The deeper adventurers ventured into the Dungeon, encountering a ruler-class monster—a dragon—was an absolute certainty. It was a law of nature that every Orario adventurer had to accept. However, the territory Bell Cranel and the Exiden Express force had just stepped into surpassed all rational definitions of a labyrinth.
"Dragon bones...?" Bell muttered.
The elite force's steps halted. The first thing that seized their sanity was an expanse of dragon fossils. Their sizes were incredibly massive, equivalent to giant whales.
Throughout the vast underground cavern, dragon skeletons lay half-buried. Some still had remnants of wing membranes, while others had completely fossilized into limestone. A few even emitted a strange glow from their chest cavities, as if remnants of a heart were still beating weakly.
However, there was one horrifying similarity among all those giant corpses. Every fossil had been pierced and impaled right in the forehead or chest by something that looked like fibrous meat swords. It was as if the existence of those dragons had been consumed and rejected by a superior entity.
"What is this place?" whispered Heith; the healer from the Freya Familia made no effort to hide her disgust.
"Lefiya?" Leon Vardenburg called out calmly, requesting confirmation.
"This... has completely changed," Lefiya answered, her brow furrowing sharply as she processed the surrounding topography. "This Floor 60... Back when I came here with the expedition, this place was a cave with walls colored blue like flesh. Nothing at all like this."
Compared to Lefiya's report, this transformation was truly horrifying. The Dungeon's layout now resembled a limestone cave with giant stalactite pillars fifty meters high.
"It's like a dragon graveyard," Bell murmured unconsciously.
The place felt very quiet, yet strangely, not completely silent. A gust of wind blew against Bell's white hair. That cold wind swept across the countless dragon carcasses. The wind was not created by ordinary air pressure; instead, it carried an incredibly dense concentration of pure magical power. The sound of the wind scraping against the cavities of the dragon bones created a horrifying chorus, as if the dragons were groaning in pain.
"This is no ordinary labyrinth," Loki's voice rang sharply through the Oculus channel. "This entire floor has been forcibly converted into the body of that Corrupted Spirit. Imagine you are walking inside the monster's stomach."
Bell flinched.
"That cursed spirit is doing everything it can to absorb Ais's power," Loki continued, her voice growing heavy. "In the process, the monster is also absorbing her deepest thoughts, memories, and emotions. That is what caused the structure of this floor to turn messy and chaotic like this."
Leon began to step forward, leading the formation, while Loki's words pierced Bell's mental defenses like ice daggers.
Ais was still being devoured.
This magic-scented wind was the proof. Proof that the essence of the wind spirit inside Ais Wallenstein's body was being siphoned off bit by bit; they didn't know it was a decoy from Venti. Bell's stomach felt sick. He wanted to scream, wanted to unleash Firebolt magic in all directions until this nightmare collapsed, but he gritted his teeth until they ached, forcing his rationality to hold on.
"I've read the reports," Leon said in an entirely unchanged tone, "but why is this anomalous monster so obsessed with the Sword Princess's power? The other adventurers from your group were just devoured and forgotten."
A tense pause enveloped the communication channel.
"Because Ais has spirit blood in her veins," Loki answered with finality.
"I see," Leon responded softly. "So that crazed spirit monster is seeking power from its own kin to perfect its form. That makes perfect biological sense."
While Bell's mind was still shaken by the fact of Ais's spirit blood and Bell suddenly remembered Ais's mother, Sylphie—and that also reminded him of Welf Crozzo who also inherited spirit blood—Leon accepted it purely as a tactical fact.
"What happens if the Sword Princess is completely absorbed?" Leon asked again.
"It will be over," Loki replied flatly. "Just like my core forces trapped down here... you all will also be wiped out. Orario, the City of Heroes, will fall."
The goddess's declaration of destruction made Bell's throat quiver.
"By my estimate, Ais probably only has about twenty-four hours left before her existence is completely absorbed. That is our maximum time limit," Loki concluded.
That was all the time they had. Time seemed to turn into grains of sand spilling through an imaginary hourglass in Bell's mind. Even Lefiya drew a sharp breath beside him, panic beginning to crack her composure.
Amidst the sanity-crushing pressure, Leon's voice broke the silence.
"I see. In that case, let's proceed with this conquest in logical order," the blonde knight said. "Even if this monster's body mutates and swallows reality... as long as this is still inside the Dungeon, then what an adventurer must do will never change."
Bell and Lefiya both jolted. That firm, dignified, and unwavering voice worked like magic. Seeing Leon's upright and unshakeable back was truly reassuring. Leon Vardenburg's strength lay not only in his Level 7 status, but in his years of experience as an instructor in the School District. He was a "teacher", and his presence quelled their fears, restoring their will to think clearly.
Bell and Lefiya exchanged glances. The panic vanished, replaced by frozen resolve.
"Goddess," Bell called through the communication crystal, "can you handle the mapping from up there? We don't have time to draw our own route."
"Of course, Bell-kun! Leave it to us!" Hestia answered quickly. "Hermes, your turn!"
Under Leon's calm guidance and mapping from the gods on the surface, the group advanced. In the air, faint blue specks of light floated like fine snow, falling from fleshy flowers blooming on the ceiling.
"This is Charm Dust," Lefiya explained coldly. "Anyone with an abnormal resistance rank of H or lower will be inflicted with a deadly charm if they inhale it. In the past, this dust made our first-class adventurers kill each other. The Dungeon here doesn't just kill, it hijacks corpses and turns them into tools."
Before Bell could process that horror, Leon's steps halted.
The relaxed air vanished completely. From behind the dragon bone pillars ahead, a shrill laugh was heard. The innocent laugh of a little girl, yet laden with a putrid magical aura.
"Welcome, my new meat puppets."
Silhouettes emerged from the shadows. They were human corpses. Some were missing arms, some had sunken eyes, some were even headless. However, on the backs of those corpses, horrifying parasites were entrenched.
The parasites took the shape of the upper bodies of women with green, blue, and purple gradient skin, possessing three pairs of arms. Their faces were incredibly beautiful, but they had compound red eyes like insects. The monsters were Violators—spider women that used adventurers' corpses as hosts.
Bell's eyes widened. The combat uniforms worn by those host corpses... bore the jester emblem. Members of the Loki Familia.
"Bastards..." Loki's voice from the Oculus trembled with dense killing intent. "Defiling the bodies of my kids... I will not forgive them."
Lefiya was instantly consumed by anger. She chanted magic, ready to destroy the corpses of her own comrades.
"Ufufu!" The Violators leaped with insane speed, swinging their six sharp claws plus the weapons gripped by their host corpses.
Bell moved instinctively. As the monster's claws slashed, Bell's body responded faster than his own mind. His Level 6 instincts, combined with the Martial Arts techniques Alfia had forcibly carved into his body's instincts, took over. The memory of his aunt's torture echoed: Hesitation is death.
Bell tilted his body just a few millimeters, letting the deadly claws pass right next to his face without touching him. With an incredibly efficient and deadly flick of his wrist, he swung the Hestia Knife.
Crash!
In the blink of an eye, the monster's arm, along with the spider parasite's head, was sliced clean off without scratching the body of the Loki Familia adventurer host in the slightest. His movement was incredibly smooth, like a martial arts grandmaster.
Leon Vardenburg, who was just preparing to dash in to help, instantly halted his steps. The Level 7 knight's eyes widened staring at the efficiency of Bell's movements that surpassed common sense.
"What kind of martial arts ability is that..." Leon murmured in awe.
The freed host body collapsed onto Bell's shoulder as if silently expressing thanks, then slumped to the floor.
"Professor Leon! Where is the monster's magic stone located?!" shouted Lefiya, who was struggling to parry the relentless slashes from another monster.
"Inside the spider's stomach, not in the host's body!" Leon answered while dashing to slash another monster.
Lefiya gritted her teeth. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she stared at the dead face of her comrade. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before unleashing her lightning magic Dio Thyrsos from close range, incinerating both monster and host simultaneously.
Bell resumed his stance. His hands held back tremors. "Wait... maybe they can still be saved!"
Heith held Bell's shoulder from behind. The healer's eyes were calm yet merciless. "That's impossible, Bell. The fusion of this parasite is too deep, rooting down to the soul. Even magic from the greatest Saint wouldn't be able to separate them. They are already dead."
That fact could not be refuted.
Three elf figures emerged from the mist in front of them. Their clothes bore the emblem of the Freya Familia. The Einherjar troops. Meluna, Restan, and Tanna. The instructors who had once trained Bell harshly now stood as lifeless meat puppets.
"I will exterminate them," Heith said coldly, her voice trembling to hold back a surge of emotion. "Pests who dare to defile Lady Freya's property."
But Bell knew, Heith said that to hide her heartbreak.
Freya's voice sounded gently from the crystal. "Bell. There are no souls left in there. What you see are merely empty shells."
Seeing Lefiya and Heith bearing the burden of destroying their own family, Bell finally made a decision. He let go of his hesitation. He cast aside his anger and sorrow at this point, choosing to become the true vanguard.
"Heith, fall back," Bell said softly yet full of power. He gripped his dagger tightly. "Let me free them."
Bell dashed forward. His speed exploded. He jumped past the attack range of the three elves, spun in the air, and with a reverse-grip slash, he decapitated all three spider parasite heads simultaneously. Blue blood spurted.
Right as the bodies staggered, Bell aimed his right hand. "Firebolt!"
Three spears of lightning fire pierced the stomachs of those parasites, destroying their magic stones instantly. The monsters turned to ash, and the bodies of the three Einherjar elves collapsed peacefully to the floor.
"Rest well, Meluna-san," Bell whispered.
However, this labyrinth refused to grant a pause. In that exact second of carelessness, Floor 60 reacted. The dragon fossil pillars beneath Bell's feet exploded. Nine giant bone spears shot out from the ground and walls, aiming right at Bell's blind spots from all directions.
"Bell Cranel!!" screamed a panicked Lefiya.
However, instead of being skewered, Bell's Development Ability: Initiative flared instantly. Time seemed to slow down in his eyes. Using the Martial Arts technique taught by Alfia perfectly, Bell's body twisted with terrifying precision. He stepped lightly in the air, using one of those deadly bone spears as a foothold, contorted his body through the narrow gap, and landed on the ground without a single hair being scratched.
Without losing momentum, Bell shot like a bullet into the middle of the horde of Violators and corrupted monsters emerging from the mist. In his eyes, these potentially Level 5 monsters moved incredibly slow.
Bell swung his Hestia Knife, combining it with the martial arts punches and kicks Alfia had forced into his instincts. Left, right, duck, slash. Every movement was a fatal attack without a single wasted swing. Bell slaughtered those giant monsters as easily as chopping cabbage. He tore through the enemy lines without letting a single drop of dirty monster blood stain his silver armor. In a matter of seconds, dozens of monsters crumbled to dust.
At the Guild headquarters, the gods' altar was struck by a choking silence. Hestia, Freya, and Hermes stared at the Oculus screen with their jaws dropped.
"W-What are those movements...?" Loki said sharply, her voice trembling in disbelief. "He's not using any support magic at all... He's purely reading every muscle of the enemies and slaughtering them like a true martial arts master! Did Alfia... did that monster really turn this rabbit boy into an absolute deadly weapon?!"
Realizing that Bell was now a perfect combat machine capable of clearing Floor 60 without needing to sacrifice the formation's defense, the gods and adventurers on the surface erupted in euphoric cheers and immense awe. The hope that had been dim now burned brightly.
As they paused briefly in a safe area, Leon readjusted the formation. "Bell, you will be the spearhead. We will support you from behind. Keep up that deadly rhythm of yours."
Heith approached Bell. The healer didn't cast her magic, because Bell wasn't injured at all, but rather stared at the youth with sparkling eyes full of a strange admiration.
Heith raised her hand and gently touched Bell's cheek, which was clean of bloodstains.
"Amazing... Such perfect movements, Bell. Not a single opening, not a single speck of dust managed to touch you," Heith said, her eyes losing their normal light, turning into the dark obsession typical of Freya's children. "You are a flawless warrior. A pure existence that cannot be touched by wounds. It's incredibly sickening yet incredibly beautiful. You are truly a masterpiece fit to be by Lady Freya's side."
Bell froze, intimidated by the pure aura of the Einherjar. But a moment later, Heith laughed sweetly and stepped back into formation as if nothing had happened.
"Don't be so tense, Bell. You belong to the Hestia Familia, I know." She left Bell, who swallowed hard awkwardly. Freya's family was truly terrifying.
They resumed moving through the narrow canyon that eventually emptied into a giant stalactite cathedral. But this time, the dragon fossils had disappeared. The walls and pillars were replaced by chunks of glowing gold gems.
"They're coming," growled Lefiya, her eyes narrowing with anger.
From behind the golden mist, dozens of silhouettes stepped out.
BOOM!
An invisible explosion of air pressure suddenly struck the entire formation. Its power was so brutal it shattered rocks and threw Leon, Lefiya, and Heith into the air.
The shockwave blasted Bell until he crashed into a collapsed pillar. The Oculus on his arm shattered into pieces. Communication with the gods was completely cut off.
While reassembling his stance, Bell raised his head through the dust.
Before him, someone stood in the mist. Liquid gold hair. Eyes he knew all too well.
"Ais... san?" whispered Bell.
Ais Wallenstein stood there. She wore no clothes at all, her pale skin glistening under the dim light. She smiled gently and reached her hand out toward Bell.
Is everything alright?
That voice echoed in Bell's head, exactly like their first meeting. Bell unconsciously reached out his hand, trying to grasp that warmth.
However, just as the golden hand almost touched Bell, a meat blade shot out from the girl's chest.
Before the blade touched Bell, a hard kick slammed into the golden girl's waist, throwing her away.
Lefiya stood in front of Bell, her eyes burning with pure fury. "Don't you dare defile our hero!" roared the elf.
Lefiya raised her staff. "Arcs Ray!"
A blinding pillar of light struck the fake Ais's body, erasing it to ash instantly. Lefiya yanked Bell's shoulder. "Pull yourself together, idiot! That was fake! That was a copy made by the Corrupted Spirit!"
Bell widened his eyes. From behind the golden mist, hundreds of similar silhouettes stepped forward. Hundreds of girls with the face, hair, and eyes of Ais Wallenstein. All smiling with a gentleness mocked into a nightmare.
"That is blasphemy," Loki said sharply from the command room on the surface, her voice trembling violently holding back her wrath seeing her beloved child's face used as a monster.
On the battlefield, hundreds of Ais faces charged at Bell. Every clone unleashed Ariel wind magic.
Bell's heart broke seeing the face of the woman he admired looking at him with a smile full of hatred. However, the muscle memory from his aunt's hellish training refused to let him stay still.
They're slow. This is just an illusion! Bell thought, forcing his rationality to overcome his emotions.
Thanks to Alfia's teachings, Bell read the airflow from the clones' magic. He ducked past the first wind vortex, dashed forward, and slashed the neck of the clone in front of him. He spun to dodge a slash, kicked the second clone until it shattered, and then unleashed a close-range, chantless Firebolt into the crowd.
His movements were highly tactical, deadly, and precise. Bell cut down the rows of clones one by one without getting touched.
However, mentally, this was pure torture. Killing figures that possessed Ais Wallenstein's face, scent, and eyes over and over again drained his sanity. Cold sweat drenched his forehead, and his breathing became heavy—not due to physical exhaustion, but the psychological burden breaking his heart. He was killing the woman he admired again and again.
"Why are you fighting me, Bell? You want this warmth, don't you?" whispered hundreds of mouths simultaneously, before their bodies lunged.
Bell closed his eyes, swung the Hestia Knife, and cleaved through the illusion.
Right as thousands of wind pillars prepared to surround him from an unavoidable blind spot, a howl shattered the storm.
Not the sound of a monster. The howl of a fierce wolf coming to guide death.
One brutal kick encased in scorching metal tore through the clone formation, destroying dozens of fake Ais into dust in one spin.
A blinding light stung Bell's eyes. Before him, a man stood with his back to him, letting Bell regulate his breath and sanity. A tattered combat jacket, and a blue lightning tattoo on his cheek.
"Even after beating those stubborn bastards, a small fry is still a small fry, huh?" the gray-haired man said with a harsh, mocking tone.
Bete Loga. The Lone Wolf, standing with a savage smile facing the fake horde.
Meanwhile, deep in the core of Floor 60, inside the slowly melting ice cage.
Little Ais sat huddled up, crying. Inside her mind's hallucinations, she saw girls who looked like her tearing and ripping apart her doll friends. The fairy doll, the witch doll, and the cat doll were scattered in pieces.
Ais begged them to stop, but the fake girls only laughed merrily, splashing illusory blood everywhere.
Suddenly, a wolf's howl was heard. A tattered "wolf doll" leaped from the sea of illusions, striking those girls until they were thrown back.
But what made Ais's tears stop was when she saw her beloved "rabbit doll". The severely torn rabbit doll sat up. With stiff movements, the rabbit gathered its own bloody cotton, stuffing it back into its forcefully torn stomach.
The rabbit doll then stood tall. It was not broken. It refused to be broken. Followed by the fairy doll, the witch doll, and the wolf doll, they stood side by side, looking at Ais in silence.
The rabbit's button eyes seemed to convey a warm message that pierced through the darkest dimensions of her mind.
Just wait a little longer... Please, wait just a little longer. We are coming to get you.
On the surface of Orario, inside the quiet Hestia Familia headquarters.
Alfia sat in front of the Oculus, observing all the chaos. Her heterochromatic eyes reflected the flashes of explosions from Floor 60.
However, the Silence's attention was not entirely focused on the bloody battle. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she observed the stage of gods at the Guild from another angle of the screen.
Hestia crying worrying about Bell. Lefiya desperately protecting him. Heith showing a strange obsession. Haruhime risking her life to cast magic on her nephew. Ryuu breaking through to save him. Even Freya looking at him with a gaze thirsting for possession.
Alfia snorted softly. Her arms crossed over her chest. She started counting mentally the number of girls reacting irrationally just by seeing her nephew struggle. The number was far too high for a fourteen-year-old boy. As an aunt, Alfia felt very curious about Bell's strange charm that attracted this much "trouble". However, she chose to remain silent and save her strict judgment for later.
Another thing that far more attracted Alfia's analytical attention was the appearance of winged monsters that seemed to have intellect—Xenos—aiding the Orario forces.
"Monsters that can think, speak, and fight alongside humans..." Alfia muttered softly, touching her chin. Her eyes narrowed calculatingly. "If they exist in this future... it's highly likely they also exist in my timeline."
Alfia permanently marked that information in her head. After this ridiculous rescue mission was over and they returned to the era fifteen years ago, she and Venti had a new place to explore. And what Alfia didn't know, Venti knew about the Xenos. The wind of change had not finished blowing.
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P - Gem_Blanks
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