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

Bell forced out a voice from his throat to rouse himself.

With blood streaming from his wound, he mustered his last bit of strength to get up again.

Those deep red eyes were bloodshot, turning them a deep crimson, while her trembling left hand stretched out forward.

"—Flame! Lightning—!!"

Yan Lei lunged forward.

Quick attack magic.

But when faced with the crimson lightning bolt aimed at it, Ota remained unmoved.

Bump—

He didn't even use the black greatsword; he simply swung his right hand as if swatting away an insect.

It's just this one action.

That alone was enough to make the boy's "magic" vanish.

"──────"

jump.

Bell, covered in blood, froze on the spot.

Otto ignored Bell's reaction and suddenly leaped into the air.

The boy quickly kicked off the ground.

Even though he was seriously injured, he still managed to perform the best dodge maneuver that only a first-class adventurer could accomplish.

However, it still failed.

As those powerful feet flattened the rubble-strewn ground, Bell, who should have fled, was grabbed by one leg and then thrown into an arc above the martial artist's head before being slammed to the ground.

"Cough!?"

With his back on the ground, Bell looked like a hammer shattering the floor.

An unprecedented shock struck him.

A microcurrent, transcending the sense of pain, surged from my spine throughout my entire body in one go.

Unable to transform the pain into sound, the wails became tear stains, and the blue sky reflected in the eyes was no longer blue.

Just as Bell was about to lose consciousness, a boot stomped mercilessly into his abdomen.

"──────── Uh."

The boy regained consciousness.

Avici Hell

It happened again.

The "forced awakening" caused by pain and shock made the boy tearfully reminisce about the girl's (Haichi's) treatment.

"Stand up."

It's not over yet.

Despite being covered in wounds and feeling nothing but despair, Bell's "baptism" as a martial artist was not yet over.

The man looked down at the boy's blood- and tear-stained face with an emotionless gaze, and slowly spoke:

"Remember this, this is the smell of 'earth'."

"No..." The martial artist ignored the boy's weak sobs, reached out his right hand, grabbed his collar, and threw him away in one go.

With a roar and a crash, the thin white rabbit rolled on the ground like a corpse.

The rolling Bell finally came to a stop in front of the dilapidated stone wall, collapsing to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, silently forming a pool of blood.

Upon seeing this, Eina's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground in tears.

“…………”

Hedin witnessed all of this with his elven eye, his expression unchanged.

"Bell, Er..."

After witnessing this horrific scene through Lily's eyes, Hestia froze, her entire body turning ice-cold.

“──!!”

"...Where are you going, Asphie?"

"You probably already know without me asking!! I will never let you say this was a waste of time!!"

Asphie suddenly stood up, turned her back to the expressionless God (Hermes), gripped the glowing magical artifact in her hand, and ran away.

"Bell Crane, he..."

"That brat...didn't he already reach Lv.5?"

"Even the world's fastest rabbit (record holder) can't beat it...?"

The adventurers who had the foresight to not participate in the war game and were staying in a bar in the city all looked bewildered.

Just as everyone was gripped by fear of the images broadcast by the "Divine Mirror," an adventurer spoke up.

"You bastard, don't you even consider who his opponent is?"

He is a seasoned adventurer.

The orc, who had experienced the battle seven years ago, stammered out a sentence in a terrified voice, his whole body trembling.

"That person is Otto."

This is the answer.

It is a correct answer that needs no proof.

The strongest in the city.

Lv.7.

"Reaching for the sky".

Bale, his body convulsing, lay silently in a pool of blood. The image that came into his blood-stained vision was that of the unique figure of a king.

"Now that you've won the goddess's favor, try to surpass me."

The boy, who endured endless "baptisms" while shedding blood and tears, suddenly realized his "end".

Volume 18, Chapter 9: Giving You the Language of Flowers ①

I'm sorry... Anya.

I'm sorry... Chloe.

I'm sorry... Lunova.

I'm sorry... Ryu.

I'm so sorry... Mia.

*

“…………”

Freya sat on the stone throne, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes tightly closed.

With her chin resting on her hand, she was quite displeased with the words that kept popping into her mind and the incessant sounds.

(Is she still in a "dream"?)

Freya could feel the two guards, a man and a woman, watching her with worried expressions, but she didn't even have the patience to respond.

The girl who is dead (Seele) – no, it's another girl (Herren) who is still in the "dream".

Due to the influence of the exclusive secret technique (the unique secret art) "Transformation Magic," Freya and Harren share their five senses. Because Harren maintains a state of suspended animation while under the influence of magic, Freya can occasionally experience her "dreams."

Despite the complete darkness, her "apology" could still be heard.

Although Heron experiences "emotional reversal" when the goddess's emotions fluctuate, the same thing doesn't happen to Freya. Freya is basically unable to know Heron's thoughts and feelings; she only receives "messages," which have now turned into "noise" that makes her feel extremely uncomfortable.

If Heron was receiving the goddess's emotions and kept "apologizing" like this in her dream, then she was like a mirror reflecting Freya's thoughts.

Even though the girl (Seele) had already been killed by Freya, Heron was still able to retrieve her remaining thoughts and reveal them without reservation.

(How could there be such an ugly mirror...)

If dreams, which arise from sleep, are also composed of memories and emotions, Freya shouldn't be able to receive Heron's dream. Since her vision is still covered by darkness, it means the girl is still asleep, but the liquid sliding down her cheeks is most likely tears flowing from her eyes.

With the outcome of the war game already decided, Freya had no interest in paying attention anymore. She seemed to be struggling to suppress the voice constantly echoing in her mind, as if trying to suppress a headache. Just then—

"!!"

Freya suddenly stood up from her seat.

This sudden action was almost entirely unlike the Queen's usual demeanor.

Under the guards' panicked gaze, Freya opened her silver eyes wide.

"...Freya, the goddess?"

"What's wrong with you—"

"Instruct Hedin to end the game as soon as possible."

The goddess interrupted their conversation.

Her sharp gaze fell upon the two stunned members of the clan, and she gave the order:

"Immediately inform Hedin and tell him to quickly determine the winner of this war game."

"Yes, yes, ma'am!!"

It was rare to see the supreme deity give such a loud command, and the male and female guards almost gasped and trembled all over.

The two then ran quickly out of the "House of God" and headed straight for the commander.

In the temple where no one else was, the goddess sat back on her throne, revealing an anxious expression for the first time.

"Did the goddess command that the battle be decided as soon as possible?"

Hedin turned to the guards to confirm the contents of the order again.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what Goddess Freya ordered."

"The goddess suddenly instructed us to end the factional alliance as soon as possible...!"

Hedin gazed at the two guards who were relaying the orders on behalf of the chief god.

It's easy to see that they were still shaken after witnessing Freya's out-of-control behavior.

In other words, this is indeed "the will of the goddess".

In "her" mind, a change arose that made it necessary to give such an order.

Hedin quietly narrowed his eyes, which were hidden behind his glasses.

"...Understood. I will personally command the entire army. As for the officers, including the stupid cat, Lasker and Remilia, I'll trouble you to personally convey the goddess's will. If I suddenly change course, those idiots might become suspicious and refuse to obey orders."

“Yes, yes!”

Hedin, acting as commander, quickly formulated independent orders for the first-level adventurers and entrusted two people to help convey them.

The two members who had come specifically from Freya's side had no complaints about helping to relay the order again, and they ran towards the "main battlefield" where the faction alliance was still fighting.

After silently watching the two leave, Hedin quickly raised his head and gave a loud order.

"All troops, attack! Our unit, move forward as well! This is an order personally given by the Goddess; everyone, obey immediately!!"

"Did the goddess command you to 'speed up the attack'?"

After Allen swiftly stabbed and knocked down another blacksmith, he raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked a question.

When the "Krozo Demon Sword" landed on the stone slab, the female group members who had rushed over breathlessly nodded in response.

"Yes, yes...it's an order for the entire army!"

"The original plan was to wipe out the enemy's forces completely now, but they've changed their strategy now. What's that flying insect up to?"

"This is an instruction from the goddess Freya, not from Lord Hedin! The goddess commands that the battle be decided as soon as possible!"