'Huh…'

Vale stared in horror as Ximena's body was staked to the ground.

A moment later, Ximena's ripped sash retreated from her and wrapped itself around Vale's, and started dragging him back.

Then a message was relayed to him.

[A challenger has entered the dungeon]

Followed by four others.

[A challenger has entered the dungeon]

[A challenger has entered the dungeon]

[A challenger has entered the dungeon]

[A challenger has entered the dungeon]

Vale, while being dragged, looked down the hallway to see the struggling Ximena force herself to her feet, still impaled through her side, and cast her hand toward the unseen invaders. A moment later, a red crystal rose exploded into existence and consumed Ximena.

The same crystallized form she'd appeared from in the Dungeon Core the first day they'd met.

From Vale's position, he could see the nearly lifeless crystal owl in a stasis of her own making — trapped half-dead in her Crystal Prison. Then, he saw humans…

Five humans decked out in armor and armed began inspecting the crystal rose with curiosity. Then they started talking, their words carried by the echoey chambers.

A man with full knight armor and a hefty tower shield held his hand on the Crystal Prison.

"Happened just like she said it would…"

A buff archer with a pixie cut, who appeared to be a woman, looked to the man next to her.

"And now you're spearless… Trust her now, Jaune?"

The man sighed as he took a dagger out of his boot.

"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in. I can just dig it out later..."

The knight drew his hand away from the crystal rose Ximena had trapped herself in, then looked back toward the four others.

"We're in a dungeon… Jaune, Meryil, stay focused."

"I sense hostility…"

Then, a small woman in leather armor suddenly tensed up and looked down the hallway at Vale.

"We're being watched."

Vale quickly hid his glowing eyes behind his hands, but it was too late. The group had left Ximena behind and, after activating some glowing orb, began charging at Vale, who started sprinting away.

'Shit! Shit! Shit!'

'What the hell is happening?!'

'Where did these fuckers come from!'

Vale had been given no time to process anything…

He'd just been warming up to Ximena and her to him, and she'd just gotten gutted by a spear right in front of her eyes.

Not to mention his dungeon had not only been found, but people had shown up to kill him. Vale had no idea when he'd been discovered or how, but now that he had, his options were limited…

Vale's mind raced as his feet carried him down the hallway with proportional intensity.

If this group had brought only five with foreknowledge that this was a Dungeon of Vice… Vale's hope ran low.

If this group just happened to stumble upon Vale's dungeon and were confident enough to explore, his hopes were low but not all gone.

However, from what he overheard, these people had appeared here with a purpose. The knight had alluded to foreknowledge of what was going to happen.

As to how that premonition was garnered?

Vale hadn't a clue. It could be Sloth's doing, another oracle, or some individual's hypothetical playing out as they guessed.

The question was… who was 'she'?

'Did I really piss Sloth off that bad by addressing her?!'

And how did Mias not notice they'd been discovered?

As much as Vale wanted someone, something, to blame, he didn't think Mias to be the culprit, as his Loyalty number hadn't fallen. Well, neither had it risen. Remaining 50/100.

Either way, the truth behind what was happening was secondary to surviving it.

As Vale rounded the corner, he spotted Salome, Awilix, Mias, and Toy all waiting for him, having heard the commotion. Their eyes lit up upon spotting Ximena's sash wrapped around his arm.

Salome asked:

"What's going on?"

Vale let out a heavy breath, then said a simple message that conveyed a lot.

"Invaders. Strong."

Salome's eyes narrowed as she asked:

"Ximena?"

Vale finished catching his breath as the steps grew closer.

"Incapacitated."

Salome had an odd look on her face. It seemed her concern outweighed her hate, at least momentarily. Not that her concern was for Ximena, but if a threat possessed the means to deal with Ximena, then it was one that possibly possessed the means to deal with Salome.

The succubus turned her head to Mias:

"Reaper, fight with me. I'll regale you with the tale about what happened to Carver's father."

Mias smiled.

"Enticing… Deal. Though I was already intent on fighting. However, don't go back on your word."

Vale swiftly summoned the status page and dumped the 246 Aether he'd held from beasts, plus the Levels, into Mias. He was once again flat broke — a necessary sacrifice.

Mias smiled as he looked at his arms. His onyx eyes seemed to grow even darker, and his presence seemed to fade. With a delighted smirk, Mias looked toward the end of the hallway, which was now being touched by the invaders' light.

Salome turned to Vale.

"Your orders?"

Vale had merely a moment to decide before the invaders rounded the corner.

"Engage our opponents within the maze. Salome, Awilix, Toy, draw their attention, and Mias sneak up and take out the worst threats to your discretion…"

As much as Vale didn't want to be a coward…

"I'll stand guard at the end of the maze with the warriors and workers."

He had to position himself at the back for the simple reason that if he died, they all died.

Vale ground his teeth and disappeared down the winding labyrinth as the invaders rounded the corner and entered the Legion's view.

***

In Vale's haste, he'd forgotten to relay the most critical detail… Their apparent foreknowledge of what would happen. And the hidden agenda they may have possessed

***

Salome and the others quickly fled into the maze with Mias heading down a fake path and activating Nevermore, lying in wait to ambush the invaders from behind.

At the most narrow pass, Awilix stood with Toy a little behind her and Salome a little ahead of her. Then she revealed several Dawn's Eyes, activated them, and tossed them around the area, illuminating the passage.

Awilix wasn't fully healed from her injuries, and her left ankle was still splinted, so it would be best if she didn't see too much fighting, especially after facing two Levels in a row and was already drained. At the very least, her Eclipse could ward off the invaders from advancing without a cost.

Salome took a deep breath as the footsteps grew nearer and eventually… the sources made themselves present to her.

Salome jumped in the air, then held herself aloft with her quills as she looked down on the invaders. In Laertes' language, she said:

"Why are you here?"

A man in a robe, a mage, wielding a large walking stick with an orb attached to the end, spoke up as he stared at Salome's feet, keeping the rest of her form in his peripheral vision:

"Careful, this beast uses mind attacks. Don't let it get in your head and try to avoid eye contact."

Salome sneered, then unleashed her quills and sent a barrage toward the mage.

However, the knight with the tower shield slid in front, and the moment he planted his shield, all of Salome's quills resisted her control and drifted straight into the metal wall.

Salome struggled to pull the quills back as they stayed lodged against the side of the shield, but eventually she pried them off. However, to do so, she had to descend to the ground and approach the five.

Then, the small woman in leather armor suddenly tensed as the demoness approached, and she screamed.

"Jaune! It's here!"

One blink later, the rugged-looking man wielding but a dagger spun around and attacked the air…

From the spot Jaune attacked, a plume of smoke warped into existence, being held back by his dirk.

The man sighed as he struggled to press his dagger into the cloud of smoke.

"Ah, come on."

Salome couldn't help but notice that the man's attack was facing… 'Resistance?'

That man, Jaune, could attack Mias.

Though Salome was given no time to dwell on it as the archer and mage, hidden behind the knight, prepared an attack, while the last member, the one with leather armor, had cloaked her presence.

Salome couldn't see precisely where the scout had gone, but when Awilix suddenly deployed the Eclipse, Salome figured it out.

Deciding to trust Toy, Awilix, Vale, and the rest to deal with the one scout, Salome sharpened her claws and grit her teeth as she stared down the knight, mage, and archer.

From what she could sense, these humans were not incredibly strong by any means, but they were definitely stronger than any threat the dungeon had faced before. Going off Aether particles alone, these humans all appeared to be Emergent and their Aspects of a descent rank.

The one with the most dangerous aura was the one named Jaune, who was currently locked in a duel with Mias.

Honestly speaking… the group of five humans, together at least, possessed greater power than Salome and Mias.

The mage launched a beam of light, and the archer successively released three arrows, forcing Salome to spin to dodge the attacks narrowly, but one of the arrows clipped her heel.

But while the five may be more powerful than Salome and Mias…

Salome and Mias were two beings whose strength went beyond mere quantifiable Aether. Their will and wit had been forged in the depths of a broken world where only the strongest among the strongest survived.

Salome smiled wildly as she reeled her wings back and prepared to launch herself at the enemy.

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