiftly. She didn't know how they had managed to change the Floor's layer, but the intentions behind it were clear.

"Do any of you have any preferences?" Finn asked with a hint of humor at Riveria and Gareth.

"I will take the right path," Riveria commented, already knowing every Elf in her Familia would follow her.

"Then, I will take left… Finn?" Gareth looked at the Pallum, seeing which path he would take.

The Pallum looked at his thumb, not feeling anything out of either side. "Left."

Riveria didn't pay much attention, instructing her group to follow her while Finn and Gareth went left.

"I am having a sense of déjà vu." The Dwarf suddenly stated.

"Funny…" Tione nodded, seeing her own breath out of how cold it was, just like when they dealt with the Ice Amphisbaena or the possessed Bete. "Me too."

"Everyone, remain on guard for anything," he said, glancing at the Werewolf beside him. "Are you alright?" Bete remained silent, unconsciously growling as he focused on a specific path, aware that multiple forks had now appeared in their route.

"You know..." Everyone tensed as they heard a voice at the entrance where Bete was staring. "I'm trying to come up with a cool catchphrase for this moment, but nothing is coming to mind."

"Lett," Finn squinted as he observed the 'Pallum' casually emerging from the shadows. "I take it that 'let's approach this peacefully' isn't quite what you're looking for?"

Lett snorted. "It wouldn't suit you, either." He clapped his hands, causing tension among everyone, particularly those aware of his ability to summon energy Goblins… but nothing occurred.

It was only a few seconds later before Lett started cracking, almost falling on the ground by how hard he was laughing. "You should have seen your faces! HAHAHAHA!"

Tione gritted her teeth, clenching her weapons as she walked towards the Goblin.

"Tione, wait!" Finn's words went to deaf ears as Tione continued on her way while her sister followed her.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaa…" the Goblin stopped laughing, clapping his fingers in that instance. Bete's eyes widened, feeling a familiar coldness around him.

"… damn it," all the entrances abruptly began drawing them in with a rush of cold air, except for the one Lett had arrived through.

"Captain!" Raul was equally struggling, feeling his fingers grow numb after driving his sword into the ground before seizing Anakitty's arm, stopping her from being swept away like the others.

"Hold on!" the Pallum shouted, glancing back at each Adventurer following him. He had driven his spear into the ground.

*CRACK*

The ground they stood on didn't seem to hold out, though. Soon, every weapon that had been used for support lost its contact with the ground as they were swept away.

"RAUL!" Finn shouted, seeing his right-hand man being blown into one of the entrances along with Anakitty and some of the others.

"I got you!" Gareth shouted, getting a hold of Finn right as he was about to be taken as well.

The Pallum gazed at the Dwarf, noticing him standing while the Ax stayed embedded in the ground.

"You just thought about me being fat finally amounting to something, huh?" Gareth exclaimed, struggling to maintain his grip on his friend.

"I wouldn't put it like that!" Finn commented, noticing how the pressure of the cold wind increased, taking both of them into another entrance… Finn just hoped the rest had better luck than them.

"Is everyone alright?" Shakti Varma inquired, noticing her Familia members rising from the ground, trembling from the freezing winds.

She chose to follow Freya Familia's route mainly to avoid Finn. Shortly after passing through the initial gates, a chilling gust of wind swept them into different paths... or was it actually like that?

The Captain of the Ganesha Familia remembered that there seemed to be no clear pattern to how the Adventurers were pulled into their respective paths, yet all of the people around her were members of her Familia.

Her senses sharpened, extending her lance forward at one of the entrances at the sound of a growl.

"Everyone, get ready!" The Adventurers quickly assembled but then loosened their grips on their weapons as a massive figure—a Monster that appeared to be carved from stone—stepped out of the shadowy entrance.

"Stand down," Shakti commanded with a sigh, walking closer to address the Xenos. "Gross."

"Varma." The Gargoyle groaned.

"Should we thank you for orchestrating this?" The Gargoyle stayed quiet. He hadn't expected Shakti and the Ganesha Familia to continue trailing the incursion party. Yet, the Xenos thought it prudent to capitalize on the circumstances. "Could you explain what's going on?"

The Gargoyle sighed internally, struggling to find the right words, particularly given the tricky circumstances. However, he imagined a clear explanation for their predicament.

"We are fucked."

"Gods fucking damn it!" a blue-haired Adventurer from Freya Familia shouted as he entered yet another room filled with entrances.

The last thing he recalled was Ottar, standing alone and seemingly unfazed by the gusts of wind as everyone else was scattered.

"Damn Monster," he thought, placing his hands on his hips and growled in frustration at his situation.

To make matters worse, Adventurers from other Familias began to follow him, perceiving him as the most experienced among them.

"Parasytes," he muttered aloud, wandering through various paths randomly, hoping to find a solution eventually.

"... You have to be kidding me," Van exclaimed, pausing as he spotted a woman he recognized but didn't know well. "Out of all the entrances, you chose ours? Are you serious?!" He directed his frustration toward the woman next to him. "This is your fault."

"I'm only a good kitty with black fur, so that's racist, nya~"

Lunor Faust and Chloe Rollo.

These two individuals were regarded as 'important' by his Goddess.

Despite thinking they didn't deserve her favor, he hesitated to harm them, worried about the repercussions of angering his Deity However, his worries only caused injuries that would cause lasting harm.

"Where the hell are that damn blonde and the Cyclops?" He grimaced while gripping the handles of his blades.

"What's up with this guy? I get he's with Freya Familia, but his attitude feels like he pulled something out of his ass," Lunor remarked, sighing to provoke him further.

"You said it yourself, nya~. He's with Freya Familia, which means his Goddess doesn't give him any attent—" Chloe's words were cut short as something pierced through her shoulder.

"That's what you get for being smug, you stupid… cat," his anger began to fade when he realized there was no blood; it was as if his hand passed through her entirely, like she was an illusion.

Van cursed his own stupidity, remembering the notorious magic wielded by the Black Cat: Felez Cruz.

'It doesn't matter; I just need to reposition and—' his thoughts were interrupted as he sensed a heavy presence approaching him. He turned to the side and saw Lunor's fist speeding toward him, her black gloves morphing into armored gauntlets that shone with a vibrant blue.

"[BEAST!]" she yelled. As her fist slammed into the Auric blue lion's face, she let it go, sending him crashing against the wall after shattering a couple of his teeth.

"Van!" another Adventurer from Freya Familia called out, witnessing her superior being effortlessly defeated.

"Son of a bitch!" She pressed her left hand against her opposite shoulder. "Tsubaki wasn't joking about the recoil. How Drake managed to do that without dislocating his shoulder is beyond me." She kept her focus on her shoulder, ignoring the Adventurer from Freya Familia charging at her.

"Skill issue, nya~" Chloe said, darting between the attacking Adventurers with ease, slicing through their armor with her black daggers.

"Keep pushing! The abnormal resistance should counter her poison!."

In addition to her magic, the famous venom coursed through her daggers.

"Wh-" The Adventurer fell to his knees like the others, feeling his entire body go numb. "H- H- How-"

"How, nya~?" Chloe replied, tapping his shoulder as she admired her new weapons. "These daggers don't even have venom in them, nya~."

"[BEAST!]"

Lunor invoked the name of the Arte for each Adventurer she rendered immobile, placing them in a condition akin to Van's.

"Alright! I'm getting the hang of this!" the former bounty hunter said enthusiastically while examining her gauntlets.

Tsubaki noted that each gauntlet contained three charges of [Beast]. If a charge remained, replenishing the gauntlet would require thirty seconds; however, if there were no charges left, it would take a full minute.

"I feel like a girl who just scored new heels!"

Chloe replied dryly, "You don't even know how to walk in those, nya~"

A vein bulged on Lunor's forehead. "Let me enjoy this, you useless cat!" she snapped at the other Adventurers. "What about you all? Are you still up for any foolishness?"

The Adventurers assumed fighting stances, though hesitation was evident in their eyes. "That's what I thought! Just stay put and—" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving toward her, barely managing to raise her gauntlets in time to deflect a war hammer...

'… A hammer… ' the realization struck her. 'Please, not them. I'd prefer Anya's annoying brother over them,' she begged, recalling the déjà vu of her first unsuccessful assassination attempt years ago… involving four particular Pallums.

"I told you I heard something."

"We all did, you fool."

"I don't want to be called a fool by the IDIOT who got swept up by that damn wind and dragged us along with him."

"Technically, we were all swept at the same time."

"Be quiet, Alffrig!" three out of four Pallums shouted as they appeared from another entrance.

"Well, well, well… look who decided to drop in," Dvalin said, raising his hammer as he and his brother smirked. "It's been a while, Lunor."

"Oh look, the past has come back to torment you."

Lunor's eye twitched, realizing Chloe had shed her cat persona as both of them stiffened. "I don't want to hear that from someone who crumbles every time Shakti Varma is nearby."

"Again?" Riveria Ljos Alf complained, seeing another set of paths. "There seems to be doubling the number every time. One, two, three, five and so on… just what are they thinking?"

She recognized this was merely a distraction. The High-Elf sensed no magic in the vicinity, dismissing the notion of an illusion. This realization brought her to an equally perplexing conclusion: the Floor had indeed been transformed into something else; the White Palace wasn't meant to be like this.

The phrase everything can happen in the Dungeon didn't feel right for this.

"Lady Riveria?"

She took a deep breath, not addressing any of her fellow Elves for a long second.

As royalty, she didn't have the luxury of being stressed in this type of situation… and she was royally failing in that regard, especially given what was at stake.

Not too long ago

"What do you mean her wounds can't heal?" Even with a calm tone, Riveria was close to grabbing Bete by the collar to demand further explanations.

"Get off my back, hag…" The Werewolf rubbed the back of his neck as if something irritating was bothering him. "I can just sense it, okay…" he glanced over his shoulder at Dia Saint as she tried to heal Ais' wounds. "Her injuries have Aura on them… she won't get healed by normal means."

Riveria clenched her fist, looked over at Ais, and felt ever more guilty because her inability to educate her—to reach her—had led to this.

"We would need an expert in Aura to treat her wounds," Gareth concluded, stating the obvious fact, saying what Finn didn't dare to do… but still continued the idea.

"Like a good Doctor." The Pallum muttered unreadably, recalling the blind Werewolf they met not too long ago… which was also the sole reason they couldn't advance in their inclusion.

"Regardless of their connection to Tsubaki, I fail to see him saving someone who is inclined to kill one of his brothers." Finn's words offered Riveria no Hope. "And it's not like we can compel him to act, given the powers he possesses..." Finn added, causing Riveria to gaze down at the ground, almost on the brink of biting her lip in frustration.

Gareth appeared to be calmer. The same could not be said for the Elf, but that was due to the unique nature of her relationship with Ais.

And Bete… seemed uneasy, too uneasy.

"What?" Finn asked bluntly, making Bete snap as he noticed he had been tapping his feet repeatedly.

"… There's something that's been bothering me since I met that blind mu-" he bit his tongue, almost instinctively. "since I met Jude."

Finn blinked, recalling Bete had shut off Hyakinthos while the young Doctor explained what was happening.

"Jude Maxwell Lowell," Bete said, revealing what the rest guessed was Jude's full name. He knew this from the memories the Centurion had given him.

"I am failing to see how that is-" Riveria interjected, not seeing how knowing the full name of someone, only to be shut quiet by Bete's next statement.

"I am sure Maxwell is the name of a Deity."

Now he got her attention.

Bete recalled the first time he had met Jude: 'paying' a visit to Soma Familia. He didn't think much of the Werewolf despite the man knocking him out with a single kick, but meeting him after the incident regarding the Centurion…

"I had the urge to bow my fucking head." Despite his most recent change, Bete still had his pride… and that was coming from someone who wouldn't even think of paying proper respect to his own Goddess. "It was infuriating."

"Lad… do you have any idea of what you are implying?" Gareth asked with a lot of caution in his tone.

A God, playing mortal, roaming the mortal realm with free use of his Arcanum. They didn't feel it, per se, but they couldn't discard what Bete had just said.

"… Do you remember when we met Flynn?" Finn commented, making Riveria and Gareth recall the 'one punch man' event. "He had clashed with a dark entity… Tenebrae, if I recall correctly."

No one noticed, but Bete felt a chill run down his spine for some reason as that name was uttered.

"When they clashed the entity said, 'We felt when Drake arrived in Orario, but we never felt when you or the rest arrived.'" The words settled deep in their mind, reaching a unified conclusion.

There were only a few things a Divine entity could mean with those words.

"Loki is bound to throw a tantrum," Gareth remarked, reinforcing the notion that the young Werewolf—and the others as well—could truly be Gods... while entirely neglecting the ban on their Arcanum. "There must be some restrictions on them."

"But the things we have seen him and his brothers do; how would you explain that?" Riveria countered Gareth's argument.

"… I am not entirely sure about that…"

They all looked at Bete.

"Something about what Finn just said resonated with me… I don't think that's what they meant when that… thing said 'but we never felt the rest of you arrive.'" His head hurt to the point it almost wanted to explode as he tried to piece together the final piece of a puzzle. "I don't know why… but I feel Jude was bluffing."

"About the whole big threat he was gatekeeping?"

Bete shook his head with a scowl. "No… I felt something quite far behind him… that much is true." That was alarming, even if Finn was still reluctant about it. "But I feel like the whole thing about being able to maintain that barrier or deal with us was a bluff… I could almost see it."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "His Aura?"

Bete nodded. "That wall thing is fierce… but not enough to be a burden to someone like him… for some reason, he was getting weaker by the moment."

"Finn…"

"I know," The Pallum met the High-Elf's eyes. "I think we can take another chance with this incursion."

"…Uh?" The Werewolf didn't notice it, but his face now adorned a scowl. "Are you being fucking serious right now!?"

Bete could say that previous events greatly influenced his decision, but he knew for a fact that Jude's threat was the truth.

"This is no longer just about the incursion, Bete." The Werewolf didn't need to know Finn was talking about Ais. All three top executives had reached the same conclusion that the good Doctor might be the only one who can heal Ais.

"No shit! But we both know there's no point in asking when said 'patient' has been acting like a complete psycho!"

"You're discussing a fellow member of the Familia." He sensed the anger in Riveria's voice, yet it didn't bother him.

"And that doesn't alter the fact that we all know Ais initiated the first punch in Every. Single. Clash."

"We know… but the others don't," Finn remarked, causing Bete's eye to twitch; he knew his Captain well enough to recognize when he was about to turn a bad situation to their advantage.

"You are gonna use them, all of the Adventurers here, despite the danger that might be down there, aren't you?"

Even if the threat Jude mentioned was unfamiliar, Finn was prepared to risk everything at every opportunity he encountered. Unlike the Captain, who always approached situations methodically, Bete recognized Finn's desperation, but this was simply absurd in his opinion.

He remained silent, simply observing how Finn crafted a lie to inspire the people towards their cause. They realized that Freya Familia would also fall, as they had their own motives; this would further solidify the partnership among the other Familias.

Bete just stared, stepping away with a mix of emotions at a lot of things; the disregard for the safety of others, and the unknown danger that Jude was trying to keep them away from.

She knew Bete's disappointment was justified… but she just couldn't… wouldn't turn her back on Ais.

The Princess calmed herself, concluding that going with her current mindset wouldn't help anyone.

"… Why do this?" Riveria thought out loud, getting everyone's attention. "If they could change the geographical structure of the Floor, why not just block all entrances to where our target is?"

She thought about the first set of doors, present on each corner of the area.

Then there were the other paths, going to a single corner each time…

'While completely avoiding the opposite side,' her eyes widened, looking at the right side of the room they were in; not a single entrance in sight.

"None of these entrances lead to where they are," Riveria concluded. "and there's no real path." They all looked at the wall, concluding that they had to make their own entrance.

She hated to admit it, but it was such a Dwarven way of thinking.

"Everyone, move back!" She lifted her staff, aiming to unleash her magic against the wall and validate her hypothesis.

*GROWL*

The ears of every Elf twitched, turning around at all the entrances to see red glowing eyes in the darkness staring back at them.

She instantly remembered the creature she and the other executives faced during the Bete incident: Grimm, the term Drake and Flynn had used for these creatures.

"Everyone, prepare for combat!" Riveria commanded, noticing something bright aiming in her direction.

Bete's body felt heavy. As if an invisible pressure loomed over him.

He gritted his teeth, using his knees as support before looking around… he was utterly alone… and there was one other thing.

'It's cold…' he thought, seeing his own breath in the air as he exhaled. Ever since he unlocked his Aura, Bete hadn't felt cold at any singular moment despite how people now said there was a chill air around him… something wasn't right.

His instincts sharpened his unease, detecting a concealed danger in the shadows. The darkness felt tangible, yet it was more than just dim; something immense hovered overhead.

"… Fuck," he muttered, performing a quick backflip as he avoided a giant claw that created pillars of ice where he stood just a moment ago.

He landed safely, managing to spot the Monster a little better… and for some reason, he couldn't help but feel a connection with the giant white bear in front of him… as if his very soul was familiar with it somehow.

His eyes widened in realization. "YOU!" he gritted his teeth, finally recognizing the familiar feeling invading him… the same feeling he had when the Centurion had taken over his body.

"ME!" the bear roared, creating various Glyphs in the air, unleashing [Icicles] that flew at Bete by the dozens.

"Is everyone ok!?" Tione asked, being the first one to recover after landing in another room.

"Fine, but very cold!" Tiona exclaimed, rubbing her hands in an attempt to warm herself up.

Raul looked around, seeing none of the top executives nor Bete with them.

The group around him could be summarized as; the Amazon Sisters, Dia Saint and some of her Familia members, some of his Familia, among them being-

"Here,"

Raul blinked, seeing Anakitty extending her hand towards him. "Thank you."

He glanced around once more and noticed that the entrance they had been dragged through was now shut tight. "Do they expect us to move forward?" Raul wondered, resting his hand under his chin as he eyed their other paths. "Having already been separated from the main group, wouldn't it be logical to keep us locked up here?"

"With someone like those two?" Ana chuckled, looking at the Amazon sisters. "I am pretty sure Tione could be able to break a wall with the right incentive."

"That being Finn," Raul thought out loud, snorting at Tione's expense.

"RAUL!"

He blinked for a moment. "Funny, I thought I heard him just now."

"You are not hallucinating," she commented, her ears twitching as they stared at a particular entrance. "The Captain's voice is coming from over there."

"The Captain's voice!?"

Speaking of incentives.

"Where!?" Tione asked, having stopped arguing with her sister about what to do, only to approach Raul and Ana Kitty with burning determination in her eyes.

"That way!" Both Level Four Adventurers exclaimed, pointing at the entrance before Tione could reach them.

"Perfect!" she smiled warmly, her silent frustration fading away instantly as she turned to the others. "We will rendezvous with the Captain; let's hope Gareth and the others are with him."

"Are you certain it is Braver?" Airmid asked, feeling unsure of the whole situation.

"CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?"

Tione's eyes snapped open, completely ignoring Airmid as she finally heard her Captain's voice. "It is him!"

Tiona sighed, seeing her brain-rot sister running towards the gate. "Can anyone please stay close to the healers and mages? I will go ahead and keep an eye on that dumbass."

Line and the others nodded, keeping close while the vanguards surrounded them.

"Everyone, stay close."

Everyone did as Raul instructed, heading into the entrance soon after Tiona went looking for her sister… noticing something was wrong.

"… is it just me, or is this path a little longer?"

He nodded at Ana's words. "Tione! Tiona!" he called forth their names, not a single answer was heard.

"That's weird, we followed them soon after-" his voice died down, seeing the path forked into several. "… you can't be serious."

Ana Kitty kneeled down, trying to see if there were any tracks and even sniffing; none were there.

"damn it," she cursed, standing next to Raul, eyeing him for ideas, only to see him shrug.

"TIONE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

They looked at a certain path, hearing Tiona's voice in the distance.

"CAPTAIN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

And then Tione's on a completely different path.

"TIONA? TIONE?"

And then there was their Captain's.

The group shouted back, but it seemed as if they couldn't hear them.

"… I will look for the Captain," Raul said, determined. "He can think of something if we reunite with him."

Anakitty pondered. "I agree… but the sisters don't sound so far off, either."

"We will go with Raul!" Cruz Bussel exclaimed, standing next to the Adventurer and a few Familia members.

"Then we will go looking for Tiona."

There was a silence in the air; every Loki member knew they prioritized Tiona because the older Amazon would become a mild annoyance if the Captain weren't there.

"Take care," Anakitty placed her hand on his shoulder before he nodded.

They ventured in, walking deeper into their chosen path as they shouted their Captain's name.

It took them a good couple of minutes before reaching another forking road.

"Oh, come on!" An Adventurer complained, a sentiment everyone else shared as they groaned collectively.

"… is anyone there?"

Their eyes widened, hope reflected in their eyes as they saw a blonde Pallum walking out of the corners of a path.

"Captain!"

They rushed toward him. "Ah… good grief, I finally found someone." He exclaimed calmly, looking over at Raul. "And the rest?"

"We got separated after Tione and Tiona went on their own way," Raul replied with a sigh of relief, faltering a little after seeing Finn frown.

"That might not have been the best idea," Finn looked back. "I got separated from Gareth soon after we landed in a room. All of these paths seem to be formed like a labyrinth with connected paths." Everyone tensed at the sound of that. "To make matters worse, it seems as if the paths are constantly changing; that is why Gareth and I got separated."

Raul's eyes widened, realizing that's probably what happened to the Amazon sisters.

"What would you suggest?"

"Hmm… we need to keep going," he looked at the path behind him. "Chances are the path you came for has already changed."

Everyone nodded.

"Captain, here." An Adventurer exclaimed, extending his own spear towards the Pallum, seeing he was without his weapon.

"Keep it," Finn smiled. "I am a Level Six; I know how to handle myself without a weapon."

They nodded, following his Captain.

"How many were in your group after we got separated?"

"Around twenty people, counting us," Raul explained, reporting in great detail the number of Adventurers in their group.

"I see… it will be a great relief if we manage to regroup with them."

The group continued walking, entering a dark room.

"Disperse, locate the entrances if there are any."

Everyone nodded at Finn's command.

They dispersed, looking around the area until they were certain of what they were looking for.

"This seems to be a dead end," Raul looked around. "We should head back… Captain?"

Everyone noticed the hesitation in his voice, turning their eyes to see their Captain was gone.

Raul was about to call for him, but something else beat him to it.

*CLANK*

Something metallic and cylindrical had hit the ground, releasing a deafening sound and a blinding light that forced everyone to scream.

"What the fuck is going on!?"

Everyone heard the screams of someone.

Raul was the one who tried to recover from the surprise attack the quickest.

Seeing a blur going through many of their Familia members.

He unsheathed his sword instinctively, hopelessly swinging his weapon in a poor attempt to hit something he literally couldn't see. His left arm lost its strength, having felt something hit him. He turned his head left and right, centering his gaze on a person with blonde hair who grabbed his head before delivering a knee strike to the face.

"Aaaah," he groaned in pain as his vision recovered a little to see who had attacked them. "Cap- Capt-ian?" 'Finn Deinme' looked down at him, raising his fist before knocking Raul out cold.

The assailant turned around, stepping out of the room as she uttered a familiar chant. "Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing the message of midnight."

The body of the assailant glowed, changing its appearance to her original one.

"Lili certainly hopes the others are putting in the work like Lili is."

"Tiona! Tione! Anyone!?"

Lett snickered, hiding in a corner behind a wall as he heard Loki Familia members looking for their fellow companions.

The Goblin walked away, ensuring he was far from reach, before pulling his leftover sandwich out and stopping near another entrance. "Next *munch munch* please."

The ground on the other side started to move as if he had the actual power to command the Dungeon; guiding him to the next group he had to take care of.

"For a Divine being in the form of a hairless cat, the son of a bitch can make a mean sandwich."

"I will tell him you said that."

Lett almost choked on his food the moment he heard Solumn's voice. "A little warning next time."

The Centurion ignored him for a moment. "There's something off about this group."

Lett raised an eyebrow as the floor stopped moving.

"They didn't come from the incursion group. Rather, it seems they came from the floor below and separated into various groups."

He crushed the sandwich wrap in his hand. "They were probably in the Deep Floors before this whole mess started… I will knock them out either way." He started with a shrug as he stepped into the new path.

It didn't take him too long for his ears to twitch, listening to some murmurs he heard from around the next corner. He moved in closer, peering around the corner before his eyes widened.

The Goblin unconsciously gritted his teeth, moving almost automatically into the area for everyone to see.

He ignored his questions while his eyes remained on them, taking out both of his daggers as his eyes only saw red; his Aura flared around him, summoning a legion of Goblins made out of it.

"What the fuck are you pieces of shit doing here?"

His question was taken as a provocation before all the dark-robbed Adventurers charged at him.

*SLAP*

Finn's eyes snapped, feeling a sharp pain on his cheek as he stared at Gareth.

"Fucking finally." Gareth grunted, offering Finn a helping hand, taking it as he rubbed his cheek.

"Not even women have slapped me this hard."

"Not even women want to kiss your sorry ass," Gareth grunted, knowing pretty well it was Finn keeping the hyenas at bay.

"How long was I out?" he asked, stretching his body.

"Not sure; I regained consciousness not too long ago."

Finn took a thinking pose, helplessly trying to think how bad the situation was. "Any paths?"

"None."

His eyes snapped, looking around to see they were in a locked room.

"… what if we break the wall?"

Gareth deadpanned. "By we, you mean me, don't you?" Finn didn't dare to look back at him. "In what direction, though… we are gonna end up going inside the Dungeon."

Finn didn't reply, walking to the nearest corner of the room to place his ear against it; knocking on it to see if it was hollow.

"You can't be serious," Gareth said with a blank expression.

"You are more than welcome to help if you want."

The Dwarf sighed, going in the opposite direction as the Pallum, investing a few minutes before finding a spot where a path might have been behind the wall. "I think I got something."

Finn walked to him, placed his ear, and knocked to check; yes, it seemed there was something… along with steps.

His eyes widened, and he heard something resembling flames ready to ignite from the other side. "Duck!"

Gareth didn't question him, jumping out of the way as a great explosion destroyed the wall before pushing both of them back.

"I am fine," Gareth stated, recovering as he rolled on the ground while Finn did the same.

They prepared their weapons, looking with narrowed gazes at the entrances as a single figure emerged from one.

Gareth scowled before greeting a familiar face. "Lass."

"Old man," Tsubaki Collbrande exclaimed, resting her explosive sword over her shoulder, scowling at the both of them.

Finn tensed, feeling the animosity towards them.

He reconsidered his priorities, putting Ais's health first for the moment. "We just want to speak with—" his eyes widened. Words died on his lips as Tsubaki waved her sword before releasing a horizontal slash that forced both Adventurers to bend their backs to avoid the attack.

They ignored the explosion that happened behind them, locking eyes with Tsubaki as the grip on her sword tightened.

"Be reasonable… Do you think you and a few others can go against a full incursion, Lass?"

Tsubaki remained still, planting her explosive sword on the ground before resting and placing her hand on her face. "You are right… if only someone had taken the time to prepare them well for this… oh wait," her single eye was visible through her fingers as she tried to hide the mad grin on her lips. "I did!"

BR: 30K words!

Oh great, you are alive.

BR: 30K words!

I know, I can read the counter.

BR: Thirty thousand fucking words!

At least I cut it in half—ish

BR: Oh you motherfu-

Anyway, chapter notes:

Tsubaki's fight: I tried to envision this fight with the equipment and capabilities of both fighters. Tried to imagine something other than just weapons clashing and normal fight footing; shame it didn't turn into something longer. Yes, the hammer should have destroyed Ais' head like a watermelon; but I am using her Spirit descendence as something that would give her that kind of endurance.

Lili soloing a group of Loki Familia: Let's be fair about something, Raul gets a lot of shit, but even he is a Level Four and there were also some Level Threes and Twos in the group. Lili just used her knowledge and tools (the Aura Bracelet being one of them) at her disposal with her Advantage. Would she win in a fight against Raul in a fair encounter… probably yes. Would the same apply to literally every other member of Loki Familia, fuck no.

The Audacity of Finn Deinme: Here we are people, the moment the fake reached rock bottom. Let me remind you all that in Astrea Record this bastard used five points in the city full of civillians to serve as a distractions for all of the evilus forces. The worse didn't come to pass because the plot dictated it, but let's not forget he still did it with that intention in mind. Using other Adventurers here is no different.

The chaos: As I said, there's a lot of characters to cover, even on the second part not everyone has too much screen time.

That's about it, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.