A thunderous explosion rang out.
Before countless eyes, blue-violet arcs entwined with a white tempest and plunged into Goliath's chest.
The dagger tore through pitch-black skin and pierced deep into crimson flesh.
"Ooooooooooooo!!!"
With the power of [Argonaut] fully charged, Goliath suffered its first truly lethal wound.
And yet—
Before the boy could reach the giant's Magic Stone, something changed.
Scarlet particles of regeneration surged wildly. The giant's overwhelming vitality clamped down on the blue-violet arc.
In the next instant—
A sharp crack split through the center of the dagger.
Goliath roared in agony as it thrashed and swung its massive fist.
Bell couldn't press the attack any further. He yanked the dagger free and leapt back.
After that violent clash, the black blade in his hand had already broken in two.
The tip fell to the ground.
The sacred letters faded, the blue-violet glow extinguished completely.
"Huh…?"
Lefiya narrowed her eyes, sensing something was wrong.
"Sword Princess, can't you lend your rapier to Cranel-san?"
Ryuu asked softly.
"The wind output is different… it would only cause him trouble…"
Ais replied quietly.
The Desperate Sword had been crafted specifically for Ais. It wasn't a weapon the boy could simply wield.
Under the anxious gazes of the girls, Bell had no choice but to stow the broken blade at his waist.
[Hestia Knife].
The dagger named by Hestia, a weapon that could grow alongside its wielder. A blade so extraordinary could only have been born of a Goddess's hand.
Had it broken because of the combined strain of [Argonaut] and [Ariel]?
Bell's instincts told him it wasn't that simple.
But he had no time to think.
That strike had made Goliath taste death. The giant howled in fury and launched into a reckless counterattack.
"Firebolt!"
With both daggers lost, Bell could only rely on Firebolt to create an opening.
The tempest guided his movements, but this time Goliath moved faster.
Its arm twisted grotesquely as red particles restored it, then swung in a way no human body could ever imitate.
Goliath sacrificed the entire arm, turning it into a massive bone blade and smashing it toward the now weaponless boy.
Bell's vision was swallowed by blackness.
The side effects of [Argonaut] and [Ariel] left the briefest opening.
Even with only a short charge, the exhaustion flooded back into his limbs.
The impact exploded outward, and Bell was sent flying like a broken dam.
Dust burst into the air as his body crashed across the barren ground. Faint drops of blood stained the earth behind him.
"Little Rookie?!"
"Bell!"
Everyone's heart leapt into their throat.
Hope and despair were separated by a single breath.
"Bell-sama!"
Lili had just returned from Rivira Town. Clutching the greatsword, she rushed to his side in panic.
Amid the countless cries and shouts—
Only Ais stared silently at the spot where he had fallen.
Was it trust?
Or something else?
Even she did not know.
A [Hero] would not fall here.
Under the protection of the wind's armor, that blow had been a setback, not a killing strike.
It might sound cold to think so.
But Ais's golden eyes were filled with expectation.
The Bell Cranel she knew would not stay down after only two setbacks.
Both the young girl within her and the seasoned Sword Princess waited for him.
Bell…
Stand up…
The dust slowly cleared.
At the far end of everyone's gaze, Bell stood tall.
Though blood stained his body, the wind around him had never stopped.
"Lili, thank you. Get back and take cover."
Without hesitation, he took the black greatsword in hand.
"Bell-sama, please be careful!"
Knowing she would only hinder him, Lili said nothing more and hurried to the rear.
Bell drew in a deep breath and stepped back onto the battlefield.
He had been knocked down twice in front of the girls.
He had made them cry.
This was supposed to be the moment he looked cool…
But it wasn't over yet.
So what if he had been blasted away?
So what if he was covered in blood?
Only the one who remains standing at the end is the victor.
Bell raised his crimson eyes and locked them onto the pitch-black giant.
The wound from his charged strike had already healed, but Goliath's Magic Stone was now clearly exposed in his mind.
He wasn't fighting alone.
Storm. Prophecy. Greatsword.
Ais. Cassandra. Lili.
And the countless others who had held on until the very end.
Bell could not betray their faith.
So…
Burn, hero.
Burn your longing. Burn your wish. Burn everything you have.
If he couldn't overcome even this calamity, how could he ever protect the girls' smiles?
Ring~
Ring~
The bell tolled as [Argonaut] began to charge.
"Ooooooooooooo!!!"
Goliath sensed the threat in that sound and roared immediately.
Bell drove the tempest around him and dodged at high speed.
No one could cover him now. He couldn't use the mind-draining [Grand Bell].
He had to see everything clearly and make sure the charge wasn't interrupted.
One minute.
From the power of his earlier strike, Bell knew that if he could maintain the charge for one full minute, he could deliver a fatal blow.
But in only a few seconds, Goliath had already closed the distance.
The giant's relentless barrage of punches marked the beginning of the end.
An iron fist capable of sweeping everything aside grazed past his head. The storm shielded him from the aftershock and helped him slip into Goliath's reach.
Don't be afraid.
Don't hesitate.
The closer he stayed to the giant, the easier it was to exploit its blind spots.
He couldn't show fear. He had to use the ringing bell as bait and keep Goliath's attention locked on him.
If the giant turned its focus toward the girls, there would be needless casualties.
Bell held the greatsword in a reverse vertical grip, compressing his movements to the smallest possible space.
Ring~
White light gathered along the blade.
During this final minute, no one looked away.
Bell abandoned all offense and relied entirely on the storm's speed to evade again and again.
Goliath continued its reckless attacks, even repeating the maneuver of sacrificing its own arm.
But having seen it once, Bell used the distortion in the giant's posture to leap effortlessly into the blind spot near its shoulder.
Attack and evasion wove together in a deadly rhythm.
The minute was almost up.
"?!"
Everyone could see it. Bell had reached his limit.
Even a weakened [Ariel] drained his stamina and Mind at an alarming rate.
Five seconds earlier than he had calculated.
Bell was forced to cut the charge short and swing the black greatsword ahead of time.
His shout drowned out the giant's roar as he aimed straight for the Magic Stone.
An iron fist swung to intercept the blade.
Goliath seemed certain of victory. With its fist shielding its core, that strike posed no threat.
A savage grin twisted across its face.
But in the next instant—
Bell deliberately shifted his trajectory upward, stepping onto the descending fist and using it as a foothold.
Then he unleashed a strike of pure light.
Just as Goliath had once summoned monsters to wear him down, using the same tactics adventurers used against a Floor Boss—
In this final moment, Bell used the giant's own sacrificed arm to close the distance, compensating for the last sliver of missing power.
Light burst outward.
The greatsword drove forward with unstoppable force and pierced straight through Goliath's chest.
In a single instant, without even time to scream, the giant's body crumbled into dust and black mist, rising into the air.
A Drop Item clattered to the ground alongside the now blade-less greatsword.
Bell, his left arm struck and his strength spent, collapsed as well.
And yet, to everyone watching, the exhausted figure lying there seemed taller than any hero.
The calamity was destroyed.
Cheers and triumphant shouts echoed across the sky of the Eighteenth Floor for a long, long time.