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

"I like you."

"Yes. ...Huh?"

Bell stumbled as he was about to take a step forward.

The boy, barely managing to steady himself, turned around in utter shock to look at Ryu.

I see you as someone of the opposite sex... I like you.

Standing still, Ryu's face blossomed into a smile like that of a young girl.

Her fair face remained unaffected by the slight blush, conveying both composure and gentleness.

Instead, Bell, realizing that this was not a hallucination or illusion, gradually blushed and looked foolish.

"Now it's fair. Now I'm entitled to slap Seele."

Ryu gave a mischievous smile like a prankster, and then ran off ahead.

The abandoned Bell was like a soldier who had been forced to take a bomb on the eve of the final battle, stunned and dumbfounded. Although his mind was in a mess, he shook his head vigorously to calm himself down.

—At least for now, we must focus on the battle at hand.

—At least for now, we need to focus all our attention on that person.

Bell convinced himself of this, adjusted his mood, and put on the expression an adventurer should have when facing a final battle.

To become a "hypocrite" who practices "false virtue (selfishness)".

Bell lowered his center of gravity, took a running stride, and chased after Ryu's back, throwing himself into the fierce battle before him.

"Drink! Aa ...

*

Despite the distance, thunderous sounds could still be heard coming from the direction of the "Amphitheater".

Faced with the even more intense performance in the theater, the valiant warriors did not feel intimidated, but rather felt as if an even more magnificent accompaniment had been added.

"That piece of trash—!!"

Even the wind couldn't keep up with this fast-moving figure.

Allen, who was running at an unparalleled speed across the battlefield, was furious.

He ignited a near-hateful rage towards the adventurers who were struggling to the death and gradually threatening the goddess's safety, the rebellious flying insects, and the "sister" who had run onto the battlefield without a clue, and transformed these into the fuel he needed for his frenzied run.

"Faster, faster!! Run!"

"Follow in Lord Allen's footsteps!"

Even as Allen's figure receded further and further into the distance, the fierce warriors of the orcs continued to chase after him relentlessly.

This formidable team, renowned for its speed, headed straight for the "main battlefield" where Alfred and his allies clashed with the "Mistress of Abundance."

"—Koroi, Lunova! Big brother's here, meow!"

Anya was the first to sense that the troops led by "Chariot" were about to arrive.

She looked eastward, her ears perked up like an alert wildcat, conveying the information she had noticed.

"Enough with the nonsense—get ready!"

"Whoa!?"

"Just dealing with these guys is already overwhelming for the cats... Meow!"

"Cough!?"

Runova cursed as she swung her iron fist, shattering the dwarf's sternum, while Chloe, drenched in sweat, used a poisoned dagger to make the elf cough up blood.

"Lady Aisha! Please cooperate with Lady Lunova and the others to launch a pincer attack on the enemy!"

"I know without you saying it!!"

"An enemy is behind me—wait!?"

The faction alliance then launched an attack from behind the enemy lines.

The left wing forces (Aisa and others) and all the reserves joined up and assembled in the center of the eastern side of the "main battlefield." Since Anya and her group came from the south side of the island via a bridge, they sandwiched the forces led by the four Jariba brothers in the middle. Being attacked from both sides at this time was unbearable even for the powerful Freya Familia.

"Hey, Far East girl! Give this to your companions, meow!"

"Huh? This is... 'earrings'? Lady Chloe, what are these!?"

"These are magical artifacts that the 'Omnipotent One' made for the righteous faction (Ryu and the others) in the past! We brought them all! Leave this to us, you quickly distribute them to everyone!"

"Although I don't know what this is... I'll do as you say, Lady Lunova!"

The last valiant warrior standing on the "main battlefield"—all the high-ranking adventurers except for the officers—have fallen.

Under Hedin's bombardment and the numerical advantage of "The Abundant Mistress", the elite force composed of Lv.3 and Lv.4 has been completely wiped out, leaving only the [Flame Gold Four Warriors].

But—

"Die!!"

"Meow!?"

The quadruplets' attack simultaneously knocked down all four cat-people.

When Lunova and Chloe saw their colleagues being defeated in one fell swoop, their faces instantly turned bitter.

They still couldn't win. Even with the elves' artillery barrage or the entire Plenty team surrounding them, they still couldn't defeat the remaining Alfred and his group.

They saw the sand-colored helmets and armor stained red with the enemy's blood, as well as the weapons in the hands of the four men.

Describing the quadruplets as demons is an understatement; each of them is like a storm condensed to its extreme.

Faced with the four brothers' incredible "joint attack," the employees of the plentiful store fell one after another.

“Ua ...

"Lisha!?"

The same applies to the combat prostitutes.

The Amazons who rushed to fight back were all defeated. Apart from the reserve force—the guards protecting Chun Ji who was in stealth mode—the Allied Forces only had Aisha, Ming, and Naza left.

They thought they could corner their opponent, but instead found themselves in a paradoxical situation where even their own fate was hanging by a thread.

The enemy's remaining forces consist of only the [Four Flame Warriors], and the fact that their powerful artillery support failed to take effect is the most troublesome.

Although the two sides were locked in a stalemate, the Alfred brothers and Hedin were all too familiar with each other's capabilities. The four brothers were well aware of the nature of the annihilation magic (the valiant and pitiful undead soldiers), so they used Runova, Aisha, and the others as "human shields" to block the shots. Moreover, even if Hedin's shooting was extremely accurate, hitting a first-class adventurer hundreds of meters away would still be extremely difficult.

"……I see."

Hedin stood on the north side of the "main battlefield," far from Alfred and the others—

He squinted and whispered.

He probably realized that the attack was ineffective, so he stopped attacking directly and instead tried to "interfere" from the sidelines.

He launched the lightning bolt into the sky, and after tracing a large arc, it struck the four Alfred brothers from directly overhead.

Of course, such a hasty bombing would not hit Alfred and his group at all. Although doing so would avoid accidentally injuring Aisha and the others who were being used as "meat shields," it would only create smoke and noise at best.

After realizing that Hedin's bombardment was unreliable, the decision was left to the worried commander (Lily).

Now, the first-level adventurers have transformed into an unshakable "foundational power" to stand in their way.

"Without this 'golden light,' things would be absolutely terrible, meow...!"

"Although I can't see her, I think it's thanks to my former prostitute sister...! But by accident, I've ended up being led by the nose by my drastically increased stats!"

The reason why Kroy and her friends were able to withstand the four brothers' frenzied attacks and avoid being instantly killed was, frankly, all thanks to the power of leveling up.

Following Lily's precise instructions, Haruhime added golden light to Aisha, Lunova, Chloe, and the others, temporarily raising them to Lv.5. If you only look at their level, they are at the same level as the Alfred quadruplets. However, they were actually implementing a hit-and-run tactic to avoid a direct confrontation with the quadruplets' "joint attack," which is why the battle was barely kept at a stalemate.

However, such a stalemate can never evolve into a "balanced match".

The reason is that the "war machine" has crossed the central area of ​​the island and is gradually approaching this "main battlefield".

(If the four brothers were to reunite with Goddess Chariot, we'd be doomed...!)

Lily's heart was pounding as she gazed at the scene before her.

Not far in front of the cemetery where she was located, a fierce battle was taking place.

Once Allen and his men join the battle, the front lines will crumble in an instant.

Lily looked up and saw the army rushing towards her at high speed, kicking up dust. A bead of cold sweat rolled down her forehead.

(We must defeat the Four Flame Warriors now! Otherwise, we will have no chance of winning!)

Lily cut off all other unnecessary information and kept her eyes glued to the four Alfred brothers.

Whether it's the quadruplets' fierce attack, actions, "joint attack" itself, or even various details.

Whether it's habit, weakness, or tacit understanding, etc.

With the information provided by Finn, she is thoroughly analyzing the [Four Flame Warriors].

Lily's focused attention accelerated her thinking, leading her to a flash of inspiration.

Lily's conclusion was—

(They—have no "flaws"!!)

The incredibly cruel reality is right in front of us.

The quadruplets, hailed as having an "infinite combined attack," have virtually no weaknesses.

The four of them complemented each other's strengths and weaknesses, ensuring that no "flaw" would be exposed.

The third son, Berlin, killed the shop assistant, the eldest son, Alfrek, blocked Naza's sniper shot, and the second son, Du Hualin, and the fourth son, Ger, blew away Aisha and Lunova, who were attacking from both sides.

The statement that "four people working together can defeat all first-level adventurers" is by no means an exaggeration.

(As long as those four stay together, there will be no "flaws"!!)

Despair washed over Lily.

And the final deadline arrived mercilessly.

"Watch me crush you all."

The menacing "chariot" has closed in on you.

Not only the faction alliance and Lunova, but Allen seemed to want to knock the Alfred quadruplets away as well, accelerating again to cut across the battlefield.

"【A gray sky, a vanished home, and rain falling from the dark ruins】"

Just then—

A "singing" sound rang out.

"────"

When Allen caught the sound with his hearing, his thoughts momentarily paused.

"[Headless eyes, a bronze statue asking questions. Who are you? Who are you? You are a kitten, a lost wheel. I am tears, a sobbing servant.]"

The sandstorm has subsided.

A cat-man emerged from within.

The abandoned cat planted its spear in the ground, clasped its hands over its chest, closed its eyes, and uttered a series of sounds.

"[When I ask where my home is, I cannot answer. I inquire with the crows, but receive no reply. So I weep softly, singing alone and helplessly behind my family (you)]."

The sound of the explosion then weakened.

Even the quadruplets could clearly hear the "chanting" that had begun and was about to be completed.

The four Alfiek brothers, stunned, stopped their attack.

"Lady Anya is chanting...!? Could it be... that Lord Hedin is using magic to 'cover' things up!?"

Only Lily, standing alone in the cemetery overlooking the battle, could accurately grasp what had happened.

Hedin had the bombs fall from the sky, causing a lot of dust and explosions as a form of "interference," in order to cover Anya, who was focused on chanting.

Not to mention Allen or the four Alfred brothers, Hedin certainly knew the effects of the former member (Ania)'s "chanting".

Moreover, it was a "magic" that could plunge the cat people and the little people into anxiety.

It was too late to stop it.