Boom.
An earth-shattering explosion.
The barrier Alice had used to trap the Goliath giant was instantly shattered to pieces the moment the blast erupted.
As a Level 5 adventurer, Ais instantly gauged the sheer destructive force of the explosion. Even from a distance, she could feel its terrifying power.
The instant the light flashed, Ais channeled the magic power within her, scooped up Lefiya in a single motion, threw her over her shoulder, and sprinted towards the 16th floor.
In that moment, it felt as if her mastery over the wind had skyrocketed countless levels. Without any incantation, purely by instinct and following the theories Alice had mentioned, she seized control of the surrounding winds.
Propelled by incredible speed, with Lefiya on her shoulder, Ais reached the 16th floor just as the blast shattered the remains of Alice's barrier.
Then…
A heavy, dull WHUMPreverberated, accompanied by a violent tremor that shook the very ground.
Even on the 16th floor, Ais could still feel the aftershocks of the explosion.
Sitting on the stairs connecting the 16th and 17th floors, she stared into the dark passageway, her eyes filled with shock and deep concern.
She had never witnessed an explosion of such magnitude.
The fact that Alice was capable of unleashing an attack of this scale was utterly staggering. Thankfully, they had been relatively far from the epicenter and close to the inter-floor passageway.
That was the only reason she had managed to escape with Lefiya.
But what about Alice, who had been at the very heart of the blast?
Could she have gotten away safely? Ais was desperately worried.
--+--
Ais, having escaped successfully, knew full well that the explosion and tremors from the 17th floor were Alice's doing.
But the adventurers currently resting in the safe haven of the 18th floor, Rivira, had no idea.
Furthermore, the ceiling of the 18th floor was essentially the ground of the 17th, and the light illuminating the 18th floor came from crystals embedded in that ceiling, powered from above.
So, in that single moment, the entire 'sky' of the 18th floor blazed with a light more intense than ever, so brilliant that everyone was forced to shut their eyes.
However, after the tremors subsided, all that light vanished completely. The 18th floor was plunged into darkness, as if night had fallen abruptly.
By all accounts, it should still be daytime, yet the entire floor had gone black, like a lamp being snuffed out.
That said, most adventurers who made it this far were seasoned veterans.
They weren't about to panic over a sudden blackout.
Knowing that the source of the quake and noise was the floor above—the floor where the Goliath resided—the experienced adventurers of the 18th floor quickly lit torches and candles, bathing the darkness in a flickering glow.
Soon, everyone was buzzing with speculation about who was on the 17th floor and which familia was challenging the floor boss. A few of the more curious or reckless ones even considered heading up to take a look.
All in all, Alice's explosion had merely turned off the lights for a moment in the 18th floor, causing no real harm to anyone there.
--+--
As for the 17th floor, where the Goliath had been…
It was now a complete wasteland. The destruction spread outwards from a single central point.
A massive, circular crater scarred the ground.
It wasn't particularly deep, surprisingly shallow even, but its sheer size was staggering. The entire 17th floor was roughly a circular area with a diameter of less than two kilometers. The crater Alice had blown open covered nearly half of that.
An explosion radius of five hundred meters.
About a square kilometer of the floor had been transformed into a shallow, blasted basin.
Suddenly…
A thin crack appeared in the air of the 17th floor. Alice cautiously poked her head out from the gap.
Staring at the chaos she had wrought, she couldn't help but swallow hard.
'Just what in the world did the kappa of Youkai Mountain invent?'
The Seven Luminaries magic allowed her to convert magical power into various elemental properties. Based on the theories the kappa had developed, hydrogen and oxygen, being related to water, were excellent combustibles.
Typically, the kappa used them as fuel for various devices.
For the kappa of Youkai Mountain, manipulating water was an innate ability, so extracting hydrogen and oxygen was simplicity itself for them.
So, Alice had taken this theory and combined it a little with Patchouli's magic.
Using the 'Water' attribute to create vast quantities of hydrogen and oxygen, then igniting it all with the 'Fire' attribute.
The result…
This attack seemed to be far, far more terrifying than she had ever imagined.
'Just the 'Water' and 'Fire' attributes alone can cause this much damage…' Alice gulped. 'If I used Patchouli's 'Sun' and 'Water' attributes to replicate the power of that crow from the Chireiden, would I blow away all of Orario..?'
In her knowledge, Patchouli had a spell card, Sun and Water – Hydrogenic Prominence, which could also produce hydrogen, potentially in quantities thousands, even tens of thousands of times greater than what she had just used. If that were to be ignited…
'Yikes…' Looking at the devastated 17th floor and then contemplating that idea, Alice couldn't suppress a shiver.
'Forget it. Unless it's a truly special circumstance, I'd better not use this attack much. If I got caught in this myself, it would be incredibly troublesome..'
Alice made a decision.
She would seal away this method of attack.
She would absolutely not use it unless it was a last resort. This was an ultimate, final trump card.
However…
Just because she was sealing away the attack itself didn't mean she couldn't utilize this form of energy release.
Using the 'Fire' attribute to ignite the hydrogen and oxygen had generated immense energy.
If she could learn to control that energy output perfectly, it would undoubtedly make for an ideal power core.
As this thought occurred to her, Alice's eyes lit up, as if a brand-new path for doll modification had just brightly unveiled itself before her.
"Alice!!"
Just as Alice stepped fully out of the gap and was pondering how to harness this energy, Lefiya's voice rang out.
Lefiya, who had been unceremoniously carried away by Ais, hadn't fully grasped the scale of the commotion Alice had caused. She'd only found the attack unbearably bright.
But after the explosion faded and she returned to the 17th-floor labyrinth with Ais…
Seeing the utter devastation of the 17th floor, she finally understood why Ais had grabbed her and run without even a moment for explanation.
If Ais hadn't fled with her then…
Had she remained on the 17th floor, even if she hadn't died, she'd have been lucky to escape with her life.
Although the blast radius hadn't quite reached their previous position, one thing was certain: if they had stayed on the 17th floor, they would have certainly been blinded.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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