Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

"Yes, that's... an experience pack."

"Huh?" A moment of clarity suddenly appeared in Ais's mind, which was gradually becoming confused.

The scene I had in a drunken dream two months ago flashed through my mind again: a pitch-black dragon, its breath tearing the earth apart, and huge wings that emitted black particles.

In the end, the giant dragon head was severed by a single sword strike.

“Look at that beautiful posture and powerful strength. Loki would never give you something that can make you stronger so quickly.” Ciel took two steps back, away from Ais who was being swept away by the black wind.

"Didn't you want to know how to become stronger? Roar, howl, if your sword breaks, use your teeth; if you bleed to death, devour the flesh and blood of monsters. Use everything around you to defeat it alone, and you will become stronger than everyone else!"

Charles's expression turned serious: "Tread on everything that stands in your way and turn it into the foundation for reaching the summit. That is the secret to becoming stronger!"

"Ah... Ahh ...

The gleaming silver sword tore through the burning monster before it. A whirlwind flashed, and its body shattered, its flesh and blood, burning with flames, scattering in all directions.

Before the astonished Astrea Familia and the others, a black sword wind, unleashing powerful magic, cleaved through all the monsters.

"Get out of my way! Get out of my way! Get out of my way!"

"Ais! Wait!" Rivera roared, her eyes glaring at Ciel. "What did you say to Ais?!"

She suddenly remembered the mysterious figure who had lured Ais into venturing into the dangerous floors a few months ago.

"It's you! Joker, what exactly is your purpose?"

Charles stared arrogantly at the berserker who had cleaved the falling black fireball in two with a single blow:

"Seeing this scene, don't you understand? [Nine Demon Princesses], excessive pampering, imposing your own standards on outstanding children, has shackled them. You have long been stuck in the happy dream woven by the gods, remaining stagnant. Don't use your lazy thoughts to interfere with the development of the next generation."

Rivera, barely suppressing her anger, asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Alfia chuckled. "Disappointment, of course."

"disappointment?"

"...Look, that's it. That's the 'Power of the Deprived.' A roar leading to the pinnacle, obtainable only before that terror and despair." Alfia gazed at the small girl who was unleashing a black storm that relentlessly tore apart the tentacles of the "Greatest Evil," and sighed:

"What terrifying power, the dark wind. No wonder Hera wanted it."

"...!?"

Liu, clutching his shoulder, got up: "So, what exactly is your purpose? Why have you, once heroes, fallen into evil!"

Alfia glanced at the blonde elf who was displaying unusual fastidiousness and chuckled, "It seems you've been influenced quite a bit too, new face."

She turned and stared at the four Flame Gold Warriors, who were catching their breath and resting, as well as Grace and the others, stating the facts in a calm tone:

"The negative chain of events that humanity has experienced is just the tip of the iceberg, and what I am showing now is only the tip of the iceberg."

Overcoming countless sacrifices, the chosen ones only need to reach that point! Then they can defeat the 'Black Dragon'! And the world can transcend its end!

Charles stopped behind Alfia, staring at the girls waving the banner of justice, and sighed:

"After the gods descended to earth, the world fell into a stagnation that lasted for a thousand years. And this stagnation began to regress after the destruction of Zeus and Hera's kin."

"If a person wants to stay in one place, he/she needs to keep running, but if he/she wants to move forward, he/she needs to use more than twice the speed."

"So, our goal is simple... if you're not fast enough, we'll just put a terrifying monster behind you. To survive, you'll put all your strength into swinging your legs with all your might."

"If you fall behind, you'll become food for the monster, making it even faster! Then it will chase after the stronger ones, until the last hero is born to defeat the calamity beast that relentlessly pursues 'The End.'"

Alfia declared in a resounding voice, "Therefore, we must turn back the clock and usher the world back into the 'Age of Heroes'!"

Ryu gritted her teeth: "What do you take human life for?!"

Kaguya roared: "Turning back time...? Destroying the present world to bring back the 'ancient heroes'!? You're all insane!"

"Oh, really? I think their wishes are quite reasonable."

With Ais holding them back and escorting Erebus to safety, [Faceless Man] Witt arrived late, taking Ciel's place on the battlefield.

He said in a calm tone, with a hint of sarcasm:

"After all, we share the same goal as you, in order to protect and save the world, even though the methods and processes may differ."

"!" Liu's eyes widened.

"Damn it, this is incredibly stupid!" Kaguya cursed Alfia's inefficient and foolish actions.

Charles narrowed his eyes: "If you can't empathize, isn't there a despair right in front of you that you can't overcome?"

"If you want to refute us, then show us." Alfia didn't want to engage in empty talk with these girls who championed justice and always stood on the moral high ground.

“Show me the power that is above that, prove to me that you have the power to overcome despair.”

"Like that girl, have willpower, resolve, and justice! Bet everything to prove yourselves to me, the absolute evil!!"

Rivera stared silently at Ais...

"Roar, Nizel!" Ais unleashed a slash that transformed into six wind fangs, tearing apart the dragon scales and devouring the flesh inside.

The pitch-black wind, even with its regenerative abilities, could not keep up with its speed, damaging and eroding the dragon's body.

"The greatest evil monster has been suppressed... but..."

Having witnessed Ais, who was only level 3, unleash such terrifying results, Rivera may have already accepted Ciel's sophistry.

She didn't understand Ais, even after spending more than a year together, she still didn't understand Ais as well as the man in front of her.

Even this black wind was something she had never seen before, and it was the first time she had ever understood how terrifying the power could be unleashed from the girl's small body.

but……

“Stop…” Riveria, who hadn’t lost her composure before, trembled in her eyes: “Stop! Your body will break first!”

Chapter 221 Bearing the Sorrowful Wishes of Everyone

Ais's wind magic is similar to Alfia's sound barrier magic, which infinitely increases destructive power and output, but fails to improve her own physical attributes at the same time.

Even if one can rely on absolute destructive power to resist attacks from the outside world, one cannot stop the storm from eroding one's body.

It's fine for a short time, but if the Black Wind state is maintained for a long time, Ais's sharp blade will break sooner or later.

Unfortunately, the "divine beast tentacles" have a powerful regenerative effect. If it were a regular level 6 dragon, Ais would have already beheaded it in a few strikes.

"So strong!"

The adventurers who witnessed Ais's solo performance fell silent.

"Is this why that child is secretly called 'War Princess'?"

Under Riveria's clandestine healing, Alicia's scorched skin gradually healed. She gazed at the evil god and villains standing together and smiled:

"What? Since we're all acting in the name of 'justice,' why don't we just sit down and have a proper chat? As long as we can find a win-win solution, we can definitely reach our desired 'ideal.'"

Alfia lowered her eyes: "Don't be naive. If you can't even withstand a simple caress, what can you possibly do?"

“Haha, you’re right…” Alexie scratched her face. “So, just like Leon has been saying, are you planning to entrust your sense of justice to us?”

"!" Ryu's eyes widened. "Alissie, how can their twisted logic be called justice? Even so, the 'past' they're tracing has no 'future'! How can such things possibly survive!"

Alexie's expression turned serious: "You're wrong, Leon. Willpower cannot be passed down, but power will be truly accepted by us..."

"Like a whale that falls into the sea, it will become nourishment for all life in the underwater world, forcibly promoting the growth of life."

Alexie chuckled, "While I'm confident I won't yield on the issue of 'justice,' my strength is too weak. There are many things I can't do; perhaps a casual shell would shatter me into pieces, rendering me powerless."

For the first time, Liu understood the true meaning of the overlord and stared at Alfia in disbelief.

"Don't look at me like that." Alfia opened her heterochromatic eyes. "If you want to obtain nourishment from the giant whale, you'll have to wait for a 'whale fall'!"

Ryu lowered her head: "No. Although I feel that your actions betrayed the wishes of the dead, agreeing with you is like denying those who died resisting this struggle."

She looked up: "But you also have a wish. You hope that we will carry on the ideal of 'saving the world,' and we have indeed accepted that!"

Ryu turned to stare at the black, alien creature that roared and rained down fire, confronting the unbearable horror and despair with an unwavering determination to move forward:

Right or wrong, we will bear it all, and then seize that sliver of possibility leading to our ideals, heading towards the "future"!

This is not just pretty talk from a naive elf.

"The mission of those who share this burden, the sacrifice of our comrades, and your tragic wish, the world's tragic wish—we must bear it all, and here we will defeat the 'greatest evil,' and you, Alfia!"

With her tattered combat suit and cracked wooden sword, Ryu took a powerful step forward and charged towards the roaring dragon.

"..."

Alfia's time seemed to stand still as she turned to look at the silent Charles.

Is this the person you've chosen?

"Hmph, so naive (stupid), right? Stubborn, and obsessed with cleanliness, with that kind of personality, if he hadn't died halfway, would he have had a chance to even touch the threshold of becoming a hero?" Charles stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the battlefield.

Alexie swapped her new spare weapon from Noin's package.

"Rion has found the answer, everyone. No matter how desperate the future may be, even if we one day return to the stars, if we're all together, we'll surely be able to move forward together, together towards the 'future'!"

"Hey, Joker, does the bet still stand?" Lyra asked slyly.

“Ah, I’m not like those lowly villains.” Charles gestured for them to proceed. “Besides, I’m also curious to see if Orario still has any heroes capable of overcoming ‘despair.’ You, who can constantly grow stronger than monsters that only rage in vain, are a better measure of my character!”

Kaguya coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face turning from pale to rosy: "You really dare to say that. I'll kill you sooner or later."

“Welcome, if you can manage it.” Charles smiled with pleasure.

Glancing around at her companions, Alexie raised her sword high and shouted the cry: "In the name of the goddess, let 'hope' lead to the future of this land!"

"I swear to the sword and wings of justice!!"

Watching the girls charge toward the "greatest evil," Alfia murmured softly, "Although their goals differed, the results unexpectedly aligned."

Charles chuckled softly. "Indeed, after all, our goal isn't the past. After all, when the appointed day arrives, the so-called Age of Gods will truly be the 'past.' What we need to promote is the 'future.'"

……

On the high rocky platform where everything could be seen, Erebus murmured:

"Isn't it beautiful? The radiant will of 'justice,' the dark essence of evil, and the 'ideal' that we all yearn to reach."

"Is this what you're after?" The gentle girl appeared behind Erebus.

The handsome man made a helpless expression and slowly turned around.