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Run.
No… more accurately—
Eliminate the weaker target first, remove all interference, then deal with the stronger one.
Even though the man before him radiated a presence he loathed, Balor knew something else.
There was another human on this floor.
"GRAAAAH—!"
Roar!
Balor unleashed his roar toward Ryu.
A roar of Level 7 and above.
In an instant, Ryu's body nearly gave out. She almost collapsed on the spot.
A normal roar was just a sound.
A roar skill was something entirely different.
It could force anyone below the user's level into a state of paralysis.
One of a boss's deadliest tools.
Balor's reasoning was simple.
The man in front of him was troublesome.
So first, eliminate the one behind him, the one who could interfere at any moment.
Then deal with the real threat.
If that man panicked because of his companion?
Even better.
He could turn back and finish him in one strike.
Unfortunately for him—
Anos Kanzaki was nothing like that.
Ryu's pupils shrank.
She hadn't expected to be discovered.
Her mind went blank.
A thin line of blood slipped from her ear.
Under the effect of the roar, she had taken damage.
And entered a state of paralysis.
By the time she regained awareness, Balor was already close.
Close enough that she could smell the beast's stench.
"…Is this… the end?"
She tried to stand.
Her body gave out halfway, collapsing again under the dizziness.
This was the effect of the roar.
A normal one wouldn't have affected her But this was a strengthened Floor Boss, bordering Level 8.
Completely different.
At the edge of death, memories flooded her mind.
Scenes like fragments of a fading dream.
Her days with Astraea Familia.
Fighting alongside her companions.
Growing stronger together.
Those were beautiful days.
But…
They were gone.
The Astraea Familia had been destroyed.
She became a seeker of vengeance.
Burning herself out, destroying every enemy she believed responsible.
And just as she was about to burn away completely—
She was taken in.
Given a place at the Hostess of Fertility.
A hunted fugitive, sheltered in a place strong enough to protect her.
Even as a Level 4 adventurer…
She was nothing special there.
Then came peace.
Quiet days.
Days spent with Syr.
Gentle. Calm.
Syr slowly healed the heart she had hardened as an avenger.
And then—
She met him.
Anos Kanzaki.
The one both she and Syr had begun to care about.
Only now, at the brink of death, did she realize.
She cared too.
Blaming it on Syr…
That had only been an excuse.
A poor one.
"…If I can… I want to see him win."
That was her final thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
A voice.
Familiar.
Warm.
Not a man's—
A boy's.
How…?
There was no way he could have reached her in time.
"People say your life flashes before your eyes before you die, Did you see anything?"
That voice again.
Bright, like sunlight.
She couldn't mistake it.
"But there's no time for that now, is You can tell me later."
As he spoke, Anos Kanzaki raised his silver blade.
At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.
Maybe… it was time to open that treasure.
Balor's eyes widened.
When did he get there?!
The answer—
Teleportation.
Balor didn't understand what that was.
Only one thing mattered now.
He couldn't stop.
Not at this distance.
"GRAAAAH—!"
If he couldn't achieve his original goal—
Then he'd bet everything on this final strike.
But…
He would never get the chance.
Power surged through Anos.
His gaze locked onto Balor.
Calculating.
Adjusting.
Before, he didn't need to think about such things.
But now…
He chose differently.
Anos swung his blade.
A strike that seemed to tear through space itself.
Before Balor could even reach him—
The slash had already arrived.
One Blade — Asura.
Pseudo Final Secret Sword — Shadow Pursuit.
Countless slashes erupted across Balor's body in an instant.
A strike beyond light.
Beyond shadow.
A blade drawn with absolute faith in itself.
A conceptual slash.
Born from surpassing limits.
True power wasn't about overwhelming destruction.
It was about precision.
All force, focused exactly where it needed to be.
"…"
A soft sound.
As the silver glow faded—
Balor's body collapsed into fragments.
Anos hadn't killed it completely.
Not yet.
Because it still had value.
Now reduced to a single head, it clung to life through sheer vitality.
Ignoring its failed attempts to roar, Anos turned toward Ryu.
With a casual motion, he cast a healing array.
Warm energy flowed through her.
Like countless streams washing over her body.
Her strength returned.
"…Thank you."
Her expression was complicated.
But she spoke after steadying herself.
She still couldn't believe it.
He had appeared instantly.
And ended Balor in a single move.
"Ryu."
Anos smiled and handed her his blade.
"Take this. Finish Balor… and join my Familia."
"…Huh?"
She froze.
Had she heard that right?
"Ryu, I'm inviting you to join the Hestia Familia. As far as I know… You don't belong to any right now."
"Why… me?"
Her voice wavered.
He had rejected so many people.
Why her?
Did that mean…
Was she special to him?
"Why?" Anos smiled.
"Because I think you're a perfect fit. Is that enough?"
She was.
At the peak of Level 4.
With a feat like killing Balor, she had over a ninety percent chance of reaching Level 5.
Among everyone he knew, she was one of the best candidates to recruit quickly.
He had planned to invite her eventually.
After the war with Apollo.
But now…
The opportunity was perfect.
A ready-made achievement.
Wasted otherwise.
"…A perfect fit…"
Ryu fell silent.
"…Can I think about it?"
"Ryu, you're a Level 4 adventurer. I already know that."
They spoke at the same time.
"…I see."
She relaxed slightly.
But doubts still lingered.
"And more than that… I have the ability to glimpse the future and understand the past."
Anos continued.
"I know what you've been through. Someone who values their comrades like you… is exactly the kind of person I want in my Familia."
"…You… know?"
Her voice trembled.
Was it true?
Or had he heard from someone else?
"I do."
"You were part of the Astraea Familia. You wiped out an entire Familia for revenge."
"But… you didn't finish the job."
"…What do you mean?"
Her expression changed instantly.
"Are you saying… There are still enemies left?"
"I know who they are."
Anos's voice turned calm.
"Evilus."
"A shadow organization that thrives on chaos."
"What happened to Astraea Familia… was only a small part of what they've done."
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