Upon entering the safe zone that looked similar to the one on the tenth floor except for a few new sights one being the small crowd of people who were present. It was quite clear they were supposed to be the Clans stationed on the Safe Zone.

However, the small crowd all seemed out of it, just like the guards earlier. It was like they were in a trance that none of them even noticed the arrival of anyone else, "... Uh, is it just me or are these people acting strange?" Lyra questioned as we passed by one after the other and not one of them acknowledged our presence.

Clan Naria's Grayson scoffed like he found it absurd that everyone around us was ignoring him. "Hey. I'm a member of Clan Naria! Are you lesser Clans going to help us or not!" he shouted as he grabbed the shoulder of one of them but received nothing more than a dull stare back at him. Of course, Grayson took that as an insult and grinded his teeth together ready to strike the guy down. "You should have more respect for those above you! A lowlife like you will only get yourself killed if you keep this up." He snarled before Lyra stepped in.

"H-hey, calm down, it's clear there is something wrong with these people. I think it's about time we made a proper decision on our rather odd experience in the Labyrinth." Lyra stated and surprisingly it caught Grayson's attention enough that he let go of the guy he grabbed.

"Decision? What is there to decide. I'm leading this Expedition not you," Grayson sneered at her but she was too focused on the larger problem at hand to take any offense.

"Even you must realize at this point, it's obvious something isn't right here and I for one highly suggest we return and Report this all to our Apostles," Lyra said finally admitting to her prior suspicions and doing what she thought was best.

Grayson on the other hand didn't seem to share her thoughts. "What the hell are you saying? I was promised a higher position in Clan Naria when I completed this expedition and I'm not about to throw that away over something like this. We are not going to turn back. I'm sick and tired of your constant whining and pathetic excuses." He sneered and made it very clear he wasn't budging on this.

That left Eto to voice his opinion. "You too huh? but the elf is right we need to look at the facts here. We should report this but if we're going to continue, we need to be cautious and we should skip resting here, this place is giving me the creeps." Eto said as his members agreed, although even Eto himself seemed a bit on edge at this point.

"Hah. How stupid, you're all a bunch of cowards, that is why The Non-human Clans are inferior." Grayson scoffed which left the Clans to argue among each other for a moment.

I glanced to my Party who all looked to have their opinions too, Astrid was quiet and disturbed in some way, Xander was too busy inspecting every person passing us. However, Reiner and Lilith both looked quite agitated from our current situation.

"... Kazu... Lilith doesn't think we should linger here for long," Lilith said looking up at me from my shadow with her hand tightly gripped on my shirt.

Lilith's unease was quite obvious to me that I practically felt it. Still, I gave her a slight glance. "... I don't like it here either." I admitted not exactly sure myself what was going on. After all, this suffocating Mana Essence felt like nothing I had come across before.

I knew this wasn’t a Mana Art or anything of the sort, I was confident I would be able to tell if that was the case. the Mana Essence here was something else entirely.

“Oi, Kazu. Do you remember that story I told you about the reason why I was branded with my nickname…?” Reiner asked with his teeth grinding together and fists clenched like he was trying his best to control himself. “… These people. They are acting exactly the same, but they aren’t attacking. We’re better off getting the hell out of here. if you get caught up in something like I did, those Monarchs won't be so lenient.” Reiner growled as his anger and distaste of the memory seeped through his gritted teeth.

I wasn’t about to deny his thoughts on the situation after seeing his reaction. Still, a light breath of air escaped my lips. “… Alright.” I said before returning my attention to the Clans trying to come to an agreement on what was best. Regardless of what they thought I still spoke up. "We're going back. I have a feeling that won't be an option the longer we waste time here," I remarked knowing that it was time for me to accept the fact despite not wanting to admit it.

Still, my statement caught the attention of the Clans who seemed to listen, “See? Everyone agrees, you are outnumbered here Grayson… just come to terms that we all are better off returning to report this. Our Apostles will find our report more than adequate enough for them to investigate on their own," Lyra stated hoping that Grayson would be more reasonable than this.

However, to no surprise his response was the complete opposite but that didn’t matter because the time they wasted trying to get to a decision took our chance to leave.

In a second, a member of Clan Aerith screamed out as she collapsed to her knees with a deep wound on her back that bled from a slash that none of them expected.

Lyra quickly snapped her head back to see her member in pain and realizing just what stood above her member with a blade gripped in its hand.

It seemed one of the people who were in some kind of trance had attacked one of Clan Aerith's members.

“hey... are you alright!? you just assaulted a Graced Clan member…” Lyra stated with an apparent worry for her member in pain in front of her, but no response came from her attacker. However, her concern and lack of action to attack was understandable considering these people belonged to Clans who were assigned to these safe zones.

Regardless, the Clans were left with their jaws hanging open as they witnessed an unprovoked act of aggression from one of their own.

My amber gaze didn’t miss Reiner’s hand twitch as if he was sure this situation was relatable to a similar experience from his past. Still, it was clear the Clans wavered as they wondered how to handle the sudden attack.

“The Elf asked you a question... answer her or you will be punished by Clan Naria, do you understand me? Answer... or I'll make sure you regret it... you lesser garbage.” Grayson snarled as he tried to hide his own unease with the situation.

However, the attacker merely glanced toward the rest of us without a word. Then in a moment it shuffled forward. Reiner didn’t hesitate to engulf the attacker in black flames that tore the man to nothing more than a charred corpse. “Tch. Clans… All they do is yap. Do us a favor and shut the hell up already,” He growled quite aware that we spent too much time trying to decide on what to do and lost our opportunity to escape this place.

The Clans stared the scorched body that once stood over one of them who needed immediate medical attention. Their shock was evident on their faces that they failed to notice the things stationed on this floor began to shuffle toward us with weapons drawn.

I watched the bodies shuffle toward us with their dull stares, “… You better tend to your injured Clan member… Things for us aren’t looking so great.” I said flatly causing the Clans to snap out of their shocked state to deal with the danger we found ourselves in.

The disbelief on Eto’s face summed up what the clans thought, “Are you saying these people are trying to kill us? This is a safe zone, and we are Graced Clans-“ he began before I threw nothing but facts at him.

"You've already seen it, they are no longer themselves. I suggest you hurry Lyra,” I said once again and caused Lyra to treat her wounded member with a Potion she scrambled to pull out of her supplies.

The members of Clan Kemonozu and Clan Naria drew their weapons ready as the tranced things that used to be Clans stationed on this floor approached us. “We’re not killing anybody. There has to be another way!” Lyra exclaimed from her position as she poured the healing potion into her member's injury.

However, my glance to Reiner told me everything I needed to know. “There isn’t another way. If we don’t, we are dead." I said as I reached for the worn blade that rested on my hip but before I could draw it Grayson stopped me with a shout.

"Stop Cursed Trash! You aren’t killing anything, let alone Members of Clans. Your kind butchered plenty of people in the Great War. Don’t push your luck!" He snarled with his blade drawn at me as if that was threatening me at all.

Still, my flat gaze returned to the tranced people for a moment before one of Clan Naria’s members was forced to defend himself against one of the tranced people by clashing blades.

It wasn't even a split second later when a blade was forced through one of his members chest. The sight of this made Grayson flinch before he gripped his blade and glared at me, "...You stay out of this.” he declared and turned his attention to the tranced people.

“…Fine, I won’t do anything, but something needs to be done,” I remarked leaving him and his clan to defend themselves against whatever these things were. Eto seemed to understand there was only one option and followed suit.

“So, we are fighting… Don’t leave us without support, elf.” he said to Lyra who finished nursing her member and acknowledged the fact.

As for me I looked over to Reiner, “They didn’t say anything about you guys. Do whatever you think is best, Reiner. It seems I’ll be watching this time,” I said and caused him to let out a slight growl as if that was what he wanted.

“Tch, I knew I was right. Whatever we got ourselves into will be a mess after we get out of here, but I'll be right there with you." He remarked before he ignited his hand with black flames and locked onto his next target.

Reiner didn’t hesitate to take his anger out on the tranced people who began to attack the Clans. I watched as his dark flames cauterized everything they came into contact with as he ran his fists through the small crowd.

Although he did leave behind our party in his thirst for what seemed to be a way to release some of his anger from his past. Still, Astrid, Xander and Lilith joined albeit late.

The Clans had no choice but to take out these people to defend themselves despite their hesitation. And yet, In my moment of thought I knew at this point, that something was wrong or rather there was something toying with us.

The facts were there ever since we stepped foot in the labyrinth. It was too perfect in a way. The Mana Essence in the air that allowed me to see it hiding in the depths of this place then I somehow couldn’t, even the missing guards on the tenth floor were herded here and not to mention a Dune Wyrm, that had disappeared after our fall like it didn’t exist in the first place.

Now we were attacked by what would be described as former people devoid of any will that it set off Reiner, who had once taken out an entire town of people in a similar state. it didn’t matter if I knew who or what exactly we were dealing with, but I knew we’d find out soon.

After all we were trapped here.

The efforts of everyone to defend themselves was effective enough as they cut down the tranced people, but none of them noticed how many times they butchered the same person over, each time one fell it healed within a full minute with an even faster and stronger will to kill.

It was like the people here were nothing more than dolls being controlled by the strange suffocating Mana Essence that sat there mocking them.

Soon enough the Clans and my party began to struggle against their enemy. They took hits and injuries resulting in them using their supplies of potions to keep their injuries under control. Still, it was only a matter of time before they would eventually run out and reach their limit.

This wasn't an opponent that fought with technique or honor. Eventually the Clans began to fall back as they were unable to keep up and defend themselves. Even Reiner was beginning to show signs of fatigue as he was forced to be on the defensive while Xander and Astrid struggled alongside him. I didn’t doubt Reiner was going to push himself until he eradicated something from his past that he hoped to never see again but that wasn’t needed.

I couldn’t stand that I wasn't able to fully figure out our situation. I knew nothing and still I didn’t know what I was truly up against, the thought managed to cause my hand to twitch in some form of irritation at my own shortcomings.

My gaze returned to the battle where the clans and my party would be overwhelmed in minutes if nothing was done. My time pointlessly wondering how this situation came to be did nothing more for me than cause a breath of air to escape my lips.

It was time I did something and put an end to this.

I was aware simply from just watching these former people regenerate in minutes after being killed. That in itself left me with one option, a spell consisting of Physical Energy that would dice a body into pieces and immobilize them all at once, however it wasn’t something I wanted to be openly seen using, considering the Graced Clans had already began to accuse me of hiding my ability’s and I had enough to deal with.Instead, I waited for a moment when no one was looking.

The simple alteration of wind formed to my will and mere seconds after, my gaze fell onto the inconvenience before me. I didn't hesitate to unleash the spell. All it took was a single command before a thousand arcs of wind whipped through the air and sliced through the tranced people with a deadly slash that cut cleanly right through their bodies.

My amber gaze watched the Clans and my party who were a bit shocked at the sudden stop in the tranced people attacking before they saw pieces of their bodies hit the floor. Of course, they were caught off guard by what I had done and perhaps even relieved but unfortunately for us that was going to be short lived.

The shift in Mana Essence was evident and within its suffocating grasp the reason behind everything that happened stepped forth.

My gaze locked onto the figure that approached with an amused scoff, every step they took was calculated in some manner and oozed with self-importance. “It seems one of you possess some knowledge on how to properly dispose of your prey... even if it was a Ghost. That was quite literally pathetic for the one from the past... Is that all you can do after four thousand years Reaper?” the figure remarked knowing I heard him.

It seemed he knew me simply because the terms he used were something I heard by another, a time before me and Indrath parted ways.

Still, That was among the worst possible situation's for me and for everyone here. It was clear this figure was much stronger than all of them combined, and perhaps even me. Regardless, my gaze watched the figure approach us as he repaired the wounds of the puppets he controlled ready to take part in his little game.