Chapter 257 ......!!
After defeating Cain.
I landed on the bridge with [Flash Strike] and released [Chaos Strength].
Logan, who had also released [God's Armor] and was exposing himself to the sea breeze, greeted me.
"...In the end, it was surprisingly easy."
"Well, we fought together. Plus, you can't really say it was easy after seeing this scene."
"That's true."
Due to the massive explosion, about 500 meters (≈ 1640 feet) had vanished, and the intense shaking from the blast had caused cracks to run through the once sturdy bridge, with the smooth surface now uneven in places.
Looking further towards the sea, the aftermath of the explosion had left the water still raging, and right in front of us――the spot where the explosion occurred――seawater was boiling, sending up huge clouds of steam.
The bridge would eventually be repaired by the power of the labyrinth, but we didn't have time to wait for that. Fortunately, we had a way to move through the air, so jumping across to the other side of the hole shouldn't be a problem.
When I looked back, I saw the Extermination Team members approaching, waving and calling out, "Hey!" It seemed like everyone was safe.
"By the way, Logan."
"Hm? What's up?"
As Logan started changing clothes by taking them out of his storage ring, I also tried to grab some clothes to change.
"Sorry, but there were no drops from Cain."
"...No magic stones either?"
"Yeah."
"...Is it because of your slash? No, I'm not blaming you."
"I know. But I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine."
However, there was a chance that the sword Cain used could drop. Even if it dropped, it would be useless to me, but it might have been useful for Logan.
After all, it was a relic from the Age of Gods. Logan had been using a technique equivalent to my [Absolute Flash Blade] underground, and even if he couldn't handle the transformation into a "platinum-colored sword," it might have been a sword like "Black-White" that could withstand the pressure of [Absolute Flash Blade] level.
I had given Logan the "Black Moon," but I couldn't make "Black-White" because I didn't have enough materials.
"......"
"Hey, hey, that's not like you, Aaron. Are you really worried about it?"
"......No, that's not it..."
I stopped my hand, which was about to take out my change of clothes, and froze even more as Logan asked if I was worried. I slowly shook my head.
I wasn't worried. It's just that right now... no, could it be just my imagination?
I carefully probed again.
But then, my teammates rushed over.
"――Master!! Good work!!"
"You really went all out, Logan, Aaron."
"Yeah, Master! You did it!"
"That was the technique called [Chaos Strength], right? I've heard about it, but your movements were way faster than usual...!!"
"Ugh...!! You still had transformations left...!! You monster...!!"
"Hehehe, but I've seen the limits of Master's power...!! If I can surpass Master from earlier, Dear Sister Fiona... no! Mama Fiona will be ours...!!"
"Rattling and clashing...!! (In front of Abel, the ancient Swordsman who came back to life, stood the Sword Demon and the Old Sword King side by side. The two exchanged smiles and charged towards their powerful enemy together...!! After a fierce battle, the two finally managed to win, and they took off their torn clothes to check each other's bodies for injuries...!! What was supposed to be just a medical checkup slowly became more intense due to the heat of battle, and...!!)"
Voices of celebration and curses.
It feels like something is off in the second half, but Logan and I respond to our friends' words.
However, while I was carefully probing while responding to my friends, I noticed something.
"...!!"
I involuntarily opened my eyes wide and froze.
Could it really be true?
I was shocked by the unbelievable fact.
Seeing me like that, Fiona, holding Lucia, approached with a worried look. ...No, Lucia should walk on her own with her legs....
"Aaron, what's wrong?"
"You look like a cat that just got a fright."
"No..."
How should I respond? As I hesitated, kind Fiona didn't force me to answer.
"If you don't want to say, I won't ask. But, shouldn't you put on some clothes soon? You might not catch a cold, but it's not good to let your body get cold."
Not catch a cold?
Well, it's true that they say I'm a lively kid, so I don't usually catch colds.
And now that I think about it, I don't have any memories of catching a cold. But why does Fiona know that?
...The power of love, huh.
Well, anyway.
"No... it's not a big deal, really."
"Yeah."
I don't want to worry Fiona. Should I just be honest...?
"For this hunt, I made a lot of Black Radiance, right?"
"That's true."
"And since I didn't know what might happen, I brought all of it with me..."
"Uh-huh."
"Surprisingly... the storage ring has a small capacity."
"Huh?"
The storage ring I'm using is the one I got from the 4 families during the Labyrinth Conquest Team days, and it's the lowest rank. Its capacity is 3 cubic meters (≈ 106 cubic feet).
Sure, that's not a huge capacity, but normally it wouldn't fill up so quickly.
However, this time, I stuffed a bunch of weapons into the ring. Weapons are consumables, and I wanted to avoid the embarrassing situation of running out of swords in the middle of a fight.
And it seems that...
"I organized the stuff in the ring, but... I forgot to bring a change of clothes."
"What?"
Yeah, actually, I don't have a change of clothes for when my outfit gets ruined.
I have some underwear and the raincoat I wore on the 47th floor, but...
At first, I panicked a bit, but after thinking it over, I realized it wasn't a big deal, and I started to calm down as I talked.
"Well, it's just a matter of going completely n*ked later or continuing like this... Yeah, that's right. I might as well just keep going like this."
Wearing just a raincoat and underwear feels a bit pervy, right?
Actually, this way might be better.
I convinced myself and turned my back to Fiona and the others, squatting down on the spot.
"Alright, with that said, let's get going! Lucia, hop on."
So, I decided to carry Lucia on my back again and continue exploring, but――
"...I don't want to...!!"
For some reason, Lucia said that and refused to let me carry her.
"Hey, Lucia. Don't be selfish."
Seriously, this is a mission to defeat the [Evil God], right? I don't have time to deal with her silly complaints.
"It's not being selfish...!!"
What's her problem?
Just as I was about to stand up and give her a proper scolding――
"Don't worry, Lucia, Aaron."
Fiona said with a gentle smile.
"I thought this might happen――."
She pulled something out from the ring—
"I brought Aaron's change of clothes."
It was my outfit.
""Fiona...!!""
Lucia and I called out Fiona's name at the same time.
Honestly, I wouldn't have minded being completely n*ked, but Fiona's kindness really touched my heart.
"But――."
Fiona continued as she handed me the clothes.
"I didn't have a lot of space in the ring, so I only brought one set each. So... please don't tear it, okay?"
"Ah...!!"
I nodded as I took the clothes.
"It's going to be tough, but I'll do my best...!!"
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