"I'm beat!" Sighed Aria, as she slumped in her seat with a weary look on her face.

We'd just made it out of the Dungeon and got in the hovering van to head back to Sanctuary Theta, all of us worn out.

Physically, we all had some level of stamina left, but we were mentally exhausted.

Going up seventy-four floors and then heading all the way back down took a ton of time, it's been over twenty-six hours since we first entered the Dungeon.

This is pretty standard for a High Level Dungeon, they usually take at least a day to clear, and that's more because of the sheer amount of distance that needs to be covered, rather than because of the Monsters.

It should take about half an hour to get back to the Sanctuary. We'll have to head to the Guild first, and then go home.

I can't wait to climb into bed and pass the hell out for a good while, I-...

"Woah! No way...guys, check out the news, there's been a Stampede!" Suddenly exclaimed the Detector, as she scrolled through her I-Watch display.

Huh?

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Holy crap, she's right, it's all over social media!"

"Looks like it happened near Sanctuary Delta."

"That's one of the Sanctuaries in Africa, right?"

"Yeah, the one in the northern half."

I brought up my display to find out exactly what had happened, skimming through social media posts and news articles, steadily getting a better idea of the situation.

It happened in a Mid Level Dungeon, there was only one survivor, a Teleporter with Ace-level Potential.

He was a student at the Hunters Academy, this raid was a Practical Training exam.

According to his report, the Dungeon had consisted of Lesser Demons all the way up until the Boss Room, where an Archdemon had appeared.

The Archdemon wiped out the entire party of students, except for the Teleporter, who managed to retreat right as the Stampede began and got back to Sanctuary Delta.

That was a just a couple of hours ago.

Sanctuary Delta had been short-staffed, so this raid was scheduled at the very last minute for the students' exam, they were originally supposed to be assigned to raid a Low Level Dungeon, but there were none available.

Given the current situation, they were accompanied by three activate Hunters, all K-Ranks, and it was estimated that the party would just about manage to conquer it before the deadline at which the Stampede would occur.

Of course, that was under the assumption that it wouldn't deviate from the standard patterns. But it did, and to the worst possible extent.

The Archdemon likely exited the Dungeon shortly after the Teleporter escaped, and it must have gone somewhere to hide and lay low, because there's been no sign of it since.

It was confirmed that a Stampede had occurred, since it's definitely roaming about somewhere.

When a Dungeon is conquered, it disappears through the underground rift that it came from, but if a Stampede occurs, the Dungeon simply disintegrates and turns into dust.

The Union confirmed as much using satellite imagery, but they didn't see any Monsters emerge before or after the Dungeon disintegrated, Archdemon or otherwise.

The Teleporter, and the driver who transported him back to Sanctuary Delta, confirmed seeing the Dungeon disintegrate as they drove away.

The Hunters Union will likely deploy at least a couple of X-Aces to hunt down the Archdemon, there's no way they'll ignore it.

"No doubt about it, things are definitely getting worse. I didn't think another Archdemon would appear so soon after our last raid," Remarked Sera with a grimace.

"I don't know what's scarier, an Archdemon or a missing Archdemon. It could be anywhere," Responded the Saber nervously.

"On the bright side, Africa is a good distance away from us, so it's unlikely to be a problem here," Pointed out the Detector.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure. Life's unpredictable, there's never any telling what could happen...this Archdemon could have some kind of teleportation or portal Demonic Art," Chimed in Damien warily.

"Think Luxuria would know anything about it?" Aria asked me.

"Maybe, I'll check with her once we're back. I'd like a bit more info on the Archdemon, like his appearance, at least," I mused thoughtfully.

I'll contact Charlotte, she should have more details than what I can find online. Might as well send her a message now.

Hey, Ai, tell Luxuria about the info I do know and ask her if it rings any bells, does she know of any Archdemons who can teleport or turn invisible, or anything that'd let them sneak out of a Dungeon without being seen?

<Let me check>

<...>

<She says there are a few Archdemons with Demonic Arts that would let them do that, but she does not have enough information to narrow it down beyond that>

Yeah, fair enough, this is basically nothing to go off of, after all. Let's hope Charlotte's got something more useful or specific to share.

<You realize that any information that isn't online is probably confidential, right?>

<Even if she did have such information, it's possible that she wouldn't be allowed to share it with you>

Nah, it'll be fine.

Since I've got Luxuria, there's a very good reason to let me in on it, since she might be able to identify the Archdemon if we get a bit more information.

<Yes, I suppose that's true>

Uh-huh, wonder if that's my luck passive at work?

<As always, I can't quantify luck, so I can't answer that>

Yeah, I know, that was pretty much a rhetorical question.

An Archdemon loose in the world, huh?

Yeah, not exactly a pleasant thought. And searching for it blindly is dangerous, it could be playing right into the Monster's hands.

And if it manages to break into one of the Sanctuaries, there's no telling how many people it could end up killing before Hunters strong enough to stop it show up.

Worst case scenario, this Archdemon could potentially end up single-handedly breaching the boundary between our world and the world the Monsters come from...

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