Squelch—!
"Akumo!"
As Akumo's abdomen was torn open by the Nightmare's claws, Tsubaki's scream of his name was drowned out by the continuous, rhythmic chanting of the Corrupted Spirit.
—[I command in the name of the Agent. My bestowed name is Gnome, Avatar of the Earth, King of the Land.]
"[Form a pact with the Guardian of the Forest, surround us with the song of the earth, encircle us. Become the great barrier of forest light and protect us—My name is Alf.]"
—[Meteor Swarm]!
"[Via Shilheim]!!"
Two ultra-long-verse chants concluded simultaneously, triggering their respective spells. A powerful barrier materialized, shielding the Familia members. Tsubaki moved with blurring speed, supporting the wounded Akumo as she pulled him inside the sanctuary of the light.
"Akumo...!! Are you alright?!"
"Yeah.... It's just a graze."
Rumble—!!!
"The barrier is shaking...!"
".....Finn!"
"I know. My thumb won't stop throbbing...!"
"..."
As if in answer to the ominous premonition, the Corrupted Spirit's lips began to weave another verse.
—[O Fire, come forth.]
"What—!?"
"The Giant is coming back!!!"
BOOM—!!!
"Grrrgh...!! The barrier is...."
Watching his comrades pushed to the brink, Akumo's veteran instincts crystallized into a single, desperate gamble. They couldn't stop the Spirit's chanting, and it was uncertain if the barrier could withstand another high-tier spell while the Nightmare Giant relentlessly hammered at their defenses.
'Then....!'
Whoosh—!
"Akumo!? What the hell are you doing!!"
"I'll draw the Giant's aggro!! Gareth! Be ready to brace for impact!!"
—.....!!
CRASH—!!!
Akumo deliberately exposed himself, vaulting out of the barrier's protection. In his hands were not the greatsword Lævateinn, but two daggers. The Nightmare Giant reacted instinctively to the weapons, swinging its massive arms at the approaching adventurer.
Clang—!!!
Clash—!!!
Slash—!!!
"Tch...!! This bastard..."
'Even if I sever its limbs, it regenerates instantly. And if I lose focus for even a second, it takes my back with chantless teleportation...'
—....!!
"Hup!!"
CLANG—!!!
"Wait...! Could it be!"
Amidst the chaotic assault of the agile Giant and the Spirit's thundering chant, Akumo fixated on one detail: the monster was obsessed with flanking him from behind.
"Right...!"
Fwish—!!!
Making a split-second decision, Akumo dashed back toward the barrier where his allies stood and shouted.
"Everyone, turn your backs to it!!!!"
—[I command in the name of the Agent. My bestowed name is Salamander, Avatar of Flames, King of Fire!]
Vrooooom—!!!
—[Fire Storm]!!!!!
A massive tidal wave of violet flames erupted, swallowing everything in its path.
Crackle—!
Snap—!
"Hah... hah..."
"Is everyone alright!"
"Yeah.... somehow..."
The members of the Loki Familia inside the barrier had survived the incinerating wave. The reason for their survival was evident in the smirk playing on Akumo's lips.
"The gamble... paid off!"
'The moment I sprinted back into the barrier, that thing teleported directly behind me...'
"And it ended up serving as our meat shield!"
"Akumo-san...!! That was incredible!"
"Well played, Akumo!"
However, that flicker of hope was short-lived. Their eyes widened as they witnessed an impossible sight.
—...
Shooooo—
"It's... absorbing Mind and Excelia...?"
"It took that hit directly.... and it's still regenerating...?"
The Corrupted Spirit was remotely absorbing the magic stones of monsters killed in the crossfire to refill its mana reserves. Meanwhile, the Nightmare Giant reassembled its incinerated limbs with ease, as if the purple inferno had been nothing more than a mild breeze.
"Get it together, everyone!!!!!!"
"We are taking those monsters down! I ask for your courage! What do you see in your eyes right now!"
"Is it fear!"
"Is it despair!"
"Is it ruin!"
"In my eyes, I see nothing but enemies to be crushed and a path to victory!"
Finn roared, galvanizing the morale of the shocked subordinates. The Nightmare Giant lashed out at him, but its blow was deflected by the hero's spear.
CLANG—!!!
"That's right!!! How long do you all plan on staying down!?"
'That thing regenerates endlessly. We either need to inflict continuous, unrelenting damage, or one massive, devastating strike...!'
"Finn!!! You guys handle the Spirit!!"
"Understood!! I'm counting on you, Akumo!!"
Trusting Akumo's ability to hold his own against the Nightmare Giant without backup, Finn made his call. He shouted the formation to engage the Spirit even as the Giant lunged at Akumo with predatory speed.
"ORAAAH!!!!!!!!!"
CRASH—!!!
—!!!!
BOOM—!!!
"[O my experiences, my adventures, bloom according to my will.]"
'Recall it...!! The power I glimpsed when I forged these daggers....!'
The hero's chant echoed through the floor, reaching everyone's ears—a resonance that carried the weight of a dawning hope.
Thwack—!!
".....Huh?"
'The monster... it's definitely in front of me....'
"Akumo!!!!!!!!!!"
"Akumo-san!!!!!!!!!!!"
The light of the skill was enough to accelerate the nightmare's birth.
"Ah....!!!!!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Ais!!!"
"A-Akumo is..."
"Akumo-san is..."
"....Urgh....!"
Ais couldn't believe her eyes. Lefiya, Tiona, Tione, Raul—even Bete—stared at the scene with a sense of utter despair.
But—
"Have faith!"
"Finn-san...?"
"Believe in Akumo. All of you!"
"Riveria...!"
"That man is not the type to die so easily!"
"Even Gareth-san...!"
—!!!!!!!!!!!
Tremble—!!
Countless spears formed from the Nightmare Giant's body had skewered Akumo, a sight that made survival seem impossible, let alone victory.
Yet, the three pillars of the Familia—those who had witnessed Akumo's pioneering feats more than anyone else—remained unshaken. Their trust in him was an absolute constant, even in the face of apparent death.
"[Magic spear, I offer my blood, pierce through my brow.]"
"I can't just stand here and watch either!"
"[Hell Finegas]!!!!"
"HAAAH!!!!"
CRASH—!!!
—GYAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!
Finn's spear, fueled by cold fury, and Tsubaki's magic sword—a masterpiece forged alongside Akumo—obliterated the Spirit's face. Simultaneously, as if answering the call...
Whoosh—!!!
Sh—!!!
The thickening darkness served only to intensify the brilliance of a different kind of hope.
Once, there was a nightmare.
A nightmare born from the vengeful spirits of fallen warriors and adventurers, merged with the remnants of the monsters they slew.
That nightmare had taken root in a distant desert, becoming a dark stain under the scorching sun, bringing despair to all living things.
However.
Even that nightmare had known fear.
The light of someone who had triumphed over it, who had transcended the very concept of despair.
No matter how many of them gathered, no matter how much power they coalesced, they fell before him.
His brilliant strength had been etched into the nightmare's very existence, seeking him out even in this new reincarnation within the Dungeon.
And it bore witness once more.
"[Gram] and [Balmung]."
Why did the nightmare seek him again?
Was it to gaze upon that radiance one more time?
One thing was certain: the Hero would never fall into the abyss of a nightmare's despair.
The burning crimson blade and the saw-toothed dark blade in the Hero's hands became wings of destiny.
SHRED—!!!!!!!!!
"Finn!!!!!!!!"
Land—!
"I'm not dead yet, you know!?"
"Heh...!! I knew it! Akumo!!!"
Wings of crimson flame, manifested from the power of Gram, shone brightly upon Akumo's back as he soared through the air, instantly shredding the Nightmare that had sought to bind him.
In his right hand, Balmung moved with impossible speed, decapitating enemies in a single blurring stroke, much like the Nightmare's own teleportation.
"Everyone!! Follow Akumo and me! Take down the Spirit!"
"LET'S GO!!"
—[The advancing spear of thunder]!!
"Here it comes again!!"
"It's a short-verse chant this time!"
"You stubborn piece of—!!"
The Corrupted Spirit, terrified by the phantom image flickering behind Akumo, frantically began weaving the fastest magic it could muster to erase him from existence.
—[My name, the Agent, is Tonitrus, Avatar of Lightning, King of Thunder]!!!!
ZZZT—!!!!!!
"[O crimson flames that surround me, let your power become my wings, become the brilliant fire that will not be extinguished even by the dragon's gale!]"
RUMBLE—!!!!!!!
"Kuh! He's still coming for more!"
As Akumo began his own chant in response to the Spirit's desperate struggle, his comrades charged forward with unwavering trust in their pioneer.
Simultaneously, the remnants of the Nightmare erupted from the floor, lunging for their throats.
"[O blood-color within the darkness, your power shall be my blade, strike forth into the translucent shadow toward sublimity!]"
The crimson wings on Akumo's back flared with ultimate heat, and his shadow deepened until it was as dark as the abyss. Every gaze, from the Nightmare to the Spirit, was locked onto him.
—[Thunder Ray]!!!!!!
—!!!!!!!!
FLASH—!!!!!!!!!
At the exact moment the attacks of the lightning-starved Spirit and the shadow-bound Nightmare converged upon him—
CHIME—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The two masterpieces that had once faced dragons brought their master a brilliant, absolute victory.
"Splendidly done, Akumo!!!"
"Sis...!! Wait a minute!!"
"Regardless of that! Was that its 'True Name' this time!? And what about that magic!"
"I'll tell you everything, so please!!!"
After vanquishing the Nightmare and the Spirit, Akumo returned with the expedition to the 50th-floor base camp.
There, he found himself besieged by his fellow blacksmith and comrade Tsubaki, who bombarded him with questions while crushing him with her formidable enthusiasm.
"Besides, the final blow was a team effort! Finn, say something to her!!"
"""""WOOOOOH!!!!!"""""
"Oh boy..."
"They're so energized. Maybe you should join expeditions more often?"
"Finn.... was this your plan all along?"
"Haha! It depends on how you look at it."
The other members were busy celebrating Akumo's feats as Raul recounted the battle's highlights. Watching them, Finn reflected once more that recruiting Akumo to the Familia had been his best decision.
"What does it matter? It's true that you played the lead role, and it's also true we took the enemy down together."
"Riveria, are you hurt anywhere?"
"I've already been healed. Thanks to a certain someone, I barely took any damage to begin with."
"Wasn't that because of your barrier?"
"Hehe, is that so? If you truly think that, you can repay me by telling me more about that magic of yours."
Riveria offered a rare smile to the man who always managed to show them hope. While she found Tsubaki's clinginess slightly bothersome, her own curiosity about Akumo's new magic won out, and she joined the conversation by his side.
"They really.... are alike."
"Akumo-san? Alike to whom?"
"..."
'Just what is his relationship with Bell...?'
Ais, who had delivered the finishing blow to the Corrupted Spirit, kept overlapping Akumo's figure with Bell's. Setting aside appearances, their personalities and the way they faced adventures were uncannily similar.
"Are they family?"
Flinch—!!
".....Ahem....."
Akumo was internally panicked by Ais's blunt observation, though he maintained his outward calm. He sipped his drink and avoided the gaze of the girl staring intently at him.
'Should I just tell Ais the truth eventually...?'