Chapter 347

Chapter 347: Chapter 347

41st Floor — Giant Graveyard.

Rumble—!

One towering skeletal giant after another clawed its way out of the earth, brandishing enormous weapons as they charged toward Kiriya’s group with deafening roars.

"Freeze."

Esdeath spoke the word almost casually.

The lower bodies of the nearest giants instantly became encased in thick ice, and before they could break free, a sweeping frost-coated slash tore through them and sent their skulls flying.

The remaining giants roared in fury and converged on her, eager to crush the arrogant human who had just slaughtered their companions.

"Not happening!"

"You’re not the only one here!"

Tiona and Tione rushed forward with their weapons in hand.

In only a few exchanges, several skeletal giants had their limbs hacked away, after which the sisters shattered their exposed magic stones and finished them off.

Once the immediate threat was gone, both girls glanced toward Esdeath as though to say they were hardly falling behind.

Unfortunately, the Ice Queen never even noticed.

She was already busy cutting down the next group of enemies, leaving their little attempt to show off completely wasted.

Bete cared nothing for any of that.

His body became a pale blur as he ricocheted between the giants, every landing accompanied by a ferocious kick that shattered bones and sent fragments flying across the battlefield.

Ais was even more frightening.

Wrapped in wind, she practically transformed into a razor-sharp arrow streaking through the graveyard.

Every time she descended, several monsters disappeared with her, and her efficiency at clearing enemies was terrifying even by first-class adventurer standards.

Watching their vanguard tear through the battlefield so overwhelmingly infected even the second-class adventurers with the same enthusiasm.

Raul and the others charged forward with excited shouts, their morale soaring as though the entire expedition had suddenly turned into a competition over who could kill the most monsters.

"These idiots really do get carried away too easily."

Gareth cleaved through a skeletal giant and shook his head helplessly.

"Well, when the people at the front are that energetic, it’s hard not to get swept up in it."

Finn smiled wryly.

"It isn’t necessarily a bad thing," Riveria added. "At least we’re advancing considerably faster."

Under normal circumstances, the Loki Familia might have lingered on floors like this for a while and allowed their lower-level members to gain more practical experience.

But now that they knew several enormous threats were waiting on the 60th Floor, speed mattered far more than training opportunities.

"Keep an eye on your stamina and coordinate with the second-class adventurers."

Finn gave the front line a brief reminder and otherwise allowed them to continue.

It did not take long for the expedition to leave the Giant Graveyard behind and enter the Crimson Lotus Mountains.

The landscape ahead was covered in blazing volcanic rock and strange trees that seemed to grow directly from molten stone.

Above them, the sky was crowded with wyverns and other flying monsters, so numerous that they resembled a dark swarm.

Nobody in the expedition looked particularly concerned.

After all, they happened to have two exceptionally powerful ice users with them.

"—O omen of the end, white snow. At the hour of twilight, summon the storm and seal away the light. Let the frozen earth be buried beneath the blizzard, through three bitter winters—my name is Alf."

Riveria completed her chant and raised her staff.

"Wynn Fimbulvetr!"

A bone-piercing wave of cold erupted from her position and swept forward like a white tide.

In the blink of an eye, several kilometers of the blazing mountain range had been transformed into a vast frozen plain.

Riveria remained perfectly composed afterward, as though covering kilometers of volcanic terrain in ice had been nothing more than a routine task.

"Not bad."

Esdeath gave her an approving look.

Then she turned her attention toward the fire-breathing dragons diving from the sky.

Drawing in a deep breath, she exhaled upward, releasing a raging hurricane of freezing air.

Crash! Crash! Crash—!

The airborne monsters froze solid and fell from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot, shattering into pieces as they struck the ground.

Between the two ice mages, the scorching Crimson Lotus Mountains became considerably more "chill" in a matter of moments.

"Let’s keep moving. We’re on a schedule."

Kiriya watched the devastation with complete calm and urged the group forward.

With a force this powerful, their advance remained extraordinarily fast.

Before long, they crossed the sprawling mountain range and reached the safe zone on the 50th Floor.

"Rest while you can. Eat, drink, and replenish your strength."

At Finn’s command, the Loki Familia immediately removed their packs and settled down.

Many began drinking water in large gulps, trying to cool the lingering heat that had accumulated in their bodies while crossing the volcanic terrain.

A short distance away, Kiriya used his summoning scroll to bring out food and supplies for his own group.

"How are you holding up?"

"Fine."

Jeanne and Ryuu both smiled.

They had already experienced several long Dungeon expeditions and handled the pace without much difficulty.

"I’m still not satisfied."

Esdeath took a drink of water and smacked her lips, looking faintly disappointed.

"That really is the most Esdeath answer possible."

Jeanne laughed.

"The deeper we go, the more monsters there will be, and they’ll only become stronger," Ryuu reminded her.

"You’ll get the battles you want soon enough. For now, conserve your strength so you don’t find yourself exhausted when a genuinely dangerous opponent finally appears."

"Heh. You don’t need to worry about my stamina."

Esdeath drank several more mouthfuls before glancing sideways at Kiriya with an amused smile.

"Kiriya is probably the most qualified person here to comment on how long I can last."

Ryuu and Jeanne immediately flushed and glared at her.

"Ahem."

Kiriya coughed.

"There are a lot of people around."

"What? Is there someone here you’re worried about hearing it?"

Esdeath became even more amused by his suddenly awkward reaction.

"If there is, there’s no point hiding it. They’ll find out sooner or later anyway."

She was just about to continue teasing him when Ottar arrived with the senior members of the Freya Familia.

Kiriya quickly seized the opportunity to pull the leadership of both Familias into a strategy meeting.

Ottar’s group first explained everything they had witnessed on the 60th Floor—the Corrupted Spirits, the mutated monsters, and the strange environment surrounding the six enormous flesh pillars.

Kiriya’s side then filled in the missing piece by explaining the Sixfold Spirit Ring and what would happen if the ritual were completed.

By the end, Ottar, Allen, and several others had visibly darkened expressions.

"That’s still only your side of the story."

Allen finally could not stop himself from objecting.

Kiriya looked at him calmly.

"What? You want to gamble the lives of everyone in Orario on the chance that I’m wrong?"

His tone remained light.

"There’s someone important to you in this city too, isn’t there?"

Allen’s face immediately became even uglier.

"Loki has personally confirmed that Kiriya isn’t lying."

Finn lightly tapped the table.

The sound itself was quiet, but the weight behind those words was enormous.

After all, a god was essentially the perfect lie detector.

Hedin and Hogni exchanged subtle looks as the atmosphere around Allen grew increasingly dangerous.

Judging by the way the catman was practically radiating killing intent, they suspected he was already imagining activating his Magic, turning himself into a living chariot, and ramming every Corrupted Spirit on the 60th Floor into dust!

"That’s the situation."

Kiriya swept his gaze across everyone present, his naturally commanding presence becoming impossible to ignore.

"If nobody has any objections, I’m going to start assigning roles."

Finn and the other Loki Familia leaders had no complaints.

Kiriya possessed the most complete intelligence about the enemy and was also the strongest fighter present, so allowing him to coordinate the operation was entirely reasonable.

Ottar and the Freya Familia had even less reason to object.

After the previous War Game, the Freya Familia was technically subordinate to the Hestia Familia anyway.

Of course, that did not mean these three groups were suddenly going to set aside every grudge and cooperate like lifelong comrades.

At best, they would fight their own battles, avoid getting in one another’s way, and coordinate when necessary.

For this operation, that was more than enough.

Seeing no objections, Kiriya nodded once and began dividing the expedition’s forces.