"H-Huh? Wait, what...what just happened?" Stuttered Jaden, as the ring of pillars shrank back down, the barrier fading away.
"I think...I think she vaporized herself with that last attack. She must have used her own life force as a catalyst to generate that much lightning, wiping out her own body in the process," I replied quietly.
Damn it...since that Monster had Status Effect Immunity, I couldn’t use Command on him. But...even if that wasn’t the case, I doubt it would’ve been enough to save her.
I see...once she felt that her death was all but inevitable, she must have decided to put everything she had left into one, final attack.
"Damn it...if only one of us had gotten selected instead," Uttered Aarav remorsefully, trembling in frustration and anguish as he collapsed onto his knees and slamd his fist against the ground.
"Let’s make sure her sacrifice wasn’t in vain. We’ll kill the remaining Sentinels and then the Demon Lord, no matter what," Responded Aria with a grimace.
"Yeah...she sacrificed herself to make sure this floor was cleared without another of us having to fight that Monster. There’s no way in hell we’re letting that go to waste," Jaden nodded in agreent, right as we suddenly got teleported to the next floor, finding ourselves in a sweltering desert terrain.
"Looks like this isn’t going to get easier," Spoke up Cleo, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her head.
"You know what to do, guys," I remarked as I glanced at the Apostles, who nodded before splitting up and heading off.
Three floors down, five more to go.
If things go well, we should ideally make it up to the top floor with each of us only having fought once.
There are four Sentinels left, and four of us X-Aces who are yet to fight. , Aria, Jaden and Aarav.
On the bright side, we found a way to keep the Aces out of the equation. Maybe I should’ve had Petrus take Iseul down into the shadows too, then she’d still be-...
No, there’s no point in dwelling on it now, it’s too late. And besides, Petrus can barely take two people into the shadows with him, so that wasn’t an option to begin with.
"Here, let’s cool off with these," I suggested, as I took out a large bottle of fruit juice from Treasury, along with enough glasses for everyone.
"Thanks, man, that looks good. Just what we need in this heat and humidity," Responded Jaden gratefully, as I filled the glasses and handed them out.
"So refreshing...I wish Rex was here to try it...," Muttered Ciel with a forlorn look on her face, as she took a sip.
"Don’t forget Iseul. Bet she’d mix it with booze, I can certainly picture it," Added Aarav quietly.
Yeah... too.
"I’ve always wondered, how do Dungeon terrains work? Like, the sand is one thing, but where’s the heat coming from? In forest and grassy plain terrains, there’s often a breeze, where does that co from? It’s an enclosed space, after all," Spoke up Cleo, sounding a bit forced as she tried to change the subject.
Is she trying to help everyone take their minds off the current situation and think about sothing else? I can appreciate that.
"I an, I don’t know the science behind it or anything, but the answer probably has sothing to do with Magic," Shrugged Aarav with a wry smile.
"Yeah, probably. Now that I think about it, I wondered the sa thing when I first beca a Hunter too. Never got a real answer though, so I just ended up accepting and forgetting about it," Mused Jaden thoughtfully.
"Any of you guys been in an Irregular Dungeon before? I’ve been in one, and while fighting, the ground collapsed, I fell several ters down and landed in an underground stream," I recalled, as I created another copy of the bottle of juice and refilled everyone’s glasses.
"I’ve been in an Irregular Dungeon once, but the ground didn’t collapse or anything. Honestly, it was easier than regular Dungeons, since you’re just moving forward instead of ascending," Chid in Petrus.
"Yeah, I found it easier too. It was-...," I began, before trailing off and glancing at the ceiling with a wary frown.
"Kai? Is sothing wrong?" Inquired Aria, as the others followed my gaze.
"I don’t know, it might have just been my imagination, but...for a mont, it felt like we were being watched," I responded with a grimace...
———————————————————————————
Point-of-View: Vaszel Vos Kealfaos
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"Ah, you’re back, Spektar. What is the situation?" I inquired, as he phased through the floor before .
"The humans have reached the fourth floor. Sonic, Slasher and Venom have been killed. As for the humans, they’ve suffered only two casualties so far. The first was a rather weak human, though he possessed a fairly troubleso form of Magic.
And the other appeared to be a serious threat...she used an attack that instantly reduced Venom to ash, though it was at the cost of her own life. Still, brief as it was, she was montarily even more powerful than you, my Lord, but about five- or sixfold," He inford .
Oh? I suppose that is a bit concerning...but since that human is dead, I need not worry. Still, I should consider that at least a few of the remaining humans could pose a threat.
If nothing else, I should be wary of Kaivel Intrix.
"So, my Sentinels have been reduced to a re four. In all likelihood, the humans will make it up to this floor of the Final Dungeon. And unlike with the previous floors, they will be able to fight all at once, instead of been limited to fighting one at a ti," I remarked with a grimace.
"Oh, I almost forgot, they found a way to have their weaker mber in support roles avoid the selection roulette of the rings of pillars."
"Wait, what?"
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