It hadn’t been too long since Amethely had departed from the capital, and she’d flown through the sky at such high speed that she left behind soundwaves after her.

 She closed in on the forest near the borders and worried to death about her family and lover.

 When she’d heard the news that they had gone missing in the ruins, she’d wanted to go there directly, and to her surprise, she was granted permission to go.

 She was in such a hurry that she didn’t bring her spirit armour with her, but that didn’t matter since it was being repaired anyway.

 Now arriving at the camp, she spoke to the people in charge and was led inside the ruins. At first, they tried to stop her from going alone, but once they saw her serious expression, they stayed silent and let her do as she pleased.

 She entered the ruin and summoned her divine blade.

 The Celestial Construct.

 The blade had bound itself to her soul after she’d completed The Saints Trail.

 The trail she’d gone through almost cost her life, but in exchange, she became a Saint and was granted a divine weapon that she wasn’t born with.

 Its base form was the shape of a blade, but the weapon, in fact, was able to take the shape of anything: a shield, a spear, a bow, or armour.

 As long as Amethely had the mana for it, it could change to anything and wouldn’t draw mana until she decided to transform it into something else.

 She ran through the halls and scanned for any form or shape of mana.

 Finding people, she asked them where they last saw other people, and she would head that way based on their description.

 After a while, she found investigation unit B and spoke with them. They told her everything they knew.

 They told her where group A had disappeared, and she headed there as soon as they finished explaining.

 There were monsters here and there, but they were so weak she didn’t even need to use any mana and just slew them on the spot as she rushed through them.

 Amethely had just recovered, and her mana quality and control were even better than before. After all, it wasn’t the first time she destroyed the flow of her mana.

 When she was young, she had so little mana she could barely use any light spells. Still, it didn’t discourage her, and she got proficient in controlling a small amount of mana and was able to activate spells of the same calibre.

 The first time she broke her mana flow was when she was 12. She had snuck out of the city of Aurlux and entered the nearby forest.

 She did so in order to practice her skills, and she knew she needed real experience fighting monsters to improve.

 From doing a little research, she discovered that the nearby forest contained weak monsters and beasts.

 She, of course, was cautious and knew that fighting real enemies wasn’t anything like sparring with her teacher.

 She was praised a lot that she’d gotten very good with the sword, and she wanted to see for herself.

 Amethely knew her teacher wouldn’t lie to her since she was extremely harsh. And she, herself, felt that she had improved a lot too.

 Thus, she headed to the forest and, well… got a little traumatised but managed to get out alive. The problem started when she used too much of her mana, and she had broken her mana flow by the time she got back.

 Her teachers and family were shocked by this and sent her to emergency treatment.

 Medics came back with the results that stated she may never be able to use magic again.

 The news shocked her to the core. The 12-year-old Amethely fell into despair but convinced everyone she was okay.

 Her parents cancelled her practical magic education, and she only focused on the sword.

 Since Amethely had lost her magic with the sword, she was even more determined to become as skilled as possible.

 Months passed, and miraculously, she got her mana to flow as usual.

 Also, her pool of mana had significantly increased, too, which was unheard of. Her parents and the doctors kept it a secret because she could become a target for human experiments.

 Amethely was overjoyed, and… she broke her flow again two weeks after she recovered…. She was so excited and had overused her mana… again.

 Every time got more severe, and she’d have nightmares every night.

 But each time she recovered, she would recover faster next time. She would then study instruction magic and activate instruction magic through Advanced Magic Units that didn’t require her mana to activate.

 Because of that, she got into the research department when attending the academy.

 Finally, arriving at the place, investigation unit A lost connection to the Teleuni Unit. She couldn't see anything suspicious in particular.

 Hence, she widened her search range and discovered a mechanism deep inside one of the walls.

 Amethely touched the wall, used [Mana Installation] and hijacked the device to activate it. And soon enough, a hall would reveal itself.

 She took a deep breath with a determined look on her face. She stepped into the unknown.

 …

  …..

 …

 The investigation unit A discussed the dreams they saw; apparently, Alum wasn’t alone. Sarie also experienced it from someone's perspective.

 And as it turns out, it was the exact same person. She felt pain and suffering. Although what they saw differed a little, it was still the same warlord’s eyes; they saw that fallen world through.

 After finishing their talk, they looked at the gigantic door in front of them.

 They were in a room with no other exit except for that door. They had to rest there since…. That enormous gate would surely lead to a boss.

 If this were an ordinary boss room, they would leave the researchers behind with some guards, but considering what they went through, they couldn’t trust any rooms or halls. So they couldn't afford to let them stay behind.

 After resting and gathering their strength, Sarie’s party led the way.

 The chamber they entered was huge and dimly lit. In the centre of the room was a creature that had curled up and was resting.

 And based on what they could see, it was a crystalised Ingens Scolopendra. Most likely, an A+ in rank based on their observation.

 And carefully observing the surroundings, they found more centipedes. Smaller ones, they were all resting, and this was terrible news.

 This also meant that there was way more that they didn’t see.

 The support mages activated illusionary barriers around them, weak but efficient, which let them save mana if they needed another barrier. They had barrier cores if they needed to use other spells as well.

 Jua shot some Light Bloom Arrows and revealed more of the chamber; luckily, they hadn’t woken up.

 Threading more carefully and observing the resting creatures, there were treasures and depictions everywhere.

 But there was not a single trap in sight.

 And suddenly, a glow from the crystal giant lit up.

 It had woken up and wasn’t pleased with the intruders that disrupted its sleep. And the small ones that were curled up started to crawl toward them.

 And as the giant crystal centipede got up, they could see how enormous it was. It reached the chamber's ceiling, and one of its legs was the size of a small house.

 Its legs were sharp as blades, and its crystallised body started to glow orange. And every movement it made melted the floor, killing the offspring that couldn't tolerate the heat in the process.

 The sight of this sent shivers down their spines.

 “This one will be difficult,” commented Turen.

 Dalen nodded.

 “Agreed. I think you and the remaining vanguards should cover the mages,” Jan told him.

 Sarie looked at her party members and at the melting floor. She later glanced at Keelen and Sarah.

 “What do you think?”

 “I agree with Jan. I think it’s best to be on the defensive side and clear the small enemies first,” Keelen stated his opinion.

 Sarah seemed to think deeply and looked at the gigantic, crystalised monster.

 “If Sarie and I distract that big girl, you guys can clear up the small ones, right?”

 Dalen, Lyn, and Keelen looked shocked.

 “To think you can come up with a good plan….” Lyn said.

 And a sharp glance flew her way.

 “Hmpf,” Sarah pouted.

 “Then….”

 “How about the members of Phantom Dusk and I distract the Ingens Scolopendra?” Sarie suggested.

 Everybody nodded.

 “That would make things easier and less dangerous,” Dalen commented.

 And the researchers who were listening in started to prepare basic countermeasures. Although they weren’t skilled fighters, they possessed weapons and tools to help them.

 “It’s decided then. Our party stays here with Crystal Drake, and Phantom Dusk goes with Sarie to distract the boss.” Jan clarified the plan.

 Sarie stared at Alum.

 “Can you zone the smaller enemies from the boss? We’d have fewer distractions if you could do that….”

 “Oh, that’s a good idea,” Lyn said.

 Alum nodded.

 “Understood.”

 And after a moment of silence, the plan was executed.

 Alum created a crystallised mana field around the boss, making it impossible for the smaller mobs to cross without turning into fuel for the spell.

 Sarah, in an instant, was on top of the boss, landing a powerful strike with her blade that created a strong gust of wind, blowing away the smaller enemies around it.

 Sarie blinked and used the airborne monsters as platforms and used them to propel herself to strike the crystalised giant rapidly.

 All the small enemies who tried to fend the intruders off their mother froze instantly as they entered Alum’s field.

 Turen and Enio would cover for the rest of the mages, aggravating the smaller mobs.

 The researchers also helped by setting up more robust defences and turrets to defeat the enemies as they got closer.

 While the adventurers were planning, they took out components from their spatial storage bags and started to put together the machine.

 The magi-tech turrets shot electrocuted metal pieces capable of penetrating the smaller Scolopendras that approached them.

 During that time, they also set up and operated more advanced barrier cores. Now, the support mages could focus on buffing their allies instead of holding up a barrier.

 Which helped a lot. The researchers didn’t feel like they were being a burden and could hold their chest high.

 The adventurers felt relieved as their workload had lessened, and they could focus on defeating their enemies instead of constantly worrying someone might die.

 Nuli buffed Enio and Turen. She enhanced their defences and physical capabilities as they aggravated the mobs.

 Jan would dash around being agile, planting traps, and luring some enemies away so they wouldn’t flock in one place.

 Jua supported him by eliminating the mobs following him. And since Nela wasn’t agile or a fighter like Jan, she focused on sniping down enemies with a magic rifle. Some of the small nuisances chanted mana or buffed their allies. Those were taken care of by her.

 Her other party member, Rika, is a mage. She took care of the enemies around Turen and Nuli as she bound them with veins that were glowing hot, which melted the mobs that weren't resistant to heat.

 The centipedes came in different flavours. Some were glowing hot, and some were chilling cold. And it seemed like they also had roles and hierarchy.

 The scorching hot ones would be the frontliners, which were quite troublesome to deal with since their armour was so difficult to penetrate. These monsters could be classed as B ranks on their own.

 There were also some, like the Ingens Scolopendra, that were covered in crystals, and they leaked a lot of mana and would occasionally shoot lasers their way.

 Those were the two most noticeable ones. The rest were not that much of a threat since even the turrets could finish them off.

 Meanwhile, Lyn buffed Sarah and Sarie to the extent that they didn’t have to use too much of their own mana to deal significant damage.

 Dalen bound the boss with shadow magic and wasn’t sure how long he could keep it in place.

 Since it was so strong, he could only bind some of its legs and restrict some of its movements.

 His job got even more difficult as Sarie and Sarah injured the monster, and it got more fierce and agitated.

 Keelen’s job was to protect Lyn and Dalen while they supported Sarah and Sarie. Keelen stayed close and would crush the mobs that came close to them.

 Freezing them and shattering them, he fought and blocked ranged attacks coming their way.

 Although most of the enemies couldn’t pass Alum’s hazardous crystalised field, some did. But it heavily reduced Keelen’s burden since they were so weak after going through that hell. Thus, he could finish them off with relative ease.

 They really needed to rid themselves of the smaller enemies and fast. The scorching hot floor dealt a lot of damage to the barrier Lyn and Dalen were in. Lyn had to focus on buffing Sarah and Sarie.

 Luckily, they were using high-quality barrier cores, which eased their reliance on Lyn.

 “Hey! Sarie, I’ll use powerful wind magic to stagger it,” Sarah shouted.

 Sarie nodded and backed off.

 “Then follow up with that ridiculously powerful attack of yours!”

 “Roger!”

 Sarah used a massive amount of mana and smashed the boss onto the floor.

 Her attack created a strong vacuum that kept pulling the boss down and even pulling the small mobs in.

 She later rushed to Keelen and dragged him with her.

 Lyn and Dalen sensed their job was finished, and Dalen warped himself and Lyn to safety.

 Sarie started to gather mana for a very powerful attack. She infused her blade with spirit light, and she maxed out her physical enhancement.

 Her divine blade, Eltrica, vibrated at such a high frequency that the smaller crystalised mobs shattered.

 A heavy atmosphere filled the chamber as Sarie suffocated them with the sheer amount of mana she released.

 This single attack was meant to wipe them out in a single strike.

 Everyone had retreated to the barrier and built even more layers as they entered.

 Sarie took a deep breath.

 [Spirit Bomb]

 As she struck the monster with her infused sword. The whole chamber shook while the light incinerated the crystalised Ingens Scolopendra.

 Along with their mother, the smaller mobs also ceased to exist.

 Inside the barrier, they could only see a bright blue static light as they watched their barriers being torn apart by the second.

 This only left inner barriers created by Lyn and the Advance Magic Units made by Emerine and Ethym.

 And after the light disappeared. There stood Sarie in the middle of the crater, which was half the size of the airship they had arrived in.

 They all watched in awe as Sarie took a deep breath and headed their way.