Leon quickly spread out the glowing veins of light beneath his feet, and in an instant, the situation on the 18th floor was laid bare before him.
The two demi spirits had descended upon Rivira. Around them, countless adventurers had gathered, fighting desperately alongside the Xenos to resist the ferocious assault.
The battlefield was littered with the fallen. Many adventurers had already lost their lives, and the number of critically wounded continued to rise. The casualties were heavy, far heavier than expected.
If not for the presence of the Xenos, Rivira would have been razed to the ground by the demi spirits already.
At the center of the defense line, standing tall like an immovable fortress, was a massive black Minotaur.
The two demi spirits that had reached the 18th floor appeared to be physical-type.
And yet…
This black Minotaur, brandishing a colossal axe, fought against them alone.
With the assistance of the other Xenos and adventurers, it barely managed to hold its ground, clashing again and again with the demi spirits. The battle had reached a stalemate, but just barely.
Upon seeing this, Leon's brows lifted slightly in surprise.
That Minotaur—Asterius?
That guy had still appeared, huh?
Asterius, the Minotaur who was once defeated by Bell, reborn as a Xenos with monstrous potential. In the original history, his strength had soared to Level 7 within months of his birth. And now, here he was again… but even stronger.
To think that in just over a month, he'd not only been born but had grown to this extent. It was absurd. Outrageous, even.
Though Leon silently complained in his heart, he didn't waste another moment. With a flash, he rocketed into the sky and shot toward the battlefield like a comet.
At that very moment, in the heart of Rivira, Bors was wielding his massive axe, striking out while glancing at the surrounding Xenos with disbelief in his eyes.
He had never imagined such creatures could exist.
Monsters… with human intelligence?
And even more shocking, they were fighting to protect the adventurers.
If these beings hadn't appeared when the demi spirits first launched their assault, Rivira would have already been reduced to rubble. No one would've survived.
Whatever these monsters were, Bors owed them his life.
"Asterius, hang in there! Fels said Leon's arrived, he'll be here any moment." shouted Lyd, clad in his armor, his voice cutting through the noise.
Not only Bors, many of the adventurers nearby caught his words.
Leon?
The strongest adventurer in the city today?
From the mouths of monsters?
They knew Leon?
All eyes widened.
Huff—!
Asterius didn't answer. He simply exhaled deeply, grinding his white teeth together as his muscles bulged. Despite the aid of Lyd and the others, he was clearly reaching his limit against the relentless assault of two demi spirits.
But in the next second, his sharp instincts sensed something. His eyes snapped toward the sky behind the demi spirits. The Xenos noticed it too.
A streak of brilliant azure light tore through the air.
"That's… Leon! He's here!" Lyd shouted, his voice filled with joy.
The other Xenos echoed his cry, and even the battered adventurers in Rivira erupted with cheers. They had all seen Leon's Tenseigan form before. That mesmerizing blue light, unmistakable and divine.
Lyd hadn't been lying. Leon had arrived. The light in the sky was none other than him. And Leon didn't disappoint.
Swoosh!
Swish!
BOOM!!!
The demi spirits, beings so terrifying that it took the combined might of the Xenos and countless adventurers just to stall them, were instantly cleaved apart.
Before they could even register Leon's presence, his blade had already descended.
A storm of cold, sharp light flashed across the battlefield, and the towering demi spirits were sliced cleanly into dozens of pieces. They didn't even have time to scream.
Leon's strength at full power was terrifying. Even demi spirits couldn't last a single exchange with him.
That was why Leon had the confidence to come here alone, despite knowing that ten demi spirits had emerged in this chaos.
He didn't fear them. No matter how many came, he believed firmly that he could bring them all down.
The adventurers and Xenos who had been fighting to the brink of death froze in place. Their eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the remains of what had once been their insurmountable enemy.
Silence fell.
Only Asterius remained unfazed, though his gaze trembled with emotion.
He had believed he was strong. He had carved a path deep into the Dungeon alone, entering and exiting the Dragon's Vase without being trapped.
He had even faced down the Valgang Dragon King and his army on the 58th floor and triumphed. He was proud of that strength.
And yet… with all that power, he still needed help to battle two demi spirits.
Leon, however…
He destroyed them in seconds.
"What… monstrous strength…" Asterius muttered, a fierce gleam sparking in his bull-like eyes.
But I want to fight him…!
Whatever Asterius was thinking, Leon had no idea.
After finishing the demi spirits, he casually caught the two magic stones, deliberately untouched by the sky flame, and tossed them into his system storage. Then, his gaze shifted across the battlefield.
Adventurers, Xenos—wounded, exhausted, barely clinging to life.
Leon didn't hesitate. He raised his hand and used his healing magic. A radiant holy light surged outward, bathing the entire battlefield in warmth and brilliance.
The light gently wrapped around every survivor, and in mere seconds, wounds began to close, blood clots vanished, and broken bones fused.
Everyone's injuries healed at a pace too fast to believe. By the time they realized what was happening, they were already whole again.
The injured Xenos and adventurers looked down at themselves in shock, then glanced at their comrades nearby. They met each other's stunned gazes, eyes filled with disbelief.
Just moments ago, they had been on the verge of death.
Now…
Now they were standing as if nothing had happened.
"Bors. Lyd." Leon finally spoke, his calm voice cutting through the lingering silence.
Lyd snapped back to reality first. "Leon! Your magic is truly miraculous. My injuries were so severe, but they disappeared instantly." He laughed, nearly overwhelmed by relief and awe.
Leon nodded faintly in response.
"Leon… do you know these monsters?" Bors asked, finally finding his voice as he glanced between Leon and the Xenos.
Leon turned his gaze to him and answered calmly, "Yeah. They're called Xenos. Monsters… with intelligence."
"If you want to know the truth... some of them can be considered our companions."
Leon's voice was calm as he glanced at the stunned adventurers around him.
"Xenos are the reincarnated souls of monsters and adventurers who perished in the Dungeon. Their souls remained in the depths and were reborn… into the monsters that dwell here."
He nodded slightly, his tone unwavering as he explained.
The moment those words left Leon's mouth, a ripple of shock swept through the gathered crowd.
None of them had expected this. But Leon wasn't lying.
Asterius, the massive Minotaur who had just stood at the forefront of the battle, was none other than the reincarnation of the Minotaur who had fought Belle in the past. Some Xenos were former monsters, yes but others had once been adventurers, just like them.
In the original story, Lyd once mentioned dreaming of sunlight and of buildings on the surface. But those weren't dreams. They were memories. Memories of a past life.
Back then, during Lyd's birth, Monsterphilia hadn't yet existed. The Ganesha Familia hadn't begun bringing monsters to the surface. Monsters born in the Dungeon had no opportunity to see the sun, let alone the architecture of Orario.
So where did those memories come from?
There could only be one explanation. Lyd's memories were from a previous life as an adventurer who had died within the Dungeon. After death, his soul was reincarnated as a monster.