Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

Barol is the lonely king of the 49th floor of the labyrinth. He has strength far exceeding that of the monsters on this floor. The guild judges his potential ability to be level 7. Even Freya's Familia can only run away when they encounter him here.

Charles felt that if he were to face that kind of monster, there was a 90% chance of him dying. That was not the kind of lord he should be hunting right now.

But Alfia still let him come along; this... was an opportunity.

It is also a trial.

“If you’re scared, you can go back. I won’t force you,” Alfia said calmly.

Charles said stiffly, “If I encounter danger, I can use a clone to switch back at any time.”

Charles couldn't possibly miss this opportunity to share in the glory. Even as an assist, a level 5 Labyrinth King would at least receive a total of about 500 ability points, not to mention a level 7, which would be a two-person experience share.

Charles smiled and said, "In case you trigger [Sickness] again, having someone by your side can help you escape."

“Okay!” Charles readily agreed, and Alfia nodded slightly.

She really wanted to test Ciel's strength. Even she herself couldn't suppress the despair that a being could not resist when faced with the End. So, would Ciel, at level 2, be afraid when faced with Barol, who was far beyond his level?

Is the desire to shoulder their mission merely a child's whim?

……

The two stopped talking and rested on the spot, adjusting themselves to their best condition.

First, Chardo created a clone of himself, then used the Forbidden Fairy Swamp to divide up half of his power. Now...

Char's strength has basically reached level 5, which is considered exceptional. His damage output is barely acceptable, and his agility has also improved significantly, so survivability shouldn't be a major issue. The downside is that he's fragile and lacks mana.

Charles stole Anya's tone-deafness magic. Only then, under Alfia's magic, was he teleported to Balor's lair.

The environment in the vast wilderness hadn't changed much; the only distinguishing feature was that this place was on the edge of a building. A bottomless abyss was split open in the center of a massive rock wall, and fluorite hidden among the rocks emitted an eerie red glow.

"Is this the lord's room?"

Charles looked down into the tunnel.

It was a monster sleeping in a gap in the wall, its enormous size measuring about 30 meters.

It has thick, elephant-like limbs connected to a human torso, with long arms hanging down to its sides, and large, sharp barbs standing on its gray, muscular body.

As it slept, it seemed to sense the challenger's presence, raising its dragon-like head and opening a single, scarlet eye that gleamed with a fierce light.

"Shhhhhh—"

Chapter 137 My life is like walking on thin ice

The two sides were 800 meters apart, which is the maximum range of the Barorl shelling.

As he looked at the giant monster inside the crack, Xia Er slowly stood up. His fingers, wider than a door panel, dug into the rock wall, sending shards of rock flying and raising a cloud of dust.

Like the alien roar in Ciel's memory, the wind pressure it generated blew off his hat brim and messed up his hair.

Oppression, an unparalleled sense of oppression.

Like a monster from a tokusatsu movie, standing in front of me, and I am not yet the light!

"What, are you scared?"

Alfia sensed Charles's fear, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

"That's only natural. Humans are naturally afraid of things much larger than themselves. When your weapon can't even cut off one of its toes, and your all-out attack can't even shake its footing, you'll realize how insignificant you are!"

She tore open her skirt, revealing her firm, smooth thighs, raised her gun, and strode forward: "If you're scared, just teleport back. This is my trial, don't force yourself."

For Charles, who was at level 2, being able to witness such despair with her was already a rare privilege, and Alfia didn't ask for much more.

Ciel lowered his head and remained silent for a moment...

"Who the hell is scared!"

He roared loudly to bolster his courage. His hesitant steps faltered at that gaze:

"Are you kidding me? Me? Afraid? My goal is the End! How could I possibly bow down to something like that!"

My legs were trembling slightly; it was an involuntary movement of my body.

Charles was perfectly lucid at that moment.

He knew very well why he held a place in Alfia's heart.

If he disappoints the two "Overlords", he will be reduced to "Joker Kid", on par with "Brave Kid" and "Wild Boar Kid".

The fear brought by the monster was not enough to dispel the unease in Charles's heart.

He lacks a sense of security.

Hmm, or perhaps it could be called a fear of insufficient firepower? Or it could be changed to a fear of insufficient financial resources and combat power.

My life has also been like walking on thin ice, every moment a gamble.

Like a gambler, he gradually increases his capital, accumulating chips. His life has no rehearsals; every time is an all-in bet.

Ciel knew that he and Belle were completely different.

Alfia wouldn't smile and pat his head, telling him that someone would stand in his way. Chardo simply hoped he would become stronger, so he could become a hero for others.

They won't tell Ciel, "We will protect you."

The bonds that Ciel have formed are like a frozen ice surface; the further he goes, the more cracks appear, and right now, there is one crack right in front of him.

Instead of companions encouraging him to come ashore and giving him courage, he was surrounded by a group of loudly shouting spectators, waiting to become the clown.

and so……

He moved forward.

As usual, I put on my Persona mask.

Under Alfia's astonished gaze, he took the lead, dragging the black-clad sword, and charged towards the giant beast that exuded astonishing demonic energy.

He must prove that he has the courage to confront the end times and demonstrate his worth.

Having witnessed everything, Alfia bit her lip and followed after him, as if she had finally seen through the boy.

Before this, Ciel was Belle's friend; a person with strange abilities; an ambitious schemer with exceptional mental fortitude; a promising successor; later, he was a guy with a strange obsession with collecting beautiful girls, just like a god; a decent person; a lecherous brat...

Only now, when she suddenly saw Charles's unusual emotions and behavior, did she realize that hidden under this disguise was just a poor child sobbing alone with his knees drawn up to his chest.

If Belle is the darling of the world, then Ciel is like an unloved illegitimate son, living under someone else's roof, putting on a fawning smile, and performing exceptionally well, constantly pushing himself so as not to "disappoint" us.

Alfia stared at the retreating figure roaring as it charged toward the troll, her mind clear.

Ciel envies Belle!

Both faced insurmountable despair, but Belle had countless people standing before her to help her. Ciel, on the other hand, could only rely on his own hands to create a favorable situation for himself.

Yes.

he.

I'm actually quite uneasy.

The urgent pursuit of power, the forging of allies, and the pursuit of interests—behind this seemingly masterful strategy lies a profound anxiety about the future.

She knew that feeling very well; it was like when she was a child being chased by illness. The only way was to keep getting stronger, stronger still, until she was stronger than the illness itself.

She was like a rabbit that always carried a pocket watch that showed "the end," constantly rushing on its way, yet not knowing what it was chasing.

She hated her illness and blamed it for not giving her more time. Give Metluth more time.

Alfia realized that if Belle was a continuation of Metluth and the Red-Eyed Boy, then Ciel was a carbon copy of herself.

While constantly trying to save her from the pursuit of illness, she is also being pursued by a history known as the "Great Struggle".

The source of Ciel's unease... is precisely—a "disease" called Alfia.

On one hand, they yearn for the powerful talents that the "disease" brings, and on the other hand, they fear being devoured by the "disease".

Without realizing it, she had become the very thing she hated most.

"and many more--"

Having figured everything out, Alfia reached out, trying to grab the weak boy who had driven her into danger with just a glance.

But she stopped. She knew she couldn't stop Charles; all she could do was hold an umbrella for her past self...

The ferocious beast raised its proud head, and a crimson ray powerful enough to evaporate all matter shot out from the demonic eye at its top.

boom--------

A ten-meter-wide ravine stretches across this land stained red with blood.

stab-

A bolt of lightning flashed on the other side.

"Ughh ...

A red glint flashed in his eyes, the roulette wheel spun, and the pointer pointed to the [Berserk Magic], a symbol of the evaporation of reason.

Distance... 450 meters!

Charles unleashed a cold glint, severing the shards of rock that Barol had thrown.

"Come again!"

A hurricane rose beneath his feet, leaving afterimages in his wake...

Summoner Spell: Sprint.

Distance... 300 meters!

Charles leaped into the air, dodging the ground that had been churned into rolling waves by his trampling. He then flashed again, closing the distance by another 50 meters.

"Meowhhhhhh!" The roar that shattered the sound waves interrupted Barol's renewed charge, and an abnormal red glow spread across his body.

The black sword in Charles's hand shimmered with ripples, and behind him burned Grace, a startling roar of a bull emanated from the phantom of the hero.