Live Dungeon!

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As Eunice flew through the air like a kicked pebble, Tsutomu watched in shock. Orbis’ attack, which posed a deadly threat even to Attackers with higher VIT than White Mages, was something Eunice could not possibly withstand. He could only watch from afar as she collided with a Shield and fell to the ground.

“…Undine?”

But from within the Shield enclosing him, the Undine was gone. There was no response to Tsutomu’s call. He could see Eunice in the distance, enveloped in a bluish aura.

A moment later, the Undine separated from Eunice’s body and returned to Tsutomu’s side. He looked up at the water Spirit who had reappeared before him.

“You saved her?”

“……”

The Undine nodded, and Tsutomu sighed in relief. He had assumed it was impossible when it had shaken its head earlier, making him all the more relieved now.

He proceeded to pat the Undine on the head, praising it and shaking both its hands. The Undine smiled broadly, intertwining its fingers with his.

Earlier, the Undine had shaken its head not because it could not save Eunice, but because its primary duty was to protect Tsutomu. It had refused to leave him unguarded to protect Eunice, fearing that Leleia, the one who had contracted it, would disapprove of its course of action.

Seeing Tsutomu express such strong emotions for the first time, Undine felt a deep jealousy toward Eunice. However, it realized that if it did not save Eunice, Tsutomu would be devastated. Thus, it protected Eunice from Orbis’ attack.

Even though the Undine’s protection saved Eunice’s life, she still suffered a severe blow that left her unconscious. Fortunately, Leon, who had reached her after a desperate dash that resulted in several collisions with the invisible Shields, managed to protect her, likely ensuring her survival.

“I’m glad she didn’t die for nothing…”

Even though Eunice was someone Tsutomu did not particularly like, her death would have weighed heavily on him. Her act of coming this far moved him.

Eunice’s solo charge could easily be dismissed as foolish. He would have thought the same if Amy or Hannah had come. If Tsutomu was to put himself in their shoes, he would have coordinated with stronger allies for a rescue, ensuring the best chance of success.

In fact, it seemed Absolute Helix had taken this approach, as Leleia had sent Undine immediately as a countermeasure against the Shield. Stephanie, too, was persuading other Attackers and Tanks to move towards them. From Tsutomu’s perspective, their actions were correct.

Yet Eunice had run here alone, ahead of everyone else. Charging at Orbis solo was suicidal; even Ranks and Attackers struggled against him. A White Mage like Eunice stood no chance against Orbis’ strength, speed, and likely even intelligence. She had no chance of winning.

Still, Eunice’s actions had caught Orbis off guard, creating a unique situation that allowed her to reach Tsutomu. But even then, Brooklyn stood in her way, and without the power to break through the Shield magic, Eunice was quickly overtaken by Orbis and sent flying.

As the Undine, who was supposed to protect Tsutomu, ended up shielding Eunice instead, it became apparent that Eunice was the one being saved. To Tsutomu, her actions seemed foolish, and he had not hesitated to say so.

Yet, despite the apparent foolishness, Eunice’s choice to come here meant something to Tsutomu.

When Tsutomu had been trapped inside the Shield by Brooklyn, he was filled with fear and anxiety, convinced he was going to die. Even after the Undine arrived, that fear did not go away.

When Eunice arrived, however, Tsutomu felt an inner sense of relief. In terms of results, Absolute Helix and Stephanie’s approaches were correct, while Eunice’s actions seemed reckless. However, knowing that someone as powerless as Eunice had come all this way for him gave Tsutomu strength. Even though her actions ultimately brought more harm than good, her intentions had reached him.

“Listen, boy — just stay alive. If you do anything unnecessary again, I’ll break your legs.”

With Brooklyn threatening him by compressing the Shield, Tsutomu, feeling the reassuring presence of Undine beside him, responded calmly,

“Yeah, right… Go on and try it. I have the power of God on my side. You kill me, he’ll kill you.”

“……”

Brooklyn glared at Tsutomu with desperate eyes, while the Undine formed a mocking face and glared back at her. Tsutomu, finding the scene slightly terrifying, cracked a wry smile. Brooklyn, frustrated, kicked the ground and stopped compressing the Shield.

“Why are you even siding with Orbis, anyway? And why now? If you wanted to work with him, you could have done so when he invaded your mansion.”

“…The Explorers are insane,” Brooklyn said, her eyes scanning the countless monster corpses around them, and the two giant monster carcasses visible in the distance. “Controlling those massive monsters and slaughtering so many in an instant with just about three hundred people… Even Orbis, who’s strong enough to break through my Shield, can’t keep up with them. The power contained in Dungeon City and the ever-increasing number of Explorers make me sick just thinking about it.”

“……”

“If a second revolution happens as House Babenberg predicted, I’m probably the first to be hanged. It’s either here or there — it’s just a matter of time.”

[…And she thinks Orbis can win here? Really?]

Listening to Brooklyn, Tsutomu sensed that she still believed Orbis had a chance. But from his perspective, Orbis did not seem to be aiming for victory in this situation.

If Orbis intended to use the Stampede to seal away God’s Dungeon, he could have done much more. Even with the best efforts, it seemed clear to Tsutomu that the attempt to seal the Dungeon would fail. The Explorers, the nobility, and those benefiting from the Dungeon’s resources were too powerful.

Now, various nations depended on the steady supply of Magic Stones and items from God’s Dungeon. The Explorers were not the only ones who disliked the idea of that supply being cut off. Across many regions of this kingdom, especially around the Royal Capital, the resources from God’s Dungeon were essential as well.

Understanding this, Orbis had sent monsters towards the Royal Capital and appeared himself, choosing to fight there. He seemed to focus on spreading his ideology rather than regulating the Dungeon. Tsutomu believed that Orbis’ intention was to propagate his beliefs to the world.

There were other theories, but few believed Orbis would win here. Brooklyn, however, chose to side with him. For what it was worth, this was not the first time Brooklyn was seen acting this way.

The first time was when Orbis attacked her. Gravely injured, she decided to ally with the Explorers she had once considered enemies, likely because she feared Orbis’ power to break her Shields. This time, she had switched sides after witnessing the strength of the Explorers.

[She’s more of a coward than I thought,] Tsutomu thought, watching Brooklyn’s restless demeanor.

Then, a voice amplified by a megaphone echoed from the direction of the Royal Capital.

　▽▽

“Brooklyn has betrayed us!”

Christia, who had her legs broken by Shield magic, crawled on the ground and gripped the megaphone in her hand.

Though her thighs were crushed and blood stained her trail, she had already performed emergency treatment on herself. The Explorers outside listened intently to Christia’s voice.

“Master Babenberg has placed Shields all around the area, so Orbis and Brooklyn can’t escape easily. If they try to flee, everyone must converge and pursue them.”

Despite her condition, Christia spoke calmly, directing the Explorers who were attempting to break through the Shields surrounding the head of House Babenberg.

“Brooklyn’s Shields are weaker since she’s splitting her focus with Babenberg. Coordinated attacks from the Attackers can break through them. As such, Attackers must form groups of five. Tanks can withstand the Shield’s compression, so Healers must stay close to the Tanks. Never get isolated — you likely will be killed if you do. With the aforementioned five-Attacker teams, Tanks and Healers should combine with them to form ten-member parties. Work together to stall the enemy’s escape — Master Babenberg’s Shields will eventually handle the rest.”

Following Christia’s composed instructions, the Explorers regained their composure and began organizing themselves. They quickly formed ten-member parties within their Clans.

“All right, time for us to shine! Absolute Helix, move out!”

“This is so frustrating…”

The first to spring into action was Absolute Helix, who had already worked out their plan to rescue Tsutomu. Under Xeno’s command, the nine-member team charged toward Tsutomu’s location.

Following them from behind, a man in a black robe soared through the air. It was Weiss, who had recently had his neck broken by Orbis. Thanks to <<Phoenix Soul>>, which could heal even fatal injuries given enough mental energy, his neck was already fully healed.

“I’ll clear the way,” Weiss declared.

“Counting on you,” Garm responded briefly.

Amira watched the two exchange words, then hefted her greatsword onto her shoulder and stepped forward.

“<<Phoenix Flame>>,” Weiss unleashed a wave of fire in front of him, observing where it was blocked.

Amira promptly appeared behind him.

“Your weapons bounced right off when you tried smashing it last time. Here, lemme do it for you.”

“Shields here, here, and here…” Weiss ignored Amira’s comment and focused on the Shields obstructing the flames.

In Dungeon City, there had been an event where famous Explorers demonstrated their attacks on Shield magic to showcase the Babenberg family members’ strength. Weiss had participated, attacking one of those Shields. However, they had been carefully prepared by House Babenberg, and the Explorers held back to some extent.

House Babenberg’s meticulously prepared Shield magic back then and House Kantjelucia’s Shield magic here may seem the same, but there were clear differences. Improvised Shields could not match the strength of a carefully prepared one.

Weiss drew a greatsword from his Magic Bag, gripping the hilt with both hands. The power of <<Phoenix Soul>> turned it red with heat. He swung the greatsword at the spot where the flame was halted, striking the Shield.

Despite being stopped initially, Weiss used the weight and heat of the greatsword to melt and slice through the Shield. 

He systematically destroyed the invisible Shields in his way, clearing a path for the explorers behind him.

“<<Power Slash>>!”

Amira, momentarily stunned by how Weiss was able to break through the Shields without using any skills, quickly joined in. With the support of the musicians, the boost from her <<Dragon Form>>, and her greatsword skills, Amira too could shatter her way through. Together, Weiss and Amira tore through the irregularly placed barriers, carving a path forward.

“Damn brute,” muttered Diniel as he loosed an arrow at Orbis with the same power as Christia.

At the same time, Amy dashed forward. Xeno and Daryl also advanced to keep Orbis at bay, while Garm cast a sharp gaze at Brooklyn, who stood near Tsutomu.

“<<Combat Cry>>.”

The usual aggro-pulling aura, now tinged with a deeper red, resonated past Orbis, reaching both Tsutomu and Brooklyn. The pressure was intense enough to momentarily distract Orbis, and Brooklyn, unprepared, found her gaze locked onto Garm.

“Fight me.”

“…!”

Brooklyn, seemingly intimidated by the ferocious Garm, instinctively raised her hand. Shields quickly surrounded Garm, closing in to crush him.

However, Garm’s VIT rating of A+ VIT rendered the Shield’s compression ineffective. A well-placed, sharpened barrier might have been a different story, but this general compression held little threat.

“Quite the nuisance, aren’t you?”

On the other hand, Orbis, recently healed by a Potion, still stood strong against Absolute Helix and Weiss. Behind the attacking force, Korinna desperately cycled through her blessing skills, healing Daryl and Xeno. Despite the high-powered attacks from Weiss and Amira, they struggled to land a significant blow on Orbis.

“…All right, I’mma get us through this in one go! Here comes a big one!” Hannah said as she observed the battle.

She proceeded to reach into her pouch-shaped Magic Bag and pulled out a Medium Fire Magic Stone, clutching it tightly in her right hand.

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