Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

A large number of magical cannons possessing countless attributes.

They opened fire simultaneously to completely annihilate the girl who was emitting a black storm.

But──

For Ais now, none of these things matter.

"Scream!"

She lifted her right foot and pushed off the ground.

This small action alone triggered an explosion.

The pitch-black energy transformed into a fierce, raging wind, shattering the green flesh along with the stone slab beneath it.

In the blink of an eye, Ais had broken free of the cannon encirclement and left them far behind.

The impact of the instantaneous acceleration transformed into wind pressure, shattering hundreds of magic circles to pieces, just as Ais appeared before Revis.

(Illustration 014)

"──────!?"

As the Black Storm approached, it instantly disrupted the timeline that had been frozen in Revis's favor.

The expressionless girl was preparing to launch an attack.

She struck a high-flying pose.

He swung the Black Wind Sword, which he had raised high above his head, down in a downward slash.

This is a strike that fearlessly confronts the enemy head-on, determined to kill them even if it exposes a weakness.

However, this is no longer important to Ais.

In fact, Rives didn't even have time to react.

Faced with the strange man who was using the chaotic wind pressure to retreat with all his might, this sword was swung down.

And it shattered instantly.

"What—!?"

The ultra-hard metal surface was instantly pulverized.

The artificial maze "structure" that should be indestructible has developed cracks.

Green meat splattered everywhere.

Gravel and metal fragments were then ejected into the air.

The floor shattered instantly, as if struck by a meteorite, creating a crater.

Unable to speak for the moment, Ruiweis was then surprised to find herself floating in mid-air.

Before she could even compose herself, she was sucked into the pitch-black maw that led to the lower level.

"I'll defeat you."

"Ugh────Arya ahh ...

Rives yelled at the girl who had jumped into the pit to give chase.

Ais used the dark storm to accelerate in the air and mercilessly attacked Revis, who had no foothold.

The sound of minced meat and bones being scraped could be heard.

Having lost an arm in a single blow, Revis awkwardly raised her sword to strike Ais's blade. Had she not done so, she would have been doomed.

The cursed swords that clashed broke in two. Rives managed to swing her sword back with difficulty, avoiding a fatal wound, but a large amount of blood gushed from her abdomen, and even her lips were stained blood red.

Revis was sent flying in their first exchange, and Ais used the black wind to push off the wall and immediately gave chase. Revis knew she couldn't dodge it, and then a powerful, black wind transformed into a turbid torrent and swooped down upon her.

Rives was suppressed by the black wind, injured by sword strikes, and fooled by the strong winds, and thus fell through the air.

One side, two sides, three sides, four sides—each time Aiss's sword generated a gust of wind that whistled through the air, it shattered an ultra-hard metal partition within the floor.

Even though you're in an underground labyrinth, you still feel like you're in free fall.

As Rives's eyes filled with anger and terror, metal fragments and shattered pieces of green flesh continued to fly annoyingly into her field of vision.

Falling, falling, falling again.

As they continued to be attacked, the two fell into deeper floors.

Then──

"Ughh ...

With a loud explosion, Rives crashed onto a spacious floor.

This spacious area is full of green meat.

Based on the distance to the "Fairy Avatar," Ruiweis instantly realized that this was the twelfth floor.

"This is fine."

Ais, who had knocked Revis down two floors, landed gracefully amidst the falling super-hard metal and green flesh, using the black wind as a means of propel.

This place is far from the floor where Riveria and the others are, so there's no need to worry about Revis attacking them.

This will be the true battleground between Ais and Revis.

"Arya, you...!"

To an uninformed observer, it would certainly seem that Revis, having lost her right hand and suffered a severe injury to her left leg, was no longer able to fight. She was tormented beyond recognition by the wind blades generated by the sword, her body covered in wounds and blood.

Enraged, Revis propped herself up and began to "regenerate" with the heat emanating from her wounds, instantly restoring her severed right hand. As for the cursed sword, now only the hilt remained, she smashed it to the ground.

"When did you grow such a 'monster' inside you?! Why haven't you used it yet?!"

"I can't use it. Because I've always considered you a 'human'... Even if you possess immense power, I still believe that you, who can communicate with words, are not a 'monster'."

【Revenge Princess】──

The Supreme God once said that this incredibly powerful "rare skill" is also the most effective among all the Familias.

Its effect is to greatly stimulate the "power" one desires.

But the targets are limited to ugly "monsters".

Ais has never been able to identify Revis as a monster.

No, it's that Ais can't categorize Revis as a "monster" in her own way.

After undergoing the "most intense" training, she finally grasped the clues that could overturn this perception.

"After fighting that person... after battling the [Fierce One], I finally understood that if I wanted to defeat you, I had to go all out."

The most important point is—

"...There are monsters in this world that can speak human language, and there are 'dragons' that possess human hearts."

Ais, who had been expressionless, appeared to be in great pain and uttered these words with heartbreaking sorrow.

The image of a dragon girl flashed through her mind.

Under the moonlight, the "dragon girl" who was being protected by the boy later stood in front of Ais, tears streaming down her face, to protect him.

"Quite the opposite of you, who possesses a 'monster's heart'."

Ais really didn't understand.

Is a monster that possesses rationality and can shed tears truly a "monster"?

Or is it that the "monster" is a being that has only a human appearance but is cruel and ruthless?

Ais is still troubled by this.

Since encountering the "heretic," are monsters truly the root of all evil, destined for destruction?

"Who is 'human' and who is 'monster'? I've decided to decide for myself."

And now—

Ais decided to clarify the conclusion she had been unable to reach all this time.

"I've decided to see for myself who this 'black flame' is really targeting!"

Ais's encounter with the "heretic" led her to an answer.

She no longer indiscriminately unleashed her dark flames, becoming a puppet under the [Revenge Princess]. Instead, she used her golden eyes to see clearly the target of her sword.

Even though she was corrupted by the "black flames," her eyes still held a sharp will as keen as swords.

Faced with the girl's gaze that seemed to pierce through her, Revis stood there speechless.

"……snort."

Then──

Rives exhaled a breath from between her lips.

"Haha ...

She burst into laughter.

This was probably the first time Ais had heard Rives laugh with a human touch.

"You've changed, Arya... Yes, you really have."

"..."

"Compared to when we first met, you've never had this look in your eyes before. Back then, I could see the darkness deep within your heart in your eyes, making you seem more like one of our kind."

The strange man, while healing his wounds by emitting heat from his body, superimposed the scenes from his memories with the present sight.

"What caused this change in you? How did you become so strong? This is the first time I've felt curious about you as a person."

Rives's eyes were indeed filled with "curiosity." She touched her abdomen, where the wound had healed, and then stroked upwards over her full breasts, neck, and cheeks.

"Arya, until this day, you are my everything. My job is to take your life."

"..."

"I am not interested in anything in this world, and I don't even understand the meaning of my own existence. Even if there are things that I must protect, I believe it is just a matter of habit."

For the first time, the misanthropic eccentric reveals his true feelings to someone.

Her increasingly forceful tone revealed a fighting spirit no less than Ais's.

"But only when I'm chasing you! Only when I'm facing you! I seem to feel a touch of 'pleasure'! Perhaps only when we draw our swords against each other can I truly immerse myself in the battle!"

Heartbroken, Rives seemed to regain her emotions and roared:

"So, I should be very happy to be able to confront you now, even in this state!"

"I am different from you."

Ais, on the other hand, stared at the "monster" in front of her with her eyes that emitted specks of black light.

—Don't let it consume you. You must master it, and then remember your priorities.

—The formidable enemy you are about to face—

Ais has enemies she must defeat and beings she cannot forgive.

It has an irreplaceable "long-cherished wish".

But that wasn't the monster standing right in front of me.

"You are my enemy, but only a 'necessary stage'. I will defeat you and fulfill my long-cherished wish."

Rives grinned, her fighting spirit ignited.

"Arya, that's exactly who you are! You have such a beautiful, doll-like appearance, yet you're as competitive and arrogant as a little girl! But that's exactly right—that's how you should be!"

The next instant, Rives' almond-shaped eyes widened, and she reached out with one hand to touch the green fleshy ground.

"Clones, lend me your power!"

"!!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Ais's eyes.

The green flesh started from Revis's right hand, which was stretched towards the ground, and gradually spread to her body, beginning its "erosion".

Those were "musical" chunks of meat.