—Woosh!
An Ikran perched on the side of a floating mountain perked up as a figure fell past it through the air. The beast roaring after a moment to alert its kin, an entire flock of exotic, multicolored dragon monsters were soon diving towards the falling adventurer.
...oh. Looks like I've got company.
Turning mid freefall as he heard the roars of the wyvern-esque monsters, Shay was broken out of his revelry by his pursuers. Diving at him from above, there were at least ten wyvern-type beasts in differing shades of turquoise and red, all careening towards him like a flurry of exotic winged arrows. The beasts had heads like that of a horse if it were cut off at the end of its snout, and had strange yellow fins protruding from their lower jaws. They had messy patterns of different shades, most likely for blending in with the exotic flora, and were light on their frames, seemingly having been built for agility.
Calling on his enchantment as well as Deucalion, Shay condensed his ice into several shuriken, throwing a handful and injuring nearly half the Ikran as the wind tousled his hair. Leaping laterally off an ice floe as he dodged the first of them, Shay swiped his chokuto across its red frame, ruining a wing and robbing it of its flight as it roared viciously. Dodging several more multicolored attack runs as he tossed ice shuriken at his rapidly maneuvering opponents, Shay couldn't help but appreciate the spectacle.
This place really is beautiful...
Deciding to stay focused, he threw four shuriken with his left hand, flicking his wrist as they left it with a series of whiplike cracks. Two of the shuriken sailed into the eyes of two Ikran as they wailed, and the other pair curved to the side of a third before hitting each other with a ting. The third Ikran blindsided by the projectile as Shay leaped up to its distracted flock mates, it heard wails and slashing before turning its head far enough for its functional eye to see the bodies of its kin falling lifelessly through the air. Searching in a panic for the blonde adventurer, its vision suddenly tumbled as it caught a glimpse of its own limp body spiraling through the air.
Finishing off the rest of the flock as he neared his next stop, Shay used Deucalion to preemptively break his fall, landing quietly on the colossal roots connecting two of the floating islands. Checking the markings on the walls at least a few kirlos out, Shay confirmed his current floor.
Alright. This is 70...
Standing about a kirlo above the massive tree canopy of the 71st floor, Shay was momentarily taken in by the incredible beauty of the Dungeon. Just yesterday, he and the rest of Loki familia had once again emerged from the 68th floor into this exotic wilderness, and Shay had been acting as a scout due to his transportation magic. Using grappling hooks and other climbing equipment, they had descended from the section known as Sand Land into the three floor section the Zeus and Hera familias had previously dubbed Pandora.
The 69 and 70th floors were both part of a massive open area, and the only way to tell them apart was by looking at the rock walls encasing the area. The upper two thirds of Pandora was the sky above a massive forest, and the way to progress was by using the massive floating mountain-islands that populated the sky. These islands would shift seemingly on a whim, so traversal between them was no simple task. What served as a saving grace were the massive, ten meder thick roots that kept the mountains in somewhat close proximity to each other. One such root was where Shay currently stood.
Preparing to descend into the uncharted 71st floor, Shay readied himself to make a quick escape. The monsters down here averaged high Level Six, so even he had little room for error. Hopping off the root, he plummeted into the dense foliage.
~
Under the shade of the fantastical canopy hid a completely different world. The flora and fauna all had bioluminescent markings, the weeds glowing in response to Shay's steps and the stalking monsters dimming themselves to avoid detection. As he watched a viperwolf's glow lessen as it stalked him through the roots of a colossal tree, Shay wondered just what the hell the Dungeon really was. Just as he was thinking that, he noticed strange, green markings on the base of a tree.
...this...did we finally find it?
Seeing the vibrant green vines pulsating against the darkened roots entangled within, it looked as if the tree was being subsumed by a parasite.
The last Corrupted Spirit...
As he noticed the subtly out of place coloration, Shay couldn't help but be reminded of the knowledge his Spirit had given him. Having known all of the Spirits that were eventually corrupted by the Blight before she slept long ago, Raijin had mentioned that only one remained to be found. With that weird branch of Evilus finished in the final Knossos subjugation operation, there was nowhere else to look for the final Spirit than in the Dungeon.
Killing monsters swiftly and silently as he followed the trail of the pulsating veins, Shay eventually came to a strange area. The green veins growing in number and contrasting wildly with a clear burbling stream of water winding through the trees, the scene opened up into a wide open area, still somehow shaded by the canopy above. Upon closer inspection, the canopy seemed to have grown in the shape of a massive dome, its branches intertwined and supporting themselves using the wide ring of trees enclosing the area. Keeping a low profile, Shay used his downforce technique to climb halfway up one such tree to get a better view.
What he saw was an oasis, in the center of an already plentiful world. The stream he had been following was one of many, all of which were flowing to and from a lake at the very center of the area. In the center of the lake was a small island, maybe twenty meders across, and on it stood a large pillar of quartz.
This is...a pantry?
Noticing Ikrans, Viperwolves, and even a Hammerhead Titan feeding off the liquid pooling around the quartz, Shay realized this must be where the monsters of this floor got their nourishment. Watching bioluminescent creatures enter and leave the area, Shay noticed the bright green veins wrapped around the base of the pillar, all winding around the structure climbing to the top. Atop the pillar, the green veins formed a sort of strange looking, red-velvet teardrop, seemingly the bud of some strange flower. Not having seen a growth like this before, Shay wondered what purpose it could have.
His thoughts interrupted by a flock of Ikrans suddenly hurrying away from the lake, he felt an uncomfortable heat in his abdomen as the rest of the monsters rapidly followed suit. Looking closely, he saw a bulge in the lake's surface, and as he instinctively hid halfway around the tree the rising hill of water created a massive dimple in the lake as the surrounding water rushed to fill it. The fifty meder long mound of water rose to at least half that height above the lake's surface before it finally began to cascade off the massive object underneath.
...!
The air left his lungs as he saw it.
The first thing to emerge from the waterfall was the smiling, pristine, and familiar visage of a Corrupted Spirit. As it shook its silky green hair free of water, the rest of the beast emerged from the cascading flow. Mist gathering as waterfalls ended at its massive legs, the creature that hosted the Spirit atop its head was something Shay had only seen in drawings left by the Zeus and Hera familias.
It parasitized the floor boss!?
The massive, blackened scales. The demonic, slightly curled horns. The staggeringly powerful legs with the power to change the very landscape with each step. As this monumental, fifty meder beast drew closer to the island, Shay couldn't help but draw the obvious comparison.
It said so in the journals, but... It really is the spitting image of Behemoth.
For some reason, the floor boss of the 71st Floor looked strikingly similar to Behemoth, the so-called Terrestrial Tyrant that had been slain by the Zeus and Hera familias before their fall. Being the floor boss of this area put the beast squarely at Level Eight, but adding a Corrupted Spirit to the mix likely raised that dramatically.
As he quickly marked the location on the map he'd been making, Shay observed the thirty meder tall beast kneeling down, the Spirit on its forehead cupping her hands as she dipped them in the liquid sustenance provided by the quartz. After a few minutes of greedily drinking all that the pillar had to offer, the beast lifted the Spirit up again, her eyeline raised perfectly to match that of the velvet bud atop the quartz pillar.
With Shay emerging from behind his tree to get a better view of the beast's large purple eyes, a sudden screech filled his ears as he immediately ducked under the deadly swipe of a pouncing viperwolf. Quickly dispatching it with his chokuto as his heart rate shot up, Shay realized it was time to make his exit. As he disappeared in a flash of lightning, the Spirit and the beast snapped their heads in his direction, the beast following the sound and the Spirit following the light. As it recognized the quality of Shay's magic, the corners of the Spirit's mouth turned up in intense anticipation.
~
"Lemme see, lemme see...oh, wow! He's really gotten better at mapping, huh?"
"I mean, his first attempts didn't exactly set a high bar..."
With Chloe and Ryu stifling chuckles at the Amazon sisters' banter in front of them, Shay couldn't help but take that one on the chin as they walked across the massive roots connecting two floating mountains. When he'd first joined Loki familia four months ago, he'd immediately been assigned to a sort of scouting role, given how good of a fit he was for that kind of position, with his speed and ability to escape. The only problem had been his skills making maps. As the group jumped down through the 71st Floor's canopy, Shay reflected on the events after the wargame.
With Freya familia having disbanded in exactly the manner the Guild wished to avoid, one faction of the Einherjar reformed under Ottarl, who had achieved Level Eight due to his fight with Shay. Folkvangr was now owned by Hestia familia, but even so they allowed the Einherjar to train as they had before, although with a newfound measure of defeat. The other, smaller faction of Einherjar had followed Shay into Loki familia, and included Van, Lily, and a few others.
Freya was still working as Syr at the Hostess of Fertility, and regularly had to put up with angry Gods and Goddesses as she served them. From what he could tell, she had a significant change of heart after Bell's rejection, seemingly learning to treasure the love she already had a little more.
Speaking of Bell, the boy was currently walking towards the front of their formation with Aiz. Over the past four months, he had continued to have bizarre adventures, recently defeating Asterius and achieving Level Seven, now being even with Riveria, Gareth, and Finn after their own Level ups. Embarking on a joint expedition with Hestia familia, Loki familia was getting ready to tackle the final demi-Spirit, putting this part of their saga to rest as they prepared to surpass the adventurers of old.
Spotting the green vines running along the ground as they walked under the canopy, Finn addressed the group.
"Okay, everyone. The final demi-spirit should be about a kirlo out. I'll repeat the plan so it's fresh in everyone's minds."
Half the group gulping in anticipation and the other brimming with excitement, the prum leader continued as they walked in the soft light finding its way through the trees.
"Riveria will lead by exterminating the extra monsters in a wide range attack. Bete will head the follow up attack with Tiona and Tione to finish clearing the area. To keep the demi-Spirit at bay, Gareth, Bell, Aiz, and Shay will get in close. If it unleashes its poison, Lily and the healers will attempt to purify it."
The Behemoth was known not only for its brute strength but also for the poison surrounding it. The Floor boss version of the beast was reported to have a similar poison attack, although from what they could tell from the records it was to a much lesser extent. Continuing as the healers steadied themselves, Finn moved on to the next stage of the plan.
"As the fight progresses, Bell will prepare his chime and we will cover for him. We will bring the beast to the ground, and rely on that white light to defeat the Spirit. If anything goes wrong, Shay will get us back to camp one at a time. Any questions?"
Flailing her raised hand bombastically, Tiona spoke up.
"Oh, me! Me! What if little argonaut can't kill the Spirit?"
Responding confidently, the prum leader gave his answer.
"Then Aiz gets a shot. Shay, too. If it's tough enough to survive all that, we retreat depending on the state of battle. As long as we bring it to its knees, we should be able to take as many shots as needed."
Looking to the blonde adventurers as he finished, Finn projected his characteristic air of competence. Meeting his gaze then turning his own to Aiz, Shay resolved himself to fulfill his Spirit's wishes.
After he joined Loki familia, Aiz had finally opened up about her Spirit blood. She was raised by the Great Spirit Aria, who Blessed Aiz with her magic as she was swallowed up by the Black Dragon. The child Aiz slept for centuries in a protected place maintained by lesser Spirits, and was awakened in recent years. Having both her parents killed by the One Eyed Black Dragon, it was her mission to finally end the beast. After hearing the wishes of Shay's Spirit, Loki familia made it a priority to explore the Dungeon again and search for the final Corrupted Spirit.
Here we go.
Coming to a break in the trees, the group marveled at the wide open area bathed in the soft light trickling down from the canopy above. Seeing the pillar of quartz topped with a strange velvet bud, Finn addressed the group once more.
"Alright, this is it. The demi Spirit should be resting in this lake. Everyone, double check your equipment."
Examining the mind and healing potions in her pouch, Riveria took a moment to revel in the sight of this strange place. The clearing was roughly three hundred meders wide, with plains cut through by winding rivers leading to a central lake with a small island. She had never seen such an exotic looking pantry, since the Dungeon usually prioritized providing sustenance to the monsters over maintaining the landscape. Wondering about this, her thoughts were interrupted by Finn.
"Riveria, are you ready?"
"...Yes. If all goes well, we'll finally be able to put this problem to rest."
~
"Gather, breath of the earth—my name is Alf. Veil Breath!"
"Chained Fros, king of the wolves."
As Bete built up his magic energy alongside Riveria, a jade light enveloped the main fighters of the group. Riveria's first spell was a massive Defense buff, which was likely to last the entire fight. Moving on to her attack magic as the monsters in the pantry became aware of the group's presence, the high elf projected her beautiful voice over the pristine lake.
The monsters now stampeding towards the relatively small group of adventurers, the two casters raced through their songs as the monsters raced across the lake and over the plains. Having done this exact sequence in the wargame, Riveria timed the activation of her magic to that of Bete's as he ran out to face the incoming monsters.
"Bare your fangs—and devour all. Hati!"
"Incinerate, sword of Surtr—My name is Alf. Rea Laevateinn!"
The massive pillars of fire erupting all across the plains surrounding the central lake, scores of rushing monsters were engulfed by the inferno. The wolf dashing between pillars of fire as they were absorbed into his own, he viciously kicked and burned his way through monster after monster as the Amazon sisters followed in his wake. As Shay watched the fiery spectacle, he couldn't help but wonder how he'd fare on his own against an opponent like Bete.
After a minute or so of fighting off the monsters that threatened their formation, Shay felt a familiar rumbling in the ground, distinct to that of the ongoing battle.
It's time.
"The Spirit's on its way!"
Calling out to his teammates as he rushed out towards the lake through the chaotic melee, Aiz and Bell followed him soon after, the latter beginning to charge his white light as the former guarded him with her wind. Finn trailing behind the three main fighters as Gareth guarded the support group, the prum's thumb began to itch.
Preparing to buy time for the rest of the monsters to be cleared out, Shay faced down the Corrupted Spirit as it emerged from the cascading water. Its blank eyes immediately finding his lightning amid the chaos, the Spirit suddenly began giggling in mirth.
"Raijin, Raijin! Oh-ha-ha-ha!"
With the Floor boss underneath the Spirit walking out onto the battlefield, the ground shook with tremors matching the footfalls of the beast's massive, eight meder thick hooves. Adjusting his grip on Tsubaki's latest Durandal spear, Shay readied himself to take on the beast as his comrades met up with him.
"Remember, don't commit to anything yet, we're just buying time right now!"
As Finn reminded the group of their objective, the beast let out a massive roar.
"UUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!"
The canopy shaking as the beast's might brought down branches around them, Shay readied his lightning.
Okay, I've got one hell of a job this time…!
As he jumped up to the beast, Shay used his downforce to sprint up its front leg and across its shoulder towards the back of its head. Since the beast was so large, it only had its horns to defend this kind of approach. Ducking easily under them as the beast thrashed its head into its shoulder behind him, Shay made his way up to the Spirit. It sat at the center of a massive green flower atop the beast's head, and swiveled to face him as he emerged atop the beast's back.
"Ahhah, Raijin!"
The feminine figure reaching out to him as tendrils whipped in his direction, Shay dashed diagonally backwards to avoid the slashing rain. The Floor boss roaring once more as the plantlike whips struck its back, the Spirit continued unaffected. Seeing Shay continue to dodge and parry the endless rain with ease, the plantlike woman began chanting.
"Moan, mighty earth—Rise, rise, RISE! Husk of the earth! Sheen of iron! Hammer of the cosmos! May genesis's pact upheave rock and stone!"
Already!?
"Riveria! A barrier!"
"Dance, spirits of the air, keepers of the light!"
Responding to the shout of her prum commander, the high elf queen began casting her defensive magic. As the speed of her casting was barely able to match that of the Spirit's, her captain issued more orders.
"Everyone, form up under the barrier! Shay, get us back there!"
"The sky shall burn! The earth shall split! The bridge shall rise! Heaven and earth shall become one! May the axes of the ether rain down and bring about calamity's ruin—"
"Forge thy pledge with the forest's protectors and envelop us in the psalm of the earth! Surround us!"
Immediately responding to the orders of the captain as the Spirit's energy reached a crescendo, Shay stabbed a kunai into the back of the Behemoth before Blinking to the one on Finn's belt. Flowing mind into the other three fighters Shay made them disappear in a flash of light, reappearing behind Riveria with a sharp –chirp as both her and the Spirit's magic energies continued to build.
Keeping track of this is damn tough, you know…!
Having given a pre-marked kunai to nearly every member of the squad, Shay was always trying to figure out which to Blink to. In his time thus far with Loki familia they'd taken full advantage of his magic to great success, but even after months it was still difficult to keep track of it all mid combat. As the spirit finished her spell, Riveria just barely raised her barrier in time.
"Your envoy beseeches you, Gnome! Incarnate of the land! Queen of the earth—! Meteor Swarm!"
"Materialize, mighty barrier of forest's light, and lend us your protection—my name is Alf! Via Shilheim!"
The monster clearing group having arrived just before Shay's, everyone was accounted for and relying on the protection of Riveria's barrier. As he judged the volumes of magic energy being expended by both Riveria and the Corrupted Spirit, Shay couldn't help but see oblivion in the party's future. Preparing to transport everyone out if necessary, Shay watched as an obsidian light coated the domed canopy in shadow.
The next moment, thousands upon thousands of meteorites fell down from above, each accelerating far faster than gravity alone would allow towards the barrier and across the landscape. Colliding with the ground with tremendous force, the meteorites shot dirt, water, and rock into the air as the group's vision was constrained to the inside of the barrier. Thunderous shockwaves running through the ground as small cracks began to form in the jade light, Shay recognized the magnitude of what they were dealing with.
This magic…is far beyond our Level…
As a roaring comet tore through the air straight towards Riveria's barrier, Shay ran his lightning across the skin of all the present members, preparing an instant escape as the meteor slammed directly into the barrier.
Okay, that's it!
The sound of shattering glass.
As the jade barrier rained down in pieces around the group, Shay was an instant away from initiating their escape. But—
—ring!
A soft chime rang out behind him.
"Wait!"
Dashing in front of Gareth, the Amazons, and the entire group was Bell, streaking lightning and emanating a radiant white light. Throwing a spare greathammer at the meteor as it approached the group, Bell shattered them both as pieces rained down around his allies. As another breached the cloud of debris on its way to the party, the boy leaped skyward to meet it.
"FIREBOLT!"
The magnificent electric fire colliding with the meteor and sending shockwaves in all directions, Shay noticed something crucial.
He…didn't waste it!
—ring!
The white light was still there. The boy had used his other hand to invoke his magic, refusing to waste his charge on defense. As the meteor's rubble rained down over the group harmlessly, the boy's magic carved its way through the debris, revealing that the broken meteor had been the last of the barrage.
Wait…!?
Even though the shower was over, the rumbling continued nonetheless. As Shay realized what this meant, the demonic horns of the fifty meder long Behemoth crashed through the remaining debris. The Level Eight floor boss had its head lowered, its horns aimed directly at the group. It was charging them. As Bell arced through the air, he was perfectly on course towards the beast's head.
He'll die!
Preparing to save Bell, Shay appeared behind him in a flash of light. Before he could whisk him away however, he heard the building chime in the boy's right hand.
—ring!
The white light shining intensely after a roughly two minute charge, Shay realized Bell's intention. Waiting until the last moment to remove him from danger, Shay timed his magic perfectly.
"FIREBOLT!"
A massive beam of electric white light shot out directly towards the charging beast, with the pair disappearing in a flash right after. As they returned to the group, they watched the beast tumble to the ground as their footing shook in response. The massive beast sliding across the plains as it carved through the ground beneath it, everyone watched with bated breath as the beast came to a stop only ten meders from the group. The lower part of the beast peeking out from the debris, Tiona broke the silence.
"Did we do it?"
"""..."""
—crack!
The entire group watched as a massive crack formed at the base of one of the beast's massive horns, barely peeking out of the still settling smoke. Everybody felt the impact as it broke off, hitting the ground with a tremendous thud. The beast's head emerging from the debris, the group could see a charred hole had been bored straight through the massive creature's snout, and a divot had been burned out of the beast's chest under it.
The Level Eight Floor boss was most definitely dead.
As they marveled at the power held by Hestia familia's strongest member, they cautiously waited for the rest of the smoke to clear.
"Rage, rage, RAGE! Vortex of fire! The crimson wall! Hellfire's roar! May the ardor of the gale plunge the world into grief and misery!"
The Spirit's still alive…!
"Attack!"
The experienced leader not missing the opportunity, Finn guided his party into motion. Jumping into the dust cloud at breakneck speeds, Shay readied his spear for an attack.
"The sky shall burn! The earth shall ignite! The seas shall boil! The fonts shall churn! The mountains shall erupt! All life shall turn to ash!"
As the Spirit continued to chant, Shay ran along the downed beast's back, noticing a peculiarity in the Spirit's voice.
It's becoming muffled?
"May the lives of the great ones serve as atonement for the coming choler and grief—!"
As he got close to the source of the colossal magic energy, Shay was met with a peculiar sight.
Another bud…? It's hiding, we'll have to break through before it finishes!
Going for maximum speed, Shay sprinted straight towards the green flower bud, which encased the chanting Spirit. Readying his spear for a devastating blow, he thrust with all the force he could muster.
—Ting!
The weapon bouncing off as his arms tingled, his allies joined the fray. Some leaping, others sprinting, a couple spinning, Gareth, Finn, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Aiz, and Bell all tried to break the Spirit's defenses at once. An ax, a spear, Urga, a halberd, boots, a sword, and a black dagger were all powerless against the Spirit's cocoon as it completed its chant unperturbed. Giving up as the Spirit readied another attack, Finn shouted to Shay.
"Retreat!"
"Your envoy beseeches you, Salamander! Incarnate of fire! Queen of flame—!"
Blinking to everyone in rapid succession as Sylph slowed his perception of time, Shay pushed his newest skill to the limit. In his first update by Loki, Shay developed a skill called Sprite Serenade, which continually lowered the mind consumption of a spell on each subsequent cast if done in quick succession. Taking full advantage of this, Shay rapidly Blinked between his allies, transporting them one by one back to Riveria, who was hopefully creating another barrier by now. As he got the last of his allies to safety, he transported himself back to them.
"Fire Storm!"
Another of the Spirit's massive attacks once again destroyed the surrounding area. The world outside their small jade barrier turning a brilliant red, the group watched in horror as they felt the heat searing them through the glowing light. Ryu giving Riveria a mind potion as she added power to the barrier, the jade light was hanging on for dear life. Wondering how to break the Spirit's defenses, Shay was surprised as the attack abated rather quickly. The tornadoes of fire becoming wispy as Riveria briefly relaxed, Shay couldn't help but feel that something was off.
~
The Level Four Lily couldn't possibly keep up with the scale of this battle. As the demi-Spirit's fire cleared around her and her allies, she had to actively remind herself that she was being protected just to keep her nerve.
This is nothing like Folkvangr…!
The Einherjar wouldn't dare attack one of the healers, but the abomination they were currently fighting held no such reservations.
As the area cleared, she felt something horribly wrong. The Behemoth's body had already reduced itself to a terrifying, dark skeleton, even though the decomposition of a Floor boss usually took hours. Looking at the base of the beast, she noticed a probable cause.
The vines…?
The sickly green veins that ran along the ground towards the quartz pillar had wrapped themselves around the downed beast's leg, and were pulsating as if pumping its vitality away. Realizing what was happening a moment too late, Lily looked to the large bud atop the central pillar and to her horror, it was glowing with velvet light.
As the rest of the group followed her gaze, the massive bud began to shift. Its petals rotating outwards in a foreboding dance, the flower began to bloom, releasing what looked to be glowing red spores high into the air. As they floated upwards, she saw Finn clutching his thumb out of the corner of her eye.
"Riveria, keep that barrier up! Lily, start your purification!"
This is the poison!?
Earlier in the confrontation, Lily had thought it strange that the Behemoth hadn't used the poison attacks that the Hera and Zeus familias had written about. Recognizing that her time had finally come, she began her chant as the glowing red spores reached the canopy, bursting open and releasing a murky red rain upon them.
"I call upon you, holy light of the Aegis. Well up from the deepest recesses of this world, called forth by the blighted shadows and the tainted souls of the forgotten."
As the velvet rain poured down in a deluge over the area, Lily noticed the spores continually rising from the central flower. Riveria now back to pouring mind into her barrier, pearls of sweat ran down her face as she struggled to maintain the jade light. A small section of translucent green melting away towards the front of the formation, the murky red rain began to trickle down onto the vanguard. As Gareth's skin began to sizzle, Aiz was the first to react.
"Awaken, Tempest!"
"Gather the tomes of reviled knowledge and mourn the loss of your saints, as you rewrite their fate with your purifying light."
With Lily still chanting as the high elf's barrier began to fail, Aiz took it upon herself to try and stymie the deluge of corrosive rain. Chanting her magic several times, the blonde swordswoman enveloped the group in a veritable hurricane of wind and debris swirling around them as Riveria's barrier finally failed. Focusing as best she could under the pressure, Lily continued her chant, images of her home village floating in her mind.
"Forgive the tragedy of the past as you purge this body of malevolence so that it may be a courier of your purity, and erase the blight that corrupts from within. I wish to cleanse my soul, for the world to be awash with your purifying light!"
As Shay created a dome of ice underneath Aiz's wind, Lily chose to place her trust in him.
He'll save us! I just need to do my part!
The makeshift barrier sizzling under the corrosive rain as splashes of murky red assaulted the group, Shay and Aiz continued to pour their magic into protecting their allies. As Lily's spell reached its conclusion, Shay shouted to her.
"Lily, we'll do this like your home! Aiz! Put everything you've got into your wind as soon as she finishes the spell!"
Like my…? We're going for the source!?
Sensing the shifting tide of battle, Finn dished out more orders as Lily completed her spell.
"Bell! Charge Gareth's greataxe!"
"I call upon you for the sake of my world—!"
With Shay rushing to her and placing his hand on her back as he released control of his ice, Lily's vision was lost to a flash of lightning. Not even comprehending what was happening as she flew through the air at incredible speeds, she focused on the reassuring hand holding her. Appearing on top of the pillar before she even knew what had happened, she heard Shay's ragged voice.
"Now!"
Refusing to hesitate at the crucial moment, Lily unleashed her purifying light.
"—Aegis Curio!"
Brilliant, petal-shaped motes of light enveloping the massive flower before her as Shay used Deucalion to shield them briefly from the rain, Lily focused all her energy into the purification. Knowing her allies were on an extremely short clock as she fought against the corrosion, Lily's pronounced scarring twisted in effort.
This always happens…every time I use this…
A tear streaking down the rough skin of her face, Lily was bombarded by memories of her family she'd failed to save. Lily had been born to an ailing village, stricken with a sickness caused by decaying monsters and constant battle. Her siblings had all been lost to illness, and she had only survived by sheer luck. Discovering her purifying motes of light by chance, she had been able to purify the village, allowing her to put her family to rest. Having nothing left, she had been saved by Freya.
Returning to the present, Lily found that the rain had stopped. Before her was the blooming flower, now a pearly white and motionless as the murky rain dripped down from Shay's barrier. Looking up at him in relief, her peace of mind was shattered as she saw the state of her protector. Shay had shielded them as best he could from the corrosion, but he had been caught by a lot of rain on the way there. His battle cloth corroded and his skin blackened in large patches, he brought them back to the main group in a flash of light.
~
Gods, that's awful…!
The incessant stinging of his right arm and large patches of his skin making it difficult to think clearly, Shay listened to the chime of Bell's skill as he waited for Riveria and Lily's healing to take effect. Almost everyone had been hit by the poison rain to some extent, and the group was in extremely rough shape. Even the landscape itself seemed to writhe in pain as the dirt hissed from the corrosive liquid seeping into it. Drinking another mind potion, Shay lifted his eyes to their opponent.
Only one was unaffected, then…?
The Corrupted Spirit.
The green cocoon resting atop the corroded skeleton of the Floor boss was marred with burns and lesions, but as it opened up the Spirit inside was smiling, completely unharmed.
That seems about right…
As he felt the Spirit beginning to build magic energy once more, he looked to the party's main firepower. Bell was holding Gareth's greataxe in both hands, charging it with brilliant white light. As the soft chiming continued, Shay stood up, preparing to end this.
It's gotta be nearly out of gas by now, right?
As the Spirit prepared for battle, Shay walked over to Bell, placing a marking on the axe's handle. Activating Sylph as he boosted his Dexterity, Shay took kunai into both hands. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for the finale.
Blinking without warning to the kunai he'd placed on the Behemoth's back, the Spirit responded by chanting faster than ever before, producing a veritable sea of magic circles with hieroglyphics glowing in shades of blue, purple, green, and every other color imaginable. Some were floating midair, others were latched onto the ground, others still were on the Spirit's own body as they were set like tripmines should Shay enter the Spirit's domain.
I need to create a clear shot…this should be fun…!
Throwing and Blinking to the first kunai, Shay used his downforce to dodge a streak of flame as he tossed a second and third to either side of the Spirit. Blinking to the second to avoid a flash of lightning and tossing it into the air above his opponent, Shay Blinked to the third to avoid a burst of ice. Continuing this dance as multicolored flares erupted from every angle, Shay increased the speed until the Spirit could no longer keep up.
As it gave up on accuracy, consolidating its magic into one large blast, Shay made sure to throw a kunai into the top of the domed canopy. Closing the distance to the Spirit as he thrusted with his spear, Shay Blinked at the last possible moment, the massive explosion of his opponent's magic sending a shockwave and rocking the canopy he was now inverted on. Throwing the kunai as fast as he could down at the Spirit, Shay Blinked to the now charged greataxe, sending it back to the speeding kunai as his comrades' eyes widened in response.
—BOOM!
The ground shook as chunks of debris were launched high into the air, colliding with the massive, canopied dome of the 71st Floor.
The last things Shay remembered about that day were a shockwave, a brilliant flash of light, and a softly smiling Spirit.