"Just one move?"
Filvis looked up at the dissipating wooden vines in the sky, her eyes filled with shock.
Even in her merged state, it would have taken her immense effort to destroy a corrupted spirit's avatar. Yet this person had annihilated it in a single strike?
Incredible!
If she had possessed such strength back then, would she have been so easily manipulated by the corrupted spirit?
"Miss Filvis, please stop!"
Lefiya stood up from the ground, the effects of the potion gradually restoring her.
"All the corrupted spirit's avatars have been destroyed! Enyo's scheme is over—there's no need for you to keep fighting!"
All six avatars had been eradicated.
The haunting, funeral-bell-like singing that had constantly echoed in their ears had completely vanished. The Spirit Hexagram could no longer be formed.
Enyo's plan to destroy Orario through the Spirit Hexagram had been thoroughly thwarted.
Lefiya didn't want to keep fighting Filvis. It would only bring more sorrow.
"Stop? What am I supposed to do after stopping?"
Filvis paused slightly, her lips twisting into an ugly, forced smile.
"How can someone as filthy as me continue living in Orario? Everyone—including myself—loathes me. How am I supposed to endure this torment?"
"At the very least, I don't think you're filthy!"
Lefiya declared firmly.
The courage of this elven spirit was truly extraordinary.
Eiji glanced at her sidelong.
Honestly, looking at Filvis' grotesque, monstrous form, he couldn't bring himself to say something like "I don't think you're filthy." After all, he was a brutally honest person.
"..."
Filvis was left speechless.
Lefiya's words had struck her deeply.
Aside from Lord Dionysus, there was actually someone else who didn't consider her filthy.
Perhaps due to the shock, her mind seemed to revert closer to her original self rather than the masked persona.
The room fell into silence.
Since the Spirit Hexagram had been dismantled, Eiji saw no urgency to act.
"It's pointless, Lefiya."
Under Lefiya's hopeful gaze, Filvis bit her lip.
For a fleeting moment, her eyes softened, but she soon let out a bitter laugh.
"To you, the battle may seem over... but that's not the case..."
Eiji narrowed his eyes.
What did that mean?
Did Enyo still have some hidden card to play at this stage?
Even after witnessing his current strength, Filvis could still say such a thing?
"ROOOOOOOAR—!!!"
As if in response to her words—
A deafening roar erupted from the depths of the dungeon. The sheer force of the sound waves sent tremors through their bodies, shaking them to their core.
Amidst the thunderous rumbling, a colossal shadow tore through the walls and ceiling, ripping apart half the dungeon as it emerged before the adventurers.
"A dragon?!"
"Can I run? Is it too late to escape now?!"
Some gasped in shock, while others screamed in despair.
An overwhelming pressure flooded the area, filling everyone with dread.
"Another avatar?"
Eiji's expression hardened as he spotted the female upper torso attached to the dragon's body.
"How is this avatar so...?"
Strong?
The sheer intensity of its presence far surpassed the other avatars by several times!
"It seems Lord Dionysus has altered the plan."
Filvis let out a hollow sigh, her expression distant.
"Originally, this evil dragon avatar was hidden at the very bottom, serving as insurance for the Spirit Hexagram. But now, having absorbed all the nutrients in this labyrinth, it has likely become the strongest avatar—"
"What do you mean?"
Eiji frowned slightly.
"The nutrients accumulated by the Green Flesh, the mana nurtured by the six avatars until now... all of it has been taken by her alone."
Filvis's expression was indifferent.
"She will become the strongest avatar yet, and the end of Orario can no longer be stopped."
Indeed.
To chant the Spirit Hexagram—a grand magic requiring resonance among multiple spirits—all the avatars hidden in the labyrinth had formed a cycle of their mana through a specific wavelength.
This was the reason Riveria had mentioned earlier: "This magic cannot be stopped unless all six avatars are defeated."
Because the mana had formed a cycle, once all six spirit avatars were defeated, all the mana naturally flowed to the last hidden avatar.
Namely, the evil dragon avatar Dionysus had kept in reserve until now!
In the original plan, after all six spirit avatars were defeated, the evil dragon avatar would complete the Spirit Hexagram, transforming into the ultimate bomb to obliterate all of Orario—this was the insurance Dionysus had prepared in advance.
But after witnessing Eiji's strength, Dionysus changed the plan.
Once transformed into the ultimate bomb, the evil dragon avatar would become immobile, making survival under Eiji's pursuit impossible. So, he simply had the evil dragon avatar devour all the nutrients to strengthen itself!
Thus, the strongest enemy yet was born!
No.
One step remained.
"Is that dragon... looking this way?"
Lefiya suddenly noticed a pair of enormous pitch-black dragon eyes.
Those oppressive eyes were fixed unblinkingly on them.
Even without being directly stared at, Lefiya felt as if fear had gripped her heart like a giant hand.
And then.
BOOM!
The dragon spread its wings, tearing through the labyrinth as it charged toward them.
"Run!"
The adventurers screamed in panic.
Bricks, metal, and earth crumbled as the labyrinth seemed to meet its doom.
"Miss Filvis!"
Lefiya suddenly realized.
The dragon's gaze never wavered—it was locked straight onto the white-haired elf girl.
She screamed, reaching out toward Filvis.
"Don't do anything reckless!"
Eiji rushed over in an instant, pulling her into his arms.
In his other hand, he carried Bete, while the recently recovered Anakitty and the unconscious Raul were slung over his back.
He wanted to save the others, but there was no time!
Eiji tensed every muscle in his body and dashed forward.
Lefiya's gaze drifted over his shoulder, landing on the scene behind him.
She saw Filvis flash her a faint, distant smile.
Then, the dragon swallowed her whole.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR——————!!!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH——————!!!"
As if injected with stimulants.
The dragon let out an ecstatic roar.
The female upper body shrieked with delight.
Within this labyrinth, there was no greater or more suitable nourishment than Filvis.
Beating its massive wings, the dragon tore through the obstructing ceilings layer by layer amidst its joyous howls.
Finally, the dark night sky appeared before its eyes.
—The dragon's roar then resounded throughout Orario!