"Ugh... My body hurts... Grey, it hurts..." ［Yuna］

"That's because you're still not used to it. Who told you to move so recklessly anyway? No, rather, how did you even sprain your ankle?" ［Grey］

"I just put too much force in my steps. I thought as a Transcendent, I wouldn't get sprained anymore, but I guess I was wrong... I feel so weak..." ［Yuna］

"Hahaha. Stop whining now. We already healed it, didn't we?" ［Grey］

"Uuu... But still... It feels weird..." ［Yuna］

Subtle groans and a pained moan echoed in the air, the young lady wearing a teary expression on her face as she held tight unto the young man. She was now being carried in the back of the latter, whining like a little child.

Well, it doesn't really hurt anymore, and the young lady was simply overreacting. She just didn't want to let go of Grey and wanted to be carried like a young child. Before long, she finally quit acting and played with Grey's hair. She is now bored.

A couple more seconds later, she stopped playing with her beloved's hair and just pondered for a while, then resting her head on his shoulders and giving him a warm and gentle embrace, her face slightly flushed, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Hm? You've settled down already? Are you done throwing your little tantrum? That was fast..." ［Grey］

"Mou... It's not like you believe me anyway. Should I take some acting lessons later? It shouldn't be too hard, right? I wonder how much it costs..." ［Yuna］

"Acting lessons... Haha. You can just say if you want to be spoiled. Not like I can go against you anyway. No, rather... Haven't I spoiled you too much lately?" ［Grey］

"Then can you lift my suー" ［Yuna］

"No." ［Grey］

"... But I haven't even said anything yet..." ［Yuna］

It has been a couple weeks since Grey and Yuna dove in the Labyrinth. They have just finished a training session against the Sovereign Arflus and now, the two are up in their usual sweet and flirty shenanigans, hearts and flowers in the air.

Well, they aren't just always flirting. They have also made a lot of progress against the enemy and have grown quite a lot. They have fought against all sorts of monsters and raided almost all treasure rooms, most, if not all, traps now disarmed.

For one, Yuna has now reached Disaster-Class and is now more than capable of thrashing any enemy in the Labyrinth other than the Boss. And as usual, she now holds the record of reaching Disaster-Class at 18 years of age.

Grey, the familiars, and the spirits have also improved. Grey is now in the middle ranks of Calamity-Class, Polaris following just a couple ranks before him, and the other familiars slowly cruising through Calamity-Class.

But perhaps the ones with the most progress are the spirits. They have now reached past E-rank, breaking through D-rank, and now lurking in the middle ranges of C-rank with their ranks growing faster than anyone else.

As soon as they became "Middle Spirits", they were ranked as "Fighters", but as soon as they reached D-rank, they became "Warriors", and then later "Champions" as they reached C-rank. The amount of gems they have has also changed.

"Master, Mistress... Welcome home... Eat lunch now...?" ［Alpheratz］

"Hahaha. Well eat soon. But you sure do love your meals, huh, Alpheratz. You really take after your Mistress." ［Grey］

"H-Hey! I'm not that gluttonous! And you eat more than me, Grey!" ［Yuna］

"Really? Does that include your snacks and sweets?" ［Grey］

"Urgh... That's... This is this and that is that... It's different... It's different!" ［Yuna］

Well, other than getting stronger, the spirits' speech has also now become more fluent than ever. It was still broken, but much better than before, they can now understand their words much more clearly. There was no need for guessing.

Another thing to note was the change in their appearance. Scheat has now become more refined as a serpent made of flames, Alpheratz had grown a couple flowers and had a more defined shape, Markab has grown a more chiseled body, and Algenib now looks less cartoonish as a snowman.

They have also become better at cooperating with one another that even B-rankers would have a hard time facing against them. Couple it with the fact that they can become practically intangible in their spiritual forms, they are a force to be reckoned with.

"Yuna, I'm gonna cook lunch, so I'm going to put you down now." ［Grey］

"What are you going to cook? I want to eat chicken and beef today." ［Yuna］

"Chicken and beef... Got it. I'll make something delicious with those. Would you like it stewed or would you like soup instead?" ［Grey］

"Anything's fine! Ah! I'll help you cook as well!" ［Yuna］

Before long, Grey and Yuna had started preparations for lunch, and they once again whipped out their trusty portable kitchen. The scent of herbs and meat were adrift in the air, the spirits watching ever so eagerly.

Soon enough, the familiars returned one after another after their long battles, some looking quite rough and dusty. They quickly cleaned themselves with a little bit of magic and assumed their wolf pup forms soon after.

The familiars can always assume their Salferine anytime forms, but they were most comfortable in their wolf pup forms. It was a form where they can simply relax and roll around without any worries. It was a form for peace and relaxation.

CLACK CLACK CLANG CLANG CLACK FWOOSH

The pan was moved and the fried rice was tossed. The flames danced with vigor and the ingredients mixed well with one another, a wonderful and aromatic aroma afloat in the air as the dining table was filled time and time again.

Grilled ginger beef, sweet and spicy roasted chicken, chicken salad, beef steak, beef cream stew, and so much more. The dining table was painted with colors, scents and aromas dancing hand in hand, bringing harmony in the kitchen.

RUUUUMMMMBBBBBLLLLLEEEEEEEEE

All were fine and dandy, when suddenly, a loud rumbling came out of nowhere. Grey and Yuna halted their cooking and looked far ahead, eyes filled with wonders and senses heightened, trying to find out what it was.

"Was that an explosion? Seems too loud for one, though?" ［Yuna］

"It looks like it came from quite some distance away as well. Maybe some monsters are fighting each other, or it could be that something wonderful happened." ［Grey］

"Something wonderful... Ah! That! I see! Un! Let's ask Sirius later!" ［Yuna］

Yet despite that, they could only make guesses. There was only so much Grey could do, his "Heaven's Eye" reaching only so far. It was out of his detection range and also too overwhelming for just two monsters fighting against one another.

There was no need to think too much. Grey and Yuna simply continued cooking, then stirring the pots and test-tasting the dishes. Gleeful smiles bloomed on their faces as soon as their tongues were caressed by such delicious and exquisite flavors.

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Several more minutes passed, and slowly but surely, the familiars were starting to gather. They have all just finished their respective battles, and before long Sirius also came back, a gorgeous beauty making her entrance and answering all questions.

"Welcome back, Sirius, and... Congratulations on reaching Disaster-Class." ［Grey］

"Congrats, Sirius! You're doing great!" ［Yuna］

"Thank you, Master, Mistress. It is an honor to receive such praise." ［Sirius］

It seems like the loud rumble from before was from Sirius advancing and reaching Disaster-Class. She doesn't look much different than before, but Grey and Yuna could inherently feel that she has become a lot stronger.

It wasn't just Grey and Yuna, but the familiars and spirits as well that praised her for her accomplishments, the latter quite proud of her as their "Eldest Sister". With her, there are now 4 Disaster-Class individuals in "Aster". An overwhelming line-up.

And that very powerful High Dragon has now turned back into her wolf pup form. It was hard to imagine such an adorable creature was actually such a powerful being. She just looked like any cute and fluffy wolf pup, after all.

"Then, since Sirius had advanced to Disaster-Class now, let's cook some more dishes to celebrate! Let's cook more meat and seafood!" ［Yuna］

"Mistress, you really do not have to go through such formalities for me." ［Sirius］

"It's fine! It's not like we celebrate everyday anyway." ［Yuna］

"You meant to say that you just want to eat some more dishes, right?" ［Grey］

"No～? Not at all～! I just really want to praise Siriusー Oh! And everyone, make sure to eat using your Salferine forms! That way, you can eat more than usual!" ［Yuna］

"This girl... Look at you changing topics..." ［Grey］

The shenanigans continued to ensue, and more dishes were cooked. Some familiars showed interest in cooking, so they also helped out in cooking, some following perfectly fine and some clumsier than others.

Before long, the long awaited lunch was finally made, everyone sharing a large table, a wonderful array of dishes displayed on top. There were all sorts of things from meat to greens, each one delicious as can be.

It was a hearty meal, filled with warmth and laughter. Most of the familiars and spirits were well-behaved, but the same couldn't be said for Canopus, Vega, and Procyon who are in their usual shenanigans. Even Scheat is now joining them.

It was a shame that Polaris wasn't present since he still needs to check on Eliza every time they're on break, but they could simply just leave some for him later. It really was a lively and lovely time eating with everyone.

"Oh, right... Speaking of which. Sirius, now that you've reached Disaster-Class, how is your illusion magic? It should be stronger, no?" ［Yuna］

Of course, questions were also thrown around the dinner table. And as a recent topic, there wasn't one more interesting thing to talk about compared to Sirius' new strengths, all eyes directed at her as soon as Yuna asked the question.

After all, when Surius reached Calamity-Class, her illusions have become so powerful that it tricks all senses of the body and even the mind. It was one hard to differ from reality, so much so, that it might as well be real.

Now that Sirius has reached Disaster-Class, one could only wonder how much Sirius has grown and how powerful her illusions have become. After all, they are illusions which could even take down opponents stronger than her.

"Is it a difficult question?" ［Yuna］

"No, that is not it, Mistress... It is just a little hard to explain..." ［Sirius］

"Mmn... Then that means it changed a lot, right?" ［Yuna］

"Well, it is supposed to. But, I have not really tried it out yet. All I know is that it has changed, but... Mmn... It is a little... Well..." ［Sirius］

And it seems like Yuna's geese were right. It changed so much that Sirius is having a hard time grasping the right words to describe it. She hasn't subjected herself to the illusions, after all. So describing the feeling was quite difficult.

"How about we see it in action later then? Sounds good?" ［Grey］

"Ah! That's a great idea! Let's all watch after lunch!" ［Yuna］

Though, there was really no need to make things more complicated than they need to be. All they had to do was ask Sirius for a demonstration and it was a done deal. Just conveniently enough, Grey also found a nice target spawning just nearby.

With everything quickly decided, everyone continued on with their lunch and cleaned up the table soon after. Washing the dishes was done with magic in a flick of a finger and everything else was quickly cleaned up by the familiars.

Soon after, everyone quickly walked towards the place where the monster Grey just spotted was located. They still needed to train later, but taking a little break was not a crime. Calming and relaxing the mind was important as well, after all.

"Ohh～! There it is～!" ［Yuna］

It wasn't too long before everyone arrived at the scene, a large monster greeting them as they got in sight. Lightning and thunder went off with every stride it took, slithering across the corridors and carefreely wandering around aimlessly.

It was a Lightning-attribute, Calamity-Class monster, ArchArflus. It resembled the Sovereign Arflus quite a lot, only at it was one size smaller, and that it has 4 arms rather than 6 other than that, it looked strikingly similar.

Of course, since it belongs to the lightning-attribute, it has now been buffed and has reached the bottom of Disaster-Class, having about the same Combat Power as Sirius. It was the perfect opponent for the beautiful High Dragon,

"Then, I will be going ahead, Master, Mistress, everyone." ［Sirius］

"Fufufu! Good luck, Sirius! You can do it!" ［Yuna］

"You can do it, Eldest Sister! Show that clown who's boss!" ［Vega］

"Hmm... This should be interesting to watch." ［Arcturus］

There was no time to waste. As soon as Sirius locked her sights on the ArchArflus, she immediately stepped foot into the zone, the others cheering behind her. As soon as she did, the enemy's head turned towards her, detecting her presence.

It was calm and collected, observing the situation first before making any moves. It slowly slithered towards Sirius, its eyes peering up and down as it scaled the lady standing before her, eyes contracting as soon as its instincts kicked in.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOOOOMMMMMMM

An explosion rang out in the air and a large and deep crater was left on the ground. The inpatient ArchArflus has pounced towards Sirius, extending out its arms and its claws soon after. Its tentacles lashed out, the sound of thunder ringing in the air.

However, it couldn't even get in range of the pretty lady, suddenly stopping its tracks. The latter suddenly opened her eyes and a strange force rushed forth throughout the Labyrinth, pulsing ever so quietly yet remaining strangely clear,

After the pulses, Sirius suddenly vanished out of thin air and not a single trace of her could be seen. There was only silence in the air, the ArchArflus' mind flooded with all sorts of question marks, bewildered as can be.

THUD THUD THUD THUMP RUMMBLLLEEEEEE

What came after silence was a symphony of thuds and thumps, heavy steps echoing in the air. The face of confusion soon turned into one of caution, readying its tentacles as it peered towards the distance, a large figure soon appearing out of nowhere.

It was a Golem Emperor, a Calamity-Class monster of the earth-attribute and one whose defense and sturdiness was something not even Disaster-Class monsters could take lightly. Its steps were slow and heavy, thuds resounding every time.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD

Such a massive monster suddenly rushed towards the ArchArflus, greatly startling the latter. A deep crater was left with every step, and the walls were broken as soon as it swung its arms, the Labyrinth collapsing quite easily.

Thankfully, the ArchArflus was fast enough, able to dodge the attack with relative easeー or so it thought, when suddenly, yet another massive arm appeared and crushed its body, small cracks appearing in its core.

Another Golem Emperor appeared out of nowhere and started rampaging, pounding the ArchArflus with all they've got. It was fortunate that it was sitting at Disaster-Class, otherwise, its core would have already suffered very much.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM

Lightning lashed out as rage filled its hearts, flying out like spears and piercing the enemies before it. Lightning may be weak against earth, but with such a power gap, the ArchArflus was able to do a considerable amount if damage,

It didn't just let out after a single strike. As soon as it landed its first series of strikes, it started to rampage, its tentacles lashing out and its tail whipping the enemies. Its sharp claws ripped through them like paper, carving their bodies quite easily.

FWOOOSHHH FWAP FWAP FWAP FWAP

However, just when everything seemed to be going just fine, new monsters suddenly spawned out of nowhere and started attacking it as well. There wasn't just one or two, but a whole slew of them, rushing at it without any warning.

There was an Arachne of Origin spinning its webs and binding its solid parts to the walls. There was also a Sequoian Treant whose roots served as whips to deter it, and even an Ogre of Massacre swinging its axe towards its core.

With each passing second, more and more monsters spawned in, and all of them started attacking the ArchArflus. From long ranged attacks, to bladed ones, and even binding tactics which made it hard to move. There were all sorts of them.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

Try as it might to finish them off and turn them to ashes, everything it did was futile. The enemies just kept on coming, replacing the ones it killed and continuing to swarm towards it as if there was no tomorrow.

It was a nightmarish scene, its body suffering heavy injuries and its core slowly but surely cracking with time as it fought against several monstersー or so it thought, but in reality, forget the monsters, there was only it and Sirius inside the zone.

The monsters were nothing but illusions created by Sirius' magic, the ArchArflus now trapped in a hellish world of nightmares. It didn't even notice that it was already under a spell, still continuing to lash out as it fought off its supposed enemies.

And though the enemy part was but a mere mirage, the same couldn't be said for the wounds it had sustained. With the passing of time, its core continued to crack and its ira body was slowly being chipped away in the heat of the battle.

"Grey, isn't this... Is that really illusion magic...?" ［Yuna］

"Yeah... It's illusion magic, alright... One so powerful, it is not much different from reality. I doubt the ArchArflus had realized it already..." ［Grey］

"Illusion magic... How terrifying..." ［Yuna］

Not just the body and the mind, but the soul as well. It is illusion magic which shakes the soul down to the very core, making it believe that everything its senses tell it was actually real and forcing upon a nightmarish reality.

The moment it "receives" a wound, the soul would then react and send all sorts of signals throughout the mind and body, making it recreate what happened as if it was actually real, making the body create a wound on its own.

Of course, the wound created was nowhere as heavy and deadly as the ones created in the illusory scenes, but a wound was still a wound no less. It was a slow process, but one which would surely destroy the enemy from the inside,

Monsters don't have something like souls, but it seems like they are still affected all the same. Their "cores" are receiving feedback from the body, and its body reenacts that reaction, slowly but surely gnawing away at itself.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

"Grey, do you think you could make illusions at this level?" ［Yuna］

"No, I can't... And even if I could, it would take me at least a few years to learn it... No, it might even take me over a decade." ［Grey］

"Waahhh.... Sirius really is amazing..." ［Yuna］

"Ohhh～! That's our Elder Sister for you! How cool!" ［Canopus］

"E-Eldest Sister! You're amazing! Y-You're the best!" ［Achernar］

The core continued to crack and everyone continued to dwell in astonishment. A few minutes have already passed and the ArchArflus has yet to realize that it was under a spell, hundreds of wounds appearing all over its massive body.

Lightning lashed out and explosions followed, but monsters only kept on coming. It wasn't just its body, but its mind and sanity as well slowly going awry. Despite the enemies taking more and more bizarre forms, it still failed to recognize them.

CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

With the passing of time, the battle only intensified, the retaliation getting wilder and the wounds getting heavier. The deeper it believed the illusion was real the more resemblant the self-inflicted damages became.

It writhed around like a puppet dancing in the palms of the marionette, its mind finally breaking soon after and letting its instincts take over, swinging its arms aimlessly and lashing away with its tails and tentacles, its eyes now turned mad.

It was a monster. A monster with no true sentience,but even Grey and Yuna couldn't help but pity the pathetic thing. They could only wonder just how it's like to be under such a terrifying spell, their spines shivering at the mere thought.

WHOONG WHOOOONG WHOOOOOONG WHOOOOONNNGGGGG

Sirius wasn't just staying still either. As it watched the enemy writhe about in dread and agony, she also prepared an attack of her own. The illusions were effective but were far too slow. Direct intervention was a must.

The gorgeous lady had reached out her hands and rings of light formed one after another, then collapsing into the center to form a condensed sphere of mana. It grew brighter and brighter with each passing second, pulsing like a beating heart.

WHOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM

The charging was soon finished and a beam of brilliant light was shot out towards the ArchArflus. The enemy didn't even have the chance to dodge, the beam swallowing it up as it continued to fight against its imaginary enemies.

Gashes and scars were left on the ground and craters were carved on the walls. The beam of light disintegrated the ArchArflus, the sound of breaking glass echoing in the air as soon as its core shattered to smithereens, not even a speck remaining.

It wasn't too long before the beam died down and silence dawned upon the corridors. The clouds of dust and pillars of smoke thinned out with time, fragments of mana and light swirling around as the enemy turned into mana, vanishing into thin air...

"Hahaha... Looks like we got another ridiculous card in our deck..." ［Grey］

The High Dragon stood proud...

CHAPTER 441 END