Is it Wrong to Live Transmigrated as Bell Cranel in a Dungeon?

by Meetra 0 Surik

A fan with partial knowledge of the series is merged into Bell shortly after Zeus left him. With no perfect recall, armed with vague knowledge from the anime and other fanfics - Can our protagonist use their knowledge to save OG Bell's loved ones? Can he save the world from the OEBD? Or will he fail everyone and himself? The answer will tell if it is wrong to live as Bell Cranel!

16. Chapter 12: Two Fronts

Is it Wrong to Live Transmigrated as Bell Cranel in a Dungeon?

Chapter 12: Two Fronts – Battle of the 18th Floor

"One can live their whole life with such echoes, Mira. But I can teach you to accept them."

Meetra Surik to Mira, KOTOR II

---

Other POV, Before the 'sky' turned red…

Lili bitterly stood on lookout, waiting to see when Bell would return from rescuing Hestia-sama.

She wasn't bitter at Bell-sama, not at all. She understood his reasoning. It hurt, but despite Bell-sama's assurances, Lili knew that it was her and Welf's weakness that resulted in them being forced down to this very Floor.

It stung, but Lili was… holding Bell-sama back.

"You're worked up too, huh?" Welf said from behind her, walking up to join her.

"..." Lili said nothing, because nothing needed to be said. The answer was obvious.

"That guy sure is something," Welf sighed, "If you listened to the way he told it, we only pushed so far down like we have been for his own grinding. Never mind how it was also for his contract with me. Or the fact he held back so much on the trek so the Excelia was getting spread around."

"..." Lili said nothing, but she agreed with Welf's words. Lili had seen enough of Bell's fighting to know that he was holding himself back most of the time. To be fair, most adventurers did that in order to preserve their strength and stamina. But it was also clear to Lili that, until they had started getting injured, that Bell likely could have turned the situation around. It was only after Welf broke his ankle did things become dire.

And also part of Welf's point that Lili agreed with; Bell-sama had a habit of trying to come up with selfish reasons behind his altruistic behaviors, especially when justifying them to her.

Lili only acted like he was tricking her every time with such obvious bait. If it made Bell-sama feel better about dragging her into his shenanigans, then that's fine by her. She also wondered how long it would take him to notice that she saw right through to his good intentions and didn't object to them… entirely.

"I can't say I dislike the way he looks out for us. His way of caring, I guess," Welf said to her, "But… it kinda pisses me off too."

"Welf-sama?" Lili said questioningly. Welf wasn't mad at Bell was he?! Lili will not hesitate to beat the crap out of the blacksmith for being an idiot, you know?!

"Don't get me wrong," Welf said placatingly, "While getting told to wait behind grinds my gears, I'm not really mad at him… I'm pissed off at myself."

"...!" Lili's eyes widened. So that was it! Welf-sama was frustrated with his weakness like Lili was! Lili could empathize with her fellow loner like that. It was one of the main reasons she… got along… with the blacksmith. Not just to appease Bell-sama, but Lili couldn't help but notice the similarities between her and him.

Both outcasts in their Familias. Both without any other friends or allies to speak of. Both were picked up like strays by Bell-sama and his kind heart.

Lili hated being similar to an adventurer in any way. But she didn't mind having similarities with a blacksmith like Welf Crozzo.

"...Lili is frustrated too," she admitted to Welf. Admitted that she was frustrated at her weakness, how Bell was forced to do everything with people outside his party to actually get things done. It was so frustrating! But she couldn't blame him.

But, somehow, she wasn't worried about being abandoned by him.

No, she had plenty of reason to be certain that Bell wouldn't leave her. She still vividly remembered his words to them on their descent to this Floor. Bell wouldn't abandon them now.

He was just trying to protect them. Again.

That was what was really bothering her. She didn't want or need to be saved anymore! She wanted to return the favors he's done for her! To be the one who helps him, to be someone who he could always rely on!

If only she was stronger!

If only they were stronger!

"Ah, that fire in your eye," Welf noted with a determined grin, "You don't want to get left in the dust either, do ya? Makes ya want to get stronger so he doesn't have to do bullshit like this again, don't it?"

"Lili hates being so transparent, but Welf-sama isn't wrong," Lili said, her face slowly grinning with determination despite her efforts to hold her emotions inside. She then joked, "Lili bets that Lili will hit Level 3 before Welf-sama does. That's how much Lili hates letting Bell-sama down."

"I'd say that was really inspiring if it wasn't so insulting to me!" Welf complained, but the smile never left his face at all as he spoke.

"Welf-sama needs to learn how to take a joke," Lili quipped.

"Now, now, I didn't say I wasn't going to take that bet," Welf said, "Consider it a race then! Don't complain since I have the headstart, you hear?"

"If Welf-sama thinks Lili will back down from such provocation, you are sorely mistaken," Lili said, a growing fire burning in her eyes as her banter with the blacksmith continued, "Lili made a lot of progress training with Bell recently. Lili can easily breach the gap with Bell-sama's help!"

"I feel like it's kind of ironic to get your training from Bell, but if that works for you," Welf said to her.

"Bell-sama's training methods are torturous, but they unfortunately resonate unlike any other method Lili has tried before," Lili said with a shudder and a blank stare.

"Scary," Welf said in the face of Lili's post-training PTSD.

"In any case, Lili wants a big prize when Lili beats you," Lili said, recovering from her mock trauma.

"You mean when I–" Welf was about to banter when the entire floor began to experience an earthquake like they've never felt before.

They braced themselves, until the shaking finally stopped.

"..."

"..."

The two adventurers blinked before looking at each other.

"…Lili doubts that was Bell-sama signaling for help."

"For a guy who always wins at poker, he's sure unlucky…" Welf said, in silent agreement with Lili, that this was all somehow Bell's fault.

"Lili is still upset at Welf-sama for teaching Bell-sama such a vice."

"Oi! He already knew how to play, I swear!" Welf bantered back, defending himself.

The two were engaging in banter to try and fight off the anxiety produced by that earthquake. To some success.

So, of course, that was when a demonic howl echoed faintly from the far distance. The two of them could guess it came from the center of Floor 18 despite the distance…

It… wasn't a good sign.

"Lili has a bad feeling about this…"

As if to confirm her suspicions, the crystals on the ceiling turned blood red.

The monsters lurking in the forest chose that moment to howl at the 'sky'. The sound of their vicious howls mixed with the cracking sound coming from above and resonated through the whole landscape.

The nearby Dungeon walls shuddered with a spontaneous rockslide, not too dissimilar to the time the Dungeon ceiling collapsed on top of them.

Moments later, the ceiling cracked open as an oddly colored Goliath fell down — howling loudly all the way.

Lili couldn't help but shudder at the sight, "Lili regrets jinxing us."

"No kidding…" Welf gasped at the sight of the Irregular Monster Rex.

The Black Goliath roared mightily. Despite the distance, Welf and Lili could clearly see the giant monster.

"It looks to be in the Northeastern section of the Floor. And that rockslide was right over the passageway to Floor 17," Lili realized, "Our retreat has been blocked off. We're trapped. And it's not far from where Bell-sama should be!"

"You can't make this shit up…" Welf complained, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

The Black Goliath roared menacingly in the distance. The fact it wanted to kill every adventurer here was readily apparent.

Welf grinned, "You think Bell will take off the kiddie gloves around us if we help him take that thing down?"

"Doesn't Welf-sama know that reading a lady's mind is rude?" Lili said sarcastically, an exasperated yet determined grin on her face.

Whether it was just from Bell being himself or a result of Inspiring Leader was unclear, but either way he was turning the two of them into idiots like himself.

That and they weren't as quick to adapt to absurdity as Bell was. Still trying to wrap their heads around their previous circumstances on this Floor, it was easy for the two of them to have trouble fully processing what was going on.

Besides, if Lili was right, then their only option left was to fight. The Black Goliath wouldn't wait patiently for them to clear out the exit way, after all.

This was the reasoning why the two adventurers suddenly became suicidal maniacs – because challenging a Black Goliath at their levels couldn't be called anything else.

---

Moments earlier, nearby…

Mikoto was also silently brooding like Bell's friends were.

Mikoto could see the twisted logic in Bell-dono leaving his friends behind to go save his Goddess. Bell was simply faster and stronger, and so this put his remaining comrades at less risk. It was admirable and foolish.

She could understand Bell-dono asking for help from those Loki Familia adventurers. It was Loki Familia. Did more need to be said?

It was Bell-dono's rejection of her own offer of aid that she couldn't wrap her head around.

Bell-dono said he had forgiven her and her Familia for the Pass Parade (an act she still cannot wrap her head around why she went along with it). But could he have simply been trying to brush them, brush her sincerity, off?

Mikoto could hardly blame Bell-dono for not trusting her, but it still stung. Enough that the temptation of seppuku to regain her honor was disturbingly high.

"What are you working yourself up over now?" Ouka asked her as he stepped over to her.

"Oh, Ouka-taichou…" Mikoto acknowledged his presence restlessly, "Do you think Bell-dono hates us?"

Ouka scoffed, then said, "No."

Mikoto was taken aback at how confident Ouka was, "But—!"

"weiẞes Häschen is the type of person who means every word he says," Ouka claimed. "That's the impression I have of the boy, anyway."

"Is that so…" Mikoto said, feeling relief even though she was not sure where Ouka's confidence came from. Perhaps the chance would come where she could spend some time with the boy so she could get a better personal read on him. Her curiosity was peaked, essentially.

In the meantime, she reviewed the words he spoke to her Familia that night:

But as someone who took up a vow of heroism, to save those in need, I already resolved to put myself in harm's way to aid others. So, really, the only thing I'm upset about is how you put my friends in danger - not just myself.

I can't blame you for wanting to save yourself and your comrades. I'd surely be tempted to do the exact same in those circumstances.

Taking into account that Bell-dono was likely being completely serious and honest…

Then he is really honorable! Bell-dono left his comrades behind to avoid putting them in danger. Could the same be said for her? Surely not… but he didn't take her Familia's actions personally, and even forgave them. And meant it.

Mikoto had initially believed that Bell-dono's claims to be the fastest man alive were just boasts to deny her aid. But Ouka's claims to Bell's honesty can't help but make her wonder about that too.

Was Bell-dono only acting out of sheer pragmatism? Or was this also his way of protecting everyone? If Bell-dono was really trying to be like a hero out of a fairytale (she wasn't sure what to think about that yet) then it made sense that he would try to keep her and her Familia out of harm's way if possible…

It was these thoughts that raised her perception of Bell in her eyes despite their limited interactions. And reinforced the idea in her mind that Bell and his party needed to be properly repaid someday.

Those thoughts were halted when a demonic howl echoed in the distance…

---

Lili and Welf were quickly joined by Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa.

"Welf-san! Lili-san!" Mikoto called out as they ran over. The Takemikazuchi Familia were all geared up and ready to go.

"Ah, you guys…" Welf noticed them with a grumble.

"Nevermind our differences," Lili said, "With that Irregular active and our exit cut off, we have no choice but to work together."

"You think we stand a chance against that thing? You must have gone mad," Ouka said with an incredulous scoff.

"Bell-sama really was spot on with pointing out your cowardice," Lili mocked the adventurer deliberately. She figured that bruising his ego would push him to aid them in the coming battle.

"Why you—!" Ouka growled in annoyance.

You may not have done anything wrong as an adventurer. But I think we all know you did something wrong as a human being. Someday, you'll have to choose what you'd rather be. Remember that.

Those words echoed in Ouka's skull. Ouka doubted he would ever forget them.

What Bell was trying to tell him did not go over Ouka's head. As an adventurer, Ouka had made the perfect call to sacrifice others for the safety of his party and Familia. But, from a moral, human standpoint the same act was nothing more than evil, cowardice.

Upon running into another party while he was being chased by monsters with an injured teammate, he should have abandoned his pride and asked for help. Instead, he abandoned Bell and his party to die.

In trying to keep his pride, Ouka lost his honor. And he had no intention of making the same mistake twice. He refuses to be known as someone who only talked while others died in vain. He refuses to ever again be the one who ran away. Because he was a proud member of Takemikazuchi Familia!

It's why he had such a high opinion of Bell, the lad who seemed to be everything Ouka wanted to be.

So Ouka snorted, then said, "I didn't say we wouldn't do anything. Just wondering if you had a plan in mind that wouldn't get everyone killed."

Lili smirked, "The adventurers of Rivira might not know our exit's been cut off. We must hurry to them. With that knowledge, the only option left is to work together to take that monster down. And the adventurers of Rivira are something of an expert in taking down Goliaths."

"All hands on deck, essentially," Welf summarized.

"So, that said, we could use the assistance in making the trek to Rivira with utmost haste," Lili said, "Lili trusts you can handle at least that much?"

"Ouka-taichou…" Chigusa whispered, "W-we should help…"

"Indeed, even if the situation didn't demand it, we should lend aid!" Mikoto agreed more firmly.

Ouka sighed, "You're making me out to be a bad guy here… We're going. To the front. weiẞes Häschen's supporter is right, we have no other choice."

"Good to have you on the same page," Lili said, glad to have successfully bullied them into agreeing to aid them.

"Speed is of the essence," Lili said, "Any monsters we run into, we must quickly punch through and keep moving."

"I'm the more agile fighter, Lili-san," Mikoto provided.

Lili nodded, "Mikoto-sama will lead the formation. Samurai-sama and Welf-sama will handle the sides as vanguard. Chigusa-sama will cover the rear with her ranged weapons. Lili will maintain command of the formation from the center."

"Who put you in charge?' Ouka said challengingly, he was the Captain of Takemikazuchi Familia, after all.

"As Bell-sama's second in command, it makes sense for Lili to take charge in his absence," Lili said, spewing bullshit.

Technically, she wasn't lying. Lili was effectively the second in command since she often gave combat advice from the rear while Bell and Welf were fighting. It was just never a 'role' that had been officially said out loud.

Lili had the feeling Bell-sama would approve of her throwing his name around if it eventually led to more lives being saved. Lili honestly believed that she would manage the current party better considering how Ouka's last major decision resulted in her party getting Pass Paraded. Lili believed that quickly linking up with the adventurers from Rivira would ultimately result in less combat losses in the currently developing battle.

"The formation is reasonable," Mikoto said, "We should move with haste."

The politics flew over Mikoto's head, as she was more concerned with immediate action.

"But–! Fine!" Ouka was about to protest before giving in. The formation was the best considering everyone's strengths and weaknesses.

"Excellent, let's move. We've already wasted enough time," Lili ordered, channeling the same bullshit confidence that she realized Bell had used when he split off from them. Lili was a quick learner indeed.

Their combined party quickly formed up and began their sprint towards Rivira.

---

Main POV

My brain moved supersonic in its decision making. Every single moment was vital for our survival.

So I didn't hesitate to start issuing orders.

"Tiona!" I called out, gathering the strongest adventurer's attention, "Get my Goddess to safety! Then rally Rivira and take down that Black Goliath! You're the only one strong enough to potentially solo that thing!"

The adventurers of Rivira would need someone to lead the way and inspire them. The only one strong enough to go against a Level 5 in a frontal battle was another Level 5. Tiona was the only one both strong and fast enough to fulfill this role amongst our number.

I didn't know for sure if Asfi was around or not. I couldn't bank things on maybes.

"Bell-kun!" Hestia protested. But she was pointedly ignored. If I looked at her, I might change my mind. Not gonna happen.

"Roger that, Argonaut-kun!" Tiona said with a grin, it was clear she was just excited for a good fight.

I turned to Lefiya, "Sorry, Lefiya, but I'll need you with me. I'll need your newfound speed to have a chance against the Juggernaut."(1)

I barely had time to register Lefiya's nervous, yet determined nod – Lefiya clearly had no idea what was going on, but was following along because it looked like I knew what I was doing. Which was good, because our other elf was not liking where my plan was going.

"You can't!" Ryuu cried out hysterically, her shrunken eyes and pupils shaking wildly, "Run! You must run!"

Ryuu had grabbed my shoulders and started tugging me frantically in the vague direction of the exit to Floor 17. "I'd rather die! It can't claim you! I can't handle it again! Not again! Never again! I cannot! You cannot! You have to—!"

I needed to cut Ryuu's hysterical rant off and calm her down.

I did so by pulling down the mask covering Ryuu's lower face before pulling Ryuu's face and head to mine.

Ryuu froze as her lips met mine. I tilted my head to get a good angle and had closed my eyes for the moment.

Her lips were soft, and warm. Despite how awkward the kiss was, since she was too stunned to even think of kissing me back, it still lifted my spirits and calmed me down.

The kiss was just as much for me as it was for her. Because even I couldn't be sure if I'd make it out of this mess in one piece.

And maybe I just wanted to be clear about what my feelings were for her, in case things didn't work out today. That if Ryuu made it out again and I didn't, that she at least knew the truth.

Hestia squawked in the background, but every one else was silent as I finally pulled away.

Out of my periphery, I could tell that everyone was blushing and that Chloe had a very fitting cherise grin. Tiona too.

Ryuu's mouth was parted in shock as her cheeks were flushed like strawberries. Needless to say, I'd silenced her into temporary compliance.

But I didn't have more time than that to enjoy my actions. I had to keep things on track.

"Ryuu, I have to go. If it isn't stopped, it will do its best to kill everyone on this Floor. Mord and the others have no idea and could be getting slaughtered as we speak. I have to save them," I said to her, staring down her sky blue eyes unblinkingly.

Mord and those dudes may have been asses, but they didn't deserve what the Juggernaut would have in store for them if they crossed paths.

Ryuu was still too shocked to speak. Her mouth moved up and down as she tried to find words but failed.

Out of the corner of my eye, it looked like Lefiya was offended on Ryuu's behalf — for having kissed Ryuu suddenly without explicit permission. But Lefiya also seemed to understand my intention of calming Ryuu down too. I hope.

I then smiled, "Besides, I'm the type of person that unflinchingly faces insurmountable odds, remember? A hero's life is sacrifice. That, and someone's got to save our skins."

Ryuu's eyes widened as I threw some of her own words about me back at her. Her eyes sparkled with restrained tears and emotions that… I can't afford to address right now. Let's call them positive and sad at the same time and leave it at that.

"That said," I said conclusively, "I understand if you want to go assist Tiona—"

"No," Ryuu shook her head, "I will join you. You're right, Bell, we have to stop i-it before it gets too far."

My instincts told me that Ryuu was not entirely truthful in her statement… which was weird, because Ryuu was not the type to lie. I must be imagining it, since this entire situation was likely stressing her to hell and back.

"I guess I'll go too, nya," Chloe said nonchalantly, trying to be cool, "Though I'm expecting an appropriate reward on the surface, you hear nya?"

I quickly chuckle, "Assuming Ryuu or Syr let you, sure."

"Shit," Chloe cursed jokingly, getting quick chuckles all around even if everyone doesn't get the in-joke.

As the laughter died down I turned and walked over to Hestia.

Her eyes were knowing yet pleading. Begging me not to go.

I grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, but I can't just sit still when I can do something. With Great Power—"

"Comes Great Responsibility! I know I know!" Hestia said frustratingly.

Hestia then sighed, "…You better come back to me safe and sound. You promised."

"That's right," I said, "Nothing can kill me now, 'cause I'm not the kind of person that goes back on their word."

Of course, we both knew it was an unreasonable promise. But that wasn't going to stop two idiots like us.

Hestia smiled weakly before hugging me, kissing my cheek, "Good luck."

I squeezed back before letting go. Standing tall, I then cleared my face and got serious, "Alright, everyone stay safe and move out!"

"Wait! I'm not a sack of potatoesss~!" Hestia yelped as Tiona picked Hestia up before running off in the direction towards Rivira.

"Stooop iiiiiit~!" Hestia wailed in the distance, her voice quickly becoming an echo from how fast Tiona was running away from us.

I quickly turn to Lefiya, "Mark everyone as we go! Double time it, everyone!"

"R-right!" Lefiya complied as our group of four quickly started heading in the direction of the route to Floor 19.

I already had Hiraishin marks on Ryuu and Chloe from their hidden blades, but I made sure to put marks on the clothes of the small of their backs like Lefiya.

The two Level 4s then lead the way for our party to face the personification of death.

---

As I sniped a Bugbear in the face with a Firebolt, I mentally went over the rapid decisions I had made.

The Black Goliath is Level 5, for sure. And the only one on an equal Level is Tiona. Meanwhile, the strength of the Juggernaut is unknown.

Assuming it was spawned on Floor 19 — which was highly likely — then it should only be in the Level 3-4 range. But who knows if the Juggernaut followed the same rules for how strong it would be? It was more likely than not to be the same. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Dungeon did something just to fuck me over.

My own stats were probably equivalent to something more like the first third of Level 3.

If so, bringing Tiona with us would easily allow us to defeat the Juggernaut. Probably. But if we did, we'd be abandoning all of Rivira and my friends to the Black Goliath.

Who knows if Asfi is still around, Hermes had claimed to be off sightseeing. Without the knowledge on where Asfi was, then I would have otherwise been hogging all of the high Level adventurers to myself.

Maybe we could defeat the Juggernaut fast enough before moving onto the Black Goliath. But maybe we wouldn't. Maybe the Black Goliath would kill everyone while I was fighting the other disaster on this Floor.

In canon, all of the heavy hitters would be fighting the Black Goliath. But even the extra hands were here with me! If Asfi wasn't around, then there were only the adventurers of Rivira and my friends up against the Black Goliath.

They would be overrun.

But if I sent too much of the adventurers with me, we would get slaughtered by the Juggernaut. And while Tiona was strong, I wasn't going to send her alone against the Juggernaut – a monster she has no knowledge or experience on.

I have knowledge on how the Juggernaut works. Ryuu has knowledge and first-hand experience. We were needed for the Juggernaut fight.

Lefiya was my backup teleporter. Between the two of us, fatalities should be impossible. I needed her with me. Her being able to use Hiraishin made her more valuable for the Juggernaut fight than the Black Goliath front. Without it, the reverse would have been true.

Chloe had bad matchups all around. I wouldn't mind if she went with Tiona. But I admit that having her as a vanguard to help defend Lefiya would be really useful.

This was the only formation I could think of to mitigate casualties in the face of this dual threat. Fighting a two-front battle sucks. I didn't want to risk my friends getting hurt or dying because I was too concerned with my own safety.

It also happened to have the added benefit of once again removing a Loki Familia member from witnessing Lefiya and I use Hiraishin.

I'm still surprised with myself for how quickly I've come to trust the elf girl. Maybe it's leftover feelings from Bell's past life? Or is it because she's a sort of kindred spirit as a fellow protagonist? Or maybe because we had each other's backs in a fight just last night?

Who knows? All I know is that I'm glad to have some help in making sure that the Juggernaut doesn't dice us all up.

"Are you alright?" Lefiya's voice cuts in beside me, breaking me from my internal thoughts. We had briefly stopped, once again, to dispatch the frenzied monsters that ambushed us. They didn't stop our powerhouse of a party for long before we kept moving. But each stop to fight meant other adventurers were in more and more danger.

"Yeah," I say, "Just hoping I made the right decisions."

"I guess that's the burden of leadership," Lefiya said knowingly as she ran beside me, likely referring to her own experience the previous night. That or thinking of her observations of Finn. "Still, I must admit, you took charge rather well. I couldn't help but think you have things under control."

I chuckle, "Regret trusting a Level 2 to lead you?"

Lefiya huffed, "Don't tempt me. I'm only following since you and Ryuu-san seem to be familiar with our target while I'm not."

"Speaking of which," I said, loudly enough for our entire party to hear, "its armor reflects magic. So if you must use magic, try to target the environment around it. Force it to move or get hit with debris."

"R-reflects?!" Lefiya sputtered. An understandable reaction for an adventurer who entirely relies on magical combat.

"According to Ryuu," I confirm, "Though it should be possible to damage its armor to allow for magic attacks to work. It has insane attack power and speed, but relatively low physical defense."

Ryuu was ahead of me, so I couldn't see her reaction to me describing the properties of the Juggernaut. I hope that my knowledge of the monster wasn't suspicious considering I was only 'supposed' to have learned about it from her yesterday.

"Then what's the formation, nya?" Chloe asked back to me, "What's this all about you two being faster than us?"

"The marks we left allow us to teleport to you," I said simplifying things, "Lefiya's primary job will be to teleport frontliners out of harm's way. I'll try to distract it, and try to damage it if I can. Your and Ryuu's job is to do your best to distract it and deal damage to it. Hopefully destroy its armor so Ryuu and Lefiya can finish it off with magic. Its claws can easily cut adventurers into pieces. Its tail can easily pierce flesh and shatter bones."

I could hear a grin in Chloe's voice, "You just bring me to the best places, Bell-kun, nya. But, I have some ideas then. 'Cause I can make a few illusions of myself, nya, that I can swap places with if close enough, nya."

"Perfect!" I said, "You can help me distract it so Ryuu and I can take it out. Unless you have heavy firepower to go with your knives."

"Nope, that's all you, nya," Chloe said back.

"Ryuu?" I called out to her in front of me, "Do you have any objections?"

"…" Ryuu was silent for a moment, then said, "Besides my initial objections, no. Your plan of attack is as sound as can be given the circumstances."

For some reason, my mind chose that moment to flash back to a few minutes ago. I could tell that my face was lighting up at the thought of that kiss.

I'm surprised at my own daring. Not that I regret it for a moment. I just hope that Ryuu doesn't hate me for doing that without her permission. Then again, I might not have much time left to worry about such things.

The thought of facing a Juggernaut, here and now, was terrifying. But, I couldn't just sit and do nothing. I'm one of the ones who actually knows about it and how to fight it. If I did nothing, I'd be responsible for all the Juggernaut will kill.

Somehow, the weight of that responsibility didn't present a burden in my heart. I wondered what that meant about myself.

But I didn't have time to think about it. Because in the nearby distance, an ungodly roar called out followed by screams.

"It's begun!" I called out, pushing my feet harder against the ground, passing Ryuu and Chloe as I rushed towards the fight.

This was it. Time to defeat Death or embrace it.

I wasn't running away anymore.

---

Other POV

A few moments prior…

Ryuu was lost in her thoughts as she and Chloe led the party in the general direction of their target.

She didn't know what she was doing. What she was thinking. What had come over her.

Facing… it was the last thing she wanted to do. Letting Bell face it was even worse. She didn't want him to die, to die just like Alise. And it sure seemed like that was the only possible outcome.

They were so similar in all the ways that mattered. Determination. Joy. Hope. Righteousness. They were like two halves of the same coin.

Bell was hardly perfect. He often was held back by overcautiousness where Alice was… often too confident in herself.

Of course, that caution was nowhere to be seen today. Just Ryuu's luck for Bell to be completely channeling Alice today.

Which was why she hadn't wanted him to face the Juggernaut. She couldn't handle watching Bell die like Alice had.

It would break her. No, she was already broken, she'd shatter.

She pursed her lips in anguish and confusion.

Why?

Why did she react the way she did? What was this feeling in her chest? Surely not? But Syr…?

These are the thoughts that rambled in Ryuu's head. She struggled to acknowledge her own feelings. The ones budding ever since Bell had listened to everything at the Memorial. Culminating with the touch of another that Ryuu could have never foreseen her taking part in.

She wanted to drag him away before then.

She easily had the strength to prevent him from leaving.

She could have done so without any effort.

She would have fought everyone there just to preserve him.

She would have let them all die just to preserve him.

But those ruby eyes… so full of hope… hope for a happy future…

Ryuu couldn't oppose them.

"Ryuu?" Bell called out to her from the back, "Do you have any objections?"

"…" Ryuu was silent for a moment, then said, "Besides my initial objections, no. Your plan of attack is as sound as can be given the circumstances."

She hadn't completely tuned them out after all.

She kept to herself, however, her own intentions in pulling off Bell's plan. She'd face the Juggernaut.

She'd face it, and finally undergo the judgment she'd missed all these years for abandoning her friends. She'd make sure that Bell survived long enough to run away – because she knew more than anyone that if anyone could run away from the Juggernaut, it was him.

Self-sacrifice. That's what she told herself as the roars and screams rang out before them.

She didn't believe in a hero(lies). Not anymore(more lies). The words she once said to Alfia the Silent were hollow(lie). Wanting to preserve the spirit of Alice in Bell was just a childish temper tantrum against Reality(that's not quite right either).

Those were the lies she told herself.

Because, the truth was… she, that Ryuu, who had saved so many as an agent of Justice, of Astraea…

She's been holding out for a hero… all this time…

Could Bell… turn ideals into reality?

"It's begun!"

This was why she followed him to what she saw as certain doom. The spark of hope that had lit a single ember yesterday. She desperately hoped something would fan the flames. That anything would prevent her from descending back into darkness.

---

Lili and the party found the adventurers of Rivira already mobilized outside of the city's walls.

More specifically, they had set up shop on a hill a little ways from the Goliath. The inhabitants of Rivira had established makeshift bases near the Central Tree and a short distance from the rock slide that covered the southern tunnel.

Swords, spears, and shields were lined up on the outside of the bases with more spares on the inside. Dwarves and animal people with muscular builds took broadswords, greatswords, and thick shields without hesitation as they headed for battle.

Mages and archers were getting into bombardment positions. Other adventurers, presumably supporters, were lugging more weapons and supplies from Rivira's armory and storage while others were quickly assembling siege weapons.

Bors was at the center of it all, organizing the city's forces. Asfi was nowhere to be seen immediately.

And he noticed their party had arrived. He said, "Takemikazuchi Familia? And weiẞes Häschen's party members. I heard you all were with Loki Familia! Have they…"

"Loki Familia left the Floor before the passageway collapsed, adventurer-sama," Lili informed.

"So Perseus was right about that…" Bors noted, revealing that Asfi was still around and had informed Rivira already about the rockslide.

"We are ready for tasking," Lili said, subtly asking for information on where they might be most needed since it seems he had taken control of the battle.

"And I've got some heavy weaponry!" Welf declared, drawing attention to a large weapon covered in cloth on his back.

"Magic sword, huh?" Bors noted the armament, "Go give that bastard hell! Otherwise, there is a large concentration of monsters attacking from the west and the north. My guys could use some backup."

He then pointed to Lili and Chigusa, "I need reliable help to keep my boys armed and ready to fight. Pull fighters back when their weapons are damaged or they are injured. Get them re-armed and patched up with potions."

"U-understood!" Chigusa acknowledged shyly.

Bors then looked at Lili, "Where is weiẞes Häschen anyway?"

Welf, Ouka, and Mikoto had chosen this moment to start heading for the front, leaving Lili and Chigusa behind.

Lili had to think on Bors' question for a moment. That initial demonic roar was different from the Goliath's and would have been around the same place where Bell would have gone.

Either it was another Monster Rex of some kind, or just more monsters from Floors that Lili was unfamiliar with. Either way, whatever it was, it had to be keeping Bell busy. He would have joined this battle already if he wasn't otherwise occupied. His boast of being the fastest man alive did have merit to it.

"Bell-sama should be not too far from here," Lili told the adventurer, "He is likely engaging whatever that first howl was."

"That?!" Bors exclaimed in surprise, "Gave me shudders, never heard anything like before in all my time."

Lili didn't like the sound of that, considering how Bors was supposed to be the expert on the local Floors. Lili told the adventurer, "Bell-sama is likely containing whatever that was and other monsters coming from that direction."

Bors nodded, "Works for me. Would explain why the eastern flank is so calm. Anyway, get to it!"

Lili normally would have internally raged at the terse dismissal, but considering the circumstances she let it slide.

At least this kind of work was familiar to her.

---

Mord stood there in shock and terror and disbelief.

"Is this… hell…?" He uttered.

He had been leading the band of adventurers back to Rivira to drown themselves in booze when the shaking started. The sight of that Irregular Goliath breaking through the ceiling was bad enough.

He thought he was lucky that the Black Goliath hadn't looked his way despite being about 100 or so meters away. The Black Goliath had apparently been more interested in firing utterly ridiculous sonic Howl attacks towards Rivira.

All of the monsters on the Floor were riled up into a frenzy, but that was something they could just about handle on their own. But just as they cleared out a wave of attacking monsters, the shrill of a monster he had never heard before had rung out once more.

He hadn't felt as terrified as he had in that moment in so long. No, it was the worst feeling. It was like something was clawing and tearing his insides. It was so disturbing a sound that he couldn't help but freeze up.

That's when it happened.

A flurry of crashes, as if trees were getting cut down in rapid succession.

Then it appeared.

In an instant, three adventurers were diced into three or more pieces.

The draconic, skeleton-like monster appeared out of nowhere. No, it was just that fast. It was a strength that Mord had never seen before. One he could never hope to face.

Mord couldn't know how he was just spectacularly unlucky. The Juggernaut had been randomly traveling the floor in its search for people matching the description of Ryuu Lion and Bell Cranel. It only stopped to kill monsters it came across and devour their magic stones; all for its eventual goal of trying to kill Ottar. Though it only had eaten enough stones to ensure its attack power and speed were on the line between Level 4 and Level 5.

Mord and his crew were just unlucky to have run across the Juggernaut by sheer chance. That, and because the Juggernaut had been eyeing up the Black Goliath as a tasty snack to boost its own power.

And as the monster looked at him, and the screams of terror of his comrades rang out, Mord knew that he was dead.

He fell to the ground and closed his eyes as he fruitlessly covered his head with his arms as the demon twitched in his direction.

Only to be surprised to feel no pain, (only some nausea) but instead a hand on his shoulder.

Mord opened his eyes and looked up to find the weiẞes Häschen, no…

Bell Cranel had arrived.

---

Main POV

Palming a few throwing knives, I lightly threw one up in the air beside me before chucking the other towards Mord.

I could instantly recognize the sight of the demon that was the Juggernaut, and could see its hind legs tense up – ready to leap forward.

With a dual flash of light, I appeared next to Mord, grabbed his shoulder, and flashed back to the first knife.

The Juggernaut was standing past where Mord had been before. It looked momentarily confused.

I took advantage of this moment, aiming for the ground in between it and me in this small artificial clearing in the woods, "Firebolt!"

The ground erupted with rock and debris as the fire and plasma struck.

"Run!" I yelled to Mord, "Get yourself and the others out of here! Go!"

"R-right!" Mord exclaimed before scrambling to his feet and running away.

"Firebolt!" I cried out again, firing another bolt at the ground in front of the beast as it turned to face me.

I figured that the Juggernaut would play defensive whenever it sees magic headed in its direction, trying to install a false sense of security and to bait me into hitting myself with my own magic. And if I was wrong, I'd just teleport out of the way of any actual reflection.

Sure enough, the Juggernaut instinctively froze in place at the sight of magic heading in its general direction. However, instead of getting hit, the ground around it exploded. Which sent debris into it and the air – the damage to the Juggernaut's armor was likely almost nil, but at least it obscured me and my allies' position for a few moments.

Ryuu and Chloe landed on either side of me. Lefiya threw a ton of small metal cubes all over our heads into the clearing.

"Play around," Chloe chanted, "Feles Cruz."

Two illusions of Chloe shimmered into place, brandishing knives.

"Watch out!" I called out, having noticed something as the Juggernaut had attacked Mord, "It's even faster than I expected! Level 4 or greater!"

"Roger that, nya!" Chloe declared as she charged forward with her clones, all three of the figures splitting off from each other.

"Wait!" Ryuu called out, "Don't forget the tail!"

The Juggernaut only seemed puzzled on who to attack for a moment, before quickly adjusting its stance.

In an instance of time so quick I just barely didn't miss, the demon sliced the illusion on my left with its claws and smashed the center one – which I had sworn was the real Chloe – with its 4 meter long tail.

I finally gasped as the tail suddenly swung to the side to hit the final Chloe but failed to hit its target as a golden-brown flash whisked Chloe away.

"Fuckin' shit, nya!" Chloe yelped from nearby. I heard the sound of gagging – Chloe must have not liked the sensation of being teleported..,

"That speed is easily approaching Level 5," Ryuu summarized darkly. The Juggernaut turned to face us. It was starring… Ryuu down.

HOW?!

It should only be Level 3 to 4!?

It really is a damn shame that Leveling Up to 3 wasn't on the table. Having to adjust to the sudden increase in Level wouldn't have been worth it, but it still felt like a major mistake to send Hestia away so quickly…

Still, I at least knew that movement on my end would depend entirely on Hiraishin to not end up like those poor bastards…

I had to hold back vomit at the sight of the internal organs and brains at the pile of three corpses.

Hiraishin will be needed to bail Ryuu and Chloe out every time they get close. I'm not letting them lose any limbs nor their lives for my sake!

My eyes snapped back to the Juggernaut. Its hind legs were taut. My eyes widened.

I grabbed Ryuu (who was shivering in my grip) and tossed a knife I had long since had in the palm of my hand.

We flashed away just in time, now just a couple of meters from the demon as it zipped by where we stood a moment ago. The thrown knife once again palmed in my grip.

Ryuu pulled out of my grip and charged. She leapt over its tail like a professional gymnast as it lashed out at her. She went to strike at the joint of the Juggernaut's rear leg with her Alf's Lumina.

But there was a dark red blur and suddenly Ryuu was sent flying away screaming in pain – her left arm bent in an unnatural angle.(2) I barely kept up with the series of events as a brown-gold flash erupted and Ryuu vanished.

"Sorry!" Lefiya apologized frantically from nearby.

I realized that Ryuu had been batted away by the Juggernaut's forearms. And that Lefiya had attempted to teleport Ryuu out of the way of the attack but was moments too late.

It was an exchange that took 2 seconds.

I realized that Hiraishin wasn't only going to be needed to help Ryuu and Chloe. But without it, I wouldn't even stand a chance. The demon was just too fast. It would take all of my instincts and intelligence to save my skin from a horrible fate.

I grit my teeth, undeterred by the difficulty of the situation. Chloe and her clones were zipping around, trying her best to keep the Juggernaut distracted.

Somehow, Chloe was able to swap places with her clones to avoid a deadly hit – thus far. But in the last 4 seconds, she had spammed her illusionary spell twice. I doubt she has the Magic capacity to keep this up for long.

I could hear the sounds of Lefiya and Ryuu performing first aid on her broken arm behind me.

I needed to do my part! We've learned how fast and strong it is, but how durable is this motherfucker?!

With a throwing knife in one hand, and the Hestia Knife in the other, I made my play.

Chloe was sent flying as the Juggernaut struck the ground in frustration, causing a shockwave.

I threw my disposable knife at the Juggernaut's flank. It would have missed the Juggernaut, but the beast still sent the knife skyward with a bat from its tail. I flashed to that knife the instant after – gravity instantly pulled me back to the earth – and I was safely in striking distance.

"Hah!" I yelled out as I struck the joint of the rear leg. And my eyes widened. Not because nothing happened… but because I caused the armor to crack.

It was ever so slight. But a Level 2-3 Adventurer was able to deal damage to a Juggernaut moving at Level 4-5 speeds.

This went against what I knew about the demon; it shouldn't have been that easy. Level 4-5 speed but Level 2-3 defenses? What the hell was going on?

I teleported to Lefiya. Judging on the following shockwave of wind, it was a good thing I did, or the Juggernaut would have smashed all my bones to bits with its foreleg.

"I chipped it!" I informed the elf duo, causing them to make sounds of surprise.

"Really?" Ryuu said in shock, a hint of hope in her voice. Only Lefiya was a worse physical attacker in our current party than me – on paper, anyway. The fact I could damage the Juggernaut's armor with relative ease was a good sign.

Further conversation was cut off as Chloe screamed. I had seen an after-image of what happened, since I hadn't taken my eyes off of the demon.

The Juggernaut, sick of Chloe ducking and weaving around it with her clones, had launched itself forward, its tail flailing wildly around itself.

Chloe had either already been to the side of the charge, or had swapped over to it, but she hadn't been far away enough and had been hit by the tail.

Her arm and leg didn't look right, and were bleeding badly. She was on the ground, vulnerable and unable to move.

I didn't think. I flashed to stand over Chloe and raised my hand, "Firebolt!"

I had aimed for the ground underneath the demon, wanting to buy a few seconds to grab Chloe and teleport.

But the Juggernaut ruined that plan by stepping forward right into my shot. The Juggernaut's armor shimmered as its anti-magical properties did their thing. My spell flew right back at me!

My instincts yelled at me to teleport out of the way. But Chloe was behind me! Helpless!

"Fuck you!" I cried out, denying the world – for I would protect her! I lashed out at the redirected spell with the Hestia Knife. The mythril of the weapon absorbed the spell–!

At the same time as bells started to ring. Catching the spell and concentrating it!

"Haaaaaaaah!" I let out a war cry as I ran to meet the Juggernaut head on, the power in my hand growing with each step as I swore to meet out justice to the demon in front of me–!

Pain.

A flash of brown-gold.

"Eh?" I squeaked. My right arm felt really light all of a—

My pupils froze, my face paled. I couldn't breathe.

My right hand, and the Hestia Knife held in it–

Was missing.

---

Other POV

Ryuu's eyes widened in horror, momentarily freezing as Bell's blood spurt from his dismembered limb with great force.

For an instant, she was filled with horror and despair. For an instant, she felt like giving up. For an instant, she felt like there was nothing left for her. That this was once again the beginning to a banquet of despair. This wasn't how–!

Images flashed through her mind.

Asfi. Astraea.

Mia. May.

Anya. Luniore.

Chloe.

Syr.

Bell.

The images of all the ones she loved and were still with her.

She then… snarled. Her head whipping towards the demon that was the Juggernaut.

The beast was all too glad to give Ryuu its undivided attention.

'That's right, look at me!' Ryuu thought to herself ferally. She wasn't going to run away from the Juggernaut a second time. She wouldn't let her fear hold her back a second time.

If she could just strike the Juggernaut down, then maybe Bell Cranel could live like she had. Like Alice had saved Ryuu, now Ryuu would save Bell.

'That's right,' Ryuu thought, tightening her grip on Alf's Lumina, 'If I can pass on the torch of Justice, then everything will have been worth it!'

Ryuu would do her best to kill the damned creature that hurt those she cared about. And if she failed, at least she would buy precious time, and hopefully pass on the spirit of Justice that Alice foolishly handed to Ryuu.

The Juggernaut completely ignored Chloe as it stared Ryuu down.

Ryuu charged forward. Her heart, full of righteous fury and determination. The battle wasn't over yet…!

---

Tiona ran through the woods as easily as one can walk through their own bedroom with the lights out – effortlessly and instinctually.

Tiona was a simple person with simple thoughts. For the most part. She knew that she wasn't the smartest tool in the shed, she was no strategist or philosopher. She was a fighter and a lover of fairy tales.

The tales that saved her from despair in Telskyura. The tales that inspired her to be something more, to look out not just for herself, but her sister Tione. To be the rock that helps her sister cope with the evil of their shared past.

So when Argonaut-kun confidently organized a plan of action to rescue his Goddess, she was excited to see for herself the adventure that he was going to endure. The whole situation felt like it was right out of the stories she loved so dearly.

Argonaut-kun didn't disappoint. She overheard his speech to his opponents, and was in awe to see that Argonaut-kun was just as kind as his namesake. To try and understand his opponent… It was just like what a hero would do. It was something she couldn't recall ever seeing anything like it actually happen in reality.

So when the Dungeon shook, and he once again issued orders she saw no reason to go against them. Because she believed he had a plan, and she bet it was a plan with the goal of saving as many lives as possible. And it's not like she had any brighter ideas.

She was a fighter and she knew it. Though part of her was amused at how easily he ignored common sense in order to, well, order her around. Most saw her, knew her reputation, and deferred to her. Argonaut-kun didn't think twice to start ordering her around.

That said, her own experience agreed with Argonaut-kun's battle plan so it wasn't like she was just blindly following his word either.

Tiona had literally gone to the town of Rivira first, but found it mostly abandoned except for adventurers retrieving more supplies from the town. From them, she got directions to the headquarters where Bors was.

"Fire!" Tiona heard as she approached the outskirts of Rivira with haste. Hestia had long since given up struggling. But she certainly hadn't stopped complaining. Tiona had quickly learned how to tune her out.

A volley of ballista fired their ammunition at the Black Goliath in the distance. The beast roared in pain, but seemed rather unaffected.

Bors, de-facto leader of Rivira, noticed Tiona's arrival, "Great Cleaver? You're still here! Just the kind of reinforcements a man could ask for!"

"Sup, Bors!" Tiona greeted, dropping Hestia off, "How's it going?"

"Hell in a handbasket," Bors told her, "I'm protecting these mages here to try and take that monster down. Perseus is doing her best to distract it, but I bet she would appreciate the help!"

"So she's done half my job for me already? Sweet!" Tiona exclaimed enthusiastically, "I can get right to fighting then! Keep an eye on this one for me would you? Later!"

"What am I, a hot potato?!" Hestia grumbled at all the dragging around before walking herself to the nearby stockpile of weapons and supplies - silently volunteering herself in helping in the replacement of damaged weapons and healing the wounded.

"Uh, sure!" Bors replied, but Tiona was already running off towards the Monster Rex. "Damn battle-junkies…"

Tiona quickly made her way to the front, easily dispatching monsters that got in her path along the way with a flourish of her double-bladed sword.

"Surround it—! Surround it—!" the sound of adventurers could be heard over the sounds of battle.

The adventurers had already moved to set up a perimeter around the Black Goliath. Even though none of them knew one another very well, much less fought side by side, they stayed close together while maintaining enough space not to bump into anyone.

Fearless groups of attackers came out from behind walls of shields and charged toward the beast. Whipping themselves into a rage, the attackers broke off into parties of four to five adventurers as they closed the distance.

The first ones to arrive waited for Asfi to distract it long enough for a window of opportunity to attack one of the beast's two legs. The Goliath looked down in surprise as greatswords, hammers, and axes slammed into its lower body before looking up as a shadow flashed in front of its face.

Asfi yeeted another one of her Burst Oil grenades into its eyes, momentarily blinding the massive creature. It cried out in anger and frustration as six groups of attackers continued their assault on its knees and feet.

Tiona finally got close to Asfi as the blue-haired noble was frantically avoiding the magical Howl attacks from the Black Goliath. Asfi was roughed up from debris impacts, but was uninjured.

And was glad for the backup, "Tiona-san!"

"Leave it to me!" Tiona called to the Level 4 before brandishing her Urga and leaping at the Black Goliath. With a flourish of her double-bladed greatsword, the boss' knee was cut halfway through as she sailed by.

Like a tree that had a wedge cut into it with a chainsaw, the Black Goliath roared in pain as it was unable to support itself. The beast fell to the earth, creating a new small canyon in the process as it flattened earth and crystal formations.

Tiona turned to inspect her handiwork, saluting in a mock-effort to shield her eyes from the sun which wasn't here. She watched in disbelief and annoyance as the wound she inflicted on the boss monster quickly healed itself and the Monster Rex started picking itself off of the ground.

"Well that's annoying," Tiona surmised casually. Not even intimidated in the slightest.

"Its strength and durability is easily Level 5!" Asfi reported as she regrouped next to Tiona.

"So Argonaut-kun was spot on then!" Tiona said with a laugh.

"Huh, Cranel-san?" Asfi asked, surprised at the boy being mentioned.

"Yep!" Tiona answered, "He saw it and figured I was the only one who could match it. Tione will be so jealous that I get to fight this guy without her!"

Asfi didn't understand the sentiment, but figured that was an Amazoness for you. Though she was surprised to hear that Tione wasn't here also; the two Amazons were normally attached at the hip.

Asfi was more interested in the fact that Bell Cranel – a rather new adventurer – was able to deduce the strength of this Goliath before she had.

"Where is Cranel-san?" Asfi quickly inquired.

"Off facing some monster that came up from the Floor below," Tiona mentioned without concern, "Though that masked-elf was really frightened about it for some reason."

Tiona then giggled, "He shut her up really good though."

Asfi was confused at the comment, but didn't have time to think more about it, as the Black Goliath was looking at them, and it wasn't very happy…

"Oh well," Tiona said, "I guess I'll just keep cutting it up until it stays dead. Don't let those mages blow me up! And you should probably be running, you know?"

Asfi blinked, then looked back at the Black Goliath that was charging another Howl attack.

Asfi sighed, "I'm not getting paid enough for this…"

Indeed, she wasn't getting paid at all. Hermes is such a cheapskate!

The Black Goliath howled, and the battle resumed in earnest.

---

The Juggernaut idly swiped a claw in Chloe's direction, forcing the cat girl to Substitute with one of the clones behind her. The demon's attention was much more focused on Ryuu and her advance. The demon was all too glad to let its prey come to it.

Despite her broken limbs, Chloe was athletic and balanced enough to jump around on a single leg with ease. She continued doing her best to distract the beast, but was having problems doing so and not from a lack of effort.

The Juggernaut was just dead set on attacking Ryuu. It hadn't even glanced at Lefiya once.

Ryuu saw the beast raise its tail high. She parried the tail strike with Alf's Lumina at the last second, not ceasing her charge, causing the demon's tail to briefly get lodged into the ground.

Her eyes widened as she saw a follow-up blur of movement–!

A nauseating golden-brown flash engulfed Ryuu as Lefiya rapidly teleported herself to Ryuu and back to a safe distance. Just barely avoiding getting cut into ribbons with the Juggernaut's second claw.

Ryuu ignored the sick feeling in her stomach and moved forward once more, Lefiya's grip on Ryuu slipping through her fingers.

"Get back!" Chloe cried out, having noticed first that the Juggernaut's hind legs had started getting taut.

Ryuu immediately jumped high into the air. Just in time to avoid getting directly hit by the Juggernaut, but not enough to avoid the flailing tail.

Ryuu cried out in pain as the large tail hit her leg, instantly causing multiple breaks, and again when she landed on the ground.

Ryuu grit her teeth as her eyes involuntarily watered from the mind-boggling pain caused by her forcibly standing with a bleeding, broken leg.

She counted herself lucky that she hadn't rebroken her arm again. With Lefiya's help, Ryuu was able to use her magic to weakly bind her Humerus and Radius back together.

Ryuu forced herself to turn and face the demon, despite the pain in her leg.

The beast was pulling itself out from the landforms it crashed into – Ryuu could even make out small amounts of damage to the demon's armor from the impact with the trees.

Lefiya had, of course, teleported out of the way of the demon's charge.

Chloe threw a salvo of throwing knives, but they were deflected as the Juggernaut flailed its tail to block them. Beyond that, however, the Juggernaut ignored the previously wounded cat girl and focused its attention on Ryuu once more.

Only for everyone to be momentarily distracted by a flash of white light!

---

Main POV

Agonizing pain hit me as blood gushed from my stub arm like a hose. I howled in torment.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe!

My arm! My arm!

It hurts! Hurts so much!

Oh god! The pain!

I couldn't hear anything going on around me. All there was, was pain and a whirlwind of fear and anxiety.

And then…!

Calm.

I was zen. The pain was still there, but it hadn't consumed my thoughts.

I rationally realized that Singularity had suppressed my very reasonable anxiety attack. I could make out the sound of Ryuu's desperate and enraged cries as she engaged the demon. From the clash of metal, and the rush of the wind – Chloe and Lefiya were supporting her.

Good. That would give me time for an emergency experiment. Boy was I appreciating the fact that other monsters were so terrified of the Juggernaut that they were avoiding this battlefield.

I dropped a knife on the ground, and focused through the pain and flashed to the Hestia Knife. My detached hand and wrist were still holding onto the weapon in a death grip. I quickly grabbed my absconded arm and teleported back to my last position.

I plopped myself on my back on the ground and jammed my detached wrist to the stub of my arm. Ignoring the mind boggling agony of that action, I quickly grabbed a Double Potion from my pouch and dislodged the cork. I put the potion in the corner of my mouth, but I didn't drink it.

Instead, I clogged the opening of the vial with the tip of my tongue. I once again made sure to push my detached wrist back to the arm it belonged to. I started to chant, though I'm sure the words would have sounded garbled to anyone listening, "Fluid like water. Distortion through the looking glass. Reversal of all things!"

I focused on a mental image of my female self – two hands and all – and prayed my Luck would carry me through the transformation.

I let go of my tongue, and started drinking the potion so fast it felt like I was drowning. I resisted the urge to gag as I drowned and gargled out the name of my spell, "Hermaphroditus!"

---

Other POV

The attackers tenaciously targeted the Black Goliath's legs in an effort to bring it to ground again, or at the very least restrict its mobility. Although they were unable to injure the Goliath enough to keep it in one spot due to its extremely thick hide, their attacks made the beast's movements clumsy and awkward.

It helped that they were able to pull adventurers away from one of the forest edges, as monsters just weren't coming from that direction for some reason.

Tiona's arrival also helped matters greatly. The sight of a Level 5 adventurer from the Loki Familia did wonders for lifting the morale of all fighters on the field. It turned the situation from dire to manageable in the minds of many adventurers.

The mages had finally finished their spells just as a group of attackers celebrated another successful attack run.

"Front lines, get back! Big stuff's comin' in!"

Asfi, Tiona, and the other attackers immediately withdrew. They had drawn the Goliath into the middle of a small network of magic users protected by shield walls. The beast's blood red eyes opened wide once it realized what was about to happen.

Every single magic caster grinned, knowing there was no escape for their target now, and thrust their staffs' upward.

New colors flashed throughout the battlefield. Magic circles shone brightly as wave after wave of magic hit the beast all at once.

Magic of every element continued to pound the monster. It was assailed by burgeoning balls of flame, followed by thunderbolts in the shape of spears, all while being caught between massive tornadoes and skewered by a rain of long, thick ice shards.

A group of attackers equipped with magic swords added yet another round of flames to the assemblage of smoke and explosions that had completely engulfed the Goliath's body.

At long last, the magic barrage came to a stop. Everyone's ears were ringing as the echoes of the last explosion died out. Every set of eyes was trained on the ball of smoke in the middle of the battlefield…

A massive arm emerged as the smoke started to clear, but there was no hand attached. Next, a heavily damaged head and shoulders were revealed as they slumped forward. The Goliath's skin was torn to shreds, exposing raw muscle and spewing blood from every angle.

White smoke billowed out of its mouth as the beast tried to draw breath, showing just how much damage it had absorbed.

The adventurer ranks yelled out in celebration.

"Let's finish it off, maggots! Attack!"

All of the attackers moved in at once. They came in from every angle, all of them looking to be the one who delivered the final blow. This time, their target was the Goliath's head.

Yet they extended themselves too soon, their celebrations were premature.

The Goliath should have been too badly injured to move according to their experience, and yet it raised its head. The injuries that it had sustained were gone.

Red specks of light emerged from its body, more specifically from its wounds. The adventurers watched in horror as the Goliath's skin regenerated right before their eyes. The red specks were multiplying while all the damage was being erased. Soon, all that was left on its body were scars.

The Goliath stood up with renewed vigor.

"So quick?!" screamed Asfi in disbelief. The Goliath recovered from its injuries at an astounding pace and locked its eyes on the attackers who had charged in close — then the stunned and horrified mages — before raising its arms above its shoulders and bringing its hands together above its head.

Then it brought both massive fists straight down into the ground.

The great plains split into a massive wave of rock and dust and crystal shards.

The ferocious explosion sent a destructive shock wave through the ground. The attackers were instantly swallowed up by an ever-expanding tsunami of debris. It was no time at all before the adventurer walls were overwhelmed and the mages overtaken.

Everything was launched into the air. A rain not of water, but of solid rock and boulders.

Their defensive web was destroyed in an instant.

The attackers got the worst of it and most were on the ground, writhing in pain. But it wasn't just them — the magic users hadn't fared well, either. The entire battlefield had been hit in the attack. The entire battle formation had been ruined.

The only reprieve was that the destruction also killed or disabled many of the other monsters on the field. But, of course, more monsters would soon replace their ranks as they arrived from other parts of the Floor.

And monsters were still not coming from that one section of forest nearby. Adventurers had noticed the sounds of fierce battle, but it was hardly the top of their concerns at the moment.

Smoke wafted up from the cracks in the ground, shrouding a battlefield that looked like a scene from hell.

"It turned magic energy into healing power…?!" Asfi deduced, having been able to easily evade the bombardment of stone raining down on the battlefield.

The Goliath glowed red. Its body was surrounded by thousands and thousands of red specks, the by-product of burned magical energy.

The same energy it used for its Howls had been used to accelerate its natural healing ability.

The remaining adventurers still able to stand looked at the Goliath. It was covered in so many red specks that it appeared to be burning in the darkness.

The Goliath's assault began without warning. It shot a Howl at anything that moved, putting even more adventurers out of commission. They were blown backward, crushed under its impact, and were fading in and out of consciousness.

While Tiona could fight the Goliath on even ground, it significantly reduced the risk to her own person with the other adventurers distracting it and the other monsters. So, even with the Level 5 adventurer on hand, the adventurers were still in danger of a rout.

If only something could give the adventurers a few moments to regroup…

Which is, of course, when an utterly massive plume of fire struck the Black Goliath – stunning the monster as its hardy flesh was rapidly burned away!

...That would do the trick!

---

Ryuu hadn't put much thought into the sign of Bell using his teleportation magic – assuming that he was reasonably leaving the battlefield.

She kept her eyes on her duel with the demon before her. She knew that conventional attempts to run would be pointless considering the horrendous state of her leg. Like Chloe, Ryuu would have to resort to hopping around and balancing most of her weight on her good leg.

At least, that was the only sane thing to do. But Ryuu was on the edge between insanity and sanity.

Holding Alf's Lumina in one hand, Ryuu crouched down low, using the arm on her leg's bad side to keep herself balanced.

'If I could hit it just once…' Ryuu thought to herself. If Bell was able to damage the armor with his level of strength, then a Level 4 like her was likely to shatter a good chunk of the armor with her own power.

Or so she hoped.

If she could do that, then the demon would be vulnerable to her magic! That was why Ryuu was desperately continuing her assault. There was no other way forward.

So Ryuu dug her hand deep into the earth, ready to rush forward like a runner at the beginning of a track and field meet. She pushed off of her good foot with immense force as she pushed herself up with her opposing hand – effectively moving to fight on all fours.

Ryuu let her bad leg dangle behind her as she cycles between using her good leg and opposing arm to charge forward – Alf's Lumina held onto with a death grip in the other.

Being lower to the ground, Ryuu had a better line of sight on the exact angle the Juggernaut was going to strike down with its tail.

So Ryuu was able to spin her body perpendicular to the ground as she used the rotational momentum and the sheer force of her body against the surrounding air to barely swerve around the Juggernaut's tail as it tried to strike her down like a kebab.

With a simultaneous kick and palm strike to the ground, Ryuu launched herself into the air–!

Only to get batted away with a blunt strike to her side as the Juggernaut pulled its tail back.

Before Ryuu could fall to the earth, or get stabbed in a follow-up attack, she was once again saved by a flash of golden-brown.

Ryuu panted, breathing painfully under the familiar feeling of multiple broken ribs. She didn't want to imagine how bruised her body was now. She had been so close!

She could make out the sounds of Chloe finally getting the Juggernaut's attention – for better or worse – as Chloe threw more knives at the Juggernaut's joints. Which forced the Juggernaut to stop focusing entirely on Ryuu to swipe the knives out of the air with its claws.

Chloe and her reformed clones continued to hop around Substituting out of danger at large cost to Chloe's stamina. The cat girl was sweating bullets and was deathly pale. Ryuu doubted that Chloe would even be able to use that Skill of hers if she broke her other leg too. Things weren't looking great.

Lefiya also took the opportunity to tag in, chanting, "Firebolt!" as the other elf cast a series of bolts around the Juggernaut, tricking it into standing still.

Ryuu grit her teeth. Things were really desperate. Chloe had a broken arm and leg. So did Ryuu, with some broken ribs to boot. They were lucky to not have lost any limbs like–!

"Eh?" Ryuu gasped as something weird happened.

A barrage of knives suddenly flew at the Juggernaut!

But… not from the direction Chloe was fighting from.

How…?

---

This had easily been the most intense battle Welf had even been in. He had been lucky to only be a little roughed up from the Black Goliath's AOE attack.

Others had not been so fortunate.

The sight of twisted, crushed, and limp bodies caused Welf to shudder. He was an adventurer, sure, used to the sight of death. But to see this many wounded and casualties was… disturbing.

Welf sincerely hoped that Mikoto was alright wherever she was. The woman had been fighting on another front containing monsters since she was fast enough to quickly book it to the north side – the far end of the battlefield.

He couldn't even see where Ouka had gone. That bastard better not have protected him and was now under nearby debris. Welf would kick his ass for being a team player like that!

More importantly, Welf was beating himself up because… he knew he could do something about it.

'With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility!' Bell's words echoed in his head then.

Welf had bragged about the weapon on his back, but that hadn't really meant he intended on using it. Not that he would refuse to do so, per say, just that he didn't want it to come to that.

To Welf, magic swords were not strength. They were power, for sure, that was without doubt. But power was not the same as strength. Strength was something that could never really be taken away from you.

Magic swords broke after so many uses, no stop. Many mundane weapons could also be broken. The highest tier of weapons, however? Good luck breaking those.

Physical strength would never leave you unless you lost your limbs. And even if Welf could no longer forge another sword, he still had a mind that could instruct others.

And Bell's words proved that willpower, the mind, was perhaps the greatest strength that can never be taken away.

Magic swords were power, not strength. Welf's goal to make the ultimate weapon was not for power, but to create strength. He had, perhaps foolishly, abandoned power to try and gain strength.

It was only now that Hephaestus' words made sense to him. 'You will regret not using this power once you have attained something important… Stop compromising allies for your pride.'

The bodies around him could easily have been him or his friends. What good was strength if he didn't have the power to protect his friends?

A magic sword or two certainly would have prevented Welf and his friends from even being down here in these circumstances in the first place.

So, with the situation on the battlefield clearly dire, Welf didn't hesitate to pull the magic weapon from his back.

He removed the cloth as he ran closer to the massive monster.

Thankfully, no monsters were in his way, as all this close to the Goliath had been hit by the friendly fire that was that debris field.

Welf had reached the front line around the Black Goliath before swinging his sword, "Burning Moon, !"

The blaze instantly cast bright shadows over everything and everyone.

A crimson pyre sprang to life. Flames erupted from the blade of the magic sword; the Goliath was engulfed in a scorching inferno.

The Goliath's howls of pain were drowned out by the roaring fire as its body was overrun by the flames.

The giant's body burned as if trapped in the fires of hell.

Its self-regeneration couldn't keep up. The fire burned away any progress it made. The moment one of the red specks healed a piece of its hide, the flames burned it away. The Goliath only had enough magic energy to maintain a physical form, and it was running out of energy fast.

For the first time during this long fight, permanent damage had been seared into the floor boss's skin.

And it was the perfect reprieve for the surviving adventurers to regroup and heal up before reforming their ranks – galvanized by the sheer power of the magical attack, hope for victory reignited in their hearts.

---

? POV

Healing potion magic. The disassembly and reassembly of cells. A little Luck. These are the collective aspects that allowed for what happened next to come to pass, and actually work.

The consequences of a complete physical transformation are great. One does not simply change an entire body structure and sex with a few changes. Even one mistake could result in the user's immune system attacking itself. And that is just a single example.

The human body is a complex structure not entirely understood. With so many processes, from the tiniest interaction between individual particles in atoms to the interactions between entire organs.

The exact process the spell does in the physical world is hard to describe, and not entirely important. What is important is that the entire body goes through changes on the cellular level in order to perform what otherwise seems to be a casual transformation from one sex to the other.

As long as the conservation of mass is maintained, and with a little Luck to ensure a desirable outcome occurs, the result is essentially a simple reallocation of remaining cells to create the most optimal living state for the user. It's not because the spell is 'smart' enough to know what the user's body would be in the most optimal state. It's more of a subconscious desire as the spell is cast that has the body transform to the will of the user. That is where the 'instruction' comes from.

Considering it was just a clean amputation, there was barely any biological matter lost – at least on the scale that a person would be concerned about. Having lost potentially tens of thousands of cells from the injury is nothing compared to the 10 to 30 Trillion that make up the average human. Nevermind how many cells that make up a hand and wrist.

Indeed, this little trick wouldn't have worked if the user had lost a significant junk of flesh. It was no magical cure all. Just a readjustment to the allocation of cells. For anything beyond minor cuts, bruising, and clean cuts like Bell had endured, this trick would have been meaningless.

Usually.

Ironically, the sharpness and efficiency of the Juggernaut's claws worked to Bell's advantage as it resulted in the least amount of cells lost if you discount all those in the detached limb itself.

Bell had theorized that this was how such transformations had worked. How else had the (admittedly minor) wound on his hand heal as he transformed? What were the mechanics? Why did Lili confirm that her own transformations had effectively healed her, and left her incredibly hungry? Conservation of Mass – cells were being rearranged, perhaps even broken down into protein particles before being reassembled.

Bell had never wanted to test his theory to such an extreme. Understandable. As equally understandable as why he would try something so reckless in his circumstance. Trying to fight the Juggernaut with a missing limb would be a big thing to ask. And who wouldn't want to try and prevent themselves from losing a limb if they could help it?

This is how and why what happens would come to pass.

---

Main POV

As the light of my transformation faded away, I ignored the discomfort in my chest and inspected my hand.

My right hand was completely numb and tingling. I could move my fingers, but it was sluggish and slow to respond to my will. Still it was better than nothing.

Far better.

My hand was re-attached. I didn't have time to celebrate the magical miracle.

With my good hand, I quickly retrieved another Double Potion and plugged the vial with my tongue like before. I was going to repeat the process again to quickly bring me back to my male form.

Fighting with a female body was completely different than a male one, my practice with such a form was woeful. That and it didn't hurt to try a second healing transformation.

So I did the chant, swallowing the potion like before, and once again shifted back to my original form.

My hand wasn't as numb, and was still tingly, but was much more responsive now.

Good enough!

I rolled myself onto my feet and quickly took stock of the situation.

Things didn't look great.

Chloe, and her clones, were desperately jumping around despite her broken arm and leg.

Ryuu heavily wounded. Her leg was black, purple, and red; it was also clearly broken. She was clearly having trouble breathing, suggesting broken ribs.

Lefiya attacked nearby to Ryuu by unleashing a series of Firebolts.

The demon stayed momentarily still as it tended to when magic was fired, Its eyes stayed locked on Ryuu like Lefiya and Chloe didn't even matter.

Ryuu picked herself off of the ground, despite the obvious breaks in her arm and ribs.

Ryuu had already been bruised and bleeding from debris or something before now. She was in dire condition, but seemed to be unaware or unconcerned with her well-being.

Point being, the fight was going to hell and we quickly needed to turn the tide before we ran out of strength and stamina.

I could only be thankful we were on Floor 18 and not on a different Floor. Being in a flat field with trees serving more as obstacles for the Juggernaut than anything else, it meant that the mobility of the Juggernaut was not as effective and so it mostly resulted in using its tail for mid-range attacks before swiping at anyone getting too close.

Otherwise, there wasn't too much locational movement from the thing. No jumping around the walls and ceilings for it, they were simply too far… away.

I regarded the massive height difference between us and the ceiling to Floor 18 and an idea hit me.

Quickly ensuring the Hestia Knife was sheathed, I grabbed a handful of throwing knives in my left hand after sticking another potion vial in my right.

(Anything more precise than 'open' or 'closed' was too much for my right hand at the moment.)

I threw a couple of my knives at the Juggernaut. Despite it being distracted in trying (and failing) to slice Chloe to pieces, the demon still managed to block direct impact from the knives with its tail.

Which didn't matter, as I used the knives to safely teleport within the Juggernaut's guard. As I jumped onto the demon's back, I threw a knife straight up into the air.

I 'safely' plopped myself on the Juggernaut's back like one would ride a horse, digging my feet as much into its bones and armor as I could. I prepared to throw another knife as I flared my Mind.

A flash of white erupted as I brought myself and the demon into the air. I could feel my Mind reserves rapidly depleting away from the stunt.

But I wasn't done, for as soon as we teleported, I threw another knife.

The Juggernaut flailed in confusion, disoriented from the sudden teleportation and disruptions of its senses. A killing machine, it may be, but it was still a living thing to some degree.

My Mind reserves shuddered at the sheer amount of magic being used to lug another entity as large as the Juggernaut along with me. But I persisted. Besides, that's what all these potions I have are for.

I flared my magic again, narrowly avoiding being knocked off by the demon's tail out of sheer chance. I dispatched the cork and downed the potion in my hand as I threw another knife in the air.

I wasn't giving the demon enough time to reorient its senses. The only reason Lefiya was able to use Hiraishin so 'easily' was because of her Mage Development Ability. The Juggernaut had no such cheat.

(Now that I think about it. Lefiya's moments of being a few seconds too slow to whisk Ryuu and Chloe away were obvious giveaways to me about her lack of experience with the spell.)

It took me another two cycles of teleporting and doping on recovery potions to get close to the crystal ceiling that was still glowing red like blood.

I threw my last knife to the side to get some distance from the Juggernaut.

I narrowly teleported away and immediately started falling towards the ground, just like the Juggernaut. It was a good thing I did, as the Juggernaut's tail had impaled its armor right where I had been perched.

Wow.

It must have been really pissed at me to take such a risk.

I definitely wasn't shivering at the thought of that having hit me. Nope. That was just the wind making me cold! And Singularity definitely wasn't forcibly helping me keep my cool right now (sue me, try to stay composed when a giant skeleton dinosaur is staring you down).

Still, the Juggernaut was in a poor situation. Teleporting didn't carry momentum along with it. Meaning all I needed to do to avoid becoming salsa on the ground was to teleport to a mark on the ground before impact.

The Juggernaut would have no such trick to save itself.

Still, it flailed wildly in its freefall, but never once did its gaze let go of me. For a moment, I swore that its focus on me was something more than just the fact that I was the closest adventurer to it at the moment, but dismissed it as coincidence.

I took this time to now take in everything my senses were able to perceive.

The Black Goliath was disturbingly close by, but it was thankfully distracted by the adventurers of Rivira, Asfi, and Tiona thus far.

Though the way it quickly regenerated and slammed its fists into the ground was concerning. The wave of debris created was rather horrifying to witness.

I'd take the chance to blast it with Firebolt, but without a boost from Argonaut I wasn't sure it would do much damage from the current distance.

(Note to self, practice and see if Firebolt has damage dropoff…)

I prayed that Tiona had the Black Goliath front handled. I wasn't sure I was going to have enough magic in the tank to even think of doing Argonaut bullshit after the Juggernaut. And I should knock off any arrogant thoughts like that right now. The damn thing already (almost?) cut my arm off…

Taking advantage of the free time that my freefall had given me, I quickly reviewed the fight so far as I downed my last Double Potion (which finally caused the tingling in my hand to stop).

I considered us lucky that in the fight so far, the Juggernaut was having trouble with choosing who it wanted to target exactly.

In hindsight, the Juggernaut had seemed to have something against Ryuu, but would get distracted whenever Chloe got close.

Was the Juggernaut 'programmed' to target adventurers in a certain order, but changed priorities based on proximity?

It was really weird behavior – since all monsters beside the Xenos are supposed to act on instinct. Such target acquisition difficulty wasn't natural. But I couldn't understand the reasoning behind it either.

Maybe I was looking too much into it.

"Bell!"

"Bell!"

"Bell!"

Three women yelled below me.

Oh, right, the ground.

I tossed the Hestia Knife to the ground. I was at most 5 meters above the ground when I flashed and lost all my momentum as I appeared with my back lying down on the ground.

Only a moment or two later, there was a crash as the Juggernaut hit the ground on its side at terminal velocity (or near to it, not like I had a speedometer or anything). The impact caused a shockwave that kicked up dirt and debris like a smokescreen.

I coughed as the wave of material washed over me.

A moment later, the air cleared. The Juggernaut shuddered and quivered as it slowly picked itself off of the ground. Its entire exoskeleton was cracked like bulletproof glass after it had been shot. A single precise strike would likely cause most of the Juggernaut's armor to fall apart.

It growled with utter maliciousness. It stared me down with immense killing intent. But I was no longer phased. The sight of the Juggernaut's armor being cracked like that was rather unintimidating.

"Cover me!" I called out, palming the Hestia Knife in one hand and my last throwing knife in the other.

"R-right!" Lefiya called back, "Firebolt!"

Lefiya fired a volley of fire and plasma around the Juggernaut, but it chose that moment to launch itself in her direction.

Lefiya yelped in fear before flashing away… accidentally leaving Ryuu behind her.

"Ryuu!" I called out, watching as Ryuu tried to run, but tripped over her bad leg. The demon raised its claw–!

A bell rang.

I flashed without thinking.

Wind whipped around me again as I once again was falling from the sky. My eyes snapped open, noticing that I had Ryuu in my arms. Needless to say, I was confused; How did I get up here?

Perhaps one of my discarded thrown knives was launched high into the air from the Juggernaut's impact. After teleporting to Ryuu, I must have teleported to it either instinctively or through sheer chance. (3)

I guess the specifics don't really matter. Ryuu and I were safe and in a rather advantageous position.

"Brace yourself!" I warned her, as we had only been about 10 meters off of the ground, as I slung Ryuu onto my back as I prepared the Hestia Knife.

Because the Juggernaut was just below us, and unaware of us – too busy trying to gut Chloe's clones to pieces. (Had the Juggernaut given up on figuring out where we went when we teleport? That kind of intelligence is scary…)

I almost impaled some very important parts of myself on the sharp spines of the Juggernaut as my legs buckled upon landing. Ryuu's weight was not doing me any favors.

Paying no heed to the threat to my potential future children, I gathered as much magic as possible as I swung the Hestia Knife into the place where the Juggernaut stabbed itself with its own tail.

"FIREBOLT! VESTA!" I roared with all my might as I channeled damn near every gram of magic I had through the Hestia Knife and into/past the demon's weakened armor.

An explosion of fire and plasma erupted as the internal pressure quickly built up and exploded outward, sending Ryuu and I flying off of the creature's back. (4)

I coughed at the impact with the ground, wincing from the second degree burns on my face and hands from the explosion(and that was with my Endurance negating some of the damage). My vision was blurry, my mind foggy. I'd been using more magic in this encounter than I had in a week, Double Potions being the only thing sustaining me so far, and each one in sequence giving diminishing returns.

But as the smoke cleared, one thing was obvious, the Juggernaut's anti-magic armor was shattered, gone.

The Juggernaut's posture was even shaky and cautious for once.

"Lef…iya… Ryuu…!" I coughed out as loudly as I could, fighting to maintain consciousness.

"Leave it to us, Bell," Ryuu responded from nearby, having gotten up and shakily stood on her good leg. She didn't look away from the Juggernaut as she spoke. Despite the eerie red lighting and her own injuries, Ryuu was beautiful.

So cool…

Am I delirious? How much blood did I lose?

"R-Ready!" Lefiya called back.

Everyone flinched as the Juggernaut unleashed an enraged roar. It lashed out, destroying trees before launching them in the general direction of Ryuu and I with its tail. Like it was trying to do anything to keep us away from it.

I felt arms pick me halfway off the ground and start dragging me away. I looked over to see a haggard Chloe dragging me away. Her arm was still broken. Her clavicle and some of her ribs seemed to be in a similar state. But she still dragged me away with a pained grin.

"We got it, nya champ," Chloe said, clearly able to tell how I was out of magic and low on stamina. Never mind that I could tell that Chloe barely had the energy to stand herself.

Part of me can't help but be impressed that Chloe hadn't ditched us with injuries like that. I wouldn't have blamed her at all for retreating when she was in this condition. I mean, I considered her a good friend, but it meant a lot for her to have stayed with us through it all.

My heart almost skipped a beat there. Damn suspension bridge effect.

At the same time, I could hear Lefiya pelt the Juggernaut with salvos of Firebolts in an attempt to cover Ryuu who was chanting a spell of her own as she avoided the debris being thrown her way.

"In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire."

Lefiya, her instinctual fear serving her well, avoided being trampled and diced as the Juggernaut charged her in a surge of speed. Without its armor, it somehow got even faster. Thankfully, Lefiya had a good eye and was able to keep on teleporting away.

"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler."

I may be almost out of magic, on the verge of passing out, but I can't just lay back and do nothing. I have to do my part to ensure that the Juggernaut doesn't get up ever again. That it doesn't get the chance to kill any of my friends or anyone else!

Chimes begin to ring in my right hand. It's very fitting as I lift it to aim at the Juggernaut as I stabilize the arm with my left.

"Bell, don't! We're out of magic!" Chloe protested, conveniently also explaining why she had fallen back besides protecting me – she would only get in their way with no magic or stamina left, she had done a lot to keep the Juggernaut distracted.

"Don't stop me!" I hissed back, finding it harder and harder to see and my consciousness was harder and harder to hold onto.

"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else."

Lefiya, who was panting so loudly that I could even hear it from this distance, intercepted Ryuu from getting turned into a shish kebab by the Juggernaut's tail as it furiously chased after the older elf with abandon. They teleported nearby in a golden-brown flash.

"Sweep, holy staff of crushing evil," Lefiya quickly chanted, before casting, "Dio Thyrsos!"

A blast of golden lightning fired from Lefiya's staff, causing the Juggernaut to stop chasing them for a moment to jump to the side to avoid the magic attack.

The Juggernaut's hind legs stiffened, getting ready to launch itself! Launch itself anywhere but in the line of fire of our magic!

"Futsunomitama!" Mikoto's voice called out from the treeline (when did she get here). A dark purple sword fell upon the Juggernaut, the sheer force of gravity preventing the demon from moving as it was enveloped in a purple barrier.

I didn't even begin thinking of where the fuck Mikoto had come from. I was too focused on keeping my aim true (which was a lot easier now).

"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy!" Ryuu completed her chant, the Juggernaut kept still as Lefiya barraged the ground around it with another salvo of Firebolts.

Chimes rang out again. 30 second charge.

"Luminous Wind!"

"Firebolt!"

---

Other POV

When Bell had lost his hand, all of Ryuu's fears had come to pass. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was supposed to be the first to get injured and die so that he would be incentivized to run.

The despair that came with the sight was expected, for it was an old friend to Ryuu. What she hadn't expected was the determination she had to honestly fight with the intent to win.

That she had given up on solely trying to save Bell but instead to make that her secondary objective. That passing on the torch of Justice was only the secondary, fallback objective.

She wanted to kill it for hurting Bell.

All of her despair and trauma was put to the side in the face of her rejection of the injustice of the world that took the hand of the man trying to save it. That tried to save her.

She had long since stopped fighting to lose gracefully. She was going to kill it or die trying.

So Ryuu just kept on attacking, desperate to get past the Juggernaut's defenses and strike it's deceivingly weak armor, but to no avail. The Juggernaut forced her to back off again and again as it expertly used its claws and tail with maximum efficiency.

She certainly never spotted Bell retrieve his lost hand or how he somehow reattached the damn thing. Is that what his white flash was all about? All she knew was that he appeared out of nowhere and started to systematically force the demon higher and higher into the sky with his teleportation magic.

The rage in her heart cooled to a slow burn as she could only watch the surreal sight of the Juggernaut falling before suddenly appearing higher and higher in the sky as the red lighting was disrupted by flashes of white.

Until, finally, the flashing stopped. And the red-black dot got closer and closer.

Before it then impacted the ground with immense force. The shockwave knocked her off of her feet, even with Lefiya in front of her to blunt the air blast.

She could hardly believe her eyes as the Juggernaut got back up after that fall. But the sight of its damaged armor was certainly familiar.

"Cover me!" Bell called out then.

"R-right!" Lefiya called back to him, "Firebolt!"

Lefiya fired a volley of fire and plasma around the Juggernaut, but it chose that moment to launch itself in her direction – interrupting whatever plan Bell was going to commit to.

Lefiya yelped in front of her before vanishing in a flash of brown and gold, leaving the sight of a charging Juggernaut to consume her vision.

With the state of her leg and her current position, Ryuu instinctively knew that she wouldn't be able to dodge. She certainly tried, but she still closed her eyes and accepted the end.

Ryuu hadn't been sure of what she had been expecting, but Hell felt a lot like falling from a great height.

She opened her eyes only to find herself safely in Bell's arms. For some reason, her mind reminded her of when his lips met hers. She didn't even have time to blush as she was suddenly slung onto his back. She barely held onto Bell as she impacted into whatever was below her.

She barely processed the quick buildup of magic below her until it was too late.

"FIREBOLT! VESTA!" Bell had cried out before everything exploded.

It was only due to her Magic Resistance that the explosion didn't burn her or anything. Though she was more concerned about the pain to her arm and leg at the rough fall.

Desperately getting to her feet despite the pain, she observed the situation. The Juggernaut's armor was completely gone, and Bell was on the verge of passing out.

"Lef…iya… Ryuu…!" Bell coughed out, and Ryuu knew what he was trying to convey. He wanted Ryuu to take out the demon now that its magic armor was gone, and for Lefiya to support her.

…Why?

Why did he have such faith in her? When she had failed Them before? How? How could he have faith in her to do anything?! She. She who abandoned righteousness?!

WHY?!

Because Ryuu is my Hero.

Bell Cranel's words to her from the other day rung in her head.

When I was weak and naïve. When I was unsure of myself. Ryuu was there for me every time. You showed me how to fight. How to be confident in myself. To be true to my ideals. To my true self.

And when I was in danger, you didn't even hesitate to lend your strength to save your friend. When I was weak, you didn't even hesitate to share your experience and wisdom. When I was injured, you didn't hesitate to heal me.

If Ryuu is truly such a bad person, then what am I who learned almost everything about being an adventurer from you? Well?

…Bullshit! I just said to stop talking poorly about yourself! I refuse to reject you! You've tainted nothing! Listen to me when I tell you that you've saved everything!

…Then I will save you! Even if the entire world stands against you, still I will still save you. Because to me, the True Ryuu Lion is beautiful in every sense of the word. Not just appearance but in her very being. She's kind and resolute. A heart of justice and righteousness. Who loves so, so deeply! She is Strong, and not just with the finesse of a blade or the might of her magic.

…

…

…I see.

Ryuu finally understood something. Bell Cranel, among other things, viewed her as a Champion of Justice. Despite all her faults and failings, he still believes in her. He believes in a future. With her.

Hope.

It was something she had been without for so long.

Even now, she could not understand the warmth in her chest as she remembered Bell's words.

No. That was a lie. She knew exactly what she was feeling. It had just been so long since she had been loved so deeply. Ryuu had believed that only Syr was the one who could love her despite everything, because of how kind the girl was. It was an unbelievably rare trait. So many people wear masks of congeniality while they are in truth only really concerned about their own interests.

Then Ryuu deluded herself by thinking only the Hostess girls could tolerate being in the vicinity of an elf such as her.

But Ryuu could no longer deny the truth. That somehow, despite all of her sins, she was surrounded by people who loved and accepted her.

Who believed in her. That there was still Justice in her heart.

She would not ignore such faith, such hope. Not any longer!

It was time for the demons of her past to meet their end.

"Leave it to us, Bell," Ryuu promised the man who saved her soul.

And so she sang.

" In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire."

Ryuu sang as she danced around the beast's attempts for the demon to reach and eviscerate her.

"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler."

Ryuu sang as all the hardship she and her loved ones had endured filled her with hope. Hope for a better tomorrow.

"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else."

Ryuu sang as she believed in the Ryuu that was seen in those rubellite eyes. She was unphased, but grateful, as the young elf assisted her in avoiding the demon's attack. Because Ryuu knew that she didn't need to face things alone anymore. She didn't have to be alone anymore. In fact, she was wanted, in spite of everything. She was wanted.

"Futsunomitama!" the voice of an ally chanted, pinning the Juggernaut and her demons in place.

"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy!"

Ryuu finished her song as she silently pleaded with the heavens that she could just save the man that set her soul alight. That Alice, Kaguya, Lyra, and everyone else might now rest in peace.

"Luminous Wind!"

"Firebolt!"

---

Mikoto had deviated from Welf and Ouka-taichou to assist the adventurers on the northern flank. As the fastest and most agile fighter, she was able to easily move ahead and fight on her own if need be.

While not honorable, if push came to shove, she could always fall back to regroup.

But, when the irregular Goliath had unleashed that AOE attack, the shockwave had sent her flying into the nearby forest where she may have hit her head rather hard.

Thankfully, all nearby monsters had also been stunned, so nothing tried to eat her as she got onto her feet in a daze.

She, of course, tried to get back to the battlefield. But, despite the Goliath towering above the trees, Mikoto quickly found herself lost. It took her another minute of stumbling around, cutting off the heads of Bugbears, to notice that she had a concussion.

That would certainly explain why Mikoto was so lost. Her sense of direction had gone to utter nonsense!

She realized this all in time to hear the sounds of nearby battle. Naturally, she headed over to assist. And Luckily her sense of direction actually allowed her to find the source of the sound of combat.

Only to see Bell-dono and the other missing members of his party fighting the scariest skeleton, dragon monster she had ever seen.

Admittedly, the monster was obviously damaged heavily. Even so, the thing was really scary!

And it was moving fast enough that she doubted that even her unconcussed self could follow its movements.

However, she was aware enough to spot that her allies were charging up magic spells to attack the beast. A beast that might dodge considering how quick it seemed to be despite its relatively large size.

So Mikoto quickly chanted her magic, using her inner voice rather than literally saying the words out loud, "I pray to you, my God, the destroyer of all things. Lead me from the highest heavens, and grant my insignificant body the power of the divine. Descend from the heavens and rule over the earth! War God's Strike! Futsunomitama!"

She channeled all her Mind into keeping that damn monster in place. Not letting it get away from her friend's final strike.

---

A beam of white-hot fire and plasma was unleashed from the now unconscious boy's hands. At the same time, a torrent of over 30 spheres of wind and light formed before launching at their target.

The spheres swirled around the beam as if being guided to their destination.

The Demon tried to run. But the purple sword of gravity magic kept it in place. There was nowhere to go.

The dual magic attack connected. And exploded. The ensuing shockwave flattened all trees and crystals within 30 meters or so and was heard to some varying degree across the entire floor…

---

Moments Earlier…

Tiona cheered as the Black Goliath burned alive. She couldn't remember ever seeing a magic sword so powerful, and she certainly wasn't going to forget the sight anytime soon.

She wasn't a weapon's nerd by any means, but even she could feel a little weapon envy from the sight of such a magic weapon in use.

So as she was waiting for a good opportunity to charge and try and finish off the Goliath, she was surprised to see the magic swordsman run over to her.

Welf looked roughed up as if he had been catapulted into a tree from using a magical weapon. Because he had. Been launched into a tree. Hence why he went to find an adventurer who could better handle the weapon's kick.

"Here!" He said before tossing the weapon to her.

Tiona caught the sword one-handed, her Urga still being wielded in the other. She raised her eye at the Argonaut's blacksmith who tossed the weapon to her.

"You'll have an easier time getting close to it than me!" Welf explained, "Roast that son of a bitch alive for me, would ya?!"

Tiona grinned savagely, "Oh hell yeah!"

Welf shuddered at the look, wondering to himself what the hell he had just unleashed.

Tiona laughed maniacally as she bolted for the Black Goliath, who was no longer on fire and was still trying to recover from the previous magical attack and the ongoing ballista bombardment.

At great speed, she launched herself in the air, and once more sliced through the back of the Black Goliath's knee despite only wielding Urga with a one-handed grip. She continued through the air, spinning, as she slashed the back of the other knee before landing on the far side.

The Black Goliath howled loudly as it was forced to fall backwards. It landed on its back with such force it felt like a small earthquake.

Tiona laughed joyfully as she leapt onto the top of the Black Goliath's chest. Spinning Urga with one hand, she swiped back and forth across the Black Goliath's flesh to create an opening.

The Black Goliath began to move its arms to try and squish the adventurer on top of it. But it was halted as Asfi, using her magic shoes, flew by and dropped more of her bombs right in the Monster Rex's eyes.

Tiona grinned, her eyes full of joy and bloodlust as she raised the Crozzo Magic Sword high in the sky before swinging it down, deep into the Black Goliath's open flesh wound.

Fire exploded with unbelievable force. If a weaker adventurer tried to resist the Third Law of Motion like Tiona was, they would have been sent flying like a rocket. But Tiona was strong enough to stand her ground as an entire industrial carpet bombing run was being channeled through the magic sword every second.

As the sword shattered in her hand and the smoke cleared, it was revealed that the Black Goliath below her had it's chest completely burned away; the Goliath's upper body completely separated from the lower half. The large magic stone was readily visible right below her.

"Geronimo!" Tiona laughed as she leapt down from her perch towards the magic stone. The Black Goliath's body tried to regenerate itself–!

But Tiona's Urga struck first.

The Magic stone cracked, then shattered.

The Black Goliath exploded into ash.

At the same time, a magical explosion was heard going off nearby. A crater was left in the battlefield with the Juggernaut, but the demon was gone. Leaving only a pile of dust behind.

The Juggernaut and Black Goliath… had been slain.

The crystals on the ceiling turned from blood red to a dim blue as the Dungeon relented in its defeat.

The battle was over. All that was left was a mop up operation.

---

Freya and Ottar, both under invisibility cloaks, ascended to the 18th Floor after the lights turned from red to blue.

Freya swept her Gaze across the horizon before smiling with satisfaction.

"Everything has proceeded as I had hoped and dreamed for."

Freya did the mental equivalent of giving herself a pat on the back for a job well done.

"Though I will admit," Freya said wistfully, "That I'm a little jealous that I might not be the first Goddess to embrace the new you, Ryuu-chan, in their arms."

Ottar was silent, his face as composed as always. He silently wished that Freya would just give him the order to leave already. Everything so far had stressed his patience for the amount of danger his Goddess was allowed to be in for the next few centuries.

At least Freya-sama was happy.

Freya, meanwhile, was still praising herself for being right, as usual. Yes, unfortunately, Freya had still yet to really learn anything.

She knew the danger she had put others in for her scheme. She just felt the price, the blood on her hands, was worth one paying if it meant her loved ones were happier, more complete beings.

Even if They might hate her for it.

Such were the contradictions of a Goddess of Love and War. She wanted them to love her. But she also put them in harm's way because of her love. Truly, the love of a Goddess is… something else.

---

Lefiya hissed as she picked herself off of the ground. It took a moment to locate where any of her temporary party members were even at. That final blast had sent her flying a truly ridiculous distance!

Lefiya grumbled as she tiredly marched to regroup with her allies.

That thing, the Juggernaut, was one of the scariest things Lefiya had ever seen. And she had just dealt with that Demi-Spirit thing on the 59th Floor not too long ago!

Lefiya wanted to complain at how Bell Cranel dragged her into such an encounter, but knew how unfair that was. While the danger level was vastly different, she too had dragged Bell into significant danger when they followed those Evilus members.

And besides, it was quite clear to her now that the fight was over, that things wouldn't have gone nearly as well if she wasn't there to help get her comrades out of harm's way. There was simply no other way for them at their collective strength to compete with that thing's speed.

It just irked her how much she had to rely on that boy's magic in that fight. The Juggernaut was just too fast for her to dare use any magic with a substantial chant-length. Especially since for most of the fight it was immune to magic attacks.

The fact such a monster existed was both horrifying and an affront to Lefiya. Magic is, like, her whole thing! Utter ridiculousness!

Ironically, the only thing Lefiya could do was to simply double down on getting better with magic! She was a specialist fighter, not a generalist! Her response to this kind of bullshit was to find a magical bullshit solution!

Lefiya was tired. Her thoughts were becoming rather crass. That said, she doubled down on this line of reasoning.

And so a fire was lit in Lefiya's heart as she resolved to get good enough at chanting all of her spells. That Demi-Spirit was able to speed through lengthy chants in mere moments. Surely there was some way for her to replicate the technique!

She'd need it to protect her friends, like how she protected her comrades today. Without it, her arsenal would just be too limited. Because while she may usually just be the fortress in the rear, she finally had a taste of being something more than just a liability that needed protecting.

She really could protect those she cared about. She just needed to get stronger.

…She'd let Cranel off the hook this time. Besides, you don't go through so many life or death struggles with someone and not form a bond.

She just wasn't sure what that bond was exactly. Her emotions were all over the place.

She'd go ahead and blame him for being so annoying. She swore her life was never so complicated before!

…And now she had to lug that eastern woman back! The adventurer from Takemikazuchi Familia was lying on her back, unconscious from Mind Down and other injuries.

Lefiya was not cut out for such heavy lifting!

…Shut up that the other woman barely weighed much at all! Mages don't lug stuff around.

SHUT UP!

Maybe Ais-san will pat her head for being so considerate…

That gave Lefiya all the strength she needed to help her fellow adventurer out.

---

Chloe wondered exactly how exactly she had gotten into this situation. She was propped against a tree, unable to move. And not just because her arm and leg were broken. But because a certain white-haired rabbit was lying unconscious on top of her.

Chloe suspected that the feeling of his butt on her lap was the only thing keeping her conscious through the pain. It definitely wasn't from the pain of him putting weight on her bad leg.

Chloe believed the trade off was worth it.

Still, she sighed at her current circumstances.

This seriously wasn't what she had signed up for, you know?

It was just supposed to be a search and retrieval mission! To Level 18 at most, easy peasy, it should have been. But what was she supposed to do, leave her friends behind to secure her own safety?

Chloe was too greedy to ever let monsters take something from her that was hers. That's the kind of girl she was, the kind that wants everything.

People always get on her case for being proud of being greedy. Chloe just calls it being honest.

Everyone has things they want. Maybe they want to vainly bring back people they've lost. Maybe they want money like her. Maybe they want women or hot boys (she wasn't drooling at the thought of hot young boys…). Maybe they are idiots like Bell that want to protect the world.

They are all things that people commonly want, even if they don't plainly admit it. Admit to their heart's desire. Greed isn't as bad as people make it out to be. People assume it's just a lust for money or power, but everyone wants something they don't have.

Sure, she could have just forced Bell to run away – the rest would have followed had she done so. But she could hardly go against the boy that accepted her past without judgment. She couldn't deny him his greed to protect others like she didn't want others to deny her own wants. It was just too much of a spit in the face.

Still, this sucked.

…but she has gotten a feel of his butt out of this.

Chloe nodded to herself.

Definitely worth it.

Truly, Chloe is both a pervert and an idiot.

---

Ryuu laid on the ground, looking up to the sky. Her injuries hurt… a lot. But she hardly paid them any head.

She did it. They did it.

The Juggernaut was defeated. She killed it. It may not have been literally the exact same monster, but… she couldn't help but feel like her precious Familia had been avenged.

Like this Floor where their memory was immortalized was a sacred ground that it could not encroach upon again. Yes, perhaps it was rather poetic that it had been slain here.

They may not have stopped the Juggernaut from claiming any lives. But they had certainly prevented it from taking any more.

Ryuu's actions had truly saved lives, rather than taking them.

And it was all thanks to Bell. Bell who believed in her. Pushed her to be better. To remember the Justice in her heart.

She closed her eyes, smiling. For the first time in years, Ryuu finally felt at peace with herself.

She opened her bright, sky blue eyes once more. They were filled with fire and determination.

For Ryuu wasn't done. There was still so much she had to do. So much to atone for. So much to experience.

So much and more. It would be more intimidating if she was alone.

But she wasn't.

Friends like Andromeda(Asfi). The Hostess girls. Syr. And Bell.

Ryuu had a feeling they would stick by her through thick and thin. This fight had proved it, after all. They all saw past her pathetic self, and saw a version of herself she thought lost and broken.

Not anymore.

The White Flame of Hope was back.

And it was here to stay.

Ryuu would still mourn for Alice and her comrades. She would still feel sorrow. But Ryuu knew that they would want her to keep moving forward. To keep on searching for Justice.

And that's what she was going to do.

---

From his perch in the Center Tree, Hermes looked over Bell Cranel and the entire battlefield in awe and jubilation.

"Ah… ah~, glorious!"

The deity laughed as if he'd been intoxicated by the excitement that was swirling around him.

"These eyes have seen it! I, Hermes, have seen it! Your grandson, your parting gift to this world!"

Hermes's fervor grew more and more as he called out to someone, somewhere.

He thought back to the boy's grandfather's words.

"The boy has a backbone. The boy has patience… However, he severely lacks character."

Bell's grandfather had told him that the boy didn't have what it would take.

"Have you gone blind, saying things like that?!"

'Would you still make that claim if you saw this?!' The deity laughed to himself as he gestured toward the boy in the distance. From the moment he had met Bell Cranel, he knew that Zeus' detractions had been woefully inaccurate.

Witty and intelligent. Bell had quickly used Hermes for his own ends, but those ends were to help one of his dear friends.

Confident and hopeful, while also cautious and aware that his actions had consequences. Bell carried himself as someone burdened with responsibility.

Hermes wouldn't say he was completely matured. Nor that he was ready, per say. It was why he had gathered those adventurers to test Bell. He wanted to make sure he knew of humanities' evils, and if he was still willing to save them.

Hermes threw his head back toward the sky, mouth wide open, laughing in a way that could be called crazy.

"Rejoice, Great Lord Zeus! Your grandson is the real deal! The last hero your Familia left behind!"

Hermes's enthusiasm had yet to subside as he continued.

"Well, I'm no Oracle but… Ahhh! I can't keep this to myself!"

Hermes looked out over the great plains filled with adventurers, as if he were watching a play, and yelled out.

"It's coming, it's coming! A new era is coming! Could be ten years from now, five years, one year, or even tomorrow! But something will happen in Orario to usher in the new era!"

It was his divine intuition. The prediction of an 'armchair historian'.

It had been a thorn in his side for some time.

"Seriously, has there ever been a better group of heroes alive at the same time since the prehistoric days?!"

The Braver – Finn Deimne.

Nine Hell – Riveria Ljos Alf.

King – Ottar.

Kenki (Sword Princess) – Ais Wallenstein.

Great Cleaver – Tiona Hiryute and her sister, Jormungand – Tione Hiryute.

Gale Wind – Ryuu Lion.

It was hard to find a better collection of valiant individuals throughout all of history.

Each of them had a level of character and strength that would measure up well with the greatest heroes of all time, and they were all here at once.

"No, definitely not! With so many worthy children so close together, there's no way something huge couldn't happen!"

Add the weiẞes Häschen into the equation, his untapped potential on top of all of the others' proven strength and power, and Hermes's intuition became firm conviction.

"And I'll see it, I'll see it all! These eyes will watch all of them as they carve their names into history, until the day they die!"

Their humanity, their praise, their joy.

Hermes's vision of the future came together in his head as he watched the adventurers gathering around the white-haired boy.

The deity's eyes opened even wider.

"The story they will create, bound by the love of their gods. The Familia Myth!"

It would become the ultimate show.

The most charming of charms.

The pastime to end all pastimes.

"Aaaahhh—"

It was so exciting.

"Coming down to this world was the best decision I've ever made!"

The children were still dancing, fist-pumping and yelling with glee. He opened both of his arms toward them and sang a song to praise the heroes.

---

Authors Notes:

(1) Bell's words effectively acted as the Permission for Lefiya to use Hiraishin for the upcoming fight. As soon as the Juggernaut and Black Goliath were defeated, Lefiya would find herself unable to teleport again. Her skill is OP, but also weird like that due to Bell's base permissions for his magic.

(2) The Juggernaut looks dark red because the crystals on the ceiling have turned red, giving everything a red hue.

(3 ) Bell unconsciously used Argonaut to teleport Ryuu (who was marked with Hiraishin) to himself as he teleported to a knife he didn't even notice himself throwing. He misinterprets the series of events because of the heat of battle. He has not noticed that he can essentially do a reverse summoning via Hiraishin yet. Hestia will notice though, when she updates his Status and informs him.

(4 ) This move was clearly very effective against the Minotaur. Might as well reuse useful tricks, right? Bell stabbed the Juggernaut with Hestia and shoved Firebolt through it. That's all Vesta is at its most basic.

Why did Bell decide to charge straight at the Juggernaut with Argo Vesta? Short answer, he was dumb. Longer answer is, he was acting emotionally and also wasn't sure if he could teleport while having Argonaut charging or not. Or, in other words, he was being dumb.

Hermes obviously is biased and sees Bell in a good light since he is Zeus' grandson. So he is very quick to brush aside Bell's flaws and see them as virtues instead. For the most part.

While meant mostly as a joke, Bell's transformation spell was also introduced for this moment as a sort of 'anti-limb loss' counter-measure. There is a reason I hinted at its healing properties in such detail. It twas to explain how this bullshit would happen. It literally wouldn't work without Luck though. Lili couldn't pull off this kind of thing, for example. Sorry Lili, you aren't the protagonist.

That said, if Bell's hand was more mangled, this wouldn't have worked. Part of the Luck was that Bell lined up his severed hand with his arm perfectly before he even transformed. There is also the fact that if he was missing too much flesh that he couldn't pull this off. What I'm saying is that this isn't going to be some perfect cure all that allows Bell to bullshit his way out of any and all injuries. Bell was just ironically lucky to lose a limb to the Juggernaut (again) of all things. For example, if a monster bit off a chunk of Bell's flesh like in the latest episode of the anime, he'd be shit out of luck.

Bell shuts Ryuu up with a kiss. What a mad lad. Knowing Bell and Ryuu, though, they'll still dance around getting into a relationship for another twenty chapters or something. RIP

After almost dying, Bell uses an unconventional use of Hiraishin to do some serious damage by dropping the Juggernaut from really high. Since first time teleporting results in disorientation and a feeling of nausea, the Juggernaut effectively became blind as it lost its inherent sense of orientation and stuff. It can't attack if it doesn't have a way of sensing where its target is at. And an exoskeleton isn't the greatest way to have a sense of touch. By the time the Juggernaut might have regained its bearing, Bell would have teleported again in what was effectively a stun-lock. Of course, this absolutely burned through Bell's Mind reserves. Spamming potions like he did has its consequences too. He'll almost be a complete invalid until he can physically recover, which will be seen in the next chapter.

No one outside of the Jugg fight noticed Bell teleporting upwards with the Juggernaut because of the Black Goliath's actions. But Hermes and others definitely saw the descent. Rumors will definitely spread about how Bell fought such a strange dragon-like creature… while not also dying from a fall like that.

Hermes had gotten a good look at Bell's fight with the Juggernaut. However, the white and golden-brown flashes made it hard for Hermes to make out what Hiraishin was doing as the sight would blind him through his telescope. By the time Hermes' sight would return, the battle would have progressed enough for everyone to be in different positions. He also Luckily missed Bell teleport into the sky because he was also trying to watch the Black Goliath fight at the same time. For the moment, Bell's spell had managed to evade notice from the likes of Hermes. Lucky bastard.

Lili spent the rest of the time helping move weapons and potions around. Nothing really of note. She did get a little bit of leadership experience though. And she probably smacked away an errant Al-Miraji or two.

Were Bell's words in everyone's head from Inspiring Leader or was it purely their own thoughts? Maybe both.

My initial draft had the two fights going on being farther away from each other. But then I realized that the Goliath had dropped really close to where Mord and Bell fought. So it ended up resulting in the fights happening within 100-200 meters of each other. Tiona did a good job of keeping the Black Goliath focused away from Bell's direction.

And to clarify, Bell's fight was taking place in a clearing in the forests near the plains the Black Goliath ended up in. It's noted a couple of times that the adventurers in the BG fight were able to pull fighters off of one of the tree lines since monsters weren't coming from that direction. The Jugg fight was scaring off monsters from coming on that approach.

Hopefully I managed to give the Juggernaut fight the justice it deserves. I figured that with the environment not being ideal, essentially an open clearing in a forest, that the Juggernaut could not effectively fight as it would in the usual tunnels and shallow caverns it would usually have in most of the Dungeon. So, it would default to staying mostly stationary and using its tail to fight like seen animated at the end of Season 4 Part 1 – using its forelegs/claws should someone manage to get too close.

I didn't try to replicate the fight from the light novels and mainly used observations of how the Juggernaut fought in the anime in conjunction with how the environment on Floor 18 was not ideal for its fighting style. Also, I make the assumption that the Juggernaut instinctively stops moving when attacked with magic. The Juggernaut eventually learns that Bell and co keep on aiming short and so it starts walking into magic purposefully. All to force a magical reflection.

The Juggernaut wouldn't want to risk damaging its armor by just blindly charging into a ton of landform trees. It still attacks really quickly, however, so it's still a massively deadly threat. But with two Hiraishin users and Chloe's ninja abilities to evade danger, it allows them to actually hold out long enough for Bell to recover and find a way to break the Juggernaut's anti-magic armor – leaving it vulnerable to Ryuu's magic.

I'll be releasing the next chapter a week from now instead of in two weeks. Chapter 12.5 is mostly a resolution chapter for everyone's return to the surface. Look forward to it!

P.S. The latest Volume 18 spoilers are driving me insane. Please send help.