*Crack!*
The ground was cracking.
In the enormous cavern, the earth shattered like glass, creating sudden cracks that raced in all directions.
Before long, the cracks swelled, soil rolled all around, rocks shattered, and dust filled the air.
*BOOOM!*
A massive pitch-black monster burst through the ground, shaking off rocks and sand clinging to its massive body. It let the debris fall as it made the cavern violently tremble.
*ROAAAARRRRRR—!!!*
A roar echoed from the massive monster emerging from the earth. It sounded like a cry and an angry howl combined, turning into shockwaves that rolled in all directions.
The monster resembled a gigantic skeleton, entirely black, with sharp spikes protruding from every corner of its bones. These spikes glowed with an eerie and dangerous sharpness, instilling fear in anyone who saw it.
Its lower half remained buried underground, but just the bone section above the pelvis reached nearly ten meters in height. The head sprouted two horns resembling a demon, and deep within the massive eye sockets flickered strange and dangerous red flames, truly horrifying.
At the center of this massive monster, within the chest cavity, a magic stone much larger than usual was embedded like a heart, protected by thick chest and rib bones.
This was the floor boss of the 37th Floor, Udaeus!
Without any surprises, Ais, standing in the middle of the cavern with her back to the floor entrance, immediately caught the attention of this floor boss.
*BOOM!*
Accompanied by a rumbling sound, the massive skeleton monster swept its massive bone arm, sending Ais flying.
"!!!"
Witnessing this scene, Riezel's heart, tightly strung, snapped. Without hesitation, he extended his hand toward one of the two swords hanging at his waist.
Facing the 37th Floor's floor boss, a Level 6 massive-sized monster, Riezel almost instinctively reached for Fool under Hermit, ready to use this first-class equipment ranked in the top three in Orario.
But before he could draw his sword, a voice stopped him.
"Don't!"
The scream from Ais froze Riezel's movements.
Shortly afterward, he saw Ais, thrown by Udaeus's blow, standing unsteadily from beneath the cracked wall.
"Don't do anything..."
Ais stared intently at him as she spoke.
In her transparent golden eyes, rare and intense emotions appeared.
It was a determination.
It was a resolve.
With Ais looking at him with such eyes, Riezel couldn't help but halt his hand reaching for Fool.
"Tempest!"
Shortly after, Ais loudly chanted her exclusive magic and activated the overpowered wind enchant-type magic, enveloping her body in chaotic gusts.
With help from 'Ariel', she finally began to sprint.
*ROAAAAARRRRRR—!!!*
The massive skeleton monster roared once again, swinging its bone arm, stirring up gusts of wind and sand, forcefully sweeping toward her.
Ais seemed to be attempting to evade, leaping slightly with the help of the wind. However, just as she was about to leap, her body froze mysteriously.
This freeze was undoubtedly deadly.
*BOOM!*
The massive bone arm brutally struck Ais, sending her flying once again, crashing into the wall at the other end of the cavern, shattering it to pieces.
"Ais!" Riezel couldn't help but shout in panic.
Ais didn't respond; she just stubbornly got up again, charging at Udaeus once more.
Udaeus continued to swing its giant bone arm, carrying frightening force and emitting thunderous roars and vibrations throughout the massive cavern, showcasing the immense power typical of floor bosses.
From this astonishing display of power and noise, it was clear that this floor boss, like the others, possessed terrifying strength comparable to the giant species.
Under such power, the cavern quickly suffered devastation.
The ground became pockmarked, cracks and holes marring the walls all around. Stones and debris flew like bullets, even forcing Riezel to dodge several times.
Fortunately, Udaeus's strength, while powerful, also had a common weakness shared by every giant species—slower movements.
Though still threatening, with Ais's speed, she shouldn't be easily hit.
However, reality proved otherwise.
Amidst Udaeus's indiscriminate destruction, Ais, despite her efforts to evade, was repeatedly hit somewhat easily. Like a cannonball, she was either slammed into the wall or crashed onto the ground, raising dust and sending stones flying, looking extremely miserable.
After being hit several times, even with Ariel's wind protection, she began to accumulate injuries.
'How did this happen?' Riezel was genuinely stunned. 'Why does Ais keep getting hit often? With her speed, dodging Udaeus's attacks should be a piece of cake!'
This confusion lingered until he noticed the unnatural stiffness in her movements, finally uncovering the answer.
'Could it be that Ais is now just like me, enduring aches and soreness due to the side effects of Ariel?'
Upon getting this answer, Riezel finally understood why, despite using Ariel himself, he couldn't catch up to Ais.
It seemed that, like him, she was also using Ariel without stopping to hasten her journey. This seemed like a rather foolish course of action.
After all, her goal was the floor boss of the 37th Floor, a Level 6 Udaeus.
Facing such a monster, logically, one should avoid unnecessary battles before reaching the 37th Floor, saving stamina and preserving mind to be in the best possible condition for the battle.
Ais, however, used Ariel in advance for the sake of speed.
Not only did it consume most of her mind, but her body also suffered Ariel's side effects. Facing a floor boss with a higher level in this kind of state was practically suicide.
Yet, Riezel could understand; it must have been a helpless action.
To reach the 37th Floor, considering the possible obstacles along the way, not to mention the time required, it would take at least two or three days.
Ais entered the dungeon with minimal supplies, lacking provisions and food. Rushing through a two to three-day journey in the dungeon without proper supplies would leave her with no strength or stamina to fight Udaeus upon reaching the 37th Floor.
Instead of ending up in a weakened state during the battle, she preferred enduring Ariel's side effects and the loss of mind. At least this way, she would have the strength to fight.
Combined with the urgency she felt, Ais ultimately decided to use Ariel to speed up her journey, preventing Riezel from catching up with her. She successfully arrived at the 37th Floor before him, but the cost was high.
As expected, in the following battle with Udaeus, Ais was easily overwhelmed.
*BOOM!*
Udaeus's massive bone arm hit Ais once again, sending her flying and crashing onto the ground, rolling a considerable distance before coming to a stop.
Riezel didn't intend to watch any longer and quickly unsheathed Fool.
"Don't come!"
Ais's pained scream stopped him as she forced herself to unsteadily get back on her feet.
This time, Riezel had no intention of complying with her demands.
However, Ais's next word, caused his expression to stiffen, and the step he was about to take froze.
"Please..."
Her whisper created more turmoil in him than he had imagined.
Not for anything else, but because Ais Wallenstein, in a vulnerability he had never heard nor seen before, was pleading to him.
Her plea made his steps, which he could take at any time, impossible to move forward.
"You're gonna die!" Riezel could only take a deep breath and yelled.
"No..."
Ais stood up, pointing her sword toward the massive skeleton monster ahead, and took a deep breath.
"I will win!"
Her fragile tone was replaced by a resolute and determined one.
Riezel really wanted to argue.
If she were in her optimal condition, he wouldn't doubt her winning.
He recalled in the original work that she indeed could take down Udaeus alone, achieving a great exploit and leveling up to Level 6 with Ariel's help.
Ais's true power, with such overpowered magic, was more than a match for Level 6. For her, Udaeus was undoubtedly a difficult opponent, but not an unbeatable one.
In other words, if she was at her best, able to unleash a hundred percent of her power, Riezel would trust her, trust this girl, and let her confidently take on the challenge.
However, the problem was that she wasn't in her best condition now.
To speed up her journey, she had been using 'Ariel' nonstop, resulting in both body and mind fatigue.
In this condition, expecting her to showcase a hundred percent of her power was wishful thinking; even seventy to eighty percent was highly unlikely.
In this situation, what did she have to fight Udaeus?
How could she win?
Riezel really wanted to counter Ais like that.
Unfortunately, just as the words reached the tip of his tongue, he found himself unable to say them.
Ais's gaze crossed the distance between them, landing on his eyes.
In those transparent golden eyes, there was still determination and resolve, but now, there was a lot more pleading.
As a result, Riezel fell silent and couldn't advance any further.
His emotions, rarely seen, became extremely complex and chaotic.
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Considering it rationally, there was no doubt the most crucial thing for Riezel to do at this moment was to go all out against Udaeus.
Even though Udaeus was a floor boss classified as Level 6, his strength now had surpassed even Ais's, which meant he could take on Udaeus entirely on his own.
In the original work, Ais also managed to defeat Udaeus on her own in a perilous battle. Since Riezel was now stronger than her, there was no reason for him to fear the floor boss of the 37th Floor.
At the very least, he could have retreated with her, avoiding this floor boss very easily. He surely had the confidence for that.
However, that was just a rational perspective.
If looked at from an emotional standpoint, it was a different story.
If Riezel didn't know anything, didn't know Ais's desires, didn't know why the girl craved such strong power in her heart, he could have just jumped into action without thinking too much.
Unfortunately, he knew the original work, knew what wishes and sorrows resided in Ais Wallenstein's heart.
This made it impossible for him to decisively join or interfere in her fight.
Of course, monsters like Udaeus didn't consider and care about human emotions.
*ROAAAARRRR—!!!*
Udaeus let out a roar, slamming its fist into the ground without mercy.
*BOOOM!*
Fortunately, this punch couldn't reach Ais.
At this moment, she had already distanced herself from Udaeus. Unless it pulled its lower body out of the ground to pursue her, at this distance, its fist couldn't touch her at all.
Yet, seeing Udaeus's fist smash into the ground, not only Ais but Riezel's expression also changed slightly.
*BANG!*
As the ground shattered, sharp spikes, resembling both rocks or bone spikes, emerged.
These spikes were pitch-black, matching Udaeus's body color. They shot up from the underground, piercing toward Ais's direction.
'Here it comes!'
Seeing this scene, both Riezel and Ais felt a momentary tension.
Anyone who had faced Udaeus before or paid attention to information about it would know that this floor boss had two special abilities.
Some might wonder why this massive floor boss didn't pull its lower body out of the ground and remained in that position.
What they didn't know was that Udaeus actually had no lower body.
It was like a tree with roots firmly planted underground. A massive tree with its upper body visible to others, capable of displaying incredible strength, while its lower body consisted of numerous bone components branching out from the pelvic area.
The spikes that looked like rock or bone spikes were, in fact, parts of Udaeus's body. The entire area Ais was in right now was, in essence, Udaeus's lower body spread across the vast underground cavern.
As long as it was willing, it could make its parts buried underground break through the surface, attacking the entire cavern it was in. It could even block the entrance, not letting anyone escape from this place.
This was one of Udaeus's special abilities, being able to summon upturned spikes to attack its enemies. It could also summon them to use as shields against enemy attacks, truly a dual-purpose weapon.
Thanks to this ability, Udaeus could unleash area attacks, a rarity among the floor bosses. Even facing a group of dozens of adventurers with high levels, it remained unfazed.
Not only that, another one of Udaeus's abilities significantly reduced the numerical advantage before it.
*ROAAAARRRR—!!!*
The massive skeleton monster roared, causing the ground all around to continuously crack and shatter.
However, this time, what emerged from the ground were not bone spikes but small skeleton monsters.
They were like shrunken versions of Udaeus, human-sized but entirely white skeletal beings known as Spartoi.
Spartoi were monsters that roamed the 37th Floor, classified as Level 4. Yet another ability of Udaeus precisely allowed it to summon countless Spartoi to fight as soldiers for itself.
As a result, at this moment, whether it was spikes or soldiers, all of them under Udaeus's roaring command charged toward Ais.
"Ugh...!"
Ais tried to dodge, attempting to create distance from the monsters, but the pain coursing through her head to toe once again tormented her body, making her speed impossible to unleash.
Just as she was about to be hit by the violently approaching spikes, Riezel's voice echoed.
"Follow blindly the sun in the sky, so that all will flee from thee."
"Blossom, Armor of Laurel."
"Raumure!"
Accompanied by the chanting of magic, a deep green light membrane appeared, enveloping Ais's body.
Her speed suddenly skyrocketed, swiftly dodging the incoming spikes.
Before she could fully react, Riezel's voice rang out again.
"Healing droplets, tears of light, eternal sanctuary."
This was a completely new chant, and it was only recently that Ais heard it.
Unlike before, when she heard Airmid chant this magic with a solemn and devout voice, this time she heard a man's voice.
"Compose a medicinal hymn-three hundred, sixty, and five. The melody of the healer's almanac saves all things."
"Come, destruction of evil."
"The burial of wounds, interment of disease."
"Curses be gone in the light of vitality."
"In the name of all that is holy - I heal you."
"Dia Fratel!"
The top-class healing magic was activated, and pure white particles of light descended from the sky, swirling out from a white magic circle, and landing on Ais's body.
At this moment, Ais could clearly feel the pain and soreness coursing through her entire body rapidly easing. She subconsciously turned her head and looked toward the entrance of the cavern.
There, Riezel stepped on a pure white magic circle, gazing at her.
Through his eyes, she understood what he wanted to convey.
—At least let me handle this bit of support.
Riezel chose not to rush out anymore but to support Ais in his own way from the back.
Feeling her body gradually recovering, injuries improving, and even the soreness under her skin easing, she tightened her grip on her sword.
"Thank you, Riezel..."
Ais whispered and quickly raised her head, her eyes revealing a powerful resolve.
Without hesitation, she charged forward.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Numerous Spartoi rushing toward Ais shuddered, collectively exploding.
With the wind enveloping her body, she charged into the midst of the monster horde, like a storm sweeping through.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Her sword slashed dozens of times in an instant, exploding every Spartoi in her path.
*ROOOAAAAAARRRR—!!!*
Seemingly angered by this, Udaeus immediately summoned more spikes, shooting toward Ais without stopping.
She didn't dare to be careless; her footsteps and figure dodged in rapid succession, avoiding Udaeus's long-range attacks with astonishing speed and agility.
*Whoosh—*
Seeing Ais getting closer, flames flickered in Udaeus's eye sockets. Its thick bone arm, carrying a strong gust of wind, quickly swung toward her without mercy.
Just as Ais was about to dodge, she suddenly realized there was no escape.
The spikes shot out by Udaeus, varying in length and width, were essentially a part of its body and wouldn't disappear.
Because Udaeus had just shot out numerous spikes, even if they didn't hit her, they would all land on the ground, forming a mountain of spikes. Some were as small as pointed needles, standing upright, while others were as large as stone pillars, occupying a considerable space in the cavern.
Although Ais successfully dodged the shooting spikes, those on the ground deprived her of some of her foothold.
In other words, her movement space was restricted.
Under the pressure of countless spikes, she had little room to dodge, completely unable to avoid the oncoming arm attack from Udaeus.
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Udaeus's massive arm, thick and robust, laced with a forceful gust, swept away anything in its path indiscriminately. Just before reaching Ais, it preemptively swung, shattering spikes, breaking the earth's surface, and thundering toward her at great speed.
The power of this attack surpassed anything Udaeus had unleashed before.
Ais, relying on instinct and experience, realized she couldn't withstand this kind of attack. Even with Ariel's protection and Raumure's defense, taking a direct hit would leave her undying but severely wounded.
"Tempest!"
In the face of crisis, Ais increased the output of Ariel.
*Whoosh—*
A massive gust of wind enveloped her body, and with a step on her foot, she soared into the air.
*BOOOOM!*
Udaeus's powerful arm attack missed, crashing into the ground, and sending a spray of soil and stones into the air.
Ais, riding the wind, remained suspended in midair and quickly flew toward Udaeus.
Ariel's enhancement was almost comprehensive, assisting in every aspect except long-range attacks. It not only enhanced attack power and protected the user's body but also increased speed, enhanced weapons, and provided short-range flying ability.
Ais took advantage of Ariel's features, whipping up a frenzy of wind as she charged toward Udaeus with powerful momentum.
*ROAAAARRRR—!!!*
The flames in Udaeus's eye sockets burned more fiercely as both of its bony arms rose to meet Ais.
*Rumble—*
In the vast cavern, vibrations and tremors incessantly shook the surroundings.
With only one spectator, Ais engaged in a true life-and-death battle against her chosen powerful opponent.
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