The Jewel Fetus was an extension of the Corrupted Spirit's power, and the essence of that power came from the Dungeon.
The Guild, and the adventurers alike.
Before coming to subjugate the Corrupted Spirit, the Guild and the adventurers had, of course, conducted a certain amount of "research" into its existence.
Naturally, since there was essentially no precedent to draw upon, since it was hidden away in the deep levels, and since not even its true form had shown itself before all this—everything about it could only be conjecture.
First of all.
Was the "Corrupted Spirit" truly a "Spirit"?
Or rather.
Was the "Corrupted Spirit" truly one of the "Great Spirits" that, in ancient times, had accompanied countless [Heroes] in their struggle against the Dungeon?
Though this was a rather delicate—one might even say "taboo"—question.
The answer was already quite obvious.
[Yes.]
It was indeed the Great Spirit that had once stood at a certain Hero's side.
Because it had been searching all along for Ailiya—that is, for Ais's mother. Anyone who wasn't from that era could not possibly have known of "Ailiya."
Of course.
There was one more matter of the utmost importance, one that was also a top-secret piece of Guild intelligence.
Once confirmed by Zard of the Zeus Familia, there existed in the deep levels of the Dungeon a hidden chamber—the [Thousand-Azure Ice Garden], nestled in the crevice between the 60th and 61st floors. It was the resting place of the Heroes of antiquity, and powerful magical energy had transformed it into a space independent of the Dungeon itself.
Why was this so?
Why had the Heroes of old delved so deeply into the Dungeon?
There was no answer, and no one knew. Not even the gods knew what had truly happened in the Dungeon back then.
And since the ancient Heroes existed, then it followed that the Great Spirit who had once accompanied those Heroes would naturally be there too.
The Corrupted Spirit had likely been born within the [Thousand-Azure Ice Garden].
It was not a creation of the Dungeon, yet it had seized the Dungeon's power for itself.
Using that ashen-white flesh, coiling like vines, it drew in the power of the entire floor, turning it all into nourishment for itself.
[The Corrupted Spirit is a Monster born from malice—likely a "tragedy" that came into being when, over millions of years, the lingering remnants of desire were influenced and amplified by the Dungeon.]
This was the conjecture of the great god Ouranos.
Whether it was the [Heroes] of the ancient age or the [Great Spirits], in the end they were all beings possessed of their own emotions.
Whether for glory, or out of a desire to save the world, or in the hope of seeing the smile of one they loved, they had marched without hesitation into these deep depths, only to perish here in the end—and even be forgotten by the world.
And among them.
Perhaps there had also arisen feelings of resentment, of anger, even of hatred.
This was only natural. Even a [Hero] was not an absolute saint—and a [Great Spirit] all the more so.
In the stories, Spirits are always incomparably pure and kind. Perhaps it was for that very reason that they could also become so extreme and terrifying.
Watered by the Dungeon's evil power.
Even the tiniest seed of malice, over these thousand years, gradually sprouted and blossomed, transforming into the hideous form it wore today.
At this moment.
The Corrupted Spirit wielded its power without restraint, calling forth magic of wind, water, fire, lightning, light, and darkness, nearly enough to grind the entire floor to dust.
The destruction it wrought was such that one could faintly hear the Dungeon's mournful wail.
And yet, even so, the [Juggernaut] did not appear.
Perhaps the Dungeon was hesitating. Perhaps it, too, did not know whether the Corrupted Spirit—the cause of all this—counted as one of its own "children," whether it was a target that needed to be driven out and erased.
For the adventurers, this was at least a good thing.
Otherwise.
If another [Juggernaut] were to appear now, the tide of battle would likely fall into an even more disadvantageous state...
Ryuu's judgment had been correct.
Sending Lefiya to help Riveria had greatly eased the previously tense situation on the Loki Familia's side.
While the Elven princess was able to catch her breath a little, she could also coordinate with Lefiya to counterattack against the Corrupted Spirit's magic.
But the results were still poor.
No matter what they did, there was simply no way to inflict any damage on this thing?
Meanwhile, on the other side, the heavy task of fighting the "god" remained mired in some indescribable quagmire.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha—"
The "god's" mad laughter would not cease.
Even as his body kept swelling and shattering, it could always reassemble itself once more.
Something was wrong.
From the very start, Ottar and Ais and the others had tried all manner of methods, yet there was simply no way to kill this thing.
By contrast, as the "liquor" that spilled out of it gradually coated everything around them, the various Monsters emerging from within grew ever more troublesome.
This thing was simply endless—a "Monster Nest" that would keep spawning Monsters forever!!
What on earth was going on?
There was no way something unkillable could exist in this world.
So could it be that...
"It's the floor."
"?"
"This thing is connected to the entire floor!!"
Ryuu voiced an extremely bold conjecture.
All this time, what exactly had the Corrupted Spirit been preparing down in the deep levels?
For it, the most important objective was in fact Ais—so it had to make Ais come to the Dungeon to subjugate it.
Before all this.
Everyone had also considered having Ais stay out of the operation. That way, no matter what, the Corrupted Spirit's aim would come to nothing.
But Ais herself wanted to come.
As an adventurer, she was unwilling to wait alone in the city for her comrades to return. At the same time, she was also hoping to learn more about her mother's past from the Corrupted Spirit's own mouth.
It was as though some kind of destiny were guiding the girl, compelling her to come here.
Since both sides had laid their cards on the table.
Then.
The Corrupted Spirit surely had a "strategy" to keep its opponent here—one that could, at the very least, buy time with Ais.
And the answer was now plain to see.
It was using this ["God of Death and Wine"] to connect itself to the floor, using it to create an endless flood of Monsters to cut off everyone's retreat and wear down their stamina.
At this moment.
The more people who fought the "god," the happier the Corrupted Spirit became.
That was why it displayed such an indifferent attitude—even fighting the Loki Familia with such leisurely contentment, without exerting its full strength at all.
Because time was on its side.
If that was the case, then their only option was to destroy the current floor?
Or.
To find its core somewhere on this floor.
Since it was a Monster spawned from a parasitic "Jewel Fetus," then there had to be a core—namely, the Jewel Fetus embedded within it!
Where was it?!
Just as Ryuu was pondering whether or not to simply have Lefiya use "Explosion Magic" once.
On the other side, Asfi finally sprang into action.
"You want to find this thing's Jewel Fetus? Let me give it a try—"
The woman who had always served as the "logistics member" began, with utmost seriousness, to rummage through the small pouch she carried at her side.
Clearly.
For this subjugation, she too had brought along a considerable number of "secret weapons"!
____
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