The battle for the Xenos' survival finally began.
"There's a monster over there!!"
"It's an Almiraj!!"
Sightings of the monsters sparked absolute chaos as adventurers frantically rushed through the streets.
"There he is!! It's the Little Rookie!!"
Believing that chasing Bell would inevitably lead them straight to the armed monsters, a massive group of adventurers locked onto him and gave chase.
"He's gone!?"
"Where the hell did he go!!"
The adventurers skidded to a halt in an empty alleyway, completely bewildered by Bell's sudden disappearance. Bell had activated the Reverse Veil, a magic cloak created by Fels that granted the user total invisibility. Believing he had simply vanished into thin air, the adventurers fell into disorganized panic.
No... He's right there.
From atop a nearby roof, Ais watched the chaotic scene unfold. She knew instantly that Bell was using invisibility. While the Reverse Veil was an incredibly useful tool, it only hid the user visually. Super-tier adventurers with enhanced senses, or beastmen with sharp noses, could still track the user with ease.
Although Bell had been assigned the role of a decoy, Finn had seen right through the ruse. Knowing Bell was merely a distraction, Finn had only assigned a small tracking team to monitor him. However, Ais had pleaded with Finn to let her handle Bell's surveillance personally. Hearing the quiet desperation in her request—she couldn't bear to let anyone else do it—Finn trusted her and granted permission, despite his lingering misgivings.
"Sword Princess."
Just as Ais was about to pursue Bell, an elf radiating a brilliant, golden aura blocked her path.
"I'd like to request a duel."
It was Ryuu. Earlier, Aisha and Ryuu had intercepted Bell to offer the Hestia Familia their assistance. While Hestia and Haruhime directed the operation from the shadows via the Oculus, Haruhime had cast Level Boost—using her Uchide no Kozuchi magic—on Ryuu. Now operating as a pseudo-Level 5, Ryuu had arrived to buy Bell time.
Bell sensed both Ais and Ryuu's presence, but he placed his absolute trust in Ryuu and continued running to fulfill his role as the decoy.
. . . . .
Lili's Side
"[The chime of twelve.]"
In a secluded alleyway deep within Daedalus, Lili chanted the cancellation phrase for her transformation magic, Cinder Ella, reverting from her Xenos disguise back to her true Pallum form.
"I can't believe I have to do this kind of mission again..." she whined miserably.
Lili's job was to transform into a Xenos and blatantly draw the adventurers' attention. It was a high-stakes, terrifying game of hide-and-seek, eerily similar to her role during the War Game against the Apollo Familia. One wrong move and she was dead. She had nearly been caught multiple times, and constantly casting and canceling her magic was rapidly draining her Mind. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
But...!!
When she was at her absolute lowest, with no way out, Bell had saved her. She refused to sit back and watch the boy she loved suffer the agony of abandoning someone in need. Because of that, Lili had steeled her resolve to save the Xenos.
I will see this through to the end!!
. . . . .
Welf & Mikoto's Side
"This dwarf is insanely strong!!"
"I've deployed the smokescreen!! We need to use this chance to lose him!!"
Welf and Mikoto had been assigned as bodyguards for Fels and Lyd's group. Together, they were engaged in a desperate clash against Gareth. However, despite throwing everything they had at him—Level 4 Fels, Level 5-class Lyd and Gros, and the Crozzo Magic Swords Welf had forged without sleep—Gareth completely brushed off their attacks. Out of pure desperation, Fels deployed Black Mist, a magic item that wrapped the target in thick, blinding smoke, hoping to use the visual cover to escape.
"He's not even flinching at the magic swords!!"
"Welf-dono, my Hien shattered!! And I don't have the angle to fire Fubu!!"
They were locked in a grueling, terrifying stalemate. However, thanks to Bell and Lili drawing the adventurers' attention, and Tsuna scattering the Loki Familia's main forces, dealing with Gareth alone was arguably a stroke of incredible luck.
"Fuhahaha! It's a festival!"
A boisterous voice echoed from above as Tsubaki dropped into the fray, carrying a massive crate overflowing with magic swords.
"Tsubaki!? What are you doing here!?"
"My Goddess begged me to come lend you a hand! I heard the whole story about these Xenos too. You've gotten yourself tangled up in something quite amusing, Wel-kichi."
Before the battle began, Hephaestus, Miach, and Takemikazuchi had secretly convened to discuss whether they should aid the Hestia Familia. While they couldn't possibly explain the abnormal existence of the Xenos to their dependents, they resolved to help their dear friend Hestia. Naaza had contacted Bell long before Aisha and Ryuu, informing him of the three Familias' support. Bell had given Naaza Illusion Flowers—magic items from Fels that induced visual hallucinations of recorded objects upon inhaling their pollen—to throw the adventurers into further disarray.
"Seems we're of the same mind, Wel-kichi. Leave this to me! From the safety of a long-distance vantage point where my identity won't be exposed, I'll bombard him with magic swords. I brought enough weapons to rot!"
"You just want an excuse to test-fire your magic swords!!"
"Don't be ridiculous! Did I not rush here fully prepared to earn the Loki Familia's wrath just for your sake!? Fufufu, here I go!! Take this, and this!!"
"You're totally enjoying this!! Hey, wait!! If you spam them like that, the Loki Familia will—!!"
"Fuhahaha!! A dwarf of his caliber won't croak from something like this!! The executives of the Loki Familia are all absolute monsters!!"
Ignoring Welf's frantic protests, Tsubaki gleefully abused the smokescreen's cover to unleash a relentless barrage of magic swords. Originally, Tsubaki had reached Level 5 purely by diving into the Dungeon to test her own forged weapons. Now, standing before her was Gareth, a First-Tier adventurer boasting the highest defense in the entire city. He was the ultimate test dummy, and Tsubaki was practically shaking with euphoria.
"Is this barrage of magic swords Tsubaki's doing!?"
Taking a defensive stance, Gareth recognized the explosive power tearing through the mist and quickly deduced the culprit's identity.
So Goddess Hephaestus has sided with the armed monsters...
Gareth knew how close Hestia and Hephaestus were. Consequently, Hephaestus offering the Hestia Familia her aid didn't surprise him in the slightest.
"Well? What are you standing around daydreaming for? Is that longsword on your hip just for decoration?"
Tsubaki glared at the magic sword sheathed at Welf's waist, clearly annoyed that he hadn't used it despite their severe disadvantage.
"Why did you even forge it, you fool? Hurry up and use it. Weren't you trying to save these Xenos? While you're busy hesitating, those monsters are going to be turned to dirty ash."
"...But if I use this, even a First-Tier adventurer might..."
"Idiot. I told you, they're monsters. A fledgling's magic sword isn't going to kill them so easily. You don't have the luxury of worrying about your enemy."
Unable to argue with her harsh logic, Welf steeled his resolve and drew the magic sword from its sheath.
"Two o'clock. Yes, right there. He's on high alert, but it won't matter. Not with your absurd magic sword."
"Are any of the Xenos in the line of fire?"
"No, you're clear. Now's your chance. Do it."
Placing his total trust in Tsubaki, Welf swung the magic sword with all his might toward the designated coordinates.
"Hiyou!!"
A catastrophic blizzard erupted from the blade. Gareth's eyes widened in sheer shock at the devastating output, and he instinctively raised his massive shield to brace for impact.
"G-Gareth-san!?"
"...That blast was on par with Riveria's magic. That one actually... stung a bit..."
Gareth had used his shield to protect his subordinates from the blast, but as a result, his shield and the entire left half of his body were encased in thick ice.
"See? Still breathing."
"Shut up. —Hestia-sama, can you hear me!?"
Ignoring Tsubaki's smug, I-told-you-so grin, Welf used the Oculus to contact Hestia, who was directing them from the shadows.
"Y-Yeah. What is it, Welf-kun?"
"We'll hold the line here!! Tell the Xenos to go on ahead!!"
Since the Black Mist hadn't cleared despite the explosive chaos, Welf realized they could use the smokescreen and his magic sword to buy crucial time. He urged Lyd and the others to make a break for it. Using the Oculus, Fels relayed the order, and the Xenos scattered, plunging deeper into the mist.
. . . . .
Hestia & Haruhime's Side
"This is bad... this is really bad...!!"
"A-Ah... !?"
On the rooftop of a tall tower overlooking Daedalus Street, Hestia and Haruhime stared at a map spread across the floor, their faces draining of color.
They were using Seeker Powder. By dripping a specific person's blood into a large vial of white powder, the powder would turn red. When sprinkled over a specially crafted map from Fels, it would reveal the target's name and exact location, allowing them to track their allies from a safe distance. Letting the Xenos run ahead on Welf's orders was a good tactical move, but the map clearly showed that Wiene had been completely separated from the group.
"Haruhime-kun!?"
Without a word, Haruhime leaped off the tower. Hestia was stunned but instantly understood that Haruhime had launched herself into the battlefield to save Wiene.
"Bell-kun, please, you have to save her!!"
Haruhime alone stood no chance of protecting Wiene from the bloodthirsty adventurers. Tsuna was currently busy whittling down the Loki Familia's forces, while Welf and Mikoto were locked in a desperate struggle to stall Gareth. The only ones left were Bell and Lili, who were acting as decoys. Knowing that Bell possessed incredible Agility and was currently Level 3, Hestia frantically called him, judging that he was the only one fast enough to reach Wiene in time.
. . . . .
Wiene's Side
"Hah... hah..."
Wiene was completely isolated. A deep wound had been gouged into her left arm by a pursuer, and her stamina was rapidly depleting. Even if she wanted to reunite with Lyd and the others, she didn't have an Oculus to receive directions from Hestia. She had absolutely no idea where she was.
"Bell..."
Surrounded by hostile territory, never knowing when a fatal strike might land, the terror became too much to bear. She softly whispered Bell's name into the dark alleyway.
"—Wiene!!"
Suddenly, a voice called out her name. Wiene looked up, and to her overwhelming relief, Bell appeared before her, carrying Haruhime in his arms.
"Oh, Wiene-sama... Wiene-sama!!"
"Thank goodness... Wiene...!!"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Bell, Haruhime...!! Thank you, I love you...!!"
The three of them wept openly, embracing each other with the raw, emotional intensity of a family reunited after a disaster.
Upon receiving Hestia's distress call, Bell had immediately asked for Haruhime's location. After regrouping with her, Haruhime cast Level Boost, temporarily elevating Bell to Level 4. With his enhanced Agility, he arrived at Wiene's location in record time.
"We don't have time. We have to go. We need to meet up with Lyd-san and the others."
"Yeah!!"
As beautiful as the reunion was, every single second counted. Bell immediately prepared to move Wiene to safety.
But then—
Ghk!?
Bell's Hyper Intuition screamed a deafening warning. Instinctively, he yanked the two girls close, wrapping them securely in the Reverse Veil, and dashed out of the way. Exactly one second later, a devastating kick plummeted from the sky, cratering the exact spot they had just been standing on.
Bete-san...!?
Bete had arrived. Even though Bell had used the Reverse Veil to remain invisible while rushing to Wiene, his frantic footsteps had been easily picked up by Bete's keen ears. Bell carried them out of the narrow alleyway into a wider, open clearing, desperately holding his breath.
"—Come out."
Visual tricks were completely useless against a werewolf's superhuman sense of smell. Bete pinpointed their location instantly.
Knowing escape was impossible, Bell entrusted Wiene to Haruhime, steeling his resolve to face Bete alone.
But then—
"Huh?"
Bell's face twisted in sheer confusion. Against all logic, Haruhime stepped forward, placing herself directly between Bell and Bete.
"You're not alone. Tell the other cowards to show themselves."
"I am alone."
"Stop spouting that bullshit...!!"
"I am alone!!"
Trembling violently from head to toe, Haruhime steeled her resolve to protect Wiene and prepared to face the terrifying werewolf.
"So please, get out of here!! Now!!"
Ghk!?
Realizing she was yelling at him and not Bete, Bell gritted his teeth. His face contorted in agony, but to ensure her sacrifice wasn't in vain, he grabbed Wiene and bolted, determined to reunite her with Lyd's group.
"...A weakling who can't even fight trying to act tough. I assume you're prepared to die?"
Even though he could clearly sense Bell and Wiene's presence fading into the distance, Bete made no move to chase them. Instead, he violently kicked the ground, sending a lethal spray of stone fragments hurtling toward Haruhime. She couldn't dodge the high-speed shrapnel, but despite the pain, she refused to collapse, standing her ground firmly before him.
"Move."
"I refuse."
"I'll crush you."
"I will not move!!"
Refusing to yield to his threats, Haruhime spread her arms wide, shielding the path behind her.
"You can't do a damn thing... Are you really ready for this?"
Ghk!?
Bete, a First-Tier adventurer, unleashed a wave of suffocating, murderous bloodlust. Most ordinary adventurers would have instantly buckled under the sheer terror. But Haruhime, despite being paralyzed by fear, refused to surrender.
"Don't get cocky, you piece of trash!!"
Bete swung his left leg down with bone-crushing force. The sheer shockwave of the impact sent Haruhime flying, crashing hard into the dirt.
"Don't cry out like some cheap whore!! Is acting tough all you're good for!?"
Ghk!?
Enduring Bete's vicious verbal abuse, Haruhime slowly forced her head up.
"[—Grow.]"
She began her chant. Level Boost had a strict cooldown period, but by standing in front of Bete and risking her own life, Haruhime had bought the exact amount of time needed for the interval to pass.
"[Thou art the vessel, thou art the power. Countless desires for countless riches. Until the chime of the bell, let there be glory and illusion. Grow. This body that devours divine offerings, this golden light granted by the gods. Become the hammer, return to the earth, and grant thy blessing. Grow.]"
She continued her incantation. Even though he could have easily interrupted her, Bete did nothing. Instead, a twisted, mocking smirk spread across his face, clearly amused by the raw, desperate resolve of a weakling challenging him with everything she had despite the overwhelming gap in their strength.
"[Uchide no Kozuchi.]"
The chant was completed. In that exact moment, Aisha dropped down beside Haruhime, wielding her massive podao. Her entire body erupted in a brilliant aura of golden light.
"Hey you. You just laid a hand on my little sister, didn't you? You totally did. In my eyes, that's exactly what happened."
"Oi."
"I can't let some bastard who messes with my cute little sister off the hook. I won't be satisfied until I beat the living crap out of you."
Ignoring Bete entirely, Aisha flashed a fearless, feral grin, unilaterally declaring him her enemy.
After Ishtar was sent back to Heaven, Aisha had converted to the Hermes Familia. Operating as a porter, she used their extensive merchant routes to track the smuggling of Killing Stones, ensuring Haruhime would never be used as a sacrifice again. During that time, she had naturally leveled up to Level 4.
And now, bathed in Haruhime's Level Boost, Aisha possessed the power of a Level 5.
"Aisha-san..."
"You useless fox. Don't go pulling reckless stunts like this. Didn't I strictly tell you not to use this out in the open...? But, well, seeing that slightly improved look of resolve on your face, I'll let it slide this time."
In the past, her little sister Haruhime was withdrawn and had given up on everything. Seeing her now, desperately fighting against a vastly superior opponent, filled Aisha with a deep, swelling sense of older-sisterly pride.
"In the end, you're still relying on someone else. How pathetic."
Despite his harsh words, Bete didn't look disappointed in Haruhime. His twisted smirk only grew wider.
"Hurry up and come at me, you stupid women!! I'll kick those rotten brains right out of your skulls!!"
. . . . .
Bell & Wiene's Side
Haruhime-san...!!
Completely unaware that Aisha had arrived as reinforcements, Bell fought down the overwhelming urge to turn back. He forcefully suppressed his emotions, running forward to fulfill his mission.
Haruhime...
Wiene was equally terrified for Haruhime's safety. But she knew that turning back would render her sacrifice meaningless, so she resolved to keep moving forward.
Ghk!?
Suddenly, Bell slammed on the brakes. His eyes locked onto a silhouette standing directly in their path. A figure he knew all too well.
"Ais-san...!!"
Seeing Ais blocking their escape, Bell's heart hammered against his ribs harder than ever before, and a cold sweat drenched his body. If Ais was here, it meant Ryuu had already been defeated. And it also meant that, this time, they truly couldn't run away.
Even with Haruhime's Level Boost raising Ryuu to a pseudo-Level 5, Ais was a genuine Level 6. When pitting a retired adventurer like Ryuu against Ais—who constantly threw herself into deadly battles to grow stronger—the victor was tragically obvious.
"...So the Vouivre was alive after all."
Given the massive pile of ash found in the underground passage and the countless eyewitness reports, everyone assumed the Vouivre was dead. Even upon realizing the truth, Ais remained chillingly composed. However, her eyes were completely different from the ones Bell knew. They were so terrifyingly cold that they made his very soul tremble.
"I've been wondering... why you asked me that strange question."
"If monsters had a reason to live... if they had the exact same feelings as us, what would you do?"
Five days ago, just before the news of the monsters destroying the Town of Rivira reached the surface, Bell had run into Ais on his way back from the Dungeon. He had asked her that very question. Now, staring at the trembling monster behind him, Ais finally understood what he meant.
"Ais-san!! This girl is—"
Realizing Ais had connected the dots regarding Wiene's intelligence, Bell desperately tried to reach her with words instead of his blade.
"My answer... hasn't changed!!"
But Ais had no intention of talking. She drew her sword in a single, fluid motion.
"If a monster makes someone cry... I will kill it."
"If a monster tries to harm someone... no, if a monster makes someone cry... I will kill it."
Just as she had answered five days ago, Ais declared her absolute intent to kill. Even knowing Wiene's true nature, Ais's fundamental belief that monsters were the enemies of humanity remained entirely unshaken. She raised her blade.
"Wait... Please wait, Ais-san!! This girl won't hurt anyone!! She would never do something like that!! This girl is... Wiene is different!!"
"If that Vouivre goes berserk again, will you be able to say the same thing? I can't take that risk."
Bell desperately tried to reason with her, but Ais refused to listen to a single word.
"Why... Why... Damn it!!"
Why wouldn't she listen? Why did he have to fight his idol? A chaotic storm of emotions raged in Bell's mind, but he forcefully handed his Oculus to Wiene. Drawing the Hestia Knife and Ushiwakamaru Mk-II, he charged at Ais.
"Wiene, run!!"
Ais's Desperate and Bell's knife clashed violently, sending sparks flying into the dark alleyway. However, Bell's Level Boost had already worn off, returning him to Level 3. Against Ais's overwhelming Level 6 strength, Bell was instantly overpowered, his stance completely broken.
She's not even looking at me!?
In the split second Bell stumbled, Ais kicked off the ground, launching herself into the air to bypass him and strike Wiene. Her sole objective was to execute the monster; Bell wasn't even a blip on her radar.
"Firebolt!!"
As Desperate plummeted toward Wiene, Bell desperately fired his magic at Ais. Ais kicked off the alley wall, shifting her trajectory mid-air to effortlessly dodge the lightning-fire.
The brief distraction allowed Wiene to slip out of Ais's line of sight and escape. However, to protect Wiene, Bell had once again attacked another person. And this time, he had raised his blade against the very person he admired most. A sickening wave of regret and guilt washed over him, but it was too late. He had already crossed the point of no return.
"Ais-san, please listen to me!!"
"...I have nothing to say to you."
"I do!!"
Bell desperately tried to stop her, but Ais effortlessly parried his frantic strikes.
"...I don't want to fight you."
"Neither do I!!"
Ais thought back to their secret training sessions on the city walls. For Ais, teaching someone else was a first, and it was a genuinely precious memory. She felt the exact same reluctance Bell did.
"Ais-san, please, I'm begging you, just listen!! That girl is... the Xenos are...!!"
"My answer... hasn't changed."
Ghk!?
No matter how loud he screamed, Ais refused to hear him. Realizing his words would never reach her, Bell unleashed his Agility to its absolute limit. Moving at his maximum speed, he wildly darted around Ais, launching a frantic, relentless barrage of slashes. Pushed by his overwhelming speed, Ais was briefly forced onto the defensive.
"...You've gotten stronger."
Despite his furious assault, not a single one of Bell's slashes even grazed her. Recognizing that he had grown exponentially since their training, Ais felt a faint, fleeting sense of pride.
"I can't hold back anymore either."
Ais vanished from Bell's sight. Before he could react, she dropped into a low stance right at his feet and unleashed an upward right slash. The heavy blow slammed into the Hestia Knife, violently forcing Bell's right arm up and destroying his posture.
"Gah!?"
The pommel of Desperate slammed brutally into Bell's ribs. He was sent flying, crashing hard against the alley wall. As he fell toward the ground, he saw Ais dropping from the sky for a devastating follow-up. Kicking off the wall, Bell executed a desperate backflip, narrowly evading her downward slash and landing unsteadily on his feet.
"Listen up, Bell. If you ever have to fight an opponent who outclasses you so badly that you can't even run away, abandon defense entirely and focus solely on attacking. Even if it means your body is permanently broken afterward. Especially if you're up against a Level 6. Though, even with that, landing a single strike would be a miracle. So if you want to protect Wiene and the others, you better fight with your Dying Will."
Am I an idiot!?
Remembering the harsh advice Reborn had given him before the battle, Bell realized his own foolishness. His desperate desire to avoid fighting the person he admired had blinded him, making him forget to fight with his Dying Will. He was up against an opponent where the level gap made a fair fight completely impossible. He knew better than anyone that Ais was the strongest adventurer he had ever crossed blades with.
Everyone else is fighting out there!!
Right now, his friends were fighting with their lives on the line to save the Xenos. If he continued with this pathetic, half-hearted fighting style, he wouldn't be able to protect anything, and he would never be able to look them in the eye again.
I have to fight with my Dying Will!! I have to get stronger!! Right here, right now!!
Bell steeled his resolve and raised his knives. Ais immediately noticed the dramatic shift in his eyes.
"UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
His speed is... faster than before!?
Roaring at the top of his lungs, Bell unleashed a terrifying storm of strikes. His Agility and swing speed had skyrocketed to a level utterly incomparable to his previous assault. Ais's eyes widened in genuine shock.
However, her combat experience prevailed. She calmly read his wild swings and drove the hilt of Desperate brutally into his stomach, sending him flying once more.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Ghk!?
Refusing to stay down, Bell charged straight back in. Seeing him charge head-on without an ounce of self-preservation, Ais unleashed a godspeed slash. But Bell completely abandoned his guard, throwing himself into the trajectory of her blade just to land a hit. For a split second, the terrifying thought that she might actually kill him made Ais's sword hesitate.
"Gah!?"
But Ais's reflexes were too sharp. She drove a devastating knee into Bell's jaw, violently snapping his head back.
"Firebolt!!"
Ghk!?
Even while reeling backward, Bell thrust his right hand forward and fired his magic at point-blank range with zero cast time. Ais spun counterclockwise, narrowly dodging the lightning-fire.
"Gah!?"
Using the centrifugal force of her spin, Ais delivered a bone-crushing middle kick right into Bell's left ribs. The impact caused the blood in Bell's veins to reverse, but he violently spat the blood from his mouth in a fine mist, directly into Ais's face.
Blood!?
Ais reflexively shielded her eyes with her left arm, the blood splattering across her gauntlet. Taking advantage of the momentary blind spot, Bell bent his knees, dropping low, and aimed his right palm at the ground.
"Firebolt!!"
"Ghk!?"
By firing the magic into the ground, the explosive recoil launched Bell forward like a missile. He slammed headfirst into Ais's stomach. Even Ais couldn't have anticipated such a reckless maneuver. Unable to dodge, she stumbled backward, clutching her stomach with her left hand, visibly shaken by the impact. Even with the massive gap in their levels, an explosively accelerated headbutt was enough to cause genuine pain.
Not planning for a landing, Bell crashed face-first into the dirt.
"Firebolt!!"
Still lying face-down, Bell fired his magic to Ais's left and right, cutting off her escape routes while simultaneously using the resulting smoke to blind her.
Above!!
Catching a shadow rising from the ground, Ais anticipated a plunging aerial ambush and sharply shifted her gaze upward.
A knife!?
But it wasn't Bell in the air; it was the Ushiwakamaru Mk-II. Down on the ground, Bell had already closed the distance, poised for a sweeping horizontal slash. He had used the smokescreen to feign an aerial attack, tossing his secondary knife upward to trick Ais into tracking the wrong target.
I'm faster!!
But Ais's sword speed was still vastly superior. She brought Desperate crashing down to intercept him.
"Firebolt!!"
Aiming his left palm at the ground, Bell blasted himself diagonally upward, barely dodging her descending blade. Spinning vertically in mid-air, he slammed his heel into the hilt of the decoy knife, sending it rocketing down toward Ais like a bullet. Ais jerked her head to the right, but she couldn't entirely evade it; the blade grazed her left cheek.
"Firebolt!!"
Aiming his left palm toward the sky this time, Bell used the explosive recoil to violently accelerate his descent, bringing the Hestia Knife crashing down with every ounce of strength he possessed.
Ais raised Desperate to block his desperate, all-or-nothing strike. The two weapons clashed, sending a blinding shower of sparks into the air.
"FIREBOLTTOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Bell rapidly fired five consecutive blasts into the air above him, forcefully accelerating his plunge even further. The overwhelming pressure allowed him to finally break through her guard, slamming a vicious strike into her body. But the extreme acceleration came with a heavy price; Bell slammed into the ground at breakneck speed.
Gasping through the agonizing pain of the impact, Bell slowly looked up. Standing before him was Ais, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the massive, clean gash Bell had carved straight through her right arm protector.
Even after doing all of that...
He had completely abandoned defense, using his own magic as a thruster despite the massive recoil damage, and fought with absolutely zero regard for his own life. Yet, all he had managed to land were three glancing blows. And none of them were anywhere close to being fatal. Still, Bell forced himself back to his feet. His body was screaming in agony from the self-destructive tactics, but he refused to surrender, raising his knife once more.
"Why are you going this far?" Ais asked.
Seeing him abandon his defense, willingly severely injuring himself with his own magic just to protect a monster, Ais finally tried to speak with him.
"I want to save that girl!!"
"Are you really, truly serious? That's a monster, not a person."
"She's different from normal monsters!! She can talk, she can smile!! We can hold hands, she has the exact same feelings as we do!!"
"No. They aren't the same. They can't do any of those things. Monsters kill people. They can kill so many people. ...They make so many people cry."
"But...!! But isn't that the exact same for us adventurers!?"
Ghk!?
"Your sword, Ais-san!! And my knife!!"
Ais, who had been coldly shutting down his pleas, suddenly froze, completely at a loss for words.
"I... I want a place where I can live with that girl!! I want a world where Wiene and the others can smile!!"
Bell finally screamed the deepest, most desperate wish he had never been able to voice aloud.
"What are you saying...?"
Ais stared at him, her eyes filled with revulsion, as if she were looking at something utterly incomprehensible and disgusting.
"Enough... Move."
"I refuse..."
"Stop this."
"No..."
"Please."
"I can't!!"
"Move!!"
Neither of them wanted to hurt the other anymore. But their words simply could not reach each other.
"I'll cut you... you know?"
Ghk!?
"It's going to... hurt a lot. So please..."
Ais's warning was drenched in sorrow. Her agonizing reluctance to strike him down was painfully clear, and realizing that his choices were hurting her so deeply tore Bell's heart to pieces.
"—No!!"
Suddenly, a third voice pierced the heavy tension. Wiene threw herself between Bell and Ais, spreading her arms wide.
"Don't bully Bell!!"
"Wiene...?"
Bell stared at her, completely stupefied as to why she had returned.
Using the Oculus Bell had given her, Wiene had received directions from Hestia and was supposed to regroup with Lyd's team. But knowing she had done nothing but be saved, she couldn't bear the guilt of leaving Bell behind. She had begged Hestia to let her go to him. Moved by her resolve, Hestia had tearfully granted her request.
"Please... don't bully Bell!!"
Ghk!?
Seeing Wiene desperately pleading with tears in her eyes, Ais's heart was thrown into violent turmoil.
"Stop it... Don't speak..."
Ais simply could not accept the reality of a monster speaking the exact same words as humans.
"...Why does an existence like yours even exist? What is your... what is your goal?"
"I-I just want... to be with Bell."
"I won't allow that. I will never allow you to roam the surface like those other monsters."
Ais covered her face with her left hand, aiming the tip of her sword directly at Wiene, her hostility boiling over.
"Your claws will hurt someone. Your wings will strike fear into countless people. That red stone on your forehead will end up killing so many."
Everything Ais said was an undeniable truth. But it also sounded as though she was desperately listing reasons to justify killing her.
"That's why... I can never let you go!!"
Unable to bear listening to Wiene's voice any longer, Ais crossed the distance in an instant and brought Desperate crashing down.
"Wiene!!"
Due to the accumulated damage racking his body, Bell's reaction was a split-second too late. He lunged forward, but Desperate was already inches from Wiene. Wiene, completely powerless to stop it, tightly squeezed her eyes shut.
"Eh...?"
Feeling no pain, Wiene slowly opened her eyes. Standing right in front of her was a young man holding a katana with a swallow carved into the blade. He had perfectly blocked Ais's Desperate.
"Looks like I made it just in time."
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