Danmachi: The Focalors Familia — Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Power of Magic

The professional smile plastered across Liliruca’s face froze.

Astonishment widened her large eyes, swiftly melting into a deep, heavy disappointment. She lowered her head, biting her lower lip hard enough to turn it white. It was a thoroughly dejected, pitiful display.

Robin watched from behind Noah. A flicker of sympathy rippled through her lake-green eyes. Naturally kindhearted, she would have normally extended a hand to this seemingly helpless young woman. But Noah was the captain of the Focalors Familia. He had his reasons. She wouldn’t undermine him out of fleeting soft-heartedness. She remained perfectly still, offering her unconditional support through absolute silence.

Noah’s rejection was crisp, leaving zero room for negotiation. The small Chienthrope girl stood paralyzed for a fleeting second before turning away, her small frame vanishing into the bustling, noisy crowd of adventurers.

Noah didn’t spare her a second glance. He turned and walked straight into the gaping maw of the Dungeon, Robin following closely at his heels.

The spiral staircase plunged downward, the thick stone walls instantly severing the chaotic noise of the surface world. The unique atmosphere of the labyrinth swallowed them—a damp chill mixed with the earthy scent of turned soil and the faint, metallic tang of ambient magical energy.

Robin didn’t ask about his ruthless dismissal, but Noah offered the explanation anyway, his voice echoing softly against the spiraling walls.

“Supporters are a mixed bag. There is no shortage of those harboring ulterior motives. They cling to adventurers for survival, but at a critical moment, a knife in the back from a supposed ally is the greatest danger you can face.”

He paused, his tone dropping a fraction. “More, because of my unique skill, we’re going to encounter… special monsters. Frequently. If we have an outsider shadowing us, my secrets will be exposed.”

“Teaming up with strangers carries the risk of leaking our abilities. Down here, the more hidden trump cards you hold, the longer you survive. We avoid outsiders whenever possible.” He glanced back at her, his dark eyes serious. “You can memorize a person’s face, but you can never see their heart. Don’t judge someone’s morality by a pitiful appearance.”

It was a pointed reminder that the helpless little Chienthrope girl might have been wearing a mask of her own. Robin, sharp and perceptive, caught the underlying meaning instantly. She didn’t need the exact details to trust his judgment completely. She simply offered a gentle nod.

They moved with light, measured steps, their quiet conversation carrying them down to the second floor.

The moment their boots touched the stone tiles, Noah felt it. That familiar, oppressive sensation of being watched. The Dungeon was staring at him.

The surrounding walls began to writhe. Fresh aberrations were conceived within the stone, hatching and tearing themselves free from the dungeon’s flesh.

Slimes and Hilichurls.

Alongside the familiar Pyro Slimes, Anemo Slimes drifted into view, their pale green bodies radiating the chaotic currents of a localized breeze. Heavy Geo Slimes lumbered beside them, encased in thick, jagged shells of hardened rock.

The Hilichurl ranks had diversified as well. Beyond the standard club-wielding grunts, Hilichurl Shooters stood at the rear, drawing crude wooden bows from rough quivers. Hilichurl Fighters stepped to the front, hefting stone axes in their right hands and bracing wooden shields with their left.

Noah was already accustomed to this bizarre ecology. As a Geo Slime rolled aggressively toward him, gaining momentum, he didn’t draw his blade. Striking that dense rock shell would only dull his edge and waste his stamina.

This time, he didn’t hold back.

“Deep within the lake of my heart, Ripples of the Past arise—”

A short, melodic chant slipped from his lips. A brilliant flash of deep azure light pulsed across his body, sinking into his skin. He raised a single hand, aimed his palm at the rolling Geo Slime, and spoke a single word dripping with terrifying authority.

“Gospel.”

A frequency almost too high to hear violently compressed the air, transforming into an invisible, kinetic cannonball. The shockwave blasted forward. The Geo Slime’s impenetrable rock shell shattered like wet paper. The sheer concussive force pulverized the monster, crushing its internal magic stone core into fine, glittering dust in a fraction of a second.

Off to the side, several Hilichurl Shooters knocked their arrows, taking aim.

Noah shifted his cold gaze. “Gospel.”

The invisible sound wave erupted in a wide, sweeping fan. It crashed over the Hilichurls. Their bodies violently convulsed. As if struck by the broadside of an invisible warhammer, their bones shattered inch by inch beneath their skin. Blood violently sprayed from their mouths and noses before they collapsed into broken heaps, dead before they even hit the floor.

The sheer, overbearing brutality of the spell left Robin staring in quiet awe. Her own magic, [Wingbeat of the White Sound], also manipulated sound, but it relied on high-frequency penetration—cutting and piercing. It was elegant. Noah’s magic was a localized natural disaster, crushing everything in its path.

Even Noah was slightly taken aback by the sheer destructive output. This was Alfia’s magic. It was no wonder the woman’s spells were legendary; the raw, unadulterated power was completely off the charts. And now, that devastating arsenal belonged entirely to him.

With his magic clearing the path, the upper-level Slimes and Hilichurls offered zero resistance. Noah didn’t even need to unsheathe his weapon. A single utterance of “Gospel” erased entire swarms of monsters from existence.

Robin smoothly adapted to her role as a supporter. She followed in his wake, gracefully collecting the dropped magic stones and monster materials, only occasionally releasing a precise sound wave of her own to execute a monster trying to flank them from a blind spot.

They carved through the labyrinth like a blazing blade through ice, rapidly descending through the third, fourth, and fifth floors until they breached the entrance to the sixth.

The claustrophobic, monotonous tunnels of the upper floors vanished. The sixth floor opened up into a massive, sprawling domed cavern. The ceiling stretched dozens of meters overhead, heavily dotted with clusters of glowing phosphorescent moss that mimicked a starry night sky. The ground was no longer packed dirt; it was a rugged, treacherous landscape of jagged stalagmites and hanging stalactites, forming a massive natural maze.

The air grew noticeably colder, heavy with biting humidity. Condensation gathered high above, dropping with crisp, echoing drip-drop sounds against the stone.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the Dungeon reacted.

From behind a cluster of massive stalagmites, several giant Slimes the size of young calves rolled into the open. A Large Pyro Slime burned with a raging, suffocating heat. A Large Cryo Slime left a trail of frost, its body encased in thick, spiked ice armor. A Large Geo Slime rumbled forward, its entire mass composed of a single, dense boulder.

They were massive, their magical fluctuations wildly unstable, and the sheer momentum of their approach shook the cavern floor.

Simultaneously, movement flickered on a raised stone platform in the distance. Several Pyro Hilichurl Shooters took aim with crude crossbows. Tied to the tips of their arrows were squirming, volatile little Pyro Slimes.

Swish!

The air tore apart as a volley of burning arrows launched, trailing long, hissing tails of flame straight toward Noah and Robin.

Directly below the archers, a pack of Hilichurl Berserkers let out bloodcurdling shrieks. Brandishing blazing wooden clubs, they kicked off the stone, launching a frenzied, straight-line charge right at them.