White particles surged upward.
The particles that spilled from the rabbit's body remained on the dagger, and not only that—they swept across the entire Dungeon as they passed through it.
The darkness that had been pushing back the holy flame was soon washed away by the white light.
"Kyaaaaaaaa!!!!"
The monster's scream rang out. Instinctively, it realized that the light had become a threat to its very existence.
It immediately moved to erase that light.
"Not so fast."
"Kyaaaak?!"
The witch's magic stopped it.
Even as the witch held the monster in place, the light continued to expand and intensify.
"This is..."
The white light converged on the dagger.
As if replacing the broken blade, the flame pressed down upon the dagger began to gather into a single mass.
And the wind, too.
"Such a gentle wind," she murmured.
"Ah..."
The black wind was purified by the white light and slowly regained its brilliance.
As if its own hatred were being washed away, the dark gale drove out that darkness and became a white wind.
"..."
The girl watched the scene in silence.
The nostalgic, longed-for sight made something deep in her chest ache.
"What is this...?"
"Who knows. A hero's flashy entrance, I guess?"
At the sound of the bell, all the gods turned their eyes to one place.
The man sitting on the throne.
The heretic at the top of Babel.
The hysterical goddess. The god of liars.
And Zeus, too.
"That guy really was good at this sort of thing."
He suddenly remembered the days when he had looked down on the Lower World through a spirit.
A clown lacking both strength and wisdom. But whatever else he was, he had always been absurdly good at this kind of dramatic timing.
He probably hadn't meant it this time. And yet, why did it bring back those memories?
A faint smile touched the male god's lips.
It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a very long time—nostalgic, and strangely pleasant.
The preparations were complete. All that remained was to gather everything together and drive it into the enemy.
"Same as always, huh."
Even as he thought that, the feeling of nostalgia did not fade.
Memories of those days when every single day had been desperate. They were as vivid as yesterday, yet as hazy as something from long ago.
Feeling that contradictory emotion, he clenched his fist, kicked off the ground, and ran straight toward the monster.
The moment of liberation was still far off. But waiting idly was not enough, either.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
He cut down the claw that lashed out at him. Along with the storm driven by its wings, he sliced it apart.
The blade of flame cut through the wind and flew on. A beat later, the monster's body burst apart.
When he looked back, the monster had already returned to its original form.
Now, all the tricks were spent. What remained was a battle of sheer will.
Against a monster that recovered endlessly, he endured while burning through his strength.
Until the hero's strike that would bring it down was complete.
His condition was at its worst. He had no potions or other consumables left.
All that remained was a body on the verge of collapse, a broken dagger, and stubborn grit.
He had no confidence. No confidence that he could lose.
His arms moved. His legs moved. With the skills he had built up, the heart he had trained, and the girl's gaze that trusted him so completely, there was no way he could lose.
"Aaaaaaaah!!!"
What came to mind was [Argonaut]. The clown who had admired heroes.
He carved the name of the hero who had marked the beginning into his heart once more.
The hero within him was different from Argonaut. The hero inside him was a stubborn, powerful being who could bring everything down alone.
Doha had been powerless. He had been unable to do anything by himself, and just how much mud had he swallowed on that journey?
Pathetic and miserable, and yet Argonaut had saved the princess.
He had proven his own worth.
Argonaut might not have been the hero of his ideals. But he liked Argonaut.
Because that story had [Comedy] in it. Unlike the other heroic tales that were nothing but tragedy, it had a comedy that could make everyone laugh.
So then. He, too—
"Ugh... com...edy?!"
For an instant, his mind went blank. Dizziness? He didn't know what it was, but he could feel his body weakening at a rapid pace.
Had he run out of stamina? It was strange, but that wasn't the important thing right now.
His concentration wavered for a split second. He had succeeded in maintaining the technique, but that meant he had failed to pay attention to anything else.
The moment his movement faltered, the monster's tail struck him.
"Guh...!"
He slammed into the wall from the back and coughed out a breath.
It felt as if all the air had been knocked from his lungs, and for an instant he lost his breath.
And the monster was not about to miss that moment. It opened its maw and swallowed him whole.
He would have met his end, chewed apart in the monster's jaws.
If he had been here alone... that is.
"[Gospel]—[Satanas Bellion]!"
The monster's body lurched under the sound fired at maximum power.
The witch, with indifferent eyes, was pushing against his back.
She was not the only one. Fels's tools, the Xenos' teeth and claws, and Ais's wind all supported him so he would not fall, opening a path for him.
"Ha ha..."
At that sight, laughter suddenly burst out of him.
It wasn't the time for it, but he couldn't help laughing at the prickling sensation he hadn't felt in so long.
"This is..."
He really was in a position where he couldn't lose even if he wanted to.
As if answering that feeling, the sound of the great bell seemed to grow a little louder.
Yes. What meaning was there in a noble, solitary hero?
Another word for nobility was loneliness. After experiencing that with his own body all this time, why would he long for something like that?
A true hero was someone who accepted the help of those around him. Even if he wasn't cool. Even if he was a clown, pathetic and ridiculous. Even if he was a miserable, foolish, insignificant existence!
If he could face the enemy with a smile and return home together with everyone else.
Then it was fine to accept help.
Then scream as much as you want!
Run even if you're being deceived. Trust those around you. A place like that is bound together by faith and faith alone, with neither good nor evil.
If you've resolved to achieve it, to struggle for it! If you've resolved to make [a miracle] happen! If that is your resolve!
Then run! Because miracles come to those who never give up!
"[The curse of blessing, the curse of birth. I, who have taken the demigod's-]"
Amid the tightly matched exchange, the witch's song rang out.
Along with my attack, the surge of Mind grew ominously strong, and the monster's attention was split for just an instant.
I did not look away. I already knew what she was thinking.
Once bitten, twice shy. I wasn't going to be fooled a second time.
"-[Rugio]"
"[-?!!!]"
As if mocking the monster, which had frozen for a moment, the gathered Mind around it exploded.
The storm, powerful enough to erase the sounds of the Dungeon for an instant, engulfed the monster and completely blew away one side of the artificial labyrinth.
But that still wasn't enough to finish it. Whether it had worked or not, the monster roared in fury and lunged at Arphia.
"Guh...!"
Arphia, already exhausted beyond measure, was finally unable to dodge and was thrown backward.
No, it would be more accurate to say she was forced back. After all...
"?!"
"Let's end this... now."
It was time to see the end.
Maximum power, fully charged. There was nothing more he could do.
All that remained was the clash of force against force. To end everything and save everything, he scattered holy flame as he ran straight at the enemy.
"[-!!!]"
Perhaps it understood the meaning of his leap, because the monster lowered its massive body and slammed its power into him as if to sweep him away.
Everyone held their breath and watched.
It seemed like a very slow motion. But it was speed that surpassed even an instant—
A few stretched-out seconds of exchange.
Everyone saw it clearly.
The white holy flame blasting the monster's body away.
"Argo Vesta!"
The fired holy flame destroyed only the monster's outer shell.
As the shell surrounding the god was annihilated, the appearance of the evil god hidden within was revealed.
The traces of the monster vanished into dust, and the male god left inside it was buried in the ash left behind by the monster.
Had the god simply lost consciousness? He collapsed with a thud.
As if declaring the end of the incident, the darkness that had enveloped the Dungeon faded away.
"Did we... win?"
"Hey. Don't go raising a flag out of nowhere. That's scary."
"Haah... I really thought I was going to die this time."
As if finally realizing the incident was over, one by one they opened their mouths and spoke their honest thoughts.
Even so, a strange heat still lingered inside them, leaving them unable to do anything about it. For the newly born Xenos, this exhilaration was both deeply special and unfamiliar.
Perhaps the sense of reality had finally become certainty. Watching them grow a little noisy and boisterous, Ais and Arphia kept their eyes fixed on one place.
"Ah..."
It was over. This battle, and her nightmare.
"Dad... Mom..."
The girl's wounds would never disappear.
But she had learned not how to endure them, but how to overcome them.
The wounds would no longer fester and drive her toward death.
A single tear fell from the girl's eye.
It was a tear that washed away sorrow, and a tear that marked her farewell to the past.
The girl could accept that parting now, in this moment.
The witch had many thoughts as she looked at the rabbit.
How had he driven back her curse? What was that great bell just now?
There were many things she wanted to ask, but she did not ask them. No one could go through a clash like that and be perfectly fine afterward.
First, she would make him rest. The conversation could wait until later.
Heroes deserved proper treatment. That was one of Arphia's firm beliefs.
With that in mind, the two of them approached the rabbit.
"...Huh?"
Seeing the man collapse, she felt her heart freeze for an instant.