With Qi Ling taking the lead, filling in any gaps in the stairs with her Everfrost Angelica, climbing up was made a lot simpler. But at this rate… she would soon run out of mana which definitely wasn’t ideal for the boss fight coming up ahead considering she was a major powerhouse of the group.

Just as expected, after a while, she stopped before a gap, then turned around to the others.

“I can’t keep filling in the spots like this. My mana is running low.”

“No kidding… I’m surprised you even lasted this long,” Acaya muttered, glancing down at all the way they’ve climbed. “We’re definitely around twenty stories tall by now, yet we’re still only about halfway there…”

“None of us can fill in those gaps like you did,” Obo said. “The Pharaoh Angelica Acaya and I have command sand… which obviously aren’t ideal for making stairs out of.”

“Oh…? None of us, you say?” Hurricane laughed darkly. “Hey, Ace… you have the Blacksmith Angelica, don’t you? Why don’t you use it?”

Iris narrowed her eyes and whispered into Finn’s ear. “This guy… he’s trying to…”

“Blacksmith Angelica? Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Finn replied calmly, not fazed in the least. “I possess the Stormbringer Angelica.”

“Hm? Is that so? Then… what was that star earlier?”

“An artifact,” Finn replied. “Something I found in the Dungeon a few days earlier.”

“Ho… I see. I must have remembered wrong, then,” Hurricane snickered and folded his arms. “But even then… those wings on your back are not just for show, are they? Take us up.”

“…” Finn fell silent. He knew Hurricane was doing this on purpose, and that he would sabotage him some way if he agreed to this. But… Finn had plans of his own as well. Of course, to avoid rousing suspicion, he still had to act a bit hesitant.

“… These wings are not just for show,” Finn replied. “However… using them drains my mana. Ivy cannot waste her mana, since the Oculus Angelica will be useful, so everything will be left up to me. In which case… I will not be able to participate in the fight.”

“So?” Hurricane chuckled. “We only need one Stormbringer, Ace.”

“…” Finn slowly sighed and activated his black wings. “Ivy… fly up on your own first.”

Iris, who was on his shoulders, bit her bottom lip. “Ace… you don’t have to do what he say-“

“Just go.”

Iris, naturally, didn’t understand Finn’s hidden intentions. She was worried about him, but there was nothing she could do after being told so firmly by Finn himself. She flew up using her own wings, and before long, she hollered down to announce her arrival.

“It’s safe! You can come up!”

Finn turned to the others. “I’ll take the lightest ones first, to conserve energy.”

“That would be the ladies first, then,” Acaya said. “Aquira, go ahead.”

Iyesha nodded and stepped forward. “So, um… how do I…?”

“Just stand still,” Finn ordered.

“Y-Yes!” Iyesha cried at the coldness and impatience in his tone, immediately tensing up. Finn reached down for her legs and placed his other hand on her shoulders, picking her up with ease, then took off with his wings.

She wasn’t too heavy, thanks to her slim figure. But the clothing she wore, on the other hand… weighed down quite a lot. Still, if this was it, Finn could manage.

Luckily, there were no obstacles on the way up through the middle, so even with Finn’s blindness, he was able to fly up without crashing into anything. Iris was also there in case something unexpected occurred, ready to give callouts if needed.

After setting Iyesha down, Finn immediately went back down for the next person, like a human elevator. But when he got there…

“Hold it, Ace. Before you do anything, allow me make one thing clear. You are not allowed to touch anywhere without my permis- nya~!”

She suddenly yelped in surprise as Finn completely disregarded her comment and scooped her up in a princess carry, before taking off.

“H-Hey! Finn, s-stop- watch where your fingers are- eungh~”

She was so panicked that she used Finn’s real name instead of his alias, and in response, Finn had meant to squeeze her thighs as a warning, but he may have squeezed a little too close to… that part. Qi Ling moaned softly, face blushing deeply. She remained quiet for the rest of that trip up, clenching her fists tightly.

Once they got there, Finn sent her down gently and prepared to go back down again, but then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back.

“… Hey. If you tell anyone what happened there… I’ll freeze you,” Qi Ling whisperer sharply, to which Iyesha and Iris leaned in curiously.

Finn snorted and went back down, shrugging off her hand. Qi Ling, watching him go, folded her arms defiantly and spun on her heel.

“Tch… that’s the first time… how dare he touch that spot…!”

“Um… Frostbite? What’s wrong?” Iris asked, sitting on the floor.

“N-Nothing!” Qi Ling yelled, hiding her flushed face and refusing to speak any more. Iyesha and Iris were both confused, but they didn’t pry lest they got frozen.

Finn continued bringing the others up one by one, starting with the Healer, Chisis. Before long, he was exhausted… and there was only one person remaining:

Hurricane.

“You seem tired, Ace. Since the others are all up there… why don’t you sit down… and let’s have a chat?”

“No, I’m fine,” Finn replied coldly. “We’re going up.”

“If you say so… but I don’t feel comfortable being lifted like a princess, so… you can pull me up with my hands.”

Saying this, Hurricane held out his hands, inviting Finn to take them. He held a wry smile on his face, and a dark twinkle clouded his blue eyes. Finn hesitated momentarily, then reached out with his own hands.

“… Heh.” Hurricane smirked and found Finn’s hands with his own, clasping them together tightly. But rather than using two hands, Hurricane left one of his own free.

“…!” Suddenly, Finn felt an attracting force between his gloves and Hurricane’s, now sealed together.

As were their fates.

Finn’s two hands were now bound with Hurricane’s one, which meant if an aerial battle were to ensue, Hurricane would have the upper hand. But Finn had more than just arms and legs — and he wasn’t afraid to use them.

“Now then…” Hurricane tilted his head, ever so slightly. “… Take me up, Ace.”