Chapter 506

Chapter 513: The Weight of Rocks, A Restful End～ (Please subscribe!)

Three seconds after the magic was activated, all members of the Dark Faction except for Valleta, a cadre, were wiped out.

Valleta herself wasn’t in much better shape.

Izay’s magic had an incredibly vast range, covering the entire maze passage, leaving no gaps.

Against such large-scale AoE, it was inevitable that Valleta would be hit.

“Looks like your Anomaly Resistance Development Ability level is pretty high～? You can still hold on for a bit longer.” Izay calmly said as he sheathed his sword.

Apart from the forest of rock pillars around them, there was nothing else to be seen. Every step Valleta took might crush the ash-white stone remains of her accomplices.

Clutching the wound on her abdomen where a rock pillar had pierced her, Valleta finally snapped out of her daze. Seeing the underground space now occupied only by herself, she almost fainted.

From the doors of Orichalcon to the walls and even the ceiling, dark golden rock pillars were everywhere.

The scene resembled a thorned hell; each rock pillar was a death warrant upon touch.

“How… How is this possible!? The walls of this dungeon contain ‘Obsidian Soldier Body Stones’ everywhere! They’re drop items used to craft ‘Demon-Exorcising Stones’! Even the [Nine Demon Princesses] couldn’t cast magic on this scale!!”

At this point, she could barely move, unable even to fall down.

“Foolish… How could you possibly restrain ‘Earth’ in such an underground space?”

Izay, who had already planned to leave, glanced at her with disdain.

Dungeons, artificial mazes, both are beneath the ground, where earth elements are omnipresent, making it the perfect battlefield for Izay’s Earth Magic.

How could anyone think they could restrict Izay in such an environment?

‘Demon-Exorcising Stones’?

Don’t joke… Ultimately, they’re just a subcategory of minerals derived from rocks.

With skills and magic boosting him, Izay moved about here as freely as a fish in water.

It could be described in one simple sentence:

—The deeper underground, the heavier the weight of the rocks.

A restful end (xin)～

With these words, Izay ignored the dying person before him, stepped over her, and went to look for Anqi and Raul ahead, who had fled with Finn.

…

The team ran into the last remaining path.

No matter where they went, monsters blocked their way.

As if deliberately targeting them, the enemies attempted to capture the team with front-and-back pincer tactics, aiming to take down the severely injured leader of the small race.

For a moment, everyone could only scatter, their labored breathing telling of their physical and mental exhaustion while Raul struggled to find a way out.

The road ahead was another dead-end… but no monsters appeared.

Helpless against the current situation, the team reluctantly stopped, cautiously confirming the absence of monsters or pursuers, then carefully laying Finn down, sharing the few remaining spiritual medicines and some drinking water.

To put it plainly, Raul’s team’s morale had hit rock bottom.

Repeated encounters with new monster species had left the team constantly wounded, layering up strong feelings of unease.

Now, they didn’t even know where they were, let alone their physical fatigue. Their spirits were strained to heights they rarely reached.

“The pursuit sounds weaker… It seems the enemy has stopped chasing us?”

At this moment, the team was especially sensitive to any changes in their surroundings.

The pursuit aura and noises that had been lingering behind them had disappeared, naturally catching their attention.

“Hearing you say that, it does seem so… Could they have lost our trail?”

Following the scout’s guess, a support member of the team chimed in.

If they really had lost the trail, that would be amazing news, meaning the team’s worries about being chased were temporarily resolved.

They could focus on taking the captain to find the exit of this maze or reunite with other companions.

Everyone wanted this result.

But everyone also knew.

The ones controlling the Orichalcon gates wouldn’t lose their trail so easily. These were just comforting words.

“But… Did any of you hear something from behind earlier?”

As the only beastkin in the group, Anqi’s sharp senses hadn’t failed.

Even during their escape, she noticed unusual sounds coming from behind.

Though it might be wishful thinking,

it sounded like battle noises?

“Noises…? Anqi, did you detect anything?”

This drew Raul’s attention.

Until now, Anqi had been monitoring the rear, while others lacked her keen senses. Now, they could only rely on this slim girl.

Their escape owed much to Anqi’s contributions and advice.

“Maybe… Just a possibility… There seemed to be battle noises from behind… Could it be reinforcements from our allies?”

The cat-eared girl’s voice lacked its usual confidence and authority, instead carrying a softer tone, filled with hope.

“Not pursuers… Allies?”

“But… When we fell into the trap, a huge wall separated everyone. After getting out, our Ability Values couldn’t be used properly for a while, and we don’t know how big this dungeon is…”

These were results the team had personally experienced, casting a shadow over them like a cloud.

“I know what you’re saying, but what if it’s true? Don’t forget Izay’s abilities.”

Anqi tried to boost the team’s morale.

With Izay’s Perception Magic and Space Magic combined, finding them shouldn’t be hard, right?

One failure before the Deity means nothing.

As if to confirm her words, a familiar voice echoed through the silent maze, reaching everyone’s ears.

“—Did someone call me?”

The sudden voice.

Instantly, everyone reflexively gripped their weapons, the relaxed atmosphere vanishing.

“Someone’s coming!? Who is it!!”

“Wait, this voice seems familiar…?”

“Is… Izay?”

Raul instinctively stood up, looking toward a corner of the dark maze, staring blankly at the blonde adventurer who had appeared beside them.

“Yo～, isn’t that Raul? We’ve only been apart for a little while, and you’re already so useless?”

Izay met the gaze of his visibly exhausted older brother, noticing the bruises on his body that hadn’t been healed with Spiritual Medicine, and his teasing came out almost automatically.