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

The barrier magic that flashed in all directions left Asphie and the others speechless, and it also illuminated Philvies's face.

■

When a radiant and brilliant barrier magic appeared in the distance, Ais's wind was forced to retreat.

The carnivorous plant limited her direction and cut off her retreat. The red-haired woman, wielding a crimson greatsword, pressed forward rapidly and thrust fiercely at Ais.

Ais dodged the attack without serious injury and then delivered a spinning kick to her opponent.

"It's far inferior to swordsmanship."

「!?」

Ais's powerful attack, amplified by the wind, was easily deflected by Revis with the hilt of her sword, who then counterattacked with a cold gaze. Ais barely managed to dodge, but Revis stubbornly continued her pursuit.

Faced with the fierce offensive, Ais could only dodge. Against Revis, who wielded an ominous greatsword and left trails of crimson shadows, relying solely on [Wind Spirit Dash] was simply not enough to win.

(As long as there's a sword...!)

Far behind, Ais saw the Sword of Despair standing in a corner of the large, empty space, but Revis used a high-level slash, seemingly to block her view. Seeing that the enemy refused to let her take the sword, Ais's expression twisted in frustration.

The prolonged battle with Revis had depleted Ais's stamina, and worse, the excessive strain of magic was gradually eroding her entire body. In contrast, her opponent was a true monster, with no limit to her stamina.

"Stop making a last-ditch effort!"

Revis used the body of the carnivorous plant to charge forward, raised her greatsword high, and slashed down at Ais, whose cheeks were splattered with sweat.

Just as the force of the attack struck Ais, igniting a burning sense of agitation in her chest.

"[—Soon, the flames will be unleashed]."

The elven girl's chanting, mingled with the monster's roar, reached Ais's ears.

"!"

—Lefia!

The resonant, melodious chanting of a royal (Rislia), with its powerful tone and the magic of a young girl (her singing), made Ais's eyes widen.

Not only that—just then, a gray-furred wolf came galloping in.

"Get out of here!!"

It's Bert.

He forcefully broke through the monstrous waves and caught up with Ais and the others, who were moving rapidly. Enduring the astonished gazes of Ais and Revis, he charged straight towards the girl swirling in the raging wind.

"Give it to me, Ais!"

Just hearing that, Ais understood everything.

"!"

"Wind!"

Ais stretched out her hand, the wind swaying in her palm before being sucked into Bert's metal boots as he brushed past her.

The topaz set in the silver boots shone brightly, and a strong gust of wind blew onto their feet.

"The flames of war are creeping in, and destruction is inevitable. The war horns sound loudly, and tyrannical chaos will engulf everything."

Having handed "Wind" to Bert, Ais quickly left the scene. Listening to Lefia's chanting, she ran towards a corner of the large, empty cavern, where the sword was stuck in the ground.

In a move that resembled exchanging blows, Bert challenged Reeves head-on.

"What!"

"Behave yourself, you monster!"

Ais's escape from the battlefield made Revis quite anxious, but Bert forbade her to chase after her.

He raised the boots that had devoured the girl's [Wind Spirit Swiftness] and kicked his opponent's greatsword hard.

"Come, crimson flames, savage fire. You are the embodiment of karmic fire."

Bert used the airflow from his feet to attack.

To allow Ais to retrieve the sword, the werewolf held off the battle, doing everything in his power to delay his opponent.

Ruiweis clicked her tongue loudly, sending all the carnivorous plants around her to block Ais, while she herself was about to kill the man in front of her.

"It's in the way!!"

"...!?"

His opponent swung his crimson greatsword repeatedly, and Bert's vision was overwhelmed by countless massive blades and shadows. He dodged and used powerful kicks to deflect the force, but each deadly attack could seriously injure Bert at any moment.

Even with the wind (Wind Spirit Swiftness) swirling around Ais, Bert was still no match for the enhanced Revis. Despite Bert's skill and tactics, his opponent's strength remained superior. Axe kicks, high kicks, spinning kicks—his flurry of kicks, executed like a top, were all completely neutralized by the red-haired woman.

As soon as the opponent switched from defense to offense, Bert's combat suit was torn to shreds, one of his gauntlets was knocked off, and blood spurted from his abraded shoulder.

"Get out of the way, werewolf!!"

Rives screamed menacingly, and the greatsword moved even faster.

Bert, who could only defend, swayed violently.

"[Sweeping away thousands of troops and bringing the curtain down on large-scale warfare]."

Bert, driven to the brink of despair, heard a girl singing.

The sight of adventurers lined up in a circle flashed by. Men covered in blood and girls beating monsters with their staffs roared as they continued their fight against death in this deadly place.

Standing at their center was an elven mage radiating brilliant magical light.

Bert's clenched teeth forced a fierce smile to his lips.

"You...go die!!"

「!?」

Bert retorted.

He knew he was no match for his opponent, yet he refused to back down an inch and was determined to defeat the enemy before him.

Bert, with a fierce grin on his face, barked:

"Those small fry are struggling desperately! If I can't even control you, how can I face them?!"

The pride of the strong and the ambition of men (males).

The weak are still fighting to the death, their figures burning intensely in Bert's vision, pushing him to his absolute limits.

He harnessed the raging winds as his own power, wielding them even more fiercely. Forced to defend herself, and staring wide-eyed, Revis immediately flew into a rage, her brows furrowing as she brought her crimson greatsword down on him.

Bert quickened his pace, smashing the ground as he kicked his left foot.

"Oooooo ...

With a long, drawn-out roar, Bert launched a fierce attack.

He used all his strength in a storm kick to counter the greatsword that was raised high and slashing down.

A kick and a sword, and a conflict erupts.

(————)

The red blade pierced through the vortex of wind that had been deflected.

The silver metal boots that collided with the greatsword developed countless cracks.

The legs, clad in long boots, were torn open, blood splattered everywhere, bones shattered and tendons broken.

The powerful impact and searing pain caused Bert's eyes to become bloodshot.

"[Burn everything, Surtr's sword—I am Alfre!]"

—At the same time, Rafia finished her chanting.

A burst of intense light and a deafening roar erupted, and the emerald-green magic circle extended to Bert's feet, thus spreading throughout the entire void.

The next instant, her "magic" was activated.

"【Advanced Sword of Victory】!!"

The summoned flames shot out from the magic circle.

Giant pillars of fire radiated outwards from Lefia and the others, rising continuously. The karmic fire bypassed Bert and the others, rushing straight to the top of the cave, engulfing and burning all the man-eating plants, and melting away Scream as well.

The wide-range annihilation magic, which burned even the monsters' "magic stones" to ashes, turned the great void into a fiery pit of red flames.

"----ha!"

Letting the heat and red light burn his cheek, Bert curled the corners of his mouth.

The monsters were annihilated, the girl completed her mission, and the roar of the weak.

His amber eyes began to gleam. He used all his remaining strength to focus on his left foot, which was about to be crushed by the greatsword, spurting out scalding blood—the strongman (Bert) was unwilling to admit defeat and roared.

"Ugh ugh ...

The silver kick deflected the crimson greatsword back.

"What!?"

A blow that turned the tide.

Bert was thrown directly backward, while Revis was knocked back, her upper body and greatsword staggering backward. As the Great Hollow burned fiercely and the monsters were swept away, her green eyes widened in disbelief.

Bo Dai sacrificed all his strength in a desperate attack, successfully breaking Ruiweis's momentum.

"————"

then.

A figure sped toward her, who was surrounded by sparks.

The blonde, golden-eyed girl, equipped with the retrieved silver sword, traversed in a straight line between the pillars of fire.

She launched an attack on Fu Ruiweis.

"【Awaken!】!"

Ais, who was once again entangled in the strong wind, transformed into a bullet.

She seized every opportunity created by her companions, wielding the Sword of Despair to strike the enemy.

"Gurgle!?"

A powerful upward slash.

This sword strike severed the greatsword that the enemy had hastily raised in desperation.

"!!"

A skillfully executed upward slash.

Rives avoided the center of her chest where the "magic stone" was buried, but blood still spurted out.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!"

Finally, he delivered a finishing slash.

Ais leaped into the air, gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands, and raised the blade, now imbued with a raging vortex of wind.

Aiming at Rives below his line of sight—he delivered a powerful blow to her head.

"!!"

Rives crossed her arms to block the raging wind vortex sword.

Instantly, an extraordinary repulsive force was generated between the two, and the airflow from the sword emitted a howling wind, raging everywhere.

The next instant, Rui Bisi was thrown backward with the force of a burst dam.

Her feet carved two lines into the ground, but it wasn't enough to counteract the force, propelling her all the way to the deepest part of the great void.

Rives's back slammed hard against the main pillar that was emitting a faint red light.

Ais defeated her opponent.

"Haa, ha..."

Holding the sword in one hand, Ais was panting heavily.

She removed her whistling wind armor and walked towards Revis, who was standing beneath the main pillar.

Lefia's summoning magic transformed the granary into a strange world filled with sparks and heat. The giant flower-like structure covering the ceiling and walls of the vast, hollow cavern sizzled and burned away, gradually revealing the original rocky surface. Behind Ais, who had turned her back, the adventurers had finally wiped out the enemy forces, their strength exhausted, and they collapsed to the ground.