Heir of Babylon

Summary: The multiverse contains an infinite number of possibilities. A world where Bell Cranel dies to a bandit attack is a world that's doomed to fall. It was supposed to be cut off, but now the existence of that world threatens the universe… That was when I got Isekai'd. Please don't let things deviate too far from canon… OC-Centric. Canon Divergence. OCxRyuu (Possible Harem).

WARNINGS: OC Story, no Bell, Isekai, Possible Harem, Multi-Crossover (Mostly just charas inserted into DanMachi)

IMPORTANT NOTE

Right, I'm just going to write this before the story starts. After this, I'm not going to address this again. Yes, there is a chance this might be a harem. If you don't like a harem, then don't read. I'm honestly sick and tired of seeing comments like 'No Harem' and shit like that, it just pisses me off and makes me more likely to write a harem out of spite. I like harem stories, I like an ending where everyone gets the person they like, even if they have to share. I'm honestly at a point where if I'm not looking for a specific pairing, I'll usually only read harem stories. If you don't like harems, then just stop.

That being said, I want to assuage people's fears about something that is very common with harem stories. I'm going to try and not be that person who has an entire chapter dedicated to two people going on a date unless I think it is relevant to the storyline. I'm going to try and not be the kind of person who deviates from the plotline just so the characters can go on a date and get closer to one another. If I do something like that, it will be as an omake. I hope that assuages people's fears. Now, let's begin.


0: How I Got Isekai'd into Orario

You know, I've always believed in multiverse theory.

For those of you who don't know what that is, that's the belief that for every decision you could have made, there is a different, parallel universe where that choice was made.

As an example, the choice to clean your room on Monday, or Tuesday. It's a minor decision, but one none the less. After making your choice, there is no way of knowing what would have happened if you had chosen the other option. Hence where multiverse theory leaves a world where you did do that.

But even I had my limits to the belief of multiverse theory. A world where supernatural abilities existed; a world where magic is common place; a world where you can go after you die prematurely. Those things couldn't be real…

But as my eyes opened, floating in that black void, I knew I was wrong.

Hello, my name is Ezras Hargrave, and I died in a stupid way.

You must be asking 'what kind of stupid way did a 24-year-old die in?'

The answer? Because some drivers are stupid.

I was on my way home after drinking a bit too much with my friends. Not driving, I don't have a driver's license. The place we were drinking wasn't too far from my place, so I waved off their offers to get me a taxi and decided to walk.

Despite being drunk, I still had enough sense to be careful when walking home. When I was drunk, I became more paranoid and became more aware of my surroundings, unlike others who stopped taking note of them. I made sure it was okay for me to cross the road before I started…

I don't know if the driver was drunk, or distracted, or stupid. All I know is that my head turned sharply to an approaching light, along with the sound of a loud honk as a fucking truck sped towards me.

I felt the impact and a sharp pain spread through my body as I was sent flying down the street, before the world faded away as I felt a sharp pain hit the back of my neck.

When my eyes opened, I found myself in my worst nightmare: a black void. There was no sound, nothing to see, there was nothing around me. I couldn't feel, taste, smell, or hear anything except myself.

"… No…" I said, fear gripping my heart. "Please, for the love of god, no, no, no, no…"

I began hyperventilating… Was this what death was!? A black void of nothingness, where I was doomed to spend the rest of eternity by myself?

I couldn't help it, a panic attack starting to overtake me as my heart began to speed up in my chest. I was dead, and this was the end, this was where I would be forever! I would never get to-!

Wait, my heart?

A sudden moment of clarity hit me as I lifted my hand to my chest, feeling my heart beating rapidly.

If I was as dead as I thought, why would my heart be beating so wildly? A stopped heart was synonymous with death, so why…?

"Hello there, Ezras Hargrave," a voice said from behind me, causing me to sharply turn…

The being I saw was one that was too beautiful for me to describe. I could be sitting here until time itself ran out, and I would never be able to accurately describe the sheer beauty of the person I saw in front of me.

"A pleasure to meet you," they said to me. "My name is Abyss. The Primordial Entity of the Void."

I don't know how long I stood there, staring at them in stunned silence, before my mouth finally moved again. "Abyss?"

"Yes," they nodded. "You have heard the expression, have you not? 'Stare into the Abyss, and the Abyss stares into you?' That comes from me. Some mortals end up being able to perceive me for a short time, and end up staring at me in blank shock. I always look back at them, intrigued at who was able to perceive my presence, and they always end up looking away. A shame most of them end up going mad…"

"Wh- Where-? Why am I-?"

"Where are you and why are you here?" They asked for me, making me nod. "Well, the where is a bit tricky. Technically speaking, you are in the void. Not the afterlife, it's a much nicer place I promise. This," she gestured around. "Is the nothingness that everything is birthed from. You say this was all that existed before the Big Bang that began everything. I suppose, if I were to relate it to something, it would be like the Dimensional Gap from High School DxD…" They turned their head away, mumbling. "Reminds me, I need to make sure Ophis and Red don't start fighting again…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing," they shook their head. "As for the why you are here… Well, you are dead, but also alive."

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning lightly.

They hummed, rubbing their chin lightly. "Well, as you are aware, you were killed in a car accident while walking home drunk, surprisingly through no fault of your own. Usually, that would be it for you. However, I saw potential in you, and decided to pluck you away and give you a choice."

"… You mean you're going to isekai me?"

"Oh good, you catch on quick," they smiled, causing a blush to appear on my face. "Yes, in essence…" They waved their hand, causing a huge number of screens to appear behind them, making my eyes widen at the sheer number.

They all held one thing in common though: Bell Cranel involved in some way or form.

"DanMachi?"

"As you are aware, there are an infinite number of parallel worlds, worlds where different choices are made," they told me. "Most worlds created when humans make a light novel or manga or book have one simple rule: They cannot exist without the hero. For example, without Percy Jackson, the 'Percy Jackson' universe cannot exist, as it is lacking the core element of the universe that keeps it all together. Thus, the world collapses."

"Right…" I nodded slowly, that did make sense.

"In the case of DanMachi," they gestured to the screens. "Bell Cranel is a vitally important piece to the puzzle, the key that holds it all together, the 'Last Hero' who is destined to rise higher and further than any before him, and kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon."

"Right, I'm with you so far," I nodded again.

They gave a nod. "Apologies for deviating from the point, but now I want you to picture the worlds as a tree," they told me, creating a visual image. "The trunk of the tree represents the 'canon' DanMachi world. That is to say, the world as you know it from the Light Novels. And as it grew, it sprouted branches, what you might know as 'fanfictions,' creating many parallel worlds. In some cases, the branches intersected with branches from other trees," they pointed at a branch that intersected with another tree, the image of Shirou Emiya appearing in the trunk of that tree. "This creates 'crossover' Worlds, as you can tell, where the two elements of the world join into one and mix, creating something new."

"Right, but what does that have to do with this?"

They nodded, gesturing to a branch on the DanMachi tree that was different from the rest. It was black, almost sickly looking. "Some branches of the tree deviate so far from what the story is meant to be, that they are considered a 'cancer' and, as a result," Abyss snapped their fingers, causing the branch to come off. "They are cut off from the tree so the rest can live, ultimately wilting and dying. Those worlds are often referred to as 'Dead Worlds.' You might know them as 'Lostbelts.'"

"Again, what does-?"

"I'm getting to it," Abyss told me patiently. "Now, very rarely, a world slips by, and isn't cut from the tree of the world," she pointed to a branch that was black. "If the branch isn't sufficiently dealt with, it becomes a cancer to the tree, ultimately killing it. That tree, if it has mingled with others, then spreads to that tree. And then all the trees that tree has mingled with-."

"Ultimately leading to total collapse," I whispered, my eyes wide as I realised what they were saying. "Are you saying there's a world out there that didn't get cut off when it should? What kind of world is it?"

"A very simple one, but one that ultimately might lead to the destruction of the universe," they sighed. "It is a world where Bell died to a bandit attack on his way to Orario."

"What?" I stared at them. Something so simple? I frowned as I thought about it… "But if Bell doesn't get to Orario, he never meets Hestia and becomes an Adventurer. Ais never saves him, Freya never becomes obsessed with him… This changes too many things. Lili never asks Bell if she can be his supporter, meaning she might pick someone else less willing to help her out, which means she dies alone in the dungeon to ants. When Ryuu is framed for murder, nobody helps her, meaning she dies to the Juggernaut when it spawns. Bell never stops the killing stone ritual, meaning Haruhime dies, and the Ishtar and Freya Familias go to war with one another…!"

"Chaos," Abyss nodded gravely. "And, Primordial Entity I might be, there is little I can do to fix things… That is where you come in, Ezras Hargrave."

"Me?" I pointed at myself. "What can I do?"

"Come now," they smiled. "You're an intelligent young man, surely you can figure it out. How do you prevent a world from collapsing without a core element?"

"… Substitute them for something as close to them as possible," I said. "Like… With an Egg Mayo Sandwich. Ideally, you use mayonnaise, but you could also use Salad Cream. It might change things up a bit, but it's still stable."

"Excellent!" Abyss clapped. "I do love the smart ones. So, with all the information gathered, I will now give you a choice. Your first choice is to pass on to the afterlife. You can move on, enjoy your eternal rest and all that jazz. Choice two, I can return you to your body and let you live. If I do so, you will have 'miraculously' survived the crash and avoided being paralyzed, able to live your every day life. And choice three, I will Isekai you into the world of DanMachi, where you will take Bell's place."

"Why me?" I asked her, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Well, I could give you any number of reasons, but none of them would really satisfy you, would they?"

"… No, no they wouldn't."

"That's what I thought."

"But there's no guarantee I could do this! Just look at me!" I gestured to myself. "I'm an out of shape 24-year-old who has crippling social anxiety unless there are friends with me!"

"Don't worry," Abyss reassured me. "If you agree, I will firstly rewind your age to about 15 years old, maybe 16, just slightly older than Bell. Then I'll put you back in shape. You won't be something like a body builder or an Olympian or what have you, but you'll have enough energy and stamina to be on the same level as Bell. And, finally, I will grant you a gift."

"A gift?" I raised an eye.

They nodded. "Yes, a gift. You're familiar with KonoSuba?"

"Unfortunately."

"Not a fan?"

"Not really."

"Eh, not everyone is," Abyss shrugged. "Anyway, you're familiar with it. It's similar to that, where I will give you any one gift you desire to take along with you DanMachi with you… So long as it isn't a living person."

I frowned at their words. "Won't that like, upset the power balance or something?"

"Nah," Abyss waved it off. "I mean, you know there are Gary Stu like stories out there, you think those don't upset the power balance?"

… They made a damned good point there. "Anything I want?"

"Anything you want that isn't a living person."

"Even if it's from another world?"

"Even if it's from another world. Though if it is too powerful, then I'll have to nerf it in some way, to make things fair. Can't exactly have you curb stomping Level 2s as just a Level 1 with no experience, you know."

I gave a nod. "Can I get like… A directory or something? I might not be able to think of something I want off the top of my head."

"So, you'll go?"

"Yes."

They smiled at me, snapped their fingers, a bulky book appearing in my hands. "Take all the time you need."

I gave a nod and opened the book, starting to look through the pages… It was describing a lot of different abilities, skills, or magic I could possess… I didn't even know some of these things were a thing!

I did think it was a bit unnecessary for the offer of turning me into a General like in Samurai Girls… That would be begging for trouble from the Ishtar Familia, if I could just kiss the amazons and suddenly have them power up to insane levels. With both me and Haruhime, the Familia would become unstoppable.

I spent a long time pouring over the pages, and some of them were very tempting to pick, like the Rinnegan from Naruto, or having my own Zanpakuto like in bleach. There weren't many water issues in DanMachi, so I also debated on picking the Flare Flare Fruit from One Piece… Right up until I remembered the point in the Light Novels where Bell fell into a river fighting the Juggernaut, and wisely decided against it.

It was also so tempting to have the powers of a fucking Kamen Rider… I would be more than happy with powers of someone like Decade, or Ex-Aid, or Cross-Z or something like that. Or Evolt, I was a big fan of the villain of Kamen Rider Build.

Ultimately, it came down to two different things that I wanted to bring with me.

First was Divine Dividing from High School DxD. The ability to divide the power of anyone I touched every 10 seconds and add it to my own power, which then could go further into Balance Breaker. Plus, Albion would be able to give me helpful advice. Though the downside of that was Juggernaut Drive, and the wills of the past wielders. Juggernaut Drive would drain my life span and kill me in no time, making this whole thing a waste. And I didn't have the insane magic reserves of Vali Lucifer to substitute it for my life span. Plus, dragon aura would attract more conflict.

The other choice in my mind was Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. Unlike Divine Dividing, which had its own downsides with Juggernaut Drive, Gate of Babylon had no downsides, instead containing a grand armoury of almost every legendary weapon to every exist… But that meant it would probably get nerfed by Abyss.

"Something wrong?" Abyss asked me.

"I'm torn," I admitted. "Divine Dividing and Gate of Babylon."

"Hm…" They put a finger to their lips. "Would you like me to tell you the changes I would make to them, to make your decision easier?"

"Please."

"For Divine Dividing, I would remove Juggernaut Drive all together. I would leave the potential of evolution there for you, but nobody in Orario would be able to stop a rampaging heavenly dragon if you lost it, too risky to leave in. I would also increase the timer to every minute instead of every 10 seconds. It's too powerful otherwise because, if you can last at least a minute against anyone, then you've divided their power down by 64 times if I don't nerf that, especially since you know you can release the excess energy through your wings."

I grimaced at the heavy nerf, but nodded. That made sense, Divine Dividing would be way too powerful if it didn't have nerfs like that. Plus, Sacred Gears responded to the will of the owner. Issei more often than not bypassed the 10 second time limit needed for boosting, it only stood to reason Divine Dividing would be able to do the same.

"And Gate of Babylon?"

"I would remove everything from the Gate except for the money."

I stared at Abyss in surprise. I knew a nerf would come, but such a severe one?

"All of the items in the gate are too powerful, too technologically advanced or, in some cases, too unbelievable to work safely in the DanMachi World, not without extending the branch to mingle with the Fate Tree and turn it into a crossover. And that would risk the Fate Tree being corrupted. As is, Divine Dividing's nerf is me being generous. But Gate of Babylon needs to be nerfed that much, or it is just too powerful."

"But doesn't that mean I basically have Unlimited Valis?" I asked.

Abyss offered a shrug. "I'm not trying to sound rude, but I only need you in the world to keep it stable. So long as you don't then become a vicious tyrant dictator or something like that, then the branch of the tree will heal over time, and the multiverse will be out of danger."

"… So, basically, I have free reign to do as I like, so long as I don't become a villain?"

Abyss nodded at my words, and that made me consider.

This had big implications, after all… With essentially infinite money, there were many things I could do. I could pay off Ryu's bounty if I wanted to, I could get the better weapons right away and store them in my Gate to use them, I could get more expensive armour, pay for Lili to leave the Soma Familia… The possibilities were endless with endless money.

The only real problem was the fact that if I spent a bunch of money like that out of nowhere, that people would question where it came from and just how I got it…

I put a hand on my chin, thinking…

"Will I have a skill like Liaris Freese?"

"Yes," Abyss nodded. "Since you don't have the same feelings as Bell would, I'll adjust the skill accordingly. You'll have it as soon as you obtain your Falna."

"Do I have to join the Hestia Familia?"

"You don't," Abyss told me. "But the natural progression of the world means you will ultimately end up interacting with Hestia in some way, shape, or form. A Bell Cranel who doesn't interact with Hestia even once is rare, though those worlds end up being very interesting. With you taking Bell's place, the same rules apply."

I frowned as I thought more. "… Alright, I've made my decision."

"Oh?"

I nodded. "I'd like to take Gate of Babylon with me, but I'd also like to ask a favour."

Abyss tilted their head, clearly curious.

"You don't have to make me like, a prodigy or anything like that," I told them. "But, if possible, I'd like you to give me a natural affinity towards being a blacksmith. Enough that, one day, I might be able to make Noble Phantasms."

"… So, basically you want Tracing too, but you want it counter balanced with the fact that some materials have to be substituted, and you actually have to forge it yourself, not just instantly create it from your mana, in exchange for them being permanent?"

"… Well, I just sound selfish when you put it like that," I admitted.

Abyss only tilted their head back, laughing. "Very well, I think I can work in giving you some Crozzo Blood, that should be enough for you to make your start."

"Thank you."

"Now then," Abyss looked at me. "First, I'm going to give you some warnings. Firstly, Bell's death has sent ripples through the timeline of that world that has changed several events. Firstly, while Evilus was defeated, it was done without the death of the Astraea Familia and Ardi Varma, meaning Ryuu isn't a fugitive and lives happily with her Familia. She'll probably be Level 5 or 6 at the time of your arrival."

My eyes widened in surprise. That was a huge change to the timeline, though it was one I was honestly glad for. Ryuu deserved happiness after all the shit she went through, so I was glad she'd at least be happy in the world I'd be going to.

"However," Abyss continued. "Because Ryuu didn't go on her rampage, not all members of Evilus were defeated. Namely Zald and Alfia, the members of the Zeus and Hera Familia that joined them. Instead, they regrouped and went deep into hiding. So, watch out for them if you can. Furthermore, your own arrival with Gate of Babylon will cause a few ripples too, though I'll try to limit those as much as I can. Hopefully it won't result in a Holy Grail War, but that is still a possibility."

I gulped heavily at that… That wasn't reassuring at all, but it was probably the best that I'd be getting. Abyss was doing all they could, so I would just have to suck it up and deal with it.

"Anything else I should know about?"

Abyss pursed their lips, clearly contemplating about something, before they shook their head. "No, that's all I'll tell you. The rest are things you'll have to figure out and learn on your own, I won't just hold your hand through this."

I sighed, but gave a nod. Honestly, they'd help me more than enough as was. I couldn't just expect them to spoon feed me the whole way, I would take what I could get and be happy with it.

"Now then, I'll have to de-age and fix you up here," they told me. "Before I do so, any appearance alteration requests?"

I blinked at that. "I get to choose?"

"So long as it's something minor," they told me. "Like different skin, different hair colour, eyes, etcetera. Could change your race to a pallum or something like that too if you're interested, since your race doesn't have a drastic impact on the world."

I hummed as I considered that, putting a hand on my chin... "I'd like tanned skin," I admitted. "Not super tanned, but I'd like a healthy-looking tan. All over my body. I'd also like amber or gold eyes, and my hair to be regular brown rather than dark brown."

They nodded. "All easily done, not an issue. I will warn you; this will all hurt. With the ripples already caused in the world, and the ripples your arrival will create, I can't risk changing you as you are sent to the world. It could cause such intense ripples to the point that, even with you taking Bell's place, the world will collapse."

I grimaced… Well, in for a penny, in for a pound… "Alright, I'm ready."

Abyss nodded and waved their hand over me…

Pain.

It didn't build up like I thought it would. Instead, it was just pure and unfiltered agony coursing through my body. I couldn't stop my head from tilting back and letting out the loudest scream I'd ever let loose in my life.

If I was in Harry Potter, this is what I would describe the Cruciatus Curse being like. My body flailed as I screamed, unable to stop the desire to move around as if that would make the pain more bearable.

It didn't.

It felt like an eternity, when in reality it was no more than five minutes, before the pain finally died and I felt like I could breathe again. I heaved heavy breaths, my body practically singing as the pain stopped. It wasn't much longer until the pain began to fade away entirely, and I looked at Abyss who was waving their hand over me.

"Apologies for the pain," they told me. "Though you endured it better than most would have in your situation, so be proud of that at least. If you'd like, you can still rest for a moment before you go."

"No," I shook my head. "No… I'm fine… I can go now."

Abyss stared at me. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

They nodded. "Very well. You'll be arriving a month before the start of canon- when Bell would have been attacked by a Minotaur- which is around the time he would have shown up in Orario. You'll be on the back of a small carriage that will drop you off, before you enter the city. For your sake, you'll be able to read and write the language as if it was English."

"So poorly?"

"Cute," Abyss chuckled. "Be safe, and please don't die before the canon starts, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

They smiled, and waved their hand. The world turned white around me; the last thing I saw as my consciousness faded being the smiling face of Abyss…

And just how sad they seemed to be as they saw me go.


And that is the prologue done.

This is the 're-write' of Throne of Babylon that I mentioned I was working on. Balancing two protagonists is very hard to do, many authors just can't manage it. I'm not one of the ones who can. For those of you who wanted Bell to be alive in this fic, I'm sorry. I like Bell too, but the best way to not have to balance two protagonists was this. For those of you unhappy with this, sorry, but that's just how I chose to do this.

Regardless of that, I hope you all enjoyed this prologue that explains how Ezras- not me, despite what many of you might think- ends up in the DanMachi world looking like he does.

For now, that's all. I'll see all of you next time.