Loud, high-pitched screeches echoed through the area as Violas continued to appear in hordes, attacking any intruder they came across.
Kaguya appeared in front of them with katana in hand and cut them down in a single sweep.
"Thank you."
Elilly, a female dwarf with a muscular build, said as she tended to the injury on her shoulder.
Kaguya said nothing and surveyed the situation with a sweep of her gaze.
Thanks to the explosion earlier, several members of the Hermes Familia who hadn't managed to escape in time were caught up in the blasts and left injured.
The healers were tending to them while the others held off any monsters that drew too close.
"Hey, thief. Tell us the location of the pantry."
She said to Lulune, who was scrambling with the map in her hands.
Hearing Kaguya call for her, Lulune visibly flinched.
"It's that way... straight ahead, at the end of this tunnel. We should be able to get there in no time."
Lulune replied, raising her arm to point in a certain direction.
"Anyone who can still move, come with me. If you're just going to slow me down and become a burden, go back."
"I came here to fulfill the mission assigned to me, not to babysit. If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind."
Kaguya said, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.
Her words were harsh, but everyone here knew what kind of person Kaguya... also known as Yamato Rindou... was.
This was her own way of looking out for them.
If you filtered out the harshness in her words, the true meaning behind them was simple... 'Don't push yourself if you're hurt. Your life is worth more than this mission.'
Though they understood this, everyone couldn't help but feel a fire ignite behind their eyes.
The desire to prove her wrong had been lit... after all, nobody liked being looked down upon.
"What are you saying? We're good to go. Throw as many monsters at us as you want, we'll take care of every last one."
Keaks said with a confident grin.
"Did you think these muscles are just for show? Yamato Rindou, I'll show you exactly what I'm made of."
Elilly said with a smile, flexing her arm for emphasis.
"Yamato Rindou... do you really think we'd turn tail and run just because you said so?"
Falgar said with folded arms, planting himself in a wide stance.
Watching everyone fire themselves up one after another, Asfi let out a quiet sigh and smiled to herself.
It seemed like everyone's morale had been fully restored.
"Kaguya, are we heading to the pantry right away? What about Alise? Don't we need to wait for her?"
Asfi questioned as she walked up to her.
"We'll meet at the pantry eventually. Waiting around wastes time."
"You should know by now, just from that explosion trap earlier, that this mission is far more dangerous than we anticipated."
"There is definitely a mastermind behind all of this. Sitting around like ducks will only put us at risk."
Hearing this, Asfi nodded.
Kaguya and the Hermes Familia pressed forward, cutting down any monsters that stood in their way as they made their advance toward the pantry.
"Everyone stop!"
Asfi raised her hand sharply.
She narrowed her eyes at the light visible at the end of the passageway.
'That must be the pantry.'
She turned back toward the party.
"We should prepare while we still can... Nelly, Dodon, distribute potions to everyone. Recover as much stamina as you can. My intuition is telling me there's a difficult battle ahead."
Everyone nodded.
Even the usually stubborn Kaguya respected Asfi's words without protest.
"We've finally reached our destination."
A Hermes Familia member muttered.
After everyone finished preparing...
"Let's go."
They marched forward, fully aware of the dangers waiting ahead.
"Monsters up ahead..."
Lulune spoke up when she spotted more Violas closing in from down the path.
"Everyone, prepare for combat."
Asfi called out the order. At the front, Kaguya began unsheathing her katana, poised to strike.
But before she could, a silver flash tore through the air ahead of her and completely beheaded the plant monsters in a single pass.
"Arcs Ray!"
A feminine voice rang out from another direction as a beam of light fired off and tore straight through the charging Violas.
Kaguya frowned at the newcomers who had appeared out of nowhere.
Her gaze landed on one figure in particular... and her expression shifted from neutral to cold.
"What are you looking at, far eastern woman!?"
Bete scowled and fixed his glare in Kaguya's direction.
"Vanargand... what an unpleasant surprise."
Kaguya's tone was neither warm nor cold, but the chill in her eyes said everything.
"Huh? You picking a fight with me?"
Bete stomped toward her, baring his fangs.
"How foul... trying to bully a lady. No grace whatsoever, as expected of a mutt who barks a lot."
"And your breath... it stinks. When was the last time you brushed your teeth?"
Kaguya said as she covered her nose, waving her hand as if trying to dispel a rancid smell.
The two glared at each other, practically radiating hostility.
Asfi pressed her palm to her forehead.
"Of all the people we could have run into... it had to be Vanargand from the Loki Familia."
She could already feel a headache coming on.
"Yikes... I heard those two don't get along at all. Didn't think it was actually this bad."
Lulune said, her palms growing sweaty.
"Yeah, they've got more or less the same foul-mouthed personalities. Whenever they cross paths, they're at each other's throats within seconds... kind of like Goddess Loki and Goddess Hestia."
Falgar commented with folded arms.
"Tsk. I don't have time for this."
Bete clicked his tongue and turned away.
"Get in my way and I'll kill you."
He threw the words over his shoulder with a glare and sprinted ahead. Lefiya watched with an awkward smile.
"I'm sorry for his behavior."
She said with a small bow before hurrying after him.
Kaguya said nothing and walked forward, the pantry of the 24th floor finally coming into view.
"What the hell is that?"
Lulune exclaimed with wide eyes at the sight of a giant plant monster coiled around a tall pillar at the center of the pantry... far larger than any Viola they had encountered up to this point.
"Violas and then Viscum... so it wasn't a coincidence."
"The new monster species that attacked the northern district two weeks ago... it's connected to whatever is happening on this floor."
Asfi muttered, adjusting her glasses as her gaze swept over the area.
'A cage? And is that a monster inside?'
"Look over there!"
Lulune pointed with her index finger.
Asfi followed her direction, eyes landing on a jade-colored orb resting atop a pile of green flesh.
"It's that jewel thing from before... the one that nearly killed me on a mission back on the 18th floor."
Lulune added, visibly shivering at the memory.
'Things just keep getting stranger.'
That was when Asfi noticed something odd.
Kaguya, standing right beside her, hadn't spared a single glance at the giant monster in the center... nor at anything else in the room.
'Vanargand as well?'
She shifted her gaze to find Bete looking in the exact same direction.
'What do they see?'
She followed their line of sight... and found a red-haired woman staring back at them.
The moment her eyes met the woman's... Asfi felt a shiver run down her spine.
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