Multiverse: In DanMachi, I'm the Strongest Summoner

Riveria noticed the turmoil within Ais and chose not to speak further for the time being.

A moment of silent stillness passed between them.

Riveria hesitated, unsure how to resume the conversation.

But then she realized...

There was no need for tension between her and Ais.

So...

She discarded that thought.

No beating around the bush.

That was the unspoken rule between Riveria and Ais.

However...

Something felt off.

In her memory, Ais would always rush into the dungeon the moment an expedition ended.

Yet now, she hadn't gone back at all.

As Ais's guardian, Riveria was naturally aware of her growth rate.

Since returning from this last expedition...

Ais's total ability improvement had only increased by a meager 16 points.

And yet, in just these past few days—

Without entering the dungeon—

Her total ability increase had surged by more than 700.

This kind of boundless growth was far beyond normal limits.

Riveria had carefully confirmed it.

Ais hadn't acquired any rare skills that would boost growth speed.

And Loki's granted Divine Blessing couldn't be faked either.

Which made the whole thing rather strange…

This sudden cheat-like progress left Riveria completely baffled.

And then, there was another thing…

Just last night, in the middle of the night, Riveria—who lived in the room next to Ais's—

Could hear a repeated pattern of soft moans and gasps through the wall.

Riveria could understand.

Ais was no longer the seemingly airheaded girl from before.

Having physical needs was only natural.

But still…

Why had the sounds continued until morning?

Did it really take that long to resolve a physical urge?

That part left Riveria utterly bewildered.

Could it be...

Ais had secretly fallen in love?

If that was the case, then who was her partner?

According to what Riveria knew—

Every male who had tried to approach Ais with ulterior motives ended up either tragically dead or smashed to pieces.

Just recently, she'd completed a One-Thousand Man Slaughter.

Riveria couldn't figure it out.

Someone as cold and distant toward others as Ais...

Falling in love? With someone?

...

"Did you discover the secret to getting stronger?"

Riveria, speaking like a doting parent, asked her again.

Ais's gaze flickered, then she nodded lightly after a moment of silence.

"...Yeah."

She remembered Raven's repeated warnings.

The secret to growing stronger—must not be shared with anyone.

Especially...

——Riveria.

Riveria quietly studied her face.

The expression that had remained unchanged all this time—now looked subtly different.

A faint, hidden blush had appeared on Ais's cheeks.

"Can you tell me? I won't tell anyone else."

Riveria began coaxing her.

She couldn't help it…

This sudden, absurd growth rate was simply too astonishing.

At this rate, they wouldn't be able to hide it from the others much longer.

Currently, only Loki and herself knew Ais's updated status.

"...Someone... taught me."

Ais replied in a very small voice.

"Is that so…?"

Riveria gazed at her, her curiosity deepening.

To think ability points could be gained... through instruction?

It was utterly unheard of.

"I'm sorry… Riveria, I need to go…"

Ais didn't want to say more—afraid she might accidentally mention Raven.

And so—

She stood and left the conference room.

Leaving behind only Riveria, now deep in thought.

After a long moment, she made a decision…

In the coming days, she would have Lefiya tail Ais to see what she was up to.

...

Scene Shift.

The so-called Afterglow—

Was a slash technique that used a weapon to send a devastating wave cutting through distance to strike a target.

It was a secret move capable of slicing through mountains, cleaving cities, and slaying dragons.

It surpassed even a mage's bombardment—and it could be used by a Level 1 Adventurer.

However—

There were conditions to using Afterglow.

First, the user had to be highly skilled in slashing weapons like swords or axes.

Second, they needed to possess magic or a skill that enhanced their strength.

And at this moment—

The people on-site who met those conditions and had mastered Afterglow...

Aside from the three Overlords, there was also Arlice the Crimson Blossom.

As well as…

Raven and Meteria.

The rest had no qualifications—unsurprisingly.

However…

Arlice hadn't learned it just yet.

...

Ding~

Ding~

Ding~

The bell tower's chime rang again.

"—Flame Lightning."

Meteria drew her longsword, once more enchanting the blade with flame and lightning.

With double-charge fully maximized—

She raised her divine-class sword, Tenha no Tsurugi, high and brought it crashing down.

"Holy Fire Afterglow!"

With a resounding shout, the flame-infused slash rocketed forward at blinding speed.

Mid-flight, it transformed into an enormous blaze of light—then into a wave of swordlight aimed at the Blood Dragon.

"｀ROAAARRR!?"

The distant Blood Dragon was instantly split in two, letting out a wretched screech.

Its dying cry was swallowed by the roaring flames.

The dragon's massive body was incinerated from the point of rupture.

As the flames reached its magic stone core, a dazzling crimson lotus bloomed.

Even after slicing the Blood Dragon, the flame slash continued tearing through the air—

From the top level of the floor, straight to the base of the tree-lined wall.

On its path, it annihilated everything:

Venomous Triceratops, Berserker Devourer Dragons, Shadow Raptors—monster species akin to dinosaurs—

All were killed before they even knew what hit them.

Their bodies reduced to nothing by the flame slash.

The towering trees surrounding the area were shredded by the light shockwave—

And then incinerated completely.

The grassy earth beneath turned into a charred, black trail in an instant.

And that wasn't the end…

The scorched earth split wide open—

BOOM

A massive explosion thundered from the lower depths of the floor.

At that moment—

The dungeon let out a groan of agony.

The floor began to quake.

"So… so strong…"

Daphne, Mikoto, and Cassandra stared at Meteria like she was a monster.

All of them were Level 2…

Why was the power gap so colossal?

They couldn't understand her—nor see through the strength of this white-haired beauty.

"…Nice."

Raven flashed a satisfied grin and gave her a thumbs-up.

Worth mentioning—

His own Afterglow Slash didn't have the same effect as hers.

"So this is Afterglow… huh?"

The members of the Justice Girls were all dumbfounded.

"Meteria, your technique… still needs refinement."

Lagunares, acting as her mentor, smiled warmly with pride.

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