Capítulo 410: Ambush
The group continued to ascend the Dungeon while doing their best to avoid combat as much as possible. Since Vahn was carrying two people, he wasn't able to make use of his archery and instead focused on 'cooking' the monsters by converging fire elements into their eyes, ears, and mouths, while Ais and Tiona cleared the path. For weaker monsters, he could simply stun them with a pulse of his intent so they were making fast progress and eventually reached the stairs leading to the 26th floor above. However, before they were actually able to reach the entrance to the staircase, Vahn sensed a projectile enter the periphery of his domain and immediately ducked to avoid the red trident that pierced the space where his head had been.
From the water at the sides, Vahn sensed several strong presences converging on their position and shouted, "Enemy ambush, they're in the water...I sense seven monsters, likely variant species!" Using Shundo, Vahn broke formation and retreated to the relative safety of the corridor before placing down Haruhime and Fenrir. It would have taken just a few seconds for them to also reach the door, but everyone except Tione stood their ground and prepared to intercept the enemies. Vahn nodded his head and pat the top of the two girls' heads and said, "Fenrir, protect Haruhime within this corridor. Haruhime, renew your [Uchide no Kozuchi] on Ais, Tiona, Tione, Riveria, and Ryuu. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
Tione arrived soon after and dropped off Lefiya before telling her to cast a barrier before rejoining the fight. Vahn had already returned with the use of [Shundo] and was currently helping support Riveria in the middle distance while Ais and Tiona were fending off the other enemies. Riveria was no stranger when it came to avoiding danger at a close range, and she was actually able to dodge several needle-like projectiles from the enemies without much effort. With the help of her [Concurrent Chanting], she had already applied [Veil Breath] to everyone and was now doing her best to evade attacks and chant her attack magic at the same time.
From first glance, Vahn couldn't tell what kind of monsters the seven were, but they looked like a combination between a Red Wyvern and a Merman. They each stood three meters tall and were covered in a dense assortment of red scales. Also, unlike the normal variant Mermen, they had long tails that were covered in scales and also had several spiked bones sticking out of the end. Though they weren't that proficient with them, the ferocity of their attacks made the nature weapons they were wielding dangerous tools. Without the support of Xuánwǔ form, and his equipment, Vahn wouldn't be able to fend off their attacks and buy time for Riveria.
Things weren't all bad, however, as Ais had already defeated one of the two enemies she had been fighting and was currently dueling against what looked like the leader of the group. Though they were stronger than normal, the monsters were only Level 4 and weren't a match for the agile Ais and her ridiculously powerful strikes. Because they seemed to have the blood of a dragon running through their veins, Ais's [Avenger] and [Gram] were in full effect and she had managed to cut through both the weapon and body of what Vahn was referring to as 'Draconic Mermen'.
A few tens of seconds into the fight, Vahn felt a surge of power pass through his body and this marked the official turn of the fight in their favor. Tione had already rejoined the fight alongside Tiona and they were fighting against a group of three monsters while showing commendable coordination with each other. They also received Haruhime's buff magic and were able to get an immediate advantage against the enemies they had been in a stalemate against. Ais, however, was the fastest on the uptake and had managed to decapitate the Draconic Merman Captain with a swift blow. It's head danced through the air with an incredulous expression on its face before it splashed into the water at the side.
With the fall of their captain, the surviving five monsters tried to flee by diving into the water at the sides, but they were quickly followed by both Tione and Tiona who dove in after them. Riveria had finished her chant and blasted the small lake and froze the entire volume of water contained within, including the two monsters that had fled into its depths. This left three remaining, the ones that were being targetted by Tiona and Tione. They had tried to put up resistance against the Amazon sisters, using their home-field advantage, but Tione was surprisingly more agile than any of them were able to deal with. Tiona had a bit of trouble, but she was able to avoid taking any fatal blows and had managed to steal one of the tridents before planting it into the belly of its owner.
Though Vahn was using [Wound Transfer] to absorb the damage from their bodies, both girls were getting the benefit of their respective [Berserk] skills as time passed. After three silent minutes, at least on the surface of the water, both girls popped out from the surface with smiling faces before swimming to the shore. Once the situation became a 2v2, they were easily able to deal with the surviving monsters using their coordinated attacks. After losing their Captain, the other Draconic Mermen had become decidedly weaker and it was only a matter of time before they fell.
It wasn't necessary, but Vahn helped Tiona and Tione out of the water before noticing they had both lost their waist cloths. They had probably ditched them for increased mobility in the water and now he got a clear view of their wide hips, toned thighs, and fleshy butts. Though Tione had longer hair, and larger breasts, the rest of their body had filled out in much the same manner and it made Vahn's brain buzz slightly seeing them in what amounted to swimsuits. He set the matter aside for now, however, as the group made their way to the safety of the corridor before the Dungeon threw anything else their way.
While they were making their way up the stairs, Vahn explained in a serious tone, "I have a feeling this isn't going to be the end of our troubles. I can't imagine the Dungeon can keep throwing powerful monsters like that at us, but stay on your toes until we reach Rivira. There is a good chance those monsters were only spawned by the Dungeon after I had damaged it a great deal. However, it doesn't hurt to assume there is a greater scheme afoot. Everyone, make sure you have the [Effigy of the Hero] that I had given you..."
Hearing Vahn's words, everyone reached into their various pouches, packs, pockets, and breasts, to show they still had their effigies. Vahn gave a satisfactory nod before confirming that Fenrir also had her's safely stowed away in the small pouch at her hip. Now that he was positive everyone had their failsafe, Vahn turned to Riveria and said, "If you can, please try to keep up [Veil Breath] at all times when we are on the floors themselves. I'll make sure to scout the area, but we need to be prepared for any sneak attacks that might come our way. I'll supplement your mana to the best of my ability and we'll rest for up to two hours between floors." Riveria nodded her head and started casting her chant for everyone present.
Vahn gave Riveria a grateful look before addressing everyone else, "Tiona, I want you to move to the backline and replace Ryuu for the time being. Ryuu can fight better at the mid-range than you and your instincts will be useful if any other sneak attacks appear from behind. Ais, Tione, Ryuu, you three will make up the vanguard, but try to stay within 20m of the group in case of emergencies. I need to keep my hands free, so we'll slow our pace to match Lefiya, Haruhime, and Fenrir. The most important thing is that we all stay together so that Riveria can use her barrier magic, if necessary."
After reshuffling the formation, everyone entered the 26th floor proper and began clearing a path to the 25th floor. Lefiya had apologized several times for being 'useless', but Vahn had just shaken his head and stated in a gentle tone, "Lefiya, there is no sense in beating yourself up over your performance. The most important thing is that you use it to shape the person you want to be in the future. As long as you continue striving to become stronger, you can rely on all of us to support you." Though there was a chance she would 'overload', Vahn still pat Lefiya on the head before turning his attention to a Harpy and pinning an arrow between its breasts.
Lefiya tightly gripped her [Heal] within her tiny hands for several seconds as a serious expression colored her face with a confident glow. She didn't cast it too often, but Lefiya began chanting her [Arcs Ray] magic to target distant enemies instead of standing in the backline. Though she would eat away at her reserves, she knew Vahn would be able to support her mana if it became necessary for her to use her AoE magic. She didn't want to continue being 'useless' and wanted to believe in Vahn's words. He had previously offered to help her become stronger and, because she had seen the changes in the other girls, Lefiya knew she too could change and become someone everybody could rely on...
Fortunately, the Dungeon seemed to have returned to normal and the group was able to progress relatively easily through the 26th floor before entering the stairwell leading up to the 25th. As he had suggested, everyone sat down to take a break and Vahn passed out snacks. As they had still been 'excited' from earlier, Vahn ended up being sandwiched by Tione and Tiona, though they had enough self-restraint to prevent themselves from doing anything 'problematic'. They just cuddled up with him and rested with their eyes closed against Vahn's shoulders. He was nearly 10cm taller than they were now, so it was very 'convenient' for them to do so. As for Vahn, he was just happy that Tione was more 'accepted' in the group now, as he had never really blamed her for her mistake in the past.
As he hadn't been using that much of his own energy, Vahn had managed to recover after resting for an hour and spent the remaining time helping replenish the reserves of others. His ability to recover his source energy far exceeded the traditional regeneration of the others who relied on [Spirit Healing] as their only method of recovery, other than rest. Since his source energy was far purer than their mana, Vahn was able to restore their reserves without expending that much of his own energy. He had noticed this 'discrepancy' in the past and it made him a little frustrated since, when he cast magic, his efficiency was actually terrible and it cost him a large amount of energy to produce a much weaker result.
Because he knew the actual values of the girls' mana, after taking into consideration their magic stat and abilities, Vahn was able to understand he could convert a single 'point' of source energy into ten 'points' of mana. This should indicate that, if he used the same output in his magic, his spells should be ten times as strong as normal. Instead, perhaps due to his lack of comprehension, Vahn would be severely drained as a result of his casting and the effect wasn't even half the originals. When he returned to the surface, other than forging and preparing for the wedding, Vahn needed to spend time experimenting with his magic and developing a better understanding of how to use his own source energy. His actual control over elemental energies was much higher than even Riveria's, so it was a little difficult to understand why he had trouble achieving similar results...
The 25th floor also hadn't offered any real challenge for the party, but Vahn still had everyone keep their senses trained for the time being. Complacency, especially after having overcome a dangerous situation, was the most dangerous mindset a person could cultivate. Vahn couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong and, considering his past experience with such things, kept his mind open and his attention focused on the scouting out everything within his domain. Even when they had stopped to rest, Vahn continued scanning the surroundings while brushing Fenrir's fur. She was especially stressed out, likely due to her connection with him, so Vahn was trying to stay calm to help ease her mind. He had the benefit of [Will of the Emperor], so it wasn't actually that difficult to inhibit his own emotions and focus his thoughts on his domain.
Though it was rather early, Vahn decided that it would be a better idea to set up camp before trying to clear the remaining floors the following day. Everyone was mentally drained from the earlier Monster Party, and successive ambush, so Vahn wanted them to rest and recuperate. Instead of using tents, everyone slept on futons that Vahn had set out on the Dungeon floor while he kept the place warm with his domain. Even though it wouldn't inhibit their response time by much, setting up a traditional camp would potentially cost them precious seconds if something actually happened. The girls also slept in the majority of their equipment and Vahn ended up getting poked in the side by the strap on Ais's breastplate for the duration of the evening as he enjoyed a light sleep...
---
Near a gathering point on the 20th floor, where several trees bearing fruit could be found, there were a group of monsters that had human-like qualities to them. Though their appearances varied greatly, it could be seen that three of them were females, each gathering fruits, while the remaining member was male. While the others were picking fruits and gathering herbs, he stood guard atop a large boulder and scanned the surroundings with his steely blue eyes. It was difficult to tell at a glance, but this man was a member of the humanoid monsters known colloquially as the 'Xenos'. His task was to escort the weaker members of his race when they were gathering materials and right now his instincts were flaring up as if danger was approaching.
Though his 'rebirth' had only been a year ago, he was formed from the essence of a Silverback that had been slain by a powerful Adventurer in the past. As a result, he had the strength of a Level 3, and could even fight against weaker Level 4 Adventurers for a time. Unlike other 'monsters', he stood proudly with armor that looked like it had been forged in the style of the far east. Though he had humanoid features, the majority of his body was still covered in white fur and there was a silver ponytail coming out of the back of his helmet. Though he was a Xenos, he struck a somewhat heroic figure against the bright backdrop of the Dungeon as he brandished the large spear that was his namesake 'Silverspear'.
As for those in his charge, they were three female Xenos that were reborn from a Goblin, Bugbear, and a Hellhound respectively. Other than the Goblin girl, named Ecks, the other two looked more monster than human and were known as Beary and Nera respectively. Ecks was short-statured, with pale green skin, and looked closer to a human child than a monster. Other than her complexion and mangy brown hair, the only indicator that she was a monster were the two horns on her head. Beary had a human-like face, albeit somewhat larger than normal, but the rest of her body was covered in a layer of light brown fur from head to toe. She was the most mature looking girl in the group and actually had a thin figure only the thick mat of fur. As for Nera, she had a somewhat odd shaped body and, instead of a humanoid face, had a dog-like head with human-like eyes which created a somewhat eerie sight.
Other than Beary, they had nearly no combat potential present and Silverspear was charged with guaranteeing their protection. Their kind was often captured and killed by what the Xenos referred to as 'Hunters'. Silverspear didn't actually have anything against the races of the surface, but he hated the situation they were thrown into where they had become targets to be hunted and captured. Even though they had an agreement with a supposedly influential figure on the surface, they still faced endless persecution and several of his companions had been killed, captured, and even much worse.
Every time he had this current sense, Silverspear knew there was trouble approaching and, if he weren't strong enough, he would have to witness the tragedy of losing even more companions. Ever since he lost his mentor, Xad, Silverspear had resolved to never lose any other Xenos and had been training hard ever since. Though they were all born within the Dungeon, other Monsters hunted the Xenos just the same as they fought against the surface races. This meant he had to fight against Adventurers and monsters alike, so Silverspear had quickly been increasing his strength over the last year. His goal, other than protecting his people, was to one day defeat the Adventurer that had slain him in the past, not that he intended to kill the seemingly young woman. He just wanted to show her that he wasn't simply some monster that had barred her path for a brief moment, almost as though getting her acknowledgment would validate his reason for being...
Though he hadn't sensed the presence of the figure that appeared from the treeline, Silverspear brandished his weapon before jumping forward and landing in front of the masked figure wearing a black cloak. In a deep, resonating, voice, Silverspear shouted, "Leave this place or face my spear!" As he didn't actually hate the surface races, Silverspear didn't want to fight if he could simply scare away the enemy. The figure before him was relatively diminutive and he couldn't sense any aura from him at all. Assuming it was just some Supporter that had gotten lost from his group, Silverspear gave them the option of fleeing, all while keeping his guard up for any unexpected happenings.
Hearing Silverspear's voice resonate through the air, the three Xenos girls became alert and grabbed their baskets before fleeing towards the secret passage that would lead them to safety. Before they were able to get far, however, a red-haired woman bared their path and slammed a heavy cudgel into the ground as she said in a lazy tone, "If you try to run, I will eat you. Do me a favor and stay still like good children..." Though she could sense the woman before her was very dangerous, the Hellhound Xenos, Nera, opened her mouth to alert Silverspear that they had encountered an enemy. The moment she did so, Nera felt sickly sensation in her stomach as a profound sadness overwhelmed her mind as she fell into perpetual darkness for the second time...
The red-haired woman had stepped forward as a blur and used her heavy cudgel to smash the Xenos girl that had tried to alert the somewhat troublesome man that was being kept at bay by the masked figure. Before the other girls were able to cry out, she reached forward and sealed both of their throats with her grip. She easily lifted up Ecks's small body in her left hand before pressing down Beary's somewhat large body into the Dungeon floor. Cracks spread out, but she was durable enough to withstand the blow without succumbing. She tried to use her claws to counter, or at least free her throat so she could yell, but the only thing she got for her trouble was a crushed esophagus.
Releasing an annoyed sigh, the red-haired woman released Beary's neck and said in a cold tone, "All of you would have been fine if you had stayed silent. I wasn't going to kill any of you, so you brought this upon yourself...how annoying." As her words came to an end, the woman reached her hand into the chest of the still living Beary and ripped out the vibrant magic core that had been sustaining her. Beary released sad tears from her pale-red eyes as her body slowly broke down into particles of purple dust. Without any hesitation, the woman threw the magic core into her mouth and crushed it between her powerful jaws as she stared into the terrified eyes of the diminutive Ecks.
After swallowing the bits of magic core, the woman asked in a plain tone, "So, are you going to behave, or do I have to force you to be quiet like the others? This whole thing is a pain in the ass, so don't force me to have to do any extra work, okay?" Without waiting for the girl's response, the woman dropped her onto the ground and allowed her to finally take a breath of fresh air. As she kneeled down and dribbled drool on the Dungeon's floor, the red-haired woman picked up her cudgel before setting it against the top of the girls head and asking, "So, what will it be?"
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ais's Dominance','Complacency kills...','Simply Tyrannical')
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Capítulo 411: Know your enemy...
After getting about six hours of rest, Vahn woke up because he had detected a presence within his domain. From what he could tell, it seemed to be similar to the red-haired 'monster' woman he had seen in the past. She was skulking around in a passageway that ran adjacent to the corridor that connected to the stairs and appeared to be coming towards their position. Though he was tempted to investigate on his own, Vahn knew he probably wasn't a match for the woman and his awakening had already stirred Fenrir, and subsequently Ais and Tiona awake.
Vahn sat up and explained for the benefit of everyone else, who was now also waking up, "That woman that I had seen on the 24th floor is heading in this direction. If she turns out to be hostile, let's do our best to try and capture her. However, if she proves to be a dangerous opponent, don't hesitate to kill her. From what I can tell, she seems to be around Level 5, but I can't see through her aura that easily and can't be certain that is the extent of her power." Following Vahn's words, everyone began to prepare while Vahn cleaned up the futon and the additional supplies.
However, even after waiting for several minutes, the woman stopped her advance and had been waiting around 300m away, separated from their position by a wall that was more than 80m thick. Vahn had been training his eyes on her and, though he wasn't sure how she was able to do so, she was returning his gaze with her glowing green eyes that were affixed with verticle slits like a reptile. Since she was just standing there, Vahn took the opportunity to investigate the interior of her body and confirmed she was definitely not human, or anything remotely close. Though she had the appearance of a woman, the internal structure of her body was far more complicated, almost compact in its structure, and there was a resplendently glowing magic core right next to her heart.
After staring at each other for a while, the woman began walking backward while maintaining eye contact until she stepped just outside of the range of his domain. Vahn squinted his eyes because, the moment she was beyond his perception, even his [Eyes of Truth] could no longer see her. A few seconds later, Vahn could see a hand emerging from the 'darkness' outside of his vision before a lazily smiling face appeared soon after. Vahn frowned as the woman waved her hand and moved beyond his perception once again, this time without reappearing even after waiting for several minutes.
Vahn realized what she had done, so he said, "That woman has to be an enemy...it seems she was scouting out the limits of my perception. Damn..." Since he hadn't confirmed if she was an enemy before, Vahn was unwilling to use his [Enkidu] to try and capture her when he had the chance. Though it was very unlikely he would have been successful, it was still frustrating to know the 'enemy' had discerned information from him when he didn't even know who they were, nor the purpose behind their actions. They not only had his name, but now knew the current range of his domain and would likely use it against him in the future.
Riveria saw the frustration on Vahn's face and said, "Can you describe, in detail, what she looks like? We can spread her information through the network later and try to find out where she comes from. Don't let the enemy's schemes get to you, as it will create gaps they would be able to exploit later. For now, we make our way to the surface and try to get a better understanding of the situation. The enemy obviously can't confront us directly, so there isn't any need to worry about a danger that has yet to arrive. Focus on building your strength and collecting information. You can even use their 'knowledge' against them by increasing your capabilities in the future."
Vahn nodded his head and cleared his mind of the negativity that had begun to take root as he said in a firm tone, "We move, as fast as we can manage without tiring ourselves out. I want to be out of the Dungeon, or at least near Rivira before night falls again. The rest of the formation stays the same, but we'll have Fenrir in the vanguard to gain experience and to try and detect any abnormalities." Fenrir thumped her chest with her paw and said in a confident voice, "Leave it to me, Vahn! Fenrir will find the enemy and kill them!" Vahn ruffled her bristly hair before doing as Riveria requested and drawing up a quick sketch of the woman while they were ascending the stairs.
Though his skills weren't to the extent of someone like Eva, Vahn's ability to focus his mind, his high dexterity, and his ability to perfectly visualize an image, allowed for him to create a near-perfect sketch of the woman. As he had drawn it inside of his personal communication scroll, her sketch, and the details Vahn had picked up from observing her, would be passed through the network. He also gave the scroll to Riveria so she could fill out several lines of information that would be read by the 'leaders' of the network when they reached the surface. After they were done, Vahn had the party progress into the tree-like Dungeon of the 24th floor and they began their rapid ascent towards the surface.
---
After leaving behind Vahn and his party, the red-haired woman made her way through several secret passages that connected to various parts of the actual Dungeon. She had been given the simple assignment of trying to establish contact with Vahn but, after sensing the alert state of the party, she decided against approaching them directly and had given up her assignment since it was too troublesome. Instead of doing as she was 'ordered', the woman made her way through several passageways before exiting through a hole hidden behind a giant boulder that was covered in invisible runes.
Yawning, the woman walked towards the large crystalline structure that looked like red quartz and began to tear off huge chunks of it as she started chowing down on the hard crystal as if it were candy. Several monsters had shown up, as she was currently located at the 'Pantry' of the 24th floor, but she quickly dispatched them before adding their magic cores to her menu. She could tell that there were many people in the group around Vahn that would be very 'troublesome' to deal with and she needed to increase her own power since her 'boss' would probably make her fight against them in the future.
While she was eating, an annoying presence showed up nearby and she released a frustrated sigh before continuing to bore a hole directly into the large red quartz that was the typical 'food' of monsters in the Dungeon. Though she only weighed around 43kg, she had already eaten more than 200kg of the red quartz and didn't show any signs of having consumed a greater volume of the crystals than comprised her entire body. Her body was able to almost instantly metabolize the energy contained within the red quartz and convert it into energy that revitalized the cells that constituted her body. Unfortunately, a large portion of it escaped out of her faulty mana circuits and the pores of her skin, so she had to eat a ridiculous amount of the material, supplemented by magic cores, to experience any real growth in her strength.
A few minutes after she had detected it, the masked figure showed up and released a discontented sigh before saying, "I gave you an assignment...why have you disobeyed my orders once again, Revis?" The red-haired woman, Revis, chewed on another piece of red quartz for several seconds before saying in a cold tone, "That boy, Vahn Mason, he had the ability to detect my presence before I arrive. He is very cautious and the people around him are too troublesome for me to deal with on my own. My instincts were telling me that, if I actually tried to approach him as you suggested, I would either die or be captured. If you want to play around with him so much, feel free to do it yourself..."
The masked figured smashed it's black, gauntleted, hand against the wall of the Dungeon and said in a shrill tone, "Our Master will be displeased to hear that you are neglecting your duties! What was the point of confronting those foolish Xenos if we can't even make use of them!?" Revis rolled her eyes before throwing the quartz in her hand like a bullet that flew by the masked figures head and penetrated clear through the Dark Fungus, a mushroom-like creature, that had been trying to sneak up behind it.
Seeing the monster turn to dust behind it, the figure released a sigh and said, "Enyo-sama wants to capture that boy, regardless of the cost. Even if you have to sacrifice your life, you should be honored to do so for our Master. My purpose far exceeds your own, I cannot expose myself to such a dangerous situation..." Hearing the words of the figure, Revis glared at it and said, "Ein...I don't care at all what you think. I may listen to you, but it is only when you are carrying the words of that troublesome woman. If she wants me to do something, I'll do it, but I'm not going to put myself in a disadvantage just because of a scheme you cooked up on your own. Tell me, did you ask Enyo-sama if you were allowed to involve the Xenos in your plot?"
The masked figure, Ein, turned away from Revis as its body shook in rage before saying in a cold tone, "Enyo-sama trusts me to carry out her orders without having to defer to her on every matter...if you are faithful to our Master, you would do as you are told and listen to my commands!" In response to its harsh wards, Revis just turned away and tore another huge chunk of red quarts from the massive pillar and ignored it completely. Ein saw her action and reached into its cloak before another bullet of quarts ripped off part of the cloak protecting its head. Revis looked back with her glowing green eyes and said in an icy tone, "Leave here, before I decide to add you to my menu...Ein."
Ein placed its hand to prevent the wispy black mist from escaping its slightly cracked mask before retreating into the corridor it had arrived from. Though it was incredibly angry at Revis's behavior, it knew she too was pivotal to its Master's plan and couldn't simply be sacrificed at this time. For a brief moment, Ein had considered killing Revis but had decided against it after her 'display' of strength. She was one of the more useful pawns at its disposal, especially for dealing with Adventurers. Unlike that zealous fool, Olivias Act, Revis was able to infiltrate into places like Rivira and exploit the male Adventurers that patronized the settlement. There was nobody else that could fulfill her 'purpose', so Ein decided to spare her for the time being.
After passing through several hidden passages, Ein came across a structure that would make almost any Adventurer, if they knew of its existence, drool. It was an elevator that connected the 24th floor and the surface above. Instead of using the elevator, however, Ein continued through another series of passages that lead back into the actual Dungeon and allowed him to bypass several floors without having to worry about monsters at all. Though it was generally believed that there were only shortcuts for the first seventeen floors, this was actually a misconception. The Dungeon simply kept the shortcuts hidden and, if you knew where they were located, it was very easy to descend deep into the lower floors without having to worry about facing any danger at all.
More than an hour later, Ein arrived at the natural village that had been created by the Dungeon which it 'affectionately' referred to as 'Ein's Observatory'. Over the course of a thousand years, their combined efforts had resulted in establishing a network all throughout the Dungeon and, using the magic mirrors installed on the 'Observation Room', it was able to peek into thousands of rooms. It used the mirrors to collect information and observe events taking place in the Dungeon and passed on its findings to its Master, Enyo-sama. The unfortunate downside was that it couldn't pick up sounds through the mirrors and had to pass messages from its Master to the rest of her subordinates manually...
Once it arrived back at its personal domain, Ein made its way into a side room where there were two figures that could be seen imprisoned within cages. The first was the warrior Xenos, Silverspear, now bereft of its namesake and the powerful arm it used to wield the weapon. Fortunately, as a Xenos, he would eventually recover to his normal appearance with time and, even though he appeared to be on the verge of death, it wasn't the end of his path as a warrior. As for the second figure, it was the small Goblin Xenos, Ecks, that had been given the ultimatum by Revis. She had chosen to hold on to her life, not because she was afraid of death, but because she wanted to have a chance to avenge her friends in the future.
Ein stared at the two figures for several minutes in silence before stating in a cold tone, "I will release you...if you live, or die, it will be up to your efforts. This situation is a huge farce, a massive blunder...if you would like to blame anyone for what has happened to you, your friends, and your people, blame the so-called 'Sage' Aldrnari, Vahn Mason. If not for his existence, none of this would have befallen you at all...what a pity..." After it finished speaking, Ein brought out an ancient looking book that seemed to be made entirely of rusty metal and had several gears slowly spinning around on its cover.
Opening the book, Ein uttered a short chan and passed its gauntlet over the runes contained within as cracks began to appear beneath the two Xenos. Just like how the Dungeon spawned monsters, but this time in reverse, the two Xenos passed into a rainbow-colored abyss before disappearing from the cages they had been kept in. Ein didn't really care where they ended up at all and snapped the book shut before walking over to its chair and sitting down. After several minutes passed, it reached out and sunk its hand into the void before pulling out a massive black crystal ball. Reaching up, it unfastened the clasp holding its mask in place and a large amount of wispy smoke escaped through its hood as it looked into the crystal ball and said, "Enyo-sama...I have a report."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Master yourself, master your enemy','Carnivorous woman','This Ein is not the same as me, I swear~!')
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