"Hah… it's finally over."
With a soft murmur, Leon casually tossed the magic stone into his system storage. The glow of the fading battlefield still shimmered across the fractured terrain of the 21st floor, but Leon's sharp gaze soon shifted elsewhere.
In the distance, the muffled booms of explosions echoed through the cavern. The battle between Asterius and the demi spirit still raged on.
With a blur of motion, Leon vanished, reappearing at the edge of their battlefield within seconds. He arrived atop a cliff that overlooked the chaos below, his golden eyes silently tracking the brutal clash.
Asterius had gained the upper hand. His massive axe swung with devastating force, each strike slamming into the White Wolf demi spirit with bone-shattering power.
The corrupted creature was covered in wounds—deep, ragged gashes split across its flesh. Even with its superior regeneration, it could no longer heal properly.
Leon remained silent. He didn't interfere. Instead, he crossed his arms and stood tall on the cliff's edge, quietly watching the minotaur's brutal dominance.
As he observed, Leon's thoughts drifted.
I've felt it since the battle started… that gaze. Someone's watching me.
He narrowed his eyes. It's probably the gods.
He remembered the sensation vividly. During the War Game, when he had manifested his thought projection, he had felt the same thing.
And just now, while trading blows with the corrupted spirit, that exact same sensation had returned.
That pressure… unmistakable. They're watching again.
But at the time, his mind had been focused solely on extracting everything he could from the corrupted spirit, on wringing out every last drop of magical benefit. So he hadn't cared. Now, with the battle done and his heart settled, the thought returned.
Of course they're watching. This scale of destruction in the Dungeon, Ouranos would never ignore it.
But it wasn't just one pair of divine eyes. Leon could feel multiple eyes on him.
So the gods saw everything. My fight with the corrupted spirit. Asterius' strength. The existence of Xenos… all of it is now in plain view.
He exhaled slowly, lips pressed into a thin line.
Now that the gods know, it won't be long before all of Orario hears about the Xenos. No point in hiding anymore.
We'll just stick to the original plan and move forward.
Besides, the adventurers in Rivira should've played a visible enough role in this battle for word to spread anyway.
One step at a time, then.
A faint smirk crept onto his face as his thoughts shifted.
Well, we've reaped quite the harvest today. So many magic stones…
He summoned his system storage mentally and took a glance. Inside glimmered numerous colourful magic stones.
Should be more than enough to upgrade Ellie and June.
After all, the demi spirit's magic stones had already helped June evolve before. Ellie too had benefited greatly, half of the magic stones inside Filvis had been used to push her toward the next stage.
And now, with this haul, there was no doubt the two of them would advance.
His gaze flickered, thoughtful. 'Speaking of which, June followed orders perfectly. Stayed out of it while Lyd and the others handled the demi spirits…'
He paused. '...Well, he might've been slacking a bit. But whatever, it's not a big deal.'
Leon let the thought drop and returned his attention to Asterius' battle.
'He should finish it soon.' His eyes narrowed slightly.
The artificial dungeon war is probably wrapping up as well.
With the Ganesha Familia's elites sweeping the first and second levels, Evilus doesn't stand a chance.
The Dionysus-Evilus situation is done.
He nodded to himself.
That means it's time to resume the expedition. The 60th floor is next.
And down there… we might finally meet the corrupted spirit's main body.
The corner of his lips lifted faintly.
The demi spirit just now was definitely at the peak of Level 8. Its physical and magical attributes were easily over 600 or 700 points across the board. And that was just an avatar. This means the main body has to be Level 9 or even Level 10.
He clenched his fists slightly.
'She's able to control multiple high-level clones across floors. That level of command means her main body must be extremely mobile too.'
'So why hasn't she come up herself? Is she afraid the gods will intervene?'
Leon shook his head. 'No. That doesn't make sense. She's devoured so many great spirits, she should know full well that the gods don't interfere down here.'
When the one-eyed black dragon rose and reached the edge of the world, the gods didn't strike it down.
'So what's stopping her? The Dungeon?'
The thought weighed heavily on him. He considered asking Ouranos, after all, the old god had been suppressing the Dungeon with divine power for centuries. If anyone knew the truth, it would be him.
But…
Before the corrupted spirit revealed herself, even Ouranos had no idea she existed. So what's the point in asking?
Leon exhaled and refocused his mind.
Let's move on to the next step.
The 60th floor…
He tapped his chin.
In the original records, it was called the Glacier Territory—a realm of ice and snow. The Guild's been suspiciously silent about it. They've kept the details buried.
But it's known that something, some ancient relic, was found between the 60th and 61st floors and that relic is tied to Riveria.
Leon's eyes glinted. In the original story, Riveria was even willing to argue with her Familia over it. That means it's serious.
It must be dangerous enough that the Guild believes it would take both the Freya and Loki Familias together to explore it.
A dry chuckle escaped him. Dangerous for them… maybe but not for him.
With his current strength, he can handle it. But… what exactly is down there?
Should I ask Riveria?
He mulled over the thought while the fierce battle below reached its final moments.
Then—
CRACK!!!
Asterius let out a thunderous roar as his massive axe cleaved downward, splitting the White Wolf demi spirit in half. With that, the battle ended. The corrupted creature collapsed into ash, leaving only scorched earth behind.
Leon raised an eyebrow.
Asterius looked up at him. His enormous black hand reached forward, offering something.
A magic stone—beautifully luminous, swirling with a multitude of colors.
"Thanks for not interrupting my fight." He said gruffly. "Consider this a thank you gift."
Asterius seemed to have noticed that Leon had deliberately collected the magic stone from his previous battle. So this time, after defeating the demi spirit, he didn't destroy the magic stone as usual. Instead, he preserved it, handing it over to Leon as a silent token of gratitude for not interfering in his fight.
"Thank you." Leon said without any pretense, calmly accepting the gift.
He promptly tossed the colorful crystal into his system storage. After all, he had a clear use for it. Ellie and June both needed these stones for their next upgrades. The more he had, the better.
Asterius nodded in acknowledgment and then turned without a word, his broad back fading into the distance. He clearly had no intention of engaging in small talk.
Leon didn't mind. He watched the departing figure in silence, then turned around and left as well.
***
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