Chapter 356

Chapter 356: Chapter 356

With the Grimoire finally in his possession, Kiriya saw no reason to linger at Twilight Manor.

Loki kept staring at him as though he were her greatest romantic rival, and the intensity of her gaze was making him distinctly uncomfortable.

He quickly took Hestia’s hand and made his escape.

The petite goddess dragged him straight back to Hearthstone Manor, where they spent some time talking before she finally, and very reluctantly, allowed him to leave.

Thanks to the Flying Thunder God markers he had already placed throughout the Dungeon, Kiriya could descend at extraordinary speed.

Within minutes of leaving Orario, he was approaching the battlefield where his companions were currently fighting.

...

"ROOOOAR—!"

A group of Ice Giants, each as large as a small mountain, unleashed thunderous roars as they swung their enormous blunt weapons toward Ais.

The sheer force of their attacks sent violent gusts howling across the battlefield, threatening to crush the girl beneath an overwhelming barrage.

Compared with the towering giants, Ais looked as slender and fragile as a young sapling.

Yet even as those enormous weapons descended upon her from every direction, her expression remained perfectly calm.

"Awaken, Tempest."

A powerful hurricane wrapped around her body, and Ais transformed into a razor-sharp arrow of wind.

She shot forward with astonishing speed, piercing straight through the chests of several giants before they could react.

"ROOOAR—!"

The wounded monsters released furious, unwilling roars, but their resistance was meaningless. Their enormous bodies collapsed and dissolved into ash.

Before Ais could even land, however, a series of piercing whistles sounded behind her.

A pack of gigantic ice lizards had taken advantage of her airborne position and unleashed their freezing breath.

The attacks converged into an enormous wave of frost that surged toward her, covering such a wide area that even Ais could not guarantee she would evade it completely.

Fortunately, she had no reason to worry.

This time, she was not fighting alone.

"Luminosité Eternelle—My God Is Here!"

A beautiful blonde figure dressed in blue appeared behind Ais, raising her battle flag with an unwavering declaration.

A brilliant circular barrier immediately unfolded before the two girls, intercepting the approaching avalanche of freezing air.

The enormous wave of frost crashed against the luminous defense, but the barrier remained as immovable as the earth itself.

"Luminous Wind!"

Ryuu, who had been preparing her Magic throughout the exchange, finally completed her chant.

With a powerful sweep of her right hand, hundreds upon hundreds of brilliant green spheres poured toward the ice lizards, blanketing the battlefield in a devastating magical bombardment.

The monsters were given a thorough demonstration of what it meant to be overwhelmed by artillery fire.

Explosions erupted across their ranks, annihilating an enormous number of them almost instantly.

Unfortunately, the commotion attracted another group of enemies.

SCREEEE—!

Several dozen white figures shot toward Ryuu with incredible speed.

The Quick-Freeze Birds had gathered into a dense formation, intending to pierce the elf with their razor-sharp beaks.

What they failed to realize was that another formidable swordswoman had been waiting for precisely such an opportunity.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!

Esdeath’s Dragon Fang Sword flashed repeatedly, intercepting every bird that entered her range.

Even though the creatures moved with lightning speed, her attacks were timed with extraordinary precision, severing their bodies before they could get anywhere near Ryuu.

Her ability to identify the perfect moment to strike, combined with her exceptionally refined swordsmanship, was enough to impress even the most experienced fighters.

A short distance away, Kiriya spared a moment to observe their performance and nodded in satisfaction.

They had not been training together for particularly long, yet the girls were already developing excellent teamwork.

Their abilities complemented one another remarkably well, and even on the 60th Floor, where powerful enemies surrounded them and the fighting never seemed to end, they could now handle the vast majority of situations without his intervention.

A few enormous ice pythons apparently mistook his relaxed attitude for carelessness and decided to launch a surprise attack.

Their mistake cost them their lives.

"Afterglow!"

Kiriya casually swung his sword, unleashing a brilliant slash that sliced the approaching pythons into several pieces.

By now, his mastery of Afterglow had reached an extraordinary level.

He could perform the technique even without strengthening himself through the Eight Gates.

Although its power was considerably reduced in that state, it remained far more destructive than most of his other attacks.

And if he combined it with Blade Storm, the resulting attack would be devastating.

By the time his clone arrived, the group had already been engaged in intense combat for almost an entire day.

After receiving the Grimoire, Kiriya finally ordered everyone to withdraw.

They needed time to recover, and more importantly, they now possessed an opportunity to increase their combat strength even further.

It was time to put their newly acquired treasure to use.

...

50th Floor.

Atop a hill frequently used as a campsite by the Loki Familia, five people gathered around a campfire, their attention fixed on the thick book in Kiriya’s hands.

"So this is a Grimoire."

Jeanne studied it with obvious curiosity.

"You can awaken new Magic just by reading it? That’s incredible!"

"Pretty amazing, isn’t it?"

Kiriya weighed the book in his hand and smiled temptingly.

"So, what do you think? Want to give it a try? If you manage to awaken a useful spell, we’ll have made a fortune."

Ryuu and Ais remained completely composed.

Ryuu already possessed three spells—Luminous Wind, Noah Heal, and Astraea Record.

All her Magic slots were occupied, so there was little point in her getting excited about a Grimoire she could not use.

As for Ais, she understood perfectly well that the book was not intended for her.

Jeanne considered the offer for a moment before shaking her head.

"My current Magic and Skills are already more than sufficient. Why don’t we give it to Esdeath instead?"

"Me?"

Esdeath glanced at the Grimoire but made no attempt to accept it.

"Forget it. I have a feeling this book isn’t particularly suitable for me."

"Oh? You can tell something like that just by looking at it?"

The others immediately became curious.

"It’s just a feeling. You know my instincts are usually pretty reliable."

Esdeath shrugged.

"Besides, I don’t particularly need another spell. I already have plenty of techniques, and I get the impression that there’s still considerable room to develop my existing abilities."

Ice constructs, frozen time and space, Absolute Freezing Air—her techniques were already comparable to powerful Magic, and some were arguably even more formidable.

By continuing to refine her powers and experimenting with new applications, Esdeath believed she could develop an even wider range of combat techniques.

That was simply how she approached battle.

Rather than relying on newly acquired abilities, she preferred to explore the full potential of the extraordinary power she already possessed.

Having made her decision, Esdeath took the Grimoire from Kiriya and placed it directly into Jeanne’s hands.

"You should have it. Hopefully, you’ll awaken something worthwhile."

"A-All right."

Jeanne glanced around the camp.

Since everyone else had either declined or had no use for the book, she really was the only candidate remaining.

She finally accepted it without further argument.

Taking the Grimoire with her, Jeanne returned to her tent.

Once she had settled down and cleared her mind, she opened the book and began reading.

As she turned its pages, her consciousness gradually drifted away from the world around her.

Before she realized what was happening, she felt as though she had embarked on an extraordinarily long journey, traveling deeper and deeper into a mysterious world unlike anything she had experienced before.

Then she heard her own heartbeat.

Each powerful beat resonated through her consciousness like the pounding of a war drum.

"What is it that you seek?"

The voice was as vast and resonant as an enormous bell, yet simultaneously as fine and piercing as a needle. Every word penetrated directly into the depths of her soul.

Jeanne answered without hesitation.

"To protect others. I wish to create a world where the innocent no longer suffer and those who have committed evil can recognize their mistakes and seek redemption."

"By what means shall you fulfill this wish?"

"Through my faith and my own strength."

"And what form of power do you seek?"

"Power that drives away darkness like the light of dawn and brings warmth to people’s hearts like the sun."

For a brief moment, the mysterious world fell silent.

Then the voice spoke once more.

"Then take it."

The tremendous presence gradually faded.

In its place, a tiny milky-white flame appeared in the darkness. It flickered gently at first, radiating a comforting warmth and an unmistakably sacred presence.

Then the flame began to spread.

Its gentle radiance expanded farther and farther until the entire world was filled with brilliant white fire.

...

"Hey, Jeanne. Wake up. Come on, it’s time to get up."

A familiar young man’s voice seemed to be calling to her from somewhere far away.

Jeanne slowly opened her eyes, and as expected, Kiriya’s face was the first thing she saw.

"You’re finally awake."

He let out a relieved sigh.

"How long was I asleep?"

Jeanne sat up, still somewhat disoriented by what she had experienced.

"About eight hours, give or take. It’s already time for breakfast."

"That long?"

Jeanne stared at her hands in astonishment.

The journey she had experienced inside the Grimoire felt strangely distant now, almost like an extraordinarily vivid dream.

Yet something within her had undeniably changed.

"Well? Did it work?"

Kiriya leaned forward with considerable interest.

"I think... yes. It worked."

Jeanne continued studying her hands.

Her gaze seemed to penetrate the physical world and reach into the depths of her consciousness, where a tiny milky-white flame now burned quietly.

It was filled with vitality and an exceptionally pure, sacred presence.

Her newly awakened Magic was called Divine Judgment.

Unlike ordinary offensive Magic, Divine Judgment acted directly upon an enemy’s soul, making it extraordinarily difficult to defend against or evade.

Its sacred flames ignited the sins accumulated within the target’s soul.

The greater the weight and severity of those sins, the more powerful the flames became.

Furthermore, when used against intelligent beings, the Magic possessed a particularly high probability of overwhelming their minds and shattering their will to resist.