Along the official route on the twenty-fourth floor…
Countless dark shapes stirred restlessly.
A sea of monsters packed the path, completely blotting out the moss's faint blue glow.
"Th-this many…?"
Lefiya stared at the approaching tide of monsters, fear slipping from her lips before she could stop it.
Hideous, terrifying creatures blocked the way ahead. Even the battle-hardened Ryuu couldn't help but frown.
"These monsters… they seem to be drawn by something inside the [Pantry]."
Bell calmly studied their movements.
They weren't fighting among themselves. Instead, they advanced in an eerie formation, surging toward a Pantry on the twenty-fourth floor.
"Cranel, what should we do next?"
Filvis asked quietly.
Given the situation, Ais must have used [Reverse Veil] to avoid combat while heading straight for the Pantry.
Like Bell, the Sword Princess had realized the monster disturbance was caused by a single source, which was why she had deliberately conserved her strength.
But for Filvis and the others to copy Ais's approach would be extremely difficult.
The more people involved, the higher the risk that the disguise cloth would be exposed.
If they were surrounded in the middle of that horde, it would be a fatal situation for a pure mage like Lefiya.
"There are too many monsters. We'll have to fight."
Bell gave his answer.
"Cranel-san, I can take the lead."
Ryuu offered softly.
She stared at the mass of monsters without the slightest hint of fear.
"No. I have a bad feeling about this. We can't afford to waste too much stamina on them."
A trace of concern flashed through Bell's eyes.
This was definitely not a simple surge of monsters.
The reason Ais accepted the quest alone, what the monsters were pursuing, the tragedy wrapped around Filvis, and the [disaster] she had spoken of…
The bloodthirsty face of the red-haired woman flickered through his mind.
Bell was certain they were enveloped in a fog of malice.
Ryuu's combat power had to be preserved as much as possible.
"I'll clear the way. Follow me and charge straight through."
Bell stated his conclusion.
"Charge through…? You've already used up a lot of stamina in the earlier fights. That's too dangerous…"
Lefiya replied anxiously.
They were still some distance away from the Pantry.
Unlike Gareth, Bell didn't specialize in [Endurance].
In Lefiya's eyes, after such a long series of battles, recklessly charging ahead would only end in disaster.
"Don't worry. I'm confident in my stamina."
Bell answered.
After this level-up, the Extra Points he had accumulated over time had reached an entirely new realm.
He felt brimming with energy, without the slightest hint of fatigue.
What he didn't realize was that breaking past the limits of his status could no longer be described as merely rare.
Take Gareth as an example.
Even with the natural advantages of the dwarf race and his title as one of their heroes, his Endurance only reached S (over 900) when leveling up.
Bell, on the other hand, had exceeded the limits in every single ability.
And he had done so twice in a row.
That was without even factoring in techniques.
Even compared to the heroes, Bell had only just stepped over the threshold into Lv.3, yet he had already made up years of distance, able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the very best of Lv.3.
With a single hand, he had calmly suppressed Bors, the boss of Rivira Town. That was proof of his stored-up potential.
"H-how… is that even possible?"
Lefiya stared at the boy in disbelief.
He wouldn't lie about something like this, not when their lives were on the line.
With Bell's current endurance and speed, there was probably no way she could ever catch up to him again…
"Cranel-san, I understand you're not forcing yourself. But how are we supposed to break through?"
Ryuu pushed down her shock and asked quietly.
With their current party setup, if they didn't take the monsters down, it would be hard to punch through that wave.
Even if Bell took the lead, no matter how skilled he was, he couldn't maintain their speed and still deal with every monster without missing one.
The only option Ryuu could think of was using the Thousand Elf's magic to blast open a path.
But with numbers like this, even if they managed to push forward, the route would likely be clogged again long before they reached the [Pantry].
Under Ryuu's questioning gaze, Bell answered.
"My plan is to use Filvis's barrier magic to smash open a path. Everyone follows me, and we charge straight through."
"…"
Ryuu and Lefiya fell silent at the same time.
Using defensive magic as an offensive tool was an unbelievably bold idea.
"Cranel, my magic is only single-use. I can't move it forward."
Filvis pointed out the obvious problem.
Out of trust, she had explained her magic to him before they set out.
Lightning-attribute offensive magic, and barrier magic capable of blocking both physical and magical attacks.
What Bell had his eye on was that shield of light.
"Filvis, if you trust me, start your chant."
Bell didn't explain further. He simply made his request.
This wasn't just about breaking through the current situation. It was also a test for Filvis.
[Argo's Ship] couldn't absorb malice.
With everything growing more suspicious by the minute, Bell couldn't afford to gamble with Ryuu and Lefiya's safety.
"I understand."
Filvis didn't hesitate. Her crimson eyes were filled with resolve.
"Become a shield, holy grail of crushing evil!"
Her clear, beautiful voice wove the spell.
Trust surged upward in that ultra-short chant.
Filvis extended her left hand toward the boy, as if trying to grasp the warmth they had once held so tightly.
"Dio Grail!"
White light gathered into a massive circle, and a sacred shield appeared in front of Bell.
The next moment…
The boy began his own chant.
"Awaken."
Sweep everything aside. Break through malice.
[Power] gathered into his body.
"Hear now, the love song played upon the tower of purity."
Pure white light took the shape of a great ship.
And the one carried upon that hull was Filvis, determined to offer up everything.
The ship's radiance and the holy barrier in the air answered each other, flashing again and again.
Filvis had no idea that this magic was the turning point between her and the boy.
Whether it became tainted malice…
Or pure affection…
The outcome would decide everything, twisting their future into something unrecognizable.
"Divine Light • Voyage (Argo's Ship)."
Bell spoke the magic's name with unshakable resolve.
Light burst forth.
The sacred shield hovering before him doubled in size.
"This magic is…?"
Lefiya had never seen anything like it.
Bell's magical light kept spilling out without pause.
From that alone, it had to be a sustained ability-granting magic.
But then why did the barrier take the form of Filvis's shield of light?!
"…"
Ryuu had seen Argo's Ship absorb Divine Power before, and even so, the sight still left her shaken.
"Cranel, this is…?"
Filvis didn't realize it, but the source of that light was her own feelings, twisted as they were.
The noble shield was proof of her true intent.
In the endless dark, a single light illuminated everything that was Filvis.
Its name was Bell Cranel.
And he was also Filvis's true [lover].