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

From the eighteenth floor down to the surface, their minds were constantly on edge, with almost no moment to relax.

"Kaguya, go take a shower and change your clothes. The smell of blood on you is making me dizzy."

"Chunji, go to the kitchen and prepare some light food so that Lynn can eat it when he wakes up."

"Ryu, you should go and rest too. We'll take care of things here."

Alexandra made arrangements methodically, regaining her rhythm as the leader.

The girls exchanged glances, nodded silently, and went their separate ways.

Soon, only a few core members of the Astrea Familia, as well as Riveria and Freyren, remained in the room.

“We should say goodbye now,” Riveria said. “There are still many things to take care of with the Loki Familia and the ‘53 Reading Club’.”

She glanced at Lynn on the bed, then at Frilian.

"Thank you very much this time."

Frilian simply nodded and closed her notebook.

“I’ll stay here for now,” she announced calmly. “My observation sample still needs further recording.”

This reason is irrefutable, and no one would refuse it.

After all, it was she who saved Lynn's life.

Riveria said no more and turned to leave with Grace.

When the gates closed again, the small courtyard was finally shut out from the noise and bloodshed of the outside world, and regained a moment of tranquility.

However, the entire Yulari region was far from calm.

The wounds of war are spreading through every inch of the city's fabric.

The makeshift treatment tents were crammed with groans of the wounded.

The members of the Dean Clan and the Mih Clan were extremely busy.

Their faces were etched with exhaustion and anxiety, especially when they discovered that much of the much-needed calming and anti-curse medication had vanished.

The cleanup work is proceeding slowly in the central square.

The surviving adventurers numbly dragged their companions' corpses from the monster horde, covered them with white sheets, and arranged them neatly at the edge of the square.

There was no crying, only suppressed silence.

The joy of victory had long been washed away by the immense casualties, leaving only the bewilderment and pain of surviving the catastrophe.

Everything that happened in the dungeon began to circulate in the city with the return of the Loki Familia expedition.

Zagnat.

This name sends chills down the spines of everyone who hears it.

Another name, however, spread quietly among the people in a more legendary way.

Lynn.

"Have you heard? That new recruit of the Astrea Familia, he fell from the eighteenth floor and actually came back alive!"

"He's more than just alive! I heard from the Loki Familia that he's the main force!"

"Really? Isn't he only LV4?"

"Who knows, but it's a fact that the Loki Familia and the Astraea Familia have all returned! They also brought back that hero, who was reportedly badly injured and is currently at the Astraea Familia's base."

278. He shone.

Various versions of rumors fermented in taverns, on the streets, and in every corner.

Some rumors were exaggerated, some were questionable, but at the heart of all the rumors, they all pointed to the same person.

In an instant, the residence of the Astrea Familia became the focus of attention throughout the city.

Adventurers continued to gather spontaneously outside the gate.

They made no noise and did not try to break in.

They simply stood there quietly, gazing at the elegant building from afar.

Someone left a bunch of small flowers, still covered in dew, at the doorway, which they had found in the ruins.

Someone left a warm loaf of bread wrapped in cloth in the corner.

There was also an adventurer who had lost an arm. He solemnly placed his last bottle of healing medicine on the steps and then silently turned and left.

Many of them didn't even know Lynn.

But they knew that because of this man's existence, many fewer people had died in the city.

Amidst this sorrowful ruin, people need hope, a symbol.

And the young man lying in bed, sleeping peacefully, had unknowingly become this symbol.

Night fell.

In the guesthouse room, only a dim, yellow magic stone lamp was lit.

Chunji changed into a clean kimono and quietly knelt by the bed, carefully wiping Lynn's cheeks with a warm towel.

Her movements were very light and gentle, as if she were afraid of disturbing his deep sleep.

Kaguya sat in the corner of the room, clutching her sword, her eyes closed as if she were dozing. But her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed her restless heart.

Alexandra moved a chair and sat at the doorway, like a guardian deity, watching out for any movement outside.

Frillie sat by the window, continuing to write and draw in her notebook by the moonlight.

Time, in this quiet protection, slips away little by little.

Late at night, Chunji finished wiping Lin En's hands and was about to put his hands back under the covers when she suddenly stopped.

She sensed it.

A faint but undeniable warmth emanated from Lynn's palm.

Chunji paused for a moment, then carefully pressed her cheek against the back of his hand.

The warmth became even clearer.

It doesn't feel like a normal person's body temperature; it's more like a piece of jade slowly warmed by a fire, warm and full of vitality.

Chunji's eyes lit up instantly.

She looked up, about to call out to Alexandra.

Suddenly, a faint, almost imperceptible golden light flashed from Lynn's heart.

The light was soft and sacred, carrying an indescribable air of nobility.

Chunji's breath caught in her throat for a moment.

She rubbed her eyes, thinking she was just hallucinating from exhaustion.

However, when she looked at it again with focused attention.

That golden light shone once more.

This time, it was brighter and lasted longer than before.

It was like a heart, beginning its first, faint beat inside Lynn's body.

That golden light, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, rippled across Chunji's heart.

She held her breath, staring intently at Lynn's chest, afraid of missing any change.

A few minutes later, the golden light shone again.

This time, it was no longer fleeting, but began to flicker and fade rhythmically, like breathing.

0...Requesting flowers...0

With each flicker, Chunji could feel the temperature of Lynn's palm rise a little higher, and his faint breathing became more steady and powerful.

He's...getting better!

This realization overwhelmed Chun-hime with immense joy.

She stood up abruptly, and because she moved too quickly, she knocked over the basin of water next to her, making a loud "clang".

"What's up?"

Kaguya in the corner and Alexandra at the door opened their eyes at the same time, instantly becoming alert.

“Lord Lynn…he…” Chunji was so excited that she couldn’t speak coherently. She pointed at Lynn on the bed, her voice trembling with tears.

........... 0

"He's glowing!"

"Glowing?" Alexie and Kaguya rushed over, looking puzzled.

They gathered around the bed and examined Lynn closely, but found nothing unusual.

"Where is the light coming from? Haruhime, are you too tired?" Alisha reached out and touched Haruhime's forehead.

"No! It's true! Golden light! It came from his heart!" Chunji was so anxious she was about to cry.

Just then, Frilian, who had been silent all along, walked over from the window.

She didn't say anything, but simply extended her slender fingers and gently touched Lynn's chest.

She closed her eyes and paused for a moment.

The next second, for the first time, a look of surprise appeared on Frilian's eternally unchanging face.

"interesting."

She murmured to herself.

"What's interesting?" Alexandra asked eagerly.

Frillie opened her eyes, her emerald green pupils gleaming with the light of researchers discovering a new continent.

"The two forces within him were not annihilating each other."

"They...are merging." (Towel)

279. You stupid fox-person! So noisy!

The word "fusion?" stunned everyone present.

“That’s right.” Frilian’s tone carried a hint of admiration. “That foreign, cold and pure magic belonging to Alphia is being assimilated and absorbed little by little by his own life force.”

"It's like... melting steel into a flame to forge a brand new, tougher, and sharper sword."

Frilian's explanation left Alyssa and Kaguya completely confused, but they grasped the most crucial point.

"So, this is a good thing?" Kaguya couldn't help but ask.

"It's a good thing, and it's a bad thing," Frilian gave an ambiguous answer.

"The good thing is that once the fusion is complete, his body and strength will undergo a qualitative leap. He will no longer be an ordinary adventurer."

“What’s the bad thing?” Alexie’s heart jumped.

Frillie's expression turned serious.

"The bad thing is that this process is extremely unstable."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood the meaning behind her unspoken words.

Silence fell in the room once again.

"A good thing or a bad thing?" Alexie stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly. "Explain yourself! What do you mean by 'extremely unstable'?"

Frilian lifted her eyelids and glanced at her, her indifferent response seeming to say, "You're too noisy."

"The forging process requires precise timing and countless hammer blows," she explained slowly, withdrawing her probing fingers.

“Now, his body is the furnace, and his own will is the blacksmith’s hammer. If his will is not strong enough, the hammer will go out of control, either failing to break the stubborn iron, or… breaking the furnace along with it.”

This metaphor caused Kaguya's face to darken.

Lynn, however, only has one chance.

"Then what can we do?" Chunji asked timidly, her small hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.