Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

They were also members of the goddess's clan who were kidnapped by the mastermind and imprisoned for a long time in a way that was worse than death.

"Waaah... I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Her once slender figure is now skin and bones, and her former beautiful face is no more.

Elfie felt extremely guilty for turning away without hearing the other party's cries for help on the day of the "first wave of attack," and immediately hugged Persephone, the familia girl trapped in the darkness, tightly.

The operation to rescue the "hostages" had been planned from the very beginning.

Once Loki deduced Dionysus's true identity and Demeter's current situation, Finn personally incorporated this rescue operation into the "Second Wave" of the offensive. This action was less a humanitarian rescue of the Demeter Familia and more to prevent the mastermind from using the hostages for various despicable acts. The tragedy of the Dionysian Familia had to be prevented from repeating itself.

"Rei, please!"

"Leave it to me, everyone cover your ears!"

Following the instructions of the fairy Alicia, the singer bird Leiyi began to use echolocation.

Rey, following Loki's orders, rejoined the reserve forces. Her exceptional echolocation abilities made her the perfect person to locate the secret chamber. Even the slightest opening in the air indicated the location of the "hostages." The "heretic" then joined the "elf army" that had previously wreaked havoc in the man-made maze for a humanitarian rescue mission.

"Quickly get the Demeter Familia out of here! Just provide emergency treatment; we can deal with the rest later!"

The speaker was Kos, the last member of the Loki Familia's Second Army.

This is the tenth floor.

Some members of the Demeter Familia were also imprisoned on the floor where the "Fairy Clone" was located.

Thanks to Fels disrupting the "altar's" "magic" supply circuit, the green flesh's "self-regeneration" speed has slowed down. The reserve forces must rescue the hostages from the cages before it recovers.

Many hostages are being held on the tenth floor, likely intended by the enemy to serve as reserve food for "magic." Additionally, some have been brutally murdered as a warning to the goddess.

After witnessing the cruelty of the mastermind behind the scenes, Coss found it difficult to remain calm.

"Mr. Coase!!"

"!"

Therefore, they were a step too slow in alerting their surroundings.

Upon hearing the girl Navi's warning, countless monsters charged out from the depths of the passage.

Due to the shutdown of "counter-attack magic", a large number of carnivorous plants and crystal striders have appeared in the maze.

It's unclear whether they were absorbed and then expelled by the "altar," but these monsters were all corroded by large and small green flesh, and their bodies were covered with a mud-like shell. They let out uncontrolled roars, and anyone who saw their enlarged bodies could tell that they had been strengthened.

(Oh no!!)

Almost all the members were carrying the hostages who were unable to walk.

Faced with such a large and troublesome enemy, we can't even escape, let alone fight back.

"Oooooo ...

“Hmm!?”

As the monsters roared and rapidly approached, Koss and Navi raised their spears and swords to cover their retreat.

At this moment──

"──────"

A dazzling flash of light sliced ​​across Kos's field of vision.

Suddenly, a white figure darted out from the side passage and slashed off the head of the carnivorous plant with a single stroke.

Ignoring the stunned Kos and the others, as well as all the monsters, the white figure turned around and drew several dark arcs behind the silver blade, disintegrating the three nearby crystal striders as well.

The swift figure did not stop moving.

With lightning speed, this man slaughtered the monsters in front of him one by one, tearing them into pieces. When one of the man-eating flowers finally came to its senses and tried to fight back, he had already cut into the enemy's arms and plunged the black dagger in his hand into the giant flower's body.

Then—fry it to pieces.

Detonate "Quick Attack Magic" directly inside the enemy's body.

"~ ...

The man-eating flower, infused with fiery lightning, transformed into a crimson lotus, and the resulting explosion blew away the monsters behind it.

The explosion and flashes of light made Koss and his team quickly cover their eyes with their arms.

After the dust and sparks dissipated, a figure emerged from the shadows.

"……white……"

After seeing the white hair fluttering among the embers, Navi's lips trembled as she uttered a sound.

"【White Rabbit's Feet】..."

"...Bell Craney...?"

Koss whispered this to the back of the lightly dressed boy.

After glancing briefly at the reserve army carrying many wounded soldiers, the white-haired youth charged alone into the horde of monsters that roared and attacked.

"Wait! No! This won't do!!"

The boy launched a reckless attack, and many carnivorous plants simultaneously rained down tentacles.

Navi quickly spoke up to stop her.

But this is just unnecessary.

The boy "perfectly dodged" the tentacle attack that should have left him nowhere to hide.

He swung his sword and cut off a very small number of tentacles, leaving only enough space for one person to pass through. He then darted across like a hare, closing the distance to meet the attack.

The massacre began the moment they made contact with the enemy.

Wielding a jet-black dagger and a silver longsword unsuitable for dealing with large-scale monsters, the boy unleashed an invincible storm of slashes.

Facing the massive carnivorous plant whose body couldn't be cleaved in two with a single strike from his short-range dagger, he added two or three more slashes to sever it, and in a flash, he decapitated another carnivorous plant along with its gaping maw. The medium-sized crystal striders were dealt with effortlessly, the monsters wiped out in the blink of an eye. For those launching dissolving liquid from mid-range, he swiftly pulled off the scarf around his neck and used it as a whip to sweep away the enemies.

"...Miss Ais?"

Watching this dazzling battle scene, Navi and the others couldn't help but think of [Sword Girl].

The boy single-handedly put on a spectacular high-speed battle, leaving both the Loki Familia and the Ganesha Familia completely dumbfounded.

"drink!!"

Undeterred by the large number of monsters that have stepped forward, Bell goes all out to sweep through the enemy lines in order to protect the reserve forces.

This was exactly what Lily had instructed.

In the "Fairy Clone" battle, which emphasizes high output and high firepower, Bell's advantages cannot be fully utilized. Even though he can still contribute through "skills," Lily is unwilling to stifle his agility, which is given the name "rabbit"—this sounds like a very reasonable "surface statement."

In fact, she was doing it to protect Belle.

The boy's left hand was severely injured. If Bell, still recovering, were sent to a battlefield where a powerful enemy was stationed, he would undoubtedly fight desperately for victory, ultimately leading to an irreparable tragedy—and if his attending physician, Amid, were to learn that Bell had gone to join the battle, he would probably be furious and fly into a rage on the spot—

That's why he was appointed as a "guerrilla."

They became lone rangers, responsible for covering the reserve forces who were running around rescuing hostages.

As Lily had predicted, Bell, fighting alone, was extremely active.

Bell's strength has "skyrocketed" to the point that it cannot be described as "growth," and he completely disregards the "Colorful Monster." Even when facing a large group of enemies with potential abilities exceeding Lv.4, he can move through their territory as if it were no one, just like a powerful adventurer who has broken through the "deep layer" alone.

The battle before us is absolutely spectacular.

That person possessed incredible strength.

I did hear recently that he had successfully leveled up, but as members of the Second Army, Kos and the others should be among the best of the Lv.4 adventurers, yet I still couldn't help but think that way.

"...Now I can somewhat understand how Lefia feels."

Koss recalled how the girl felt resentful every time she heard news of the boy, and couldn't help but confide her feelings to the figure in front of her.

The battle has come to an end.

"Are you all alright?"

"Ah, yes, yes! Thank you so much..."

"...Excuse me, could I borrow a greatsword from you?"

"what?"

"Because with the equipment I have, it's not very effective against those carnivorous plants."

Bell ran over as if nothing had happened, letting his scarf flutter in the wind. As Navi hurriedly answered, the boy looked behind her.

In the rescue team, which must join the battle even in emergencies, several support personnel carrying supplies and equipment accompanied them. Bell looked at one of the team members behind the girl, who was carrying heavy weapons, and declared to everyone:

"Leave all the monsters to me."

The boy's resolute statement was not exaggerated or pretentious; it was simply a statement of fact.

The Loki Familia felt a sense of familiarity with this scene.

In short, it reminds one of first-class adventurers like Ais.

Having finally found a way to speak, Navi quickly nodded and agreed to the other party's request.

"Cameria! Give the greatsword to [White Rabbit's Foot]!"

"Ah, yes!"

"..."

While Navi and the others were preparing, Bell observed the condition of the team members.

No, it's the miserable state of the "hostages".

They were all very weak, clearly having gone without adequate food and water for a long time, and the perpetrators had severed their tendons in their hands and feet to prevent anyone from escaping.

Bell clenched his fists involuntarily.

He first felt chilled and fearful, then his anger flared up.

Bell had initially participated in the man-made maze attack and defense battle simply out of a vague sense of duty to protect the city and to do his part for someone he admired. Now, a firm resolve had formed within him. In truth, his left hand was already throbbing with pain, and his assistive device was bleeding, a reminder that the deadline for his mission was fast approaching. But even if it meant sacrificing his own blood, he had no choice but to fight.

Bell has made up his mind that such atrocities must not be tolerated.

His clenched hand seemed to respond to this will, emitting a clear, bell-like sound.

"【White Rabbit's Paw】! Here's the greatsword you requested. Is there anything else you need?"

"...Thank you. Please go ahead."

After Bell took the greatsword from Kos, he saw other monsters emerge from another passage.

Koss frowned and glanced at Bell, then left with a sheepish "Please take care of me" before continuing on his way with the wounded.

Bell put on the scabbard and strap that he had taken along with the greatsword, and stretched out his right hand, which was radiating white light.

The boy, facing the howling, approaching horde of hideous monsters, shouted sharply:

"【Flame Lightning】!!"

*

"The enemy's tentacles have been reduced by 60%! A rough estimate suggests there are still 37 left!"

"The celestial spirit clone is still chanting!"

Messages about the battlefield kept coming from the crystal.

The girl carefully observed the image projected from the "eye crystal" and continued to issue commands:

"Get the two central defenders—no, the three squads—up front! Switch positions with the forwards! The squads that have been withdrawn can go and get treatment for the healers!"

"Perfect timing! Finn, you've got a keen eye! But three squads aren't enough! Send four squads to provide backup!"

"The front line is handed over to the Freya Familia. The Loki Familia, begin your incantation! The Ganesha Familia's central defense must hold the rear! Riveria, give orders when the time is right!"

"Understood. However, it will be difficult to execute without someone to disrupt things. I'll lead the decoy force; you give the orders, Finn!"

Leading the army in battle—

Lilyluka Erd had absolutely no prior experience in this field; this was her first time on such a large stage, and to be in charge of two units so soon after taking office was, frankly, far beyond her capabilities.

Lily's eyes were bloodshot, and she felt like her head was about to burn out.

Thanks to the assistance of Grace and Riveria, the battle was barely stabilized.

The girl wore a solemn expression that a hero would never show. Fels and Asphie, who were also present, wore indescribable, subtle expressions and remained silent.