Midair above the Dragon's Vase.
It was as if heaven and earth had been turned upside down, with a violent rain of fire pouring down from the bottom of Floor 58.
"Isn't it a little cruel to leave command to that kid?"
Gareth swung his massive axe through the air. Its astonishing power cleaved into a fireball, reducing it to smoke and dust.
Bell Cranel had only been an Adventurer for a little over two months. In the eyes of the battle-hardened Gareth, the boy was still nothing more than a rookie Adventurer.
Finn had not only brought him along on this expedition and taken him into the Dragon's Vase, he had even handed command of the squad over to him with startling decisiveness. His actions were far too radical.
"I won't deny that I've placed a heavy burden on the boy, but don't misunderstand one thing."
Finn kept his diving posture, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at the crimson Valgang Dragon below.
Amid the winds stirred up by their descent, the [Braver]'s words seemed to carry a trace of caution.
"Bell Cranel and we are equal partners. I didn't hand command over to him because I panicked. On the contrary, I brought him into this operation precisely because I had my eye on his ability to command."
Bell Cranel would be accompanying Loki Familia to Floor 59. Finn had never announced that fact, and even Loki herself knew nothing about it.
The same was true for Goddess Hestia and the boy's other lovers. Aside from not wanting to worry them, Finn also saw Bell's presence as one of the trump cards for this expedition.
Because of the effects of his Skills, once Finn unleashed his full combat ability, his judgment would drop sharply.
Command was vital to the entire team, and Finn had always been constrained by that fact. He wanted to raise an outstanding successor, but most of Loki Familia's first-tier Adventurers were hardly easy to manage. As for the other members, with Raul at their head, expecting them to shoulder such a heavy responsibility in such a short time was nothing but wishful thinking.
Finn had placed great hopes on the boy.
His finger throbbed faintly. Finn's intuition told him that a fierce battle was definitely waiting on Floor 59. He hoped that when they reached their limit, the boy would be able to take his place and assume command of the entire team. Their current situation was partly forced by circumstance, but it was also a way to help Bell Cranel grow quickly.
Their conversation reached the others.
"Old man, you should worry more about yourself."
Bete planted one foot on a Wyvern's body, used it to cushion himself for an instant, then plunged downward again.
"Heh. Since when did you trust that boy so much?"
Tione imitated Gareth and smashed an incoming fireball with her ax-spear.
Compared to [Elgarm], her strike was slightly weaker. The magma-like heat did not dissipate completely, but a green membrane shone around her. The defensive Magic Riveria had cast earlier protected Tione.
"Huh? Bete actually trusts Argonaut-kun?!"
Disbelief spread across Tiona's face.
Back when the boy had first met Loki Familia, Tiona had even argued with Bete about what made someone strong. She simply could not believe that this vicious Vanargand had actually made peace with the boy.
"Shut up. I'm taking the first one!"
Bete drew a magic sword and pressed it against his silver boot. The yellow gem absorbed the magic sword's power, and in the next instant, lightning wrapped around it.
Thunderlight burst forth.
The moment Bete landed, the huge red dragon he had used as a stepping stone collapsed with a howl.
The rapid descent operation was a success.
Just as Finn and the others followed Bete down to the ground of Floor 58 and began wiping out the Valgang Dragons one by one, an abnormality suddenly struck.
Explosion.
Collapse.
An unprecedented roar echoed throughout the Dragon's Vase.
...
A short while earlier, countless crimson Wyverns had roared toward Bell and the others.
"Riveria, Ice Magic! Ryuu, buy us time!"
"Ais, handle the monsters drawn in by the Magic Power! Everyone else, run as close to the right side of the passage as you can!"
Bell glanced at the attacking dragon swarm and quickly changed their course.
Finn had once said that after acquiring Durandal weapons, aside from the Valgang Dragons at the bottom of the Dragon's Vase, the greatest threat would be Wyverns that ignored floor boundaries and launched sudden attacks.
Their firepower was lower, but these monsters could still blast out fireballs.
"Firebolt!"
Bell's Firebolt was not enough to cancel them out completely, and the remnants of the fireballs still struck the group. But green robes of light shone around them, blocking the weakened shockwave.
After one volley, Ryuu stepped forward quickly and used her wooden sword to stop the Wyverns' fangs and claws.
A sword dance unfolded together with Riveria's beautiful chant.
On the other side, Ais swung the Desperate Blade, holding back the worm-type monsters drawn by the immense Magic Power.
"Wynn Fimbulvetr!"
A moment later, Riveria raised her staff and released frost Magic at the swarm of Wyverns.
Three blizzards descended, burying the Wyverns' red scales beneath a white storm.
"Great… huh?!"
As the Wyverns dropped through the openings in the Dragon's Vase, Lefiya had only just breathed a sigh of relief and begun admiring Bell's command. In the very next instant, countless Wyverns beat their wings and charged toward them again.
Among them were extremely fast Enhanced Species, Ill Wyvern.
"?!"
Riveria furrowed her brow.
With her sharp mind, she understood that this was the turning point for their command decisions.
The boy's route used the huge holes blasted open by the Valgang Dragons, deliberately avoiding the regular path. In the same way, these Wyverns born on the deeper floors were crawling up through those holes.
It was as if the Dungeon itself was pouring malice into their path. If they continued advancing the same way as before, they would have to deal with an endless stream of Wyvern monsters.
Most importantly, with the Valgang Dragons still threatening them, Bell and the others could not stop, finish off the Wyverns first, and then keep moving. They had to stay in motion without pause.
"Run to the left passage!"
Bell made an immediate decision, choosing to head toward an area the Valgang Dragons had not bombarded.
He did not know whether that decision was correct. But Bell knew one thing for certain: their previous method of advancing would lead straight to death.
Riveria and the other first-tier Adventurers would be fine, but mages like Lefiya and Alicia would never be able to break through a swarm of Wyverns.
So even though Bell suspected there was something wrong with the area on the left, he still made the call.
"Ais, lure the Enhanced Species into the passage up ahead on the left!"
Bell gave a rather difficult order, deciding to use the monster to scout the way.
"Tempest."
Ais did not hesitate in the slightest. Wrapped in wind, she leaped up and used Ariel to remain suspended in the air.
The Desperate Sword unleashed a violent gust, knocking the Ill Wyvern at the front of the charge into the left passage.
"Gah!"
The Ill Wyvern roared, preparing to fire a retaliatory fireball.
However.
Before those flames could fully form, a crimson light swallowed the entire left passage.
"?!"
"Get down!!!!!!"
In the next second, the boy's shout was drowned beneath an endless roar.