The trip to return to the surface was going to take a while, but neither Shurry nor Luna mind, they quite enjoyed the peaceful trip back. Fact is, the streams to bathe in down in the dungeon, while cold, were oddly satisfying. Something about the feeling was just what was needed after a tough battle. They took a rest on the 66th floor, washing off all of the grime that tends to settle on the skin this far deep in the dungeon. It was a short rest, in that it was only to wash off a bit of the grime.
The conversations they had were all more about the light hearted things like the future scenes of all his little puppies. Or how the world will change after the dragon, and the dungeon were defeated. And then they, really being Shurry, fought their way through the monsters, going up the floors until… Shurry sensed something on the 60th floor.
"Huh? That's odd. Is there another spirit nearby?"
Luna appeared and looked around, trying to sense what Shurry was. Her search did come up with something. In a little hiding spot far off to the side of the floor, an odd scene played out where a spirit was cowering behind a wall.
"There's indeed another spirit nearby, but she seems hurt in some way?"
"She's corrupted. A poor spirit that's been turned into a monster. Such a shame she's suffered like this, I can't reverse what happened to her, can you?"
Luna shook her head with worry, slightly biting her lip.
"It's fine, I know you want to save all of your fellow spirits. I'll do what I can to save her. But she'll be returned to Tekai, and it's not going to be the most painless option either."
"Do it. If a spirit like her is left here, I might not sleep tonight. Knowing I can help her out of this torment, even if it's uncomfortable, it's better than remaining as a hideous monster. That's too cruel a fate for a spirit."
"I see, well then, come back inside me, I don't want any accidents to happen. And Spirits by and large, follow one rule, they're powerful…"
Luna nodded, and returned to Shurry's body. Remaining with him, yet also remaining impervious to any injury she could receive from outside.
Shurry approached the hiding spirit monster hybrid, at such a rapid speed, it was confused and unable to track him. Once he appeared in front of her. Shurry seemingly scanned the hybrid with his eyes, and he sighed.
"I don't feel good doing this. But for the sake of allowing a fellow hero's soul to rest in peace, I'll send you out of this place."
"Huh? Surface?"
Shurry shook his head.
"Higher than that. But I don't know how much this will hurt, do you still want to go?"
"Hurt?"
"Pain, it will not be long, I'll high tail it out of here to return you safely to the palaces beyond the sky. You may yet find your contracted hero again. Or a god who'll take care of you."
"Okay! I'll go!- No! Stay here!- No! GO!"
Shurry sighed, and quickly punched the corrupted spirit into dust, then with the power of the moonlight, he isolated the Spirit part inside of a shining ball made of light, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"It seems like the soothing moonlight is easing your pain… I'll take you out of here now."
Now that this issue is completely resolved, is there anything else left, aside from the dragon, and pushing further into the depths…?
Shurry began to move with a crazy speed, eventually reaching the 50th floor with little issue. There he smelled familiar scents, and opted to ignore their presence and go bathe in his favorite stream… Yet…
"Damn it, why do they have to be down here right now! And they took my favorite bathing stream! Fine, I didn't want to rest here anyway!"
Shurry's words carried, sending a deathly chill down the other people's spines. It was the Loki familia and they were obviously training their asses off to prepare for their war game against Astraea familia. One they were clearly not ready for.
Shurry walked right through the main path, as there was no longer any sense in evading them, now that he wasn't going to be resting on the floor for the time being.
The training froze the moment the absolute unit strolled through, not a damn soul spoke, as the Shurry led the procession of wolves, each prancing like they were better than the fools sweating buckets.
Finn gulped and… Finally used his brain, for once in his damn life.
"Champion Over Calamity, Slayer of Evil Gods, Shurry, may I ask something of you?"
The procession stopped, and without even bothering to look over, Shurry simply waited. A sign that it was time to ask away. However, this was also Shurry's way of preventing the Loki familia from having an "accident" in the dungeon.
"Thank you, I won't waste time with flowery words… Why do you want to take Ais away from us, or, why does Lady Hathor wish to do this?"
Shurry sighed, letting out his tension, took a breath and exhaled again. Yet, he still did not turn to face Finn.
"Do you remember what I said the last time I spoke with you, and Ottar directly?"
"Huh? Yes…"
"What did I say back then?"
"That we should train her well-"
"And, have you actually honored that commitment? Or have you not?"
"Have we not?"
"If you have to ask me that, then you should already have your answer. If it wasn't for Bokhoir's intervention Ais would be nothing more than a memory. And it is entirely your fault."
"What is it we lack then?"
Shurry's aura flared, the pressure alone shook the whole floor, and several others.
"Perhaps, I should've just killed you that day… You're so blind it's beyond frustrating. And it's so utterly, painfully simple. Yet even after getting a situation during the battle to grow, you remained stagnant, no, you're worse now. Before you were a level 5 that didn't know the most basic fact, now you're a level 6 who still doesn't know."
"Then tell me! Why do you get to lord over others like it's something so easy to get!?"
"Because I understand it. You don't. Yet it's just as in front of you as anything could ever be."
"What is it?"
"If I tell you now, you'd never listen. I could tell you three things, one being the truth, two being false hoods, and you still wouldn't try any of them. Thus it would be forever out of your reach…"
Finn was starting to get visibly angry.
"What's wrong, murderer? If you really want to fight me, come. See how you fare…"
Finn's knuckles went white. I can't deny it, he's unbelievably mighty, but even so, he's Fenrir, so he's got a leg up on it in every way! And… Finn couldn't help himself, he backed down…
"Coward…"
Shurry continued walking, and soon left the 50th floor, and the Loki familia behind. As they trembled with the terror of knowing their fates, if they'd tried to fight him.
However, of their members, it was hard to tell, but only the ones who'd been there that fateful day when Alraj was killed, were those who'd been targeted with maliciousness. Everyone else had been simply in shock seeing the new hero in person.
…