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...
Through the layers of the dungeon, Mika and his companions pressed onward.
As they delved deeper, their pace gradually slowed.
Especially after the thirty-seventh floor, the treacherous environment of the deep floors demanded increased caution.
From the thirty-seventh floor onwards, Finn, Ottar, and the other frontline fighters entrusted their baggage to Shakti and the support team, dedicating themselves entirely to clearing the path.
Now, Mika, Airmid, and Mellie, who had been protected within the formation, also joined the fray.
Clad in armor and wielding dual Spears, Mika weaved through the hordes of monsters, lessening the burden on the vanguard.
Airmid diligently maintained healing magic on everyone, ensuring their combat strength remained at peak levels and countered any status ailments inflicted by the monsters.
As for Mellie?
Having summoned Fufu, she soared through the air on its back, manipulating the monsters with her dream magic, turning them against each other.
In times of danger, she could also carry Alise and the others to safety, allowing Mika and the frontline fighters to battle without reservation.
In this manner, they successfully reached the end of the forty-eighth floor.
...
"Tomorrow is the day of the decisive battle!" Mika exclaimed, leaning against the cavern wall as he rested.
"Yes, it's come so quickly!" Mellie sighed, leaning against Mika. "It'll be difficult to assemble such a powerful expedition force again in the future."
Looking at the resting adventurers around them, Mellie shook her head.
"Not necessarily. The Freya and Loki Familias will definitely be able to form such teams on their own in the future. It's us who might not be able to," Mika chuckled.
Unlike the Freya and Loki Familias, which boasted numerous powerful members, the Yahweh Familia, with its limited membership, would find it challenging to recruit more adventurers in Danmachi world, both now and in the future.
While their individual strength would eventually reach extraordinary levels, the size of their Familia would likely remain small.
"Who says so? We can form joint expeditions in the future. Isn't the Astraea Familia our ally?"
"That's right!"
Mellie's reminder jogged Mika's memory.
They had the Astraea Familia as their allies.
In the future, the Astraea Familia's strength would be formidable.
If it weren't for the ambush by the dark faction and the dungeon's unique mechanisms, their Familia would have rivaled the Ganesha Familia for the third strongest position in Orario, if not surpassing them to challenge the Loki Familia.
Of course, in the current timeline, the Astraea Familia would have to settle for fourth place.
After all, the Yahweh Familia was destined to be among the top three.
"That's right, what?"
A sudden voice interrupted Mika's thoughts.
Looking up, he saw Airmid and Alise approaching, offering them cups filled with steaming milk.
It was one of the supplies they had brought with them.
Alise, Ryuu, and Gojouno, now relegated to support roles, had prepared food and drinks for everyone while they rested.
"That's right, what?" Gojouno and Ryuu asked curiously, returning after distributing food to the others.
"Oh, I thought I heard Mika and Mellie mention our Familia," Alise explained.
"Ah, I see!"
All eyes turned to Mika, seeking an explanation.
Mika calmly accepted the food and drink from Airmid.
Because of her love for cooking, Airmid had assisted Alise, Ryuu, and Gojouno in preparing the meal.
Taking a sip of the warm milk, savoring its rich flavor, Mika replied with a smile, "Mellie and I were discussing that once we become stronger, our two Familias could embark on joint expeditions together."
"Perhaps one day, our combined strength will rival this current expedition force!"
"A joint expedition?" Alise's eyes lit up at Mika's suggestion.
"Of course! We're allies! Why wouldn't we go on expeditions together?!"
Recalling Mika's strength, Airmid's magic, and Mellie's strategic prowess, Alise felt a surge of excitement.
"Then we wouldn't be stuck in support roles like we are now!"
Alise, Ryuu, and Gojouno, once considered Orario's most promising talents, now relegated to support duties, had vowed to return to the deep floors as frontline combatants.
Mika's proposal filled them with renewed hope.
Their conversation quickly shifted to future expedition plans, their voices filled with anticipation.
Listening to the girls' excited chatter, Mika leaned against the wall, a gentle smile gracing his lips.
The future they envisioned was a bright one.
...
"Everyone, gather around."
After the meal, Finn clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Tomorrow, we will enter the deeper floors. Even we will need to fight with everything we've got, so I urge you to exercise extreme caution."
"Besides these usual warnings, I want to discuss our target for tomorrow: the Balor."
"According to the information we've gathered, to defeat the Balor, we'll also have to contend with the Fomorians it commands!"
Fomorians were the monsters that inhabited the forty-ninth floor.
Each one possessed a massive physique, classifying them as large-type monsters.
These creatures, with their ram-like heads, wielded giant clubs and roamed the forty-ninth floor in packs.
The forty-ninth floor was known as the "Great Wilderness."
True to its name, the entire floor consisted of a vast, open wilderness without any enclosed chambers.
Therefore, when adventurers challenged the Balor, the king of the Fomorians, they would also face attacks from the surrounding Fomorians.
Unlike other Floor Bosses, which could be fought one-on-one, the Balor was more suited for team-based strategies.
However, assembling a sufficiently powerful team without alerting the dark faction was a difficult task in the current state of Orario.
"Therefore, Shakti, your task, along with the other four, is to protect Riveria while she casts her magic," Finn instructed Shakti.
As a crucial part of their strategy, the task of eliminating the hordes of Fomorians fell upon Riveria.
Known as the "Nine Hell" she would be the key to their victory.
Of course, this protection was reciprocal.
While casting magic, Riveria would rely on Shakti and the others for protection.
And when not actively casting spells, Riveria would be responsible for protecting her support team.
---
"Yes!" Shakti, the captain of the Ganesha Familia, understood the deeper meaning behind Finn's arrangement and readily accepted it.
"We will protect Riveria-senpai with our lives," Alise vowed with a determined expression.
Finn nodded slightly, then turned his gaze towards Mika.
"Mika, your task tomorrow is to protect Airmid and Mellie while contributing as much as possible to the Balor subjugation. However, if protecting them requires your full attention, prioritize their safety above all else."
"As Familia members, you should be well-versed in fighting alongside each other."
"Leave it to me!" Mika replied confidently, pleased with Finn's instructions.
Finn nodded once more.
As the overall commander, he understood that adventurers of their caliber had their own unique fighting styles, making it difficult to develop perfect synergy in such a short time.
Instead of imposing his will and forcing them into unfamiliar tactics, it was more effective to allow them to fight in their preferred styles.
He would only provide general guidance and oversee the overall strategy.
This approach would allow them to maximize their combat effectiveness.
Therefore, for the upcoming battle, Finn would only assign general objectives without micromanaging their every move.
He and Riveria Ljos Alf would form one team.
Ottar would operate independently.
As for Mika, although his combat abilities were comparable to theirs, ensuring Airmid's safety was a higher priority than adding another frontline fighter.
Therefore, Mika wasn't assigned to a specific team in Finn's battle plan.
If Mika could contribute to the Balor subjugation while ensuring Airmid and Mellie's safety, that would be ideal.
But if he couldn't, it wouldn't be a major issue.
However, Finn was more concerned about the Freya Familia than Mika.
Due to their rivalry, members of the Freya Familia rarely cooperated with each other.
"That's the general plan. Now, I want to discuss the precautions we must take against the Balor."
"Be wary of its eyes."
"Eyes?" Alise, unfamiliar with the Balor, asked curiously.
"Yes, its eyes," Finn reiterated. "One of the Balor's eyes is open, while the other is closed."
"It's the closed eye that we need to be wary of."
"Once the closed eye opens, a beam of light will erupt from it."
"Anything caught in that beam will be instantly obliterated!"
"There's no defense against it."
"No defense?" Mika repeated in astonishment.
He knew a bit about the Balor, not from Danmachi world, but from his previous life.
The Balor was the king of the Fomorians and a malevolent god in Celtic mythology.
Of course, those details weren't important.
The Balor was most famous for its eye, a demonic eye that could supposedly kill anything it gazed upon.
That was why Mika was familiar with it.
The Balor's demonic eye was the inspiration for the "Mystic Eyes of Death Perception" in the Type-Moon universe.
It was because of Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes that Mika had learned about the Balor.
Of course, the Balor in this world was an evil god, whereas the Balor in Danmachi was a monster born from the dungeon, a solitary king.
While Mika suspected that this Balor might also possess a demonic eye, he didn't think it would be capable of instantly killing everything.
After all, they weren't the same entity.
However, it seemed even this Balor was a terrifying foe.
"Yes, no defense whatsoever. Anything struck by that beam will be reduced to ashes instantly. No amount of equipment or magic can protect against it."
"This information was obtained by previous generations of adventurers who paid the ultimate price."
Finn's somber words silenced everyone.
It was a chilling thought.
Encountering the Balor on the forty-ninth floor without knowing its abilities would be a guaranteed disaster.
"It must have a weakness, right? Otherwise, it would be invincible," Mellie's voice broke the silence.
"Indeed," Finn nodded.
"The Balor's demonic eye has a weakness: it's immobile. Unlike our eyes, which can move freely, it's fixed in place."
"Therefore, by observing the direction the Balor is facing, we can roughly predict the trajectory of the beam."
"As long as we anticipate its attack, we can evade it."
"So, we need to constantly monitor the position of its demonic eye during the battle?" Mellie mused, stroking her chin.
"That means we can't engage it with a large group. Normal adventurers would struggle to fight while simultaneously keeping track of the Balor's eye."
"But without sufficient numbers, it's difficult to deal with the Fomorians. It's a dilemma."
"Exactly. That's what makes the Balor so challenging," Finn sighed.
Shakti and Alise exchanged nervous glances.
Compared to the first-tier adventurers like Finn and his companions, Mellie's reference to "Normal" adventurers clearly included them.
"I must be vigilant of the Balor's eye tomorrow," Shakti and Alise repeated to themselves, their expressions grim.
"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. If there are no further questions, let's get some rest. Tomorrow will be crucial!"
"Yes!"
Everyone nodded and returned to their resting spots.
Leaning against her pack, Mellie stared into the campfire, lost in thought.
Mika knew she was contemplating tomorrow's strategy.
After all, tomorrow's battle was of utmost importance to Orario.
As an aspiring strategist, this was Mellie's chance to prove herself.
"I doubt she'll get much sleep tonight," Mika chuckled, then turned to Airmid, who was lying beside him.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Mika, do you think our expedition will be successful tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Mika replied without hesitation.
"Why?" Seeing Mika's unwavering confidence, Airmid sat up curiously.
"Because I'm here."
Mika gently stroked Airmid's head, his voice filled with warmth and reassurance.
...
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