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

Naza grabbed the silver prosthetic hand with her left hand.

As the cheers resounded throughout the entire city, all eyes—the eyes of the people, the eyes of the gods, the eyes of the entire city—were focused on an adventurer and a monster.

"──────────────────────!!"

"Wa ...

As if squeezing out all their strength, Bell and Asterios' bodies were filled with excitement and fervor.

Bell's arms, wielding his greatsword, were groaning in pain. But that was all. His arms were just fractured bones; he could swing them however he wanted. Bell even channeled the heat of the excruciating pain into the driving force of his attack, slashing at his enemy.

The greatsword was knocked back, and Bell used the force of the repulsion to unleash a spinning slash; the double-edged axe also blocked this move, and Asterios broke through the fire lightning that Bell had been forced to shoot, and in the space created at the critical moment, the kesa slash smashed down on his head.

The axe blade grazed the handguard, shattering the eye crystals embedded in it.

"...!?"

Bell's armor crumbled one by one; his gauntlets, buckled and chafed, and the shoulder pads he'd hastily used for defense, were lost under Asterios's relentless assault. The dark, murky current became a threat, attempting to crush Bell.

Bell's body was dyed bright red.

It's not your own blood.

Every time Asterios unleashed a furious attack, his blood splattered everywhere.

That's right, the enemy not only had one arm, but was also on the verge of death.

His body was covered in wounds, and he could collapse at any moment.

—They're long dead.

If the opponent's arms are intact and they are not on the verge of death—

Fighting alongside Ais and many other adventurers along their paths, they finally managed to achieve a stalemate, barely managing to be considered evenly matched.

If he were in his best condition, I would be no match for him now.

So strong.

Asterios was so strong that it was unreasonable, so strong that it was tragic.

"Hoo, hoo, roar ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!!"

The black fist and double-edged axe both reproached Bell for being too weak to block them all.

In front of Asterios, Bell saw the hunter (Dix), his unattainable dream (Ais), the girl (Venet) who was once unable to protect and was reduced to ashes, and his own weak symbol.

Before him, with his double-edged axe, he could see the hunter's (Dix's) spear, the woman he admired (Ais's) sword, and the girl's (Winnie's) tears; all of these pierced Bell's heart and awakened the desire that drove him mad.

I want to become stronger.

In order to surpass this formidable rival—in order to surpass my own weakness.

I want to become stronger.

In order to defeat this formidable rival—in order to avoid losing anything more.

—I want to become stronger…

Become like a hero.

Become like a hero, able to protect the things you cherish and the people you love.

He became like a hero who, even when accused of hypocrisy and crushed by reality, still struggled to the very end.

--Me...

I want to be a hero.

"—Ughh ...

Bell roared.

He pushed his body to its limits, accelerating toward a pure white world.

Bell charged across the snow-white plains, scorching everything in sight to a white-hot blaze, and raced toward the dark, fierce bull that stood ready ahead.

「!?」

With a step of his left foot that was too fast to be seen with the naked eye, he swung the greatsword all the way to the end.

The acceleration pushed the limits, slowing the enemy's reaction. Bell slashed down with his sword through the armor, not stopping there. Ignoring the fact that his attack was blocked by the sturdy full-body armor, he unleashed a barrage of blows on the enemy.

"!--Buzzing!!"

The enemy wouldn't let Bell continue his rampage, so they raised their double-edged axe high above their heads and launched their greatsword into the air.

As the crowd screamed in agony—Bell ignored it all and switched from walking to jumping.

Asterios was caught off guard and Bell delivered a powerful upper left kick to his cheekbone.

The defiant rabbit turned its own body into a weapon, lashing out with its claws. However, Asterios, who had been kicked in the face by a first-level adventurer, had still managed to withstand it—and in the next instant, he stared in disbelief.

Bell floated in mid-air, maintaining the posture of kicking out his left foot, his right hand protruding straight out like a cannon barrel.

"【Flame Lightning】!!"

Six shots in quick succession.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~Hoo!?"

The artillery fire was so close that even the adventurers held their breath. This attack was sure to destroy one of the bull's eyes.

Bell himself was also blown away by the heat wave of the explosion, and as soon as he landed, he took off running.

He grabbed the greatsword that was spinning down from above with his right hand and slashed at the staggering bull with all his might.

"Ugh!?"

Kasaya Slash.

"Gurgle!?"

A complete sweep.

"Roar!?"

Scooping.

There were three sword flashes in total, and this time they finally cleaved through the entire body armor, causing the giant body to spurt out a large amount of bright red blood.

『Ughh ...

Witnessing Bell's fierce attack after his consciousness awakened, the adventurers and gods all shouted at the top of their lungs.

As for Asterios, his left eye was shattered, and his body suffered undeniably severe injuries—but he smiled.

He smiled calmly, his face bearing the sinister, menacing expression that had momentarily halted the cheers of the crowd.

The boy's fighting spirit did not falter. He burned away all complacency with the fire of his will and charged forward with his greatsword.

Asterios's foot shattered the ground.

Bell's feet flew straight ahead.

Their eyes reflected only each other's figures; the two men glared angrily at each other as they faced off in the final battle of offense and defense.

"──────────────────────────────!!"

The decisive battle begins.

The boy and the monster roared, an unadorned duet, a masculine cry for victory.

A fierce clash ensued between continuous attacks and powerful strikes. A large silver ingot, accompanied by a low growl, deflected the blood-stained double-edged axe, while a powerful kick, raised high, extinguished the nascent attack. The pulled-back greatsword and double-edged axe collided in an instant, two massive blades of light intersecting and creating fierce sparks.

The axe blade grazed the boy's shoulder, causing blood to spurt out; the armor, having withstood the sword strike, emitted a sound of muscles being crushed from the inside.

The boy's right hand, wreathed in flames and lightning, scorched the monster's body, while the massive bull-like body, proud of its immense strength, destroyed the adventurer's equipment in an unexpected manner.

Even the Heavenly Blade and the Crimson Horns were used, drilling between the sword and the axe, with blue-purple and crimson afterglows weaving through them.

It has nothing to do with pride or self-esteem; it is purely a conflict between wills.

Neither side was allowed to compromise; they acted like mirrors, urging each other to keep accelerating.

The adventurers were so terrified that they leaned back, their skin tingling from the shock, while the gods beamed with joy and roared with excitement.

The vocal masses, which had lost their ability to speak, were liberated in this battle. They all stood around the central square, forgetting even to breathe, shouting with all their might.

The goddess's silver eyes shone with heat.

The half-elf watched the truly deadly duel, his face pale and trembling.

Many people who encountered the boy held their breath, watching intently as the battle raged on.

Before their eyes, the boy and the monster fought desperately, refusing to let the battle end.

"Buzzing sounds!"

“Guuuu!?”

The double-edged axe, raised high, slammed down on the greatsword, which had been raised in haste.

Bell's feet left the ground, and he was effortlessly thrown backward like a feather.

The moment his back hit the stone floor, Bell did a backflip, instantly bringing Asterios into the center of his field of vision.

"────Hoohoo..."

The distance between them is about ten meters.

As if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, Asterios slammed his left hand, which was holding the double-edged axe, into the ground.

He firmly planted his foot on the stone slab with only one arm, lowered his head, and assumed a stance.

Upon seeing this, the adventurers' clamor immediately intensified.

That stance is very similar to the finishing move that the Minotaur uses when it employs its strongest horn (weapon).

This incredibly powerful rush can crush everything in its path.

Upon seeing the figure of the bull carrying the white wall tower on its back, Bell stared in astonishment, then realized the enemy's true intention and raised his greatsword to face forward.

It was a "hero's strike".

As the bells rang, Bell focused the white light onto his hand.

"!!"

The trigger factor for 【Hero's Wish (Skill)】 is the "Argo Hero" whose image comes to mind.

He was a man who aspired to be a hero, overcame a tortuous and bizarre fate, and finally became a true hero.

Bell combined his feelings with the original adventure story, drawing his greatsword behind him, ready to strike.

"──"

"──"

The crimson horns burned into the boy's pupils, while converging white particles of light pierced through the monster's eyes.

Their eyes met, their fighting spirits blurred, and in an instant, they were condensed into eternity.

Limbs roared, the soul yearned, and the will burned.

Bell's deep red eyes collided with Asterios's monstrous eyes.

Then──

"Aa ...

"Ooo ...

assault.

(—Don't lose.)

Watching the boy start running, Eina, who had originally hoped the battle would end, prayed for his victory for the first time.

Both shattered the stone slabs, the adventurer and the bull transforming themselves into the strongest projectiles.

The thunderous roar caused everyone, including the gods and adventurers, to gasp.

A swift and powerful charge instantly reduced the distance between the two sides to zero, unleashing a decisive blow.

Twenty seconds of charging up.

Raise it high and chop it down, or scoop it up from above.