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

"At this point, there's no going back."

The masked figure, acting on behalf of the silent Phil Weiss, delivered the ultimatum.

There was a distance between Lefia and Philweis.

It's a distance that can be covered in just a few steps.

But there is an irreparable "chasm" between them.

This makes them so far apart, so unreachable.

Lefia and Philweis have completely different positions.

"Let this 'mutual slaughter' begin. You shall return to the earth along with my regrets."

The masked figure ruthlessly declared war on everyone.

Phil Weiss accepted the clone's proposal without saying a word.

The adventurers tensed up, and Lefia screamed inwardly, realizing that this battle was inevitable.

"Ah, Lefia—"

At the very last moment before taking action.

The one who spoke was not Philowes, but Mask.

Despite her mocking expression, a tear rolled down her cheek.

"If only I had known you before I met Dionysus—"

"────"

Lefia stood frozen in place, as if time had been frozen, overwhelmed by a profound sense of powerlessness.

The two Philwis ignored their fellow tribeswoman and began to chant.

"【The illusion that ends, the soul that returns—you who are inseparable from me.】"

This is the incantation to break the "magic".

The two Philwis spoke the name of the spell.

"【Elf Clone】".

Radiant with light.

A radiance born from the fusion of black and white.

Lefia, who instinctively covered her eyes with her hand, saw it.

They saw the mask transform into countless points of light and be absorbed into the "real person's" body.

The two figures reverted to "one".

The next instant, a powerful, magical wind blew up.

The impact blew the blue headband off the girl's head. Not only that, but because all the "magic power" given to the "clone" was taken back, the girl's body—the monster's flesh—began to become active, and her shiny black hair grew longer, spreading out to the ground.

The exposed "magic stone" shimmered with dazzling, colorful light.

Unable to suppress the immense power surging from within, a light red organ—perhaps more accurately described as a "tree root"—grew from the center of her chest. This thing, resembling leaf veins yet also blood vessels, wantonly ravaged the girl's snow-white skin.

Her eyes were sunken, and her originally beautiful reddish-brown eyes had turned deep blue.

Her fair skin turned sickly pale.

When the overwhelming magical roar finally ceased, and countless points of light dissipated with the smoke—

In the midst of complete silence, the non-human creature slowly raised its head.

"This is... what Miss Philvis truly looks like..."

Lefia couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Philvis, who has merged with her "avatar," is no longer the girl that Lefia knew.

Those were spirits consumed by despair.

It is a "monster spirit" that embodies the word "filth" and has been completely corrupted.

"...Let me end all of this."

The girl confronting Lefia resembled a lurking mass of darkness.

She looked incredibly gloomy and only said this one sentence.

"...Get ready, you slowpoke."

"Mr. Bert...!"

As a cascade of short, swaying gray hair swept past, Bert stood in front of Rafia.

Although Bert often bickers with Philwiss, in terms of their relationship, he is second only to Lefia among all members of the Loki Familia.

After hearing the girl's confession, the werewolf simply assumed a fighting stance, exuding murderous intent.

The purpose was to eliminate the "enemy" in front of them.

"Please, please wait a moment! We can't be sure yet...!"

(Illustration 017)

"Stop spouting nonsense."

"...!?"

"She's a traitor, an 'enemy.' It's that simple."

Bert rejected Rafia's plea without hesitation.

Bert, who had been silently watching the two girls talk, finally uttered such ruthless words for the first time.

His words revealed an anger unlike anything he had shown before.

Sensing Bert's fervent fighting spirit, the adventurers who had been standing frozen in place seemed to echo his sentiment and immediately raised their weapons.

"Hey, you cunning sprite, how are you feeling right now?"

“…………”

"After listening to all that nonsense you spouted, I feel really annoyed."

“…………”

"Stop trying to dodge the issue now."

For Bert, who usually acts without warning, such harsh words before the start of the war are enough to prove that he was indeed feeling "confused" and "annoyed".

Bert, who never talks about private matters, has no desire to listen to the pointless whining of the "weak."

He scorned the girl's "weakness" and cursed the injustice of the world.

As he continued to hurl insults, the tattoos on his face became increasingly contorted.

"I have absolutely no interest in your complaining and blaming!"

“…………”

"You're just going to stay a loser for the rest of your life!!"

With a bark that allowed his pent-up frustration to burst forth, Bert rushed out.

The purpose was to deliver a merciless punch to the "elf monster" that was no longer human.

If his only misstep was—

"—You've always been like this, werewolf."

The girl before him had risen to become a powerful "strong person".

「!?」

Bert's all-out attack, a powerful Lv.6 strike, was easily blocked.

Bert, whose fist was caught with one hand, was filled with astonishment.

Lefia and the others who witnessed this scene were also deeply shocked.

Phil Weiss's long, glossy black hair swayed slightly as she clenched her fist, which was still clenched tightly. She spoke quietly:

"You always look down on me... yet you've never abandoned me."

"...!?"

"You're trying to cheer me up by cursing me, aren't you? You're so kind."

Bert is still quite surprised because he felt pure "arm strength" in the fist.

Contrary to her usual calm demeanor, the girl suddenly increased her grip strength explosively.

No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't pull his fist back, and could only watch helplessly as the other person crushed it. Bert's eyes were bloodshot with anger.

And as the fist cracked with the sound of bones being crushed—

"Actually—I've always despised you for this, and I don't know how many times I've secretly mocked you."

Philweis instantly unleashed her "power".

He swung the slender arm that was gripping his fist in one go.

They just threw the person out of the way with brute force, without any skill whatsoever.

That being said, Bert was completely unable to resist and was slammed to the ground.

「!?」

A shocking crack appeared on the stone slab, followed by countless flying fragments of stone, and a huge depression resembling a meteorite crater was created.

An unusual impact came from his back, and in the instant Bert was unable to make a sound for the time being, the long-haired girl reacted with lightning speed, like a "demon".

The kick she delivered exploded on Bert's body as she lifted her foot.

"Cough!?"

The brutal kick struck Bert squarely in the abdomen.

Bert, coughing up blood, was like a piece of rubble swept up by a strong wind and blown into the depths of the cave.

"Bert-sensei—!?"

Lefia was unable to finish her sentence.

Because that rapidly approaching shadow had already begun to "ravage" the remaining adventurers.

"Ughh ...

He simply raised his hand.

He simply waved his hand.

The battle is over.

The adventurers' armor was shattered, or their limbs were broken, and they were all blown away like dust in the wind, with countless screams overlapping.

It all happened in an instant.

Lefia only felt a shadow pass by her side and a terrifying whirlwind that seemed capable of severing her ears. When she quickly turned around, she found that she was the only one left standing there.

"Huh...!?"

"During the activation of [Spirit Clone], my [Stats] will be halved."

Philvis, who easily defeated the high-level adventurer with her bare hands, ignored the terrified Lefia and spoke without any emotional fluctuation.

This is the activation condition for "Clone Magic".

It creates "another self," so powerful that it possesses a physical form rather than the constraints that come with illusions. This "magic," as its name suggests, splits the user's abilities in two.

Lefia instantly understood the meaning of these words and froze on the spot.

In other words, Philvis, who has been acting alongside Lefia and the others, and Mask, who has been secretly active and fighting against Finn and the others, both only have half of their original power.

Her combat abilities are comparable to Ais, who is enveloped in "wind," and this is her true form after transforming into a monster—

"It's ironic, really. I do seem to have the 'aptitude'... I'm stronger than that woman now."

"────"