The two elves and the god stared dumbfounded at the sleeping adventurers, all laid out by a few simple words. Nothing could have prepared them for that. If Rex had defeated them with sheer force, using his level five strength, it would've been less shocking than... this.
That's when Lefiya remembered what he had done during the War Game—how he had simply uttered 'Fall,' and multiple Level 2s collapsed instantly.
Was this the same magic? If so, where was the chant? Where was the preparation? Back then, Lady Riveria had speculated that Rex must've prepared in advance before entering the battle. But now... there was nothing. No chant. No casting. No warning.
Was this a chantless magic like Bell's Firebolt? A complete mind control magic that worked through his voice alone?
A shiver ran down Lefiya's spine.
Then Rex's voice broke the silence. "Now that the nuisance is out of the way," he began, drawing all their attention back, "why don't we continue our conversation, Lord Thanatos?"
Thanatos turned back to Rex with a faint smile. "What are you curious about?"
Rex's reply was simple. "The demi-spirits. How are they created?"
"Honestly?" Thanatos tilted his head, resting a finger against his cheek. "I don't know," he admitted with a shrug.
"You'll have to ask Barca-chan about that." He then lifted his finger slightly. "But I do know their original form is a kind of fetus." His eyes slid to Lefiya, whose shoulders tensed at the sudden attention. "I'm sure she has seen one. The one on the 18th floor."
Lefiya nodded slowly. About two months ago, the Loki Familia's expedition to the 59th floor had been cut short on the 55th, after they encountered strange monsters with corrosive abilities—and their first demi-spirit, Virga, which Ais handled alone. The battle left most of their weapons ruined, forcing them into heavy debt to cover the repairs.
A few days later, she, along with Finn, Riveria, Ais, Tione, and Tiona, returned to the Dungeon to recover funds. During their brief stop on the 18th floor Rivira, she and Ais ran into Lulune Louie from the Hermes Familia who had been carrying a strange green crystal orb with what looked like a fetus inside.
It had awakened unexpectedly, launching itself at Ais but missing and fusing instead with a Violas. The resulting fusion created another demi-spirit, which they managed to defeat.
Lefiya quickly told this to Rex, and when she finished, Thanatos spoke,
"There you go," he said, addressing Rex as he shifted his gaze away from Lefiya. "'She' creates the demi-spirits by producing special offspring called Jewel Fetus orbs. These orbs serve as the larval stage and once matured, they actively seek out a host to parasitize."
He said, spinning slowly on his heel like a child bored mid-lesson. "However, this is only the imperfect stage we call the 'Female Body Type,'" As he twirled, he let his eyes briefly flick toward Lefiya without fully facing her. "The one your Familia killed on the 18th floor was one of those."
Lefiya nodded again, slower this time.
Thanatos continued, "Once it devours enough magic stones, the demi-spirit reaches its final form—at that point, it's considered a true demi-spirit, not just a fetus or female-type."
Then, without warning, he stopped spinning, fully facing Lefiya, "The one your Familia fought on the 59th floor—that was a true demi-spirit." He gave one of his creepy smiles. "Magnificent, wasn't it?"
Lefiya swallowed hard, her mind dragged back to that moment—a day when the executives of Loki Familia had come frighteningly close to annihilation.
Beside her, Rex glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, which wasn't notable due to his swampfire helm, as a strange sense of detachment settled over him.
'If I had joined Loki Familia…' he wondered. 'Would I have fought that demi-spirit?'
Would he have been able to absorb it?
But, with the help of Scavenger, the answer settled in quickly. 'No. They faced it a few days after I arrived in this world. By then they were already deep into their expedition. Even if I had joined them right away I wouldn't have been there.'
There were also other questions he wanted to ask like are creatures created the same way as demi-spirit? How are creatures created? Can he become a demi-spirit without getting himself corrupted or consumed by 'her'? Is there a way where he can become a creature with guaranteed?
But all these questions, with the help of mental compartmentalization and Scavenger were quickly answered.
"Though, I am curious about one thing." Rex said as he turned back to the mural. "You want more children to die for the cycle to continue, so you're trying to bring back the Ancient Era. But wouldn't that be counterproductive?"
He turned back to Thanatos, his voice level but firm. "In peaceful times, the population doesn't shrink—it explodes. More children are born, and more people die, just naturally."
"Back during the Ancient Era, the population was a fraction of what it is today. Maybe one-fifth—no, one-tenth. And sure, people died to monsters, but that doesn't mean more died overall. Nowadays, just from age, illness, accidents—we lose just as many, if not more."
He paused. "So what's the point of 'Heaven's Gate'? What do you really gain from it?"
Before the god could reply, suddenly—
"Is that… wind?" Filvis mumbled as the faintest breeze brushed against her skin.
Next to her, Lefiya's eyes widened. The air that had been still for hours was stirring. The stagnant air of the maze had never shifted like this. It made no sense and Even Thanatos seemed to pause. Noticing their expressions—including Thanatos's—Rex tilted his head slightly, almost tempted to remove his armor just to feel it for himself.
A moment later—PHWOOOOOOOOW!!
A deafening gust exploded through the tunnel and into the chamber, a wall of wind crashing into them like a tidal wave. The wind howled past their ears, pulled at their cloths, and tousling their long hair across their face. And yet, beneath its ferocity, there was warmth—an almost gentle pulse that seems to blow away the darkness of the labyrinth.
"What the—?!" Filvis choked out, as the wind sent her, Lefiya, and Thanatos stumbling back.
"This wind…!" Lefiya gasped, eyes widening with sudden recognition. "Miss Filvis! Mister Rex!" She spun to Filvis, then to Rex, excitement bursting from her voice. "This is Ais's wind—her magic!!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Filvis snapped, paling as she turned to the girl. "How could one person create wind this strong? That's inconceivable!"
But Lefiya didn't answer. She spun on her heel and took off, racing toward the source of the wind without a second thought, returning to the direction they came from before stopping to inspect the mural. Grimacing, Filvis she broke into a run, chasing after her companion.
Rex watched them vanish into the corridor before turning back to Thanatos. "Thanks for your time." He said with a slight bow of respect.
Thanatos gave a playful smile. "I expect an extra batch of your blue and purple powder, Rex-chan~" he said with a teasing lilt. "Information doesn't come free."
"I'll deliver," Rex replied with a nod. Their exchange felt more like a trade deal than a confrontation—like partners negotiating rather than enemies parting ways.
Then he turned. In a blink, he was gone. A single step propelled him forward like a bullet, and in the next breath, he was beside Filvis and Lefiya again as they ran down a familiar corridor. The speed of a Level 5 wasn't something level 3 mages like them—who hadn't prioritized agility—could match.
The moment she saw him appear, Lefiya's shouted, her voice tight with urgency. "We'll catch up, Mister Rex!" She looked up at him running to her left, desperation flickering in her eyes. "Go! Please… help Ais!"
Rex nodded. Then, leaning forward, the green glow of his Swampfire pupil flared—and he vanished.
A streak of jade light from his eyes cut through the dark as the corridor walls blurred past him. Rex's form covered ground faster than the eye could follow, each stride launching him forward like a shot—boots barely touching the stone, as the pressure of his movement churned the dungeon air behind him.
'This is unbelievable,' he thought, the wind funneling alongside him, guiding his path.' To think Ais could produce wind on this level…'
He was on the 4th floor and according to Scavenger, Ais was on the 7th. And yet… her wind had reached three floors above.
Yes, Knossos's enclosed passages would allow wind to travel like mountain drafts, but still—Knossos was vast. For the wind to climb that high, span so far, and still hit with that much force even after spreading out through multiple floors?
As Filvis had said—
It was inconceivable.
"Hahaha!" Rex couldn't help but laugh out loud. 'As expected of the child of a high spirit.'
That ceremony, depicted on the mural he saw earlier, used six great spirits as conduits—placing them around a massive magic circle to summon the power of the heavens. A pillar of energy that rivaled the power of the gods with the capability to bring death to any being on the lower plane.
One of the six great spirits who took part in the Heaven's Gate ritual depicted in that mural was Aria, and one of the only two who survived. Ais was the child of Aria, the High Wind, and her magic, Ariel, was the birthright of her mother.
If he had to rank it, it would be SSS. Beneath Indomitable Will and Luck, and well above Overgrowth and Dragon's Bane.
'Which chad managed to bed and knock up a great spirit?' he thought as he dropped down the hole for quicker access to the floor below.
"But..." He landed in a crouch, then launched forward like an arrow streaked with green. "Should I consider becoming a demi-spirit?"
He was confident the spirit wouldn't be able to consume him thanks to Indomitable Will. But he also wouldn't be able to consume her either—his skill gave him absolute mental defense, not offense. So would two minds share one body? How would that even work?
'Now's not the time to think of that.' Because he knew this wind must had definitely drawn attention.
'She,' through her will in the Demi-Spirits and Creatures, was searching for Aria. The Bull of Heaven demi-spirit is also on the 7th floor. There was no way it hadn't sensed this and connected it to Aria's wind. Now, Rex had one objective—kill it. And if possible…
Scavenge it.
It didn't take him long to reach the source of the wind. Due to his speed, he had to slide into the room, boots skidding against the floor before coming to a stop. His eyes scanned the space immediately.
The room was strange—lined with thousands of pipes crawling across the surface of the floor, weaving in every direction across the wide, circular chamber. Each one connected to massive tanks embedded in the walls, giving the room the look of an abandoned lab.
Like the halls outside, dust and ash coated everything. The space felt forgotten, like a relic of a time long past. Only the colossal magic stone suspended from the ceiling still glowed, casting the room in a pallid, blue phosphorescence.
Seven tanks circled the room's edge. Large enough to fit a curled-up adult, each glass container was cracked and empty, save for the stagnant green fluid pooled beneath them, releasing a foul, rancid stench.
'This is where the Jewel Fetuses were made…?' Rex thought, but he couldn't afford to linger on it.
Across from him were members of the Loki Familia—and they were in bad shape. Several of the lower-ranked members were out cold, carried by other members that didn't look better themselves. Finn was still injured, bandaged up but not awake and carried by Raul, and at the front were the five executives, but they looked worse than he expected.
Tione stood at the far left, dual kukri knives in hand, her body bloodied and riddled with cuts. Rex could smell the faint, bitter trace of poison on her—she was clearly afflicted. Her sister, at the far right, didn't look much better, barely managing to hold up her massive dual-bladed weapon with her bare skin silk with sweat from the poison.
Bete's arms appeared to have been crushed, his grip on his reverse daggers weak and trembling, though his legs—his true weapons—seemed undamaged. Gareth looked to be in the best shape, his clothes only slightly singed, with a great axe at hand. In the center stood Ais, her body bloodied and bruised, marked with deep cuts and signs of blunt trauma, her sword still clutched tightly in her hand.
All of them showed signs of skill-induced fatigue, weapons battered, armor torn. None of them were in any condition to fight. And yet—they stood ready, each one locked in a fighting stance, prepared to charge him at a moment's notice.
'??—!!!' He quickly noticed why it looked like they were about to charge him, because standing beside him was Revis.
The red-haired creature stared at him blankly through the corner of her eyes as, holding her sword, ready to charge at the executive.
*Glup*
Rex swallowed hard knowing that any wrong move would get him one tapped by the level 7 beside him. Thinking quickly, he squared up, slipping into a boxing stance beside like they were allies.
"Lord Thanatos sent me!" he shouted while secretly activating Strong Body activated instantly, boosting his stats into the mid-Level 5 range.
Revis, having never seen him before—and perhaps noticing the stunned expressions on the Loki Familia's faces—believed him. She turned back toward them, dropping into formation beside him as if they were long-time allies. And then, the moment she let her guard down—
He spun on his heel, his right fist cutting through the air in a brutal arc before crashing into her cheek. Her skin rippled around his knuckles with a sickening ripple, the force lifting her off the ground, and launching her body across the room like a cannonball.
She slammed into the far wall with a deafening boom, the impact reverberating through the chamber. Cracks splintered across the stone as dust and debris exploded outward in a thick cloud. On the opposite end, every member of the Loki Familia stood frozen, wide-eyed, unable to fully process what they had just seen.
Without missing a beat, Rex dashed toward them. Ais recognized him so she didn't make a move, so did Bete who caught his scent, but Tione and Tiona looked ready to pounce—until Gareth raised a hand.
"It's Rex," he said firmly, halting them mid-motion, though confusion still lingered on their faces.
Rex joined them, positioning himself on the far right beside Tiona, returning to his boxing stance. She glanced at him, confused, but said nothing. Now wasn't the time for questioning.
Their eyes stayed fixed on the dust cloud where Revis had slammed into the wall, and a moment later, a blade sliced through the haze. Revis stepped out of the swirling dust, unscathed by his attack, her cold green eyes locked onto Rex.
"So you were one of them." she said flatly. "That trick was mildly amusing, but now, I'll make sure you don't die quickly." Her voice was calm, but the malice simmering beneath it was unmistakable.
"?!"
It happened without warning—a violent blast of stone and adamantite erupted from the wall between them and Revis with a thunderclap, launching chunks of debris the size of boulders across the chamber like missiles. The impact sent vibrations through the floor as clouds of dust exploded outward, blanketing the room in a suffocating haze.
Then, through the settling cloud, a swath of steely black skin appeared as a hulking beast lumbered from the devastation beyond the breach.
None of them could breathe as they stared up at this unfathomable creature. Even Revis looked stunned by its sudden appearance. But it was Gareth who found his voice first.
"RUUUUUUUUUUNNNN!!"
And they did.
Abandoning everything, they bolted for the exit in a panicked mass. The lower-ranked members who couldn't get to their feet in time were hoisted up by the veterans—Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Rex—all grabbing whoever they could, dragging them like dolls as they fled. The monstrous creature thundered after them, close behind.
"What's going on, what's going on, what's going on?! What the hell is that thing?!" Tiona shouted, her voice a mix of confusion and rage as the sounds of devastation swallowed the tunnel behind them from the monstruous creature giving chase.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?!" Bete shouted back.
Clueless as to what was going on, all they could do was keep moving. Up ahead, a chamber larger than the one they'd just left opened, and just as they crossed its threshold—
*BOOM*
An explosion shook the earth as the creature barreled through the wall behind them, the shockwave hitting their backs like a hammer and launching them through the air. Several lower-level adventurers were knocked out instantly, bodies tumbling across the floor like rag dolls, with even the first class adventures tumbling across the ground.
Chunks of earth and adamantite rained down like meteors, slamming into the ground with deafening crashes and sending up plumes of dust. Quickly returning to their feet, the veterans and other adventures dashed between falling debris, dragging as many knocked out members as they could to safety.
Rex, spotting the green-haired rabbit girl frozen in place, lunged forward and yanked her aside by the ear just as a massive slab of adamantite crushed the space she'd occupied a heartbeat earlier.
'Shit!' he grunted as the impact behind him sent him tumbling forward.
He rolled and sprang back to his feet in one smooth motion, grabbing a Level 2 by the collar and yanking him back just as another massive chunk of debris crashed into the ground where they'd stood a second earlier.
This continued for a few seconds, then the dust settled, everyone somehow managed to get to their feet with no casualties, just bruises and disorientation. And then a colossal silhouette emerged from the haze.
Four impossibly large, powerful legs pounded against the ground, supporting its hulking frame of over 6 meters from hooves to shoulders. Two horns grew from either side of its head, each ones looking like they were twisted from the roots of some long-dead tree. Its skin was a grayish-black with powerful muscles bulging beneath, and a tail that split in two down the middle, both ends sharpened into swordlike points.
All in all, it very much resembled an ox, save for one thing—protruding from the forehead of the colossal ox was the upper body of an eerily beautiful woman. Her upper body was two meters tall, with short, nape-length emerald hair, verdant skin, and golden eyes lacking pupils or irises. It seemed as if she was wearing a blue-and-orange dress, and where her navel should be was what looked to be an orange magic stone.
"N-no way!" Anakitty stuttered.
"Did it just…" Raul stumbled back, "...break through the adamantite walls—like it was nothing…?!" he whispered in horrified awe.
"What's the plan here, huh?" Bete growled low, eyes narrowing. "Fight that thing? Or get the hell outta here?"
"You even have to ask?!" Tione's head snapped toward him. "We run! The captain needs to be healed, pronto!"
"Yeah, but you know that thing's just gonna follow us, right?" Tiona said, her voice uncharacteristically soft, her usual energy dulled by fear.
Watching them, Ais silently took a step forward with her sword. "...I'll act as bait." She offered, but before she could explain herself;
"Oh no you won't!" Tiona barked, immediately grabbing her arm to hold her back. "You're already injured as it is!"
Then Rex's calm voice cut through the rising panic. "I should be able to suppress it." At his words, all eyes turned to him.
"It shouldn't be too difficult to use my magic to keep it here for a while." He said while releasing the green-haired rabbit girl's ear and the boy he had dragged along by collar. "You guys should go ahead without me."
Before anyone could say anything, he took off his bag and tossed it to the rabbit girl he had saved earlier. "There's four elixirs and some healing and mind potions in there. Use them but I expect payback with interest later."
Grunting at his suggestion, Gareth stepped forward with his axe. "I'll stay with you and hold it back."
"Trust me." Rex casted him a sidelong glance, which he didn't notice due to his Swampfire helm. "With how injured you all are… not trying to sound cocky, but if you stay, you'll just slow me down."
Behind them, the monster shifted, its head looking down for them as it tried to search for something. Then, the monster's lips curved into a disconcerting smile, wide and calm in a way that sent a chill down each of their spines as its pupiless eyes locked onto Ais. Noticing this, Rex's tone hardened.
"You either leave now, or I escape alone and let you guys die."
Gareth clenched his jaw, and finally, he shouted, "All troops—retreat!" He pointed at a hallway at the far end of the room. "Get the hell out of here! Leave it to Rex!"
The group moved to his orders without hesitation, breaking into a desperate sprint. Shouts echoed through the chamber as they lifted their wounded, slinging limp bodies over shoulders and dragging comrades along without pause.
Bete took one look at Rex, and gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Don't die, fucker!" With that, he turned and dashed to the front of the retreating party to take point.
'Mister Rex...' Ais golden eyes locked onto Rex's figure, lips parting but no words coming out. Then she turned forward, sprinting beside Bete as they led the group through the far hallway.
But just then, Tione stepped forward. "...Like hell I'm gonna let you be the only cool one." She grinned, twirling her kukri knives. "Gotta earn my praise from the captain, after all."
"Me neither! Me neither!" Tiona added, moving to his other side with her massive dual blade. "I will join too—"
"Get the fuck out of here." His dangerous tone cut off the enthusiastic girl as a wave of heat blasted outward from his body, forcing the poisoned and wounded girls to instinctively step back.
"NOW!" He roared as the heat exploded outwards again, the air around him warping under the intensity.
The twins stared at him as the heat radiating from his body surged to an unbearable level for their battered forms. In that moment, they realized he had been right—they really would hold him back. This was one of his magics, no doubt, and with them so close, he wouldn't be able to unleash its full power without risking their lives.
They grit their teeth, relentingly turning around. Just as they broke into a run, Tione shot Rex a glare over her shoulder and spat, "You better not die!" She roared at him. "I still haven't paid you back for that punch."
"You better not die!" Tiona echoed, flashing a determined look before dashing after her sister. "Or I will kill you myself!"
"That don't make sense, but ok." Rex said raised his hands, sunflower heads blooming across both palms, and clapped them together with force.
As he drew them apart, an orb of fire spun into existence between his hands. It swirled rapidly, feeding on the ambient heat while simultaneously absorbing his Mind, growing more volatile with every second.
A dull crack split the air like a hammer striking stone. The beast took a thunderous step, its hooves pounding against the adamantite floor, each impact sending tremors through the chamber, vibrations echoing deep into the maze. It barreled forward—not toward Rex, but past him—its gaze fixed on the tunnel where the others had just escaped.
The sight of that towering mass coming at him made Rex's stomach twist, his instincts screaming at him to run and let it pass to chase after the others. But he stayed rooted, forcing the fear down, focusing everything on the magic forming between his palms.
The orb between his hands held steady at the size of a tennis ball, but the heat it radiated grew intense—its color deepening into a brilliant blue that reflected off his Swampfire helm, casting warped shadows across his faceplate. The air around it shimmered from the pressure, and a sharp whistle escaped its core, but the spirit didn't even seem to care for him.
"Aria… Aria!" The demi-spirit let out a crazed shriek, voice trembling with euphoric madness as it continued charging.
Just before it could get any closer, Rex thrust his palm forward. The orb launched from his hands with a piercing whine, its speed much faster than an arrow with a spiraling streak of heat trailing it.
The demi-spirit, all its attention on 'Aria', didn't register it until it was nearly on top of her humanoid face. At the last instant, she raised her arms in an X-shaped guard—and the orb struck.
On impact, it immediately erupted into a roaring sphere of blue flame, engulfing the monster's upper half. A dome-shaped shockwave of heat burst outward, scorching the air as it tore through the room and surged into the surrounding corridors.
"!!!" A sudden woosh swept past the fleeing Loki Familia, causing most to glance back only to be met with Gareth's roar;
"Faster!" He commanded, the members pushing their limit and picking up their pace. 'Don't die on me, kid.' Gareth thought, clenching his teeth. 'I will be back in no time.'
Back in the chamber, the firestorm faded, blue flames unraveling into vapor, revealing the monster within. Smoke curled from its frame, but it stood unharmed. Only its forearm, which had taken the direct brunt of the blast, bore a scorched mark.
"That hurts," the upper half spoke, her tone childishly irritated. "You want to play with me?" She asked as she lowered her arm slowly.
Golden eyes gleamed as she turned her head toward Rex, who now stood inside a visible pillar of heat—his Swampfire form radiating a narrow column of distorted air nearly two meters wide, stretching upward toward the ceiling.
She tilted her head and laughed softly, like an elephant amused by a mouse.
"Then—let's play."
[Author's Note: Another 4k+ chapter. Don't get used to it thought, I will drop down to 2000~3000 after this arc. Anyway, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day.]