"Dammit!"
Eiji pulled back the long rope and cursed aloud.
"This is exactly why I objected to entering in the first place!"
Alicia returned to Eiji's side with a pale face, still visibly shaken. The rope connected to his sword remained wrapped around her waist.
She always liked sticking close to Eiji, so he had only managed to save her in time.
The other dozen or so members had already fallen into the pitfall trap.
The ambush had come without warning. By the time his instincts alerted him, Finn had already collapsed, and the pitfall appeared simultaneously. The enemy's coordination had not only taken out the Familia's brain but also forcibly scattered their forces.
In an instant, Loki Familia was plunged into a dire crisis!
"Captain!"
Tione let out a piercing scream and charged at Revis without hesitation, her face twisted with fury.
"Come back!"
Gareth's expression changed as he reached out to stop her, but his hand grasped empty air.
Clang!
The next moment, her twin scimitars clashed violently against the black greatsword.
Tione's expression shifted abruptly. Her arms trembled violently as she was forced back uncontrollably.
"You're not my opponent."
Revis delivered a swift kick.
Unable to resist mid-retreat, Tione was sent flying into the left fork of the passage.
Boom!
Immediately after, a gleaming silver gate slammed down, sealing off the left path completely.
From the other side of the gate came the sound of furious pounding as Tione raged against the barrier, but it stood unyielding like the Wall of Sighs.
Another Orichalcum gate!
"This bitch!"
Bete snarled, glaring at Revis.
"No mistake about it!"
Gareth's eyes widened in fury.
"...Level 7."
Ais's expression also darkened severely.
There was no other explanation!
To instantly defeat Finn and repel Tione—only an Level 7 could do that!
Just two months ago, she was Level 5. A month ago, Level 6. And now, she had reached Level 7!
In the entire world today, there were only two Level 7s!
Her growth was nothing short of monstrous!
Just how many magic stones had she consumed?!
"Too many nuisances getting in the way."
Revis swept her gaze over Bete and Gareth before finally settling on Ais.
"My target is only you, Aria. But fighting now would just invite interference. I'll wait for another opportunity."
As she spoke, she retreated backward.
"Don't chase her!"
Ais instinctively moved to pursue but was immediately halted by Gareth's sharp command.
"In our current situation, we absolutely cannot afford to split up further!"
Ais hesitated.
Revis held the secrets of her mother—she wanted nothing more than to chase her down.
But she had to admit Gareth was right.
Casting one last resentful glance in the direction Revis had vanished, Ais suppressed her urge to give chase.
"How's Finn's condition?"
Gareth turned to Eiji.
"No good!"
Eiji tossed an empty crystal vial to the ground, his face grim.
"Even after using two Elixirs, the wound shows no signs of healing—it's only getting worse!"
Finn lay on the ground, his face as pale as paper.
A massive wound stretched from his shoulder to his waist, blood gushing out uncontrollably. Despite the shimmering rainbow light enveloping his body, the wound stubbornly refused to close.
"Seems like a curse," Gareth muttered with a grimace, his expression twisted in frustration.
"This damn prum, always barking orders like he owns the place, and now even lying down he's causing trouble."
"A curse?"
"Similar to magic, but far rarer and way more unreasonable. Damn it!" Gareth spat out angrily. "That black sword in the red-haired woman's hands must've been imbued with an incurable curse. Once you're cut, no healing works—not even elixirs!"
"What do we do then?" Raul fell to his knees, his face ghostly white as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Captain... is he going to die?"
It wasn't just him. Most of the guild members behind him wore expressions of utter despair.
Finn was their pillar.
He was the brains of the Familia, their beacon of hope. If that pillar collapsed, everyone would lose their anchor.
Not only would their path forward vanish, but even their will to survive would dwindle.
"How do we break the curse?" Eiji lifted his head, his gaze fixed on Gareth.
"The only way is to defeat the caster!" Gareth shook his head. "But you saw it yourselves—that woman was strong enough to take down Finn and Tione in an instant. And she's hiding somewhere in the dungeon. We'd never find her... Our only option is to take Finn back to the surface and see if Airmid can do anything."
Trying to hunt down the enemy when they could barely protect themselves would be foolish, especially against an opponent they couldn't hope to defeat.
"What do we do now?"
"How should I know?"
"The captain's down..."
Panicked murmurs spread among the group.
"Shut the hell up, you weaklings!" Bete, fed up with the noise, roared at them, silencing the unrest.
"Ugh..."
As if startled by Bete's outburst, Finn groaned and stirred awake.
His vision was blurred with blood. Raul was sobbing uncontrollably, and the others stared at him with heavy hearts.
Even in his dazed, grievously wounded state, Finn grasped the situation in an instant.
He had been defeated.
A moment of hesitation had cost him everything—he had lost to the Xenos, Revis.
His eyes lingered briefly on Raul before shifting away, finally settling on Eiji.
"You... take command..."
His lips trembled.
His body was so weak that even speaking was a struggle.
Every gaze in the room turned to Eiji.
He was the youngest in the Familia, both in seniority and age. He had only become an executive half a month ago, nowhere near as respected as Gareth.
Yet Finn didn't choose Gareth—he chose Eiji.
And not a single trace of doubt could be seen in the eyes of those watching.
"...Understood."
After a moment of silence, Eiji nodded.
At this critical juncture, with the Familia's survival at stake, an unimaginably heavy burden fell upon his shoulders.
Only after Eiji accepted did Finn's expression relax slightly. Then, slowly, his eyes closed again.
His breathing grew even fainter.
Even a Level 6 adventurer couldn't last long while bleeding out.
"What now?" Gareth turned to Eiji.
"Give the order."
Bete's expression was cold.
Ais silently watched him.
Raul, Anakitty, and the others trembled as they looked over.
Their gazes held nothing but trust.
There was no other choice but to trust.
"There are no other options."
Eiji stood up, gripping his twin swords once more.
He closed his eyes, as if entrusting everything to fate.
"Raul, carry Finn on your back. We're retreating at full speed!"