No one's POV

Finn was the first one to arrive on the scene.

Finn: !!

He broke into a sprint before anyone else the moment the scream rang out, and the site of the commotion quickly came into view. Dust rose into the air from the demolished corner of a building as the residents of the Labyrinth District struggled to flee. An unsightly monster stood beneath the open sky of the surface.

Finn was slightly startled to see one swordsman standing against the monster, but he didn't waste another second before readying the long spear in his right hand, cocking it behind his back like a loaded ballista. As he leaped across the rooftops, he stepped in with all his might and unleashed the golden spear.

A single line flashed.

The spear accelerated with enough speed to not give the monster any time to react—or the adventurers protecting the residents, for that matter—striking its target deeply without the slightest error. It pierced the monster's raised left hand, knocking the beast back.

Wiene: A—aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhh—?!

Losing out to the momentum behind the Fortia Spear now buried in its hand, the monster crashed into the building behind it. There was a roar and the echoing crash of impact, the deserted house collapsing, the dragon's undulating, long body. The spear smashed into the ground along with the monster's left hand, pinning it down like a live specimen.

Finn(mind): Significant damage to the neighborhood but no casualties.

Finn's top priority was to keep the people as far from the monster as possible. He quickly analyzed the situation as he landed atop a wide roof. Thump! Thump! With Asuna leading the way, Aiz, Bete, Tiona, Tione, Riveria, and Gareth all arrived next to him. The tumult quieted as if the moment was frozen in place, creating a blank moment in time. Finn's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the half-human, half-dragon monster.

Finn: So that's what's been causing all the commotion, I take it?

Loud cheers broke out an instant later.

Sora: Gh!!

Citizen 1: Hurray! Hurrrrray!

Citizen 2: Adventurers!

It was hasty but prompt—it was a flash of glory when they saved the populace consumed by terror at the sudden shattering of their peaceful lives. The residents of the Labyrinth District exploded in cheers at the sight of the city's strongest familia taking the stage. It was a preemptive surprise attack—fast enough to not allow the concealment of a certain swordsman. The faces of the adventurers and goddess filled with despair as he rushed into the frame.

Finn: It seems the civilians are unharmed.

Gareth: What's this? Looks like somebody got here before us.

Tione: Wait a sec, isn't that...?

Tiona: It's Mr. Flash!

Bete: That Flashing bastard again...?

As Loki Familia continued to gather, Gareth, Tiona, and the others noticed the adventurer standing in the street. Sora Yatagami. And Hestia Familia with their patron goddess.

Finn(mind): They made it here faster than we did—No, were they on Daedalus Street this whole time?

Finn was suspicious of the coincidence but disregarded it in the face of his top priority.

Riveria: A vouivre...Think there's any connection with the earlier sighting of that winged monster.

A reasonable analysis suggested that the monster before their eyes was the same as the one involved in the incident five days ago: the humanoid monster that had shaken the city. Its female dragon body and tail were a bit much to call humanoid, but the wings sprouting from its back matched eyewitness reports.

Finn(mind): A subspecies? Or maybe a variant? And what's with this timing?

Finn predicted that was the real trigger of this incident.

Tiona: Is that monster connected with what happened on the eighteenth floor? Those look like shackles, but is there any armor?

Riveria: I cannot be certain about that...But the Guild must have planned for this possibility when ordering all familias to stand by.

Bete: Tsk, a heads-up would've been nice.

The three stared at the wide street below them. When Riveria said the Guild, she really meant Ouranos. Finn deduced that her statement was probably half-right. This situation was the worst possible outcome for Ouranos's side. That monster was the secret that Orario's creator god wanted to hide—without a doubt.

As Tiona said, there were manacles on its arms, right where chains had been torn off—proof that it'd been captured by humans. Were those captors Ikelos Familia?

Finn(mind): There are still some unresolved questions, but for now...

As the breeze tousled his golden hair, Finn looked down at Hestia Familia standing stock-still in the street and past them at the suffering monster.

Tione: Captain, what about that monster...

Finn: There is no stone in its brow. Dispose of it immediately.

Finn made a snap decision. Vouivres were a rare species of monster. They possessed a drop item, the Vouivre's Tear, said to bring wealth and fortune. But when they lost it, vouivres were known to go into a rage and rampage until they got the stone back. Using the latent potential of a dragon, they became a whirlwind of destruction. With the residents of the Labyrinth District around, the only option for dealing with it was elimination.

But a corpse would do. It would be more than enough physical evidence to use against Ouranos. And it would be more important to preserve the lives of the general public. That was Finn's conclusion.

Finn(mind): But...why are you there?

A single swordsman raised a trembling gaze up at Finn. It was Sora Yatagami.

Finn(mind): Why are you looking at me like that?

Upon exchanging a glance with those unwavering azure eyes, Finn noticed something: an unmistakable unease.

Asuna(mind): Why...? Why...? Just like Sora had said. I sense Yui from within that Vouivre.

Asuna may look calm on the outside, but she was panicking on the inside. Sora had told her about the Vouivre that he and the Hestia Familia brought back to the surface. He also told her about her being able to speak and had emotions like human beings. But most importantly, the vouivre that had reminded Sora so much about their daughter, Yui. Now seeing this for the first time, Asuna could understand why. She does indeed sensed Yui's soul even if it's only a fragrant of it.

Aiz(mind): Big Bro...?

At the same time, Aiz felt it again as she stared at his pale face. She felt an odd chasm. It was the same with the rest of Hestia Familia, too. While the residents were celebrating Loki Familia's arrival, they were uniformly speechless, in despair. She couldn't understand why her eyes were fixed on Sora and Bell and not the monster that had appeared aboveground.

Bell: If monsters had a reason to live—

She suddenly recalled their earlier conversation. Aiz didn't understand why, but she couldn't take her eyes off her Big Brother standing at the threshold of an internal discord.

Wiene: Aaaarghh...?!

Shrieked the monster, letting out ugly lamentations while its blood ran free.

Citizens: Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!

The people cheered in expectation that the monster would be struck down, erased from the surface of the world.

The second hand on the clock advanced slowly as the Labyrinth District roared.

The deities in the vicinity silently watched the progress from outside the playing field.

The goddess of flames's followers froze in despair, losing the will to fight back. The strongest adventurers prepared to eliminate the monster.

And that swordsman standing on the border of it all.

That man.

That Hero.

That Light of Hope—

Aiz:—

Aiz would never forget that scene. It would never disappear for all eternity, a scar etched into her heart. Aiz's golden eyes opened wide. On that day. At that time. In that location. A single decision took place, a resolution that loved destruction, too irredeemable, too foolish, the gods would say of it later. On that day, at that time, in that location, it was a turning point that made a historic impact—the unknowable moment in between eras, as the gods would lament. On this day. At this time. In this location. A widely respected hero of the world would fall—and in his place, a fool was born.

Citizens: Ooooooooooooo...?

The thunderous anticipation of the crowd turned to a stunned murmur and then to silence.

Bete: Huh?

Bete furrowed his brow at the sight.

Tione: Wait...what's...that?

Tiona: Mr. Flash...?

Tione and Tiona became flustered.

Gareth: Am I seeing that right?

Riveria: Finn...

Finn:...What's the meaning of this?

Gareth, Riveria, and Finn coolly narrowed their gazes.

Asuna(mind): Sora... Is that the vouivre that could speak and calls you Papa?

Asuna stare towards the man she loved more than anything in this world doing what she'd known him for so long. Foolish yet shine ever so brightly.

Aiz: !!!

And Aiz was at a loss for words.

Aiz:...Ngh!!

The swordsman confronted them, turning his back to the writhing monster and challenging Loki Familia attempting to subdue it. He shielded the monster, as if to protect it—eyes dripping with determination, breath normally, face turning resolute.

Brandishing his twin sword of black and white, he stood before them, blocking their way.

Aiz(mind): What are you doing, Big Bro...?

For the life of her when she knew the man in front of her, Aiz couldn't understand what she was seeing. Somewhere along the way, the boy she admire all her life, the boy whom saved her life dozens of times, the boy she'd been chasing, the boy she'd been searching ever since their separation, the boy who'd been so close to her had ended up so far from her. There was nothing she could do. The only thing Aiz knew was that the two of them were perfectly at odds with each other.

Finn(mind): Sora Yatagami—

As for Finn, his thoughts were kicking into overdrive—despite his composed tone of voice. A human was protecting a monster. But that's exactly what was happening in the scene unfolding before his eyes, in a series of events that shouldn't have been possible. It was the real motive of the boy blocking his way. Even with his mind clear, he could only process an error. Finn was faced with an answer that he couldn't have predicted or deduced and focused on those azure eyes.

Finn(mind): What if? Seriously. What if?

If he worked from the hypothesis that Sora Yatagami actually intended to protect it...

He couldn't accept this in the current situation. It would be a meaningless discussion. But hypothetically, if it was just the two of them and the monster had any value, some kind of negotiation might have been possible.

But they'd been seen by a bunch of people. As the hope of the pallum, Braver had no choice left except summary execution. There was no acceptable reason to let the monster live.

Meaning if Sora Yatagami intended to save the vouivre, then his decision was the correct one—and an irredeemable folly leading to his own destruction.

Hermes: You truly are a fool...

Murmured one of the gods, the faint whisper fading into the wind. In front of the civilians, adventurers, a monster, and the gods, a single swordsman threw himself into ruin.

(Timeskip)

Sora: This... This is not a monster I won't let you kill this human girl...!

Finn: Human?

Sora's voice ring in the air. The civilians, the adventurers, the gods, and the monster were all taken at back. They all thought he was crazy by calling a monster human. But for the gods that could deceit lies, could tell that the boy was telling the truth.

Sora: So hands off...!

Sora threatened Loki Familia, revealing towards them all that he was dead serious in protecting the monster he called human. As the vouivre pulled the spear out of its hand and fled from its restraints with a shriek, the black-haired boy pursued it by himself.

Sora: Wait Wiene! I can change you back! Wiene!!!

Once again the Loki familia was taken at back at Sora's ringing voice.

Tiona: Ooookay... So what did he meant by that?

Tiona cocked her head in confusion as she watched Sora run away from them.

Asuna: I think what he meant was that. That Vouivre that we're trying to killed was actually human.

Loki Familia: Huh?

Asuna summarize what Sora meant. Though she didn't show it, Asuna was smiling on the inside. She was glad that the man she love, decided to follow his heart and do what he believes to be right, even if that meant fighting against the world.

Bete: Dumbass!!! Are his eyes blind?! That was clearly a monster!! You can tell by the ashes coming from its body!!!

When you defeated a monster. They all turned to ashes. And they all could see that the blood spewing from the vouivre had turned to ash. So it was a monster. Bete wasn't the only one upset by the Hero who couldn't tell between monster and human. In the blink of an eye, animosity spread among the members of Loki Familia and the residents of the slum. Aiz couldn't stop it. There was no way it could be stopped. She could not even put the brakes on her own bewilderment.

Tione: Captain....

Finn: In any case, we don't need to abide to his wimp. After it!

As Tione looked to their leader with some hesitation for their next instructions, Finn maintained his poise as the commander and immediately responded. The rest of the familia nodded at the decision of their unwavering prum leader and started to chase them down.

Xenos:—Ooooooooooooooooooooh!

Roared the monster at a volume that assaulted their ears, as if it was trying to discourage their pursuit. The vouivre and boy disappeared down the wide road as monsters started appearing one after another.

Tione: Armed monsters!

Riveria: It looks as though there was a connection to Rivira's destruction, after all.

There were more than twenty of them in total. The majority of them had armor without access to weapons: a lizardman with bloodshot eyes and a monstrous appearance, a gargoyle screaming without pause leading a flock of winged monsters, a red-cap goblin wielding an ax that dwarfed its diminutive body, an al-miraj straddling a hellhound. It was a jumble of species.

Tiona and Tione couldn't believe their eyes, which tensed sharply. Bringing up the rear, a golden-winged siren danced through the air.

Cruz: Bows! Loose!

Narfi: Let's go!

The residents of Daedalus Street began to scream at the sight of the monster swarm. The leaders of the secondary forces—the Level-4 chienthrope Cruz and human girl Narfi—moved to protect the noncombatants, loosing arrows at the monsters in the sky as the rest of the familia dashed out in the wake of Narfi's charge. Seeing them respond on their own judgment without hesitation, Riveria turned to Finn for a confirmation that would be unnecessary in an emergency.

Riveria: Finn, your orders?

Finn:...Take them alive, if you can!

Finn said after a moment of contemplation.

Bete: Alive?

Bete parroted.

Finn: Yes. There's something I'd like to know.

Just as he was about to dash off himself, Bete whipped around, the wind taken out of his sails. Finn had not once stopped looking ahead and noticed the damage done to the armed monsters. The bulk of them had sustained wounds, as if they had already fought a battle before their arrival.

Finn had hastily and naturally judged that these armed monsters were the same ones that had appeared on the eighteenth floor. And if they'd come from that floor to the surface, that meant they had traversed Knossos.

Had they been unleashed by human hands or had they opened the door themselves in their march to the surface? Either way, a Daedalus Orb must have been involved. Finn was working under that assumption.

Finn: First off, Tione, lead a group to engage them head on. Avoid casting powerful magic, it'll damage the city.

Tione: I got you!

Tiona: Understood!

Bete: Fine then...

Finn: Magic users will help protect citizens as they retreat. The safety of the civilians is our top priority. Now go!

Raul and Aki: Yes, sir!

The orders were to obtain the key or information concerning it and protect the citizens. He handed down these instructions in the hopes of accomplishing both at the same time. Barred from the use of artillery and supporting fire, the mages focused on rushing to the residents while Tione, Tiona, and Bete descended onto the battlefield.

Finn: Arcus! Don't use the main road. That way, the monsters won't notice you. Take a four-man squad and follow the vouivre. Bring Lefiya with you.

Lefiya: Eh? Uh, yes, sir!

Lefiya was shocked by the follow-up order but obeyed immediately. They moved toward the rear, entering a hidden back alley once they could no longer be seen by the monsters. After every other member of her familia had sprung into action, Aiz moved for the first time in a while, shaking her head slightly as if to switch gears.

Finn: Aiz, you stay here. You too Asuna.

Aiz and Asuna: ??

Finn: Riveria, Asuna, prepare a barrier. I know what I said, but there's no way the townspeople will be able to get away that quickly.

Asuna:...Too much renown poses its own problems.

Riveria: I understand. We must be cautious.

Finn: Thanks. Gareth, sorry, but can you set up a perimeter over there?

Gareth: Hmm? Fine by me, but...will they be okay against the armed monsters?

Finn: Yeah, those three alone should be enough.

Finn tacked on more instructions to the pile for Asuna, Riveria and Gareth specifically. While doing what she was ordered to, Asuna's mind was somewhere else.

Asuna(telepathy): Slyphid. I know you can hear me.

Slyphid(telepathy): I'm right above you Asuna. Still invisible though.

Asuna could clearly sense the Spirit Girls presence. She had sensed it the moment Sora had pursue the vouivre. Not knowing what is truly going on, Asuna asked the Spirit Girl for information.

Asuna(telepathy): So...?

Slyphid(telepathy): Sora ordered me to keep an eye on the armed monster. He knew seeing his actions, that pallum would take actions on bringing the monsters alive. But...

Asuna(telepathy): If Finn ordered to kill the armed monster instead, he told you to do some damage to my Familia but not kill them, right?

Slyphid(Telepathy): Right as always. He also told me to told you not to follow his foolish decision. Since he doesn't want to cause you internal conflicts between you and your Familia.

Asuna(telepathy): 🥰 Still thinking of me instead of himself at a time like this. Seriously, he just makes me fall in love with him more.

Slyphid(telepathy): 😊 He-he... That's our beloved Sora. And don't worry, he'll definitely saved Yui.

Asuna(telepathy): I'm counting on it. And you're gonna explain everything to me once this whole ordeal is over.

Slyphid(telepathy): As you command, Spirit Queen.

Asuna(telepathy): Stop that! That title you and your sister gave me is embarrassing!

Asuna giggle to herself as she ended her talk with the Spirit girl. Meanwhile, Aiz was feeling impatient about being left to her own devices, looking out over the battlefield with him. Honestly, it was difficult for her to stay still.

Aiz:...Finn.

Finn: Yeah. Sorry, Aiz. You're our insurance.

Finn responded when she finally looked at him to complain. He had on a vague strained smile that didn't betray whether he could understand her feelings. And his face tensed as he quickly looked over the street.

Aiz:...Is there...something coming?

Finn: My thumb is a bit...you know...

His blue eyes narrowed as he licked his thumb. Moments later, the adventurers clashed with the armed monsters. The battle had begun. The sound of weapons clanging against one another and the violent screeching of the monsters was deafening. At every turn on the wide street, there were adventurers working together to intercept the monsters with the most potential to inflict damage. The battle progressed as Finn anticipated— with Loki Familia's forces superior from start to finish.

Tione: You don't seem to be a simple lizardman.

Tione murmured as she distanced herself from the monster that had broken free of its shackles. The lizardman had taken significant damage from her haphazard attacks, stumbling unstably as it gripped a longsword and scimitar, but she could see that the will to fight was burning strong in its deep-orange eyes.

Lido: Groooaaa!

It roared wildly, obstinately, and attacked with a precise slash. It possessed unmistakable skill and command of tactics, though its sword techniques evoked the image of a self-taught warrior. As an Amazon, Tione could tell it was a style that had been nurtured through frequent combat. At the same time, she had never run across a monster that possessed learned techniques before. And to take it a step further, such a monster shouldn't even exist.

Tione licked her lips at the thought of fighting this monster. It unleashed various techniques one after another—instead of relying on instinct alone. That said, her beloved's orders needed to be carried out, and she dispassionately battered the enemy in front of her eyes.

Bete: Quite the looker for a monster, aren't you?

Meanwhile, there was a single siren collapsed at Bete's feet. He'd won in an instant. A portion of unsightly blood fell away from its face, revealing one beautiful enough to rival an elf.

But Bete mercilessly stomped down on the siren's stomach.

Rei:...Argh?!

Bete: Monsters can go to hell.

His smile stretched and twisted the tattoo on his cheek, which was dyed red with a mix of scorn and rage. Bete couldn't accept monsters walking around aboveground like they owned the place—or flying around in the sky or swimming around lazily in the seas.

It was unforgivable.

He would never say it out loud, and he wouldn't think back on his past, but the cold hard truth was that Bete's family—the people who were most important to him—had almost all been slaughtered by monsters.

Bete stamped his foot down, unleashing the full extent of his wrath on behalf of all the people in the world. Even if it was female, even if its face looked vaguely human, it wouldn't stop him. He had no mercy for any type of monster.

Bete(mind): You bastards deserve to be destroyed.

He thought as he beat the siren that had dared to come aboveground.

Gros: OOOooooooooo!

A gargoyle swooped in as Bete continued to punt the monster.

Bete: One pain in the ass after another.

He met it without any difficulty, easily brushing it aside.

Gros: GOOAGH?!

Bete: Your kind doesn't belong here.

Bete ripped off the stone claws of the enemy, slamming his metal boots into its body. The expression on the werewolf's face remained contorted. Bete realized the feeling filling his chest:

Bete(mind): This is pissing me off.

That was because their howls sounded as if they were protecting something. He couldn't shake the feeling that these monsters crying out and thinking of their comrades closely resembled his family on the plains. They were despicable, loathsome, detestable.

Bete: Just stay down already!

Gros: Gaagh?!

He slammed a brutal kick into the gargoyle to avoid confronting his feelings.

Tiona: Come at me!

Lett: Grugh?!

As Bete vented his frustrations in a violent rampage, Tiona knocked back a goblin. By using hand-to-hand techniques from her studies in Telskyura, she rendered it incapable of fighting back.

Tiona: I'm not Bete or anything, but it's hard to hold back using Urga.

She was dragging her feet to her job, working her way around the intense battlefield with the other familia members. She knew there wasn't a weapon more unsuited to the task of capturing monsters alive than Urga. And above all else, she was hesitant to use it on them.

Tiona(mind): It's kinda...hard to fight these guys. What's with this horde of monsters...?

She neutralized the al-miraj, sending it flying with a flick to the forehead as she frowned slightly. This horde was different from the beasts they usually killed in the Dungeon. She couldn't put it into words, but it felt bad. She was finding it difficult to fight.

If Tione heard her line of thought, Tiona would probably catch a slap to the back of the head. But she couldn't explain it, and it wasn't based on anything, seeing as she was an idiot. Despite being an airhead, Tiona was struggling to resolve it when the ground shook.

Tiona: Waaah?! What's that?!

The stone pavement welled up, and a lump of metal appeared from underground—a kind of metallic monster resembling a giant flame rock. She hadn't seen anything like it before. The others fighting nearby paused to look on in shock.

Tiona quickly realized its body was made of adamantite—just like her Urga. As if to prove her right, it deflected the attacks of Tione and Bete. Its movements were slow and efficient, knocking away the vanguard wall, shields and all.

Tiona: Ohohoho! Now that's what I'm talking about!!

Tiona's eyes sparkled as she swung her sword. A sudden rush of enthusiasm bubbled up within her—if for no other reason than the hunk of metal not causing the same lump in her throat as the other monsters.

Tiona(mind): With this thing, I don't have to think about anything when I'm swinging my sword!

To push past her doubts, Tiona split the golem in a single slash.

(Elsewhere)

Interest, annoyance, and delay. Each holding their own thoughts, Loki Familia proceeded to neutralize the armed monsters.

Aiz:...What is this?

Aiz whispered amid the chaos. Her whisper went unheard as she watched the battle unfold before her eyes. She was standing above it all, overlooking the battlefield. Because of that, it was easy for her to understand—much more clearly and distinctly than Tiona and the others fighting

The monsters were covering one another. They were working together to fight—as if they were adventurers.

Aiz(mind): What's going on? That's impossible.

There were monsters with enough intelligence that had been known to cooperate with one another for the purposes of attacking mankind—but protecting one another? That was unheard of. To devour people, they didn't care whether others of their species or anything else got killed in the process. That was what a monster was: a beast.

Aiz(mind): And yet.

Aiz hid her bewilderment and agitation behind her emotionless expression.

Aiz(mind): Is there anyone else who's noticed it? Asuna? Tiona? Tione? Bete? Anyone else? What are you thinking, Finn?

The pallum leader beside her was wearing a commander's mask, hiding his feelings.

Bell: If monsters had a reason to live—

Her mind was a mess.

Bell: If they had emotions that weren't different from ours... What would you do?

Her heart was filled with confusion. She couldn't get the image of that boy protecting the vouivre out of her head. Aiz realized her palms were sweaty as she looked out over the battlefield. The outcome of the battle was clear. Through Loki Familia's quick reactions. The armed monsters were neutralize

Or so it seems.

Ddraig: RAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!

That roar. That destructions. That appearance. The Crimson Beast Changed Everything. It's overwhelming air. Overpowered even first class adventurer. Aiz was.

Aiz(mind): Ah. GoOd. TheRe is A MonsteЯ.

With her gear mismatched, she began to move.