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"Incapable of cleansing, incapable of purifying, incapable of salvation. The sound echoing across the heavens is my very sin."
As Alfia chanted her incantation, a terrifying wave of ntal power radiated outward.
The ntal fluctuations of such a wide-area annihilation magic were intensely strong, making it fundantally impossible to conceal.
Thus, Hethonia noticed Alfia in an instant, a fierce, savage light gleaming in its eyes.
Hethonia swooped down once more, its sharp claws slashing viciously toward her.
However, Alfia was incredibly agile. She easily dodged all of its attacks while simultaneously chanting her spell and steadily guiding her magical energy.
As a highly versatile mage, she possessed ultra-high-level concurrent chanting skills.
"The horns of the gods, the harps of spirits, the lody of light—this is the brand of sin, my destiny beloved by this artificial world—"
Her body seed to emit a radiant glow, and the distant ringing of a bell echoed in Lucian's ears.
No... it wasn't sothing he heard with his ears; it resonated directly within his mind.
The state known as Limit Off was an attack that far surpassed the upper limits of humanity. It was exactly like the chi that would ring out when Bell charged his Argonaut skill for an extended period.
As the fluctuations of her ntal power grew stronger, Hethonia also sensed the rising danger. Its movents beca increasingly frenzied.
It attacked Alfia even at the risk of injuring itself, its aggression escalating to a completely different level.
Yet, despite the monster's agility, it had to break through the vanguards of two great Familias. Combined with Alfia's naturally high agility, no matter what kind of attack it launched, it simply couldn't land a hit on her.
Infuriated, it spewed a torrent of venom from its maw, blanketing the sky and the earth alike.
"Silentium Eden: Force Field."
Lucian imitated Alfia's magic, expanding it outward into a defensive barrier.
Its ability was magic nullification. Alfia needed to go all out when casting her Third Magic, and concurrent chanting was already pushing her limits, which was exactly why Lucian stepped in.
The force field effortlessly neutralized Hethonia's venom. Concurrently, Alfia's incantation reached its culmination.
"Shatter into ash, for I despise you deeply. The price is paid here; bring forth the evidence of sin to destroy all things. Wail, holy bell tower!!"
"Genos Angelus!!"
As the final chi of the bell rang out, Lucian dispelled his force field magic.
A montary, eerie silence enveloped the surroundings. In the very next second—
BOOM!!
A terrifying roar of sheer destructive force crashed down upon Hethonia. Lucian watched as the massive monster was vaporized inch by inch, leaving absolutely nothing behind—not even ashes.
Looks like I can forget about any drop items, Lucian thought.
With the battle concluded, Alfia let out a slow, weary sigh. The remaining monsters that had sward them were gradually cleared out, officially marking the end of this subjugation campaign.
"Hiss... damn, that hurts." The Champion collapsed onto his rear, grimacing in pain.
He had been struck by Hethonia's venom. His skin was now entirely pitch-black; if it had been an ordinary person, they would already be beyond saving.
"Purify." Lucian approached and activated his magic.
A gentle light enveloped the Champion, and his blackened skin gradually returned to its normal hue.
"Thanks," the Champion said gratefully. He then looked at Lucian with curiosity. "Fighting continuously for a whole day... you've got so serious stamina."
"I have magic to store ntal power, as well as magic to restore it," Lucian replied.
"Ah, that makes sense." The Champion nodded in realization. He wasn't the only one; the others were equally amazed.
Lucian's performance during this subjugation quest was nothing short of spectacular. His contributions arguably surpassed even those of the Empress and the Champion.
While their combat prowess was undeniably top-tier, dealing with a colossal monster like that required vastly superior firepower.
No wonder the ones who delivered the final blows to the Behemoth and the Leviathan in the original story were none other than Zald and Alfia, Lucian mused.
It wasn't about stealing the kill; without their rule-breaking, overwhelming ultimate attacks, completing the subjugation would have been impossible.
The Empress and the Champion could only act as the vanguard. The actual damage they could inflict on such massive targets was severely limited.
"We've defeated the Floor Boss. Next up is the safe point... and we can finally begin exploring the 71st floor," Zald said as he walked over, letting out a heavy breath.
Hethonia's attacks had been no joke; Zald was currently covered in blood from head to toe.
The other Familia mbers had sustained varying degrees of injuries as well, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
Everyone who had made it this deep was the elite of the elite. Coupled with the crucial support of Lucian's magic, this expedition had been a resounding success.
In the past, due to Alfia's negative skill and Zald—their main source of damage—being afflicted with a deadly poison, both of their stats had been constantly deteriorating.
Furthermore, the difficulty of exploring the Insect Nest far exceeded any previous floors. Their inability to maintain a solid logistical supply line had caused them to hit a bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for their overall strength to progress any further.
After taking so ti to heal, detoxify, and readjust their formations, the group finally stepped onto the 70th floor—a safe zone.
"It's the exact sa structure," Lucian remarked.
The safe floor shared the sa labyrinthine honeycomb layout as the Insect Nest. Even without monsters, mapping it out would take a considerable amount of ti. It was hard to imagine how they had even managed to locate the 69th floor's boss room in the first place.
At least the 69th floor had a massive boss room, which served as an obvious landmark. Exploring the 71st floor was going to be an even more grueling endeavor.
Fortunately, thanks to Lucian's magic, any area they traversed was automatically mapped out. The only catch was that once they left an area, it would be obscured by the fog of war.
The only map completely free of the fog of war was the one inside Lucian's World Bubble.
"We'll be setting up camp here on the 70th floor. I'd like your help teleporting so of our people back to the surface so we can update our Falna in shifts," the Empress said, approaching him.
"No problem," Lucian nodded. "I'll unload all the supplies I've been storing for you guys as well. The environnt of the Insect Nest is actually pretty good for training. I assu we'll be staying here for a while?"
"Probably around half a month," the Empress replied. "The atmosphere here is too oppressive to stay much longer. After half a month, we'll return to the surface and set off to subjugate the Leviathan."
"By then, the overall strength of both our mbers and the Zeus Familia will have risen to a whole new level. We'll have a much better chance of taking down the Leviathan."
It was obvious that the Empress was brimming with confidence.
It made sense when he thought about it. Alfia and Zald had subjugated the Behemoth when they were only Level 7. Now, both of them were at their absolute peak. It was highly likely that the Excellia gained from this expedition would be enough to push them to the next level.
If it wasn't enough, they could simply continue exploring. Half a month of diving deeper would surely suffice.
"Sounds like a plan," Lucian nodded slightly, then proceeded to construct a temporary teleportation portal.
"The other side of the portal leads directly to your Familia's headquarters, just as we agreed upon before the expedition. Just keep in mind that the portal can only be activated once per hour."
"Got it, we'll be careful." The Empress flashed a grin and playfully punched Lucian on the shoulder. "You're a lot more capable than I imagined. Want to be my husband?"
"Are you serious?" Lucian asked, his tone deadpan.
"Of course. Even though I'm an Amazon, as a mber of the Hera Familia, I'm actually quite traditional. I don't joke around about things like this," the Empress replied, her expression turning surprisingly solemn.
"I recall you having a rather high opinion of Freya's little pet pig, didn't you?" Lucian smiled.
He was referring to Ottar. The Empress had previously shown a strong interest in the young Boarman, believing he was destined to beco a powerhouse in the future.
"You're far more charming," the Empress quickly countered. "Believe , over this past period of ti, I've completely fallen for you!"
He possessed support magic capable of benefiting an entire Familia, and he could forge top-tier weapons and armor suitable for soone of her level.
The Empress already had a highly favorable impression of Lucian. But after witnessing his unparalleled growth speed and his use of a Spirit Armant—the true symbol of an ancient hero—
What woman wouldn't be smitten by a man like that?
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