Unexpectedly, the initial invasion of Knossos was met with an eerie calm.
With the strips of green flesh filling the passages having already been cleared away, at the very least, on the 9th Floor of Knossos, Riezel and the others encountered no resistance whatsoever.
At this moment, the traps and mechanisms that had once been abundant throughout the Middle Floors of Knossos appeared to have been damaged by the destructive spread of the green flesh, while the vividly colored monsters were also almost nowhere to be seen.
Aside from the occasional Violas that burrowed out from underground only to be swiftly dismembered by the adventurers, the dense hordes that had once surged forth like a raging tide had completely vanished without a trace.
As a result, whether it was the fourth, fifth, and sixth parties invading from the Dungeon's 9th Floor, or the first, second, and third parties entering from the massive hole in Daedalus Street, none of them encountered any significant resistance at the outset.
It could even be said that they advanced completely unimpeded all the way to their destination—the 10th Floor of Knossos.
And from this level onward, Knossos, now transformed into a demonic lair, finally began to reveal its true malice.
*BOOM!*
Accompanied by an abrupt roar, a massive explosion of flames erupted within the entrance passage of the 10th Floor.
""AAAAAHHHHHHH—!!!""
Caught completely off guard, a group of adventurers who had just rushed into the 10th Floor was struck head-on by the surging flames. Amid cries of shock and screams of agony, some were blasted away on the spot, while the raging fire directly engulfed others.
"Quick! Healer!"
"Heal them immediately!"
Several High-Class Adventurers, having barely managed to avoid the direct impact of the explosion, shouted toward the healers protected behind the shield-bearing dwarves, their expressions turning grim in an instant.
In response, the healers, whose complexions had already turned deathly pale, finally snapped out of their shock and hurriedly began chanting healing magic to treat the injured adventurers.
"Are you okay? Lefiya!"
Riezel held Lefiya as he lightly rode the explosive gust generated by the flames, drifting away from the center of the blast.
"I-I-I-I'm fine!"
Lefiya cried out, her face flushed red, her body twisting as though Riezel had touched somewhere he really should not have.
Unfortunately, his attention was not on her body at all, and he did not even notice the unusual sensation in his hands.
Narrowing his eyes, he looked ahead.
What came into his view was a floor covered in green flesh, completely different from the other decayed, festering areas. It was neither disgusting nor filthy—instead, it carried an indescribably eerie sense of cleanliness.
It was not writhing wildly like before, but instead spread across the ground like a green carpet, forming an incomparably smooth surface.
Moreover, the surrounding walls and ceiling also appeared as though they had been meticulously sculpted by a master craftsman, not only allowing the green flesh to lie neatly and smoothly across them, but also leaving not a single gap behind.
Evidently, the green flesh here also differed from the toxic-like dark green seen previously, because now it displayed a beautiful emerald hue. And throughout this emerald-like passage, thin lines of light flowed like circuits—some straight, some curved—forming intricate, pattern-like designs.
It was a circular ring.
Constructed jointly by the six Demi Spirits, it was also the ring that connected them all together.
It was both the magic circle of a grand spirit magic and the circuit through which magical energy circulated. As long as the six Demi Spirits had not all been defeated, it would neither disappear nor be destroyed.
More importantly, a song that was both eerie and beautiful echoed throughout the entire floor.
It was clearly the chanting of the six Demi Spirits.
Along with that chant, the entire pathway covered in magical energy circuits began to glow, causing countless magic circles of various sizes and colors to appear across the ground, walls, and ceiling like gun muzzles aimed directly at the invaders who had arrived.
While the flames from earlier had been fired from several red magic circles, now blue and golden magic circles were rotating as well—some emitting chilling cold, others releasing crackling lightning currents—as different attributed magics were cast before the astonished eyes of all the adventurers.
In the next moment, ice and snow blasted forth like a raging storm, while lightning struck down like massive hammers, launching an unceasing assault upon the invaders.
[Quick! Dodge!]
From the Eye Crystal carried by Riezel, Finn's shouting transmitted outward, informing him that the ones being bombarded by this unreasonable magic were not limited to this location alone.
Clearly, all six adventurer parties that had invaded the 10th Floor of Knossos were being attacked simultaneously.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
In an instant, thunderous explosions rang out one after another as countless magic spells surged in from all directions, mercilessly bombarding the invaders.
For a time, the beast-human adventurers at the front were blasted away by lightning, while the human supporters and mages at the rear were frozen by ice. Even the dwarves acting as shields were pushed backward by explosive shockwaves, causing the healers behind them to cry out in alarm.
Flames, ice, lightning, light, earth—all kinds of magic fell like a torrential storm, ravaging everyone present without restraint.
From the power contained within those magic spells, it was obvious that every single one was comparable to the long-chant magic cast by high-level mages.
Faced with such overwhelming magical bombardment, the adventurers attempted to evade, but the width of the passage was limited, leaving them with very little room to maneuver. It was impossible to completely avoid the magic attacks pouring in from every direction.
[Dammit! What the hell is this?!]
[Was this done by those Demi Spirits?!]
From the third party where Tione and Tiona were located, the furious shouts of the amazoness sisters as they struggled to evade the relentless magical attacks also transmitted through the Eye Crystal.
But they were correct—this was indeed the doing of the Demi Spirits.
One should know that the vast magical energy circuit circulating throughout the 10th Floor of Knossos was, at its core, controlled by the six great Demi Spirits. And through this circuit, the Demi Spirits could rapidly draw upon magical energy, construct magic circles, and, much like Riezel using Position Mark, cast magic from extremely long distances.
In other words, this entire floor, covered by the circular ring, had already been transformed into a gigantic interception system designed specifically to annihilate invaders.
Under such conditions, icy rain continuously poured from the ceiling, lightning blasted forth from both walls, and pillars of fire violently erupted beneath their feet—the relentless, all-directional magical bombardment descended like an endless storm, mercilessly ravaging the adventurers and blasting them away one after another.
Fortunately...
'Good grief, all those preparations to counter magical interception weren't for nothing after all...'
Still holding Lefiya, constantly shifting positions, and dodging every incoming magic attack with reaction speed and movement speed surpassing everyone else present, Riezel finally made his move.
"Principality Observation!"
At Riezel's command, one of the summoned monsters flashed a mechanical red light in its eyes and swiftly darted forward.
It was an angel floating in midair, its entire body exuding an inorganic, mechanical quality. Standing nearly four meters tall, it was pure white in color, resembling a knight clad in white armor.
In its hands, the mechanical angel held a mace in one hand and a shield in the other, giving off the imposing presence of a heavy tank.
In fact, that angel truly was a tank—or rather, a living shield.
*Buzz!*
When the pure white mechanical angel flew to the front of the group, the shield mounted on its left arm immediately emitted a faint glow.
"————"
Suddenly, the magic attacks flying in from all directions stalled midair, then, as if redirected by an unseen force, abruptly changed course and surged toward the white mechanical angel.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
In the next instant, countless magic attacks struck the mechanical angel in rapid succession, triggering deafening explosions.
Yet under this relentless magical bombardment, the mechanical angel did not move in the slightest. Holding up its shield, it drew all attacks toward itself, allowing them to crash directly against the shield.
Whether it was wind and snow, thunder and rain, or curtains of flame, all of them erupted into roaring explosions and violent detonations upon impact. But upon closer inspection, not a single attack managed to break through the shield's defense and reach the angel standing behind it.
"Uhh…"
Such a sight left everyone both shocked and relieved.
At the same time, the exact same scene was unfolding across the other five parties.
Under the direction of Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Tsubaki, and Shakti, five Principality Observations—mentally linked to Riezel, acting according to his prior instructions, while simultaneously obeying the commanders of each party—flew forward one after another.
Raising their shields, which gradually began to glow faintly, they attracted all incoming magic attacks toward themselves and blocked them completely.
Even though the magical bombardment poured down like torrential rain and carried overwhelming destructive power, it ultimately failed to breach the angels' defenses or inflict any damage whatsoever.
'Just as Riezel said, these angels truly are the trump card against magic.'
Finn revealed a satisfied smile.
Principality Observation, Level 69, was a defensive-type angel monster.
Its combat power was not particularly outstanding—at most comparable to Level 4—but it possessed astonishing magic defense, powerful enough to block even 10th-Tier Magic.
It possessed two special abilities.
When it raised the mace in its right hand, its first special ability would activate, granting all allied members a layer of magic protection. As long as Principality Observation remained undestroyed, this protection would continue to persist, reducing all incoming magic damage by 70%.
When it raised the shield attached to its left arm, its second special ability would activate. At that point, enemies belonging to magic-based classes would have their aggro forcibly locked onto Principality Observation. Unless the angel itself was destroyed, they would be unable to attack any other targets.
Finn had clearly remembered what Riezel had repeatedly emphasized during the pre-battle meeting.
Because of that, upon seeing these two special abilities along with the angel's extraordinary magical defense, Finn had immediately decided to include this monster within the operation's summoning roster, ensuring that every single party would be equipped with at least one.
Now, all the Principality Observations had activated their second special ability, drawing in all magic attacks and single-handedly taking on the aggro of the Demi Spirits.
"Now! Move!"
As Riezel gently set down the abnormally flushed Lefiya, he immediately issued his command.
""YES!""
Everyone finally snapped out of their shock, responded loudly, and followed behind Riezel as they charged forward through the passageway.
*Bzzz!*
Principality Observation emitted a low buzzing sound, yet its movements were not slow in the slightest.
As Riezel and the others advanced, it floated ahead of them, clearing the path.
All kinds of magic continued to bombard them relentlessly, yet every attack was drawn toward Principality Observation, striking it while completely ignoring the adventurers following behind.
Naturally, the same situation was unfolding across the other parties as well.
[Everyone! Stay behind the angel!]
[All the injured! Get treatment immediately! Don't fall behind!]
[Healers, don't go wastin' your magic energy for no reason! Use high potions or elixirs first!]
[Mages! Anyone who can use defensive magic, cast it on the angel!]
[Move! Push forward!]
Commands from Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Tsubaki, Shakti, and the others continued to be transmitted through the Eye Crystals, accompanied by the heavy rhythm of footsteps mixed with the unceasing explosions.
With Principality Observations performing so effectively—absorbing all of the magical bombardment at the front—the adventurers only needed to maintain formation to pass through the passage with relative ease.
All six parties had already split up, following their predetermined routes toward the altars where their respective target Demi Spirits resided.
*ROOOAAARRRRRR—!!!*
However, before long, harsh, broken roars began echoing from the front lines of each party.
They were the cries of the multicolored monsters.
Perhaps realizing that long-range magic attacks had failed to produce any results, the enemy immediately deployed these monsters.
At last, they emerged from the front of the passage and surged forward like a tide.
Violas advanced while wildly thrashing their tentacle-like vines.
Virgas raised the rear halves of their caterpillar-like bodies and spat out corrosive fluid.
There were also the water spider monsters known as Valg, clinging to the walls as they densely crawled toward the invading adventurers.
[All parties, the colored monsters are here! Watch out for the corrosive fluid! Mages, don't cast magic recklessly—it'll trigger the monsters into a frenzy!]
Finn issued instructions through the Eye Crystal, then immediately led his party forward to meet the enemy head-on.
At the same time, the adventurers from all the other parties did the same—without a single exception, they all charged straight toward the colored monsters.
*Whoosh!*
On the sixth party's side, Riezel took the lead, dashing out ahead with astonishing speed, and with a single movement, he vanished from the others' field of vision.
*Swish!*
Almost instantly, the black sword at his waist was drawn, radiating a scorching aura, yet unlike before, it no longer emitted an unbearably intense heat at all times.
If someone familiar with his Nichirin Sword had been present, they would definitely have been astonished to discover that Hermit was no longer the same as before. Not only had the constant heat disappeared, but even the red patterns engraved across the blade had undergone a tremendous transformation.
Now, those patterns no longer formed crack-like markings, but instead shimmered and flowed like streaks of light.
Upon closer inspection, those patterns were actually composed of countless mysterious characters.
If the gods of this world were to see them, they would immediately realize that they were none other than hieroglyphs, the unique writing system of this world, as well as the so-called sacred text used exclusively by the gods.
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[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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