Chapter 134: Traumatized Aura Moriel

When Allen's magic was activated at full power, even [King] Ottar had to go all out to defend against it.

If he had really hit back then, Ein would undoubtedly have been seriously injured, if not killed on the spot.

Due to the unexpected dungeon rampage earlier, Filvis and the others had collected a large number of deep-level monster magic stones and captured various monsters, which pushed the progress of their plan forward significantly.

However, if Ein were to die, it would inevitably cause a significant delay, and all their previous efforts might go to waste.

Masked Ein noticed Filvis's anxiety, but she remained completely unmoved, her voice still indifferent, "No one could have predicted that [Goddess's Chariot] would be there. Moreover, the moment I discovered his presence, I retreated immediately, without revealing anything abnormal."

"Besides, considering the attitude of the Freya Familia, and Allen's personality as [Goddess' Chariot], they are unlikely to share any information with anyone."

Ein said coldly, "And if he really chooses to investigate or hunt alone, then it's the perfect opportunity to kill him and weaken the city's strength."

She looked at Filvis, dangerous light flashing in her eyes, "As for those magic stones, those can be hunted from the dungeon anytime. We didn't come away empty-handed from the tests we did on that useless catman either."

"At the very least, we witnessed the power of the [Demon King of Sword], and found the most suitable 'vessel'."

In previous experiments, whether animals, insects, birds, or even dragons, none had achieved the desired result.

"That Tree Dragon has already proven that the properties of plants are the best," Ein said.

Then she suddenly stepped forward, the deep red eyes beneath her mask stared straight into Filvis's, the distance between them shrinking abruptly, their breaths almost mingling.

"And you, what are you doing?", Ein's voice was full of mockery, "Didn't Lord Dionysus give you a mission? To seduce that [Demon King of Sword], make him fall in love with you. So where's your progress?"

Ein's tone became increasingly sharp, her voice carrying a merciless disdain, "Is that so hard? What are you pretending to be noble for? What you should be doing is finding him, twisting your waist, wagging your tail, groveling, competing with the women around him, using the lowest, most debased methods to flatter him. That is what you should be doing, not pointing fingers at me here!"

Ein's lips curved into a hideous, cruel smile, "If you can't do it, then let Aura go. That little girl is younger than you, more beautiful, and her bloodline is nobler."

"Anyway, as long as we give her a cup of divine wine, she'll willingly strip naked and crawl into a man's bed."

"To see a noble elf inheriting royal blood, shaking her ass like a cheap Amazon whore, even that man would be tempted, wouldn't he?"

Filvis's gaze suddenly became sharp, her deep red pupils seemingly burning with karmic fire.

"I really want to kill you," Filvis stared at Ein with gritted teeth, speaking in a low voice filled with anger and disgust.

Ein only responded with a scornful smile, completely unfazed by Filvis's threat: "Heh."

"Go ahead," She raised her head, exposing that white, slender neck. Her deep red eyes looked provocatively at Filvis.

"AHHHHHHH!!!", Filvis suddenly let out a scream filled with pain and fury, all her long-suppressed emotions exploding at that moment.

She charged forward like a madwoman, her hands unhesitatingly grabbing Ein's neck.

The elf girl's slender fingers dug deep into Ein's pale neck. Filvis used all her strength, wanting to kill this person she loathed so deeply.

However, Ein still only sneered coldly, not struggling at all, as if she didn't care about the danger before her. Her gaze was icy, carrying a terrifying indifference.

Time froze in that moment. Filvis's grip tightened, the anger and hatred in her heart growing stronger.

But just when she thought she could completely erase Ein's life from this world, her hands stopped, unable to apply more force.

Her fingers trembled. Though filled with murderous intent, she ultimately couldn't take it further.

Ein's familiar cold smile appeared, her eyes filled with even greater contempt.

"Useless, ugly trash," Ein's voice was low and mocking.

She spat directly on Filvis's face. The bloody saliva slid down her cheek, and that humiliating action made the elf girl tremble as if stabbed by needles.

———

"Fi... Filvis…?", Aura looked at the scene before her, voice shaking with fear.



She had originally come because of her doubts, wanting to confirm whether Filvis had really fallen in love with the [Saber] Shirou Emiya and no longer competed for Lord Dionysus's attention. That's why she came to Filvis's room.

However, when Aura opened the door, the scene before her made her almost suffocate.

Filvis was like a broken doll, sitting in the corner in a daze.

Her hands were tightly wrapped around her own neck. That white, slender neck was covered in dark bruises, clearly the mark of being strangled hard, terrifying and grotesque.

The elf girl had a delicate appearance, but at this moment she had lost her former radiance. Her eyes were hollow, pupils dilated from lack of oxygen, seemingly unfocused, her whole being like a soul-less husk, just sitting there blankly.

Her mouth was slightly open, drool uncontrollably dripping from her lips, sliding slowly down her chin. Beneath her, a puddle of transparent fluid was spreading across the floor.

"Filvis…?", Aura was so shocked and terrified she could barely speak. Her body felt frozen, unable to move.

Just then, Filvis suddenly turned her head. Those hollow, dilated pupils stared straight at her.

"Ah, you saw it~", Filvis's mouth twisted into a hideous smile.

That smile, filled with madness and despair, made Aura feel endless fear.

Filvis's pupils began to refocus. The bruises on her neck quickly faded. Filvis slowly stood up and took step after step toward Aura.

Thud—

Aura's legs gave out, unable to bear the pressure, and she collapsed to the ground.

She scrambled backward in a panic, crawling frantically toward the room's exit.

"Help, help me! Lord Dionysus, save me—", Aura cried out, her voice full of despair and terror.

At that moment, she instinctively called out the one name that could bring her comfort, the god she always longed for and revered.

Tears blurred her vision. Aura had almost lost all hope. But at that moment, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.

The handsome god stood at the doorway, calmly watching everything. His lips curled slightly, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

That twisted, mocking gaze shattered the last hope in Aura's heart.

Dionysus chuckled softly, looking down at Aura as if savoring some supreme pleasure.

"Aura, go to sleep. When you wake up, you won't remember a thing," The god's voice was gentle and calm, as if coaxing a child to sleep, without a trace of emotion.

As he spoke, he closed the door at an unhurried pace.

"Dionysus… Lord?", Aura watched helplessly.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Filvis's footsteps approached from behind, getting closer and closer.

———

"Shirou, we're not going any further, nya?", Chloe asked curiously.

They were currently on the 24th floor, the final zone of the Large Tree Labyrinth and the last floor of the middle level.

Below was the 25th floor, the lower dungeon, territory of the two-headed dragon Amphisbaena.

It had been seven days since the last expedition. With no new reports of enhanced species, Shirou and his team once again entered the dungeon.

Just like before, they reached the 18th floor in a day, then continued toward the 24th floor to resume their previously interrupted exploration.

"Actually, with our strength, it's not impossible to take on the two-headed dragon," Lunoire interjected, "But there's no need to take that risk."

To be honest, their team, factoring in Shirou's exceptional power and Haruhime's [Uchide no Kozuchi], was strong enough to take on even a Level 6 monster.

But until today, the deepest they had gone was the 19th floor.

However, neither Shirou nor Lunoire cared much about the so-called "floor record" prestige.

To them, ensuring the safety of every teammate was the most important thing. Caution was wiser than reckless ambition.

Now, Lunoire had vaguely taken on the role of vice-captain. Perhaps influenced by the lively catgirls, she had become more steady and reliable during their adventures.

"No rush. This time, our main goal is to complete the 24th floor's exploration mission," Shirou told the team.

Unlike the areas above the 12th floor, the Large Tree Labyrinth had not been fully explored. Although some information was known, most of it only covered the main passage to the lower levels and nearby areas.

The reason was simple, the area was just too vast. As the dungeon went deeper, its size increased. The 24th floor alone was nearly half the size of the entire labyrinth city.

To this day, the Large Tree Labyrinth still held many unexplored regions.

Another key reason why it was so hard to map was because the labyrinth was made up of massive, ancient trees. These trees kept growing and dying, causing the terrain to change over time.

"Besides exploring the floor, what other commissions did we take?", Anya asked curiously.

Lunoire, while sorting her pack, replied, "Collecting honey from 'Deadly Wasps' and branches from Starlight Birch trees in the labyrinth."

The former was a commission from the Miach Familia, that honey was a key ingredient in stamina potions, and also a premium food product. Starlight Birch branches were high-quality intermediate casting materials.

Adventurer profits in the dungeon didn't just come from magic stones and drops. A big portion came from taking on various "commissions."

These were often posted by different familias or organizations, most commonly to gather specific dungeon materials.

The commission pay was usually 50% higher than direct selling, so many adventurers liked taking these tasks.

However, Chloe complained a bit, "Miach Familia's price is too low, nya. Not even 70% of Dian Cecht Familia's rate."

Lunoire: "Dian Cecht Familia doesn't currently have collection missions in the middle levels. And Miach Familia's commission includes a discount voucher for their potions. While the payment isn't high, the voucher makes it worth it."

Dian Cecht Familia's medicines were undoubtedly top-tier, but also very expensive. Whether a slight boost in potency was worth the high price was a matter of opinion.

Shirou didn't mind, he always used the best medicine directly. But for the others, using Dian Cecht potions in the middle level was just too extravagant.

So the smaller Miach Familia was a better choice.

Though their potions were cheaper, their quality was still top-tier, second only to Dian Cecht's.

Anya swung her spear to kill a bear-like monster, then flicked its magic stone into the hands of supporter Yamato Mikoto.

"We found Starlight Birch easily, and marked the location," She scratched her ear, "But haven't seen any Deadly Wasps yet, nya."

"Near the wild bear monsters…", Haruhime said softly, "There's a better chance of finding Deadly Wasps. It shouldn't… be far from here."

Mikoto closed her eyes and focused, activating her skill to scan carefully, then shook her head, "There are no monster signals nearby."

"In that case, let's rest for a while," Shirou said.

They found a tree hollow. Shirou projected [Higanbana(Alise's Sword)], lightly scorching the bark around to prevent new monsters from spawning.

Anya excitedly looked at Shirou, her eyes sparkling, "Shirou, I want to eat that! That fruit, nya!"

Shirou smiled and nodded, "No problem."

He took out pre-prepared bread from his pack and also brought out orange-yellow fruit.

This was one of the special features of exploring the Large Tree Labyrinth, you could directly find food supplies in the dungeon. In this vast maze, many fruits and mushrooms were edible supplies.

The guild's illustrated guide recorded numerous safe and edible varieties, among which some fruits could not only fill the stomach but also had the effect of restoring mental power.

There were also some with excellent taste, but they were not easy to carry and were extremely expensive on the surface.

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