"The goddesses really are good at acting."
Watching the whole scene unfold, Zeus couldn't help but praise them. He'd known for a long time that the goddesses were all talented performers, but now he could say that with certainty.
Loki and Freya aside, even Artemis and Hestia had such convincing acting skills.
It was just… something felt off. Zeus knew there was some level of collusion between these goddesses, but he always felt that the nature of their relationship was a bit strange.
"Hera, what do you think?"
"…"
"Hera, you… you're still watching?"
Zeus instinctively asked for Hera's opinion, but when he got no response, he glanced over and realized she was still staring intently at the battle projection.
Hera ignored Zeus completely, her eyes fixed on the screen.
On the projection, Bell had barely exerted himself to clear the floor. He was already on the 16th floor, facing Minotaurs.
Not just one, but more than a dozen.
And these weren't Lv.2 Minotaurs. Every single one of them was Lv.7.
In a sense, this was already a situation that even Lv.8 adventurers would have to approach with caution.
"A group of Lv.7 Minotaurs…"
Members of Zeus and Hera's familia both drew in quiet breaths.
"The worst situation we ever faced was around this level, wasn't it?"
"You're overestimating it. Back then, we only dealt with one Lv.7 and a group of Lv.6s. This pack of Minotaurs is much harder to handle than what we faced."
"Alfia, what would you do in this situation?"
Alfia's gaze shifted briefly before returning to the projection.
"'The Gospel.'"
Those two simple words made her approach clear. The "Empress" of the same familia fully agreed. Against this many high-level Minotaurs, the best option was to use magic to deal large-scale damage.
Minotaurs had outstanding strength and durability, but their resistance to magic was still weaker than their physical defense.
Rather than overthinking it, striking directly was the fastest way to break the deadlock.
In fact, Bell in the projection was thinking along the same lines.
'The basic usage of Authority is more or less figured out.'
Both "Order" and "Chaos" were vast systems in their own right.
Especially "Order." After all, "Fate" and "Causality" both fell within its domain. Because of that, the coverage of these two Authorities could practically be called all-encompassing, even more comprehensive than abilities manifested through Runes, to the point of surpassing Authority itself.
Precisely because their scope was so deep, neither Authority felt like Runes, which only allowed roughly eighty percent of their potential. With Authority, Bell could do far more, and with greater ease than when using Runes.
With the foundational applications partially adapted, the next step was physical combat.
Bell swept his gaze across the fourteen Minotaurs in front of him.
Just from their aura alone, it was clear they were formidable. Every one of them met the standard of Ais when she had just entered Lv.7.
'Their aura is slightly unstable.'
Bell noticed that the Minotaurs' eyes were completely bloodshot.
'They've gone berserk.'
'So that's why their aura is unstable? Mm, their strength and durability do seem enhanced.'
A berserk Minotaur was always troublesome.
Especially in groups, since they could use the horns on their heads for a final, devastating charge.
That said, when Minotaurs were capable of wielding weapons, they usually didn't open with a horn charge.
"Mooooo!"
The Minotaur at the front suddenly threw away its massive axe, planted both hands on the ground, and took the stance of a charging bull monster.
Seriously? Charging right from the start? Bell was momentarily speechless. He had just been thinking that Minotaurs wouldn't immediately resort to a charge, and he was proven wrong almost instantly.
"Hah!"
The prepared Minotaur didn't hesitate at all. Its horns flared as it lowered its head and charged straight at its target.
"Boom!"
The horns struck home.
"Sha…"
At the very moment the horns pierced the target, the body instantly turned into a pile of sand.
The sand scattered through the air, severely limiting visibility in the area. Both humans and monsters found it hard to make out what was happening inside.
Then, the grains of sand drifting in the air began to gather once more, gradually reforming into Bell's figure.
"The increase in power isn't bad."
This Minotaur's strength truly wasn't inferior to any Lv.7 monster, especially considering they also had the advantage in numbers.
A flash of sharp light passed through Bell's eyes.
He didn't move at all, yet a massive amount of sand condensed in front of the axe's path, firmly blocking the Minotaur's attack.
"Things with form have a hard time dispersing what has no form."
As he spoke, fine grains of sand rapidly wrapped around two Minotaurs at once. Bell casually made a crushing gesture.
"Boom!"
Streams of blood seeped out from the cocoons formed of sand.
"Also, attacks produced by formless things are far too destructive to things with form."
"Sand can disperse the force of an attack, or devour it entirely, becoming a monster that preys on others."
The sand twisted awkwardly in midair, quickly taking on a temporary shape. It was clearly no longer the Minotaur from before, and yet its form was completely different.
Its entire body was covered in black skin with a faint reflective sheen. A pair of black horns gleamed coldly, making it obvious at a glance that they had claimed countless lives.
"Wrath."
The black Minotaur's eyes immediately turned crimson. It didn't roar. Instead, its gaze burned red, as if all its power was being gathered and compressed.
"No need to hold back. Go wild."
The black Minotaur crouched low, its horns ready.
Opposite it, the remaining Minotaurs had also prepared themselves to charge, waiting for the right moment.
That moment came quickly.
"BOOM!!!"