Chapter 498 - 498: Death

Under the girls' gazes, Bell alone forced open Juggernaut's bloody maw.

[Argonaut]. This Skill could charge power into proactive actions. Through five minutes of Limit Off, Bell surpassed the restraints of [Falna] and, for a brief moment, reached an unimaginable elevation.

White light and emerald light intertwined. Bell was not using strength to oppose the Calamity. Instead, he curled his body inward, ignoring the way his bones twisted and warped, turning himself completely into a hard boulder to keep Juggernaut from closing its jaws.

Although the fangs failed to pierce his defense, his body kept creaking and screaming under that enormous pressure.

"?!"

Juggernaut seemed to sense something was wrong and tried to retreat.

Earlier, it had deliberately softened its footsteps and ambushed them from behind.

Eliminate the most dangerous target first, and if the situation turned bad, flee at once.

That was how Juggernaut had slaughtered the girls who spoke of justice.

Bell Cranel would never forgive that.

Intelligence was not a privilege reserved for monsters.

The boy's roar was deafening, as if he were pouring out humanity's fury.

The instant Juggernaut swallowed its prey, it had mistaken who the real hunter was.

The girls would not let Bell's resolve go to waste.

"Light of freedom, severed by frost and tempered in solitude, become the forest's light and heal us. My name is Alf!"

Riveria immediately began chanting Healing Magic.

"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy!"

By the time Bell charged at Juggernaut, Ryuu's chant had already reached its end.

The same scene unfolded before her eyes.

No, no, no, no, no, no...

Ryuu repeated that word over and over in her heart.

Her entire body trembled. Every part of her was trying to stop her from firing the Magic.

But the [promise] drove Ryuu forward.

Bell had said that as long as Ryuu sang, he would always stay by her side.

It was the complete opposite of her farewells with her friends. Even in the endless darkness, a faint light of hope still remained.

Bell Cranel would not lie to Ryuu.

Clinging to that final vision of hope, Ryuu spoke the name of her Magic the instant Bell charged beneath Juggernaut's fangs.

"Luminous Wind!!!!!"

A gale wrapped around it, and a barrage of starlight roared out.

The green orbs of light crossed over the ice barrier on the ground, curved around Bell's body, and rushed into the gaps between Juggernaut's fangs.

A roar like raging waves erupted, and the explosion swallowed Bell's back.

[Fairy Serenade], Ryuu's Skill, enhanced the effects of Magic, and its effect increased greatly at night. Strengthened further by [Astrae Serenade], the power of the Magic rose even higher.

Together with the amplified [Magic Power], that Skill unleashed an extremely powerful chain of explosions.

It could not compare to Riveria's firepower, but the Calamity specialized in strength and speed, while its endurance was quite low. It was more than enough to collapse part of Juggernaut's shell.

Every orb of light struck Juggernaut's upper jaw, shattering the shell over its head.

"Crack————!!!"

An eerie wail came from Juggernaut's throat.

It realized that the white-haired boy who had offered himself up was nothing more than bait.

Sacrifice?

Why?

As the light bullets roared, Juggernaut seemed to recognize the sight before it.

It tried to shake off the boy and quickly avoid the light bullets' assault.

But Bell would not let this monster go.

The boy's body had already been twisted and warped by the pressure, locking tightly around those sharp fangs.

Influenced by Bell, Ais also wrapped herself in a storm and swung her slender sword again and again.

All of this happened in an instant.

Juggernaut instinctively felt fear.

Before it could escape, the girl's fury came crashing down.

"Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy!"

The instant Juggernaut's head shell peeled away, Lefiya completed her Magic.

Magic Power surged, and orange radiance filled the space.

A large magic circle brimmed with anger and grief.

"Arcs Ray!!!!!"

A bombardment of light shot forth.

The Magic Power gathered in that flash was beyond imagination.

[Astrae Serenade], [Requited Love Bond], [Fairy Cannon]. With the support of many Skills, the Magic Lefiya unleashed shone more brilliantly than ever before.

Lefiya raised her staff, and as the flash sped forward, she further ignited the Magic Power throughout her body.

Boom.

A pure-white roar answered, striking Juggernaut's head with perfect accuracy. The weak point stripped of its shell by the boy's wisdom.

The roar did not stop.

The pure-white arrow bit through bone and pierced deep into Juggernaut's body.

Light bloomed.

Then burst.

Juggernaut had no chance to flee, and no time to release a death cry. In just a few seconds, the attacks of the boy and the girls linked together seamlessly and landed upon it.

Bones shattered. Its body exploded.

In the blink of an eye, Juggernaut was reduced to countless motes of dust.

"Bell!"

"Bell!!"

...

They had destroyed the Calamity, but not a single person felt joy.

"Fil Eldis!"

Riveria chanted Healing Magic as she ran toward the boy.

Juggernaut had left nothing behind. That monster likely did not even possess the concept of Magic Stones or Drop Items.

At the center of the room, only Bell and Ais remained.

"Bell..."

Ais sank weakly to her knees, too afraid to step forward and check the boy's condition.

She was only a sword. She could not do anything.

Ais left the space beside the boy to Riveria and stared fixedly at Bell.

"Riveria-sama, there's still Elixir!!"

Alicia frantically rummaged through her backpack for the medicine, rushed forward, and handed it to Riveria.

"Bell Cranel, get up already!"

Lefiya shouted, her eyes filled with tears.

Her vision was blurred, but she could still see the person she loved lying motionless on the ground.

Blood spread across the floor, and Bell's body had been twisted into a horrifying shape by the immense pressure.

The crimson scarf that had withstood the fangs looked like a burial shroud, shaking Lefiya to her core.

"No... This can't be... Bell, Bell!"

Ryuu rushed forward, but overcome by emotion, she collapsed to the ground.

Ignoring how wretched she looked, she crawled toward the boy in tears.

It was not supposed to be like this.

Was it because her song had stopped?

Bell...

"Now, the distant song of the forest..."

Ryuu sobbed uncontrollably, her song mixing with broken cries.

"Healing Magic won't work anymore."

Out of the corner of her eye, Riveria saw the monsters in the distance pounding against the barrier.

She tried to put on her iron mask and tell Alicia to keep chanting frost Magic.

But before Riveria could finish speaking, tears spilled from her eyes.

They fell onto the boy's face.

As if announcing the end, the white light began to fade.

The side effect of [Argonaut] had taken effect.

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