CHAPTER 131: 131 - LABYRINTH OF THE NURTURER [3]

"Wha–"

Raven blinked in mild surprise when Alec, Eve, and Curtis suddenly dashed past him without hesitation.

The abruptness of their movement even made Raven halt his own step, stopping himself from lunging forward toward the approaching herd of undeads.

His right foot, which had been pressing into the ground ready to propel him forward, eased back as he simply stood there, staring at the backs of the three.

For a moment, Raven furrowed his brows, his sword hanging loosely by his side. He weighed his options— whether to join in immediately or simply observe them.

And in the end, he chose the latter. His lips curved slightly upward in the faintest smirk as he muttered under his breath.

"...Let’s see what you all can do."

And so, Raven silently watched as Alec, Eve, and Curtis rapidly closed the distance between themselves and the army of undeads.

The sound of their synchronized steps echoed in the dungeon corridor.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Then, in the next heartbeat—

SWOOSH–

Curtis was the first to make his move. His sword, shimmering with a bright layer of mana coating, swung in a vicious horizontal arc.

S L A S H—!

In one clean motion, several undead heads were severed from their necks, flying grotesquely through the air before thudding onto the ground!

THUD-

The foul stench of rotting flesh filled the space even more, but Curtis showed no disgust, his expression calm yet sharp as he prepared for the next strike.

"Not bad."

Raven muttered softly, eyes narrowing as his attention followed the battle.

Anyway, after that—

Without hesitation, Eve moved right after.

Her spear, also wrapped with mana, thrust forward with only her right hand, her stance perfect and precise.

FWISH–

B A M!

Her weapon’s spearhead pierced straight through the chest of one unfortunate undead, its rotten body exploding apart as her thrust created an intense burst of force!

BOOM!

The resulting shockwave blasted outward in a radius around her, sending the nearby undead sprawling through the air like ragdolls.

The sheer impact even annihilated several of them on the spot, their brittle bones snapping and scattering across the stone floor!

Raven’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched.

"They’re really monsters, huh."

His voice carried a hint of admiration, though it was wrapped beneath a layer of detached calmness. His gaze sharpened further as he watched and evaluated them.

’They killed a whole group without even breaking a sweat. Their control over mana is sharp, refined. And they clearly know the basics— undeads can’t simply be beaten with steel. You need mana or magic to keep them down.’

Raven crossed his arms, his smirk deepening.

"They did their homework."

Meanwhile, the third figure, Alec, moved differently.

He didn’t attack head-on like Curtis or Eve. Instead, he dashed deeper into the herd itself.

BAM–!

S W O O S H–

He wove between rotting bodies, slipping past lunging claws and snapping jaws, not even bothering to swing his sword yet.

"Hmm?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

’What the hell is he doing...? Running right into the middle of that many enemies. Is he trying to show off, or does he have a plan?’

From Raven’s viewpoint, it looked reckless, almost suicidal.

There were still well over 200 undeads in the horde, and though Eve and Curtis had culled a good portion already, Alec was still vastly outnumbered.

But Raven didn’t move. His instincts told him Alec wasn’t just charging in blindly.

’Alec may be naive, but he isn’t an idiot. He definitely has something prepared.’

And just as Raven thought that, Alec suddenly stopped moving. He stood perfectly still, surrounded on all sides by the undead, their grotesque forms converging on him like a tide of rotting flesh.

-Kraaah!

-Gruaaahh!

The monsters snarled as they lunged toward him.

"..."

Yet Alec did not flinch. He didn’t even raise his sword.

"...So that’s how it is."

Raven whispered to himself seeing that.

TING!

Right before the nearest undead claw could tear into Alec’s face, a translucent pink barrier erupted around him, blocking the attack completely. The undead’s claws screeched harmlessly against the protective shell.

Raven’s lips curled upward knowingly.

"See. I knew it. He’s just acting cool."

Of course, Raven immediately recognized the barrier.

’Adelle’s Cocoon. So she’s got his back.’

Then almost on cue—

FWISH– FWISH– FWISH—!

Several glowing mana-coated arrows shot through the air above Raven’s head, slicing past him at incredible speed.

PHUCK–!

PHISH–!

THUCK–!

The arrows embedded themselves into the skulls and torsos of the undead swarming around Alec, thinning their numbers and giving him the breathing room he needed!

"They already have good coordination."

Raven murmured, genuinely impressed this time.

Moving on—

Alec, not wasting the opportunity, immediately shifted into a stance. His expression grew sharp, his breathing steady as he circulated mana through his veins.

Then—

F W O O S H—!

A torrent of raging blood-red flames erupted along both his arms, racing down to engulf his sword completely!

Raven’s eyes widened slightly, a spark of admiration flickering within them.

"Ohhh..."

’He’s already at that level? Faster than the version of him in the novel. He’s growing absurdly quickly.’

Excitement glimmered in Raven’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the protective barrier around Alec faded. His body tensed like a coil ready to spring, then—

"HUP!"

SWOOSH–!

Alec spun, his fire-covered sword sweeping out in a wide horizontal slash!

F W A A H H H–!

The flaming blade tore through the air, igniting everything it touched. Undeads within five meters were instantly bisected or incinerated, their bodies collapsing into piles of ash and charred bone.

The fire didn’t stop there. Like a chain reaction, it leapt from one corpse to the next, spreading rapidly through the tightly packed herd!

Screeches filled the cavern after that.

-KREEEUKKK!!

-GRUAAHHH!

Undead after undead collapsed, burning into nothingness as Alec’s flames consumed them mercilessly.

It lasted barely half a minute, but in that short span, Alec had eradicated over seventy enemies!

At the same time, Curtis and Eve continued mowing down the horde, cutting through another few dozen with brutal efficiency, while Aoi and Adelle supported from the back with arrows and barriers.

"...Wow."

Raven muttered under his breath, his eyes glinting.

"They killed half the undeads in under a minute."

Even knowing they wouldn’t lose to mere low-ranked monsters, their speed and power still caught him off guard.

But then, at that moment...

"Hm?"

Raven’s sharp senses tingled. He turned his head slightly and locked eyes with Eve in the distance.

"..."

She wasn’t attacking at that moment. Instead, she was looking straight at him, lips curled into a smug grin.

"...What’s with her?"

Raven muttered suspiciously.

Then, suddenly— Eve moved her lips silently.

’Don’t slow us down.’

She mouthed Raven’s words earlier back at him!

"..."

Raven’s eyebrow twitched. He didn’t even know how to respond.

[You started it.]

Sariel’s voice echoed flatly in his mind.

"...I know."

Raven grumbled, frowning.

Then—

’And I’m going to finish it right now.’

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He began walking toward the battlefield, each deliberate step carrying a weight that made the others unconsciously pause.

SWOOSH~

His aura thickened with each step, the pressure of [Monarch’s Presence] spreading out like an invisible tide.

The undead, lacking thought, were unaffected. But Alec and the others? Their focus wavered, their bodies instinctively reacting to Raven’s oppressive presence.

TAP-

Then finally, he stopped between Eve and Curtis. Both frowned at him.

"This is how you act cool."

But Raven just said that with a smirk.

And before anyone could answer—

FWIP-

Raven lifted [Emmeranne] above his head with both hands.

FWOOSH~

A wave of mana surged. [Celestria] wrapped around the blade, lengthening it, stretching outward until the sword became a monstrous ten-meter-long blade of gleaming energy!

BZZZT–!

The massive weapon crackled as Raven infused it with electrical mana, arcs of lightning sparking violently along its length!

"...?!"

"...!"

Curtis and the others could only gape.

BAM–!

Raven’s foot slammed into the ground. Then, his voice bellowed with ruthless finality.

"DIEEEE!!!"

SWOOOOSH–!!

The colossal blade in his hands came crashing down like the wrath of the heavens.

B O O M!!!

The dungeon shook violently, the impact tearing through stone and soil alike. A thunderous shockwave ripped across the battlefield, flinging debris, body parts, and dust everywhere!

"KYAAA!"

"URGH!"

Adelle and the others shielded themselves as chunks of rock and shredded undead bodies hurtled through the air.

The ground quaked, the rumble echoing long after the impact.

And when the dust finally settled and the shaking ceased...

"...!"

Their eyes widened at the sight before them.

The massive horde that had numbered over a hundred just moments ago—

-Kregh...ggg...

Only around fifteen undeads remained standing.

"...That fucking monster."

Curtis whispered, unable to hold back his words.

But none of them could really blame him.

And then, as if mocking them further, Raven exhaled contentedly, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Heh. I win."

Then he muttered, audible to everyone.

"..."

A frown appeared of Eve’s and everyone’s faces when they heard him.