After finishing his explanation, Rayleigh turned to Ardi and gestured for her to continue.
Ardi raised her hand. "Next is me. I am proficient with swords and polearms. When I release Nejibana, it generates water waves with each strike. I will protect everyone from fire attacks."
Her introduction left her friends feeling as if they were looking at a stranger.
Especially Ryuu, who was the closest to Ardi among them.
"Ardi, aren't you a swordswoman? When did you start using polearms?"
Lyra interjected. "I think the second half is more important. 'Released'? Are you saying your attacks are enchanted with water magic?"
'Ugh.'
Ardi looked annoyed.
She clasped her hands together with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, everyone. I would love to demonstrate it, but using Shikai drains me right now. I'll save it for when we actually need it, alright?"
"..."
Lyra sighed.
She suspected Rayleigh was involved in Ardi's strange change.
Alise, recalling Rayleigh's explanation, asked, "Hey Ardi, is that sword of yours one of the Zanpakuto Rayleigh mentioned?"
"That's right! It's a Water-type Zanpakuto named Nejibana." Ardi grinned.
"When she swings it, it creates literal waves of water. It's really cool!" Rayleigh added.
"Hehe, I feel the same way," Ardi agreed.
Following that, the members of the Astraea Familia gave their own introductions.
First was Alise.
A frontline swordswoman boasting high Strength, Agility, and Magic, she possessed Fire-element Enchantment Magic and Skills built to enhance her combat power.
Next was Gojouno Kaguya.
A Dexterity-focused swordswoman, she specialized in dual-wielding, kodachi, and iaijutsu. Her Skills were heavy-hitting, specialized types, and her swordsmanship was top-tier.
Then came Ryuu.
Packing high Agility and Magic, she fought using the same Far Eastern blade techniques as Kaguya, while also wielding wide-range attack Magic.
The group continued their advance while swapping intel.
Before long, they cleared the 10th Floor.
"This is absurd. We are moving way too fast," Lyra muttered, feeling a bit useless.
They had not encountered a single monster the entire way down, just as Rayleigh promised.
A drop of sweat rolled down Rayleigh's forehead as he lifted the hilt of his sword.
"Return, Haineko."
Dropping its Shikai, Haineko snapped back into a normal blade and Rayleigh sheathed it.
"I need to take a breather. You all can handle it from here, right?"
"Leave it to us!" Alise grinned, brimming with enthusiasm.
Rayleigh did not intervene during the battles on the 11th and 12th Floors.
He hung back, observing each combatant's fighting style and taking mental notes.
'Everyone here is really strong...'
...
13th Floor.
Rayleigh triggered Haineko's Shikai again, switching to radar mode.
After walking a short distance, he called out. "Enemies ahead. Eight of them."
'Huh?'
His warning caught the girls off guard. Seeing his serious expression, they dropped into combat stances.
"Incoming. Fifteen meters out."
Alise, Kaguya, and Ardi tightened their grips.
A moment later, Hellhounds burst from the shadows.
The trio, already locked and loaded, lunged forward and cleaved the beasts in half the second they jumped.
In one clash, a pack of eight Hellhounds was reduced to two!
An easy victory.
"Wow, you were right! How did you know?" Alise asked.
Rayleigh gave his hilt a small shake. "I let the ash drift down the tunnels. When something touches it, Haineko feeds it back to me."
"A built-in radar? That's incredible! I never thought about using magic like that," Alise said.
It was not her first time in the Middle Floors, but this battle was the easiest she had ever experienced.
Down in the Middle Floors, Rayleigh stopped using Haineko for direct attacks, relying on it for recon.
After all, he had powerful allies watching his back now.
Swish!
Kaguya's iaijutsu flashed and the last two Hellhounds dropped dead.
She glanced back, noticing how smooth the engagement was. Her respect for Rayleigh ticked up another notch.
"I think we are good to push deeper," Alise decided.
Everyone agreed.
Rayleigh did not object. With their current firepower, the 13th Floor posed no challenge to them.
Shortly after stepping onto the 14th Floor, Rayleigh's tone shifted.
"Dead ahead, two o'clock. We have a massive cluster of monsters. If we pull aggro, we are fighting at least twenty of them at once."
Hearing that, Lyra looked stressed. "What's the play? Should we fall back to the 13th Floor?"
Alise flashed a confident smirk. "No need! We will take them head-on!"
'Heh.'
The others let out small laughs and nobody looked scared.
"——!!"
The Hellhounds caught their scent and lost their minds.
The noise alerted a pack of Al-Miraj on the other side as both swarms rushed them at the same time!
Rayleigh and Ardi shared a look before stepping up to the frontline.
"Just the two of you?" Kaguya asked.
Ardi looked back with a confident smile. "Leave it to us."
Shing!
A wave of Al-Miraj charged in, swinging their axes.
Rayleigh pulled his Zanpakuto and called out his release. "Bloom in a frenzy, Ruri'iro Kujaku!"
The blade flared with a lapis light, and glowing vines shot out, swallowing up the horde of rabbits.
The vines tightened, crushing the life out of them in seconds.
The Hellhounds were right behind them.
Ardi spin her Zanpakuto, whipping it faster and faster until the blade morphed into a massive trident.
She gripped the shaft tight.
"Rankle the Seas and the Skies, Nejibana!"
Swinging the heavy trident, she brought it crashing down with everything she had.
Boom!
Like a dam bursting open, a massive tidal wave slammed into the Hellhounds, washing them away like driftwood.
"This is...!"
Alise, her eyes gleaming with hype, was the only one not stunned. Kaguya, Ryuu, and Lyra stood frozen in shock.
'Just like they said...'
'Those weapons are packing some insane power—it's completely overwhelming!'
Seeing Rayleigh and Ardi suppress the horde, Kaguya snapped out of it. "Stop gawking! Let's wipe the rest of them out while they are down!"
Rip!
Ardi delivered the finishing blow and the chaotic battle was over in just two minutes.
Ryuu stared at Ardi holding that massive trident, feeling a strange disconnect.
'How is Ardi hitting this hard? She is on a completely different level from the girl I know.'
'Zanpakuto...'
'Those are really some terrifying weapons.'
"Rayleigh! Hey, Rayleigh! Can we make an exclusive contract? You mentioned there was a Zanpakuto that lets me breathe fire, right? I want it so bad!" Alise begged, her eyes shining with pure need!