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...
"Cough!"
Mika crawled out of the crater, clutching his mouth, but blood continued to seep through his fingers.
"Are you alright, Mika?!" Riveria, emerging from the crater right behind him, asked anxiously.
"Not really. That impact was powerful. I think I'm pretty badly injured," Mika said with a weak chuckle, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he struggled to his feet.
"Was it really that strong?"
"But even with such injuries, you can still manage a smile?!" Riveria exclaimed, exasperated, as she watched Mika's cheerful demeanor.
She then extended her hand, casting a healing spell.
As Orario's most powerful mage, Riveria possessed three distinct types of magic.
These spells offered offensive, defensive, and healing capabilities.
Each type had three different incantations, altering the spell's form and effect.
Therefore, Riveria's three types were effectively nine spells, earning her the title "Nine Hell."
"Of course, I'm smiling. I accomplished my objective. If I hadn't and you had died, I wouldn't be smiling," Mika replied, a gentle smile gracing his lips as he felt the warmth of the healing magic wash over him.
Riveria paused, staring at Mika's smile before lowering her head and whispering, "Thank you, Mika."
"Huh? What was that?" Mika, lost in his thoughts, hadn't heard her clearly.
"I said, thank you for saving my life, Mika!" Riveria looked up, a genuine smile on her face as she spoke.
"You don't have to thank me. You saved Airmid too, after all," Mika replied, his expression turning serious as he recalled the danger Airmid had faced.
"If you hadn't pushed Airmid out of the way, she would be dead."
"It was my duty," Riveria said, shaking her head.
"No, in the face of death, there is no such thing as duty. You saved Airmid, and it was my duty to save you! And I thank you for protecting her."
Mika's voice was filled with sincerity.
Riveria stared at Mika's earnest expression, momentarily speechless.
Once Mika felt his condition had stabilized, he turned his gaze towards the battlefield.
"Let's head back, Riveria. The front lines need our firepower."
Mika and Riveria were the two strongest damage dealers on the battlefield.
Ottar was tasked with confronting Balor, focusing all his energy on defense.
However, the other Level 5 adventurers were significantly weaker than the Level 7 Balor.
Therefore, Finn and the others were focused on containing Balor rather than dealing damage.
Before Mika's arrival, Riveria's magic had been the primary source of damage.
That was why Balor, after activating his Magic Eye, had targeted Riveria first, followed by Mellie, who had been using illusion magic.
As for Mika, he had become a major damage dealer thanks to the divine weapons he wielded.
The Nen-infused weapons possessed sharpness far exceeding that of first-class weapons.
The "Arondight Overload: Breaking All Restraints - Overloaded Light of the Lake" Mika had used earlier wasn't the true power of this weapon. It was a special technique that overloaded the weapon with magical energy.
The true power of [Arondight] was to raise the user's stats by one level.
This effect applied to Mika as well.
Therefore, Mika's current combat strength was equivalent to that of a Level 5 adventurer.
Coupled with his divine weapons, Mika quickly became the second most powerful damage dealer on the front lines.
"Yes, we need to hurry back!" Riveria exclaimed, jolted back to reality by Mika's words.
With their minds made up, they wasted no time.
After briefly composing themselves, they swiftly headed back to the front lines.
"What is this?!"
As they approached the battlefield, a massive chasm stretched out before them.
No, it wasn't merely a chasm; it was an abyss.
It was the path carved by the beam fired from Balor's Magic Eye.
The ground where the beam had struck had completely vanished.
In its place was a gaping hole, a curved passage leading down to the lower levels.
Mika could see all the way down to the fiftieth, fifty-first, and even lower floors through this passage.
Balor's attack had pierced through multiple levels.
"Whoa! Is this the power of an Magic Eye?!"
"This is insane!"
"If you accidentally fell down there, you'd probably end up on the fifty-somethingth floor."
Mika stared at the breathtaking sight, awestruck.
"Who knows?" Riveria said, shaking her head as she stood up, Mika following suit.
They looked towards the distant front lines and noticed something amiss.
"Wait, why is Gareth protecting Airmid and the others in the rear?"
"Where's the illusion magic?"
"Where's Mellie?!"
Mika frantically scanned the sky, but there was no sign of her.
'Could it be...?'
A scary thought suddenly entered Mika's mind, one he couldn't shake off.
"Did Mellie... die?"
"Was she struck by Balor's Magic Eye?"
"Impossible!"
The more he thought about it, the colder Mika's heart became, while his mind raced.
Rage burned fiercely within him.
"Mika, calm down! It might not be as bad as you think," Riveria said urgently, sensing the murderous aura emanating from Mika.
She didn't believe Mellie was dead.
The atmosphere at the front lines wasn't filled with grief. There hadn't been any indication of a casualty.
But Mika was beyond reason. His rage intensified, manifesting as a tangible heat that radiated from his body.
"Aaah!"
Riveria quickly withdrew her hand from Mika's shoulder as she felt the scorching heat.
Then, she saw flames begin to ignite around Mika.
"Damn it! He's not listening!"
Riveria's heart sank as she saw the anger contorting Mika's features.
"What do I do?!"
Just as she was at a loss, a foot suddenly connected with Mika's shin.
"Don't just ignore people when they're talking to you!"
"I'm not dead yet!"
---
Nearly knocked off balance by the sudden kick, Mika quickly turned around.
He saw Mellie sprawled on the ground.
"Mellie!" Mika and Riveria exclaimed simultaneously.
The flames surrounding Mika vanished as he rushed to Mellie's side, scooping her into his arms. "Mellie, what happened?!"
"What happened to you? You look terrible!" Riveria added, her voice filled with concern.
"It's nothing, just a little tumble," Mellie replied weakly.
Earlier, to evade Balor and the attacks from the ground, Mellie had flown high on Fuu's back, so high that her head nearly grazed the dungeon ceiling.
When Fuu was dispelled, Mellie experienced a terrifying freefall.
Fortunately, thanks to her consistent physical training, she survived the fall, though it nearly took her life.
However, her legs were severely injured, rendering her immobile for the time being.
After signaling Airmid with a shower of flower petals to indicate she was alive, Mellie lay on the ground, concealing herself with an illusion.
She relied on the healing magic Airmid had cast on her before the battle and some recovery potions to treat her injuries.
However, before she could rest for long, Mika and Riveria's voices reached her ears.
By the time she managed to sit up, Mika was consumed by rage and beyond reason.
Mellie had no choice but to crawl towards him and deliver a swift kick to his leg.
"Mellie! You're okay!" Mika cried out in relief, his anger dissipating instantly.
Seeing Mika's smile return, Riveria breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled softly.
Observing Mellie's injuries, Riveria cast another healing spell, accelerating her recovery.
As Riveria's magic flowed through her, Mellie's furrowed brow relaxed.
Due to the passage of time, the effects of Airmid's healing magic had worn off. Since Mellie had been high in the air, Airmid's subsequent spells couldn't reach her, preventing the healing effects from being refreshed.
The recovery potions were more effective for external injuries than the internal injuries she had sustained from the fall.
And Mellie hadn't brought any elixirs.
Before this incident, she hadn't anticipated needing them.
Thanks to Airmid, Mellie rarely used recovery potions, let alone elixirs.
She only carried basic recovery potions to avoid bothering Airmid with minor injuries, considering it an unnecessary use of her magic.
Therefore, Mellie's injuries hadn't healed much until Riveria's intervention.
Seeing Mellie's relaxed expression, Mika instantly understood what had happened.
After a moment of contemplation, he declared, "Mellie, wait here. I'll end this expedition right now!"
With that, Mika turned and marched towards the front lines.
"Mika!" Mellie called out, but he didn't turn back.
His silhouette radiated unwavering determination.
Riveria watched Mika depart, a thoughtful expression in her eyes.
...
Mika had initially viewed this expedition as a simple task.
He had absolute confidence in Finn, Ottar, and the others' ability to defeat Balor.
Victory was certain.
That was Mika's belief.
Therefore, after discussing their strategy, they decided to showcase their strength strategically to enhance their standing within Orario.
The rest of the time, they planned to take it easy.
With Orario's strongest combatant and strategist leading the charge, Mika couldn't imagine the possibility of failure.
However, Mika had overlooked one crucial factor.
While they could achieve victory, it would be a hard-fought victory, one that demanded their utmost effort.
In such a battle, their ability to protect others would be severely limited.
Based on Finn's analysis, Airmid, Alise, and the others could survive in this environment, as long as the battle didn't drag on for too long.
But unforeseen circumstances could always arise.
The Level 7 Balor possessed the potential to annihilate everything, no matter how slim that possibility might be.
"This can't continue. I need to end this battle as quickly as possible."
"The longer this drags on, the more variables will arise."
"This isn't the right level for Airmid and Mellie. They don't belong here!"
With newfound resolve, flames enveloped Mika's body.
He discarded his battered armor, tossing it aside.
"Gabriel!"
"I'm here."
Gabriel, who rarely appeared before others due to Mika's desire to conceal their abilities, materialized beside him.
"Armor!"
"Here you go!"
Mika quickly donned the armor Gabriel handed him.
"I completely forgot I could have used telepathy to check on Mellie."
"I know."
"Were you laughing at me the whole time?"
"Of course!"
"You actually admit it?!" Mika glared at Gabriel, exasperated.
"Why wouldn't I? Mellie was right next to you. Although, in her panic, she also forgot about telepathy."
"I simply stood there, watching to see what kind of spectacle you two would create."
"..."
Mika lowered his head, unable to meet Gabriel's gaze.
"Yes, yes, that's the expression! That's exactly what I wanted to see!"
Mika gritted his teeth. "Gabriel... no, Yahweh-sama, when did you become so mean?"
"Mean? I don't think so."
"You absolutely are!"
After receiving several Nen weapons from Gabriel, Mika dashed towards the front lines.
...
"Be careful!"
Gareth shielded Airmid, Alise, and the others, deflecting the attacks of the approaching Formors.
"Stay alert! Even though there are fewer Formors now, don't let your guard down. We all saw what happened earlier."
"The decrease in monsters is likely due to that chasm. The dungeon is currently repairing itself, slowing down the respawning rate of Formors in this area."
"That must be it. To think we're being helped by a Dungeon. How ironic."
They had all witnessed the devastation caused by Balor's attack.
The image of the chasm was etched into their memories.
"I wonder how Mika is doing?" Airmid muttered, also having forgotten about telepathy.
"Me? I'm fine!"
"Mika!"
Hearing Mika's voice, Airmid quickly turned around.
She saw Mika, fully armed, approaching them.
He was perched atop a twenty-meter-long greatsword, gazing at the distant Balor with a predatory grin, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
...
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