Facing three Spirit Soldiers stronger than herself and still managing to counterattack through tactics and strategy—then even surpassing the level gap to kill all three—this kind of performance would be dazzling even within Loki Familia.
Finn was just as shocked by the result.
"I didn't expect Lefiya to have grown this much."
Judging from the power of that magic alone, Lefiya's use of Riveria's spell wasn't inferior to Riveria in the slightest.
And yet Lefiya was only Lv.4 right now, while Finn found himself comparing her to Riveria at Lv.6.
In a sense, it was no wonder Lefiya was being raised as Riveria's successor.
Her superior aptitude, well-matched skills, and magic gave her a much broader casting range than before. And her ability to double the power of her spells dramatically strengthened her offensive output.
Finn immediately recalled that during her last round of training, it was Bete who had taken charge. Realizing that made his expression turn slightly strange.
"That stubborn, impossible-to-handle Bete actually turned out to be Lefiya's best teacher."
"And she's already gotten this good at Concurrent Chanting… looks like the training plan Riveria and I had for her was wrong."
In the past, they had focused on teaching Lefiya how to cope with different situations, and even if she performed poorly, they tolerated it.
But that approach only cultivated Lefiya's technical abilities while leaving her personality shy and overly introverted—so much so she couldn't even face monsters alone. This had long become a major concern for Riveria.
After all, Lefiya would eventually have to face monsters by herself. Without the courage to confront them, she could never grow into one of the familia's pillars.
Just when they were troubled over this, Lefiya found her footing again because of Ais, then gained the strength to stand on her own thanks to the training she received from Bete.
Her growth had been one surprise after another for Finn.
Of course, Lefiya wasn't the only one who had grown. The others had improved greatly as well.
Raul, who always seemed unreliable during normal days, was currently brandishing his longsword and standing off against a Lv.5 Spirit Soldier.
"Clang!"
What tough skin!
Raul clenched his teeth, barely managing to keep the longsword from being knocked out of his hands.
The Spirit Soldier suddenly spun sharply, catching Raul off guard.
"Boom!"
A vicious side kick sent him flying, his body twisting mid-air before he crashed into the members behind him.
The formation immediately collapsed into chaos.
In an instant, several Spirit Soldiers joined the assault, completely scattering Loki Familia's organized formation.
"Damn."
Finn realized the situation was spiraling out of control.
"The formation's broken."
Gareth's brows furrowed as he noticed multiple Spirit Soldiers flooding in, clearly intent on shattering the formation completely.
He could act—if he cut down the key Spirit Soldiers at the front, they could still preserve their formation.
He looked toward Finn for permission.
But Finn only frowned deeper. He knew stopping them now was possible—however, the problem wasn't now. It was what came after.
His attention had never left Dionysus.
Their formation couldn't stay stable. They needed the chaos. Without it, that god would never be able to slip away.
So Finn inhaled lightly, then shook his head.
"No."
Gareth looked surprised, but he didn't argue.
Riveria, supporting Lefiya at her side, understood what Finn intended. Allowing chaos would give Dionysus the chance to detach from the group.
She hadn't forgotten the true purpose of this operation.
Their mission was the complete eradication of Evilus—and Dionysus was one of them. He couldn't be allowed to remain in the party indefinitely.
So she silently agreed with Finn's judgment.
It might place the group at risk, but adventurers faced danger at every moment. This mission was no exception.
Sure enough, a Spirit Soldier charged straight at Dionysus.
"Watch out!"
In Loki Familia, only the three key members knew the true mission objective and Dionysus's identity. Everyone else remained unaware.
So when they saw a Spirit Soldier aiming for Dionysus, Raul—despite having been kicked away moments earlier—forced down the blood surging in his throat and charged forward again.
"Clang!"
Raul nearly lost his sword to the force of the block, but he refused to back down even a single step.
"Maenads, take Dionysus somewhere safe!"
Suddenly, the pressure coming from the Spirit Soldier weakened.
Having already suffered from this trick once before, Raul instantly understood what was happening.
"You think I'd fall for that again!?"
His grip tightened, his muscles bulging as power exploded out. A fierce expression twisted across his face.
"Hrah!"
He swung downward with everything he had.
"Clang!"
The Spirit Soldier had attempted the same trick again—but this time it pulled away too early and was caught directly by the strike.
If it hadn't turned its head at the last moment, that blow would have cleaved through its skull.
Because of its evasive movement, Raul's sword instead struck its shoulder.
"Ssshhh!"
A thin wound opened, leaking bright red blood.
Most of the force was absorbed by the Spirit Soldier's fish-scale armor, but the sheer power of the strike still broke through its defenses.
The Spirit Soldier reacted immediately, locking both hands around the blade to prevent further damage.
But seeing this only made Raul's grin twist into something wilder.
"Just what I was waiting for!"
He relaxed his grip for a moment, pulling an "Elemental Enchantment" from his pouch—the strongest offensive one: Fire.
"Fwoosh!"
The instant he applied it, flames roared to life along the greatsword.
The Spirit Soldier—felt the pressure immediately.
The burning blade pressed against its shoulder, and its hands paused for a moment as the flames licked at its skin. That brief instant was all Raul needed.
He gripped the sword with both hands once again, pouring all his strength into it.
"Aaaaaaaaah!"
The flaming greatsword inched downward into the Spirit Soldier.
The intense heat melted its outer scales, and its hands, exposed to direct flames at point-blank range, began to char.
"Crack!"
With a sharp snap, Raul felt the resistance weaken. He immediately exerted everything he had left.
As the fiery blade pressed deeper, flames engulfed half of the Spirit Soldier's body, stripping away what little resistance remained.
"Haaaaaaah!"
Finally, despite its remarkable defensive power, the Spirit Soldier succumbed to the scorching flames—split cleanly in half from its shoulder downward.
"Sssshhhh!"
The bisected corpse still emitted white steam, twitching faintly—proof it hadn't fully died yet.
Raul didn't stop.
Raising his sword once more, he drove the blade viciously into the creature's head.
Only then was the Spirit Soldier's existence fully extinguished.