The Fukaros Familia, starting from DanMachi.

Chapter 182 The Place Where Alphia's Curtain Falls

"What I just said was just my personal opinion, you don't need to take it to heart."

97

Fen Yu quickly released Liu's shoulder, afraid that if they waited any longer, Liu would lose control and take action.

"Is this—your justice? The justice of the heart?"

Instead of getting angry as he expected, Liu asked softly, somewhat confused and hesitant.

"Yes," Fen Yu looked into her eyes and said in a deep voice, "This is my justice, following the justice in my heart. No matter what others think, I will not change."

"It's really...enviable."

Liu pursed her lips, revealing a smile that could hardly be called a smile.

She envied Fenyu for being so steadfast in her sense of justice, unlike herself, who was once completely shaken by revenge and confusion.

Liu parted her lips slightly, first looking up, the white light filtering through the branches and leaves making her squint.

"We elves are considered a race with beautiful appearances."

His eyes were slightly open, his gaze lingering on the ground.

"Everyone says we are exceptionally good-looking, and we think so too. That's an undeniable fact. We are proud, have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and don't easily allow others to touch our skin."

Upon hearing this, Fen Yu awkwardly touched his nose.

"I've also seen some elves who think other races are ugly, both inside and out, and who are unwilling to communicate with others. They live in seclusion in the forests of their homeland. At least in the village where I used to live, almost everyone was like that."

"However," she continued, "when I see my fellow citizens not identifying with groups other than themselves and taking pride in looking down on others—I have a thought."

Then, she slowly looked up again, gazing at the false, crystal-like white sunlight.

"Perhaps, the most beautiful elves are actually the ugliest."

"So I left the village and came to Orario, but I found that I was also bound by that deep-rooted elven ideology, no different from my fellow elven people. I hated that version of myself."

"Until that person reached out to me," Ryu's gaze slowly shifted to the grave with the broken sword stuck in it, "she was the first person to touch me, yet I didn't feel any repulsion. It's truly incredible."

"Then, there was the second person, who gave me my current home."

"In the end—it's you."

Liu turned her head, her sky-blue eyes staring straight at Fenyu.

"You are the third person who has touched me, yet I do not dislike you, Mr. Fenyu."

Under Fen Yu's surprised gaze, Liu reached out and took the hand that had just touched hers.

The elven girl's hands were slightly cool, yet very soft.

"Why is that? I don't think I'm special."

Fen Yu asked, puzzled.

He felt he couldn't compare to the radiant Alexandra, who was as beautiful as a red flower, in representing justice, nor could he offer Ryu profound love and redemption like Hill.

"Maybe it's because—" Ryu squeezed his hand and whispered, "You have something I envy the most."

"A figure who, for a certain goal, will not waver, will not hesitate, and will not belittle himself, but single-mindedly and straight ahead —"

"To me, it's a bit too dazzling."

Fen Yu stood before the graves of Ariel and a dozen others, his expression filled with undisguised regret.

Given Alyssa and her companions' abilities, if they had survived to this day, the entire Familia would probably be Level 1 Adventurers, and Alyssa herself would likely be Level 6.

But there are no "ifs".

The dungeon is such a cruel place; you never know whether an accident or tomorrow will come first.

"Ryu, can you take me somewhere?"

After this heart-to-heart talk, the relationship between the two clearly grew closer.

Although Ryu still habitually uses honorifics, Fenyu is not the type to be polite to acquaintances.

Therefore, he addressed him by his first name without any politeness.

Liu had no objection to this, but a faint blush rose on her fair face.

"Where do you want to go?" Ryu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Alphia—the final resting place, I want to see it one last time."

Fen Yu's tone turned somber.

"————Okay, follow me."

Liu paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

As one of the people who witnessed Alphia's final moments, she was equally impressed by the place.

Led by Liu, Fenyu walked towards the depths of the eighteenth level, towards a huge cliff face.

That's the highest point in the entire "Maze Park," and the best viewpoint to overlook this fantastical world.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Fen Yu couldn't help but hold his breath at the sight before him.

It was a sheer cliff, as if carved by a knife and axe, like a scar on the earth, or a throne left behind by a giant.

They stood atop the cliff, with nothing but empty space beneath their feet. A fierce wind howled up from the bottom of the cliff, making their robes flutter and giving them the illusion that they could be swept away at any moment.

From here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the magnificent scenery of the entire eighteenth floor.

The boundless green grassland stretches into the distance like a giant velvet carpet, and the azure crystals scattered across it sparkle like diamonds under the sunlight from the zenith.

The lake on the left is as still as a mirror, reflecting the incredibly realistic "sky" made of countless crystals.

To the right lies a vast forest, a deep green sea.

And in the very center, the colossal tree that spans the heavens and the earth exudes a breathtakingly magnificent aura.

Standing here, one feels so small, like a speck of dust, ready to be swallowed up by this magnificent natural wonder at any moment.

"This is it," Xinliu's voice was carried by the wind and seemed a little ethereal. "It was here that we had our final battle with Alphia. Back then, the cannon dragon on the 52nd floor pierced through the floor with its cannon fire, creating a purgatory that led straight to the abyss beneath our feet. Alphia finally—jumped off from here and ended it all."

She pointed down the cliff.

Fen Yu looked down following her finger, only to find that there was no terrifying abyss at the bottom of the cliff, but a huge, fast-flowing stream meandering by.

"The dungeon has a self-repairing function," Ryu explained. "So many years have passed, and the abyss that was pierced by the cannon dragon has long been repaired by the dungeon itself."

Fen Yu stood on the edge of the cliff and slowly closed his eyes.

The wind whistled in his ears, and he seemed to sense something, his thoughts drifting back six years to that twilight.

He seemed to see that gray-haired woman standing there alone, facing the entire Astrea Familia, releasing that power called "Silence" that even she herself loathed.

"Ryu, thank you for bringing me here. You should go back now. I want to stay here by myself for a while."

Fen Yu opened his eyes, his voice carrying an undisguised sadness.

"Fine, you—"

Liu hesitated, but she understood how Liu felt.

Whenever she came to visit Alexandra and the others, she preferred to be alone and didn't like being disturbed by anyone.

She could empathize with the feeling of losing someone important to her more than anyone else.

In the end, she simply nodded, turned around, and walked off the cliff.

However, just a few steps later, as she looked back, her sky-blue eyes widened in shock.

Because Fen Yu spread his arms, turned his back to the void beyond the cliff, and let his body fall backward, plummeting straight down the towering cliff.

"Mr. Burning Feather!"

Liu instinctively cried out in surprise and was about to rush forward without thinking, but her steps stopped abruptly at the next moment.

Her adventurer instincts quickly overcame her panic.

She remembered that Fen Yu was already a level 3 adventurer, and this height wouldn't be enough to kill her.

Moreover, there was a wide stream below the cliff, making it even less likely that anything would happen—unless, of course, he was a non-swimmer.

Thinking of this, Liu's heart, which had been in her throat, finally calmed down a little, but she still stared intently at the falling figure, her face full of complex emotions.

She never expected Fen Yu to be such a crazy person.