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

"They couldn't possibly be that good enough to play hide-and-seek in a new place... I bet those guys have accomplices."

Upon hearing Loki's speculation, a tense atmosphere swept through Ais and the others.

Among them, the elf Alicia raised her hand.

"I hope to clarify the other party's goals first..."

"Sigh, it's probably Tione and Tiona... planning some kind of 'ritual' for the Battle Kingdom (Tir Scylla). Including that little girl goddess (brat), I think they're all born battle junkies over there. And when the other side used this move, Tione and the others followed suit."

"They not only attacked Sakta and the others, but also kidnapped Lefia, which angered Tione and the others."

"Lefia..."

Hearing the name of the elven girl mentioned in Loki's conversation with Riveria and the others, Ais grew increasingly worried. Not only Tiona and the others, but also Lefia, who had been taken away, troubled her greatly.

"Keep searching for Tione and the others, that strategy remains unchanged... and once we find them, take them down. Ais, you can go on a killing spree, it's fine~. Riveria too, use your artillery (magic) to blast them to pieces—"

"How could you do that in town..."

"And what about Lefia, who was kidnapped...?"

In Ais's opinion, Loki was still angry.

She spoke in a joking tone, but her slightly open eyes held no hint of a smile.

Rivera, who was resting her head on her hand, and Angie, who had her eyes half-open, were both complaining, but Loki waved one hand to indicate that there was no problem.

"It's harsh to say, but Lefia is just bait to lure Tione and the others; she's not worth much anymore. Those guys won't take her hostage. But if they're pushed too far, who knows what they might do?"

"You're convinced that the enemy wants the 'struggle' itself, isn't that a correct interpretation?"

"That's exactly how it is. When everyone's fighting fiercely, the hostages are just background noise. They'll definitely be doing everything they can to hold us back and prevent us from disrupting things. So just go ahead and beat them to a pulp, don't hold back."

Rivera understood the situation without being asked, and Loki nodded to her, pouting.

Ais saw the smiling face of the main god and it seemed to mean that she had essentially seen through the fact that the goddess (Kali) would not take Lefia's life.

"Hey, Ais, you're the only one who's fought those guys. Aside from those two busty sisters, how strong do you think they are?"

"...The Amazons I've fought were level 3 to 4."

Ais recalled the battle on the bustling street yesterday and shared her thoughts.

Like Tiona or Tione, their racially unique physical skills are difficult to deal with. What's most terrifying is their disregard for life and death; they can decisively step deep into attack range—a tactic only those accustomed to life-or-death battles possess. Those who cannot bring themselves to kill are inevitably slow in their movements. Ais is no exception.

After hearing the Sword Maiden's frank explanation, both Angela and Alicia wore bitter expressions.

"Leaving aside the cadres, it seems that the enemy's core members are more difficult to deal with than ours."

"Yes, although I'm very unwilling..."

"Sending weapons for repair is a major pain point for both me and Ais."

Listening to Riveria say this, Loki looked up at the ceiling and pondered.

Just then, "Ah," Ais suddenly remembered something.

The earlier commotion made her forget to give something to Loki.

"Loki."

"Hmm? What's this, Ais?"

She handed the small bag, which was strapped to her waist armor, to Loki.

That was the "harvest" she and Tiona obtained when they sneaked into the mayor's (Merdor's) house.

After Ais leaned closer to explain, Loki, who was listening intently, smiled even wider.

"Well done, Ais."

After saying that, Loki got off the table where he had been sitting.

She borrowed a quill pen and parchment from a hotel employee and quickly wrote a short passage.

"Angie, could you please run an errand for me?"

"Is it alright... now?"

"Yes, it's urgent. I've written down everything that needs to be done."

There were two parchment sheets. Angie glanced down at the note she had received, nodded to her, and left the inn as quickly as a cat. After watching her leave with Ais and the others, Loki looked out the window, which was gradually turning the color of the setting sun.

"Alright, next up is Tione and the others..."

✿

The fact that I only thought of this now is probably because the timing was right.

After killing her beloved, as Tiony's eyes grew increasingly lifeless, like a desolate wasteland, an Amazon appeared before her. And from that day on, a hell more terrible than anything before began.

Argana Garif. The first candidate to become the leader of the Kingdom of Tir Sculla.

The training undertaken against the Amazons, who were closer to the goddess (Kali) than anyone else in essence, could only be described as miserable.

On the day they first met, Argana utterly "ruined" young Tione. She meant no other. For a female warrior interested only in "fighting," the mutual slaughter on the battlefield (arena) was no different from the training in the dark stone house.

The feelings that Tione, now reduced to blood-stained flesh, has for Argana are the same intense fear and even greater anger that her younger sister (Tione) feels for Baje's embrace.

Amidst the searing pain and hazy consciousness, in Tione's eyes, the female warrior before her seemed to symbolize the Kingdom of Dou (Tir Scylla). She represented the customs of the country that had forced her to kill her elder sister (Cerudas).

"...You're really good."

Algana admired the girl who still possessed anger and fighting spirit, a girl whose body and mind were "indestructible." When Tione lay on the ground, still staring at her with murderous eyes, Algana used her long tongue to lick away the blood that splattered back with relish.

Alganna's fighting style and barbaric behavior are notorious even in the Kingdom of Tyr Scylla. She "sips" the blood of her opponents. She bites into their skin with her snake-like teeth, sucking their blood regardless of their screams or cries. It's like indulging in the finest wine, like devouring the flesh and blood of the strong.

Unlike the labyrinthine city of Orario, which has a tradition of giving nicknames—where Amazons who win in the "Rituals" are praised as "true warriors"—Tir Scylla is the only one with an alias: [The Goddess's Doppelganger (Black Witch)]. Even the chief god admires this warrior's ferocity.

Seeing Argana ravage her, licking the blood splattered on her, Tione felt nothing but disgust and loathing. She was constantly enraged and agitated by the Amazons who laughed and abused her. Ironically, the two "skills" that stemmed from Tione's anger—powerful weapons—were discovered during her training with Argana.

When Algana reached Lv.5, Tione's aversion to her became unshakable.

That day, after Argana returned from a fierce battle, Tione asked her:

"...Don't you feel anything at all?"

Argana killed her sworn siblings, who had shared the same food and grown up in the same stone house, their relationship akin to that of Therdas and Tione. She drank her opponent's blood as usual, ignoring their cries of despair, and tortured them to death.

Aljana was severely injured, dripping with blood that was indistinguishable as to whether it belonged to her opponent or herself. She seemed to feel disbelief from the bottom of her heart and tilted her head to the side.

"I ate that thing and became stronger. That's it. Do I need to feel anything?"

This is how Tyr Scylla operates. A powerful secret that's so simple it's almost disappointing.

In order to create Lv.4 warriors, two Lv.3 warriors were made to fight to the death.

In order to create Lv.5, Lv.4 warriors were forced to eat and sacrifice themselves.

This is like an altar of poison. The Kingdom of Fighting (Tir Sculla) is such a world.

At the same time, Tione realized that her intuition was correct. The woman standing before her was none other than the snake-like monster spawned by the Kingdom of Dou (Tir Sculla).

"Honestly, how long are you going to keep thinking about the loser (Theldas)? She's just a sacrifice, don't pretend to pity her."

Dione was so angry that she lunged at Algana, but she was no match for her and was defeated instead.

Tione endured training filled with anger and shame alongside Argana, and in order to survive, she went through countless "rituals" of killing her own kind. Her eyes and heart were rapidly deteriorating. The thought that death might bring her relief had crossed her mind, but she felt that death would be tantamount to surrender, to losing to everything she hated; her instincts as a young girl, the source of her anger, would not allow her to take her own life.

As for Tiona, she was the complete opposite of Tione, becoming more cheerful day by day.

She knew the reason very well. It was "Heroic Tales".

Upon encountering those stories, the foolish younger sister's frivolous nature worsened. Tiony had once flipped through them with lifeless eyes, not only unable to understand them, but also completely baffled by their appeal, even when Tiona recounted them to her.

The older siblings looked at their younger sister with the eyes of someone looking at a freak, finding her disgusting.

Tiony is very popular.

Perhaps he even hated her.

"I'm in so much pain, why are you—"

I've almost blurted out those words countless times.

Tiony and Tiona are indeed rather special Amazons.

People of similar age, whether they liked it or not, gradually adapted to the environment of the Kingdom of Tir Sculla. However, Tione was always angry, while Tiona was always laughing.

Tione was often rebellious, even swearing at the gods. But the goddess (Kali) treated Tione like a beloved child, happily ignoring her foul language.

Tiona's innocent words and actions not only pleased herself but also often amused the chief god. The goddess (Kali) would often summon the charming Tiona into the shrine on a whim.

To outsiders, Tione and her sisters were barbarians who spoke disrespectfully to the one and only god, objects of envy for the god's favor. Naturally, their fellow citizens began to look forward to the "ritual" between the sisters.

Two years have passed since they reached Lv.2. After Argana and Bajie's relentless training, their [ability values] have grown rapidly, and the time is ripe for them to advance to Lv.3. Just as their seventh birthday is approaching, Tione senses that a deadly battle with her sister is not far off.

Then, the countless inner turmoil that unusually lingered in Tione's mind became meaningless one day after a single sentence from Tiona.

"Kali, I don't want to fight Tione."

After the day's "ritual" concluded, the victor was called into the hall in order to receive God's praise.

Tiony's silly sister suddenly revealed her wish.

"I want to leave this country with Tione."

Needless to say, the other Amazons, even Baje and Argana, stared at Tiona in disbelief. The Child Goddess merely squinted her eyes behind her mask.

Tiony can no longer recall how she felt standing there like everyone else.

This wish was put on hold for the time being, and permission was granted a few days later.

Perhaps it was a whim of the gods. Tiony and Tiona were granted permission to leave the stone arena and depart from the country across the vast peninsula.

—What does that mean?

The younger sister is the goddess's (Kali's) favorite. Tione also knows that she always receives "Heroic Tales" as a reward and is favored by the chief god.

What does all that time amount to? What does all the suffering I'm going through today mean? Can I really find relief so easily just by having that silly little sister smile? Is that really the right thing to do?

The azure sea, the rugged mountains, and the cool, pleasant breeze—all sights she had never seen before—moved and thrilled Tiona, while her sister Tione beside her wept. The seven-year-old girl understood that these were emotions far more complex than a simple expression of being moved. Sister and sister, night and morning, darkness and light, anger and innocence.

They are clearly twins, connected by blood, so why are they so different? What is the reason?

At that time, Tiony was unable to stop her growing feelings for Tiona. If she didn't scream and scream wildly, she probably would have strangled her sister to death with her own hands.

What I found among all these emotions was "envy" for my younger sister who possessed things I did not.

Tiony understood this and for the first time wanted to kill himself.

"..."

crunch.

Tiony, trapped in her past memories, gritted her teeth.

Her slightly lowered profile was scorched by the maroon sunlight.

"Oh—, so there are places like this!"

My younger sister's leisurely voice, which sounded much older than I remembered, echoed throughout the spacious room.

Tiony and Tiona were in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. Rusty steel and shipbuilding equipment were piled up everywhere, and weeds grew freely on the floor. The approaching dusk sunlight streamed into the room through holes in the ceiling and a broken roller shutter.

"So, we just have to wait here until nightfall, right, Tione—?"

After leaving Ais and the others, Tione and Tiona searched for a deserted place and came to this abandoned factory.

As the sunset painted the view outside, Tiony stared at her sister with a sharp gaze, noticing her sister looking relaxed.

"Tiona".

"what?"

"Let's fight."

Tione's seemingly random remark made Tiona blink.

"...Is it necessary to fight now?"

"Yes, it exists."

The two would fight each other in the courtyard of their base whenever they had free time, but this time the situation was different from usual.

In response to Tiona's obvious question, Tione stepped back with one foot, striking a pose.

"I'm serious. We have to play seriously, otherwise it's meaningless."