Needless to say, the six Demi Spirits currently chanting Gate of Heaven were exactly as Riezel had previously stated—like the plant-type one that had appeared on the Dungeon's 59th Floor, they belonged to the magic-specialized category.
Their upper bodies, resembling those of human females, could chant magic, while the three grotesque, eyeless faces on their lower halves could also chant magic. Combined with the densely packed magic circle formed from countless magical energy circuits surrounding them, these Demi Spirits were even more proficient in magic than the one from the Dungeon's 59th Floor and also possessed strength far surpassing that of Demi Spirit Gugalanna and Demi Spirit Phryne.
Their classification level was at least Level 7, possibly even Level 8, and their attack power far exceeded their actual level—just like Lefiya and Riveria. At the very least, they could surpass their own level by one level, and perhaps they could even exceed it by two levels.
Against such formidable enemies, even with the numerous summons provided by Riezel, the other five parties had undoubtedly fallen into bitter struggles—there was simply no way they could defeat their opponents easily.
However, Riezel was clearly an exception.
With his power already released to Level 7, his current magic attack power had undoubtedly surpassed his present level, at the very least comparable to Level 8, and possibly even rivaling Level 9.
Consequently, when Firestorm and Meteor Swarm—two great spirit magic spells—collided in an extreme clash, accompanied by a thunderous roar that shook the earth, the meteors descending from the sky gradually overwhelmed the surging crimson flames shooting upward, destroying the land, erupting like a volcano.
*BOOOOM!*
Amid this apocalyptic scene, the lightning bolts surging violently across Riezel's body began transforming into flames, causing blazing fire to ignite over him as well.
"It's over."
With his current level and attack power fully unleashed, Riezel gave the Demi Spirit no chance to turn the situation around as the black sword wrapped in flames in his hand was slowly raised and drawn back over his left shoulder, assuming a side-facing high-stance slash.
"Sun Breathing..."
Just as Riezel was about to unleash a large-scale attack to annihilate the Demi Spirit in a single strike—
*Swish!*
A black shadow suddenly appeared before him, raising a fist clad in a metal gauntlet and striking straight toward him.
It was a punch powerful enough to produce a piercing sonic boom.
Riezel glanced at the newcomer and saw that the sudden attacker was none other than the familiar Creature draped in a purple robe—Ein.
*Clang!*
A bell-like metallic collision rang out, accompanied by a violent blast of impact wind.
Ein's punch, carrying enough force to create a sonic boom, slammed heavily against Hermit, which had somehow shifted into position directly in front of Riezel.
A violent surge of energy erupted, blasting both of them backward.
"Mr. Riezel!"
"Who's that?!"
"A Creature!"
Lefiya and the others, who were engaged in combat against magic attacks coming from all directions, cried out in shock.
"Finally, couldn't sit still anymore?"
Riezel, however, quickly steadied himself after being pushed back more than ten meters and let out a cold smile toward Ein.
"..."
Ein gave no response and merely glanced at the Demi Spirit behind her before suddenly turning and darting away.
"Running?"
Riezel was briefly taken aback, but a sharp glint soon flashed through his eyes.
"Greater Teleportation."
In an instant, Riezel vanished from where he stood, and when he reappeared, he was already behind Ein.
"Sun Breathing - Ninth Form - Setting Sun Transformation!"
Appearing behind Ein, Riezel swung his sword without hesitation—the sword, wrapped in blazing flames as fierce as the sun, seemed propelled by the erupting fire itself, accelerating instantly to its maximum speed.
*Swish!*
In the next moment, the blazing, sun-like slash cleaved the fleeing purple-robed figure, whose back was turned toward Riezel, cleanly in two.
"Hm?"
However, Riezel, who had split his opponent in half, let out a faint sound of surprise.
Because Ein, who had been cut in two, did not fall. Instead, she smoothly split into two identical figures, each darting off in a different direction.
Seeing this, not only Riezel, but the others as well widened their eyes.
"Hmph!"
Riezel reacted immediately, letting out a cold snort as he extended one hand toward each of the two figures. But just as he was about to cast magic to attack both Eins at once, a familiar voice rang out.
"Rage, wrath of heaven—"
"Caelum Veil."
It was an ultra-short chant within an ultra-short chant magic, and the one chanting it was naturally the Demi Spirit.
At this moment, she spread her arms, while her upper body began to sing once more, generating countless bolts of lightning that formed an armor-like layer covering both her upper body and the lower half with the three grotesque faces.
"Enchant-type magic!"
Lefiya's expression changed drastically, and the others fared no better.
As long as their senses remained intact, anyone present could feel the overwhelming magical energy erupting from the Demi Spirit. From that magical energy alone, it was obvious that what she had activated was no ordinary enchant-type magic, but a transcendent-level enchantment comparable to Ais's Ariel.
Ais's Ariel itself had been inherited from her mother, who was a great spirit.
Because spirits were purer, more mysterious, rarer, and more powerful magical beings than elves—and were even said to be the children of the gods—they were capable of wielding such transcendent magic.
And the monster before them, though fallen and corrupted, was still a spirit.
In that case, the enchant-type magic it used was naturally on the same transcendent level as Ariel.
As a result, the already extraordinary monster received a transcendent blessing of lightning.
"Distel."
Accompanied by an innocent, carefree laugh, terrifying lightning appeared.
*Biririri—!*
With her entire body wrapped in lightning, the Demi Spirit unleashed a full 360-degree indiscriminate bombardment. Endless lightning surged outward, striking across the entire battlefield.
In an instant, the battlefield was filled with a chaotic spectacle of lightning writhing like dragons and serpents—the ground was bombarded repeatedly, leaving behind charred craters, while the walls and ceiling were ravaged by the lightning, blasting apart into fragments of stone and clouds of dust.
Just as the adventurers were about to scream, the angel clad in white armor raised the shield in its left hand, activating a special ability that drew all the lightning toward itself and forced it to crash against the shield.
*BOOOM!*
In that instant, the roar of impacts erupted.
At this moment, the entire battlefield resembled a zone under artillery bombardment—either constantly exploding or flooded with surging lightning, creating a truly overwhelming scene.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
*AWOOOOO—!!!*
One after another, the monsters summoned by Riezel also displayed their abilities. Roaring furiously, they struggled to evade the raging lightning while continuing to advance toward the Demi Spirit.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
*SCREEECH—!!!*
At the same time, the colorful monsters emitting harsh, broken cries refused to be outdone. Completely disregarding the lightning that continuously blasted apart their own side, they charged across the ground toward the summons rushing at them.
The Doom Lord was surrounded by Violas, its entire body shrouded in black mist as it rampaged in fury.
The Dullahan was even more ruthless—one strike, one kill.
Each thrust of its black lance carried a chance to trigger an instant death effect. Once triggered, any monster struck by it would be reduced to ashes on the spot, together with its magic stone.
Cerberus's three heads spewed vast waves of flame, clashing against the corrosive fluid sprayed by the Virgas and producing sharp hissing sounds.
In the end, only flying monsters such as Griffins and Wyverns managed to break through and reach the Demi Spirit, yet they were immediately intercepted by the lightning-wrapped vines. Faced with those whip-like appendages that lashed out like bolts of thunder, they were driven back again and again, unable to advance even a single step further.
*Whoosh!*
Riezel's body moved like a streak of light, flames wrapping around him as he rapidly darted through the raging lightning, successfully evading the bolts that continuously shot toward him without pause.
""Sweep, holy staff of crushing evil—""
""Dio Thyrsos!""
At this moment, the two Eins who had been fleeing suddenly stopped. One positioned himself to Riezel's left, while the other moved to his right, and they simultaneously unleashed identical magic, sending arcs of lightning sweeping toward Riezel.
"Sacrament - Wheel Mirror."
Riezel activated a countering magic without the slightest hesitation, causing two rotating magic mirrors to appear, each positioned to guard his left and right sides.
*Buzz!*
In the next instant, the incoming lightning arcs were immediately absorbed by the two magic mirrors. Two seconds later, the absorbed lightning was reflected back out, blasting toward the two Eins.
""Become a shield, holy grail of crushing evil—""
""Dio Grail!""
Once again, the two Eins chanted identical magic, conjuring layers of magic barriers before themselves.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
In the next second, the reflected lightning struck the pristine, jade-like barriers and exploded violently upon impact.
"Magic Destruction."
A sharp glint flashed through Riezel's eyes as he suddenly activated a dispelling magic.
*PENG!*
*PENG!*
In an instant, the barriers before the two Eins shattered.
""What?!""
Both Eins were stunned, but it wasn't over yet.
"Firebolt."
Seizing the opening, Riezel spread both hands and attacked from both sides simultaneously, releasing two instances of fast attack magic at the same time.
Seeing two thick streams of flaming lightning shooting toward them, the two Eins reacted immediately, but it was already too late to evade.
At the critical moment, one of them suddenly vanished, causing the aura of the remaining one to surge dramatically.
*Swish!*
In the end, the Ein with the heightened aura successfully dodged the incoming crimson lightning and, without even looking back, turned and fled once more. By the time Riezel noticed, she had already escaped the battlefield and rushed outside, causing his movements to halt for a brief instant.
[Riezel! Go after that Creature!]
Suddenly, Finn's voice came through the Eye Crystal in Riezel's hand.
"Captain?"
Riezel was slightly taken aback.
From the Eye Crystal, the sounds of battle on Finn's side could be heard clearly—continuous explosions and screams—yet even amid such chaos, his voice remained calm and steady.
[Use the level-boosting magic on Lefiya and the others. Leave your battlefield to them!]
[With your summons and your party members enhanced by that magic, they should barely be able to handle the Demi Spirit!]
[You go find the one behind all of this—the mastermind—and end everything!]
Finn had clearly grasped the situation on Riezel's side and issued his directive without the slightest hesitation.
[I'm entrusting everything to you, Riezel!]
Needless to say, only by defeating the mastermind behind it all could Orario's crisis truly be resolved.
Hence, he placed everything in Riezel's hands.
"...Understood."
Riezel did not hesitate—rather, he understood that this was no time for hesitation and agreed immediately.
"Mass Targeting."
First, he marked all the adventurers present with magical imprints, then activated Uchide no Kozuchi.
"Grow—"
"That power and that vessel. Breadth of wealth and breadth of wishes. Until the bell tolls, bring forth glory and illusion."
"Grow—"
"Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above. Into the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you."
"Grow—"
A pure golden magic circle appeared beneath Riezel, releasing a nebula-like mist that gradually gathered above the adventurers' heads, condensing into small hammers of light before rapidly swinging downward.
"Uchide no Kozuchi!"
Dazzling particles of light scattered over everyone, enveloping their bodies.
"W-What…?"
Suddenly feeling power far beyond what their current Levels should have allowed, the adventurers were instantly stunned.
"Go! Mr. Riezel!"
Lefiya, likewise bathed in the particles of light and elevated from Level 4 to Level 5, shouted toward Riezel.
"Please leave this place to us!"
While continuously casting magic, she wore a resolute expression.
It was clear that she had fully understood the situation and had decisively taken over the battlefield from Riezel.
"Be careful!"
Riezel did not linger sentimentally.
After completing all the necessary preparations, he handed over control of the Eye Crystal and the summoned monsters to Lefiya.
Under the effects of Uchide no Kozuchi, excluding those summons already at Levels 64–70, Lefiya and the other Level 4 adventurers now possessed combat power equivalent to Level 5. Combined with Finn's remote command, dealing with a single Demi Spirit should not be too difficult.
As for his own task, it had now become perfectly clear—eliminate the one who had orchestrated everything.
Only by defeating that person would this battle truly come to an end.
"Greater Teleportation."
Activating teleportation magic, Riezel left the battlefield and pursued Ein.
"Stay safe, Mr. Riezel…"
Only after he departed did Lefiya's resolute expression soften slightly into deep seriousness as she quietly murmured those words.
[…Lefiya.]
From the Eye Crystal in Lefiya's hand, a voice devoid of emotion suddenly sounded.
"Miss Ais?"
Lefiya immediately recognized the owner of the voice.
On the battlefield of the second party, Ais held her Eye Crystal in one hand and Fool in the other. Dark light flickered within her eyes as her figure swept across the battlefield like a black tempest, instantly dismembering a large group of Violas.
[Trust him.]
Ais, now resembling a princess of vengeance, ignored the shocked expressions of those around her and spoke in a low voice.
"Yes!"
As if drawing courage from those words, Lefiya nodded firmly.
Soon afterward, she assumed the role of the battlefield's MVP, controlling two short swords while unleashing numerous magic spells as she engaged the Demi Spirit in an unprecedented magical battle.
At this point, the subjugation of Knossos had entered its most intense phase.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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