"What's your name?"
Raon walked to the right. He nodded at the Iron Chain martial artist subdued by Rimmer.
-Why ask for a name instead of getting straight to the point?
Wrath tilted his head, not understanding.
-A name is a person's most basic and important information. Getting them to say their name first puts psychological pressure on them, making them more likely to reveal real information.
There's a difference between giving information anonymously versus attaching your name to it. Asking for the name of a captured opponent was the most fundamental element of interrogation.
-You seem to know a lot of useless things.
Wrath shrugged, saying it was strange.
'It's not that special.'
For someone who had lived as an assassin, this was as natural as breathing. But it seemed odd to Wrath, who had reigned as a demon king. Their ways of living had been vastly different.
"Gapen..."
The Iron Chain martial artist revealed his name with trembling lips.
"Gapen. What was the Iron Chain doing in this dungeon?"
"T-training martial artists and re-researching magic."
Gapen revealed what the Iron Chain had been doing with a pained expression, as Rimmer kept tickling the soles of his feet.
"So they really were trying to revive the Iron Chain."
Rimmer shook his head, saying they were ridiculous.
"Hey."
Alice grabbed Gapen's collar with a cold look in her eyes.
"You guys kidnapped people too, didn't you?"
"..."
Gapen didn't answer, but his silence spoke volumes.
"Is there someone named Sif among the people you kidnapped?"
"I-I don't know. My role was guarding the perimeter, so I don't know who the hostages are."
He shook his head, saying he didn't know who was being held captive.
"Think hard! A swordsman with red eyes! He's exceptionally strong, you couldn't have missed him!"
Alice grabbed Gapen's neck, telling him to speak up quickly.
"I haven't been at this branch long. That's not within my permitted area..."
Gapen mumbled that he really didn't know, his face turning pale.
"You useless fool!"
Unable to contain herself, Alice raised her fist and struck Gapen's face. Though she likely held back, it seemed excessive to Raon.
"Aunt. Please calm down for now."
Raon grabbed Alice' arm and laid Gapen back on the ground.
"Are you moving to revive the Iron Chain?"
"It's not revival. We've been alive from the start. We're just preparing for revenge!"
Gapen raised his voice, seeming overcome with indignation. Deep anger could be felt from his soul.
"They started it, and now they act like this! Anyone listening would think they were the ones ambushed."
Rimmer muttered in disbelief and smacked Gapen's forehead.
"Ugh..."
Gapen still ground his teeth, looking resentful.
"It seems the Iron Chain remnants aren't just in this dungeon."
The fact that he mentioned coming to this branch suggested there was a separate headquarters. Moreover, for a group annihilated a hundred years ago to speak of revenge, this dungeon was too small. Though he didn't know where the headquarters was, they clearly maintained a much larger force than this.
However, what was below and who they were holding hostage was more important than the Iron Chain's headquarters right now.
"Why were you hiding here?"
Raon exhaled briefly and looked down at Gapen.
"...We f-found traces of someone entering the underground headquarters."
Gapen tried not to speak, but opened his mouth again due to Rimmer's tickle torture.
"Ugh!"
Paras grabbed his temples, seeming to think it was his fault.
"To send a signal while moving the branch, and to buy time... Gack!"
Gapen stopped mid-sentence and clutched his own throat. His eyes began to turn red as if submerged in blood.
"What's happening?!"
Raon placed his hand on Gapen's chest. The magical energy swirling through Gapen's body suddenly twisted, and before it could be stopped, burst his heart.
"Guh..."
Gapen let out a cracking groan and died on the spot.
"This is..."
"Magic."
Raon shook his head as he removed his hand from Gapen's chest.
"They used the flow of magic remaining in Gapen's body to burst his heart."
It seemed they had placed magic on Gapen that could remotely burst his heart to prevent information leakage if he was captured.
"As expected of the Iron Chain. They're ruthless."
Alice bit her lip, her eyes filled with frustration.
"That's not what's important right now."
Rimmer frowned as he looked at the dead Gapen.
"The Iron Chain bastards. They're trying to abandon this dungeon."
"That's right."
Raon nodded at Rimmer.
"The fact that they're immediately abandoning the branch after discovering traces of an outsider shows they're more dangerous than we thought."
To immediately set up guards and try to abandon the branch after finding traces of an unknown person - their decisiveness was astonishing. He could see why the Iron Chain remnants had survived until now.
'We should move as quickly as possible.'
Underground organizations often kill all their hostages when abandoning a branch. They needed to break through this dungeon at top speed to save the people they had kidnapped.
"Aunt. We should go down right aw- Hm?"
Just as Raon was about to tell Alice they should depart immediately, the entire dungeon shook, collapsing both the path down and the exit to the outside. A deep rumbling sound filled the air.
Not just earth and stone, but iron from who knows where began to coalesce, completely blocking the entrance and exit. It all seemed to be the work of magic.
"W-what's happening?!"
Martha bit her lip as she crouched down.
"The cavern. No, the entire dungeon is shaking."
Burren shook his head, looking tense.
"Hmm."
Runaan raised pillars of ice to prevent the cavern ceiling from collapsing, preparing for any situation.
"Ahhh! We'll be buried! We'll all die if we stay here!"
Dorian waved his hands frantically, saying they should escape quickly.
"It's already too late."
Raon shook his head as he looked at the earth-covered exit.
"They intend to trap us in this dungeon until they finish moving their branch."
Not just this cavern, but the entire dungeon was moving rapidly. They were determined to block their path even at the cost of massive magical consumption.
"How arrogant."
Alice stood in front of the door leading to the next floor, her fist clenched.
"Do you think magic or whatever can stop me?"
She struck the magical wall blocking the path with her fist instead of her sword. An enormous shockwave exploded, shattering all the magically condensed stones and iron.
The path, which originally could only fit two people, widened enough to accommodate even a giant due to Alice' tremendous power.
"Just follow behind me."
Alice shouted that she would take the lead and descended into the dark path.
"As expected of our aunt!"
Martha followed behind Alice, shouting that it felt satisfying.
"Though I don't like brute force, I must admit it's refreshing."
Burren nodded and entered the wide entrance.
"Aunt..."
Runaan also followed with twinkling eyes, as if impressed.
"Hmm..."
Raon didn't follow immediately, but placed his hand on the ground. He felt the flow of magical energy moving throughout the dungeon as he operated the Ring of Fire.
-What are you doing instead of going down?
Wrath flicked his hand as if telling him to hurry up and descend.
'I'm examining the flow of magic.'
Though Alice was a Transcendent Warrior, she couldn't continue exerting the power she just displayed. If he could familiarize himself with the magical flow here, it would be a great help in the battles to come, so he tried to imprint it in his eyes and senses.
-You think that will work right away?!
Wrath snorted, telling him not to waste his effort.
'Even if it doesn't work, I'll gain something.'
Raon lightly dusted off his dirt-covered hands and descended to the next floor.
"What are you planning now?"
Rimmer smiled faintly before leaving the cavern last.
* * *
With a thunderous roar, Alice' Spatial Slash spread out in a semicircle, cleaving the entire gray corridor in half. The dungeon shook violently as boulders fell from empty space, arrows and harpoons snapped in two, and traps hidden beneath false floors were completely ripped out.
Alice had destroyed the entire trap room with a single slash.
"Let's move on to the next!"
Alice grinned as she pointed to the open exit on the right.
-Hmm...
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at Alice' back.
-She seems to be pushing herself quite hard.
'Yes. She's using her full power every time to minimize time wasted.'
Raon nodded as he exhaled a murky breath.
-No matter how much of a Transcendent Warrior she is, she won't be able to last long like that.
'You're right.'
Alice had handled everything alone without relying on others' strength as they broke through 20 floors.
They needed to reach the end of the dungeon before Iron Chain's remnants finished clearing the branch, and they also had to take care of the Light Wind division. She was exerting herself excessively. Although the speed was fast, at this rate, Alice might collapse before they reached the end of the dungeon.
"Aunt."
Raon approached Alice and blocked her path.
"I understand how you feel, but let's take it a bit slower. You've used too much aura and stamina."
He shook his head, saying he would take the lead from now on.
"You're right. I am pushing myself. But do you know why I can push myself?"
Alice gave him a gentle smile.
"It's because you're here."
"Pardon?"
Raon looked at Alice with wide eyes.
"I can use my power excessively because you're behind me."
She told him in a low voice that she trusted him.
"Am I wrong? If I'm in danger, if that good-for-nothing son of mine is in a dangerous situation, won't you save us?"
Alice tilted her chin as if telling him to speak.
"...I would. No, I should."
"See?"
Alice grinned and grabbed his shoulder.
"I'll keep opening the path. If any problems arise, I'm counting on you."
She said it was rare for her to entrust her back to someone as she let out a hearty laugh.
"Let's go, you lot!"
Alice shouted for them to follow as she descended to the next floor.
"Entrusting her back to you, she must really like you."
Rimmer grinned as he stood next to Raon.
"She's been like that with me from the start, so I'm not sure."
"She's softened up a lot now. Even Lawaine probably never heard words like that from her."
He shrugged, saying Raon seemed to have completely won Alice' heart.
"It's a bit burdensome."
Raon lightly clenched his fist as he watched Alice' back leading the Light Wind down.
'Right. I'll trust Aunt and focus on what I need to do.'
Even the traps in this dungeon were operated by magic. Though he hadn't fully grasped it yet, it seemed he could decipher the principles of the magic itself if he examined it a bit more. Raon descended, swirling the Ring of Fire.
* * *
The dungeon seemed endless.
It was as if they had gathered all the previously scattered traps and monsters - even after descending 10 more floors, the end of the dungeon was not in sight.
However, because they were spreading such strong magical energy throughout the entire dungeon, he was able to clearly grasp how the Iron Chain's magic operated. Raon narrowed his eyes as he touched the earth imbued with magical energy.
'It's not simply using blood.'
The Iron Chain's magic was weaving the fear and terror contained in the concepts of iron and blood into their spells. Not just ordinary blood, but the blood of the dead. Not common iron, but iron that kills people. They were strengthening their magic by utilizing these negative concepts.
"When will this end?!"
As Alice shouted upon descending to a new floor, grotesque steel golems with bizarre patterns engraved on them rose up from the ground. There were over thirty at a rough count, and the number was still increasing.
"All of you, begone!"
She clicked her tongue briefly and swung her Spatial Sword. With a thunderous roar, all the golems - both those already formed and those still forming - were split in two with a single slash. The magical energy filling this space seemed to be severed as well, as if Alice had not only dealt with the golems but also cut through the magic creating them.
"Huff..."
Alice wiped away the cold sweat dripping down her forehead as she planted her sword in the ground. Seeing her hands trembling, it seemed she was truly exhausted now.
It was only natural, having broken through over 30 floors of traps and monsters, and having to smash through steel doors blocking the way each time.
With another thunderous crash, Alice shattered the steel door blocking the path and flicked her hand behind her.
"Huff, let's go!"
She exhaled roughly and was the first to descend the path again.
"Huh?"
Alice opened her eyes wide as she went down the dark passage.
"This is..."
"I-it's the end! It's the end of the dungeon!"
Paras went down ahead of Alice, saying he was certain since he'd been here twice before.
"You're right. It's the final place."
Alice nodded, saying they had finally arrived.
"So this is the end of the dungeon."
Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at the empty cavern, just like the first floor.
"It's here."
Paras pointed to the center of the cavern floor.
"They opened a door to a secret space here!"
He said he remembered the exact location and showed them the spot.
"Good. Move aside."
Alice gestured for Paras to get out of the way as she raised her sword.
"I'll smash through it in one go!"
She gritted her teeth and brought down a Spatial Slash aimed at the ground. An enormous explosion shook not just the cavern, but the entire dungeon. However, the path Paras had seen did not open. Only the ground was deeply gouged out.
"It's blocked by magic!"
Alice bit her lip as she looked at the ground carved out by her Spatial Slash.
"It seems they've gathered all the magical energy spread throughout the dungeon here."
Raon furrowed his brow as he sensed the powerful magical energy spread across the floor.
'How persistent.'
Unlike the previous floors, there were no monsters or traps on this final floor. Instead, they had condensed magic to completely block entry. They had rolled up magic like iron chains into a round ball and embedded it, making it impossible even for Alice to cut through the magic itself.
'At this level, they must have spilled the blood of hundreds of people.'
No matter how thickly they had wrapped the magic, to create a hardness that could withstand a Spatial Slash suggested they had killed hundreds, no, over a thousand people in this dungeon.
"This is nothing! I'll just break through!"
Alice struck down with her Spatial Slash two more times, but she was exhausted, and the magically formed ground was too thick, so it didn't carve as deeply anymore.
"Damn it! How many people did these bastards kill?!"
Alice shouted in rage as she struck the ground. Her usually composed expression was turning dark.
"W-we'll help too!"
The Light Wind struck the ground with sword attacks next to Alice. Even maintaining their Light Wind Formation, the ground naturally didn't give way much.
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
Alice struck the ground with her fists instead of her sword, shouting curses. She didn't stop even as her knuckles began to bleed.
'Sif. Wait for me! I'll save you soon!'
Though she hadn't told anyone, her parental instinct was telling her Sif was down there. That's why she had pushed herself to descend, and now being blocked by just one wall was frustratingly maddening.
'There's no choice.'
She'd have to use her Sword Domain. Using it would leave her completely drained, and this space itself would collapse, but there was no other way now. Trusting in Raon and using her Sword Domain was the only option.
"Raon."
Alice turned around, exhaling roughly.
"I'm going to use my Sword Domain. I'll leave the rest to you."
She reached out to her beloved nephew, saying this was the only way.
"There's another way."
Raon shook his head, saying she couldn't use her Sword Domain.
"We could dig around it slowly, but we don't have time! We don't know when they'll leave!"
"It won't take long. No, it will be even faster than breaking through with your Sword Domain."
Her nephew said this as he approached her side.
"Faster? What do you..."
"I've finished analyzing it."
Raon cut his finger with the Blade of Requiem and let his blood drip onto the floor. The moment his blood, carrying bright red flames, fell to the ground, all the magical energy filling the underground began to burn. As flames roared to life, Alice swallowed dryly as she watched Raon's fire consume even the magic.
"Just what are you..."