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

"Ryu...abandon 'justice'."

The revenge was carried out very quickly.

First people, then buildings, and finally strongholds. She gave no time for other friendly or enemy "familias" to intervene. Sneak attacks, surprise attacks, traps; she used methods elves shouldn't use to quietly execute those "wicked" people.

Ryu is ruthless. She kills the wicked, and even suspicious individuals are slaughtered. She doesn't care if this includes merchants or guild members. It's an improper act of revenge, and also a "punishment" for herself.

"If you're going to take revenge, you should at least do it more cleverly."

Some time later, a future colleague told her this.

At that moment, Ryu couldn't answer anything. Instead, a self-deprecating smile rose from the depths of her heart. She couldn't very well tell her that she had always wanted to die.

Ryu cannot forgive Jalal and the others who brought disaster upon them.

I cannot forgive myself for not helping my companion in his time of need.

It was a dark kind of loss of control.

At that time, Ryu did indeed want to find a place to be buried.

Then, in her final act of "revenge," she launched an attack on the secret lair of the Rudra Familia.

There were many members there at the time, including Jala, who was too frightened to move.

She only had a vague memory of what happened back then. She only remembered letting out a beast-like roar, repeatedly slashing and wounding the dying male animal trainer. She only remembered abandoning all reason, following her impulsive emotions, cutting off the man's arm, slicing off his ear, and making the katana flash coldly.

Liu spared no one, and after killing the male leader, she cast a "magic spell" that burned the enemy's secret lair along with a large number of corpses to ashes.

As everything came to an end, amidst the blazing ruins, the god Rudra, who had been hiding somewhere, appeared before Ryu.

Even at that time, Ryu hadn't committed the crime of killing a god. But he no longer had any followers to protect him. After Ryu left, this mortal who had been arrested by the guild and was destined to be sent back to the heavens laughed wildly amidst the blazing flames.

He laughed wildly as he told Ryu:

"If I could, I'd really like to have you, looking like this, join my familia."

Reflected in the eyes of the male god, Liu's expression was like that of a vengeful ghost, exhausted both physically and mentally.

The organizations defeated by Ryū included twenty-seven groups, including merchant guilds and mercenary groups composed of thugs.

Starting with Ryu's actions, there are four pillars of divine light that rise from the ground to the heavens.

Ryu's dark impulses affected everything.

Ironically, this became the catalyst for the city's "dark age" to come to an end.

However, Ryu survived.

She actually accomplished her "revenge" and achieved all her goals.

After eliminating the murderer and his accomplices who stole my companions and my [Family], what I gained was far from a sense of accomplishment; it was just an endless feeling of emptiness.

Liu could no longer remember the smiles of his companions or the expressions on their faces when they died miserably.

The tears that welled up in her eyes and the sobs that burst from her throat had vanished without a trace.

In a dark alley no one wanted to approach, Ryu, now penniless, used all his strength to prepare to enjoy the peace of death.

"Are you alright?"

Then, just as she had told the boy.

In a dark, rainy alley, she was rescued by Seele. Seele took her in, and that's how she was saved. Seele led her back onto the path of life.

Thank you for fighting for us.

When Seele said that to her, she felt forgiven, but also felt she had to live on, along with Alexandra and the others. It was all thanks to Seele… thanks to the “Mistress of Abundance.”

However, Ryu still couldn't completely erase the feelings hidden in her heart.

The desire for judgment still burns within me.

Ryu was also unable to tell Seele and the others about the "sins" she had committed.

The pain and sense of loss left by losing an irreplaceable companion can never be healed.

Even after the wound has healed, it will still sting unexpectedly, bringing a sense of loneliness.

The mistake that never disappeared continues to torment her soul as she chose to live.

It is now, and it always has been.

Having traversed the forest of memories, Liu stood lost in the darkness.

Unintentionally, she turned her face toward the direction of the dazzling light.

There, the scenery remains unchanged.

The silhouettes of his companions and the back of a red-haired girl stood in front of the white light.

It was Ryu who drove them to that bright other side, the other side of light where the dead find peace.

Even if they call until their throats are dry, even if they yearn for them, they will never turn back.

It's like saying, "This is the 'punishment' you deserve."

Only when I reach them and gain their acceptance can I finally receive forgiveness.

Ryu, who had always believed this, was saddened that she could not reach there again, when she was enveloped by an overwhelming white light.

○

Consciousness returned.

But at this moment, Ryu doesn't know whether she is in the real world or a sequel to a dream.

All I could feel was the swamp-like darkness; almost all five senses had been rendered ineffective.

As the dregs of the past robbed her of her normal judgment, her eyelids trembled.

I opened my eyes and saw a pair of bloodshot eyes in front of me.

"!"

Ignoring Ryu, who was overwhelmed by shock and instantly regained her senses, the owner of the pupils writhed in the darkness.

A crackling sound came from around my body.

It took Ryu some time to understand that the other person was digging her out from under the pile of rocks.

A moment later, she finally noticed that the bloodshot eyes were a deep red with a crimson glow.

Soon, a bloodstained hand grasped Liu's skin, which was exposed to the cold air and covered in wounds.

With an undeniable, forceful pull, those hands hoisted Ryu's body onto his thin back.

"...Kron, Mr. Ni...?"

"……yes."

The boy who returned to Liu's side spoke in a voice so faint that it almost disappeared into the sigh.

Ryu's memory raced back to what had happened, and she opened her eyes wide to peer around.

This is a one-way road formed by a large pile of sand and soil. The area behind is completely buried, leaving only one path in front.

She looked up and saw that the rock formation under restoration was about to close completely.

In just a moment, she saw the vast darkness that covered the sky—the dim space that filled the arena.

(The arena floor broke... Did Mr. Craney and I fall down together?)

As if confirming Ryu's speculation, the corpses of some monsters could be vaguely seen among the sandy hills. There were lizardmen crushed by rocks, cunning wolves with broken necks, and skeleton warriors torn to pieces. They were probably affected by the collapse of the floor, as the remains of monsters could be seen everywhere.

The 37th floor, like the "Water City," is a multi-layered structure.

The floorboards couldn't withstand the power of Bell's fully charged "bomb," causing Ryu and the others, along with the monster, to fall into the "passage directly below."

(I never imagined there would be such a passage beneath the arena... No! This isn't the time to think about that...!)

Liu Meng snapped out of his daze and turned his gaze back to the boy who was still carrying him on his back.

The boy, Bell, is on the verge of death.

He was on his deathbed, and it was unbelievable that he could still walk.

His intermittent, irregular breathing was so erratic it was almost unbearable to listen to; it sounded like a broken musical instrument or the groan of a dying beast. Red foam rose from the edges of his lips, and he occasionally vomited blood clots.

His body was riddled with holes.

The life-giving fluids were constantly draining from his body, and the warm, crimson liquid soaked the chest that was pressed tightly against Liu's back.

Needless to say, the recoil from his maximum charge must have been from a moment of panic as he rushed to protect Ryu when the ground beneath his feet collapsed and he fell. His entire body was stained crimson with blood, and the armor he had taken from the adventurer's remains was completely destroyed.

Many of the nails supporting Ryu's fingers were broken or peeled off.

"How...how could you be so stupid!?"

Liu shouted loudly.

She swayed back and forth on his back, screaming at the boy who was still carrying her.

"Mr. Craney, why did you save me!? Why didn't you abandon me and run away yourself!?"

Ryu brought up the boy's return to the arena and severely reprimanded him.

Just as it was about to touch Ryu's eyes and nose, that head of snow-white hair—the white hair of the boy that Ryu used to love gazing at from afar—was stained red as if it had been defiled.

Seeing him like this, Tianlan inexplicably felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Answer me!

"...Miss Ryu, also..."

Ryu, with his eyes tightly shut, roared angrily...

Bell managed to squeeze out a sound through his weak breathing.

"Miss Ryu... will definitely... do the same."

This answer left Liu speechless.

Her lips trembled when she heard the boy's confident tone, as if he were certain that he would make the same mistake if their positions were reversed.

"...No way! I would never...save you!"

"...You're lying."

Bell denied her heartbroken words.

She noticed that the boy's lips were slightly curved.

It bends into a smiling shape.

Ryu hates lying. Ryu is a spirit who doesn't allow anyone to lie.

Because he (Ryu) lied to the boy, his lips curved into a joyful shape.

Liu's face was distorted and twisted like a child about to cry.

"Enough! Put me down right now...!"

"...I don't want to."

Bell explicitly refused.

"I won't let you die..."

"You'll die if you do that!"

She drowned out his murmured voice with a near scream.

Ryu tried to struggle and escape from his back.

I want to struggle, but I can't.

Because she knew that the boy was fighting for "who"—just like Alicia and the others, he was fighting for "who"—to save.

My legs, which were moving forward step by step, had no strength.

The boy nearly collapsed several times, and it was uncertain whether he was even fully conscious.

Even so, Bell continued forward, carrying Ryu on his back as if under some kind of spell.

For Ryu's sake, Bell continued to struggle, burning with his life.

"Please stop...!"