No one's POV

The battle cries of monsters echo like thunder. Ignoring the sweat dripping down his body, Bell respond to the threatening chorus with a cool-headed swirl of attacks.

They were on a sprawling battlefield in the deep levels. After making their way through the maze for a while, they've taken up positions at the top of a staircase. The decision was based on one of Sora's conditions for battle:

Bell(mind): Always use the terrain.

Like the mazes in the Water Capital, those between the Ring Walls on the thirty-seventh floor are multilevel. The ceilings of the rooms are terrifically high, and to move forward you have to go up and down endless staircases. Right now, they were fighting monsters from the top of one of those staircases.

It goes without saying that the monsters have a hard time attacking them from below and an equally hard time fending off Bell, Ryuu, and Sora's attacks from above. They have the geographical advantage—that is, they were using the height differential to our benefit.

Bell: Yaaa!

Monster: GAAA?!

Bell swung a white stone cudgel down on a loup-garou that's left itself momentarily exposed. To the wolf-headed monster on the step below him, it's like the nature weapon—which he stole from the beast itself—is being swung down from high above his head. Even though it tries to shield with its arms, the cudgel smashes its head and body, reaching its magic stone.

Without even waiting to see its body crumble into ash, Bell toss away the cracked nature weapon and immediately draw the sword of the dead adventurer. He thrust it accurately into the magic stone of the skull sheep that was on him in an instant, almost as if Bell predicted its attack.

Sora: Watch your enemies well.

Sora had told him to watch and gauge the monsters. That would allow him to act tactically, but more importantly, to make up for injuries and other physical handicaps with his wits.

Skull Sheep: OOO, OOO!

Lizardman: UUUU...!

When he watch them carefully, Bell could see that the monsters below them are at a loss for how to attack. The passageway and the stairway they were standing on are unusually narrow for the thirty-seventh floor, which allows them to limit the number of enemies they were fighting at one time to two. The corpses are piling up to the tune of their enraged howls.

All they have to do is give the monsters that approach carelessly a good kick. That's what he did to a lizardman elite that charges up with an irritated howl. A sound kick to its jaw sends it flying backward, knocking down the other monsters on the staircase as it tumbles down and ultimately breaks its neck.

Bell(mind): My right arm tends to float up...

That's something else Sora had always told him. Bell watch the wave of monsters ascending the staircase and very intentionally—without fear, panic, or strain—wait for his opportunity, then— strike!

Monster: GUGAA?!

His thrust lands in the center of the monster's abdomen. The loup-garou screams and transforms into a mist of ash.

Sora: You can do it. You can see. You can attack. You can fly.

Bell(mind): If I put Sora's advice into action, I can fight.

Compared to battles on flat land, the monsters' movements are far more limited here. Bell make a mental leap. Their limited range of movement means he could lead them in whatever direction serves him best. And being able to lead them means his predictions can get pretty close to premonition. Bell looked over the monsters clamoring to approach him, take aim, and act.

Bell: Haaa!!

Bell cut downward at a slant from the neck of the lizardman leading the charge, sending him flying. Instantly two loup-garous dodge the corpse and come at him. Bell reverse his swing and plunge the blade into the chest of the wolf-monster on his right. As the one on his left swipes its sharp claws toward Bell, he easily repel it with the Goliath Scarf wrapped around his left arm.

A jolt of pain shoots from his arm up to his skull. Ignoring it, Bell swing the sword around in a tight arc. Even if he was not able to kill his enemy with one stroke, he was trying to keep my movements as minimal as possible. The loup-garou was coming at Bell from the side now, and his sword slices off its leg, knocking it off balance. Immediately Bell hit it with the pommel.

Blood flies from its nose as my powerful blow lands on its face in midair. It ends up skewered by something that was meant for Bell.

It's a bone lance, one of the long-distance projectiles from a skull sheep that snuck up from behind. The sheep freezes for a second as its attack misfires into the loup-garou, and Bell took that opportunity to throw his sword at it. He glimpse the weapon piercing its skull and magic stone even as he was taking up Hakugen with his now-empty hand.

Bell glance up at the loup-garou that's jumping silently over his head as if to say, I see you, ignore the surprise in its eyes at being led into Bell's trap—and slice it in half with Hakugen. Bell had just turned four or five monsters to ash as if he had planned it all out in advance.

Monster: UOOOOO!

Bell(mind): Here comes number six. I'm not going to be able to stop this loup-garou alone. So...

Monster: GUGEI?!

Bell(mind): I leave it to him.

Sora sent a bolt of lightning from his position in the passageway behind Bell's back. His timing was impeccable: he unleashed his magic exactly when Bell step out of the path of the magic. As the monster writhes, its eye pierced by the dagger from my incredible party-member in the rear guard, Bell plunge his knife into its chest.

Bell(mind): I flew—I used it.

Leading the enemy. It's something Aiz and Asuna taught him.

Asuna: A finishing blow is the closest thing to letting your guard down.

Aiz: And just when you've almost been beaten is when you truly have a chance.

Bell(mind): So you guide them into attempting a lethal blow.

At the time, they were talking about one-on-one encounters. But thanks to Sora's instruction, Bell had broadened it to encompass all enemies. He was calculating backward from his final blow as he watch and gauge all of their movements. Then, by using the terrain, Bell purposely draw them to him and limit their options.

Bell(mind): I'm reading the entire battlefield and manipulating it.

His training with Asuna and Aiz has linked up with Sora's advice. The teachings of the Brynhildr, Sword Princess and Fang of Flash had intertwined. The second he realized that, the world expanded before him. This momentary feeling of omnipotence seems to have given him power. Unfortunately, Bell doesn't have time to relish the experience.

Bell(mind): But now I know I can grow even stronger.

That conviction glows in his chest, and before he knew it, his throat was vibrating.

Bell: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Sora:...Excellent.

Ryuu: He can see right through them...

As Bell's monster-rivaling war cry rang in her ears, Sora and Ryuu whispered a word of admiration for the boy's current fighting style.

Sora: He has taken a major leap. But can he grow still more?

Ryuu: Sora... You have a wonderful successor.

Sora: Yeah... He's my pride and joy.

It wasn't just that he was absorbing things quickly. Both Sora and Ryuu could see that he tended to conscientiously and earnestly put Sora's advice into action. While he excelled at fixing his weak points, however, he didn't seem able to do more than Sora told him.

What to make of that? Right now, he was listening to Sora's advice and applying it. He didn't leave basic knowledge alone, either; he thought about how to develop it on his own. It was very similar to what he had done to develop Raikou Vesta or Argo Vesta from his own skills. In that case, he'd thought and experimented on his own. That was essential in an adventurer.

There had been signs this was coming. The dramatic events leading up to his advance to Level 4, including meeting the Xenos and encountering his worthy opponent Asterius, had changed him. Now, the extreme conditions of the deep levels were forcing him to take another leap. If he didn't become stronger, only death awaited. Thrust into this hell, the cruel jaws of death were forcing him to grow. Ryuu squinted as if she were looking at another blindingly bright light. The same when she sees in the Hero standing next to her.

Ryuu:—!!!

Sora: !!

Bell: !

Both Sora and Ryuu were watching Bell slaughter a monster when they heard it—the howl of monsters from far down the passageway behind them. It was a swarm of lizardman elites.

Bell: Sora?! Ms. Ryuu?!

He turned toward them, shouting in surprise. The passage they were in now had no tunnels branching off it. They were trapped in a pincer attack. Afraid for Ryuu, who was still kneeling and unable to move freely, Bell started toward her, but Sora stopped him with a sharp command.

Sora: Bell, focus on your own enemies!

Bell: But...!

Sora: I'll handle the ones behind us. Ryuu can still support you. But I won't have time to keep an eye on you.

These were the deep levels. Sora simply could not keep leaving the battles to Bell while he played backup. He had known all along that in a three-man cell, a time would come when the rear guard had to step up and fight. Now that time had come. His face was calm despite the beads of sweat caused by the pain in his chest.

Ryuu: I can't drag you down. I have to fight, too.

Sora: No. Focus on healing your leg first. My regeneration is still in effect. So I could fight more than you.

Sora turned his back on Ryuu and Bell and took up a battle stance. With monsters pressing up toward them, Ryuu and Bell didn't have time to hesitate. All they could do was continue fighting atop the stairs and trust in Sora below.

Lizardman: UOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

He placed his hands on his mithril blade Unity Fox at his waist as the lizardmen approached. Holding it by his left tip, Sora leap forward to battle.

Sora: Hah!

Sora shook, and there was a flash of silver. No sooner had the lizardman entered striking range than he swiftly drew the sword and struck his enemy. A huge cloud of ash filled the air. The other lizardmen gaped in confusion at the remains of their companion who had been cleaved clear in half, magic stone and all.

Sora: Flashing Strike: Judgement Cut!

Sora had used the Flashing Strike quick-draw, a skill similar to Sora's departed battle companion from the Far East had prided herself on Kaguya Goujono.

As he replaced the sword in its sheath, the confused lizardmen charged toward her, howling. Squinting at them, Sora drew the sword again and tore into their magic stones before their stone swords could reach him. No matter how many times they attacked, the result was always the same: As soon as one stepped within range, he struck it. Because the passage was so narrow, only two could attack at once. And he was skilled enough to defend himself with a sword in each hand, so that the mountain of ash grew twice as fast.

The flashing silver assaults that he performed with every part of his body within the territory of slashing attacks. The moment they drew near in an attempt to break through, the flash of his sword did them in. It was almost like magic. The certainty of his blows made the monsters flinch and hesitate in their attacks. And the more they hesitated the better. The more time he could buy for Ryuu and Bell the more of his own enemies their could do away with. By now they should be capable of taking them down without his support.

His strategy worked precisely because he was dealing with highly intelligent deep-level monsters. But just then—he jumped.

Sora: !!

An ill-omened sound turned his heartbeat into a fire alarm. Even before he saw the deep rift split the wall directly next to him, he'd leaped away. No sooner had he done so than a huge arm popped out of the wall and swung through the air precisely where Sora had been standing.

Sora: A barbarian.

It had two twisted horns and sharp fangs and claws. The warrior monster was as fierce as a lizardman elite or a loup-garou. But Sora never lose focus nor let his uncertainty show. He had been to the deep floors multiple times. So he knows how they think and how they act. After all, he had more experienced than anyone when it comes to adventuring.

Sora: UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Sora block the attack. He executed a flying kick with all his might. Its chest bones cracked from the force of the blow, the barbarian fell backward, crushing the lizardmen behind it. Still Sora did not stop. Drawing Kanshou and Bakuya, he fell on the collapsed monsters.

Spattered with fountains of blood, the monsters screamed ceaselessly. Ignoring their cries, Sora brought his sharp blades down again and again on the torsos of their enemies. He knew he could not let a single one rise again. The vision of the first-tier adventurers furiously stabbing the monsters over and over had not a shred of refinement to it; it was primitive, even bizarre.

His cheeks painted with the blood of his enemies and their eyes opened wide, they moved with frantic desperation. They could not afford to leave any stone unturned in this battle that they had risked their lives on.

When the arms of the last monster had finished convulsing and finally lay still...the passageway was silent aside from the panting of the three adventurers. Their eyes reflected the bedraggled adventurers. Ryuu slowly parted her lips.

Ryuu: Let's rest a little...

(Timeskip)

Bell: The Skull Reaper?

Sitting with his back against a wall, Bell repeat the name. They were in a small room with a single doorway. The room's odd shape was as far from a cube as they could get—a rock cave would be a more accurate analogy. After damaging the walls, Sora, Ryuu and Bell rest for the second time since arriving on the thirty-seventh floor.

Sora: Yes, it's a monster that spawned on the deepest level that the Zeus and Hera Familia had ever been.

As they keep an eye out for monsters, their conversation turns to the horrible monster from the twenty-seventh floor—the one with the hideous scythe that followed them down here.

Bell: And what floor did the deepest you ever been?

Sora: The deepest that I've ever been would be the 60th floor. But my sensei and the others had been towards the 71t floor.

Bell and Ryuu: !

Sora: Those scythe and that monster. It matches the description that my sensei once told me. Though this was the second time I ever seen one. It was before I left Orario taking Lady Astrea along with me. That Fels appeared before me.

Ryuu:...

Ryuu grimaced a bit when Sora mentioned Astrea's name. After all it was her that pushed Astrea and Sora away out of this city to pursued her revenge.

(Flashback)

Fels: Flashing Strike... you must never speak of the Skull Reaper you and Gale Wind encountered in the Dungeon.

The three, Sora, Astrea, and Fels had spoken in directly in Ouranos chamber when Fels summoned them. Ouranos had come to warn him while also apologizing to Astrea about what had happened to her children.

Ouranos: It must never be summoned again.

Sora: Very well. But I want you to do one favor for me.

Ouranos: Anything.

Sora: I want you to promise. That you will take Ryuu's achievements in Astrea Familia into account and not prosecute her crimes, on slaughtering Evilus's faction.

Ouranos:...

Although Ouranos didn't say anything, his eyes widened quite a bit. It wasn't just him, Astrea's eyes also widened as a small tear appeared on her eyes holding Sora's hand tightly.

Sora: If you can keep that promised, I will keep quite about the Skull Reaper.

(Present)

Ryuu: So that's why I was not prosecuted.

Sora: Yeah. I just can't let you die. Besides that, if Fels was a private messenger, that means the Guild knew about the existence of the monster. Most likely they were acting under the mandate of the god Ouranos, who prays to the Dungeon...

Bell glance over at Sora as he leans against the wall, exhausted. He was lost in his own thoughts.

Bell(mind): So even Fels was worried about that monster...that calamity that appeared before Sora and Ryuu twice.

Bell: The Skull Reaper...

Bell stroke his mangled left arm as he whisper its name. As Bell think back on that being so much more terrifying than any other monster he had encountered, the question on his mind swells to the point where he couldn't hide it anymore.

Bell:...Sora, Ms. Ryuu. The thing the man named Jura said... It's been bothering me ever since I heard the tamer say it.

Jura: To save your precious self! By sacrificing your friends, you were finally able to drive off the monster! Oh wait, even that had failed! If it wasn't for that Flash, you'd be dead! You sacrificed your friends life for nothing!

Bell was sure that's what Jura had said. What happened on that day when all of Astrea Familia died except Sora and Ryuu? How did they survive? What happened to the Skull Reaper they encountered that time? Did Sora kill it? Jura said Sora arrived on time to save Ryuu. But that was it. Did Sora managed to beat it? These are the questions circling his mind when Bell ask Sora and Ryuu what happened. He couldn't help asking.

Sora and Ryuu:...

Sora and Ryuu did not answer. Ryuu's sealed lips return only silence, although her fist begins to tremble from being clenched so tight. Sora on the other hand just close his eyes for awhile.

Sora: I'll tell you later. For now, this is not something that you should touch upon.

Bell: O-Okay... Then... Can you tell me what that Tamer means when he said...

Jura: Two days ago, that Flash and the Forces of Orario swarmed into Knossos!

Though Bell didn't touch upon the subject about the Skull Reaper. He wanted to know about the assault on Knossos. That was something Sora also wanted to avoid, but knowing the crisis that was probably about to happened in a few weeks. Sora finally spill it out.

Sora: It's like Jura had said. The reason why I didn't join you on your expedition was because, me along with Ryuu, Asuna, Aiz, Loki Familia, Ganesha Familia, Hermes Familia, Dian Chect Familia, even the Xenos joined on the assault. The remnants of Evilus was still alive after all this years.

Bell: !!

Ryuu:...

Sora: I too was apart of that raid. Our goal was too finally stopped Evilus and conquer Knossos.

Bell: And all that happened while me and Lili and the others were on an expedition?

Sora: Yes. Believe it or not, it was I who requested Ouranos to gave this expedition to the Hestia Familia. So I don't have to worry about anyone assaulting you guys while I'm away.

Bell: !

Bell couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew deep down that if he figured out that Sora was doing some dangerous expedition on his own, he, Rin, Lili, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime would definitely joined the raid. There's no way he or the others would allow Sora to do that on his own. But Sora had gone his way to sent his own Familia into an expedition so no one can stop him during the raid. Hearing this made Bell shout.

Bell: Why?! Why do it on your own?! Why not asked us to join you on that raid?!

Sora and Ryuu:...

Bell: Why?!

Sora: Because I don't want you or the others to experienced what taking a persons life is like!

Bell: !

Bell stopped the moment Sora snapped back. Other than Lili, Bell and the other Hestia Familia including Hestia herself arrived on Orario after the Dark Age was over. And Sora was right, Bell or the others had any experienced in taking a humans life. No matter how you look at it, that is what you called murderer.

Sora: It was a bloody assault. We were tasked to captured every last bit of Evilus's remnant. But Evilus factions are not like that. They are not afraid of dying. Whether its due to suicide bomb. Suicide poison. Or more. They were truly twisted people who had no fear of death.

Bell:...

Sora: From then on, it was a blood-soaked nightmare... And I don't want you or Rin or the others to ever experienced that. Killing monster and killing people, those are two different things.

Bell lost all will to talk. He was lost in his own thoughts once again. Would he have the mental strength to take a persons life? Would he crumble under all that blood-soaked nightmare? Would he be able to hold a weapon again if his hand were stained in human's blood? All thoughts were flowing him. But Sora cut through his thoughts.

Sora: Stay true to yourself, Bell.

Bell: I...

Sora: What I've experienced, that's a Zeus Familia matter. So be a better person than me, who could do nothing at my time, where taking a persons life is much more common than exploring a dungeon.

Bell: Sora...

Ryuu: Enemies incoming, Sora, Mr Cranel...

Multiple roars echo down the passage from a distance. From behind, Bell watch Sora and Ryuu stand. He follow silently, unable to ask his question a second time.

(Timeskip)

The sound of sword fighting was ceaseless. In the maze shadowed dark as night, countless sparks flew. The panting of the adventurers intertwined with the battle cries of monsters.

Sora: ?

Bell:—!!

Ryuu:...?!

A sword the milky white color of the Dungeon swung down ferociously. Bell blocked the attack of the skeleton warrior by a hairbreadth.

Ryuu: Spartois...

Like the skull sheep, these, too, were skeleton monsters. Their bodies of white bone were Bell's height or taller. Each one carried a sword or lance of bone, which they wielded murderously. The pack of spartois had surrounded Sora, Bell and Ryuu along with other types of warrior monsters. It had been a sudden surprise attack.

Sora, Bell and Ryuu, who had been watching carefully for signs of monsters, had heard a cracking sound. The fissure had run not along the wall but instead along the floor, spawning spartois from beneath the feet of the flabbergasted adventurers like undead rising from the grave to attack them. Caught off guard and surrounded, they had been unable to flee. To the contrary, the sound of battle had begun to draw other monsters to them. They were trapped in a net.

Spartois: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Bell could not conceal his panic as the spartoi lunged at him fiercely, sword in one hand and kite shield–like protector in the other. This one was stronger than the others Bell had encountered so far. Despite the fact that it lacked skin and muscle, the monster was stronger than a lizardman elite or a loup-garou, and more agile by far than a barbarian. It moved with a skill that brought to mind an adventurer rather than a monster, making Bell realize this was a formidable enemy indeed. When he aimed the sword of the dead adventurer at the magic stone he could glimpse between its ribs, it swiftly countered the would-be lethal thrust with its own bone sword.

He was no match for this level of defense.

His attempts at landing a single deadly blow as Sora had taught him failed again and again. If Bell were fighting monsters one-on-one, his Level 4 status meant he could win reliably. But this was the Dungeon. Numbers were her greatest weapon. If Bell took too much time fighting one monster, he was soon swamped by several others.

The status required for the thirty-seventh floor was Level 4, and the basic ability rating was D or higher. And that assumed adventurers were in a party. Strangely enough, the feeling Bell was having in the deep levels—that there was a point to these floor standards set by the Guild—was exactly what Welf and the others were experiencing in the lower levels.

Bell(mind): I can't lead its movements...!!

The worst thing was that tactics weren't working.

By cooperating, the spartois blocked his attempts to limit their movements by leading them where he wanted. They had an outstanding command of battle skills that made use of their various weapons, be they swords, shields, lances, or axes. When Bell tried to advance, he met a shield, and when he tried to retreat, he met a sword. In all his journeys through the upper, middle, and lower levels, he had never encountered a species that worked together so well. The fact that they were fighting in a wide passageway that offered no useful terrain didn't help, either.

He could not control the battlefield as he wanted.

Ryuu: Oof...!

Bell: Ms. Ryuu?!

Sora: Don't let your guard down!

The spartois were threatening Ryuu, too, who was fighting back-to-back with Sora and Bell. She was at even greater risk than they were since she could not move with full freedom. She was managing to fend off the attacks with her quick-draw skills, but she was unable to avoid them fully, and her white skin bloomed with cuts.

Sora: Tempest Wave!

Unable to hold out any longer, Sora decided to use his lightning. The air wave hurtled forward, shaving away precious mental strength as it did. His strategy was to blow back enough enemies to break out of the net surrounding them. The decision took courage when the option of conserving his mental strength was also flickering before him, and even Ryuu felt it was the right choice. As long as that monster was not among the pack of enemies.

Sora: What?!

But no sooner had Sora glimpsed what looked like a black rock peeking out from behind another monster than the electrical fire weakened, just before exploding into its target. The drop was as dramatic as a shell turning suddenly into a bullet.

Bell: Shit—an obsidian soldier?!

Its distorted form shone glossy jet-black like a precious stone. In the spot where a head would normally be, a purple light glowed eerily like a cyclops eye.

Obsidian soldiers. These rock monsters had bodies made of solidified lava and moved with less agility than warrior monsters; their sole forte was defense. Said to be among the poorest fighters on the thirty-seventh floor, their most distinctive characteristic was their ability to counteract magic. Their obsidian bodies, which were highly valued as drop items, deactivated magic as effectively as amulet stones.

With Sora's attempt to break through the pack of monsters reduced to merely pushing them back slightly, Ryuu furrowed her brows and Bell grimaced. It felt like the Dungeon was using every trick it knew to counter Sora's level 7 strength. Having discovered it could not crush him with brute force, it was now taking advantage of his weaknesses.

The maze had given them a glimpse of an abyss that could not be conquered by ordinary adventurers.

Peluda: OROOOOOooon!

The Dungeon's barrage continued. A new monster had appeared.

Ryuu: Peludas?!

Ryuu's shout sounded very close to a scream. The monsters had long, thin bodies, like a snake with four legs. Their skin was a nauseating dark green, and their backs were covered with countless spines, like a porcupine. At a glance they resembled lizards, but in fact they belonged to a well-recognized species of dragon.

Bell(mind): Peludas... were those the things Sora and Ryuu mentioned?!

Along with the spartois, they were one of the species she had named as the most dangerous on the thirty-seventh floor. Their special weapon was potent poison.

Ryuu: You must not allow them to pierce you with their spines!

The volume of Ryuu's shout communicated the degree of threat well. Bell gaped at the three peludas that had appeared. The spines on their backs quivered as if they were absorbing power, then shot out in unison.

Sora: Both of you, get behind me now!

Bell: Ah!!

Bell pulled Ryuu to him and hid behind Sora as the barrage of spines darted toward them, dashing straight toward a spartoi holding a kite shield. The point of its sword ripped Bell's skin, but the important thing was that they were able to shelter behind the shield. The spines collided against the front of the protective gear with a loud rat-a-tat-tat.

At the same time, a pair of bloodcurdling screams split the air.

Spartois: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!

Obsidian soldier: GE, GUEE—?!

A lizardman and a loup-garou had been pierced by the poisonous spines. An instant later they toppled over. Their skin turned black, they began to convulse, and blood spewed from every orifice. Even the blood was black. Bell turned white at the sight.

The poisoned spines of a peluda could easily penetrate the defensive ability of even an upper-tier adventurer.

They were incredibly potent as well; even a minor scrape would plunge the unfortunate adventurer into a hell of pain and coughing up blood. The only treatment was a high-quality antidote or detoxifying magic. Given their poorly equipped state, getting shot by one of the spines would spell death for Sora or Bell or Ryuu.

Sora: Umph!

As the rain of poisonous spines continued unabated, Sora grabbed both swords and deflect the oncoming bullets with all his speed protecting himself, Ryuu and Bell. All Ryuu and Bell could do was hunch under Sora's protection like turtles. The only monsters that could keep moving after being shot were the obsidian soldier and the spartois. But with their eye sockets and joints pierced by spines, even the few remaining monsters could not approach Bell and Ryuu as they wished.

Rat-a-tat-tat! The deflecting blades shook from the pounding of spines against it. Sora was doing his best to make sure no spines hit any of them. Pressed up against Ryuu's body, Bell gritted his teeth and weathered the storm of spines.

Peludas: GOooooooooooooo!

Perhaps becoming frustrated that their attack was not having its desired effect, or perhaps because they had run out of spines, the peludas turned to another strategy. Befitting their dragon bloodline, the monsters transformed their surroundings into a sea of fire with their scorching breath. As the flames licked around the adventurers and the undead alike, Slyphid who had been slumbering within Sora's body finally spoke.

Slyphid(telepathy): Sora! I have recovered half of my power! So...

Sora(telepathy): Good! Then come out!

With that the Spirit girl who was there during their first drop the to the 37th floor has finally reemerged again in front of everyone. Ignoring the surprise Ryuu, Bell, and the monsters, the Spirit girls put a half medium tornado around the adventurer protecting them from harm.

Slyphid: Disappear! Wind Style: Sea Dragon!!

The next instant, a massive tornado rocked the ground.

Monsters:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ooo?!

Monsters screamed in their death throes. Bell and Ryuu were blown backward, but Sora grabbed their hands to make sure they weren't blown to further back, as the spartois and the obsidian soldier exploded into countless shards. The three peludas, too, were swallowed up in the S class tornado.

Bell: Lady Slyphid!

Ryuu: Lady Spirit!

Sora: Did that do it...?

Slyphid:...At the very least, I'm sure that the monsters nearest to us were taken out.

A storm hurricane illuminated their face. A hurricane was still raging in the crater that the explosion had carved out. Countless bones and chunks of obsidian—drop items, it seemed—littered the ground. Only when he saw the three flaming dragons in the distance did Bell take a breath. At the very same moment, he heard a dull thud.

A long spine was protruding from his left shoulder. Sora, Slyphid, and Ryuu froze as Bell looked behind them. His gaze landed on a monster clinging to the maze wall like a lizard, smoke rising from the back that had just fired a spine. The fourth peluda. By the time he realized there had not just been three of them, it was too late.

Bell: !!

Peluda: GUGEEI?!

Slyphid snapped into action and threw her spear. Pinned to the wall like a scientific specimen with a spear through its magic stone, the peluda collapsed into a pile of ash. At the same time, Bell collapsed to the ground.

Ryuu: Mr. Cranell?!

Sora and Slyphid: Bell!

Even Bell could hear the despair in their scream. His pierced left shoulder was distorted by the eddy of poison attempting to invade and rot every organ in his body and destroy him in seconds. It was leading him toward the same end the dead adventurers had met. As Ryuu dropped to her knees, her face ghostly white, Bell yanked the spine from his shoulder, his eyes bulging.

Sora: Bell, I'm sorry for this!

Bell: Uhh!

The next moment, Sora had plunged the Hakugen knife Bell held in his right hand into the wound. This time Sora was attacking his own teammate. For a moment Ryuu questioned his sanity and was about to act, but the Spirit girl stopped her.

Slyphid: Look closer...

She looked closer like she was asked then she widened her blue eyes in surprise.

Ryuu: The knife is stained black...It can't have...?!

The sparkling white knife he had sunk into his left shoulder was covered in black liquid. It was Hakugen, the longknife Welf had made from unicorn horn, a rare drop item. The horn was prized for use in recovery-type items, and had the ability to neutralize many different poisons. It would be logical to expect, then, that Hakugen had antidote properties. Sora had remembered the origins of this knife and swiftly stabbed it into his wound.

Sure enough, the unicorn-horn knife sucked the black poison from Bell's wound. The sooty black particles gathered at the center of the blade and eventually melted away, purified. As they did, the pain receded from Bell's body like a wave, reversing his hurtle toward death. When the knife had finally drawn away all the poison, it glinted in the darkness, having returned to its original sparkling white state.

Bell: Ow...!

Sora pulled Hakugen from the wound and Bell let out a sucking sound and collapsed listlessly onto Sora's shoulder. As Ryuu looked on in shock, Sora pressed his right hand, still gripping the knife, to his forehead.

Sora(mind): Oh, Welf, Welf...!!

Bell still continue to hug him and wail pitifully. Thanks to the smith who had saved him from such a close brush with death.

Slyphid:...Bell, let's get that wound fixed up.

Having watched Bell shiver for a few minutes, Slyphid finally spoke to him in a cool voice. The poison may have been gone, but since blood was still pulsing from Bell's left shoulder, Slyphid started tending his wounds.

Still flopped sluggishly on the ground, the Spirit Girl pressed her hand to the wound and desperately using her strongest healing magic she knew while trying to calm Bell's breath. Thankfully, the string of encounters with monsters had ended, and he was able to take time to recover while keeping a watchful eye on the sea of hurricane.

(Timeskip)

Bell:...

As Bell tried to regain his strength, Sora forced herself to switch gears. Now that they had used up the last of their items, they had to move on. He drew a scroll from his hip—the map they had received from the dead adventurers. Since he had been marking their route as they advanced, the map was now nearly filled with the complex lines of the maze.

Sora: We've already come to a number of dead ends...

Ryuu: Given Mr. Cranell's physical condition, we'd better find the main route and fast.

They glanced at Bell who was laying on Slyphid's shoulder, and then back down at the map. Although its previous owner had mapped quite a bit for them, they still did not have a complete grasp on their surroundings. Every time they started down a branch in the road that wasn't on the map, they would run into a dead end or a pack of monsters and be forced to reverse course.

Ryuu: Given the distance, it's not a good idea for us to go back to the last side passage we didn't take.

Sora: That leaves us with this route marked as being blocked by corpses...

Sora's finger traced a line he had not drawn. Clinging to the path forged by their predecessors was their only choice. But why did they reverse course on this route...? The adventurers had been killed by poison. Like Bell, Sora and Ryuu had decided that was certain. Up till now, they had assumed that the deceased people had fallen victim to the potent poison as they were advancing down this last road, and therefore retreated to the small room where she, Sora and Bell discovered them.

When they really thought about it, however, they realized that would have been an unnatural thing to do.

If upper-tier adventurers were poisoned and had no way to counteract the substance, would they really leave their course to return to a base far away?

If either Sora or Ryuu were in their situation, they would have continued forward. Without any items, they would be in a race against time with the poison eating at her flesh, so returning to base would be almost the same as cutting off all hope of escape. That was all the truer if she did not expect a rescue party. They would take a chance on pioneering a way forward to try to find the main route. And assuming that party was made up of upper-tier adventurers capable of making their way here to the deep levels, wouldn't they bet their lives on that adventure, too?

Ryuu:...Or was there something on this route that forced them to give up...?

Sora: I only have one guess. And I'm sure your thinking the same thing.

Ryuu: Yeah. That must be it.

A jolt of fear flashed across the back of Ryuu's mind.

Bell: Sora, Lady Slyphid, Ms. Ryuu, what do we do now...?

Sora:...We'll follow the map to the route ahead of us. Slyphid, could you...?

Slyphid: Of course.

Bell was finally breathing normally again. Sora answered him curtly as he looked up at them. No other option existed. Slyphid gently picked Bell up and carried him on his shoulder. Ryuu on the other hand leaned against Sora's shoulder, and they began to walk forward again.

Bell: I'm sorry for being a burden, Lady Slyphid.

Slyphid: Think nothing of it. I was useless up until now. But now that I regain some of my strength, I'll be the one to guide you all.

Sora: Stay quiet.

Everyone:...?

They had been walking for a while when the passage they were in began to change. The staircases now led only upward. Unlike before, when each climb had been balanced by an equal descent, they came to one set of stairs after another stretching upward. The thirty-seventh floor did have a multilayer structure, but nevertheless it was unusual to move so consistently upward.

At first Ryuu had been puzzled, but with every moment she grew more suspicious.

Ryuu: This terrain...it can't be...

Sora: Ryuu, I'm sure you already realized it.

The staircases were unbroken. They continued up and up. They felt as if she was being led toward the hangman's platform or the executioner's block. Their suspicion became certain conviction. A drop of sweat colder than any they had felt since being plunged into the deep levels rolled down their cheek.

Ryuu(mind): So this is what happened.

It seemed the Dungeon was overwhelmingly bent on killing them. As both Sora and Ryuu realized where they were and where this route they were taking led, Ryuu felt so hopeless she wanted to laugh.

Bell: Sora? Ms. Ryuu?

Ryuu:...I'm fine, I'm fine.

She took care not to spread her despair to Bell, who had noticed her expression. It took all she had to keep the hopelessness off her face.

Sora: I figured out where we are.

Bell:...! Really?!

Sora: Yes. Please continue along this passage. We should be coming to a large staircase.

Sora told him only the facts. Eventually, as Sora had said, a large, milky white staircase appeared with irregular distances between each step.

Sora: If we climb these stairs and get past what's on the other side...we'll be on the main route.

Bell's face brightened at his words. He begged Slyphid and she began to charge energetically up the stairs. Sora smile at the scene, seeing like a little brother fondling over his big sister. In contrast, Ryuu mouth tightened as she thought about the single choice she had been forced to give him.

Bell would have done well to think about the situation more carefully. He should have asked himself why Sora had been able to figure out their location even though they weren't on the main route yet. How had he been able to guess when the thirty-seventh floor was as big as all of Orario? The only possible answer was that they had stumbled upon an important point in the maze—or an area that must be regarded with the greatest caution.

But Bell did not realize Sora remembered this place because it was a danger spot to be avoided at all costs. Only when Slyphid mounted the final stair did a terrible shiver run down Bell's spine.

Bell:—

Slyphid: This is...

He was facing an enormous room. But it was clearly different from the rooms in other areas of the floor.

To start with, there was a gulf of fifty meders between where Bell stood at the room's entryway and its floor. Far below, he could make out sharp rocks sticking up from the ground, packed as tightly as if an invisible army were holding their spears at the ready. The rocks covered the entire floor. A fall would mean death, even for an upper-tier adventurer.

The sole path across the room was a long bridge that began immediately in front of Bell. It reached far into the dim center of the room, where he could see some sort of large structure. Wavering shadows—most likely monsters— were circling the structure in large numbers. The chorus of battle cries that reached Bell's ears came from more mouths than he could count, announcing a despair-inducing level of material superiority on the part of the Dungeon.

Bell:...

Standing beside him, Sora stripped all emotion from his voice as she spoke.

Sora: The Colosseum...this is a place of slaughter where monsters are spawned without limit.