On the other side of the battlefield...
Revis' blade crashed against Alise's, sparks flying as Kaguya slid in from the side, her katana striking in perfect coordination.
"Don't let her control the pace!"
Alise shouted, forcing her aching body to move.
Revis snarled, her eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
"Annoying! All of you should just die already!"
Asfi barked orders from behind them, the members of the Hermes Familia firing support magic and projectiles to limit Revis' movement.
But despite their combined efforts, they could all feel the pressure.
Every exchange made it clear that defeating Revis was not going to be easy.
'The longer this battle continues, the more injuries our side will suffer.'
'We're in a precarious situation where a fragile balance has been established. All we need is one more element to tip the scales in our favor...'
'Lulune, please hurry.'
Asfi thought with a tense expression.
Meanwhile, Lulune could be seen crouching off to the side, repeatedly slapping the unconscious Bete in an attempt to wake him up.
"Come on, you lazy wolf! I know you nearly died just then, but we need your help right about now!"
She had slapped him so many times that his cheeks had turned red and slightly swollen.
Just as Lulune was about to deliver another slap, Bete's eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Ahhh!"
A scream burst from Bete's lips as he abruptly sat up.
Pain radiated from both sides of his face, the imprint of Lulune's hands still lingering as he raised his palms to touch them in confusion.
Lulune, who had been mid-swing for another slap, flinched in surprise.
She quickly halted her arm, hid both hands behind her back, and began whistling innocently.
"What the hell happened? Why does my face hurt so much?"
Bete grumbled while rubbing his cheeks with a grimace.
Seeing this, Lulune couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
'Was I being excessive?'
She wondered.
Bete's brows suddenly shot up in realization as he looked down at his abdomen, expecting to see the gaping wound that had nearly killed him earlier... only to find it completely healed.
'At least the weaklings are somewhat useful.'
He thought before shifting his gaze toward the battle ahead.
"Ah! Vanargand! We need your help!"
Lulune said as she picked up Bete's twin swords from the ground and handed them to him.
Bete only needed a single glance to understand the situation.
Clicking his tongue, he took the weapons without even looking at her.
"As expected of useless weaklings... can't get anything done without me."
Naturally, he didn't forget to throw in his usual insults as he shot forward.
Hearing this, an angry vein popped on Lulune's forehead.
"You know what? I take back the fact that I felt bad for slapping him. Maybe I should've slapped him harder."
"This is why I don't like werewolves."
She puffed her cheeks before rushing toward the battle herself.
The situation on Revis' side of the battlefield had reached its peak intensity...
Alise and the others were barely holding back her relentless assault.
Alise, Kaguya, Asfi, and Falgar fought at the front while the others supported them from behind.
Even with their enhanced strength as a result from Judas' buff, fighting Revis remained extremely difficult.
But it wasn't as if Revis had an easy time either.
To her, battling this group of adventurers felt no different than trying to break through an adamantite wall that simply refused to fall.
All she could do was keep attacking little by little, attempting to slowly wear them down.
It was a makeshift team composed of members from several different familias who had only begun working together today.
But it was also a team that had fought side by side on their descent to the 24th floor, and their teamwork had quickly taken shape.
Besides, they were all veteran adventurers who had spent years exploring the Dungeon.
Working alongside unfamiliar faces from other familias was nothing new to them.
Even Lefiya and Filvis had begun to adapt to their roles.
Bit by bit, their mindset had quietly shifted... they were no longer treating Revis as a person.
She had become a Monster Rex in their eyes.
A floor boss that needed to be put down.
After Asfi hurled a series of explosives in Revis' direction, forcing her to create some distance, Filvis noticed that Lefiya's movements had begun to slow.
Lefiya's thoughts drifted back to the moment earlier when Olivas had attacked Judas.
'I couldn't do anything.'
'I completely froze... while his life was in danger right in front of me.'
She bit her lip.
'Did I get complacent somewhere along the way?'
"Lefiya!"
Filvis snapped her out of it.
"We are in the middle of a battle. This is not the time to get lost in your head."
"Filvis..."
Lefiya jolted and turned to look at her.
Filvis took one look at her expression and sighed.
"I know what you are thinking about. But dwelling on it right now won't do either of us any good... get your head back in the fight."
"If you keep this up, you'll become an actual liability. Have more confidence in yourself."
"If you really want to help him, then the best thing you can do right now is give everything you have to what's in front of you."
Filvis added with a serious expression.
Hearing those words, Lefiya tightened her grip on her staff.
'She's right...'
She closed her eyes and began chanting.
"Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow."
Perhaps after learning concurrent chanting, she had become complacent, thinking she had already progressed far enough.
But her goal lay beyond that.
'I want to get closer to them.'
'I don't want to just watch their backs like a princess waiting to be protected... I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.'
"Shoot, sniper of the fairies. Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy."
With renewed determination, Lefiya opened her eyes and aimed carefully at her target, waiting for the perfect moment.
'My current self is still too weak... so the only thing I can do is lighten their burden... even if it's just a little.'
Revis turned her head just in time to see the amber-haired elf preparing to release her magic.
'I will use you as a stepping stone to grow stronger. And the way I do that... is by giving everything I have right here... right now!'
"Arcs Ray!"
A beam of brilliant light shot from the tip of Lefiya's staff.
"Annoying."
Revis raised her sword and met it head on.
The collision produced a small burst as she swatted the beam aside with a flex of her arm.
"Such pitiful magic. Do you really think that will work on me?"
Revis said coldly.
But the moment she finished speaking, Alise and Kaguya appeared before her.
"You're right, it won't."
Lefiya said with a quiet smile.
"But it was enough to make you show an opening."
Alise and Kaguya struck simultaneously, forcing Revis to block their attacks with her sword.
The force pushed her backward several meters.
The moment she attempted to counterattack, a rain of arrows and several spells came flying toward her.
"These annoying little bugs..."
With a single swing of her sword, she knocked the projectiles aside.
The pressure generated by that swing alone felt like a hurricane tearing across the battlefield.
"Dio Grail."
Filvis stepped forward, summoning a circular barrier of light to shield everyone behind her.
'These flies are starting to get on my nerves... perhaps I should eliminate them first.'
Revis thought as she bent her knees and launched herself toward the Hermes Familia members.
The moment they saw her rushing toward them like a charging monster truck, their faces went pale.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A rough voice suddenly rang out.
Revis twisted her body just in time to block a blade from the side.
Clang!
Her sword collided with Bete's.
"You!"
Revis stared at him in surprise.
"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Bete grinned as their weapons clashed repeatedly.
"Don't get cocky!"
Revis roared, unleashing a powerful slash.
With her Level 6 strength, Bete was immediately overwhelmed, one of his swords being knocked from his grasp.
"This time... I'll make sure to finish you."
Revis raised her sword for the killing blow.
But before she could strike...
Alise.
Kaguya.
Asfi.
Falgar.
They appeared all at once and attacked from every direction.
"Mutt... about time you woke up. Did you enjoy your little nap?"
Kaguya said with a mocking smile.
"Tsk... shut up."
Bete clicked his tongue before jumping back into the fight.
"Shit!"
Faced with attacks from all sides, Revis was forced onto the defensive.
'Damn it... these pests are actually pushing me back!'
She ground her teeth in frustration.
There were no more Violas or Viscum left to command.
Judas had already destroyed every last one of them.
Before Bete joined the battle, the situation had been a stalemate that leaned slightly in her favor.
Her regeneration made her nearly impossible to finish off right away, and she had been content to grind them down slowly.
But now the balance had shifted.
She was being overwhelmed.
Then, for the first time since the battle had begun, a word surfaced in the back of her mind.
Defeat.
---
+15 chapters at patreon.com/drdedot