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

However──

Liu was one step ahead.

The chanting has ended.

Liu suddenly opened her eyes.

Hegny stared in disbelief at those sky-blue eyes.

The star fragment that should have been shattered—

Those glittering, sacred crystallized characters—

They all swarmed towards Liu, and were absorbed into her body.

This is the "Star Contract" that has been signed.

With a heart full of "the answer to justice," Ryu shouted her name aloud.

"【Red Chickweed】!"

Red flames erupted.

「!?」

Hegni was blown away by the Stardust Sword, which was wrapped in the glow of crimson lotus.

Hegni was thrown back by the released slash, so he braced himself with his left hand and legs, leaving shocking cracks in the ground, before finally stopping his retreat.

Upon seeing that dazzling red light, even the valiant warriors, adventurers, and gods were stunned into silence.

"Fire-attribute magic...!? How is that possible?!"

The surrounding area erupted in commotion after Hegney's shout.

Everyone who knew about "this magic," except for those who were unaware of it, was shocked, creating a chaotic storm.

"...Alicie?"

The outer side of the island.

The first-class adventurer (Shakti), who witnessed this scene from afar on the battlefield, murmured the name in astonishment.

Just as her eyes welled up with tears, which were about to fall, Hegni's roar rang out.

"【Scarlet Hernel】!! This is Alexandra Rofer's magic!!"

This is the name of the righteous apostle who died five years ago.

The girl who fought against "evil" once used this "magic," and countless people were deeply impressed by the fiery petals.

Hegny naturally knew about this and remembered it vividly.

He remembered the glorious deeds of the girls (Asteria Familia) who had survived the dark period.

I also remember the most dazzling figure among them, the Crimson Flower, engulfed in raging flames.

Hegni Ragnar secretly held this girl in high esteem, who possessed a brilliance he himself lacked, and never forgot her signature move, Crimson Flame.

"[Gale]!! Why can you use this 'magic'!?"

Faced with the emotionally charged Hegni, Ryu, whose body was wreathed in noble flames, simply replied with a single sentence.

"Because my journey has come to an end."

This is a long journey.

All her companions except herself fell, and the elf was burned to ashes by the fire of revenge in her heart. Living in stagnation, she finally reached the end of her journey.

Ryu Rion was guided by the white bell called the Boy, traversing the myriad darkness brought by the depths, and finally reaching the other side of light, where he found the "answer to justice"—"hope".

"Afterwards, I reunited with the goddess Astraea and inherited the will of Alyssa and the others. That's all."

These experiences blossomed and bore fruit through the reunion with their God.

This new "magic" is imprinted on Ryu's back (as an ability value).

The flames attached to the elf's limbs and the sword seemed to burn fiercely in response to her "justice".

"I'll say it again, this time I'm betting everything on us—victory!"

Liu took a step forward.

Her boots, wreathed in flames, shattered the stone slab beneath her feet.

The next instant, the blazing flower bloomed, and Ryu was transformed into a crimson lotus bullet.

「!?」

Ryu's movements were far faster than the reaction speed of a second-level adventurer. In the blink of an eye, he was close to one of the stunned and fierce warriors and unleashed a slash.

"Ughhhhhhhh!?"

Accompanied by a burst of red flames, a fatal blow followed.

The Star Sword, imbued with powerful fire magic, brought down a Level 4 human with a single strike.

"Tammuz!?"

"How is this possible?!"

"Instant kill!?"

The red trail did not stop.

The flames attached to the feet acted as both a jet propulsion device and a "combustion aid".

Ryu imitated the high-speed, explosive sprint that [Red Masahana] was known for, and attacked the panicked [Freya Familia] with her sword.

One sword, two swords, then skipping three, directly unleashing five swords.

Her high-speed sword strikes were incredibly fast, like a whirlwind, and were accompanied by earth-shattering explosions.

At first glance, this seemingly contradictory and heaven-defying killing move took down five fierce warriors in one fell swoop.

Fire magic is known for its power, and Ryu unleashed what can be called her signature "firepower," destroying enemies along with their weapons, whether they encountered swords or shields.

"Damn it!?!"

In the blink of an eye, they lost six of their companions, and the valiant warriors roared in fury.

They thought that Ryu would leave after successfully breaking through, but when they saw her turn around and rush back towards them, everyone's fighting spirit was ignited.

Some raised their greatswords, some aimed their bows, and some picked up their spears—but unfortunately, all their efforts came to naught.

Any attempt to counter or defend was instantly thwarted by the flying spirits entwined with crimson lotuses.

"Drink—!!"

The swift wind and the roar of fire create a chain reaction.

The valiant warriors were knocked to the ground one after another by Ryu.

Vulnerable.

The gods and men watching the battle were stunned as they watched the fierce warriors fall one after another.

If we were to force a point about their "failure," it would be their failure to join forces to defend against the enemy in the first instance.

If Hedin were to be in command, or like the Loki Familia who value "teamwork," they could still cope even if they lost a lot of manpower; however, they are "fierce warriors," and the intense internal competition causes everyone to pursue "individual strength" too much. Therefore, even if they know how to flank the opponent with their teammates, they cannot adopt high-end tactics that can restrain and encircle the elves.

In contrast, Ryu, no matter how many "one-on-one" matches he engages in, could never be defeated.

Hegny was absolutely certain of this.

The reason is that he saw "that".

"────"

As Ryu fought at high speed, Hegni saw the "figure of a red-haired girl" behind her.

He even saw a vision of [Red Flower], and with a smile on his face, it overlapped with the figure of [Swift Wind] and they fought together.

The elves are not fighting alone.

"Red Flame" and "Swift Wind" dance together.

The two girls, as if they had never left each other, unleashed their fury on the battlefield.

"That's... Alicia's magic!?"

The Tower of Babel was thrown into turmoil once again.

There was not a single deity present who did not know about the Astrea Familia, which had been destroyed five years prior.

Seeing Ryu unleash powerful fire-attribute magic, the gods were so excited that they all stood up from their seats to express their thoughts.

"She can actually use other people's magic!"

"Could it be... a 'summoning'!?"

"Is it the same as the Thousand Elf!?"

Since only one familiar has been seen in this lower realm using "Summoning Magic (a foul technique)" to cast another's magic, the gods were extremely excited and started talking all over each other, causing a great commotion.

"No, that's not a 'summoning'."

Only one of the male gods—Hermes—denied this speculation.

"Instead, it is 'inheritance'."

The male god made this assertion, and smiled as if he had seen something dazzling.

The girls' sense of "justice" will live on forever.

Even though the will of the Astrea Familia has dissipated like a ray of light in the night sky, turning into stardust, it still lives in Ryu's heart.

【Memories of the Stars】──

This is the "magic" that Ryu learned when he reached Lv.6.

Her ability, as the god (Hermes) said, is "to inherit justice".

This is a "miracle (magic)" unique to Ryu Leon, allowing her to inherit and cast the "magic" possessed by ten other members of her clan who were also branded with the "divine grace" by the blood of the goddess of justice (Asteria).

This is an unprecedented and unparalleled abnormal situation, a possibility of the lower realm, and an absolutely unique "unknown".

It is also the sword and wings that swear to uphold justice.

This was Hermes' most exciting moment of the day, so he smiled and offered a round of applause.

"...[Asteria Familia]".

"It's the [Astraea Familia]..."

The central square outside the Tower of Babel.

A male traveling merchant couldn't help but shed tears after witnessing the "divine mirror" in mid-air broadcasting the flames of justice.

The couple, who had been saved by the Familiar of Justice during the dark period, held their beloved only daughter tightly in their arms and choked back tears.

This is the "fruit of justice".

This is the best proof that the noble and righteous acts of young women in upholding justice have never disappeared.

The public was unaware of why the girl who embodied justice had appeared on that battlefield.

But there's only one thing they need to do.

The sobs that initially filled the scene eventually turned into deafening cheers of support.

"【——The forest and sky that have now faded into the distance. The endless night sky inlaid with countless stars】."

Moreover—

"[Respond to the voice of my ignorance, grant me the protection of a spark once more. Light and mercy be upon you who have forsaken me.]"

Ryu not only inherited the girls' (Arishe and others) sense of justice, but her original talent for "magic" was not diminished as a result.

"[Parallel chanting]...!?"

"Quickly, stop her!!!"

Faced with the clear and resonant chanting and the rapidly gathering magic, the valiant warriors rushed forward to besiege Liu.

However, they failed to capture Ryu. Instead, the warriors who recklessly approached her in an attempt to stop her chanting were repeatedly struck by explosive slashes and were killed one after another.

"spit!!"