Finally Arriving at the 18th Floor

On the stone bridge, which could only accommodate two or three people walking side by side, monsters now covered every inch.

Unicorn Rabbits, Hellhounds, Armored Rats, Imp Bats, and Minotaurs surged forward in an endless tide.

On the opposite side, Shirou Emiya, wielding two greatswords, ceaselessly slaughtered them.

Swinging, swinging without pause—the two greatswords were wielded so tightly by Shirou Emiya that not a gap remained, cutting down every monster blocking his path.

Blood splattered, and screams echoed in agony.

The narrow stone bridge had transformed into the most brutal meat grinder, devouring the lives of monsters one after another.

Stone axes thrown by Unicorn Rabbits were deflected one by one.

Flames spewed by Hellhounds were dodged one after another.

At Shirou Emiya's side, weapons were continuously Projected and then hurled forward.

By now, Shirou Emiya had no thought left for conserving magic power. Given the current situation, he couldn't afford to drag things out slowly—it was time to go all out.

Magic surged. At full power and full throttle, Shirou Emiya fought like a war god, bathing in blood amidst the monster horde.

"So amazing!"

Moved by the scene before them, the Loki Familia, who had been advancing, couldn't help but stop in their tracks, staring at the sight like something out of a legendary tale.

What surprised the Loki Familia wasn't that Shirou Emiya's strength was too great, but that his stats were remarkably weak.

Everyone standing here was a member of the Loki Familia's executives, each one experienced and seasoned. Thus, they could judge Shirou Emiya's true ability at a glance.

His base attributes were roughly around Level 2.

Under normal circumstances, with such stats, surviving alone on the Thirteenth Floor would be difficult—yet this man had made it all the way to the 16th Floor alone.

And judging by the direction he was heading, he seemed intent on going even deeper.

What kind of courage and perseverance was driving him?

"Is this guy looking for death? Being this weak, why doesn't he just scrape by in the upper floors instead of pushing into the middle depths!"

Bert, ever sharp-tongued, roared disdainfully, though his eyes, fixed unwaveringly on the figure ahead, betrayed his true feelings.

"So strong... this person is truly strong!"

Ais gripped her sword tightly, suppressing the urge to charge in and cut down everything herself.

To reach this floor alone with such physical ability—it was something even she had never accomplished.

"Hey, kid, do you need our help?"

Finn, intrigued by the hunt, called out loudly. He couldn't quite tell whether this boy had been forced into this monster encounter or had sought it out deliberately.

Logically, someone of his level shouldn't have run into these monsters by chance, but the boy's fighting spirit and sense of purpose both pointed to the latter.

That was why Finn asked.

Hearing the inquiry from the other side, Shirou Emiya replied with some difficulty, "No need. This is my adventure."

This wasn't the first wave of well-meaning people Shirou Emiya had encountered. Stunned by the brutal scene before them, several other adventurers exploring the middle floors had asked him similar questions.

But he had refused them all.

As Shirou Emiya said, this was his adventure.

Though difficult, compared to the mythical war he had once fought, this was nothing.

Crossing his hands, he swept the two greatswords across the area in front of him, then leaped backward with a single bound.

But in midair, the greatswords in his hands transformed into a pitch-black longbow.

"Projection, start!"

The unusual sword—Fake Sword—appeared once more in Shirou Emiya's hand.

With practiced ease, he turned it into an arrow, nocked it onto the longbow, and drew the bowstring to its full extent. As his fingers released, the arrow, wrapped in magic, shot forth instantly.

"Illusionary Collapse!"

A violent explosion erupted from the opposite side, unleashing endless flames and heat across the stone bridge.

The storm of wind swept through, tousling Shirou Emiya's hair and cloak, etching his striking figure firmly into the eyes of the Loki Familia.

But Shirou Emiya didn't stop. As magic surged, another Fake Sword appeared in his hand.

He clearly remembered that the passage beyond the stone bridge was also packed with monsters.

Even though the flames had yet to dissipate, Shirou Emiya accurately located the passage and fired another arrow of Illusionary Collapse.

Another explosion rose into the air.

Seeing that the path ahead had been cleared, Shirou Emiya Projected his twin swords again, bit down on a potion, and continued forward.

As for the Loki Familia standing on the other side of the stone bridge, he didn't spare them a single glance.

"So amazing, that adventurer!"

Tiona, clinging to her sister Tione's side, shook her vigorously, venting her excitement.

As for Tione, she was still stewing in anger over the fact that he had refused the captain's offer.

She would never forgive anyone who questioned the captain.

As for Ais, she stared fixedly at the passage where Shirou Emiya had disappeared, while beside her, Riveria firmly held her shoulder to keep her from impulsively running off.

"What a remarkable young man! It seems another future star of Orario is about to be born."

Hearing Finn's exclamation, even Riveria couldn't help but nod.

Indeed, with combat power like that, as long as he didn't die, this person was destined to become a renowned name in Orario's future.

"Alright! We've seen enough, let's head back now."

With that, Finn took the lead and began walking forward again.

Fight, fight, fight!

Run, run, run!

Shirou Emiya pressed on without pause, overcoming every obstacle, advancing relentlessly.

Since the fierce battle upon first entering the 16th Floor, he hadn't encountered too many enemies on the path ahead.

Though monster attacks never ceased, large-scale groups like that one never appeared again.

Even as the monsters' strength steadily increased, and their spawn rate and numbers kept rising, none of this could stop Shirou Emiya's advance.

At the current monster strength, as long as he kept his composure, Shirou Emiya wielding Gan Jiang Mo Ye could handle them all properly.

At low levels, a good weapon made that much of a difference.

But when he descended to the lower floors, the weapon's deterrent power wouldn't be as strong.

Then, both the weapon and the adventurer would need to be strong to cope.

Though a good weapon still held an advantage, of course.

On the 17th Floor, as his destination drew nearer, Shirou Emiya's spirit grew more vigorous, and his combat power kept rising.

Facing the unending waves of monsters, Gan Jiang Mo Ye, once again transformed into a great sword, swung without rest.

At the same time, projected armaments were continuously launched.

For a time, no enemy before Shirou Emiya could withstand even a single blow.

"There it is, the destination is ahead!"

As the passage before him grew wider, Shirou Emiya knew his goal was close at hand.

With his sprint, he soon arrived at a massive hall.

Unlike the chaotic shapes of other chambers in the dungeon, this hall was exceptionally smooth and orderly.

Once Shirou Emiya entered this hall, no more monsters chased after him.

Walking alone through the hall, his mood was unusually calm.

On the left side of the hall, a wall that seemed polished caught his attention—this was the famous 'Wall of Sighs'!

The very wall where the Floor Master was born.

Without lingering here, he crossed the long hall and entered the passage leading to the lower floors.

When Shirou Emiya passed through the pitch-black tunnel, what appeared before him was a bright forest.

This was the 18th Floor Safe Zone.

Not advancing further, Shirou Emiya sat down directly against the wall, took off his backpack, and began recovering his stamina and mental energy.

Staring at the bright crystal above, he murmured to himself, "Half an hour."

"In half an hour, I'll start the journey back."