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

My arm felt like it was about to shatter.

Even though you no longer have the ability to feel pain, you can still feel it.

The field of vision is becoming increasingly narrow.

His vision seemed to gradually diminish with each clash of swords, until only the enemy before him remained.

Only a dark shadow with an eerie outline remained.

Only one terrifying "monster" remained.

"Arya, come on!! Make it more intense, more explosive!! Unleash all your black winds on me!!"

The shadowy figure seemed to be shouting words happily.

He kept laughing.

"This is what you call entertainment! It gives this degenerate me the chance to have a death match with you!!"

Faced with Revis, who carries the illusion of the "evil dragon," Ais's heart is ablaze with an unyielding obsession.

A near-frenzied hacking spree, an incredibly fierce storm.

With each swing of her sword, the enemy was injured; with each gust of strong wind, the entire cave shook, and Ais's body was also damaged.

Only the black flames burned ever brighter.

"—Aa ...

To kill the enemy before her, Ais used all the strength in her internal organs to force out a roar.

Even the fighting spirit transformed into pitch-black flames.

His hand and sword became one, and he could not even distinguish between the wind and his own flesh.

Perhaps—

My father felt the same way back then.

Perhaps—

My mother felt the same way back then.

Ais convinced herself with this idea, and thus became a wicked princess who lived only for fighting.

-- Incorrect.

A voice suddenly came to my mind.

--You're wrong.

It took Ais a short while to realize that the voice was coming from her younger self.

--Dad and Mom are--

The latter part of the speech was unclear, as if it had been interfered with.

His eyes, gleaming with a faint black light, dismissed those words as worthless, focusing instead on the battle at hand; his fragmented consciousness lingered within the raging inferno of his heart.

Ais didn't want to be a hero.

Ais didn't want to save the world.

She simply wanted to reclaim something, and for that she had to raise her own strength to an almost unattainable level, sacrificing everything she possessed to achieve her goal.

Just like now, in order to kill the being in front of her, she has to use hatred as a factor to become stronger.

With each encounter, she became even more focused on efficiency.

In every confrontation, she tried to eliminate the burdens.

The expression had vanished from Ais's face.

The feelings had vanished from Ais's heart.

She was saved from becoming a puppet thanks to her companions, but the other self within her is completely different. The Ais Wallenstein currently battling the enemy is actually an imposter, a fictional swordsman.

"Ughh ...

"Oooooo ...

Reflected in the freak's eyes, I was just as ugly as the freak himself.

Ais, her face contorted with death, submitted to the dark storm, wielding the killing sword that had slaughtered thousands of monsters.

It's almost as if I failed to become a "celestial being".

Its appearance was exactly the same as that of the woman who was one of the tentacles of the "Filthy Fairy".

This is the end that Ais Wallenstein is about to face.

She can no longer turn back, she can no longer go back, she can no longer remember her past self.

—I'm sure you already know this, right?

Another version of myself in my heart is filled with sorrow.

Amidst the raging inferno, Ais, feigning nonchalance, crushed the remaining rationality and desolation in her heart, pouring everything into the battlefield.

(It's so hot!)

The Black Wind Sword clashed head-on with the Red Deadly Blade.

Her long, golden hair, stained with blood and devoid of its luster, was blown away by the strong wind.

Speed ​​and skill improve with each passing second, resulting in more agile and threatening strikes.

(It's so hot!)

No matter how much blood spurted from her body, Rives responded with a smile.

The dark storm was somewhat unstable after being hit hard, and the sound that resembled burning was weakened and slowed down, but it quickly stirred up a stronger whirlwind to regain its momentum.

(It's so hot!)

It was as if one could hear the sound of life burning brightly.

It was as if one could hear the sound of life being gradually burned away by the black flames.

(It's alright)

She can no longer turn back, she can no longer go back, she can no longer remember her past self.

So──

(I will defeat this monster and continue onward—)

Ais decides to surrender herself to the inferno that devours her, to journey through the karmic fire that burns her body and soul to ashes, to the other side of the dark abyss—

Just as she was about to be swallowed by the roaring black wind and become a puppet of vengeful flames—

She heard the bells of the clock tower.

"────────"

Ais, who should have only seen her enemy and isolated herself from everything else, did indeed hear it.

The other self within her was also shocked, its eyes widening as it suddenly looked up.

That is the gospel that brings protection.

That was the dawn bell, representing new life.

Those are poems that allow people to redeem themselves from their mistakes.

Like the first light of dawn emerging from the horizon that had been submerged by a dark ocean, like the dawn that proclaims that there is no endless night in this world, a beam of white light suddenly pierced into Ais's heart.

--Bell!

The longing that had been brewing for so long made Ais realize that this was the roar of the boy.

The continuous tolling of the bells shook Ais's eardrums, flowed through her body, and struck her heart—and the raging black flames subsided.

The swirling ashes gradually subsided, and the sea of ​​fire in my heart receded like the tide.

The dark fire, which had burned across his back and was originally uncontrollable, was slowly purified by the white light.

"This is……!?"

The resounding chimes continued, and even Rives couldn't help but show her anxiety on her face.

Ais was startled to find that her hands were reacting as if they were being pulled.

The shock generated by the swords clashing head-on, evenly matched.

Even as the black fire began to wane, the strong winds remained unabated.

The ethereal winds seemed intent on replacing the fading [Revenge Princess], growing ever stronger.

The sound of the bell, powerful enough to signal the start of this duel, reverberated through the bodies of both men.

The sounds of swords and bells blended together, spreading throughout Ais's heart, as scenes from the past flashed before her eyes.

Ais recalled—

The dawn that the two saw while training on the city wall.

Ais recalled—

The image of a white-haired boy forging ahead bravely.

Ais recalled—

Her own shy smile was reflected in the boy's eyes.

Her appearance did indeed retain the features of a young girl.

—I can no longer turn back, I can no longer go back, I can no longer remember who I used to be.

Really?

The question posed by the girl in my heart, who was smiling through her tears, overlapped with my own voice.

Then──

The girl, who had finally stopped crying and started laughing, emitted a bright light and transformed into a "wind".

"Drink! Aa ...

A resolute roar rang out.

The final blow that will determine the winner is about to arrive.

The incessant chiming of the bells made Revis feel threatened, and she swung her sword with all her might, hoping to bring this final battle to a close.

With a single stomp, Revis shattered the floor, her earth-shattering strike colliding head-on with the dark storm. The next instant—

The whirlwind that had been wrapped around Ais and the sword dissipated on the spot.

"What!?"

In the next second after the swords clashed, Ais miraculously dispelled the Dark Storm.

The two forces were thus out of balance.

Perhaps the storm dissipated, causing the attack to deviate from its direction, or perhaps the immense power had nowhere to be released; Revis's fatal blow only grazed Ais's body.

The whistling blade took away the gauntlet and shoulder armor on her right arm. Ais, who had lost half of her armor after brushing past Revis, opened her eyes wide as if she had been momentarily distracted.

The vision that had been obscured by the black flames instantly became clear.

Like countless white feathers falling from the sky, they gradually restored color to the once-dark world.

The girl, having resolved her inner conflict, transformed into "Breeze," her beautiful golden hair fluttering in the wind.

In an instant—

"!!"

Ais immediately slammed on the brakes.

She, who was riding the wind, suddenly stopped moving forward the instant she passed by Revis.

Her body groaned from the strain of the movement, but Ais ignored it and quickly turned away.

Then, following the "attack" he had already simulated in his mind, he launched an attack on Revis, who was quickly regaining her balance.

The enemy used extraordinary arm strength to fight Ais.