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Isabel’s suspicion was justified.

My actions had clearly been focused on saving her.

Isabel was no oblivious heroine.

That’s why, through all the circumstances, she had finally realized it.

That I was not Hannon, but someone else she knew.

Grip—

When I didn’t respond, Isabel grabbed my collar tightly.

“I don’t know how I look in your eyes. I was already broken once, and I tried to die following Lucas. After that, I started seeing you and Lucas as the same person. No, maybe that influence still lingers even now.”

Her closed eyes trembled slightly.

Now, I could see her anxiety more clearly.

In the past, she had lost her brother, and then Lucas.

She had leaned on me to stand back up.

If something happened to me, she would once again fall into despair.

At some point, I had become Isabel’s pillar of support.

If I could not be her sun, then I would be her moon.

I had made up my mind and followed through with it.

But in doing so, I had once again bound Isabel in chains.

Right now, we were in a situation where we could lose our lives.

That’s why her anxiety had reached its peak.

She feared my demise more than her own.

Her genuine wish—

The desperate plea that she never wanted to lose me.

I could feel it so vividly.

“So tell me.”

Isabel spoke with trembling lips.

“Who are you?”

“I am…”

But the words wouldn’t leave my lips.

Would it be okay to reveal my identity to Isabel now?

Vikamon was a character who had already exited the stage.

And he had left after committing atrocious acts against Lucas.

There was a promise between Vikamon and Lucas.

But no one knew how Isabel would perceive it.

When it came to someone like Seron, who was outside the scenario, revealing my identity had no major consequences.

But Isabel was at the very center of the story.

Her psychological state would greatly influence the outcome.

Would revealing the truth be the right choice?

Or would hiding it be better?

The hesitation didn’t last long.

I lifted my head and met Isabel’s gaze.

Her crimson eyes shone brightly as they locked onto mine.

I believed in the Isabel I had come to know.

And I believed in the path I had walked so far.

Isabel would understand, no matter who I was.

Not because she was the main heroine of Flame Butterfly.

But because of everything I had witnessed with my own eyes.

“Isabel.”

Just as I called her name and parted my lips to speak—

I yanked her body forward and leaped immediately.

“Kyah!”

BOOOOM!

As we tumbled to the ground, the wall behind us shattered into pieces.

From the dust and debris, grotesquely long arms—taller than a human—shot out by the dozens.

Amidst the thick smoke, a monstrous face at the center of the arms glared with glowing eyes.

What awful timing.

A Named Apostle—Dark Hand.

It was the 8th floor, after all.

Named Apostles were emerging from all directions like weeds.

Isabel and I swiftly pushed off the ground and stood up.

“Isabel, I promise you one thing.”

I exhaled sharply and extended my right hand forward.

“If we survive this, I’ll answer your question.”

Isabel’s eyes widened.

The darkness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by renewed determination.

In an instant, her expression changed as she raised her sword.

“You better keep that promise.”

Now, we had a reason to survive.

And sometimes, that was enough to make a person stronger.

At that moment, Dark Hand moved again.

Dodging the pursuing hands, we immediately sprinted forward.

“Can you shake it off?”

“No chance. Dark Hand has a unique Stalker trait. Once it locks onto a target, it follows them until either they die or it does!”

“Sounds like the worst-case scenario.”

It truly was terrible luck.

Unlike other Apostles, who were confined to specific zones, Dark Hand was free to move across all areas.

Running into it was purely a matter of bad fortune.

We had won the worst lottery imaginable.

No wonder we had been attacked outside an Apostle’s designated territory.

“What do we do? Do we take it down?”

“No. We’re already low on stamina. If we get caught in a prolonged fight here, we won’t make it back.”

As we rounded a corner, Dark Hand slithered after us, using its countless arms like legs.

It was beyond grotesque.

“Then…”

“I was planning to slip out of here quietly.”

But the situation had changed.

Dark Hand would never stop chasing us until one of us died.

There was only one way to get rid of it.

“Isabel, follow me! I have a plan!”

I had already mapped out the entire 8th floor.

I could move without hesitation, taking the shortest path possible.

BOOM! BOOM!

Dark Hand’s pursuit left destruction in its wake.

Every wall it touched corroded and melted away.

These damn Apostles—

All of them were built purely for killing, each more dangerous than the last.

“You—!”

Thud!

Just then, Isabel grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

The moment she pulled me, I instinctively stopped moving.

BOOOOM!

Right where I had been about to step, the wall collapsed, and a swarm of black arms surged through.

If I had taken just one more step, I would have been crushed beneath them.

I owed my life to Isabel.

But there was no time to thank her.

Dark Hand was still chasing us from behind.

With both the front and back blocked, we were trapped.

I stepped forward without hesitation.

Isabel immediately understood and wrapped her arms around my waist.

The magic inscription on my soles flared to its peak.

BOOOOOOM!

With an explosive burst, Isabel and I shot skyward at incredible speed.

We soared over Dark Hand’s arms, the wind whipping against our bodies.

And then, we landed.

THUD!

The moment our feet hit the ground, our bodies lurched forward.

But without missing a beat, Isabel and I moved as one—

Simultaneously pushing off the ground and sprinting forward.

For nearly two months of advancing through the emon PalaceD, our coordination had reached its peak.

We could tell what needed to be done just by looking into each other's eyes.

Putting our lives on the line together forced us to synchronize, whether we liked it or not.

We kept running, perfectly in sync.

The Dark Hand launched relentless attacks, but they couldn't block our path.

However, no matter how well we synchronized, there were limits.

Isabel and I were already well past exhaustion.

Our steps felt heavy.

Our leg muscles screamed at us to stop.

Meanwhile, the Dark Hand intensified its pursuit, closing the gap with unrelenting ferocity.

They were frustrated, unable to catch us despite being so close.

The narrowing distance was becoming harder to shake off.

The Dark Hand had spread out, filling the paths ahead of us.

This much commotion—

The other apostles would surely take notice.

If that happened, the situation would become even more dangerous.

We had to make a move before then.

"Just a little further!"

There was only a short distance left.

‘If we can just get past that corner...’

We could shake them off.

That was my judgment in that fleeting moment.

Above Isabel’s head—

A red dot appeared.

“Damn it.”

At the same moment I cursed, my already lifeless left arm was moving.

The arm, devoid of strength, barely touched the red dot.

Instantly, it bloomed into light like a bursting flower bud.

BOOOOM!

With a deafening explosion, my left arm shattered into pieces, and Isabel and I were sent tumbling across the ground.

The intense impact shook my entire body.

No matter how much of a steel body I had, this level of shock couldn’t simply be ignored.

I must have bitten the inside of my mouth while rolling, as blood dripped out.

But before anything else, I checked on Isabel, whom I had shielded in my arms.

She seemed to have briefly lost consciousness from the impact, but her gaze soon refocused.

“You… you!”

She realized that I had protected her.

The attack just now—

It came from the named apostle, Dark Bug Sniper, a long-range marksman.

That bastard never revealed his presence.

Once within his range, he would fire mercilessly.

Because the Dark Hand had forced us to take a detour, we must have unknowingly entered his territory.

A ringing sound filled my ears.

As for my left arm—

I wasn’t sure.

I knew it had shattered, but oddly, there was no pain.

It was likely because the life energy in my arm had already been drained by the Elixir of Life, severing my nerves.

In a way, this was fortunate.

I wouldn’t be hindered by pain.

Using my barely functional right hand, I pushed myself up.

“Run!”

The Dark Hand was already upon us.

If we were caught here, we were as good as dead.

BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, the Dark Hand blocked our path with a wall of arms.

I had planned to use this later, but now was not the time to hesitate.

The ring on my right index finger began to glow.

At the same time, dark clouds gathered above, piercing through even the Demon Dungeon’s interference.

“Isabel, protect yourself!”

Come forth—Lightning Caller.

A divine thunderbolt descended from the heavens.

――――――!

The Dark Hand’s barrier crumbled beneath the goddess’s wrathful lightning.

Simultaneously, a magical engraving on my body activated.

The remnants of the ancient dragon inside me awakened.

My eyes turned golden, reflecting the dragon’s essence.

Dragon Ascension.

I forcibly absorbed the surrounding electricity into my body.

This way, Isabel wouldn’t be affected by the lightning.

But in exchange, the pain was unbearable, and the scars from the lightning deepened.

I clenched my teeth and endured it.

Before the effect faded, I reached out and wrapped Isabel in my arms.

My body surged forward, exploding with speed.

The world around us blurred.

Dark Bug Sniper fired a few more rounds, but he couldn’t keep up with my velocity.

Except for one bullet.

One bullet that was inescapable.

A bullet that never missed.

A bullet that would hit its target no matter what.

A crimson trajectory extended toward me.

I deliberately stretched out my leg to intercept it.

The bullet tore through my muscle, shredding it apart.

Its piercing force was monstrous, capable of even penetrating my steel body.

As expected of the strongest penetrating shot.

Only high-tier magic could block this.

I forced lightning into my torn muscles.

Using electricity, I stitched the fibers back together and reconnected the bones.

Barely managing to prevent my leg from being completely torn apart, I kicked off the ground.

Once Dragon Ascension ended, my leg would undoubtedly fall apart.

But that didn’t matter.

“Hold on tight!”

With my trembling body, I roared as I turned the corner—

Only to be met with a massive, bottomless pit.

As if the floor had disappeared entirely—

An abyss stretched endlessly below.

I launched myself toward it.

“……!”

I heard Isabel swallow a silent scream.

THUD!

At the same time, the Dark Hand leaped into the air, following us over the pit.

That stubborn bastard refused to give up.

But he would soon realize what a grave mistake he had made.

“See you never.”

At the moment my remaining lightning spread through my body, I pulled Isabel close and leaned forward.

Thunderclap.

My entire being transformed into lightning, piercing through the sky.

In an instant, I crossed the void and landed on the opposite side.

Meanwhile, the Dark Hand flailed helplessly in the air before plummeting into the abyss.

This pit—

It had been created long ago when Apostle Reincarnation resided on the 8th floor.

That bastard would now be delivered straight to the 9th floor, where Reincarnation would devour him.

As my feet touched the ground, I felt sweat pouring down my entire body.

I had overexerted myself.

But we were almost there.

Beyond Reincarnation’s pit, the exit was not far.

It had been worth the effort.

However—

My legs wouldn’t move.

The price of taking that inescapable bullet was catching up to me.

As Dragon Ascension faded, the lightning-stiched bones collapsed, and my muscles began to tear apart again.

My vision blurred.

This was bad.

My body tipped forward.

Thud.

A soft sensation caught me.

I lifted my gaze to see Isabel.

Her pure white wings of the goddess enveloped me.

I could feel my wounds slightly healing.

She must have used her wings, planning to fully unleash them in the final battle against the Gatekeeper after escaping.

She looked at me with fierce determination, though her emotions swirled beneath the surface.

“Isabel… go.”

But instead of leaving, she pulled me into a tight embrace.

“You have to keep your promise.”

Her trembling arms held me firmly.

“So… don’t you dare die.”

My consciousness faded.

In the end, I couldn’t answer her before everything went black.