Knossos(7)

(Author: Originally it was supposed to be a mega-chapter concluding the whole thing, but the file got corrupted and since it has been too long since the last update, I preferred to write a 'shorter' chapter and conclude Knossos with the next chapter).

"Even with the wind of the greater spirit, you are only slowing the inevitable ARIA!"

Putting strength on her legs, Revis managed to resist being pushed back by the wind and began to force her way forward, heading towards Aiz.

'fush!' 'fush!'

The wind was so strong that it became as sharp as blades, and the closer she got, the more cuts appeared on her body, but for a level 7 creature like her, such wounds could regenerate in no time, which was not the case for Aiz.

The continuous release of the wind was quickly depleting her Falna reserves, and considering the wounds, she had previously suffered, she

was no longer able to maintain that state.

'thud'

With no more strength, Aiz fell to the ground breathing hard and lifting her gaze, she saw how the woman had positioned herself in front of her, ready to cut her down.

"Time to die!"

The woman raised her sword and swung it full of rage towards Aiz's neck, but-.

"Oi freak, play with us."

"Wha-!"

Before the woman could slash Aiz's neck, she was thrown back, and in front of Aiz's tired eyes, the companions he so longed to see again appeared.

"Aiz are you alright?!" -Tione asked agitatedly as she approached her.

"The hell she is alright! Can't you see he has a cut on his chest?!" -Shouted Bete.

"I must say Aiz, that using the wind was a brilliant idea." -Commented Mark, getting a surprised expression from the girl, who however soured at his next words.

"I thought you were all muscle and no brains, looks like I need to re-evaluate you."

"I want a situation report." -Ordered Finn who was in a weakened state from blood loss, but at the very least the wound was almost completely closed.

According to the report several members were poisoned or were victims of the anti-healing curse. In addition, Lefiya and some of Gareth's original group members were still missing.

"What are those incompetent Thanatos Familia doing? Never mind, I'll take care of these worms."-Spurting out some blood, Revis moved back into position ready to attack.

The other level 6 members of the Loki Familia also took their positions, but then they heard Mark's shout.

"MOVE AWAY FROM THERE!!"

There was a characteristic of his 'Monster Perception' skill. Using the Falna as a medium, Mark was able to detect the presence emanating from monsters, and the greater their strength, the more easily he was able to detect them, but now the question. If he was able to sense something even with the presence of adamantine and magic dispersion walls, how strong did the monster have to be? Simple-

'CRASHH!!!'

An absolute beast.

A giant bull-like monster fused with the upper torso of a woman with green skin and green hair and golden eyes, laughing in amusement, destroyed the adamantine wall as if it were mere rubbish, sending the various debris flying like meteors at both the Loki Familia and Revis.

"What is that thing?!"

The various members had no idea what that abomination was, but those who had been on the 59th floor, immediately understood what it was and their expressions stiffened.

'Guide, do you know something?' -Mark, who had moved quickly away from the impact zone, asked the Guide unnerved.

It was the first time he had faced such a powerful yet repulsive existence.

[A demi-spirit in its mature form. The host saw something similar during the 18th-floor incident, when the jewel parasitized that plant monster, mutating it].

What the Guide didn't add, however, was that this mature existence contained traces of high-purity chaos energy, albeit weak.

"Tch, what are those idiots doing."

Annoyed by the development of events, Revis tried to control the monster that was sowing chaos, but her voice did not seem to reach it.

"Aria's wind is blocking communication. If the situation continues, there is a risk that the others will be affected as well."

Shifting her gaze to Aiz for the last time, she decided to walk away while the others were still distracted by the monster.

Meanwhile, the members of the Loki Family wasted no time and immediately left the room, heading towards one of the corridors. They ran as fast as they could, but the sound of destruction caused by the monster was still easily audible.

"Guys, we're here!"

Hearing a shout, the group shifted their gaze to one of the side corridors, where they saw Lefiya together with Felvis and other members of the Familia.

"Are you hurt?" -Gareth hurriedly asked them.

"Filvis and I are not, but Claire and Emilia won't stop bleeding." -Lefiya said worriedly.

"Shifon, try to-!"

'SMASHH!!!'

Interrupting Raul, was the monster who continued chasing after them, destroying all the adamantine walls it encountered.

"Hihihi ARIA!" -The demi-spirit laughed like a child.

"Take the wounded, and let's get away from here!"

With Finn's command, the group started running through the labyrinthine streets again, but the monster still kept chasing them.

"That thing is similar to the one we encountered on the 59th floor." -Said Lefiya surprised.

"But doesn't that thing get tired of chasing us!" -Tione shouted bothered.

"But we can't face it! The others need treatment as soon as possible!"

As Raul said, many members were injured, including level 6, and others were dying, so they had to find a way out.

"Wait! Filvis and I found an exit and froze it so they couldn't close it!"

"Good work Lefiya! Gareth, Tiona, Tione, and I will take care of that thing! Bete, help the others and make sure they get to their destination."

"Roger that!"(all)

The two groups separated. With Lefiya as their guide, they continued down the corridor, while Finn and the other level 6, stayed behind to stop the monster.

The journey was not easy, most of the members were helping to transport the wounded and the labyrinth seemed to have changed after that monster appeared. It no longer had that cryptic and mysterious feeling, now it was completely chaotic with the corridors proliferating with crazed monsters.

"Luckily, we are no longer being led by the enemy, but these monsters don't stop appearing!"

With an annoyed sigh, Mark thrust his blade into one of the carnivorous plant-shaped monster heads, but soon after, more appeared. Fighting, running, protecting the wounded and following Lefiya was becoming more and more problematic as the number of monsters increased, even with the presence of Bete and Aiz, who was not in good condition.

"Oi elf, how much longer?" -Shouted Bete impatiently.

Even though he was the only level 6 who had taken less damage than everyone else, he still found it difficult to protect such a large group in an environment full of monsters.

"We're almost there! Just turn that corner!"

But as soon as they turned, what awaited them was a corridor full of new species. The group prepared to intercept them, but it was not necessary.

'Freeze!'

An ice storm formed, turning the monsters into perfect frozen statues that disintegrated into small crystals shortly afterward.

"Bring the wounded!"

The one who cast the magic was none other than Riveria, who had appeared at the exit of the labyrinth found by Lefita and Filvis, along with the other members and Loki, who had stayed behind.

"You did well to freeze the exit Lefiya, it was the perfect sign." -Riveria put her hand on Lefiya's shoulder.

"Riveria, Loki, some are wounded by a curse that prevents healing, while others are poisoned by the poison vermis!"

Hearing Anakitty's words, Loki and Riveria's eyes widened in shock, but they quickly went to work.

"Contact Airmid of the Dian Chet Familia!" -Loki quickly ordered.

Airmid Teasanare, was a level 2 girl belonging to the Dian Chet Familia, and although her level was low, she was an existence no one wanted to offend. Under the alias of Goddess Santis, she was considered the best healer in the world, able to heal everything from any abnormal state to stamina regeneration, plus she was the best at making artificial prosthetics.

Before she arrived though, it would take time and not everyone was in a situation where they could wait for cures.

"Can you do anything Riveria?" -Mark asked.

Of all the members who had arrived, three were dying. A level 3 girl afflicted with the anti-healing curse and two level 2 afflicted with poison.

Riveria shook her head helplessly. Her healing magic only affected normal wounds.

"Aki-" 'cough'

"Remilia hang in there! You'll be fine, you'll heal and we'll all go home together, alright?"

Anakitty tightly squeezed the hand of the girl lying on the ground as tears began to form.

"Please Mark, tell me you can remove the curse as you did for Finn." -Anakitty pleaded, as she wept for her friend.

"Wait, you can remove curses?!"(x2)

This time it was Loki and Riveria's turn to exclaim in surprise.

"Haaa, it's not that simple." -Mark looked bitterly at the cat girl.

Remilia's aura seemed like it could be extinguished at any time, plus there was another factor that increased his indecision.

'What percentage is the corruption?'

[15%. The host has already used that skill twice today, it's more than normal for it to have reached that value].

Although he expected it, he couldn't help but feel complicated by the fact that the corruption reached such a high value for the first time.

Without 'Golem heart', having his aura flow inside another person was almost impossible. If you considered two people's auras as two liquids with different densities, you knew that no matter how much someone tried to mix them, they would always remain detached, and that was where his skill came in. His skill, allowed him to erase any properties present in his aura making it easier for them to interact.

"Please, Mark."

Seeing Anakitty's pleading eyes and the others' expectant ones, Mark didn't seem to have any other option.

'Let's hope the corruption stays under 20%'

"I can try, but it will be difficult. During the process, I need someone to keep healing."

"Don't worry, my magic won't be able to heal them, but it can slow down the effects."-Riveria nodded.

Seeing that everything was ready and there was no time to waste, Mark sat down next to the girl and whispered something that only she could hear.

"I will only say this once. What you will experience won't be pleasant, but if you refuse the process, don't hope I keep paying the price to save you."

Before Remilia could even react, Mark activated his ability and began to connect with her aura.

"We will go in search of the remaining members." -Raul said.

"Alright, but be careful."

With Loki's confirmation, Raul, Bete, and the healthier members prepared to go into the labyrinth again.