Every member of Freya Familia burned with intense jealousy.
The cat-person Allen, the black-and-white elves, and the four dwarf brothers all roared with fury as they charged into the artificial maze from various directions under the leadership of the boaz Ottar.
That brat always monopolized Lady Freya's affection—making her obey his every word while treating it all as nothing!
They vented their rage on the monsters within the maze, imagining them as that detestable brat, each wishing they had been born with two extra legs just to kill him faster.
"The reinforcements arrived just in time!"
Finn breathed a sigh of relief.
Had they continued holding out like before, the allied forces' casualties would have undoubtedly increased further—a sin he couldn't easily bear.
But then, he sensed something amiss.
"Goddess Freya, where is he from our Familia right now?"
Finn couldn't spot Eiji anywhere.
No other channels had connected to the eye-crystals either.
Had that guy still not arrived at the scene?
"He's currently... occupied."
Freya's leisurely voice reached Finn's ears.
"When can he get here?"
Finn immediately felt a surge of dread, his tone turning noticeably stiffer.
"Who knows~"
Freya's voice carried a hint of languid amusement.
"This is bad...!"
Finn grimaced.
With Freya Familia's fresh forces joining the battle, the corrupted spirit avatar would become much easier to handle.
But the peril facing the Fifth Unit remained unresolved.
Filvis, whose power surpassed even Level 7, was overwhelmingly strong—she had effortlessly defeated all the adventurers, even Bete couldn't withstand a single blow from her. Right now, no one could stop her!
Finn had been counting on Eiji's arrival to turn the tide. Throughout all of Orario, only he stood a chance against Filvis in her current state!
Yet he still hadn't shown up!
"Hold it right there, Finn!"
Suddenly, an enraged voice erupted.
"Don't tell me you sent Eiji to persuade Freya?!"
It was Riveria.
And her voice had risen at least an octave.
"Ah—!"
Finn's expression changed as realization struck.
In his haste, he'd completely forgotten this crucial detail!
The eye-crystal's communication linked everyone on the same channel—there was no way to separate into private conversations. Every unit had just heard his exchange with Freya!
As Riveria's outcry echoed, an uproar immediately followed.
"Finn! I'm so disappointed in you!"
"We agreed long ago not to let Prince Eiji interact too much with Goddess Freya!"
"Just wait till we get back—you're dead!"
"Finn..."
"Grrrrrrr!! Finn, I'll never forgive you!!"
The girls of Loki Familia erupted in fury.
Riveria's wrath intensified, her chanting accelerating as frost instantly engulfed the entire chamber, forcing the corrupted spirit to halt its own incantation.
Ais let out a sigh of disappointment, an inexplicable surge of bitterness swelling in her heart. Her wildly fluctuating emotions fueled even fiercer gales as her wind blades severed countless tentacles.
Tiona let out a cry as mournful as a cuckoo's lament, disregarding her injuries entirely. Steam billowed from her body as she unleashed brutal punches and claw strikes, shattering over a dozen petal armors with her savage combat style.
Alicia and the others also saw their destructive power surge dramatically.
"So fierce!"
The male adventurers were startled by the female adventurers' explosive outburst, but they quickly rallied, launching desperate attacks of their own.
"It's over!"
Finn covered his face.
He couldn't hold it together anymore.
The captain's prestige was bound to hit rock bottom for a while!
BOOM!
The boaz Ottar charged into the room like a tank.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone, he advanced alone, sword in hand, toward the monster.
Tentacles were instantly repelled, petal armors shattered with a single slash, and incoming magic was deflected with a sweep of his blade. Unstoppable, he rushed toward the massive wooden vine and severed its roots with one decisive strike!
"AAAAAAHHH—!"
The corrupted spirit let out a scream brimming with fury.
Her attention was almost entirely seized by the cold, relentless Ottar. After regenerating the vine, she gathered all her attacks and unleashed them in a frenzied barrage against him.
"Now's our chance!"
"Ooooh!"
Seizing the opportunity, the adventurers swarmed forward.
In another room—
All the adventurers saw was a black shadow flash past. Countless tentacles shattered midair, and even the corrupted spirit's avatar panicked, hastily tightening its defenses.
Only those at Level 5 could barely make out the figure of a short cat-person, his face twisted with murderous intent as he ravaged the immobilized monster at terrifying speeds.
He was a one-man storm! No one could keep up with his blinding speed!
In the other rooms, the black and white elves and the four warriors of flame and gold surged forward like a tide, forming a new wave of fury that bolstered the faltering allied forces!
In the fifth unit, Bete was being tossed around and brutalized by Filvis.
"The sixth unit needs reinforcements!"
"Then leave it to them."
No sooner had Freya spoken—
"Where's the pretty boy?!"
"Aurora! Handsome Aurora!"
With wolfish roars, a flood of Amazons stormed into the southwestern entrance where the sixth unit was stationed.
"HAHAHA! The war's begun!"
A masked goddess let out a high-pitched laugh.
Argana and Bache prowled like hungry wolves, their expressions vicious as they searched for prey.
"The Kali Familia?"
"Given the special circumstances, the Guild allowed them to atone through service."
I see.
Finn sighed in relief.
However, Bete's perilous situation still hadn't been resolved.
And—
"Even so, the battle is still at a stalemate!"
Finn remained restless.
Reports from all fronts continued to pour in.
With the support of the Freya and Kali Familias, the fight against the corrupted spirit's avatars finally began to turn in their favor.
But the triple-chanting corrupted spirit avatars were especially fearsome. Even with the two major Familias joining the fray, the corrupted spirit barely took any significant damage—every time its mana flared, all injuries healed instantly!
Even Ottar and the others frowned, finding the monster nearly impossible to handle.
In the core area of the ninth floor—
"I'm impressed you managed to persuade the Freya Familia!"
Dionysus couldn't help but applaud their brilliant performance.
Yet, the leisurely expression on his face remained completely unchanged.
"..."
Loki remained silent, her expression grim.
At best, they had only managed to pull back from the brink of defeat.
To completely destroy the demonic fortress of Knossos, their current combat strength was still insufficient!
They needed another force!
A team that surpassed Dionysus's expectations—one whose power was beyond dispute!
"You know what they say?"
Just then, another voice came through the Eye Crystal.
"They're here!"
Loki's eyes lit up.
"Finally!"
Finn perked up.
"Hell yeah!"
The Loki Familia erupted in cheers.
"The protagonist always arrives at the most critical moment!"
With a booming laugh, the final team descended from the sky!