The Main Event

As the large group approached from the Daedalius area, Finn and Tiona went to talk to Bell, Ottar and Fels.

Finn "Ottar, I must admit that we have been outwitted"

Ottar "I cannot take credit for outwitting the Braver" while Hermes smiled in the background.

Bell "These are not typical monsters. Wiene is kind and intelligent"

Finn looking surprised "What about Evilus?"

Bell "They fought Evilus in the Knossos and were on our side", which further surprised Finn.

Tiona "Little argonaut, do you have a monster fetish? Ais will be jealous", making Bell embarrassed...

Tomato faced Bell "Tiona-san, the Xenos want to coexist. They just want to be able to smile and laugh like the rest of us.", making Finn and Tiona quite confused.

Soon, Freya's group and Loki's group arrived at the Babel. Freya immediately went to talk to Ottar and checked on Bell. After hearing about Bell's battle with Ais, she gave Bell a quick update that showed a big jump.

level 4

strength: 395

endurance: 378

agility: 413

dexterity: 366

magic: 380

skill: argonaut, ox slayer

magic: firebolt

development ability: luck, abnormal resistance, escape

During that time, Loki also went to confer with Finn about what happened. In disbelief about kind, intelligent monsters, Loki went to confront Freya, Hermes, Bell and Fels.

Loki "Freya, I admit you had us running in circles. But what insanity is this? Kind monsters? An alliance with monsters? Have you people gone insane?"

Before anyone could answer, there was a much louder howl as the large group from the Daedalius was getting close. They could see a large group of adventurers approaching with the black minotaur!

Seeing the danger, Finn and the twins headed towards the minotaur, but they were blocked by Ottar, Allen and Hogni. Suddenly, Bete jumped into the scene, and Ais, who was further away, also headed back to assist her familia. A confrontation was imminent.

Finn doing a face-palm "What are you people trying to accomplish? That minotaur is very dangerous"

Ottar looking at Bell "My familia is bringing the minotaur here for a battle, but the battle is not meant for you. We do not want to fight you even if we have advantage in numbers"

Hermes interjected from the background "Braver, watch for yourself. It will be glorious"

Finn "We will watch for now. If anything happens and there are casualties, then you are responsible"

Finally, the one-armed minotaur saw Bell and realized who Bell was and approached Bell.

Surprising everyone, the minotaur introduced himself to Bell in a respectful fashion "I am Asterius. May I know your name?"

Bell "I am Bell Cranel of the Freya familia."

Asterius "You are my fated rival who defeated me on the 9th floor. I have dreamed of a rematch. Would you grant me a rematch as my greatest rival?"

Bell "I hope we can coexist with the Xenos. But I will agree to your rematch".

Bell then looked to Ottar and Freya and they nodded at him. He then looked at Ais and smiled at her before turning to his new rival.

As Asterius and Bell battled with axe against knives, everyone could hardly believe their eyes. Bell, a new level 4, was fighting at a much higher level. Freya and Ottar were the only ones who understood that Bell's ox slayer skill was kicking in. With his stacked up stats and ox slayer, Bell was fighting Asterius like a mid level 6. Without any argonaut use, it was an even fight with the injured minotaur.

Many citizens of Orario were watching from near the Babel and started cheering for the little argonaut again, which made both Hermes and Freya happy. As the fight continued, more and more citizens came out to watch, and the mood was incredibly intense and the cheering was deafening.

With the huge crowd and the thundering cheers, Eina and other guild members also came outside of their building to watch the epic battle.

Syr and Ryuu also came to see the main event to cheer for Bell.

Hermes, Loki and Freya were all in awe watching the battle. Hermes of course was proclaiming his normal hero of the age stuff. Loki was also starting to understand why the battle was meant for Bell, with his reputation in Orario being repaired by the minute. At the same time, Freya was soaking in the battle as well as Bell's soul, which was so clear and shining throughout the battle.

Freya to Loki smiling "Now you see why my child will shine like none other?"

Loki refused to acknowledged Bell's hero role but had nothing to rebutt with...

Finn also watched the battle and was amazed at the level Bell was fighting at. Finn realized that Bell was a kind hero who simply wanted to help the weak. Inspired by Bell's pureness, he decided to also redouble his efforts to give Bell a better competitor in the hero race.

Bete was speechless watching the former diaper boy fighting at a higher skill level than Bete himself was at. He hated the feeling but he could not take his eyes off the battle.

The twins were fangirling again, screaming little argonaut cheers at the top of their lungs.

Ais watched her boyfriend be the hero that she could not be, while clearly fighting far above the level he was just fighting her at. Mini-Ais was cheering as hard as she could, even as Ais was simply staring at the battle unable to utter a word. With the enormous crowd support, it finally hit home that he had become the hero for most of Orario. It was her familia that was becoming out of touch.

While the fight continued, Lefiya came running out of the entrance, surprising many. Lefiya though had a great view of the epic battle, and Bell's excellence immediately captivated the adventurer in her as she joined in the cheering. Though she was painfully aware how cool that her rival looked, she promised herself to work even harder to catch up.

Nevertheless, Lefiya remembered that Riveria was in danger and quickly went to Finn, who was watching the battle with Loki, Freya, Hermes, Fels and Ottar.

Lefiya immediately reported that Riveria's group was on the 12th floor of the Knossos and required assistance for battling Evilus and Revis.

Ottar in his normal stoic tone "Finn, are you going to save your comrades? Nine Hells is the only first class adventurer fighting in the Knossos", completing the checkmate.

Fels then made a more-than-fair offer "There is a sizable group of Xenos with significant strength close to the 12th floor. If we can agree to a ceasefire, I will ask them to assist your group."

Finn and Loki looked at each other in defeat, as they had no choice but agree to a cease-fire.

After Fels contacted Lyd and Gros for help, Fels left with Finn, Tione, Lefiya, Raul and Bete for the dungeon. Not going to repeat their recent mistake, Finn left Ais and Tiona with Loki to monitor the minotaur situation along with the Freya familia...