She tossed her silky black hair, quickening her pace as she ran up the slope. Looking at the woman who had become a formidable rival since joining the Familia, Ryu sensed that Kaguya's retreating figure seemed somewhat flustered.
However, before she could even smile, the captain's indiscriminate teasing began.
"Ryu, you too. Even if those people were acting weird, there's no need to react like that, right? You've been in Orario for two years now, and if you keep acting this way, I'm really worried you'll end up alone."
There was no malice in Alise's voice...rather, it was full of genuine concern. But that's precisely what made it more lethal than Kaguya's aggressive words. Because lies don't hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife.
"No, I don't need... that! All I need is to dedicate my life to Justice!"
Looking at the blonde elf making her vow with such pride, Alise sighed and shook her head.
"It is our duty to dedicate our lives to Justice, but if you find a man who can touch your heart, don't hesitate! A person like that is rarer than an Aurora Dragon. If you miss your chance, you may never encounter another one in your life. Even if you have to use despicable means, you must capture him!"
I would never do that!
Just as Ryu was about to refute this, a violent tremor ran through the entire cave, followed by a deafening roar like a tidal wave.
"Is this... adventurers fighting Goliath?"
"Captain?"
Under the watchful eyes of her fellow members, Alise pondered for a few seconds before making her decision. "Let's hurry up and check. It would be troublesome if it was another adventurer team that encountered Goliath."
However, when the Astrea Familia arrived at the exit, they were immediately stunned by what they saw.
"Are you kidding me? Is this a one-on-one fight against Goliath?"
At this moment, an undeniable fierce battle was unfolding before the Astrea Familia.
The enormous giant raised its head and roared, causing the long hall to tremble violently and countless stones to fall. Goliath raised its hand, clenched its fist, and slammed it heavily onto the gray stone slab in front of him. Rock fragments flew everywhere, raining down on its enemy like missiles.
That enemy was a silver-haired swordsman standing a hundred meters away, clad in an armor. He looked quite young, at most about fifteen or sixteen years old. Even wearing armor, they could tell he had a slender build, and the longsword in his hand was not the Claymore that power-type adventurers would use.
In the eyes of the Astrea Familia members, he should be a speed-type swordsman, like Ryu and Kaguya, whose main fighting style was speed and agility. But it was precisely because of this that the girls were even more surprised when he did not run away when faced with dozens or even hundreds of boulder projectiles, but instead raised his sword and slashed forward.
Even ordinary stones, empowered by the giant monster, emitted a thunderous roar like cannonballs, whistling through the air. Large stones rained down on the floor, instantly shattering the flat stone slabs as if struck by a first class mage's power.
Amidst the overwhelming attack and the billowing dust, the silver-haired swordsman's figure appeared small and frail, with all escape routes blocked.
But when the smoke and dust suddenly dissipated, they were stunned to see his response.
And his response....the silver-haired swordsman, with arms that didn't appear strong, swung his longsword. His movements were precise, almost casual, as he slashed at the stone.
A flash of silver light streaked past, and the massive boulder split in two, crashing down on either side of the swordsman, disappearing into the dust. Before the ear piercing sound of the blade cleaving rock echoed through the hall, he had already swung his sword and cleaved another boulder.
The silver light crisscrossed. Whether it was a spinning slash or a downward sweep... Sometimes piercing abruptly, sometimes gently parting... The longsword vanished, replaced by a continuous storm of silver light, a barrier of perfectly-timed slashes.
The sight of the giant boulders and the frail swordsman missing each other by the narrowest of margins was heart-stopping. No one doubted that if he made even one mistake, he would be severely injured. Even in such situation, the swordsman showed no intention of retreating, standing firm like an anchor amidst a stormy sea.
No, he wasn't standing still, he was moving forward!
With an astonishingly gorgeous and skillful swordsmanship, moving with an inhuman grace, the swordsman advanced on Goliath step by step, right through the hail of stone. To the girls of the Astrea Familia, that scene was exactly like the image of hero from the Heroic Tales attacking a giant monster!
After watching this, I'll know what kind of person I need to become...
Ryu could see more than the other girls. Unlike her familia members, Ryu recalled their eye contact on North Street the moment she saw the swordsman. In the first few days after, his quiet eyes had appeared in Ryu's dreams several times, leaving her baffled. There was no malice in those eyes, but they contained something else...Was it nostalgia? Or sorrow?
Who is this person? Have we known each other before? Why did he give me that look? It wasn't until after the expedition and the intense battles that these thoughts gradually dissipated.
But now, Ryu saw this person again. If there was any difference, Ryu felt that she saw a smile on his face. It wasn't tension or fear, it wasn't gritting his teeth, it wasn't angry shouting...it was laughter! A joyful laugh, an excited laugh, a hearty laugh! A wild laugh brimming with desire!
After arriving in Orario from her village, Ryu had seen far too many similar smiles: on the faces of drunkards in taverns, patrons of brothels, wealthy merchants in casinos, and ruthless underworld figures. But the smiles of those people were far less pure than the smile of the swordsman... or rather, far less dangerous.
This person is dangerous... It was Ryuu's instinct that made her reach this judgment instantly.
Just as getting too close to fire will scorch us, even if someone has no malicious intent, getting too close will cause us to be influenced...
This could be understood simply by looking at the sparkling eyes of the other girls in her Familia.
"Stay away..." Even though she told herself that, Ryu just couldn't take her eyes off that tall, imposing figure. She knew perfectly well that it was foolish to fight the Floor Boss head on. But that heroic and skillful fighting style, disregarding life and death, caring only about wielding his sword to shatter everything, was truly dazzling...
Noah, caught in their gazes, was oblivious, absorbed only in the clash. Whether it was the exhilarating feeling of smashing obstacles, the jarring impact rebounding through his arms, or the strain in his legs, Noah felt exhilarated.
Indeed, a head-on confrontation with such overwhelming power is a man's romance!
Starting today, I'm going to be a man who is not only skilled but also cool!
However, this Goliath's story ended here. This giant monster was probably the least prestigious Floor Boss. It could neither summon minions nor did it have any special skills; it relied entirely on throwing stones and was useless up close. Even in terms of strength, it couldn't suppress Noah.
...But something still felt off. Anyway, let's end this.
Another flying stone came hurtling towards him. Noah, tired of cutting them, simply angled his blade against the side of the stone as it flew by. He exerted force with his wrist, spun his body, and deflected the stone, sending it flying back at Goliath. Caught off guard, the giant was struck in the eye socket and immediately covered its eye, roaring.
Taking advantage of this, Noah transformed into a phantom and arrived beneath Goliath in seconds. With a horizontal slash, a blinding silver light flashed into existence, slicing through the monster's massive right leg without hindrance.
AWOOOO!
As Goliath crashed to the ground, a torrent of blood gushed from the wound. But not a drop touched Noah. He leaped from the rock face, sword in hand, and slashed at Goliath's other eye.
And so, Goliath's other eye, amidst painful groans, turned into fragments!
However, as Noah landed and prepared for the next attack, the Floor Boss, who was supposed to fight to the death, actually covered its eyes and ran away!
At this moment, Noah realized what was wrong...Goliath seemed to sense Noah's threat and had been standing by the Wall of grief throwing stones, never advancing.
Was it waiting for a chance to escape? Its brain might be somewhat intelligent, but clearly not that much. That's ridiculous, where could it run? Towards Riveria? That's suicide!
Noah's expression changed immediately when his gaze swept over the dozen or so girls near the exit to the lower floors.
"Retreat immediately!"
They weren't the swordsman who had just defeated Goliath head on. Even the least prestigious Floor Boss was still a Floor Boss! Its enormous size, superhuman strength, and regenerative abilities meant it was virtually impossible for adventurers of the same level to stand against it.
Although the Astrea Familia had defeated Goliath several times, it was only after resting and preparing in advance. But now, they were exhausted from an expedition and had been suddenly attacked! Others were fine, but they had two fragile mages, Celty and Lyra, as well as several supporters who lacked close combat abilities!