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

Bell apologized to everyone, then picked up his weapon.

He raised the God's Blade, which he held in a reverse grip, and stared intently at the dark monster.

The monster grinned as it saw the boy stepping forward to face the fight.

Asterios's lips were torn to the limit.

The monster revealed a gleeful, ferocious smile, looking up at the moonlit night that was watching them.

"Roar!!"

A deafening roar echoed through the sky.

The signal gun that announced the start of the battle was liberated.

*

"Very close!"

The deafening roar, like a flare gun, made the Loki Familia scouts gasp.

Several male and female members of the group were on edge, searching for enemy traces. The surrounding buildings were all multi-story structures, making it impossible to spot the enemy from the rooftops. The members jumped down from the rooftops and onto the road, gradually approaching the location from which the shouts were coming.

Have her companions, who chased after the enemy through the gaping hole, spotted them yet? The bell remained silent, sending a sense of unease and foreboding through the elf girl in the group. She moved forward—and just then…

The wall behind her exploded.

「!?」

An explosion followed, and stone fragments flew everywhere.

The white-haired boy and the jet-black bull broke through the billowing sand and dust emanating from the cave entrance and suddenly flew out.

"Whoosh whoo ...

"!!"

Before the utterly astonished Loki Familia, Bell and Asterios engaged in close combat.

The double-edged axe swung repeatedly, and Bell dodged with agile movements. Even being caught in the wind pressure could be dangerous. The best evidence was that the human's skin, already bleeding after several exchanges with the bull, spoke volumes about the overwhelming difference in their strength (ability stats). Bell abandoned his cheap pride, ignoring his left arm equipped with the double-edged axe—instead, he boldly attacked the monster's right side, where the [Sword Maiden] had severed his arm. Facing the lightning-fast agility (foot strength) and the sharp thrusts of the dagger, Asterios responded with a smile, effortlessly countering the attack.

"The black bull (Minotaur) and...!"

"Bell Craney!?"

The axe swept across the ground, the air groaning, and the stone slabs were kicked violently by the boots, scattering sand and debris. Faced with the boy and the monster engaging in a battle of strength and speed, the group members were powerless to intervene, clenching their fists.

The captain (Finn) had ordered them not to intervene, but standing there, pale and motionless, was hardly worthy of the name of the Loki Familia. They had all reprimanded the boy before; how could they let him fight alone while they watched the spectacle?

Determined to fight back, the adventurers, under the command of their captains, surrounded Bell and Asterios. Some nocked arrows, while others wielded spears or swords, intending to launch a simultaneous attack from a distance.

unexpectedly……

"Buzzing sounds!"

"--Huh!?"

The monster subdued everyone with just one terrifying roar.

That was a powerful "howl." Hearing that intimidating sound that awakened primal fear and forced the opponent into a state of forced restraint, the Lv.2 defender's knees buckled, and the Lv.3 midfielder, who was attacked from extremely close range, was even more stiff to a fatal degree.

The monster's declaration sounded as if it were annoyed that others were in its way. Asterios showed no mercy to those who were not qualified to fight, his iron fist, gripping the axe handle, swept across the battlefield, causing gunners and swordsmen to cough up blood and crash into houses.

Seeing that all the Lv.3 members, including the captain, had been knocked away, the elf archer and the others in the rear turned pale, but the dark figure continued to move and did not let them go.

The group members couldn't move a single finger; they could only watch with tears in their eyes. However—

"call!!"

As if shouting "Your opponent is me," Bell slashed at the monster from the side.

With a smile, Asterios abandoned the Loki Familia and responded with his double-bladed axe. The elves and others, who had been spared, were astonished to see that the rookie was not overcome by fear.

—I know what that howl feels like.

Bell knew it all too well.

In that "adventure," he had already crossed that wall and would no longer have any fear.

Facing the enraged Minotaur, Bell wields a black dagger and a red sword, launching a series of attacks on his opponent.

"—Hey! Where did the gargoyles and the other monsters go!?"

In the large square where the roar of bulls could be heard.

When the dust finally settled, the adventurers discovered that the winged monsters had vanished in the chaos, and they shouted at each other.

Ignoring their chaos—in a deserted corner of the square, Welf and his companions were hurling insults.

"What are you guys doing?!"

"Humans, the human race..."

"Lily, we went through so much trouble and almost died, are you planning to waste our lives?!"

"Lord Welf, Lady Lily, please calm down!?"

"My lords, now is not the time to argue... Haaaah~!"

In a desperate situation, Welf and his companions used several invisibility cloaks to hide the "heretics" including Gross, thus rescuing them. Enraged, Welf and Lily shouted insults at each other; seeing this, Megumi had to calm down and quickly stepped forward to stop them. Haruhime, however, was too flustered to offer any help.

While her family members were making a ruckus nearby, Hestia was quickly analyzing the situation.

(The Loki Familia didn't come to the plaza? Did they go to capture that black bull (Minotaur)?)

The sounds of fierce fighting drifted on the wind, likely coming from the monster and Bell; the goddess pondered.

"Haruhime! You gave the Eye Crystal to Winnie and the others, right?"

"Yes, yes! At the moment of parting, I gave her mine!"

"Very good." Hestia cheered, clenching her fist.

Now she could reunite with the "heretics" who possessed the "keys." She deduced that now was the only time to send Guros and the others to the artificial labyrinth.

Hestia took out the eye crystal and called out to it:

"Bell, keep hitting!"

"Well, how should I put it—basically, I need you to cause a huge scene! [Loki Familia]... no, everyone on the street is starting to notice you! It might be dangerous, but... um, I'm sorry!"

Hearing these words from the blue crystal on the gauntlet, Bell did not feel worried.

This way he could focus all his attention on the battle at hand—which he had already been doing for a while.

One moment of distraction and you'll lose your life, becoming a victim of that double-edged axe.

The goddess's instructions, which were recorded as intelligence, were instantly erased and banished to a corner of Bell's mind.

(So ​​strong...!)

The advancing double-edged axe repeatedly threatened Bell's life, but he managed to circle around to the enemy's right side, launching attacks from his missing right arm. However, his attacks were all anticipated. His opponent's sharp "skill and tactics" were unlike anything he'd seen before, and a sense of near-anxiety washed over Bell.

Even when it lost its way, this bull (Minotaur) still craved "power".

Bell shook off his inner turmoil, approached the enemy's right blind spot, and unleashed another slash with two daggers.

"Mmm!"

「!?」

The monster used its giant axe as a shield and stomped down with a heavy kick.

The ground shattered, and just that movement alone made Bell lose his balance. Faced with the impending double-edged axe, he desperately kicked the enemy's body to dodge.

Several strands of white hair were cut off, and countless drops of sweat mixed with bloodstains flew everywhere.

Every enemy's body is a weapon, without exception. They can all become weapons to kill Bell.

Seeing the panicked Bell, the bull (Minotaur) laughed as if to say, "I don't have time to let you stand there dumbfounded," and swung its bright red horns.

"Ugh... Ughhhhhhh!?"

Bell hurriedly raised his armor gauntlets, but still couldn't completely absorb the force.

With a deafening clang and sparks, Bell was launched into the air. As he spun and flew, he considered whether to leap onto the rooftop platform of the building, only to be struck by a front kick from the rapidly pursuing Asterios.

“Wu!?”

Bell crossed his arms to work the ultra-hard metal as a shield, creating an unusual vibration in his field of vision.

The cracking sound of his forearm bones made Bell's eyes bloodshot, and he was kicked backward again—flying to the other side of the large square.

"Eek—Ooo ...

Seeing a human cannonball—which Bell describes as hurtling towards them at tremendous speed along a gentle parabola—the adventurers in the main square hurriedly jumped away to avoid it.

The boy crashed headfirst into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, and rolled all the way to a corner of the square.

"Be... Bell—!?"

Seeing the boy return too early, Hestia's eyes widened to their limit, and her scream was drowned out halfway through.

As Asterios descended from the sky, his footsteps shattering the stone slabs, creating an even more violent thud.

"Aa ...

The loudest screams to date erupted in the square.

The reappearance of the dark monster intensified the chaos and fear. The residents were once again in a frenzy, trying to flee into the streets, and the cries of children could be heard from among them.

"Woo, woooo ...

Instead, the adventurers shouted and ran forward, almost as if they had given up. Perhaps even the rude thugs couldn't bear to see people crying out like that, and they resolved to protect the women and children, casting aside their fear, and attacked Asterios from all sides.

however……

"Woohoo ...

"Gahh ...

The monster (Asterios) treats all adventurers equally. He inflicts destruction and ravage on each adventurer without regard to their numbers.

Countless weapons shattered and scattered, blood raged like a mist, and strong, high-level adventurers sank into the ground one after another, their numbers dwindling rapidly. All of this happened in just a few seconds.

Sakura and Chigusa were a step too late in protecting the residents, and the members of the Hestia Familia, who had wanted to let Gross and the others escape, all turned pale and stood there dumbfounded. Eina and the other guild members were the same.

"────"

This includes children.

Among the orphans who didn't have time to escape, Lai, Fina, and Xiaolu saw it through a gap in the human wall.

It was a pitch-black monster, a one-armed behemoth covered in blood—extremely ominous and ferocious to the children. The sight of adventurers being blown away like leaves was nothing short of a nightmare. Was that dark shadow flying into the air a weapon, or a human arm?

This is completely different from the gargoyle we just saw; it's an incomparable "monster".

(Ugh, ah...)

To the boy (Ray), it was like a storm of death.

If you encounter it, you'll die; that's the kind of thing that exists.

Does the "floor owner" you've never seen in person refer to that kind of person?

It's understandable that children would be terrified upon seeing a monster that, among the diverse array of creatures, still defies common sense.

"Waaah──"

Therefore, it was inevitable that a single sharp glance from the monster would render them immobile.

The Minotaur, having ravaged all the adventurers in an instant, turned and met the children's eyes.

Ray was in despair. Fina and Xiaolu realized that fear had no limits. In the hellish slowness of time, their hearts were gripped, and they could hardly breathe.

"Run!!"

The foster mother (Maria), separated from the children, cried out from the depths of the crowd. But their bodies were immobilized, pierced by those gazes, unable to even twitch a finger. The adventurers, like them, were disheartened and unable to rise; no one could form a bulwark against the monster. The Minotaur, as if searching for something, took a step toward Ray and his companions.

Just as the children were about to succumb to their fear and their souls were about to be extinguished.

"────!!"

The white-haired adventurer broke through the billowing dust and charged straight toward the pitch-black monster.

"!!"

That swift movement lifted the immobilization spell on Ray and the others. Bell's flowing hair traced a pure white path as he wielded black and crimson daggers, slashing at the monster.