The next day.

“Whoa…” said Tiona. “Is this really made of Orichalcum!?”

“Yup, this here has to be their secret base.” Said Loki.

“The location…” said Ai.

“Something strange about it, Ai?” asked Riveria.

“It’s nothing… just that if it’s under Daedalus, there must be other entrances, right?”

“A reasonable theory, but this entrance in particular…” said Cirrus. “It’s… too easy? It’s basically screaming 'Hey! Hey! Come in!! it’s definitely not a trap! Promise!'.”

The door then slowly opened, and many could see a figure running away.

“That’s the masked person we met on our way to the 59th floor.” Said Riveria.

“Look at that.” Said Cirrus. “All of you, stand back for a moment.”

Everyone steps back as he places his hand on the door.

“N-no way you’re not going to do that are you!” said Loki.

“He is.” Said Gareth.

“Hm!!”

Cirrus grips the door with both hands and breaks it off its hinges.

“N-no way! That’s made from the hardest material in the world!” said Tiona.

“Ba-hahaha!!! As expected, Cirrus!” said Gareth with a big cheerful smile.

Ai walks up and throws down 4 Sound Eaters on the ground and walls.

“Why did you throw daggers at the wall and floor?” said Lefiya.

“For this.”

They could see his magic circle appear above him as the door floated and thunder strikes it in a continuous surge of strikes.

“!!”

           The door then slowly bends and turns white hot from being submerged in lighting. Cirrus moved his hand, and a blob of molten metal came out and formed to make a shield.

Cirrus then tosses it into the sewer water where Rethusa and most of the skilled Huntresses waited at.

“Alright, get your shield!” they shouted as they started to hand them out.

“S-so fast….” Said a Loki Familia member.

“Whoa… so cool!” said Tiona coming up to get one.

Everyone got one, even Loki. Once it was done, and everyone got a shield, Cirrus made extra weapons out of the remaining material.

Cirrus then collects the daggers Ai put down.

“You all can keep the shields and weapons. Think of them as emergency weapons you need in a pinch. Note they aren’t special besides being made from Orichalcum and some Adamantite.” Cirrus said.

“Why do I get a shield?” asked Loki.

“Because it would be pretty shitty if an arrow comes and hit you in the head, so I made it light enough to cover most of your body.”

“Hmm…. I appreciate the thought…. say can we sell these? If so, how much would they sell for?”

“You can do whatever you want. They don’t bear my signature, but if you were to sell them, they would at least be 100 to 400k per shield and weapon.”

“T-this is more expensive than my armor.” Said a member.

“And my actual weapon.” Said another.

“Finn, we should cut off the dead weight. This place has a hell of stench coming off it,” said Beta coming up to the man-made dungeon.

“C’mon Bete. We're all a Familia, so quit talking like that,” said Tiona

“How far do you think we’d get without supporters around to help?” said Tione.

“I have to side with Beta on this one.” Said Ai. “I can smell those Evilus scum from here. The smell of Kaenseki lingers in the air.”

“Shit…” said Cirrus. “Finn, if we bring the supporters, we can’t risk those Evilus members getting close or… you know.”

“Hmm….”

They see a complex look on Finn's face.

“Captain, what does he mean?” asked Tione.

“He means they will blow themselves up,” Finn said coldly. “These fanatics won’t hesitate to grab you and blow themselves up.”

“The explosions are strong enough to completely blow away the body of a level 3.” said Ai. “… Ardi,” Ai said gripping tightly her new sword.

They all gulped.

“… All level 3 and below stay back!” Finn commanded. “I want you all to help the Artemis Familia find more of these entrances!”

“Y-yes, captain!” many of them shouted.

“Captain! What if we run out of weapons or items?” said Tiona.

“Then that will be on you,” Cirrus said. “If you’re going through weapons and items so much you need a supporter, then you are burning resources that could be used for other people.”

“I… didn’t think of it like that.” She said, sadly.

“You must be good at resource management then, huh Cirrus?” said Riveria.

“More or less, solo-ing the dungeon makes one very resourceful and aware of their supplies and tools.”

“U-um, what if we wish to come?” said Lefiya behind Cirrus.

He turns to look down at the small, young elf, his emerald eyes look at her with a coldness of winter in them.

“… I suggest you don’t unless you are ready to take a life.”

“!?”

He could see several people freeze up from his words.

“K-killing…” Lefiya said.

“Yes, are you ready to take a person's life to save your own?” he said, with his eyes bearing down on her.

“L-Loki?” she turned to Loki, trying to get her help.

“Sorry, Lefiya, but he is right. These guys won’t even hesitate to even kill a god like me.”

Her face scrunched up in frustration.

“I will go with her.” Said Filvis stepping up next to Lefiya.

“And you are?” Cirrus said gazing at the black haired elf.

“I am Filvis Challia, level 3 captain of the Dionysus Familia!”

Cirrus looks her in her eyes and sees the eyes he has seen a million times in the Dark Era, ones that have seen death and despair… and a fire to never experience it again.

‘Dionysus… that’s her god… Hmmm.’

“Very well. You have the eyes of one who has taken a life before.”

Filvis flinches a bit.

“… Lefiya, I’ll help you get ready.” She said, walking back.

“W-wait!” Lefiya followed her.

“Seems you hit a sore spot for her there.” Said Beta.

“If she has a sore spot about death, then she should have quit being an adventure.”

“Is that not why you left?” Beta observed Cirrus's expression.

“No, I left because I have been fighting these fuckers since I was 7 years old, and I wanted to wake up one morning and not hear people screaming for help or see another robbery. I couldn’t stand it any longer.”

“… Fair enough.”

After a bit, everyone got ready, and a few people stayed back in case anything happens.

“(Nox), (Circe) come out.” Cirrus said under his breath.

The two came out from the magic circles and landed on his shoulders.

“Your familiars! Are they actually one of your magic's?” asked Lefiya.

“They are a rather special magic. Sun, you go with Ais’s group, Moon with Finn’s group.”

The two fly over and land on Ais’s head and Lefiya’s head.

“W-why did she land on my head!” shouted Lefiya.

“They are smarter than you think, and they know a back-line mage when they see one. Now shall we begin?”

 

The groups were: 1st group is Cirrus, Ais, Gareth, Tiona, and Tione, Alicia, and Cruz, who will serve as the vanguard.

The second group will be Finn, Riveria, Ai, Raul, Aki, Beta, Narvi, Lefiya, and Filvis as the rearguard.

As the 1st group advances first, they could feel how similar it was to the Dungeon.

“… This place is really unnatural.” Said Cirrus.

“They even have creepy statues.” Said Tiona.

“Gargoyles.”

“Hm? What are those?” Tiona asked.

“Their statues people make to scare off evil, ironic, don’t you think?”

“Hahaha!! You're right!”

They walked further and reached another door.

“Blocked, huh?” said Gareth. “You don’t mind, do ya?”

“Not all. Nothing’s better than breaking their shit.” As Cirrus winds up his fists, he feels a gaze on him, a malicious one at that. “…”

“What’s wrong?” Ais asked.

“… Were being watched.” Cirrus quickly scanned the area and found the source. He looked up to see the Gargoyle's eyes shimmer a bit. “There you are.” Cirrus jumps up and punches the gargoyle apart before landing. “Surveillance… how annoying.” Cirrus, with a strong kick to the door, caused it to fall off its hinges and fall flat. “Ais, go back and inform Finn of this, and then come right back. I doubt they will sit still now that this information is known.”

“Got it!”

Ais went and returned to her own group.

They traveled further in, and a cold breeze hit them.

“A breeze?” said Ais.

“… Be ready.” Said Cirrus.

They move towards the coldness and as they did, they could feel the air and area get colder and colder.

When they finally reached a room, it was completely covered in frost.

“W-w-w-w-w-what I-I-I-is t-t-this!” said Tiona, shivering.

“Tiona, Tione, stand back,” Ais said, stepping in front of them.

           They could see a red-haired figure coming up to them.

“Aria… and the Contractor.” Revis said coldly. “Welcome to the Knossos, your tomb.” She then plunged her hands into the ice and pulled out a natural weapon, a cruel-looking long blade of ice. “Arbuda, it’s time.”

From the ice, a figure started to rise. The ice cracked and broke as she stood up. She turned to show her appearance, a beautiful woman with long frosted blue-tipped hair with a skin that is actually comparable to Nox’s if not a bit more of a unhealthy pale. Her eyes were a cold icy blue, she wore clothes made of thin ice and Undine Cloth.

“She blended into the frost so well… Not even a single emotion.” Said Cirrus. “You were also the fuck who got in my way that night.” His eyes lit up with anger. His hands cracking as well as they wish to be used now.

“So… these are the ones.” Arbuda's cold glare sent shivers down their backs.

“Ais and I got her,” Cirrus said as he grips his spear tightly. “Gareth, take Tiona and Tione with you, get Finn, and prepare to come and get us.”

“Oh? Your leaving?" Arbuda said. "Sorry, but I prefer to make sure nothing stays alive—"

“(Sing your Vespers, Swords of Damocles) [Dia Dikastí̱s: Logia]!!”

Cirrus uttered his magic as quickly as his magic circle appeared and a blast of thunderstruck them.

“Go!! Now!!” He shouted.

“Let’s hur—Baaaam!!!”

From a wall another Spirit came out interrupting Gareth, a Corrupted one with the body of a bull.

“ARIA!!!! CIRCE!!!” it shouted with mania in it's voice.

“Damn!! It’s blocking our way!!” Gareth shouted.

“Here!! (Exousía, Adorn: Cretan)!!!”

His magic armor dons on Gareth, and he could feel his strength and warmth increase.

“I’ll make sure to clear the way!!! URAAA!!!!!!” He charged at the Corrupted Spirit.

“ARIAAAA--GAAAH!!!

“URAAAA!!!!!!”

Gareth met her charge and pushed her back.

“NO!!! NO!!!”

“A little help!!!” Shouted Gareth.

“Right on!!!” said Tiona.

“Get out of our way!!!” shouted Tione.

“(Freeze, binding chains of winter)!!!” shouted Alicia as ice magic struck the Spirit.

“Haaaa!!!!!!” Cruz said as he helped push it back.

           The five then pushed back the Corrupted Sprites into the room it came from to find it very, very spacious.

“Circe, go with them. They need you more than us.” Cirrus said as he glares at Arubuda and Revis.

‘Got it! And I already told Nox we made contact!’

As Circe flies towards Gareth and the sisters, the cloud of smoke from Cirrus’s attack dies down.

“Ah… I felt warm.” Arbuda and Revis fill the room with their bloodlust.

“Oh? And we feel pretty fucking cold.”

Cirrus readies his spear. Ais draws her sword, and their bloodlust seeps out, matching Revis and Arbuda.

“I won’t show you mercy… Revis!!!!” shouted Ais.

“ARIA!!!!!!!!!!”