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

—Mr. Crannie. I was just helping out.

While dealing with sporadic enemy attacks, the scene from last night resurfaced in Bell's mind.

On the eve of the decisive battle, in a forest far from the ancient city, under the moonlight, the battle-hardened elven warrior spoke to himself.

—This battle must be ended by your faction (family)... no, by you.

Bell and his companions decided against forcibly attacking the castle with the makeshift "magic sword." They had calculated the castle's defenses and the enemy's strength, and also decided not to sacrifice [Swift Wind].

However, these are just prerequisites.

Everyone must be looking forward to it.

Hestia, Lily, Welf, fate, and the audience, perhaps even the gods—most importantly, Bell himself.

Everyone, regardless of who they are, hopes that the young man (himself) will decide the outcome himself.

—I want to defeat that young man.

What shines in my heart is perseverance.

The frustration of being defeated, the unseen tears, and the shouts of determination to win next time.

In the tavern, on the street, and today. Bell will surpass that man with his third rematch.

To avenge our past humiliation, to secure the victory promised to the Supreme God, and to surpass the pinnacle.

Bale will personally decide the outcome today.

(Nobody's here...)

Only Bell's footsteps echoed in the deserted passage.

The remaining enemies are all on the top floor of the tower, in the throne room. There resides General Hyacinthus and his guards.

Bell sheathed all the short swords and looked down into his palm.

Bell, clenching his fists, faced forward—bell, bell, the chime rang out.

"The enemy is attacking! The [rising star] is coming!"

The messengers rushed in, and the throne room instantly became chaotic.

The report that Bell had broken into the main tower surprised everyone present. They were asked to come to his aid, while others prepared to fight back; each grabbed their weapons and rushed out the gate.

"Damn it, what are they all doing?!"

Hyacinthus, sitting on the throne deep inside the banquet hall, punched the armrest of the throne.

He stood up and shook the cloak hanging over his body. Consumed by rage, he lashed out at the others around him.

"To be so publicly humiliated is utterly shameful. How can I face Apollo in the afterlife..."

Humiliation etched itself into the wrinkles between his brows, revealing his handsome features.

Being manipulated like puppets, having allowed the enemy to infiltrate the tower, and even their own lives—all of this filled Hyacinthus with barely concealed rage.

"Commander! Commander!? Please, let's get out of here quickly!?"

"Cassandra, you're so long-winded!"

The girl who kept yelling at him next to the throne also fueled his anger.

The long-haired girl, Cassandra, dressed in a long, skirt-like combat suit, had been repeatedly urging Hyacinthus to leave the throne tower since early morning before the battle began. Her pleading and weak attitude angered him more than anything else.

"Please, please believe me (Cassandra)...!"

"I told you to shut up! Stop talking nonsense!"

He shook off the other man's arm and flew into a rage.

Having been appointed as a general by the chief god (Apollo), how could he embarrass himself and run away? Besides, he could never lose. He rejected the girl's request.

"Can't you see?! There are other members here besides me. Even if Bell Craney attacks alone, we can still teach him a lesson!"

Hyacinthus pointed to the guards who remained on the throne. They were all personally selected by Hyacinthus, and their strength was beyond question; there were ten of them remaining here at the moment.

If Hyacinthus were to join in, he would be more than capable of dealing with a mere Lv.2 newbie.

Faced with him like this, Cassandra looked like she was about to cry and glanced nervously at her feet.

As if she could no longer bear it, she looked down at the floor and hugged herself.

“Ah…ah…”

The pale-faced, long-haired girl finally began to feel afraid.

Just as Hyacinthus, furious, was about to speak, she spoke in a low voice.

"Lightning..."

Ring, ring.

Bell, who had been running with the bells ringing, finally found the stairs leading upstairs.

He ran through the deserted passageway toward the grand staircase in the distance, simultaneously turning his consciousness toward his right hand, where white light particles were gathering.

The grand bell has not rung since the battle on the 18th floor.

Perhaps due to some event, the output of the charge was no different from before. At that time, his memory was hazy, but he felt as if he had heard the words of his idol (someone).

Then he was resurrected, his aspirations ignited, and he roared out his wish—recalling this, Bell suddenly felt as if he understood what the trigger was. At the same time, he also vaguely realized that that power could not be unleashed at any time.

Besides, he doesn't need it now.

"...!"

The trigger for 【Hero's Wish (Skill)】 is the longing that appears in the mind, namely "Warrior Arikis".

He fought bravely to conquer a fortress occupied by monsters until his life was consumed, earning him the reputation of an immortal hero.

Bearing in his heart the heroic image that was simultaneously hailed as "divine speed," Bell focused the light on his right hand.

"Lightning?"

Hearing Cassandra mutter to herself, Hyacintos snorted.

He turned his face to the side, looking out the windows that surrounded the entire throne room.

"Where did these thunderclouds come from in this clear blue sky? It would be strange if there were thunder."

Hyacinthus scoffed at the unbearably clear sky.

however……

"No..."

Cassandra denied it in a trembling voice.

She clutched her head with both hands, her face still deathly pale, and a soft murmur escaped her lips.

"Lightning... is about to rise."

The girl's eyes were always looking down.

"What?"

Directly below the throne room is the grand staircase.

When he arrived at the huge spiral staircase that stretched to the left and right, Bell stopped and looked up.

Several footsteps came from the open overhead, running down the steps, and at the same time...

As if to pull the sun down from the sky, he raised his right hand towards the distant heavens.

—One minute.

Sixty seconds of charging. A convergence of white light.

Then, a brief sound.

"【Flame and Lightning】".

An enormous bolt of fire and lightning shot upwards.

“——”

Cracked floorboards, leaking pure white light.

Just as Hyacinthus fell silent, the lightning of ascension exploded in the throne room.

big Bang.

◆

"What was that just now?!?!"

The Tower of Babel roared.

"No chanting required!!"

"It has that kind of power even without chanting incantations—!!"

"I want that human so badly! Oh my god!"

All the gods in the assembly hall were at the height of their excitement.

Bell's cannon fire, unleashed without any chanting, elicited gasps of surprise and cheers.

"...!?"

Compared to them, who were jumping and shouting, Apollo stood still, his mouth agape.

"...!!"

Hestia also stared intently at the "mirror."

In the reflection of light on the mirror, Hyacinthus emerged from the rubble of the collapsed castle.

"Huff—, huff…!!"

Yacintos was burning up as he smashed the stone fragments.

The upper part of the throne tower vanished into thin air. It had been bombarded directly below, shattering the throne room along with it. Above the castle, only pure white, radiant lightning pierced through countless clouds, rising towards the brilliant sun.

"What happened! What just happened!?"

With his cloak tattered at the edges and his dirty hair swaying, Hyacinthus shouted loudly.

—When the throne room was engulfed in white light, he was knocked away by Cassandra, crashed through the glass windows, and thrown into the air.

The next instant, a massive bolt of lightning burned through Hyacinthus's vision, and he crashed to the ground along with countless flying fragments. Now the surrounding area was a field of rubble, filled with a vast amount of dust that obscured his vision.

"Cassandra!? Laon!?"

Whether driven by anger or confusion, he called out the names of his band members, but no one responded.

As the sandstorm gradually dissipated, Hyacinthus froze upon seeing the arms and upper body buried in the rubble.

—Total annihilation.

He was all alone. This fact shattered Hyacinthus's mental balance.

As the aerial walkway extending from the fortress collapsed and fell, he frantically drew his sword.

"Where are you!?"

He equipped himself with a wave-shaped sword and roared.

The enemy (the man) was still alive. He was certain of this, sensing the fighting spirit piercing through him.

My heart was pounding, and I was sweating profusely. Was that person hiding somewhere in this thick smoke, waiting for an opportunity to decapitate Hyacinthus?

His body spun several times, his mind clouded. He looked around in the collapsed rubble.

Soon, the sunlight above tore through the dust and slowly dispersed it—just then.

“——”

The air flowed erratically.

Deep within the thick smoke behind them, crimson eyes gleamed brightly.

The aura emanating from it was like that of a blood-soaked rabbit (wild beast), making him tremble all over.

The next instant, Hyacinthus turned around, swung his sword, and blocked Bell who was breaking through the thick smoke.

Short knives and longswords clashed fiercely, sparks flying.