Fanged maws snapped, tentacles whipping through the air.
Worried that the [Jewel Fetus] might get dragged into the fight, Olivas deliberately moved away from the blood-red quartz pillar.
Buds hanging from the green walls kept blooming, and slime-slick Violas dropped to the ground one after another.
They came in a writhing mass, like a gigantic serpent surging straight at them.
"Firebolt!"
"Lefiya-san and Filvis stay here and provide magical cover! Ryuu-san, we're taking down Olivas!"
A Firebolt shot straight through a gaping maw and precisely shattered the Magic Stone inside.
Bell burst forward as he rattled off orders.
Even at a glance, there had to be more than a hundred Violas, and the giant flower atop the quartz pillar still hadn't moved.
The key to this fight was simple: take out Olivas first, the one controlling the monsters.
"Understood."
Ryuu gripped her wooden sword and sprinted ahead.
Like a ray of light cutting through darkness, she didn't twist away or dodge. She simply cut down every Viola that came at her and drove straight forward.
Shrill screams rang out one after another.
Behind them, a clear voice rose in support.
"Proud warrior, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows."
Lefiya chanted loudly.
The monsters surged like a tide, but she clutched her staff and didn't give an inch.
"Sweep, holy staff of crushing evil!"
Filvis's white robe flared as she moved. She slipped past the tentacles and, in the same motion, drove her short blade into a Viola's Magic Stone.
Compared to the Violas in the passage, these had only just been born. Their individual potential wasn't that high.
That was probably why Bell felt comfortable leaving the two of them here.
Filvis drew her short staff, pushing the thought aside.
"Dio Thyrsos!"
With Concurrent Chanting, a dazzling light flashed in front of Filvis.
A bolt of lightning ripped through the air and wiped out the approaching Violas in a single strike.
"Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies.."
A dense, golden glow of magic gathered around Lefiya.
The Violas that had been rushing Bell and Ryuu immediately switched targets.
"Violas! Ignore her! Kill the ones charging in first!"
Sensing their plan, Olivas barked orders at the monsters.
But Ryuu gave him no chance to reset their formation.
She didn't spare a thought for the boy trailing slightly behind her.
Her wooden sword drove forward without pause, already closing to striking distance of Olivas.
"Coming right to me for a one-on-one? That saves me the trouble."
The distance between them shrank rapidly.
Olivas held nothing in his hands, as if he intended to meet her head-on with bare fists.
A vicious grin spread across his face, and just as they were about to collide, Bell's voice rang out from behind.
"Watch the ground!"
Ryuu didn't hesitate. She slowed at once, her guard rising.
"Violas!"
The moment Olivas spoke, the yellow-green ground warped and stretched.
Several tentacles thrust up like razor-sharp spikes.
Ryuu stopped short, refusing to step into the trap steeped in malice.
"Tch."
His plan failing, Olivas' face twisted into a hideous snarl.
Several Violas burst up from beneath the ground, their tentacles reshaping into long, sharp spears as they lunged at Ryuu in pursuit.
But the attack right in front of her was easily cleaved apart by the wooden sword.
In the blink of an eye, the ambushing Violas had been reduced to lifeless remains.
"Why is there an adventurer like you?!"
Olivas shot a vicious glare at the boy behind Ryuu.
Laying traps. Playing mind games. Those were supposed to be the tricks of villains.
In Olivas' eyes, manipulating the Guild, the monsters, and the various familias—culminating in the Nightmare of the 27th Floor—had been the pinnacle of cunning.
And yet this boy had stalled for time and even spotted the abnormality beneath the ground in the middle of battle.
Olivas couldn't help recalling Revis' bitter words.
"That damn white-haired brat. If it weren't for him, I would've brought Aria back."
Revis had been fooled by a low-level adventurer's bluff.
When Olivas first heard that story, he had dismissed it as the redhead's incompetence.
He never imagined he would one day fall into the same situation.
"Kill that human first!"
Olivas barked the order at the Violas.
No matter their individual potential, the monsters had the advantage in numbers.
All it would take was a single opening. Fangs and tentacles would tear the boy apart.
"Cranel-san..."
Ryuu had no time to hesitate.
A deep golden radiance flared brilliantly behind them.
"Falling like rain, burn away the savages!!"
Lefiya's chant reached its climax, the blinding light drawing out the full force of the golden-haired elf's magic.
In the next instant, both elf girls called out their spell names in unison.
"Fusillade Fallarica!!"
"Dio Grail!!"
Wands of different lengths were raised high.
Their voices intertwined beautifully as a rain of flames and a shield of light appeared at the same time.
The inferno stretched to its limits, covering half the cavern. Countless fiery arrows rained down like falling meteors, pouring relentlessly into the battlefield and incinerating every Viola on the ground.
A pure white shield manifested in midair, an unyielding barrier that blocked the flames from reaching Bell.
"What?!"
Red and white blended into a blinding spectacle that filled Olivas' vision.
That unknown elf had wiped out all the monsters with a single wide-area spell.
What kind of party was this?
His shock lasted less than a second.
Nothing stood between the sacred wooden sword and his body anymore.
"Gale!"
Olivas crossed his arms and took the full force of the wooden blade head-on.
"Ugh..."
The terrifying strength and hardened body deflected the strike, forcing Ryuu to shift her stance and step back.
"Tch?!"
Olivas' arms went numb, his face twisting into something grotesque.
"Gale... you've already reached Lv5?!"
"You can think about that in hell."
Killing intent exploded from him as he swung his steel-like arms in a relentless barrage.
Ryuu dodged nimbly, weaving through every blow.
That monstrous strength already surpassed what even a Lv5 adventurer could handle head-on.
Seizing the advantage, Olivas pressed the attack like a storm.
Just as the fight threatened to reach a stalemate, Bell arrived at Ryuu's side.
"Ryuu-san, keep dodging! I'll create an opening!"
"Firebolt!"
Bell positioned himself at a precise distance and fired a Firebolt at Olivas.
"Tch."
Olivas and Ryuu were moving at blinding speed now. Attack and defense flowed without pause, their positions shifting constantly.
Yet Bell managed to seize fleeting openings and send Firebolt after Firebolt flying.
The spells weren't meant to wound. They disrupted Olivas' vision, carving out chances for Ryuu to strike.
With their seamless coordination, Olivas was steadily driven back. Several bloody gashes opened across his body.
Steam rose as his wounds regenerated.
But fresh attacks came without giving him a moment to breathe.
"You damn brat! If you've got the nerve, fight me head-on!"
Olivas glared at Bell and roared hysterically.