The Journey Begins in DanMachi

She did not know why she had come to this dark, frigid underground cavern; she only knew there was nowhere else for her to go.

After hurting the person who cared for, cherished, and looked after her most in this world, where else could she go after fleeing from Riveria?

There was no one else who would accept Ais. As a sword, she only found meaning in her existence within the monster-filled Dungeon!

And so, Ais swung her blade, thrusting and slashing, rampaging through the Dungeon with a ferocity even more savage than the monsters themselves.

She used the spray of blood to mask her face, which was filled with soft, weak tears.

She let the whistling of her sword drown out the childlike whimpers erupting from her throat.

She drove her violent battle intent to ravage both the monsters before her and her own body.

She sought only to cast off the loneliness that clung to her like a shadow, eroding her will.

It was not until her body sent signals of impending collapse that Ais was jolted awake from her intense emotions, discovering that she had even forgotten to breathe.

After felling the last monster, Ais drove her sword into the ground, feeling the searing heat spreading from her limbs to the depths of her lungs, and struggled to take a deep breath.

When she forced herself to look up, she realized she was in a vast wilderness on the twelfth floor, the deepest part of the Dungeon's upper levels.

Because the monsters had been cleared out, the silence was so profound that only the sound of Ais's own breathing echoed, and the loneliness of being all alone washed over her once more, making her eyes sting.

Just then—

"──Are you feeling pain, you lost child?"

A voice that was solemn yet carried a certain flippancy echoed, and Ais's heart skipped a beat.

She turned her head to look, and a figure emerged from the white mist.

He was draped in black, with long, deep purple hair spilling out from beneath his hood, and his physique was as slender as a woman's.

Despite his heavy air of decadence, his refined features and inhuman aura made Ais realize the other party's identity.

—A Heavenly God?

Why would one be in the Dungeon?

As the question arose in her heart, Ais saw more black-robed figures emerge, gathering behind the purple-haired Heavenly God like guards.

Dark Faction!

Her heart instantly filled with vigilance, and Ais subconsciously wanted to raise her sword to fight.

"Those people don't understand you, do they? They always hinder your progress, making you so lonely, so sad, and so uneasy, right?"

The Heavenly God's honey-soft, sweet voice made Ais's expression freeze.

Her heartstrings were plucked, and the sound of black flames churning roared through her mind; a burning sensation spread across her back, stirring the surging impulse within her heart.

It was the impulse to break free from all beautiful illusions, to surrender her body and soul completely to the violent black flames, and to sink entirely into endless slaughter.

"Then, let me bestow power upon you; come to my side—I will grant you everything you desire..."

Looking at the Heavenly God's graceful hand, Ais's hand moved slightly, on the verge of letting go of the sword hilt she gripped...

Just at that moment, the sorrowful emerald eyes of the Elven royalty flashed through her mind.

The time they had spent together over the past year transformed into a breeze and a flash of light, waking Ais from the black flames and causing her to tighten her grip on her beloved sword.

"I want power, but this is wrong... I cannot go with you!"

The purple-haired Heavenly God's smile also fell silent. Not long after, he shrugged, assuming a frivolous air.

"──What a pity. I thought I could recruit the rumored 'Doll Princess' little sister... In that case, I have no choice but to finish you off as agreed..."

Hearing the word 'finish', Ais quickly assumed a stance.

But the purple-haired Heavenly God suddenly snapped his fingers, and beneath his hood, his lips traced a chilling smile.

Under Ais's astonished gaze, the purple-haired Heavenly God raised his hand, and the next instant—

The Arcanum was unleashed!

A sea of black-purple light transformed into a slender pillar of light that pierced the ceiling of the labyrinth.

Immediately, the Dungeon shook violently as if it had awakened; the cavern walls shattered and crumbled like an avalanche, and the sound of collapse echoed from the entrances and exits.

And on the walls above, as if an eggshell were breaking, life tore itself free, and ominous black wings hung inverted as it let out a hissing roar.

It had sharp claws, hideous fangs, and jet-black scales and wings.

It was a Wyvern, a powerful dragon species that should have inhabited the middle levels, and this one was clearly an irregular species that had been strengthened.

In an instant, Ais's eyes froze.

The black flames that had subsided began to burn fiercely once more, instantly destroying her reason.

"Well then, Doll Princess little sister, bye-bye."

Waving goodbye to Ais, the purple-haired Heavenly God pulled a silver-white sphere that looked like a magic item from his robes, turned, and left with his slightly panicked guards.

Harboring the dejection and boredom of a failed operation, as well as the excitement of having successfully attempted an adventurous act, Thanatos was heading toward his target—a high wall somewhere on the twelfth floor—when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening.

Amidst the earth-shattering tremors of the labyrinth, a chilling sound like the wailing of an evil spirit echoed: the whistling of a sword.

Amidst the swirling mist of dust, a figure emerged abruptly, and a sword gleam radiating bone-chilling cold flashed by in an instant!

"Lord Heavenly God! Watch out!"

"Enemy attack!"

The guards behind the purple-haired Heavenly God immediately sensed the anomaly; while sounding the alarm, they hurriedly pulled the Heavenly God behind them.

The next instant, the blade landed on the purple-haired Heavenly God, nearly decapitating him on the spot—

3 Could I be a grunt?

Question: On a rainy night, if you see a group of people in black robes secretly following a little girl running around, what would an average person think?

I don't know what others think, but Noah's first impression was that this was another typical child-trafficking gang.

When dealing with such people, Noah had always followed the spirit of justice: "What kind of chivalry do you talk about with these demons? Everyone, attack together!"

Meaning: If you can poison them, don't fight; if you can use range, don't engage in melee; if you can ambush, don't fight head-on; if you can gang up, don't duel. In short, whatever is most convenient!

However, in the current situation, Noah only had the option of an ambush.

Although he had lost track of the black-robed men along the way, Noah was clever enough to follow the little blonde girl.

After watching her hack through monsters with swordsmanship that left even him stunned, and seeing her run deep into the area, Noah, as expected, saw that group of black-robed figures again.

Though he didn't know what these perverted men had said to the blonde girl, nor what the purple-haired man had done to trigger the anomaly, Noah followed the principle of "Since I'm already here, it would be a pity not to give him a sword strike," and raised his hand to strike!

Noah had originally intended to decapitate the purple-haired man with one blow, but the alertness and keenness of the opponent's guards exceeded his expectations, coupled with his own severely diminished control over a body on the verge of collapse.

In the end, Noah could only watch helplessly as the purple-haired man lowered his head and dodged the strike.

However, although he dodged it, he didn't dodge it completely.

Because the purple-haired man lowered his head too quickly, the blade that should have struck his neck grazed the top of his head by a hair's breadth.

Sword energy swept out, the hood shattered, hair strands danced in the air, and the Heavenly God let out a miserable shriek.

The strike missed, and the opportunity was lost.

Even if Noah had the heart to give the purple-haired man another strike, the guards behind him had already drawn their weapons and were hacking at his back.

Helpless, Noah had no choice but to give up and turn to face the enemy.

The glint of blades and swords descended upon him, yet they all missed the silver-armored figure.

At the same time, a sword light flashed abruptly, like a streak of moonlight passing through, sliding across the bodies of the guards.

Leaping lightly, Noah stepped gently onto one of the heavy axes that had missed him, retracted his sword, and retreated from the crowd.

By the time Noah stood steady and turned around, flowers of blood bloomed from the guards' bodies, instantly staining the ground crimson.

The few guards still clinging to life clutched their wounds, their faces filled with terror as they let out mournful cries.

"Th-this speed and swordsmanship! At least a Level 3, or even a Level 4 adventurer! No one is a match for him except Lady Valetta! Retreat quickly!"

Thanatos, who had fallen to the ground, came back to his senses, instantly breaking into a cold sweat, and hurriedly touched his neck.

Although a Heavenly God cannot die—only be forced to release his divine power and return to the Heavenly Realm—it was still terrifying to have one's head cut off.

Confirming his neck was intact and his head was still on his shoulders, Thanatos subconsciously let out a long sigh of relief.

But immediately, his vision was covered by scattered purple hair.

Eh?

Feeling a chill on the top of his head, Thanatos subconsciously touched his crown, only to find the texture quite smooth.

His expression froze, turned ugly, and then erupted into infinite rage.

"You despicable, shameless, ambush-plotting, base mortal! How dare you cut my precious hair into a bald spot!!"

Facts proved that no matter how handsome a person is, they cannot pull off a bald look, and even a Heavenly God is no exception.

The roar resounded throughout the 12th floor, almost drowning out the roars of the monsters.

This roar also attracted danger from high above in the sky—the Jet-Black Wyvern scanned the area below with its crimson eyes.

Upon discovering the target of its birth, the Wyvern opened its mouth, filled with countless sharp teeth, and sprayed a massive fireball radiating terrifying heat.

Dazzling brilliance filled everything, scorching light occupied the field of vision, and it was as if a sun had suddenly appeared in the dim mountain cave.

"Run!"

Two guards pulled out magic swords and fired ice-type magic at the incoming dragon breath, while the remaining guards, ignoring Thanatos's rage, dragged him away.

"Holy crap, is the power level of this world this high?"

Feeling the scorching breath sprayed by the magic dragon, Noah couldn't help but narrow his eyes solemnly.

In his previous world, this magic dragon would be just two levels lower than the Demon King, and there wouldn't be more than ten energy sources of the same level on the entire continent.

How did he run into a monster of this level as soon as he arrived in this world?

Tsk, in this world, could it be that I'm actually just a grunt cannon fodder?

With some hesitation, just as Noah prepared to dodge, he saw a silver spherical object, suspected to be a magic item, on the ground in the corner of his vision.

This thing, did it fall off that purple-haired pervert just now?

It should be something good, right?

Before his mind could even process the thought, Noah's body reacted on its own; he lunged forward, snatched up the silver sphere, and dove behind a boulder.

A scorching fireball swept past him by a hair's breadth, close enough that he could smell the stench of his own blood singeing.

The torrent of flame struck the ground, shattering the crust with a deafening roar, and as the Jet-Black Wyvern turned its neck, it spread the light of destruction across the entire cavern.

Yet, after unleashing its breath, the Jet-Black Wyvern snapped its fang-filled, spark-leaking jaws shut, its gaze darting around with a look of confusion and astonishment.

The target had vanished.

The target known as the 'Heavenly God,' whose very existence was the reason it had been birthed by the will of the Mother Labyrinth, had disappeared.

On the other side, Ais, having dodged the sweeping torrent of searing flames, stood up from behind an earthen mound and watched the scene in silence.

Whether withered brush or massive trees, everything was incinerated in an instant as thick pillars of fire erupted from the ground, licking at the cliff walls and the vaulted ceiling.

On the charred flat ground where the flames had slightly receded, large patches of amber-colored sand and stone remained, melted into a crystalline state.

Clusters of orange-red flames dotted the area, possessing an otherworldly, mysterious beauty.

But Ais had neither the time nor the leisure to admire it, for the wyvern high in the sky had already locked onto her.

The embodiment of destruction and flame, draped in jet-black, circled once with its wings fully spread before diving down at breakneck speed!