The silence that followed Hachiman's greeting was heavy, dense, and charged with a deadly electricity. It lasted only an instant, a vacuum before the storm. Then, the cavern exploded into sound. It wasn't a simple cry, but a wild, unified cacophony from hundreds of throats: the guttural roar of the Goblins, the reptilian hiss of the Lizardmen, the sharp, hungry shriek of the Almirajs. It was the sound of desperation and territorial fury, a death sentence for the intruders.
Like a wave crashing against a rock, the crowd of armed Xenos surged forward. The light from the rune Hachiman had cast on the cavern ceiling danced upon sharpened claws, spear tips made of bone and stone, and the dull steel of rustic swords. Every pair of eyes gleamed with a single purpose: to spill the blood of those who dared to invade their sanctuary.
"Behind me!" Hachiman commanded, his voice a low thunder that cut through the initial chaos.
Ryuu didn't need to be told twice. In a fluid motion, honed by years of deadly battles, she positioned herself back-to-back with him, creating a small bastion of defense. The reddish Xenos, whom Hachiman had named Agumon, cowered between them, his cloak trembling visibly. The speed and coordination of Hachiman and Ryuu were that of veterans who had faced many challenges together.
"Ryuu, listen!" Hachiman shouted over the noise of the first wave of attackers crashing against them. "Don't kill them! Just incapacitate! I repeat, do not kill anyone!"
Ryuu grunted, deflecting a Goblin's spear with the flat of her wooden sword and using the pommel to strike the attacker's wrist, causing the weapon to fall with a thud. "Have you gone mad, Hachiman? They aren't giving us that option!" Her adventurer's instincts, the mentality forged in the Astrea Familia, screamed at her to cut down the threats with lethal efficiency. Every second of hesitation was a risk.
"Trust me!" he shot back, blocking a Lizardman's sword with a black projected blade. "There's a greater reason we're here!"
Despite the confusion and the adrenaline pulsing through her veins, she nodded. An almost imperceptible gesture. She had seen Hachiman do the impossible more than once. If he was risking his neck for these monsters, there had to be a reason beyond her comprehension. And for that reason, she would fight his fight.
What followed was a dance of control amidst absolute chaos. Hachiman was the center of a whirlwind. He moved with a fluidity that defied logic, his Aspháleia armor shining as it deflected weaker blows with showers of sparks. The Wyvern Blade remained on his ring, his deadliest Noble Phantasms sealed. Instead, he fought with open hands or with the sides of blunt projected blades, turning deadly weapons into tools of subjugation. He didn't cut; he blocked. He didn't pierce; he pushed. Using his strength, amplified by his skills, he intercepted, deflected, and neutralized the Xenos with surgical precision, taking them down without inflicting fatal injuries.
Ryuu, for her part, was a blur of elven elegance. Her wooden sword, a precious gift from her homeland, was the perfect tool for this insane task. She moved like the wind, her blade a whip that disarmed, her agile feet carrying her out of the paths of attacks. A sharp blow to a Kobold's knee, a precise touch to a pressure point on an Orc's neck, and they fell, groaning but alive. Even so, with every monster she brought down, a part of her wondered why. Why was Hachiman risking so much for them?
Agumon, still hidden under the cloak, was a paradox of violence and restraint. His sharp claws were his first and only defense. He tore and wounded anyone who tried to grab him, leaving bloody furrows in skin and leather. But something held him back. Every time his claws met an attacker's flesh, his expressive green eyes met theirs. He saw the same intelligence, the same fear, and the same fury he felt within himself. They were Goblins, Lizardmen, Almirajs... but they were like him. They were Xenos. The realization made him hesitate, preventing him from delivering the final blow his wild nature demanded.
Amid the whirlwind of battle, Hachiman felt a shift. A different pressure. One of the Lizardmen stood out from the horde. He was visibly larger, his muscles more defined under dark green scales, and his movements were not those of a desperate beast, but of a trained warrior. He wore leather and metal plate armor that protected his torso and shoulders, and in each hand, he wielded a short metal sword with frightening skill. Hachiman recognized him instantly from the information Fels had given him. Lyd. The leader and the strongest of the Xenos.
"Get out of my way, human!" Lyd snarled, his voice a deep, menacing hiss.
Lyd's swords became a silver blur, attacking Hachiman in a relentless whirlwind. The strikes sought every minimal opening, every instant of hesitation. Clang! Screech! Clang! The sound of Lyd's steel against Hachiman's projected blades, Kanshou and Bakuya, echoed shrilly. It was an intense duel, a deadly dance where Hachiman was on the defensive. Lyd's strength was surprising, and his skill with dual blades was on a completely different level from the others. Small wounds began to appear on Hachiman's body. A shallow cut on his arm, a scratch on his leg, a pang of pain in his ribs where a sword's tip slipped past his guard.
He was being cornered, step by step. His room for maneuver was shrinking with every second. Seeing the situation, Hachiman tried to shout, desperate, "We are not your enemies! We came to return one of your own!" but his voice was swallowed by the roar of the battle, by the cacophony of monster cries and the incessant clash of metal on metal.
On the other side of the small combat zone, Ryuu's situation was even more precarious. Luck had abandoned her, pitting her against a formidable adversary: a colossal Gargoyle, its body made of gray stone and its eyes burning like red embers. Hachiman identified him: Gros. Every blow from Ryuu's wooden sword landed on Gros's stony skin with a hollow, frustrating thud, causing nothing more than superficial scratches.
"You shall not pass!" the Gargoyle growled, his voice like the grinding of stones.
To make matters worse, the battle wasn't just on the ground. From above, a Siren with golden feathers tipped in blue dived like a hawk. Ray. She attacked Ryuu with dizzying dives, her raptor-like claws aiming for the elf's face and shoulders, forcing her to constantly dodge. Even worse was her song; it wasn't a melody, but a sharp, disorienting frequency that pierced the ears and scrambled the senses. Ryuu felt her balance falter, the world spinning for an instant.
She was in a tight spot. Wounds were accumulating: a deep cut on her shoulder from one of Ray's attacks, a painful bruise on her hip from a blow by Gros that she couldn't completely avoid. She, a former elite Level 4 adventurer, was being dominated by monsters fighting with the strength and synergy equivalent to Level 5. It was during one of these coordinated attacks that Agumon, distracted by his protectors' fight, was finally subdued. Several smaller Xenos leaped on him at once, using their body weight to pin him to the ground. The cloak still covered his identity, but he was immobilized.
Seeing the scene deteriorate rapidly – Ryuu bleeding and being pushed to her limit, Agumon captured, and himself about to be overwhelmed by Lyd – Hachiman felt something break inside him. The patience, the control, the carefully laid plan... it all evaporated, replaced by a wave of protective fury. He saw Ray's claws tear Ryuu's cheek, leaving a trail of blood, and it was the final straw.
He stopped holding back. His skills, previously suppressed, flowed freely. 'A Loner's Protection.' 'Wild Determination.'
The aura around him exploded. It was no longer the red glow of his usual mana, but a vibrant, electric, and intense magenta hue. The air pressure in the cavern shifted, becoming heavy and oppressive. His eyes took on the same supernatural glow, and a cry escaped his throat, a roar of pure frustration and power.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
He channeled the energy of 'Single Strike' through Kanshou and Bakuya. But instead of a flying slash, he released it as a pure kinetic shockwave. A deafening CRACK echoed as the air in front of him solidified and expanded. Lyd, caught by surprise, had no chance to defend himself. The tremendous force hit him like a battering ram, launching him off his feet and throwing him violently against one of the cavern's stone pillars. He collapsed to the ground, stunned.
Without losing a single second, Hachiman became a magenta blur. He crossed the distance to Ryuu in the blink of an eye, positioning himself between her and her aggressors. With a single horizontal slash, imbued with his crushing aura, he forced Gros and Ray to retreat, creating a precious opening. He pulled Ryuu close to him and, with the same speed, ran to where Agumon was being held.
The smaller Xenos pinning the creature looked up, their faces a mask of terror before the approaching figure, who emanated an energy that made their primal instincts scream to flee.
"GET OFF!" Hachiman roared, his voice thick with power.
They obeyed. They retreated instinctively, stumbling over each other to get away from that overwhelming presence. With the path clear, Hachiman slammed his palms on the ground. "Trace On!"
"Rho Aias!"
Seven petals of ethereal light, each with the resilience of a fortress, blossomed from the ground, curving to form a protective dome around him, Ryuu, and Agumon. The barrier expanded rapidly, pushing all the other monsters outside its perimeter. Suddenly, the inside of the dome became eerily silent. The chaos of battle was replaced by a blessed calm, contrasting with the muffled blows and roars that now sounded from the outside.
Hachiman took a deep breath, imbuing his voice with mana so that every creature in the vast cavern could hear him with crystal clarity. His voice echoed, not as a shout, but as an irrefutable proclamation.
"LISTEN HERE, YOU IDIOTS! I AM NOT HERE TO KILL YOU! NOR TO CAPTURE YOU! AND I CERTAINLY DIDN'T COME ALL THIS WAY TO FIGHT YOU!"
He paused dramatically, letting his words resonate off the walls and in the minds of every Xenos present. The blows against Rho Aias faltered.
"THE ONLY THING I WANT," he continued, his voice lower but still charged with an unshakeable intensity, "IS TO BRING ONE OF YOUR KIND BACK HOME, SO THERE IS NO MORE CONFUSION IN THE DUNGEON!"
With that said, he turned and, with a quick, decisive pull, removed the hood covering Agumon. The cloak fell away, revealing the reptilian face, the reddish skin, and the large, expressive green eyes to all the other Xenos.
A shocked, profound silence fell over the cavern. The attacks against Rho Aias stopped completely. The Xenos stared at the creature, recognizing it instantly. One of them. A "talking monster." A brother they thought was lost or dead. The hostility in their eyes diminished, their bloodlust evaporating, replaced by a cautious distrust and a wave of confusion.
Taking advantage of the precious time, Hachiman acted quickly. He materialized healing potions from his spatial rings. "Drink this, Ryuu. You too, Agumon."
Ryuu took the vial, her eyes still fixed on Hachiman, a mixture of relief and a million unasked questions. In a few moments, the soft green light of the potions closed her wounds, though the exhaustion of battle remained. Seeing that the fight had ceased, Hachiman dispelled Rho Aias, and his twin blades dissipated into particles of light. He raised his open hands, a universal sign of peace.
Lyd, already recovered from the impact, approached cautiously, his swords still in hand but pointed toward the ground. His breathing was heavy. "Why... Why are you here, human? And how did you find him?"
Hachiman repeated calmly, his magenta aura finally receding. "My only wish was to bring Agumon back to his people."
Ray, the Siren, landed softly beside Lyd, her golden wings folding. "How did you discover this place?" she asked, her voice melodious but as sharp as her claws. "No one should be able to find us."
Hachiman knew this was the crucial part. The physical battle was over; the battle of words was just beginning. He needed a convincing story, one that would plant the seed of trust. He took a deep breath, organizing the lie woven with half-truths from his knowledge of another life.
"A while ago, I came across a group of adventurers fighting one of you," he began, his voice calm and serious. "But what I found curious was that the monster, the Xenos, could speak. It could understand. And the adventurers didn't intend to kill it, but to capture it." He looked at the faces around him, seeing the pain and anger ignite in their eyes. "The Xenos fought with incredible ferocity to avoid capture. In the end... the captors had no choice but to kill it."
A murmur of anguish rippled through the crowd of monsters.
"Afterward," Hachiman continued, "I heard them talking. They said their leader, a man named Dix, was looking for clues about you. He was certain the Xenos were gathering in a hideout somewhere between the 19th and 24th floors. With the latest findings, he believed the 20th floor had the highest chance of being that place."
The statement made the atmosphere even heavier. The frustration and anger of the Xenos were palpable, a poison in the air.
"I didn't intend to get involved," Hachiman lied smoothly. "But Agumon here was actively attacking adventurers on the 19th floor. If he continued, his different nature would be discovered by everyone, and the problem could escalate into a full-scale hunt, putting all of you in danger. So, I decided to help. I started looking for places on the lower floors where the concentration of monsters was abnormally lower, hidden places... and I finally found this cavern."
Ryuu, who was watching Hachiman speak, felt a shiver. She didn't know what was true or false in his story, but she understood one thing clearly: he knew much more than he let on. His search had not been aimless; it had been calculated. She remained silent, deciding that the interrogation could wait for a more private moment.
Hachiman's revelation sparked a heated discussion among the Xenos. Gros, the gargoyle, wanted revenge. "Let's hunt the hunters!" he growled. But Lyd and Ray disagreed, arguing that they didn't know the extent of the enemy's forces and that an open fight would put their home, their only refuge, at an unacceptable risk.
It was in the midst of this deliberation that a new presence made itself felt. A figure wearing black robes that completely covered their face and body, making it impossible to identify gender or any other feature, approached the group of leaders. A shadow that seemed to have solidified from the air. Hachiman recognized him the moment he appeared, feeling the ancient and powerful mana. Fels. The mysterious mage of over 800 years, Ouranos's right hand.
"Lyd, what is the situation?" Fels asked. The voice was impossible to define, resonating with a magical, timeless quality.
After Lyd and Ray hastily explained what had happened, Fels turned to Hachiman and Ryuu. The hooded head seemed to fix them with an invisible but piercing gaze. "Dragon Slayer. And Gale," he said, his voice calm. Ryuu's jaw dropped. She hadn't used the title 'Gale' (Tempest) in years. She was banished, an outcast. How could this figure know?
Fels continued, ignoring her surprise. "I thank you for bringing the young Xenos back to us. Please, follow me. Let's talk. You are not our enemies." He then turned to the other Xenos, his voice taking on a tone of gentle authority. "They are guests."
The word "guests," coming from Fels, was enough to dispel the last drop of hostility in the air. Fels led them to another part of the cavern, where rows of polished stone rose from the floor, resembling natural bleachers. The Xenos began to sit, the tension finally breaking. Some of the smaller Xenos, now curious rather than threatening, approached and offered strange, glowing fruits harvested in the Dungeon and gourds with a drink that looked like pure spring water.
Slowly, miraculously, the tense and deadly atmosphere of the cavern transformed into something almost... communal. The air filled with curious murmurs and the smell of damp earth and exotic fruits, replacing the odor of blood and fear. It was a fragile peace, born of violence and revelation, but it was peace. And for now, that was all that mattered.