A cross-dressing anime, starting with Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.

He was covered in blood, and his breath was so faint that it seemed he would go out at any moment.

And yet, this very man is using his own body to protect a group of... monsters?

Her mind was blank.

"Lynn...you..."

Liu's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

She doesn't understand.

She had absolutely no idea what was happening before her eyes.

Following the trail left by Lynn, she tracked him all the way here and sensed his rapidly fading life force, her heart burning with anxiety.

When she rushed into the cave and saw Lynn lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of ferocious monsters, the string in her mind snapped instantly.

At that moment, murderous intent dominated everything she did.

But now...

"They...are not the enemy."

Lynn leaned against Reed, panting heavily, each word sounding like it was tearing his lungs apart.

"They... saved me."

He raised his still-movable left hand and weakly pointed to the ashes left behind by the tainted fairy spirit and the withered remains of the man-eating flower scattered on the ground not far away.

The evidence is right in front of us.

Ryu's gaze followed the direction of his finger.

She saw the ashes that still carried the evil aura of the "53 Reading Club," and the monster corpses that clearly belonged to the beast tamers.

Then, her gaze returned to Lynn, and to the group of "monsters" behind him, who were also in shock and alert.

She saw Reed the lizard man, and the confusion in his vertical eyes.

She saw the bird-woman Lei, her tension instinctively protecting her body beneath her wings.

She also saw the dragon-winged girl peeking half her head out from behind Reed, looking at Lynn with a pure, worried gaze.

That's not the look a monster should have.

Ryu's knuckles were turning white from gripping the dagger so tightly.

Her adventurous instincts, all her past experiences, were screaming at her to eliminate these threats.

But the man in front of him was Lynn.

It was the man who, time and again, overturned her perceptions and created countless miracles.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the almost boiling murderous intent within her.

Slowly, little by little, she withdrew the dagger from her hand.

"I believe you."

She didn't ask any more questions, but simply walked to Lynn's side, reached out, and supported his swaying body.

This action finally allowed the tension that had been stretched to its limit inside the cave to ease.

Reed and Rey exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of relief in each other's eyes.

They slowly lowered their guard.

"Your body...how did it become like this!"

The moment Liu's hand touched Lynn's body, her expression changed drastically.

What kind of feeling was that?

It's like holding onto a piece of porcelain with countless cracks inside, as if it would shatter completely with just a little force.

His bones, meridians, internal organs... almost nothing about him was intact.

Forces of completely different natures, yet equally powerful, were clashing and battling wildly within his body, turning it into a battlefield.

She couldn't imagine what kind of injury could have caused someone to become like this.

It's unimaginable what kind of willpower he had to stay conscious and even fight in that state.

"A tiny...accident."

Lynn tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace.

"He won't die."

268. I never joke.

Liu didn't say anything, but silently took out the precious panacea from her bosom and carefully tried to feed it to him.

Just then, a timid figure emerged from behind Reed.

It's Winnie.

She saw Liu treating Lynn, hesitated for a moment, but still mustered up her courage and took the clump of moss that emitted a soft green light from her hand.

"This... can heal wounds."

Her voice was very soft, like a mosquito's hum.

Liu paused, looking at the clump of moss. She could clearly feel that it contained an extremely pure life energy, full of natural vitality.

This energy is even gentler and more effective than many high-end therapeutic drugs.

She glanced at Winnie, then at Lynn.

Lynn nodded to her.

Without further hesitation, Liu took the moss and gently applied it to the most serious wound on Lynn's chest.

A cool and comfortable feeling spread instantly, easing Lynn's tense nerves considerably.

This small gesture is like a signal.

The last barrier within the cave also dissolved.

Stone Dragon Guros strode forward, looked at Lynn, and nodded with his massive head.

"Humanity, you are very strong."

"It's also...strange."

Rei also folded her wings and landed beside him, curiously observing Lynn and Liu.

"Aren't you adventurers all trying to wipe us out?"

Lynn leaned against Liu, feeling his body slowly regaining its vitality. He looked at the various "monsters" in front of him, each with a different shape but pure eyes, and felt a mix of emotions.

He knew he had to leave.

Alexandra and the others must be frantic.

He struggled, and with Ryu's help, managed to stand up straight.

"We should go."

He looked at Reed, his tone becoming serious.

Thank you for today.

Reed shook his head, his vertical pupils fixed on Lynn.

"We are the ones who should be saying thank you."

He paused for a moment, then asked the question that had been lingering in the minds of all the heretics.

"Will you... come back?"

Will we... ever meet again?

This question caused all the heretics present to hold their breath.

They looked at Lynn with eyes that held a mixture of anticipation and expectation.

They were afraid that this encounter was just a brief accident.

After this special human departs, they will once again return to that endless darkness and hiding, continuing their days of being hunted and despised.

Lynn looked into their eyes and saw the desire to survive and the confusion about the future hidden beneath their "monster" exteriors.

He was silent.

He knew that every word he spoke next could determine the future of this community.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, and his eyes, which had been slightly dim due to weakness, suddenly shone with an unprecedented brilliance.

"I cannot guarantee that."

His voice, though not loud, was clear and reached the ears of every heretic.

"But I will try."

“I will find a way, a way that will allow you to walk openly into the sunlight, instead of hiding in this dark underground.”

“I will communicate with the guild and negotiate with those high and mighty gods.”

"I'll give you a way out."

Boom!

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the minds of all the heretics.

They were all stunned.

Reed, Guros, Rey... they stared blankly at Lynn.

0...Requesting flowers...0

Step into the sunlight?

Negotiating with the gods?

Give them a way to survive?

These words are luxuries they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

"You...you're...really telling the truth?"

Reed's voice trembled violently with excitement.

“I never joke.”

Lynn looked at them and spoke, word by word.

"Wait for me."

After saying that, he didn't linger. With Liu's help, he turned around and walked out of the cave.

Only a group of heretics remained, completely petrified in place.

................

Until Lynn and Liu's figures completely disappeared around the corner of the cave.

Reed suddenly came to his senses, and he bent over deeply, deeply, in that direction.

It was a monster, the highest tribute that hope could ever pay.

The journey back to the eighteenth floor was long and arduous.

Lynn put almost all of his weight on Ryu.

His consciousness oscillated between lucidity and drowsiness.

Alphia's immense power was still raging within him, causing him excruciating pain with every impact.

"What exactly... happened?"

Liu supported him, feeling the terrifying energy storm inside his body, and finally couldn't help but ask.

From falling from the 18th floor to meeting on the 24th floor, what exactly happened in between?

"It's nothing..."

Lynn's voice was intermittent.