Before his words had even finished, Thor moved!
His body dropped low in an instant. The next second, he charged toward the monsters ahead, the air beneath his feet seeming to stir under some invisible force, giving rise to a faint yet exquisite current!
He used no magic or energy at all, relying purely on skill and his perception of the airflow!
Steel-Cutting Dash!
Riding the turbulence stirred up by the charging Goblins ahead, the wooden staff in his hand seemed to come alive.
His figure moved so fast it almost left afterimages, like a butterfly flitting through flowers or a phantom darting through the night, weaving and shifting through the monster horde in an astonishing dance!
Every seemingly perilous near miss precisely avoided every claw and bite.
His staff tapped, deflected, and guided, cleverly using the monsters' own momentum and the gaps in their formation to throw them into disarray, yet not one of them managed to touch so much as the hem of his clothes!
That graceful, nimble footwork that let the weak overcome the strong...
Ais saw it all clearly. Her breath caught slightly.
It was completely different from the wind-element enhancement granted by her [Ariel], which she drove with her surging magic!
This was a combination of pure footwork and swordsmanship!
An advanced technique she had never even imagined, one that required no magic at all!
At the same time, Thor was chanting under his breath.
"...Unsettled obsessions, an eternal pact of serenity. Let them intertwine and resonate here, becoming the final movement..."
What astonished Ais and Lefiya even more was that, while dodging at such high speed in such a dangerous situation, Thor was also chanting a spell.
His voice was low and steady, completely unaffected by his intense movements.
"That's... Parallel Chanting!?"
Lefiya gasped softly, her eyes wide as saucers. She had almost forgotten they were in danger.
As a mage, she understood what this meant even better than Ais did!
To construct a complex magical structure while distracted by such intense close-quarters combat, precisely controlling every syllable of the chant...
What kind of terrifying bodily control and fine manipulation of magic did that require?!
What kind of magic was Mr. Thor planning to cast?
Lefiya was both shocked and confused.
Her gaze followed Thor's figure closely as he wove his way through the monsters with peerless footwork, calmly shaping that unknown power at the same time.
As he chanted, a heavy, lifeless presence spread through the chamber overhead. Deep-gray energy began to gather and slowly spiral, like an eye of death opening.
Everyone felt a deadly aura. It wasn't mere pressure, but an instinctive shudder from the depths of their souls.
The monsters went completely berserk. They roared and instinctively directed every attack at Thor. Dozens of Goblins, War Shadows, and Hellhounds surged toward him like a tide, their claws and fangs gleaming in the dim light.
Bell's heart tightened, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. "Lord God, you're in danger!"
He was just about to rush forward when a powerful gust suddenly shoved him back two or three steps, making him stumble.
Only then did he realize that the airflow within a hundred meters of Thor had become as turbulent as a whirlpool. Its currents followed an eerie, unpredictable course, as if space itself were warping.
Thor's figure flickered uncertainly among the monsters, but his chant never stopped. "...The beating of the heart is the noisiest sound in the world... Let me play for you... one final elegy..."
As the spell progressed, the deathly magic gathered overhead in an instant, turning into invisible chains that precisely locked onto the top of each monster's head.
But the crisis erupted at that very moment!
Scarlet flames surged in the throats of several Hellhounds. They spat out blazing fireballs with a roar, weaving a net of flames that sealed off every path Thor could use to dodge.
Flames rushed at him, and scorching heat seared the air.
At this critical moment, Thor lightly spun the wooden staff in his hand. The airflow in the chamber whipped into a frenzy in response—
Wind Barrier!
An invisible wall of air sprang into existence.
The instant the fireballs struck the barrier, they burst apart like glass, scattering sparks everywhere!
The residual gust swept across the rock walls, sending gravel pattering to the ground.
Thor stepped forward. His chant reached its end, and his voice suddenly turned cold. "Shh—be still. Listen to this requiem, and then..."
"Fall into eternal sleep!"
The moment his words fell, a piercing shriek of death tore through the air!
The gray magic spiraling overhead collapsed to a single point, and an immense force of magic pierced the monsters' skulls!
"Boom—!!!"
The shock wave swept through the chamber. Every monster's body stiffened, then was torn apart by death!
The roaring frenzy from a moment before came to an abrupt halt, leaving only Magic Stones rolling across the ground in the silence.
This was the death chant—[Requiem]!
The shock wave from Requiem swept through the chamber with a howling blast of compressed energy!
The three of them staggered under the impact and instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes. Their clothes and hair were blown tight against their bodies.
When the heart-stopping currents of energy finally subsided, the sight before them left them holding their breath—
The vast chamber had suddenly become empty and silent. The monster horde that had surged like a tide moments ago had been completely wiped out.
Only Magic Stones, glowing faintly like fireflies, were scattered across the ground. There was not a trace of life left.
"This... This is..." Bell stared open-mouthed, his mind blank with lingering shock.
Lefiya felt as if her heart were about to leap out of her chest. The sight of everything being destroyed in an instant had left her with an indelible sense of awe.
Was this the magic Mr. Thor had spoken of? Was this just a fraction of the power he possessed?
This had completely surpassed the limits of her understanding of magic!
In the stunned silence, Thor's voice drifted over, tinged with a hint of fatigue.
"These are the [Wind-Riding Sword Art], [Requiem], and the combat techniques for [Parallel Chanting] that I'll be teaching you next. I'm sure that if you master these in the next seven days, your strength will improve by leaps and bounds."
[Requiem]! What incredible magic!
Lefiya looked toward Thor, her heart filled with awe.
But the next second, a flicker of confusion passed through her bright eyes.
She tilted her head and looked Thor up and down from an almost vertical angle, then blurted out, "Lord Thor, you... Why are you lying on the ground?"
Thor was lying on his back on a relatively flat patch of rock, completely relaxed, with none of the awe-inspiring presence he'd had while casting that astonishing spell.
Hearing Lefiya's question, he laughed heartily, his laughter open and carefree.
"My strength is weak right now. Even casting [Requiem] once was a struggle." He pointed to the Magic Stones scattered on the ground. "It took too much out of me. I need to catch my breath."
The light of the lone [Stardust] inside him had dimmed. The energy it stored had been almost completely drained by that one attack.
The number of Stardusts determined how much magic he had inside him, and also set the upper limit on the power each spell or skill could display.
That [Requiem] just now had clearly taken everything he had.
Thor glanced at the three of them, still stunned, and asked casually, "All right, which of you is going to carry me? Let's call it a day. We should leave the Dungeon."
Bell was the first to react. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately stepped forward. "Lord God, I'll carry you."
He was filled with gratitude toward Thor and wanted to ease his exhaustion as soon as possible.
But a golden figure was even faster.
Ais had already appeared silently beside Thor. She swiftly and gently knelt down, then said in her cool voice, "Let me."
Thor was willing to teach her his techniques for free, and she was already very grateful.
If she could repay him as much as possible now, perhaps she would feel a little more at ease...
At dusk, the golden sunset bathed the Labyrinth City of Orario in a warm glow.
Outside the Hostess of Fertility, Syr held a broom and absentmindedly swept a few fallen leaves from the stone-paved street.
Yet her gaze kept drifting toward the end of the road.
That was the direction of the Dungeon entrance.
Her slender fingers unconsciously turned the broom handle as she gazed down the road, waiting with almost unbearable anticipation.
She lightly bit her lower lip, silently calculating the time. "It's this late... He should be back soon, right?"
Just as her anticipation was about to turn into disappointment, the figure she had been longing for finally appeared around the corner in the distance.
Syr's gray eyes lit up in an instant, like dusty stars shining anew, and the corners of her mouth began to lift despite herself.
But the smile had barely begun to form when it froze on her face.
She saw Thor.
But what she hadn't expected at all was that Thor wasn't walking alone, nor was Bell supporting him. Instead—
He was lying face down across Ais Wallenstein's back!
The famous golden-haired Sword Princess of Orario was carrying Thor steadily as she walked toward her.
Thor's cheek was even resting lightly against the strands of hair by Ais's neck. He looked so relaxed, almost as if he were sleeping peacefully.
"Ah...?"
A short, faint gasp escaped Syr's slightly parted lips.
Before you continue