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

"Daphne! Your voice! It's too loud!?"

Daphne's scream startled the two monsters, who jumped up, while Cassandra panicked.

The short-haired girl's almond-shaped eyes widened, her face filled with anger and confusion, as she interrogated her companion:

"Cassandra! You idiot! What are you doing?! You're harboring a bounty target (monster)!?"

"No!? It's because I had a 'precognitive dream'!!"

A few days ago, Cassandra dreamed that she was swallowed by a giant, dark wave. It was a terrifying dream; she nearly lost her life, and in desperation, she took out the rabbit amulet she had previously obtained, thus escaping death. The dream's content was as fantastical as ever.

Based on her eighteen years of experience since birth, the girl knew that dreaming of such "prophetic dreams" was never a good thing. So, she cautiously believed the revelation in the dream and went to a deserted alley five days ago—yes, that was the day (…), after what happened, she really shouldn't have gone there—to the place where the amulet had fallen in the dream… and found a white ball of fur and a black ball of fur.

They were covered in blood, exhausted. Both monsters lay face down on the ground, unconscious. The rabbit amulet that appeared in the "premonition dream" was actually a combination of a "unicorn rabbit" and a "hellhound".

Cassandra looked up at the sky, nearly fainting—but the prophecy of destruction forced her into a compulsive state. Her face ashen, her hands and feet trembling, she hid the two monsters in a random box and miraculously brought them back to her room at headquarters that very day. It was a miracle that Mih, Naza, Daphne, and the other adventurers didn't discover them.

Cassandra wasn't harboring a "heretic"... or rather, a monster. Quite the opposite, she was still terrified. But she had to keep the "rabbit amulet" with her until that day. So, to keep the monster from starving, she was forced to feed it potato balls. It wasn't because the white rabbit monster was whining to her, or the black dog monster was whining to her. Incidentally, they loved them. From then on, potatoes became their (?) food. "Do I have a talent for animal taming...?" Cassandra wondered, trembling.

In short, the chief god (Mich) could not speak of the "heretic" to his followers, and the followers (Cassandra) dared not report it to the chief god, so the two sides completely missed each other.

"What nonsense are you spouting again?! Enough already! Get out of the way!!"

But Daphne didn't care about any of that.

If this were exposed, they would suffer the same fate as the boy (Bell). For the sake of her [Family], and even more so for the girl herself, Daphne drew a short sword resembling a baton from her waist.

“Chuck!?”

"No, no, Daphne!?"

"Let me go, Cassandra!"

The unicorn rabbit let out a scream, and Cassandra hugged the girl from behind, while Daphne tried to shake her off.

Just as the dagger gleamed and loudly proclaimed that the monster should be destroyed immediately—

Boom!

"────"

As the sound of "something" shattering the cobblestones echoed, a massive figure enveloped Daphne and Cassandra.

The two girls, frozen in place, turned around and saw a gigantic, pitch-black figure, shrouded in the darkness of night, standing before them.

A large amount of bright red blood dripped down his skin; it was unclear whether the blood had sprayed onto his body.

He wields a huge double-edged axe (labrys) with only one arm.

The terrifying eyes stared at the two women, and the double-edged axe was raised high towards them like a guillotine.

Daphne's face turned deathly pale, and Cassandra's expression cracked with terror. The two girls, being high-level adventurers, clearly understood the disparity in strength between them, knowing that in an instant they and their companion would be reduced to pieces.

They were prepared to die in the next instant.

"Chirp—!"

The unicorn rabbit and the black dog jumped out of the wooden box and entered between the two sides.

Seeing its brethren (monsters) screaming and jumping around, the ever-silent, pitch-black monster... slowly lowered its double-edged axe. "That" passed by the two girls who had turned into statues and disappeared into the darkness.

The unicorn rabbit looked up at Cassandra, chirped, then mounted the black dog and went after "that."

"..."

"..."

The calm that followed the storm descended upon the two girls.

Cassandra knelt on the ground, limp and clinging to Daphne's waist.

Daphne managed to stay upright, but her knees were trembling.

Cassandra gave a stiff smile as she looked at Daphne, whose eyes met hers rigidly, and said:

"See? We're saved...!"

"! -- To be honest, isn't it all because you picked up that kind of thing that caused this?!"

"Ouch—!?"

Daphne raised her fist and swung it down, causing Cassandra to clutch her head and cry out.

The orc girl's face turned pale.

"Hey, go get the healer! Any kind of potion will do, bring them all!"

"Oh, so tragic..."

"How many people have been killed, sir!?"

To be precise, it was Lily, who had transformed into a beastman, who was pale.

It was the wails of the adventurers, a scene resembling hell on earth, and the maze-like roads stained crimson, that made her face turn pale.

Her beast ears trembled as she looked ahead and saw a large number of adventurers lying on the ground, a scene perfectly described as "a field strewn with corpses".

(Was it done by one of the "heretics" who got separated from the group? Or by everyone? But this is too much...)

Lily and Belle planned to reunite with the lost "heretics" and, if possible, meet with Fels and the others. Originally, if that wasn't possible, their last resort was to use a second "key" held by one of the "heretics" to take another route on their own.

She is currently in the eastern part of Maze Street, where a street sign on the wall reads "277th Street" in Common Language.

The pre-war "call" had already instructed the scattered "heretics" to meet on "277th Street." Lily, having finished her espionage work, secretly arrived here, but...

(It's very likely that this location was discovered by adventurers... and some "heretic" drove them all away. There were already a lot of people here, so the adventurers probably outnumbered them and had no choice but to attack, but...)

In this back alley, staircases stretched upwards and downwards, branching into numerous paths to the left and right, resembling a maze. The roads and walls were smeared with blood, turning the area into a crimson path. Amazons sat by broken walls, spraying blood everywhere, their broken necks drooping limply; the dwarves' prized hammers and armor were shattered, lying unsightly on the ground. Regardless of skill level, a bloody calamity befell all adventurers.

"Ugh...!?"

Deep lacerations, bent limbs, bones protruding from flesh; this gruesome scene was something even Lily, who had served as a supporter for many years, had never seen before, leaving her pale and utterly desolate. Were they really still alive? Lily instinctively covered her mouth, lacking the courage to step among the still-shouting adventurers to confirm.

(The Loki Familia members are also lying on the ground... Did Lord Finn deduce the hiding place and send out scouts? With things escalating like this, the "heretics" can't possibly come back here...)

Lily gasped as she spotted a few clown badges among the unconscious adventurers.

The claw marks from the battle easily shattered the stone pavement and building walls, suggesting the kind of monster that could wreak such destruction. In Lily's mind... was the black bull that had given her a powerful howl.

Does such an invincible monster need help?

Lily began searching the back alleys for clues about the whereabouts of the "heretics," feeling a great sense of relief whenever she heard that the adventurers were still alive, but also a strong sense of unease.

*

They either punched or kicked them, then slammed them to the ground.

That's it.

"Wa ...

Another hunter threw down his weapon and ran away, and he immediately chased after him and kicked him. His opponent, like the hunters who seemed to be his accomplices, coughed up blood and fell to the ground.

This cannot be called a fight, nor even a hunt.

This brought him even greater suffering from hunger, and he returned to his fellow countrymen. Those who had become separated from the others and were attacked by hunters were rescued by him.

The rabbits jumped for joy, saying he was truly reliable.

The winged compatriots murmured with heartache: Perhaps we went a bit too far.

His "hunger" elicited polarized reactions from his compatriots. Some praised him, while others were filled with fear.

He knew that he was still considered a "heretic" among his own people.

His "dream" is fundamentally different from the "dream" of his compatriots. His compatriots have different feelings towards the surface (here) or the inhabitants of the surface (here).

He could only find meaning in the struggle.

It was time to say goodbye. He thought to himself.

He understood that on the surface (here), his "dream" might destroy the "dream" of his fellow countrymen.

He gave the "key" to his compatriots; it was a "key" inlaid with an eyeball. He has kept it to this day. He told everyone that he didn't need it, and his compatriots wearing red hats asked him:

What are your plans for the future?

He shared his will with his compatriots.

He said he wanted to fight and pave the way.

then.

He said he felt that his "dream" was on the ground (here).

"...I understand. I wish you good luck in your military endeavors."

He turned his back to his compatriots who were bidding him farewell.

Perhaps this farewell is forever.

Although he had this premonition, he didn't mind. As long as he could meet his "dream" on the surface (here).

His enormous physique and aura blended into the darkness as he continued his quest.

Seeking reunion—to fight again.

Volume 11, Chapter 5: Ultra Soul!

"..."

Tiona found the adventurer's body hidden in the ruins.

He didn't die, he just fainted.

Looking at the human whose ears were bleeding, she touched her waist and realized, "Ah, I forgot to bring the elixir."

"Tiona, come here quickly!"

Hearing her sister call for help, Tiona had no choice but to leave the scene. In the tunnel-like structure, she climbed upwards without using her hands. At the top, she found Tione, who had been assigned to be her scout and guerrilla comrade. The Amazonian, bound by blood, seemed quite agitated, stomping her bare feet on the ground.

"Ugh! This is so annoying! We followed the leader's instructions exactly, but we still can't find the monster! Daedalus Road is really difficult to navigate! It's so winding and full of dead ends!"

Not only that, sometimes you have to climb up and down.

The western section of the labyrinthine street where Tiona and her friends were located was even more complex within Daedalus Road, creating optical illusions like a maze. Unable to freely go wherever she wanted, it was no wonder she was getting frustrated.

"Maybe the other side acted faster than Finn's command."

"Are you trying to say the team leader is a step behind the competition?! Watch out, or I'll beat you up!"

"Tione, you're really difficult to deal with too~, really."

Tiona looked exhausted as she watched her sister shouting for her beloved leader.

She said slowly in a low voice:

"However, well, Finn's instructions were right after all. I think there was a monster around here."

"...What did you find?"

In response to Tiona's question, Tiona, whose gaze had drifted into the distance, remained silent for a moment before moving her lips:

"Ah, Tione, the monster we're chasing..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

As if breaking the silence, the sound of bells rang out all around.

"It's a signal that a monster has been detected...! Let's go, Tiona!"

"--Hmm!"

Seeing her sister run off first, Tiona picked up her beloved twin blades, shifting her thoughts, and chased after her.

*

The "heretics" lined up and marched with overwhelming force along a single road.

The location is on the west side of the labyrinth street, near the center. The monsters appeared in front of the Loki Familia formation via a shortcut and rushed towards the underground passage leading to the "artificial labyrinth".

"Thanks to little Lily, there wasn't a single adventurer!"

"Don't let your guard down, the enemy is coming!"

Fels, positioned at center back, warned Reed, who was leading the group. He was right; the members of the Loki Familia were rapidly advancing from the center, northwest, and southwest to fill gaps in the formation.

"Nock the arrow!"