Thank you to Shisuiuchiha for subscribing on patreon, and congratulations on becoming the god Shibai - The Divine Reader.
Thank you to hubalabubala for subscribing on patreon, and congratulations on becoming the god Shibai - The Divine Reader.
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The 18th Floor of the Dungeon—
A Safe Zone.
Also known as the Labyrinth Paradise.
No monsters would naturally respawn on this floor.
Of course, some monsters could still wander up from the 19th floor.
To ensure everyone's safety, the adventurers stationed at Rivira Town regularly went out to hunt them down.
There were no dungeon walls or mazelike paths here—only an enormous circular space.
Towering rock walls encircled the entire floor, rising all the way up to a crystal-studded ceiling.
Most of the land was covered in lush green forests.
Scattered throughout the woods were glowing blue crystals.
In another section, there was a vast, majestic grassland.
And in the center of that field—
Stood an enormous, sky-reaching tree.
Its roots burrowed into the earth, forming a hollow—a tunnel that led down to the 19th floor.
To the south, there was a cavern entrance that connected back to the 17th floor.
As for the ceiling—
It sparkled with radiant, brilliant crystals.
Like—
A field of blooming chrysanthemums.
When all the crystals lit up together, the light formed a daytime sky.
When the light faded with time, it became night.
…
At the moment—
Raven Eltharion and his group emerged from the forest and arrived at a grave covered in broken swords.
This was a memorial site established by Ryuu Lion for her fallen [Astraea Familia] comrades.
The ten rusted weapons embedded in the ground—
Were once used by those companions in life.
But now…
They were corroded and useless.
Clearly, they could no longer be wielded.
Beside Raven, [Alice]'s eyes grew misty as she took in the scene.
Then, she whispered quietly:
"…Lion…"
Her rapier, Crimson Order, was now stained with patches of reddish rust.
[Laila] rested her hands behind her head and muttered with a sigh:
"I'd love to see her again…"
"——That good-for-nothing elf… I wonder how she's been the past five years."
[Kaguya] stepped forward and gently caressed her sword Higanbana.
"Don't worry. When the time is right," Raven sighed, "I'll let you all meet her again."
"And once we're back, I'll try to forge new equipment for each of you."
As he spoke, he unwrapped a lovingly packed bento box—
Inside were delicious-looking rice ball sushi rolls.
Just enough for lunch.
Raven picked one up with chopsticks and tasted it slowly.
That flavor…
Mmm~
Absolutely delicious—just to his liking.
He wondered—
Could it have been made by Syr?
"You girls want to try some delicious sushi?" he offered with a smile.
There were plenty—just enough for each of them to have one piece.
However…
Everyone shook their heads unanimously.
Raven smiled wryly and kept eating alone.
"From what I know, Ryuu Lion did get revenge for you."
"She defeated that monster?" [Asta] asked in surprise.
"No," Raven shook his head. "She only eliminated some remnants of the Evilus faction."
Six years ago—
The core members of Evilus had already been wiped out by Finn and the others.
"But…"
His tone paused mid-sentence.
A glint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes.
"If I'm not wrong…"
"There's still a faction on this floor that's secretly colluding with Evilus."
"So—what do you say? Interested in coming with me to investigate?"
On the 18th Floor—
Far to the east, there was a man-made labyrinth.
Also known as: Knossos.
The exit of the artificial maze connected to Daedalus Street in the southeastern district of Orario.
Raven began pondering in silence—
In the original story, wasn't that sunglasses guy, Dix Perdix, still around?
The Captain of the [Ikelos Familia].
Nicknamed Savage Beast, and a Level 5.
To be honest—
Raven was very curious about the Xenos.
Especially—
That bird-girl Rei.
Fia also seemed interesting.
…
After a while—
They passed through the forest again and arrived at the eastern end.
Surrounding Raven now were the ten members of his Justice Maidens, along with the Lv.9 Empress, Lv.8 Silence, and Metelia.
All of them wore cloaks with their hoods pulled low to avoid detection.
"This should be the place."
Raven looked up at the rock wall ahead. "Alfia, blow this wall open."
"——Gospel!"
A thunderous shockwave surged forward.
BOOM!
The man-made rock wall collapsed completely.
Inside was a long corridor, a tunnel constructed from layered stone slabs.
"There really is one?" Alice looked at him suspiciously. "Raven, have you been here before?"
"Nope," he shook his head. "You probably won't believe this—"
"But this is my first time on the 18th floor."
"My detection skills never fail me," Raven added with a light smile.
"So amazing…" [Lyanna] looked at him in admiration.
"——Oh right, let me give a quick heads-up."
"——If we encounter any monsters inside that don't attack you—don't strike back."
"——They're probably Xenos…"
After giving them a calm explanation—
Raven led the group forward, stepping into the depths of the corridor.
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