"What is that?"
"It looks like the monster we fought on the 50th floor."
The four members of the Loki Familia, who had already faced the Plant Monster Army in the city, looked in surprise at the creature roaring in the distance.
The monster's appearance was strikingly similar to that of an octopus.
Its twelve tentacles, transformed from plant monsters, seemed to have a will of their own, swaying freely in the air.
The upper body resembled that of a woman.
This appearance was astonishingly similar to the monster they had encountered on the 50th floor.
The only difference was that the lower half of that creature had been a Virga, while this one seemed to be an octopus.
As soon as the monster's upper body stopped trembling, it slowly raised its expressionless face and began moving toward the Crystal Square.
"There are no other monsters around here."
"Then let's go!"
With that, Tiona and Tione dashed toward the monster.
Finn and Riveria followed closely behind.
After all, the monster army in the city had already been almost entirely annihilated by Riveria's magic, and the few stragglers left were more than enough for the Rivira adventurers to handle.
Now, they needed to quickly reach Ais's position and defeat the monster.
---
Landing lightly on the stone wall, Shirou set Lefiya and Lulune down in a safe spot and began observing the monster.
Unlike the one Shirou had defeated on the 50th floor, this one was much larger, and its defenses seemed far more robust.
After all, the monster he had faced back then wasn't on the same level.
"Oooooh!"
The enraged monster charged after Ais, drawn by her magic, gradually closing in on the Crystal Square.
Fuuuush
An arrow suddenly struck the monster, but only managed to sever a single tentacle.
Before Shirou's attack could land, the monster had already discovered the direction of the shot and used its tentacles to block it.
"Take this!"
Tiona, rushing in from the city, swung her Urga at one of the monster's tentacles, slicing it clean off.
But before she could boast, the severed tentacle, bleeding profusely, suddenly smacked her aside, sending her flying.
"That hurts!"
Tiona complained, rubbing her head as she rolled across the ground.
"Looks like just cutting the tentacles isn't enough."
Unlike her sister, Tione dealt with the approaching tentacles calmly, chopping them apart with precision and dodging each strike.
At that moment, Finn and Riveria arrived.
This caused the monster to lose sight of Ais.
Ais, who had been fleeing the monstrous tentacles, immediately stopped when she saw the monster ensnared by Finn and the others.
Watching the battle, Ais quickly turned, ready to rejoin the fight.
But at that very moment, a figure suddenly appeared behind her.
At the critical instant, Ais evaded the enemy's strike and leapt back into battle.
"Your opponent is me, Aria. The orb is already ruined, and I can't return empty-handed. I'll be taking you with me."
Ais narrowed her eyes as she locked onto the piercing green gaze of her foe.
After a brief exchange of glances, the two clashed fiercely once more.
With her superior stats and combat experience, the redhead quickly overwhelmed Ais, even as the latter tried to use magic.
But this time, unlike the last, there was a disruptor.
Just as the redhead pressed her assault on Ais, an arrow suddenly flew at her from behind.
The moment it was about to hit, the redhead sensed it and managed only to move slightly.
The attack, originally aimed at her back, struck her left arm instead.
Even so, it was a fatal blow.
The strike slowed her assault on Ais, and as she dodged Shirou's attack, Ais slashed her abdomen, causing blood to gush forth.
The woman quickly retreated to the side, frowning as she glanced toward the direction the arrow had come from.
That troublesome man again.
The redhead clenched her teeth in rage, her entire being seething with fury.
But there was nothing she could do about Shirou.
Standing atop a distant rocky ledge, Shirou hadn't even drawn his bowstring again—he simply sat upon a rock, calmly watching the two fight from afar.
Shirou knew very well that even at Level 4, a single attack wouldn't be enough to bring down his opponent.
If he used a stronger strike like Caladbolg, the power could easily harm Ais and the others fighting nearby.
But he was a fatal support.
A hidden arrow could act as a deterrent.
And a hidden arrow aimed at you while you were locked in combat with someone else was even deadlier.
After all, she had to constantly monitor her surroundings, always on guard against Shirou's attacks.
How could she possibly defeat Ais like that?
Without defeating Ais, she would remain vulnerable to Shirou, like a reaper waiting behind her for the perfect moment to strike.
It was a dead end.
Just as Shirou had predicted, the redhead, once again locked in combat, could no longer suppress Ais.
The two were evenly matched.
On one hand, she had to remain constantly wary of Shirou's arrows.
On the other, her left arm was wounded. After all, her fighting style relied heavily on punches and kicks.
Without one hand, her offensive power was drastically reduced.
Shirou occasionally shifted position to fire another arrow, reinforcing his presence in her mind and keeping the balance between her and Ais.
Meanwhile, he kept watch over the other side of the battlefield.
The monster, now bombarded by Lefiya's magical volley of flaming darts, had its body torn apart, leaving only the upper half as it fled in panic.
At her side, Riveria rushed forward at an equally impressive speed.
Riveria was chanting at the same time.
The strongest mage in Orario demonstrated a textbook example of parallel chanting.
[Wynn Fimbulvetr!]
A surge of extreme cold shot forth from Riveria toward the monster.
The spell froze everything in its path, including the fleeing monster.
But before Riveria's attack could reach it, the monster swung its tentacles back, and the recoil from its frozen body caused it to ricochet backward, sending it tumbling down toward a cliff.
Watching the monster attempt to escape, Tiona and Tione immediately dashed in to deliver the finishing blow.
But at that moment, they heard a very familiar chant, followed by a crimson blur streaking past them at blinding speed.
"Caladbolg!!!"
The arrow struck the monster deep within the cliffside.
A massive explosion erupted, obliterating the creature completely.
Meanwhile, atop a distant cliff, Shirou smiled and exclaimed:
"Dead on!"
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."