Chapter 73: Conviction

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" In the quiet, large cavern, the sound of a pulsating heartbeat echoed through the air. With Shirou's sharp vision, he observed every drop of liquid seeping from the quartz pillar, which was fully absorbed by the tentacles wrapped around it. At the same time, he noticed that the tentacles of these gigantic Piranha Plants weren't just wrapped around the quartz pillar; they also extended to the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cavern, forming green meat walls.

Shirou immediately concluded that these monsters were the root cause of the abnormalities on the 24th floor. These parasitic monsters continuously absorbed the Dungeon's energy and proliferated their bodily tissues, forming this meat-wall labyrinth that covered the entire granary.

"What terrifying monsters!" Shirou muttered under his breath.

As he took in the scene, his gaze fell upon another mysterious group in the cavern. Hmm, is this another scene the anime production team cut? They're really lazy! At the same time, the mysterious individuals noticed Shirou and his group. Upon seeing the sixteen members, the strangers clearly panicked, and the atmosphere quickly turned cold with killing intent.

"That, that's a Jewel!" Hearing Lulune's shout, Asfi quickly looked in the direction Lulune pointed. At the base of the quartz pillar, a jewel containing a fetus was embedded within it. The fetus inside trembled as it absorbed nutrients from the pillar, much like an unborn baby drawing from its mother's placenta. But this fetus was selfish, disregarding the host's safety as it continuously absorbed energy.

Shirou paid little attention to Asfi and the others' observations—he had noticed the jewel's presence as soon as he entered. However, more than the jewel, he was intrigued by the masked man in the white robe. From his memory, this man had the strength to exchange blows with Bete. The White-Haired Ogre, as he was once known.

"They're already here!" The white-haired ogre sneered, looking at Shirou and his group. Just then, a human from another mysterious group in the cavern approached the ogre, questioning him.

"What have you been doing?! Why did you let them invade here?!"

"The power of the Piranha Plants alone cannot stop their invasion." The white-haired ogre calmly replied. Then, with fervent passion, he added, "Get to work, remnants of the Dark Faction! Become the cornerstone protecting her!" He gestured toward the jewel.

The robed man's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"You don't need to tell me; I'll do it!" The robed man returned to his team, and the remnants of the Dark Faction drew their blades. Their eyes burned with murderous intent as they stared at Shirou and his group.

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Dark Faction's Ruthlessness

"It's actually remnants of the Dark Faction?" Shirou and Asfi exchanged shocked expressions. Both were very familiar with the Dark Faction. This was a group responsible for massacres in Orario years ago, a period that later generations called the Dark Ages. It had been Finn and the others who had pacified the Dark Ages.

"Don't let any invaders leave alive!" The Dark Faction leader shouted. Instantly, the warriors surged forward, weapons drawn.

"Be careful when facing them!" Asfi warned. "Don't hold back. The Dark Faction members are ruthless individuals!"

"Understood!" The Hermes Familia members, now on high alert, engaged in battle with the charging Dark Faction adventurers. But it didn't take long for them to understand just how ruthless these enemies were.

Lulune quickly disabled one opponent, injuring his limbs before delivering a knee strike to his abdomen. She pinned him to the ground and began questioning him about his Familia. For adventurers who faced monsters daily, the majority had little experience with killing people. Most had no conviction to take lives. When the captured man refused to speak, Lulune's face twisted with determination as she pulled out a potion from her backpack.

"It's meaningless even if you don't speak. After all, this is an Unlock Potion!" Lulune held the potion up, shaking it in the man's face. He trembled, but soon, his eyes locked on the distance with newfound resolve.

"Gods, I dedicate this to you, in accordance with the covenant..." He muttered, pulling out a red gem from his wounded arm. Lulune's pupils dilated. The gem was a Flame Stone—a material dropped by Blaze Golems deep in the Dungeon. It was highly flammable and explosive.

Reacting swiftly, Lulune kicked the man away, but it was too late.

"This life, shall go to Ilium!!!" The man shouted before the gem detonated. A violent explosion erupted, and though Lulune had already jumped to the side, she was still caught in the blast. The man's body was instantly torn apart.

"S-self-destruct!" Blown away by the hot winds and thrown far back, Lulune stared blankly at the explosion's epicenter. Even though she had been burned and badly bruised, she didn't react at first. Her mind raced in confusion. How could they do something like this?

Equally stunned was Shirou. Although he had heard the Dark Faction was ruthless, he didn't expect them to be so brutal—willing to sacrifice themselves. Good heavens, he thought. Now I understand why the anime team cut this; it probably wouldn't pass censorship!

With the initial explosion acting as a fuse, subsequent explosions ripped through the battlefield. When the Dark Faction members realized they couldn't fight anymore, they detonated their Flame Stones in a bid for mutual destruction. Shirou had no choice but to cut them down. This was the first time he had killed a human. Unlike his past battles as a Heroic Spirit, those enemies were merely puppets. These were living, breathing individuals. Though he had known this day would come, he hadn't expected it to arrive so suddenly.

But Shirou had no regrets. Since he had embarked on this path, there was no room for complaints. Killing is killing; there's nothing to glorify about it, he reflected. For my sister's safety, what does it matter if everyone else dies? This body was already entwined with sin.

"Projection, start!" With a swing of his sword, Shirou beheaded the man in front of him, then immediately projected several weapons and launched them. The Dark Faction adventurers had no chance to resist as Shirou pinned them to the ground. To protect his comrades, he would eliminate all enemies—no matter who they were.

After the battle, Shirou came to a realization. Humans cannot be compared by numbers. To protect those around me, I would eliminate anyone else. This is my resolve.

--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!

Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter