Chapter 53: Udaeus Defeated!

Riveria's grip tightened and loosened around her staff as she watched Shiro playfully dismantling her defensive magic.

She desperately wanted to give him a good whack, but ultimately restrained herself because it was not an appropriate place.

"What are you doing?" She inquired, a sigh escaping her lips.

She couldn't help but feel that she had been sighing more and more frequently since the white-haired boy joined their Familia.

Shiro, who was in the process of removing the protective barrier, looked up at Riveria with excitement.

"Riveria! Quickly cancel this defensive magic, it's really getting in the way!"

Seeing her well-intentioned support being treated as a nuisance, Riveria's patience finally snapped.

She raised her staff and struck Shiro with a resounding thud.

Clang—

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise as the weakened magic barrier shattered under Riveria's blow.

Silence descended upon the scene, broken only by the echo of the impact.

Fortunately, Riveria quickly shifted her focus to a more pressing matter.

"Where's Ais?"

Ais was still entangled in battle with Spartois.

While Shiro had successfully lured away a majority of them, a few remained, stubbornly guarding their "king".

Slash, parry, thrust, and cut – each of Ais's strikes claimed Spartoi's life, but the blond girl still couldn't break through their blockade to reach Udaeus and interrupt its regeneration.

Time ticked away, with each second feeling like an eternity.

"ROOOOOOOOOAR!!"

After a while, Udaeus, having fully recovered, smashed through the wall of swords with a mighty punch and rose to its full height.

Flames identical to those in its eye sockets erupted from where its right hand had been severed.

Udaeus then summoned a pillar from the ground once again.

With its bony fingers, Udaeus grasped the pillar and pulled it free, revealing its true form.

"A sword?"

It was a massive, pitch-black sword, nearly six meters in length.

Both the Loki and Freya Familias had fought against Udaeus countless times, but it had always attacked with its bare hand and the spikes from the ground.

There were no records of it wielding a sword in the Guild records.

So, this was undoubtedly one of the Dungeon's unknowns.

"Ais! Retreat!" Riveria shouted, her voice laced with urgency.

No one knew how Udaeus's new weapon would affect the battle.

Udaeus raised the black sword high above its head, sending a shiver of fear down everyone's spines.

Ais, sensing the impending danger, poured all her strength into putting distance between herself and the menacing monster.

Udaeus's left arm blurred as purple light emanated from its joints.

With a speed invisible to the naked eye, it swung the black sword towards the retreating blond girl.

'Oh no, Ais is in danger.'

Shiro, realizing the danger, vanished from the monster's sight using Nukiashi.

Then, he channeled all his magic into his sword.

The next moment, his and the monster's magic collided.

BOOM!

A blinding flash of light filled Ais's vision.

When the light subsided, the mountains of swords and the remaining Spartoi had vanished without a trace.

The ground, scorched by the residual energy, smoldered and emitted wisps of white smoke.

"That was close..." Shiro muttered, shaking his numb arm.

That attack, infused with Udaeus's immense magic, was its trump card.

Even a Level 6 adventurer would struggle to withstand such a blow, let alone Ais, a Level 5.

Fortunately, the attack required charging and couldn't be used consecutively.

Ais, gazing up at Udaeus as it raised its arm again, tightened her grip on her sword and charged forward once more.

Udaeus frantically summoned a wall of swords to impede her progress, threatening to cleave her in two should she attempt to break through.

But Ais wasn't alone.

Shiro's blade swiftly cut down the swords, clearing a path for her to reach Udaeus.

He couldn't help her in the battle personally but he could still make it easier for Ais to battle the Monster Rex without any worry.

After dodging another of Udaeus's strikes, Ais's movements began to slow down.

After all, the continuous use of Ariel at maximum output had taken its toll on her body.

Suddenly, a black spear shot out from behind her.

She immediately dodged sideways, but such an action caused a momentary pause.

Udaeus also seized the opportunity, bringing its black sword down upon her with crushing force.

By the time Ais reacted, it was already too late.

She could only maximize her wind magic to mitigate the damage.

Thud—

Udaeus's sword landed, sending Ais flying dozens of meters away.

She crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, the wind dissipating around her as Ariel was forcibly deactivated.

"Ais!" Riveria cried out, her voice filled with anger and concern.

She instinctively began chanting her magic, a magic circle forming around her.

"Riveria, don't... intervene."

Ais slowly pushed herself up, her sword clutched in her hand.

Her resolute words stopped the elf princess, and the magic circle around her dissipated.

"Awa..." Ais tried to reactivate Ariel, but her chant was interrupted by a cough, blood spilling from her lips.

Pain wracked her entire being, but her heart burned with an unyielding fury.

Why was she so weak?

Why was she so easily defeated?

How could she become stronger like this?

In contrast to the white light filling her vision, her consciousness plunged into an even deeper darkness.

It wasn't enough…

She needed to become stronger.

She would kill all the monsters!

She would overcome every obstacle.

And then, atop a mountain of corpses…

She would reclaim her wish.

She would reclaim her desire.

She would reclaim her hope.

If her body wasn't strong enough, she would offer her very life!

Her consciousness was consumed by darkness, her emotions replaced by an endless rage.

And then…

"Ais!"

A voice called out, pulling her back from the abyss.

A familiar face came into her view beside her.

"I won't stop you from continuing this challenge. But since Udaeus has powered up, let me help you do the same."

This time, Ais didn't refuse.

She allowed Shiro's magic to flow into her blade, accepting his aid without a word of retort.

With renewed determination, she faced the colossal Udaeus once more, ready to challenge it as an adventurer.

Without Ariel, Ais had lost her exceptional mobility, but her agility was still more than enough to deal with the stationary Udaeus.

She danced around the monster, striking it with precision and power.

Its once-impenetrable defense now seemed as fragile as paper.

Its horns were broken, its shoulders shattered, its arms severed.

After a grueling half-hour battle, Udaeus finally reached its limit.

Stepping on a protruding sword from the ground, Ais leaped into the air, preparing for the final blow.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!"

Udaeus roared, a desperate attempt to drive away both Ais and its own fear.

It made one last gamble, gathering all the bone fragments in the hall and forming them into countless spears.

The spears converged into a single, massive spike, hurtling towards Ais in mid-air.

"Lil Rafaga."

Looking down at the dying Udaeus, Ais unconsciously uttered the name of her magic.

This move, typically unleashed only when Ariel was at maximum output, possessed immense destructive power, capable of injuring both enemy and wielder.

However, the expected pain never came.

There was no wind, no tearing sensation.

Yet, she could feel the overwhelming magic coursing through her sword, pushing her emotions to their peak.

This strike would be even stronger.

CRASH!!!

The magic-infused blade pierced through the giant spike and continued its trajectory towards Udaeus.

"ROAR!"

Udaeus, having completed its charge, also unleashed its final attack.

Its joints glowed with power as the black sword emanated a purple aura once more.

Ais, unwavering in her resolve, met the attack head-on.

In the next instant, the black sword shattered, and the magic stone in Udaeus's chest was pierced.

Cracks spread across its body as it let out a final, agonizing cry before collapsing to the ground.

And the blond-haired Sword Princess stood triumphant over its remains.

Seeing Ais's wounds, Shiro retrieved an Elixir from his "gift card" and offered it to her.

Ais hesitated for a moment, then, instead of taking the potion, she extended her hand towards Shiro.

Understanding her gesture, Shiro reached out and gently met her palm with his own.

And this way, Floor Boss Udaeus was defeated.

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