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

Towards the end of the path.

Heading in the opposite direction from the entrance the two entered through.

He circled around to their backs and slashed at the "saboteur" who was planning to attack them from that direction.

Just as Zagnot was about to launch a surprise attack, he was caught off guard and could only use his ugly right arm, made up of countless monsters, to block Ryu's blow.

Amidst the scattered fragments of bone and flesh, Zagnot retreated to the rear, confronting Ryu.

『————————————!!』

The destroyer let out a terrible roar.

It was as if it was roaring, "It's not you!"

The monster, freed from the labyrinth, found its reason for existence, and roared as if to summon its only prey—the white male.

"How could we possibly let you pass?"

Ryu's only answer was this.

The only one who can fight you is this very body.

The fairy, now free from the tragedy of the past, roared.

"—I'll defeat you!!"

The battered fairy and the enraged destroyer simultaneously slammed into the ground.

The "Broken Claw" on his left arm flowed with astonishing momentum, followed by a long tail that ripped through space. The attack was narrowly avoided by Ryu at the very moment it struck his body.

The bone knife, which brushed past, shattered the scales of the 'Lizardman Elite' and the muscle fibers of the 'Wolf-Headed Man', before being hit by a barrage of spear thrusts, leaving the blade half-broken.

The slender shadow and the enormous colossal shadow—elves and monsters crossed paths countless times.

Because its appetite had been whetted by the long-awaited prey, Zagnot was now dominated not by the thrill of its prey, but by anger. However, it needed to change its perception immediately.

"Haa ...

Very strong.

soon.

It was in no way inferior to the white male.

The fairy, letting out a scream like tearing silk, threw away the bone sword that was no longer of use and picked up two small katanas, intending to cut Zagnot to pieces. In the previous battle, Zagnot had been in a favorable position throughout, but this time it was surprisingly evenly matched.

The fairy has turned the 'unknown' into the 'known'.

Overcoming the spear-piercing shots and the surprise attacks from the reverse piles, amidst the scattered fragments of monsters and drops of fairy blood, they displayed their will to defeat the enemy.

The eyes, which were originally inorganic and fraught with calamity at birth, are now shaken by real 'emotions'.

"Oooooo oooooo oooooo oooooo oooooo oooooo oooooo!"

It spun around at a speed disproportionate to its massive size, blowing away Liu with all its might, letting out a roar that shook the entire labyrinth.

This is not a question.

However, as if trying to draw momentum from her body, which was stained red with blood from the aftershocks of the "Broken Claw" and the countless missed spikes—or perhaps to solidify her own existence—Ryu roared in response.

"I...ha...I am...Ryu Leon!! The spirit whose everything was taken away by you in the past!!"

Ryu roughly wiped the blood flowing from his mouth as he tore his back off the wall.

That was an incomprehensible arrangement of syllables by Zagnot.

However, it contains a strong will to stop the saboteurs' actions.

"I will never let you take away someone important to me again!"

As Alexandra said.

Those who can hold fast to their ideals are heroes.

Therefore, the answer has been decided.

Facing monsters and labyrinths is also facing the world itself.

Ryu used all her strength to unleash her will.

"I will become a 'hero'."

This is the end of the "branch history" that we have stumbled upon.

"So that we can survive together!"

This is her atonement and decision that took everything from the boy.

Ryu will never become a girl (the female protagonist) who only waits to be rescued.

The lake fairy embraced the wounded knight and drew her oath sword.

It was engraved with the "hero's mark" to protect his beloved.

"I am the 'hero'!!"

Return, justice!

Retrieve the longsword from the embers, and spread your wings once more amidst the flames.

The fairy scattered and peeled away the light scales that had been residing on her body.

From it emerged the 'Armor of the Sublime Stars,' which carried the scent of blood and dust, yet shone with unparalleled brilliance.

"------------Whoa whoa!!"

The monster struck by the oath roared.

Overwhelmed by Ryu's imposing presence, Zagnot had no choice but to admit defeat.

This fairy, like the white male, is someone I must hunt with all my might.

The burgeoning killing intent converged on the newly born 'hero'.

Two figures vanished in an instant.

A fierce, life-or-death battle ensued.

"—[Flame and Lightning]!"

From the side path, a crimson roar erupted.

Several bolts of fiery lightning blocked the bone spear that was about to kill Ryu.

Even the 'Magic Reflection' spikes, which weren't covered in armor, were completely burned.

Before Ryu and Zagnot, who were turning around in astonishment, the figure of the boy appeared.

"Ha, ha...! I am, I am, Bell Craney!!"

The boy, protected by Ryu, awoke from the abyss of darkness and roared passionately, as if mimicking the vow he had just heard from her.

"That bastard betrayed his dreams and fell for this person!!"

Bell is crying.

After the kiss by the clear blue stream, the usually sullen boy burst into tears as if severing his attachment.

To console his aspirations, to repay Ryu's resolve to call her a "hero," and to become someone worthy of her—the boy openly expresses his feelings.

"I won't let this person die!"

This is the ritual by which "Bell Crane" becomes "Bell who belongs only to fairies".

At the cost of tears and pain, the boy gave everything for Ryu Leon.

"Bell..."

A sharp pain raced through Ryu's chest.

The guilt of taking away Belle's future, the sorrow that brought him tears, is consuming her entire being.

However, that sadness transformed into the power that allowed Ryu to transcend death.

To make amends to him, and to uphold her ideals, Ryu must become the "guardian of the boy." She must stay by his side and protect him closely.

Until those tears turn back into a pure white smile, forever.

"Miss Ryu... I can fight too!"

Having weathered the attacks of the Zagnot riots, they finally reached the other side, found Ryu's Bell, and with tear-stained face, resolutely declared this.

Bell also refused to become the "protected knight" again.　

What he wants to be, now and in the future, is always only a "hero".　

Liu closed her lips, which she wanted to say, and nodded.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, confronting the calamity.

"Let's settle this once and for all!"

The final battle between the fairy and the boy has arrived.

The fairy was incredibly brave and sped like a stardust.

The boy guarded the fairy's back, constantly shattering the enemy's shell while exhausting his own strength.

A high-speed, flowing song of stars.

A strike of holy fire that shatters the monster's armor.

Ten luminous orbs, adorned with swords of justice and wings, drove the monster into a corner.

Finally, after the Starflower bloomed at the site of the devastating catastrophe, two figures overlapped amidst the rain of ashes.

Faced with the "hero" who had closed her eyes after doing everything she could to protect herself, the boy sat on the ground, hugged her tightly, and protected her.

Until the heretical monsters and their companions appeared.

Only at this moment did he, like a lake spirit tending to a knight who had died for love, smile briefly, yet undeniably.

This is an ending in the dark labyrinth that the fairy's "branch history" reaches.

A certain boy lost a certain qualification, and in his place, a certain fairy became a 'hero'.

Like a white flower blooming at the tip of a branch, a tiny answer.

"I'm so sorry, Seele."

Ryu bent down in an extremely artistic pose, placing her forehead on the floor.

This is a flawless, far-eastern "dogeza" (a deep bowing gesture) that even the gods would be captivated by.

"Ryu, Ryu? Raise your head!"

"I did things that an elf shouldn't do. I did something unforgivable. I didn't complain even when you punched and kicked me... I'm truly sorry."

"Ryu? Are you listening—?"

"I am the most shallow and despicable fairy in the lower realm."

Upon seeing this scene, Hill was simply bewildered.

No matter how many times Liu said it, she wouldn't listen and would only apologize repeatedly.

Three days after being rescued from the "deep layer".

Now in the treatment facility of the "Tower of Babel" with only two people, Ryu, who is now able to move her body normally, confesses her "betrayal" to her confidante.

"I knew your feelings perfectly well... yet I still stole Bell's lips. I've fallen for Bell. I can no longer call myself your friend—"

"I didn't use any lies," Ryu said bluntly.

Ryu didn't seek forgiveness; instead, she adopted a resigned expression, reminding herself that she didn't even have the right to be sad, while simultaneously realizing the end of their friendship.

Deep within that labyrinth, Ryu did only that kind of thing. Ryu must clarify this.

"Ryu. Don't talk nonsense."

However, Seele did not accept Ryu's apology. She didn't even utter a word of condemnation, let alone punch or kick him.

After being told, somewhat angrily, to "lift your head," Ryu slowly raised her upper body.

The girl gazed at Ryu with her usual thin, dull-colored eyes.

"No matter how much I apologize, Ryu doesn't intend to leave Mr. Bell, does she?"