[347] Haki
Early the next morning, August was pulled along by Tiona, and the group made their way back to the Dungeon.
This time, the party was quite large: August, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Lefiya—together, they set off towards the depths of the Dungeon in high spirits.
However, unlike before, the Dungeon held little meaning for August now.
First, August no longer lacked money, nor did he need weapons.
The only aspect that still intrigued him was the magic stones, the solid form of magic that in Orario was akin to modern electricity.
During this trip to the Dungeon, August hardly had to intervene; all the monsters were dispatched by Tiona and Bete. Particularly Bete, who gave August the impression of being overly friendly.
Thus, the group arrived at the seventeenth floor. It had been a long time since August had been to this familiar place.
In the past, August had relied on Ais's strength to destroy Goliath's magic stone at the last moment, completing the quest to defeat Goliath several times.
After that, in the battle of redemption, he had exerted all his effort to bring it down.
Now, however, August possessed strength far beyond that of Goliath.
Boom!
"Hmm? Has Goliath been reborn?"
Tiona exclaimed in surprise. What a coincidence; they had just arrived, and Goliath was already back!
As Tiona's words echoed, the crystal wall shattered, and the towering giant Goliath emerged.
Roar!
Upon its arrival, it emitted an ear-splitting roar, filling the entire crystal area with its sound.
Following this, Goliath's gaze settled on August and his companions as it began to advance. The purpose of all monsters was to attack all outsiders in the Dungeon.
"Hey, let me send you home!"
Tiona grinned, ready to take action. However, before she could move, Ais was already on the move.
Seeing this, August couldn't help but smile. Was she eager to test the power of Haki? That certainly sounded like Ais.
Whoosh!
Ais raced across the ground like a gale.
Roar!
Goliath raised its fist and brought it crashing down towards Ais.
"Ais, watch out!"
But as Ais sprinted forward, she lowered her head slightly. No one knew why, but at that moment, she seemed completely oblivious to Goliath's attack.
In an instant, everyone—especially Lefiya—watched Ais with bated breath.
Boom!
However, just as the attack was about to land, Ais seemed to have eyes on her head; she flipped and leaped onto Goliath's fist, continuing to climb up its arm.
Then, she drew her katana, surprising everyone.
They realized that Ais wasn't wielding the Desperate today, but a knife they had never seen before.
Whoosh!
As Ais unsheathed her katana, she immediately coated it with Haki.
While enveloping the blade with Haki, the katana began to absorb Ais's power, the entire blade covered in a layer of dark, armored Haki.
Although the katana was a powerful blade of the 21 Ō Wazamono, it was not a black blade. If Ais could refine it into a black blade using Haki, it would greatly enhance the katana's power.
"Slash!"
Without any unnecessary flair, she leaped directly in front of Goliath.
With Haki coursing through her katana, she executed a powerful downward slash, the black blade energy cleaving through the air.
In an instant, Goliath was split in two down the middle.
As Ais landed and sheathed her katana, Goliath's body, along with its magic stone, crumbled into two halves, disintegrating with a resounding crash before turning into black ash.
"A-Ais! You've gotten even stronger!"
Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Lefiya were all stunned, particularly Tiona. This black power was something she had only seen August use, surely something he had passed on to her.
Yet, as Ais looked at her katana, she felt it was still somewhat unwieldy.
After all, she had always used a rapier, focusing on speed for swift kills. Now, suddenly wielding a katana required time to adapt and familiarize herself.
"Ais-san? You're amazing!"
Lefiya ran over to congratulate Ais.
"No, I'm still far from it."
"Huh? But Ais-san is already very strong."
"No, I still have a long way to go."
The person she was referring to was none other than August. That morning, she had sparred with him.
From start to finish, she had been the one to be toyed with; August's strength had long since surpassed hers, a gap that felt immense.
As they spoke, August and the others approached.
"How does it feel?"
"It still feels a bit uncomfortable; after all, it's new and will take time to adjust."
"Hmm, if it's too hard to get used to, I can swap it out for another weapon. I have others."
"I will master this sword."
"Alright, then give it your best."
Now they understood: August had gifted this katana to Ais, which explained her choice to switch weapons.
However, this katana was quite rare; there weren't many like it in Orario, piquing their curiosity about where August had acquired it.
August paid little attention to their expressions. After returning to Orario, his mindset had shifted significantly.
What had started as caution and hard work had transformed into a sense of acceptance.
Now that August had reached a pinnacle of strength, the gap between the eighth and ninth tiers was not easily crossed.
After defeating the floor boss, Goliath, the group continued onward.
Upon entering the safety zone of the eighteenth floor, they did not linger and continued to delve deeper.
Upon reaching the nineteenth floor, everyone joined the fray. Although dispatching the monsters was easy for them, it was not something one could handle alone in a short time.
August, on the other hand, remained as nonchalant as ever.
All nearby monsters were instantly cleaved to pieces by the shadow blades formed from the Shadow Dragon, while all the magic stones and loot were tossed into the treasure vault by August.
Watching August at that moment, Lefiya felt a sense of disorientation. Was this really the same August she knew?
Previously, he had often swept his gaze over her and teased her, provoking her frustration.
Now, it seemed as though August had lost interest in her, no longer paying her the attention he once had.
This made Lefiya uncomfortable, a sentiment that was common among many women.
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