"For my Zanpakuto! DIEEEE!"
Alise swung her longsword, cleaving a giant tiger in two.
The six Adventurers had reached the 15th Floor. The tiger Alise had slain was a new monster native to this level, but it was no match for her.
'Though it's only speculation, her numbers in at least two stats must have reached S-Rank.' Rayleigh believed she was on the verge of leveling up.
As a Captain, she had temporarily stepped away from her Familia duties to team up with them, likely seeking a Great Feat.
Reaching Level 3 would make leading her Familia into the Dungeon much safer.
Squeak!
A Dungeon Bat flapped its wings, trying to escape.
Rayleigh seized the opening, using Haineko to block its path.
A moment later, Ardi raised Nejibana and fired a water cannon, obliterating the creature.
"Well done, Ardi, Rayleigh," Alise praised.
"Just as expected of the Middle Floors. The monsters are much stronger here," Rayleigh remarked.
On this floor, even Haineko's strikes could no longer fell a tiger in a single blow.
The ash-constructed blades struggled against the beast's thick muscles, forcing him to target vulnerable spots like the face and abdomen.
Aizen once said that battles between Shinigami were battles of spiritual pressure.
With his Level 1 status and D-Rank stats, Rayleigh had to take the monsters on the 15th Floor seriously.
He held his ground by relying on his Zanpakuto's power.
In comparison, Ais was a true monster.
Even Bell Cranel, the "Hero" of the next era, nearly died challenging a Level 2 Minotaur despite possessing all S-Rank stats.
Although Ottar had trained that specific Minotaur, its baseline stats still fell within the Level 2 range.
Bell's rapid-fire magic, Firebolt, could obliterate Level 1 monsters, but it could not pierce the Minotaur's muscles.
It was a perfect example of the massive gap between Level 1 and Level 2.
Facing a Level 2 monster in reality, Rayleigh realized his underestimation.
He had believed that with his Zanpakuto, defeating a Level 2 monster would be no harder than fighting a Level 1.
Now, he was pushing himself to his limit as he stood alone against a Minotaur.
Rayleigh used Shunpo to evade a heavy punch, his twin blades carving an X-shaped strike.
The Minotaur's forearm split open, blood gushing from the wound.
Seizing the opening created by its roar of pain, Rayleigh spin, channeling his momentum into a double-bladed reverse slash.
He carved two massive wounds across the Minotaur's chest!
Thud.
The Minotaur's towering body crashed to one knee.
'Now is my chance!'
Rayleigh aimed for the beast's thick neck. Even if he could not sever its head, cutting its throat would end the battle.
'No wonder this monster nearly killed Bell. After being drained by Ruri'iro Kujaku, it's still putting up this much of a fight. If I had not weakened it first, I don't know how I could have won.'
"Watch out! It's a trap!" Kaguya's voice rang out.
Rayleigh froze, his pupils contracting.
He retreated with a full-power Shunpo.
Roar!
The dying Minotaur, using its bent knee for leverage, unleashed a burst of power and speed.
It lowered its head, thrusting its twin horns in a vicious upward sweep.
Rayleigh shuddered. If he had charged in a moment earlier, he would have been impaled through the chest!
'A desperate counterattack. It's willing to go down with me. Tch.'
"Bakudō Number One: Sai."
"Bakudō Number Four: Hainawa."
"Bakudō Number Nine: Geki!"
Rayleigh chained three Bakudō spells to restrain the Minotaur, which was thrashing with a deathbed surge of vitality.
Having pinned the creature, he focused his mind and began the incantation.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws."
As Rayleigh completed the chant, spiritual power surged, converging in his palm as he aimed forward.
"Hadō Number Thirty-Three: Sōkatsui!"
A blinding burst of blue flames erupted, engulfing the Minotaur and illuminating the cavern.
'Huff, huff... A fully chanted Sōkatsui is the strongest Kidō I can use right now.'
The smoke and dust cleared.
All that remained on the scorched ground was the Minotaur's Magic Stone. One strike had reduced its massive body to ash~
'No wonder it's the thirty-third Hadō.'
Rayleigh's lips curled into a smile.
His spiritual pressure waned as he pulled a potion from his pouch and drank it. Seeing the battle was over, the girls rushed to his side.
"You did it! You defeated a Minotaur! That was amazing!"
"I've never seen anyone fight like that."
"It's unbelievable."
Ardi marveled, "You only arrived in Orario recently, yet you managed to defeat a Minotaur by yourself? No one would believe it if we told them."
Rayleigh felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
Surrounded by such talented girls, it was hard to remain calm.
"Oh, right. Kaguya, thank you for the warning."
"It was nothing. Besides, if you had finished the battle with Ruri'iro Kujaku from the start, you would not have been in any danger."
Rayleigh scratched his cheek and explained, "True strength cannot rely on a Zanpakuto's abilities alone. I learned that from someone."
"Oh? That person must be quite strong then," Kaguya nodded.
"Yes, he was strong."
Aizen Sosuke.
His Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, possessed the ability of complete hypnosis.
The Captains of the Soul Society only valued the blade's power, unaware that Aizen's true strength lay within himself.
Even without complete hypnosis, his Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō were all flawless.
His effortless dispatch of Captains, treating it as casually as brushing dust off his shoulder, left a permanent impression on Rayleigh.
Absolute strength meant honing every aspect of oneself to the absolute limit.
With such a model before him, Rayleigh only needed to follow in those footsteps!
"Let's rest here for a bit, then start heading back. Tomorrow, we will aim to reach the Safe Floor in one go, alright?"
"Oh! The 18th Floor? It's been ages since I've been there."
"Then it's decided!"
The six-person team continued their daily adventures in the Middle Floors.
...
Two months passed.
As more people witnessed their battles, their reputation spread among the Third-Class Adventurers.