Chapter 468 - 468: Doubts

Outside the cavern, a massive waterfall poured down.

Spray rose into a misty cloud, and the distant roar of explosions had completely died away.

Ryuu sat leaning against the blue crystal, staring blankly at the rushing water.

Jura was dead.

The dozen or so remnants of Evilus who had followed him had all perished in the Dungeon as well. Perhaps realizing there was no way out, they detonated the Kaenseki on their bodies before Bete and the others could interrogate them further and find out where their base was.

Who had ordered Jura to act?

Who had hidden those Viola behind the walls?

Was this really Evilus's attack?

None of the answers were clear. The incident ended in a haze of uncertainty.

"Cranel-san..."

Ryuu's thoughts were in complete disarray, and she had no idea what to say. All she could do was call the boy's name and sit beside him, hugging her knees.

The feast of revenge that had just unfolded felt like a terrifying nightmare. The moment the boy swung his short blade and drove it into Jura's chest, the entire dream had been smashed to pieces.

Bell saw through Ryuu's confusion and said softly, "Ryuu-san, I'm sorry for bringing up something painful, but what exactly was the [Calamity] the enemy was trying to summon?"

The two of them were currently on the twenty-seventh floor, waiting for Riveria and the others to arrive while keeping watch for the remnants of Evilus. The chances were low, but the enemy moved unpredictably, so they needed to stay here in case anything happened.

Bete, who was quick on his feet, had already headed back to report the results of the battle to Finn.

The water roared on. With only Bell and Ryuu here, there was no reason for him to hold back.

"..."

Ryuu seemed not to have expected the boy to ask so directly. Her delicate brows drew together, and she fell silent for a moment.

The sound of flowing water continued, like a tide of memories drawing back the curtain on the source of the tragedy.

Leaning beside the boy, Ryuu's tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

"Cranel-san, I don't know the exact details either. But judging from this incident, once the damage inside the Dungeon reaches a certain threshold, a monster will be born."

Ryuu paused, her voice trembling faintly. "Alise... no, all of my former companions were killed by that monster. Astraea-sama once went to ask Ouranos-sama about it, but all she received was a name."

"[Juggernaut]."

"The Destroyer."

As Ryuu said it, her body trembled against her will.

Bell reached out with his right hand and placed it over the back of Ryuu's hand.

"..."

Ryuu wanted to pull away.

She had made the boy bear the sin of killing. She had no right to enjoy that warmth.

But Bell did not give her the chance to escape.

"Ryuu-san, I know this next question is cruel, but it's very important. Please don't avoid it."

Bell covered Ryuu's left hand with his palm.

She was clearly just a young girl, her skin soft and smooth like spring water, yet Ryuu had carried far too much.

So Bell did not mind using "despicable" methods if it meant reaching the heart she had pushed to the brink of collapse.

"Ryuu-san, in your eyes, what was that Juggernaut's potential Status?"

"..."

Feeling the warmth on the back of her hand, Ryuu was silent for a moment.

Although she was usually proud and aloof, rarely speaking much with others, Ryuu had become quite skilled at conversation under the guidance of an old friend.

Bell Cranel was far too cunning.

What she cared about was the sin of killing Bell had taken on, yet the boy refused to mention it at all. Instead, he deliberately began with something too important to ignore, cutting off Ryuu's retreat.

Ryuu saw through his little trick, but she could not refute him. Bell was about to join Loki Familia's expedition, and for him, information was no different from life itself.

"That monster was like an assassin sent by the Dungeon. It specialized in speed and offense, and it could reflect Magic."

Ryuu looked at the water flowing into the distance and added softly, "To be honest, if we hadn't lacked information, and if I had been able to keep my composure, my former companions might not have ended up that way."

The elf girl's self-blame, along with her trembling, reached Bell through his palm.

He understood that unless a true miracle occurred, nothing he said would erase Ryuu's guilt toward her companions.

Words like "the dead are at peace, and the living must move on" would never bring comfort to this noble elf girl.

So Bell gently continued the conversation. "Ryuu-san, do you really think the enemy could capture that monster?"

Ryuu blinked. Following the boy's line of thought, she noticed several blind spots.

Jura had said that someone lent him the Viola to suppress the Juggernaut and capture it.

But a little thought made it obvious. Ryuu alone had wiped out every Viola. These monsters attacked indiscriminately, and unlike the two giant serpents, they did not obey Jura's commands. The other side must have considered that too. They were likely worried the Viola would attack the giant serpents, which was why they had not thrown all their forces at Ryuu right away.

Could those Viola really suppress the Juggernaut?

Even if they could, Loki Familia had just begun their expedition. Was there any need to carry out that plan directly on the route they had to pass through? Even if Ryuu had not stumbled onto the scene, Jura and the others would never have been able to retreat in time.

Ryuu's thoughts raced, and she quickly understood the reason.

Jura was a pawn.

Those Viola were also disposable pieces.

[Calamity] itself was still a monster, not an unbeatable existence. To Loki Familia, one of the strongest Familias in the city, the Juggernaut was merely an enemy they needed to be wary of. It was nowhere near enough to be called despair.

The enemy had not truly set up their plan here. They had simply used Jura and the others to buy time.

"Cranel-san, what exactly are you fighting against?"

Ryuu could not help asking.

It felt as though she had glimpsed into an abyss of malice. Viola, Evilus, Creatures, Evil Gods…

Countless villains were tangled together, using one another, and even Jura was nothing more than a nameless pawn casually thrown away.

Compared to that terrifying fog, the hatred in Ryuu's heart was only the tip of the iceberg.

"I'm afraid the answer lies at the end of this expedition."

Bell answered calmly.

He was deeply concerned about the Juggernaut Ryuu had mentioned, but no information about that terrifying monster had ever been left behind in Orario.

Perhaps even the two great factions of the God Zeus and the Goddess Hera had never witnessed it.

According to Ryuu, it was a unique defense mechanism of the Dungeon. Once the labyrinth's terrain was damaged to a certain degree, the Juggernaut would be born to eliminate the foreign objects inside that floor.

From that perspective, was its strength really fixed?

The deeper one went, the higher the levels and abilities of adventurers became. If its purpose was to clear away foreign objects, would monsters born on different floors truly be at the same level?

Bell had serious doubts about that.

He did not voice that concern and make Ryuu worry about him.

Bell only looked into the distance and said softly, "Ryuu-san, your left hand isn't trembling anymore."

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