At that same time, Akumo.
Tap, tap—!!
"As expected, he's planted a ridiculous amount of Fire Stones..."
Thud—!
Akumo had left Jura to Ryu and was scouting the perimeter, continuously recovering the Fire Stones.
"Once they're set, the explosion can't be stopped..."
'Self-destruction tactics...? To think that would work...'
Staring at the Fire Stone in his hand, Akumo couldn't fathom what Jura was truly aiming for. A lingering sense of unease gnawed at him, but he ultimately pocketed the stones and headed back toward Ryu's location.
Tap, tap, tap—!!!
"..."
Behind him, the surface of the water remained eerily still.
**
Tap, tap, tap—!!!
"Ryu-san! Please answer me!!"
Bell's shout reached Akumo's ears as he ran. He was likely confronting Ryu.
"Was it you who killed them!!?"
"It was not me!!!!"
Ryu's scream echoed through the surroundings, creating a momentary silence.
"....I understand."
Simultaneously, she succeeded in giving the boy before her a glimmer of hope and trust.
"Hey, what are you doing! Save me already!"
Stomp, stomp—!
"Finish that woman off—"
"Ryu-san said she didn't do it."
Swoosh—!
"I'm going to believe those words."
Bell looked at Ryu with upright eyes, placing his faith in her.
Consequently, there was not a trace of hesitation in his gaze as he looked at Jura. He simply walked toward Ryu with a calm demeanor, revealing something held in his hand.
"This... was dropped in the passage where I met you."
Thud—!
"It's a Fire Stone, isn't it? A drop item with massive explosive power."
Bell calmly interrogated Jura while showing the red gem. Jura was visibly flustered, unable to find words.
"Wasn't the explosion in that passage actually caused by you?"
"....!!"
"And that injury—you got it a long time ago, didn't you? It's not a recent one."
"....."
Grin—!
"!!"
Having been logically dismantled, Jura no longer felt the need to hide. He let out a bloodthirsty laugh and lashed out at Bell with a whip.
"You caught me~!"
Crack—!!!
'A whip...!'
Whish—!!!
"Those Rivira bastards and you—you're all useless!"
Jura pulled out a potion and tried to pour it over himself to heal his wounds, but—
Shatter—!
"!?"
"Bell, you've got the gist of the situation, right?"
Akumo, who had shattered the potion by throwing a stone, stood before Bell and Ryu, radiating pure killing intent toward Jura.
"I'm sorry, Ryu-san. I'm sorry, Hyung, for doubting you."
"No, it is I who... my blood was boiling so much I lost my sense of judgment."
"I'm also sorry for not explaining properly because I was in a hurry!"
"Let's deal with Jura first!"
"Yes!"
With their misunderstandings cleared, they prepared to neutralize Jura before checking on Bors and the others, but Akumo stopped them.
"Calm down, both of you."
"Hyung? What do you mean..."
"That man is a Tamer."
"No way...!"
'That hole from before...'
"Bell! Tell me everything you know about this incident, quickly!"
Following Akumo's lead, Bell immediately realized that whatever Jura had prepared was the same entity Marie had mentioned. He began explaining the progression of events and mentioned suspicious adventurers like Turk.
".....Dammit!"
"Things have become quite complicated..."
Hearing Bell's report, Akumo and Ryu realized the situation was far more tangled than they had imagined.
The adventurer named Turk was clearly Jura's accomplice. Due to their schemes, a significant number of adventurers were currently gathered on the 25th and 27th floors, and Jura's allies were likely hidden among them.
"Notice all you want! It's too late!!!"
Crack—!!
"""!!"""
Rumble—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Everyone, get back!!"
'Could it be the same thing from Knossos...!?'
Akumo recalled the massive cages in Knossos that held monsters from the Deep Floors, and a chill ran down his spine.
Crack, crack—!!!
Boom—!!!!!!!!!
Directly above them, a massive boulder fell, creating a hole identical to the one Bell had seen earlier.
"That hole was made by this monster..."
"[Lambton]. It's an extra-large class monster that travels between floors by burrowing through the earth."
"[Lambton]? A monster like that was on this floor!?"
"No, its original habitat is the Deep Floors."
'And if his allies were specifically deployed to the 25th floor...!'
**
Just as Akumo suspected, the faces of Aisha and her party on the 25th floor were grim.
"A monster from the Deep Floors...?"
"Why is that thing on this floor!?"
"Run while you're still thinking!!!!"
Tap, tap, tap—!!!!!
Revealing their true colors, Jura's group lashed their whips against the ground, summoning a different [Lambton] individual from the one Jura had called, and ordered it to charge at Aisha's party.
Rumble—!!!!
"Just throwing a beast like that at them!!"
Boom—!!!!
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