· My Name, Alf!

Clang!

As the blades collided, a violent gale roared wildly between the two, and the long black blade slowly began to press down on Ais.

Even with Wind Spirit infusion, I'm only holding my own? No! Not just holding my own—I'm being suppressed!

Ais used every ounce of her strength to resist the encroaching blade. Under the opponent's terrifying power, the ground beneath her feet began to crack and sink.

"Hmph!"

The red-haired woman exerted force, parrying Ais's sword aside, then lifted her left leg and kicked hard into Ais's abdomen.

BOOM!

Ais was sent flying instantly, soaring a hundred meters before slamming into a stone pillar, finally bringing her retreat to a halt.

"Such a convenient wind, Aria."

The red-haired woman leaped to a spot not far from Ais, watching her calmly.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"What do you think?"

Opposite her, seeing that the woman had no intention of answering, Ais returned the Despair Sword to its sheath, the wind swirling around her growing increasingly violent.

"What, is Aria planning to give up?"

"Please tell me where you learned that name, otherwise I cannot guarantee that my next attack won't kill you!"

Ais's expressionless face carried a hint of seriousness as she spoke sternly.

"Heh! Kill me? Try it if you can!"

Upon hearing Ais's words, the red-haired woman wore a mocking smile, as if she had just heard a joke.

Seeing that the opponent still refused to tell her, the expression on Ais's face gradually faded. In response, the wind around her began to converge toward her blade, the aura it emitted becoming increasingly sharp.

!!! What is Aria doing!

Sensing the complete shift in Ais's aura, the red-haired woman dropped her dismissive attitude, raised her long blade, and transformed into a black blur as she charged toward Ais.

Although she didn't know what Ais was planning, she knew she had to stop her—she absolutely could not let her succeed!

"Wind, entwine upon the blade!"

Ais's soft whisper echoed; she slowly closed her eyes and gripped the sword hilt tightly with her left hand.

Just as the red-haired woman's blade was about to touch Ais's neck, Ais's closed eyes snapped open, and the blade in her hand was drawn in an instant.

Draw Sword Strike!

A tangible cyan sword light flared. In the red-haired woman's shocked eyes, the long blade in her hand was severed instantly, as if it were made of paper. In the moment the sword light struck, the red-haired woman forcibly twisted her body in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the Magic Stone in her chest.

SWISH!

The sword light flashed, and blood splattered.

THUD! THUD!

The red-haired woman's body was split into two sections; after flying a distance, they fell to the ground, bright red blood flowing continuously from the wounds.

"Cough, cough... what kind of technique is this?"

The red-haired woman used her remaining hands to prop up her upper body, looking at Ais in disbelief. How could Ais, who had been suppressed by her just a moment ago, kill her in an instant?

"Draw Sword Strike."

Ais calmly returned the Despair Sword to its sheath and walked toward the red-haired woman's upper body.

"Draw Sword Strike?"

The red-haired woman glanced at her lower half not far away, then lifted her head to look at the approaching Ais.

"Aria, next time we meet, I will definitely surpass you!"

"What did you say?"

Ais looked at the enemy who was now only an upper torso. Was she still planning to escape?

The next second, the ground beneath the red-haired woman's body collapsed. A Man-eating Flower monster appeared, swallowing the woman's severed body in one gulp before vanishing.

Ais stared at the fleeing enemy, standing stunned for a moment. She then turned to look at the entrance to the 59th floor for a few seconds before turning and rushing toward Finn and the others.

Next time they met, she would definitely succeed in capturing that woman and demanding to know why she knew the name of her long-lost mother.

Atop the main body of the giant flower, Lu Qiming held Divine Judgment, continuously severing the incoming vines. But the next second, the severed vines regenerated at an even faster speed, and even more vines swarmed toward him.

"Tch!"

Lu Qiming dodged away from his spot. If his stamina and magic hadn't been depleted, he would have finished off such trash long ago. There would have been no need to spend so much time just trying to get close to the main body, only to be blocked by the endless stream of vines.

"Qiming, come back!"

Below, Finn noticed Lu Qiming's movements. He knew that even though they had just cleared the 58th-floor monsters and Lu Qiming had consumed a top-tier potion, only a few minutes had passed—hardly enough to recover much magic or stamina.

"Coming!"

Seeing the group gathered below, Lu Qiming caught sight of the vines attacking again from the corner of his eye. He stomped hard on the giant flower's body and flew toward Finn and the others.

Snap!

Lu Qiming landed in front of the group, noticing that Ais had already returned to the crowd.

"Ais, what about that red-haired person?"

"She escaped, but I will definitely catch her next time."

Ais gripped the sword at her waist and said resolutely; she would definitely catch that person and get to the bottom of this!

"Mm."

Lu Qiming nodded. Although Ais had already mastered the Draw Sword Strike and had even soloed the floor boss Udaios, she hadn't updated her status yet and was still just a Level 5 adventurer. Once the expedition ended and her data was updated, that red-haired woman would fall into Ais's hands sooner or later.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

At this moment, the giant flower and the surrounding Man-eating Flower began to roar frantically, continuously closing in on the group.

"It seems they have no intention of leaving just like that."

Finn looked at the completely berserk monsters, knowing it was the work of the individual Ais had severely wounded and allowed to escape.

"All together now! Hold them off and buy time for Riveria and Lefiya to chant!"

Lu Qiming hadn't recovered yet and needed to conserve his strength for the upcoming battle on the 59th floor, so they had to rely on Riveria and Lefiya's magic to clear the field.

In an instant, everyone except Ais and Raul charged directly toward the monsters, while Ais remained behind to protect Riveria and Lefiya, who were focused on their chanting.

As for Raul, he would only be a hindrance if he went up, and the others would have to look after him.

"The mission of a mage is to unleash powerful magic to decide the outcome of a battle. Chanting a spell means you trust the companions fighting alongside you to protect your safety."

Riveria stepped forward, stood in front of Lefiya, and spoke calmly.

Beside her, Lefiya, who had been afraid, looked at Riveria, then at the others fighting the monsters, and finally at Ais and Raul guarding them. She lowered her head to look at the staff in her hands.

"Trust my companions. I understand, Riveria!"

Seeing that Lefiya was fine, Riveria closed her eyes, raised her staff high, and began to chant the incantation.

"The prelude to the end, vast white snow, swirling with the wind at twilight.

Light is severed, the earth is frozen, snow fills the sky, the third winter.

The end approaches, the flames are about to erupt."

As the two chanted, a massive, ice-crystal-like magic circle emerged on the ground, which then began to transform into a deep crimson.

"Ignite, crimson lotus flames, merciless fire.

You are the incarnation of karmic fire.

Sweep away the chaos, and raise the curtain on the final war.

Burn everything to ash, Sword of Surtr!

My name is Alf!"