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

"Seriously?! Are you out of your mind, Modo?!"

"Anyone else want to bet on the Hestia Faction?! Ahahahahaha!?"

The atmosphere in the tavern instantly heated up when the menacing-looking man came out to place his bet. The adventurer, who had so much disliked Bell on the 18th floor, was being loudly mocked by the surrounding gamblers—Modo, with his arms crossed, leaned back arrogantly in his chair.

Every corner of the street was bustling with activity and full of vitality.

"Have you said goodbye to Bell Craney yet?"

"..."

Ignoring the bustling street below, Apollo walked toward Hestia.

Compared to him, who was flipping his hair and had a cold smile on his face, Hestia, who was sitting in the chair, turned her face away and ignored him, staring at the "mirror" that had appeared in front of her.

With a slight shrug and a graceful "There's nothing I can do about it," Apollo returned to his seat.

"Alright, it's almost noon!"

The announcer's tone became even more impassioned.

The noise from the vestibule drum at the guild headquarters spread out like waves.

"It's about to begin..."

"Um……"

Looking up at the "divine mirror" floating in the front courtyard, Eina nodded in response to Missia beside her.

Adventurers, tavern staff, and the gods—everyone's eyes were now focused on the "mirror."

then,

"War Games - Officially Begin!"

At a command, accompanied by the ringing of the bell and cheers, the war began.

◆

At the same time, it is located in the ancient city ruins.

The sound of a gong announcing the start came from the distant hills.

Unlike the vibrant atmosphere in Orario, morale on the Ancient City battlefield was somewhat low.

Because the battle will be a siege, lasting three days, and given the enemy's outnumbered strength, they'll likely hold out until the very last day when our concentration wanes before launching their attack. This is the general prediction of the [Apollo Familia]. There will probably be a few scattered attacks, but as long as the guards keep their eyes open, and with the formidable walls, they don't think there will be any problems; a relaxed atmosphere pervades the city.

"Hey, Luan. You're going to be a guard too."

"Wh...why do we have to go too?!"

"Your only outstanding eyesight is that of someone else, isn't it? Anyway, you're not much of a fighting force, like yesterday when you were running around the city. Let's put you to good use now."

In the city, which had been thoroughly cleaned up, the dwarf Luan was criticized by his colleagues in this way.

The fortress was very large; in terms of scale, even a hundred people would be insufficient to house it. Of course, the number of guards was also somewhat lacking. Lu An, who initially refused, eventually accepted reluctantly.

After being seen off by them with smiles, Lu An walked up the long stairs and climbed the city wall.

"Oh, Luan, what brings you here?"

"...I'll be a guard."

The two archers standing guard on the north side of the city wall seemed to understand everything as soon as they heard him say that, and they both laughed. Lu An didn't look at them, but turned his head to survey the surrounding environment of the entire plain.

There was almost no cover on the plain. Occasionally, a few rocks could be seen scattered about, but no one could hide behind them. From the north to the east was a small patch of greenery and wilderness, a river stretched to the south in the distance, and woods were visible to the west. He squinted, pressed down on his short hair that was blowing in the wind, and just then he heard voices.

"You need to pay extra attention to the 'magic' incantation."

"Nothing much. If anyone dares to show themselves, I'll let them taste this."

Hearing his partner's words of advice, the orc youth patted his longbow and the specially made giant arrow and smiled.

The power and range of "magic" are primarily proportional to the length of the incantation. Moreover, the city walls here are both deep and thick; even if bombarded several times by half-baked short incantations (magic), they would not be able to break. What is most worthy of vigilance is the long incantations whose magical power is more easily detected.

If the other party dares to approach at will, fire a rain of arrows; if they are chanting long incantations from afar, then snipe that person.

The young man made a bold statement.

Listening to the two talking smugly, Lu An, who had been forced to take on the chores, made a "gurgle!" sound and looked unhappy.

It's too late to say.

A scene flashed into his eyes as he turned his head away.

From the north, in front of the fortress, in the middle of the wilderness, a mysterious figure completely covered in a cloak walks silently towards you.

"Hey, look!"

"What is that...?"

It was a strangely dressed figure. He was wearing what appeared to be a hooded cloak, with a cape covering his entire body. The archers also noticed the figure whose face was obscured by the hood.

There was no mistake, it was definitely the enemy. However, the masked man was alone, not chanting, but simply walking towards them silently, leaving Lu An and the others unsure how to react. A serene aura surrounded the man, even making them wonder if it was a feint; only his old cloak flapped in the wind.

Then, just as they allowed the other side to get within about 100 meters of the city wall...

The masked man made a move.

The man suddenly spread his arms wide, the large movement causing his cloak to flutter and exposing his entire body that had been covered.

Her slender arms gripped two "demon swords" dyed red and purple.

"Huh?"

Lu An's eyes widened, and in that instant, two simple, unadorned longswords swung downwards simultaneously.

Right before the eyes of the people on the city wall, a powerful cannon barrage erupted.

●

“W-What’s wrong!?”

The fierce attack from the front of the city wall threw the city into chaos.

The continued terrifying tremors and explosions caused unease among the surrounding people. Looking up and seeing the scene, those who had run from the main entrance of the fortress to the outside were instantly rendered speechless.

Dust billowed into the sky, and parts of the city wall were damaged.

"No, I can't believe it! Those guys are attacking!?"

Lu An tumbled and crawled back down the city wall stairs. The group members hurriedly questioned him.

"How many people are there!?"

"One person!"

When his companion began to doubt his hearing, Lu An seemed frightened and began to stammer.

"Maybe...no! There's no mistake! It's 'Krozo's Demon Sword'! Those guys have taken out the legendary demon sword, trying to conquer this city!!"

Hearing his vivid description, the group members all swallowed hard.

Despite how vast the world is, what other possibility could possibly shatter such a sturdy wall in one blow besides the "Demon Sword"? If it weren't magic, Luan's statement, which he would have loved to dismiss as mere nonsense, would begin to seem plausible.

Then, as if to give everyone a final push, the guards on the city wall kept sending out reports from above, such as "There is only one enemy!!" and "Attacked by the Demon Sword!" (screams).

"If this keeps up, the whole castle will be blown to smithereens!"

Just as the adventurers froze in place, terrified by Ruan's ghostly howls, an even more powerful explosion occurred. The upper half of the city wall blew open, hurling longbow-wielding archers and rubble to the ground.

Ughh ...

●

"I never imagined I'd one day wield a 'Demon Sword'..."

The masked man, Ryu, swung his longsword back and forth while muttering to himself.

With a swing of the red sword, a massive ball of flame erupted; with a sweep of the purple sword, a bolt of purple lightning, like a giant serpent, burst forth. It pierced through the thick city wall—this wasn't a metaphor, but a true blast that shattered it to pieces.

Welf used a week to prepare "Krozo's Demon Sword".

The sword, forged through the cursed bloodline, possesses destructive power unmatched by any other demonic sword (weapon). In the past, it has served alongside the kingdom (Lachia) in its attacks, achieving numerous victories and gaining worldwide fame.

There are also rumors that this sword can raze an impregnable fortress to the ground in just one night, making it the most powerful siege weapon.

"You can't hit it from there."

As she continued running, Ryu easily dodged the rain of arrows that were hastily fired from the city wall. She swung her "Demon Sword" in retaliation, and purple lightning engulfed the mages and archers who were performing unstable incantations. First came an explosion, followed by fireballs that shattered part of the city wall.

The northern wall crumbled like a sandcastle, leaving it in ruins. Ryu unleashed a barrage of cannon fire exceeding the power of original magic, maneuvering around the fortress from north to east. The eastern wall also began to suffer devastation.

"If you allow me to continue my attack, then I will conquer this city."

Beneath the veil, his sky-blue eyes narrowed and his lips moved slightly.

A bolt of purple lightning struck the fortress itself, piercing through the shattered walls. Screams echoed all around.

"Come on, come out quickly."

Ryu delivered another devastating blow to the enemy.

●

"Quickly, report the situation! How is it now!?"

Within the city, gradually destroyed by Ryū, roars and screams echoed everywhere. Faced with an absurd opponent firing indiscriminately and continuously, everyone was bewildered and unsure how to assess the situation.

Just when everyone was at a loss for how to deal with a mere enemy, Luan rushed back from the depths of the castle in a great hurry.

"Hyacinthus has given the order! Send fifty men to eliminate the enemy!"

"Fifty!?"

Upon hearing the relayed instructions, the group members repeated them. This move required deploying nearly half of the city's defense forces, which greatly surprised the surrounding crowd. However, Lu An's next shout silenced all objections.

"If it's just a few small fry, they'll be blasted away by the 'Demon Sword' before they even get close! The enemy doesn't even have ten people, so let's quickly take them out and come back!"

This incisive criticism silenced everyone. Just as they were hesitating, the castle was bombed again, and a violent tremor struck. The ceiling shook as gravel rained down, and Luan cried out, "Ouch!?" and ran away, clutching his head.

"Hurry, hurry up and go!?"

"...There's no other way, let's leave the city!"

As if urged on by Luan's shouts, the group gathered fifty members. In order to meet the enemy who had circled around to the east side of the fortress, they opened the east gate and set off to meet them, led by the elven squad leader (Lisos).

Following Lisos's command, "Don't huddle together!", the group split into ten teams and headed straight toward the masked adventurers.

"Gurgle, gurgle...!?"

As expected, before they could even get close, they were bombarded, and the vanguard was blasted away. With each swing of the two "magic swords," squad after squad was rendered unable to fight. Galloping across the wilderness, Lisos bravely charged towards the masked adventurers, weaving through trails of flying flames and exploding purple lightning bolts.

The "demon sword" was swung again, and in the next instant, it turned into countless fragments.

"!"

"Now's the time! Let's launch a surprise attack!"

The "Demon Sword" shattered beyond its limit. Seizing this opportunity, Lisos shouted, and the entire team launched a full-scale attack.

The masked adventurer discarded the wreckage of his sword, equipped himself with a wooden knife, and confronted the remaining thirty-strong force head-on.

"Wow, so fast!?"

"Let's all work together, don't rush!"

Lisos and his companions were instantly embroiled in a chaotic battle with the masked adventurer. Their force consisted almost entirely of Level 2, Rank 3 adventurers, while their opponent fought alone—though the man seemed intent on annihilating them, wielding a wooden sword with lightning speed. The masked adventurer, with astonishing speed, flipped his cloak, deflecting three simultaneous thrusts with a single swing of his sword. The last human, caught off guard by the approach, was struck back and sent flying twenty meters away.

Thirty adventurers were unable to subdue a single enemy.

"Drink!"

"!"

Taking advantage of our attack, Lisos unleashed an unstoppable dagger from a blind spot, slicing across the enemy's face.

The hood was slightly cut open, revealing for a moment long, pointed ears, like leaves. The long ears, a symbol of elven blood, first left Lissos speechless, then enraged him.

"You bastard! As a fellow elf, why do you choose to use that hateful demonic sword instead of any other weapon? It's shameful!!"

The furious and agitated elf Lysos blushed and his long ears turned red as he sternly rebuked the masked adventurer.

"Krozo's Demon Sword" once reduced the Elven Forest to ashes. Hearing him roar with the anger and resentment of his people, "Don't you know that the villages of our people were burned down by the Demon Sword!", the masked adventurer, Ryu, remained calm and interrupted the enemy's short sword with his next attack.

“——”

Unfortunately, I have something more precious than the hatred between my people.