Flames erupted from the magic sword's blade, their power bolstered by the resonance of the Grand Bell. Stunned by the overwhelming heat, the adventurers let out cries that bordered on wails.
The flash of the raging fire-cyclone collided with a darkness as black as night. Empowered by the tolling bell, the reinforced assault forced Asterius's strike back.
The white cloth covering the magic sword burned away and fell, revealing a crimson glow like concentrated fire. Brilliant white particles gathered once more on the rough, unadorned blade.
"Ah, Aaaaaah────!!"
Bell Cranel screamed. As he squeezed out every drop of his strength, his consciousness flickered on the edge of collapse, yet he pushed forward with everything he had.
The searing, heat-drenched collision shattered the ground.
The air shook, and space itself seemed to groan under the pressure. Immense forces clashed between Bell and Asterius.
Eventually, however, the equilibrium shifted. Bell began to give ground. He gritted his teeth, resisting with every ounce of resolve, but the magic sword—having vented all its flames—reached its absolute limit before he did.
Fissures spiderwebbed across the blade. A rapid succession of snapping sounds followed.
And then──── Crack! The sword shattered with a clear ring, its fragments scattering into the air.
That single-use strike, which had consumed all its energy and self-destructed, was crushed by the Minotaur's secret technique.
"─── Guh, Aaah!"
Bell could not withstand the recoil. The force hurled him through the air. As his consciousness withered under the weight of the agony racking his body and the shock that stole his breath, he coughed up blood, soaring high toward the ceiling.
He felt the sensation of flight, then the fall, before slamming into the ground amidst the scattered red shards of the magic sword.
"Gah?!"
The impact knocked the wind out of his lungs so completely that he could not even cough. An electric-like pain surged through his body, making him fear his spine had snapped.
Blood entered his windpipe, leaving him writhing from shortness of breath; he could not even move a limb.
A pool of blood formed where he had hit the floor, and Bell lay submerged in it as dust settled around him.
Through his blurred vision, Bell desperately reached out. Had he not achieved a Rank Up, he would have died instantly. He barely clung to consciousness.
Lying on his back, Bell saw the faint, moonlight-like glow filtering through the cracked ceiling crystals. Within the haze, he saw a massive shadow approaching slowly.
Asterius leaned on the tip of his greatsword as if it were a crutch. His body was in a wretched state, perhaps even more injured than Bell's. The magic sword's strike had scorched his entire frame, and the arm not holding the sword was charred black. Even the blood seeping from his deep wounds appeared burnt.
But he was standing.
The result was decided: the boy had fallen, and the monster stood. The adventurers' faces twisted at the sight of this reality.
"Bell....."
The word, spoken in a human tongue rather than a monster's roar, reached Bell's ears clearly. The beast did not let out a cry of victory, nor did he look down with the contempt of a winner. His gaze was entirely still.
Bell, lying at the feet of the quietly standing Asterius, looked up at him.
"With this, we are even... one win each....."
"Next time."
Despite his charred arm and the deep burns covering his body, there was no hesitation in Asterius's words.
It was a declaration that embodied his existence as a warrior and his unwavering faith.
"Next time, we settle this."
".... Yes, definitely."
Bell nodded, feeling a flicker of admiration and relief—and above all, the bitterness of defeat—before he lost consciousness.
"O-Oi, what is this?!"
The adventurers who had witnessed the duel looked up, their voices rising in shock. Countless fissures were spreading across the floor's ceiling. They expanded rapidly, and chunks of debris began to fall.
A rain of massive rubble descended. From behind the blue crystal that Asterius had shattered earlier, a dark pulse emerged, resembling the movement of a fetus in labor.
The sound of something solid breaking echoed. Through the cracks, a black brilliance began to crawl out, piercing through the tower's ceiling.
The creature that fell was colossal, just as Asterius had been.
This majestic structure, which could only be described as a "Giant," had its "original" gray skin replaced by a black hide like that of Asterius, and its size had nearly doubled.
As the black giant stood, it revealed its full form: a distorted human-shaped black hide with pulsating, vein-like lines across its surface.
Its red eyes, drowned in murderous intent, opened and fixed upon the lesser adventurers.
"A Black... Goliath.....?"
The Monster Rex──── Goliath, the lone king of the mid-floors. Its "original" rank was Level 4, making it undoubtedly the strongest in those floors. It possessed strength and endurance surpassing monsters of the lower floors, and its sheer size allowed it to withstand even the bombardment of high-level mages.
"Oi, oi, oi, oi──!! Are you kidding me?! A Goliath... another Goliath!!"
The adventurers turned pale at the birth of a Floor Boss that usually required the cooperation of all the adventurers in Rivira to defeat. The core Level 1 and Level 2 forces who had witnessed the fight against Asterius were exhausted. The only one still possessing any combat capability was Asfi.
Had this been an ordinary Goliath, they might have repelled it with their remaining strength.
But the adventurers, keen to danger, felt it. The pressure emitted by this black Monster Rex was incomparable to the norm.
"..... He might be slightly weaker than Udaios."
Spitting blood, Bete cursed after realizing the monster's potential approached that of the Deep Floor bosses.
This Goliath was a "God-Killer" sent by the Dungeon to crush everyone together: the exhausted elite adventurers, the loathsome Gods, and the rampaging bull that had rebelled against its control.
Its rank was 4... or higher. Its potential surpassed that of an Amphisbaena on land, placing it at Level 1 or higher. With their current strength, they could not hope to defeat it.
Under normal circumstances, any of the three—Bete, Allen, or Asterius—could have defeated it alone. But all three were now at death's door. That they remained conscious despite their deep wounds was a miracle in itself; they had no combat strength left.
As the adventurers trembled in this desperate situation, Goliath's gaze turned toward Bell and his companions. As if it had realized from watching the previous fight that Bell and the others were defenseless, a mocking look appeared in its red eyes.
"D-Damn it──"
It truly was "the hunter who seizes the prey after the others have fought." The Dungeon's cunning was pushing the warriors who had given their all to the brink of death.
『────』
Bete, Allen, and Asterius had already surpassed their limits. They tried to goad their collapsing bodies into swinging their weapons, but their limbs no longer obeyed their minds.
At this rate, friend and foe alike would be annihilated.
Realizing this, the adventurers of Rivira began to move without a word──── to smuggle Allen and the others away.
"..... Oi, you lot, what are you doing?"
The heroism shown by the first-tier adventurers who had pushed past their limits, and the "adventure" displayed by a boy much younger than them, made them decide that they—who had only watched—could not run now.
Like the heroes, and like the boy and the monster, they decided to embark on their own "adventure." Of course, they had no chance of winning; everyone knew that. All they could do with their drained resources was buy a little time to get Allen and the others out.
In fact, it might be impossible because the path was blocked by rubble. But even if everyone fled, the result would be the same. If there was even a slight chance, they would fight to keep the true adventurers alive.
"Heh, he's easier than that bull, anyway."
They began to rise one by one; one readied his sword, another began an incantation. For Bell, for Allen, for Bete, and for Ryuu... for the adventurers who had fought until they crossed their limits and saved them, they would now do the saving.
『Gaah, Aaaaaaauwaaaaaa──!!』
As if mocking the adventurers' resolve, Goliath unleashed a deafening roar, then──────── its body was split in two by a black slashing strike that flew from behind it.
It was cleaved in half. That body, larger than the grand buildings on the surface, and that black hide rivaling the full plate armor of high-ranking adventurers, was mocked by a strike carrying particles of black light.
『────』
The adventurers, who had closed their eyes in terror, opened them slowly to find the giant's body missing its right arm and upper torso. The left arm and lower half remained on the ground, still as statues.
The body, having lost its Magic Stone along with the upper half, vanished as if melting. As the remains of the corpse dissipated into the air, a drop item—Goliath's Hard Hide—remained atop a massive pile of ash.
The adventurers, who had just been fired up for a final stand, were stunned to see the giant turned to ash without even letting out a cry of pain. Even Asfi and Allen could not believe their eyes. Only Bete sighed.
".... Why did you come back here?"
That slashing strike carrying a black light—seemingly the antithesis of Bell's pure white light—and the faint ring of a "bell" heard with it, allowed Bete, who had seen that "skill" many times, to immediately identify the attacker.
"Weren't you on the verge of death ──── Al?"
At the end of Bete's gaze stood Al Cranel, carrying a massive sword on his shoulder.
Al, whom Filvis had fled from, was this time diving into the Dungeon to escape Airmid.
He had thought no one would expect him to return to the Dungeon immediately after nearly dying in it. Thus, he fled... rather, he escaped the Saint whose forehead veins were bulging in her beautiful, angry face, using his status to outrun her.
『─── You saved us, but are you alright?』
"Yeah, I've already fully recovered."
The person Al was speaking to via an Oculus communication item was Fels, the right hand of the God Ouranos, the founder of the Guild. Fels, who maintained observation eyes throughout the Dungeon, had discovered the "Irregular" event on the 18th floor. Noticing Al had dived back in as if he had anticipated it, Fels asked him to investigate.
『It pains me to ask this of you when you've barely recovered, but that rampaging bull... that "Xenos" who rejected the Dungeon's will, is estimated at Level 6 at least. I cannot trust anyone else with this task.』
After seeing Asterius crush the adventurers so easily, Fels realized the situation could only be handled by Al and had no choice but to rely on him.
"It's fine, but I have no intention of interfering in Bell's business.."
『?』
... It really is Asterius.
Why is Asterius here? And why isn't it Goliath? Was this the timing of his birth?
.. Well, with Bete and Allen here, Goliath would have been crushed in an instant anyway.
Besides, the sword Asterius is carrying looks exactly like my [Balmung]. There are so many strange things here....
... Wait, Bell is Level 2, right?
I intended to intervene if things went south, but how was he able to fight Asterius even though he was already broken....
..... How wonderful. Bell can fight those stronger than him so easily; I truly envy him.
Well, I have no intention of spoiling his meeting with the true heroine; I'll hide my presence and just watch.
Eh? Goliath, you're coming now? Read the room....
────── After defeating the Monster Rex Goliath with that completed "Heroic Strike," Bell and his companions received treatment from Al personally and managed to return to the surface safely.
As for the monster born as an "Irregular" surpassing the Floor Boss—a rampaging bull estimated at Level 7—he escaped while Al was dealing with a bone-like monster resembling a massive creature that appeared after Goliath's defeat. The Guild classified him as one of the top priority targets with a massive bounty.
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Note:
[Asterius] The true heroine born early. An irregular case combining the "Black Monster" and "Xenos." His abilities are higher than in the original story.
Black Monster compensation (regeneration).
Massive sword rivaling first-class rank.
Near death due to fighting Bete, Allen, and others.
[Bell]
Skill evolved thanks to Bete.
Crozzo Magic Sword ✕ Grand Tower Bell.
Level is one rank lower.
[Allen]
Slightly buffed.
A chapter dedicated to showing his presence.
[Black Goliath]
Got kicked by a horse.
[Juggernaut]
Got kicked by a horse off-screen.
[The Horse]: "It's impressive to be Level 2 and able to fight an opponent at Level 6 or higher."
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