"Hello! My name is Alise Lovell! I'm a beautiful girl adventurer!" Although she was certainly cute, calling herself a beautiful girl was a bit...
...
"Ryuu Lion? So it's Ryuu!"
"It's nice to meet you, Ryuu!"
I said that touching an Elf without permission and calling her by her first name right away is very impolite! But, for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to hate her...
...
"Ryuu! This is our chief Goddess, the embodiment of Justice, Lady Astraea!" So beautiful, dignified, and elegant. Moreover, the aura she emitted was completely different from other Gods, making people genuinely want to be close to her. I will probably never forget this warmth.
"Ryuu! Join us! A beautiful girl corps of Justice-bringers sounds wonderful, doesn't it?" Not at all! But her eyes were so sincere and clear.
"Ryuu! These are all our comrades! This is Lyra, this is Kaguya, this is..."
"We can all work together to become the protectors of this city in the future!"
"We will be the ones to punish those bad people!"
There are so many people? Although they came from different backgrounds and had different temperaments, their eyes all shone with the same bright light as Artemis. Is this what is called a strong belief in Justice?
...
"Ryuu! Look! Everyone on the street is smiling!"
"This kind of atmosphere is definitely the best!"
"Even for the children I don't know over there, I'm willing to keep fighting!"
I see, everyone's happiness is the motivation that keeps you going...
...
"Ryuu! Hang in there! We'll defeat them together!"
"We can't let these Evilus bastards destroy everyone's homes and annihilate everyone's happiness!!"
I will stand up, as long as you are here! Looking at your back, following your footsteps, I have no fear, Artemis!
"That's great! Erebos is defeated! We won, Ryuu!!" It's rude to call a God by their name... but I'm happy too...
"Finally, we can bring this city back under the sunlight."
"Although the turmoil isn't over yet, as long as I can still fight, I will stick to the Justice in my heart until the very end."
Why? Do you have to go that far for Justice? Fighting tirelessly, not caring if you get injured or even die? What exactly is true Justice?
"Well, I'm not entirely sure either, but Lady Astraea once said that the Justice in everyone's heart is actually different."
"Let me tell you a secret, I'm also really afraid of dying! After all, I haven't even had a relationship yet!"
"For a beautiful girl to die without ever having a romance, it would be such a shame, wouldn't it?"
"So, to avoid any regrets, I'm going to try my best to live."
"You too, Ryuu!"
"You have to live without any regrets!"
Without regrets, huh...
...
"Lion..."
What is it? Why are you calling me that all of a sudden? Artemis, what is that expression?
"'That monster' has already taken everyone's lives. To survive, we must eliminate it!"
"To destroy it, I need your magic."
"So, just stay here and sing properly."
No, don't do this! I can still fight! A broken leg is nothing! Don't leave me, Artemis!
"Do you remember what I told you?"
"You have to live without any regrets, and you must find your own path of Justice."
"I believe you can do it."
No, Artemis! The one who should live is you! As long as you are here, the Astraea Familia's banner will not fall, and our Justice can continue! The one who should charge forward to block that monster is me, this useless person!!
"Enough, don't say any more."
"I believe in you, Ryuu."
Artemis!!
Artemis!!
Artemis!!
"Sing."
"For everyone who sacrificed themselves, for Lyra, for Kaguya."
"For me, and for all our Justice."
"Sing."
...
—The distant forest canopy now. The infinite stars embedded in the endless night sky.
Respond to a fool like me, and grant me the star's fire once more.
Grant light and mercy to the one who abandoned you.
—Come, wandering wind, traveling pilgrim.
Fly across the sky, race through the wilderness, move with speed surpassing all things.
Strike the enemy with the radiance of the stars.
"Goodbye, Ryuu."
Luminous Wind!!!!
The red-haired girl dissolved into a dazzling light. Just as she had walked out of the light when she first appeared. Now, she returned to her origin.
The girl's name was Alise Lovell. She was once the reliance of the Goddess of Justice, her sacred sword in the mortal world. She possessed extraordinary talent and a bright future. She should have grown into a towering tree, providing shade to people while being admired by countless others. She was beautiful and powerful, kind and strong.
However, all of this vanished with that seemingly beautiful but destructive light.
Artemis was gone. Ryuu had personally sealed the fate of her friend who had selflessly charged forward to fight, sacrificing her life to ensure Ryuu's survival. She watched helplessly as Artemis and the monster vanished together. It felt as if her dreams and past memories had also disappeared.
Everyone was gone.
No one knew how Ryuu, dragging her broken body and spirit, returned to the surface. No one knew how many times she ventured into the Dungeon alone to retrieve her companions' belongings... And no one knew how, during that time, her soul was subjected to cruel scorching like being cooked in boiling oil every single time. She spent days sifting through that battlefield, turning over every stone, yet failed to find any trace of Artemis.
It was as if she had never existed. Then, the memories of her also seemed to become an illusion.
I'm sorry, Artemis.
I couldn't find "Justice," and I couldn't live without regrets.
To sweep away all the shadows in the world, Ryuu did not hesitate to descend into darkness herself.
She didn't stop until she had slaughtered every single wicked person. And by then, the last motivation that kept her alive was gone.
When the fire is extinguished, the light is lost.
Fortunately, Ryuu's fate did not end there. She met Syr.
Regardless of what Freya's true intentions were, she indeed encouraged the despairing Ryuu, making her temporarily abandon her will to die.
And then, there was Eugene's appearance. He was like a huge fire, fierce in his arrival, burning passionately. F
ree and uninhibited, doing as he pleased. The world is so vast, and there is so much darkness; how could there be a lack of kindling?
Eugene's utterly different concept of "Justice" illuminated Ryuu's heart once again. It wasn't a drama of being rescued by a hero, but a lost self finding direction.
Logically, continuing like this would have been fine.
However, fate must have its drama.
On that day, Ryuu completely fell into madness, digging with bloody hands but finding nothing.
And in a dark corner that she couldn't see. Countless tiny tentacles, already wrapped around pieces of broken bodies, retreated toward the deepest gloom of the Dungeon.
...A short time later.
In a warm, plant-constructed room, like a womb or birthing chamber. A woman opened her eyes.
A Magic Stone emitting a strange glow was embedded in her chest. And her emerald eyes were dull.
"Who... am I?"
The woman, whose appearance had even changed due to severe damage, had completely lost all her memories.
She only survived because of that incredibly fierce obsession.
To the Fallen Spirits, a person's obsession was as conspicuous as a lighthouse in the night.
But this human, who had been reduced almost to a pool of flesh and blood, her will was like a towering blaze!
Become stronger, I must become stronger!
And then protect... what was it?
She couldn't remember. And so, the Fallen Spirit opened its arms to her, like a mother.
"You saved me."
"Then I will protect you from now on."
"I don't remember my name."
"Will you give me one?"
"Like this, huh... Okay."
"Then from now on, I am Revis."
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