Danmachi: The Focalors Familia Starting from the Dungeon

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The power of this Elite Ninja Zombie far exceeded any monster Aiden had faced before. He felt a sudden, heavy pressure on his wrist but chose not to meet the strike head-on. Instead, he used the force of the collision to spin on his heel. The flaming sword in his hand swept outward in a perfect arc, carrying the howling sound of the wind.

That crimson-gold blade flashed like lightning, leaving a lingering afterimage suspended in the air. The zombie’s reaction time was equally absurd. Its body suddenly dropped, sliding across the ground at an impossible angle to narrowly evade what would have been a fatal, bifurcating strike. Even so, the scorching updraft from the flaming sword carved a half-foot-deep gash into the rock wall behind it. The extreme heat scorched the stone black, sending a cascade of debris crumbling to the floor.

Before the Elite Ninja Zombie could regain its footing, Aiden pursued it with teleportation-like speed, slamming his left foot down hard. The sturdy rock instantly cratered into a spiderweb of cracks as gravel exploded outward. Riding the immense recoil, his right hand thrusted the flaming sword forward like a streak of crimson light, aiming straight for the monster’s back. The fierce pressure of the blade carried heat capable of melting steel, nearly igniting the zombie’s clothes before it even made contact.

As if it had eyes on the back of its head, the zombie abruptly twisted its body just as the tip of the sword was about to pierce its flesh. Simultaneously, it threw a reverse slash with its right longsword at a brutally vicious angle.

Clang!

Blade met flame once more. The force of this collision was even greater, leaving Aiden’s entire arm slightly numb. He didn’t halt his assault, however. Clenching his left hand into a fist faintly wrapped in fire, he mercilessly hammered it down onto the zombie’s shoulder.

The zombie hastily raised its left arm to block. Aiden’s fist slammed into it with a muffled Thud!, the distinct sensation of a solid hit traveling up his arm. The strike sent the zombie staggering back several steps, leaving a clear, charred imprint on its pale arm. The purple veins sprawling across its skin instantly dimmed. Yet, it didn’t retreat. The murderous intent in its crimson eyes only grew more intense.

It suddenly accelerated, its twin swords dancing in a suffocating flurry. The blades wove a dense purple net in the air, descending upon Aiden from every possible angle. The howling wind of the strikes whipped Aiden’s white hair into a frenzy, the biting chill of the steel prickling his cheeks. His pupils contracted as he met the assault head-on, swinging his flaming sword to clash with the zombie in an all-out, point-blank offensive.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The rapid-fire clash of weapons rang out like a torrential downpour. The two figures completely blurred into intertwined afterimages of red and purple.

”What... what kind of speed is this?!”

From the rear, Tifa, Robin, and the others had completely lost the ability to track the movements with the naked eye. All they could see were two streaks of light frantically flashing and colliding within the cavern. Every clash erupted in blinding sparks and shockwaves of energy.

”I can’t step in at all!” Tifa’s beautiful eyes were glued to the battlefield. She knew full well that at this level of speed and attack frequency, rushing in recklessly wouldn’t just fail to help—it would turn her into a liability for Aiden. She didn’t dare leave Robin and Hyacine’s side, either. Given the Elite Ninja Zombie’s terrifying mobility and the reach of its twin swords, any opening it found to get close would likely result in an instant kill for the two rear-line fighters.

Robin gently closed her eyes, fully activating the mental network of her [Family of Harmony] skill. In this state, her perception was infinitely amplified. Every minute movement of the Elite Ninja Zombie was synchronized with Aiden through their telepathic link, providing him with critical battlefield support.

In pure, raw stats—strength, speed, endurance—Aiden was being completely overwhelmed. However, aided by the omniscient perspective granted by Robin’s [Family of Harmony], he relied on his near-inhuman reflexes to match the Elite Ninja Zombie’s blistering attack frequency.

A lightning-fast, lunging slash from the zombie forced Aiden to retreat rapidly. Simultaneously, the monster perfectly parried his reverse counter-slash, sending sparks flying in all directions.

”Let it resonate!”

Seizing a fleeting opening, Robin cast her magic from a distance. ”[Pinion’s Aria]!” The high-speed sonic magic should have been impossible to dodge, but the zombie evaded it instantly with an unimaginable sidestep. A wind blade shot out tentatively by Hyacine was casually shattered with a single swing of its blade.

Ranged attacks were completely useless. The zombie’s chaotic dual-blade dance whipped up a terrifying storm of steel. Fueled by its unreasonable strength, the howling wind alone possessed lethal cutting power, leaving fine bloody gashes across Aiden’s body. And this was with the protective flames of his [Everlasting Flames]; without it, these would be far more than mere flesh wounds.

The cavern floor and surrounding walls were marred with deep, bone-chilling sword marks. Even though the creature wasn’t projecting mystical ”sword aura,” the destructive force generated by the blades ripping through the air was virtually indistinguishable from it.

”[Gospel]!”

Aiden caught a break in the onslaught and unleashed his short-chant magic, [Demon Lord Valion]. Invisible sonic shells instantly detonated point-blank against the zombie. A terrifying shockwave blasted outward, violently pushing both of them apart. Half of the zombie’s body was blown into a bloody pulp, its stark white bones clearly visible.

Yet, before Aiden could even catch his breath, the horrifying wound began to writhe and knit back together at a visible rate, returning to normal in the blink of an eye. Clearly, its Endurance stat was also absurdly high.

”[We Who Fly Into the Dawn]!”

Taking advantage of the distance, Hyacine immediately cast her magic, summoning the small pink Pegasus, Little Ica. A gentle, healing light enveloped Aiden, providing him with the continuous regenerative effects of [Rain Clears to Sun] and instantly sealing his wounds.

The fully regenerated zombie let out a low growl. Lowering its twin swords, it transformed into a nearly invisible blur. The sheer force of its acceleration created a terrifying sonic boom, leaving a deep crater where it had stood. In an instant, it was right in front of Aiden, its twin swords slashing out to form an airtight web of purple steel.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed. His footwork became unpredictable, weaving through the net of blades like a phantom. Every dodge was calculated to the absolute limit. The cold gleam of the blades reflected in his icy blue eyes as they skimmed past his hair, yet his expression remained completely unchanged. With a flick of his wrist, his flaming sword precisely parried every fatal strike.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The continuous, rain-like collisions echoed endlessly through the cavern, shaking the stone walls to their core.

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