Even if a Minotaur got close, they would have a hard time resisting it, let alone the floor boss's throw, which even Ryuu and the others dared not face head-on!
Once Goliath gets close, there will definitely be casualties!
Without needing detailed instructions, the girls of the Astrea Familia quickly responded, relying on the tacit understanding developed through years of coordinated combat.
Ryu, Alise, and Kaguya, the three forwards, drew their weapons, intending to slow Goliath down from the front. Iska, Neze, and Noin covered the defenders as they quickly retreated back into the long slope of the cave. Fortunately, retreating into the cave would allow them to avoid Goliath's attack.
"Snap..."
Just then, a sound that froze everyone's blood echoed through the cave. The sound was like the sneer of a hunter who has finally caught its prey after a long wait.
Ryu and the other two looked up and saw the crack.
A crack suddenly appeared above the cave, which had not been attacked or affected by any other forces. Then came an incredibly rapid collapse. Although the falling rocks were mostly insignificant, the cave, which was originally only three meters wide, expanded several times over in an instant.
In less than ten seconds, Goliath had already traversed the two to three hundred meters from the Wall of grief to the exit.
Suddenly, a huge rock appeared in its hand and was hurled at Astrea Familia like a cannonball.
An attack that could have been avoided by retreating about ten meters into the cave now looked like it could penetrate hundreds of meters.
And there's no escaping it!
Inside the narrow cave, where there is no room to maneuver, Goliath's power would be fully unleashed. The boulder would rocket through the cave, crushing them like a projectile in a cannon barrel.
In the blink of an eye, the shelter became a death pit; the world changed so suddenly, it was so absurd it was almost laughable.
Sneak attack!
In an instant, everyone who witnessed this scene understood Goliath's, or rather, the Dungeon's intentions.
Perhaps from the moment of its birth, it realized that it was no match for Noah and instead set its sights on other adventurers...the Astrea Familia.
Abandon the hope of defeating the powerful enemy, and only seek to inflict casualties on the enemy of Mother!
So during that seemingly futile attack, Goliath secretly held a stone in its hand, waiting for this moment! The once quiet Dungeon, at the crucial moment, delivered the fatal blow.
The Dungeon is alive!
It will patiently wait for the right moment, secretly set traps, and seize the opportunity when adventurers are complacent, pushing adventurers into the abyss of despair!
This has now been proven once again!
It's too late, we will die!
The horrific images of her fellow familia members dying flashed through her mind, leaving Ryu's mind blank before a raging fire ignited within her.
Before consciousness could react, the elf burst out of the cave, her body radiating a vibrant green magical glow.
"Ryu!"
"No!"
"Come back!"
Ignoring the shouts of her fellow familia members, and knowing she didn't have time to chant magic, Ryu prepared to forcibly mobilize the magic within her body.
It's like when a mage's chanting is interrupted, causing a massive burst of mana.
At least, it can buy us some time!
As Ryu thought this, the anomaly occurred.
Consciousness traveled at high speed, and time extended indefinitely.
Everything faded, turning into a pure white corner of her vision, where an unusual radiance emerged.
A Pure, beautiful yet ominous, like a glimmer of light from a deep blue crystal or the aurora borealis in the northern sky.
That was lightning...
Although it was not far away, as the slight tingling and numbness spread across her skin, Ryu's mind recognized its existence before her consciousness did.
Then, the aurora really appeared!
A dark, shimmering bolt of lightning completely tore the world apart.
It approached from afar, piercing the sky, its main body arriving before the roar even reached them—
It was a longsword encased in arcing lightning plasma and stained with a deep blue glow.
The moment Ryuu saw the aurora's true form, the longsword pierced through Goliath's head completely, and then shattered the huge rock it had thrown with undiminished power.
We're saved?
The ensuing thunder told Ryuu that things were not so simple.
Whether it was Goliath's head or the stone flying through the air, they all quickly emitted a melting, deep red light after being pierced. Countless cracks then appeared all over its body, from which light leaked out, illuminating the elf's eyes.
Oh no!
No!
That's such a stupid and shameful way to die!
I bet even the Loki Familia would laugh at this!
In that brief moment of consciousness, Ryu felt far more remorse for her clownish behavior than fear of death. Then, the world before her eyes was covered by scorching jets of energy. Plasma and scorching heat rained down like a storm, and dazzling brilliance overwhelmed everything like a surging tide, plunging Ryuu into a pure white world of scorching heat.
Consciousness sank into an endless emptiness, with only a slight tingling and numb sensation flowing through the skin, allowing her to still be aware of her existence.
But the expected burning pain did not come; instead, she was embraced by a somewhat thin and hard body.
Someone saved me?
It might have been ten hours, or it might have been only a few seconds.
When Ryu regained control of her body and her consciousness returned, the first thing she smelled was not the peculiar, pungent odor that should accompany the devastation of lightning.
It wasn't a fragrance, but a pleasant aroma.
Its clear, elegant, gentle, and serene scent reminded her of her long-lost hometown....
Beneath the lush foliage of the sacred tree, a clear stream flows through the deep forest, and pure white flowers sway gently.
I wonder if the lilac I planted when I left has bloomed yet?
Such sorrow gently rippled through her heart, and Ryuu opened her eyes. She met the gaze of a pair of blue eyes. Then, there was the unfamiliar sensation that appeared around her waist.
"Um?"
"You, again!"
Noah always had a strong sense of déjà vu when he saw the elf in his arms open her eyes, revealing her innocent, sky-blue gaze.
Is she alright?
Why is she staring at me like that?
Did she get brain damage from another explosion?
....
Why did you say again?
Fortunately, the blonde elf quickly regained consciousness.
Noah was able to be certain of this primarily because the other person's eyes suddenly widened, focusing entirely on his face. Secondly, the soft, slender waist in his palm suddenly became unusually stiff. It should be said that the elf's entire body became stiff, rigid as a board.
At that moment, Noah felt a sudden burning sensation on his back, and a sense of unease arose in his heart. He knew that this was the warning signal from his skill.
Am I overlooking something again?
A monster?
Noah glanced around instinctively.
The long hall, originally made of pale white rock, had mostly turned charred black, with large patches of amber-colored sand and gravel remaining on the ground, showing signs of melting and crystallization.
The scattered flames created a mysterious, otherworldly beauty.
A strong wind whipped up a scorching heatwave that scalded the skin, and the intense heat distorted the light and shadow. Without a doubt, the massive floor boss had vanished in the bombardment and explosion.
He didn't see any other monsters either.
After checking around, Noah turned his gaze back to the elf in his arms.
Then he saw the elf's fair cheeks turn red at a speed visible to the naked eye!
"Hey! Are you hurt somewhere?"
Could it be an internal injury?
Startled, Noah placed his right hand, which was holding a sword, on the elf's waist, while his left hand carefully explored her body.
Although his movements were very light, the strange sensations coming from her waist, legs, and stomach made Ryu feel like she was going to die.
Damn it, you bastard!
Don't touch me!
Despite the roar in her heart, Ryu felt all the blood rushing to her head, her cheeks and ears burning red, and her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.
She felt dizzy and lightheaded, and she couldn't exert any strength from her thighs to her fingers.
Why is this happening?
Hit him!
My damned, troublesome elven instincts!
Why, at this crucial moment, did they fail me?
No matter how much Ryu scolded herself in her heart, her body seemed to deliberately rebel and simply wouldn't obey her commands. Her legs gave way completely, causing Ryu to fall forward and bury her face in Noah's chest.
She was doomed.
As her eyes widened, Ryu desperately tried to hold her breath, but it was too late.
The fragrance, which was originally only faintly perceptible with each breath, suddenly became richer and stronger as it entered her nasal cavity, accompanied by the body heat of the opposite sex.
Then...