Listening to the Dungeon's crying… this was something even Rudra Familia hadn't expected.
Rumble—rumble—!
Deep within the massive wall that had been torn apart, a crack—wide, long, and horrifically deep—ripped open further.
From the vertically-split seam, a nauseating purple sludge oozed out.
Something inside exhaled scalding steam, writhing as if it were prying open its own incubator from within.
The instant everyone's eyes caught the crimson glow flickering beyond the crack—
a gigantic black shadow lunged out and a razor-edged claw swept down at a speed that blew past human reaction time.
The blade was about to carve straight through Noin—Takumi flicked a finger.
"Limitless."
WOOOM—!
A claw-knife shimmering with blue-violet light froze in midair, blatantly hovering a hair's breadth from Noin's face.
"Ghk—!"
Noin swallowed hard, legs giving out as terror wiped her mind blank. Takumi reached out and steadied her.
"It's okay. I'm here."
"W-Waaah…!"
That reassurance shattered what little control she had left. The young black-haired girl burst into helpless sobs, clinging to him like he was the only thing anchoring her to reality.
She had felt death—right on her skin.
If he hadn't been there, she'd already be…
Takumi patted her head gently, eyes lifting with everyone else toward the monster now revealed.
It was thin… and yet massive—like a fossilized armored dinosaur brought back wrong.
Crimson eyes burning in the dark. Claw-blades honed to murder.
"Juggernaut…"
Ryuu and Lyra whispered the name like a curse.
The Destroyer—the nightmare of the Dungeon.
And this one, birthed by catastrophic floor damage, was an abnormal specimen—its presence alone felt like pressure on the lungs.
Just the burst of speed it showed a moment ago made even Alise—nearing Level 5—feel like she couldn't breathe.
When its first strike failed, the Juggernaut shifted targets purely on instinct.
Its long limbs compressed—those reverse-jointed legs flexing like springs—
BOOM!
It crushed the floor and launched upward.
Then it vanished.
A second later it was stuck high on the ceiling—then it began a chain of hops, ricocheting at absurd speed, never staying in one place long enough to process.
For everyone besides Takumi, it wasn't a creature anymore, it was a black streak cutting through the air.
A huge monster moving at that speed was pure violation of logic.
"I can't track it!" Ryuu's eyes spun so fast she felt dizzy.
If Ryuu couldn't follow it, no one else stood a chance.
In the next blink, the Juggernaut appeared behind Rudra Familia.
Its blue-violet claws tore through the air.
SHHHK!
Like a hot knife through butter, Jura's body was instantly separated into three pieces.
His head and upper torso seemed to remember they were dead only after the fact—blood jetting out as everything crashed down together.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
Rudra Familia's remaining members snapped into total panic.
And their panic only fed the Juggernaut's slaughter.
Pressed tight against Takumi, Noin stared at that gore-soaked scene and instinctively touched her own head—still there. Her head was still there.
"Ugh… th-thank you, Takumi-sama…!"
Tears pooled in her eyes as relief hit like a wave. Because if he hadn't stopped that blade—No.
Jura's death would've been hers. And Noin wasn't the only one.
Every Astraea Familia girl wore the same expression: horror, gratitude, and the sick understanding that they'd just been cattle in a butcher's room.
The Juggernaut flashed again and again—claw strikes slamming toward them—
But each time, Takumi's Limitless caught it. Every strike died before reaching flesh.
"We have to counterattack!" Alise forced herself to breathe and tried to rally everyone into a plan.
Kaguya and Lyra stared at her like she'd lost her mind.
"Idiot Captain," Kaguya spat. "What are you trying to prove? That Juggernaut is something a Level 5 barely handles. It can't even touch us right now because of Takumi. If we rush out there, we're not 'helping'—we're committing suicide."
"…Right." Alise scratched her cheek awkwardly, deflating on the spot. "That… is kind of the situation."
Everyone's eyes turned to Takumi.
He had no intention of letting Lilly and Haruhime get experience here.
This wasn't training. This was a guillotine with legs.
Takumi watched silently as the Juggernaut shredded most of Rudra Familia like they were paper.
Then he finally got bored.
"Likes killing with claws, huh?" he said lightly. "Then let the Claw-Shadow General play with you."
He brought his hands together.
"Ten Shadows Technique—Claw-Shadow General!"
His shadow spread outward, writhing and thickening.
Armor formed. Talons extended.
A towering figure emerged—three meters tall, plated like a warlord, twin claws built for execution, and a purple oni mask locked over its face.
The moment it appeared, everyone stared.
"…Another summon?" Lilly murmured, eyes glittering with curiosity.
The Claw-Shadow General released a rough, guttural growl.
Then it spoke—voice like metal scraping bone.
"Come forth… my Bladed Legion."
From the shadows, soldiers rose—each one armed with vicious claw-blades, black silhouettes made of killing intent.
The floor, still half-ruined from the Firestone chain reaction, suddenly felt crowded.
"Your summon… summons soldiers?!" someone blurted.
Even Kaguya and Ryuu looked genuinely stunned.
A summon that spawns a platoon—it was like watching a nested nightmare hatch from a nightmare.
Surrounded on all sides, the Juggernaut's crimson eyes snapped to the Claw-Shadow General.
It lunged.
Claws flashed, slicing into the legion.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The soldiers met steel with steel. Sparks screamed through the air.
And the terrifying part—every Bladed Soldier could keep up with the Juggernaut's speed.
For the first time, the Destroyer met resistance.
Feeling pressure, the Juggernaut whipped its tail—like a third arm, a heavy club meant to crush the whole group.
The tail swept, but before it could land a violet claw tore through the air, drawing a gorgeous, brutal arc.
The next instant, the Juggernaut's tail flew into the air… and slammed to the ground.
SPLURT!
Blood erupted.
The Juggernaut shrieked—high, savage, furious.
The Claw-Shadow General stood there, talons dripping red, oni mask staring without emotion.
What had been a one-sided massacre had become a feeding frenzy.
A pack of ghosts tearing apart the Destroyer.