RUMBLE—!!!!!!!!!!!
A thunderous roar coincided with a vibration that shook the very foundations of the floor.
It was unmistakable; Turk and his group had finished positioning the fire stones and triggered a massive chain explosion.
Drip. Drip.
"..."
Despite the chaos, no one in that specific location spared a single thought for the explosion.
"Why.... is Akuo-san...."
'Just.... why....?'
Bell doubted his own eyes. He had to.
"Akumo-san....?"
'This is.... impossible.....'
Ryu felt as though she were trapped in a nightmare. No, she prayed it was a dream.
The Strongest. The Hero.
Since the day of the Great Feud, those were the titles that defined Akumo.
'Is that why I grew complacent...?'
For eight long years, he had grown without pause.
—'I will hunt you.'
That journey had been anything but ordinary.
—'[Meteor Strike]'
—'[Full Bloom]'
He had forged Divine Artifacts, realized the worlds etched into his flesh, soul, and mind, and ascended to even greater heights.
Splat—!!!
But perhaps, at the same time, he had become arrogant.
The fact that he had reached Level 9, the belief that he now had to look after and nurture his juniors, the desire to heal the wounds of others.
Because of those thoughts, he hadn't prioritized combat or personal growth during this incident.
".....!!"
Whoosh—!
'Counterattack immediat—'
Was that the reason?
CRACK—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"I've taken your back. Did you really think that would work?"
Stabbed from behind as if by fate during the sudden ambush, Akumo was sent flying by Akuo's fist before he could even utter a response.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
Akumo slammed violently into the wall. Shaking off the disorientation, he inspected the wound on his chest and immediately re-analyzed the tactical situation.
'It's not fatal...! I need to move before he targets the kids—'
SCREECH—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"!!"
Then, a horrific sound began to echo.
It was like the sound of something being ground down, or perhaps the high-pitched shriek of something inhuman.
"This is...."
'That sound from back then!'
"Ryu!!!!!!!!!"
"....!!"
At that sound, Akumo immediately recalled the incident with the Astraea Familia five years ago and shouted to snap Ryu out of her shock.
"Take Bell and get out of here right now!!!"
CLANG—!!!!!!!!!!!
"You're staying here, aren't you?"
"Shut your damn mouth...!!"
'This guy is on my level. I have to stay...!!'
Akumo blocked Akuo's sword with Gram and immediately charged, dragging his opponent toward one side of the cavern.
CRASH—!!!!!!
"What on earth is happening....."
Akumo's sudden injury and the intrusion of the being known as Akuo dealt a massive blow to Bell and Ryu's composure, but they couldn't afford to remain frozen.
Grip—!!!
"Flee this place immediately! Cranel-san!"
"What!?"
"It's coming...!! That monster!!"
"What do you mean...."
Seeing Bell's confusion, Jura opened his mouth with a gleeful expression.
"You know of it, don't you? The incident between the [Rudra Familia] and the [Astraea Familia] in the past!"
"!!"
'The one where Ryu-san's comrades were almost wiped out...!'
Jura continued to reference the incident, his intentions unclear—whether he aimed to provoke Ryu or simply throw Bell into further despair.
"Back then, just like today, we had prepared plenty of fire stones."
"We were going to blow up the Dungeon and bury the [Astraea Familia] alive~!"
Grip—!!!
"But those [Astraea Familia] brats didn't die!!!"
"Instead, we were the ones backed into a corner."
He trembled as he recalled the memory of that day.
Grin—!
"However."
Jura's face twisted into a shout of pure ecstasy.
"Something completely unexpected happened! Something even we didn't foresee!"
"Unexpected...?"
"Kikiki!!!"
Step—!
"It was born from the Dungeon~! A magnificent creature the likes of which no one has ever seen or heard of before~!!!!"
Grin—!
"Kyahahahahat!!!!! Kahahahat!!!!!!!!!"
Jura's mad laughter filled the Dungeon, instilling a bizarre sense of dread in Bell and an insurmountable wave of loathing and rage in Ryu.
"Of course.... that detestable Akumo bastard ruined everything...!!"
Grind—!!
Jura, beginning to tremble with fear once more, now poured his venom toward Akumo.
It was as if he hated the man for killing the 'thing' he had witnessed that day.
"If it weren't for him!!! All those Astraea Familia bitches would have been slaughtered!!!!!"
"!!"
Grip—!!
"Stop your mindless babbling!!!!!"
"Shut up!!!! For the past five years!! I've had nightmares every single night....!"
Tremble—!
"The sight of you all severing our limbs and drowning us in indelible terror after we were defeated that day...!!!"
That day, Jura had lost his ears and an arm, and every member of the [Rudra Familia] had their limbs mangled, leaving them so devastated they could never return as adventurers.
"But for the past five years...."
Glare—!
"I researched and researched that day!!"
"I investigated thoroughly what the trigger was, and how I could summon that monster again!!"
Grip—!!
"Even so, I was so terrified I could barely stand it!!!!!"
'That monster surely should have torn us apart and killed us... but he kept us alive as if he were some kind of god...!!!'
"But not anymore!!!!!"
Like a man who had finally solved an ancient riddle, Jura's face broke into a massive smile of triumph and pleasure.
"Just as I was preparing to destroy the Dungeon to the point where its self-repair couldn't keep up, just to summon him...."
Flash—!
"I found him!!! I found that guy!!!!"
"Kikik!! Kihahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Thump—!!
"The ultimate monster created by the Dungeon, capable of standing against even that Akumo!!!"
""!!""
Bell and Ryu were certain that the one he was referring to was 'Akuo', the robed man who had just attacked Akumo.
'Akuo-san is....?'
Grip—!!
"Why are you trying to summon such a terrifying monster!?"
"Heheh.... Isn't it obvious!?"
Step—!!
"So that I can [Tame] him!!!!!"
[Tame]. Literally the process by which a Tamer trains a monster to make it their own.
Jura intended to make that monster his possession.
"Isn't it beautiful!? Ryu!!! To you, it was an object of terror, but to me, it was hope and light!!!!"
Grip—!!!
"And that guy!!! That monster who can even match Akumo!!!!"
"I want him.... I want them both!!!! I want them all to myself!!!!!"
He was insane.
"As if that's possible!"
"It would be impossible through normal means, but....."
Thwack—!
"With this, it's possible!!! With this item, I can do it!!!!!"
'In the end, he's just a monster too!! With this, I can make him mine!!!!'
Relying solely on the whip and two collars in his hands, Jura was genuinely consumed by the delusion of taming both the Juggernaut and Akuo.
"They belong to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
To reiterate, he was completely out of his mind.
"You're saying you've summoned a monster capable of wiping out Ryu-san's Familia to this floor!?"
"Exactly!!!"
"....!! Bors-san!"
At Jura's words, Bell immediately remembered that Bors and his group were also on this floor. He tried to rush toward them, but—
"Wait!"
"!? Ryu-san, if we don't hurry, Bors-san's group will—"
"No...."
"What....?"
"You mustn't go!!!"
Tremble—!
"You must not fight that thing!!"
Bell was taken aback by Ryu's intense reaction, more frantic than he had ever seen her. She shouted as if she would never let Bell go to his death.
"Of course she can't let you go, can she? Ryu!"
"You, who fought it directly, know better than anyone! You know exactly how dangerous that monster is, don't you!?"
Step—!!
"After all, you were so busy trying to run away that you couldn't even think of fighting back back then~!!!"
Jura spat out the words mockingly, goading Ryu.
"Shut up....!!"
"Am I wrong!? If it hadn't been for that Akumo bastard, you all would have been rotting corpses in that hole!"
"....!!"
Grip—!!!
"It would have been better if you'd all just died right then and there, wouldn't it!?"
"SHUT UP!!!!!"
Ryu couldn't bear his words. They were everyone he had saved. Her rage boiled over at the enemy before her—the one insulting Akumo's actions, the one trying to recreate that nightmare.
"Ever since that day, because of you...!!"
Since the day they encountered the Juggernaut, the [Astraea Familia] had struggled to recover.
"Why!? Is there someone who's too afraid to even approach the Dungeon? Or someone who's given up being an adventurer!?"
"Shut up....."
"Unlike me, who found hope in that light, you just sat there waiting to be saved!"
"Shut up!!! I said shut up!!!"
Grip—!!
"Shut up, shut up!!!!"
Ryu simply wanted to tear his mouth open.
"Shut up.... shut up....!!"
With overwhelming rage, and the guilt and worry that she might be a burden to him, Jura's appearance was a concentrated mass of hatred for Ryu, who had carried these feelings for years.
"Ryu-san...."
Twitch—!
"!?"
As Bell felt a profound sense of confusion watching her—
—!!!!!!!
""""Aaaaaagh!!!!!!""""
"!!"
"Kihit!"
An ear-splitting roar from a monster and the screams of Bors's group echoed. Ryu and Bell immediately took combat stances, while Jura's grin widened until it seemed to reach his ears.
Dash—!!!
"Bors-san!"
"[Rabbit Foot]...!!! You have to run right now!!!"
"The monster is coming!"
"While the [Pioneer] is holding it off, hurry!!!"
'Thank goodness, they're all safe...!'
Bell felt a wave of relief seeing Bors and his group alive, contrary to his fears.
"Akumo-san....!"
Ryu turned her head toward the entrance where she could feel Akumo's presence.
"Don't tell me....."
'Are you getting in my way again...!!'
"No way!? What kind of bastard keeps doing this, you're not a god!!!"
Grip—!!
'You just keep getting in my wa—'
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Something flew past Jura as he was lost in thought.
"""""..."""""
'Brother.....?'
"Run....!"
Everyone present felt their thoughts grind to a halt.
"That thing that just flew past....."
"The [Pioneer]..."
"Akumo-san.....?"
Embedded in the wall was Akumo, his body covered in wounds.
Step—
"You're all so damn noisy, it's killing me."
Step—
"And what the hell is this monster behind me? Honestly....."
Step—
A calamity. A massive monster that could only be described as such.
—...
"Fight your opponent quietly."
—!!!
"Before I tear you apart."
The Juggernaut was submitting. To a single person who showed no fear, whose claws could not rend him, and whose teeth could not pierce him.
Crack—! Snap—!
"Ah~ Well then...."
Schwing—!
"Shall we fight for real?"
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