"The entire expedition will be moving to Floor 58 for now," Finn announced, his voice carrying the weight of command. "We'll keep them there, defending the position and keeping it safe." He turned to face the others gathered around the makeshift war table. "In the meanwhile, we will form an elite team and delve down to 59 and 60. We will save Ais. That is the goal."
"We should kill the corrupted spirit as well, right?" Tiona's voice was fierce, her hands clenched into fists on the table. "We came here to go beyond the barrier of 59. Not stop at it again."
Damien leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "I'm not so sure about that. We'll have to prepare hard. I don't think that corrupted spirit is a part of the dungeon. She's different. Even when I looked at her, she was much stronger than a Monster Rex. Hell, the fucking Valgang Dragon she created was a Monster Rex of its own. If she can just make such a strong servant, imagine what she can do on her own."
"So what?" Tiona's voice cracked. "We just give up?"
"I did not say that." Damien leaned forward, his eyes hard. "Saving Ais? It's not an issue in my opinion. What I find a bit problematic is the corrupted spirit herself. She locked Floor 60 completely. From what I can see, this goes beyond terraformation. It's like she completely owns Floor Sixty."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"What doesn't make sense is the dungeon's reaction to this."
Riveria's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Damien closed his eyes, reaching out through his connection. The hidden shadow he'd planted on Ais was still there, still watching, still feeding him information from the depths below.
"The dungeon... it sent monsters to challenge and battle the corrupted spirit. But at the same time, it seems the corrupted spirit is using the dungeon's mana to summon monsters on Floor Sixty. And even when she destroyed things to create this fake realm of hers, the dungeon did not summon a Juggernaut."
Silence fell over the group.
"Hmm." Finn stroked his chin. "That is indeed odd. Why would the dungeon supply the spirit with magic to summon monsters, but attack her at the same time?"
"I think," Riveria said slowly, her jade eyes distant with thought, "it might be because the dungeon doesn't understand if the corrupted spirit is an enemy or not. The dungeon might be confused."
"The dungeon confused?" Damien raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Spirits in their nature are protectors of the world. Before the gods descended, they used to be the anchor of mortals, helping them fight. Every hero had a spirit with them." Riveria's voice took on the cadence of a lecturer, but her expression was grim. "A corrupted spirit is merely such a thing that was eaten, changed, and corrupted by the dungeon. However, I'm assuming this one has retained its intelligence to a certain extent. It's gone haywire, like it is a monster, but one that doesn't take orders from the dungeon."
She paused, gathering her thoughts. "So I think the dungeon allows her activities to go on because it thinks she is its monster, but attacks her when it senses she's trying to rebel."
"I like your theory," Damien admitted. "But I'm not so sure I agree on that last part. She has access to Floor 60 completely. If the dungeon wanted to punish her, why send monsters? Why not just cut her off?"
He leaned forward, another question burning in his mind.
"She said 'Aria.' Who is Aria?"
The name hung in the air like smoke.
Riveria and Finn exchanged glances.
"I don't know who Aria is now," Finn said carefully, "but since she is a spirit, she could be referring to the legendary Great Spirit Aria. No?"
Riveria nodded slowly. "It has to be. Aria, the Great Spirit of Wind, who was a companion of the Hero Albert."
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Wind. Spirit of Wind." Pieces clicked together in his mind. "Isn't that why the corrupted spirit stole Ais and Ais alone? Does she perhaps think that Ais's magic is as powerful as one like Wind Spirit Aria? Does she want to absorb it?"
His voice grew darker. "Because from what I can see in Floor Sixty, this spirit has absorbed so many things. When we go down there, you'll see. How disgusting she looks."
Tiona shifted uncomfortably. Tione's hand rested on her sister's arm.
Then Damien stopped.
His eyes went wide.
"Wait." His voice was sharp. "Wait, wait, wait."
Everyone tensed.
"The dungeon supports the corrupted spirit and even allows it control of a floor and access to mana. But sometimes it sends monsters after her. Right?"
"Hmm, yes?" Tione looked confused. "I guess? Isn't that what we gathered?"
"That's the thing though." Damien's voice was building, the realization crashing through him. "The dungeon doesn't attack her. Rather, it sends monsters AFTER her. That's the key word. AFTER her!"
Finn's face went pale.
Riveria shot to her feet, her chair scraping against the stone floor.
"That explains her power," she breathed.
"We were doomed from the start," Finn whispered.
"What? WHAT?" Tione slammed her hands on the table. "I still don't get it!"
Ryuu, who had been silent throughout the discussion, finally spoke. Her voice was calm, but her sky-blue eyes held a terrible understanding.
"It means the dungeon isn't attacking her for rebelling. It's attacking her for escaping her floor."
She met Damien's gaze.
"The corrupted spirit is not a native of Floor Sixty."
Damien finished the thought, his voice flat with the weight of their discovery.
"We are fighting an enemy from the deeper floors who is going up. That's why we were out of our element. She isn't supposed to be this floor's level. She is much stronger." He paused, letting the reality sink in. "Could be from Floor Seventy. Or even higher. This spirit... she might be on the level of the three great quests. Maybe not as strong as the One-Eyed Black Dragon, but at least close to the level of the other two."
Silence.
Complete, utter silence.
Tiona's hands were shaking. Tione pulled her close.
Gareth's axe rested against the wall, but his hand kept drifting toward it, as if expecting an attack at any moment.
Riveria had sat back down, her face a mask of calm that barely concealed the fear beneath.
Finn stared at the map on the table, but his eyes weren't seeing it. They were seeing the depths below, the horrors waiting, the truth they had just uncovered.
Finally, Damien spoke.
"We still go. We still save Ais." His voice was iron. "But now we know what we're facing. And we prepare accordingly...."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Because if that thing is from the deep floors, if it's really on the level of Behemoth or Leviathan, then we're not just rescuing a friend." His eyes hardened. "We're stopping a catastrophe before it reaches the surface."
Tiona's voice was small, fragile. "How do we face a Fourth-Class Quest... alone?"
Damien met her gaze, and there was no false hope in his eyes, only grim determination.
"I'm not sure. Honestly, if this was a different situation, I'd call for an alliance between all the elite Familias. But for now, we have no choice. Our priority is to save Ais." He paused. "I have a certain... plan... for the Corrupted Spirit. But if it fails, we save Ais and run. Call for allies. And destroy it."
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