Intense flames dyed the metal walls crimson.
The poisonous caterpillars clinging to the walls and ceiling let out shrill screams before instantly turning to ash and vanishing.
Eiji led the charge at the front.
A magic sword gripped in each hand, he unleashed ferocious flames from their blades, incinerating every monster blocking their path!
Not just him—nearly everyone behind him also wielded magic swords, carving through the swarming monsters with razor-sharp precision.
"Where did you get so many magic swords?"
Gareth, following closely behind, couldn't help but ask.
"Now's not the time for that!" Eiji shouted, burning through a wave of black-robed figures ahead.
"Just don't push the swords to their limits! Toss them when they're about half-depleted and get a new one from me!"
The group nodded in agreement.
Even when facing groups of humanoid enemies, Eiji showed no mercy—they had already witnessed the terrifying power of these human bombs.
"Trouble! Crystal spiders are catching up from behind!"
"Another new species?"
Eiji clicked his tongue in frustration.
Glancing back, the rapid tapping of multiple legs echoed from the corridor behind them.
Soon, enormous spiders, each as tall as two men, appeared in pursuit. Their bodies were translucent like crystal, with vividly colored magic stones embedded in their chests.
Like the man-eating flowers and green worms, these were new breeds of monsters unique to the corrupted spirit.
But unlike the thick-skinned flowers or the corrosive worms, these crystal spiders possessed terrifying speed. Once caught, escape would be impossible—they'd be surrounded in an instant!
"Ais, cover the rear!"
At his command, an emerald gale surged forth.
The golden-haired girl became a whirlwind of destruction, shredding the pursuing crystal spiders into pieces.
"Bete, left turn up ahead!"
At the front, Bert—who had been clearing the path—grunted in annoyance before kicking through the spiders blocking the way like a human buzzsaw, veering left at the next intersection.
"Are you sure this path leads out?"
The directions Eiji was giving seemed utterly chaotic, and Gareth couldn't hold back another shout.
"No idea! But my gut says it's right!"
Eiji, busy mopping up the monsters Bete had missed, yelled back just as loudly.
"Fine! If we don't make it out, I'm spanking you when we get back!"
"Hard pass! If anyone's doing the spanking, it should be Riveria!"
'Sorry for not being a pretty elf, damn it!'
Gareth grumbled internally.
The spider silk they had prepared before the battle had long since run out. Worse, their enemies seemed to have complete control over the labyrinth, sealing off paths with orichalcum doors at every turn. Their maps were useless—the entire maze had become a honeycomb, riddled with holes and dead ends!
"Alicia, smash those statues!"
Two arrows flew in quick succession, shattering the heads of the statues ahead.
"There are way too many surveillance statues in this labyrinth."
Leading the group forward without pause, Eiji's mind raced as they pressed on.
"There's no way the enemy can control all those surveillance points. Even if they track our route through the destroyed statues, they'll inevitably be at least one step behind us!"
In other words, the enemy's arranged attacks couldn't match their speed.
As long as they maintained this pace, they would surely find the exit soon!
He glanced back at Raul's bloodstained back.
Finn's blood had nearly dyed Raul crimson, his breathing growing weaker by the second—every moment counted now!
All they needed was to secure the exit.
Truth be told, Eiji was anxious too. He was navigating purely by instinct at this point—one wrong move now would be disastrous!
Two deafening crashes resounded. Google seaʀᴄh novelꜰire.net
Massive orichalcum gates slammed down, casting another wave of despair over the group.
"Can we really make it out ?"
Raul's voice trembled.
"If they lower all the gates, we'll be trapped for good!"
Sealing every gate would turn this into a classic "turtles in a jar" scenario.
Without any means to open the gates, Loki Familia would be utterly trapped in this labyrinth. Just cornering them without food or water would suffice to wipe them out.
Eiji remained composed.
"The enemy wants to annihilate us completely, so they've deployed their forces. That means there must be at least one path in this maze reserved for their own troops!"
So far, the red jewel engraved with a "D" that Valletta wielded appeared to be the gate control key.
Yet they hadn't seen anyone else carrying such a jewel, suggesting only a few officers possessed keys.
With most lacking access, the enemy couldn't possibly lower all gates while distributing so many troops across corridors to attack them!
Even without absolute certainty, he had to project absolute confidence.
This was what Finn always did, and Eiji now forced himself to emulate it.
"Shouldn't we enter this room? Looks like a shortcut."
Eiji rejected Alicia's suggestion without even looking.
Floor panels slid open, revealing bottomless pits.
"Been waiting for this!"
Eiji swung the magic sword in his left hand.
The air instantly froze as glacial energy erupted from the blade, sealing the pit's mouth with thick ice to form a frigid bridge.
The group cheered in relief.
So far, no crisis had caught Eiji off guard—he'd overcome every threat with lightning reflexes.
"This kid... really has leadership material!"
Even Gareth had to admit.
Like Finn, Eiji now commanded everyone's unconditional trust—something Gareth couldn't achieve. Finn's eye for talent was undeniable.
Hell, if this guy told him to jump into a pit right now, he might actually do it.
"Jump into this pit!"
Before he could utter a word, Eiji took the lead and leaped into a certain pitfall.
"This old man will risk his life to accompany you!"
Gareth took a deep breath, then let out a resolute shout before following suit.
Behind him, the stunned members of Loki Familia gritted their teeth and jumped down one after another—even Bete turned back and plunged in.
Ais cleared all the monsters at the rear before arriving at the edge of this pitfall.
But immediately afterward, a shadowy figure leaped out like a ghost, swinging a massive black sword toward her with tremendous force!