Just then, the advancing group suddenly came to a halt.
Appearing before Aiden and the others was a massive "wall" composed of giant fungal clusters. It blocked the only pathway, which had grown exceedingly narrow in both width and height.
Countless red and blue-spotted fungi grew densely, forming a silent wall of vegetation.
"Wait, is this—!?"
Daphne's expression instantly changed. She recognized this monster's disguise and wanted to call out a warning.
But it was already too late.
Beneath the massive caps of the clustered fungi, organ-like structures resembling eyes suddenly surfaced. Fungi of all sizes broke their camouflage in an instant, their bodies turning an ominous dark purple as they squirmed in unison.
"It's the Dark Fungus! Watch out for their toxic gas!"
Daphne screamed at the top of her lungs.
These cunning monsters hid alongside the harmless giant fungi native to the Dungeon, waiting for prey to walk right into their trap.
As representative monsters of the Large Tree Labyrinth, standing alongside insect-types, what they excelled at most were wide-area poisonous attacks.
In the blink of an eye, their caps swelled violently.
The next instant, a chain of explosive eruptions echoed out. With power far exceeding the toxic spores of the Purple Moths from the upper floors, an overwhelming cloud of purple poisonous mist sprayed and spread toward Aiden and the group.
Almost at the exact same moment Daphne shouted, Aiden was already moving.
"Ride Upon This Wheel of Flame!"
Scorching flames instantly erupted from his body, engulfing him entirely.
"Gospel!"
A combination of magic and skill—sonic blasts wrapped in blazing fire were fired continuously as if they cost nothing, transforming into a raging torrent of flames that instantly swallowed the swarm of Dark Fungus ahead.
The terrifying fire burned the monsters completely clean, along with the toxic spores that were about to spread across the wide area.
Surrounded by their natural enemy—fire—the fungal monsters swayed their bulky bodies, thrashing in silent agony before turning into charred husks deep within the inferno, one after another.
The tongues of flame even spread to the innocent giant fungi nearby that weren't monsters.
However, some of the fine purple powder escaped the flames, fighting against the flying sparks as it stubbornly spread outward.
Robin, Cassandra, and the others immediately covered their mouths and noses, retreating backward to dodge the fatal, toxic smoke.
However, the Dungeon clearly didn't want to let its prey off so easily.
Roar—!
A massive wild boar broke through the wall of flames, charging straight at Aiden and the others. It was an over two-meter-tall monster—the Battle Boar.
It broke through the wall of fire on sheer brute force. Its bristling body hair still carried sparks of flame as it roared and charged at Aiden.
Not only that, but behind it followed a large group of equally startled Bugbears and other monsters.
Instead of retreating, Aiden stepped forward. Turning to meet the charging boar, he grabbed its thick, long tusks with his bare hands.
A violent impact traveled through his arms. Even with Aiden's strength, he was pushed back continuously, his legs plowing two long trenches into the hard ground.
Just then, Tifa leapt high into the air. Twisting her slender waist, she concentrated the full force of her body into her right leg.
Starlight from her enchantment magic wrapped around her leg. A swift, fierce kick carrying the sonic boom of tearing air accurately struck the Battle Boar's softest weak point—its neck.
Crack!
The crisp sound of shattering bone rang out. The Battle Boar let out a miserable, agonizing shriek before its massive body collapsed with a loud crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Seizing the opportunity, Daphne dashed forward. The rapier in her hand accurately pierced the boar's neck, and scalding blood sprayed out.
The boar's body trembled violently a few times before it dissipated into black ash, leaving behind only a pair of massive tusks and a Magic Stone.
Without even looking, Aiden unleashed a sharp, backhanded sword beam, decapitating a Bugbear that had rushed up close. Spinning his body around, he cleanly cleaved a second one in half from the middle.
Holding her holy standard, Jeanne shielded Robin and Cassandra behind her. The tip of her banner spear cleanly pierced a Bugbear's head, followed by a heavy kick that sent another approaching Bugbear flying.
At the same time, Hyacine waved her staff. Gentle gales of wind swept up, blowing away all the residual toxic mist on the battlefield.
Aiden and Jeanne both possessed the highest level of [Abnormal Resistance]. To them, this little bit of toxic gas was no different from breathing fresh air.
While Robin and the others lacked this development ability, they had Hyacine. Her magic, We Who Fly Into the Dawn, granted the "Rain Clears to Sun" status, allowing her teammates to be immune to most abnormal conditions.
Therefore, even though they were briefly enveloped by the toxic mist, they were not poisoned.
A sudden encounter battle was swiftly dismantled under the flawless teamwork of the Focalors Familia.
"Phew, you really can't let your guard down in the middle floors. Accidents can happen at any time."
Only after confirming that the final Bugbear had turned to black ash did Jeanne let out a soft breath, subconsciously patting her chest.
The rise and fall of her "justice"—which proudly overshadowed the rest of the Familia—uncontrollably drew Aiden's gaze.
However, just as he stole a glance, he sharply detected a half-smiling gaze landing on him.
It was Robin.
Aiden casually retracted his gaze and met Robin's eyes.
He raised an eyebrow, and then, as if intentionally provoking her, openly shifted his gaze back to Jeanne's stunning curves, even nodding his head seriously.
He couldn't help it; his rebellious phase had arrived, and he was determined to look today.
Seeing this, a look that was caught between tears and laughter appeared on Robin's face as she shook her head helplessly.
"Huh? There's a sound."
Just then, the sharp-sensed Tifa suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her ears twitched as she looked toward the darkness deep within the tunnel.
"The sound of wings flapping? No, this is..."
It was a sound entirely unlike the screams of adventurers, the clashing of swords, or the roars of monsters.
Nor was it the typical fluttering of bird wings. Instead, it was an intense, rapid, bizarre noise—as if tens of thousands of objects were being struck at high speeds. It was so dense it made one's scalp go numb.
"It's the Deadly Hornet! This is a swarm monster, everyone be careful! Captain!"
Daphne and Cassandra, who had experience adventuring in the middle floors, reacted the fastest. That peculiar sound instantly hooked their worst memories, draining the color from their faces.
Daphne looked directly at Aiden and shouted urgently.
When dealing with small monsters that boast such massive numbers and decent individual strength, the margin of error for close-quarters melee combat was far too low.
In the past, when she and the Apollo Familia explored the middle floors, whenever they encountered Deadly Hornets, they relied either on a mage's wide-area magical bombardment or the use of expensive, single-use Magic Swords.
But the Focalors Familia clearly didn't have the money to buy Magic Swords, and the only mage capable of wide-area attacks at this stage was Aiden.
And Aiden wasn't even a proper mage; he was more of a magic swordsman.
Before she even finished speaking, a massive black shadow surged at the end of their line of sight like a dark cloud.
They were countless giant hornets, each comparable in size to an adult human. They possessed hard, black-armor-like exoskeletons and shapes full of sharp, hideous angles.
Their faces featured massive pincers for mandibles, and extending from the front of their bodies were terrifying, elongated stingers.
These were hornet-type monsters that only started appearing from the 22nd Floor. They were powerful "gatekeepers" preventing Level 2 and Level 3 adventurers from entering the deeper regions.
Their stingers, capable of piercing heavy armor, could send a Level 2 adventurer straight to heaven with a single strike. It was a notoriously "one-hit kill" move. Even if one was lucky enough to avoid instant death, a fatal wound was unavoidable.
Their hard exoskeletons could deflect the vast majority of insufficiently powerful attacks. They were practically the ultimate, evolved version of the Killer Ants.
Although this was the 19th Floor, this swarm had clearly "wandered up" for a visit.
"Gospel!"
Aiden didn't hesitate; [Alpha Inforce] activated instantly.
Sonic waves tore through the air, expanding outward in a massive semicircle. Wherever they passed, the air was shattered layer by layer.
The dense, dark-cloud-like swarm of venomous hornets took a direct hit from the magic. In an instant, dozens of black silhouettes plummeted from the sky like falling dumplings, crackling as they hit the ground.
However, the sheer number of hornets was far too great.
The airspace Aiden had just cleared was filled by even more hornets from behind in less than a second. Gathering into a swarm once more, they emitted a heart-palpitating buzz and charged toward them at high speed.
"Run!"
Aiden's expression changed.
He wasn't afraid of fighting alone, but to relatively fragile backline members like Robin, Hyacine, and Cassandra, the threat posed by these hornets was simply too great. It was absolutely not the time for a protracted battle.
"I'll cover the rear!"
He shouted, signaling for everyone to retreat quickly, while he turned to face the swarm, intercepting them with a continuous barrage of magical bombardments.
His Mind depleted at an unprecedented rate. Without even looking, he grabbed a Mind Potion from his pouch and downed it in one gulp.
The Focalors Familia broke into a desperate sprint for their lives.
Aiden brought up the rear, casting magic as he ran. Tifa and Daphne cleared the path ahead, instantly dispatching any monsters that spawned to block their way.
The hornet swarm pursued them relentlessly from behind, their buzzing echoing like the death knell of the Grim Reaper.
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