The sky shimmered with stars. The grass was blue, and white glass-like trees with clear blue metallic leaves rose around them. In the distance, a river of mercury flowed, while a large mountain range covered in sharp azure crystals gleamed brightly.

“We are in the Starlit Mercury Garden,” Louis explained. “The path to the third layer should be in those mountains. Follow me.”

“Ah, such a long distance. I wasn’t ready to walk this much,” Agustina sighed.

“No complaining,” Louis said. “It will be good exercise for your body. And this level of activity is nothing for us Sinners.”

“Yeah!” Selene nodded eagerly, rushing forward on all fours.

“Let’s go!” Melisa spread her angelic wings of light.

“W-Wait! Wait for me!” Agustina cried. She quickly infused spiritual energy and mana into her legs and began moving rapidly. “Oof…! Come on!”

She clenched her teeth, increased her speed dramatically, and finally caught up with Louis, who was running at near lightning speed.

As they crossed the grasslands, the rivers of mercury began to stir. Agustina’s eyes widened.

“Um, Louis, is that normal?!”

Louis glanced behind him. The mercury rivers rose, forming thousands of azure eyes and transforming into hundreds of giant metallic hands. They surged toward the group like a living tsunami.

“That is one of the things that makes the second layer a little dangerous,” Louis said calmly. “Those rivers are mostly alive. They are Liquid Metal Slimes from Spiritias.”

“EEEEH?!”

Agustina screamed as the giant tsunami of living liquid metal approached. Massive hands smashed the ground, shattering it apart. Boulders began falling toward them, but the group swiftly dodged. Agustina was the only one struggling. She jumped from place to place, swinging her hammer to destroy incoming boulders.

“S-Stop! Hold on for a second! Don’t go so fast! Heeeeey!” she kept complaining.

“Agustina, if you don’t hurry up, we will leave you behind,” Louis said mercilessly. “Come on, hurry!”

“Hyaaa! You’re so ruthless, my lord!” Agustina cried as the giant hands nearly grabbed her. “G-Get away! Oh my gosh, this thing is so freakyyyyy! Get awayyyyyy!”

Unlike the rest of the team, Agustina had little experience fighting entities or anomalies, so she panicked easily when her life was in danger.

It was the duty of Louis and the Sinner’s Academy to turn this crying noble lady into a proper warrior the world could rely on in the future.

Or at least, they could try.

“Hm?”

Louis was about to ignore her complaints when he sensed three more Mercury Slimes approaching. Three gigantic liquid metal tsunamis closed in from all sides, their massive hands reaching to crush them.

“Looks like we have to fight. There is no other option,” he sighed. “These are Level 2 Anomalies, Level 3 at most. They are almost like entities but lack mental attacks and cannot warp reality, so this should not be too difficult. Melisa, Selene, fight together as you trained.”

“Okay!”

“S-Sure!”

“Agustina, stop panicking and fight. Use your hammer and flames. You’re a blacksmith, right? Don’t they look like perfect materials for your Spiritual Forge?” Louis asked.

“R-Right!” Agustina’s demeanor changed instantly. Her eyes gleamed bright red and orange as her aura surged with power. “If we’re fighting, then… there is no helping it!”

She activated her Innate Ability, the Spiritual Forge, which awakened from deep within her soul. It was an ability she had possessed since childhood, but only recently begun to master under Louis’s and her mother’s guidance.

It was more than a simple tool for creating spiritual artifacts. It combined her mother’s Soul Forge with her father’s Spiritual Soul, creating something entirely new.

“Spiritual Forge – Blazing Spirit Armor!”

FLUOSH!

Blazing spiritual armor forged itself out of thin air, covering her entire body. Fashioned after heavy dwarven plate and decorated with sharp horns and claws, the helmet took the shape of a roaring dragon, completely transforming her appearance.

Her hammer, her own Spiritual Soul Treasure, glowed as it absorbed her spiritual fire and was reforged into a stronger version. She swung it against the incoming tsunami of living metal.

“Spiritual Blaze Hammer – Metal Shaping!”

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

Four powerful strikes hit the living metal creatures. Their bodies boiled and exploded into hardened chunks, sending flames and burning metal flying everywhere.

“UUAAAH!”

With all the frustration of a young noble lady, Agustina stepped forward and swung her hammer heavily at the slimes approaching from the other sides. The liquid metal creatures could not defend themselves. Their bodies exploded into heavy, hardened chunks as they were heated to the point of boiling agony.

“Woah?!”

“Wow!”

The others stared in shock as Agustina soloed the group of monsters with ease. When she finished, huge piles of azure crystal eyes and hardened metal pieces remained.

The moment the monsters died, their bracelets displayed a holographic notification for the entire team:

[Congratulations! Your Team has gained +400 Points.]

[You are currently Ranked 3rd in the Dungeon Games.]

It seemed each Living Liquid Slime was worth 100 points. Louis found it interesting that they were only in third place, meaning two other teams had already slain even more monsters.

“W-Wow, that was… easier than I thought,” Agustina said, surprised.

“You were afraid for no reason. You are strong,” Louis replied, shaking his head. “Let’s gather the loot quickly and move on.”

Louis used Pandora to store everything. Agustina looked curious about this new spirit, but he offered no explanation and simply pressed forward.

“Let’s fly!”

He spread his skeletal wings and took to the skies, carrying Selene on his back while Melisa flew beside him, holding onto his clothes.

“Wait, can I fly too?!”

“Of course you can. Just do it.”

Louis rolled his eyes and flew ahead. Agustina was left speechless by how cold he could be, but she nodded. Using the materials left by the slimes, she reforged part of her spiritual armor.

“Wings, give me wings!”

She fashioned a pair of blazing metallic wings from the living liquid metal. They were incredibly flexible.

“I-I can fly too!”

She spread her new wings and soared after them, absorbing some of the Spirit Orbs dropped by the monsters to fuel and reinforce her Spiritual Forge.

As she caught up with Louis and the girls, they flew swiftly across the skies of the second layer without further trouble.

Twenty minutes later, they drew closer to the mountains. Louis suddenly sensed Mirai’s presence below this layer.

“I can detect Mirai. She likely landed on the third layer or… the fourth,” Louis said. “Anyway, let’s descend. It looks like someone has been following us.”

“Wait, what?” Agustina asked, surprised.

“I could smell them!” Selene nodded. “It’s another party!”

“Another party?! Are they hiding somewhere? I cannot see them,” Agustina said as they slowly descended.

As they landed on the grasslands leading toward the mountains and stopped, Louis summoned Gungnir and pointed it at the empty air.

“I know you’re there. Reveal yourselves.”

There was only silence. Then…

FLASH!

Dozens of shuriken flew toward them. Agustina panicked as the shuriken struck and exploded, releasing poisonous gas.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Louis shielded everyone by summoning Pendragon as a living spirit shield. The spirit possessed tremendous defenses and large amounts of health, making it his perfect tank for such situations.

The poison was no threat. He simply opened his mouth, inhaled it all, and broke it down inside his own body.

“What a weak poison. Is this all the ninjas of Yamato can offer?”

Louis clapped his hands, unleashing a shockwave of psychic energy mixed with ash magic. Ashen runes instantly covered the invisible attackers.

“Then burn.”

He snapped his fingers. The runes glowed, and dozens of small explosions erupted across their bodies, destroying their invisibility and revealing them completely.

“Uugh! W-What the hell was that?!”

“My Ninjutsu…! I wasn’t ready for that!”

“To think he could see us even while we were invisible…”

“Your Ninjutsu are useless…”

“Louis Drakeheart, you’re truly a fiend among fiends!”

It was a group of five members from Yamato. Neither Kaguya nor her brother were present, and the Oni sisters were absent as well, so Louis quickly lost interest. They were merely the “forgettable” retainers of the greater nobles.

He recalled each of them clearly from William’s memories and called out their names.

“Tsubaki.”

An animal-loving young man with long red hair. He was an average fighter with a Spirit resembling a Pegasus, though he had not brought it today since classes had not yet allowed class changes. He fought as a slender, agile lance user with some wind magic.

“Oh dear, this is getting troublesome. He found us already…”

“Hana.”

A young girl with long brown hair and pink eyes. She was a super-fast glass-cannon samurai who wielded two katanas and had high chances of critical hits and dodges. Her personality was that of a nasty tsundere.

“Ugh! Who do you think you are?! We’ll show you that we of Yamato aren’t weaklings!”

She glared at Louis angrily, pointing her katana at him.

“Oboro.”

A tomboyish black-haired soldier girl who wielded a naginata. She possessed a special Iron Body Physique and exuded psychic power. She remained silent, simply staring.

“Hinata.”

A powerful all-rounder samurai with a ghostly katana as his familiar spirit. His wild black hair and fiery red-blue eyes made him stand out. He had a fiery personality and loved fighting more than anything.

“Heh, you’re as reckless as always, Louis Drakeheart! Shall we have a match?!”

Hinata was one of the few Yamato students Louis had considered recruiting. The problem was their extreme loyalty to the Empress.

And finally…

“Kaze.”

A pure ninja with green hair who served the Amaterasu Family in the shadows. He was tall and slender with a handsome face hidden beneath his clothes. He used secret weapons and ninjutsu inherited from his Zipangu family. He also possessed a Spirit Orb that allowed him to summon three powerful elemental spirits, making him a superior area-of-effect attacker. He was a kitsune, carrying a mix of many bloodlines.

“It seems my ninjutsu were not enough to stop the Frostbane Prince’s magic,” Kaze said with a slightly surprised smile. “I am in awe. Would you allow us to have a friendly match with you, Prince Louis?”

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep