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

Anya charged forward with renewed vigor.

Facing an enemy attacking from the front, Chloe threw all her throwing knives without checking if they were blocked by blunt weapons, and then did the same thing she did when fighting Ryu: detonating a smoke bomb at her feet.

"—Let's have some fun!"

Then came the chanting.

Numerous luminous particles formed vortices on either side of Chloe, who was enveloped in smoke.

"【Dual Demon Body (Pheles Culsu)】".

In the blink of an eye, two "phantoms" appeared silently.

【Pheles Culsu】—This is a very short chant-type illusion magic that can create clones with the same strength as the caster, up to two at a time.

The intangible clones cannot attack or defend, but they act entirely according to Chloe's will. Chloe uses this "magic" to lure enemies, disrupt them, launch surprise attacks, and assassinate them.

(Attack the enemy from both sides! While she's distracted by the clone, the cat stabs her from behind, meow!)

For Chloe, who is not good at head-on confrontation, this is her sure-fire winning move.

Kroi and her clones, hidden in the smoke, attacked Anya from three directions: front, back, and both sides.

"The cat can't see anything, meow!"

Seeing Anya standing there dumbfounded, Kroy licked her lips smugly, but—

"This is so troublesome—meow!!"

She was terrified once again after witnessing the girl create a whirlwind with a blunt object.

"What!?"

Anya raised her weapon and spun around in place.

The blunt weapon, swung at high speed, eliminated two clones in one go and even approached Chloe. Chloe was shocked and hurriedly dodged, but in the end, she was not able to completely avoid it and was hit on the shoulder by the weapon, sending her flying.

"Meow!?"

He just fell into the inner courtyard where Ryu and the others were fighting.

"So you're a cat person, just like a cat, meow?"

After the smoke dissipated, Anya jumped in front of Chloe in order to catch up with her.

With her hood pulled up, Chloe glared fiercely at her opponent.

The fact that Ryu and Anya are positioned in narrow spaces like corridors or spacious places like rooftops, coupled with the attack range of their weapons, makes their fighting styles significantly different. In addition, there is also the "idiot's" intuition.

Kroi was quite annoyed because she had been unable to kill the idiot (Anya) in front of her since earlier.

"You bastard, you've been doing this since just now...!"

"Since we're of the same kind, doesn't it get tiring to keep talking like this, meow? I advise you to stop pretending and just be yourself, meow!"

Kroy seemed to hear a snapping sound from a thread in her heart.

"Whoa!! Stop spouting nonsense! You're not allowed to interfere with my good time, meow!"

"Oh, that's it! I always feel like you smell like a cat, meow!"

"Don't compare a cat to an idiot like you, meow!"

"Who are you calling an idiot, meow?!"

Because the two cat people were meowing incessantly nearby, Ryu and Runova, who were fighting, glanced at them with annoyance.

"The cat knows what's going on, meow! To paraphrase a deity, it's 'role repetition,' meow!"

"Who's playing the same role as you, meow!? Look closely, meow, this cat is a 'cold beauty' with a long figure and tail, meow!"

"But cats have bigger breasts, meow!"

"You, how dare you...!!"

Anya stood with her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest triumphantly, but Roy was even more furious when she saw this.

"Hmm... Since it's already broken, let's just take it apart, meow."

After speaking, Anya tore off the white cloth covering the blunt weapon.

What appeared was a finely crafted spear adorned with gold.

Chloe's eyes widened.

"A spear forged in gold... Could it be...?"

Chloe had heard of it.

In the "Goddess Faction," there is a cat-person adventurer known as the "fastest," wielding a silver spear, who actually has a younger sister.

The title bestowed upon this golden gun wielder, who vanished from the world's sight without anyone noticing, was—

"You are the clone of the chariot (Vana Alfie)!?"

"I haven't heard this title in ages, meow..."

Upon hearing the title Chloe mentioned, Anya lowered her ears as if she were very sad.

But it only lasted a moment; she quickly rallied, flashing a lively smile as she retorted:

"Cat is just an abandoned cat named Anya. She's never heard of any 'Vana Alfie' (Chariot Clone) meow."

She spun her spear around once, assuming a fighting stance.

"The cat needs to quickly knock you away and then go help Ryūnyan!"

"Hmm...bring it on if you dare!"

The two cats glared at each other and then started running away as fast as they could.

Daggers and spears flashed and clashed in a fierce battle.

"...!"

Faced with a series of punches that narrowly missed him, Ryu broke out in a cold sweat once again.

"Oh dear! What's wrong with you!?"

In contrast, Lunova let her scarf flutter in the wind and launched a bold attack.

(So ​​strong...!)

Runova's strength as a "black fist" is beyond Ryu's imagination.

Her self-created techniques were incredibly powerful, each punch possessing unparalleled force. Every time she struck the ground, the paved stones shattered instantly, creating a hole in the ground. To possess such power without using any additional magic—her inherent abilities were truly exceptional.

Even though Lunova lived up to her name and relied solely on her two fists for attacks, her relentless barrage of punches left Ryu with no energy to retaliate.

(Given my current state of being infected with "highly poison"... no, even in my best condition...!)

Centered on her right hand, which was slashed by a hidden sword, Ryu, suffering from pain and fever, is currently on the defensive. Even though Ryu is not poisoned, she is still struggling to defend herself against the aggressive "black fists."

Runova used her talent for combat and her wild instincts to cut off her opponent's retreat.

Even if Ryu desperately swung his kodachi, it would be deflected by the silver plates on his gauntlets used for parrying blades.

Finally, Lunova landed a punch on Ryu's body.

“Hmm!?”

Ryu reflexively jumped back, but a tremendous force still struck her.

Her internal organs were damaged, and she coughed up blood on the spot, falling heavily to the ground on her back.

Seeing the iron fist coming right after him, Ryū immediately rolled to the side to dodge, followed by the sound of stone being crushed.

—We have no choice but to take a gamble.

Now is not the time to conserve strength.

Ryu got up, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and prepared herself to engage in a fierce battle with Lunova, who was charging at her, while simultaneously opening her lips.

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

"Parallel chanting"

Runova's eyes widened as she listened to the singing coming from right in front of her.

(She wants to use "magic"? Oh no, let's wait and see—)

The high-speed chanting, coupled with the amazing "magic" it exudes, makes the opponent tense up.

Before the enemy's "magic" effects were determined, everyone would naturally be wary of such a deadly weapon capable of killing in one strike. To be cautious, Lunova decided to adopt a hit-and-run tactic.

(Just kidding!!)

This is not the case.

"Uraa ...

「!?」

She launched an even more ferocious attack on Ryu.

His opponent's sky-blue eyes were instantly filled with bitterness.

(It's probably just a bluff; I won't fall for it!)

Lunova believed she had seen through Ryu's thoughts.

This is tantamount to openly pointing a cannon at the enemy, intending to find an opportunity to attack while forcing the opponent back, or to force the opponent to reveal a weakness. Witnessing such a massive amount of "magic power" at close range would make even a high-level adventurer feel anxious and tense, thus disrupting the pace of the battle. This is also a common tactic of "magic swordsmen".

However, Lunova remained steadfast.

Lunova's greatest strength lies in "outsmarting" others, which utilizes the destructive power of each of her punches.

Having survived alone with no one to rely on, the courage and decisiveness she has cultivated are among the best in Orario.

As if those half-baked tricks were useless, he directly used his iron fists to attack his opponent.

(Watch me push you to the point of accidentally detonating your magic!)

While marveling at the "parallel chanting," Lunova also criticized her opponent for making the worst choice.

If this "magic" gets out of control, it will eventually erupt from Ryu's body, leading to her self-destruction. Runova's aggressive, close-range attacks, abandoning all defense, have eliminated countless "magic swordsmen" to date.

She drew upon her greatest strength—her fearless courage—and roared:

"Just hurry up and self-destruct! Die!"

Each punch he threw was more powerful and forceful, using continuous attacks to overwhelm his opponent.

"—[Respond to my foolish voice, and grant me the protection of starlight once more]."

But──

Liu did not stop chanting.

"[Those who abandon you are the benevolent and merciful.]"

Facing Lunova's wide-eyed stare, Ryu wove the incantation into a clear and fluent voice.

Even as fists swept past her and she was drenched in sweat, Ryu remained as graceful as a dancing sprite, never stopping.

They even sped up the chanting.

(This guy, could it be her—)

Only then did Lunova realize that she had guessed wrong.

Ryu saw that Lunova would stubbornly continue to engage in close combat, so he took the opportunity to use "Parallel Chanting".

Attack, defend, move, evade, and chant—Ryu simultaneously performs all five actions. Her astonishing, undiminished combat speed far exceeds Lunova's expectations, even demonstrating a speed that could surpass her previous fastest chanting speed on the front lines of the battlefield.

Ryu was not bluffing.

This elf possessed absolute confidence.

Whether it's their own "skills" or their experience in successfully overcoming countless crises—

There is also the "magic" power that allows her to save herself and her companions multiple times in the abyss of a dungeon that Lunova has never seen before.

"Come, wandering wind, drifting traveler."

The slightest mistake could lead to self-destruction; a single punch from Lunova could shatter one's bones.

But there was not the slightest wavering in Liu's singing.