Danmachi: Heroic Will
Rated; M (Blood/Gore)
Disclaimer; I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Ōmori, all rights go to him
Summary: 8 Years after Bell Cranel becomes an adventurer, everything he has built as well as love has fallen after the mysterious awakening across the globe. As a final resort he managed to travel back in time to right before he started his march to the great city of Orario to become an adventurer. Follow Bell Cranel as he fights for a future where everything that he holds dear may survive and faces supposedly impossible odds to achieve his goals.
15: The War Game
Normal POV
=Orario=
The entirety of Orario were waiting anxiously for the start of the war game, It has been a long time since the last one occurred and most inhabitants couldn't remember when that was. This kind of event was one of the few things that could pause everything within the city that supposedly never sleeps.
Within Babel tower, rooms were filled with either adventurers or gods, waiting for the war game to start and for the window through space to open. The same thing was happening in every Bar, familia home as well as every shop. There was not a single person who wasn't excited, even though the Apollo familia seemed to be the familia that would clearly win.
Most of the inhabitants were betting on who would win and who would lose with the majority of the Valis going towards the Apollo Familia. The only ones that were betting towards the Hestia Familia were the ones that were either their friends, Allies or people that had seen Bell fight first hand.
Within the Twilight Mansion, the executives of the Loki Familia were using the allowed arcanum spatial magic to bet on who would win. Finn, Gareth, Riveria, Loki, Ais, Tione and Tiona were betting on Hestia Familia while Bete, Lefiya and the rest of the Loki Familia were betting on Apollo.
Similar betting was taking place in the Hostess of Fertility, where Mord was betting on Hestia Familia since he was one of the witnesses of Bell defeating the Minotaur on the 8th floor. While the people were laughing at him saying that he was going to lose all of his money, he just muttered 'Just you watch'
Within Babel tower there were none except for Take, Miach and Hephaestus who bet on Hestia Familia.
The time was currently 8:45 AM, 5 minutes before the war game commentator, probably Ibri Achaa assisted by Ganesha (Who literally doesn't commentate shit) was going to announce that the time for the war game had arrived.
Once the clock hit exactly 8:46 AM, Hestia walked into the meeting room that they used the day before where the majority of the gods were assembled. Everyone looked at her, almost with pity in their eyes but also a sense of amusement that pushed that pity down into the ground. Hestia looked down at her belt where she saw the Oculus that Bell had given her, she knew what her role was. She was supposed to look at what the window through space showed us, and to feed Bell new information about their movements, if someone was sneaking up on him, where to go etc. this was something that could be seen as cheating, but in the end, there is no rules that states that you can't use magic items to communicate with the participants.
Hestia looked up and saw Take, Miach and Hephaestus smiling at her, she walked forward and took a seat in between Take and hephaestus
"How are you feeling Hestia? This can't be easy for you" Takemikazuchi asked, he was always the one to comfort a person in tough times.
"It's fine, even though Apollo has more soldiers than us, I believe in Bell" Takemikazuchi nodded as Miach did the same.
Apollo walked up to them and smirked "Have you said goodbye to Bell yet? After I win he will join my Familia and I will make you leave Orario- No, I will make you leave the lower world" He walked past us laughing, sitting down right behind us.
He was really starting to get on Hestia's nerves on a new level entirely, but before the anger got the better of her, she remembered Bells words right before he left on the Carriage 'Believe in me Kami-sama, I won't leave you no matter what. That is a promise'
Hestia smiled, knowing that it was for the best to just believe in her children, after all. Bell was the one she chose, and Lili, annoying at times, was more capable than she looked, much like Bell.
"Ouranos, may we have permission to use our Arcanum?" Hermes' voice sounded throughout the room, silencing everyone. Seemingly out of thin air, a voice came
"Permission granted" Hermes nodded as he snapped his fingers, opening a window through time to the start of the war game where the commentators introduced themselves.
Normal POV
=A Cliff Overlooking The Castle=
"So, you remember the plan Ryuu?" Ryuu turned to Bell, who was currently preparing the equipment he will need. She nodded as he was waiting for her answer.
Bell smiled, he knew that she was more than capable for the role she was going to play, after all she was the highest level within a 20 mile radius, if you don't count Bell in the previous timeline.
Ryuu, grabbed ahold of the magic swords that Bell had convinced Welf to make, also Bell had modified these swords with my Mystery to use the magic from the user to power it. It's not as effective as Welf's and they can still break, but it heightens the lifespan by a noticeable amount.
"I'm prepared, Cranel-san" Bell nodded at Ryuu before telling her to wait for the clock to hit precisely 9 AM
"Ryuu, I'm going to head towards the other side of the castle, once the clock hits the 9 AM mark, you attack and cause as much destruction to the wall as you can. Lili who is currently inside, disguised as Luan will order people to head outside to intercept you. Your job is to simply distract the main force as I sneak inside and deal with Hyankinthos. After all, that bastard is mine" Ryuu looked at Bell, to her the look he had in his eyes were completely different. He had a look that was calculating every possibility, it unnerved her and reminded her of the Braver, horrifyingly so.
Bell pulled the cloak over him as his entire body went completely invisible. Bell started heading towards the other side of the castle right in front of the lookouts eyes, without consulting her, her brain forced her to let out a small chuckle when Bell threw a rock in one of the guards faces, causing him to look around frantically.
All of a sudden a large 'DING' sounded all around them, signaling that the clock was officially 9 AM and the war game had started. Ryuu pulled her mask up to her face along with her hood. She stood on top of the cliff, noticing the lookouts pointing at her. She leaned forward, dropping down and drawing the magic swords and immediately started swinging the Lightning and fire sword. The walls were quickly collapsing as the noise in the castle was increasing, showing their confusion.
Ryuu continued to bombard the castle with hits after hits before she heard through her thoughts, indicating the Oculus was being used
'Ryuu, 50 of them are heading outside, get ready' The voice of the little prum sounder throughout her brain as she stopped her bombardments. Noticing a large group of adventurers exiting through a large crack she made in the wall.
She quickly swung her lightning sword at them, immediately incapacitating one third of them. The sword broke as she swung the fire one instead two times before it broke as well. The only ones standing were the 7 of them heading towards her, one elf that she recognized as Lisos, who's eyes went wide in shock and anger, probably since she, an elf used the crozzo magic swords.
"You're an elf and yet you're using the accursed magic swords that burned our people's villages?" His voice was low, but emanating hate "YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF" He screamed as he launched himself at Ryuu who easily dodged and parried at the same time, hitting him in the abdomen hard enough to knock him out.
"I'm afraid I have more important concerns than my race's hatred for magic swords. If helping one of my close friends is shameful, than I will be as shameful as I have to be" The other adventurers took a step back, suddenly unsure of themselves.
"She's strong!" Ryuu prepared herself, the adventurers decided to all pounce on her at once and she jumped into the air, before plummeting to the waiting battle.
Hestia's POV
=Babel Tower=
Wow! Bell really knew what he was doing, so far she was seeing that girl, Ryuu who had single handedly defeated half of Apollos troops. Apollo behind me was currently making noises of concern, seeing that we managed to find a person that strong from a familia outside Orario.
"Who is that girl?"
"She sure is strong, how have I never heard of her?"
The voices of surprised and curious Deities around the room gave life to it. This was already turning out better than I had anticipated. It seems like Bell is more cunning than I have him credit for. So far, he hasn't been spotted by anyone, even the gods. Although I can feel him entering the castle as we speak.
Finn's POV
=Twilight Manor=
"Amazing! Argonaut-kun is amazing! Did he seriously plan this?" Tiona was excited as usual. Anyway, the events that have taken place so far are weird, why are the Apollo Familia reacting so quickly? They shouldn't react so quickly without the approval of their captain, but the reaction time is too quick for him to give them the orders to attack so specifically.
My thumb was thumping as a signal that something was up.
"Hm, I wonder where Bell Cranel is? He hasn't shown himself yet, same as that prum, meaning that this is most likely a distraction" Riveria nodded "You're right Finn, my guess is that while she is garnering all the attention to the east side of the castle, is sneaking in at the west side once the troops try to help the east side" everyone else in the room seemed like they understood.
I was honestly impressed, I didn't think that an adventurer that was previously a farmer, had this kind of strategic mind. Perhaps it is a wise choice to invite him to the expedition, his mind could be pretty useful.
I looked around the room to see the faces of everyone and one person stuck out to me, Ais. She wasn't looking at the screen with the usual disinterested expression, but with excitement, mixed with a little worry. Okay that's new, I'm going to have to keep an eye on her and see where this leads.
Bell's POV
=West gate=
Lili and Ryuu were doing a phenomenal job over on the other side, I can hear them trading information on the battlefield as well as when people were retreating as well as when more people were heading out. There was no way that the enemy was going to have an upper hand in this battle.
I quickly and expertly climbed the wall, after all I have climbed steep mountains flatter than Loki's chest. This was a piece of cake.
Once I was on top, I noticed that there was a guard here and there who was left behind. I reached down to my boots and whispered the words "Excitant"
The boots lit up slightly indicating the enchantment was active. As I was walking the sound of my steps was completely muted. I walked past the guards without as much as a bat of an eye. There was no way to notice me, no noise, no light. None of the usual ways to spot me was possible. The only people that were able to spot me were ones that were able to detect auras. Which I knew that Cassandra was able to do as a side effect of her prediction skill, Five Dimension Troia.
Once I headed inside the castle, a person that I didn't notice walked straight into me. We were both knocked backwards as I opened my eyes. I saw the one person I didn't want to see. Cassandra, of course! What is this? Some kind of a joke? I think about her and she pops up.
Cassandra looked up and noticed an empty space surrounded by an aura. She quickly stood up and reached for me, I tried to dodge but she managed to get a hold of the cloak and ripped it off.
"EEK! BELL CRANEL IS INSIDE OVER HERE" Her voice shattered my ears as she ran back where she came from, towards the throne room. I looked back behind me and noticed that all of the guards left behind were heading towards me. Damn, I'm going to have to take care of these ones. It should be easy though, they are level 1.
I put up both my hands and opened my mouth "FIREBOLT" The Fire with cracks of lightning came out, it wasn't aimed at the opponents, but the bridge over into the castle. It collapsed completely creating a large hole which they could not pass.
This won't hold. I have to head towards Hyankinthos. I started running through the hallways at a speed that was inhuman for a level 2.
On my way, people were trying to ambush me, Some managed to surprise me but most were poorly timed and expected. Before I knew it I was outside the throne room door
'Bell-kun, is this thing working?" I smirked, Kami-sama
'Yes, Kami-sama. The Oculus is working' I could practically feel her joy all the way out here
'Amazing! Anyway, you need to be careful, inside that room are the highest levels apart from Lissos. They are currently gathering at the sides of the door, planning to ambush you from behind' Alright, that's good information there. Guess it's time I use my ace in the hole. The part of the oculus that I have save til now
'Don't worry Kami-sama, I got this thanks to your information' I could hear her sigh in relief, as well as some gods snickering, saying that I will be pummeled by Hyakinthos.
"Come from within, follow my will, reveal your true purpose, show me your true strength. OCULUS REGALIA!"
The oculus on my waist shattered as the power I had inserted in it with my Argonaut immediately overcharged the skill.
I aimed both my palms at the sides of the door, preparing for the entire room to collapse.
"FIREBOLT!" Blue flames released from my palms, indicating that the power of these flames were that of a level 8. The flames crashed through the wall, sending the adventurers back through the walls, plummeting down into the courtyard. All of the supports collapsed as the entire building exploded from within.
Outside, the entire battle stopped as everyone looked at the tower, wide eyed. The spectacle was much larger than the original time I used Argonaut at the tower, debris now had been sent practically into the stratosphere.
I pushed a piece of debris that had landed on me off of me. I could hear the words that I so loved coming from Hyakinthos.
"Th...thi-this is impo-possible!" I looked around me, seeing that the blast had actually collapsed the entire castle. There was nothing left of it but a debris of stone laying around. I so wished that the spell that was imbued into the oculus didn't destroy it. I would like to hear the reaction of the gods.
I now looked towards Hyakinthos, It was time to end this. I ran through as Hyakinthos backed up and swung his sword towards me. I dodged it easily and kicked him in the abdomen as I lifted my other leg and pushed him to the ground. I took my knives and prepared myself for when he got up.
I could see Lili, Ryuu and the remaining Apollo forces watching me and Hyakinthos.
Alright, let's just end this. Hyakinthos, now standing, tried to stab me as I just twisted my body and grabbed a hold of his hand. I pulled him forward, kicking him in the stomach with a 1 second argonaut charge, making the damage much harsher.
I grabbed his face and pulled it down onto my knee, over and over, before repeatedly punching him in the face before lifting him up as he once did.
"You're outmatched and outclassed Hyankinghtos, surrender before I do more harm" He looked at me before uttering the words that sealed his fate "Never"
I pulled my fist back and screamed "FIREBOLT" as it collided with his stomach, the spell spread throughout his insides, burning some of his inner organs as he flew back into a small pillar still standing, causing his mouth to spew out blood as he was knocked unconscious.
There was an eerie silence before a voice, who was the commentator, spoke up.
"I..I-I can't believe this! THE WINNER IS THE HESTIA FAMILIA!" The remaining Apollo troops fell to their knees.
In Orario, people were probably either complaining about losing money or cheering at the war game. What I did next most likely surprised everyone. I looked towards Cassandra who was relatively unharmed and spoke up "Cassandra, would you kindly go and heal Hyakinthos? This is just a war game, we shouldn't kill each other" All the remaining Apollo familia members looked up in shock as Cassandra walked towards Hyakinthos and started healing him.
Lili walked up to me and handed me the oculus as well as undisguised herself from Luan causing most of the Apollo familia to feel stupid.
I held the oculus before listening in on Hestia addressing Apollo.
'Apollo… you're ready for what comes next right?' I could practically hear the menace in her voice
'W-wait! I'm sorry, your child was just so cute…'
'Shut. Up. You promised to give me anything I wanted if I won right?' Ohh, this couldn't be fun for Apollo, being on the wrong side of Kami-sama's wrath.
'ALL YOUR PROPERTY, ASSETS, MONEY AND PERSONAL ITEMS ARE CONFISCATED! YOUR FAMILIA IS SPLITTING UP AND YOU WILL LEAVE THE MORTAL WORLD, YOU WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN THIS WORLD AGAIN!' Oof, that's actually harsh. Maybe I did go a little overboard with that.
'EHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA' Apollo's distraught scream hurt my brain, I could also see Lili flinching but with a smirk.
"Good job Bell!" I smiled at her as Ryuu walked up to us with one of her rare genuine smiles that reached her cheeks.
"Well done Cranel-san" I nodded at her and shook her hand, causing her to blush
"Also Thank you Ryuu for your help!" She nodded in answer to my gratitude.
Normal POV
=Twilight Manor=
The High levels of the familia were looking around at each other in silence, before settling on Ais
"Ais, you really weren't kidding with him moving faster than he should. There it looked like he was moving at the speed of a level 3, almost level 4" Tione looked startled at the prospect of someone actually fighting above their level. It was something that was said to be impossible. A person one level higher than the other will always be more powerful than the one one level under them. Bell Cranel had just shattered this belief by an overwhelming amount of force.
Not only did he easily beat a level 3 as a level 2, but he also blew the entire castle up with one spell. It was completely unthinkable to the higher ups of the Loki familia.
"Yes, and he's stronger now than when we fought in our sparring sessions" That really shook the people around them. Did he seriously grow so quickly within almost a week. He had improved enough to see such a difference.
Bete was sweating, and decided to release this angst by going to the dungeon. He made a tsk noise and left
Normal POV
=Next day, Guilds Office=
Eina was staring at the paper that Bell had handed to her. She looked up at Bell, with a blank look that screamed 'How did you do this?' Bell just smiled at her already knowing what it said.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!" Okay! That was not something anyone expected from Eina.
"LEVEL 3 IN UNDER A MONTH?" Gasps were heard around the guild office as Jealousy started spreading around
"Seriously? Level 3? The kid is the real deal!"
That was the voice that sparked comment after comment.
"Bell-kun, tell me, what are you choices for Development abilities?" Bell smiled at her but also warily.
"Well… The choices are as follows, Hunter, Rush and Universal Resistance" Eina contorted her face in confusion. Rush? Universal Resistance? She has never heard of these Development Abilities? Hunter on the other hand she has and it is really useful.
"Also before you comment, I've already updated my status and chosen universal resistance" Eina sighed and waved for him to leave, she had a lot of work to get done on top of the new workload of reporting his level up.
Bell left the Guild office and smiled as he pulled an update sheet out of his pocket and looked at it. He's getting closer and closer to his goal, maybe this time, he will be able to save everyone.
Name: Bell Cranel
Lv 2 - 3
Status:
{STR} SSS-1596 - I-0
{VIT} SS - 1454 - I-0
{DEX} SSS-1643 - I-0
{AGI} X-2132 - I-0
{MAG} SSS-1654 - I-0
Magic:
Heat Tempest
Gloria Obumbratio
Skills:
Liaris Freeze: Precocious maturation. The effect is maintained so long as he maintains his feelings, and the effect is heightened depending on how strong these feelings are. Bonus effect: Unlocks the true potential of the Falna, removing all flaws as well as allowing the user to update the Falna on their own as long as the god/goddess allows it / Required Level: 5
Argonaut: Heroic strike, the possibility of turning any situation around with an overwhelming amount of force
Ox Slayer: Dramatically increases all stats (up to +750 points) while fighting raging bull type monsters, potentially allowing him to tap into the power of the next level.
Aero Mana: Increases attack power the faster the user is moving
Spiritus Venatores: Every defeated opponent improves the users reaction time for as long as the battle lasts
Development Abilities:
Mystery: H - F
Luck: I - G
Universal Resistance: I
That's The war game sub arc now completed. I decided to release this early since I wanted more time to look through the storya and correct the mistakes. Anyway I hope that you enjoyed and just to explain, There is a reason why his skills like, Aero Mana and now Spiritus Venatores pop up out of seemingly thin air. I will explain it later on in a future chapter, but pretty soon at that. I mention this since I've been getting questions about why he got Aero Mana without reason.
Anyway I don't really have any time to respond to the comments, I'm rushed with time since it's the finals in school next week and I have this to do.
I will release the next chapter, chapter 16, on Sunday as usual since it's already completed, and I do hope to see you then.