Crisis, and Opportunity

That night, no clamor rose from the camp. It was unusually quiet, yet the unrest in everyone's hearts could not be suppressed.

Finn, Gareth, Bete, Tiona, Tione, and the others remained relatively composed. They focused wholeheartedly on familiarizing themselves with their new weapons, turning all their thoughts into motivation as they silently awaited tomorrow's arrival.

Raul, Anakitty, Alicia, Lefiya Viridis, and the others encouraged one another, quietly strengthening their resolve.

Tsubaki and the other smiths from the Hephaestus Familia were likewise affected by the camp's atmosphere. No longer so carefree, they maintained and repaired everyone's weapons and equipment, doing everything they could to ensure that all combatants could fight in peak condition.

Ais, meanwhile, came to the rock platform and kept gazing toward the entrance leading to the 51st Floor, as though she could see the sights of the 59th Floor. She remained lost in thought for a long time.

What exactly awaited her there?

What would the truth she sought truly be?

With those doubts in mind, Ais unconsciously clenched the beloved sword at her waist so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Many people found it difficult to sleep. They were expectant, apprehensive, and nervous about tomorrow's arrival, their emotions tangled beyond measure. Leo alone, after watching Ais standing atop the rock platform and staring into the distance for a while, returned to his own tent to rest. He knew very well what his group would encounter on the lower floors tomorrow.

It would be a massive crisis capable of utterly destroying the Familia's main force.

The enemy they would face tomorrow would be the most terrifying existence they had encountered yet.

But crisis was also opportunity.

In the original story, it was precisely because the Loki Familia's main force overcame this trial that they underwent their first