Solo Dungeon Streamer-I Am Overpowered

Chapter 160 - 160: Whispers of the Forbidden

The eerie silence of the Forbidden Floor was shattered by the growl that reverberated through the mist. The sound wasn't just loud—it was primal, resonating deep in my chest like the roar of some ancient predator. My fingers twitched, the weight of my blade suddenly feeling heavier. Raijū snarled in response, its electric arcs illuminating the thick black fog around us.

Grandma, unfazed as ever, glanced at the team behind us. "Stay close. If you get separated, you won't survive."

Her words were blunt, but no one argued. Even the most seasoned S-rank explorers in the group tightened their grips on their weapons. This wasn't a dungeon where ego had any place.

"Do you recognize that sound?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"No," Grandma replied, her sharp gaze scanning the darkness. "But whatever it is, it's hunting us."

: This is straight out of a nightmare.

: UNKNOWN better flex those EX-rank skills.

: Raijū looks like it's about to zap everything.

I ignored the chat, focusing on the path ahead. The black mist seemed to move with purpose, curling and shifting as if alive. The faint glow of the dungeon walls barely pierced through, casting long shadows that played tricks on the eyes.

"Raijū, scout ahead," I commanded.

The lightning yokai leaped forward, its electric aura crackling against the mist. Grandma's sharp eyes followed its movements, and I could tell she was analyzing every detail, every flicker of movement.

"Be ready to summon Hashihime," she said. "If this thing attacks, we'll need barriers."

I nodded, already forming the spell in my mind. Hashihime wasn't the most combat-effective shikigami, but her defensive capabilities were second to none. If something broke through her barriers, it wasn't something we could fight head-on.

We moved cautiously, the mist growing denser with every step. The growls came again, closer this time, and I felt the weight of a thousand unseen eyes watching us. My grip on the blade tightened, my palms slick with sweat.

"Stop," Grandma ordered abruptly, raising a hand.

The team froze. Even Akari, who had been quietly streaming from the back, lowered her camera. The air around us had shifted, growing colder and heavier.

"What is it?" I asked.

Grandma didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pointed to a faint shimmer in the mist ahead. It was subtle, barely visible, but unmistakable—a distortion in the air, like heat waves rising off asphalt.

"A barrier," she said. "Powerful, too. It's masking whatever's beyond it."

"Can we break through it?" one of the S-rank explorers asked.

Grandma shook her head. "Breaking it would take too much time and energy. Kisaragi, this is where you come in."

"Me?" I blinked, caught off guard.

"You're the only one here who's dealt with Forbidden Floors directly. If there's a way to bypass this barrier, you'll sense it."

Great. No pressure or anything.

I stepped forward, summoning my magic. Closing my eyes, I let the energy flow through me,

: Raijū is MVP again.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, glancing at the chat on my phone's screen. The commentary was unhelpful as always, but at least it reminded me that people were watching. I couldn't afford to lose here—not with the world's attention on the Forbidden Floor.

"Kama-itachi, cover me!" I shouted, summoning another flurry of wind blades to distract the serpent. As the creature recoiled, I summoned Gashadokuro, pouring as much magic as I could into the skeletal giant.

The massive shikigami emerged with a deafening roar, its glowing eyes locking onto the serpent. Gashadokuro raised one of its enormous hands and brought it crashing down onto the serpent's body, pinning it to the ground. The impact sent tremors through the cavern, and for a moment, I thought we might have the upper hand.

But the serpent wasn't done yet. Its crystalline body glowed brighter, and with a burst of energy, it shattered Gashadokuro's grip and sent the skeletal giant staggering backward. The serpent coiled tightly, its glowing eyes locked onto me.

"This is getting ridiculous," I muttered, summoning Hashihime for support. Her barrier shimmered into existence just as the serpent lunged, its fangs bouncing off the protective shield. The yokai's calm, unyielding presence gave me a moment to think.

"Okay, think, Tsukasa," I muttered to myself. "The spire was its core. It's connected to this thing. If I can sever that connection…"

My eyes darted to the remnants of the spire, where faint traces of its chaotic energy still lingered. If I could disrupt whatever link the serpent had to the spire, it might weaken the beast enough for a decisive blow.

"Raijū, Kama-itachi, distract it!" I ordered, sprinting toward the shattered remains of the spire. The two shikigami obeyed without hesitation, their combined efforts keeping the serpent occupied as I reached the glowing remnants.

The energy radiating from the shards was almost unbearable, but I forced myself to focus. Channeling my magic, I created a barrier around the shards, isolating their energy. The serpent immediately reacted, its thrashing growing more frantic as it sensed the disruption.

"That's it," I muttered, pouring more magic into the barrier. "Let's see how you like fighting without your power source."

The serpent's glow dimmed, its movements becoming sluggish. Raijū's lightning strikes and Kama-itachi's wind blades began to leave visible damage, and even Ōmukade's mandibles started to crack through its crystalline hide.

"Gashadokuro, finish it!" I shouted, summoning the skeletal giant once more.

With a guttural roar, Gashadokuro raised both hands and brought them down onto the serpent's head, crushing it into the ground. The creature let out one final, ear-splitting screech before its body shattered into countless shards, the glowing fragments fading into nothingness.

: HE DID IT!!!

: That was insane!

: Gashadokuro for the win!

: Raijū's MVP as always.

: UNKNOWN is unstoppable!

I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath as the adrenaline began to fade. The cavern was silent now, the oppressive energy finally dissipating. Raijū and the other shikigami disappeared one by one, their energy spent.

I glanced at the remnants of the spire, now completely dark. Whatever power had fueled the serpent was gone, but the spire's existence raised more questions than answers.

"Forbidden Floor, huh?" I muttered to myself, standing shakily. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this."

: Tsukasa, you okay?

: Don't die on us, man.

: Take a breather, you've earned it.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I muttered, pocketing my phone. "Thanks for the concern, I guess."

Now came the hard part—figuring out what the Explorer Association would make of all this. With the spire gone, I had no proof of what had transpired here, save for the shattered shards and the memories burned into my mind.

I started making my way back to the surface, one thought lingering in my mind: if this was just one Forbidden Floor, what else was out there?