Ryuu, unfortunately, didn't find Syr at the Hostess of Fertility. She stayed home today to do some important tasks. She spent a little time with the other waitresses and returned to the Stardust Garden with Shiori.
"That's sad," Shiori said. "I'm gonna check up on Asahi-kun."
"I'll find something else—"
Shiori grabbed Ryuu's wrist. "You're coming with me."
"I don't want to intrude on your private time," Ryuu retorted. Seeing Asahi being lovey-dovey with others always left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Come with me to the dungeon. You can help us, you know."
"Help how?" Ryuu said, showing more reluctance. "Your husband is a demigod. He needs no help… I'll become dead weight in the team."
She wasn't confident of helping them in any way past the 59th floor. Her sword wasn't durable like Ais's sword with the Durandal attribute. Astraea had yet to place an order with Hephaestus to upgrade everyone's swords. She wasn't in any hurry to send her Familia into the unexplored regions.
Shiori placed her hands on her waist, a look of disappointment in her eyes. "Sheesh. It's a woman's right to be protected by a man."
"Correction, protected by their lover."
"Same thing. Same thing."
No matter how much Ryuu resisted, Shiori pulled her along inside where they met with Rika, Nao, and Aimi. Together, they teleported to Asahi's location.
Rika grinned at the sight of Riveria sweating profusely as she sang chants. She then turned to Asahi smacking the Fomoire with his spear. He was holding back his strength, or the horde would be nothing more than a pile of magic stones scattered across the floor.
"Aa-chan already started the party without us."
"Don't interfere," Ais said, her voice a bit commanding. "Onii-san will… fight alone."
"It's the blonde loli," Shiori said. "Ais, what is happening here?"
Ais nodded and pointed at Riveria. "Riveria's training."
Nao patted Ais's head, finding her cute like her little sister Aiko. "Let's wait and watch."
"It's rare to see him fighting like this," Shiori said and pulled out her phone. "It had to happen the day I took out all of my panties from my ring."
Ryuu was surprised at their trust in Asahi. He fended thousands of monsters all on his own, yet Shiori had leisure to make perverted jokes.
"Ryuu-chan, it's nothing serious." Rika patted Ryuu's shoulder. "Let's enjoy the show."
Riveria wiped the sweat from her forehead and quietly cursed the gang laughing as though they were enjoying her suffering. Ais's smile in particular irked her. The blonde rarely smiled. For her to do it when she was on the brink of collapsing was vexing. Gritting her teeth, she decided on bringing back Ais's trauma when they returned.
"Rea Laevateinn!"
The flame pillars engulfed the horde, obliterating a good chunk of the monsters.
"I'm done for," she whispered and pulled a magic potion out of her robe. She gulped down the tasteless potion and heaved a sigh. "Is he satisfied?"
Asahi looked over his shoulder and grinned. "Good job, Mom."
Nao tilted her head. "Did Riveria adopt Asahi-kun?"
Rika lightly rubbed Nao's head. "It's a kink play."
"That's beyond kinky…" Nao muttered, baffled at the degeneracy of her fiance.
'I'll ask him to do it with me next time.'
Nao covered her mouth and grinned. Shiori had infected everyone with the perverted acts that made their bedroom experience refreshing.
Asahi blew away the monsters with his telekinesis and cracked his knuckles. "Let's test the new form."
The skill had already given him understanding and the instructions to him, becoming more of a second nature rather than a simple skill.
'Which form should I take?'
Fire will melt the entire floor if he wasn't careful. The water form as it will most likely turn him into a water slime, not something he'd enjoy. Earth might turn him into Ben Grimm aka the Thing from Marvel.
'Lightning and Wind. Let's try wind first.'
He willed, and the elements obeyed. Nao and Ryuu picked up the change in wind currents, every current was changing its path to Asahi. The wind elemental condensed into a thick green armor around Asahi. The armor sank into his body, giving his skin a jade glow.
He closed his eyes in the sensation of overwhelming strength. His consciousness spread miles away. The wind gave him a taste of what omniscience beings felt on a far smaller scale. Just a couple of miles had pushed his Multithreaded Processing skill beyond its limits.
[—'Multithreaded Processing' ranked up to D.]
The boost allowed him to envelope the entire floor with his senses. Whether it was the tint on Nao's glass, Ryuu's baffled look or Riveria's wide eyes, he saw them all as if he was looking at them through his eyes.
But he couldn't push past the floor as an invisible barrier blocked his advance. As though feeling an unknown existence, the dungeon rumbled. The Fomoire rushed towards Asahi at once.
'Dungeon-chan isn't happy.'
Asahi crossed his arms on his chest. A green shadow stretched from his back and split into three serpents with sparkling white eyes. The fusion of wind element and life element recreated a three-headed hydra. The non-toxic hydra split the air with a barrage of wind blades.
The thousands of Fomoire were decimated in the span of a second.
It was a slaughter none of the people here had ever seen.
He could have simply crushed their bodies or cut off their oxygen supply if they were human. He chose a flashier method for Riveria. He knew this act would bring Riveria's curiosity to its heights, giving him a solid chance at winning her heart.
Rika proudly patted chest. "It's rare for Aa-chan to show off."
Shiori snuck a glance at Riveria who gaped at the annihilation caused by Asahi. Ais's tiny mouth was opened in an O-shape, prompting Nao to pat her head.
Shiori grinned. "Let's say he achieved what he wanted."