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

"This is so exhilarating! The thrill of overcoming one's bloodline is incomparable!? It's like I've surpassed myself!! Drinking and drugs can't satisfy this desire—this is the ultimate enjoyment!!"

Having witnessed the man's erratic madness firsthand, Bell unfortunately came to understand.

In other words, the crimes that Dix committed against the "heretics" were merely a process.

Their true purpose is to satisfy their own desires and their monstrous sadistic tendencies.

Satisfy a ferocious "desire" that disregards even the blood curse.

He acts to satisfy his own needs—a desire called sadism that is irreplaceable by anything else.

Unlike Welf, who is still fighting against the blood of the forging nobles (Krozzo), he is not worthy of being compared to him at all.

Dix gave up resisting his bloodline—unleashing a stronger "desire" and becoming a "beast" even worse than a monster.

"Just for something like this...!!"

You just need to bring Winnie, and those "heretics"—

Bell's shoulders trembled as he watched the man indulging in pleasure.

"You mean something like that?"

In an instant, the expression on Dix's face vanished.

"Take back what you said, brat."

“——!?”

"You don't understand at all, you don't understand what an irresistible blood pulse is."

The spear thrusts repeatedly with one hand, attempting to pierce through Bell, who was desperately dodging.

"I don't understand this 'curse' that's so powerful it's almost burning out the optic nerves and causing uncontrollable pain!!"

A sweeping blow, imbued with the man's intense emotions, was too much for Bell to block, sending him flying.

"It started with money."

"Surrounded by blue skies," Ikelos said.

"As I just said, completing the artificial labyrinth (Knossos) requires money, money, money... in short, money. No matter how much treasure is brought back from the 'deep' dungeons, it won't be enough to fill this huge hole."

"..."

"And the mortality rate for teammates is extremely high. If there's a safe and profitable method, of course, we'd be thrilled, right?"

Ikeros recounted how the faction members captured a "heretic" they had stumbled upon and then began smuggling.

Hermes' expression remained unchanged; he simply listened.

"Dix initially had the same plan, but... hehehe! That guy gradually changed."

"You've gradually become a different person...?"

"Yes. In the process of torturing monsters in order to sell them outside the city... watching and hearing the monsters scream and cry, his eyes began to gleam with a murderous light..."

He continued, "I guess he's come to understand the 'desire (something)' that's been dormant within him."

Ikeros tells Hermes that Dix's purpose and means of capturing the "heretic" have now been reversed.

"How cute! That guy has found something, and the look of gradual redemption... trembling with ecstasy, growing increasingly ferocious...!"

"...That's so tasteless, Ikelos."

"Hehehehe...!! We gods can't do that, can we? They may be just a bunch of little kids, but I love those brats in my own way."

As if blessing his family (children) who had resisted the blood curse on their own, Ikeros let his voice drift away on the wind.

"Daedalus's long-cherished wish may be shattered in Dix's generation."

"..."

"That guy's no longer interested in any man-made labyrinth (Knossos)."

Ikeros narrowed his eyes.

"He is now my favorite—a beastly dream."

*

(How is this possible...!?)

Asphie's body stiffened from trembling.

Several hands and feet collapsed to the ground, blood dripping like tears from the stained flowers and grass, and various weapons were smashed to pieces.

Hiding in the tree, all she could see were the figures of adventurers lying on the ground, barely alive.

Total destruction.

The elite of the Ganesha Familia, Orario's proudest first-class adventurers, were defeated by a single "monster".

Like Shakti, Ilta was also instantly killed, and then his army collapsed like a house of cards.

The "enemy" targeted first-tier adventurers in the wavering expeditionary force, defeating them one by one before unilaterally ravaging the remaining members. It ripped up the ground with its massive double-bladed axe, wielding its tree-like, powerful arms to sweep across the battlefield, crushing the adventurers' petty tricks with its feet.

His dark skin was completely unharmed.

The intermittent, wheezing breaths echoed through the silent forest.

That thing stood in the center of the battlefield, where adventurers lay dead, like the king of tragedy.

(Black, the Minotaur...?)

She didn't know such a thing existed. She'd never even heard of it.

In Asphie's knowledge, there was no such "monster".

A violent heartbeat shook her entire body from the inside out. If she wasn't careful, her breathing would be disrupted. Asphie desperately tried not to make a sound, maintaining the "transparent state" of the magical artifact, focusing all her attention on controlling her hands and feet to prevent them from trembling.

Asphie regretted it.

I should have prioritized gathering intelligence and left this place.

I shouldn't have been influenced by Ryu and the others, and instead developed a sense of justice that was out of character, like secretly covering for them.

We should have run away first.

Facing the scene before her, Asifi, whose body still wouldn't obey her commands, was filled with regret.

"What kind of joke is this...?"

"..."

There were only two people standing in the forest battlefield, besides the black "monster".

It's Aisha and Ryu.

They had no time to cover their teammates and witnessed a brutal massacre firsthand, their faces filled with a tension they hadn't felt before. Intimidated by the presence standing in their way, none of them dared to move an inch.

The other monsters were long gone. It was as if they had known this would happen; they all left without exception, heading east.

(…!?)

Run! Asphie thought to herself.

"Get out of here!" Asphie shouted in her mind.

However, the elven warriors and the Amazons.

They all seemed to ignore Asifi's cries and silently raised their weapons.

The members of the Ganesha Familia lay around them.

Moreover, they still have a breath left.

Ryu and Aisha, unwilling to abandon their dying adventurers, turned their swords against the black "monster."

Asphie gritted her teeth in frustration.

“…………”

The atmosphere in the forest was tense.

Amidst the stinging tension, Ryu's body sank, Aisha's broadsword rang out, and Asphie's hand reached for the holster on her waist.

The heartbeats of the three people overlapped in unison.

"--roar……"

then.

The black "monster" took a step, which became a signal.

"!"

Ryu and Aisha raced at high speed, while Asphie, maintaining her transparent state, leaped from the tree at the same time, throwing out flying needles and explosives (burst oil).

Three flying needles appeared out of nowhere in mid-air, which the "monster" easily deflected with its gauntlets. A short time later, explosives it had thrown detonated around it. Asphie didn't expect to cause much damage, but the burst of flames obscured its opponent's vision. Ryu and Aisha, splitting into two groups, swung their swords from the left and right.

Faced with their pincer attack using speed, the "enemy"—is heading straight for Aisha.

“““!?””””

A dark figure emerged from the explosion and flames.

The powerful kick that shattered the ground and instantly reduced the distance to zero sent a shiver down the spines of Ryu, who watched the enemy disappear before her eyes, Asifi, who was looking down at the scene from above, and Aisha, who was being rapidly approached by the enemy.

Faced with the double-edged axe raised high and brought down, Aisha intervened with her broadsword to parry.

"————"

In an instant, the broadsword shattered.

The impact was so powerful that even the bones in the fingers gripping the hilt cracked. The thick blade shattered in a single blow, scattering silver rain across Aisha's vision. Sacrificing a weapon to successfully deflect the attack was entirely due to her exceptional martial arts skills, but she had no way to defend against the next blow.

In the blink of an eye, the enemy casually swung his right palm and struck Aisha directly.

"—Huh!?"

Aisha, who was slapped across her left arm, was bent over in a "ku" shape as she was sent flying with a terrible sound.

She crashed into the trunk of a large tree, fell to the ground, and remained motionless.

"【Lijie】!?"

As if drawn by Ryu's cry, the dark "figure" immediately turned around and rushed towards her.

「!?」

Faced with the overwhelming force of the cannon that seemed to disregard inertia, Ryu reacted with lightning speed, tilting his body to the side.

She leaned forward so far she almost touched the ground, and the double-edged axe flew swiftly over her head. The terrifying wind pressure stripped away her mask and hoodie, revealing Liu's true, handsome face.

The elven warrior, not wanting his opponent to gain an advantage, swung his wooden sword as they passed each other—however, the "enemy" leaped up using only the strength of one leg and dodged the attack.

"...!!"

The massive body landed with a deafening roar, shaking the battlefield. Liu shook off her astonishment and instantly turned around.

The black "monster" that appeared in the center of her vision was already facing her, and even though there was still some distance between them, it still pulled the double-edged axe behind its back to charge up.

— Throw?

wrong.

Ryu's prediction was wrong, and the "enemy" swung his double-edged axe at his own feet.

The growing blue crystals exploded along with the grass, turning into countless projectiles that hurtled towards Ryu.

“Wu!?”

Faced with this attack, Ryu also tried to dodge—

"—Ugh, ah!"

Unexpectedly, behind her came the sound of multiple crystal bullets exploding, followed by screams.

"Varied……"

Liu glanced behind her and was stunned.

The one lying on the ground is Asphie.

Ryū immediately understood.

The "enemy's" target is not oneself, but the "omnipotent one" equipped with magical artifacts.