58th Floor.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Shirou tirelessly commanded his team.
"Gareth, hold the frontline! Don't let the monsters break through!"
"Tiona, Bete, cover the flanks!"
"Tione, keep your eyes on the movements of those lizard monsters throughout the entire battle!"
Shirou and his six companions fought valiantly against the horde closing in around them.
At that moment, Gareth maintained the frontline; Tiona and Bete protected the flanks; and Tione stayed behind them, fighting while keeping watch on the monsters' positions.
They were positioned dangerously close to the passage between the 58th and 57th Floors—where the new species resided—constantly attracting monsters.
Because of that, Shirou's group found themselves surrounded from every direction.
However, thanks to the presence of the new species, the overall pressure was not too overwhelming, and their formation remained mostly intact.
Lefiya, however, could only provide support for now.
Since magical fluctuations would draw the attention of the new species, none of them could use magic.
Even the arrows Shirou shot were normal arrows he had brought at the start of the expedition.
Standing at the center, Shirou coordinated the fight while simultaneously supporting his allies.
When the pressure eased, he fired at distant monsters with his bow.
When it intensified, he drew his katana and rushed to wherever the burden was heaviest.
And whenever the density of nearby monsters thinned, he shot distant enemies to lure them over, preventing the new species from attacking due to a lack of targets.
With this, Shirou and his companions maintained balance and held their ground.
"How's everyone holding up? Can you still keep fighting?"
They had been battling for a long time to maintain this equilibrium.
Such intense combat naturally drained everyone's stamina. Constantly observing his team's condition, Shirou clearly saw that Bete, Tiona, and Tione were already panting heavily.
"I'm fine. I think I can push a little longer."
Knowing this was not the time to act tough, Bete gave an honest answer.
"Me too."
"Same here!"
Hearing the three responses, Shirou paused, then said:
"We can't wait until we're completely exhausted to rest. Let's find a spot to recover now."
With that, he led everyone toward a corner.
After clearing the nearby monsters, Bete and Tiona quickly slipped into recovery mode, regulating their breathing.
"It's been so long since I've had such a satisfying fight!"
Lying on the ground, Bete shouted excitedly.
"Same here! The deeper floors really are the best!"
Hearing Tiona's excitement, Tione—still fighting—yelled back, "Quit chatting and focus on resting!"
At that moment, not everyone had begun to rest.
That was because the place they had chosen wasn't particularly suitable for it.
More precisely, in the Dungeon, aside from safe floors, only the passages between floors made for proper resting spots.
However, the passage to the 57th Floor was occupied by the caterpillar monsters.
And the passage to the 59th Floor was far too distant to reach safely.
So Shirou and the others huddled in a corner, using the walls to reduce the number of monsters they faced and narrow their defensive range, allowing them to take turns resting.
Tiona and Bete, who had worked the hardest, rested first, followed by Shirou and Tione, whose conditions were slightly better.
"No wonder this is the 58th Floor. Without enough people, it's a nightmare. You'd die of exhaustion," Shirou muttered as he cut down monsters with Kanshou and Bakuya.
The Dungeon environment was truly disadvantageous for him.
While he could project blades endlessly, it wouldn't solve the core problem.
More importantly, he couldn't use his strongest attack—Caladbolg.
Down here, the monsters were infinite.
No matter how many they killed, more would always spawn.
Thus, unless it was a crucial battle, Shirou refrained from relying too heavily on his magic or using Caladbolg.
This left ranged and close-quarters combat as his main tools.
After taking advantage of their brief respite, everyone recovered some stamina.
Then, regrouping, the party dove back into the fierce battle.
Keeping their distance from the new species, they gradually reduced the number of monsters.
Suddenly, cracks spread across the surrounding walls, and a Valgang Dragon burst out of them.
"Again!?"
Seeing the dragon emerge once more, Tiona—already drenched in sweat—shouted in frustration.
Even though all six had rested a bit, their faces showed clear exhaustion.
Now, with another dragon appearing, things became even more dangerous.
"We can't let it attack us," Gareth said, preparing to advance and eliminate it.
At that moment—
"Wynn Fimbulwinter!"
A massive blizzard swept across the entire floor, instantly freezing the dragon and all nearby monsters into ice sculptures.
The next second, a blonde swordswoman rushed forward, shattering the frozen beasts one after another.
"Riveria!"
"Ais!"
Seeing that familiar combination, Shirou and the others brightened at once.
After such a grueling battle, they had finally held out long enough for the entire Loki Familia to arrive.
"Captain!"
Spotting Finn and the others behind them, Tione's spirits soared.
"Celebrate later! First, finish off the monsters around us!" Finn ordered.
Hearing his command, Bete and the others, who had relaxed at the reunion, refocused immediately and continued fighting.
As for Shirou—now that the new species had been wiped out by Riveria's magic—he resumed using magecraft, unleashing a relentless barrage of Muspelflamme arrows.
Watching the sparks rain across the floor, Shirou felt invigorated.
Explosions truly were an art.
After a final fierce struggle, the surrounding monsters were finally wiped out.
Even the Dungeon itself, after spawning enemies endlessly, seemed to settle into a long quiet, leaving the floor eerily calm.
After all, the monsters had been battling the new species even before Loki Familia arrived.
Seeing a chance to relax at last, Shirou collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
The battle had been unbelievably intense.
"Ais, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. And all of you?"
"Thankfully, Gareth was with us—otherwise it would've been close!"
Hearing Ais and the others talk, Shirou let out a small smile, then drifted into his own thoughts.
He could level up now.
(End of Chapter)