No one's POV
The fight with the Monster Rex Amphisbaena rages on. Filled with anger of what had happened to Rin and Haruhime, both Level 4s rushes in.
Muller and Aisha: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...........!!!!!!!!
Welf: Hey...!
Ouka: Wait!
Muller(mind): That light...
Muller saw it. As everyone else stood frozen, only she who held fast to her determination to fight till the end saw it. Only she saw the band of light that ever so slightly blurred the water's surface, nearly hidden by the glow of the blue flames. Only she saw the particles of light forming a silhouette among the swirling sparks. A light of magic—The next instant she dashed forward.
Muller: Welf Crozzo, shoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!!
The enraged scream shook Welf's hands into motion. As if the vision he glimpsed in the corner of his eye of Muller sprinting forward spurred him on, he gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands.
Welf: I believe you.
Precisely because he believes in her, Welf was able to act. He was able to swing the blade.
Welf: Hiyo!!
A missile of ice shot forward. The battle cry of the magic blade quenched the blue flames as it raced ahead, leaving countless icicles in its wake.
Amphisbaena: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
The Amphisbaena interpreted this action as a threat. Its right head exhaled a powerful gust of crimson mist. A storm of billowing snow met a flood of mist. Azure battled crimson. Welf squinted as more cracks spread through the magic blade. Finally, the ice broke through the mist and froze part of the dragon's body. The dragon narrowed its eyes and prepared to unleash its counterattack of flames from the other head.
At that very moment... The light of magic emerges from the water.
Rin:...
Everyone: Rin!
A girl had emerged from the deep water. Her eyes whoever isn't the normal pupil but now were glowing. Even her whole body started glowing bright light. The glow focused her energy through her body. Suddenly, Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, and Lightning.
All 5 elements surrounds the girl in a defense, stunning, every other adventurers other than Muller and Aisha. Even the Monster Rex Amphisbaena were stunned by the display that it froze for a few seconds before sending a huge wave of blue napalm towards the girl. However, the girl didn't flinch at the huge blue flame but instead raised her hand and the water from the Great Fall erupt forming a wall. Multiple blast of water were then shot neutralizing the flames injuring Amphisbaena.
Rin and ???: Those attacks, won't work on me anymore.
Everyone: !
Rin's voice was heavy and were echoed by multiple other people once again stunning everyone once again. Then while the monster were at its daze state, Rin send 4 huge flame thrower towards the mighty Monster injuring it even more.
Amphisbaena: RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR
The monster howled in pain. However it was not given any time to growl for pain as Rin once again raised both her hands motioning from the up to down in a Cross Motion. Then the huge root plant connecting to the upper floors reacted towards Rin's control and bind Amphisbaena in place. Welf on the other lower tier adventurers were speechless at the spectacle. Rin, raising both her hands into the air, a huge blue lighting emerge forming into a long sword. With that, Rin unleashed her blow.
Rin and ???: Immeasurable Blade...!!!
A huge beam of light sliced through Amphisbaena's body cutting them in half. With that blow landing, she shouted at her two friend.
Rin: Muller!! Aisha!!
Muller: Purple Flare Amaterasu!
Aisha: Hell Kaios!
(A few minutes before)
Muller: Haaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
She raced forward. Crushing crystals underfoot, Muller headed for the monster trapped in plant tendrils in the center of the cavern.
Muller: Rin, don't let gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Muller leaped onto the wreckage of the root dome. The roots of the colossal tree were ragged from the multitude of assaults it had endured. Now blue flames were spreading along the lattice of wood, creating an ever-expanding tangle of fire. As the flames licked closer, they burned the intertwining layers of roots. But Muller neither hesitated nor questioned her next move. Surrounded by swirling sparks, she charged ahead through the only opening.
She raced down the last remaining route, a single unburned root—and jumped. As Mikoto stared in astonishment, Muller sang her final song.
Muller: The flame will soon be release. Creeping war, unavoidable destruction.
The only image remaining in the back of her mind was that of her companions.
Muller: The sky shall burn. The Earth shall ignite. The seas shall boil. The fonts shall churn. The mountains shall erupt.
She sang a song of exorcism to sweep away evil and call upon the light.
Muller: All life shall turn to ash.
She sang to deliver this to her companions. That was when it happen.
Rin and ???: Immeasurable Blade...!!!
A beam of light rippled the surface of the water. The mighty Amphisbaena was immediately sliced in half. And then the whole world glowed with white heat.
Rin: Muller!! Aisha!!
Muller(mind): We haven't given up! We won't give up!!! Neither Rin nor I have given up yet!
That blue mage who always fought with such loyalty and courage! That brave, strong woman who fought on and on to protect her companions!
Muller(mind): Still, still!!
Muller gritted her teeth. With her one good arm, she lifted her Mithril Sword making the best Avalanche attacked she could.
Muller: Your envoy beseeches you, Salamander! Incarnate of Fire!
This was her strongest spell in her arsenal. A flame that surpasses even the Mighty Blue Napalm. The mighty black flame that cannot be extinguish by wind nor water. A flame that stop the cause of any healing. A jet black Flame.
Muller: Queen of Flames!
Muller roared toward the sword of jet black flames that had materialized above the Mithril Swords.
Muller: Purple Flare Amaterasu!!
Muller swung her Mithril Black Flames Sword down and dove into the head of the monster.
Muller: Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Amphisbaena: !!
Like a set of all-engulfing fangs, Muller unleashed her lethal move on the dragon's right head as she bore down on it.
Muller: HELL FLARE!!
Her sword fell.
Amphisbaena: Gaa?!
A roaring flash of pitch black flame hurtled across the dragon's field of vision, pierced its scales, and split its flesh. A fountain of blood sprayed out, blooming in the air. The crimson-eyed head separated from the long neck.
Amphisbaena: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The adventurer fell, the dragon's remaining eyes bulged, and a massive icicle hurtled into the air. Deprived of its other half, the left head roared.
(A few minutes before)
Aisha(mind): This is—
Aisha heard it.
Haruhime: That power and that vessel. Breadth of wealth and breadth of wishes.
Aisha had heard that chant more times than anyone else in the world, and only she was able to pick out the clear, beautiful voice that uttered it.
Haruhime: Until the bell tolls, bring forth glory and illusion.
It was coming from the very center of the terrible ocean of flames. Surrounded by those flames that returned all to ash—Haruhime sat and sang. The Goliath Robe.
After the renard pushed Lili and Cassandra out of the way but just before the blue napalm swallowed her up, she had thrown the robe over her body and dove facedown onto the ground.
It was the first and only tactical move ever executed by this magic user who didn't know how to fight. The robe was an indomitable wall that blocked not only blunt force trauma and piercing attacks but also lightning and wind; in the same vein, the floor boss's river of fire could not burn it.
Haruhime(mind): I feel like I'm going to burst into flames!
Still, the fatal blazing inferno was alive and well. The world of flames that incinerated people and monsters alike was truly hellish. The robe's wearer may have been protected from catching fire, but the supernatural heat hounded her without mercy, melting her consciousness like wax. The tongues of flame seemed to mock her as they licked at the exterior of the robe, sending rivulets of sweat down her beautiful white skin. She felt as if flames would erupt from her slender throat.
Haruhime(mind): No, no! It's fine even if I burn! Even if I turn to ash!
All the same, she sat cross-legged beneath the robe with her eyes closed and sang.
Haruhime(mind): As long as this song rises from what remains and reaches them!
She poured all her remaining mental strength into the spell. As she did, she envisioned the face of the woman she knew was waiting for her song.
Aisha: All you have to do is sing.
Several years earlier, Aisha had said those words to Haruhime during an Ishtar Familia expedition. Although Haruhime had been to the deep levels, she knew almost nothing of the Dungeon's terrain. That was because the Amazons always stuffed her into a sturdy basket, shut her inside, and carried her along with them. She was treated exactly like a weapon or an item.
The Berberas would take her out when they needed her and use her for their own ends. In fact, they did not require Haruhime to do more than act like any other tool. There was no point in asking her for anything else.
Amazons: We don't expect anything else of you. Just focus on your singing.
All she could do during those battles was stand rooted in place while watching blood and flesh fly as tears filled her eyes. She could barely keep herself from fainting.
A cloistered noblewoman had no place in the brutal world of the Dungeon. All she could do was chant. Urged to use the mysterious power hidden within her, her quivering lips had no choice but to utter the verses no matter what state her mind was in.
Phryne: Finish your chant even a second late and one of us dies. Here in the deep level, that's how it is.
It was a harsh fate. The sturdy Amazons would fall one after the next, their limbs ruined. Even Phryne, a first-tier adventurer, was often wounded so badly she vomited blood. The powerless Haruhime was dragged to the battlefield, wanting nothing from it herself, then forced to take responsibility for the lives of others.
For an innocent girl who knew nothing of the world's violence and cruelty, it was a living nightmare. It would be a lie to say she hadn't hated them.
Aisha: Well, I'm sure you must hate us. It's fine even if you let us to die.
That was all Aisha had said to her. Her body half covered in blood, her eyes turned away, those were the words she tossed in Haruhime's direction.
Amphisbaena: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!
Its body was chopped in half by Rin's new ability. Its right head sliced off by Muller's special move, the Amphisbaena was wild with rage. As long as it still had his magic stones and one head left, the dragon would continue to go berserk. And now that the plant tendrils were no longer binding her, nothing restricted its movements anymore. Its remaining eyes were bloodshot from top to bottom. The left head opened its mouth so wide it seemed ready to split.
The blue light within its maw glowed brighter than ever before. It had drawn up every last drop of dragon-bile propellant to unleash one enormous final blast of blue napalm. Ouka, Welf and Daphne attempted to follow up Rin and Muller's attack and slice off the remaining head but they wouldn't make it in time.
This breath attack, powerful enough to immolate the entire cavern, would hit first. Lili and the others stared, still as statues, at the glow of impending destruction.
The symbol of obliteration was searing itself into the eyes of the adventurers. And then. Aisha took action.
Perhaps she acted out of instinct, or perhaps because she was guided by some greater force. But in the midst of the most extreme of extreme situations, when neither a mad rush nor a chanted spell could stop the insane flames, Aisha leaned forward.
Like a black panther crouching low as it gathered strength, she got into position for a charge.
Haruhime(mind): How could I ever choose to let you to die?
Haruhime's voice as she answered Aisha was hoarse and damp with tears. That was because she had no resolve, weak and timid creature that she was. She could not stand up to the heavy pressure of life.
But the people standing on that battlefield were people she wanted to save, even if she could.
Haruhime(mind): I will sing until my body disappears from this world.
And so she pledged herself. She sang and sang.
Haruhime: Grow.
And after singing day after day after day, her spell had gotten faster.
Lili: ?!
The heightened power of the magic astonished the pallum. The singing voice sent shivers down the spine of the healer who had used her own magic so many times. The giant hammer of golden light that formed in the exact center of the sea of flames filled the dragon's eyes with shock. As the spell sped up, it left the blue flames in the dust. Accelerated casting. The pinnacle of magic's basics. Spells woven faster than the wind could rescue companions and bring the fortune of victory.
Haruhime could do nothing besides chant, but this was the one real skill she had cultivated over time. It was the one polished and refined ability that belonged to this magic user, who had been used so by others so much. After casting hundreds and even thousands of times, the speed of her casting—and that alone—surpassed that of upper-class magicians.
Haruhime: Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above.
Haruhime's song raced through the cavern. Throwing aside the safety she usually sought, she prioritized speed above all else, shaking off caution even if it meant she might cause an Ignis Fatuus. Yes, all she was good for was casting. If that were the case, then she would stake her very body and soul on casting faster than anyone in the world so that her spell would reach the brave adventurers.
Haruhime: Into the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you!
She opened her eyes wide and saw the warrior woman, facing away from her as she stood before the sea of blue flames.
Haruhime: Grow!
In that same instant, Aisha—her body bent forward—took off running without a backward glance.
Aisha: Give it to me, Haruhimeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
As Aisha roared her request, the hammer of light fell upon her.
Haruhime: Uchide no Kozuchi!
The spark ran toward Aisha, igniting a great burst of light particles. Imbued with the glow of the level boost, the Amazon roared and shot forward at a speed that stretched the boundaries of what was possible. Her tawny body had become an arrow of golden light.
Kicking up crystals like they were gravel, she bore a hole through the dancing sparks. As the dragon filled its lungs with blue flames, she took aim at its eye.
Amphisbaena: !!
Wild with fury, the dragon finally realized its error. Normally, as the left head prepared its fiery attack, the right head fended off enemies. But now the right head was gone. Nothing remained to protect the left head.
The Amazon charged like a lunatic. Her speed and the distance she covered would have been impossible for a Level 4, but not for a Level 5. There was a way. A single path led across the lake. A towering bridge of ice, laid down by Hiyo at the price of the magic blade's complete disintegration.
Aisha: Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
Amphisbaena: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!
The roars of the adventurer and the dragon layered atop each other. Intent on incinerating the warrior woman and the rest of the cavern along with her, the dragon prepared to release the fiery breath. It had reached the critical point within its throat. But the combined light of Aisha and Haruhime was swifter.
A flash. Aisha leaped into the air, a brilliant comet's tail slanting upward past the center of the floor boss's neck. One of the enormous scales shattered, exploding outward. Aisha's blade tore deep into the flesh of the thick neck underneath. An instant later, the propellant that had built up in the dragon's throat and mouth erupted from the wound she had opened.
Amphisbaena:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Aaagh?!
Like a broken water main, the blue napalm gushed out and caught fire. Burning in its own flames, the Amphisbaena writhed as if it had fallen into purgatory. Worse than misfiring, the extra-large blast of dragon breath had set off a massive explosion. The floor boss screamed as its flowing gushing fed the flames.
Aisha: Come, reckless conqueror!
Aisha did not stop.
Aisha: Oh brave warrior, oh strong hero, oh covetous, cruel champion.
The moment she rebounded onto an ice chunk floating in the lake, she took off running again and leaned into the Amphisbaena a second time. She attacked the dragon with a torrent of swift, wild slices to prevent it from escaping into the water, even as she intoned her concurrent chant.
Aisha: Prove your desire for the queen's girdle.
She kicked off one of the huge icicles formed by Hiyo, kept moving, and flew at the floor boss with a freedom and speed that rendered her invisible to Welf and the others watching from the shore. All they could see was a path of golden specks trailing behind her. This was a war dance truly worthy of the name Antianeira. She answered the water dragon's moans with the final words of her chant:
Aisha: My famished blade is Hippolyta!
An epic leap. She flew into the air directly above the burning body of the dragon. As she descended toward her enemy's trunk, where its core was buried, she lifted her podao. Then, with all the power she and Haruhime could muster, she swung it down.
Aisha: Hell Kaios!!
The podao struck the dragon's body, discharging magical glittering light. The sword strike's crimson wave landed squarely on the monster's body, ripping into its flesh and burrowing deep inside. Forging its way through the river of dragon blood, it reached the large, deep-purple crystal buried within and shattered it.
Its magic stone destroyed, the Amphisbaena's form disintegrated and a riot of azure flames bloomed. Ash erupted as the remaining blue napalm detonated. The cavern thundered with the powerful explosion. For an instant, everything was engulfed by the flash of heat. As she watched this scene from within the sea of flames, the renart smiled faintly and collapsed facedown onto the ground.
Lili: Ms. Aisha?!
The moment the flash ended, Lili who had thrown her slender arms over her face and curled into a ball to avoid being blown backward by the explosion—shouted the Amazon's name.
In the blizzard of ash, where flying fragments of drop items and purple crystal drew parabolas in the air among countless hovering sparks, she had glimpsed Aisha falling into the lake.
When an adventurer chose to carry out an extreme close-range attack, there was no way to avoid getting caught in the aftermath. Lili and the others who watched Aisha conduct her assault stood pale and silent with fear...but before long, the warrior broke through the water's surface, her long hair dripping.
Aisha:...
As her beautiful limbs and bare coppery skin came into view, they saw that she was covered in burns. Still, given the scale of the explosion she had weathered, the gleam in her eyes was surprisingly bright. She walked slowly through the shallows, particles of light still coating and protecting her body.
Embers of lit blue napalm flickered on one arm, and she was dragging her podao behind her through the water; the palm of her hand was stuck to its hilt. The onlookers snapped out of their daze and ran to her, but she brushed them off and headed straight toward the sea of flames that engulfed the shore.
Aisha: Haruhime...
With her left hand, she pulled out a vial of Perseus's fire-quenching potion, ripped off the cap, and poured it over the flames on her other arm. Smoke billowed as the item did its work. She used the rest of the potion to subdue the fire directly in front of her before walking into the weakened flames. From above, it must have looked like a rut was being drawn through the wild sea of fire.
Aisha arrived in front of Haruhime, who lay facedown under her fireproof robe, and cradled the renard in her arms.
Haruhime:...Aisha...
Aisha: You've mastered it, haven't you...my dumb little fox.
Aisha smiled down at the girl. Haruhime's eyelids fluttered open as she lay in Aisha's embrace. Filled with joy, she smiled weakly and rested her head limply against Aisha's chest.
The pair returned along the path Aisha had used earlier and were greeted with tears of joy by Lili and Cassandra. Although the Goliath Robe had absorbed so much heat that it burned both of Aisha's arms, for the moment she hardly even felt it.
Aisha: You saved me, Haruhime...
The renart had closed her eyes again, but she still heard the words Aisha whispered into her ear, like an older sister celebrating how much her younger sister had grown.
Mikoto: Lady Rin! Lady Muller!
Meanwhile, Mikoto had crossed the iceberg to the epicenter of the Amphisbaena explosion and dove into the water, which was now thick with ash. Using the site of the magic light to guide her, she had set out to rescue the two missing adventurers. She quickly found Muller and Rin, who had wounds all over her body, and pulled them to shore. Then she ran over to Cassandra.
Muller: Rin...
Rin: Muller...
Rin smile through her heavy injuries. Muller couldn't be more happy to see her best friend still alive. With every last ounce of strength she had left, Muller hug Rin tightly crying.
Welf: Hey! This is crazy, I mean it was crazy, but are you okay?!
Meanwhile, Welf was lending a hand to Ouka.
Welf: Grab my hand, big guy!
Flames still flickered here and there in the cavern, so the adventurers gathered on a piece of ice in the center of the lake.
Cassandra: Everyone's alive...
Lili: We brought down the floor boss all by ourselves!
Casandra and Lili couldn't contain their happiness as they set about using their remaining items to heal the rest of the party. Rin had deep wounds on her shoulder, arm, and leg, and all her bones had been broken by her new transformation. Her eyes were closed and she was unconscious but breathing. Muller sat next to her, still got some Mind left even after she had unleashed her third magic which consumes half of her Mind. Haruhime had suffered a Mind Down and was barely aware of her surroundings. As for Aisha, she might have used the fire- quencher and other potions, but her Level 4 toughness was on full display given how she was still able to stand on her own two feet.
Aisha: It's too soon to celebrate...but you guys did well.
Muller: Nice work, everyone.
They had beaten the floor boss by the narrowest of margins, and Muller and Aisha's praise was genuine. As if to give shape to the adventurers' outstanding achievement, some Amphisbaena bile, a valuable drop item, washed up on the ice float. Welf and the others smiled at Lili as she began to collect some as soon as her sharp eyes noticed it. The group was on the verge of giving a collective shout of victory when a loud bang interrupted them.
Everyone: !!
The Dungeon had not given them so much as a moment to bask in the warm afterglow of victory before rearing its head once again.
Welf: What's that?
Chigusa: The floor is swaying...?!!
As Welf and Chigusa cried out in confusion, the floor began to crumble with an ear-piercing screech.
First there had been the explosion so massive it demolished a section of the labyrinth, and then the fall of the root dome followed by the Amphisbaena's dive, and finally the barrage of blue napalm. The cavern simply had not been able to withstand the savage battle, and now it began to disintegrate in earnest.
Ouka: Hey, doesn't this seem bad?!
This was the Dungeon's angry howl, or perhaps its sorrowful cry. In either case, massive clumps of crystal began to fall from the ceiling with terrible crashing sounds, raising waves in the plunge pool wherever they landed. The pale-faced, panicked adventurers used their weapons to bat away this atrocious downpour.
Turk: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The scream did not belong to anyone in their party. When they turned around, they saw a party of four adventurers standing on the crystal bridge that skimmed the top of the Great Falls on the northwestern side of the cavern, where it connected with the maze inside the cliff. One was a werewolf. It was Turk, the very same adventurer who had fanned the flames that kindled the hunt for Gale Wind in Rivira. He was also the ringleader of the plan to blow up the twenty-fifth floor.
Turk: You lied to us, Juraaaaaa!! We never knew it would turn out like this!
Muller: Turk...!
Aisha: Those idiots...!
The band of four must have escaped the devastation that had destroyed an entire part of the Dungeon and managed to reach this cavern. Muller and Aisha found it galling to have to watch the people who were responsible for causing this terrible situation incoherently complaining about it. Seized by terror, the four adventurers flew down the crystal bridge in a haphazard attempt to flee.
They landed high above Muller and the others, onto the root dome that still capped much of the cavern. Although the blue napalm fire had already spread there, Turk led the fleeing adventurers onto it without thinking. When some of the flames spread to the backpack of one of them, the wearer burst into a ball of fire, screaming until death came.
Turk: I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!! I sure as hell don't wanna die here!!
Dripping with what could have been either tears or sweat, encircled by smoke and flames yet still clinging fiercely to life, the band of minor villains made it to the cliff on the west side of the cavern and began crawling up it. Ironically, this scene helped Aisha's party discover a way out.
Aisha: They crossed over the roots of the colossal tree...! Does that mean we can use the connecting passageway now?!
Generally speaking, ascending or descending the towering crystal cliff was not a realistic option even for first-tier adventurers. But at the moment, because of the dome, climbing up the cliff face was relatively easy. If they scaled the height and emerged onto the path leading along its edge, they would be able to escape from the passageway on the southern tip of the floor. This was the sole signpost pointing toward a way out of the crumbling cavern.
Aisha: We can't exactly afford to be picky right now...! If we stay here, we'll be buried by crystal debris!
At best, their chances of climbing the cliff with the injured members of the party on their backs was fifty-fifty. The only route left across the still-burning dome was on its south side. Seeing how the flames advanced toward their exit route by the second, Aisha screamed for them to withdraw.
Aisha: Let's get out of here! Climb the western cliff!
Lili: Wait!! Master Bell and Master Sora are still somewhere below us!
It was Lili who protested. Her small finger was pointing to the southeastern cliff—in other words, to the precipice that rimmed the Great Falls and led to the twenty-sixth floor. She was suggesting they could still enter the maze by descending that sheer wall.
Welf: I'm against it, too. We've gotta rescue Bell and Sora before we split!
Mikoto: I'm not abandoning Sir Sora and Sir Bell either.
Ouka: I understand how you feel...but...!
Chigusa: In this condition, Rin and Haruhime...!
Mikoto and Welf had weighed in on Lili's side, only to be countered by Ouka and Chigusa.
Daphne: You guys...! Are you idiots?!
Aisha: Look at our situation!
Due to her position and experience, Aisha's words carried more weight than those of anyone else in the group. Now she shouted back at Lili and the others, her face contorted with distress.
Like Ouka and Chigusa, she had no desire to abandon Sora nor Bell. In fact, she wanted more than anything to rescue this two male who had caught her fancy. But with the party in its current condition, immediately after a fight-to-the-death with a floor boss, Lili's proposal was suicidal. Rin and Haruhime could no longer fight. Most of their weapons and items were broken or used up. They were in no state whatsoever to go searching for a missing companion. Above all, Aisha was thinking of the renard still cradled in her arms. As Aisha weighed the girl against the boy and was about to tilt the scale toward the girl, a weak hand reached up from her arms and stopped her.
Haruhime: Lady...Aisha...please...forget about me, just...!
Aisha:...!
Haruhime: Please, help Master Bell and Master Sora...!
Aisha bit her lip as she looked down at Haruhime fighting so hard to cling to consciousness.
Lili: We cannot abandon Master Bell and Master Sora!
Aisha: But if we stay on this floor...!
Lili, Mikoto, Welf, and Haruhime wanted to stay behind.
Aisha, Daphne, Ouka, and Chigusa wanted to pull out.
The party was split.
Everyone has lost their cool. Even Liliruka and Antianeira!
Muller stood in the middle of these two extremes. Her heart pounding and sweat dripping down her face, she forced herself to remain objective.
Muller(mind): Staying here is impossible! This is insane! We have to get out immediately! But! But! Sora! I can't just abandon him!
Naturally, she came down on the side of retreat. It was a no-brainer. Given the supremely irregular situation that left the floor itself on the verge of crumbling, remaining in this part of the Dungeon was out of the question.
Muller(mind): I'm sure this is the only floor that's going to crumble. The twenty-seventh floor is two floors down! It should be fine! Sora of all people should have a good chance of surviving...! He supposedly had already found Bell Cranel and Lion by now...!
She didn't really believe that, but Muller used this rationalization to put the safety of the party first. That was the job of the commander, and that was the responsibility that now fell on the shoulders of Muller.
Muller(mind): Opinions are split four to four. If I cast my vote in favor of retreat, things will tip in that direction!
Daphne knew that in a tight fix, the weight of the majority was decisive. She would make sure the concern Lili, Mikoto, and Welf felt for their familia member didn't lead them in the wrong decision. With a resolve tinged by unease, Muller prepared to speak.
Cassandra: The cage of despair...shall become a coffin...tormenting thyself...
However, a string of disjointed words spoken by the girl standing next to her stopped Muller in her tracks.
Cassandra: The colossal tree is on fire, the floor is crumbling...the cage of despair has become a coffin...is this place, this situation what 'tormenting thyself' means?
Everyone stared at her. As the unending rain of crystals beat down on her and the light of the blue flames illuminated her face, the girl continued to mutter her soliloquy.
Daphne:...Cassan...dra?
Her upturned eyes did not see the present world. She was staring at another place, at events happening in another time, as if she was being guided toward something.
Cassandra: Now is the time of prophecy. This is the crossroads, the fork in the road, the place where fate diverges—
Daphne's gaze was fixed on Cassandra, who had gone into a trance like a shrine maiden receiving an oracle.
Cassandra(mind): The coffin is a symbol of death. But if I still have time to be tormented, then that's the same as saying a death-filled future isn't inevitable yet. On the other hand, if we make the wrong decision after being tormented, the prophecy will consume my life.
Meanwhile, Cassandra had sunk deep into her own thoughts. The seventeen lines of the prophecy floated in a sea at the bottom of her heart. As the prayer that went by the name of a nightmare shifted with dizzying speed, her perception of time stretched to its limit. In a world cut off from her surroundings, the prophetess of tragedy drowned in a sea of verse as she tried to grasp the true meaning of the oracle.
Cassandra(mind): In other words, the thing tormenting me right now in this "coffin"—is the decision itself?
This was the action Cassandra must take. It would determine the future of the party. Certainly, two choices had split the party: remaining or retreating. Cassandra knew the group's decision would determine their fate.
Cassandra(mind): Do not forget. Seek naught but the light of the reviving sun. Gather the fragments, consecrate the flame, beseech the sun's light. Take heed. Such is the banquet of calamity...
Reviewing their situation, it was clear they had already plunged into the fourteenth line, given the coffin reference. That left the last three lines of the prophecy.
Cassandra(mind): The seventeenth line is simply a conclusion wrapping everything up, so I'll ignore that for now. But there's no question the other two lines are a warning to avoid annihilation!
The line beginning with "Gather" clearly didn't match their current predicament of choosing between two alternatives, so she set that aside as well.
That meant she had to minutely scrutinize the line telling her to "seek naught but the light of the reviving sun."
Cassandra(mind): Does "light" mean...hope? And I'm supposed to choose the option that relates to "the reviving sun"? But what is "the sun"? Where is this thing "the sun" represents? There is no "sun" in the Dungeon!! I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!
What should she choose? What should guide her decision?
Cassandra(mind): What do I even want? I don't want these people to die. I want to go where he is. Without letting anyone die, I want to go to whatever horrible place he's been forced to go.
As the static of her emotions cut into her thought process, Cassandra stood before the two choices confronting her.
Retreat or remain?
The twenty-fourth floor or the twenty-sixth?
Up or down?
The path along the cliff on the west side, or the sheer precipice to the east?
Cassandra:...
Sora: May the Light of Hope accompany you on your journey.
Suddenly, a jolt of electricity shot through Cassandra's body. The light they sought...was that the single choice that would leave them alive? The reviving sun...there was no one and nothing here on this watery floor that represented the sun. Did that mean it wasn't something she could see with her eyes? Not a person? Not even a physical object? A suggestion, an abstraction, an allegory.
Cassandra(mind): A metaphor. The reviving sun...the sun disappearing and then appearing again, so the sunset and—
Cassandra turned around as if she'd been stung, and that's when she saw it. The connecting passageway to the twenty-sixth floor, on the southeast side. The cave that should have been destroyed by the root cage. Repeated shocks had deformed the terrain to the point that now, between the root and the ground, a gap just large enough for a person to squeeze through had opened.
Cassandra: Oh.
The light flickered. Everything before her eyes blinked in and out like sparks. The pieces of the prophecy clicked together with an audible sound in her mind. The light of hope that would allow them to escape despair and destruction had been delivered into her hands.
Cassandra: To the east!!
The moment she arrived at her conclusion, Cassandra screamed it out.
Daphne: Huh?
Cassandra: Everyone, go east! To the twenty-sixth floor, quick!!
She tried to urge on the startled party. She had thrown concern for appearances to the wind and was shouting wildly, which threw everyone into confusion.
Daphne: Cassandra?! What are you sayi—?
Daphne, her face pale, attempted to stop her reckless friend, only to be interrupted.
Cassandra: I was wrong, Daphne! I was wrong!! The prophecy wasn't talking about a person or a time!
Daphne: ?!
Cassandra: The 'reviving sun' represents a direction! I'd been misinterpreting the words all along!
The oracle of tragedy interrupted Daphne with more revelations about her prophetic dream. During their time on the twenty-first floor, Cassandra had tried to deduce the meaning of the line before. She'd guessed that the warning had something to do with things or people related to Apollo, or that the sun might have even represented daytime.
But she had been wrong. The "reviving sun" was a metaphor for the sunrise, which was essentially the disappearance of the sun at night and its reappearance in the morning. The prophecy was actually referencing the direction from which the sun rose.
Cassandra: This floor has already changed from a 'cage of despair' into a 'coffin'! The only way for us to escape the foretold death is to go east, toward the reviving sun!
When she thought about it, her mistake was really quite simple. She used to be a member of Apollo Familia, so it was only natural that her old patron deity had come to mind, and that had restricted her thinking, blinding her to the possibilities. She'd made things unnecessarily complicated. Only when presented with the two choices of the western and eastern routes did she finally comprehend the verse.
Cassandra: I still don't know what the 'sun's light' is supposed to mean! And I have no idea what the 'fragments' to collect are, or how to consecrate the 'flame'! But going east is our only choice! Hurry everyone, head to the twenty-sixth floor!!
Cassandra had understood at last, but...
Daphne: What are you talking about?! And at a time like this!
Daphne snapped angrily at her. She didn't believe her.
Daphne: Stop talking nonsense! Drop it already!!
Cassandra's heart cracked when she saw how her friend glared at her. To Daphne and the others, Cassandra's desperate plea seemed like nothing more than a string of illogical words. Disorganized, incoherent rambling. No one believed what she said—this was the curse of the prophetess of tragedy.
Doubt fills the eyes of her companions. The world twisted in on itself, changed shape, then shrieked and jeered at Cassandra. She felt as if her teary eyes were going to burst into pieces and her knees were about to give out.
Cassandra(mind): It's always the same. No matter what I do, it's always the same. No matter what I say, no one listens. No matter how I beg, my pleas never reach anyone. It's always the same. The world always tramples on my hard work. The world always jeers at my tragedies. Even when I gather my courage and struggle, even if I scream at the top of my lungs, I always bump up against absurdity. So many times, my desperate warnings have ended with inaction. So many times, my determination has crumbled like a sand castle. I have tasted defeat again and again. Time after time, I have been hurled from the cliff's edge into the very depths of darkness. But what can I do? I must be cursed. What can I do, what can I do...what can I do?
???:.........Is that really true?
Cassandra(mind): When did those words begin to invade my heart? When did I become so discouraged? When did I start feeling this tinge of resignation? When did I start to lie? When did I stop fighting? When did even I stop believing everything and anything? When did I fall into despair? Have I truly reached the point where I will even look away from my closest friend as she stands here in front of me?! It's always Daphne who breaks my heart. And then—
Daphne: Don't let the word 'despair' beat you!" "Look to the future! Rise up!
Cassandra(mind): It's always Daphne's words that give me courage!
The light in the altar of her heart began to glow. Concealing the words that repeated themselves in her heart, she returned her friend's penetrating gaze and faced the mocking world. Cassandra clenched her fists and shouted.
Cassandra: Listen to me, Daphne!
Daphne: !!
She leaned toward the stunned Daphne, focusing only on her as she screamed her next words.
Cassandra: I'd given up! No one ever believed me in the past, so I assumed no one would believe me in the future, either!
Pressing her right hand to her chest, she laid bare her true feelings. The rejection, shock, and despair that had plunged her to a pit of dejection. Reliving all those memories of the past was pure pain for Cassandra.
Cassandra: I was always afraid! I was in agony! I was sad and I didn't want to be hurt anymore!
But still the words kept coming.
Cassandra: I was scared and I never said what was really important!
When Bell appeared before her, she felt like she had been saved. She had stayed by his side, whispering into his ear, living in the fantasy that he accepted and believed her.
But that had merely been dependency.
She hadn't done anything.
Not once had she truly stood up to the world that imposed tragedy. She had never sincerely confronted the curse of prophecy that dwelled within her. She had never genuinely tried to speak those words.
Cassandra: I don't care if this is the only time you ever listen to one of my dreams! Just listen!!
Cassandra(mind): Don't give in to despair. Resist the curse that's trying to rip us all apart. Don't give in to the weak self that is terrified of rejection and despair.
Cassandra: Daphne, believe in me!
The power of her words reverberated through the crumbling cavern. Her outstretched hands grasped Daphne's right hand and squeezed it as if in an embrace. Their eyes met. Cassandra's eyes gleamed with her ardent plea. Daphne's wavered like a rippling pool of water. For a brief moment, their hearts were one. And then...
Daphne:...You can't expect me to actually believe your dream!
Daphne forcefully shook off Cassandra's hands. Cassandra's teary eyes opened wide as they filled with more despair than ever before. Then Daphne continued.
Daphne: Everyone! To the east!!
She had announced her decision. Turning toward the surprised adventurers, she sided with those who wanted to hold out.
Cassandra:...Huh?
Then she turned back toward the dazed Cassandra.
Daphne: I don't believe in your silly dreams!
Daphne pouted, her cheeks bright red. Then she stuck her pointer finger toward the other girl and yelled at the top of her lungs.
Daphne: What I believe in is Cassandra Illion!
Daphne hadn't believed in the prophecy. She had believed in her friend. It only took Cassandra a second to understand what she was saying. But it was a very long second. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes. Blushing, Daphne grabbed her friend's right hand and took off running. Cassandra held tight to Daphne's hot palm.
Daphne: Quick! Hurry!!
Daphne shouted as she ran with Cassandra toward the eastern passage. The rest of the party followed on reflex. They accepted her choice because her vote had tipped the scales.
Muller: Run! Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!
The roar of the crumbling floor drowned out the scream coming from Muller, who was bringing up the rear. A torrential downpour of massive crystal chunks pursued the adventurers as they leaped from one ice-island to the next. With a crash, the burning root dome collapsed into the lake.
The singing of wild waves, the dancing of blue flames, and a chorus of demise. Turning away from the Dungeon's requiem, Daphne and the rest of the party cut across the cavern and raced down the eastern shore.
Their destination was the passageway connecting to the twenty-sixth floor. Reaching the tiny gap that had appeared between the root and the ground, they dove into it one by one.
Everyone:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!
An instant later, the entire cavern caved in on itself with a terrific roar. The plunge pool was obliterated by the wreckage of crystals thundering into it. Inside the cave, the adventurers were blown back by the backdraft.
Turk: Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!
In the middle of it all, Turk and his companions—who had chosen the western route—were caught in the collapsing debris and fell from the crumbling cliff face.
Not a soul was left to attend to them. They were cruelly crushed beneath the avalanche of crystals, forced to pay the ultimate price for their destruction of the Dungeon.
Lili: Whew...we made it...
Chigusa: If we had tried to go back to the twenty-fourth floor...
Lili and Chigusa were panting and pale as they stood up. When they looked back at the cave connecting to the twenty-fifth floor, it was already half crushed, the passage completely blocked off.
Cassandra: Daphneeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Daphne: Stop hugging me! This isn't over yet.
Surrounded by her companions who had so narrowly escaped death, Cassandra was wailing and clinging to Daphne, her cheek pressed to her friend's as they crouched side by side. Daphne blushed as she struggled to peel Cassandra off.
Cassandra: Thank you, thank you...! You believed me...!
She wrapped both arms around Daphne's neck like a baby, sobbing and smiling at the same time. She couldn't help but weep tears of joy now that her friend had finally believed in her. Perhaps out of embarrassment, Daphne pouted.
Aisha: All right, enough fussing, you two! Stand up! They're coming!
The sharp reprimand came from Aisha as she ran past them. The pair looked up and saw a horde of monsters racing toward them from the path straight ahead that split off toward the twenty-sixth floor. "Still alive, are you? We won't let you get much farther", they seemed to be saying.
Ouka: Bad luck always brings friends...!
Welf: Stop babbling, big guy! Now that we've come this far, we're absolutely going to reach Bell and Sora for sure!
Ouka held up the battered Kougou, and Welf stood ready at his side with a spare magic blade. Daphne and Cassandra leaped up as well.
Rin was carried by Muller. Haruhime with Aisha. Without even having time to fully relish the fact that they were still alive, the adventurers scrambled into battle positions.
Mikoto: Let's find Sir Sora and Sir Bell.
Everyone: Yeah!
The vanguard dashed forward, having handed over the still-unconscious Rin and Haruhime to their comrades bringing up the rear. With the Amazon's podao leading the way through flying monster blood, the adventurers continued their battle.