Chapter 168 Silver Peak
Necronia Central District.
At the heart of the city lies the gigantic structure of the [Seal Temple], surrounded by the vast grounds and mansions of the [Four Great Families of the Seals]. Each of these grounds is separated from the others by massive walls built in the ancient era, which form the path leading to the [Seal Temple].
The north-east path, the north-west path, the south-east path, and the south-west path.
These 4 massive paths are collectively known as the "Grand Temple Avenue".
Fiona and her group were sprinting towards the [Seal Temple] along one of these paths.
However, they weren't running on the ground. The broad, massive "Grand Temple Avenue" was overrun with numerous monsters that had spilled out from the [Seal Temple], making it impossible to make progress. If they tried to defeat the monsters to reach the [Seal Temple], it was unclear how many hours it would take.
Therefore, Fiona and her group were running not on the ground, but on top of the massive walls that formed the "Grand Temple Avenue", which were constructed by the 4 families.
This group of 18, led by Fiona, Owen's ≪Bastard≫, Zara's ≪Silfied≫, and Elliot's ≪Holy Knights≫, was making their way forward.
As they ran along the wall, they sensed an anomaly.
Just as they were about to reach the [Seal Temple], Fiona, at the forefront, frowned her beautiful face without stopping.
"Tch! So that's it...!!"
She couldn't help but click her tongue.
Before her very eyes, in the vast square in front of the Seal Temple (to be exact, the vast space surrounding the Seal Temple), Ignitor, Nord, and their dragons and giants suddenly appeared.
From here on, it's hard to see, but her magical energy sense is picking up another huge reaction. Lich probably also emerged on the surface.
As if to confirm her speculation, in the next instant, the undead army began to be summoned one after another in a corner of the temple's surroundings.
"Hey, big sis!! What's going on now!?"
Zara, the young girl with a childlike body, who was running behind Fiona, asked with her eyes wide open, covered in dark circles.
"Why did they come out using teleportation!?"
What's surprising isn't that Ignitor and the others appeared outside, but rather the method they used to appear――they teleported out.
That's not the usual way they appear in Stampede.
Normally, in the labyrinth under the extreme "Great Outbreak", monsters that have multiplied too much start moving up the floors and head towards the surface. That's how monsters typically appear in Stampede, overflowing from the surface.
Of course, monsters can't use the teleportation circle set up in God's Remains Labyrinth, and there's no teleportation circle set up outside the Seal Temple either.
So, it's impossible for deep-floor monsters like Ignitor and Nord to emerge on the surface at the beginning of a stampede like this... but, as if to defy that impossibility, they appeared through transfer.
"I don't care about anything, I'll just do as I see fit!!"
Fiona replied to Zara's question.
To begin with, it was suspicious even during the previous stampede.
The fact that Ignitor emerged on the surface too quickly was abnormal. There's no answer to that abnormality――no reason, no explanation. It's simply that someone brought those deep-floor monsters that should still be in the labyrinth to the surface.
Someone――namely, the masterminds behind the stampede――did it.
That was undoubtedly an atrocious crime, but...
"Well, well! It's good that we don't have to bother searching for the 'core' in the labyrinth! We can just think about it!"
Elliot said, trying to lift everyone's spirits. If the "core" hadn't appeared on the surface, they would have had to venture into the labyrinth. That's why they had more than half of the clan with them initially.
However, on the other hand, there was also the possibility that the "core" had already appeared. That's because it happened before.
"Yeah..." Owen agreed with Elliot's words, and asked Fiona, "Big Sis, what's our plan of attack from here?"
Fiona was asked, and she thought for a moment before continuing to run. But soon, she stopped.
They were at the corner of a massive wall, the boundary between the [Seal Temple] and the surface. From here on, they had no choice but to descend to the surface. Below them, they could already see a massive army of monsters, led by Ignitor, Nord, and Lich's undead army.
"Probably, the 'core' of this stampede is Ignitor again."
Without turning around to look at Owen and the others standing behind me, Fiona starts talking. There are already monsters all around then, and they don't have the luxury of looking away to chat.
"But there's someone we need to take down before Ignitor."
"Can't we just take down Ignitor with a quick attack?"
Zara tilts her head, but Fiona responds, "Ignitor comes later."
Fiona had heard from Aaron about the previous stampede. In that story, Ignitor was indeed the strongest, but there was another monster that was even more troublesome. That was...
"Let's take down Nord first."
Since Ignitor has weakened after emerging onto the surface, Nord has become stronger after being released from the labyrinth's seal. It's also because Nord won't receive the explorers' first attack like it did in the labyrinth, and its Thunder Magic is just too troublesome.
"And, everyone except the magicians, make sure to equip your 'Silver Peak' from the start."
"""Understood"""
They reply, and everyone except the magicians switches their weapons.
Fiona also puts away the "Black Radiance" she had been using and takes out 2 "Silver Peak" instead.
"Silver Peak"――it's a new type of wooden sword, or wooden weapon, created by Aaron specifically for use against Ignitor.
The "Silver Peak" series is made by combining 2 types of wood.
For example, by combining the wood of an Ice Elemental Treant for the core and Elder Treant wood for the handle, a unique composite wooden sword can be crafted.
"Ice Elemental Treant's wood" is incredibly hard, but it also has the property of being prone to cracking and breaking. That's why, aside from Aaron, no one else could wield "Silver" with full force without any issues, as they couldn't handle the intense aura.
However, with the "Elder Treant's wood" protecting the blade and exterior, even clan members could handle it in actual combat.
In other words, it's a weapon that can be imbued with Ice and Snow attributes, making it effective against Ignitors. And aside from Ignitors, it's pretty effective against most monsters on the Snowfield Floor.
The downside is that its attributes are somewhat weaker compared to "Silver", but in terms of overall usability, "Silver Peak" is far superior. In fact, the clan members were able to defeat the Ignitor in the labyrinth using "Silver Peak".
Anyway, Fiona, who had equipped herself with "Silver Peak", turned to Zara and the others behind her to brief them on their plan.
"Owen, Zara."
"Huh?"
"What's up, big sis?"
"You two will lead ≪Bastard≫ and ≪Silfied≫ to hold off the small fry around Ignitor."
"Got it."
"Elliot."
"Yes, big sis."
"≪Holy Knights≫ will hold off Ignitor. Don't let it get away."
"Got it. And you, big sis...?"
"I'll take down Nord first. Then I'll head straight to Ignitor."
"Is it okay to go alone?"
"I'm fine. I'll finish it quickly."
Fiona declared without a hint of arrogance.
This wasn't due to overconfidence or complacency. She knew that with her current abilities, she could take down someone like Nord in a short amount of time without even using [God's Descent].
Fiona had already acquired the power to make such a claim.
"......"
Before diving into the underworld below, Fiona quietly activated a single sword technique.
It was a technique she had developed with Aaron's help, unique to her alone.
In other words, it was a combined technique of [Dancing Aura Sword] and [Continuous Blade].
Countless small blades released into the air――[Continuous Blade]――gathered behind Fiona, forming a shape.
The number of [Continuous Blade] required was enormous, and it couldn't be completed in an instant. However, that was okay; she could just deploy it beforehand.
Eventually, what took shape was a massive number of [Continuous Blade] forming an aura wing.
Six pairs of 12 wings floated behind Fiona.
My unique sword technique――[Divine Winged Sword]
With the 12 radiant wings on her back, Fiona's figure standing on the wall looked almost divine. Zara, gazing at her from behind, couldn't help but let out a sigh of amazement.
"Big sis... you're beautiful...!!"
She whispered, barely audible.
Meanwhile, Fiona, who had finished creating the aura wing and was fully prepared, declared:
"Alright, let's go!"
"""Roger that!!"""
And with that, she took the lead and leaped off the wall.
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