Rumble!
Just a minute ago, the ambush in the heart of the village was favoring neither the adventurers nor the Order.
"Rhea! The momentum of these Flame Men is beyond what we expected! At this rate, our casualties will..."
As the soldier said, the Flame Men—born from the nightmares of adventurers who had survived the meat grinder of Orario's Dungeon—took the forms of all manner of monsters.
Roar!
Hiss!
"To think such absurd monsters could be manifested just by reading memories... What kind of demons have you people been fighting?!"
Swish!
"Agh!"
Before she could even sink into her shock, a green arrow whistled past Rhea, grazing her.
Thwack!
"Stop trying to understand it and just fight!"
Ryu, having just detonated the Flame Man that was aiming for Rhea's back, was rapidly thinning the monster ranks with [Lævateinn].
'I said that, but... this is bad. If we're consumed by the nightmare any further...!'
Ryu wasn't alone; the front line was anchored by high-level adventurers like Hedin, Aisha, and Asfi, all of whom had spent countless days in the Dungeon.
'If a [Juggernaut] or a Floor Boss appears, it'll be a catastrophe!'
"Clear them out quickly and get everyone off the battlef—"
The elf, having conquered her own nightmares, charged the Flame Men without hesitation to reduce their numbers, but then—
Rumble!
"What is this?!"
"The Flame Men... no, the flames are merging into one!"
Her fears manifested in the worst possible way.
Squelch!
"What on earth is that...?"
The mass of fire grew in size, its form beginning to take shape starting from the tail.
"A dragon...?"
'A Valgang Dragon...?'
Hedin's guess was off. A Valgang Dragon was never that shade of black.
"Wait..."
"Could it be...?"
Hermes and Hephaestus, sensing the crisis instinctively, snapped their heads toward the flames.
Flap!
"Uh...?"
Rumble!
"A... monster..."
The hollow voices of the Olympia soldiers and the followers of Apollo and Aphrodite, who had never seen the beast before, drifted out.
Growl...
The flames had found the perfect fuel—the kind of wick that would revive no matter how many times it was burned.
Deep within, it found a source of ferocious animosity.
It had found the existence he feared most, the one that had handed him an absolute defeat.
"The Black Dragon..."
The black calamity had descended upon them once more.
"You...!"
However, Akumo alone knew the truth.
—"Who gave you your power?"
—"Naturally, it wasn't given..."
—"That's why I'm more grateful. It really feels like I'm pioneering my life with my own strength!"
The first friend he had ever met.
The friend who had taught him both the terror of death and the joy of living.
The massive black dragon spread its wings before Akumo's eyes.
Roar!
Just like in the valley, their battlefield was set once again.
Swish!
—!
Clang!
A spear struck the beast's head with devastating force from out of nowhere.
"I knew it was you!"
Roar!
The two beings shouted at each other as if in joy upon their reunion.
"Hup!"
Boom!
'It's sturdier than before. Well, that's to be expected.'
Crash!
Akumo leaped above the beast's head and brought his holy sword down. Seeing that he hadn't even left a scratch, Akumo immediately began slashing at various angles and parts, searching for a weakness with surgical precision.
Roar!
Whoosh!
"Crazy!"
Boom!
But the beast, having endured every attack, unleashed a torrent of fire from its maw, boasting a firepower strong enough to illuminate the entire night sky.
"What in the world is that..."
"They're complete monsters..."
Having been confined to Olympia, the residents had never seen such overwhelming monsters. Rhea and her soldiers were overwhelmed by something other than the [Primordial Flame] for the first time in their lives.
Crack!
—!?
But the adventurers were different.
The arrow of the elf who had escaped despair thanks to a hero struck the beast.
Growl!
Whoosh!
"""Hah!"""
Clang!
They parried the savage attacks that seemed impossible to handle. The swordsman, the warrior, and the magic swordsman who had met the hero deflected the strike together.
"We barely held on thanks to Aisha and Hedin!"
"This is nothing compared to the rumors!"
"Stop talking nonsense and focus, [Antianeira]!"
Though they had only heard rumors and fear-laden testimonies, they took a step forward on their own.
"Pour it on!"
Following Welf's command, magic erupted from the magic swords held by Lili and Haruhime.
Kaboom!
"How... can they move like that?"
To Horn, the sight was a complete mystery.
This was their first time facing such an entity. Normally, one would feel overwhelmed, their body would shrink, and their feet would be rooted to the spot.
Tremble!
Just like the others around her, who could do nothing but move their eyes in terror.
Thud!
"!?"
Suddenly, Akumo was blown back, crashing down beside her.
"Ow! Still as damn strong as ever!"
Despite having his ribs cracked by the Black Dragon's tail, Akumo stood up with a smirk.
Crack!
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to fight?"
He spoke to Horn and the others who were frozen in place.
"How...?"
"?"
"How can you possibly fight... against a monster like that?!"
"Somehow?"
""!!""
Akumo gave a casual answer to the shocked cries of Hyakinthos and Lixos.
"You think you're the only ones fighting? Me and the others are working our asses off too."
Shring!
"Besides, it's not like this is your first time, right?"
He was saying, with total sincerity, that they could do it too.
"What...?"
Swish!
"!!"
Clang!
As if the Black Dragon had no time for talk, Akumo violently deflected a shard of debris sent flying by the beast's attack.
"No time! Figure it out yourselves! Keep your heads moving."
Whoosh!
Leaving only those words, Akumo charged head-on at the Black Dragon once more.
"What is he talking about...?!"
"I believe he's already given you the answer, Hyakinthos."
"Hermes...?!"
"Look closely at those who are fighting."
At Hermes' word, the eyes of Hyakinthos, Lixos, and Horn turned toward them.
"Please focus, [Gale]!"
"I'm already doing that!"
Asfi was flying above the Black Dragon's head, risking her life to draw its attention and create an opening for Akumo. Simultaneously, Ryu was firing arrows to make that opening lethal.
Slash!
"...! I cut it!"
"Move instead of celebrating!"
Crackle!
"Haha! I like that lightning!"
Hedin poured out lightning continuously to slow the beast down and lower its durability with repeated strikes. Under his support, the blades of Mikoto and Aisha finally bit into the creature's hide.
"[Kazuki]!"
'I won't go down!'
Whoosh!
The [Kazuki] was treated like a mere burden due to his Mind being drastically reduced without his Falna, but Welf didn't run away. He showed off his creation to his heart's content.
"It's on the left! Don't just look at the claws, watch out for the secondary impact of the debris!"
Hum!
"! A breath is coming! Akumo, Asfi, Ryu, change your trajectory!"
Even in a battlefield chaotic enough to make her head explode, Lili trusted everyone and gave orders based solely on the Black Dragon's movements.
Roar!
"Not so fast!"
Crack!
"Thank you! Both of you!"
"Don't mention it!"
Flame Beasts tried to exploit her opening, but their attacks were blocked by the aggressive defense of Berclin and Sandro, then frozen by Haruhime's magic sword.
"! You guys?!"
'How can they move—'
""For Aphrodite! To save the people!""
"!!"
They were special. They had good bloodlines, miraculous skills, and above all, the qualities of heroes.
"Aphrodite, the greatest in the heavens, the lower world, and the three thousand worlds, personally told us to cooperate!"
But what about those who were charging so willingly before Hyakinthos's eyes right now? Weren't they the very fools he had mocked for being under a charm?
"It's not your first time, is it?"
"Freya..."
Freya and Artemis approached Horn.
"Of course, you might never have experienced this level of pressure before..."
The Black Dragon wasn't their first experience being overwhelmed. At first, they were overwhelmed by even ordinary monsters. Then again by a Minotaur, and again by a Floor Boss. Again by the anomalies of the Dungeon, and again by fellow adventurers.
"Ah... how beautiful..."
'Everyone, truly...'
It was the same pressure they had felt from the hero of the past they had met just yesterday.
"Hyakinthos, Lixos."
""Apollo...!""
"Why did you become strong?"
Even after being overwhelmed by a boy they looked down on, even when filled with rage and sorrow, even when the hardship of being exiled from Orario struck them.
"That's because... to protect you!"
"You took a step forward. Even in the face of such hardship."
"!!"
A single step. The step taken for growth. Whether it was a command shouted until the throat gave out, the use of a magic sword, or simply rejoicing over a single drop of blood drawn.
"It's shining so brightly!"
In the eyes of the Goddess of Beauty—no, in the eyes of all the gods—it was clearly visible.
Roar!
"""""Here we go!"""""
Every being moving toward the adventure before them was radiating a brilliant light.
Clang!
"Dammit!"
'I'm lacking a powerful finishing blow!'
Unlike back then, the beast's armor-like scales were much stronger. He needed to land a fatal blow with a strike even more powerful than before, but—
'Magic isn't even an option.'
Using magic while trying to repair his breaking body was out of the question.
Boom!
"Smart bastard, you're only looking at me, aren't you?"
Perhaps it retained memories of their past encounter, as the beast realized the others weren't a threat individually and focused all its attention on Akumo.
'Just a little...! If I just had a little more firepower!'
"...No."
Grin!
"Why settle for a little?!"
He had won against this thing before because he didn't think like that.
Hum!
"[Black Holy Sword, spread your wings.]"
The missing half of the holy sword's blade filled with black light, and the crossguard transformed into wings.
"Hyaaah!"
Despite his resolve, even a full-power strike from Akumo would likely struggle to deal a fatal wound alone.
'But...!'
"[Varian Hild!]"
"[Hell Kaios]!"
"[Broken Curse]!"
The reliable voices of his comrades reached his ears.
"[Varian Hild]!"
"[Hell Kaios]!"
"[Broken Curse]!"
A dazzling radiance erupted in one spot, blinding everyone.
Slash!
""""We broke through!""""
But the beast was still alive.
Roar!
Hum!
Furthermore, many of their comrades were still standing.
Crash!
"[Ignis Dellug]!"
"[Futsu-no-Mitama]!"
Welf and Mikoto, having broken their limits, finally seized their power once more.
"It's not enough! More!"
Lili's heartfelt cry simultaneously echoed out.
"[Valsa]!"
'Dammit...! I hate paving the way for others, but...!'
"Concentrate the magic!"
""Pour it all in!""
Her words moved those who had been frozen in fear.
Dong—!
Dong—!
Dong—!
A clear, massive bell toll echoed throughout the area.
'That's right... this isn't a [Familia Myth], it's not just a story of followers.'
"[Fire Bolt]."
Whoosh!
A massive flame began to concentrate on the Hestia Knife.
"But it's not [Deus Dea] either!"
This was a story of gods and their children. A story of beings who agonized and intertwined as equals within the narrative.
"[Argo Vesta]!"
Roar!
Boom!
The massive firestorm that could melt everything clashed with the flames of the adventurers.
Screech!
Like weapons clashing, the opposing fires pushed against each other without yielding an inch.
"It's not being pushed back at all!"
"Our side is the same... but so is the enemy!"
'At this rate, it'll just end in a mutual cancellation!'
"Dammit, is there no more magic we can use?! Even a magic sword!"
Apollo and Aphrodite, watching the clash of power, looked for any offensive magic to bolster the attack, but everyone had already exhausted their spells.
"No, there's still something left."
"Something harder than any steel."
"Sharper than any arrow."
"More certain than any magic."
The gods who had watched their story unfold simply smiled.
The legs that could charge the enemy, the arms that could hold a sword.
"[Grow, Tuktuk.]"
"[Karof Algola.]"
The enhancement magic to make those bodies even stronger still remained. The magic to make that attack even more certain still remained.
Stab!
"Thanks. I'm relying on you again."
Akumo expressed his gratitude to the friend before him.
'Thanks to you... I met the connections of a lifetime.'
Slash!
'Thanks to you, everyone could grow together.'
The first friend of the hero named Akumo. And his first trial.
Growl!
As if to say sentimental words were unnecessary, the beast opened its maw to crush him even as the sword began to sever its neck.
Slash!
I—no, we—took another step forward.
========================
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