Chapter 59

Michalis relentlessly attempted to damage the bloodsaurus, leaving nothing more than mere scratch marks. Frustrated by the feeble attempts of this weak creature, the bloodsaurus retaliated by swinging its tail towards Michalis.

Anticipating this very outcome, Vasiliki had already begun chanting her spell as soon as Michalis launched his attack. She hoped that her ice magic would buy enough time to delay the bloodsaurus until the others arrived at the scene.

Dimitra skillfully shot arrows towards the creature's eyes, aiming to divert its attention from Michalis' futile assaults. Although the attacks proved ineffective, they provided valuable moments for the Ganesha familia members to draw closer.

Suddenly, the bloodsaurus unleashed a powerful swing of its tail directly at Michalis. It was evident that he would not survive such a blow given his current level.

"Ice wall!" Vasiliki screamed, exerting all her mental strength to create a protective barrier of ice within her frost domain, hoping to mitigate the incoming damage.

Wham !!!!

The ice wall shattered, and Vasiliki collapsed. Grateful for the time gained, Vasileios utilized his sacrificial skill to absorb the remaining force of the attack, taking the brunt of it as the tail of the bloodsaurus struck Michalis.

Crack !!!

Vasileios' armor disintegrated after partially absorbing the impact, leaving him defenseless against the remaining damage that found its way to his body.

Crunch

The sound of bones breaking echoed as Vasileios bore the full force of the assault. Coughing up blood, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Vasileios!" Lili cried out, rushing to his side with the emergency elixir they had in their possession. Meanwhile, Nikolaos hurried to attend to Vasiliki, who had fallen unconscious due to mental exhaustion.

The Ganesha familia took charge of the battle, with reinforcements arriving from the colosseum shortly after. Shakti and the rest of the Ganesha familia joined the fight.

Michalis deeply regretted his previous actions as he realized the danger his sibling had been put in due to his hatred towards the bloodsaurus. Uncertain if forgiveness could be earned, he was torn. However, his anger persisted, motivating him to confront and defeat the bloodsaurus.

Recognizing the risks of attacking alone, Michalis observed the clash between the Ganesha familia and the bloodsaurus from the shadows. He patiently waited for the perfect moment to seek retribution, like a predator stalking its prey.

The other members of the Bahamut familia had retreated to a safe distance to heal and avoid the clash between the bloodsaurus and the Ganesha familia, except for Dimitra and the missing Michalis.

...…..

Meanwhile, in the heart of the city, Freya descended from her quarters to level up Ottar after witnessing his exhilarating fight.

After leveling up Ottar, Freya exclaimed, "Now go forth and prove that you are the strongest!'" Ottar responded by delivering a single, awe-inspiring strike with immense power. The sheer magnitude of this display of strength confirmed that Ottar had reached level 7.

...…

Meanwhile, on the 18th floor, the battle between I and Vito was reaching its climax. Believing I to still be injured, Vito moved in to deliver the final blow. However, I muttered and unleashed my spell, 'Down Burst,' causing pressurized air to descend upon Vito.

Although Vito managed to avoid the center of the blast, I had already anticipated his move. I swiftly erected an earth wall with spikes behind Vito's path of retreat.

The resulting knockback effect of the wind spell was powerful enough as Vito was propelled into the spiked wall, impaling his limbs and abdomen.

Unable to evade the forceful wind, I swiftly conjured a small earth dome to shield myself. Vito, managing a smile, uttered,

"Hahaha, you bastard." Perplexed by the meaning behind the smile, I followed Vito's gaze, only to discover Vito fixated on his own flowing blood. It triggered my recollection of Vito's twisted backstory.

"Might he now perceive the color of his own blood?" I mumbled, opting to leave the man to his morbid pleasure before succumbing to death. Vito was more than a psychopathic serial killer; he possessed a story, albeit a twisted one.

Exhausted after the intense battle, I rifled through my side pouch, assessing my remaining potions after dispelling my transformation and magic. Alas, only one potion remained—a mind potion.

Deliberating my next move, I found myself averse to joining any of the other battlefields. One was occupied by Ais, whose madness consumed the nightmare, while the other hosted Alfia, an enigma to me.

Glancing at Vito, I observed that the man had finally passed. The earthen wall crumbled, and Vito's lifeless body plummeted to the ground. I resolved myself to search Vito's person for anything of value, only to discover that Vito carried nothing but his weapon.

I then consumed my final mind potion and cast the wind tracking spell to assess the current situation on both battlefronts.

With Vito's weapon in hand, I made my way towards the location of the nightmarish encounter. I could sense that the Alfia battlefront was under control, but my wind spell couldn't reach the nightmare battlefront, which was dominated by Ais wind.

.....,,,,,

On the 18th floor, Erebus observed the ongoing battles until his attention was captured by the presence of someone else. It was Astraea.

"Astraea, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't anticipate seeing you here," Erebus remarked, noticing the accompanying members of the Hermes familia.

Astraea remained silent, her focus fixed on the unfolding clashes.

"Are you here to pass judgment on me in some way?" Erebus inquired.

Astraea responded with a simple "No," fully aware of the consequences that doing so in the dungeon could bring. The dungeon had the potential to absorb Erebus and unleash chaos.

"I merely came to observe the fights," Astraea added, as they both continued to watch the ongoing battles. Erebus couldn't help but notice that one of the fights had already concluded.

...…..

On the front lines of the Alfia battle, the girls were unable to provide a definitive answer to their enemy or demonstrate the power that Alfia had spoken of. Instead, they relied on their intellect and strategic maneuvers to prolong the battle.

Soon, Alise noticed a gradual decline in the potency of Alfia's attacks as the fight dragged on. "Let's maintain this approach," Alise commanded, recognizing the need to avoid unnecessary risks and preserve their energy from self-destruction.

The battle between the Astraea familia and Alfia raged on for some time. Despite Alfia's attempts to use her magic on Ryuu, it proved ineffective.

To their shock, the girls witnessed Alfia coughing up blood, despite them not inflicting any damage upon her. It was in this moment that Lyra finally grasped the meaning behind Finn's words.

......….

Back on the surface in the heart of the city, Zald awoke after his defeat at the hands of Ottar.

"Did I lose?" Zald asked Ottar, his voice weak. Ottar simply nodded in response.

"Well, congratulations. Your resolve proved stronger than mine, it seems," Zald said, barely managing a chuckle.

"It would have been a different outcome ten years ago," Ottar replied, contemplating whether he should take pride in his achievement.

"Don't underestimate me and take pride in your victory. You defeated me at my strongest," Zald admonished Ottar. There was a brief silence before Ottar spoke again.

"Did you regret killing the Behemoth?" Ottar asked.

"No, I did what I had to do for myself and my allies back then," Zald replied resolutely.

"I only regret one thing... *cough, cough*," Zald managed to say before succumbing to a fit of coughing.

"Rest now, I will see to his departure" Freya said as she was listening in on the conversation.

"Ottar, do not be satisfied with your current state and aim further" Zald yelled to Ottar.

" Adventurers of Orario, grow stronger. You enemy is not just the black dragon but ....." Zald didn't get to complete his last words. A strange series of words could be heard by everyone.

"Strike dii target voth aan qo bolt ol rok embracas unslaad nahlot".

Right after, a lightning bolt descended from the sky with incredible speed and struck Zald's head, causing it to shatter into countless fragments. Ottar stood there in shock and fury, unable to comprehend who would dare commit such an audacious act.

Atop the highest point of Babel, a cloaked figure could be observed peering down upon the city.

"Tsk, what a chatterbox. Ended up failing, huh? Looks like I'll have to take care of some cleanup," the cloaked figure remarked before turning away. There were other things he needed to deal with.

A/N: I foresee a lot of like or hate for this chapter.