The Puppeteer (Seeking Monthly Votes, Seeking Continued Reads)

Finn stood before his party, and though no one spoke, their unwavering gazes made their resolve clear.

Seeing this, Finn nodded and turned his attention to Riveria.

Riveria raised her staff high, and a green magic circle manifested beneath her feet.

"Spring Breeze Green Veil."

Threads of green magical energy rose from the feet of Ais and the others, weaving around their bodies before fading from sight.

"I have cast a defensive enchantment upon you all. It will last for some time, but do not rely on it too heavily."

Finn then issued his orders.

"We are going to break through to the fifty-first floor in one go. Don't waste time on the small fry—though I doubt we'll even need to worry about them. Our primary objective is to rendezvous with Lu Qiming, then push straight through to the fifty-ninth floor. And be wary of those new monster variants that have appeared!"

"All units, prepare for combat!"

At the front of the formation, Bete and Tiona crouched low, gathering their strength.

"Go, Bete, Tiona!"

"Understood!"

As soon as Finn finished speaking, Bete and Tiona blurred into black shadows, charging into the next floor, with the rest of the party following close behind.

Dungeon, fifty-first floor.

The air was filled with the endless, deafening roars of monsters. The green caterpillars and rhinoceros monsters, which had been slaughtering each other moments before, were now all surging in a single direction. Where they converged, terrifying pillars of crimson light erupted repeatedly.

"Hahaha, excellent, excellent. This is exactly what I wanted. Keep entertaining me!"

Amidst the horde, Lu Qiming cleaved a green caterpillar in two with a casual swing, then hurled his Divine Judgment at the charging rhinoceroses. He stomped hard against the ground, launching himself away from his previous position.

The moment he vacated the spot, a crimson pillar of light pierced through the earth and shot toward the heavens.

"Hahaha, too slow... far too slow!"

Amidst his manic laughter, Lu Qiming caught up to his thrown Divine Judgment, gripped the hilt, and swung the two forty-meter-long blades at high speed.

"Gale Dance."

Endless sword light flared. As the light touched the rhinoceros monsters, crimson blood sprayed into the air, turning them into piles of shredded meat. The black earth was stained blood-red, and Magic Stone after Magic Stone lay scattered in the gore.

"Sky-Flash Step."

Mid-air, Lu Qiming swept the surrounding monsters clean, then kicked off the empty air with immense force. His body transformed into a bolt of lightning, hurtling toward another gathering of monsters. The instant he left, dozens of crimson pillars from the fifty-eighth floor erupted through the ground, grazing his body as they passed.

"My little darlings, wait just a moment longer. I'll let you all become one with me soon enough!"

Lu Qiming looked down into the craters left by the crimson pillars. At the very bottom, red dragons were lifting their heads, crimson light gathering within their maws.

Suddenly, as Lu Qiming was distracted, a barrage of white spider silk shot toward him from above.

"Ha, you trash finally decided to show yourselves!"

Lu Qiming swung his left hand toward the pitch-black ceiling. His lightning-wreathed blade illuminated the darkness, revealing countless spider monsters clinging to the surface, their blood-red eyes locked onto him.

Swish!

The sword light flashed, and the spider monsters were shredded into pieces. The electricity charred their remains, turning them into foul-smelling fragments that crumbled into black ash, while Magic Stones rained down like a downpour.

"Hahaha, delightful, delightful! Dance for me, wail for me!"

Amidst the rain of Magic Stones, Lu Qiming kicked the air once more, his body accelerating toward the distance.

BOOM!

A thunderous roar echoed as the entire fifty-first floor trembled. Lu Qiming stomped onto the head of a green caterpillar, the terrifying force crushing it instantly. As his feet touched the ground, deep fissures spiderwebbed outward from his landing point.

The massive shockwave blasted all nearby monsters into the sky.

"Arc Chain Flash."

Divine Judgment traced a crescent arc, and silver-gold sword energy erupted from the blade, sweeping through the airborne monsters and carving a massive, terrifying gash into the ceiling.

Clink, clink, clink, clink.

Magic Stones fell continuously, striking the ground with a melodic sound.

"Hahaha, damn it, I've been had!"

Mid-laugh, Lu Qiming looked down at his feet. The ground for a thousand meters around began to quake, and crimson light shone through the fissures in the earth. He hadn't expected the dragons on the fifty-eighth floor to coordinate their attack, trapping him within a thousand-meter radius of destruction.

"Qiming! Spring Breeze Green Veil!"

Suddenly, Riveria's voice rang out from afar. A green magic circle appeared beneath Lu Qiming's feet, instantly enveloping him in a protective barrier.

"Awaken!"

Ais's voice followed, and a gale of emerald wind swirled around Lu Qiming.

"Thanks, Riveria, Ais!"

Lu Qiming looked toward the distance and offered his thanks. He leaped high into the air, twisted his body, and gripped Divine Judgment tightly as golden lightning roared with even greater ferocity.

Below, the crimson pillars of light shattered the ground, surging upward to strike him in mid-air.

"Death-Strike Slash!"

Lu Qiming let out a shout, aiming Divine Judgment in his hand and hacking down fiercely at the pillar of light; the massive blade collided with the crimson beam.

BOOM!

The moment they clashed, a deafening explosion and roar erupted, and then the golden blade sliced down the center of the beam at high speed, splitting the pillar of light into four.

"Hah!"

As he neared the ground, Lu Qiming stomped his feet in mid-air and swung his dual blades downward with all his might. The terrifying sword aura tore through the crimson pillar like a hot knife through butter, leaving two massive sword marks along the hole already pierced by his previous attack.

"ROAR!"

A few seconds later, a death rattle echoed from the hole, and the once-massive crimson pillar of light vanished instantly.

"Hmph!"

Lu Qiming snorted coldly. After checking the newly added quest points and experience on his panel and confirming that the monsters lurking below were dead, he stepped on the air and flew toward Ais and the others.

"You're here."

He landed slowly beside Finn, flicked his wrist, and the forty-meter golden blade on Divine Judgment vanished, returning to its original form.

"Mm, how is the situation?"

Finn scrutinized Lu Qiming, letting out a sigh of relief only after confirming he was unharmed.

"The monsters on the 51st floor have been mostly cleared out, but I suspect those new types of monsters have a mastermind behind them."

Lu Qiming thought back to how he had almost been ambushed; if not for the timely support from Ais and Riveria, he would have been dead or at least severely injured. That terrifying attack was something even his body, currently bolstered by Musou, could barely withstand.

"A mastermind? Do you know who it is, Qiming?"

Finn's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the spot where Lu Qiming had been attacked. While he had seen Dungeon monsters coordinate in battle before, this was his first time witnessing them attack in unison like an army, converging their strikes to amplify their power to such a degree.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling it's not far from here, further down."

Lu Qiming pulled out a Top-tier Stamina Recovery Potion and a Mana Recovery Potion, drank them, and looked down at the place he had just been. He knew it was the handiwork of the Corrupted Spirit, but as far as Finn and the others were concerned, this was his first time venturing this deep into the Dungeon.

Therefore, he didn't tell them directly that it was the Corrupted Spirit, but it wouldn't be long; he would see that creature soon enough!

Daring to ambush him—he would definitely have to teach it a lesson!

At this thought, blood-red killing intent surged from Lu Qiming's body, and Divine Judgment in his hand began to tremble.

Thanks to zyangi for the 1 monthly ticket, thanks to Tianwai Bailong Shan for the 1 monthly ticket, and thanks to Erciyuan for the 1 monthly ticket.

Also, Tianwai Bailong Shan, eat a Starburst Stream. Asuna, save me!