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.
A/N: School has started up hence the long wait time for this chapter, unfortunately, chapters will take around this amount of time or longer depending on the intensity of the studies at that time. I am terribly sorry for this but it is what it is. It's my hobby vs my future :(
39: Preparing for War
Normal POV
Hearth Mansion, 2PM=
Clang* *Smack*
"Gah!" Haruhime was sent back into the wall before getting back on her feet. She readied the dagger and short sword she wielded for another round.
Bell stood up straight and nodded at her.
"You're improving pretty fast Haruhime. If you want, I could update your status right now" Haruhime nodded before sheathing her two blades.
She pulled up her shirt, revealing her back with a shy blush on her face. Meanwhile, Bell pricked his finger before dropping his blood on her back. The characters of the hieroglyphs came flying out of her back, all eager for attention.
In truth, Bell had experimented with this newfound ability once he returned to the mansion after the guild. He had found out that he didn't actually need the goddesses blood if the person and goddess had complete trust in him.
This meant that he could practically be a walking status updater in the dungeon if those requirements are met.
Another interesting feature he noticed was that when he was updating the status with his own blood. The status seemed to update to a more potent degree. Almost as if a part of his Liaris Freeze was leaking into their body temporarily and increasing the growth they receive from the falna they have gathered.
This discovery had given a solution to one of Bell's biggest concerns. The strength of his familia. If he can share his Liaris Freeze with others if the status is updated with his blood, then that would eliminate the issue completely within a month, which is the estimated time to reach the 105th floor.
Bell started drawing hieroglyphs with his fingers in natural motions, watching the status play forth the events she had witnessed. That was another thing he loved about updating a status which also made him realise why Hestia was always open to updating his or anyones status.
Of course, that is not all sunshines and rainbows. The things he saw when updating Ryuu's status was not the most pleasant. Seeing her so consumed by rage that she was barely even conscious was heartbreaking. The same goes to when she was bleeding on the ground, crying at finally avenging her familia.
Bell shook his head before finishing up Haruhimes update.
"Haruhime, you're getting close to a level up. You've already reached B in Dexterity and Agility. You're magic stat is A while your strength and endurance is at a solid C" Haruhime nodded, smiling to herself.
"I was planning to go into the dungeon tomorrow with Ryuu to get her used to her new power. If you want, you could come with and try to get you to level up. We will watch you of course and intervene if we feel like we need to" Bell said as Haruhime's tail started to wag back and forth in rapid motions.
"That sounds good, but could we train in the morning first to get a little more excelia?" Bell nodded at her before giving her a grim look.
"I will go much harder on you though. If you want an extra excelia boost, then I am going to give you as much as possible" Her tail spiked upwards in fear as she gulped and took one step back.
"But don't worry, Ryuu will be there to heal you over, and over, and over" Haruhime took another step back, as her tail wrapped itself around her body.
"Cranel-san" Bell turned around, hearing the familiar voice of the strongest magic user in Orario
"Riveria, what can I do for you?" Bell greeted her politely
"Oh, I got your request and came to ask if now would be a good time to start" Bell beamed at her and nodded
"Yeah, it's good! Have you worked out a good schedule?" She nodded as she gave him the schedule she and Finn had come up with.
"Yeah, this seems good, but I might be late tomorrow. We are going into the dungeon to get Ryuu used to her new power, and help Haruhime here level up" Riveria looked past Bell and nodded at Haruhime who bowed to Riveria.
"It's an honor to meet you Riveria-sama" Haruhime greeted Riveria as said elf smiled softly
"It's an honor for myself to meet you too Haruhime" She replied before turning to Bell and nodding at him.
"Would this area work for the training?" Riveria asked. Bell grimaced at the questions
"I don't know. My magic is quite volatile at times so… How about we go outside Orario?"
1 Hour later, outside Orario's gates=
KABOOM!*
Bell's hair stood straight up as his hands were basically colored black. He blinked continuously as he heard a deep sigh from behind himself.
"This is going to be more dangerous than anticipated…" Riveria muttered to herself as she inspected the damage to the surrounding area.
Bell looked over his shoulder with a sheepish look on his face
"I told you…" Riveria snorted as she shook her head
"That was a simple, super short chanted spell… and you did that kind of damage with just that? You're probably one of the strongest people in Orario when it comes to magic…" Riveria shook her head again "But Cranel-san, you can't just chant the magic without aiming it. If you do it like that, you're just going to zap yourself" Bell gave Riveria a 'really, you don't say' look.
"Alright, I will try to aim for that tree over there" Bell pointed at a tree before putting his hand up, aiming it at the target.
"O'Thunder, I call upon you. Thunder Chain!" A stream of lightning shot out of Bell's hand before impacting on a stone right next to the target, causing it to instantly explode with sparks of lightning left zapping around on the ground.
"Oh, guess that lightning is a little different to aim huh…" Bell muttered to himself.
"Indeed, you have to be focused even after the magic is cast. Every magic has its own unique trait. Water is very adaptable once cast, able to transform into a multitude of structures. Fire is volatile, capable of destroying anything within an area. The same goes for lightning, once cast, the trajectory of the lightning can be modified. It's pattern can be changed making it nearly impossible to dodge if the caster is experienced enough" Bell nodded as he pulled out a small paper and wrote what she said down right above 'Thunder Chain' he just learnt.
"So, should I continue practicing thunder chain to get a feel of how to control the lightning then?" Riveria nodded
"Train until you can get a good feel of the spell and how to properly use it. Use up all your mind power if necessary" Bell chuckled at that
"That's not possible… My regenerate continuously gives me my mind power back at faster speed than I can use it up with this magic" Riveria's face went from teacher mode to study mode in an instant
"That reminds me, I have been itching to ask about all the characteristics of that development ability. You gave me the basic details, but I am intrigued at the possibilities of that ability" Bell nodded at her before giving another shot of 'Thunder Chain'
"O'Thunder, I call upon you. Thunder Chain!" The lightning was sent out once again, but missed the target again.
"Man, this is harder than it seems… anyway, the development ability is like spirit healing, but for mind, stamina and wounds. It's not all powerful though. While fighting Udaeus to level up, I used up all its power and it stopped working completely until I had rested" Riveria nodded
"That makes it different from spirit healing in a way. There is no limit to how much mind it can heal on the battlefield"
"Yes, that means it's suited for one on ones but not for long term battles. I'm guessing that leveling the development ability up will make it last longer" Bell aimed again after finishing and gave the lightning another shot.
The two continued to discuss the topic before going into other theories. The entire scenario couldn't help Riveria to see Finn standing next to Bell, imitating his motions… or was it Bell imitating Finn?
Normal POV
Orario, 11AM=
The next day, preparations were in full way towards the long way down to the bottom of the dungeon. The Loki familia and Hestia familia have been working at full speed, collecting required items, crafting necessary gear as well as training for the upcoming challenge. Haruhime complained all morning during breakfast that her entire body was aching, but was surprised once she gained the information about her reaching S in Magic and top grade A in agility and dexterity.
The two familias had also formally announced their allegiances together on the next expedition to the public, getting many rumors circulating on the two familias relationship based on their dealings in the last month or so.
It was also announced that the newly reformed Astraea familia was coming along on the expedition, sending along it's only adventurer, Ryuu Lion, The Gale Wind to assist on the expedition.
All of this put the entire focus of the public on these three familias since this was perceived as the response to the death of Takemikazuchi familia at the hands of a monster. Many civilians were wondering what their plan was, how they were going to accomplish it as well as why they were leaving so soon.
Like the rumors on the relationship between Hestia and Loki familias were circulating, rumors about what their goal was with the expedition did the same, but to a much larger degree.
Within only a single day of preparing, hundreds of rumors on what the designated floor for the expedition would probably be circulating about how deep they were going. The rumors as of midday ranged from floor 60 all the way to the completely ridiculous suggestions of floor 9000. Finn could barely imagine the idiocy of some people to think that kind of floor even existed.
As for Bell, he was currently inside the dungeon alongside one elf and one Renart.
"Bell-san, how deep do you think we need to go?" Ryuu asked as Bell considered the possible answers. They could go to the 27th floor and try to defeat the Amphisbaena there, it should have respawned and it would also benefit the expedition by clearing the way.
"I would say our goal is the 27th floor, and defeating the Amphisbaena there. It's a good chance to test out your new strength as a level 5, so I will only watch unless I deem it necessary to intervene. If you want, Haruime can also give you a level boost" Ryuu nodded before looking down.
"Bell-san…"
"Hmm?" Bell looked at Ryuu with a curious look on his face
"I just wanted to say thank you. If it were not for you, I would most likely never have seen Astraea again… I would never have… been able to do all this again" She gestured around the dungeon
"It's fine, in the past, you were one of my best friends. You were always there when I needed you and as were I. We both knew that we had each other's backs and that we would do anything to help each other. It's only natural for me to want to regain that relationship" Ryuu smiled, reminded of how close the bonds of adventurers can be, just like her and her old familia members
"I would be honored to have that type of relationship once again, like I had with my old family" Bell smiled, happy at the response she gave.
Bell was about to say something else before he spotted what he had been waiting for. They had been walking down the dungeon for 5 hours now, leaving earlier than expected since everyone had awoken at sunrise at 5AM. Normally it would take only 1-3 hours to reach as deep as the 27th but there seem to be a lot of issues with the dungeon lately.
They had to stop multiple times to assist adventurers that had issues with monsters that were clearly stronger than they were supposed to be. To Ryuu and Bell, they were still easy pickings, but if they were back in their low level days, they would have some serious issues. For Haruhime, it was another story. She was getting some more excelia though so to Bell, it was a win.
At first, they had thought it was just a rare occurrence they had stumbled across. A white kobold, fighting 2 newbie adventurers at once with the strength of a mid tier level 1. The next one they considered a coincidence when a white killer ant that was bordering on level 1 to 2 was about to annihilate an entire party. But as the instances kept piling on, they had realised that something was wrong.
They had let it go temporarily, but they had decided to relay the information to the guild as the dungeon was clearly getting more dangerous than ever.
Currently, they were heading down the entrance to the 27th floor. They were moving in between the spikes and carefully descending down the slope. Eventually, the room grew larger as the final floor of the water city stretched across their view. Bell looked behind himself, seeing Haruhime moving around freely and enjoying the view.
She had been like this since they reached the Water city. She had only seen it while in a cage, but being free to move around here is a different feeling in itself.
Ryuu and Bell walked to the edge to a giant pool of water which marked the end of The Great Fall. Down here, it looked gorgeous with the giant hole in the ceiling, which was covered in glowing crystals, and the water flowing down endlessly into the pool. It was a surreal feeling no matter how many times you see it.
"Bell-san, something is wrong…" Bell looked towards Ryuu whose ears were twitching as she looked around.
"Bell looked around as well, surveying the floor until he realised what she meant. It was too quiet. This was the last floor that had continuous activity by adventurers. Not only that, it was completely wide open, so an adventurer was nearly always in sight when traveling this floor at this time of day.
Currently, there were none, not even monsters. The only thing anyone could hear was the falling water from the waterfall, and that was 400 meters away from them.
"You're right, let's tread carefully. Haruhime, keep close and inform us if you hear anything unusual" She nodded as she trotted closer to the two.
As they walked through the floor, the more eerie it became. The floor was completely devoid of anything that resembled life at all. It was as if the grim reaper had cleansed this floor completely.
"Bell-san, there is blood here… and it's fresh" Bell leaned down and touched the blood. It was dark red… meaning the blood was from a deep wound. The blood hasn't even begun to clot at all which meant that this happened just minutes ago.
"Be on guard, whoever got injured is still close by" Ryuu nodded as they followed the path of the blood. As they continued, the more the ground became covered in blood, almost as if the person began to bleed more and more as more wounds were inflicted.
"Bell-sama! I hear someone" Haruhime said as her ear turned in different directions, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from.
"Can you tell where?" Haruhime nodded before leading them in the right direction.
They continued into a small cave in the tiny cliff that was close to a river. Once inside, the moans could be heard by Bell and Ryuu as well. They continued onwards until they found the person. It was an elf, and his leg was ripped off completely, almost as if it was pushed off.
Ryuu moved forward carefully and leaned down close to the elf.
"Hello… My name is Ryuu, I can help heal your wound" The elf looked up at them, first with a cloudy look before nodding and leaning back.
"The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal" Ryuu started healing the elf, but to no avail. The wound wouldn't close at all. It was as if something was stopping it.
She was about to continue healing before she heard Bell mutter behind her
"Damn… I forgot to tell the Loki familia about that one huh?" Ryuu looked back at Bell with a perplexed look
"This was done by a monster, and we are most likely in it's trap right now" Ryuu's eyes widened as she looked around frantically.
"Don't worry. It's probably outside, waiting to ambush us" She calmed down as Bell motioned Haruhime to start casting her magic.
"The monster in question is a Moss Huge Variant. It has grown a wooden frame and uses seeds to ambush prey, growing it's vines in their body before splitting it apart. The only way to save the ones affected, is to kill the monster" Ryuu nodded
"I'll handle this Ryuu. Save your strength for the Amphisbaena. You might as well stay here with the elf. He will be more comfortable with another elf by his side" She nodded again as she sat back down.
"Uchide no Kozuchi!" The light engulfed Bell as he felt the power flow through his veins. Bell nodded at Haruhime before leaving the three in the room, heading towards the exit to quickly finish this.
To his surprise, the moss huge was standing inside the cave, blocking the path out. Once it spotted him, it took a step back before leaning back. He quickly pulled his daggers out and got ready to jump.
The next split second, the moss huge spit out seeds in rapid fire. Bell jumped on the wall before pushing himself to the other side, cutting seed after seend in half. The moss huge sped up the rate it was spitting it's seed as Bell moved faster and faster.
The effect of Focus was kicking in, increasing his movement speed. Eventually, he was moving so fast that to the Moss huge, he was nothing but a line of white and red. Once the Moss Huge ran out of seeds, Bell was within a split second, right up against its face with his fist ready to strike.
He had learnt from last time that blades only got stuck in the wood, so using his raw strength was ideal.
Once his fist impacted the moss huge, it was sent flying back as the protective layer of wood shattered at the impact point.
"Uhhh!?" It touched it's face over and over "UHHHHH!?" It was starting to freak out before pulling one of the branches of it's trunk out and burying it in the soil. It grew up a small wall of wood.
The Moss Huge ran away, realising that it had attacked an opponent it could not beat. It looked back, before all of a sudden, it's entire body stopped moving, and it became paralyzed for a couple of seconds.
At the edge of its eyes, there was lightning zapping around the ground. The monster was confused, how did a human use that power without singing. It didn't even notice it.
"Woah, I actually hit that? What luck!" The moss huge didn't understand what the human that looked like a rabbit said. It turned around and spit a seed it had just produced into the ground, causing vines to grow out of the ground, enveloping Bell.
It stood up, thinking it had won before.
"Heat Tempest" The vines disintegrated in a sea of flames which had formed around Bell.
Before the Moss Huge could even get worried, Bell grabbed the moss huge's face, causing it to shriek in pain as its face started to burn.
"GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" It screeched. By this point, the entire body was burning. The Moss Huge had accidentally run into a cove that had no water and the only way out was blocked by Bell.
It looked around frantically, desperate for a path out to water, before turning around to Bell. Behind him, at the entrance to the cave, up the tiny slope that it had ran down, was three people. One, it recognized as the elf it had captured, grinning at it as it burned.
Bell continuously blocked it's path, kicking it back into the cove. It started to feel it's senses disappear. Pain was the first to go, then was fear, and eventually it couldn't move. All it could see was Bell, standing in front of it shaking his head.
"If only you were a Xenos…" It heard him mutter before leaving. It's consciousness disappeared before it's life was extinguished. The body disintegrated into dust as it's magic stone dropped to the floor. Bell sent a small blue flame onto the magic stone, causing it to blow up into tiny pieces.
"Alright, Try healing him now" Ryuu started healing the elf as he looked up at Bell.
"You're Argo Dawn, right?" Bell nodded
"Thank you for helping me…" He said deliriously as Bell put his hand on his shoulder.
"We adventurers need to help each other in need right. What's your name?" The elf smiled.
"Livis, I'm Livis" Bell nodded at him "Alright, Livis. The monster is dead, but I would like to know what happened in detail if you could manage that" Livis nodded
"Yeah… Um, I remember that sound, it was as if the entire dungeon completely shook and screeched. After that, the monsters behaved differently. They completely ignored us adventurers and all headed towards the entrance to the 28th floor. The only monsters that stayed behind was the floor boss and… whatever that thing was that fucked my leg up" Bell nodded
"So the dungeon screeched? But no Juggernaut…?" Ryuu forze for a second at the name before shaking her head
"What the hell is even going on at this point?" Bell muttered to himself as he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. He tied it around the wound, in case it opened again. Noah Heal can't heal something as severe as this quickly so this will at least buy us time.
"Haruhime, could you boost Ryuu? It would give strength to her healing magic" Haruhime nodded and started chanting. To Bell, it was obvious how much stronger Haruhime is than last time. She reached level 2 before the Fall of Orario, but her stats were all I or H except for her magic. Now, her magic is around half the strength it was before.
A fun fact Bell found out after she leveled up previously is that the level boost is dependent on the level. If the user is level 1, it boosts one level, if they are level 2 it boosts two levels and so on. Soon enough, her boost will have its effects doubled… hopefully.
As Ryuu continued to heal Livis's leg and Haruhime boosted her strength, Bell was guarding the entrance to the cave, making sure the Amphisbaena didn't surprise them.
Within half an hour, Ryuu had healed the wound to the point of him not bleeding and not feeling any pain except for the obvious phantom pains.
"Alright Livis, we are just going to go kill the boss. Do you want to come with or stay here?" Livis thought about it before deciding on it.
"I would like to come with you. Imagine a monster spawns on the floor and finds me here. I would be helpless" Bell nodded as he took his hand end flung him on his back, making Livis yelp in shock.
"What, you thought we would be your crutch?" Livis nodded "Too bad, you're just going to have to hold on" Bell smirked as everyone started to jog, Ryuu and Bell making sure that Haruhime doesn't lag behind.
They almost ran around the entire floor before they found their target. They were hiding behind a large rock, peeking at their target. The floor boss was sleeping on the grass in peace. There was some blood here and there, signaling that there have been adventurers that have tried to kill it but weren't prepared.
"Alright, Ryuu, do you have everything you need?" She checked her gear, finding everything before nodding "Good, remember, you're on your own unless you're in mortal danger, got it, so be careful" Ryuu smiled and nodded at Bell concern. She sneaked into one of the trees, circling the target before finding a suitable spot to ambush it.
It looked so peaceful, heaving out large breaths as it seemed to rest. Ryuu took a moment to study it's features. It's scales were a pure white color, making it gleam in the light from the crystals scattered on the roof. It's twin heads were sleeping over each other as it rested, giving the the strong implication of it's lack of guard at the moment.
Ryuu knew she needed to be careful. The creature was a monster that had the strength of a level 5. Not only that, because it was a monster in the Water City, it had also jumped a rank since it could easily use the water to it's advantage. Though Bell and Haruhime would probably make sure it didn't do that.
Either way, to Ryuu, she was positively sure that this was going to be tough but for some reason, was strangely excited.
She lowered herself on the branch she was standing on before dashing towards the monster rex at a speed her mind could barely keep up with. On the sidelines Bell was smirking at watching her eyes widen at the speed of the dash.
Not only that, both parties had noticed the fact that the dash emitted no noise. It was as if she was a projectile that moved so fast, sound couldn't even react.
Once she reached the target, which didn't take long, she whipped her legs up, before making a fast flip to add momentum to the slash of her new shortsword, courtesy of Welf Crozzo.
The blade pierced the scales, and seeped into the flesh without issue of the right head's neck. It's eyes bulged open and screeched before quickly rising up and jumping backwards.
'Clever girl' Bell thought as he noticed the intention of her attack. The difference between Ryuu and most fighters, is that every movement she makes has a reason, every attack has its purpose. There isn't a single speck of energy that's wasted. The attack just now, it wasn't straight in the center of the neck. It was tilted to the inner side side to hit a specific organ.
Flashback:
"Alright Ryuu, tell me what you know of the Amphisbaena" Bell told Ryuu as they were eating together in the dining hall alongside Haruhime in the morning.
"It's the monster rex of the 27th floor. It's a twin headed dragon that had two heads. One that spews a mist that covers itself and disables any magic that enters it and another head that breaths blue flames that burn on water. It's time interval between spawns is one month" Bell nodded at her, before leaning forward
"Your right, that is the basic information the guild has released as well as the most any adventurer usually pays attention to while fighting it or exploring the dungeon, but… Did you know that it can survive, even if you cut off one of it's heads?" Ryuu shook her head at that
"No, I did not Bell-san, The only times I have fought it were with my old comrades. We defeated it by destroying the magic stone in it's chest every time" Bell smirked
"But it was troublesome to do that, was it not? It not only disabled all your magic, but also blocked the path with it's blue flames" Ryuu nodded before Bell stood up and got a pen and paper.
He dipped the pen in ink before making a quick, relatively detailed sketch of the Amphisbaena. He highlighted certain spots on it's body before putting the pen down.
"Could you tell me what these spots that I have circled means?" Ryuu looked down on the paper, seeing the highlighted spots were the inner sides of the Amphisbaenas necks, it's chest, it's paws? There were a couple more spots but she didn't bother trying to figure it out.
"I only know of the chest where the magic stone is" Bell nodded in understanding
"That's understandable" He turned to Haruhime. "I have been teaching you about the monsters in the dungeon. Could you remember what these spots remember by any chance" Haruhime looked down at the paper before pointing at the inner necks
"I remember that these spots are incredibly sensitive to attacks because on the inside, there is a small opening where it's attacks come from. The right side has gas coming from it while the left is a spark igniter and gas release" Bell nodded
"Correct. These places signal vital organs that will disable certain attacks. The necks for it's mist and fire, the paws for crippling it's movements, it's tail to throw off it's balance etc. Every part of a monster has its purpose. Remove it, or cripple it, and the fight will become tremendously easier since you're giving it a disadvantage" Bell finished as he saw the sparks of interest catch flames in Ryuu's eyes
Flashback end:
Ryuu pulled the blade out of it's organ quickly before she was flung into the air.
The Amphisbaena used it's neck to attack Ryuu who narrowly dodged it by jumping over the attack and leaning over it.
Before landing, she touched the ground with her fingers, and made a motion that twisted her body to the side before using all the strength she had in them to launch herself towards the monster.
It screeched as Ryuu slashed at it's chest. It was desperately trying to use it's mist to no avail, realising that it was compromised.
It pulled back and used it's right side to spew flames all around it to block any attacks. The flames burned on the ground whether it's grass or stone. Ryuu launched herself upwards before changing directions mid air, dashing through the smoke. She passed the monster rex so fast that it only noticed once it felt blood leaking from a shallow cut.
Ryuu changed directions again, dashing under it as it cut two of it's paws off.
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" It screeched in pain as it started letting out flames in every direction, not caring about the consequences.
Ryuu guarded herself as she felt the flames engulf her as it managed to launch one burst right at her.
She was forced to land on the ground as some flames stuck to her and was burning like hell. She managed to put it out quickly but not before the Amphisbaena managed to swing its tail around, hitting her right on her side
"Gah!" She choked as she was sent flying through multiple trees. She coughed up some blood as she got up on her knees.
"The song of a now distant forest" She jumped up as flames engulfed the area she was just kneeling at.
"The nostalgic song of life" It's attacks were relentless, trying to stop her chanting.
"Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you" She dashed behind a rock as she finished her chant
"Noah Heal!" She aimed the magic at her side, healing the crack in her ribs. That was sure to boost her endurance a bit at least.
Once the effect ended, she got up with a new vigor. So far, she had been testing her new strength, getting used to it as she fought. Now, she had a pretty good grasp, so it was time to go with everything she had.
She dashed at a speed that could not be compared to her earlier self. Bell smiled on the sidelines, thinking 'Took you long enough' as he knew that this was going to be the end.
Before the Amphisbaena could react, her blade had pierced it's second neck's inner organ. It's eyes bulging at the realization of what it means. It's attacks were neutralized
She quickly got the blade out ant twirled down it's back, spinning around and making deep cuts all around it as she started her final move
"In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky" She began as her movements were just getting sharper and sharper. This was the Ryuu Lion that Bell knew and loved
"Respond to my foolish voice, give me now a divine protection of starfire" Her continuous barrage of attack after attack was quickly overwhelming the Amphisbaena as it started to lose its strength from blood loss.
"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler" She cut off it's tail and two remaining legs as it was completely immobilized and helpless, with no means of attack. It's eyes looked up, spotting it's opponent, glistening in the light of the dungeon
"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy. Luminous Wind!" She extended her hands as particles of wind and light emitted from her body, spreading out and heading straight for the Amphisbaena.
It's eyes were wide, before it closed them, resigning itself to its own fate. Crackles and explosion were heard as the monster rex was torn apart by the magic. The merciless barrage left nothing but blood and the magic stone on the ground.
Ryuu fell down on the ground before sitting down and panting. She was clearly spent.
Bell got up with Livis on his back, gaping as Haruhime followed him.
He walked forward, clapping at Ryuu who looked to Bell, flashing him one of her smiles.
"Well done Ryuu. There were some moments I thought I would have to rescue you but…" She got up and punched him on the shoulder, smirking.
"Oww. Violent, little!" Bell complained as he lightly stroked his shoulder.
"Wow…" Ryuu looked to Livis who was gaping at Ryuu. She nodded at him before turning back to Bell.
"So Bell-san, what did you have in mind for Haruhime?" Bell smiled as he turned to Haruhime.
"What do you say about an infant dragon?" Haruhime's eyes blew wide as dinner plates
"I can't fight a level 2 monster!" Bell shook his head "Haruhime, have you ever thought of using your magic on yourself?" She shook her head
"No, the magic draws from myself so it would be counterproductive" Bell chuckled at that
"That is true for when you give others your magic, but haven't you noticed that it's easier to use your magic now that your stats are higher?" She nodded
"It's because your magic draws more from your status since it has a large pool to draw from. If it runs out of that pool, it will draw from your mind" Haruhime seemed to dawn on what Bell was getting at.
"It will be more mind craving, but the boost would still work!" She muttered as Bell gave a nod in response.
"Not only that, but we did work on some concurrent chanting so that will come into play here" Haruhime nodded cutely as her two hand were crunched together on her chest with excitement.
Once they had gotten ready Ryuu had regained her strength, they headed back towards the surface. Bell wanted to desperately check the time but with the lack of any type of clock, it was impossible.
As they headed through the 18th, they took the chance to pick some fruit from the floor to bring along if they felt for a small snack.
The way back towards the 12th floor was completely uneventful. Some monsters may have shown up like minotaurs or lygerfangs, but they had been quickly dispatched.
As they were heading up the stairway to the 12th floor, Bell noticed that Haruhime was fiddling with the fingers nervously.
He moved closer to her and nudged her shoulder since he was carrying Livis. Haruhime looked up towards Bell curiously.
"Don't worry, we will be watching to make sure nothing goes wrong. With your magic and new strength, this should be manageable" She nodded
"Just remember our training and you will be alright" She nodded again as Bell saw her lips rise slightly.
Feeling refreshed at Bell's encouragement, she looked up to where the light of the 12th floor was getting closer and closer, eventually filling her entire vision.
Once they got up, the mist was spread across their view as Bell leaned down, motioning for Ryuu to take over.
She complied, taking Livis and carrying him on her back instead. Bell leaped up to the roof, before nearly punishing his fist into the rock. He grabbed a good hold and looked around, spotting Orcs, Imps, Bad bats, Hard armors and even one silverback. He kept looking around before noticing a relatively tall neck behind a small, miniature hill.
'Got you' Bell thought as he leaped down to his friends.
"Alright, I think I spotted the infant dragon. Follow me" the trio sprung forward as they dashed past monster after monster. They quickly ran up the tiny hill Bell saw before laying down and scouting the area, quickly spotting the Infant dragon walking around.'
"Alright Haruhime, are you ready?" She shook her head.
"Could you upda-" Bell covered her mouth quickly before leaning in dangerously close.
"We can't let Livis know that I can update statuses!" He whispered as she noticed her near slip up. She nodded, understanding that an update wouldn't be possible right now.
"Alright, head on out" She did just that as he heard Livis mutter.
"You people are insane…" Bell shook his head "Sometimes it takes insane to get stronger. Why do you think gods like Zeus and Hera used to be top dogs?" he responded, causing Livis to shake his head.
Meanwhile, Haruhime was calming her nerves, knowing that she couldn't let them get the better of her.
'Remember, don't leave any openings, always expect the unexpected. Also remember the training, today's 1 hour session, though Hell, must have given her enough to do this!' she thought as she moved closer and closer, before eventually the infant dragon spotted her.
"Alright, this is it" she breathed in and out before opening her eyes again "Grow. That power and that vessel. Breadth of wealth and breadth of wishes. Until the bell tolls, bring forth glory and illusion" She began as she noticed the Infant dragon started moving towards her faster and faster
"Grow. Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above" Haruhime decided to finally put what she learnt into practice as she dodged the Infant Dragons charge.
"Into the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you" She continued before dodging flames that came from the infant dragon narrowly.
"Grow! Uchide no Kozuchi!" She was engulfed by light as she felt her mind drain. The power she felt was foreign to her as she looked up. She felt like she could do anything.
She sprung forward as the infant dragon did the same. The two flashed as her attacks barely made a dent in it's thick scales, even if she now had the strength of a level 2.
"HERE!" She heard as she jumped back. She looked towards the shout to see a knife flying towards her.
She grabbed it before feeling it connect to her. She instantly recognized the black weapons as Bell's Hestia knife. She smiled at knowing they were watching.
'Can't let them down' She encouraged herself as she smiled.
She sprung forward in a movement that looked much like Bell's in his early days.
The infant dragons' claws and Haruhime's attacks clashed with each other as she and her were locked in mortal combat. Bell could see the expression on her face, knowing the meaning of it. Her senses were zoning out, only focusing on her opponent.
It reminded him so much of him when he fought any strong opponent. It was the look of an adventurer having their own adventure.
Bell's heart pounded at that thought, enjoying the view as he looked back at his own adventures.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Haruhime screamed as she clashed again and again with the infant dragon, getting in a hit here and there.
The dragon stumbled back as it started to realise that clashing head on was a no go. It opened its mouth as it spewed flames towards Haruhime who crouched down, pulling the robe she had on over her shoulder.
'Thank you Bell and Welf' She thought as she felt the material practically absorb the flames.
Once it all dissipated she got back up and headed straight back towards the infant dragon.
She jumped up as she reveled in the feeling of a high agility stat gave. She twisted in the air, using her eye to hand coordination to kick the Dragon right in the eye. It stumbled back as it used its front paw to feel it's eye.
She sprung forward again before deflecting it's heavy claw attack. Downwards before jumping backwards, twirling in the air before landing again. She quickly got her bearing back and headed back towards her opponent.
The claws and blades clashed over and over again as Haruhime's stamina kept draining more and more. Eventually, she felt the effects of her level boost leave her, but thanks to her injuring the infant dragon here and there, it was still and even fight.
As the fight went on and on, she started noticing an interesting pattern. Something Bell had mentioned before about his first adventure. The infant dragon was avoiding Bell's Hestia knife with everything it's got. Perhaps…
She decided to throw caution to the wind, knowing that if this became a battle of stamina, she would cave in first. Instead of parrying the next attack from the dragon, she jumped over it, twirling too fast for the dragon to see before pulling out one arm for attack.
The Infant Dragon screeched as it used both front paws to block the attack, standing up straight, but before it could do anything, it noticed something that made its heart stop. The weapons it blocked were not the weapons it thought it was.
The next second, one of its front legs was cut in half, gushing out blood as Haruhime's forehead became covered with it.
It leaped back as it instinctively put it's neck closer to the ground in a warning position.
Haruhime leaned down, ready to charge. The infant dragon saw this and breathed in before sending out a torrent of flames. Haruhime used to cloak again to cover her front as she kept charging, some flames leaking through and burning her as she screamed.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" She charged through the flames, before gliding on the ground, using her short sword and Bell's hestia knife to slit its stomach open.
She got back up, jumping over the infant dragon before it turned around, still reeling from the pain. It looked up at the last second before she landed on its head, blades in between it's eyes as it roared.
She backflipped down to the ground before dashing under the stomach again before plunging her shortsword right into the infant dragon's chest, causing its eyes to bulge. After a couple of seconds, it started dissipating as it's magic stone was destroyed.
Once the entire monster was turned to dust, Haruhime collapsed down on the floor. She had used all of her stamina with those last couple of moves.
She heard people approaching before everything went black.
Bell's POV
Hearth Manor/Justitia Domum=
We had arrived back at our home, We had left Livis at the infirmary at Babel with him thanking us profusely. After we managed to convince him he didn't have to pay us as thanks, we headed back here.
I was currently tucking Haruhime into her bed as everyone was standing at the doorway.
I turned around to the others who were idly chattering with each other.
"That's incredible Ryuu! Man, I wished I could have seen it!" Welf exclaimed causing Ryuu to release a chuckle.
"Welf-sama is right! Lili can't even imagine fighting a monster rex alone!" I smiled at the tiny antics of my familia. It was truly the ultimate mixture of culture. Haruhime and Takemikazuchi's old familia for the far-east. Ryuu for the elves, Lili for the Pallum's, Welf for… well Welf, and me for my own beliefs. It wasn't like other familias, it wasn't similar people, it was a large mixture.
I walked forwards, smiling as Hestia walked forward
"I heard what happened in the dungeon. Do you think it was enough?" I nodded
"Yes, she went past her limit to finish that fight. It should be more than enough, though I don't really want to update her status while she's down for the count" Hestia nodded. Bell saw the look she was giving. I patted her head to calm her down.
"Don't worry, even though I can also update statuses, you're still our goddess. Nothing can replace that" She nodded at me with a smile.
"Guys, how about we start preparing some food for when she awakes?" I gestured back to Haruhime as the others nodded
"Good Idea Bell-sama! Lili will get straight to work!" Lili dashed down the stairs as Welf and the others followed her, leaving him, Hestia, Astraea and Ryuu there to chuckle.
"This… I missed this life" Astraea said with a pleasant look in her eyes. I flashed her a bright smile.
"I can understand you. I missed it too after I lost everything. Even with Hestia and The Loki Familia remaining, it wasn't really the same without everyone" Ryuu looked back at me with a smile.
"Don't worry, things will be different this time around" She reassured me as I shook my head with an unbreakable smile on my face.
"I know, after all, this time, we are the ones on the offensive!" The three nodded at me as I looked down the hallway.
My smile remained as my eyes gained a dark look "Only three days…" I muttered "Only three days until we enter the gates of Hell"
That's the chapter (Finally!). Hope you all enjoyed it. For all of you who missed my A/N, It took so long because of me deciding to rewrite the later parts of the deep dive arc. It took longer than expected but I'm finally done. I should be getting out a minimum of one chapter a week now, so no more chapterless months!
Anyway, as always, I will get into the reviews
ViceroyChalister: What a cliffhanger. Execution 10/10
Author: It will be quite a while before you all know the meaning of the 'warning'
Shin Hyo Joon: I had read some comments from your review.
I mean Criticizing grammar was normal but to rewrite your story?
Does he think making a story like this is easy?
Also this is fanfiction. So it's normal if Bell's personality was different from the Anime.
People nowadays only know how to criticize but never think first before speaking their mind.
You are doing good, bro.
Just keep doing your story as usual. OOC is normal as long as people love your story.
And I'm one of them.
Have a good day.
ganbatteeee!
Author: Thanks, and as you said, it's not easy. Most of the time, you realize that you made a mistake and have to basically rewrite the whole chapter, or you just don't like what was written and delete everything. It's a lengthy process where it's simply trial and error and doing it all over because one person requests is just ludicrous.
I would be happy to do it if enough people wanted it, but as of the moment, there are no plans for a rewrite.
Tentan01:Maybe another requirement for Liaris Freese is that your soul has to be pure?
That would explain away a lot of things about Bell…
Author: Hm, you might be onto something there, keep thinking and you might guess it.
JintoLin:More Ryuu :D but kinda sad being reminded about the fate of the 'Justice Family' but I did have a mostly positive feel as well as a joint partnership which I think fits better than doing a transfer like with Haru. Best of all Ryuu gets part of her family back, the sad part is Eina...poor girl Bell is going to give that girl grey hair at some point /
Was good to see you got the disappearing Bell issues fixed now you need to deal with the duplicating skills on Bells skill sheet (and prey one of them are not a Mimic). The change from to Bell-chan really was not notice much by me thou it was nice to see Ryuu addressing him as just Bell as well as it seemed like she wanted to give him a hug for all he did for her in the past hour but settled with a big smile and a long lasting partnership
Does this mean that Bell would be able to update anyone's stats with the God/Goddess blood and blessing? as that would a huge advantage if he was able to help his team out as i am sure they are going to get some massive exp in the coming expedition
Author: I feel you, just writing out the 'Justice Family's' fate was heartbreaking, but in the end, they did find another one. Also, Eina will definitely have a heart attack one of these days. Just imagine the work she has to do! 4 level ups in a month and a half! That's like… 4 long paperworks, alongside all of the stupid s*it he puts on her resume.
The issue with the disappearing ' ' is ridiculous, I even had to write it in twice for it to work! It's the site's auto protect for emails kicking in even though it makes no sense! Also, I think I have fixed Bell's duplicating skills issue. It was weird with the copy and paste, so I decided to write it manually instead. Also, Ryuu sure as hell wanted a hug, but she is just too prideful… against her own will.
Well, I think you got the answers for if Bell could update any god's child's blessing. But if you missed it, it only works if the god approves of it, if not, he will be locked out. His skill also seeps in through his blood, boosting the excelia, giving a completely broken advantage for anyone close to him.
Sagely Sage: thx 4 the chapt, keep up the great work,
as for the release rate, it doesn't matter to me how long it is, as long as you don't drop this fic author-san
Author: Believe me, I am not planning on dropping this story at all! It's just too much fun writing it!
That's all for the reviews and I hope you all have had a good time during the wait! I sincerely hope to see you all in the next chapter!
