Ash drifted across the wilderness, and the smoke raised by the flames and meteorites had yet to fully clear. Led by Ais, the adventurers formed a silver spearhead and charged toward the Female Body Type at breakneck speed.
The monster horde refused to give way. Viola flowers and Virga surged out from both sides of the "Corrupted Spirit" like a tidal wave, unleashing deafening screeches.
"The enemy really is intelligent. Lefiya-san, let's fall back to the rear ranks together!"
Bell summoned a light shield with [Argo's Ship], blocking the surprise attack from the lightning spear.
"Mm!"
Following the plan, Lefiya intercepted the second short-incantation Magic spell for Bell. Clutching her wand tightly, she stayed close beside the boy.
The moment Finn discovered that the Female Body Type monster could absorb magical power, he made his decision. He handed command over to Bell, then cast an ultra-short-incantation Magic spell of his own, staining his eyes blood-red.
Finn entered a frenzied state, relinquishing command in exchange for a massive boost to his Status. Joining the vanguard, he plunged straight into the wave of monsters. When the Female Body Type monster began chanting an ultra-long Magic spell, Finn seized an opening and hurled his spear, interrupting her incantation.
"She—She's really glaring at you?!"
As she ran toward Riveria and the others, Lefiya kept watching the Female Body Type's reaction.
Those golden eyes seemed filled with endless hatred, fixed firmly on the two of them.
Lefiya only glanced at them once, yet a chill still ran down her spine.
"The enemy still retains a certain degree of combat awareness. She probably realizes her Magic was deliberately lured off course."
Bell answered calmly.
The instant the lightning spear appeared, he had realized they could turn that Magic against the enemy and use it to clear out the troublesome monster horde.
So Bell had deliberately exposed an opening and shifted positions together with Lefiya, baiting the Female Body Type monster into firing the lightning spear. Just as he expected, the resulting lightning storm swept through a huge number of enemies along its entire path.
"How did you know?"
Lefiya asked curiously.
"Because the enemy deliberately used the Viola's cries to conceal her incantation. A planned surprise attack like that is enough to prove she possesses intelligence."
Bell explained truthfully.
What they were facing now was not merely a monster, but a special existence that retained traces of a Spirit's consciousness.
"Hmm... If that's true..."
Lefiya pressed her lips together and left the rest unsaid.
Spirits were noble beings sent by the gods to Gekai, friendly companions who had once aided humanity. If the enemy still retained some part of a Spirit, was there any chance the situation could still be salvaged?
Lefiya knew she should not be thinking about such things in the middle of such a fierce battle, but as a noble-minded elf girl, she could not stop a trace of sorrow from welling up inside her.
Even after being swallowed by the Dungeon, the Spirit had originally entered this Great Hole because she wanted to help people, only to become trapped in its depths.
"Lefiya-san, if everyone here were swallowed up and burned by that firestorm, would you still feel the same way?"
Bell saw straight through the golden-haired elf's thoughts.
"Hmm..."
Lefiya looked toward Ais and the others charging ahead, their rapiers and tempest tearing through the monster horde blocking their path.
The Female Body Type monster had temporarily stopped chanting. Apparently enraged by the boy's scheme of turning her own attack against the other monsters, she shrieked and drove the horde forward.
Bell and the golden-haired elf could afford to talk while they ran because the battle had reached a temporary deadlock and no immediate commands were needed.
Lefiya fell silent. Bell had seen through her thoughts completely, but unusually, she did not feel embarrassed. Instead, she began thinking more deeply about the matter.
This was a battle to the death. Lefiya had no place sympathizing with the enemy. Compared to a Spirit she had never met, the people fighting beside her were the ones she should cherish.
"Lefiya-san, you really don't need to think too much about it. That monster in front of us is probably something similar to a [Demi Spirit]."
Bell continued reassuring the golden-haired elf.
The Female Body Type monster closely resembled the one that had appeared in Rivira Town. It had almost certainly been created the same way, by using a [Jewel Fetus] to parasitize a monster. From that perspective, the true Spirit was most likely still somewhere much deeper within the Dungeon.
"Thank you. I'm fine now."
Lefiya looked toward Riveria, who was not far ahead, and reached out to take the boy's hand herself. "The Viola monsters are swarming over. I'm worried I won't be able to keep up with you, so please don't let go..."
With the warmth of his palm against hers, [Requited Love Bond] boosted Lefiya's Status, and her steps immediately became a little lighter.
A moment later, the two returned to Riveria and the rear guard.
"Bell, what did you do?"
Riveria watched the battlefield.
Ever since Bell and Lefiya had left the group together to deal with the lightning spear, the Female Body Type monster had stopped chanting. At the same time, the Viola and Virga had come pouring out in force, all of them roaring as they charged toward Bell's position.
"I just borrowed the enemy's Magic to help clear out some monsters. Looks like she really likes me, Riveria. Could you deal with these fanatics for me?"
Bell deliberately kept his tone lighthearted to ease the tension among the women around him.
The main reason this tactic had worked was that the Female Body Type monster was not particularly intelligent, making her intentions easy for Bell to read.
It was rather like trying to figure out what girls were thinking. Someone naturally innocent like Ais, or an airhead like Anya, could sometimes act in ways that were difficult to predict. For ordinary adventurers, a monster possessing even a certain degree of intelligence was a terrifying nightmare, but for Bell, that intelligence actually made the creature easier to predict and manipulate.
Long incantations would be interrupted by the spear. Short incantations would be turned against her to destroy the monsters blocking the way. Enraged by this, the Female Body Type monster temporarily gave up on chanting and instead ordered every monster to attack the boy.
Precisely because she had been driven into a rage, she completely failed to notice that the number of spears was limited. The current situation itself was exactly what Bell had been guiding her toward.
Everything he had done was meant to help the vanguard reach the Female Body Type monster faster.
"I see."
Riveria nodded gently.
She had originally planned to use her magic to lure the monsters toward herself and relieve the pressure on the vanguard, but it had not worked. The monsters were clearly obeying the Spirit Avatar's orders and prioritizing Ais and the others.
Riveria had not expected Bell to accomplish what she had wanted through an entirely different method.
She glanced at Lefiya, who was holding the boy's hand, then at Ryuu and Alicia beside her before speaking.
"Leave the monsters charging this way to you."
"Someone actually has her sights set on my lover. It seems I'll have to teach her a lesson."
Riveria tightened her grip on her wand and began chanting her most powerful artillery Magic spell.
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