"Well done, Ais. You've done great. Leave the rest to me."
The familiar voice made Ais open her eyes again. Before she could see what was happening, she felt herself enveloped in a warm embrace, a faint scent so reassuring.
"Mas... Master..." her weak voice evoked a deep sense of heartache.
Yami effortlessly severed the attacking tentacles and responded with a smile, "It's me. Thank you for your hard work, Ais. You can rest now. I'll take care of the rest."
Upon hearing these words, the exhausted Ais remained silent. Moments later, she closed her eyes and fell asleep in Yami's arms. Her exhaustion and trust in the man holding her were evident.
"Sleep well. When you wake up, everything will be taken care of," he said gently, caressing her hair.
Such a serene moment was suddenly interrupted by a commotion.
"Arya! Give me back my Arya!!!"
The Corrupted Spirit clone shrieked in fury, and with a wave of its hand, numerous tentacles erupted from the ground, heading straight for Yami with a force even greater than before, as if trying to consume him alive.
But it had miscalculated. The opponent it faced now was not like the others.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to interrupt someone while they're talking? That's very rude."
All the tentacles abruptly halted mid-air, their tips twisting as if trying to push forward but unable to move. It was as if an invisible barrier was holding them back.
Yami stood calmly, a stark contrast to the furious Spirit clone before him.
"Begone."
With a soft utterance, a terrifying shockwave emanated, shattering all the tentacles and sending Corrupted Spirit clone tumbling across the ground in a chaotic heap.
Having done this, Yami treated it as a mere triviality. Without even checking on the state of the corrupted spirit clone, he whisked Ais away to Riveria's side.
Simultaneously, he used his spatial magic to teleport everyone else back. They lay scattered on the ground, some barely breathing.
"Riveria, I'm leaving them in your care."
Yami gently handed Ais to Riveria. Seeing the girl's exhausted, sleeping face, Riveria's eyes brimmed with concern.
"I'll take good care of them. Please be careful, Yami."
Although their relationship seemed to have progressed, Yami didn't dwell on it. He nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry. It'll be over soon. I apologize; this was your expedition, and I've interfered again."
"Not at all!" Riveria quickly interjected, shaking her head earnestly. "We should be the ones thanking you. Without you, Yami, we wouldn't know how many comrades we would have lost."
"Besides, you've saved me twice already. Even if the expedition didn't go as planned, we can always try again. The people around us are what truly matters."
"Thank you for your help, Yami!"
Riveria's sincere words conveyed her true feelings, even making Yami appreciate the charm of the elven royal family. Seeing Riveria's slightly flushed cheeks, he smiled warmly.
"I'll be right back. Don't worry."
As his words faded, Yami's figure disappeared, leaving Riveria watching his departing form with a mixture of admiration and concern. But with so many injured companions around her, she had to set aside her feelings and focus on the present.
"Lefiya, Raul, Line, come help me tend to the wounded."
"Yes, Riveria-sama!" they responded, hurrying to assist different companions, using magic or potions as needed.
After much effort, everyone's injuries were stabilized. Despite the intense battle, no one was critically harmed—a small blessing amidst the chaos.
The main members of the party gathered, their eyes fixed on the distance. Their thoughts were with Yami, facing the Corrupted Spirit clone alone.
"Can we really leave him to handle that monster alone? If necessary, these old bones can still help," Gareth muttered, trying to rise, only to wince in pain and sink back down.
"Hahaha!" Tiona chuckled, her confidence in Yami unwavering. "Uncle Gareth, you should rest. Don't worry about Master. His strength surpasses anyone's. This new monster is no match for him. Just watch!"
Everyone turned their gaze to the center of the battlefield. After securing Ais, Yami returned to face the Corrupted Spirit clone.
"Show yourself!"
The battlefield was eerily quiet, only the sound of wind rustling through. Yami's earlier strike had not been full force. Given the Corrupted Spirit clone's strength, it must be recovering its magic.
Indeed, the ground soon stirred again. The Corrupted Spirit clone re-emerged, looking larger and more formidable, as if it had absorbed other creatures to boost its power.
Yet, even with its newfound strength, Yami remained unperturbed.
"Give me back my Arya!!!"
The familiar ear-piercing howl made Yami frown instinctively. Originally, he had hoped to have a conversation with the Corrupted Spirit clone in front of him, perhaps to uncover some truths—like the identity of the Corrupted Spirit's original form. But now, it seemed that wasn't going to happen. He was not adept at coaxing answers from such a crazed opponent.
"Maybe Medea could handle this," Yami thought, "but not me."
After all, Yami preferred a more direct approach. When it came to dealing with enemies, he rarely wasted time with negotiations if a quicker option was available.
"If that's how it is, I'll find out on my own." he declared. "But first, I'll give you one last chance to attack."
Yami stood his ground, not even considering moving. In response, the Corrupted Spirit clone began its incantation once more.
"Earth, cry out."
A dense black magic circle appeared, radiating a dark, magical light.
"Come forth, come forth! The crust of the earth, the treasure of black iron, the hammer of the shining star. By the contract of creation, I command you: ignite the sky, shatter the ground, build bridges to forge the world! The falling axe of the heavens, lord of destruction—"
"By the authority vested in me as a proxy, and the name granted to me, Avatar of the Earth, Queen of the Earth—'Meteor Shower!!!'"
The brilliance of the magic circle shot straight upwards. Moments later, clusters of black-light meteorites materialized out of thin air, cascading from the sky towards the ground. Even the nearby expedition team was within the range of the attack.
"Riveria!" Finn, weakened after exhausting his magic, struggled to his feet. Despite his fatigue, he shouted to Riveria, who stood nearby.
However, she calmly shook her head. "Save your strength, Finn. Let Yami handle it."
The strongest mage of the elven royal family watched Yami's distant figure with unwavering confidence. "He promised to take care of everything."
As she spoke, the bright sky became obscured. Enormous meteorites, surrounded by gusts of air, hurtled towards the ground, creating an apocalyptic scene.
Yami, seeing this, felt a tinge of frustration. "I told you to attack me, not everyone else. You really don't know what you're doing, do you?" he sighed. "Fine, let me end this."
"Trace on!"
Suddenly, numerous weapons appeared mid-air, all aimed at the descending meteorites. Yami, using his knowledge and dominion over magic, effortlessly locked onto all the targets.
Although he could use projection magic without chanting, he retained the habit, simply because he found it stylish.
"What are those weapons?" someone exclaimed in the distance. "They look so advanced, each one seems as powerful as a top-tier weapon!"
The onlookers gasped in awe, marveling at the array of armaments, each seemingly beyond the first tier of weaponry.
"It's unfair!" Tiona bit her lip. "Master has such incredible equipment, and he never told us. Once this expedition is over, I'll have to ask him about it!"
Meanwhile, Yami remained oblivious to their comments. He stood still, but the weapons behind him launched into the sky, each targeting a specific meteorite.
A massive explosion erupted, and the sky was instantly shrouded in smoke and dust. The shockwaves from the blasts radiated outward, but they only generated strong winds that rustled everyone's clothes without causing any harm.
The overpowered incantation magic from the Corrupted Spirit clone was completely nullified.
Everyone from the Loki Familia looked at Yami with awe, amazed by his god-like power.
"Any other tricks up your sleeve?" Yami asked calmly, his words infuriating the Corrupted Spirit clone.
"The spear of thunder, I am the proxy of the storm, the incarnation of lightning, the queen of thunder—'Thunder Rays!!!'"
The instant the chant was completed, a golden magic circle appeared overhead, unleashing a torrent of dazzling lightning whips. Enormous spears of lightning rained down, all converging on Yami, drowning him in a sea of thunderbolts.
The brilliant lightning made it impossible for anyone to look directly at the spectacle. After several minutes of this intense storm, the Corrupted Spirit clone finally exhausted its magic power. The once-smooth floor of the fifty-ninth level was now scorched and cracked, rubble strewn everywhere.
As a smile began to form on the Corrupted Spirit's face, a voice that chilled it to the core echoed through the smoke.
"Is that all you've got? How disappointing." Yami's voice called out. "Besides, using lightning magic against me was a huge mistake!"
As the smoke cleared, Yami emerged unscathed. Though a few sparks of lightning flickered on his skin, his clothes remained intact.
"Let's end this now," he said. "Since you attacked me with lightning, it's only fair that I return the favor."
With that, Yami's body was enveloped in a terrifying surge of electricity, far more potent than Corrupted Spirit clone's previous attack. The very space around them seemed to tremble.
"Die."
In an instant, a thunder spear shot out, piercing the Corrupted Spirit clone's body and striking the boundary wall of the fifty-ninth floor. The impact was so powerful that the walls began to crack.
The Corrupted Spirit clone froze, slowly looking down to find its magic stone completely shattered, turning to dust. As it lost its core, the clone weakly reached out toward Ais's position, but its body crumbled into ashes.
The new monster that had challenged the Loki Familia was effortlessly defeated by Yami.
"What a shame," Yami mused. "If it had been the original body, I might have tried to save it. But this was just a clone. Still, we will meet sooner or later. Next time, I hope you bring me some surprises!"
With those final words, Yami turned away from the remains of the Corrupted Spirit clone and walked back toward the expedition team members.