Regarding the so-called Demi Spirits, which were the avatars of the Corrupted Spirit, no one present—including the members of the other five parties—had any concrete understanding of them.
It couldn’t be helped.
They had never seen a spirit before, let alone a corrupted one. Even if they had heard others mention them, they had no clear impression and could only rely on their limited imagination.
However, spirits had always been regarded as the most mysterious, rare, and beautiful race in the world, consistently portrayed in the most positive light throughout all kinds of hero stories.
As a result, in the minds of many people, spirits were undoubtedly the most desirable existence. No matter how ugly they might be, they couldn’t possibly be that ugly.
Yet at this very moment, upon witnessing a true Demi Spirit, they realized they had been wrong.
Terribly wrong.
If one had to describe the Demi Spirit that entered their field of vision in a single phrase, it would be a gigantic green flesh pillar.
Standing deep within the chamber like a heavenly pillar, her enormous body seemed almost fused to the wall, nearly reaching the towering ceiling, and that immense size—which required one to look up to grasp its full extent—clearly surpassed even the four great Monster Rexes of the Dungeon, exuding an overwhelming sense of presence and oppression.
On her body, the green flesh wriggled incessantly.
Numerous large poisonous flowers, like parasitic growths, bloomed wildly across her form, displaying all kinds of grotesque colors.
Several thick, tentacle-like vines, each as massive as a great tree, protruded from the green flesh pillar, twisting and writhing in grotesque motions.
And at the very bottom of the pillar, not far above the ground, there were three hideously ugly monster faces.
Those three eyeless faces radiated a heavy aura of death, like grotesque masks—one smiling, one enraged, and one sorrowful—yet all of them shared thick lips and massive teeth, leaving no doubt that each one could swallow a large creature like a Minotaur in a single bite.
Needless to say, this appearance was undeniably grotesque, twisted to the point that anyone who saw it would instinctively feel repulsed. Elves with delicate sensibilities might even experience a violent physical reaction and vomit on the spot.
And yet, upon such a hideous and evil green flesh pillar, there grew the upper body of a beautiful woman.
From the abdomen upward, the female torso—over three meters tall—possessed pale green skin, flowing long hair, and a graceful, delicate figure. Her eyes carried an innocent purity, while her face bore a gentle, spring-like smile. Anyone who saw her would regard her as an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
A beautiful upper body and a grotesque lower body—a fusion of beauty and ugliness.
Such an extreme contradiction created a jarring impression that caused all who beheld the Demi Spirit to feel an intense sense of dissonance, as though their minds were being tormented, leaving them unable to stop trembling.
"Ugh, too evil!"
"What kind of existence is this?"
"Is that a spirit?"
"Unbelievable!"
All the adventurers who had once admired and longed for spirits could not help but cry out in shock. Some female elves even refused to look at the Demi Spirit any longer, their faces either deathly pale or severely contorted.
Clearly, the existence of the Demi Spirit had dealt them an unimaginable psychological blow.
Only Lefiya, who had seen Demi Spirits more than once before, managed to suppress the trembling in her heart as she hurriedly called out to the others.
"Everyone, she’s still chanting! We have to stop her!"
Indeed, the Demi Spirit was still chanting.
"Ancient destruction, promised earth, salvation of the Heaven—descend here in accordance with the Divine Decree—"
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the beautiful female upper body spread her arms wide and chanted a melody that summoned destruction, her voice continuing in a clear and elegant song.
Apparently, this was the spirit’s grand magic and ceremonial chant—the chant for the Gate of Heaven.
Seeing this, a cold light flashed through Riezel’s eyes as he stood at the very front.
*BOOM!*
With a slight compression of his body, lightning violently burst from Riezel, wrapping him in countless arcs of electricity. Accompanied by a dull explosion, he shot forward instantly, erasing a distance of over a hundred meters in less than a second and arriving directly before the chanting Demi Spirit’s upper body.
*BOOM!*
An ultimate slash wrapped in lightning erupted alongside a thunderous roar.
*Swish!*
Hermit, having evolved into a true divine sword, severed the Demi Spirit’s neck without the slightest hesitation, cutting off the head that bore that beautiful face.
"————"
In an instant, the chant that had continued for more than a month—nearly two months—abruptly came to a halt at that very moment.
Seeing this scene, all the adventurers, who had still been immersed in their trembling fear of the Demi Spirit, widened their eyes in shock.
But in the very next second, a sudden change occurred.
"Pierce, spear of lightning. Your envoy beseeches you, Tonitrus. Incarnate of thunder. Queen of lightning—"
Right before Riezel’s eyes, the lower body of the decapitated Demi Spirit—specifically, one of the three grotesque eyeless faces embedded within the massive flesh pillar—suddenly began chanting magic.
No one had any time to react at all, because this was short-chant magic executed through extremely high-speed chanting techniques.
In less than a single second, the eyeless face forcibly drew upon the Demi Spirit’s immense power and instantly released the completed magic.
"Thunder Ray!"
When the chant fell, a golden magic circle rapidly spun into existence before the eyeless face, crackling arcs of electricity wildly dancing across its surface as a spear of thunder violently tore through the air and shot straight toward Riezel with overwhelming speed.
"Sacrament - Wheel Mirror!"
Facing the incoming attack head-on, Riezel remained completely calm and immediately activated his ultimate counter-magic without the slightest hesitation.
*Hummm!*
In an instant, the surrounding air trembled and vibrated as multiple translucent magic mirrors materialized around him, one after another, emitting a faint divine glow.
*BOOM!*
In the end, the lightning spear slammed directly into one of the magic mirrors, only to be completely absorbed without leaving behind even the slightest trace of damage.
*BOOM!*
Another deafening explosion rang out almost immediately afterward as the magic mirror reflected the absorbed lightning spear straight back with even greater force, violently crashing it into the enormous green flesh pillar and blasting apart a massive section of it, sending blood and shattered flesh spraying everywhere.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
At that very instant, the Demi Spirit’s head, which had only just regenerated moments earlier, let out an incomparably shrill scream.
Now, the gentle smile she had worn before had long since disappeared completely, replaced by a hideously twisted expression filled with shock, pain, and uncontrollable fury.
"Freeze over as though the eternal permafrost, untold blades. Your envoy beseeches you, Undine. Incarnate of water. Queen of aqua—"
"Flash, rays of light. Tear through the darkness. Your envoy beseeches you, Lux. Incarnate of light. Queen of luminosity—"
"Run wild, darkness. Devour the light in night’s peace. Your envoy beseeches you, Shade. Incarnate of darkness. Queen of shadows—"
In her rage, the three eyeless faces on the Demi Spirit’s lower body simultaneously performed extremely high-speed short chants. Under the stunned gazes of the adventurers, they released three different magic spells at once.
"Icicle Blades!"
"Light Burst!"
"Dark Roar!"
Magic of ice, light, and darkness surged forth from blue, white, and black magic circles, respectively. Massive icicles like giant pillars, blinding flashes of light, and abyssal darkness all blasted toward Riezel at once.
*BOOOM!*
Amid the violent explosion, it seemed that one of the magic spells had bypassed the magic mirrors and struck Riezel directly, detonating against his body.
"Mr. Riezel!"
"Liberator!"
"NO!"
Lefiya cried out in alarm, and the other adventurers finally realized that this was no time to stand and watch.
They shouted and charged toward the massive green flesh pillar, but at that moment, the magical energy circuits forming circles across the ground, walls, and ceiling of the vast space lit up once more, generating countless magic circles.
Just like the outer passageways, this place was filled with innumerable magic turrets. As the adventurers launched a collective assault, it was as if a defensive mechanism had been triggered, unleashing a full-scale magical bombardment in an instant.
Icicles fell like torrential rain, lightning swept across the ground like raging currents, and flames erupted like triggered landmines, exploding continuously as they assaulted the adventurers from every direction.
Left with no other choice, the adventurers could only weave through the overwhelming barrage. Some were blasted away, some had their equipment scorched black, some desperately dodged in terror, while others pressed forward bravely, charging through the relentless explosions toward the Demi Spirit.
Amid all of this, the mages continuously chanted magic, forming magic circles and launching their own bombardment to match the Demi Spirit.
Healers desperately cast healing magic, sending beams of restorative light toward the wounded.
Supporters, suppressing the fear in their hearts, kept pace with the adventurers, occasionally throwing out weapons or potions for others to use. At times, they even drew magic swords, shouting as they swung them down to unleash instant magic attacks toward the Demi Spirit.
Deafening explosions erupted across the battlefield without pause, accompanied by a cacophony of chanting, shouting, roars, and screams, until smoke and fire completely filled the entire area.
It went without saying that this was a level of bombardment warfare that could never occur during a normal dungeon expedition.
Led by the various races and a fallen spirit, an unprecedented magical offensive and defensive war had officially begun here.
*Buzz!*
Finally, the silent Principality of Observation moved, raising the mace in its right hand and casting a layer of faint light across the entire battlefield, enveloping all the adventurers within a magical barrier.
At the same time, the other summoned creatures that had been standing by let out roars and shrieks as they charged forward.
A terrifying Doom Lord, wrapped in black mist, saw its power surge instantly, unleashing strength no less than Level 6—perhaps even exceeding it—as it launched a violent assault.
A Dullahan riding a black horse charged ahead with a lance in hand, the tip of its spear wrapped in an ominous aura that made it abundantly clear just how lethal a strike from it would be.
A Cerberus roared as it spewed blazing flames forward.
Among them were also horned demons with blood-red wings that seemed capable of teleporting through space itself, skulls shimmering with seven-colored light while casting various kinds of magic, and monsters such as Griffins, Manticores, Wyverns, and Chimeras diving down from the sky to assist the adventurers.
"Sword Canon—activate!"
Lefiya seemed to cast aside all restraint as she activated her strongest trump card, rapidly chanting magic while crystal swords and silver swords rose one after another behind her.
Naturally, the enemy was not standing idle either.
In addition to countless magic circles appearing and raining down torrents of magic, dense swarms of vividly colored monsters emerged in waves. Some blocked the adventurers, some hindered the summoned creatures, while others charged directly toward the mages and healers, instantly plunging into fierce combat against the human invaders.
Only at this moment did this place truly become a battlefield, marking the beginning of the battle that would determine the future of Orario.
And naturally, it was not only the battlefield of the sixth party—battles had already erupted across the fronts of the other parties as well.
Finn held an Eye Crystal in one hand, continuously issuing commands, while wielding a silver spear in the other, thrusting without pause as he charged forward alongside the roaring Bete and Raul, weaving through the relentless bombardment of magic.
Gareth, Tiona, and Tione fully unleashed their power, charging forward recklessly as battle axes, double-bladed swords, and kukris cut down the vividly colored monsters one after another.
Riveria stood atop a massive magic circle while chanting magic.
In front of her stood Anakitty with a one-handed sword and shield, while Ais, her body wrapped in wind, had already rushed forward with a thin crystal sword in hand, displaying terrifying power. Her sword strikes seemed capable of piercing space itself, annihilating dozens of vividly colored monsters in a single blow, while a faint black light flickered within her eyes.
Elsewhere, Tsubaki shouted commands, directing the adventurers behind her to continuously swing their magic swords and unleash magic spells, while the party led by Shakti and the Ganesha Familia charged bravely forward, treating the storm of artillery fire as though it were nothing.
Each party launched fearless assaults—not a single one retreated.
Even if some trembled, feared, or panicked, they still fought valiantly, cutting down their enemies without taking a single step back.
Needless to say, those chosen by the Guild to fight alongside the Loki Familia in this decisive battle for Orario’s future were, without exception, not cowards who feared death.
At this moment, the only one who had managed to reach the Demi Spirit and inflict damage upon her—Riezel—erupted into action once more.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Riezel had completely transformed into a flash of lightning, darting rapidly around the Demi Spirit. Hermit in his hand flashed repeatedly, slashing and piercing through the Demi Spirit’s upper body—her arms, shoulders, and abdomen—again and again.
"Arise, flames—"
Suddenly, the Demi Spirit screamed as she unfolded an enormous red magic circle, chanting mournfully.
"Rage, rage, rage. Vortex of fire. The crimson wall. Hellfire’s roar. May the ardor of the gale plunge the world into grief and misery. The sky shall burn. The earth shall ignite. The seas shall boil. The fonts shall churn. The mountains shall erupt. All life shall turn to ash. May the lives of the great ones serve as atonement for the coming choler and grief. Your envoy beseeches you, Salamander. Incarnate of fire. Queen of flame—"
Faced with that, Riezel also began chanting.
"Moan, mighty earth—"
Hearing the chant, Lefiya was utterly shocked.
"I-Isn’t that the Demi Spirit’s magic?!"
Indeed.
Riezel was chanting the magic once used by the Demi Spirit on the 59th Floor of the Dungeon.
"Rise, rise, rise. Husk of the earth. Sheen of iron. Hammer of the cosmos. May genesis’s pact upheave rock and stone. The sky shall burn. The earth shall split. The bridge shall rise. Heaven and earth shall become one. May the axes of the ether rain down and bring about calamity’s ruin."
"Your envoy beseeches you, Gnome. Incarnate of the land. Queen of the earth—"
A pitch-black magic circle unfolded beneath Riezel.
"Firestorm!"
"Meteor Swarm!"
Two spirit magic spells were completed at the same time, causing two enormous magic circles to shine simultaneously.
In the very next moment, a sea of crimson flames erupted into the sky, followed immediately by a dense rain of meteors descending from above—the crimson flames surged upward like a volcanic eruption bursting forth from the depths of hell, while the meteor shower crashed downward like a falling sky filled with countless stars.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Moments later, a world-shaking roar resounded throughout the heavens and the earth, and in that very instant, even the surface of Orario trembled violently.
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[A bonus Chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next Chapters early at: /VALRRR]