"Ha, haha."
"Hahahaha—!!"
Finn Deimne laughed. His sudden outburst startled the Loki Familia members as they watched their Pallum leader cover his face and erupt into hysterical laughter. It was neither a laugh of mockery nor one of despair; it was pure and refreshing, as if he had just cast off a crushing burden. When his laughter finally subsided, he looked up, and the darkness that had clouded his features vanished.
"I truly didn't expect this. To be lectured by Bete..."
The Captain's gaze shifted toward Al Cranel, who stood alone against the monstrosity despite fatal wounds that made him look like a walking corpse, and then toward Bete Loga, who refused to yield even in the face of certain doom. Their defiance reminded Finn of his younger self—of that primal longing and the initial drive that set him on his path. A faint smile touched his lips.
Everyone, including Finn himself, had felt despair and lost their "courage." Yet Bete, who was supposed to be weaker than Finn, had shattered his shackles and broken out of his "shell" to roar with pride.
"I will defeat that monstrosity," Finn declared, wiping the dust and grime from his face. He shook his head, his golden hair catching the light, and fixed a resolute gaze forward.
He gripped his long golden spear and his unbreakable silver spear once more, moving to the front of the unit. Finn now donned the mask of the "Hero" with all its intended weight.
"I will test your 'courage,' and above all, I will test my own."
He raised his voice—at once an instigator, a jester, and a hero—addressing everyone present as if he were speaking to his own soul. His words were an oath, meant to rouse the others while simultaneously igniting the fire within himself. Finn steadied his breathing and tightened his hold on his spear. In that moment, the members of the Loki Familia, who had stood with hollow eyes and bowed heads, finally looked up.
"I admit it. I surrendered. I felt 'Despair'."
Perhaps Finn Deimne was not a natural-born hero like Al Cranel, but he had overlooked one truth: heroism requires no prerequisites. The feelings in his heart were not merely cold tools to achieve an end; they were a genuine, unblemished "Heroic Desire."
"But what do you see in your eyes now?"
Riveria Ljos Alf and Gareth Landrock both knew the truth. They knew their brother-in-arms was an irredeemable dreamer, and that this was his core nature.
"Do you see fear?"
"Despair?"
"Destruction?"
"In my eyes, I see nothing but an enemy to crush and two heroes standing over there."
Fire ignited in the eyes of the Loki Familia. Though they had surrendered moments ago, the pride dormant in their hearts rejected defeat. A heavy sense of responsibility took hold. Their eyes mirrored the image of Al, fighting despite the venom eating his body, and Bete, struggling with all his might against a vastly superior foe.
"Will you accept defeat as your end? If you intend to rise, I will carve a path for you with this spear. I promise you victory, sworn in our Goddess's name—follow me!"
Raul Nord and his comrades, moved by his words, tightened their grips. Lefiya Viridis and the rest felt their hearts tremble. Finn shouted as if etching the words into his very spirit. If a hero is defined by the ability to rally armies and instill passion at any time, then Finn Deimne, "The Braver," was more a hero than anyone else.
"Or is it... too difficult for you to follow Bell Cranel's example?"
The image of that boy—Al's brother and Bete's pupil, Bell Cranel—flashed through their minds. They recalled his recent heroic tale, which embodied the true meaning of "Adventure" that they had all forgotten.
"He gave everything in his fight. Did you give your all, Tione?"
"He braved a true 'Adventure,' casting himself between life and death. What about you, Tiona?"
Riveria, the noble high elf, and Gareth, the great dwarf warrior, followed the Amazon sisters in reclaiming their fighting spirit. Even the supporters carrying magic swords raised their heads.
Finn smiled as he saw everyone rise with burning resolve. He looked triumphantly at the unit now surrounded by an aura of iron will. Then, his smile vanished, replaced by a sharp glint in his eyes. He placed a finger to his forehead and began his incantation:
"[O magic spear, pierce my blood-offered brow—Hell Finegas!]"
He unleashed his berserker magic—a spell that extracts every drop of latent fighting spirit and elevates his physical abilities far beyond the limits of Level 6. The lake-like blue in his eyes turned a blood-red. This magic was a double-edged sword, turning the user into a raging warrior who loses the ability to reason in exchange for absolute power. However...
"Raul, stay back and provide support! We are launching a direct assault on the Spirit!"
"Eh? How can he still issue orders...?"
Activating Hell Finegas normally meant abandoning command due to the loss of sanity. Yet, despite his eyes turning red, Finn remained calm, retaining his habitual sharpness.
"Perhaps this is the first time since the Great Feud seven years ago. I knew that intense rage allowed me to use this magic while maintaining my composure. It seems other emotions work just as well."
Finn issued instructions with clarity and resolve. His orders were swift and precise. The atmosphere of despair vanished, replaced by the overwhelming presence of a true hero. As the members prepared to charge, Finn approached the human girl still sprawled on the ground.
"Ais, is this your end? If so, stay there and hug your knees. We are moving forward."
He did not look back at the girl, who remained motionless like a corpse. His eyes were fixed on the enemy. He looked only ahead and moved toward the battlefield without waiting for her reply.
Suddenly, the girl's right hand twitched. Her slender fingers slowly scratched the earth, then clenched into a fist as if trying to grasp something.
"...I, I will too... I'm going too!!"
She grabbed her silver sword, forcing resolve into her exhausted frame. Ais Wallenstein rose like a ghost returning from the dead, her hair and clothes tattered, her beautiful face covered in wounds.
Finn gave a quiet signal to Riveria and the others. He turned his back to the emboldened adventurers, his eyes locked solely on the foe.
"Everyone, let us begin the adventure."
●○●○●
Whether it was offensive magic, a barrier, or even a curse, the flaming "Dusk Fangs" of the Great Wolf could bite through anything. Bete's Hati magic shattered the "Magic Seal" curse and the terminal affliction that had been strangling Al.
The werewolf, wreathed in crimson flames, lunged at the Spirit monstrosity and delivered a full-powered punch. The resulting shockwave turned into a heatwave that cracked the ground.
As soon as he was freed from the curse, Al unleashed the fastest magic in the city. Bolts of flaming lightning—Thunderbolt—erupted, devouring the enraged Revis's body. With a mastery that blended swordsmanship and magic, Al scorched Revis, forcing a thunderous scream from her throat.
"Damn it, don't mess with me—"
"[Thunderbolt!]"
"────!!"
Though she tried to press forward through the rain of bolts, the lightning struck Revis, paralyzing her. Her body went into violent tremors and spasms. As the pain of the burns tore through her nerves, she tried to move by force, only to take a violent side-blow. A sword-kick capable of cutting metal struck her directly, sending Revis flying with a massive crash.
"[Move, O Earth—]"
"Slow."
Even with the green flesh armor that boosted her abilities to Level 7, neither Revis's greatsword nor her curses could reach Al Cranel. Al evaded the lethal blade with simple, graceful movements, then kicked her in the side with enough force to rupture internal organs, contorting her face in agony. But it didn't end there.
The exchange continued without pause—a clash of blades, curses, and magic at a level unreachable by ordinary people. It was a recurrence of the battle on the 18th Floor, but this was an absolute, one-sided slaughter.
—This man is a true monster.
The thought raced through Revis's mind. Her venomous sword strikes felt like child's play against Al's defense. He parried her easily, while the blade of the "Sword Saint" tore into her cheeks, clothes, hair, skin, fingers, ears, and even her eyes.
"This... this is impossible!!"
Her rage and fear transformed into a murderous impulse, but Al's movements were terrifyingly calm, leaving her no room to read him. He seemed like a machine, devoid of emotion. Revis's face twisted; in her eyes, Al was no longer human, but a beast in human form.
The beast had cornered her. Even with the strength she gained by surpassing human limits, she saw no glimmer of hope. Magic stones, Spirit protection, and geographical advantage—none of it saved her. Her sword speed barely matched the dying Al's, and in terms of skill, he outclassed her entirely. The gap in their standing as warriors was vast.
"Why? How can you move?! You were only freed from the curse! But the Behemoth venom is still eating your body!!"
Bete's Hati was designed to devour magic and curses, but the venom from the sword's material could not be cured so easily. That venom, which had once laid low the followers of great Gods, still corrupted Al's blood, flesh, and bone. Although his Rea Phoenix skill slowed its spread, the Mind consumption of combat and wound-healing prevented him from purging the toxin completely.
Physically, Al had only sealed his wounds. The excruciating pain should have prevented him from even standing, let alone fighting and using magic. Question marks flooded Revis's mind. This man was out of control—abnormal, insane. Every time he swung his sword, sharp pain struck him, and blood dripped from beneath the fingernails of the hand gripping his hilt. The pain radiated through his entire body; he had long ago surpassed his physical limits. Staying conscious was, in itself, a miracle.
And yet, he was the one in control.
Even with abilities exceeding Finn and Gareth, and a blade that brought instant death, Revis could not keep up. The difference between them was that of a lizard and a dragon. Her blade never touched him, while his sword never stopped rending her flesh.
"Ah, it truly is exhausting. But... so what?"
"In a situation like this, I can never die!!"
Pure fighting spirit, transcending skills and abilities, moved Al's body. He could not fall here. He could not accept such an end.
"Damn it... O 'Copies,' kill this bastard!!"
In that moment, the three remaining Spirits began to devour one another. It was a grotesque sight—spirits with the lower bodies of giant monsters consuming their own kind. Even Al's eyes widened in surprise.
It was "Species Enrichment."
Monsters that increase their strength through a mutation triggered by devouring the magic stones of others. Revis possessed this trait as well. What would happen if three magic stones of corrupted spirits, each possessing power beyond Level 6, were combined into a single body?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
The Spirit that emerged victorious from the cannibalistic process was the one linked to the "Death Flower." Its outward appearance didn't change much, but the green monstrosity—with a mermaid-like upper body and a beast's lower half—let out a shriek of jubilation as its magical power doubled.
At Revis's command, this new corrupted spirit was born. Though Al could overwhelm Revis, facing a corrupted spirit and a fighter like Revis simultaneously became an extreme challenge—especially since most of his Mind was currently being spent suppressing the venom, preventing him from unleashing his magic at full power.
"...Finn?"
The Pallum man appeared, carrying his gold and silver spears. His face looked as though all impurities had been washed from his heart.
"I am rescinding my previous order. ── There is no retreat. Everyone, attack!"
"Al, I'll leave the Spirit to you. In exchange... I will be this woman's opponent."
"...I don't mind, but can you do it?"
Revis's abilities were equivalent to a low Level 7. By using his berserker spear, Finn could match her, but her weapon was a cursed blade of the worst kind; even a scratch was a death sentence. No matter how strong Finn was, a direct confrontation was not in his favor. However...
"Don't worry. She's a gentle opponent compared to your younger brother."
"── Understood. Then it's up to you."
Without hesitation, Al turned his back on his comrade, who had made his decision, and lunged toward the Spirit that Ais and the others had begun to engage.
"── You dwarf, I have no time to waste on the likes of you."
"Unlucky for you. I don't want you going anywhere near Al and the others."
"I will do my absolute best to resist you."
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