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

The moment she realized this signified certainty—Kassandra gasped for breath.

Because the impact covered her entire chest.

"The 'precognitive dreams' I had before... [a giant black wave] and [a rabbit amulet]..."

That happened about twenty days ago—just before the battle for Daedalus.

This is what caused her to have a "premonition" that led her to harbor the white rabbit and the black dog.

The dream describes Cassandra being swallowed by a giant black wave and nearly losing her life. Fortunately, she used a rabbit amulet she had acquired before and was able to survive.

At the time, Cassandra believed that the "Black Minotaur" was the "Black Wave." She thought that she had protected the white rabbit and the black dog from the terrifying bull's attack.

But now that I think about it, that explanation doesn't make sense.

If she hadn't followed the "decree" to protect the rabbit to the designated location, she would never have encountered that fierce bull. Just like Daphne's angry accusations at the time, it was a ridiculously farcical "self-directed and self-acted" situation.

In other words, the destruction that could have been avoided did not happen on that day.

Cassandra stared in disbelief at her surroundings.

The skin of the "Wodimai Fish" is blackish-purple.

The sight of so many individuals gathered together was like a "black giant wave".

—The “black giant wave” that swallowed me (Cassandra) was not a black bull, but a large group of black planktonic fish (vortex tilapia)?

Following the scent of the girl who had protected and cared for them for many days... no, it was the "personal scent they had picked up" that allowed the White Rabbit and the others to find Cassandra in the dungeon?

The white fur ball was still touching and searching near her cleavage. Cassandra placed her right hand there and clenched it into a fist, realizing that it was at this moment that she had truly avoided the "precognitive dream" of the past.

"The recurrence of 'precognitive dreams'... Was that day's 'prophecy' actually a 'warning' to avoid today's destruction?"

Stunned, Cassandra stared at the white rabbit and black dog, who seemed overjoyed at their reunion.

Daphne's thoughts were so jumbled up that she didn't notice what was happening on her end.

After glancing sideways to confirm, Cassandra made up her mind and tried to gently hug the two monsters.

"...I still can't do it!"

"Chirp?"

But in the end, it still couldn't be done.

"You guys..."

"I'm on the verge of mental exhaustion," Welf murmured.

In his line of sight, the large-scale (Giant), the half-human half-snake (Lamia), and the deadly hornet were all attacking the large groups of "Vortex Dimai Fish," driving them away one by one.

"What...what's the situation now...?"

"And these monsters... could they be 'armed monsters'?"

"Didn't the Loki Familia wipe them out in the Labyrinth Street (Daedalus Road)!?"

Perth, Chigusa, or Sakura are all just confused.

Daphne is still in a daze, unable to figure out what's going on.

The monster seemed to be protecting the adventurers... no, it was barely prioritizing dealing with the monster while leaving the adventurers aside. Perth and the others were at a loss, unable to even panic.

In this process, Welf, who understood the true nature of the "heretics," saw it.

A gargoyle flew overhead, glanced back at him after noticing his gaze, then turned away coldly, like a human who doesn't like to talk to people. What followed was a brutal aerial battle, where a group of "Vortex-Dimai" were helplessly crushed by the heretic with its hard and powerful stone wings.

The lizardman warrior prides himself on his unparalleled ground combat skills. He wields a scimitar in his left hand, slaying multiple enraged planktonic fish in a single strike, then sweeps them away with a mighty cleaver of his longsword in his right.

The lizardman who had suddenly appeared in front of Welf grinned.

It looked as if it was smiling at him, with its mouth full of sharp teeth twitching up.

—That guy is here too.

His narrowed, bright yellow eyes seemed to say something.

Seeing the lizardman's gaze fly in one direction, Welf's eyes widened and he abruptly turned his head to look.

What came into view was a long black robe that had galloped across the battlefield—

“…Ugh…”

The vibration from her cheek caused Haruhime's eyelids to twitch.

My mind is completely blank.

It felt like my ears were covered by a membrane, making it difficult to hear.

However, she knew very well that this was a "battlefield".

Perhaps due to mental exhaustion, a severe sense of fatigue and lethargy still gnawed at her hands and feet. But she had to sing. She understood the sorceress's duty; she absolutely could not collapse.

Chun-hime spurred her body on with her will. Her limbs had to exert force, her lips had to utter poetry, and she brought miracles of light to her companions.

Like the boy of yesteryear, stand up, stand up, hurry up! Just as Chunji was urging herself to do this, someone pulled her into a tight embrace.

"...?"

Chunji found herself being supported by a pair of arms and slightly opened her eyelids.

What came into view through the hazy vision were amber eyes.

The forehead was adorned with a warm, rosy glow.

That "girl" who was more concerned about her than anyone else looked exactly like her in the past.

The moment her wide eyes focused on the figure, Chun Ji's lips trembled:

"Winnie, sir...?"

Upon hearing the softly murmured name, the dragon girl's smile blossomed like a flower in full bloom.

"It's me, Haruhime!"

The voice of the dragon girl (Vivre) swaying her silver hair brought tears to Chunji's emerald eyes.

"I've come to save you!"

"Ah, ahhhhh...!"

Chunji remained kneeling, feeling the girl's slender arms embracing her, unable to suppress the emotions welling up in her heart.

She always missed this girl who was like a younger sister.

Chunji never stopped thinking about her, who was like a younger sister and a daughter.

The tenderness of their reunion washed away their fatigue, and Chunji wrapped her arms around Winnie. She embraced the dragon girl, who was rubbing her cheek against her face with tears in her eyes.

"I miss you so much, Haruhime!"

"Me too...me too!"

"I haven't cried at all. I've been holding it in so that you wouldn't worry, Haruhime."

Like Fei and the others, Winnie covered her head with a long robe and shook the fox's ears with a gentle voice like a bird chirping.

"But... I accidentally started crying now."

Faced with the dragon girl who sheds clear tears and smiles innocently, Chun Ji cannot suppress the emotions overflowing in her heart.

Chunji and Winnie embraced tightly once again.

"Lord Winnie...!"

"She has been with us the whole time. When we told her you were in crisis, she insisted on coming."

Witnessing this scene, Lily's face showed a mixture of surprise and joy.

As she listened to what Rhett said, even though she knew it didn't suit her personality, she still recalled the years she spent with "another family member" on Earth, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"What's going on here, meowh ...

at this time.

Accompanied by a thunderous roar that powerfully dispersed the monster, a rash shout came loudly from the entrance of the cave passage.

It turned out that it was Anya and the "rescue team" who arrived a step behind the "heretics".

"The adventurer's companion has been found, but..."

"Monsters are killing each other, meow--!?"

Aside from Anya, whose shoulders heaved in fright, Lunova and Chloe were also stunned by the fierce infighting among the monsters—the battle between "Heretic" and "Vortex-Mermai."

Hearing Lily and the others' cries, Anya and the others trusted Chloe's "intuition" and made their way to the 27th floor, where they saw the backs of a terrifyingly powerful team of "armed monsters." Anya and the others saw that the group seemed to be guided by something and headed deeper into the floor, convinced that something was amiss. So they began to track them. Although they lost them at one point, they eventually followed the sounds of battle that the monsters made along the way and finally arrived at the cave.

"Lady Anya, you...! Goddess Hestia has accomplished it!"

Lily was the first to understand why they were there.

The Hestia Familia strategist, who had requested "reinforcements" from the surface, cheered inwardly.

Of these, only one half-dwarf seemed to be drawn to the young man.

"Little brother Will..."

"Tsubaki!? How could you...?"

Seeing the disheveled Welf, Chun stopped in her tracks.

The young man, who once belonged to the same faction, was in a sorry state. He was panting heavily, his body covered in wounds of all sizes, and it looked as if a gentle push would easily send him sprawling.

But for her at that moment, none of that mattered.

The sword in his hand robbed Chun of her last remaining sight.

"That 'demon sword'..."

It was a crimson longsword. Not "Krozo's Magic Sword," but "Wilf's Magic Sword."

Chun stared at the weapon, her right eye wide open, revealing an emotion that Welf had never seen before.

What is that? Chun didn't ask such an tactless question.

Not only that, she didn't utter a single word.

The blacksmith's "eyes" can understand "what he has accomplished" simply by seeing the light hidden within the weapon.

"...Hehehe, hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! You've got guts, you little brat!"

A burst of loud laughter, uncharacteristic of any battlefield, could be heard.

Perth and the others turned around, unaware of what was going on, while only Welf stared at Tsubaki with eyes free of any gloom.

"He doesn't even understand what the pinnacle of 'supreme' is like! Yet he reached out and climbed to the summit of the divine peak!"

"..."

"I called you an 'idiot,' but I never imagined you were such an outrageously stupid 'super idiot'! Turns out, I'm the stupid one, even offering you advice! Ugh, how hateful! Yet so satisfying!"

The woman's words were not a scolding, accusation, or jealousy, but rather an expression of joy.

It is the competitive spirit shown towards young people who surpass one's own vision.

This is clear evidence that he regarded a young man as one of his own kind.

"Congratulations, Welf Crozo. You've come to 'this side' too."

Then she said: Welcome to hell.

The master blacksmith offered his sincere appreciation and warmly welcomed the arrival of a forger.

"I'm in a good mood, so I'll take care of the rest of the monsters."

"...! Hey, Tsubaki! Those monsters are...!"

"I understand, just cut down the monsters that aren't armed."

Seeing a new batch of "Vortex Dime" emerge with the current, Tsubaki, turning her back to Welf, licked her lips. Unable to hide her high spirits, she began a battle as if she were a demon, a smile on her face.

Anya and the others, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly came to their senses and, on behalf of Lily and the others who were unable to move, began to eliminate the "Vortex Emperor Fish".

Thus began the great battle between adventurers, monsters, and "heretics".

"Reed! Reed──────────!"

As the rousing sounds of battle resounded, someone uttered a high-pitched soprano voice.