SUP!
Follower here!
Everything good with you? I sure hope so.
So, I wrote this rough draft to a Danmachi story and I wanted to see what you guys thought.
This story takes place between volumes 8 and 9, but it doesn't follow the canon timeline.
Hope you like it!
But I do feel the need to say this. A few characters in this chapter haven't been really shown in the translated LN but I thought that it was important to put them in here. So if they seem weird or OOC, this was the reason why. I don't think it will hinder the read because they have very few lines, but if it does, I apologise.
Oh, and if anyone who reads my FT story is reading this, I just wanted to say that I will be updating it this week.
Ok, enough talk, let's get on the story.
AVANTI!
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
It was a normal day.
Sun was shining and birds were singing in Orario.
Since it was Wednesday, lots of adventurers were prowling the dungeon, trying to make a living or just stacking up Valis for the weekend.
As was usual, the city was bursting with possibilities. New adventurers, supporters, vendors, all looking for a different life.
Of course that wasn't going to be achieved by all of them. It may seem cruel, but there were a great number of people who died on this line of work.
Especially adventurers.
They were known to be cocky and arrogant, bravers who looked for the thrill and glory that only the Dungeon, almost a world inside the world, could provide.
You couldn't possibly count how many went into the dungeon and didn't come back. The stakes were so high that you either went prepared to bet your life or you never entered at all.
Because of the difficulty of this task, there were warriors who rose in the ranks and became stronger as times went by. They had leveled up.
Because Orario was the only place with the Dungeon, it's warriors were known as the strongest in the world, often crushing multiple kingdoms in terms of strength and skill.
That did not mean that no one tried to take it, however.
A few months ago, the kingdom of Rakia, led by the god of war Ares, had tried and failed to dominate Orario. Given the low level of his army, he was easily repelled.
Now, Ares wasn't the brightest god around. He went in hopeless battles every time just because the rush of war was too much for him. He longed to be in one and, even more, to win one.
But Ares wasn't a god of war for nothing. All gods excelled at their domains.
Hephaestus was among the best smiths in all of Genkai.
Demeter knew about agriculture like no other.
Loki was almost impossibly astute.
And Ares was a natural to wars.
He knew he wouldn't win, yet his tactics were always sound and well thought, although Loki familia's Finn Deimne always saw through them.
But the main thing about Ares was that he wasn't one to brush over his mistakes. He learnt from them. He analyzed the enemy and then he constructed something new.
Today, Ares brought something new to the city of Orario.
An alliance.
Formed by his kingdom, the kingdom of Noctus, ruled by the god of death Baron Samedi, and the goddess Eris, his army was almost triple the size when compared to last time.
But in this world, numbers didn't win wars, strength did.
And Ares knew that.
He had prepared this time. And he would taste victory.
"Enemy at the gates!", yelled a security guard atop The walls.
"Who is it?", asked the general in charge of the wall.
"It is Ares, sir! Please contact Loki Familia!".
"This guy just does not know when to quit", grumbled the general, "someone go contact Finn!".
'There goes my peace for today', he thought.
"Umm, sir?".
"Yes?".
"He's...not advancing".
"Huh. Maybe he figured out that he couldn't go head on and is trying to think some new angle".
"That is far-fetched, Louis", spoke a new voice.
"Oh, hey Finn. Got here quick", the general smiled at the Prum.
"Today's my day of helping in the wall, I met with your soldier on the way up. So what's the situation?", Finn asked.
"Well, you see, Ares has come again and, for now, has decided to just stay put some miles from here. There were no messengers or intermediaries, so he is not waiting for some answer, he is just...waiting".
Finn scrunches his eyes.
"Odd. Ares isn't one to wait. All attacks so far have been quick and when we weren't expecting it. This is new", the Prum said, deep in thought.
"Any opinions?", Louis asked.
"None that are good. Call my Familia and request all to be prepared. In addition, all personnel above level 4 is to come immediately and also please tell Riveria to select adventurers to round up Freya Familia".
Louis widens his eyes at the request.
"Do you really think this is necessary?".
"I won't make the mistake of underestimating a rival army. They are too much of a threat. Plus", he started, "my thumb is tingling like crazy".
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
After a few minutes, the squadron that Finn asked for arrived.
All the big guns from the Loki Familia were here: Tiona, Tione, Gareth, Riveria, Bete and the sword princess, Aiz Wallenstein.
But from the Freya Familia, only two came: Vana Freya, the level 6 adventurer whose real name was Allen Frommel, and the Warlord, Ottar.
Finn clicked his tongue at that.
'Of course they wouldn't all come'.
"So, what's this about, Finn?", Bete asks.
"Yes, we would very much like to know about this abrupt summons", said Allen Frommel.
Ottar, the highest leveled adventurer in Orario, just stood there silently waiting for Finn to address the issue.
The man wasn't one to take lightly the words of the Braver. Time had taught the beast man that the Prum wasn't someone to make false accusations and he definitely wouldn't have called Freya Familia if he had any other choice.
"Look there", Finn said simply.
They did.
"Aww, Ares again? That dude just doesn't know when to stop", said Tiona.
"Son of a bitch is gonna be beaten down for ruining my day off", growled Bete
"Wait, it was your day off too? Thought only I did that today", Tione said, surprised.
"Nah, I did it as well".
"And me", Tiona said as well.
"...me too", finished Gareth.
Ottar suddenly moves forward the edge and looks suspiciously to the still army.
"Man, what bad luck that idiot has, huh?", Bete laughed.
"...not bad luck", Ottar interjected.
"Can you say that again, big guy?".
"He said not bad luck, you dirty mutt", jabbed Alan.
"The hell did you just say?", growled Bete.
"Bete, calm down. And Alan, no need for hostilities. I do not take kindly to people bad mouthing my Familia", threatened Finn.
Alan merely looked away.
"Could you please repeat what you said, Ottar?".
"I said it wasn't bad luck. Ares wanted all of us here".
"Why, he always loses to us. And this is one of the only times we were all here together".
"Maybe that's why. He wants to prove himself".
"No, Finn. He wants to break us. He wanted all of us so there are no excuses, like saying we didn't have enough man power. He wants us to fight seriously".
"...I see. It does make sense that he'd wait, then. But what can he possibly have that trumps us?".
"Maybe he has nothing and is bluffing? Trying to get our attention?", said Tione.
"All perimeter has been checked, they have sieged us, but no area advanced since the main fleet stopped".
"Maybe waiting for reinforcements?", tried Tiona.
"That's my bet so far. I don't know what else he might do. This just doesn't feel like Ares. It's too different".
"Yes, he changed his patterns. That is troubling", Riveria analyzed.
"Is it? He is still very underleveled here. Can we honestly expect too much trouble?".
"Dog, shut your mouth".
"Try and shut it, puss".
"Enough, Alan. I think that we should call Ganesha Familia and have him round up adventurers to help us out in a worst case scenario situation. Louis, if you please".
"Right away, Ottar".
"Wow, do we need that much firepower? I mean, it's ARES! The guy who hasn't even been able to make us sweat too much. A Minotaur is more trouble than that guy".
"The thing is", started Riveria, "Minotaurs have no sense of strategy, they just rampage or flee. Ares is a god of war and should be treated with caution. We don't know who or what is siding with him, but we need to be prepared. It's best to overthink than to panic".
"Still, it feels like were blowing this way out of proportion".
"Time will tell, Tiona, time will tell".
"So, are the preparations done, Samedi and Eris?".
"Yes they are, sir Ares", a feminine voice responded. Her voice was a hard one to describe, because at the same time it sounded trusting and extremely mischievous.
"Yes, they are already set", a masculine voice responded as well. His voice, however, was grave and resolute, with a sense of finality in every word.
"Great", Ares grinned, "then let's get started".
"Sir, Ares forces are beginning to march!", Louis yelled.
"I see. Everyone, in position!", Finn commanded.
"Yes, sir!".
"Gareth, please give them our welcome".
"Right away, Finn", he said, jumping down from the walls to the gate in front of the city.
"Squad Alfa, are you ready?".
"Hell yeah!", answered the youngest Amazon, currently leading a small 10 man team along with her sister.
"Squad Beta!".
"Ready", said Bete, with a unit of another 10 man.
"Squad Gama!".
"...ready", answered Aiz, too focused and barely having heard any sound from Finn. She too was manning a 10 people unit.
"Long range, you ready?".
"Yes!", was the answer from Riveria and Lefyia, who were chiefing units of mages, archers, gunners and the like.
"Ottar, all done?".
"Yes, all our best went to help your warriors as well".
"Louis, any word on Ganesha?".
"Already en route, Finn. They will probably arrive at the same time your teams do".
"Excellent. Hephaestus and Goibniu are active, I assume?".
"Very much so. Tsubaki is using the items we provided to send their best to help. Goibniu will be the ones in charge of forging primary weapons".
"Defenses?".
"In place and manned".
"Good. May we lose no one".
"Yes!", the Loki Familia roared.
In the ground, Gareth waited patiently for the troops to arrive.
He must have done this over a hundred times by now.
Ares shows up. He blows them away. They flee. Come again and on and on it goes.
But today was...different.
Normally, Ares's soldiers run upon seeing the powerful dwarf, but now...
They are smiling. Eagerly.
Now, Gareth has been in this for so long he knows this isn't a good sign.
Of course, he won't back down.
But it would be false to say there isn't some kind of alarm blaring in his head at this moment.
"So", he starts, "came back, eh?".
"Yes", a man with golden armor answers, "we did. And this time we'll win".
"You seem awfully sure, lad. Care to enlighten me why?".
"You prefer a theorical or a practical lesson?".
"Why not both? I'd like to know all the fuss about whatever it is that left you all so hyped up".
"Sure then. Clench your jaw".
And then the man rocketed towards Gareth.
The dwarf stumbled after seeing such speed, but managed to recover in time and blocked a punch with his forearm, skidding a few meters.
"What the hell? You weren't even level 3 last time! Where is this strength coming from?".
"That is the theorical part of the explanation. It's thanks to Areios".
"Areios?"
"It's a drug that enables us to up our levels for 24 hours or until we're defeated. I've had three, so I'm basically a high level five now".
"Lies. That is impossible".
"Not when Samedi, Eris and Ares do something together, it isn't. Gods have infused their holy power in it, making it usable".
"Still, no mortal could take that".
"True", he agreed, "that's why after a triple dose such as mine, our body shuts down".
"You're mad! Giving you life like this? It's dishonorable!".
"Perhaps", he shrugged, cracking his neck, "but I much prefer no honor and Orario than honor and nothing".
"You'll have to go through me first".
He licks his lips.
"Oh, I'm counting on it".
And he charged again.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"GUARD THE GATES!", shouted Louis.
Areios.
This information was preocupating.
If the enemy had level booster items, who went as far as jump three levels, the situation was dire.
First off: there was no way of knowing if the enemy had a lot or very little soldiers who could make a jump that drastic. The fact that the whole army was sieging Orario meant that such soldiers were scattered, having no way of knowing where they were was something very bad.
Second: it was now confirmed the theory of an alliance.
Ares, war. Eris, discord. Samedi, death.
Those 3 were not very fond of the gods. Neither were the gods very fond of them.
Actually, for some, their happiest was when they had got to subjugate the other.
The idea of making a near invincible being bow before you was a thrill like no other.
To see your brethren kneel and ask for mercy...
Eris never had enough of it.
Samedi was an exception to the ruthless two by his side.
As a god of death, he felt it was his responsibility to not let anyone stain the soul of all who bravely gave their everything for their house, their family.
It was a disgrace to even consider soiling such a pure legacy.
But such was war. A mix of unpleasant, depressing happenings who never stopped.
A clash of ideals from two puppeteers fought by their marionnetes.
It was foolish to think that, whoever it was that emerged victorius, was indeed a winner.
But since Ares had promised him some very tempting things, Samedi didn't think twice about agreeing to this little offensive.
Especially after he knew about Areios.
Made from the finest ingredients, each vial had essence of one of the gods.
All warriors had 1 vial.
Some took two.
Elites of the opposing armies took 3.
Now very much on par, Ares knew things would be different for the defending kingdom, seeing as their normal strategies relied, due to their diminute size, on overpowering enemies coordinatingly. But now Finn couldn't do that, if he sent his ace squads all together, there was no telling what Ares planned.
Not to mention the other two gods.
Eris and Samedi weren't known in Genkai all that much. They mostly stayed to themselves, just sometimes being gossiped.
So to recap: Orario was against a known, mysteriously strong opponent who may or may not be coordinating his units with other unknown, mysterious foes.
Or as Finn said so eloquently:
"Shit".
'This is really bad, the forces are approaching and the Ballista unit isn't slowing them down enough', thought an agitated Finn, 'at this point, they will most likely be able to enter town'.
"Finn! Ottar!", roared a voice from outside the gates.
Ares stood tall, armor colored black and red.
"I have a proposal to make this more interesting", he started.
"As you know, my army has an undeniable superiority when compared to yours. So I am proposing something to make this a little more entertaining".
"I will tell you whose armies will attack each sides. How does that sound?".
"And what do you gain from this?".
"Nothing. I merely wish to have a battle that might humor me. We both know you cannot possibly hope to counter this".
Finn gritted his teeth.
Ottar clenched his jaw.
Ares laughed.
The god was toying with them. He finally had an advantage and he was thoroughly enjoying his dominance.
"Eris's will attack the left side. Samedi's, the right . Me, well, I will storm your front gate".
"How can we possibly believe such a statement?".
Ares's grin gets wider.
"You have 10 minutes to choose if you will believe me or not. It's up to you, Braver and Warlord. I hope you make the right decision".
And so Ares walked back to his army.
The whole way, every step, was watched by Finn, whose nails drew blood from the fists he made.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"Everyone, in position!".
While Ares was talking with Ottar and Finn, Loki had taken the roll of leader for the troops in standby.
"Hephaestus, Ganesha, you will be our main forces. We need to resist until our emergency plans are ready to be deployed. Can I count on you?".
"Yes, goddess Loki. All warriors from Hephaestus Familia will give their life for this city, I can assure you", said Tsubaki Collbrande, level 5 and captain of the biggest smithing Familia.
A roar of approval accompanied her.
"So will us, goddess Loki. Ganesha is the god of the people, and his forces will fight for them until their last breath", said Shakti Varma, captain of Ganesha Familia, also level 5.
"Very well. I thank you for your valor and I only ask to hold out until we have fully mobilized".
"Yes, goddess!".
Loki smiled. If the situation weren't so grim, she might've bought everyone a round on the Hostess of Fertility right that instant.
But, hopefully, she'll to do that later.
Now, they needed to focus on winning.
"Goibniu, Soma, Hestia Familias will act as backup".
"The first two will be defending the front gate along with Hephaestus and Ganesha. Stay behind them and support if you are level 2 or below. Above level 3 will join in the primary forces".
"Hestia Familia, you notice anyone entering town, strike them down immediately. We cannot let anyone in. You do not have the numbers to help the front lines, other than Bell Cranel, so you will act with the smaller familias as the last line of defense".
Loki sharply looked at the white haired boy now, who gulped.
"If push comes to shove, can I trust that you will defend us?", she asked seriously.
Loki was almost always laughing or at least grinning, so this serious expression on her face seemed alien to many of the people there.
Bell coughed a bit at seeing such a look, but sobered immediately.
"Yes, goddess Loki. We will not let anyone go through us".
Loki smiled again.
'Such a shame he's in Itty-Bitty's Familia. We could always use someone with his talent'.
"Then I leave it to you".
She looks up.
"All-father, may fate be with us".
On the right side of Orario.
"What the hell is with those guys?!", cursed Tiona.
"Yeah, this isn't some damn power up, they're getting more vicious as it goes!", Bete agreed.
'So it warps the mind as it goes, making them irritated...', thought Tione.
"Everyone, they are getting sloppy! Put pressure now!", Jormungand ordered.
On the front.
"Don't this assholes stop? I feel like I've defeated about 40 of them!", Raul, from Loki Familia yelled.
"I agree, they seem to keep coming no matter how many we put down. We need to break out of here somehow", Riveria said.
"Ganesha, deploy the Monster Squad now!", Loki commands.
"Understood!", a member of Ganesha Familia responds, pulling a lever.
Gates by the entrance of the kingdom wall open, and off of it came Silverbacks, black rhinos, war shadows and dozens of different monster tamed by the Ganesha Familia.
At the other side of the battlefield.
"Nice pets", whispered Ares, "but mine are bigger", he says, snapping his fingers.
And from the horizon, it seemed that the world had become the dungeon for a moment, because of the number of harpies, hellhounds, Minotaurs and something that made all adventurers grit their teeths.
The enemy had one ice dragon.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Lefiya, in charge of a section of mages, ordered the attack against the airborne monsters to be priority.
The elf knew she was way out of her league here, but she couldn't afford to be scared now. Any hesitation could cost lives, and she was not gonna let anyone get hurt.
"FIRE!", she ordered.
All other airborne monsters were shot down before long, but one resisted without being scratched.
The ice dragon merely looked irritated at the attacks.
'Damn, it didn't go down'.
"IT'S COMING! KEEP BATTERING IT", Lefyia yelled.
'I won't let it', thought a certain white haired boy, running up the stairs leading to the top of the wall, his breakneck speed getting even faster each new step.
"MAGES, STOP IT! IT'S GOING NO INFILTRATE THE KINGDOM!", Lefyia screams, worry evident in her voice.
'No, it won't', the white haired youth thought, forcing his legs even more.
"IT ISN'T GOING DOWN, SIR!", a mage responded. Nothing seemed to work, it was like it knew what they were attacking him with and protected itself by dodging or attacking and cancelling blows.
"THEN STALL IT, MAKE IT GO BACK!", she yelled, desperate for something that would take them out of this situation.
'I refuse to let it in!', he forces himself to the limit, his leg bones already at breaking point.
"IT'S TOO CLOSE! WE CAN'T MANEUVER IT IN TIME!", another yelled. The dragon was now too close to the wall.
"It's over", a mage says, disheartened.
But right at this moment, Bell speeds through the upper tower and jumps, almost flying over the mages that couldn't send the dragon away.
"I WON'T LET YOU!", he screams.
All around, people turned their heads to see a little white haired boy jumping towards an ice dragon.
In special, one elf watched the scene with fascination.
The monster only opened it's mouth, keen on having the adventurer as a meal.
"Firebolt", he yelled.
The magic hit the winged menace on its teeth, taking the dragon by surprise and making it lose it's composure for enough time to Bell take out his knives and plunge into the beasts back.
"ROOOOAAAARRRR!".
"Shut up", Bell said weakly, trying to steady himself.
The dragon danced and flew the most acrobatics of flights, twisting and turning.
The dragon roared once more.
"I said shut up! Firebolt!".
Much like it happened with the Minotaur, the fire was burning the insides of the dragon who, because of its natural affinity, suffered greatly.
"ROOOOAAAARRRR!".
"QUIET! FIREBOLT!", Bell screamed, infusing a lot of mana in this attack.
At this the dragon lost altitude, heading towards the wall.
The one structure standing between the enemy and Orario.
'No, no ,no, please don't', Bell panicked, trying to think of some way out.
The only way he knew would've helped was Argonaut, but there was no way an immediate charge would be enough.
The dragon was gonna impact, and then Orario would fall.
Unless...
'Goddess will be angry but that's the only way', he thought, steeling himself.
"MAGES! I need you to aim at this dragon! Use anything that repells it from the walls, don't worry about element, just send something strong!".
"But what about you, we can't...", a mage questioned.
"Forget about me! Just hit so hard that this monster is pushed back! Taking him down is our priority, by whatever means necessary!".
"But...".
"Do it", ordered Lefyia.
"Sir...".
"He made up his mind, we will honor his wishes", she said, voice hard and leaving no space for argument.
"...yes, sir".
'You best survive this, Little Rookie, I haven't beaten you yet', the elf thought before crying out her order.
"COMPANY, REPEL THAT BEAST!".
As the leader shouted this, a myriad of colors flew towards the dragon, barraging it with all attacks possible: elements swirled and slashed while light and dark danced leaving scarlet lines around it's snow white torso.
But it wasn't enough.
Although hurt and visibly shaken, the dragon started to move it's wings, surely to gain some altitude and counter.
But the dragon, amidst this barrage, forgot one essential thing.
The hitchhiker in its back.
As he got to enter and challenge the dungeon more and more, Bell had started to acquire a more analytical mentality than he had in his start as an adventurer. He tried to put together patterns or any info he knew about his opponents to be ready and be more effective during prowling.
He didn't just believe everything would work out. He began to, as ironic as it may sound, given his skill, make his own luck.
And right now, he had prepared a 10 second charge Argonaut which would, he expects, at least take it off the air.
"FIREBOLT!", he unleashed the boosted attack just like with the Minotaur, with his knives acting as conductants.
While previous attacks had made the dragon screech and thrash, this one smoked it from the inside.
Yes, the force was enough to fatally injure the dragon, but Bell was so focused on beating it that he didn't stop to think about a slightly important issue.
He was in the air all this time, riding the beast.
But now that the beast in question was not even conscious, the white haired boy had no way to steer it to safety.
Already hurt from the magic barrage and tired from all the magic he used, Bell's arms started to lighten their grip, not being able to take much more.
And then, the dragon hit the ground.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
The great body broke through the ground and bounded a few meders before ceasing it's brute landing.
All the path until the location the corpse stopped was covered in dust from the ground, making the whole place impossible to see through. On the place it stopped, there was also the black smoke that came with the desintegration of the monster, signalling it had finally went down.
Time slowed for all in the vicinity.
"No", whispered Ryuu.
"Poor lad", said Gareth
"Idiot", exhaled Bete.
"Argonaut...", said Tiona, her eyes blurry from the tears that threatened to fall.
Tione, however, didn't look towards the smoke and dust coming from the crater near the wall.
She looked to a certain sword princess.
Aiz was transfixed.
It wasn't like she knew the boy well. They had hung out on one feast with their gods and trained, but as far as friendly experiences go, they shared few of those.
And you could say her interest had stemmed from his incredible growth.
Yes, she didn't have a reason to be too bad about this. Adventurers died every day, some from her guild, and she accepted it.
But...
At some point, the boy had apparently become bigger than that.
He became a friend.
He became someone she held dear.
Someone that reminded her of herself on better days, and that cleansed her heart just by being around.
The battle continued, but the blonde just looked at the smoke and dust.
'Come on...', she pleaded.
Her hand tightens it's hold on her sabre.
'Please'.
Now, Aiz didn't believe in miracles.
She hoped like anyone else, of course, but for her, things weren't so mystical.
Her goddess had numerous times said how strange it was that she talks to gods and fights a plethora of monsters but fate wasn't something she could believe.
But when she saw a small frame appear out of the billowing smoke, she sure was a believer, if only for a second.
The Little Rookie walked, legs pretty much dragging, various cuts and blood all over him.
Unconsciously, Ryuu put a hand over her rapidly beating heart and took a deep breath. Leave it to Bell to be the biggest scare during a war.
Reigning over herself, she went back to the fray.
One eye partially swollen and shut, he used the other to clearly see the battlefield.
The enemy was approaching. Slowly, but it was.
The monster Squad, specifically the dragon, and the Areios were a great shock to the Orario adventurers.
Morale needed to increase now.
Now, Bell knew he wasn't the one that should do this.
He wasn't imposing, not with his current half dead look.
He wasn't strong. Virtually every guild member next to him was, at least, a level higher than him.
He wasn't a leader. Sure, he was his Familias captain, but if he were to be honest, Lily was the one who made the soundest decisions and Welf has always been his rock, helping whenever he needed it.
He knew all that painfully well.
But, the thing is...
He made a promise to goddess Loki that he was gonna defend everyone.
And he'll be damned if he isn't at least able to honor his own words.
"We will not fall! We will not surrender! WE! WILL! PREVAIL!", he roared, his dry throat hurting from the force he was using in his voice. Not that he cared much about that, there were way more pressing matters at hand than a dry throat.
"Those who are too hurt to head into the fray, go back to Orario and let me shoulder your responsibilities! No one will destroy our home! I PROMISE!".
"We need to win this! There is no space for defeat! Let's do this for our friends. For our Familias. For our gods and goddesses. FOR VICTORY!".
In all honesty, it wasn't the best speech.
Finn could have spit a better one on the fly.
Even Bete could have said something better.
But the combination of his near dead state and the bravado he showed was enough.
The first one to react was the warrior dubbed Jormungand.
"Get back to Orario, Bell", said Tione.
"Tione...".
"We got this. The other Familias may need your help, so use that quick feet of yours and make yourself useful elsewhere", completed Bete, a bit softer than usual.
As much as he hated to admit, the kid really had shined.
"Here! Drink this, Argonaut!", Tiona said, handing him a pouch full of vials. If one were to see her eyes, they would see that they were a bit puffy from crying.
"But...".
"We're fine, and there's more with our supporters, so just down those and go help everyone".
"Let us handle this...", Aiz finished, nodding resolutely to him.
Bell could only nod back, smiling.
"Got it! Good luck!", he said while drinking the potions.
Normally he wouldn't use them all like this, but hey...
Desperate times and all that.
"Nothing to do with luck, kid", said Bete, "it's about true strength versus borrowed strength".
In a split second, the werewolf closes the distance between him and the enemy and roundhouses a soldier through a tree.
"And borrowed strength isn't nearly enough to beat us".
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"Damnit, it'll take forever to get there by foot", Bell cussed.
Although he had a free way towards the gates, it was still considerably far, even more so when your legs were completely exhausted a few moments ago.
"Would you mind some help?", a robed figure said.
"Fels!".
"Hello, Bell. Seems like you have seen better days".
"Can't argue there", he laughed, "what are you doing here, I thought you kept hidden most of the time".
"I do, but this is a special case. You adventurers need all the help you can get".
"We sure do. Ares has really put up a great fight so far", he agreed, "but what kind of help can you give me?".
Fels transports him back to his Familia.
"This one", he said, "now you better brace yourself".
"More enemies?", he tensed.
"Not quite", Fels laughed, disappearing.
Suddenly a body barrages his.
A small body.
"BELL!", Lili says, crying a bit, "oh, dear...".
Bell's armor is dented so much that Welf deemed it unfit just by shooting a quick glance.
The Ruby's were broken, the metal weak and honestly, it had been so mistreated and battered that using it offered less protection than a cotton shirt.
"What were you thinking, you idiot!", cried Welf. Now Welf wasn't really angry at Bell. If anything, he looked to be pissed off that his latest armor wasn't at all what he sought to do.
'Gonna have to remedy it's magic absorption', he thought to himself.
Lili, on the other hand, wasn't as forgiving.
"Try something like that again and I will personally make sure the dragon EATS YOU!", she said while punching him lightly on the head.
"I'm sorry, guys, but it was the only thing that came to mind", he said, sheepishly.
"REALLY? NOTHING ELSE? NO OTHER DAMN IDEA CAME TO YOU?".
"I mean, not one that worked, at least".
"OH, THAT JUST EXPLAINS EVERYTHING, HUH? SILLY ME TO...".
"I THINK WHAT LIL' E MEANS", interrupted Welf, "is that we were worried, so please don't scare us like that again, ok?".
"S-sure, sorry".
"It's fine, now how about we get our heads in the game and stay sharp".
"You got it!".
Lili agrees, although not pleased by this situation.
And for the first time since the offensive started, there was one emotion trumping fear.
Hope.
Hope that the tide had turned.
"ENEMIES CLOSING IN!".
"What's with this ridiculous number? They just keep coming!".
"Our forces are tired, and they have an indefinite supply of soldiers on steroids. We need to do something quick, this cannot be a game of endurance, we'll lose it".
"ENEMIES AT THE GATE!".
"Shit".
"EVERYONE, GET READY".
Bell tightened his muscles in anticipation, both knives viciously trapped in his grip.
Welf adjusted his body, aligning the great sword he brought towards what would soon be a swarm of enemy soldiers.
Lili started setting traps along alleys and in few key points of the street so no surprise attacks and also adding the shock factor to the defense forces. After that,she reloaded her hand crossbow.
Haruhime had stayed behind. Since the gods might need protection, members of every Familia stood back to be a last line.
Uchide no Kozuki was gonna be far more important there if someone passed the line of defense.
A figure lands next to Bell.
"Ryuu...", Bell smiled at the elf.
"They asked me to help out back", she said, a bit angry.
Ryuu was in really bad shape. Her clothes torn, she was covered in sweat and cuts, the red of blood staining her white shirt and green hood.
Bottom line was: she was in no condition to be on the front lines anymore, but here amongst the level 3 she could be useful and also take a breather all the while helping against the enemy mob.
"Sorry, we'll really need your help".
"It's okay".
A few seconds pass before she continues.
"Hey, Crannel".
"Yes?".
"Please, watch out", she said earnestly.
"I made a promise to goddess Loki", he responded, smiling, "I'm not gonna lose".
Ryuu smiled.
"INCOMING!".
The gates were destroyed.
Hundreds of soldiers marched in, yelling their battle cries.
And then the final battle began.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
At the front of the gate, Raul was amongst the leading members against the offensive.
"THEY'VE STORMED THE GATE!".
It wasn't going well.
"Shit!".
"We have to go back!", Raul yelled.
"We can't! If we do, then all this side will be open for entry", Shakti rebutted.
"But there's no one near level 4 inside! We have only levels 3, 2 and 1!".
"It's the same with Ares main forces! If we go now, then all levels 5 and 6 here will also enter, and our chances of victory will disappear!".
"I don't like it either, but we have to do our part".
"Shit", he cursed again, while knocking out another soldier.
In another place, a group of adventurers were only observing the battle.
So, we're gonna go help them or not?", one of the members of the Bringar, the one with a sword, asked.
"Or not, lady Freya asked us to stay put after fighting with Eris", another member of the Brimgar answered, this one holding an axe.
"Yeah, who would've thought she had already talked with Eris about this", commented another one, holding a spear.
"So we're just supposed to wait it out?", said the final member of the elite Prum team, this one holding a hammer.
"Yes, she wants us to stay out of this fight".
"Why?".
"Two reasons: first, she wants to scout Loki's forces, make sure she is not gonna be a problem in the future".
"And the second one?".
"She wants to see if the Hestia kid can make it through by his own power".
"Isn't he only level 3? Of course he can't. He'll die".
"And then his soul is hers. Doesn't really matter if he fails".
"Poor kid doesn't know what's coming to him".
"Ignorance sure is bliss, huh?".
Ottar just kept silent.
The battle was raging at the entrance to Orario. Lesser Familias were occupying different points of the city to make sure no one advanced.
The way the forces fought was nothing short of admirable. They were all fighting for their homes, and going all out.
Welf had been really busy. Although he was a companion to Bell in the front lines, the dungeon was a different thing from a war against another kingdom. Monsters, at least the ones Welf had encountered so far, were governed by instinct, something that, while trustful, can be manipulated.
If you give your back to a hellhound, it will attack. After all, it's a great opportunity to land a blow.
But at the same time, it is surprisingly easy to bait them into doing this. Of course, if you are against a pack, they will adapt to you fight style and anull it, but against small groups it almost always worked like a charm.
But warriors weren't governed by instinct, they were lead by it. It may seem similar, but that is a crucial difference.
Being governed clouds your mind and makes you only choose one option. Being lead gives you one path to take but does not dismiss all others.
And while there are warriors who attack based only on the path that instinct gives, there are those who keep an open mind and try to find breaches on the enemies defense.
To Welf's chagrin, he only seemed to duel with those from the latter group.
'This is such a pain in the ass!'.
Lili wasn't faring much better.
She had a great supply of armament to use, and her years as a stealthy combatant did give her a great advantage,but there was one big problem Lily couldn't circumvent.
Her level.
She was only level 1, and also a not very strong one.
So much time without being able to update her status had severely slowed down her progression pace.
So although she was being successful in stopping enemies from afar, she was almost doomed if any got through.
And unfortunately, that's what happened.
One particularly fast soldier had dodged Lili's arrows and made a beeline for her, keen on taking out someone who was thinning the entry of soldiers.
"I got you now!", he yells.
Bell saw this, and forgetting the enemy in front of him, he charges forward.
"LILI!".
"Bye, little Prum!".
"NO!".
Bell sprang towards the attacker, hitting his ribs so violently that his bones shattered on impact.
"You okay, Lili?".
"Y-yes, thank you".
"You're welcome", he smiled, before turning his gaze back to the fight.
The situation wasn't good.
It was horrible, really.
There were downs on both sides, but thanks to the large difference in numbers, the defense was not making much progress.
'We've been able to hold it till now, but things aren't looking good'
Welf had already used the magic sword to detain a large number of them.
Lili was almost out of arrows and tricks.
All forces were exhausted.
Bell gritted his teeth.
'I need to do something'.
He weighed his options. He could try and solo the enemies inside, but that wouldn't help with the enemies entering at alarming rates and would tire him too much.
As one of the only level 3 around, that was too risky.
Maybe he could switch to the front lines to help slower the number of soldiers, but then again the defense needed every adventurer here. Everyone counted.
And then there was his last resort. A fully charged Argonaut strike towards the entrance. If it worked against the Goliath, surely it would work here.
But the situation wasn't like it was on the 18th floor.
Bell was way more tired and out of energy now. There were no more potions and if he did that, he would most likely collapse.
So do nothing and keep on fighting or do something but pass out.
Bell really hated both options.
He looked towards the battle.
At any minute, someone would fall and it would all be over.
Was the risk worth taking?
He knew Argonaut wasn't even gonna be a third of what it was against the Goliath.
But even so, it would be hella strong and could wipe out a good number of people.
But, again, was it worth it?
Bell didn't have time to choose.
A member of Ganesha Familia collapsed by the entrance, and a surge in enemies occured.
He didn't have time to cast Argonaut anymore.
He gritted his teeth again.
'If only I used it sooner'
Bell ran towards the enemies, kicking and slashing his way.
'I have to buy us some time. Maybe Freya or Loki Familia are done fighting and they're coming to help', he thought to himself.
Unlikely, he knew.
But they needed something unlikely to win this.
"Firebolt!", he cast, trying to slow them down.
The fatigue from casting made his legs wobble, but he recovered immediately.
Nahza was offering support with her bow from the rooftops, but still wasn't enough to slow them down.
It was overwhelming them.
Ryuu was also fatigued, choosing to try and incapacitate them instead of knocking them out at this point.
After all, it would give her time to strike upcoming enemies and them finish them off.
But her movements had slowed.
Another adventurers collapsed, this time from Soma Familia.
It was over now.
They've lost.
'NO, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT', he thought.
"WE WILL NOT LOSE!", he roared.
And so a grand bell was heard.
It paralyzed the enemy for a few seconds trying to figure out where it came from, looking for the source.
All they saw was a white haired kid with glowing knives.
"QUICK, KILL THAT KID!".
10 seconds charged.
Ryuu stopped the closest ones from advancing.
15 seconds.
Welf covered Bell's side from an attack, knocking the soldier out with a pommel strike.
20 seconds.
Lili used her last arrows to keep soldiers at Bay.
25 seconds.
All forces joined to keep everyone from Bell.
They made a chain, never letting anyone pass.
All that tried going through the alleys or rooftops fell in Lili's traps.
The supporter smirked at that.
All adventurers gave their last bit of strength to help.
But they were too tired, and it didn't take long for the pressure on the chain to become to much.
Fortunately, it didn't matter.
60 seconds, that's how much time he was able to charge.
A full minute, and counting, Argonaut charge was ready.
"CLEAR THE WAY NOW!", he shouted.
Everyone quickly moved over, and the rabbit went on the offensive.
He always thought of a hero when he used Argonaut, but this time was different.
This time, he thought of a queen.
Antianeira. He remembered the previous Ishtar Familia member, Aisha Belka.
How much power she had. How resolute she was.
But mainly, he remembered her spell.
Hell Kaios.
A shark's fin that destroyed everything in its path.
He remembered that power. He remembered how it destroyed everything.
So, imitating Aisha, he plunged his knives in the ground and released all power he had left.
Atop Babel tower, Freya was observing every move the kid made.
"I don't think I can wait until he dies in battle. He just keeps getting better and better", she said breathlessly.
The goddess smiled seductively towards the boy.
"I may just have to steal you sooner".
Back at the battlefield, there was only one thing to see.
A white light.
That's what the enemy viewed bursting from the floor.
They saw a wave of energy coming their way.
"DODGE IT!".
But they couldn't. It's one thing to dodge a simple spell, like firebolt.
It's another to dodge a tidal wave.
It wasn't just a moving wave. Every distance it had already traveled, it stayed and then exploded.
There was no escaping it.
A line of light that extended until after the gate appeared, knocking out all soldiers that came in contact with it.
Finally, there were no conscious enemies in sight.
They won.
They've actually did it.
Joy spread through their veins.
The fatigue, finally catching up to them, made all fall down.
Sweat trickling down their entire bodies.
Finally they could relax.
"MORE ENEMIES INCOMING".
"...what?".
More soldiers entered the gate.
"You have got to be kidding me!".
"It still wasn't enough?".
"All our energy is gone...this is it? This is how it ends?".
'No, I can't let that happen'.
Bell tried standing up, but, as he feared, using Argonaut had drained him.
He fell to his knees, coughing blood and with his head spinning.
"BELL!".
"I have...to help... can't let them...win", he tried to say, between ragged breaths.
But that's when he saw them.
He saw people jumping from the rooftops and facing the enemy.
He saw lots of adventurers coming to help. He saw the relief in their comrades eyes when they were handed potions and water.
"Loki...or Freya?", he murmured.
But the last thing he saw was a woman with red hair and red eyes, who caught him just as he was gonna fall.
"Don't worry, your companions are being taken care of. Now, you should rest", the girl said, "we, Artemis Familia, will end this war".
And then he passed out.