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

Cassandra didn't tell Bell the contents of the "prophecy" because she realized that an unwavering will, equivalent to fate, cannot be overturned.

In addition, there is another reason.

(If [Gale] is the root of everything...)

Cassandra had some terrible imaginations.

Could it be that the "Hurricane," whom Bell and the others are trying to protect, is the culprit behind the ominous "premonitions" of the "fairy who promised to lead destruction"? Some even believe that she may be the direct cause of everything from the town's murders to the "great calamity."

If Gale is the root cause of everything, Bell's efforts to help her would be meaningless.

No, he will be betrayed by what he trusts and face a cold, cruel reality.

This was a cruel and merciless fate for the boy.

(It's always like this. Every time, I'm filled with worries, confusion, suffering, failure... and regret.)

Unwittingly, Cassandra gazed at the flowing water of the maze, a sorrowful expression on her face.

No one will notice, no one will understand.

(What should I do for him?)

She couldn't think of an answer.

*

The surroundings remained as noisy and chaotic as ever.

The adventurers, gathered together, wrinkled their faces from the stench of burning flesh. As if telling the story of the explosive "destruction," the entire passage was destroyed, and it seemed that the monsters were also affected, with only the upper half of the half-fish corpse lying by the roadside.

The adventurers cursed as they hacked down monsters swarming in from other passages; meanwhile, we remained silent, surrounding a man.

The cat-man named Jaluo is still afraid of the [Gale].

Perhaps influenced by the favor, although her actual age is hard to discern, she should be around thirty-five. Perhaps due to physical and mental exhaustion, she has sunken dark circles under her eyes, and her long, narrow eyes are still filled with fear.

"W-What should we do...Perse?"

"What else can we do... Hand this guy over to the guild and we'll get a huge bonus. What else can we do? If [Swift] takes him down, we won't get any benefits."

Mr. Perth brazenly declared, "We are not messengers of justice."

"What's our purpose in coming here? It's to kill the elves who dared to slaughter our fellow townsfolk, right? The task remains the same, only we're getting more money."

Hearing Mr. Perth's unwavering stance, the other adventurers' faces no longer showed confusion. But for me, it was a terrible decision. Only I remained expressionless.

But I... don't know what to do.

I can't see Miss Ryu's true intentions.

Is she truly consumed by a thirst for revenge, unable to extricate herself?

Did he really kill someone in a fit of rage?

(and……)

Besides that, there's something else stuck in my head.

This situation, how things are unfolding... I don't know why, but it makes me very uncomfortable.

I felt like my brain was telling me, "Something's not right."

It seems to be trying to awaken some kind of "memory".

No, I don't understand.

My thoughts and feelings are all tangled up; I don't know what's right or what to believe!

No matter how much the gods say I've "grown," I'm still just the same "Bell Crane."

I act impulsively and can't judge anything properly. I'm still the same indecisive and spineless person I always am.

"──?"

Just as I pressed my hand to my head, trying to vent my disappointment...

During this movement, the boots that were firmly planted on the ground bumped into something.

"This is……"

It was a scarlet fragment.

It is most likely a small fragment from the underground city.

I picked up the crimson crystal that looked like a fragment with my fingers and stared at it intently... then my eyes widened.

"It's...it's [Gale]!?"

Almost at the same time, the scream rang out.

「!?」

I felt like I'd been electrocuted and turned to look in the direction the sound was coming from.

One of many passages in the distance, ahead of a land route parallel to the water flow.

The long cloak fluttering in the wind rushed toward us with astonishing force.

"Go, guys!!"

As if he had been eagerly anticipating this moment, Mr. Perth roared out in a voice that made his veins bulge.

I didn't have time to stop her. No one wanted to hear her explanations or defenses. The leader's impassioned commands spurred the adventurers to charge at the lone elf.

however.

Without even glancing at them, she roared in our direction with a chilling expression:

"──Jarāṇā────────────────────────!!"

The roar was so loud that it made one wonder where the elf's slender figure could hide such a terrifying lung capacity.

Even those of us who were some distance away couldn't help but lean back, and the crystal maze rattled and creaked from the impact.

That sounded just like a monster's howl, scaring away all the adventurers who were about to attack her.

The elf called out a man's name and charged toward him with undiminished momentum.

"Get out of here!!"

"Gahhh!?"

The unfolding scene made one wonder if they were seeing things.

It included a Level 3, Level 2 Advanced Adventurer's Barrier, which was pierced through like a wedge by the Gale Arrow.

She swung her wooden sword, knocking away the dwarves who formed the vanguard wall, and retaliated by sending an orc charging at her crashing into the wall. Amazons and humans alike tried to suppress her charge, but were all helplessly driven away.

This is not a metaphor; the wooden sword truly shone with a deep blue light. Whenever the sword's gleam flashed alongside the azure gaze, battle-hardened warriors would soar into the air.

At least twenty high-level adventurers were...!?

"Jala—!"

"Eek, eek eek eek eek eek eek eek eek eek eek eek eek!?"

Seeing the elf's ferocious face peeking out from under the hood, constantly roaring his name, the cat-man's face turned ashen as if the end of the world had come, and he turned and ran away.

I snapped back to reality and followed the figure with my eyes; in stark contrast, Mr. Perth and his group brandished their swords and staffs, licking their lips as they watched [Swift Wind] forcefully break through the wall of adventurers.

"That girl used some kind of 'magic' or 'skill'! Stop her! If we can weaken her momentum, we outnumber her and can overwhelm her!! Don't let her get away with this!"

Mr. Perth displayed the authority of the town's leader and a Level 3 leader, giving precise instructions. He was certain that with our superior fighting strength, victory was assured. The orc brothers and Amazons, upon hearing his command, were filled with arrogance and eager to engage the enemy in close combat.

however……

"──────"

Just before the two made contact, the elf, which had been charging at high speed, suddenly created a whirlwind and spun around.

Crack! The long cloak caught in the storm flapped against the wind, making a sharp sound, and at the same time, it moved in a spinning top-like manner, passing by the orc brothers and Amazons in a magnificent, vivid and intense way.

Not only that, but as he brushed past them, he swung a wooden sword at the back of their heads, knocking all three of them flying and taking their consciousness away.

That amazingly sharp "skill" can make people forget to breathe, forget their surroundings, and become mesmerized.

"Tsk! You're from the Loki Familia, aren't you!?"

Finally, only Mr. Perth remained. He spat and cursed loudly while raising his weapon, a large axe, high above his head.

Just as he aimed at the extraordinary elven warrior, who embodied the spirit of a whirlwind, and was about to cleave him down with his greatsword...

"—? You bastard, you wouldn't happen to be that... Guhei!?"

Mr. Perth seemed to remember something—like recalling someone he had fought alongside on the 18th floor—and suddenly stopped moving. The wooden sword struck his cheek without mercy.

As I watched the enormous body spurt blood from its nose and crash into the wall, my face twitched.

"!...Wait, please wait a moment!"

Just as I was the only one left standing among the adventurers, I shouted at her as she rushed towards me.

I don't want to fight you. Please tell me. Please tell me yourself.

My only thought was to stand in front of her.

"It's in the way."

However, it's like saying there's no such time.

Under the hood, Tianlan's eyes narrowed, and in the next instant, her long legs, clad in boots, pushed off the ground.

「!?」

While I stood frozen in place, Miss Liu leaped over my head.

--I've been tricked!

I was stunned and speechless as she used her remaining acceleration to take the position above me.

Miss Liu landed on the ground behind me, and without turning her head, she transformed into the wind and sped away.

"Chase, chase! [White Rabbit Paws]!!"

Mr. Perth ripped his face off the wall and shouted.

He ordered me, the one with the highest "Agility" stat in the expedition team, to be the pursuer, and beat me on the back with a roar.

Before Mr. Perth could finish speaking, I kicked the crystal floor and chased after him.

“Wu!?”

The figure in the long cloak had long since become just a small dot, and I mustered all my strength to chase after it.

The figure chasing the cat-man may have turned a corner and disappeared from my sight.

I stopped in my tracks, hesitant and indecisive, before finally choosing a path.

From there came the menacing roars and screams of monsters, probably the cries of monsters after encountering Miss Ryu. I followed these sounds, running without stopping. As if to prove my guess right, piles of dust, the corpses of monsters that had been cut down and were struggling in pain, were left behind like footprints along the way.

However, this method ultimately has its limits.

In the vast underground city, she was moving so fast that I completely lost track of her.

"Where did she go...!?"

My impatience only fueled my wavering, and just as I was breaking out in a cold sweat...

"【Now gone—the endless night sky—】"

I heard "singing".

"──"

For a moment, I couldn't help but stop what I was doing.

Ignoring me, fragments of the song continued to echo from somewhere.

"[Responding to the voice of my own ignorance—to those who have abandoned you—]"

At the same time, "magic" is rising.

Just as water overflows from a vessel, the aftershocks of the "bombardment" could be felt even from a distance, making my instincts as an adventurer instinctively shrink back.

Then, that "magic" quickly reached its critical point.

"【——Conquering the enemy with the brilliance of a galaxy】!"