Knossos?
So that was the name of this artificial labyrinth?
Before anyone could ponder its meaning, Valletta opened her hand. Resting in her right palm was a translucent, crimson crystal sphere shaped like a gemstone, its core engraved with a large letter 'D'.
"You're all going to die here!"
'BOOM!'
A deafening crash erupted from behind them.
"Captain! The passage behind us has been blocked by a gate!" Raul's panicked shout echoed from the rear. "And judging by the shine... it's probably another Orichalcum gate!"
Another Orichalcum gate? Just how much wealth had these people accumulated?
But that wasn't the most pressing issue.
"That red jewel... could it be the key to this labyrinth?" Finn's eyes locked onto Valletta, temptation rising in his chest.
'Crack!'
The next moment, the surrounding walls and ceiling hissed open simultaneously. Countless man-eating flower monsters crawled out and dropped to the floor, screeching as they surged toward the expedition force.
"Form ranks! Prepare for battle!" Finn was forced to snap his attention away from the red gem, his commanding voice echoing throughout the chamber. "Don't stay against the walls! Move toward the center and form a defensive formation! Executives, eliminate the enemies!"
Although the situation had developed out of nowhere, Loki Familia was well-accustomed to ambushes. This was no different from a monster party in the Dungeon.
Everyone immediately moved into position. Led by Raul and the other Level 4s, the vanguard took heavy shields from the Supporters and formed a defensive wall. Behind them, the mages immediately began chanting.
Meanwhile, Ryoji, Ais, and the other executives charged directly into the monster horde. Sword flashes and blade lights danced through the darkness, each strike claiming another man-eating flower's life. Having fought these creatures multiple times already, the executives knew their weaknesses perfectly. Combined with their newly attained Level 6 strength, each of them could effortlessly wipe out entire groups of monsters.
Ryoji moved through the battlefield like a phantom. The monsters couldn't stop him, they couldn't even track him. All that remained was the continuous flash of his sword light, followed by severed limbs flying through the air before crumbling into ash. Wielding both blades at once, Ryoji was tearing through enemies even faster than the newly advanced Ais.
'There's no way they're only using man-eating flowers.'
Even while fighting, part of Ryoji's attention remained fixed on Valletta. These monsters posed zero threat to Loki Familia's elite force, and Valletta knew that too. Which meant she definitely had a fallback plan.
Sure enough, she had no intention of staying. The moment the monsters were released, she turned on her heel and fled into the corridor behind her.
"Advance toward the opposite passage!" Finn ordered immediately.
The group moved forward in perfect coordination. With the executives cutting down threats and the second-tier adventurers protecting the flanks, the man-eating flowers couldn't even reach the main line. The Supporters were relaxed enough to smile. Without suffering a single casualty, the expedition crossed the hundred-meter chamber and reached the passage on the opposite side.
Once there, the formation naturally shifted. A broad battle formation wasn't suitable for a corridor only five meters wide, so everyone stretched out into a long column and pressed into the passage.
'We have to catch Valletta!'
Standing at the front, Finn's eyes were resolute. At this point, their greatest enemy wasn't Evilus, the new monsters, or even the Corrupted Spirit. It was the labyrinth itself. Without a map, they were blindly wandering through Knossos, being led into traps without realizing it. Every time a gate dropped and blocked a passage, they lost their freedom to maneuver. If they wanted to turn the tables, they had to seize that key from Valletta.
"Supreme God, Dio Grail!"
"Arc Ray!"
At the rear of the formation, Lefiya and Filvis combined their magic, obliterating a swarm of man-eating flowers charging down the corridor.
"Oh! Lefiya's grown a lot!"
"Keep moving!" Finn's tense voice rang out again. They had to catch up as quickly as possible. Driven by that urgency, he picked up the pace.
Soon, they arrived at a crossroads.
'Whoosh!'
Without warning, a figure leapt out from one of the side passages. Raising a black greatsword high overhead, she brought it crashing down.
"So there was an ambush after all!" Finn wasn't surprised in the slightest. He immediately raised his twin spears to parry the attack.
But suddenly, a violent pain shot through his right thumb. An overwhelming sense of danger flooded his entire body.
'BOOM!'
An incomparably terrifying force exploded from the black greatsword. Like a colossal tidal wave, it was completely unstoppable. Finn's twin spears were blasted aside, his stance collapsing instantly.
"It's not Valletta...?!"
Short crimson hair, red as blood. Dark green eyes devoid of emotion, like those of a corpse. A seductive figure.
Revis.
"And she's this strong?!" Shock filled Finn's face.
He had been prepared for an ambush. He hadn't been caught off guard at all. The moment he moved, he had gone all out, and yet he was still driven back in a single exchange.
'How is Revis this strong?' According to Ais, even though Revis could grow stronger by devouring magic stones, just a month ago she had only been around the lower tiers of Level 6. And now...
After gaining the advantage, Revis immediately pressed her attack. The black greatsword came down again with brutal force.
'I can't beat her.' Finn reached that conclusion instantly. He had to activate 'Hell Finegas'. Otherwise, this next strike would kill him.
But could he really afford to do that? He was the brain of the entire expedition. If he entered his berserk state and lost his reason, the team would lose its commander. Without leadership, Loki Familia could easily be buried inside this labyrinth.
The hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second. But an instant was enough to decide victory and defeat.
'Slash!'
The black greatsword fell. Blood sprayed across the corridor.
"Finn!"
"Captain!"
The members' disbelieving cries mixed with Tione's heart-rending scream. At the very front of the formation, the Pallum leader slowly collapsed, his blood pooling across the floor.
At the same time,
"Watch out!" A sharp warning echoed through the corridor.
Watch out? Watch out for what?
Before anyone could recover from the shock of Finn's fall, a heavy 'crack' echoed beneath them.
'Crack!'
The ground suddenly vanished beneath their feet. Everyone looked down in confusion as the metal floor slid away, revealing bottomless pits.
"AHHHH!"
"What?!"
In the blink of an eye, half the expedition force disappeared. The metal flooring had opened without warning, triggering massive pitfalls directly beneath the ranks. Caught completely off guard, countless members fell through, not only Line's healing team and the Supporters, but also Cruz and Narvi from the Second Army.
Even Tiona and Riveria vanished from sight.
(End of Chapter)
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