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...
"Mika!"
Drawn by the familiar voice, everyone's eyes turned towards Mika, his equipment gleaming and renewed. However, what truly captivated their attention was the massive sword he wielded.
The twenty-meter long blade seemed far too large for any ordinary human to wield. It resembled a weapon fit for a Dungeon Boss
"Mika, what is this?!" Airmid exclaimed, instantly understanding Mika's intentions.
"Wait here. I'll be back soon!" Mika said, giving Airmid a reassuring nod before turning his gaze towards Balor, who was wreaking havoc on the front lines.
"Against a behemoth like Balor, a 'behemoth of a sword' is the perfect counter," Mika muttered to himself, a determined glint in his eyes.
With a surge of mana and Nen, Mika propelled himself forward on the massive sword, transforming it into a beam of light as he hurtled straight towards Balor.
Whoosh!
The air crackled with the force of the displaced air.
Finn and the others, locked in a fierce battle, heard the sound but before they could react, the giant sword hurtled towards them, aimed directly at Balor's chest.
"RAAAH!"
But Balor was no your average Boss.
With his latent ability reaching Level 7, he reacted swiftly, raising his club to meet Mika's colossal sword in a thunderous clash.
CLANG!
The impact of the two gigantic weapons colliding sent shockwaves rippling through the air, kicking up dust and debris.
Shielding their eyes, Finn and the others braced themselves against the powerful gusts of wind, their feet firmly planted on the ground.
"Is this... Mika's trump card?"
Finn wasn't surprised by Mika's hidden strength.
As he had stated initially, this expedition was meant to be a beneficial experience for the younger adventurers.
Even if Mika's power was sufficient to join the main battle, Finn hadn't intended to rely on him as a primary combatant. His role was to protect the others.
The intention was to assign them less demanding tasks.
However, Finn was naturally pleased to witness Mika's display of power.
"GWAAAAH!"
As Mika's sword and Balor's club remained locked in a stalemate, Balor suddenly extended his other hand.
He swung another club, bringing it down hard on Mika's sword.
The balance of power shifted instantly.
Unable to withstand the force, Mika's feet sank deep into the ground as he was pushed back.
"Dual-wielding weapons, huh? You think you're the only one who can do that?"
Mika flicked his left wrist.
Three gauntlets, previously hidden behind him, materialized and rapidly expanded in size.
In an instant, four giant gauntlets floated beside Mika, each gripping a massive weapon.
The remaining two gauntlets clasped together, forming a platform beneath Mika's feet.
Now hovering in mid-air, Mika wielded six weapons (including the two in his own hands).
He stood before them, a six-armed War God.
"Ottar, I'll handle keeping him occupied. Focus all your efforts on attacking!"
"RAAAH!"
"Ignite! Dance in the flames of this inferno!"
In the blink of an eye, intense flames engulfed Mika's weapons.
He now wielded six weapons in total: two greatswords, two spears, and two longswords in his own hands.
Mika swiftly closed the distance to Balor, engaging him with the four oversized divine weapons while simultaneously unleashing fiery sword slashes with the two swords in his hands.
Caught in Mika's relentless assault, Balor struggled to defend himself, unable to focus on anyone else.
This created the perfect opportunity.
Finn, Allen, and the others unleashed their full power, their attacks growing fiercer without the need to defend.
But that wasn't all.
Compared to Finn and the others' attacks, Ottar's assault was the main course.
Now on the offensive, he demonstrated why he was considered the strongest in Orario.
Even against a formidable opponent like Balor, each of Ottar's strikes carried immense weight, leaving deep gashes in Balor's flesh.
"GWAAAAAH!"
Balor roared in pain as Ottar's attacks battered him, but Mika's relentless assault prevented him from retaliating.
And the onslaught wasn't over yet.
"Harbingers of the end, oh, white snow."
"At twilight's hour, unleash the raging winds!"
"Seal the light, freeze the earth."
"A blizzard descends, a threefold winter."
Accompanied by the incantation, three blizzards hurtled towards Balor.
"Ecstasy Fimbulwinter!"
The caster was none other than Riveria.
After healing Mellie's injuries, she had returned to the rear lines, entrusting Airmid with Mellie's continued care. After all, Airmid's healing abilities were even greater than her own.
After ensuring Mellie's safety, Riveria rejoined the battle.
With precise control, Riveria's magic froze Balor's legs, immobilizing him in the midst of his close combat with Mika.
Remarkably, Mika remained completely unaffected by the blizzard.
"Masterful control!" Mika exclaimed in admiration.
But Riveria wasn't finished yet.
Immediately after casting "Ecstasy Fimbulwinter," she began another incantation.
"Soon, the flames will be unleashed."
"The creeping wildfire, unavoidable destruction."
"The war horn blares, heralding a brutal conflict that engulfs all."
"Come forth, crimson flames, merciless inferno, you are the embodiment of wildfire, sweeping across the battlefield, bringing an end to this great war."
"Burn everything to ashes, Surtr's sword!"
"Surtr Sword!"
This time, Riveria focused the full power of her "Surtr Sword" spell, concentrating all the fiery swords onto a single point: Balor's feet.
"GWAAAAAH!"
Consuming flames erupted from beneath Balor, engulfing him in a swirling inferno.
He roared in agony.
Mika saw his opportunity.
"HAAAAAH!"
With a mighty swing of his enlarged Arondight, Mika struck the wound on Balor's chest.
After hours of relentless assault, enduring dozens of Mika's strikes, Balor's chest finally split open, revealing his magic stone.
"We've finally broken through Balor's defenses!" Finn exclaimed triumphantly.
---
Among Orario's adventurers, there was a shared understanding: battling a Dungeon Boss was a test of endurance.
Bosses were incredibly resilient. Their defenses were so formidable that insufficient damage output couldn't even scratch their skin, let alone inflict significant harm.
Now, after combining their collective strength, they had finally exposed Balor's weak point: his magic stone, located within his chest.
"GWAAAAAH!"
Sensing the imminent threat of death, Balor thrashed wildly within the inferno, attempting to escape.
"Don't even think about it!" Mika shouted, wielding his four weapons to pin Balor down.
"You usually rely on your size to bully us, don't you?"
"Now it's our turn to show you what it feels like to be on the receiving end!"
As Mika pressed down, Balor, his footing unsteady, stumbled and fell, giving Mika the opportunity to pin him down with the gauntlets that now formed a combat platform beneath his feet.
"Quickly, attack his magic stone!" Mika yelled, holding Balor firmly in place.
Upon hearing Mika's command, everyone lunged towards Balor.
But just then, a sense of foreboding washed over Mika.
His Danger Sense flared.
"This feeling… could it be?!"
Mika's gaze snapped towards Balor. his closed eye was slowly opening.
"No, there's no time!"
"Mellie!"
"I'm here!"
In the distance, Mellie, alerted by Mika's cry and the urgent message conveyed through their telepathic link, swiftly raised her staff.
Just as Balor's evil eye unleashed its devastating beam, pink flower petals filled the air, enveloping the battlefield in a soft, ethereal light.
In the next moment, the beam, which had been hurtling towards them, transformed into harmless petals, scattering in the wind.
Everyone, including Balor, was stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
Seizing this crucial moment of distraction, multiple weapons plunged into Balor's exposed magic stone.
A cracking sound echoed through the chamber.
CRACK!
Balor's magic stone shattered, splintering into countless fragments.
"We won!" Alise cried out triumphantly in the distance.
Her cry was echoed by the others.
"We did it!"
"We finally won!"
"I thought we weren't going to make it back!"
"Don't jinx it!"
"I'm only saying it now because we won!"
Exhausted but elated, the adventurers on the front lines collapsed to the ground.
The hours-long battle had drained their energy. Even those with remaining stamina were utterly spent.
Despite their exhaustion, smiles adorned their faces.
"We… won!"
"Hahaha!"
Even Ottar, Allen, and Tiona and Tione couldn't contain their grins.
Joy permeated the air.
"We finally won!" Mika exclaimed, laughing as he lay on the ground.
...
The 50th floor.
This was the level directly below Balor's lair.
It was also one of the few safe zones in the dungeon.
After defeating Balor, the exhausted adventurers descended to this level to rest and recover.
Once they had recuperated, they would return to the surface in one go, concluding their expedition.
"Here you go, hero!" Alise said with a cheerful grin, offering Mika a freshly baked treat.
"Hero? Don't give me too much credit."
Although Mika had played a significant role in the battle, their victory was the result of everyone's combined efforts.
"Don't be so modest. You deserve it," Finn added, passing by with a cup of water, a smile playing on his lips. "Everyone saw your contribution."
"Exactly!"
"That's right. We'll never forget it."
"You guys..." Mika shook his head, though the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.
Basking in their praise, Mika's smile widened as the others continued to shower him with compliments.
Their cheerful banter continued until Airmid and Tsubaki emerged from a tent.
"How did it go?" Mika asked, turning to Mellie, who sat down beside him.
"It's definitely top-tier material, but I haven't decided what to make with it yet."
"That's right. It doesn't seem suitable for just any weapon," Tsubaki added, shaking her head.
"Indeed," Mika agreed, recalling the material they had retrieved.
The material, which all three of them deemed exceptional, was Balor's magic eye, a crystalline sphere roughly thirty centimeters in diameter.
Finn and the others had given it to Mika as a reward for his contributions during the battle.
After a moment of thought, Mika spoke to Mellie telepathically, "Let's hold onto this eye for now. We might find a suitable use for it in another world someday."
"That's all we can do for now," Mellie replied with a sigh.
Mika believed that the eye could be processed using techniques from the Type-Moon world, potentially creating a powerful Mystic Code.
However, rather than entrusting it to Gabriel, Mika preferred to craft it into a powerful weapon himself.
After all, crafting equipment was his passion.
"By the way, Finn, once we return to Orario, you guys should be leveling up soon, right?" Shakti suddenly asked Finn, interrupting Mika's thoughts.
"What are you planning to do then?"
Everyone quieted down, their attention drawn to this important topic.
"What do you mean, 'what are we planning to do'?" Finn asked in return.
"Are you going to keep your level ups a secret, using it as a surprise tactic, or announce it publicly?" Shakti clarified her question.
"Announce it publicly," Finn declared firmly.
"Even if most reach Level 6, I doubt we'll have much of a surprise effect."
"After all, you've all heard of Zald and Alfia's strength."
"I don't think a sudden increase in our levels will make much of a difference against them."
"It's better to announce it publicly. The news of seven Level 6 adventurers will undoubtedly boost morale in the city and demoralize the dark faction."
"Those who haven't fought against Zald and Alfia can't truly comprehend their power."
"Perhaps, to them, seven Level 6 adventurers will seem more intimidating than two Level 7 adventurers who aren't at their peak."
Finn concluded with a chuckle.
...
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