The red glow of the quartz pillar pulsed, casting the ominous silhouette of Vendetta across the cavern.
"Not only survivors from back then... even [Gale] is here..."
Olivas narrowed his yellow-green eyes, sweeping his gaze over the pale-faced elf girl.
Even Ryuu, who was usually calm and composed, felt a chill crawl up her spine at the sight of that grotesque Creature.
"Tremble! Fear me! This is the supreme honor [she] has bestowed upon me!"
Olivas laughed like a madman.
But when his eyes settled on the boy, his expression faltered.
No fear. No shock.
Those crimson eyes stared back at him steadily, without the slightest hint of wavering.
Impossible.
Olivas' face twitched.
"Why are you looking at me like that?!"
Humans were supposed to fear him. That was only natural.
So how had this boy suppressed that instinct?!
"Why don't you fear this magnificent body?!"
Olivas shouted, his voice rising with agitation.
Bell glanced at the trembling Lefiya beside him and gave a faint smile.
"It's simple. In my eyes, you've always been a vile and despicable villain."
"You're just wearing a monster's skin now. What's there to be afraid of?"
Evil. Darkness.
Soaked in blood. The source of countless tragedies.
No matter what form Olivas took, that fact remained unchanged.
Look past appearances. See the essence beneath.
That was how Bell Cranel judged others.
"..."
Olivas stood there blankly for a moment.
Then, meeting Bell's unwavering gaze, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahaha! You really are interesting!"
As if recalling something, Olivas tilted his head slightly.
"Then tell me... if there were monsters that embodied [Justice], would you stand on their side?"
"..."
Lefiya looked at the boy anxiously.
Justice and evil. Monsters and humans.
For adventurers, that was a dangerous line of thought.
The moment someone began to question the nature of monsters, hesitation could creep in when blades crossed. And that hesitation could mean death.
Ryuu understood that well.
She pressed her lips together and tightened her grip on her sword, ready to move at any moment.
Filvis, pale-faced, did not interrupt.
She stood there in silence, her thoughts unreadable.
After a brief pause, Bell answered calmly,
"Tell me your objective, and I'll answer that."
Across the vast hollow, the boy and Olivas locked eyes.
"Very well. There's no harm in telling you."
Olivas glanced toward the [Jewel Fetus] at his side and bared his teeth in a savage grin.
"It's simple. We're going to destroy the Labyrinth City."
"Destroy... Orario?"
Lefiya repeated the words in disbelief.
Orario was not just a prosperous city. It bore an immense responsibility.
With the Tower of Babel as its lid, the entire city existed to seal the great hole of the Dungeon below.
If Orario were to fall, monsters would pour onto the surface and run rampant.
Human history would be dragged back to the ancient era. And now that the Age of Heroes had already faded, it could very well spell extinction.
"..."
Ryuu's grip on her blade tightened unconsciously.
The enemy before them was plotting something unimaginably dark.
If the Nightmare of the 27th Floor were to unfold in Orario...
The mere thought made her feel sick.
"That's right!"
Olivas shouted in manic fervor.
"It's all for [her]!"
"She wants to see the sky!"
"But this city stands in her way!"
"For her wish, for the mission she entrusted to me, I will reduce Orario to ruin!"
Under Lefiya's stunned gaze, Olivas proclaimed his devotion to [her] with feverish intensity.
"What do the gods on the surface ever do? Other than stand by and watch, they just amuse themselves!"
"But she can grant us a second life!"
"I was chosen! Aside from her, I stand above all!"
Olivas' expression grew more and more twisted.
Filvis could no longer endure it.
She stepped forward, fury blazing in her eyes.
"You filthy, despicable wretch! You will be judged by [Justice]!"
"Justice, huh..."
Olivas sneered.
"White-haired boy, tell me. What do you think about monsters of [Justice]?"
Filvis had already drawn her short blade, but Bell stopped her with a hand and gave her a look that said the time wasn't right.
"..."
Grinding her teeth, Filvis forced herself to step back behind him.
"Vendetta, if such monsters truly exist, I'd find a way to save them."
Bell spoke calmly.
"Cranel-san?"
Ryuu and Lefiya both looked at him in confusion.
Even Filvis stared at him in surprise.
Among adventurers, words like that were close to heresy.
Yet coming from Bell, they sounded completely sincere.
"Don't worry. It's just a hypothetical. Whether it's monsters wearing human skin or monsters upholding justice, I've never met either."
Bell's voice was gentle, reassuring the elf girls at his side.
In the distance, Olivas seemed thoroughly pleased with the answer.
"Hahahaha! I'm starting to regret wanting to kill you. All this talk of justice and evil... in my eyes, humans and monsters are no different."
"They kill to survive. They brand others as heretics. They keep eliminating anything that doesn't belong."
"Humans are creatures no different from monsters."
"Only [she] is special!"
Olivas turned toward the [Jewel Fetus] beside him, his eyes filled with fanatical devotion.
His thinking wasn't entirely unlike Bell's, yet he had taken it to a violent extreme.
"So there really are monsters of 'Justice' in the Dungeon?"
Bell deliberately avoided mentioning [she].
If he pushed further, this madman would surely attack without hesitation.
Olivas let out a careless laugh.
"Heh. Who knows?"
"Cranel..."
Filvis called his name softly, worry in her voice.
When Bell had said he would save monsters of [Justice], her pale face had first gone rigid with shock before slowly easing.
This was not a subject that could be pursued any further.
It threatened the very foundation of an adventurer's resolve.
Ryuu and Lefiya also wanted to warn him not to let Olivas' words sway him, not to dig any deeper into the existence of such monsters.
Just then—
From a passage somewhere within the massive cave came the sharp, ringing clash of steel.
"..."
The rapid sound echoed through the cavern.
Olivas' expression darkened instantly.
"Tch...?"
"So you were stalling for time so you could meet up with the Sword Princess?!"
He hadn't expected to be played by the boy.
His face twisted into something feral as he roared:
"Violas!!"
Bell smiled faintly and drew the dagger from his waist.
"Looks like we've been found out..."
As the sound of clashing blades grew closer—
Countless Violas dropped from the walls and lunged straight at them.