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Chapter 39: Beam (Luce)
Utilizing the massive hole carved out by the Valgang Dragons, Tsuna and the others plummeted straight down to the 58th floor.
There they are.
A few minutes into the descent, the ground of the 58th floor finally came into view. Tsuna ignited his flames, accelerating his fall to scout the area, touching down first.
"So those are…"
In his line of sight were six massive Valgang Dragons, surrounded by dozens of other monsters. Despite it being his first time seeing them, Tsuna instantly recognized the crimson dragons as the beasts responsible for blowing holes all the way up to the 52nd floor.
A moment later, Bete and Tiona slammed into the ground behind him.
"Rain down and burn the barbarians."
"You guys, fall back!!"
Tione landed last, carrying Lefiya, who was already halfway through her chant. A massive magic circle expanded across the floor beneath her.
Understanding exactly what was coming, Bete and Tiona immediately bolted for safety. Unfamiliar with Lefiya's magic but trusting the executives' reactions, Tsuna followed right behind them.
"Fusillade Fallarica!!"
Lefiya screamed her spell. Countless small magic circles materialized in the air above, unleashing a torrential downpour of fire arrows.
Lefiya possessed the rare skill Fairy Canon, which drastically amplified her offensive magic. The fact that she had been chosen for the 59th-floor expedition despite being only Level 3 was largely due to this very skill.
The bombardment of fire arrows relentlessly rained down, obliterating monsters of all sizes. Even the Valgang Dragons couldn't escape the blast radius, though their incredibly tough scales prevented the arrows from piercing completely.
"That's some serious firepower…"
Watching the 58th floor turn into a scorched wasteland blanketed in smoke, Tsuna was genuinely impressed by Lefiya's destructive capabilities.
"N-No… compared to Mr. Tsunayoshi's flames, my magic is nothing…"
"It's not just about raw power. It's the range and the sheer volume."
"Range and volume?"
"I can do wide-area attacks, but I'm not really built for it. And firing off a barrage of that many projectiles is impossible for me. In that regard, you're way ahead of me."
"Eh…!?"
To be praised so openly by someone leagues above her made Lefiya blush, a small spark of pride swelling in her chest.
OOOOOOOOOOH!!
"This ain't the time for a chat!! Incoming!!" Bete roared as the smoke cleared.
One of the Valgang Dragons let out a deafening howl, signaling the start of the battle to its kin. All six colossal dragons turned and charged simultaneously.
Then it happened.
CRACK!?
Something plummeted from the ceiling, violently crushing one of the Valgang Dragons' heads. A massive crater formed in the ground, and a shockwave rattled the entire 58th floor.
"Still alive, you fledglings?"
It was Gareth. The dwarf had just skydived straight onto a dragon's skull. The entire party stood frozen, completely bewildered by his sudden, physics-defying entrance.
Enraged by the death of their kin, the remaining Valgang Dragons swarmed the dwarf.
Gareth flipped his cape back and readied the heavy axes in both hands. In a flash, he closed the distance on the nearest dragon, swinging his blades to sever one of its massive legs. The beast roared and collapsed onto its stomach.
Then, inexplicably, Gareth dropped his axes. He marched over to the downed dragon's tail and grabbed it with both hands.
"This is bad!! Everyone, get away from him!!"
Tsuna immediately understood what the dwarf was about to do and leaped backward. Seeing his genuine panic, Bete and the others didn't ask questions and sprinted away.
"Hmph!! Nngh… OOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Gripping the tail, Gareth let out a thunderous battle cry. To everyone's sheer disbelief, the colossal Valgang Dragon began to lift off the ground. Gareth started spinning in a circle, swinging the multi-ton dragon through the air.
"NUOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Using the massive beast as a colossal flail, Gareth bulldozed through the monster horde. The Valgang Dragon's scales were so hard they had withstood Lefiya's magic, but coupled with Gareth's unfathomable, abnormal strength, the dragon became a devastating weapon of mass destruction. Every monster it struck was instantly reduced to ash.
"FLY AWAY!!"
Building up maximum momentum, Gareth let go. The Valgang Dragon became a crimson missile, bowling over dozens of monsters before slamming violently into the far wall of the 58th floor.
What kind of monstrous strength is that…
Tsuna knew that Dwarves were naturally gifted with physical power far surpassing other races, but this was entirely off the charts. He was completely dumbfounded. And he wasn't alone—even Bete, Tiona, and Tione stared at the older executive in shock.
"Haa… Haa… I need a barrel of dwarven fire spirit right about now…" Gareth panted, his shoulders heaving from the absurd exertion.
"Honestly, if we just have Mr. Gareth, do we even need anyone else…?" Lefiya mumbled.
"Don't talk nonsense. You think I can pull a ridiculous stunt like that two or three times in a row?" Gareth grumbled, picking his axes back up. "Look at you lot. Where's all that rebellious energy gone? Hurry up and support your elders."
"Who the hell's gonna coddle an old geezer like you?" Bete spat, snapping out of his daze.
"I won't lose to you, old man!" Tiona cheered.
"I really don't think I'm cut out for leadership if this is what I have to live up to," Tione sighed.
Provoked by Gareth, the three executives quickly regained their fighting spirit.
Suddenly, a massive swarm of the new caterpillar species poured out from the tunnel leading to the 57th floor.
"Hm. Those new bugs again."
"That's not all."
Gareth noticed the caterpillars, but Tsuna pointed toward the massive holes in the walls. More Ill Wyverns and Valgang Dragons were beginning to spawn.
"They just keep coming."
"I was planning to hold out here until Finn and the others arrived anyway, so it doesn't change much. Still… what floor is this?" Gareth asked.
Having jumped down in a panic to save Lefiya, Tsuna hadn't actually kept track.
"This is the 58th floor," Gareth answered his own question.
"Then it's going to be a while before Finn gets here."
"Exactly. We hold the line until then."
The horde of monsters fanned out, surrounding Tsuna's group in a wide circle before charging from all directions.
"Drop dead, you trash!!"
"Oraaaaaa!!"
"Here I go!!"
Bete, Tione, and Tiona scattered, intercepting the multidirectional assault and tearing through the incoming monsters.
But then—
"The monsters… they're eating each other!?"
Tsuna watched in horror as the new caterpillar species began devouring the other monsters—specifically targeting their magic stones—with clear, predatory intent.
"Those new bugs are highly reactive to magic stones and magical energy," Gareth warned.
"So using magic or Magic Swords is out of the question."
"Aye."
"That's a pain…"
Fighting off the caterpillars and the monsters trying to flee from being eaten, Tsuna quickly processed Gareth's warning.
Just dealing with their corrosive acid was a nightmare, but not being able to use magic safely made them a natural enemy to adventurers. If you attacked closely, they sprayed acid that melted your weapons. If you attacked from afar with magic, they locked onto your mana and swarmed you.
"Natsu."
"GRRRR… ROAARRRRR!!"
Tsuna reverted Natsu from the gauntlet to his animal form and had him unleash Ruggito del Cielo. The roar washed over the horde, petrifying dozens of monsters in its path. However, it couldn't catch the flying Ill Wyverns, nor the monsters flanking them from behind.
"Not good enough."
"Eh!? Why!?" Tiona shouted in surprise. He had just instantly petrified a massive chunk of the horde—how could he be dissatisfied?
While Natsu's Ruggito del Cielo was incredibly powerful, it couldn't be used while Natsu was in his Cambio Forma states. Tsuna knew he couldn't rely solely on his Box Weapon. If a similar situation arose later, he needed a way to handle it himself.
Let's test this out…
The image of Lefiya's torrential fire arrows flashed in his mind. Tsuna raised his right hand, pointing his index finger straight up. He focused his Sky Flames entirely into the tip of his finger.
"X-Laser."
A highly compressed, razor-thin beam of flames shot from his fingertip, piercing straight through the wing of an Ill Wyvern high above. Stripped of its ability to fly, the dragon plummeted, crashing heavily into the petrified monsters below and shattering them to pieces.
"Ho. Clever boy."
Gareth immediately understood the tactic. By deliberately aiming for the wing instead of a lethal shot, Tsuna had used the dragon's massive falling weight to crush the petrified horde on the ground.
Right. I just have to shatter the magic stones inside them.
The monsters of the Dungeon possessed magic stones that acted as their hearts. While destroying the stone meant they couldn't harvest it for money, it guaranteed an instant kill.
"X-Laser."
Pointing his finger like a gun, Tsuna unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of laser-thin flames. He sniped the magic stones—the critical weak points—with absolute, terrifying precision. The monsters burst into ash one after another. The compressed beams were so powerful they punched through the first target and pierced the ones standing behind them.
This works perfectly.
It allowed him to snipe the new species from a safe distance, and by narrowing the flames, the piercing power far exceeded that of X-Thrower. Tsuna was certain this new technique would be vital moving forward.
"Thanks to your magic earlier, I was able to come up with a new move. Thank you."
"H-Huh!? Me!?"
Lefiya shrieked, utterly flabbergasted. She hadn't expected her spell to be the inspiration behind Tsuna's devastating new attack. By analyzing her magic, Tsuna had figured out how to shape his flames into high-penetration arrows.
He did it again, in the middle of this mess!?
What kind of ironclad nerves does this guy have!?
Normally, arriving at an uncharted deep floor stripped an adventurer of any composure, leaving them desperate just to survive. Yet Tsuna not only maintained his cool, he actively observed, learned, invented a new technique, and flawlessly executed it. Bete and Tione were genuinely appalled by his limitless adaptability.
Does his growth accelerate based on the strength of his enemies…?
He had already been growing at an abnormal rate, but ever since entering the 51st floor, he wasn't just getting stronger—he was actively creating new techniques mid-battle. Gareth realized that the more extreme the danger, the sharper Tsuna's fangs became.
Then, a voice echoed through the 58th floor.
"Wynn Fimbulvetr!!"
A massive blizzard swept through the cavern, freezing the remaining monsters solid into ice statues.
A moment later, a figure casually blurred past the frozen beasts.
"It's over."
It was Ais. Muttering a single sentence, she calmly sheathed Desperate. The moment her sword clicked into its scabbard, the frozen statues shattered into a million pieces.
"Miss Ais!!"
"Riveria!!"
The party that had been separated on the 52nd floor was finally reunited. Lefiya and Tiona cheered with joy.
"Don't drop your guard. There are still monsters—"
"No. It seems there is no need for that."
"What?"
Riveria tried to reprimand the cheering girls, but Finn shook his head and pointed toward Tsuna.
"X-Laser."
Tsuna casually sniped the magic stone of the very last straggler, reducing it to dust.
X-Laser didn't just boast immense penetration power; the casting time was virtually zero. As long as he had the precision to snipe the magic stone in a single shot, he could wipe out a battlefield in seconds.
"So it seems…"
Confirming the area was clear, Riveria finally lowered her staff.
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