CHAPTER 936: CHAPTER 722: MAN-MADE LABYRINTH: KNOSSOS

Because it wasn’t related to Magic, the transparent world was not obstructed by the demon-repelling stones mixed into the hardest metal door, fully revealing its internal structure to Reiger.

Relying on his fully open intuitive senses, Reiger explored the hardest metal door in front of him, so focused that he didn’t even realize when the surrounding clamor disappeared.

The members of Loki’s Familia had stopped their discussions at some point and were all watching Reiger, who was reaching out and exploring in front of the door. They exchanged glances and then closed their mouths.

Especially Finn and Ais, watching Reiger like this, both felt a subtle stirring in their hearts.

Based on her understanding of Reiger, Ais vaguely sensed something.

Finn, on the other hand, seeing Reiger exploring the hardest metal door as if confirming something, squinted his eyes and suddenly spoke.

"Can it be broken?"

Finn’s words caused everyone to focus their attention on Reiger.

Only then did Reiger snap out of it.

He neither nodded nor shook his head, simply saying.

"We can give it a try."

The hardest metal, Mountain Copper, was not easy to destroy.

If Reiger exerted all his strength, there might be a way, but in his current state after just reaching Lv.6, his "strength" parameter was not even as high as Grace’s. If Grace couldn’t do it, naturally neither could he.

Plus, with the demon-repelling stones interfering, the Magic’s effects were weakened, so Reiger really couldn’t say he could easily destroy the door made of the hardest metal.

Of course, he wasn’t completely without a plan.

If he could pull out the holy lance, awaken Lengominia, then any hardest metal would just be roadside debris, easily obliterated. But doing so would not just obliterate the hardest metal door, but also the entire maze city.

The other Magic powerful enough to destroy the hardest metal and demon-repelling stones were similar, whether tactical or strategic level, once released, at the very least, Daedalus Road would definitely collapse.

Reiger did have a lock-opening Magic, but such functional Magic would certainly be obstructed by the demon-repelling stones, rendering it ineffective.

Reiger even suspected that if he used the [Current Severing] capable of slicing space to cut at this hardest metal door, after being weakened by the demon-repelling stones, the released [Current Severing] would still be unable to destroy the door.

Therefore, considering Orario, to prevent collateral damage, Magic was probably helpless against this hardest metal door.

Unless Reiger was willing to deplete his experience points to use [Wish Upon a Star], otherwise, he could only try to physically attack the hardest metal door.

But without going all out, it would be very difficult to accomplish this.

Fortunately, Reiger still had the transparent world.

"Use the transparent world to find the relatively weak structural points within the hardest metal door and attack there."

"Since demon-repelling stones were mixed within this door, making it impure, weak points will surely exist."

"Once the weak point is found, its resistance might not even compare to the super-hard metal walls beside it."

Therefore, what Reiger intended to break was the hardest metal door, not the super-hard metal walls.

And he had already found that weak point.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a terrifyingly high-temperature flame erupted from Reiger’s body.

"Wh—!"

"Reiger...!?"

All members of Loki’s Familia were frightened, exclaiming in surprise, and instinctively moving away from Reiger to avoid the oncoming heatwave and flames.

The air temperature continued to rise.

Enveloped in flames, Reiger slowly drew his weapon— the Black Blade·Hermit.

Indeed, Reiger did not use the Sword of the Fool, instead drawing his exclusive Sun Wheel Blade.

After all, in terms of sheer power, Hermit was much stronger than the Sword of the Fool, so there was no reason not to use it now.

Unfortunately, the members of Loki’s Familia did not notice this scene and were instead captivated by the strange phenomenon occurring on Reiger’s body.

"...What is this?"

"A fire augmentation Magic?"

"Reiger learned such Magic too?"

Bert, Theona, and Theone exclaimed one after another.

The former had a somewhat unpleasant expression, as if seeing something disagreeable, while the latter two were purely surprised, sharing the same expression as those around them.

"No, this is not Magic." Revilia spoke, closely observing Reiger, who was engulfed in flames, and said, "I didn’t sense Magic Power from Reiger’s body, nor did I see a Magic Array."

Everyone’s expressions changed slightly.

Ais’s transparent golden eyes rippled.

"It’s a breathing technique."

The blonde swordsman, having mastered the Breath of Wind, easily noticed this.

She observed Reiger’s breathing rhythm change, becoming more intense and powerful than when using the Breath of Wind.

Thus, Ais also discovered something else.

"This is a breathing technique stronger than the Breath of Wind."

More precisely, this breathing technique was far stronger than the Breath of Wind, not even in the same league.

Upon realizing this, waves in Ais’s eyes intensified.

The others were equally shocked.

"Is this the thing called the breath technique?"

"But isn’t this power a bit too strong?"

"I see, so this kid has been hiding something?"

Theona, Theone, and even Grace spoke out.

In such a situation, the flames on Reiger’s body continued to surge, forcing everyone to retreat again and again, eventually retreating from the underground, back to the entrance leading here.

"So hot! How can it be this hot?"

Even Loki, who was of ordinary human constitution, couldn’t stand it anymore.

"What kind of breath technique is this? Even with added magic, it’s hard to have such strong power, right?"

The others looked at each other in disbelief, some were speechless, while others were shocked, once again having their understanding shattered by Reiger.

Reiger wasn’t aware of any of this, he just kept focusing his mind, making the transparent luster in his eyes dazzling, dyeing his pupils a translucent silver.

Until a certain moment, Reiger, who was refining the precision of his breath and constantly elevating the power of the breath technique, raised his blade, leaving fiery blossoms in space as the flames followed the trajectory of the blade.

"Breath of the Sun, Seventh Form..."

The flames surged again, completely filling the entire space.

"Yang Hua Outburst!"

The flames burst forth like a storm, creating rings of flames on the black blade of the Hermit, rippling like waves around the storm-like flames.

Unleashing his most powerful breath technique, Reiger swept out like a flame, striking at one point on the hardest metal door.

"Boom!!!"

The hardest metal door, which even the strongest faction in the city, the Loki Familia, found troublesome, exploded and shattered under the storm-like fiery assault.

The explosive flames then surged into the passage behind the door, raging within the passage.

The entire underground base shook violently, with aftershocks continuing for a long time.

......

Underground, in the dark hall where the stone pedestal was located.

"Whoa!"

The god of death dressed in tattered black clothes almost stumbled due to the suddenly jolting hall, barely stabilizing his stance, letting out a shout.

"What an impressive kid! He actually destroyed such a thick hardest metal door! As expected of the rumored monster rookie!"

Thanatos, uncertain if he was excited or startled, shouted with a somewhat high-pitched emotion.

"Damn it!"

Aside him, a man with sunken eyes and a dull complexion, after stabilizing his stance, looked at the sight of the hardest metal door being shattered and the passage behind it being burnt black as shown on the water membrane, and couldn’t help but feel furious.

"Did he actually destroy this artificial labyrinth?"

"Do you know how much effort, how much sacrifice we made to reach this step, to build this labyrinth to its current scale?"

"How dare you so recklessly attack the creations here... damn it damn it damn it!"

The man was irate, completely overturning the dark image he gave off.

"Come on now, don’t rush, brother Baka." Thanatos patted the man’s shoulder, smiled, and said, "This is a necessary loss. Once we deal with the Loki Familia, no one will trouble us in this labyrinth city again."

"Then, you can fully focus on continuing what your clan has worked tirelessly for generations to build this labyrinth, without anyone hindering you."

"So, for now, concentrate on dealing with these unwelcome guests planning to hinder us, shall we?"

Under Thanatos’s chuckling consolation, the man named Baka gradually calmed down, no longer furious.

However, he never took his eyes off the water membrane, glaring intensely at the figure appearing in the soaring flames, as if memorizing his face, memorizing everything about him, the anger in his eyes having transformed into hatred.

"Let’s get started." Baka whispered coldly, "I no longer want to see this guy stay in this labyrinth."

"Alright, alright, don’t rush." Thanatos tapped Baka’s shoulder, seemingly savoring something, chuckled, "The show is about to begin, let us wait and see."

......

"————"

On the stone slab-covered single track passageway, the wave of flames was still raging, rising and falling all around, turning this place into a sea of fire, continuously emitting a scorched heat aroma.

"Whew..."

Reiger stood amid the flames, exhaling as he dissipated the flames wrapped around him, while sheathing the black blade, returning the Hermit to the storage space of the dimensional cube along with the scabbard.

Having successfully destroyed the hardest metal door and entered the world beyond the door, Reiger raised his head to look at the single track in front of him.

"Is this the artificial labyrinth Knossos?"

The artificial labyrinth · Knossos.

This is an epoch-making masterpiece secretly developed underground Orario for centuries, which no one knew of its existence, nor had seen its appearance.

The one who initially constructed it and drew its blueprints was the designer of Daedalus Street — Daedalus.

That great craftsman had been deeply fascinated by the magnificence and mystery of the underground city and thus conceived a groundbreaking idea.

That was to create a second underground city by his own hands.

The artificial labyrinth Knossos was the product of that groundbreaking idea.

Now, Reiger has ventured into this, ventured into this place unknown even to the guild — another underground city.