"In short, you just need to know that he is a monster who cannot be defeated by any skill or technique."
The Dungeon.
13th Floor.
"Phew..."
Air carrying a damp, musty smell slowly seeped out through the cracks in the rocks.
"I say..."
"This is the so-called Middle Levels?"
Onigawara Rin tightly gripped the long sword named [Black Crow] in her hand, while her other hand somewhat uncomfortably tugged at her collar.
This wasn't just because the air had become murky.
But even more so because of that sense of oppression.
Even without any special sensory enhancements, she could feel the malice seeping out from the surrounding rock walls.
This feels completely different from the upper floors...
"It's clearly just separated by a single flight of stairs."
"Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"
Onigawara Rin couldn't help but look back at the dark passage leading to the upper floors behind her.
"That is a matter of course."
Walking at the rear flank of the group, Tsubaki held that red-hilted long sword in her hand, playfully and casually fiddling with a material resembling some kind of insect leg she had just picked up from the ground, which was still slightly twitching.
"The 12th Floor to the 13th Floor, that is the watershed between novices and veteran adventurers."
"Those monsters up above, to put it bluntly, are just toys for rookies to build their courage."
"Once you reach here."
"This is the real Dungeon."
Tsubaki casually tossed that section of insect leg away and patted the dust off her hands.
"The monsters here won't be like those silly Goblins up above, who only know how to yell and charge forward to their deaths."
"They will ambush."
"They will sneak attack."
"Even..."
"They will even use minor tactics."
"So, little girls."
"If you still hold the mindset of strolling through a back garden like up above, you're going to suffer a huge loss."
Just as Tsubaki's voice fell.
"Something is coming!"
At this time, Inaba Tsukuyo seemed to have sensed something.
"Roar—"
At the front of the group, the black bear Kyoubou, who had been responsible for clearing the path, suddenly stopped in its tracks.
That thick black fur instantly puffed up, like a startled hedgehog.
It lowered its body, letting out a deep growl from its throat, staring dead ahead at a patch of shadow around the corner.
The others also reacted immediately.
"Whoosh—!!"
They saw.
From a patch of shadow ahead, a scorching pillar of fire suddenly erupted.
The flames took on an ominous dark red color, carrying the pungent smell of sulfur, instantly illuminating the originally dark passage.
That was a group of creatures the size of calves.
Pitch-black fur, reddish eyes, and that bloody maw.
—Hellhound.
One of the most representative monsters of the Middle Levels.
"Scatter!"
"We can't take this fire head-on—"
However.
Before Tsubaki could even shout the word "head-on".
"These are the monsters of the Middle Levels?"
A slightly excited voice rang out even a step faster than that pillar of fire.
Immediately after.
A black figure, without the slightest intention of dodging, charged straight head-on into that pillar of fire.
—Amou Kirukiru.
"Hey...?!!"
Onigawara Rin widened her eyes.
"Amou! That is fire!!"
Although they now had the Ability Value bonuses of Lv.1, they were still flesh and blood!
Taking a monster's fire attack head-on?
Is she crazy?!
But.
The next second.
A scene that made her jaw drop to the ground occurred.
"Whoosh—"
The flames instantly swallowed that black figure.
But.
No smell of burning came, nor were there any screams.
Even.
That figure didn't even pause for a single moment.
"This level of..."
The flames dispersed.
Amou Kirukiru's figure rushed out.
The light armor on her body made from the hide of a [Shadow Panther] and refined steel wire wasn't even damaged; only that long straight black hair of hers was slightly curled.
"Is this the power of this group of monsters?"
Amou Kirukiru grinned, her pitch-black eyes filled with battle intent.
As her voice fell.
Amou Kirukiru had already rushed in front of that Hellhound that had just finished breathing fire and hadn't yet had time to close its mouth.
There were no flashy moves.
She merely reached out a hand.
And tightly grabbed the upper and lower jaws of that Hellhound, which were still smoking.
"Crack!"
Exerting force from her wrist.
Accompanied by a teeth-aching sound of bones fracturing.
That monster, fully the size of a calf, didn't even have time to let out a whimper.
The Hellhound's entire lower jaw was forcefully torn off by that extremely tyrannical power.
A rain of blood splattered.
"Too weak."
Amou Kirukiru casually tossed the still-twitching Hellhound aside.
Then.
Amou Kirukiru's eyes, having become even more fanatical from being stained with blood, locked onto the pack of Hellhounds behind, who had shown a trace of hesitation because their companion was instantly killed.
"Hey..."
"Show a little bit of skill."
"Otherwise."
"I will get very bored."
...
Seeing this scene.
The corner of Onigawara Rin's eyes, who was standing at the back, twitched madly.
"Here she goes again..."
"This girl's bad habit is acting up again."
"Bad habit?"
Kikakujou Mary twirled a sword flourish with the rapier in her hand, lightly tapping it on the ground, and looked at the back of the figure ahead who had already charged into the horde of monsters on a killing spree, letting out a helpless sigh.
"Rin."
"Isn't this quite normal?"
"Compared to just now when we reached the 7th Floor for the second time..."
"At least there are only a few monsters right now."
"That time on the 7th Floor earlier was truly..."
Speaking of this.
Kikakujou Mary seemed to have recalled some bad imagery, her face turning slightly pale.
"It really was a nightmare..."
Onigawara Rin's face also turned pale.
Time rewound to two hours ago.
The 7th Floor.
That was the territory where Killer Ants appeared.
As large red ants with scythe-like forelimbs, they were one of the most headache-inducing monsters of the Upper Levels.
Killer Ants had an extremely strict social structure.
If one was attacked, it would release pheromones, summoning all surrounding companions over to besiege the attacker.
So the Guild's advice was usually: when encountering Killer Ants, defeat them one by one, fight quickly and resolve it quickly, and absolutely do not let them have the time to release pheromones.
And the result?
Amou Kirukiru.
Not only did she not avoid them.
Instead, she grabbed a Killer Ant, didn't directly kill it, but tore it apart, smearing her entire body with those pungent pheromone bodily fluids.
Then.
Stood in an open clearing on the 7th Floor.
At that moment.
The entire 7th Floor boiled over.
A red tide.
Those were Killer Ants surging out from all directions, from the crevices in the walls, from the ceiling.
Densely packed, covering the sky and the earth.
There were at least a hundred of them.
That scene instantly scared a few passing rookie parties heading for the 8th Floor so badly they wet their pants on the spot, crying for their parents as they ran back.
Even Tsubaki was stunned at the time, her hand resting on her sword hilt, preparing to forcefully step in and save the situation.
But as a result.
That madwoman, Amou Kirukiru.
Facing a scene that could scare a trypophobe to death.
She smiled.
Smiling with an absolute, pure joy.
She even felt it wasn't enough.
And then...
There was no 'then'.
Or rather.
For that swarm of Killer Ants, there was no 'then'.
For two whole hours.
Their group stood in that clearing, mechanically swinging swords, piercing, and slashing.
The Magic Stones dropped by the corpses turning into black ash piled up layer upon layer.
Until the end.
The entire 7th Floor even experienced a monster vacuum period for a while.
The Killer Ants couldn't even respawn fast enough to keep up with their killing speed.
"That was a true grand sweep..."
"When I close my eyes now."
"My mind is full of the sounds of those ants splattering."
"All that squelching and crushing..."
"I think I don't want to see an ant ever again in my life."
Onigawara Rin, recalling it right now, looked at this [Black Crow] in her hand, which hadn't been maintained for a few days and whose edge was already somewhat curled from use, and couldn't help but shudder.
"However..."
At this time.
Nomura Satori stood and pointed at Amou Kirukiru's figure, who was currently charging wildly through the pack of Hellhounds ahead.
"Compared to when we first entered the Dungeon."
"Amou-san still needed to use a little bit of effort to tear open the carapaces of those Killer Ants."
"Now."
"Amou-san's strength seems to have grown."
After saying this.
Nomura Satori pointed ahead.
They saw.
Amou Kirukiru was stepping on a Hellhound.
"Squelch—!!"
Up ahead.
As the head of the last Hellhound was crushed by Amou Kirukiru's foot.
This encounter battle lasted barely two minutes.
And then it was declared over.
"Hah... Hah..."
Amou Kirukiru stood amidst the pile of corpses, her chest slightly heaving.
But it was merely slightly heaving.
She flicked the blood off her hands, turned her head, and looked at everyone standing behind her.
Her eyes carried a kind of unsatisfied resentment.
"That's it?"
"Didn't you say the Middle Levels were dangerous?"
"Just this?"
Facing these three soul-searching questions.
Tsubaki facepalmed.
Onigawara Rin and the others rolled their eyes.
"Amou."
"Is there a possibility."
"That your body is just too strong?"
Onigawara Rin pointed to the Magic Stone dropped by the Hellhound whose jaw was crushed first on the ground.
Looking at its size, it was clearly a size larger than the others; it might even have been a mini-boss.
In the end, it was dispatched less than a second after appearing.
"Don't care."
Amou Kirukiru turned her head away.
"Not enough."
"Completely not enough."
"This level of slaughter can't even make my blood boil."
"Tsukuyo."
Amou Kirukiru seemed to remember something, then turned her head to look at the blind girl who had been standing quietly at the very center of the group.
"Do you hear anything?"
"Where are there more?"
"I want more."
"Stronger ones."
"Preferably the kind that can make me feel pain."
Being called out, Inaba Tsukuyo slightly tilted her head.
That pair of silver-white ears twitched lightly.
In this dim, noisy environment that was even filled with the smell of sulfur and blood.
For ordinary people, their senses would have long been disturbed into a complete mess.
But for her.
Every wisp of wind here, every echo of a rock hitting the ground, even the frequency of the heartbeats of monsters in the distance.
"Front left..."
Inaba Tsukuyo raised her hand, that slender finger pointing towards a crevice that looked like a dead end.
"About three hundred meters."
"There are many heartbeats."
"Very chaotic."
"Furthermore..."
Inaba Tsukuyo paused, a subtle expression appearing on her delicate small face.
"Some sounds... sound a lot like teeth grinding?"
"Teeth grinding?"
Amou Kirukiru's eyes lit up.
"Sounds good."
"We're going there!"
After saying that.
Without even caring whether that crevice was a trap, Amou Kirukiru charged over, her fists still dripping with blood.
"Hey! Amou! Wait!"
Seeing this, Onigawara Rin had no choice but to helplessly follow.
"This girl... Does she really completely not look at the road?!"
"Since Tsukuyo said it's over there, then there's definitely a path."
Kikakujou Mary was rather calm, following behind with her sword in hand.
"After all, when we were looking for Killer Ant nests this morning, Tsukuyo didn't hear wrong a single time."
"Even if it was separated by three layers of rock walls."
At this point.
Holding a sword in her hand—[Crimson Shower]—Tsubaki watched as this bunch of girls had already started running around wildly, and helplessly supported her forehead.
"Really..."
"I don't even know what to say anymore."
Tsubaki shook her head.
"When other parties go down to the Middle Levels, they wish they could look back three times for every step they take, terrified of stepping on traps or being completely surrounded by monsters."
"But this bunch of little monsters."
"Complaining about too few monsters, they purposely dive right into the monster hordes."
"Also, Tsukuyo..."
"What astonishing talent."
Tsubaki looked at Inaba Tsukuyo, who was walking in the middle of the group and intentionally or unintentionally protected by everyone.
"Even I can't compare to her."
"And this is only at Lv.1."
"If she levels up to Lv.2..."
Tsubaki clicked her tongue in amazement.
...
Very quickly.
The group's figures disappeared into that crevice.
Not long after they left.
"Click."
A soft click.
From behind that rock wall that originally looked like a dead end, waves of scalp-numbing chewing sounds echoed.
And also.
That sound as if countless sharp blades were scraping against the rocks.
Teeth grinding.
"Ahead!"
Amou Kirukiru, charging at the very front, suddenly braked hard.
Because the path ahead was cut off.
Replacing it was a massive underground cavern.
And at the bottom of the cavern.
"Squeak—!!"
"Gu-gu—!!"
Countless pairs of red eyes lit up in that dim space.
That was a group of... [garbled text].
Wait. That's right, rabbits.
Snow-white fur, long ears, looking harmless to humans and animals, even a little bit cute.
If you didn't look at the weapons in their hands, that is.
—Almiraj.
A specialty of the Middle Levels.
A powerful, rabbit-like Goblin monster known for appearing in swarms and walking on two legs.
And here.
There were at least a few hundred of them.
They were densely packed inside this cavern, either sharpening that long horn or gnawing on some kind of glowing moss.
The moment the figures of Amou Kirukiru and the others appeared at the cavern entrance.
All the red eyes turned toward them in unison.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes.
Staring dead straight up at these uninvited guests.
The air froze for a second.
Then.
"Squeak—!!!"
A sharp hiss.
The originally silly and cute-looking rabbits instantly rioted.
Their hind legs pushed off fiercely.
Over a hundred Almiraj leaped up simultaneously.
That scene.
"This is exactly it!"
"This is right!"
"This is the quantity I want!"
"This is the momentum of shooting yourselves over like arrows that I want!"
Amou Kirukiru did not retreat, but advanced.
She jumped directly down from that high platform.
Smashing into that white tide.
"Come on!"
"Let me see if your horns are harder."
"Or if my bones are harder!"
"Bang!!"
In mid-air, she punched directly into the swinging weapon of the Almiraj that jumped the highest.
There was no piercing as expected.
Only a crisp snapping sound.
The weapon in the Almiraj's hand was actually broken by her single punch.
Immediately after.
That rabbit was blasted into black ash by the remaining force of that punch.
Amou Kirukiru fell into the swarm of rabbits.
She was instantly submerged by the white figures.
Those muffled thuds of fists hitting flesh, and the sounds of bones breaking, rang out endlessly.
"Don't forget."
"We are still here too."
"Kyoubou! Charge!"
Hanasaka Warabi patted the bear's head.
"Roar—!!"
The black bear Kyoubou let out a roar.
Its massive body charged directly down from the high platform.
"Roar—!!"
A huge roar echoed throughout the cavern.
The black bear Kyoubou, carrying an unrivaled momentum, plunged headfirst into the center of the dense rabbit swarm.
"Squeak—?!"
The first few Almiraj bearing the brunt didn't even have time to raise the weapons in their hands before they were swallowed by the massive black shadow.
No technique was needed at all.
Those sharp horns and stone axes, which were originally enough to pierce leather armor, crashed against the iron armor on Kyoubou's body, only scattering a few tufts of stiff black fur.
Following that.
"Bang bang bang—!"
Several white figures carrying shrill screams flew out in all directions like kites with broken strings, smashing heavily against the rock walls, turning into clumps of black ash before they even hit the ground.
—The big guy who usually looked delightfully naive in front of everyone.
Displayed the ferocity a wild beast ought to have.
"Roar—!!"
And this.
Was merely just the beginning.
"Too slow!"
"Too fragile!"
Amou Kirukiru was at the very center of the encirclement.
Surrounded entirely by those red-eyed, crazily weapon-swinging killer rabbits.
"Swish!"
An Almiraj leaped up from behind, the sharp horn in its hand thrusting straight at the back of Amou Kirukiru's head.
The sharp horn grazed past the tips of her hair and missed.
In this exact moment.
Amou Kirukiru turned around and raised her leg.
That slender right leg wrapped in a black stocking transformed into a black steel whip in this instant.
A backswing.
A lashing strike.
"Smack!!"
A crisp snap resembling a firecracker exploding.
That Almiraj still in mid-air had its entire upper body instantly twisted into a bizarre angle.
Following that.
As if hit by some invisible heavy hammer, its body fiercely stalled in mid-air, and then it flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through two companions attempting to fill the gap.
Three clouds of black ash.
Burst in the air simultaneously.
"Not enough!"
"Still not enough!"
Amou Kirukiru landed on the ground. The tactile sensation brought by this massacre did not satisfy her; instead, it made the fanaticism in the depths of her eyes soar even higher.
This level of opponents.
Couldn't even make her use 『Battle Craze』 to enhance her attributes.
Merely as a warm-up exercise.
They seemed a bit unqualified.
"Honestly."
"Don't forget about us."
Onigawara Rin, Kikakujou Mary, Nomura Satori, and the others also jumped down.
Meanwhile.
In another passage separated from this cavern by only two corridors.
It was frighteningly dead silent.
The light here was dimmer than elsewhere, and an unsettling sense of oppression permeated the air.
"Stop!"
A tall young man walking at the forefront of the group suddenly stopped.
—Captain of the [Takemikazuchi Familia].
Lv.2 Adventurer, Kashima Ouka.
In DanMachi: Memoria Freese.
Kashima Ouka CV:
A strong warrior hailing from the Far East, serving as the Familia Captain. He is a typical samurai, extremely naive in areas outside of martial arts and combat, with a personality that is very easily influenced.
At this moment.
That slightly tanned face was written with gravity.
His ear was pressed against the adjacent rock wall.
The vibrations transmitted through the rock strata were becoming more and more intense, even causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble slightly.
"Did you hear that?"
Kashima turned his head, lowered his voice, and spoke to his similarly tense-faced companions behind him.
"Mhm..."
"I heard it."
Standing at the very rear of the group, a girl with short chestnut hair fearfully shrunk her neck back.
—Hitachi Chigusa.
"Such a huge commotion..."
"It's like hundreds of monsters are going berserk at the same time."
"And from that direction..."
Chigusa pointed to the crossroad on the front right.
"The sound is coming from over there."
"Hissing, crashing sounds, and also..."
"Although I can't hear it too clearly, it feels like there's also the sound of something collapsing?"
"This is absolutely not a small-scale battle."
Kashima stood up straight.
"If such a commotion is being caused at this depth..."
"Other than a large-scale monster riot, it must be an encounter with an even more troublesome situation."
"For example..."
"Someone poked a monster's nest."
Speaking of this.
Kashima's brows knitted tightly together.
As a small Familia that had barely established a foothold by struggling all the way up from the Middle Levels.
He knew all too well what this meant.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
If it was a monster riot, even if a small group like theirs got swept up in it, they would probably be skinned alive.
Furthermore.
Their purpose for coming down this time was merely to gather some materials to exchange for money to subsidize household expenses.
If they got injured, the cost of healing potions alone would be enough to cost them dearly.
"Let's detour."
Kashima made a prompt and decisive decision.
"Before those monsters notice us over here."
"Let's detour through the path on the left."
"Although it's a bit farther, it wins in safety."
"..."
However.
Just as Kashima's voice fell.
But.
A voice rang out in the group.
In DanMachi: Memoria Freese.
DanMachi: Memoria Freese.
Yamato Mikoto CV:
Serious and straightforward in personality, always wearing a[garbled text] when going out, an adventurer hailing from the Far East. Well-versed in hot spring and bath culture, possessing a unique obsession with it.
MMidcws NroeCousCnlnCor
—Yamato Mikoto.
This black-haired girl, wearing a purple kimono with a long sword hanging at her waist, was currently slightly turning her head, looking in the direction where the noisy sounds were coming from.
A trace of hesitation flickered in those deep purple eyes.
"What if..."
Mikoto bit her lip.
"What if it isn't a monster riot."
"But rather other adventurers have been surrounded by monsters?"
"That sound just now..."
"I seem to have vaguely heard human shouts."
"Although I couldn't hear the contents clearly."
"But..."
"If we just leave like this."
"What if there really is someone calling for help over there..."
"Mikoto!"
Before Mikoto could finish, Kashima interrupted her directly.
His tone took on a severe edge.
"I know what you want to say."
"You want to say that we're leaving them to die without trying to save them, right?"
"But have you ever thought about it."
"If it really is a call for help."
"To be besieged by a monster horde to this extent, at this depth."
"How are we supposed to save them?"
Kashima pointed to their companions behind him, whose equipment, although well-maintained, was clearly somewhat old and worn.
"With just the few of us?"
"Charge in and become an extra meal for those monsters?"
"Don't forget!"
"We are not those large Familias with countless high-level adventurers!"
"We cannot afford to lose either!"
"If any of you get injured due to this reckless action, or even..."
Kashima gritted his teeth, stopping himself from saying that absolute worst word.
"In short."
"As the Captain."
"My primary duty is to bring you all back safe and sound."
"Not to gamble the lives of our entire family on that tiny, insignificant possibility!"
"..."
These words.
Could be described as cold and realistic.
Even.
A bit devoid of human empathy.
But.
Everyone present fell silent.
Because they knew the Captain was right.
In a place like the Dungeon, overflowing sympathy is often the prelude to death.
...
However.
Mikoto kept her head lowered, her hand gripping the sword hilt loosening and tightening, tightening and loosening.
She understood Kashima's difficulties.
And she also understood the current situation of the [Takemikazuchi Familia].
But.
"Let me take a look." "I believe..."
After a long silence.
Mikoto suddenly raised her head, looking straight into Kashima's eyes.
"Just one glance."
"I won't get close."
"I'll just use [Concealment] to stealthily approach and check the situation."
"If it truly is a danger we cannot handle, or a simple monster infighting."
"I will return immediately."
"I will absolutely not delay."
"Mikoto!"
"Kashima!"
Mikoto raised her voice a bit, those eyes revealing a stubbornness rarely seen on normal days.
"If I run away without even taking a single glance."
"This kind of thing..."
"I cannot do."
The two locked eyes.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Finally.
"Sigh..."
Kashima let out a long sigh.
That tough momentum instantly crumbled.
He understood this childhood friend he grew up with far too well.
She usually looked docile and modest, like a Yamato Nadeshiko.
But once she fixed her mind on a dead end, ten cows wouldn't be able to pull her back.
If he forcefully dragged her away right now, this girl would remember it for a whole year.
"Fine."
"Just one glance."
"And you must keep a safe distance."
"The moment you notice anything wrong."
"Retreat immediately!"
"Do you understand?!"
"Yes!"
Mikoto hurriedly nodded her head vigorously.
"I'll go right now!"
After saying that.
Mikoto immediately lowered her posture.
Soundlessly melting into the shadows, she crept toward the source of the clamor.
As the distance closed.
Fifty meters.
The smell of blood permeating the tunnel became increasingly heavy.
"Such a thick smell of blood..."
Hiding behind a protruding rock, Mikoto furrowed her brows.
"And this crashing sound..."
"Doesn't sound like sharp weapons cutting through flesh."
"It sounds more like blunt instruments smashing bones."
Thinking of this, an ominous premonition couldn't help but rise in Mikoto's heart.
Could it really be some unlucky adventurer party that had been completely wiped out?
If it really is...
She would decide based on the situation, and see which Familia the dead adventurers belonged to.
After returning, she would pass the message on to the Main God of that Familia.
After all, in a godforsaken place like the Dungeon.
No one knew which would come first, tomorrow or an accident.
Being able to bring back relics or last words was already the final mercy among adventurers.
Mikoto took a deep breath.
Holding her breath, she peeked out from behind the rock bit by bit.
Looking toward that wide-open underground cavern filled with piercing hissing sounds.
However.
The moment Mikoto's line of sight finally landed on the center of the cavern.
Her pupils suddenly shrank.
"This is..."
The anticipated scene.
Was adventurers being surrounded by monsters, fighting a desperate cornered beast's struggle back-to-back.
Was blood-drenched screams, dying wails, and torn limbs.
But.
There was none.
There was nothing at all.
No.
To be precise.
The ones letting out screams were not adventurers.
But rather that swarm of killer rabbits that usually made people gnash their teeth in hatred in the Middle Levels—the Almiraj.
At this moment.
This massive cavern, capable of accommodating hundreds of people, was simply a living scroll of hell.
A black-haired girl gripped the long ears of two Almiraj in her hands.
Just like swinging two ragdolls.
Towards the swarm of red-eyed rabbits charging forward, she rounded her arms and hurled them.
"Boom!"
A muffled thud.
Those two rabbits, used as morning stars, smashed viciously into their companions.
Following that.
The girl landed with a backflip, smoothly delivering a sweeping kick.
"Bang!"
Two rabbits nearby that had just tried to pounce were directly kicked flying by that slender thigh like kicking a rubber ball, smashing against the rock wall and exploding into clumps of black ash.
Mikoto shifted her gaze slightly.
She saw that on the periphery of the battlefield.
A girl wearing a Hannya mask—although the mask only covered the upper half of her face, revealing a delicate pair of lips and a chin.
Was currently complaining while swinging the long sword in her hand.
"Honestly..."
"Why are there so many of these rabbits!"
"I can't finish cutting them down!"
"I want to go back and eat too!"
Even though she was complaining verbally.
The sword in her hand didn't stop for a moment.
It was a pitch-black long sword—[Black Crow].
Every swing brought forth a sharp black blade of light.
Although her movements looked somewhat wide and sweeping, even carrying a bit of ruggedness.
But that kind of power...
"Clang—!"
An Almiraj swung its stone axe down.
The girl did not dodge or evade, directly meeting it with her blade.
Metal and iron clashed.
That stone axe was actually cleaved directly into two halves from the middle!
Along with the rabbit behind it, which was also cleaved diagonally from the shoulder by this strike, turning into a sky full of black ash.
"What immense strength..."
Mikoto was secretly alarmed.
Although her techniques seemed a bit unpolished, this pure strength attribute probably wasn't inferior to herself, a Lv.2.
And in the shadows on the other side.
There was also a blonde girl holding a slender rapier.
Every thrust of her sword precisely struck the vitals like the throats or eyes of those monsters.
One hit, certain kill.
Absolutely no dragging mud or water.
What was this situation?
Were these people Lv.3 adventurers?
Just as Mikoto thought this was a veteran adventurer party.
Mikoto's gaze swept past the edge of the battlefield.
Suddenly.
Her whole body trembled.
On that slightly safer high ground.
Stood a figure.
A signature red eyepatch, a lazy and casual standing posture, and that large red sword slung over her shoulder.
—Tsubaki Collbrande.
Captain of the [Hephaestus Familia].
Orario's renowned Lv.5, First-Class Adventurer.
"Lady Tsubaki?!"
Mikoto almost cried out loud.
Since that big shot was here...
Then the identities of this group of rookies were completely obvious.
—That Familia that had been causing a massive uproar since last night.
—The [Haimer Familia].
"It's actually them..."
Mikoto widened her eyes.
She had also heard the rumors from last night.
Saying that there was a group of newly registered rookies led by Tsubaki who slaughtered their way through the first 12 floors on their very first day.
At the time, she thought it was an exaggeration, or, like others, believed that Lady Tsubaki had been constantly intervening to help.
But now...
Watching this scene where even in this situation, Lady Tsubaki was merely slinging her sword over her shoulder and watching the show from the high ground, while they were still able to slaughter hundreds of Almiraj into a total rout.
Mikoto believed it.
She even felt that the rumor was still too conservative.
"How are they rookies..."
"This is simply a pack of monsters wearing human skin."
____
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