No one's POV
Bell was still confronting the criminal elf who was thirsty for blood. He was like a detective trying to figure out the truth. When they were on the eighteenth floor together, the Hero had told him something about the elf's past. Now the character from that story seems to have appeared before him. A different elf, one Bell had never met before.
Ryuu: But we'll clear that debt here and now—your calculations and all.
Ryuu says resolutely as she pulls the mask from her face. The catman screams as she walks steadily toward him, as if he can no longer stand his own terror.
Jura: Rabbit Foot! Kill her; I'm begging you! It's awful; my whole body hurts; the blood won't stop...! The arm she cut off...!
He seems to be in anguish as he hugs his bleeding body with his remaining arm. Bell shiver as he stare at Ryuu's dagger.
Bell: I-is it true? That you cut off this man's arm...?
Ryuu:...Yes, I was the one who severed his arm. I sliced off his ear, too. And what of it?!
Anger and regret are blended inseparably in her voice. She has clearly confessed her deeds. Bell sink to the floor as his knees collapse beneath him.
Ryuu: Move aside immediately!
Bell: M-Miss Ry—
Ryuu: I said move!!
The tip of the wooden sword was pointing at him. Her rage was enough to make me shrink, Level Four or not. The heartbeat thundering in Bell's ears and the sweat pouring from him were near their peak.
Ryuu: If you interfere, I'll throw you aside, too...I don't have time for it.
Her words freeze Bell's throat.
Jura: Please, Rabbit Foot...Save meee...!
The catman's wail drives Bell's anxiety even higher. In front of him was an ultimatum, behind him a plea. It's just like a scene in a drama. There's the criminal starving for blood, and here, facing her, was the detective, and there the victim pleading for help. It was Bell, in the role of detective, who's been driven relentlessly into a corner. What a poor actor he was. Or to borrow the words of the deities, how wretchedly Bell had been miscast in this role. He can hardly bring himself to watch.
Bell:...Please tell me.
Although Bell feel on the verge of being crushed, he draw up all his emotional strength and speak.
Bell(mind): I have to know. I have to understand.
The whole story, and Ryuu's true intentions. If he doesn't, he'll never be able to arrive at an answer. So he buck this tremendous pressure and ask her.
Bell: Did you kill the man from Rivira? Are you the one that is responsible?
Ryuu: I don't have time to answer your questions!
Bell: A body was found outside Rivira! And there are witnesses who saw you fleeing the scene!
Ryuu: How many times do I have to say it for you to understand?!
She's full of irritation, determined not to give in.
Bell: Miss Ryuu, I'm begging you! I need to know! Please answer me!!
Bell pour all his yearning to hear her side of the story into his next words.
Bell: Are you the one who killed that man?!
Ryuu: It wasn't me!!
They were yelling so loudly it's like they were fighting. Their eyes meet the sky-blue ones that have lost their calm. Her shout is like that of a frenzied criminal. The bitter words hurled at Bell contain no explanation or excuse, only emotion. But—it was enough.
Bell: I understand.
At least for Bell.
Jura: Rabbit Foot, what are you doing? Hurry up and save me! Hurry up and...?
The catman was screaming at Bell as he let the tension drain from his body. Bell's physical body was still standing opposite her, but in his heart, he was no longer opposing her. Jura notices the change. The scene was no longer composed of a criminal, a detective, and a victim. Instead, there were two detectives and one true criminal. And Jura knows it.
Bell: Will you show me your wounds?
Bell ask Jura calmly.
Jura: Huh? What are you talking about...?
Bell: Please show me where your arm was cut.
It just so happens that Bell very, very recently saw a man whose arm had been cut off—the elf Luvis, who had been attacked by the moss huge. Bell didn't want to look at it, but the wound where the monster tore his arm off was really awful. The endless blood, the clothes and equipment stained deep red, the overwhelmingly strong smell of fresh blood.
The sight of his severed arm was so awful Bell felt the blood drain from his head the moment he glimpsed it. But Jura doesn't have any of those symptoms. Sure, his clothes and equipment are covered in blood, but not so much that it would cause irreversible necrosis of the upper arm. The smell of fresh blood that invades one's nostrils was missing, too.
That's what Bell's memory has been trying to tell him all along. That's the sense of incongruence that was flashing in his mind. Until a minute ago, Bell had been so upset he hadn't realized. But now he saw. That missing arm—
Bell: That wound...It's old, isn't it?
Jura glares at Bell angrily. Ryuu said she herself severed his arm and sliced off his ear. But what if she did it in the past, when she was fully consumed by her desire for revenge— during that regrettable period of time Sora told him about with such grief on the eighteenth floor? It makes sense. And it explains a few things.
This catman got upset and refused treatment for his wounds. Could that have been because he was worried about what Bell and the others would discover if they examined his body? Was he afraid Bell and Boris would notice his wounds were old?
In other words, he inflicted his fresh wounds himself. Ryuu hasn't even attacked him yet. There are some other odd things as well. Actually, quite a lot about this whole situation strikes Bell as unnatural. If Ryuu was using magic to cause explosions, then her victims would all have burns on them. But that didn't hold true for one of them: the dwarf Bell had encountered.
He alone was marked with dagger wounds and nothing else. Bell was guessing that dwarf was the only one of Ryuu's enemies whose whereabouts she discovered. And she probably took out her weapon because he resisted.
Bell: I've been thinking this for a while now...but your claims don't add up.
Jura: What are you talking about? I explained...!
Bell: Okay then, why are you alive right now?
Jura:...?!
Bell: If your arm was cut off, your ear was cut off, and you were the victim of magic...why are you not dead?
His opponent was Gale Wind. She destroyed a massive faction single-handedly. She is a legendary Level Four warrior with a bounty on her head. It doesn't make sense that she would capture him but let him escape in the end.
Bell: At first I thought maybe she was deranged...because there's no way Miss Ryuu would leave that place where Boris and the other adventurers had gathered after she had attacked you.
That is, if they were indeed attacked, as this man claimed. Why would Ryuu create an explosion but then purposely not put an end to things? Because she hadn't been attacking anyone in the first place. Why hadn't they found any signs of magical power or heard any spells, like Bell did this time? Because she hadn't been blowing up the floor. So what's the big picture? Even this miscast detective can figure that out. The answer was simple. Everything was a performance created and acted out by these people.
Bell: I found this in the other passageway where we found you.
Bell flip the scarlet fragment toward him. It's still giving off heat, and he was seen that before.
Bell: It's an Inferno Stone, isn't it? A item drop that's incredibly combustible.
Bell think back to something that happened four months ago, right after he met Welf. He'd brought Bell and Sora to see his workshop, and he showed him a device made for use in the furnace. In order to forge minerals from the Dungeon, he had to use a powerful explosive that enhanced the heat of the flames. The catman's face twitches.
Bell: Miss Ryuu said she didn't kill anyone...and I believe her.
The only thing Bell still don't understand was the murder on the eighteenth floor. If her rage truly drove her to kill that man... Bell need to know the answer to this last question. If she has once again reverted to a blood-soaked avenger, then all Bell's reasoning will crumble under the force of her overwhelming desire to kill.
Ryuu: Mr. Cranell...
But Ryuu said she didn't do it. She told Bell that with unclouded eyes—eyes filled with an elf's fierce pride, hatred of lies, and strong sense of duty. With the sky-blue eyes Bell know so well. That was enough. More than enough. With his back to the catman, Bell turn his face toward him and stare intently.
Bell: If Ryuu isn't the one who caused the explosions... Then the explosion that happened in the passageway was actually your doing, was it not?
All the explosions so far have been their destructive work. Bell still don't know why they're blowing up this floor. But finally, all the different strands have come together in a single rope.
Bell: Please show me the wound on your arm.
If Jura shows Bell that, he will feel sure.
Bell: Show me the wound she gave you as proof of her guilt.
Bell was aware that his own eyes are cold, red, and glittering. Bell scowl at Jura, speaking in a tone that leaves no room for argument. Ryuu was staring at him, the one person who believes her. The catman gulps. Then, unmistakably, he clicks his tongue. As he glares at Bell, the drained face of a severely wounded victim transforms into that of a brutal villain. The next instant, the hand that had been stretched out by his side flashes forward.
Jura: The cat's outta the beg, eh!
Bell: Ah!
Bell flew back to avoid the stroke of red that suddenly cuts through the air. Jura was gripping a scarlet whip in his left hand.
Jura: You and those idiots from Rivira are worthless! Even if you didn't kill Lion, I thought you'd at least slow her down!
Ryuu: Jura...!
Ryuu and Bell were standing side by side facing their opponent. Jura rests the whip on his shoulder, then draws an elixir from his pouch, deftly removes the lid with his single hand, and pours it over his head. The top-grade item heals his bloody self-inflicted wounds and sends smoke rising from the scars.
Jura: Turk did well, but he slipped up at the end. He got nervous about you, Lion, and let off the explosion too soon.
Like a magician giving away his secrets, he throws the Inferno Stones he'd been hiding onto the ground around Bell and Ryuu. There must be at least twenty of them. He definitely could have caused that much damage to the Dungeon with this many stones.
Bell: I'm sorry, Miss Ryuu. I should never have doubted you.
Ryuu: No, allow me to apologize. I lost my temper and it really clouded my judgement... I ditch Sora during our assault in Knossos because I was trying to avoid both him and you for both of your sake... but I was wrong.
Bell and Ryuu were talking side by side, without looking at each other. Bell was wondering about what she meant about ditching Sora and raiding Knossos, but Ryuu mutters softly to him, her eyes glued to the man in front of them.
Ryuu: Thank you, Mr. Cranell, for believing in a fool like me. I am deeply grateful.
Bell was not sure if it's joy or happiness, but warmth floods his chest.
Ryuu: I want to stop this villain... Please, help me.
Bell: Of course!
Bell nod, a smile spreading over his face as he continue to look forward. Keeping his gaze carefully fixed on their enemy, Bell draw the Divine Knife and Sword.
Ryuu: Jura! Just give it up and accept your fate! You very nearly incited the people of Rivira to kill me, but your plans have crumbled. You have no one left.
Taming her rage with reason, Ryuu speaks to Jura as if she was delivering a final decree. Her eyes drilling into him, she slowly closes the gap between him and her and Bell. In response, he smiles. Then, brandishing his scarlet whip, he laughs at both Bell and Ryuu.
Jura: Ha-ha-ha-ha, heh-heh-heh...! Don't make me laugh!
Ryuu and Bell:...
Jura: Have you forgotten, Lion?!
Ryuu's sworn enemy—lets out another loud laugh. An instant later, the whip lashes against the ground, gleaming with a scarlet light.
Jura: I am a tamer!
A second later, a massive shadow breaks through the ceiling and falls to the ground.
Bell: Huh?!
Both Ryuu and Bell kick off the ground. She leaps to the left and Bell to the right; the enormous form crashes right between them. As the whole room shakes, Bell throw his arms in front of his face to block the flying fragments of crystal.
Jura: Meet my pet.
Astonished, Bell look up at an enormous writhing body. Its gaping maw was searching for anything whatsoever to gulp down. The long, swollen form has no arms or legs. Where the face should be, there are three pairs of eyes. It's a gigantic multi-eyed serpent.
(Elsewhere)
Aisha: What the hell are you doing?
Aisha asked, her fearless smile belying her words. She glared at Turk and his companions as they drew their swords while lunging at her.
Rin: So it wasn't just one of them....
Muller: Yeah, seems that all of you are all remnants of Evilus.
Muller answered. As their four opponents drew their weapons and exchanged murderous glances, the two young men pulled out their own weapons. The enemy party was comprised of two humans and two animal people. All but Turk were wearing large packs. All four had finally shown their true colors.
Turk: Since we're pressed for time and you won't leave us alone...we'll kill you here! For the sake of Jura's plan, of course!
The next instant, Turk pulled out a scarlet whip and summoned a monster.
Muller and Aisha: ?!
Muller, Aisha and the rest of the party leaped back as its long body burst through a wall. Lili gripped Daphne and Haruhime gripped Mikoto, and the four fled the crumbling passage. Strangely enough, at the very same moment that Bell and Ryuu were facing the huge serpent, another of the same monster was appearing before the rest of his party.
Muller: What the...?!
(Elsewhere)
Ryuu: A lambton...!
The long, massive serpent is an extreme large-category monster, definitely imposing enough to be a floor boss. It measures around five meders high and at least ten long. For a second, Bell's mind goes blank before the overwhelming presence of the beast. Despite its awesome appearance, Bell couldn't recall anything about the monster before his eyes. Even when Ryuu shouts what must be its name, Bell couldn't remember anything. What happened to all that information Sora and Eina drilled into him before he left on their expedition for the lower levels?
Bell: Oh yeah.
Finally, from the depths of his memory, Bell manage to extract some information. The instant he did, his breath stops.
Bell: No way...!
Jura: Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!"
The catman's laughter echoes through the room. As Ryuu and Bell stand side by side watching, a large drop of sticky liquid Falls from the serpent monster's pointed fang.
It's a lambton.
A rare monster from the deep levels. Its head narrows toward the tip, and Its jaws—which open vertically—look wide enough to swallow an orc whole. On either side of its mouth are nine holes comprising an organ not seen on other monsters. But the first thing Bell notice was the man-made collar attached below its head. It sparkles with a red jewel that seems to mark it as the tamer's "pet." Its skin is deep blue, and its amber eyes roll restlessly in its head as it glares at Ryuu and Bell.
Bell: How did a monster from the deep levels get all the way up here...?!
For a monster from so far down in the depths of the Dungeon to appear here in the Water Capital is a very unusual irregularity indeed. As Bell gape in shock at the unbelievable phenomenon, the catman smiles jeeringly at them.
Jura: I brought it from Knossos. It's one of the monsters the crew over there captured. You probably know what I'm talking about, since you and that Fang of Flash were mixed up with those creepy talking monsters and Ikelos Familia.
Bell:...!
Jura sounds like he knows all about Bell and Sora's connections with the Xenos and Ikelos Familia. And if that man-made dungeon has something to do with this, then everything was starting to make sense. Still, a monster this huge would surely catch the attention of other adventurers. But there haven't been any rumors about this, let alone a single report of a sighting. Strange! Bell's thoughts must be showing on his face, because the catman continues talking, his expression still as relaxed as ever.
Jura: You haven't heard about it, Rabbit Foot? The special ability of the wormwells?
Bell:...!
Jura: 'Lambton' is just a nickname, like the ones we adventurers have.
Bell(mind): Now I remember!
Bell mentally run through the information about deep-level monsters that he reviewed in one of the illustrated books he studied with Eina before the expedition, just in case. "Lambton" is the nickname adventurers have given the species. Its proper name is wormwell, the first part meaning "serpent" and the second referring to a "water well." As Bell recall with a jolt of surprise why this was its name, Ryuu draws her brows together and says what Bell was thinking.
Ryuu: Lambtons are able to move between floors by boring through the earth...!
(Elsewhere)
Welf: A monster that moves between floors?!
Welf shouted in response to Aisha's explanation, completely forgetting his surroundings.
Aisha: Yeah, that's why it has that over-the-top nickname, 'lambton.' The written characters for it mean 'evil omen.'
They were in a passageway on the twenty-fifth floor. As the party faced the same type of monster Bell was encountering two floors down, Aisha smiled nervously. Normally, the wormwell—or lambton—lived on the thirty-seventh floor. But just as its name suggested, it had the ability to bore vertically upward through the floors, as if it were digging a well in reverse, and appear on the higher floors. That's what made it so terrifying to adventurers.
Rin: You mean a monster from the lower floors can invade the higher ones...?!
For wormwells, that wasn't an irregular characteristic; it was simply their nature. They paid no attention to the principle of levels and instead moved freely between floors. Mikoto and Chigusa, who understood exactly how terrifying this was, turned pale.
Lili: So just how strong is it...?
Lili squeaked, stunned by this encounter with a totally unexpected monster. According to the Guild, it had a potential of High Level Four. It only rarely appeared in the lower levels, but when it did, it was as good as a death knell announcing total destruction to adventurers.
Welf: You must be kidding!!
Welf barked, holding his greatsword at the ready. Under the control of Turk and his scarlet whip, the growling wormwell slowly twisted its body into an attack position. As nervous tension rippled through the party, Muller and Aisha shouted out a warning.
Muller: Run for it!!
Aisha: Whatever you do, don't cling onto that monster! If you do, it will carry you to another floor!
What she didn't say was that most likely, before the unfortunate adventurer got there, they would be ground to mincemeat between the monster's massive body and the rocky walls of the Dungeon tunnel it crawled through. In either case, the moment the monster captured you, you were done for.
Turk: Get 'em, lambton!
The werewolf Turk beat his whip against the ground. In response, the giant serpent growled loudly, then lunged toward the party.
(Elsewhere)
Lambton: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Bell: Aaah!
Bell leap to avoid the wormwell's darting head. With a shiver, he realize it can easily reach every corner of this huge room, which measures around twenty meders high and fifty across. The serpent's slithering body shaves off crystals and clusters from the floor and sends them flying. Meanwhile, a wave from the turbulent waterway splashes over me. But even as Bell was drenched from head to toe, he never take his eyes off the writhing monster on the far side of the room.
Bell: It's way stronger than anything on the twenty-seventh floor...!
The wormwell seems to mysteriously appear from its habitat on the thirty-seventh floor, and then disappear again without a trace. It never burrows down below the thirty-seventh floor, though. That's because it would be suicide to go even one level down in the Dungeon, where monsters grow stronger the deeper one descends.
Bell had heard that many a party of adventurers has been wiped out when this monster with its disproportionate potential appeared on a higher floor. Bell even seem to recall hearing that the wormwell was the most feared of all creatures among adventurers who explore the lower levels.
The distinct sound it makes as it burrows through the ground foretells disaster. It is indeed an evil omen. All the same, it's unprecedented for a wormwell to appear in the Water Capital!!
The highest floor it's ever been sighted on is the twenty-ninth. Eina told Bell that it would be impossible for a lambton to burrow through ten floors' worth of solid rock. But things are falling into place now. That huge hole he discovered with Boris's party was made by this monster. It was the track the thing made as it moved between floors!
Jura: Sic 'em, lambton!
The catman tamer lashes his whip against the ground. As soon as he does, the lambton roars and hurls its body into the air.
Bell: Wha—?
Its head draws a ten-meder-high arc through space. Its long body follows, swimming through the air with flashes of deep blue. Bell was captivated for a moment by the fantastic sight, monster or not. Time seems to slow down. Even as it does, though, my instincts are screaming out a warning.
The body twists, and slowly the menacing form is drawn downward by gravity. A black shadow blocks out the white crystal lights on the ceiling, darkening the spot where Bell stood. Bell look up in shock as the serpent's huge body spins downward toward him.
Ryuu: Run, Mr. Cranell!
Ryuu's voice pushes him into motion, and he rush away from the falling form with all his strength.
Bell: !!
The room—no, more likely the entire Dungeon—shakes with a thundering crash as the lambton smashes onto the floor where he was standing a second before. Bell was thrown into the air by the shock waves, and his vision blurs.
The serpent was twisting and burrowing its way into the rock floor. Even as his body flies over the crystals, the long form is swallowed completely by the ground. Using the momentum from Bell's rolling landing, he quickly stand up and manage to recover a fighting stance. His blood runs cold as he look around the room now disfigured by a gigantic hole.
Ryuu:...?!
Bell:...!
Ryuu and Bell both aim their weapons at the ground. The vibrations emanating upward were ceaseless. The serpent was digging through the ground with the intention of swallowing its prey—Bell and Ryuu—whole.
Bell(mind): Where will it reappear? From land or from water?
Jura: Wrong!
The catman jeers as they stare warily at the ground. The next instant, the huge form emerges with a crushing noise off to one side. Crystal fragments fly from a wall near Ryuu on the west side of the room, and the lambton lunges forward with its jaws open wide.
Bell: Miss Ryuu!!
Ryuu: Yaaa!
Ryuu seems to be on fire as the serpent bears down on her. To make up for lost time, she kicks the ground and, with a swish of her long cape, flies upward. She's deftly taken refuge in the air as the long body races past below. She lands next to Bell and takes in the monster that is now charging across the center of the room.
Bell: Are lambtons always this insane?
Bell ask, panting.
Ryuu: Well, since they're a rare monster, I've only encountered the species one other time. I can't really answer your question...
She replies vaguely, readying her wooden sword. The only time Bell had ever confronted a monster this huge was when he fought the Goliath. But this thing... Both its attack methods and its scale were crazy.
Bell(mind): I guess that's what deep-level monsters are like! Is this the kind of monster Sora fought every time he went to the deep floors on his own?!
Jura: So the end has come, eh, Lion? Hope you're ready to become monster food after it chomps you and Rabbit Foot!
The catman laughs loudly.
Ryuu: We don't need to take part in our enemy's circus performance.
Ryuu whispers into Bell's shoulder. He was surprised, but he nod quickly. After exchanging these brief words, they start running forward in parallel. Bell extend his right hand toward the roaring lambton.
Bell: Firebolt!
The electrifying flames that burst from his fist reach the monster's face and land on one of the nine holes next to its mouth. Of course, this magic attack doesn't inflict much damage on Bell's extreme large-category opponent. Still, the three pairs of bloodshot eyes focus in on him.
Bell(mind): Gotcha!
The monster's angry shriek makes Bell sweat, but nevertheless, he form his hand into a fist. This was his first fight with a tamer, but even he could figure out that it makes more sense to aim for the tamer himself than for the monster he's controlling. Given that they have to learn tamer skills, Bell's guess was they're often weaker than other adventurers.
Bell(mind): So you separate them from their monster and attack them in their "naked" state.
In this case, Bell will serve as the bait to draw away the monster while Ryuu acts as the spear that pierces the tamer. As the lambton momentarily focuses its attention on Bell, Ryuu sped up. Like a falcon gliding across the open sky, she races forward, body tilted toward the ground. She slips through the narrow gap between the monster's body and the ground and arrives next to the tamer, who had been obstructed by the serpent.
Ryuu: Jura!
Jura: Eh?!
His voice in response to her call is pitiful. Nevertheless, he twists his face into a smile and brings the whip in his single hand down onto the ground.
Ryuu: !!
Bell: Huh?!
To Bell's surprise, the lambton—which he thought was focused on him— whips its head around toward the catman. Having reversed direction, it aims straight for Ryuu's back.
Bell: Miss Ryuu!
Ryuu: ?!
Just before her wooden sword makes contact with the tamer, Ryuu was forced to leap back to avoid the lunging monster. Jura leers at her as she just barely dodges the serpent's fangs. The lambton does not harm its tamer but instead coils around him exactly like it's protecting him.
Jura: Ha-ha-ha...! So you thought you could aim for me, eh? You thought I wasn't ready for that?
Ryuu:...!
Jura: I've imprinted this behavior on my pet quite well!
He brags, still smiling, as Ryuu bites her lip. Meanwhile, Bell was blatantly showing his astonishment. He was not that familiar with tamers or their profession. He haven't even seen Ganesha Familia's Monsterphilia, so he had no idea how versatile they might be.
Bell(mind): Still...this monster seems incredibly well trained!
All he know was what Eina taught him, but his understanding was that essentially, taming monsters doesn't so much involve getting them to do what you want as preventing them from rebelling. It's about making them realize and submit to the superior strength of the tamer—in other words, taming was a skill of submission.
Evidence of that can be found in the fact that tamed monsters will still attack people other than their tamer. Bell had also heard it's extremely difficult to teach them multiple commands. But this catman was controlling the monster like it's an extension of his own hands and feet.
Bell: Miss Ryuu...Is this guy just a really high level tamer? He's manipulating a monster from the deep floors like it's nothing!
Ryuu: No...I mean, he's one of the better ones, but I think he's below Ganesha Familia tamers. That is, the Jura Harma I knew five years ago was.
Bell couldn't hide his surprise at the fact that Ryuu—who was both connected to his faction and was an old rival of this man—also expected his skills to be lower. The tamer strokes the serpent's slippery body tenderly.
Jura: Ah, shit...It's useless...I'm still afraid! Leon, disgusting Gale Wind!
He shouts, unable to conceal the shaking in his voice.
Jura: Look at this trembling hand! It's like a leaf in the wind! You almost killed me once—of course I'm scared of you!
That's when Bell realize. His smile of a moment before was fake and forced.
Jura: I remember, Lion! I can't forget. There's no way I'd forget!
Ryuu:...
Jura: When I close my eyes, I still see you there, thrashing around in a sea of blood the day you attacked my home! I dream about it every day. I haven't had a good night's sleep since that day! Can you believe it? Not for five years!
Bell:...?!
Jura: That day, I hid among the bodies of my slaughtered companions, delirious! I lay there holding my breath and listening to you roar like a monster until you blew our whole home away with your magic! It's strange I even survived.
Ryuu stands silent as he lays his feelings out in the open. Bell was in a confused panic. He can glimpse Jura's sick emotions now and then in the pair of sunken, wide-open eyes. Not only his severed right arm but even his left arm twitches in reaction to Gale Wind's slightest movement.
Bell finally get it. This man's display of fear throughout the performances and destructive schemes he used to fool Boris and the rest of them wasn't an act. The reason he didn't initially question Jura's terror was because it was real. For him, Ryuu was a symbol of trauma. Gale Wind—the elf who severed his arm, sliced off his ear, and brought him to the brink of death—was more frightening than anyone or anything else.
Jura: If I had to face you alone, I'd piss my pants. That's why I got the monster to fight in my place! It's stronger than I am, this cute little pet of mine!
Still shaking from uncontrollable fear, the tamer cracks his whip. The lambton lunges at us again, baring its fangs. The catman laughs as Bell and Ryuu scramble to defend themselves from the monster under Jura's command. Meanwhile, the monster moves with great precision and swiftness according to his tamer's will, both attacking and defending.
But Bell doubt the catman's skills are solely responsible for all this. No—it has something to do with the circlet around its neck and the scarlet whip. They're magic items.
(Elsewhere)
Turk: Get 'em, lambton!
At the sound of the werewolf Turk's voice and the crack of his whip, the wormwell charged forward. In the face of its unstoppable advance, Muller chose to retreat.
Muller: Get into that side passage!
Lili and the others dove in just in time to avoid the wriggling mass heading for them, crushing the narrow passage as it went. A loud scraping noise filled the corridor they had just left as the bluish-white body slithered across the floor. The screams of monsters crushed beneath its belly echoed down the passage. Haruhime went pale, overtaken by visceral disgust.
Welf: All this thing has to do is rush us...
Ouka:...and we're done for!
Ouka yelled back, finishing his thought. Both were staring at the fissures spreading through the entrance to the passage as the enemy charged forward. It had quickly turned back and was now heading for the panicked party.
Aisha: We can't fight it here! Retreat!
They would be at an enormous disadvantage fighting an extreme large- category monster in their current location. Aisha—who had frequently fought in the deep levels where Ishtar Familia headed on its expeditions—quickly gave up on an immediate battle and instead put all her energy into escape.
Aisha: Hey, shrimp, find us a field!
Lili: A field?! What do you mean?!
Lili shouted back, changing color.
Aisha: A dead-end room on the twenty-fifth floor! As long as there's not a waterway in it, it will have a field! Take us there!
In other words, Lili needed to look at the map. The party retreated as fast as it could, managing to dull the lambton's movements through repeated shots from Mikoto's and Chigusa's arrows and Daphne's magic dagger.
Welf: Hey, it's not following us. It disappeared!!
Welf shouted, glancing back over his shoulder.
Mikoto: No, Sir Welf...It's still here!
Mikoto answered, using her Yatano Black Crow skill.
Muller: It burrowed underground! It's coming up from side—No, from the under!! Shoot it!
Muller screamed at the top of her lungs, sensing the vibrations. She, Aisha, and Rin pushed the people in front of them. Aisha grab Haruhime, Rin grabbed Cassandra, Muller grab Daphne. A second later, the lambton burst through the wall from under them and Lunged forward.
Lambton: Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
Haruhime: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Daphne: This thing is crazy!
Ouka: Are the deep levels full of this kind of monster?!
Haruhime's scream, Daphne's desperate shout, and Ouka's horrified Question filled the passageway as they just barely evaded the serpent. By this point Haruhime was no more than baggage slowing down the group, so Muller told her to drop her backpack and slung her over her right shoulder. She clicked her tongue as she glanced back at the approaching monster.
Muller(mind): We've been totally prevented from following those adventurers. Bell Cranell asked us to keep an eye on them, but we're really in a tight corner now!
Cursing herself internally, the second-tier adventurer, Aisha, Muller, and Rin searched for some way out. Meanwhile, back in the passageway that Muller and the others had fled, Turk and his three companions were celebrating.
Turk: Ha-ha-ha...! This magic item is amazing! I can't believe I can make even deep-level monsters obey me... Thank you, Evilus!
Turk looked down at the scarlet whip with the jewel fixed to the end, drunk on a false sense of omnipotence. The magic item had been created by the Evils' Remnants hiding out in Knossos. The mysterious crystal—or more accurately, the cursed lump—had been conceived as a way to convince buyers of Xenos and other monsters smuggled for profit by Ikelos Familia hunters that the "product" they were buying was safe.
By attaching matching collars to the monsters, the forbidden magic items allowed less-powerful tamers, or even those with no ability at all, to subordinate the creatures. Jura had taken advantage of the recent events in Knossos to smuggle out all these valuable items, which were extremely effective but could not be mass-produced.
Turk: When I heard Jura's plan, I thought he was crazy... But it can fly. If they work this well, it can fly!
The young werewolf—who had originally belonged to a band of small- time criminals who had nothing to do with the Evils—had sniffed out something lucrative in the last remaining member of Rudra Familia, Jura. Now that he saw the effects of the magic item with his own eyes, he was ready to swear his allegiance. He was determined not only to frame Jura's old enemy, Gale Wind, but also to make sure the catman's whole plan came to fruition.
Turk: Now's our chance to act! Do what Jura commanded!
The three adventurers wearing backpacks nodded. Leaving behind the lambton as their parting gift, the party left the scene.
Aisha: Haruhime, we need Level Boosts! Start chanting!
Aisha ordered.
Haruhime: Do you mean Kokonoe? For Lady Mikoto and everyone?
Aisha: Two is enough! If you exhaust yourself now, we'll be in trouble later. For now, just boost Ignis(Welf) and Masuratakeo(Ouka) on the front line!
The party had arrived in a dead-end room thanks to Lili's directions. As soon as they got there, Aisha had started spitting out orders, including one to boost the levels of Welf and Ouka. She was the only one among them with experience exploring the deep levels, and she hadn't allowed Lili or Daphne to take command. Their situation was too critical—as was clear from Aisha's harsh tone. Plus, she had a detailed understanding of the party's internal balance, gained from her usual non-commander position.
Aisha: First that enhanced species, now this... Even without Fang of Flash here, I sure don't get bored when I'm with you guys!
She joked, shaping her mouth into a smile as she brandished her great podao.
Ouka: I never dreamed the Amazonian Berbera would be saying those words!
Welf: Yeah, it sure is unexpected...An honor, should we say?
Ouka and Welf bantered with her as the particles of light from Haruhime's Level Boost encircled them. They stood on either side of Muller, Rin and Aisha, holding their long sword, staff, greatsword, ax, and shields at the ready. With their strongest forces at the forefront, the group was prepared to fight the deep-level monster.
Cassandra: Is this the calamity?
Daphne: Cassandra, snap out of it!
As the prophetess of tragedy stood in a daze, the curtain lifted on the battle.
Lambton: !!
As if resonating with the serpent's roar, the collar around its neck pulsated with light, and the beast trembled.
(Elsewhere)
Jura: It was a real pain to get this thing onto this floor.
Ryuu and Bell frantically dodge as the lambton twists its long body and attacks viciously, responding to the crack of the whip on the ground.
Jura: Granted, it was able to dig its way here itself, but the problem was that body. It's just so easy to spot. I had to make it swallow any adventurers who
saw it.
Bell:...!
Jura: The hardest part was getting it out of Knossos.
The catman glances at Bell as he tighten his fists in response to Jura's casual confession to murder.
Jura: Rabbit Foot, after that Fang of Flash tangled with Ikelos Familia, I decided I'd better get out of Knossos. Thanks to that Flash—no, it started when Dix messed up—I figured the Guild would eventually reach my hideout. And they did! Once the place we'd been quietly hiding in was gone, there was no guarantee we'd be safe...That's when I started moving forward with my plan.
A shock wave from the serpent's movements sends Bell flying. As he land, he look over his shoulder and ask Jura a question.
Bell: From then?!
Jura: Yeah. You didn't think we'd managed to move the monsters down here since yesterday, all with Lion chasing us, did you? We started by hiding two lambtons on this floor.
Bell: Wha...?
Jura: See, as long as we kept them quiet under the water, none of the other adventurers would find them. Oh, and who knows? Turk and his guys might be attacking the adventurers right now. 'Cause I gave them one of these here whips.
Bell:...!
As Bell absorb these shocking words, the catman continues.
Jura: Hey, Rabbit Foot! Why do you think that Fang of Flash didn't joined you guys on your expeditions?
Bell's eyes widened in realization.
Bell: No way...
Jura: Indeed! Two days ago, that Flash and the forces of Orario swarmed into Knossos, even now he's probably still there with the Sword Princess and Brynhildr right now! We were about to push our plans forward and hightail it out of Knossos... But Lion happened to be in the group, and she spotted me.
His eyes are filled with a deep hatred as he glares at Ryuu.
Jura: She kept chasing me, so I used Jan and Turk to do something about her. I knew she'd follow us onto this floor, so I lit a fire under the people in Rivira in order to stop her.
Bell was guessing that when he temporarily evaded Ryuu and escaped from Knossos to the eighteenth floor, his first step was to send his two underlings to Rivira. But one of them was captured and questioned by Ryuu, leading her to head as quickly as possible to the twenty-seventh floor.
And then Turk, who had escaped her notice...must have decided to make use of his friend. He killed the injured Jan, making it look like Gale Wind was the murderer, and ran to tell Boris and Bell in Rivira. After that, he spearheaded the formation of a hunting party to pursue Gale Wind, just as the catman had ordered him to.
All of this was mere speculation on Bell's part, but it nevertheless makes him sick to his stomach. And he was fairly sure he must be right.
Jura: I figured I'd use the guys who came with me down to the twenty-seventh floor as decoys to keep you and Lion away from me! But then when the Rivira crew finally got down here, I just blew them all up at once with the explosions!
Bell:...!
In other words, he sacrificed his companions in order to keep the residents from Rivira on his side and make them afraid of Gale Wind. Anger spreads over Ryuu's face as she listens to their opponent's clear explanation. Bell, too, feel both fear and disgust toward this man who was willing to use any means whatsoever to achieve his ends.
Bell(mind): But...why is he telling us all this now? To demonstrate his own calmness? To upset us? Or...to buy time?
As Bell stand here bewildered, a tail drops down from above his head and crashes into the ground with an even stronger impact than the others so far.
Bell: Argh!
Bell jump as far away as he could. As he catch his breath, Ryuu lands beside him.
Ryuu: As I suspected, Jura's been feeding this monster magic stones to enhance it...
Bell:...!
Her words make Bell realize they have a long fight ahead of them. It will be nearly impossible to reach the magic stones inside a body this big. Risking an attempt at a single deadly blow won't work. It probably makes more sense to try to tip the balance with magic, even at the expense of huge mental strain.
Acting as a wall won't work in the face of their opponent's all-out attacks...But what if Ryuu and Bell use Concurrent Casting and Concurrent Charging to turn ourselves into a living fortress? Would the tamer let them get away with pulling off such an obvious strategy...? Bell was drawing on all his past experience to try to come up with the best possible strategy. The next thing Ryuu says catches him totally off guard.
Ryuu: But I've already figured out the connection between Jura's commands and the monster's movements.
Bell couldn't believe Ryuu already understands the behavioral patterns the tamer has imprinted onto his monster—in other words, the relationship between the motions of the whip and the lambton's actions.
Bell(mind): How did she figure it out in such a short time?
Ryuu: One option is to destroy the magic item, but once the monster is freed from its control, it will go wild and that will be a hassle to deal with. I'm going to immobilize it by force.
Bell: Uh, okay, got it! B-b-but how...?!
Ryuu: I'll kill it with my magic.
Ignoring Bell's confusion, Ryuu runs her finger down her wooden sword.
Ryuu: Mr. Cranell, you feint while I kill it.
Bell: O-okay, got it!
Ryuu: Its only really troublesome behavior is its ability to burrow underground. If you see it trying to do that, use your Swift-Strike Magic to block it. I believe in you.
The battle-hardened upper-class adventurer speaks unwaveringly even in the face of this overwhelming monster.
Ryuu: I've fought a lambton before. There's no reason to think it can beat us.
The record that Ryuu—or rather the former Astrea Familia—has registered with the Guild was the forty-first floor. She was a truly incredible warrior experienced in fighting in the deep levels. Bell was struck by her powers of observation and insight, her intelligence in developing and proposing a strategy without hesitation, and more than anything the determination that underlies her decisions and actions.
Bell(mind): I have a long way to go before my ability as an adventurer reaches hers.
Ryuu: Let's take care of this thing quickly so we can capture Jura.
The flames of rage still burning high in her breast, the elf transforms herself into an arrow of the gale wind.
Bell: !!
At the same time, Bell start running in the opposite direction. The monster's multiple eyes roll around in its head, following both of them as they split off to the left and right. In order to draw more of its attention toward Bell, he increase his attacks, using his agility and speed to confuse it.
Bell: Yaaah!
Lambton: Ergh?
In that window of distraction, Ryuu bravely flies toward the enemy's chest. Anticipating the monster's every move, she dodges each of its defensive strikes within a hairbreadth, channeling the force of her charges into her wooden sword. Scales fly every which way, and the beast's skin grows ragged. The ground vibrates as if she's pounding it with a massive iron hammer, producing a cracking sound that slides past my eardrums. Then she started singing.
Ryuu: Now in the skies of the distant forest... to the infinite stars mounted upon the eternal firmament of the night.
Jura: Shit!
Ryuu: This fool does entreat, just once for the divine protection of the stars' fire. Grant thy benevolent light to the one who abandoned thee! Come forth. Wandering wind, the vagabond traveler. Run with great swiftness like no other, across sky and wilderness!
Ryuu continue to sing to prepare her final attack. Meanwhile, Bell slip Hakugen from his left hand back into its sheath and extend his now-empty hand toward his left leg. Very quietly, Bell extract several items from his reinforced leg holster and inspect them. There's a high potion, a magic potion, an antidote, and two vials of Tiger Cub Elixir High Dual Potion.
Bell(mind): I don't skimp on the amount I use.
Then he harden his resolve and begin sounding the chime. Argonaut. Pure-white particles of light gather around his left hand as Bell begin the Concurrent Charge. It would take at least two minutes of charging to take down a large- category monster this big. But my job right now is not to annihilate it. It's to support Ryuu!
Jura: Shit! Burrow, lambton!
The catman, seeing that the monster was suffering under Ryuu's attacks, cracks his whip. It's the command Bell was expecting. He instantly thrust out his left hand. Bell had been charging for twenty seconds. Aiming for the enemy's head, which is attempting to burrow into the ground as fast as it can, Bell let out a shout.
Bell: Firebolt!
A huge bolt of electrical fire surrounded by white particles of light splits the ground between the crystal floor and the lambton.
Lambton: Ooooooooooooooooooooooo?!
Thrown backward by the explosion, the serpent writhes on the ground. Taking advantage of the moment when the beast—having failed in its attempt to burrow—is twisting in agony, Ryuu ups the speed of her attacks.
Bell: Whoa?!
Front, left diagonal, side, diagonal again. Both the catman and Bell were gaping at Ryuu as she lunges and swerves, unleashing a rapid-fire series of attacks. Her speed increases with each thrust, and now she's moving so fast she practically leaves an afterimage.
Ryuu: Let the light of stardust occupy me and strike my enemy!
If Bell could see her from above, he was sure her lunges and retreats would form a five-pointed star enclosing the monster at its center. The unbroken string of fierce blows from her wooden sword lift their opponent's enormous body off the ground. There's no mistaking it—as the speed of her attacks increases, so does their ferocity. Then she let out her magic.
Ryuu: Luminous Wind!!
Lambton: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Her sword glows with the blue-green light of her skill. Finally, she lands a decisive blow with her magic across its breast, throwing its giant form against the wall.
Jura: ?!
Bell: Amazing...
Bell's eyes are popping out of his head, and the catman's are filled with horror, as if he's watching the return of his worst nightmare. Did she really just blow away the body of an ultra-high-class monster? The revolting head and neck, which had been shrieking in agony and convulsing, fall to the ground. Crumbling crystals bury the massive body.
Whether it's dead or just unconscious, Bell was too dumbfounded even to cheer Gale Wind's incredible show of skill in knocking out an extreme large-category monster with just her weapon. Bell was guessing the catman—who's rooted to the ground—must be feeling the same way.
Ryuu: Jura, you're all that's left...It's over.
Ryuu brandishes her sword, crosses the now-still room, and walks up to the catman. Coming to his senses, Bell follow. Quickly refueling with High Dual Potion, he stand by her side facing Jura. His companions are gone now, and so is the monster he tamed. He's too traumatized to raise a sword against Ryuu. As she said, this is the end. His one remaining hand shaking, he drops his eyes before Ryuu's piercing gaze. And then, his hair hiding his eyes—he slowly smiles.
(Elsewhere):
Aisha: Frontline forces, stand firm! Just one more!
Aisha's voice rang through the room. Welf and Ouka clenched their teeth, held their shields at a slant, and managed to throw the monster off its line of attack. Their whole bodies were strained and blood spurted from their wounds, but their arms and legs, swathed in the light of the Level Boost, showed no sign of giving out. The shields made of hard white valmars, too, stood up to the task. Right away, Cassandra showered them with restorative magic.
The lambton roared in confusion in the face of this defensive wall, which managed to hold the line through raw courage and simple, precise skill no matter how desperately the beast threw itself against them.
Arrows and other sharp weapons pierced the gaping maw even as it howled. On the top of the mouth were eighteen holes, nine on the left and nine on the right. By now, they were marked with wounds from arrowheads, throwing knives, and Aisha's great podao.
These pits gave wormwells an extraordinary ability to sense heat. It was these pits, in fact, that enabled the monsters to accurately locate adventurers even when underground. Because these organs also allowed them to distinguish between humans and monsters by reacting to magic stones and to detect with great sensitivity the use of magic and magic blades, they were able to escape underground as necessary, thus making them extremely hard to combat. Even now, the wormwell was repeatedly burrowing underground, foiling the attempts by Lili and the others to use their magic blades. Unless Swift-Strike Magic was used, it would likely be difficult to land a blow on the beast.
Everyone: !!
Without an understanding what had happened. The lambton perished, unable even to let out a death cry as a blade sliced off its head, magic item and all. And through the smoke, was one person clad in black and had gray hair. He was standing with a black sword in his right hand.
Sora: All of you...
Welf, Rin, and Muller: Sora...!
Mikoto and Chigusa: Sir Sora!
Lili and Haruhime: Master Sora!
Daphne and Cassandra: Mr Sora!
Aisha and Ouka: Sora Yatagami!
They all shouted in unison. It was clear from their shock face that they would never thought that Sora would be here and saved them. Sora was no different. When he reached towards the 25th floor and was about to jump off the cliff that leads straight to the 27th floor, Slyphid had sensed that Rin and the others were at this floor running in a panic. Abandoning his job to find Ryuu, he instead came to aide his friends. He saw the Lambton and immediately killed it. He also breath sigh of relief that everyone was saved.
Sora: Looks like in the nick of time.
Rin: Sora...
Muller: You came...
The two girls immediately came rushing towards him burying their face on his chest.
Sora: Whoa... Calm down you two.
Haruhime: Master Sora!
Sora: Haruhime... I'm glad you guys are safe...
Sora smile genuinely. Welf pumped his fist at excitement to see their strongest here, and Mikoto grinned as she wiped the blood from her face. Chigusa smile happily, Lili was glad to see the Level 7 friend of hers while cheerfully collected the wormwell's sharp fangs and cranial shell, along with its extremely pure magic stones. Meanwhile, Aisha squinted, and smiled with relief.
Welf: I'm glad you came man! But why are you here...?
Sora: Well... Actually I ran into you guys by coincidence. I was actually pursuing for Ryuu...
Ouka: Gale Wind...?!
Ouka exclaimed in shock. The rest was no different while Sora narrow his eyes by their odd behavior.
Sora: Yeah... Judging by your reactions, you guys know something. Well...
Rin then told everything that happened until now. About the murder incidents in Rivira. A hunting team was perform to kill her. And Turk and some of his friend whom tamed the Lambton. And how Bell was by himself trying to get to Ryuu first before the hunting team.
Sora: So Turk is on this floor as well huh...?
Sora rubbed his head in annoyance.
Muller: You know what really happened, don't you?
Sora: *Sigh* Of course I do. Let me explain from the beginning about what really happened. I'm sure you guys all know about the man-made Knossos. And how you all heard that the remnants of Evilus were using that as their hideout.
They all nodded their head.
Sora: Well actually...
Sora then explain the real reason why he didn't join on the expedition. It turns out, the Guild and Loki Familia had come to Sora with a request to joined the full scale raid that they were about to do. The Guild, or basically Ouranus himself personally gave this mission to the Hestia Familia other than Sora. Loki, Ganesha, Dian Chect, Dionysus, Hermes, and new Astrea Familia, along with Sora himself was part of the raid. Their goal was to capture the last remaining Evilus, who were planning to destroy Orario once again. Ryuu was also there at the subjugation team. And Jura the real reason behind the murder in Rivira, had managed to escaped with some others. Hearing that made everyone eyes widened in shock. No one would have believed that such huge scale was being held while they were on an expedition.
Sora: That, idiot Elf... I told her she can joined the raid as long as she doesn't act on her own. That was the agreement.
Rin: Sora...
Sora: But seeing Jura, who was the cost of why her old Familia was slaughter, made the flames of revenge inside her to welled up again!
Everyone:...
Sora: After I finished up at Knossos. I immediately went straight down here searching for her. I asked some Familia on my way here and heard that the hunting team was on the 27th floor. That was when I ran into you guys while heading there.
Rin: *Sigh* Sora... You go and went doing something dangerous again. Without us...
Rin pout as she laid her head on Sora's shoulder. Sora just patted her head slowly.
Sora: Sorry... It was a secret mission from the guild itself. I don't have a choice. And besides, I have Asuna, Aiz, and Lemia with me. So I'm not alone.
Rin: Well as long as your alright.
Sora:...
Sora just smile wryly as he slowly rubbed his chest without being noticed. Before he change the subject back to Ryuu.
Sora: Anyway... I'm still searching for Ryuu. I got a bad feeling about this. Especially about what Jura and Turk are planning. Do you guys had some potion or elixir for me to drink? I'm still very exhausted.
Haruhime: Oh right. Lady Cassandra, I threw off my backpack with all my items in it, so would you mind working your recovery magic on Master Sora? I'm sorry to be so useless...
Haruhime said, ashamed, as she turned to the party's lone healer for help.
Haruhime: Miss...Cassandra?
The girl stood rooted in place, as if she hadn't heard a thing about what Sora had just said.
Cassandra(mind): Was this...the calamity?
She looked out at the members of her party, bubbling with excitement over Sora being here, and at the monster's corpse, which was already mostly turned to ash.
Cassandra(mind): This is all?
At one point, Cassandra believed that the deep-level monster was the calamity her prophetic dream had warned of, but that belief had been turned upside down.
It wasn't menacing enough.
It wasn't terrifying enough.
It didn't provoke enough despair.
It ended too quickly.
It just didn't seem worthy of the term catastrophe.
Cassandra: This isn't it.
Sora: ?
She murmured, deciding within herself that this wasn't the actualization of her dream. To the contrary, if her dream had been no more than this, how relieved she would have been. But the scenes she had seen in her dream had been far crueler and more ominous. There had been no hope of being saved.
Cassandra(mind): This was not the calamity...!
Sora:...
No. True despair still lay ahead of them. Sora watch at Cassandra's with narrow eyes.
(Elsewhere)
Jura: Heh-heh-heh...Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!
Laughter spills out of the catman as if his mouth is broken, his armless shoulder jerking up and down. His body is folded over like he's having a fit, and his tail—which is broken off halfway down—dances behind him. Ryuu and Bell both stare as Jura, who should be cowering in a corner, puts on this ridiculous display.
Jura: You think it's over? You're wrong. This is just the beginning!!
He roars with laughter, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
Jura: Do you want to know why I chose this spot for the 'ceremony,' Leon?
Ryuu: What are you talking about...?!
Jura: The Water Capital is linked across this zone! The whole area connected by the Great Falls is like one floor! Damage in one place is shared everywhere!That's what the Dungeon thinks, at least!
Ryuu jumps as if she's just been struck by lightning.
Bell(mind): Damage? Shared? The Dungeon...thinks?
Bell seemed to be the only one who doesn't get what's going on. The catman's vulgar laugh echoes across the room.
Jura: It doesn't matter if the explosion is on the twenty-fifth floor or the twenty-seventh...To the Dungeon, it's as if the wounds were on the same floor!
Ryuu's expression transforms.
Jura: I even used the magic you released!
Ryuu: No way...?!
Jura:Did you think things would still be okay with this level of damage?
He grins, and a second later— Bang! The ceiling of the room they were in shakes.
Jura: You were chasing me so desperately—but I'm just a decoy!
Fragments of crystal rain down on them. There seems to have been an explosion on one of the higher floors, as if to carry on the series of explosions that occurred on this floor. The twenty-fifth floor was screaming.
Ryuu: Stop...
Ryuu says, looking up at the ceiling as he stand here astonished.
Ryuu: Stop!!
For the first time, her voice has lost its calm. She's screaming in panic. The catman ignores her.
Jura: Do it, Turk!
(Elsewhere)
Turk: Huff...puff...huff...!!
As the werewolf ran through the Dungeon, he tore off his companions' backpacks and scattered the bright-red balls within them onto the passageway floors. Ignoring the monsters chasing after them, the small band of men kept on running and scattering more red balls.
Turk: O-o-okay, here we go...I'm gonna light them now!
Having dropped all the balls, they dove for shelter and drew their magic blades. The objects they were looking at were Inferno Stones. Collected as drop items from flame rocks, a type of deep-level monster, they had strong fire- starting power and explosiveness even when used as is.
Turk: Fire!
Crouching in a twenty-fifth-floor passageway crowded with monsters, Turk and his companions aimed for the red balls and brought down their magic blades. The flames that shot from their ends spread, and the Inferno Stones glowed. A moment later, a massive explosion rocked the Dungeon.
Monsters: Ahh!
The monsters that had been following Turk's band of men were swallowed up in the ball of flames. It didn't stop there, however. The Inferno Stones they had scattered haphazardly down the passageways lit up like a fuse, exploding and spreading the flames farther and farther, destroying one passage after the next. Burning monsters and melted crystal columns alike were swept away in the whirlwind of destruction.
Everyone: ?!
Welf: What's happening?!
The shock waves had reached the spot on the same floor where Sora, Rin, Welf, and the rest of their party were standing. Meanwhile, two floors below, adventurers looked up as the thundering explosions reached them.
Adventurer 1: B-Boris?!
Boris: What is this? What's going on?!
Above them, crystal walls were blown away, floors burst open, ceilings collapsed, and waterways overflowed their banks in chaos. One section of the multilayered twenty-fifth floor collapsed entirely, having lost its supports.
Rin: The ground is collapsing...!!
Sora: Run! Follow me!!
Sora and the rest of his party fled desperately to avoid being sucked down with the collapsing structure. In the huge cavern, the Great Falls spit out a mass of crystal debris and monster corpses, swelling and roaring like a tidal wave. The scream of the Dungeon was unending.
(Elsewhere)
The explosions continue. As the lights blink and the crystals in the room vibrate and jump up and down from the shocks, the catman stands in front of Bell and Ryuu laughing.
Jura: I knew you'd chase after me like a madwoman! That's why I'm the decoy! The plan was that once I almost finished destroying the twenty- seventh floor, Turk would take over on the twenty-fifth!
He's shouting joyfully as crystals fall from the ceiling around him.
Jura: While you were chasing me so frantically, my underlings were setting off the bombs on the other floor. So how does it feel to be set up, eh?
A chill runs down Bell's spine as the catman roars with laughter again despite what's going on around him. Bell couldn't keep up with his logic.
Bell(mind): Bombs? Destroy the twenty-fifth floor? What are these guys trying to do?
Jura: You didn't pay attention when I threw out those bombs a little while ago, did you? You were careless, weren't you? Isn't that right, Leon? Ha-ha-ha- ha! Caught you, didn't I?
The next instant, Ryuu—who had been staring up at the ceiling in a daze— glares and flies at the catman.
Ryuu: JURAAAAA!
She grabs the shirt at his chest and pulls him onto the ground.
Ryuu: Do you realize what you've done? Do you really understand the gravity of what you just did?! Do you?!
Ryuu shouted. Her fist trembles, as if she's trying to hold back her emotions. The catman keeps on smiling despite the blow he's received and doesn't answer her question. Instead, he continues screaming at her.
Jura: Did you think I was just lazing around in these five years since you ruined my life?! No, I was busy researching! Where was the best place to call forth despair? How could I do it?!
Bell: Huh?
Jura: The whole time, I was thinking about how I could crush that pretty face of yours!
Ryuu: Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!! YOU BASTAAAAAAAARD!!!!!!!
The distraught Ryuu pulls out her dagger and brings it down toward the catman. But Bell stop her.
Bell: Don't do it, Miss Ryuu!
Ryuu: Let me go! I said let me go!
All her strength was directed toward pulling out of Bell's full nelson. The catman slowly stands up, giggling through his teeth.
Bell(mind): What is happening? We were supposed to have him backed into a corner, but now we're the ones who are trapped!
As that thought crosses Bell's mind—
Bell and Ryuu: ?!
The strongest explosion yet rocks them like some kind of grand finale. And then— The Dungeon wails.
Bell: What's that sound?
It's not the cracking sound the Dungeon makes when a monster was being born. It's not the quaking that comes before an irregularity occurs. It is literally a wail. A violent, inorganic, high-pitched keening. It's like a knife being drawn across a taut silver bowstring, piercing Bell's eardrums. Or a soprano the size of the whole world crying out. This violent, unmistakable wail of the Dungeon sets Bell's instincts flashing red.
Ryuu: Aaah...Aaaaah...!
Bell couldn't block his ears, since he was still restraining Ryuu's, but his whole body was tense. Just then, the strength drains from her body.
Ryuu: Not again. It's just like that time...all over again...Aaah, Alise...!
Bell: Miss Ryuu? Miss Ryuu?
Her slim body collapses, and Bell scramble to support her. He was calling her name in a panic as her face turns white and then blue. Bell didn't know this Ryuu. Who is this person with the vacant eyes hollowed out by trauma?
Ryuu: Run...Escape!!
Bell: What...?
She looks up at Bell as she utters her command in a broken voice. Thier faces were so close they're nearly touching. She's gripping his clothes.
Ryuu: Hurry and get away! At the very least you have to escape! Get out of here as fast as you can!! Even if you have to go alone— hurry!!
That's when Bell understood. Now it makes sense why she tried so hard to get rid of Bell when he first encountered her on this floor. She was afraid something like this was going to happen. The catman stands up.
Jura: It's too late!
He looks up at the ceiling as if he's pointing with his missing arm.
Jura: You and I, we're both trapped in despair!
His smile twitches. He, too, was pale.
Jura: Come and get us! Show yourself!
He shouts, like he's throwing down his chips on the gamble of his life. His voice is full of joy.
Jura: Appear before us once again!!
(Elsewhere)
Cassandra:...
Sora: Not good...
The prophetess of tragedy lowered one knee to the ground. The Hero had his hand trembling.
Daphne: Cassandra?
Haruhime: Lady Cassandra?
Muller and Rin: Sora?
They could not hear their comrades voice. They could not see Haruhime or the others who ran to their side. Flashes of light were running through their head. Cassandra knew "that time" had come. While Sora was gritting his teeth, that the despair that brought the former Astrea Familia to ruined has come once again.
Cassandra: Aa...Aaa...
The wails of the Dungeon were the "lament." Her face was as pale as Ryuu's. It wasn't just hers. Even Sora who was the strongest had gone pale hearing that sound. She grabbed her head with both hands, frozen in place as the prophecy fell from her lips.
Cassandra: A great calamity...draws near.
Sora: Jura!! You've really done it this time!!
Crack! A fissure spread through the cavern on the twenty-seventh floor. It was a long, wide, deep fissure, running vertically opposite the Great Falls. The first thing to spring from the fissure was liquid. The purple serum spewed out like blood, steam rising from it. The emerald-blue water clouded as if it had been soiled with sewer sludge.
The crack widened, scattering fragments of crystal, as if the Dungeon were splitting open its own womb. Finally. A scarlet eye glinted from the depths of the fissure. Despair let out its newborn cry.