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

The scene resembled a horrific murder. The intense stench, coupled with the monstrous corpses scattered everywhere... Bell and his companions were submerged in countless pieces of flesh—a gruesome pile of entrails.

It's just like a dead body.

"...!"

To the rear, the right wall still has "fallen stakes" sticking out and piercing the left wall to pieces.

However, the stakes couldn't reach the helpless, fallen Ryu and his companions. This was the limit of their range.

Soon after, probably realizing that "Reverse Stake" was no longer effective against its prey, "Zagnat" withdrew from the attack.

It stared intently at the gap in the passage with its crimson eyes.

After observing the blood pool where nothing moved for a while, it quickly retreated, letting the enormous body disappear into the darkness.

"………………Ugh, ah……"

The elf, who hadn't moved an inch, exhaled a breath as if groaning.

Ryu was still breathing.

Ironically, the horde of monsters that tried to push her over and crush her formed a protective wall, blocking the fatal attack.

She stopped pretending to be dead and forced her eyelids open. A crimson color came into view, and the warm, disgusting liquid and the soft, solid texture assaulted her entire body. A nauseating, pungent stench began to irritate her empty stomach.

Her healed wounds reopened, and her body was sending out warning signals that she would die if things continued this way.

Using healing magic—no, it's pointless now.

Ultimately, they had lost too much blood. Ryu's "magic" could not bring back the lost blood.

Even if they can hold out for a while, Ryu and the others will already be—

"...Belle..."

Amidst the hellish scene of monster corpses scattered everywhere, Ryu endured the pain and disgust, turning her face to the side.

She took in the sight of the boy lying on his back beside her.

Finally, perhaps upon hearing her voice, the boy's fingers trembled slightly.

"Ugh! Cough, ouch...!... Ryu, Miss?"

"Yes... I'm here..."

The boy's body convulsed repeatedly, and he coughed violently a few times.

The face that had been looking up turned to the side, meeting the eyes of Ryu, who was lying on the ground.

Deep red eyes and sky blue eyes gaze at each other intently, seemingly inseparable.

"...Zag...Where's Nat...?"

"Gone...not here..."

In the crimson world, the two spoke intermittently in a whisper that seemed to vanish with a breath.

Bell, whose gaze was locked with Ryu's, slowly curved the corners of her lips into a slight smile.

He gave a smile that was hard to decipher.

"So... it's giving up... hunting us down."

"……yes."

No.

It's probably not giving up, but rather waiting for an opportunity to act.

The monster would only stop its pursuit after it had personally ended the lives of Ryu and the others.

Ryu sensed the monster's obsession and unfortunately came to understand it.

"Now...we can go back..."

Bell should be well aware of this as well.

However, he pretended not to notice and "lied" to Ryu.

He lied to her, saying that this would allow them to return to the surface.

They lied to her, saying they could cross the dark space of the labyrinth and bask in the warm sunlight once more.

"I can go back to... Miss Seele and the others..."

There is no hope of returning to the surface.

As long as "Zagnat" still exists, no matter what Ryu and the others do, they will not be able to escape the 37th floor.

Even knowing this, Bell still told a gentle "lie".

They agreed to walk into the "Abundant Mistress" shop together, where they were greeted by an angry Seele and the others. After receiving a small punishment, they faced a future where everyone would laugh together.

This was to prevent Ryu from being afraid, having lost the Astrea Familia.

What a gentle "lie" that is.

What a blissful "dream" this is!

Liu smiled.

With a tear glistening in the corner of her eye, she smiled peacefully.

"Yes...we can go back..."

Therefore, Ryu was willing to be deceived by his "lies".

Looking down from the dark space, he sank into the pool of blood, lying on the edge of life and death, indulging in a blissful "dream".

The boy and the fairy (elf) looked at each other and smiled.

"Bell..."

"Yes……"

"...Would you like to hold me tight?"

In the very last moment, at the very last instant.

Liu faced himself frankly.

The heart, sealed away for so long out of friendship and the pride of the elves, can now finally be revealed.

After a moment of slight surprise, the boy reached out his hand, trembling.

Ryuya reached out and, unable to resist the temptation, threw herself into his arms.

(So ​​warm...)

Ryu overlapped with him, embracing each other, and smiled in his arms.

She shed tears as Bell shared her body temperature with her.

The world is so cruel.

Ryu only hoped that Bell could at least survive, but the labyrinth (dungeon) forced Ryu to accept that he would die with her.

Having succumbed to his inner demons and had his hopes completely devoured by the calamity, Ryu was powerless to resist.

She could no longer let go of this warmth.

Ryu rested her face against his blood-stained chest. She smelled the rust of metal and saw a pristine white snowscape. She also saw the two of them, trapped in the snow, still tightly embracing each other.

With a flick of his face, the beautiful snowfield vanished instantly, leaving only the blood of Ryu and Bel mingling together.

(Such a fate of achieving nothing...yet I feel such pity for him.)

Liu couldn't help but think that way.

Because now, Ryu is closer to the boy than anyone else.

No matter who says what, she is confident that she can say this:

Right now, for this very moment, my relationship with him (Bell) is closer than anyone else's.

This made her so happy, so very happy, so very sad.

So happy, so happy, yet so lonely.

Liu smiled through her tears.

"Bell... I'm going to take a nap..."

The heavy eyelids slowly closed.

Perhaps this is the last time we'll ever say goodbye in this life.

When you open your eyes, will you return to the dark and cold reality, where the warmth beside you has vanished?

Will Ryu be able to reunite with Bell when she wakes up again?

On the other side of that light, beside Alicia and the others.

"Okay... I'll wake you up soon."

Bell's voice gently caressed Liu's torn and bleeding ears.

To never forget this warmth...

Ryu placed her hands on her chest and fell into a deep sleep like a baby.

○

"..."

Ryu fell asleep.

Bell watched her fall asleep, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Ryu accepted Bell's lie.

In this way, she will definitely not be troubled by nightmares.

Bell had only one wish.

Because he wanted her to stay in her blissful dream until everything was over.

(Because of her, she has already suffered too much...)

Ryu was right; Bell was "lying."

But it was not a gentle "lie" at all; it was a serious betrayal, a selfish and willful act by Bell.

Bell never gave up on surviving.

(I still remember the look on her face when she told me everything...)

I still remember her profile as she watched her companion die, the torment she felt to this day.

and so……

"...!"

The embarrassing spasms had stopped, replaced by an unusual pain.

He touched his burning, glued-together abdomen.

A shower of sparks suddenly burst from his eyes.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

I wish I could cry and scream, I might as well just go crazy.

I really want to scream with all my might from the depths of my body until I'm completely exhausted.

However, as long as there is still pain sensation, one can still move.

As long as the body is still sending out death signals, it means there is still the strength to fight for survival.

As long as the heart is still beating wildly away from death, it means that there is still the power within this body to escape death.

This power doesn't have to be used to escape death—it can be used to defeat death.

"!!"

He heard the instinctive scream. — He ignored it.

A sudden alarm bell rang throughout his body. — He ignored it.