Danmachi: The Focalors Familia — Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Familiar Magic

A nimble figure flashed through the chaotic fray. Tifa accurately caught the swaying Ouka, using the momentum of her dash to rapidly retreat. At the exact same time, she shouted over her shoulder at Yamato Mikoto, who was still frozen in shock on the other side. “Go!”

Mikoto jolted, her stupor breaking. She had never expected that in such a desperate, blood-soaked situation, other Adventurers would actually plunge into the danger to rescue them. Pushing aside all other thoughts, she spun around without hesitation and sprinted toward her fallen companions, whose lives hung by a fragile thread. Even in the face of death, she refused to abandon her Familia.

In the distance, Riveria and her vanguard, having just arrived at the scene, halted their advance. Hidden within the dense shadows on the opposite side of the cavern, Ryuu Lion slowly lowered the wooden sword she had already half-drawn from its sheath.

‘That magic…’

Riveria’s elegant brows pulled into a tight frown. She felt an indescribable, haunting familiarity in the sound magic that had just repelled the Blazing Axe Mitachurl. Yet, because the sheer destructive power did not match the terrifying force of the woman in her memories, and because the distance swallowed the sound of Noah’s short incantation, the High Elf could not immediately confirm her lingering suspicions.

“That bastard brat!” Bete Loga spat in sheer annoyance, his sharp eyes cutting through the gloom to clearly identify Noah’s team pulling off the rescue.

With a single glance, the werewolf could judge the threat level of the Blazing Axe Mitachurl. This was definitely not a standard Level 1 monster native to the upper floors. It was a genuine Level 2 reinforced species, perhaps even a beast teetering on the edge of Level 3. A monster of this Level was nothing more than a minor nuisance to the Loki Familia, but to a group of rookies who had only recently arrived in Orario and were still sitting at Level 1, it was an irresistible catastrophe.

Despite his harsh cursing, the tsundere werewolf’s muscles coiled, subconsciously preparing to launch himself forward to intervene.

“Wait a moment, Bete.” Riveria reached out, her slender arm blocking his path. “If we go over now, it won’t be saving people; it will be stealing the kill.”

“What kind of joke are you making, Riveria?” Bete shot her a look of utter disbelief, turning his head to glare at the Elven Princess. “Are you getting old and blind? Can’t you see what kind of monster that is?”

It wasn’t just Bete; Tiona, Lefiya, and the others all exchanged confused, anxious glances. Only Ais remained entirely silent, her golden eyes fixed unblinkingly on the white-haired boy. He was slowly drawing his longsword, stepping methodically toward the towering Blazing Axe Mitachurl, and Ais’s gaze held a deep look of contemplation.

“That gaze. I won’t mistake it.” Riveria’s brows remained slightly furrowed, but her tone carried absolute certainty. “That boy is treating that monster as ‘prey’. Meddling at this time will only be annoying.”

Hearing this, Bete narrowed his eyes. He suddenly realized that the white-haired boy’s face lacked any trace of solemnity or fear. Instead, his lips were curved into a faint, excited smile.

“Arrogant bastard,” Bete cursed, kicking a loose stone violently into the dark, but ultimately, he did not take another step forward.

Riveria was right. Noah’s demeanor did not look like that of a man crying out for salvation. Rushing in rashly now would be an unreasonable, insulting act of kill-stealing.

On the other side of the battlefield, Ryuu Lion’s brows were similarly locked in a tense frown. While her raw eyesight might not match the First-Class Adventurers of the Loki Familia, her seasoned instincts clearly felt the oppressive aura radiating from the monster—a power that completely eclipsed the Level limits of the upper floors.

Even through the lingering mist, her sharp Adventurer’s vision allowed her to recognize Noah. She could not fathom where he drew the confidence to challenge a beast that so vastly exceeded his own Level. Still, her gloved hand maintained a vice-like grip on the hilt of her sword, ready to burst from the shadows and intervene at a moment’s notice. This readiness stemmed not only from the justice she believed she had discarded long ago, but also for the sake of the innocent, endearing Goddess of Justice, Focalors, who evoked an unconscious, painful closeness in her heart.

If Noah and his party died here, that Goddess would surely be devastated, just like… the former Goddess Astraea.

“Are you alright?” Robin and Hyacine rushed to the rear, helping Yamato Mikoto gather her bleeding companions into a defensive cluster.

Trembling violently, Mikoto uncorked every potion she carried, pouring the blue liquid desperately over her friends’ mangled flesh. But that meager medicinal power was no different from a drop in the bucket against such fatal injuries. Shattered bones and ruptured internal organs demanded far more than basic supplies. Unless they possessed a high-grade elixir worth over five hundred thousand valis, saving their lives seemed impossible.

How could the Takemikazuchi Familia, constantly struggling on the bitter edge of poverty, possibly afford such an astronomical price for medicine?

Deep, suffocating despair painted the faces of Ouka, Chigusa, and Mikoto. With injuries this severe, holding on until they reached the surface was a pipe dream. Coupled with the towering, covetous Blazing Axe Mitachurl roaring in the distance, their hearts turned to ice.

“It’s okay. I will save them.”

Just as the cold abyss of despair threatened to swallow them whole, Hyacine’s gentle yet unshakably firm voice cut through the gloom. She offered that single sentence of consolation, then immediately closed her eyes and began to chant softly.

“Listen, the whispers at the intersection of dawn and dusk—spirits that remain gentle within the cracks of memories. Please, once again for me, for us, bestow the cleansing rain of healing, and hold up that clear sky!”

Following the incantation, which carried the warm, soothing cadence of the dawn, a small, radiant pink Pegasus materialized within the glowing magic circle, affectionately nuzzling Hyacine’s cheek. At the exact moment Little Icarus appeared, a soft, emerald breeze saturated with the pure aura of life swept across the cavern floor, enveloping all the battered members of the Takemikazuchi Familia, including Ouka.

In their wide, shocked eyes, the gruesome gashes that exposed bone, the splintered fractures, and even the internal hemorrhaging began to knit back together, recovering rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“It’s actually… healing magic.” In the distance, Riveria’s stoic facade cracked, revealing genuine astonishment.

Across the entirety of Orario, Mages possessing high-level healing magic of this caliber could be counted on one hand. In any Familia, such a caster would be hoarded and cherished like a priceless treasure.

Meanwhile, in the chaotic center of the battlefield, Noah had officially engaged the Blazing Axe Mitachurl.

From the very first bone-rattling exchange of blows, Noah accurately gauged his opponent’s Level. The beast’s raw power surpassed that of a Kairagi, though it had not quite breached the threshold of Level 3. Translated to an Adventurer’s Falna board, its Strength and Endurance were sitting at a solid S-Rank.

The sheer gap in their base abilities was an enormous chasm. When Noah’s blade struck the monster’s hardened hide, the steel screamed, barely leaving a faint white scratch behind.

If not for his carefully balanced growth across all attributes, paired with the terrifyingly sharp combat intuition ruthlessly honed into his instincts by Alfia, he wouldn’t even possess the baseline qualifications to maneuver around this behemoth.

Noah pivoted sharply, once again narrowly dodging a devastating, heavy sweep of the flaming axe that scorched the air. In that exact fraction of a second, Robin’s magic support arrived. A concentrated sound wave accurately slammed into the Mitachurl’s knee joint, momentarily buckling its stance and hindering its relentless pursuit. Noah seized the brief opening, kicking off the stone floor to immediately widen the distance between them.

“Sorry, I’ve dragged you all into this.” Witnessing the terrifying clash and the sheer disparity in strength, Yamato Mikoto’s eyes flashed with a dark, resolute fire. Holding her katana in a white-knuckled grip, she had already made the ultimate decision to sacrifice herself. “I will drag it down. You take my companions and go quickly.”