Is It Wrong To Level Up In A Dungeon?

Chapter 28. Victory, Debt, Decision

Above the battlefield, the gods watched with keen interest.

"Hoh... they're fast," Hermes remarked to Asfi, his expression unreadable. "Too fast."

Asfi glanced at him. "You suspect something?"

Hermes tapped his chin. "It's as if someone is feeding them intel on every move the Hestia Familia makes. But," his lips curled into a smirk, "intel is a double-edged sword. The wrong information at the right time can be just as dangerous."

As if on cue, the castle's heavy iron gates groaned open. A single figure stepped through.

Bell Cranel.

The spectators gasped in shock. How?

The answer became clear. Standing beside the open gates, grinning in triumph, was Luan—or rather, what had appeared to be Luan.

The Pallum smirked, twirling her crossbow. "He's tied up in a warehouse under Miach's watch."

"Nice work, Lili."

The siege raged on.

Daphne's sharp eyes flickered with urgency as reports flooded in—Bell Cranel was closing in.

At that moment, the battlefield trembled. From the depths of his own shadow, Bell summoned the colossal Shadow Ice Bear. The beast's form loomed over the battlefield, its frigid aura crackling in the air.

"Stop them! Mages, fire!" Daphne commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos.

Bolts of magic streaked toward Bell and his monstrous ally, but before they could land, a barrage of dark energy intercepted them midair. Bell's shadow mages retaliated, their own spells clashing violently against the Apollo mages' assault. Explosions erupted across the courtyard, sending shockwaves through the air as Bell sprinted past the chaos, leaving the mages to handle Daphne.

Meanwhile, within the throne room, Hyakinthos seethed.

His fingers curled into fists, nails digging into his palms as he paced. His carefully laid plans were unraveling before his eyes.

"We must leave," Cassandra pleaded, stepping toward him with desperation in her gaze. "Hyakinthos, please! We've lost—"

A sharp crack echoed through the chamber.

Cassandra staggered, a red mark forming on her cheek where his hand had struck.

"Silence!" Hyakinthos snapped, his breath ragged with fury. "I will not flee like a coward!"

His eyes burned with hatred. The humiliation he had suffered at Bell's hands was unforgivable. His grip tightened around his sword as he turned to his subordinates.

"Prepare for Cranel's arrival," he ordered, his voice dripping with venom. "Do not kill him. That honor belongs to me."

Outside, the battle raged on. Hestia's Familia and their allies clashed against the Apollo forces, neither side relenting.

And then—

A flash of crimson light.

Bell's Firebolt erupted from below, surging toward the throne room. This was no ordinary spell—his Argonaut had infused it with raw power, making it a blazing spear of destruction.

The explosion was deafening. The throne room and the roof above it crumbled, debris raining down as Bell shot forward through the smoke and ruin.

Hyakinthos barely had time to react before Bell was upon him.

Steel clashed, but it was over in an instant. Bell's strike shattered Hyakinthos' sword, fragments scattering across the broken floor. The Apollo captain's breath hitched, eyes wide as Bell reared back, ready to end it.