Farther in the distance, even bulkier Hilichurls advanced with heavy steps—Rockshield Hilichurls, each carrying a massive stone shield.
Above, several white, mosquito-like Honkai Beasts with pink patterns on their shells buzzed through the air. Their transparent wings vibrated rapidly as they searched for the perfect opportunity to strike.
This was a fully coordinated monster formation—long-range, mid-range, and melee units, ground forces and aerial threats, clearly divided in role.
"Robin, watch those rockets!" Faen barked in warning, already moving.
He didn't choose to tank the attack head-on. Instead, with agile footwork, he weaved between the interlocking stalagmites, effortlessly evading the first volley of flaming bolts.
When the charging Hilichurls barreled toward him, he stopped using magic.
His sword flashed from its sheath in a streak of silver.
Rather than retreating, Faen surged forward, meeting one of the charging Hilichurls head-on.
At the moment of impact, his body twisted at an impossible angle. His blade arced upward in a precise, vicious curve, cleanly severing the wrist gripping the flaming staff.
The Hilichurl shrieked as the burning weapon flew from its grasp.
Faen didn't pause. He closed the distance instantly, driving his elbow into its chest. The sheer force halted its momentum. In the same motion, his sword swept horizontally—its masked head soared into the air.
Without even looking back, he deflected another attacker's strike with a reverse swing and sprang backward, simultaneously uttering that destructive syllable once more.
"Evangel."
An invisible shockwave shot toward the stone platform in the distance. One of the rocket-wielding Hilichurls didn't even have time to scream before it, and its crude crossbow—exploded into fragments.
But at the instant he cast the spell, a long-waiting Honkai Beast seized the opening.
From Faen's blind spot, it turned into a streak of white lightning, its needle-like proboscis aimed directly at his back.
The shriek of splitting air cut in from behind—deadly and precise.
Yet Faen showed no panic.
Years of being beaten senseless by Alfia in ways bordering on the absurd had honed his combat instincts beyond ordinary limits. His perception of danger was razor sharp.
More importantly—
He wasn't fighting alone.
He had a partner he trusted completely.
Right on cue, just before the Honkai Beast could strike—
"Resound."
Robin's clear, elegant chant rang out.
A soundwave burst forth a fraction of a second later yet arrived first, striking the creature's flank with perfect precision.
"Bzzzz—!"
Under the high-frequency vibration, cracks spiderwebbed across the beast's hardened shell. Its high-speed charge faltered midair; it lost balance and crashed to the ground, tumbling helplessly.
Faen turned, meeting Robin's lake-green eyes.
They shared a brief smile—wordless understanding passing between them.
The rhythm of battle did not slow.
With a swift reverse slash, Faen finished off the struggling Honkai Beast and shifted his focus to the massive Slimes ahead.
The Giant Fire Slime pulsed like a miniature volcano about to erupt. The Giant Ice Slime spread sharp frost spikes across the ground. The Giant Rock Slime advanced like a moving fortress.
"Evangel."
He fired Alfia's magic again, the invisible sonic cannon slamming into the Giant Fire Slime.
This time, the effect wasn't as decisive.
The giant's gelatinous body was far thicker. Though blasted backward repeatedly, it did not fall in one strike.
Robin moved as well.
Her slender fingers traced an elegant arc in the air.
"Resound."
Wave after wave of sharp sonic bursts shot forth, not toward the thick-skinned Rock Slime—but precisely at the rocket Hilichurls still firing from afar.
The vibrations pierced their crude armor and detonated within their bodies, eliminating the ranged units one by one.
Faen understood instantly.
He stopped wasting mana on the giant Slimes and redirected his attention to the Rockshield Hilichurls steadily advancing behind their massive shields.
He inhaled deeply, lowering his center of gravity, sword drawn back at his waist.
"Evangel."
This time the soundwave wasn't a straight-line blast. It expanded outward in a wide, invisible shockfront.
The two leading Rockshield Hilichurls were thrown off their feet, shields lifted away and their defenses exposed.
Faen's figure vanished from where he stood—like an arrow loosed from a bow.
His blade carved a gleaming arc mid-charge, slipping through the narrow gap between shield and body and severing the arm holding the shield.
Without its protection, the hulking Hilichurl was little more than a sacrificial lamb.
Faen didn't even turn back. With a reverse thrust, he pierced straight through its heart.
At that exact moment, another Honkai Beast dove from above.
Robin's magic detonated perfectly along its flight path, forcing it to veer off-course.
That split-second hesitation was all Faen needed.
He kicked off the ground, soaring upward. Twisting midair in a near-impossible rotation, his blade cleaved down—splitting the creature and its wings cleanly in two.
He landed—
—and a wave of scorching heat surged in from the side.
The Giant Fire Slime had completed its charge. A massive fireball roared toward him.
Faen did not dodge.
Instead, he chanted again.
"Soul's Serenity."
An almost invisible layer of vibrating sound wrapped around him, forming intangible armor.
The blazing fireball met that sonic barrier—
—and like a punctured balloon, it vanished without a trace.
[Garden of Silence], Alfia's auxiliary magic.
In the instant the fireball was nullified, Faen surged forward once more. His sword thrust straight into the Giant Fire Slime's pulsing magic stone core.
Amid the chaos of battle, a stray shockwave knocked Robin's hood loose.
Her silky silver-violet hair cascaded down like a waterfall, shimmering with dreamlike light in the Dungeon's dim glow.
Her breathtaking beauty, enough to make even gods falter—was fully revealed.
Moments later, the final Giant Ice Slime shattered under the combined assault of Faen and Robin.
The brief yet ferocious battle came to an end.
And every scene, so precise it resembled art, had been witnessed in its entirety by two figures concealed within the shadows of a distant stalagmite.
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