This was the 18th Floor.
The first safe floor in the Dungeon, where monsters did not spawn.
But the situation unfolding before everyone's eyes now was nothing short of a scene that shattered that unchanging common sense to pieces.
Grrrr... Uoooooooh!
"Go, Goliath!"
"What?! A floor boss?!"
"No way! This is a safety point!"
A sudden rupture in a safe floor.
And from within it, a new floor boss was born and revealed itself.
The Black Goliath.
This monster, which gave off a feeling entirely different from a normal Goliath, was in fact displaying even greater power than the usual one as it rampaged wildly.
Its estimated combat strength was at least above that of a Level 5 first-class adventurer.
That monstrous strength made it clear that no adventurer on the 18th Floor could possibly handle this mutant monster.
"Go, go, go, go!"
"Everyone, get out of the way! I'm firing a big one!"
In fact, the adventurers from Rivira were charging in with their own teams, one after another.
And even after countless spells were chanted and massive bombardments unleashed, the giant body was still standing strong.
Even if they managed to deal damage, that monstrous flesh would regenerate in an instant and recover to its original state, true to the name of a monster.
An opponent that was troublesome in every possible way.
"Good. Everyone's gathered!"
And so, the boy stepped forward on his own.
"Everyone! Please fall back!"
"Mr. Cranel?"
"Rion, let's disengage!"
Ding...
A clear, quiet chime rang out, centered on the boy, Bell.
At that sound, the Black Goliath sensed danger and turned to look at him.
Then it let out a powerful howl.
"[Fire Bolt!]"
KWAANG!
At last, the pure white lightning of flame and the giant's roar collided.
Surprisingly, the winner was Bell Cranel.
His pure white lightning pierced cleanly through the Black Goliath's howl.
And then it blew the giant's head completely off.
Anyone would have thought the battle was over.
Ooooh... Goooooooh!
"What?!"
But unfortunately, reality was different.
That exchange had indeed been Bell Cranel's victory.
However, the Black Goliath, the actual target of extermination, had not died.
The giant, with its shattered head half-regenerated, unleashed another devastating howl from its enormous mouth.
Its target, naturally, was the most dangerous enemy before it: Bell Cranel.
KWAANG!
"Gah!"
The giant's roar blasted Bell Cranel away, along with the footing beneath him.
Then the giant's fist, larger than a boulder, came crashing toward him as he floated helplessly in the air.
"Hup!"
BOOM!
Immediately after, a man with a large shield stepped in between them.
His name was Kashima Ouka.
An adventurer from the East who had thrown his life away to repay the debt he felt toward Bell's party.
THUD!
"Guh!"
At the giant's strike, the two of them were sent flying far back.
The shield Ouka had been holding was completely shattered to pieces by that single blow.
Spitting blood as he fell, his condition was obviously a critical injury to anyone who saw him.
"Ouka!"
"Bell-sama!"
His companions hurriedly rushed toward the two of them.
Among them, Lili quickly checked Bell's condition.
"Bell-sama! Bell-sama! Please open your eyes!"
Fortunately, the fallen Bell Cranel's condition was not as serious as Ouka's.
Unlike him, he wasn't coughing up blood, nor was any part of his body badly twisted or broken.
Outwardly, it looked like nothing more than severe bruising.
And yet, for some reason, the white-haired boy still would not open his eyes.
Could it be that something serious had happened to his head when he fell?
Growing increasingly anxious, Lili kept calling Bell's name and trying to wake him.
tap
"Huh? This is..."
As she trembled with worry, Lili found something like a broken white fragment in Bell's arms.
When she picked it up and looked at it, she realized what it was.
"A... mask?"
What had come out from inside the boy's clothes was a broken mask.
A skull mask that somehow gave off a strangely ominous feeling.
*
Changing the scene, this was the surface.
A dark space inside some building.
"I see. So in the end, things turned out like that..."
"I'm sorry."
Two shadows faced each other there.
"No, it's not really your fault. You did your best, Ein. It was simply that Loki Familia's strength exceeded my expectations."
"But Lord Dionysus."
It was a god.
And a fairy.
"Still, to think Firvis would end up like that."
"Please give the order. If you do, I will...!"
"Really? Is that truly what you want?"
"Lord Dionysus, I..."
"Ah, enough. You don't need to try so hard."
The god Dionysus thought.
Of his own Familia member, who was not here now.
More precisely, of her other half.
"Well, it's fine. Wine is something that's meant to be aged longer, with care."
He felt anticipation and certainty in his heart.
That his cute clown of a child might yet show him something even more interesting afterward.
Something sweeter, something like a more delightful "orgy."
She certainly had the talent for it.
For example, look.
The two that had originally come from one are now truly trying to split into two.
One of them, despite finally gaining freedom, is still wandering.
One of them has returned to his embrace like this.
How amusing.
What an entertaining story.
Dionysus was truly thrilled, eagerly anticipating how the ending of their story would eventually unfold.
Surely, it would be well worth the wait.
"More importantly."
That Magus, was it?
At the chief god's question, Ein simply lowered her head in silent reply.
With his gaze turned away from his Familia member, the god remained silent for a moment and sank into deep thought.
And then, eventually.
"I'd like to meet him once."
"Lord Diony... sus?"
At the sudden suggestion from her god, Ein faltered and could not continue.
But Dionysus ignored her.
He simply continued with his own thoughts, drawing several images in his mind.
Perhaps.
"The story I've planned may become even more interesting than before."
The mask he wore, the one known to everyone as a gentle, kind, and courteous divine being.
Over that mask, the god of madness naturally let out a laugh in the darkness.
Oh, world.
Beautiful and splendid city of the labyrinth.
"I'm looking forward to it."
The nightmare had not even begun yet.
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