Tione's unique magic, 【Jörmungandr】, is a binding magic that has a certain probability of forcing the target to stop moving.
Ais did not hesitate, her eyes sharp as knives, and she whispered the incantation: 【Engulf!】
“Aaaah!”
Ais let out a roar, leaping up swiftly, her sword flashing, aiming straight for the unicorn bear's neck. This strike should have been a sure kill.
Ais's mind was momentarily disturbed, and her movements slightly faltered. The decapitating strike only pierced the unicorn bear's chest.
The unicorn bear was enraged, its furious roar echoing across the ice field. It forcefully broke free from Tione's binding magic, swinging its massive paw directly at Ais.
“Aaaah!!!”
The Amazon warrior endured the severe pain, gritting her teeth as she climbed to her feet. The wound on her back only fueled her anger and fighting spirit.
【Wrathful Chaos】— Increases attack power based on the extent of injuries, and enhances the effect based on the degree of anger.
The massive unicorn bear roared and swung its sharp claws, trying to stop her advance, but Tione's speed and strength reached their peak at this moment. She grabbed the giant bear's claws with one hand, pulling hard, then inserted her other hand directly into the wound Ais had inflicted, detonating the magic sword she held without hesitation.
Lefiya's 【Barrage Fire Javelin】 fell from the sky, the flames exploding like a barrier in front of Tione, cutting off the approaching monster.
Finn shouted loudly from the rear of the battlefield, his eyes full of determination and calmness.
【High-Grade Victory Sword】
With the help of Riveria's magic, the adventurers finally opened a path to the depths of the forest, and they quickly rushed into it.
Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, the monsters of the ice field seemed to have achieved a long-awaited victory.
On the adventurers' side, Raul, Anki, and Gries were burned by corrosive liquid, Kroy suffered an attack in the battle and had some bone fractures, and other team members had minor injuries.
Finn said, "This is my fault. I should have assigned Ais, who has 'Additional Magic' and 'Indestructible Weapon,' to your group."
“No, Captain, it's not your fault,”
Tione said weakly, “You couldn't have predicted all this…”
“Ais.”
Riveria looked at the blonde girl standing beside her.
“Sorry, Riveria.”
Ais was silent for a moment upon hearing this, and finally just nodded slightly.
The name Aeria meant too much to Ais. Her reaction was intense because it was the name of her mother, the Great Spirit of Wind.
Having lost her own weapon, Tiona wielded a giant sword projected by Emiya, her face still filled with loss—after all, it was a first-class armament worth 120 million valis.
In that vast, wilderness-like space, there were countless larval monsters, as well as various tree-shaped and flower-shaped monsters.
These monsters surrounded a huge monster in the center—a female-type monster with the lower body of a plant.
“How disgusting… Even monsters aren't this ugly, right?”
He pointed to the huge plant roots below the female monster.
Riveria nodded, recognizing that this was a special giant monster in the deep area: "Yes, a giant plant monster that eats everything, whether it's adventurers or other monsters, also known as the 【Corpse Flower King】."
And once the magic stone was absorbed, those larval monsters quickly withered as if they had lost their vitality, eventually turning into rotten dust.
This was the fourth enhanced species that Emiya had encountered in a short period of time, and this one was undoubtedly the most dangerous and bizarre.
226
Chapter 226 Dionysus: Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Dionysus sat alone at the bar, playing with a glass of deep red wine in his hand, the ruby-like liquid shimmering slightly in the candlelight.
Standing beside him was a masked man, who replied in a low voice: "The Fallen Fairy Spirit is growing very fast."
In previous experiments, they had tried to catalyze tree dragons, transforming them into enhanced species.
The original intention was to test the potential of the strongest monster, the dragon species, but the tree body, which was closely integrated with the dragon, showed the most excellent "evolution" effect.
The masked man said in a calm tone: "Magic power is growing the fastest, possibly approaching the peak of ."
The masked man nodded slightly: "If you only look at potential ability, yes."
“Very good.”
Dionysus's smile grew deeper, as if he could already see the scene of the future: "As for the contact here, it's also going quite smoothly. 【Man Killer】… Although she's only the weakest , she's still a first-class adventurer."
The masked man added coldly: "However, 【Man Killer】 is no longer of much use. Since being defeated by 【Gale】, she has become weaker and weaker."
Phrine's ability value has not weakened, but her heart has long been completely crushed by that battle.
Hearing the saying "adaptability", the masked man lowered her head slightly. She continued: "What we need to worry about now is the Loki Familia. Their last expedition has already broken through to the fifty-first floor. If they go deep into the fifty-ninth floor, the plan may be disrupted…"
They are just the 【Loki Familia】, not the 【Hera Familia】!
The god took a sip of wine: "This time, the Loki Familia can only reach the fifty-third floor at most."
Dionysus chuckled, gently tapping the crystal glass in front of him with his slender fingers, the sound particularly crisp in the dim tavern.
They realized that the gray earth they were standing on was actually made up of countless monster corpses turned to dust.
As for Ais, she seemed to be in her own world, only able to hear the heavy and rapid beating of her heart.
Its upper body trembled as if wriggling, and that ugly flesh seemed to swell violently and twist in an instant.
“—Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
A joyful cry burst out in the air, and a wave that tore the eardrums swept over, impacting the ears of all the adventurers, causing them to cover their ears in pain.
Her arms, chest, and waist had beautiful lines, and her tender skin seemed to be covered with luster, exuding an alluring aura.
Her hair was green, and her skin was also green. Her entire upper body was a dazzling emerald green.
Her eyes had no pupils or irises, only empty gold, making them look lifeless.
This huge creature with the upper body of a celestial maiden and the lower body of a monster let out a miserable cry to the sky, echoing in the center of the fifty-ninth floor.
The sound was still too loud, and Anki and the others had to cover their ears, their faces filled with horror and pain.
“Impossible…”
Using this magic, Tione immobilized the strongest one-horned giant bear before her.
"Ais!"
Tione shouted towards the blonde girl.
With her incantation, the magic [Wind Spirit's Swift Gait] activated, the power of the wind spirits entwining her legs and sword. Under the blessing of the [Storm King], her speed and attack power were raised to the extreme.
However, at that moment, a distorted and familiar shout echoed in her ears—"Aria!"
The sharp blade brought up a burst of blood mist, but it wasn't fatal.
"Roar!"
At that critical moment, Tione suddenly rushed up and forcefully pushed Ais away.
"Boom—!"
The one-horned bear's giant paw struck Tione's back heavily, four deep bloody marks instantly blooming on her back, blood splattering everywhere. Her body tumbled on the ground several times like a kite with a broken string.
[Great Counterattack]—Increases strength when near death.
Tione's eyes were filled with wildness and anger. She roared and pounced on the one-horned bear again.
"Boom—!"
Fire and explosions instantly covered the one-horned bear's body. It roared in pain. Its enormous body wasn't torn apart by the force of the explosion, but the magic stone had shattered.
Tione knelt on one knee, panting heavily.
"Ais, you idiot, what are you spacing out for!"
Bert's voice rang out on the chaotic battlefield, he roared angrily.
"Riveria, is the magic ready yet?"
Riveria raised her head, the light of magic shining in her hand, waving her staff to guide the magic power towards the forest ahead.
And those monsters from the ice plains had no intention of stopping the adventurers. Instead, with the adventurers' "help," they began to wantonly destroy the forest, fighting madly with the plant monsters in the forest.
But none of this was serious. With the help of healing potions, their injuries would quickly recover.
Ankie gently rubbed her wrist, which had just been healed, with traces of splashed corrosive liquid remaining on it: "Those bugs are really too troublesome. If it weren't for Shirou, we really wouldn't know how to deal with these things."
In comparison, the one who needed the most treatment was Tione. The injuries on her body could only be treated with emergency healing magic by the mages in the party.
Ais lowered her head.
Riveria sighed and didn't rush to blame her, but softly asked: "That voice just now… was that a response to your Wind?"
The adventurers, led by Bert and Tiona, continued forward along the cleared path.
The extent of the forest was much smaller than expected. The adventurers hadn't walked for long before the dense forest gradually disappeared, replaced by a vast gray land.
They were densely packed together, forming a disgusting sight, as if the entire space was occupied by these strange creatures.
"A monster with a human-shaped upper body?"
Kroii frowned, his eyes full of disgust.
Tiona couldn't help but mutter.
Gareth responded in a low voice: "The upper body aside, the lower part… is a [Giant Flower Demon]?"
That female monster seemed to be accepting a sacrifice. The surrounding larvae monsters opened their mouths, extended tongue-like organs, and offered magic stones one by one.
Her face was full of greed as she accepted those magic stones offered to her and swallowed them without hesitation.
Seeing this scene, Wei Gong's eyes narrowed slightly: "Another… enhanced species?"
Ais, who was standing next to Wei Gong, subconsciously reached out and grabbed Wei Gong. Her fingers trembled slightly, icy cold as if the chill came from the depths of her soul.
In a corner of the Labyrinth City, a faint aroma of wine permeated the dim tavern.
"The situation on the fifty-ninth floor, how is it?"
His gaze didn't shift, still fixed on the wine glass, but he casually asked.
Dionysus slightly raised the corner of his mouth, his smile tinged with a hint of coldness: "Just like we tested before, plants are indeed the most excellent carrier to bear filth."
Powerful plant lifeforms were the most suitable hosts for the power of filth.
"We've consumed quite a few magic stones we accumulated before. Right now, that Fallen Fairy's ability value should have grown to the level of a beginner ."
Dionysus lightly sipped his wine, savoring it for a moment before slowly saying: "Which means, she's quite a bit stronger than you are now?"
He put down his wine glass, a hint of playfulness in his expression: "Ishtar's temperament has changed drastically recently, strictly forbidding Freya from her past behavior of eagerly hunting men. Freya's relationship with her is deteriorating."
"Moreover, Ishtar Familia's [Phantom Triple Stars] have leveled up at the same time. They seem to have unlocked some kind of new skill. The three's coordinated combat ability has already surpassed the threshold of first-tier adventurers, capable of contending with Freya."
Dionysus shrugged: "Just a spare piece, it doesn't matter if we don't use her, and who knows, she might just have 'adaptability'."
However, Dionysus chuckled, interrupting the masked man's words: "Don't worry, that's impossible."
The god played with the wine glass in his hand, his expression confident and composed: "[Dragon's Pot], how can it be easily crossed? A direct advance from the fifty-first floor to the fifty-ninth floor?"
"Based on them? I'd even dare to say that if they can really reach the fifty-ninth floor within a year, I'll eat this wine glass."
Dungeon, fifty-ninth floor.
The adventurers stared at the female-shaped monster, their gazes falling on the large amount of gray powder piled up around it like salt blocks.
This scene was eerie and shocking, causing a sense of foreboding to rise in everyone's hearts.
That voice vibrated her eardrums like a war drum, almost tearing them apart.
In the next instant, the upper half of the female-shaped monster began to slowly prop itself up, and a faint sound came from its hideous head.
As Finn and the others watched in astonishment, the female-shaped monster suddenly exhaled, and as if a chrysalis was emerging from its shell, a woman's body with graceful lines was born from that constantly bulging flesh.
The woman's upper body looked up and gazed at the sky, and the long hair draped behind her spread out at this moment, becoming beautiful and lustrous.
And her upper body was wrapped in a colorful coat, gazing at the ceiling of the underground, and the side of her face, trembling with joy, actually possessed beauty no less than that of a goddess.
Not only had her human-shaped upper body been reborn, but even her alien lower body had undergone a drastic change. The structure became complex, growing huge petals and countless tentacles.
"What, what exactly is that?!"
Everyone watched this joyful, singing, unknown creature with trembling eyes.
