"Don't even think about running away, especially you, Aria! And those two Messiahs!"
The three Lv. 6s of the Loki Familia were currently held back by several Demi-spirits of the Corrupted Spirit, locked in a fierce battlefield. A single moment of distraction could mean the loss of their lives; after all, their opponents were also Lv. 6.
Meanwhile, the Familia members retreating with Hyacine and Barbara now faced an unprecedentedly powerful foe.
The Red-haired Creature, Revis!
Unlike the Revis who possessed Lv. 5 strength a few days ago, once she realized both the Messiahs and Aria had appeared simultaneously, she began a frantic devouring of Magic Stones, elevating herself to Lv. 6 in an extremely short span of time.
"You bastard, are you from Evilus?"
Upon seeing the enemy reveal her true form, Bete charged forward without hesitation. However, he seemed to have forgotten one thing... his teammates couldn't spare a hand to help him!
Because they were carrying Hyacine and Barbara, the sisters Tione and Tiona were completely unable to join the fray. As for Ais... she was stunned into a daze because that Red-haired Creature had just called out her mother's name.
Thus, at this moment, the only one capable of fighting was Bete.
The werewolf let out a roar born of his companion's fury, and the weapons on his feet burst with the radiance of Magic, as if a great wolf were extending its sharp claws to tear the enemy before him to shreds.
However...
Boom—!
One moment a person was there, the next they had vanished.
Bete felt a sharp pain in his stomach almost instantly, even coughing up blood as he slumped powerlessly to the ground.
One strike. Just one strike!
It had caused the Loki Familia's Lv. 5, Braver Bete, to completely lose his combat effectiveness. It made the Loki Familia members in the rear reveal expressions of terror one after another; specifically those who hadn't reached Lv. 5, whose eyes were filled with intense dread.
This was an instant defeat, which meant the opponent's strength was definitely above Lv. 5—at least a Lv. 6!
How were they supposed to fight this?
"Raul, Aki! I'm leaving Hyacine and Barbara to you!"
Realizing the opponent's overwhelming strength, the sisters Tione and Tiona immediately tossed the two exhausted Messiahs to the Familia members behind them.
"Ais! Let's go!"
"The enemy is powerful. If we don't unite, we're no match for her!"
Together, they were three Lv. 5s; perhaps they would have a fighting chance. However, Revis didn't give them any opportunity...
Rumble—!
As the entire 37th floor shook violently, several more Corrupted Spirits appeared behind Revis. Now, the path was completely blocked.
In the rear, Finn, Gareth, and Riveria were engaging six Corrupted Spirits. Although they could put up a fight, they were clearly being suppressed by those six monsters and couldn't break away from the battlefield in the short term.
In the front, Bete had already fallen, and the remaining three Lv. 5s had to face four Corrupted Spirits plus a Red-haired Creature...
No matter how you looked at it, this was a dead end!
"How could this happen? Why are we being attacked like this?"
"Are we going to die here today?"
The mental state of some weaker Familia members even began to destabilize, their pupils wide with the terror of the monsters.
Upon noticing this, the remaining Ais, Tione, and Tiona couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
"The enemy is strong, but we have no choice but to go in!"
—
'Don't...'
Watching her companions rush forward, Hyacine and Barbara exerted every ounce of their strength to try and lift their arms, wanting to stand up from the ground and continue the fight.
But the exhaustion in their bodies was far more severe than they had imagined. They could only watch helplessly as their companions marched step by step toward death.
"Little Ica, go help them!"
Since neither of them could move, the only combat power they could deploy was the sunny pony, Little Ica.
"Doot doot doot!"
However, even Little Ica looked exhausted. It could only fly toward Ais's side with a wobbly, unrecovered trajectory.
Despite the absence of the two girls, Little Ica's mere presence was enough to provide Ais and the others with sufficient healing, allowing them to remain undefeated.
Hyacine and Barbara took this opportunity to frantically recover their stamina, attempting to rejoin the battle once more.
"Hahaha, Aria, we're coming!"
An extremely eerie female voice reached the back of the group at some unknown time, looking at everyone in the Loki Familia with destructive eyes.
But people didn't focus their gaze on these Corrupted Spirits themselves, but rather on what was in their tentacles...
"Captain Finn! Vice-captain Gareth! Vice-captain Riveria!"
No one expected that in such a short time, the three strongest members of the Loki Familia would fall in such a pathetic manner.
Not only were their heads gripped by the Corrupted Spirits, but their faces were also covered in blood, showing none of their former noble appearance.
"Finn?"
The sudden turn of events immediately led to the collapse of the battle line.
Tione and Tiona were slapped away by Revis almost instantly, even being pinned to the ground by sharp blades.
As for Ais, Revis kicked the sword from her hand in an instant and grabbed her by the throat.
Even Little Ica was besieged by seven or eight Corrupted Spirits and was completely dispersed...
"Distracted during a fight... you really looked down on me, Aria!"
Revis's eyes were cold. For this day, she had exhausted almost all the accumulation she had gathered during this period.
But fortunately, the results were satisfying. The Messiahs had lost their combat power, Finn's trio had been crushed by the Corrupted Spirits, and Ais and the others couldn't resist Revis, held in her hands like toys.
"But it doesn't matter. We'll be together forever soon!"
As all combat ceased completely, the Loki Familia officially met with defeat. Not a single high-end combatant remained unscathed.
And what awaited them next... they didn't need to think to know.
'No!'
Watching her companions fall one by one, Hyacine and Barbara concentrated their combined spirits onto one person—Hyacine.
She struggled to stand up from the ground, but the physical exhaustion continued to wash over the girl's spirit.
"Oh? You still have strength? As expected of a Messiah!"
"But don't worry, I've done my homework. I won't get close to you!"
Under Revis's control, the ten Corrupted Spirits nearby immediately raised their vine-like tentacles and lunged toward Hyacine at maximum speed.
The surrounding companions naturally saw this scene. They wanted to stop it, but they could do nothing.
"Still worried about others at a time like this?"
"It doesn't matter. After the Messiah dies, the next... will be you!"
Revis directly pronounced the fate of everyone in the Loki Familia with a cold tone. If reinforcements did not arrive, what awaited the Loki Familia was total annihilation.
Even Loki herself might be sent back to Heaven by those spiteful deities, because she had offended far too many gods!
"No..."
Hyacine's footing was still unsteady, but she still saw the attacks coming toward her.
"I'm sorry, everyone..."
"I can't do anything..."
In the eyes of everyone in the Loki Familia, Hyacine was pierced by countless attacks. She slumped powerlessly to the ground and closed her eyes.
However, as the girl's eyes closed, the Eye of Twilight quietly opened at that very moment!