Danmachi: Strongest Familia

"Idiot, I told you to be careful!" Tione scolded, her voice laced with frustration.

She gazed at the vanishing big double blade with regret, feeling a pang of sympathy for her sister. That blade had cost 120 million Valis!

"Who knew these bugs would be such a hassle? WAAAAAAAA!!"

Tiona clenched her fists in helpless despair, as if still grieving the loss of her precious weapon.

It was gone, and she had nothing left now.

But the insect-type monsters didn't care about Tiona's mood. The endless tide of creatures continued to surge toward the group.

"Back off!!" Diana's sharp reprimand rang out from a distance. Reacting to the magical disturbance from their guard mage, dozens of monsters that had slipped through the defense slowly made their way toward the group.

Diana controlled the dark energy within her, wrapping a distant bug in dark magic before pulling it behind her. With a powerful shove, she slammed it into the approaching swarm of monsters.

In the next instant, a terrifying wave of dark energy erupted from Diana's body, sending a surge of magic power rippling through the air. Everything around her was forcefully pushed away by the magical force. With a simple raise of her arms, the darkness gathered like an endless void, compressing and exploding with destructive force.

The monsters in the area were obliterated by the dark magic, and several purple-black orbs of dark magic materialized on the ground, growing in number with each passing moment.

The strange energy emanating from the dark orbs made even the Loki Familia's elite members step back. Though they weren't sure what the orbs were, they could feel the oppressive energy, and it was clear that getting too close was unwise.

"Finn, tell your people to retreat," Riveria said, eyeing the growing number of dark orbs. She glanced at Finn, giving him a pointed look.

"I understand," Finn replied, understanding the gravity of the situation. Curiosity wasn't worth the risk at this point.

It was obvious that the orbs were likely part of an impending spell—one that required space to build up its full potential.

"My energy is endless!" Diana exclaimed, no longer holding back. The pure dark energy surged like a tidal wave, yet she maintained control, pushing it toward the nearest monsters. 

Unlike her previous tactics, where she relied on focused attacks, Diana turned her big move into an area-of-effect spell, targeting the monsters in a wide radius. 

The monsters fell in swathes, like wheat being harvested, their bodies dropping one after another under the force of her magic.

In an instant, the entire 50th floor fell silent. Only a few stray monsters remained, but even they were swiftly dispatched by the Loki Familia's cleanup team.

"Your members are really something else," Finn said to Riveria with a chuckle, clearly impressed by the turn of events. It had been known for a while that the Sol Familia was full of strong adventurers, but seeing them in action was a revelation. 

They had handled a sea of monsters with such precision, and Diana alone had wiped out more than half of them. If she continued to grow at this pace, she'd eventually rival Riveria as a battle mage.

A mage who could turn the tide of battle was invaluable to any familia, and while Lefiya was talented, she was still too young, lacking both experience and the fortitude needed for such tasks. She needed more time to develop.

"It's nothing," Riveria replied with a smile. "They gave me a lot of headaches when they first joined the Familia."

Finn chuckled. "When they're just starting out as adventurers, they're always full of energy. You can't fault them for that."

Finn, too, would have liked to experience the same kind of 'headaches'—the kind that came with having such spirited and talented members.

"Captain—" After the battle, Tione approached, walking alongside a dejected Tiona. The latter was looking at Riveria with pleading eyes, her posture radiating the loss she felt.

The battle was over, but Tiona seemed like the biggest loser of all.

Her 120 million Valis double blade… 'gone'.

Gone without a trace.

And Kled, not far behind, had also lost a chunk of his hair. 

"Don't make that bitter face. I'll find a way to help reimburse some of your losses when we get back," Riveria said, giving Tiona a gentle pat on the head. Losing a weapon worth 120 million Valiss would be painful for anyone.

But since it had been lost during the expedition, Riveria was sure the Familia's small treasury could cover at least part of the cost. It was no big deal, considering how wealthy they had become.

Sometimes, having abundant wealth could be so capricious.

"...I want a new ax, too!" Kled piped up, smirking. 

As a battle-hardened madman, Kled was always the first to charge into every fight. However, he had no interest in collecting spoils, making him arguably the poorest member of the family.

"We'll talk about it when we get back to Orario," Riveria replied.

After sorting out the damage caused by the monsters, and waiting for some of the seriously wounded to recover, Finn took the initiative to find Riveria to say goodbye.

They have no way to continue to stay on this floor.

In the previous attacks by insect-type monsters, the strongholds set up at high places became targets and were severely damaged. Leaving aside the wounded, the supplies were almost completely destroyed.

Staying any longer meant relying on the wind for survival, so the group needed to begin their return journey.

Before leaving, Riveria made sure to provide some food and medical supplies for Finn's group. Originally, Finn had wanted to invite Riveria's Familia back to Orario, but she had declined. 

It had been the right choice to leave so many members behind at the stronghold; their defense was barely touched by the monster attacks. The Loki Familia's base was in the front, which meant fewer monsters came for them, and their camp was relatively safe.

Of course it's also due to the fact that the average level within the Sol family was now relatively high, with even their supporters typically being LV3 or LV4.

What's more, these LV3 and LV4 members were exceptionally capable in battle, strong enough to hold their own as key players.

In contrast, the Loki Familia didn't have the same luxury. Their top-ranking members had to remain on the front lines, holding back the relentless onslaught of monsters.

As for camp defense, it could only be managed as best as possible. Avoiding casualties was already considered the greatest success.