by Fujino Omori
The success of Finn’s strategy led to a huge increase in morale. Everyone shouted as they received his orders, reaching a fever pitch.
“Astounding…They got us good.”
In a spire overlooking the main base where Finn and the others were gathered, Dionysus was almost moaning as he spoke.
“Finn never had the slightest intention of staying on the defensive,” Loki responded next to him as she looked down over the excited camp.
“The enemy will be restless when they obtain the key. If they figure out we’ve got one, it’ll be too late. We gotta crush them before they get any chance to prepare.”
They’d turned tail and run from Knossos once before, when the Evils had been able to finish their preparations and invited Loki Familia inside.
They’d defeated Finn and the others with their perfectly laid plans.
But this time was different. They hadn’t made any preparations at all. They hadn’t imagined they could be attacked, which meant they hadn’t made any arrangements to engage the enemy.
And even if they had, they wouldn’t have any time to mobilize.
It was a textbook example of a surprise attack.
“With their defenses all leaky and ramshackle, we can swallow them whole and bring back some information. This’s our first and last chance.”
The jester goddess smirked audaciously. And then it slipped into a soft smile.
“Finn, ya seemed to be wrapped up in doubt, which is uncharacteristic of you, but…” Loki trailed off, watching over the prum as he continued to call out orders.
“Yer a pretty monstrous hero yerself.”
Loki smiled. She’d known it all along.
“…How rowdy,” a woman murmured.
With voluptuous breasts, a beautiful body, and crimson hair reminiscent of blood, it was a monster in the form of a person— Levis.
With her enhanced hearing, the creature could hear the boisterous chaos in a distant part of the labyrinth. As she hunkered down on the floor with one knee raised, she frowned in annoyance.
“—You shut up, too. Aria can wait. First, we blow away the city and make a big hole…Yeah, I’ll show you the sky on the surface—filthier than the time before. Tch,” she scoffed, holding her head with one hand.
From the outside, it seemed she was talking to herself, but upon listening in, it’d become clear that she’d formed an understanding with something.
“It won’t be much longer…Just a little more. Wait down there patiently,” whispered the woman, voice echoing throughout the long hallway inside Knossos.
Before her, a giant pillar of green meat was forming against the tall wall of the labyrinth. Near the top, a silhouette resembling the upper body of a person was squirming, casting a long shadow against the walls and floor.
“L-Lady Levis!” cried one of the main members of the Evils as they rushed through the entrance of the hall.
Levis swung around, bothered by the intrusion, and the man continued to speak as he knelt down.
“Loki Familia has invaded Knossos! They have a key, and they’re wreaking havoc! At this rate, th-they might reach one of the s-spirit rooms around the labyrinth!”
The man was careful to not lay eyes on the repulsive green pillar, averting his gaze to the stone-paved floor. Beads of sweat kept hitting the ground as his voice trembled.
The pillar writhed ominously, making a ghastly noise as tentacles extended out, surrounding the man, as if observing him.
“Please. P-please help us…!”
“Useless fools…” Levis slowly stood up as her green eyes narrowed.
And as if in sync with her movement, the tentacles began to coil around the man’s body.
“Let it go. It’s not a magic stone. It’ll just make you sick.” Levis spoke indifferently as the man disappeared above her head, pulled up by the tentacles.
As if to respond, the pillar released the sound of crushing meat, and a rain of blood splattered against her cheek.
“Sheesh…Incompetent, each and every one of them…” she muttered, wiping her cheek with a rough swipe of her arm and drawing the pitch-black cursed sword sticking out of the ground.
Levis left the hall as the sound of chewing echoed behind her, looking bored out of her mind.
The footsteps of the elves rang out loudly as they rushed down the stairs in the complicated, mysterious, labyrinthine insides of Knossos. Loki Familia’s squad of elves didn’t allow the Evils in their way to stop them as they delved farther into the depths of the labyrinth.
“Three enemies ahead!!”
“A group of monsters, two o’clock!”
“Break through! Attack!”
As the elven girls searched for enemies, Riveria gave commands from the center of the formation.
Troops of the Evils sporadically emerged, eager to stop them, but they all fell victim to the magic of the elves. As rays of light burst forth from their wands, they blew away the enemies.
They hadn’t slowed down once from the moment they entered Knossos, not stopping their movements and continually opening new paths in every direction.
Riveria’s mission was to disrupt the enemy in Knossos—one way or another.
If they could manage to turn the main base of the Evils’ Remnants into a storm of chaos, the Evils wouldn’t be able to intervene in the battle aboveground. At the very least, Riveria’s team needed to pin down the enemy in the man-made dungeon until they could suppress the armed monsters.
And their primary goal was to gather information about Knossos: steal a second key or determine the location of the demi-spirit and deal a destructive blow to the enemy’s infrastructure.
It wasn’t necessary to completely wipe out the enemy to achieve victory. They needed to blaze through as much of the interior of Knossos as possible, laying the foundation in preparation for the full assault to come in later days.
“Advance! Advance!”
With that in mind, they needed to run and couldn’t afford to stop.
As they charged into Knossos as a single squad, they were comparable to a lone ant wandering around a giant anthill. If they were cornered, they’d be crushed in no time at all, considering their power imbalances.
To survive and bring the plan to fruition, they had to avoid capture. It was crucial that they spread as much chaos as possible, as this would prevent the enemy from taking the initiative and relegating them to the defensive. An invasion by a single squad was always one misstep away from catastrophe—or as Thanatos put it, suicidal.
As they cut deep into enemy territory, Riveria’s judgment was the key to success for the unsupported troops carrying out their surprise attack alone.
“I sense something on the left! Change course to the right!”
“Yes!”
“Alicia, recover Sonia and the others!”
“Understood!”
When Riveria sensed a trap lying in wait, Alicia and the rest of the team followed her lead without hesitation. They could sense the shock of the enemy forces who’d been lying in wait down the left passage as the troops distanced themselves from it. At the same time, Riveria didn’t neglect to delegate recovering her team with items as she deftly handled an unending series of decisions.
In this regard, she resembled Finn.
She was influenced by all the times she’d stood with Gareth watching over the gallant figure of the prum.
And above all, as a high elf, Riveria wielded extraordinary charisma among elves. Even in the heart of the enemy’s base, the fighting spirit of the elves didn’t drop—but increased.
“Materialize, mighty barrier of forest’s light, and lend us your protection—my name is Alf!”
Riveria made her magic stand by, maintaining the magic circle that expanded to a radius of five meders. As she chanted, the elves gathered perfectly inside it in formation as they ran forward.
A jade-colored glow illuminated their faces from below their feet—the light of the fairies’ blessing. The elves’ c
hests trembled, as if they were all overcome with emotion, as if they had received royal protection.
“Everyone, stop! Lefiya!”
“—Pierce, arrow of accuracy!”
They dashed out into a wide passage and were greeted by a wall of monsters.
In response to the swarm of violas and vargs filling the hall, Lefiya quickly stepped in front of the squad, gathering the attention of all the monsters—and then she fired.
“Arcs Ray!”
“Aaaaagh?!”
A stupidly powerful cannon erased the swarm of monsters.
“Lefiya, don’t stop casting! Prepare the next volley!”
“Yes!”
They immediately began to move again as the particles from the magic cannon spun together with a Concurrent Cast. A giant ray of light filled the width of the passage and washed over the horde of monsters trying to push through with numbers, turning them all to ash. This was the sixth iteration of the same scene.
With that tremendous output, the bombardment of fire unleashed by Lefiya was equivalent to a lance.
It was like a battering ram that blew away all the enemies that gathered, standing across the hardened door.
Draw the attention of the many monsters hidden away in Knossos and then annihilate them with one blast. That was why Lefiya had been held in reserve, why she’d been tempering and refining her magic through meditation.
Riveria was busy commanding the squad, which meant they couldn’t rely on her firepower all the time.
To trample Knossos to the ground, Lefiya’s lance was essential.
“Freeze, chains of winter!”
“March, inferno boots—”
“As contracted, I command you!”
As Lefiya was dealing with the enemies in the larger passage, the other elves including Alicia were taking out the monsters emerging from the side routes with their own magic.
In Riveria’s squad of female elves, every single member was a mage or magic swordswoman who’d mastered Concurrent Casting and trained in high-speed combat with the ability to freely use shortened-cast magic.
Magic rained down on them one after the other, analogous to a fortress shooting off a legion of fairy arrows.
“Enemy squad, from the front!”
“A group of mages…and magic blades!”
The icing on the cake was their defensive wall, which trivialized the counterattacks of enemies lying in wait.
“Via Shilheim!” activated Riveria from its state in standby, halting the concentrated volley from the enemy.
“What?!”
“Our attack…?! Aaaaaaaaaaaargh?!”
The remnants of the Evils shuddered at the jade dome enshrouding the group, but that was short-lived. The elves cut them down with swords in passing, a fairy platoon with eleven members in all.
Even in Loki Familia, they were a cut above, as the party was entirely composed of elves who were Level 3 or higher. They didn’t stop producing their magic circles.
A main cannon, barrage, and defense. This group went well beyond the stage of mobile artillery.
They were a fortress.
“It’s been a while since we’ve formed a Fairy Force!”
“I’m fine with supporting from the back lines and all, but wow. Rampaging under Lady Riveria’s command is truly an honor!”
“Hey! Rampage? We’re doing nothing of the sort!” Alicia warned the younger elves making a fuss in their exaltation.
Under normal circumstances, it was rare for Riveria to take an active role leading a raid.
As the woman heralded as the city’s strongest mage, she would maximize her potential in the back lines: an overwhelming firepower to exterminate enemies without exception, a defensive method to protect allies from attacks, and a healing support that could maintain an entire battle line. She’d filled her role as a pillar supporting large groups. It was like giving a tiger wings to team her up with Gareth’s dwarves who bore the full brunt of the front lines.
But once she separated from the main group, running around as a detached force, she changed dramatically, becoming a projectile weapon, turning into a wedge formation of fairies that Finn could drive in at just the right time.
“Don’t prattle on! Attack!”
““Yes, ma’am!””
They launched themselves into combat—a high-speed melee with Concurrent Casting.
Magic was versatile if one mastered its speed and adapted to most situations. The elves running amok in the Dungeon wielded an unimaginable firepower—a flower on the battlefield, as though a cavalry squad.
The situation was different from the usual Dungeon, requiring a long-range hit-and-run, foiling the Evils’ soldiers as they attempted their suicide bombing.
As the elves kept moving and unleashing their magic, no one was able to pursue them.
“Lefiya, don’t fall behind.”
“Y-yes…!”
It was Lefiya’s first time joining her fellow elves on the squad, and she was out of breath as she continued to cast magic concurrently. With her improving enough to join them, the fairy squad had acquired a main cannon, completing the mobile fortress.
They had all the pieces necessary for a surprise assault on Knossos.
“Front and rear doors have been closed!”
“I’m opening the front! Time your magic to fight against it!”
The doors had been the largest bottleneck, rendered meaningless by the key in Riveria’s hand. The orichalcum barriers yielded readily, opening from their firmly locked positions, exposing the flustered enemies to a hail of shots.
It was the rampage of all rampages, the fruits of Anakity’s labor. The proud fairies fought to regain their honor and subdue the fury of their murdered comrades.
“Lady Riveria, a second key!”
“Well done!”
Alicia hadn’t missed one person wildly trying to escape among the enemy forces firing back. She’d stopped him in his tracks with a freezing spell and knocked him out, stealing away his hidden key, their second one. After Riveria’s praise, the elves continued to shout.
Their advance couldn’t be stopped.
“…?”
Riveria alone noticed the slight shift as the squad built up increasingly more momentum.
The enemy’s attacks had stopped, grinding to a halt, when their desperate attempts to prevent their advance had assaulted them before.
“…Lefiya. Change your cast.”
“Wha…? Ah, yes!”
It’d been nothing more than a reprieve for a short moment, but it was enough for Riveria to recognize it as the harbinger of something abnormal.
She gave a new order. And upon seeing the high elf’s tense face, Lefiya and the other exuberant elves became anxious as well.
Riveria was wise.
She knew not to let her guard down in the man-made labyrinth—not in the hellhole that had brought Braver to a point of no recovery.
Her vigilance paid off. It came out—with a bang!
The door boomed as it opened wide, as crimson hair the color of blood fluttered.
“—! I-is the creature here?!”
One of the elves searching for enemies sounded the alarm.
All present swung around, and the figure of the strongest monster in a human form reflected in their eyes.
“After the elves, it’s the prum, huh?”
Levis, the creature, approached, more menacing than the orichalcum door.
Behind her were vividly colored monsters, a multitude of fodder soldiers.
A genuine monster was closing in, one that had beaten both Finn and Aiz.
“—Hn…!” Riveria squinted as the red-haired woman charged with the sinister cursed sword in her hand.
“Ummm…is this okay, Captain…?”
Aboveground, the wind was blowing in the home base of Loki Familia, which resembled an old castle.
Beside Finn, Raul had timidly opened his mouth, asking the captain who was still looking out over the Laby
rinth District.
“Is what okay?”
“Is it really all right to have Miss Riveria and the others break into Knossos…? The demi-spirit is one thing, but that creature there…”
Raul was having difficulty stringing together words, but he felt an apprehension that he couldn’t brush aside. Before Raul’s eyes, Levis had brought Finn down in a single blow when they’d entered Knossos last time. It was a nightmare.
It had been a shock to see the greatest hero and his idol being mercilessly overrun. It had left a big impact on him when Finn lost.
Even Aiz couldn’t stop it by herself. It was an overwhelming mass of unreasonableness.
“…”
Finn fell silent for a moment as Raul remained apprehensive about the creature with red hair.
“Open up!!” commanded Riveria.
All the elves obeyed, discharging a fusillade of magic.
Rays of light—crimson, azure, gold—rushed at Levis.
“Violas.”
“OOOOOOOoooOOOOOO!”
The creature gave a terse command to the monsters, disinterestedly holding out her left hand.
They advanced in front of her, becoming a wall of flesh to block the magic, a tremendous number of vibrantly colored monsters. They wouldn’t falter from a broadside of that level.
Levis sprinted out, making an opening in the shield of monsters.
“…?”
She had an uncomfortable feeling.
“That’s it.”
“Huh?”
“Now that we have a key in our possession, that one creature is the only cause of concern in Knossos,” said Finn with an unwavering expression, focusing straight ahead.
He turned to face Raul, who was visibly surprised, and continued without any hesitation in his voice.
“Raul, I wanted to be called Braver so much that I negotiated with Loki for it.”
“…?”
“In order to be a light, to exemplify bravery for my race…I was prepared long ago.”
There wasn’t a logical flow to his statement, leaving Raul flustered. But as Finn continued, Raul finally understood what he was trying to convey.
