Meanwhile, in one of the dim and gloomy passageways of the Dungeon, Revis and the man in white appeared together.
"Damn it!"
*BANG!*
Suddenly, the man let out his frustration in a harsh, violent voice and slammed his fist into the passage wall, shattering it.
From this scene alone, it was clear that he possessed abnormal physical strength just like Revis—strength far beyond that of ordinary men.
And yet, someone like him still ended up fleeing in utter disgrace.
"Just a little more..." the man said with deep unwillingness. "Just a little more, and that fetus would've grown to the level where it could undergo metamorphosis. Everything ended up wasted."
Revis did not respond to the man's words and stood there coldly, faint steam-like mist continuing to rise from her body as magical energy regenerated her flesh.
By now, most of her injuries had healed—even her severed arm had grown out halfway.
At this rate, she would eventually return to her normal state.
Such regenerative ability could not be called something human—it could not even be called the ability of a monster. At the very least, aside from a small number of special species, ordinary monsters normally did not possess such absurd regenerative ability.
Yet as a hybrid of human and monster, Revis held that ability—combined with strength comparable to a Level 6.
If she had not encountered Riezel and Ais, who both held the title of the strongest, she likely would not have lost against an ordinary Level 6.
But this time, she lost completely.
Not only did she fail to deal with Riezel, but she also failed to handle the girl she viewed as nothing more than a little brat.
"Aria..."
Revis murmured the name softly as she clenched her fists, her expression icy—only then did the man finally pull himself out of his frustration and glance toward her.
"Is she really the Aria that 'She' is looking for?"
Gazing at Revis, the man raised the question with doubt.
"Didn't you feel it?"
Revis answered coldly, without even turning her head.
"Yes, I felt it..." the man muttered with a frown. "When that 'Wind' appeared, 'She' really did get excited—happy, even—telling me that was the target, but it doesn't make sense. I mean, the Sword Princess already started making a name for herself back when I was still on the surface. Back then, she wasn't even ten yet—a human little girl. How could she be the Aria that 'She' has been searching for all these years?"
"No matter," Revis replied without emotion. "All I know is that if 'She' wants it, then I have to bring that girl back."
"..."
After a long silence, the man finally spoke again, his tone turning flippant.
"You're not wrong. Whether that girl is Aria or not doesn't matter. Since 'She' says she is, then she is. We just need to offer her up."
"But things just got a bit troublesome. If we're going up against the Sword Princess, that means we're also going up against the Loki Familia."
"One of Orario's strongest factions. I didn't expect we'd be facing them this soon. I really didn't see that coming."
Hearing this, Revis unexpectedly did not ignore his words as she usually did.
"How strong is that familia?"
Revis asked the man only a single question.
"After so many years away from the surface, I don't know exactly how strong the Loki Familia is now..." the man muttered thoughtfully. "But one thing's for sure: if the Sword Princess has already reached Level 6, then Braver, Elgarm, and Nine Hell may not have hit Level 7 yet, but they can't be far behind."
In other words, the Loki Familia still had at least three people who could match Revis, or even pose a direct threat to her.
"And who was that boy?"
Revis brought up another matter, her tone carrying not the slightest hint of emotion.
Naturally, she was referring to Riezel.
"I really don't know."
Recalling Riezel, the man was just as confused as before.
"A First-Class Adventurer that young, and already at Level 6. Having the Sword Princess alone is shocking enough, but when did Orario gain another one?"
"Is he Vanargand? No, Vanargand is a beast-human..."
"Or maybe he's from the Freya Familia?"
"But even the Freya Familia doesn't have anyone who could reach Level 6 in just a few years."
As the man continued muttering to himself, it only irritated Revis further.
'Forget it. Whoever he is, if he dares get in my way, I'll just kill him...' Revis told herself silently, her heart cold as ice. 'But if I want to deal with him, Aria, and possibly even the Loki Familia, my strength still isn't enough.'
She touched her chest, recalling Riezel's swordsmanship and powerful magic—always suppressing her, beating her until she was covered in wounds.
She recalled the 'Wind' of Ais, capable of slaying Viscum in one strike and easily overwhelming her monstrous strength.
She recalled her own pathetic, miserable helplessness in this encounter.
From these memories surged an intense longing for power, an intent to 'hunt' for a while.
In the end, Revis decided she needed to increase her strength first.
As a hybrid of human and monster, she could not receive a Falna or grow stronger through excelia like an adventurer, but she had her own method of growing stronger—one even more convenient and faster than the adventurers blessed by Falna.
It was just that she seemed to be the only one with such an idea, as, after his long chain of self-questioning, the man arrived at a different conclusion.
"No choice then. I'll make a rare trip back to the surface and see if I can find a chance to bring Aria back."
Before Revis could respond, a voice answered him first.
"No. You still cannot appear on the surface."
It was a voice like several people speaking at once, eerie and sinister.
Revis and the man looked toward the source and saw a figure step out from the darkness.
It was a figure wearing a long purplish-black hooded robe, a red mask painted with black, ominous patterns, and red metal gauntlets—every part of their body was covered, not a single bit of skin exposed.
"It is not time yet," the masked figure said in a mechanical tone. "If you appear on the surface now, you will only disrupt my master's plan."
Hearing this, Revis and the man gazed at the masked figure with strange expressions, but their gazes were clearly not those one would direct at a companion.
"We've already found Aria," Revis said coldly, her eyes narrowing. "You know this is 'Her' wish."
"Then you should also know that what we are doing is a wish shared by us and 'Her'," the masked figure replied without wavering. "For the sake of my master's plan, you cannot act rashly. Besides, you are not the Sword Princess's match."
Such a blunt statement stung both Revis and the man.
"You've got some nerve..." Revis cast a murderous gaze toward him. "If you want to say that in front of me, at least wait until you become 'complete.'"
At this, the masked figure paused for a moment, then responded calmly.
"I'm already in my 'complete' state."
Upon hearing this, Revis's expression shifted.
Ignoring her reaction, the masked figure continued in a tone that was neither warm nor cold.
"Before I came here, my master told me that if I remained in my 'incomplete' state, I would end up just like you two—played around by the Sword Princess and the Trickster Sword."
"And my master was right. Both the Sword Princess and the Trickster Sword were far stronger than we expected."
"If I hadn't been hiding nearby and keeping my sights on the Trickster Sword, you two would not have even escaped."
They paused slightly before continuing.
"Don't blame me for not warning you. He may be far stronger than you think."
"I felt a tangible threat coming from him."
"I have a feeling that if I had acted earlier, I might have stopped him, but the outcome wouldn't necessarily have been in my favor."
Even this masked figure, who had been observing Riezel from the shadows, felt threatened by his presence, which was why they never revealed themselves.
It wasn't just to keep watch on Riezel, but also because they didn't dare act rashly.
While Riezel was being restrained by them, the masked figure was also being restrained by Riezel—both sides attempted to lure the other out, attempted to strike first, yet neither succeeded.
Only when the Jewel Fetus parasitized Viscum and could no longer be recovered did the masked figure decide to retreat, bringing an end to that unseen clash in the shadows.
"I can say with certainty that the Trickster Sword is even more troublesome and stronger than the Sword Princess."
"Everyone has been fooled by him—or rather, they underestimated him and never noticed his true strength."
"And I must tell you—he isn't Level 6 but still only Level 5."
Revis's pupils shrank sharply upon hearing this.
"Impossible!" the man shouted with a disbelief expression. "That kind of power could never belong to just a Level 5!"
"But he is indeed Level 5—that's common knowledge on the surface."
Ignoring the two reactions, the masked figure replied nonchalantly.
"Of course, he may be only Level 5, but both gods and mortals believe he can fight above his level."
"Many already consider him the strongest magic swordsman in Orario right now."
"Last time you two requested it, my master released the Violas onto the surface to search for Aria—and he was the one who took them out."
"And now you've seen for yourselves what his strength is like."
As these words fell, the masked figure turned away.
"Leave the surface to my master. You don't have to worry about it for now."
"What you should do is continue the plan and destroy Orario as soon as possible."
"If you really have nothing to do, then go hunt."
"Otherwise, when the plan officially begins, you won't even be able to handle the Sword Princess, let alone the Trickster Sword."
Leaving these words behind, the masked figure walked away.
"Damn Enyo!"
Seeing the masked figure's retreating figure, the man cursed the name of the so-called 'master' under his breath.
Revis remained silent—only the murderous aura and icy coldness in her green eyes continued to build.
Just like that, the restless darkness settled once more, hiding its fangs—waiting patiently for the next chance to sink them into an enemy's throat.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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