Rumble—!!!!!!!
"What is this...!?"
"Riveria! Lupia!"
""Understood!""
Feeling the tectonic tremors, Akumo immediately moved to high ground with Riveria and Alfia to survey the situation.
"That is...!!"
—Grawooooo!!!!!!!
"A Goliath!"
'And a black one at that... an Enhanced Species!'
"Riveria! Go to the camp where the Familia members are. Focus on defense with Finn!"
Observing two Black Goliaths descending—one near the Loki Familia's camp and another before a distant mountain range—Akumo made a snap judgment and sent Riveria back to the base.
BOOM—!!!!!!
"One has high regenerative capabilities, while the other seems specialized in firepower...!"
'I've sent Riveria to the camp, but considering the chant time, the attacks will inevitably strike the fallen members before she can deploy...'
Grip—!!
"In the end, I have no choice but to go...!"
Akumo made his decision and began to move toward the camp. However, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Alfia staring silently at the mountain range where the second Goliath had landed. He sensed Bell was there.
"....Alfia."
"Do not worry. Believe in that child."
'....!'
"Right! I believe in both Bell and you."
"Stating the obvious."
Alfia offered Akumo a brief smile. She focused her gaze toward the child, determined to witness the trial Bell had been given with her own eyes this time.
"Bell. I believe in you. Both I and Akumo."
"So, do not let a mere trial of this level defeat you."
**
The sudden appearance of the Goliath turned the mountain outskirts into absolute pandemonium, throwing the adventurers into a state of panic. Not only had an Enhanced Species appeared, but Minotaurs and various monsters from the Middle Floors were swarming the 18th Floor.
In the midst of this chaos, Bell moved with surgical calm, working with Welf and Lili to rescue the struggling adventurers.
THWACK—!!!!!!!!
"[Gale] and [Braver] are drawing its attention!! Everyone, prepare your suppression fire and chants!"
"""Uooooh!!!!!!"""
"Give it one hell of a blast!"
Led by Bors, the adventurers from Rivira gathered to confront the Goliath, unleashing a barrage of attacks. Even as the Goliath swung its massive frame, crushing everything in its vicinity, they refused to yield.
—Grawoooo!!!!!!!
BANG—!!!!!!!!
"We have plenty of weapons!!! Pour everything we've got into it!!!!"
Whirrrr—!!!!!
"It's going to use magic! Everyone, dodge!!"
White mana coalesced in the Goliath's maw before it discharged a magic projectile. The blast was aimed at the rear-line adventurers operating the ballistae from a distance.
CRASH—!!!!!!!!
"Guaakh...!!! As if I'd fall here!!!"
Creak—!!
"Everyone, keep attacking!!"
Bors, known as the mayor of Rivira, braced his shield and tanked the blast, shouting at the wavering adventurers to maintain their offensive.
—Kraaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
Whirrrr—!!!!
"Dammit...!!"
The Goliath pivoted its strategy, preparing to unleash magic point-blank on the front-line adventurers who were pinning its feet down. However—
"[Burn, O works of the forbidden.]!"
"[Will-o'-Wisp]!!!"
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
"Push it all at once!!!!"
Welf's anti-magic spell, [Will-o'-Wisp], caused the Goliath's magic to detonate within its own mouth. As the monster reeled from the massive facial damage, Bell surged forward with lethal velocity.
Slash—!!!
Splurt—!!!
—Grawooooo!!!!!!!
"I've cut its legs!! Everyone, concentrate your magic!!!"
Bell's command served as a flare. All mages in the vanguard and rear finished their chants simultaneously, raining down a deluge of high-tier spells onto the Goliath's body.
KABOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thoom—!!!!!!!!
Fwooosh—!!!!!!!!!
Crackle—!!!!!!!
Explosions, flames, electricity, and lacerations—countless forms of kinetic energy pierced the Goliath's skin and severed its musculature, inflicting devastating trauma.
—...
"Ohh!! The attack was success—"
—!!!!
THUD—!!!!!!
It was not enough.
Whirrrr—
"Self-regeneration...."
—Grawooooo!!!!!!!
BANG—!!!!!
**
After the massive shockwave hit the careless crowd, Ryu and Asfi continued to hold the Goliath's attention.
CRACK—!!!!!!!!!
Clang—!!!!!!!
"Dammit...!"
Ryu's blades struck the Goliath's arms and face, while Asfi circled from the air, accumulating damage with a relentless stream of specialized items.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been an masterful strategy—maximizing their strengths to wear the opponent down.
Whirrrr—!!
""!!""
But against a Goliath with endless regeneration, it was merely buying time that was rapidly running out.
"Ryu! We need a single, devastating blow!"
"But my magic lacks the sufficient output!"
"Ugh...!!"
Ryu's Luminous Wind was a high-damage technique, but its mechanism involved a multitude of magical winds shredding the opponent over time.
It lacked the raw, concentrated power needed to shatter a Goliath's Magic Stone in one go. As Ryu racked her brain for a solution—
Whoosh—!!!
'This presence...?'
Bell, having finished charging Argonaut, charged through the smoke toward the Goliath.
"Ryu-san! Asfi-san! Please get back!"
Fwoosh—!!!!!!!
"[Fire Bolt]!!!!!!"
—Grawooooo!!!!!
The massive surge of flame detonated against the Goliath.
BOOM—!!!!!
It succeeded in blasting the Goliath's head clean off.
Thud—!!!
The blow was significant. The Goliath fell to its knees, its movements ceasing for a moment. The adventurers began to cheer, believing they had secured victory.
Whirrrr—!!!
"....The output is still insufficient!"
"Dammit, I'll use my magic! Asfi! Keep its eyes on you!"
The blast had failed to overcome the Goliath's extreme regenerative speed. Ryu and Asfi moved to draw its focus again, trying to protect Bell, who had exhausted a vast amount of Mind for that high-tier burst. In that moment—
"[Futsu-no-Mitama]!!!!"
"[Kazuki]!!!!!!!!"
THOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The colossal blade of a War God began to press down upon the Goliath, as a pillar of flame illuminated the entire floor.
**
Welf remembered.
The brilliant flame carried by his idol. The mighty fire that even made his Patron Deity believe.
And so, he forged it. He made his own Magic Sword, deciding to shoulder the guilt of creating a 'child' that would eventually break, infusing it with his own unique flame.
'Forgive me... for shattering you...!'
"However...."
—'Whether to make that sword, who to give it to, and with what intent... that is your choice.'
'I want to save my comrade... the man who looked at my work with sincerity!!!'
"[Kazuki]!!!!!!!!"
Welf's massive wave of fire attempted to swallow the Goliath whole. The monster tried to intercept him immediately, but—
'I put Bell-san and his comrades in danger...'
"[Even to speak of it is an honor—My War God who smites all things, O dignified guidance of the heavens.]"
'Even so, Bell-san never blamed others; he honed himself to overcome his own weakness!'
"[To this small body, your vast divine power. I seek the light of purification, the blade of heresy-slaying. Brandish the sword of tranquility, the spirit sword of conquest.]"
Mikoto recalled the image of Bell sparring with Bete. How he had faced an opponent far stronger than himself, pushing his abilities to their absolute limit to bridge the gap.
Not just Bell, but Bete and Akumo—she had learned the true posture of a warrior from how their eyes never left the battle even for a second.
'I will give my everything... to bind that thing!'
"[Invoke now in my name. Descend from the heavens and pierce through the earth————Shinmu Touzei!]!"
"[Futsu-no-Mitama]!!!!"
A massive violet greatsword descended from the air, subjecting the Goliath to an overwhelming gravitational pressure.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"The attack connected!!!"
Crunch—!!!
"Any... Are there no other mages ready to strike!?"
Swoosh—!!!
"Anyone will do!! We'll keep its feet pinned!!"
They didn't just wait for a finishing blow; they cleared a path for one another, continuously drawing the Goliath's gaze to keep it bound for the finale.
Ding—
Ding—
Ding—
In that instant, the sound of a bell resonated through the cavern.
"The sound of a bell....?"
"What on earth...."
Finally, they saw a single light.
A pure white hope radiating from the boy's entire body.
It was the prelude signaling a hero's strike—the flash that summoned victory.
"Toryaaaah!!!!!!!!!!"
**
CHIME—!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Ohh! The Goliath over there has been subjugated!"
"We can't afford to lose on this side either!"
The hero's strike reached the Loki Familia on the opposite side. Seeing that flash, the proof of victory, the executives stepped forward personally to bring down the entity before them.
'Bell....!'
"You did it!"
"Akumo! That flame just now was...?"
".....It was likely that child's flame, Tsubaki-ane-sama."
Akumo felt a warm smile spread across his face, moved by the fact that the immature children he knew had surpassed their limits to slay a mystery. In turn, he felt a burning passion ignite within his own heart.
"Ane-sama!! I suppose we can't fall behind?"
"Hmph! Of course not! Give 'em something big!"
Tsubaki knew exactly what Akumo was about to do. She braced herself, eager to witness the majesty of the crimson flames that were about to unfold once more.
'Welf...! Watch closely... This is the pinnacle of the flame... the height you must reach!'
"Everyone!!! Get back! I'm going to show you something spectacular!"
Swoosh—!!!!
"Akumo is moving! Clear the area of effect!"
"Akumo...."
"Hah! Sweep it all away!!"
Watching Akumo charge, Riveria, Ais, and Bete showed no concern for his safety. Instead, they wore smiles of absolute trust.
Rumble—!!!!!
"That thing is preparing its magic!"
"No! No need to worry."
"Interrupting him now would just be getting in the way, you idiots!"
'Look well, everyone... at our Hero!'
The other Black Goliath began gathering a magic orb in its maw large enough to fill the entire floor. It was a maximum-output strike for which the monster had sacrificed even its own regeneration.
It was beyond a conventional strike—for all intents and purposes, a Level 6 tier Skill.
"[O crimson flame that enshrouds me, let your power become my wings; let it be the brilliant blaze that the dragon's gale cannot extinguish!]"
Fwoosh—!!!!!!!
Massive wings of fire erupted from Akumo's back. He took to the sky, charging head-on into the Goliath's concentrated magic blast.
""That flame is....!""
'Father!'
'Akumo-san!'
Bell and Welf both looked at Akumo's fire and felt a heartbeat separate from the joy of victory.
It was likely their answer to the full strength shown by their idol—the destination they wished to reach through their own adventures.
"Bell, watch closely. That is the..."
'Strike of a Hero.'
As Alfia finished her sentence, Akumo's crimson flame and the Goliath's magic orb collided.
—Grawooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
"[Rising Ignis]!!!!!"