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

"--Roarooooo ...

Immediately afterwards, the monsters regained their destructive instincts.

They broke free from their trembling and pounced together, wanting to sacrifice the adventurers.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"what?"

All the monsters in the cave launched a simultaneous attack from all directions.

With no way to stop her, Welf stood beside Cassandra.

"I alone am not enough—so please hold onto it."

Cassandra, under the gaze of the young man, grasped the hilt of the "magic sword" he offered.

The monsters' sharp teeth and claws were closing in.

The adventurers hurriedly prepared for battle.

Welf, who was holding the sword hilt with the girl, pointed the sword tip toward the ground.

"I'm going to start now."

This was the “beginning” for Welf.

It's just the first step in catching up with the God of Forging and reaching the "supreme" realm.

So he stood tall and made his declaration.

To rescue his comrades, and to etch his own will into their very being, he uttered words that shook the underground city.

He shouted out the weapon's "sword inscription".

"〖Starting high──Glory Moon〗"

He plunged the blade of the demon sword into the ground.

The next instant—a huge red flame erupted from the ground.

"Roar!?"

Before Sakura, Chigusa, Lily, Daphne, Aisha, and the others, a crimson flame erupted directly beneath the monsters that were about to pounce on them.

Beautifully avoiding the adventurers—no, the great wall (barrier) that seemed to protect them—fireballs erupted from the ground, blooming in layers like giant flowers. It was the "magic sword" blade, embedded at Welf's feet, that released fiery leads along the ground, exploding into a burst of flame the instant it reached the monster's feet.

Not only Aisha, but also Lily, Sakura, and others stared in astonishment at the sight, the power, and the heatwave.

The half-fish man, the water beast horse, the metal blue crab, and the half-human, half-snake all blurred their forms deep within the crimson sea of ​​fire, bursting forth with the cries of the fiery tattoos.

Its firepower is so great that it can burn away aquatic species (monsters) that are resistant to fire.

The scene of the 360-degree area around the adventurers being burned was just like the "sun" descending into the labyrinth.

“—Ah.”

Then, a flash of insight struck Cassandra.

What resurfaced in the depths of Cassandra's mind were the worst and most horrible nightmares and "prophetic" poems that had tormented her.

In the "premonition dream," Lily died with her intestines spilling out, Haruhime sank into a sea of ​​blood with her body completely bruised, the corpses of Mikoto, Chigusa, and Sakura overlapped, Aisha, who was holding Haruhime's body, was devoured by a monster, and Daphne, covered in blood, breathed her last breath with empty eyes.

In the dream, there was a clear "prophecy" of death and a scene of total annihilation, but only Welf was an exception.

"【The hammer is shattered】- Welf is now a miserable sight, having lost his hands and feet."

Indeed, in the "dream," his hands and feet were broken.

But that's all there is to it.

Even in the "prophetic" poems, only when describing Welf did not use decisive death hints (keywords) such as "flower of flesh" and "left behind".

If Welf were still alive even after losing all four limbs.

The warning in the sixteenth line of the last remaining "prophecy" all makes sense now.

【Collecting the Fragments】—The fragments are Hammer's (Wilf's) "limbs," suggesting that his hands and feet must be healed by a healer (Cassandra).

[Offering Flames] – This metaphorically refers to the need to ignite the [forge] in order to refine the demonic sword.

Then comes the question, "Seek the light of the sun"—and the answer unfolds before your eyes.

"A giant wheel of flames... no, it's a crimson lotus wheel of fire."

Multiple "fire wheels" seemed to have been formed to protect Aisha and the others who formed a circular formation.

The countless monsters were burned to ashes, truly a "light of the sun."

Heal a blacksmith, witness his forging, and pray to his "magic sword" for a breakthrough in your predicament.

This is the complete sixteenth line.

Cassandra's actions altered the future, ensuring that Welf did not lose his limbs. Of course, Daphne and the others also did not die.

Cassandra triumphed over "fate" without losing a single person.

—The fulfillment of the "prophecy" is thus avoided.

The tragic prophet who understood everything stood blankly, his face illuminated by the firelight.

She still held the hilt of the "demon sword" stuck in the ground, while glancing at the profile of the young man standing beside her.

Welf stared intently at the raging flames and slowly began to speak:

"Yes, that's right... This is the beginning. The first step in challenging the 'Supreme'."

For Welf, this was the “beginning.”

It's just the first step in catching up with the God of Forging and reaching the "supreme" realm.

The sword still held in his hand was merely a "supreme counterfeit" born from the imitation and imitation of Hephaestus's "work".

Therefore, it is named "Shigao".

It marks the beginning of a climb to greater heights. This is the first memorable piece in a series that Welf will be creating in the future.

The power of this new "magic sword" depends on the "magic power" of the wearer.

Therefore, the power of the magic sword itself will not be exhausted and has no limit to self-destruction.

Having escaped its destined shattering, it is currently the only "Welf's Demon Sword" in the world.

Combined with the power of the wielder… no, with the user’s “growth,” this magic sword will forever be worthy of its master. This time, its power was enhanced by the magic of the healer Cassandra.

Welf's "magic sword" will no longer shatter.

Neither the user's self-esteem nor the blacksmith's honor will be diminished by this.

It will accompany the user, grow together, and remain by the user's side as an alter ego until death separates the two.

"...Hey, you guys."

As the roar of the flames gradually subsided, silence returned to the cave.

Led by Daphne, who was staring at her with disbelief, the companions slowly turned to look at Welf, who said to them:

"The life you entrusted to me, I'm returning to you."

He picked up the "Radiant Moon" and carried it on his shoulder.

Daphne, whose eyes met his, blushed involuntarily.

Seeing the blacksmith's exhausted yet resolute appearance, Cassandra broke into a smile.

Then Sakura and the others, who had been silent, also curled up the corners of their mouths.

"Well done!!"

Even Sakura, Aisha, Perth, and Lily cheered for his "great achievement".

Welf responded with a slight smile, then immediately urged his companions to take action with a serious expression.

Leaving behind a large amount of burnt monster dust, the adventurers rushed out of the cave.

○

"──?"

at this time……

Chun unintentionally raised her face.

"What's wrong, meow!?"

"No... just now, it seemed like something..."

When Koroi called out to her, Tsubaki, unusually, stammered.

It was a premonition... no, should I call it "the blacksmith's sixth sense"?

Chun wanted to describe the feeling, which was similar to a premonition, but then shook her head and gave up.

We must focus on the task at hand now, or the enemy will take advantage of our weakness.

"Roar! Ro ...

What unfolded before their eyes was a vast horde of monsters engulfing the passage. The ravenous, bloodthirsty monsters roared at them.

We are currently on the 26th floor.

Chun and the others initially climbed down the precipice recklessly, but after reaching the 25th floor, they abandoned their descent to avoid winged monsters like "Happy" or "Silen." Before falling into the "Giant Blue Waterfall," they infiltrated the labyrinthine area of ​​the 26th floor.

"Drink!"

Facing the oncoming alien waves, Chun swiftly and decisively charged into the enemy ranks.

Silently, several monster heads flew into the sky as if by magic. A fierce flash of light sliced ​​the long body of the "Great Water Serpent" in two, and the white blade flipped in the process, severing the head of the "Crystal Giant Turtle".

In her hand she held a sword with a flawless blade—the long sword "Red Rain".

The sword she forged and mastered is undoubtedly the highest-ranking weapon among existing Japanese swords, reigning supreme. Its blade, shimmering like a shower of falling petals, lives up to its name, sprinkling forth a rain of blood.

The monsters blocking the path of the Cyclops Master were all dyed red, forming a mountain of corpses.

"Don't block my way, meow!!"

Even faster than Chun, Anya and the others displayed their prowess in battle, proving to be no less formidable than her.

As expected of [Gale]'s colleagues—those who have settled in the somewhat prestigious "Abundant Mistress"—all three possess formidable combat abilities.

Anya's golden spear swept through the air like autumn leaves, cleaving the bodies of the entire group of "half-fishmen" in two; the rapidly spinning "crystal sea urchin" was dismembered into pieces by Chloe's dark sword; and the "Kelpie" standing on its hind legs let out a ferocious screech, as Lunova's ruthless iron fist immediately pierced its chest and internal organs, turning it into a large amount of dust.

They completely disregarded the monsters in the lower levels.

But no matter how many monsters they slaughtered, the enemy continued to appear in droves.

"We're not very familiar with the dungeon!"

"But is it like this every day, so lively it's like a festival, meow!?"

Lunova and Chloe continued their seemingly endless battle, saying this over and over again.

Tsubaki and Anya, brandishing knives and guns, vehemently denied it.

"If it were like this 24 hours a day, it would probably leave adventurers lying dead everywhere!"

"This is definitely an 'abnormal situation,' meow! The cat had no idea such a thing existed in the dungeon, meow!!"

Faced with the horde of monsters that charged at them, they not only blocked them but also fought back; even so, their faces were still full of anxiety.

What flashed through her mind were the [Hestia Familia], who were likely staying in this area, and the whereabouts of [Gale]. Even with Lv.5 Tsubaki in the party, breaking through this predicament would be no easy task.

If adventurers weaker than them were thrown into such a place, who knows what would happen to them?

"The monster keeps howling...!"

Hearing the loud shouts coming from all over the floor, even Lunova, who knew little about the maze, sensed something was wrong.

The situation spiraled out of control, almost as if the dungeon itself had "gone out of control."

"...I have a feeling there's some really ominous monster here, meow."

"What? What do you mean?"

"It's just a gut feeling, meow. Even though it's just a gut feeling... the cat's tail is getting all fuzzy, meow. I don't know if it's on this floor, above, or below... anyway, there's something really ominous about it, meow."

Chun turned her head and asked, but Luo Yi narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to hold back from clicking her tongue.