Everyone in the theater was excited for the next world. They were on a roll and wanted to keep going.
Hestia: Let's get a good one this time!
Rolan: Good huh?
Bell: Mr Rolan?
Rolan: Sorry, but I think you forget that there is as much evil as there is good.
That didn't sound good to them. They were getting nervous at what the god was getting at.
Rolan: Let's see, the next world will be where Bell won't be the good rabbit you all know.
Tiona: What's that mean?
Rolan: Well, in this world he will have ties with Evilus. Not just that, he's a high ranking executive of the organization.
That filled the room with outrage. No one was willing to accept that Bell would be apart of them. Alfia and Meteria were already cursing the god while Zeus and Hera had to control themselves lest they leak their divine energy. The Freya familia felt chills from their goddess as her anger grew.
Loki: That's a load of crap! No way in hell the rabbit's gonna be a villain.
The Astraea familia could only hang their heads in regret as they left their duty when they were all killed. Ryuu especially took it hard.
Ryuu: (This can't be right!)
She grit her teeth as the god spoke again
Rolan: It is quite real. Sorry, but not every world is sunshine and rainbows. Anyway, why don't we start.
Everyone grumbled before the screen turned on showing Orario under siege. This brought back painful memories for everyone who was there.
Hermes: Ngh, I'd rather not remember that.
It showed many of the citizens and adventurers being attacked by Evilus. The Astraea familia watched in anger at the chaos, then the screen moved to show Finn and Loki.
Loki: Finn!
Finn: It's begun, but don't worry, I already saw this coming. Everyone is ready to move out.
Loki: Good.
Tiona: Hey, when is this exactly?
Rolan: This around your time. You guys here and there are around the same ages.
The screen moved again and showed Ais with her familia beating down the attackers. There were many, but their strength was more than enough to stop them.
Tiona: Ha, suck on that!
Tione: Once we get these people to safety, we should rejoin with the captain to see what else he needs.
Lefiya was helping the civilians walk back to Babel where their command was. Everyone watching was at least glad to see that Orario was putting up an even fight.
Alise: What's the point of this attack? They don't have anymore power since don't have Silence or Gluttony anymore right?
Rolan: Correct, Zald and Alfia are already dead here.
Bell was sad to hear that his aunt and uncle are dead there too, but he felt them put their hands on him and gave him a smile that said they weren't going anywhere. Back on screen, it moved again, this time showing the Astraea familia with Riveria and Gareth along with Ardi and Shakti. It showed being backed into a corner by a high ranked executive.
Asfi: Olivas, so he's alive there as well!
Kaguya: We're being overwhelmed by him?
Neze: How?
Astraea: How strong are my children?
Rolan: Seeing as an extra five to six years passed, they are much stronger. Alise, Kaguya, Ryuu and Neze are first classes at level 5. Everyone else is Either level 4 or about to reach there.
The Astraea girls widened their eyes at the achievement of being able to stand among the strongest familias in the city. They cheered at their accomplishments and only got louder when the screen showed Ryuu kicking Olivas into a wall.
Alise: Yeah, that's the way!
Gareth: Hah, I knew these girls had what it took to be great!
Finn: The younger generations always inspire, we should keep pushing forward with them.
Alise: Just wait, we'll be level 6 soon!
Rolan: Given enough time, that is likely. The ones there are on the verge of leveling up.
Their joy was cut short when they heard Olivas laughing as he pulled himself out of the wall.
Olivas: HAHAHAHA! Is that really all you have?
Shakti: We threw all that and he still has more fight in him?!
Olivas: Well, IguessI should stop playing around and-
He stopped short and everyone wondered what happened to him.
Ardi: What happened?
Rolan: You'll see.
AN: I feel like this suits the mood well. I'll mark where to stop as only the first minute will be needed.
The screen showed Olivas stuttering and shaking as he looked upwards at something. Everyone was confused as he looked absolutely terrified.
Olivas: I-It can't be... why? Why is he here?
Alise: What's with him? Looks like he's seen a ghost.
Olivas: haha... it's over. None of us are escaping alive now.
Everyone in the audience shared their confusion. No one in either plane of reality understood why he looked like his life was over, except Rolan.
Welf: What's going on here?
Bell: Is someone there?
Rolan: Depends on how you see it. Some could call it another person, he on the other hand would call it imminent death.
Hestia: That's... ominous.
Rolan: You'll soon see why he's right to be afraid.
They followed his eyes and saw a person on the roof with a white robe and mask.
AN: You can stop it at around 1:16 here.
The masked figure was staring down at all of them, and they could feel the pressure he exerted. Ardi, being the weakest there, was feeling it the most as she started trembling hard. Everyone else looked nervous at the figure. The figure soon jumped down and began walking towards them as they drew their weapons. Olivas and the remaining Evilus member who were with him began backing away until the masked man spoke.
???: Don't bother, you know you have nowhere to run.
That was enough to stop them in their tracks. The adventurers though were in the dark of this person.
Alise: Who are you? We've never seen you before!
Lyra: You guys recognize him?
Gareth: No luck girlie, never seen him.
They were on guard, trying to see if they've seen him. They hadn't, and the man confirmed it himself.
???: We've never met, I've kept my existence secret until today.
Riveria: Why even come out?
???: Because of a special objective today, it required my presence here, but enough of that.
He turned to his Evilus "comrades" who were shaking in place. The adventurers were surprised when Olivas soon ran forward and got on his knees.
Olivas: Please, spare us! We haven't been beaten yet! Our battle isn't over!
???: No. Your orders were to stall all the Loki familia executives with Vito so we could secure our objective. As I could see, your groups were split and Vito was killed by Vanargandr, leaving you by yourself.
Olivas: We can salvage this, there's still time! We can-
???: Olivas.
He was cut off as the masked man moved forward again. Olivas knew that pleading would do no good anymore and his fate was sealed.
???: You failed your mission. You should know Idon't tolerate that. I don't give second chances so I'll be getting rid of you now.
He pointed his finger at the man before firing a beam of fire at his legs.
Olivas: GAH!!!
He cried out in pain before hearing the spell charging again. In desperation, he pleaded one last time.
Olivas: NO, PLEASE SPARE ME, BELL!!!
Bell: Goodbye...
More streaks of fire were shot toward him and soon his chest was covered in holes before he disintegrated into ash. After that, he quickly killed the rest of the Evilus members there before turning back to the adventurers who had looks of shock and disgust on their faces.
Ardi: H-How could you do such a thing?
Bell's only response was a punch to her gut that doubled her over.
Ardi: Gwoh!
Bell: You claim to be the light of justice that will banish the darkness away, but if you don'thave the strength to back your words, they're nothing but empty promises.
He jumped and landed on the same rooftop again, surprising Riveria and Gareth as their level 6 senses couldn't even see him.
Bell: You can have this victory, but this is far from over.
He quickly vanished from sight and left them all in shock before Ryuu and Skati went to check on Ardi.
Riveria: We should let Finn know about this.
Alise: Uncle Gareth, you saw that right?
Gareth: Aye
AN: I swear I'm not trying to turn Gareth into a pirate, I just feel like this is how most dwarves sound.
Gareth: He's going to be trouble. Haven't felt something like him since Alfia and Zald only this time feels even worse.
They all collectively felt a chill from that. Back in the audience, many were in disbelief.
Welf: There's no way he can like this.
Lili: Master Bell wouldn't act like that!
Haruhime: I agree! Master Bell is a hero first and foremost! He's a kind soul that would never willingly harm someone!
Hestia: My Bell wouldn't be like that!
Rolan: He isn't your Bell. He's the result of his world's circumstances and thus, different from the Bell here. And Haruhime, you are correct. That is who Bell is by nature so you would do well to keep that in mind here.
The Hestia familia had bad taste in their mouths from seeing that version of their captain. Many others felt the same, seeing the usually cheerful boy acting so cold and ruthless. However, one had a different opinion about him.
Finn: Mr Rolan, I'm sure there's more to him than meets the eye.
Rolan: Of course there is, but what do you mean?
Finn: My thumb, it's been throbbing since he spoke to them. Something about his words feels off.
Rolan: Because Alfia and Zald wanted a similar result.
Everyone turned to them while they had their eyes closed.
Bell: What does he mean?
Alfia: *Sigh*
Astraea: Don't worry, I'll tell them.
Ryuu: Lady Astraea?
Astraea: It's about the true reason they joined Evilus. After failing to kill the Black Dragon, their familias were in shambles and they felt Orario would be vulnerable. It was worsened when they saw how little the Loki and Freya familias were growing.
Said familias took great offense to that.
Astraea: Of course, that was because they weren't growing at a fast enough pace to meet the challenges that awaited them, so they had to take matters into their own hands. By joining Evilus, they could drive fear into the hearts of everyone in the city, hoping that heroes would rise up among them, and fortunately they did.
She looked to the three Loki executives, Ottarl and her own children, though with a more sad expression.
Alise: Goddess, how do you know about this?
Astraea: Because it's what Erebus told me before leaving. He took it upon himself to force the adventurers to rise up and those two were willing to help him.
The room was left with shock at the reveal. The greatest villains to date were actually trying to do good.
Bell: But why, why go through all that?
Zald: It's what had to be done.
Meteria: Sister! You could have let Zald handle it while you looked after Bell!
Zald felt an arrow pierce him at that, but he knew that he would have been fine with that. Alfia had lowered her head in shame.
Alfia: I... I didn't feel like I deserved to. I had abandoned him for so long already that I couldn't just bring myself into his life.
Meteria: Argh! Do you always have to be this stubborn?!
Alfia: Sorry...
Rolan: Well, this is far from over. Let's continue.
They were eager to continue as many of Bell's friends couldnt accept that he would be evil. The screen blacked out and it showed that two months passed.
Finn: So, the story is skipping forward?
Rolan: Yes, most of this time was spent planning and preparing a full scale raid of the dungeon. The goal would be to eliminate as many connections Knossos has to the dungeon as possible, then surround them.
They were not surprised at the plan that Finn had come up with. Back on screen, you could see Ardi and Ryuu sitting on a balcony looking down at the city.
Shakti: The peaceful times we could have had.
Ardi: Sister, I'm here now so we can make up for it.
Shakti: Thank you.
Ryuu: What are we talking about there?
Ardi: I dunno, I look weird there.
Rolan: The next part will explain it.
Ryuu: Ardi, are you doing alright? You seem upset about something.
Ardi: I-it's nothing too inportant.
Needless to say, both Ryuus heavily doubted that. Everyone's questions were answered when the screen faded a bit and showed a flashback of Ardi doing patrols on her own.
Ardi: Almost done, just need to check one last place.
She stopped at the orphanage she and Ryuu visit often. Ryuu had introduced her when she was introduced by a friend of hers. She sat on the roof and what she saw made her freeze. The masked man she saw on the last major attack of Orario was down there, no mask and no robe, just a simple shirt and jacket.
Ardi: What's he doing? Is he playing with them?
The girl asked herself this as she saw him play fighting with three orphans there.
Bell: Come on! You look like you're moving in slow motion here, Rye!
He punched the boy in the face, lightly enough to not hurt him badly.
Rye: Gah!
The boy ended up dropping his wood sword while two more holding their own were ready to charge Bell.
Bell saw them and quickly dodged and disarmed them.
Bell: Roux, Fina, that wasn't bad. You three are getting better everytime I come here.
Rye: Hah... hah... you mean it?
Bell: Sure do, I'm really proud of you guys, but don't let that get to your heads.
All three: Yes, big brother!
Bell: Good, now go on inside, I need to go soon.
Fina: Promise you'll come again soon?
Bell: Always.
He patted their heads and they went inside. He saw Maria walk out to thank him.
Maria: Thank you again for doing this. They always have so much energy that I run out of simply chores for them.
Bell: Hahaha, well they are getting bigger.
Maria: Bell.
Bell: Hm?
Maria: Are you sure you still need to do this. They look up to you, for god's sake you're an older sibling to them. Please, don't do anything that could get you killed.
Bell: Miss Maria, you know I have to do this. I can't move on unless I finish what they started.
Maria: But why you?! You're so kind, so strong, and yet you have to play the role of a villain!
Bell: It just has to be this way. I need to be a wall for the adventurers to overcome or they won't be able to handle what comes next.
Maria: *Sigh* Alright, but please take care of yourself. I couldn't bear to tell them you died.
Bell: I won't die that easily, I promise. Those three will be amazing adventurers, and that's because I'll be behind them every step of the way. Well, I should be going soon, I've overstayed my welcome here
Maria: Maybe in Orario, but never in my orphanage.
Bell: Hehe, thanks. Well, goodbye.
He waved her goodbye and prepared to leave. Meanwhile, Ardi was in awe at what she watched. The boy was never an evil person at heart. He was doing this to help everyone. Her thoughts however, were suddenly interrupted when she heard a voice in her ear.
Bell: You better not go soft on me after seeing that.
Ardi: Eep!
He completed shocked her. She never even saw him move, yet he maneuvered up to where she was without ever being noticed.
Ardi: I-I...
Bell: Don't forget what I told you back then. You have to be stronger or everything you care about is going to be taken away whileyou're powerless to watch.
With that, Bell left before Ardi could even muster a response and the screen blacked out a final time. Back in the audience, everyone was silent. Although, many were relieved to see that their Bell was still there.
Hestia: *Crying* I knew Bell was still in there.
Ais: (He wasn't an evil person, thank goodness.)
Aria: Feel better now, sweetie?
Ais: Mhm.
Zeus: Always a hero, Bell. I'm proud of you.
Bell: Grandpa...
Rolan: So, how was that?
Tiona: Show us more! I wanna see what happens!
Alise: Yeah, Mr Rabbit has a plan up his sleeve!
Rolan: That he does, but that won't happen for now.
Tiona: Aw...
Rolan: Don't worry, we'll watch one more and then I have something special planned.
Freya: What's that?
Rolan: I'll tell you after this one.
AN: That's all for that one. Hopefully you enjoyed that small taste of a more ruthless Bell, because I know I did. I'll have them react to one more world, then I have something special planned for the chapter after it.
Anyways, hopefully you all enjoyed. Now that this has kicked off, I'll be getting back to my other stories, particularly Reincarnation of Talent for the 10k special (I'll do another for 400 if it can get there before Christmas) and the Grand Reaper since it's been awhile.
Also...
This blew me away. I never expected any of my stories to hit #1 in something but thank you everyone for your support and for enjoying my stories.
That's all I got this time. Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one.