The rock plate collapsed, and crimson fireballs pierced through the Floor.
As Finn ran and issued his orders, the Valgang Dragon's deafening roar grew clearer.
"Assemble, breath of the land — my name is Alf!"
Almost at the same time, Riveria immediately chanted defensive magic.
"Veil Breath!!"
The instant her delicate song ended, a mantle of green light covered every member of the squad.
This magic could withstand enemy attacks, but in exchange, the emerald Magic Power protecting their bodies would inevitably draw in the Virgas and Viola. That was precisely why Riveria had not cast it earlier.
The warm mantle of light had only just appeared when Finn shouted his order.
"Go!"
With that word as the signal, Gareth leapt toward the huge hole blasted open by the pillar of flame.
The enormous red dragons on Floor 58 watched like predators, their breath swelling as their fiery mouths locked onto their target and unleashed scorching balls of flame.
"Old man!"
Bete was a step slower, and a flash of worry crossed his face.
"Oooooh!!!"
Gareth kept falling, showing no intention of dodging. He raised his giant axe high and used a downward swing as a shield.
A brilliant explosion bloomed in midair, and the roar and smoke swallowed everything.
A moment later, Gareth's shout drowned out the dragons' roars.
"You lot! Don't you dare fall behind!"
Green light covered Gareth, and the Durandal Great Axe was just like his body, completely unharmed.
[Elgarm]. Just as his alias suggested, this Dwarf's sturdy body alone was enough to rival the finest shield.
The strength to break through everything, and the endurance to withstand everything.
With those two qualities, Gareth became a war chariot falling from the sky, forcibly taking countless bombardments head-on.
"Aaaaaah, of course!"
Bete planted a foot against the wall. Using the massive impact of shattering the surface beneath him, he ricocheted through the air again and again.
Scorching fireballs grazed Bete's fur, but he showed no fear at all. At a speed surpassing Gareth's, he charged straight toward Floor 58.
"Now this is a rare experience. Make sure you save me some Valgang Dragon materials!"
Using Gareth's cover, Tsubaki also began her rapid descent.
"What's that stinking Werewolf acting so cocky for?"
Tione roared in displeasure.
Because of the distance between the vanguard and the middle guard, she was slightly late in jumping into the hole.
"Argonaut-kun, be careful, okay? Woohoo~!"
There was not a trace of fear on Tiona's face. One moment she was waving in encouragement, and the next she was shouting happily.
"..."
Finn said nothing more. He only gave the boy a trusting look before turning and leaping into the hole.
From Floor 52 to Floor 57, each Floor was an extremely broad labyrinth, but Floor 58 was one single area without partitions. As long as they dealt with the Valgang Dragons, there would be no need to worry about regrouping.
Cannon fire roared, and monsters surged in like a tide.
In the blink of an eye, the elite squad split in two.
...
"Viola and Virga monsters are coming!"
Alicia served as the middle guard's supporter, so there was a little distance between her and Bell's group.
Just as they were preparing to regroup, she noticed the monsters closing in and shouted the information immediately.
"..."
In that brief instant, Riveria did not give any orders.
Since Finn had handed command over to the boy, all she needed to do was obey Bell.
The squad Riveria was in had a fairly balanced composition.
Alicia, Lefiya, and Riveria had barely consumed anything on Floor 51, so their Mind was quite plentiful. Even if they encountered an Enhanced Species, they could blast it away with powerful firepower.
On the other hand, Ryuu and Ais were both first-tier Adventurers skilled in close combat, more than capable of handling the yellow-green monsters drawn in by Magic Power.
Although Bell's level was low, he only needed to give the right commands. He did not need to take part in battle himself.
Finn had already considered this situation when deciding the formation, which was why the entire party could split in two so smoothly.
Riveria felt that, beyond trusting the boy, Finn must have had other considerations as well. Even though they were not from the same Familia, he viewed Bell Cranel as a successor in command and was giving him the proper stage.
As a woman in love, Riveria felt a small flicker of joy.
However, before she could savor it, the boy gave an unexpected order.
"Ais, handle the new type of monster. Turn right at the next intersection!"
Bell cut out all unnecessary forms of address, making his orders as concise as possible.
"..."
Riveria froze for an instant.
Turn right?
If they went down that passage, wouldn't they loop back to the path they had just taken?
Had the boy remembered the route wrong, or was there some other factor at play?
If Riveria were commanding, she would definitely follow the planned route and break through by the shortest path. After all, monsters spawned at very short intervals in the Deep Floors. In this purgatory, blindly prioritizing safety and taking detours would only increase their risk.
Finn and the others had descended rapidly toward Floor 58 to deal with the Valgang Dragons, but that only drew fire and bought time for the party. They themselves had to remain at the bottom of the Dragon's Vase to prevent new monsters from spawning. If not for that limitation, Finn could have sent an elite squad down first to eliminate the Valgang Dragons, then had everyone else enter the Dragon's Vase area afterward.
In short, the squad Riveria was in still had to rely on itself and head to Floor 58 through the proper route.
But the boy was deliberately taking a detour, and even Riveria could not grasp his intention.
As long as they kept running and dealt with the monsters blocking the way, every other monster that attacked would be swallowed by the fireballs.
Riveria was puzzled, but she still followed the boy's instruction and sprinted to the right.
Pillars of fire rose, and heat waves swept over everyone's bodies.
"Tempest."
Ais drew the Desperate Sword, clad herself in storm armor, and charged into the sea of monsters ahead.
Countless Viola screamed as they were torn to pieces, and the corrosive liquid from the Virgas could not harm Ais in the slightest.
The storm trampled everything, and her light-speed slashes slaughtered the attacking monsters.
The others followed Ais's steps, quickly crossed the room, and turned into the passage on the right.
Just as Riveria had thought, there was only one path ahead, and it led to a room they had already reached.
Suddenly, a huge hole entered her field of vision.
"The hole in the wall ahead on the left, jump through it! Prepare for battle the moment we land. There's a high chance of spider-type monsters!"
Bell loudly gave the order.
"..."
Riveria immediately understood the boy's intention.
The labyrinth was no longer limited to the lines and boxes on the map. Bell was using the Valgang Dragons' ability to blast apart walls to save a great deal of time.
It was indeed a method only the boy would think of.
But the fireball shattering part of the wall was only a coincidence. It was nothing more than luck.
Could Bell really keep using this way of fighting?
Riveria did not know the answer.
She only felt that the boy's thinking was definitely not that simple.
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