It was purely by chance that Regarda and Freya joined the expedition.
The two had been traveling east from Enmenia, clearing monsters from the most dangerous regions, when they stopped by the Kingdom’s Capital and happened to meet Hio at the Imperial Household.
That was when he suggested they join the expedition.
Though he thought the possibility was low, he didn’t know if they would run into Kreutzvalt immediately. The more powerhouses like them he had for a “just-in-case” scenario, the better.
“To think there was a Dragon in Arilleia…”
That was Antiphus’s first impression upon meeting Regarda and Freya.
It hadn’t been long since Hio and Antiphus discovered the secret of Arilleia. It was a testament to how incredible Regarda’s power was, as he had guarded Arilleia for so long.
*Thud—*
Freya landed on the ground and immediately transformed into her small human form, scurrying over while Regarda followed slowly behind her.
“This is my first time personally entering this cursed monster realm.”
“It won’t be as much as you think. Still, don’t let your guard down too much.”
“How could I? The hell from a thousand years ago is still vivid in my mind.”
“Right.”
Only four people stood before the shimmering black Abyss Gate.
Antiphus, Hio, Regarda, and Freya.
It was a strange combination that seemed like it could never be formed. There were no supporting troops to be seen, nor were there any Knight Orders standing by for emergencies.
Even that was considered inefficient, as all available forces had been deployed to the restoration and normalization of the Continent.
And then, another presence rapidly approached from a distance.
The Golden Lion was mounted on a warhorse.
Wearing glittering silver armor and carrying his golden favorite sword, Vitalianus revealed himself.
“I’m a bit late.”
It was clear at a glance that he had been on a battlefield until just moments ago, moving immediately upon hearing the news about the 71st Floor. Upon arrival, he dismounted, greeted Hio, and scanned the faces of those gathered.
“So this is the new expedition lineup. I see some familiar faces.”
Vitalianus’s gaze passed over Regarda and Freya—whom he had met quite often since the movements in Arilleia—and finally landed on Antiphus.
However, that was only for a moment. He immediately turned his gaze back to Hio and asked, treating Antiphus as if he were invisible.
“It seems one person hasn’t arrived yet.”
“She’s coming from the farthest away, after all.”
“Did you say she was active in Fioria?”
“Right. She’ll be here soon.”
“Hmph… I thought the movements in Fioria were unusual, and as I expected…”
Vitalianus nodded as if he understood.
He had seen Airlights in person, fought alongside her, and knew that what she had obtained was the Authority of an ancient god, so he had no choice but to accept it.
“Uncle Sword Saint!”
“It has been a long time, Lady Freya. And Sir Regarda.”
Freya, Regarda, and Vitalianus exchanged greetings and spoke.
Compared to previous raids that began with overflowing tension while surrounded by countless knights and soldiers, this was a very peaceful scene.
Then, after a short while.
“…”
The voices that had been calmly chatting suddenly cut off at the same time.
It was because the sky had turned a bright crimson. An indistinct presence was beginning to cover the expanse above. Everyone, including Hio, looked upward.
One person began to descend through the pink-tinted clouds.
She descended gracefully, her light crimson robes fluttering.
“Hio!”
As soon as she spotted Hio, the woman plummeted like a bolt of lightning and threw herself into his arms.
The new Goddess of Love, successor to Venus, the Goddess of Beauty and Love.
It was, without a doubt, Airlights.
“What kind of Authority did you learn?”
“Oh, this? I just picked one at random from the Authorities that had the name Venus attached to them.”
“Right. There was that method.”
Unlike Hio, who was newly created as the God of Patience and Magic, Airlights had inherited the power and personality of Venus exactly as they were.
If there was an Authority in the Authority Shop with the name “Venus,” she could purchase it without much thought. The only thing she would have to worry about was the price.
Thinking about it that way, a God of Patience and Magic might have existed in the past as well. It was just unknown, and Hio simply didn’t know about it.
Well, he decided to think about the Authorities later.
“Anyway… everyone is here now.”
With Airlights’s arrival, all members of the newly formed expedition were gathered. There was no need for further preparation; they could enter the 71st Floor immediately.
Hio stepped forward and stood right in front of the Abyss Gate. Before entering, he made eye contact with each person and spoke.
“With people like this gathered, the success of the raid is a given.”
There were three Ideation users and one Dragon.
With two Authority users and the representative of the Bingija, Antiphus, success was guaranteed.
“What we need to do is clear it as quickly as possible and get out.”
The goals were to reduce the time spent and to find any traces of the Suicide Squad if possible.
And if they happened to encounter Kreutzvalt…
“Everyone has a lot to do, right?”
They would kill him on the spot.
To achieve that, the expedition entered the 71st Floor of the Abyss.
**[Abyss Gate — You have entered the 71st Floor.]**
**[Entry of God of Patience and Magic — ‘Hio Pavlenko’ and 5 others has been confirmed.]**
**[‘Belthesia’s Gate of Memories’ is being activated.]**
While maintaining a reasonable amount of tension, they boosted their power upon entering the 71st Floor, but no battle occurred immediately.
The expected Strange Entities were nowhere to be seen, the energy of the Abyssal Depths was not as foul as expected, and they couldn’t even feel the presence of any Abyss Monsters.
“The scenery is quite bizarre.”
However, the landscape was strange.
It was not a sky covered in the dark Abyssal Depths, but a normal sky. It was an ordinary sky with night and day, where the sun and moon rose.
…Except…
“Do night and day coexist?”
Based on a single cracked point, one side was night while the other was day.
That wasn’t the only strange phenomenon.
The clouds on one side moved rapidly as if fast-forwarded, while the sky on the opposite side was stationary as if frozen in time.
Half of the lake situated below was bubbling and boiling, while the other half was frozen cold.
One tree had lost all its leaves and was bare, while right next to it, spring flowers were in full bloom.
“What kind of… space is this?”
It was a space where night and day coexisted, and summer and winter coexisted. In short, it was a place where time was warped.
“Wow! This is amazing!”
“I don’t feel the presence of any monsters.”
“Is this one of the types?”
“I’ve never seen a type like this before.”
“This is troublesome. Figuring out the success conditions for the raid will be a problem in itself.”
In this situation, the plan to finish the raid in the shortest time possible and return had to be considered scrapped for now.
If it were a type teeming with ordinary Abyss Monsters or Strange Entities, or a type where they just had to deal with a boss-level monster, their current combat power would have solved it in an instant.
“Let’s move for now.”
The expedition moved slowly while spreading their sensory range.
Of course, it was “slowly” from their perspective; they were actually moving at a sufficiently fast speed.
The scenery they passed was beyond bizarre.
Not only did time seem warped, but architectural styles he had never seen before coexisted with modern buildings.
Even within the same building, one side was so worn it looked like it would crumble, while the other side was as clean as a brand-new structure.
‘How long had they been moving?’
“There’s something over there.”
What appeared before the expedition amidst the strange distortion of time were doors.
Six doors were positioned there, practically reeking of incongruity. They weren’t connected to any building; purple doors just sat there in the middle of the road. Even those who weren’t Ideation users could feel the bizarre energy billowing from them.
“There just happen to be exactly six of them.”
As Vitalianus said, there were six doors placed at regular intervals as if someone had placed them there on purpose.
There were six members in the expedition, including Hio.
There were also six purple doors before them.
‘What could this mean?’
“Does it mean we should each go in, resolve it, and come out?”
“Like during the Floor of Breakthrough?”
“The feeling is different from then.”
The expedition members stood before the doors and began to examine them closely in their own ways.
Hio also focused his senses to examine the doors, and the conclusion he soon reached was…
“This is Divinity.”
The energy flowing from the doors was a type of Divinity.
To be more precise, it felt like a part of an Authority rather than Holy Power.
Only Airlights and Hio would be able to feel this here.
As expected, the others tilted their heads at Hio’s words, but Airlights nodded.
“You’re right. Authority.”
The power of ancient gods.
If this were the case, the hypothesis that the Abyss Gates were an arrangement made by the ancient gods would be more likely to be true.
“Well, since it’s openly telling us to each go in, I suppose we should.”
“No. I want to go with Hio.”
Hio habitually peeled off Airlights as she clung to him. The gazes of the other four were fixed on him.
Freya’s eyes shone with interest and excitement, while Regarda hid a bit of worry behind his stoic expression.
Vitalianus was full of his usual confidence, and Antiphus looked on with quite complex emotions.
“…”
Finally, when Airlights stood before the last remaining door with a reluctant face, preparations were complete.
No more words were needed.
“See you in a bit.”
Hio was the first to pull the handle of a purple door, and a brilliant swarm of five-colored light poured out.
And almost at the same moment, he vanished along with the light. The purple door disappeared without a trace, leaving only an empty space.
“Then, I shall go as well.”
The next to open a door was Vitalianus.
He also vanished with a swarm of five-colored light.
“Tch, how annoying.”
Immediately after, Airlights pulled a door handle with a clearly irritated expression.
“I’ll go too! See you later!”
Freya jumped as she opened a door and disappeared. Regarda, who had been watching her, followed suit and opened a door.
The last person remaining was Antiphus.
Starting with Hio, everyone had opened their doors and vanished in an instant, leaving Antiphus alone.
‘How can they not have even a shred of fear?’
Of course, he wasn’t afraid either. His thoughts were just a bit complicated.
“…Let’s go.”
Knowing that he had to set his current complications aside, Antiphus placed his hand on the last door handle and pulled it hard.
As expected, a brilliant swarm of five-colored light poured out.
**[You have passed through ‘Belthesia’s Gate of Memories’.]**
**[Confirming Dominion — ‘Antiphus Praman’.]**
**[Reproducing memories.]**
The swarm of light vanished, and as the mysterious message slowly faded, Antiphus’s eyes slowly opened.
The first thing that caught his sight was a space that could be called the Abyssal Depths themselves, covered in darkness.
He was standing in the center of it.
And.
— A meaningless void. The Abyss.
Hundreds of Divinities surrounded him.
Hundreds of holy stars sparkled, illuminating the Abyss.
— Owner of it all.
He was just standing still, but the presence exhaled by each one was suffocating. He felt as if he might vomit blood.
— Accept your annihilation.
It was a scene within a memory that he could not understand.