Dungeon of Niflheim

"Damn, flame serpents, fire mephits, red goblins, burning drakes and even scorch lizards, this really is a war between elements." Ladius who was under strict supervision literally bounded up and down in an attempt to get a better view of the enemy.

The monster species weren't anything she hadn't seen herself or at least read about but seeing them here in Yangmir and the Glacial mountains was…unique. Fire monsters may have a distinct advantage over ice monsters but the chances of them actually meeting and duking it out in nature are slim to none given their opposing habitats habitats. This whole scene was an impossibility, naturally speaking.

Ladius' eyes sparkled and despite Terrance and his team doing their best to restrain her the avid investigator still managed to wriggle free from their grasp and run to wall's edge with her many scanners. She desperately needed to document this unique scenario, never before had there been such an elemental clash of this magnitude.

The federation would be singing her praises and then some once headquarters got their hands on this data.

"Miss Ladius please don't leave my side again or I'll be forced to abscond with you to the lower levels." Terrance who promptly appeared next to her at the wall's edge grabbed her shoulder hard and smiled in a way that wasn't a smile. He was mad.

Ladius however completely ignored his words and withdrew more and more scanners with her free hand. Nothing would get in the way of her research not even Terrance and her team. Unfortunately her excitable actions and booming voice got the attention of the fire monsters who looked over in confusion.

"Commander there's a group of sapients among the enemy." A D-rank flame crow reported the situation to the C-rank fire serpent who was the newly designated commander.

"Sapients? What are they doing interfering in the war? Why didn't Lord Karrick's brother devour them beforehand?" The fire serpent commander frowned, confused by the situation. Karrick ordered for all those currently delving in his dungeon to be consumed hours before the war was even set to start.

Their bountiful DP thus served to facilitate their mass offensive and prevented any untoward intrusions into their glorious war.

"Are they slaves?"

"Unclear but the enemy is completely ignoring their presence." The crow responded with what it knew before flying back into the air.

"Strange….you send a team to quickly take care of them."

'Whatever their purpose or reason for being here it doesn't matter they'll die all the same.'

"Yes ma'am" Another D-rank monster responded before ordering a team to take out Ladius and Terrance.

"Hoh looks like we've got company." Terrance muttered under his breath after noticing a group of fire monsters heading in their direction and Frost's forces wilfully ignoring such actions.

"Get behind me miss Ladius."

"But."

"Now." He sternly demanded before forcefully moving her behind his back along with all her scanners.

"Take care of them quickly, let them know of our strength."

""Yes sir"" Quintep and Ariana of the security team practically teleported in front of Terrance and Ladius with their weapons drawn, one with an axe and the other with two short swords.

A dozen fire monsters of varying strength 'stealthily' made their way to the edge of the ice wall that seemed under guarded. Their targets were the few sapients that could be seen recklessly standing at the wall's edge without a care in the world.

Thankfully it seemed their presence had gone unnoticed given that no barrages of ice magic or arrow volleys barred their path, almost as if they were being led here. Shame none of them were wise enough to notice such a situation.

The moment Ariana and Quintep teleported to the wall's edge the squad commenced their attack. Two members launched a pair of flaming arrows while another spat a dollop of fire venom. Another cast twin fire bolts while the rest charged at the wall in an attempt to scale it and confront the two sapients in close combat.

"10 E-ranks and 2 D-ranks, I'll take the left you take the right." Ariana softly suggested before leaping from the wall with her two swords.

"Haaaaaa as usual I don't actually get a say in the matter." Quintep shrugged before following after her.

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The whole exchange lasted less than two seconds. Ariana chopped up the two flaming arrows, blocked the dollop of fire venom with her cloak before effectively dancing her way through the left hand side of the enemy, building up her aura with every step before coming face to face with the D-rank squad leader.

Quintep was pretty much the same though his charge was less graceful. His axe shattered the twin fire bolts as well the bodies of the E-rank monsters that foolishly charged towards him before he too stood before the other D-rank monster with his aura in full swing.

Their sudden showing of strength not only caught the attention of Frost's forces but Karrick's as well. Their aura was impossible to ignore after all. The two remaining monsters of the enemy squad crumbled into the floor as their bodies spasmed violently from the pressure of Quintep and Ariana's aura before eventually turning inert.

Then after giving a threatening glare to the many observers Ariana and Quintep returned to behind the ice wall acting as though the earlier butchery never happened.

An eery silence covered the battlefield as all eyes were drawn to the remote section of the ice wall. Frost's monsters knew of Terrance's and the other's presence as well as their supposed strength but seeing and feeling it in action themselves was a completely different concept.

The ronso who was in charge of handling their presence during the war was trembling from head to toe, the stronger one was the more they understood just how large the gap was. Even their master was nowhere near their level. He audibly gulped before attempting to force himself to greet and interact with them after such a showing, thankfully a saviour appeared, rescuing him from such a daunting task.

"Damn, seems we really have quite the way to go before reaching your level." Findlay appeared from behind the ronso with a wide grin on his face and his own aura radiating outwards in a reassuring manner. His arrival and memorable aura calmed the nervous soldiers, allowing them to focus back on the task at hand, the enemy.

"How modest Findlay, I'm sure you've got more than a few trump cards hidden away." Terrance replied with a soft smile knowing that they'd gone a bit too far given the situation. For observers they'd made too much of a splash. Even Ladius who was on their team was giving them dirty looks.

"Perhaps we should move to another area lest you continue to interfere." Findlay appeared amiable but his words were tinged with irritation. This was supposed to be a war between dungeon cores and yes Frost did allow them to take part and document the event but was it really necessary to use their B-rank strength and their auras against a group of E and D-rank opponents, overkill much.

"We'll take you up on that suggestion….sorry." Terrance, Quintep, Ariana, Mammon and Ladius thus followed Findlay away from the battlefield so the war could continue properly.

"Ruined, a perfectly good opportunity to observe and catalogue an impossible war and you had to go and blow it just for a chance to show off your strength." Ladius sulked and berated Terrance and his team who hung their heads in shame.

Terrance just wanted to guarantee their charge's safety and for the fire monsters to stop aiming for her and thus interfere with her research never imagining it would backfire to such a degree.

"I'll inform my master about the situation, but I think it'd be best if you don't show up on the battlefield anymore. He wanted his brother to learn something and perhaps hit a wall not collapse into complete despair." Findlay continued his accusations.

"Sorry." And Terrance apologised once again.

The situation back in the second floor's final section remained awkward even after Terrance and his team left with Findlay. The shock among Karrick's forces was just too much. There was at least 3 B-rank fighters among the enemy, opponents that could easily crush them without batting an eye. They felt like children playing war.

On the seventh floor of Karrick's dungeon Frost was marching through the second section with sweat trickling down his brow, the heat increased another grade once they entered this floor making it very, very uncomfortable.

"Why did I ever agree to this war?" He questioned this decision several times throughout the delve, the heat even with the use of the ice veil and the conjuring of cold flames was still getting through every so often and he despised it.

"What's so good about warm weather anyway?"

"Absolutely nothing milord." Khuno who was wreathed in white fur was no less irritated by his discomfort.

"Let's just finish this as soon as possible and get back to where we belong." Frost summoned a few tendrils of cold flames to wrap around his body, lowering his body temperature.

"Master are you busy?" Loki's voice suddenly appeared telepathically.

"Another report? Did Karrick make it to the third floor already?" Frost asked with no small amount of shock. Perhaps he underestimated his brother.

"Umm not exactly there was a little incident." Loki then went on to explain what happened with Ladius and her security guards.

"...…" Frost was silent in response.

'Didn't they say they'd be discreet and only interfere when necessary.' He wanted to teach Karrick a lesson, to eventually show him the power that sapients could bring to the table not have it blow up in his face. He didn't want Karrick to give up now that he'd started to truly enjoy this war, bar the heat of course.

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