Everyone gathered there witnessed it.
CRACK—!!!
THUD—!!!!
""!!""
CRUNCH—!!!
BOOM—!!!!
Fists buried themselves into faces.
KABOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!
Legs collided with the thunderous roar of heavy artillery fire.
"Akumo-san...?"
"Akumo...!"
"What in the world is happening..."
"..."
The adventurers could do nothing but hold their breath and watch Akumo's battle. This was true for the late-arriving [Hestia Familia] and [Loki Familia], as well as Ryu, Alise, Ardee, and the Xenos.
WHOOSH—!!
'Too much wasted motion!'
SHING—!!!
'I'll gut him!'
Akumo ducked beneath a sweeping kick and drove a punch forward with enough force to breach the opponent's abdomen, but—
WHAM—!!!!!!!!
"!?"
'The tail...!!'
Even though the kick missed, the centrifugal force remained. The opponent spun his body, and a purple tail slammed into Akumo's face, sending him hurtling back.
SKREEEE—!!!
'It's effectively like dealing with an extra limb, but...'
CRACK—!
"No problem!"
GRIND—!!!
Akumo braced his hand against the ground to right himself, then loosened his muscles and smirked.
'Yes, this is the feeling.'
GRIN—!
"When there's nothing left to worry about...!"
This situation was, for him, a source of profound joy.
The girl he failed to save due to hesitation had been resurrected by a miracle. His comrades were indomitable adventurers strong enough to allow him to cast aside his doubts.
There was no reason not to be elated.
"Ah~ now this is finally worth watching."
CLACK—!
"[Cleave, My Tides.]"
RUSH—!!!
"[Annihilate the enemy before me; sweep them away like the crashing waves.]"
The sentiment was mutual.
The more they exchanged blows, the more the radiance of their souls intensified. More memories flooded their minds, and the urge to fight grew absolute.
"[Privy Council]."
SHING—!
'Unleash it...!'
FLARE—!
In one hand, the opponent held a blade shaped like a cresting wave; in the other, the flames of sorcery burned bright.
WHOOSH—!!!!!!!
'Show me your power!!'
The moment the sword descended toward Akumo like a falling waterfall—
"[My experiences, my adventures, bloom according to my will.]"
SHHHH—!!!!!!!!
"[Body · Soul · Mind]"
The [Loki Familia] could not tear their eyes away from the spectacle.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
CLANG—!!!!!
CLASH-CLASH-CLASH—!!!!!!!!!
"Is that... Akumo...?"
"He looks like a completely different person..."
Watching two of the strongest entities clash with nothing but single blades, Tiona and Tione were lost in the sheer intensity of the combat.
"It's been a long time since I've seen him like that."
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
CLANG—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"....Exactly what I said."
Even Finn, the captain of Orario's strongest Familia, could barely track the lethal speed of their exchanges. The battle had escalated into a realm of pure devastation following their chants.
WHOOSH—!!!!!
"!!"
Exerting even greater strength than usual, Akumo seized the enemy's leg and hurled him bodily into a nearby building.
CRASH—!!!!!!!!!
However, not even seconds after being thrown through the structure, Akuo flew back, thrusting his sword toward Akumo's head.
SHING—!!!!
"[Cleave]!!"
"This is it!!"
WHOOSH—!!
CRACK—!!!!!!!
Akumo tilted his head, allowing the blade to graze his cheek as he stared directly at his opponent. The building behind him literally split in two, the ground trembling under the force.
CRUNCH—!!!!
THUD-THUD-THUD—!!!!!!!!!!
BOOM—!!!!!!!
SLASH—!!!!!!!!!
Fists were buried, necks were targeted; every strike was an execution attempt.
In their minds, concepts of good and evil, grand causes, or petty greed were irrelevant. Only the fight existed.
THUMP—!!
"[Let the flesh rejoice, let the body applaud!]"
GRIND—!!!!!!!!!
"[Flash]"
CRACK—!!!!
Akumo's kick connected with enough force to sever bone, sending Akuo hurtling through the air.
WHOOSH—!
"!!"
'He took my back—'
Akuo was startled by the overwhelming killing intent radiating from behind him.
Setting aside the fact that Akumo had moved from his front to his rear in an instant, the simple iron sword in Akumo's hand was glowing with a joyful light.
"[Drawing the Sword]"
SLASH—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"What... is that?"
Standing atop a building in Daedalus Street, Hermes watched the scene with trembling eyes.
WHAM—!!!!!!!!!!
"Gah...!?"
'He used the force of the sword pressure to spin and counter with a kick...!'
GRIN—!
"[Counter]"
Akumo, whom Hermes thought would never move again, was now fighting proudly before everyone.
"That's definitely... [Residual Light]..."
The heroic masterpieces he usually carried were nowhere to be seen; he held only a common iron sword. His usual uniform was gone, replaced by the simple attire of an ordinary adventurer found on any street corner.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
Yet, he was blindingly radiant.
".....Impossible."
'Not just Akumo, but even that Xenos...'
The technique being used was one Hermes recognized instantly.
It was [Residual Light], the signature technique of 'Leon,' the [Knight of Knights] who served as the captain of the [Baldur Familia] and the principal of the [School District].
"[Consecutive Strikes]!"
"[Drawing the Sword]!"
CLANG—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Akumo unleashed [Residual Light]—the pinnacle of pure technique—as if it were a simple swing of a blade.
Even more incomprehensible was Akuo, who parried the strikes with a blue blade and used the momentum to launch a counterattack.
SLASH—!!
SLASH-SLASH-SLASH—!!!!!!!!!!
"HRAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!"
'You're just brainlessly oversized!!'
Akuo met a massive crescent of sword pressure head-on, firing off a barrage of his own sword strikes like a torrential downpour.
BOOM—!!!
"Kh...!!"
However, the massive sword pressure slammed into Akuo's blade, driving him into the ground and sending him tumbling across the plaza floor.
SHING—!
"Oops, it tore."
RIP—!!!
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore."
'I have no more need to hide, nor any intention to!'
As Akuo's robe, unable to withstand the combat, fell apart, he discarded it without hesitation. Just as he was about to charge Akumo again—
CLACK—!!
"Reveal yourself! Monster!!"
"Identity....?"
".....!!"
Adventurers surrounded him.
Led by Finn Deimne, the Gulliver brothers, Allen Fromel, Ardee Varma, Alise Lovell, and Tsubaki Collbrande—the elite of Orario—took up combat stances around Akuo.
RUMBLE—!!!!!!!!!!
"Kh...!"
'Seeing him up close... this is insane...!!'
"Oi, Akumo... you were fighting a thing like this until now...!!"
'Damn it...! Should I have brought more magic swords?'
Facing Akuo, they broke into a cold sweat under the sheer pressure he radiated. They were prepared to unleash every spell they had to stop him, but—
"Pfft!"
"!!"
"Ahahaha!!!!!!!"
They were left bewildered by his sudden burst of laughter.
"Are you lot joking with me right now?"
SHIVER—!!
""""!!!""""
INHALE—
He took a deep breath, and the shout that followed stunned every adventurer in the street.
"YOU SPINLESS COWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Akuo looked around.
Everyone was paralyzed—terrified, shocked, unable to make a judgment, or simply confused. They stood frozen, unable to move.
"What did you come here for!!!!"
"Did you just come to spectate a fight in the middle of the night!!!!!!??"
He despised it.
"The monster... is speaking...!"
"DOES THAT MATTER!!!!!???"
"!!"
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Akuo struck the ground, his words sounding like a declaration, a lecture to the masses.
"Akumo-san...?"
"Akumo...."
'That gaze...!'
"As I thought.... They're identical...."
Though he had fins and a tail—the unmistakable form of a monster—the green eyes filled with resolve and the sincere shout reminded Finn, Tsubaki, Tiona, Tione, and many others of a certain someone.
SHING—!
"Do you think I came here just to stall for time?"
THUMP—!!
"If you're going to fight, then stop talking and just fight."
"If you're going to risk your life, then do it! I'm not the one who decides that for you!!!"
Akuo looked toward a certain schemer in the distant tower, and simultaneously shouted at Gros and his group who were frozen atop a building.
"You call yourselves adventurers, don't you? Then what is the reason you seek adventure!!?"
His question echoed through the entire area, reaching the ears of every adventurer present.
"The reason... for adventuring?"
GRIP—
"I am...."
Even though she was hooded, Naaza's body trembled as the Xenos before her seemed to pierce through her very soul.
'By Miach-sama's command.... at the request of Akumo-san and Bell.....'
"Is that all there is....."
But the trembling wasn't from fear.
Recalling the reason for her adventure and her courage, she was seized by the question: Is that truly enough?
"I am...."
'For the glory of the clan....'
For the first time in a long while, Finn remembered the goal of his adventure, the purpose he had dedicated his life to: the glory of the Pallum race.
That was his grand cause. He had pushed away the woman who loved him, made cold calculations, and sometimes chose paths he considered evil.
"Ryu...."
"Ardee....?"
'I just...'
'Wanted them to be able to smile....'
Ryu and Ardee simply wanted the heroes who saved them to be happy. They moved for the justice they believed in.
That was all.
"I will....!"
'I'll save them! I've already decided!'
Even if someone called it greed, even if someone called it foolish, the boy had decided to save people.
GRIP—!!!!
"BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO!!!!"
The shout rang out clearly.
"Who cares who is good!! Who cares who is evil!! I don't give a damn about any of that!!!!"
"Grand causes!! Greed!! Call it whatever you want!!!"
SHING—!
"!!"
Akuo felt a momentary frustration at the trembling eyes of the surrounding adventurers, but he smiled back as he saw Akumo approaching him with a grin from a distance.
GRIN—!
"Whatever the reason!! You are all warriors!!"
FLINCH—!!
At those words, the adventurers who had been frozen like statues began to move.
"Then fight!!"
"FOR THE ADVENTURE YOU CHASE!!!!!!!"
CLANK—!!
GRIP—!!
Armor rattled as hands moved to sword hilts and weapons slung across backs. The adventurers prepared for battle.
"HUMAN!! MONSTER!! GOD!!!!"
RUMBLE—!!!
"FIGHTING FOR WHAT YOU WANT IS ALL THE SAME, ISN'T IT?"
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
"Hmph! You finally showed up?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a massive building collapsed, and a colossal black Minotaur appeared, immediately letting out a deafening howl.
"UWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
'Let us fight!!!!!!'
""""!!!""""
The meaning behind Asterios's howl was conveyed directly to the Xenos.
GRIP—!!
"Yeah....!!"
'We fight!'
"We are people (adventurers) (warriors)!!"
Whether that was the resolve of the Xenos or the adventurers, there was no way to know. No, there was no need to know.
'To repay the favor!'
'For the grand cause!'
'For justice!'
"""DEFEAT THE ENEMY!"""
They were all already charging into the battlefield.
"What..."
SWEAT—!
"What the hell is this!"
Hermes was so bewildered he broke into a cold sweat, nearly doubting his own eyes and ears.
"""""LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!"""""
"Kh...!!"
'Are they all under some kind of curse!?'
"Asfi!! Pursue the Xenos immed—"
"UWOOOOOOOO!!!!"
"What!?"
Hermes tried to order Asfi to pursue the Xenos immediately, but a howl different from Gros's group reached his ears, throwing him into further confusion.
"It's impossible."
SHING—!
"In this situation, I am the only one capable of proper pursuit. A coordinated operation is already out of the question."
".....How did it come to this....."
At Asfi's words, Hermes muttered hollowly as he looked down at Daedalus Street, which could only be described as a cauldron of chaos.
BOOM—!!!
CRUNCH—!!!
CLANG—!!!
"Focus all attacks on the Minotaur!!"
"Kill that fish-man too!!!!"
All the adventurers and Xenos in the plaza had entered the fray, led by Akuo and Asterios, resulting in a complex, multi-sided melee.
WHAM—!!!
"Gah...!!"
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!
Not only was Asterios sweeping away dozens of adventurers targeting him in a single blow, but—
"Damn it...! Attack from ran—"
SLASH—!
"Aaaargh!?"
'A-Arachne...!?'
Following Asterios's howl, the Xenos—led by Bache, Lyd, and Ray—moved through the maze-like Daedalus Street according to Fels's and Lili's instructions, engaging adventurers from the outskirts.
"Everyone, fight!!!!"
"Support Asterios and Akuo-san!!!"
'We'll carve out an escape route!'
Led by the veteran Xenos who could rival first-class adventurers, they knocked out adventurers while supporting Asterios and Akuo, creating their own path out.
"Damn it...! Someone from the [Loki Familia] or [Freya Familia] should be pursuing them!!"
"Hermes-sama...."
'That is likely impossible.'
Just as Asfi thought, the first-class adventurers who should have been pursuing the fleeing Xenos were not moving as Hermes desired.
"DIE!!!!!!!"
GRIP—!!
"With just this?"
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
Bete charged Akuo with the intent to crush his head with a downward kick, but he was immediately caught and slammed into the ground.
""""GET HIM!""""
'We're all targeting his blind spots! He can't possibly—'
"[Grace]"
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
"Bang!"
Black flame bullets fired from Akuo's hand exploded against the Gulliver brothers, who were attempting a coordinated attack, sending them flying.
"HAAAH!!!"
CRACK—!!!!!!!!!!!
"Hold him there! Tsubaki!!!"
WHOOSH—!!!!!!!!
Tsubaki, targeting Akuo's back, swung an ice magic sword to bind his feet, while Finn flew forward like an arrow, aiming to pierce Akuo's throat.
SHATTER—!!
"What!?"
WHOOSH—!!!!!!!!
But Akuo easily shattered Tsubaki's ice and launched an overwhelming punch toward her face; the sheer pressure caused even the magic sword to crumble.
'This much should be enough for that dwarf!!'
"Sleep!"
WHOOSH—!!
"!!"
'She dodged—'
SLASH—!!!!!!!
However, Tsubaki kept her eyes fixed on the punch until the end, parrying the attack with a masterpiece in her other hand and launching a counter.
"Sorry, but I'm not that easy of a woman!?"
'I'll be borrowing these, Akumo!!'
FLARE—!!!!!!
SHING—!
Holding Gram in one hand and Balmung in the other, Tsubaki didn't falter even as Akuo perfectly blocked her counter, immediately widening the distance.
WHOOSH—!
'Finn and Bete are behind him....'
"Move, Tsubaki!!!"
"Even Gareth has arrived!!"
"HRAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!"
WHAM—!!!!!!!
"More!!!!"
CRUNCH—!!!!!!!
"Is this all you've got!?"
"!!"
Bete was being overwhelmingly outclassed in pure strength and technique in the frontal brawl he prided himself on, but with Finn and Gareth joining the fray to mitigate the damage, his face was filled with nothing but battle lust.
"[O crimson flame that envelops me, let your power be my wings, become the brilliant flare that never fades even in the dragon's gale!]"
'I'll use all the fire meant for the wings for the attack!!'
"[Rising Ignis]!!!!"
Tsubaki swung Gram in a massive arc, and the power far exceeded the 'Kazuki' Welf had used on the 18th floor months ago.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!
"Now! Drive him—"
SHING—!
"""!!"""
A massive explosion engulfed Akuo, threatening to incinerate everything; the shockwave alone was enough to push back the surrounding adventurers.
"Whoa!?"
"It's amazing no matter how many times I see it..."
Lili, fighting under her hood, nearly fell from the impact, while Welf marveled at the power of the masterpiece he saw once before.
RUMBLE—!!
"Not bad."
CRACK—!!!!
"One arm almost turned to charcoal~!"
A silhouette appeared through the smoke created by the massive fire.
Tsubaki barely had time to register a form larger than the Akuo from moments ago, wielding an axe in one hand.
WHOOSH—!!!!!!!
"!!"
'An Orc....!?'
The last thing Tsubaki saw was an Orc with green skin and rugged tusks.
WHAM—!!!!!!!!
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
KABOOM—!!!!!!!!
"That's why I told you not to interfere...."
Akumo watched the scene before him.
CRACK—!!!!!
Tsubaki was struck and slammed into the ground, knocked unconscious instantly.
THUD—!!!!!!!!!!!
Bete's physical endurance finally reached its limit from Akuo's kick, and he was embedded into a building, unable to move.
"[I pray in the name of the ancestors, let the earth roar, let the embers bloom, from my axe.]"
CLANG—!!!
"[O fire demon born from the axe of the distant chieftain, sweep away the enemies before me.]!"
CRACK—!!
With only Finn and Gareth remaining, Akuo chanted as a menacing double-edged axe formed in his hand with a rhythmic metallic sound.
"[Grenade Flame]"
FLARE—!!!!!!!!!!!
Then, the moment a single ember fell from Akuo's axe—
SNAP—!!
"[Silent]"