Chapter 40: Game's End
With the start of the second day excitement for the War Game only grew. Most of the noise was being made by those who had bet on Apollo Familia to win as they predicted the incoming storm that would be a repeat of the previous day. Others were talking about Hestia Familia's night raid as it had taken place after a good portion of the city had turned in for the night.
Sadly, not all Adventurers and their deities could afford to take two consecutive days off. Thus, they had no choice but to descend into the Dungeon or return to their part time jobs while crying bloody tears of regret. Those that couldn't take days off yet were hedging all their money on the bets they had placed the previous day.
But compared to the previous day, the second day started off in a quiet and subdued manner.
X-x-X-x-X
Freya let out a deep sigh as she looked at her Divine Mirror over the rim of her wine glass.
All of Hestia's children were shining so brightly, but none shown as much as that boy, Bell Cranel.
"Still, that Captain of theirs…" Freya mumbled to herself.
There was no mistaking that brilliance. It was the same soul that struck at her Children on that fateful day long ago. The same night that she watched Bell Cranel defeat the minotaur.
Well, she could admit she was being a bit mischievous in having Ottarl train up that minotaur, so she supposed it was fair for Hestia's children to be a bit upset at her little prank. And she supposed it was also fair for that to happen after Hestia almost got hurt from her other prank during Monsterphilia.
"Hmm…perhaps I've been a bit too naughty lately."
As Hestia still joined Freya on that shopping trip, she most likely did not know that it was Freya behind those incidents and her Children were keeping it a secret from her.
Still, Freya had since decided that it was best to watch Bell Cranel from a distance from now on. There was no longer any reason to try and push him forward personally. The five magnificent souls around him were doing that just fine. Granted she had been just a teensy bit annoyed when she saw him dancing with the girl from his Familia and even more so when he danced with Loki's child back at the banquet. So much so that she childishly asked Helen and Ottarl to try and flood the banquet hall with minotaurs, but she could let that slide. The former was part of the boy's emotional support, someone that helped keep his head up high even in the face of the world's darkness; and the latter didn't interact with him often enough to truly be a threat.
Besides Bell Cranel, two others of Hestia's children caught her attention. That Saber and that Caster.
She was surprised to see someone that could possibly best Ottarl in combat, let alone two of them. She had thought the days where Ottarl couldn't win had died alongside the Zeus and Hera Familias fifteen years ago.
Their brilliance would not be outdone by Ottarl's own.
A part of her did want to see Saber and Ottarl duel, if only to watch their souls shine beyond their limits. But she knew her Child who so rarely got a chance to push and break through his limits anymore all too well. If they fought without anyone watching them, the two of them would definitely go on until one of them couldn't move anymore…but perhaps that would be the final push for Ottarl to Level Up once more?
Freya quickly shook her head. There was no point in getting greedy again.
With a twirl of her finger, the Divine Mirror changed to show Saber standing in the castle grounds with the woman called Lancer by his side. Their backs were against the wall and the woman was resting her head against his shoulder while he was nestling his own head on hers. Ahh…such a beautiful combination, one that only grew even more beautiful when-
"Oh dear."
In a flash of purple, the woman swung her spear at Saber's head. The knight simply leaned his head back without even opening his eyes before lifting his sword up to block the second strike.
Yes, their souls shined even brighter when the two of them fought like this.
It must drive Hestia up the wall whenever it happened but there were few things that could trump this combination's sheer beauty when that Walkure fought against the one she loved with such passion.
"…Hmm? Walkure?" Freya muttered. "Why is that name coming to mind?"
Was this what Loki meant when she was muttering about how the two felt similar to her?
"Oh Hestia, what are you hiding I wonder?" Freya said with a smile as she turned toward Ottarl who had been even quieter than usual. He would at least speak up the moment Freya said something that he couldn't hear for fear of missing a request of hers.
But it would appear Freya was not the only one wondering what might happen if two certain swordsmen clashed.
"Ottarl," Freya spoke up a bit louder than usual, snapping the Boaz out of his stupor.
"My apologies," Ottarl replied immediately. "I was…distracted."
"You can't play with him unless Hestia says it's okay, understand?" Freya decided to warn him before she allowed him to do something that both she and Hestia might regret.
"As you wish."
Although Ottarl's response was immediate as usual, Freya could hear the disappointment in his voice, causing her to giggle. It was as if he was a child being denied a toy he wanted. After all, as an Adventurer, Ottarl also wished to strive forward and shatter his limits. He had already reached the ceiling of Level 7…all he needed was one more push somehow…and then he would finally see the world from the same level as those who once adventured under the banners of Zeus and Hera Familia.
That Archer person had surprised Ottarl as well, but Freya was not as interested in him as she was in Caster, Saber or Bell Cranel.
That man's soul had been shattered and rusted over from some event in his past. Slowly the color of rust was being chipped away to reveal something blue and beautiful underneath, but it would only ever be a shadow of its former splendor. If Freya had to say something about it, it would be that it was a pity. A pity she hadn't been able to see his soul before the man had broke.
If she had, maybe he would have caught her attention as well. But as it was, it was as though she was looking at a jigsaw puzzle of a landscape rather than the landscape itself. A beautiful scenery marred by jagged lines of the separated pieces. Or even a mirror that had been shattered and glued back into its stand.
"Lady Freya," Ottarl spoke up. "My apologies for asking again, but is it truly all right to let Apollo do as he wishes?"
"There is still no problem…for the moment," Freya added after a thought.
This spectacle had allowed the boy to shine brightly but it was also becoming dangerously close to marring the boy's purity with rage and hatred. Last night's incident with Hestia's adorable little girl was like dripping water onto an edge of a plank that had been delicately balanced on a wall, threatening to send it falling into the abyss below.
But Bell had risen above the dark temptations and remained on his chosen path.
Should he have fallen from that path, Freya would have made sure Apollo and all of his children fell down with him.
A part of her knew it was a dangerous game she was playing with Bell's soul but the excitement she felt while watching him maintain his delicate balance made her unable to stop. To her, it was like a narcotic more potent than any wine or drug.
However, Freya had to be more careful in the future. Ottarl was still fine as he truly did understand her, but the throes of jealousy were starting to appear in her other Children.
Of course, they would obey her if she told them not to lay a finger on Hestia or any of her Children, but their hearts would not be in it.
Even Alan had completely cut off his sister from his life against Freya's wishes after all.
The absolute last thing she wanted was for one of them to give one of Hestia's enemies an opportunity to hurt them, intentionally or not. It was one thing for one of Hestia's Children to die in the Dungeon. The pain may cause Bell's heart and soul to waver, but he would push through, of that Freya had no doubt. It was a natural risk that every Adventurer faced after all.
But if one of them were to be murdered by Evilus and their ilk? Even Freya wasn't 100% confident that his soul would remain pure after that. That pure heart of his was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.
"Perhaps I should ask Loki if she needs some help after all…" Freya thought to herself.
An ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure after all…but should she get in the way of his possible growth even if it's for his best interests?
Freya supposed she should wait and see just a bit longer.
X-x-X-x-X
"…Did I make a mistake?"
"About what?"
Bell was sitting in the kitchen area watching Rider and Archer clean up when he suddenly asked that question.
"About last night," he clarified. "I wasn't thinking clearly because of what was going on, but couldn't I have ended things by beating Hyacinthus right there?"
"Perhaps," Rider admitted with a nod as she turned toward Bell while Archer kept working. Even then, it was obvious he was paying attention to the conversation. "But what was on your mind at the time?"
"Getting Jack out of there so they could heal their injured…even though I had Lily sabotage their medical supplies…do they have enough?"
"If they cared about all of their members then they would use everything they have left available," Rider said. "If they didn't then they would have surrendered. If they don't surrender, then…well…"
Bell's face fell at Rider's words as the woman simply sighed in response.
"Don't make that face," Rider said as she cupped Bell's face with her hands after drying them. "What happens to them is not your fault. It's the decision of their leaders."
"But it's my decision as a leader that nearly killed them…" Bell replied.
"That just further separates you from responsibility. You didn't break any rules or agreements with your attack. You made Jack promise to be good, but she was the one who broke her promise to you. According to Lily, she tried really hard to keep her promise too, but it looks like she really didn't like that pallum."
Rider let out another sigh as she brushed aside Bell's bangs from his eyes.
"You couldn't have known Jack would go crazy at the sight of him. She always kept her promises to you before now, right?"
"Right…" Bell admitted.
Bell remembered a saying that it was impossible for men to never make mistakes. He also heard that the greater the man, the greater their mistakes were.
He didn't feel like he was that great of a person even though he was the Master of so many powerful Servants, but his mistake sure was "great."
"If you aren't sure what to do then think of a way to end the War Game today," Boudica continued. "After all, the longer it goes on, the more likely it is for someone to die."
"…I wonder if I'm cut out for this after all…" Bell muttered.
Small squad sized tactical battles against monsters he could handle but coming up with a plan for an entire battlefield was hard, especially when he was afraid for the enemy.
"You're doing rather well for your first battle," Rider said with a rather tired sounding sigh. "Bell, you have a problem where you quickly fall into self-depreciation when things don't go your way…no, even when you are being praised you put yourself down."
"I…I don't do that…do I?" Bell asked as he turned to Archer.
"You do," Archer confirmed without missing a beat. "Pretty much every time you receive a compliment even. I feel like we've had this conversation before too."
"I'm sorry."
The two Servant's shared a look before Rider spoke up again.
"If you want to take responsibilities for mistakes that you are only marginally connected to then you need to learn to take compliments without a word of protest as well."
"Y-yes…I understand," Bell said, his cheeks being pulled outward by Rider as she spoke.
"Good. Now stop moping and help us like a good boy."
"Ahaha…hah…"
X-x-X-x-X
"So bored…"
The ones on watch on the wall today were Welf and Gina. The former was looking out toward the Apollo Castle with his arms crossed over his chest and the other was lazily sitting on one of the merlons with her feet dangling off the side.
Granted, they didn't really need to be on watch since Archer was still stationed on the bell tower and could see everything all around them. But it wasn't as though they could make him do that all day. Well, they could, but they shouldn't!
Well, it didn't matter since Archer was currently making lunch with Rider right now inside the keep anyway. So, Gina had to do her part.
"Bored bored bored…"
Even if she was bored as hell.
She glanced over at Welf who hadn't said anything to her all morning. Or rather, he looked like he wanted to ask something but didn't know how to start.
"Are you worried about Jack?" Gina asked, startling Welf.
"Well…yeah," Welf said as he scratched the side of his head. "I mean, she hasn't gone out of her room, right? Or rather, would we even notice if she did? I mean, she wouldn't even let Bell in, right?"
"Yeah…like she's punishing herself or something."
After the events of last night, Assassin had shut herself in her room, not even leaving it for breakfast.
"You feeling okay?" Welf suddenly asked Gina. "She didn't attack you too, did she?"
"Nope," Gina replied quickly, wanting to defend her friend. "She just ignored me completely. What about you? How do you feel about this?"
"Hmm…well, I knew she was kinda weird when we first met but I never thought she would blow up like that," Welf said to himself. "Guess she really really didn't like the things that asshole said.
If they were bad enough to make Assassin completely lose it, Gina wasn't sure she wanted to hear it, or she might have regretted slowing down Assassin's chase. Anyone who insulted people as kind as Bell, Emma or their Goddess Hestia deserved a beating. But she wasn't sure they deserved to be killed for it. That was a one-way path of no return.
But then again, it was bad enough that Bell, that Bell, wanted to wring his neck. Maybe it wasn't the content that was bad but the targets?
"What I wouldn't give to kick his face in myself. But that Mord guy beat me to it."
"And got us into this mess," Gina pointed out as Welf let out a long sigh and shook his head even though it was clear that he agreed with her. "Still, I wonder if we can end things today?"
"That'd be up to Bell, but we might be able to. They're probably still shaken up after the total ass-kicking we gave them yesterday. That being said, I am rather morbidly curious as to what exactly Caster had planned on the fourth day."
"Is he really that scary in a fight?" Gina asked Welf. "The worst I've seen him is when he's half asleep after doing paperwork all day. Now that's something scary."
Welf let out a snort.
"He could easily just turn every last one of them to dust as easily as he when we fought the Floor Boss. You know how other monsters rush in from the other Floor? He just vaporized all of them in an instant without hitting any of us. He even roasted three minotaurs at once in a single breath."
"You mean like a regular breath, right? He's not breathing fire like a dragon or something, right?"
"Hell, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he's got a Magic Item that lets him do that," Welf said with a smirk.
"I suppose I may have a party favor like that."
"Doowah!?"
"Kyaaaah!?"
Both Welf and Gina let out a yelp, the latter slipping off the merlon, forcing the former to grab her before she fell off the wall.
"Not that I expect that Apollo Familia will make an assault today," Caster began, completely ignoring the fact that the only thing keeping Gina from having a slightly painful ten-meter fall was Welf's hasty grip on her wrist. "But that is no excuse to not remain vigilant."
"Y-yes sir…" Gina mumbled as Welf pulled her back up with a grunt of effort.
Caster let out an amused huff as he strode off with Lily trailing behind him.
"You know…he never says anything wrong," Welf began as he set Gina back on the wall. "It's the way he says it, right?"
"Yep," Gina agreed wholeheartedly.
But even as she glanced back out toward Apollo Castle, there was still no sign of them moving to attack.
As she made a move to sit back on the wall, she felt a rumble beneath her feet.
"Hey Welf, did you feel that?" She asked turning to the Smith.
Welf opened his mouth to respond but Gina didn't hear him as the wall below her feet exploded.
X-x-X-x-X
""GINA!""
Loki's eyes quickly picked out the two voices who screamed. The first was Hestia, of course, as it was her child whose was currently being dragged into the air screaming by the jaws of a violas. Not only that, six more of them sprouted up around the Hestia Castle. The second was Hermes's captain, who he had dragged along once again.
Both Hestia and Asfi's face were struck with horror and Hermes was also looking on in disbelief. Come to think of it, the Guild profile did mention that the little Amazon used to be a member of Hermes's Familia before being Converted.
Loki recalled hearing that the violas were responsible for killing several of Hermes's kids a few weeks back when Ais went with them. Guess this was poking Asfi's trauma button quite a bit right now.
Loki's eyes quickly turned toward Apollo, who had been looking sour ever since he arrived in the room. However, even he was looking quite disturbed and confused at the appearance of the violas as well. Like he had never seen them before. Looks like he probably wasn't involved in their appearance then.
Well, at the very least Loki felt that she should probably cross off Hestia working with Enyo…she's watching her child being mauled on screen as Welf Crozzo was trying to get past its vines to save her after all.
Another viola was trying to get to little Primo, but she was crouching in fear behind the minotaur. Said minotaur had its hands grasped firmly on the plant-like monster's jaws and was preventing it from snapping shut around them. Then, with a blood curdling roar fitting of a monster, the minotaur ripped the violas's lower jaw clean off, sending a shower of blood everywhere but on Primo who was still hiding behind it.
Loki's kids had felt that the violas were around Level 4 in strength. For a minotaur, a monster classified as an upper Level 2 by the Guild, to tear one in half so easily painted it as an irregular and Enhanced Species. Where did the little chibi find it?
Two more violas were trying to snap at Caster, who had positioned himself in front of Lily and was knocking them back with the flat end of his golden axe when they got too close. Why he wasn't just splitting them in two, Loki didn't know but even then, he looked like he was utterly bored "fighting" them. Yet even as he was playing with the plants, his eyes were focused on the one that had Gina in its teeth.
Archer, Rider and Bell came running out of Castle with Rider running for Gina while Archer and Bell headed toward Emma only to be cut off by one themselves.
Said Emma was trying to run toward the direction of Saber and Lancer with one of the violas right on her heels while Saber was rushing toward her. Lancer, on the other hand, was making a beeline for Gina and Welf.
Looks like there were at least seven violas in total. How were they going to get out of this?
X-x-X-x-X
Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts!
Gina's mind was filled with barely coherent thoughts as the monster's jagged teeth sank itself into her right arm and pulled her up into the air.
Even with all the pain in her arm going to her head, she could see that everyone had their hands full with more of the plant monsters.
A memory of her overhearing Lulune trying to talk to Asfi about plant monsters only to be cut off when Asfi turned to her direction came to mind.
Were these the monsters that killed Pot, Pock, and the others?
Was she going to die here too?
"No…no! I don't want to die! Someone! Anyone! Help me!"
She heard Welf shouting something back at her, but she couldn't make it out. Not over her own screams of pain and the sound of the monster that was chewing on her arm.
Then a screeching sound like that of a bird of prey came from above her. Something fast, angry, and red had slammed onto the viola from above. It was the Harpy Fia. She was slashing at the viola's head, carving trenches into the creature's head with her sharp talons. The monster's blood showered everywhere as it thrashed about in pain. The viola's jaws opened as it let out a screech of rage, sending Gina flying away…and falling toward the ground.
"Sorry about this!" Came Fia's quick apology through the face mask she was wearing to keep anyone that didn't have Hestia's Falna from hearing her voice. The harpy zipped away from the viola trying to snap at her toward Gina. Gina then felt several sharp talons dig into her skin, drawing blood, as she was quickly pulled up and away from the viola. It hurt. A lot. But it was still far better than being stuck in a monster's mouth.
They zipped through the air, making sharp turns left and right as several vines shot up at them, trying to swat Fia out of the air. The harpy was fast, but carrying Gina along handicapped her speed, allowing one vine to pierce through the lower side of her wing, scattering feathers everywhere.
"Fia! Gina!"
A shout came to them as a black and white shadow lashed out, severing the vines before they could get any closer.
Assassin appeared on the grass, the vines she severed dropping down behind her as Welf rushed forward, Magic Sword shrouded in roaring flames.
"BURN RED! KAZUKI!"
Welf's furious roar followed up as a massive tornado of flames surged forward, enveloping the viola in fire, drowning out its death throes. However, Welf's use of his Magic Sword had drawn the attention of two other violas. They turned their metaphorical backs to Caster and charged at him, only to be intercepted by a flaming blue arrow and a barrage of white light.
"Coming down!"
Fia shot off a warning as she flew toward Welf. The smith carelessly discarded his Magic Sword on the ground like it wasn't worth several hundred million valis and opened his arms up, ready to catch them.
Gina felt Fia's talons dislodge themselves from her shoulders and she fell into Welf's waiting arms while Fia pulled up just before hitting them but ended up slipping on the grass and rolling to a stop instead.
"Ow," came a tired response that spoke more of annoyance than injury.
"Gina!" Welf said as he held her close. Gina looked up and saw a splat of red all over his face with Assassin's right next to her own. "Are you…oh…oh shit! Lancer! Lancer, over here!"
Oh. It was probably blood then. Hers.
Now that she was not going to die immediately, Gina felt strangely calm and tired. Tilting her head slightly, she saw Lancer rushing toward them, her burning spear still lodged within the head of a dead viola.
X-x-X-x-X
"Lancer!" Welf shouted for the Servant of the Spear, completely aware of the desperation in his voice.
But why shouldn't he be worried? Gina's arm was bent in several places that it shouldn't and couldn't be bent in and was filled with holes. His clothes were also becoming more dangerously red than he preferred.
As Assassin turned and ran over to Fia, Lancer came rushing up to him, having quickly killed the viola that had been trying to bite Welf.
Lancer's normally blank face (so long as Saber was not involved) quickly turned into outright fear as she got closer, with the last few meters being crossed in a blink of an eye.
"Place her down," Lancer said quickly, quickly running her finger over the ground. The grass burned away in an instant and a solid mound of dirt rose up much like one had done back when Rider was training Emma at Melen.
Welf carefully placed Gina down and laid her injured arm over her stomach. When this War Game was over, he was going to insist Gina at least wear some kind of protective clothing made out of Salamander Wool.
"Lan…cer?" Gina's voice was quiet and weak as Lancer took Gina's uninjured hand in her own.
"You'll be fine," Lancer said stroking Gina's face with her hand. "Mister Cr-…Welf, please."
Lancer held her hand out to Welf and Welf placed his own hand on top of it. She then took it and placed Gina's uninjured hand in it. It was probably an act to reassure Gina as Lancer's hands were covered by her cold metal gauntlet.
Gina's hand was weak, almost lifeless in his grasp. He tightened his grip as it was the only way he could think of to reduce the helplessness he was feeling in watching a ten-year-old girl slowly bleeding out in front of him.
But in front of him was a Servant. Some kind of Super Spirit. If a Spirit had been able to save his ancestor from death after being mauled by a monster, then Lancer should be able to do the same for Gina.
As Assassin came back to them with Fia's wing draped around her shoulder to help the harpy walk. There was a huge gap in her feathers where a vine had shot through but there was no blood. A harpy's wings were like that of a bird after all. She would be grounded for a few days as her feathers grew back but aside from the crash, she was relatively unharmed.
"Lancer! Welf!"
Rider came running up to them, her eyes widening in horror as they fell on Welf.
"It's-" he began as he looked down at himself only to hesitate at what he saw. His entire front was red. "It's…not mine."
As expected, his lame remark did not ease Rider's fears at all but rather made them worse.
She then looked over her shoulder and Welf leaned to the side to look behind her as well.
Caster was walking up one of the stairs leading to the top of the wall, no doubt to see if Apollo Familia was going to capitalize on that little distraction, with Lily sticking close behind him for her own safety. Bell was pulling Emma up to her feet with Archer standing on top of a viola, making extra sure they were dead. Another two were currently turning into ash, having been cleaved clean in two by Saber. The last one was next to Berserker who was comforting a sobbing and scared Primo in his arms. That's going to be quite the scene back home.
"Jackie, can you go check up on Primo?" Welf asked. "And make sure she doesn't see Gina like this."
Assassin looked down at Gina, blinking back the tears in her eyes before looking at Fia who nodded. The harpy took an uneasy step back from Assassin, favoring one leg over the other, before the smallest Servant ran over to Berserker and Primo.
"Miss Gwen is stable," Lancer said as she finished tracing runes on Gina's injured arm and Welf watched with amazement as the flesh was slowly knitting itself back together. She then picked Gina up in her arms. "I must act quickly to save her arm."
The fact that that was even possible allowed relief to seep from Welf's body. With a small grunt of effort, he stood up and walked over to Fia to offer his back and carry her inside. Rider moved to follow them but glanced toward the wall…or rather the massive hole in the wall where the first viola had sprouted up from.
Apollo Familia was already riding out, eager to take advantage of the chaos of the violas. Welf certainly didn't have any reason to think they were coming to help.
"Welf," someone spoke up in a voice so cold and dark that Welf immediately flinched and felt every single hair on his body stand on end with goosebumps forming soon after. It wasn't quite like the feeling of seeing the Black Goliath but it sure was close. "Hurry and take Fia inside."
"…Ri…der?" Welf asked in complete disbelief that it was the same woman that got on his case for staying up late or for forgetting to eat that was giving off that aura that was deathly cold yet threatened to envelope him in a flame more powerful than his own Magic Swords.
Even Fia, the one who jumped right into the jaws of a monster to save Gina, was shivering rather uncontrollably.
"Now Dear."
"Yes Ma'am!"
Welf quickly ran after Lancer with Fia on his back but stopped to give one last look over his shoulder and to see Rider walking toward her chariot…with each step slowly causing the grass beneath her feet to burn away to ash.
X-x-X-x-X
"Where are you going?" Caster's voice came from above Rider as she steered her chariot toward the gate.
"I'm going to give them a reason to surrender," Rider replied before her eyes turned to look up without moving her head an inch. "Then I'm coming back to have words with you."
"Oh? About what?"
"About why you let those things attack us without a word to anyone."
A rather dry chuckle was the king's only response.
He neither denied nor admitted to her accusation and his laughter was more of amusement than anything else. Amusement that someone like her would voice her displeasure openly to him.
Yellow light appeared around the gate, forcing it to open without using the winch. A gold and red staff then rose up from her chariot near Rider's foot. There were no ornaments or blades adorned on it. It was more like a sturdy metal rod than anything else.
The message was clear. Caster would not stop Rider, but it also reminded Rider that Bell and Hestia would not be happy if she went too far with what she was about to do.
But even so, all she could do was offer a wordless apology.
"After all…even I can find a reason to go on a rampage…"
With a flourish, she took the staff Caster offered her in hand and snapped the reins of her chariot.
Her beloved steeds reared up as they let out a cry of battle, sending sparks of magic flying out from under the chariot.
She felt someone's eyes on her back. Giving one quick look, she saw that it was Bell, but the boy flinched back at her gaze. It probably wasn't something he was used to seeing on her after all.
The eyes of a warrior queen.
Turning her back to her Master, Rider snapped the reins and the chariot blazed off toward the oncoming Apollo Familia.
There number was around fifty. It looked like they were making a serious push toward them, taking advantage of the violas' attack. That only made the flame roaring inside her burn all the more.
Her chariot shot forward but as she drew closer, she weaved off to the left of the army's formation and just narrowly scraped through it.
"Agh…gaahh?"
Or rather, she scraped something off their formation.
A human male wearing a metal breastplate was hanging off the tip of her staff, its golden tip having crashed through the plate and stabbed into his chest, allowing her to hoist him up above her head like he was nothing more than a sack of flour. Making a sharp turn, she flung the extra baggage off her staff and sent him sprawling to the ground as she prepared to make another go at the enemy.
"I am Rider of Hestia Familia!" She roared, eyes seemingly glowing with deep blue flames. "Disperse or be trampled!"
X-x-X-x-X
"Rider!"
Bell had called out to her, but the woman left the castle without saying anything to anyone.
And not only that, she headed straight for the frontlines and engaged Apollo Familia.
"You say engage but it's more like she's tearing them to pieces, right?" Emma asked, her voice rather quiet and filled with worry. Bell didn't know if her worry was for Apollo Familia or the glare that Rider had levied their way before she left.
"In any case, we can't leave her out there alone," Bell decided. "Let's finish things now and get Gina back to the city! Berserker! Saber!"
At his order, Berserker and Saber made their way to his side, the former carrying Primo in his arm.
"Saber, please go help Rider and make sure she doesn't overdo it!" Bell ordered, rubbing a hand over his chest as he felt his insides heating up. "Berserker, clear us a way to the Apollo Castle! Primo…are you up for it?"
"Y-yes!" Primo nodded. "I won't let that stupid plant scare me!"
Bell decided not to point out that that "stupid plant" would have bitten her in half were it not for Berserker's protection.
"Right, Saber, go on first to help Rider. Berserker, you and Primo next. Head straight through them to the Castle. The rest of us will be right behind you."
Red lightning surged from Saber's gauntlets and the Servant shot toward the battle immediately after a nod of acknowledgement. Berserker held Primo up to her spot on his back and allowed the elf to climb on and secure herself properly. Once that was done, he ran over to pick up his club and shield before rushing out of the castle as well.
"What are we going to do?" Emma asked as Assassin appeared behind her.
"We're going straight for Hyacinthus," Bell replied as he turned toward Assassin who flinched at his gaze.
"Can…We come too?" Assassin asked.
"That depends," Bell began. "Do you want to? Or do you want to stay here and make sure Gina's okay?"
"We…" Assassin began, hesitating as she looked backed at the castle. "We'll help Mommy! The faster we beat the bad guys; the faster Gina can get help!"
"All right. But remember, you can't hurt the bad guy who hurt Emma, okay? Or Caster will get really mad."
"Un!"
Assassin acknowledged the order with a nod.
"Is Lily coming along too?" Emma asked.
"I don't know. She disappeared from Caster's side after Rider left the Castle…well, I'm sure she has her own plan."
His trusted Supporter always did after all.
"All right, let's go! We head straight to Apollo Castle!"
The other two nodded in response and followed after him.
X-x-X-x-X
"Outta the way! Outta the way!" Primo shouted as Berserker bull rushed right through the center of the Apollo Formation. "We're stopping for no one so move it or break your face!"
Again, the Level 1s broke rank when Berserker came barreling at them with an inhuman roar. Berserker held his shield, which was attached to his left arm, in front of him, using it as a ram to clear the way with his club also being held in his left hand. Someone swung their spear at them to try to get the raging bull to stop, but Berserker caught it with one hand and ended up dragging the poor human along with them until they released their weapon. Once their unwanted passenger was gone, Berserker discarded the spear as well.
It was Primo and Berserker's job to clear a way for Bell and the others to follow behind them. They had to get this done quick as apparently Gina and Fia have been injured by those plant things. Although Assassin had said that they would be fine, Primo knew that Gina would rather rest at home than in that cold empty castle.
Which meant that they had to get through the gate…or rather, get rid of it!
"Protect me, Berserker!" Primo said as she held her staff in front of her and began her chant, causing her body to shine in white light.
"Oh, stars that hang in the night sky. I grasp you in these unworthy hands, tearing you down from the heavens you reside in!"
She began a chant. It wasn't the one she fired so often since joining the Familia. No, it was a completely new spell, one she had received in preparation for this day.
"I offer you these words in exchange for your majesty!"
The chant, Mind, and time required for this spell could not be compared to her original spell.
All her focus went into her Mind as she allowed Berserker to defend and move for her as arrows rained down upon them; all of them bouncing off Berserker's shield.
If she had a Magic Circle like the ones that are given to Adventurers that had the Development Ability Mage the Mind cost and time required to focus it could be lessened but it would be a long time before that happened. There were rumors that it was possible for some Spells to come with their own Magic Circle, but it didn't matter right now as she didn't have one with this spell.
"You who reign above the heavens themselves! Rain down upon this earth, scatter these worthless beings!"
Rather than a prayer like her first spell, this song sounded more like a demand. One made to the stars that rested in the skies above.
"Immortalize your grace within our souls! Stardust Fall!"
The light that gathered around her body rushed into her staff as she pointed it straight up into the air. The magic converged and condensed, forming a massive stone the size of a small house that fell toward the Apollo Castle Gate.
The guards near the gate immediately turned tail and ran, not wanting to be anywhere near ground zero.
Primo held it up as long as she could, wanting to give the guards as much time to flee as possible before she was forced to swing her staff downward toward the gate or risk an Ignis Faatus.
The world around them seemed to fall silent as the massive stone moved through the air. There was a rather ominous feeling seeing something so big float across the sky like that. Berserker seemed to think so as well as he carefully plucked Primo from her seat and placed her right behind him. He then slammed the shield into the ground and braced himself behind it while holding Primo as close to him as possible.
And then the world exploded.
X-x-X-x-X
Saber calmly watched the Apollo Castle gate transform into a shower of stone flying off in different directions as he released his chokehold on the Apollo Familia Adventurer, allowing the man to collapse onto the ground, unlikely to regain consciousness anytime soon.
From there, he used a single short sword and destroyed the equipment of the Adventurers around him. One tried to swing a halberd at his head. The swing may have been fast to most of the viewers but for Saber it might as well have been moving in slow motion. The Servant caught it with his empty hand, his fingers digging into the blade until it shattered in his grip before he grabbed the shaft and pulled the unfortunate Adventurer closer where he was promptly introduced to Saber's boot.
To those watching in Orario, it was clear where Bell had learned to fight.
It was such a simple task that Saber wondered if anyone would bother watching his battle against broken and defeated men and women.
The strike force had been quickly reduced under Rider's relentless assault. Although the woman was fighting in a near blind rage, she hadn't severed any limbs in her fury. Not that that was any consolation to their foes. Men and women were staggering away from the battlefield with broken and dislocated limbs with a few desperately trying to pull their friends away as well.
The Servant had descended from her chariot, allowing her horses to charge the enemy on their own initiative. They would ride far away from the melee as Rider distracted the enemy with her ferocious assault before smashing into her targets from behind, sending them flying as the Servant acted as the anvil to their hammer.
As expected of a Rider Class Servant, the rider and mount were of one and the same mind.
Saber's presence was redundant here if one were to expect him to repel the enemy. He was here to stop only one person.
"Rider," Saber said, grabbing onto the woman's arm. "Enough. They're beaten."
Rider wheeled around to face him with a glare that would have made a lesser man flinch. Saber however, simply narrowed his eyes in response.
It was only expected that a Servant would be able bring such violence to bear and Saber was no stranger to beautiful women suddenly baring their claws to indulge themselves in violence.
Nevertheless, it was always disconcerting to see.
Rider broke eye contact first before tossing the golden staff onto the ground where it dissolved into golden light, returning to the king's treasury.
"Even if they tried to take advantage of the commotion, they had nothing to do with it," Saber said. "Those monsters are hardly subtle after all. I would have noticed them while I was tracking Apollo Familia days ago."
"I know," Rider replied, her voice cold and curt as she pulled her arm out of Saber's grip. "Any proper military commander worth their salt would have taken advantage of it."
"Gina will be fine," Saber said, trying to guess the source of Rider's rage so he could calm her down. "Brynhildr will not fail."
Rider didn't reply as she glanced back at him over her shoulder as her chariot came to a stop in front of her. As she stepped onto the chariot, Saber spoke up again.
"Where are you headed now?"
"Back inside. I don't want to overtax Bell anymore than I have to."
She then gave a look to Saber as if to ask if he was coming along to which Saber answered by stepping onto the chariot behind her.
X-x-X-x-X
"Berserker! Primo!" Bell called out to the pair them as he and the girls ran up to them. "Are you two all right?"
The minotaur's shield looked as though it had been turned into a giant slice of metal cheese, but Berserker simply nodded his head as he brushed aside the rocks that were lodged into his arms as if they were nothing more than dirt while Primo looked a little out of it.
"I suddenly feel very tired…" Primo admitted. "Is this Mind Down?"
"If it was, you'd be unconscious," Bell replied with a wry smile as he held a Mind Potion to her lips. "Here, drink."
Primo accepted the potion obediently and Bell drank one himself.
"Did it work?" Primo asked.
"Well, the gate is…well…gone," Emma pointed out dryly. "So, I say it did. What's the plan, Bell?"
"Jack will go with me inside the castle and find Hyacinthus," Bell said as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve before placing the empty bottle back into his pack. "We should try to go for the flags on the walls too. Caster probably won't like a Flag Capture victory but at this point I don't really care. It completes his conditions after all."
"And the fifth flag?"
The five flags of the War Game were supposed to be placed in the five spots agreed upon by the rules of the War Game. They were to be placed on the four corners of the walls and the final one was to be placed in the same "throne room" as the Familia Captain. That way it would be the Captain's duty to guard the final flag and in theory, either force the attackers to distract him in order to make off with the flag or fight him there.
"I'll have Jack take it and run while I take on Hyacinthus. But I don't think it'll take that long. This is just a way to distract the remaining Apollo Familia."
If Apollo Familia had to chase after the captured flags instead of assisting Hyacinthus, then all the better. And since Bell wasn't the Captain of Hestia Familia, there was less risk to their side.
"I think that giant rock was quite distracting already."
As the stone had been made by magic, there was no trace of it left on the battlefield. Only the remains of the gate were scattered here and there.
Bell simply smiled as he shook his head.
"Berserker…and Primo too if you're still up for it," Bell began, turning to the two. "Go in first and make a big commotion so Emma can go around to the rear and take the other two flags. They can't afford to ignore you rampaging around after all. But it might be dangerous now that your shield is more or less destroyed."
"Let's do it!" Primo said as she climbed back into her saddle. "Let's go rampaging, Berserker!"
Berserker nodded his head before taking his club in hand. With a beastly roar that was beyond what a human or demi-human could make, Berserker charged toward the destroyed gate with Primo on his back. Then, in a show of power, smashed through the rubble, scattering the rocks outward toward the keep wall, causing it to collapse as Primo screamed out, "THERE WAS A GAP RIGHT THERE!"
Shaking his head, Bell ran forward after them after giving them a few minutes head start.
"Did you use your Skill before coming here?" Bell asked Emma.
"Ah…no, I didn't," Emma replied worriedly.
"Then stick close to Berserker and Primo. Move together to get the flags. If it's impossible then just run."
As an Adventurer of only a few weeks, there was no way she would be able to take on the veteran members of Apollo Familia head on without borrowing someone else's Status. At best she could hold them off until she found a way to escape.
"Right."
Emma nodded her head in understanding, both of Bell's words and her own abilities, before she split off from Bell and Assassin to follow after the minotaur/elf pair.
Bell and Assassin made their way inside the central keep searching for the throne room.
The throne room, for the sake of the War Game, was not any specific room in particular. It was what the room where both the fifth flag and the Captain resided. It wasn't to say that the Captain had to stay there the entire time, but it was a designated place that the Divine Mirrors can easily see the Captain. As such, the throne room could be anywhere.
Hestia Familia made use of the largest room as their throne room, but Apollo Familia had used theirs as a makeshift medical room. They would need to search for a different spot.
But if Bell took in the fact that Hyacinthus had dropped in on him from above, that lowered the amount of possible locations rather easily.
Perhaps it was Hyacinthus's personality to loom over his subordinates or to look down on his enemies from above, Bell wasn't sure. Caster was much the same way, but he chose the largest room as Bell wanted to make use of the bell on the tower in their plans. The fact that the king had no intention of having his eardrums ring every few hours also played a part in the decision.
"Remember Jack, no going overboard again," Bell said as the two of them burst through the doors and ran through the halls.
"Yes Mommy!" Assassin replied. "We won't mess up this time! Should we go look for the mean man?"
"'Mean man?' Y-yeah! Find him them come back to me to show me the way."
"Okay!"
With that, Assassin sped forward, turning down a different hallway and vanishing from sight as her Skill activated.
Bell stared at the direction Assassin had disappeared to before taking the other hallway.
Bell hadn't gotten too far when a pair of doors to his left burst open and a cat person jumped out at him with a roar.
Bell dodged the man's first sword swing before catching the second with his red dagger. He wasn't quite confident enough to catch swords barehanded like Saber could yet. With his other hand, Bell drew the Hestia Knife and shattered the demi-human's blade before bringing his left foot up to the man's face, sending him crashing to the floor, rolling a few times before coming to a still stop.
Each new injury would be on Bell for not ending things immediately last night. He had been so preoccupied with getting the girls out that the thought of beating Hyacinthus then and there didn't even cross his mind.
Bell felt that his goddess, Servants, and the rest of his Familia expected him to be the one who defeated Hyacinthus. If Bell was honest, he had wanted to be the one to do so as well. But at this point, he also didn't care who beat him so long as this War Game came to an expedient end.
As he made his way down the corridor, more and more Apollo Adventurers attacked him and each of them were quickly taken down without a second glance.
A small part of Bell was worried that their little deception in regard to his Level might come to light after this and they'd probably only have to pay a fine or something. Worst case was that the entire War Game would be considered null and void, making this whole affair one giant waste of time but that wouldn't change the fact that Apollo still lost to them.
Bell came to a stop near another double door room. It wasn't as though he could sense auras or anything like that, but a feeling told him that there were people waiting inside. It wasn't enough that it could have been the makeshift infirmary…so it was most likely a trap or an ambush waiting for him.
If he hadn't been in a hurry, Bell would have probably ignored it, but as it was, he couldn't take the risk of overlooking any room that Hyacinthus could be in.
But even in his haste, it wasn't as though he was dumb enough to charge right in.
Bracing himself, Bell held his hand up toward the double doors.
"Firebolt!"
The red lighting shot forward from his hand and blew the doors off their hinges. One of the doors hit some poor elf that had been standing near the front and sent him flying back.
With the initiative on his side, Bell rushed forward himself, into the waiting arms of Hyacinthus himself.
X-x-X-x-X
"What was that, did you see that!?"
"A chantless spell!?"
"I want that human sooooooooooooooo bad!"
The gods and goddesses all around Hestia were chattering with glee as Bell charged forward to fight Apollo's Captain even though the man was surrounded by Apollo's elite. Hestia spared the main mirror in the center of the room a glance, giving her precious Child a silent word of encouragement before turning her attention back to her personal Divine Mirror.
The Mirror was currently showing Lancer attending to the injured Gina. Sitting on a chair, leg bobbing up and down in worry, was Welf. Fia was also there, one wing significantly less feathery than the other as she was staring out the window toward the Apollo Castle while occasionally glancing back at Gina.
"Not going to watch Bell fight, Hestia?"
"I don't need to watch for him to win, Hermes."
Hestia didn't turn her head as she replied to the god who had suddenly came up to her. She was too busy watching Lancer drawing runes on Gina's arm with the Amazoness's own blood with some morbid fascination.
"Haha…well…I suppose that's true," Hermes said with a weak chuckle as he sat down beside her.
"She'll be fine," Hestia said, more to herself than Hermes.
"Hmm? Are you talking about Little Gina?" Hermes asked. "Sure, she may have been in my Familia but she's part of yours now. I'm no longer her God so I shouldn't have a reason to care what happens, right?"
Although his tone betrayed none of his inner thoughts, Hestia chose to believe he was lying. There was no way his Captain would have screamed alongside Hestia if they didn't care a little bit after all. He did go out of his way to make sure Gina had a new Familia to go to after she wanted to leave his own after all.
"Then why are you here?" Hestia asked.
"I was just curious about Bell. Can you tell me what his Status was before he Leveled Up?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Hestia swore she saw Loki's posture shift slightly closer toward the two of them.
"Even if I told you, it's not like you'd believe me," Hestia answered simply.
He was most likely asking for Bell's Status after the minotaur fight. After all, they hadn't officially announced Bell's Level 3 promotion yet. Hermes probably thought that Bell's base abilities at Level 1 and 2 were extremely high.
"Come on…I can keep a secret. You know that."
Indeed, she did. Disgustingly so.
"Every Stat besides Magic and Agility was SS."
"…Seriously?"
Contrary to Hestia's belief, Hermes did seem to believe her, but he can't seem to wrap his head around it. That was only to be expected. After all, since the time of Zeus and Hera, everyone thought that S999 was the cap for the various stats. Hestia didn't know the Status for Loki's top three or Freya's Ottarl, but she suspected that if one of them had broken through to SS they wouldn't exactly keep quiet about it.
At the very least Loki wouldn't.
Then again, an extra point or two at Level 1 or Level 2 didn't matter much on its own.
If Bell kept doing so at each Level Up however…he could actually be an entire Level stronger than what his Status actually said.
Before Hermes could ask something else, the other deities roared in excitement.
The two of them turned around to see Bell surrounded by the unconscious bodies of downed Apollo Familia members as he was sword-locked with Hyacinthus. However, both Adventurers had a dark and eerie light shining around their bodies.
The source of the light was coming from a long-haired woman holding a staff while a short-haired woman was standing in front of her as a guard.
"Oh, looks like a magic sealing curse from that Magic Item," Hermes noted, and Hestia blinked in surprise that Apollo had such a thing before a painful thump in her chest reminded her of something that had slipped her mind.
Turning back toward her own Divine Mirror, she saw Lancer staring at her own hands as golden sparks were slowly floating away from her.
Swiping her mirror back and forth she tried to find the other Servants.
Caster was on the gate, one arm folded over his chest as he glanced down at his gauntleted hand lazily and without concern…even though sparks were rising up from his hand as well.
Rider's chariot had stopped as she stared wide-eyed at the lights floating off of her body and that of her chariot and horses.
Berserker's massive body was also giving off more wisps of light than the other three put together, and both Primo and Emma were running around the minotaur, who was panting on all fours, at a complete loss at what to do before the human ran toward the Apollo Castle.
And, despite the goddess's best efforts, Assassin was nowhere to be found, her Skill completely hiding her from being spotted by the basic Divine Mirror…or at least, she hoped that was the case.
The only ones who looked to be unaffected at being cut off from Bell were Archer and Saber. The former perched once more on the bell tower watching the fights going on in Apollo Castle and the latter was helping Rider remain upright as the chariot and horses vanished.
The only silver lining was that all the main Divine Mirrors in town were completely focused on Bell's duel with Hyacinthus and that the rest of Apollo's Adventurers were too unconscious to notice what was going on with the Servants.
Which was fair; it could be the deciding bout after all.
The Curse seemed to be affecting Bell's performance in the fight as well. Whether it was because there was some side effect of the magic or it was due to being completely cut off from his Servants for the first time since he picked up the Holy Grail and Archer from the Dungeon Hestia wasn't sure. However, Hestia suspected it to be more the latter than the former.
As a goddess, Hestia was able to sense her Blessings on all of the Children in her Familia and would continue to do so until they either Converted out of the Familia or died. If she were to suddenly lose her connection to all thirteen of her Children at once, she definitely wouldn't be able to think straight.
But even as Bell was holding off Hyacinthus's flurry of attacks, his eyes were bouncing from Hyacinthus to the two women in the room as if trying to find an opportunity to break off and destroy the Magic Item.
Judging from the aura around Hyacinthus, he was most likely also affected by the Curse, but it wasn't affecting him as badly as Bell.
Three red blades flashed all across the room as the Hestia Familia Vice Captain and Apollo Familia Captain stepped around the downed Adventurers almost like they were in a coordinated dance.
"Come on Bell…" Hestia muttered as she folded her hands together in prayer.
X-x-X-x-X
Things were quiet, disturbingly so.
Even though he was dueling with a Level 3 Adventurer, the world around him was completely silent.
The clashing of metal against metal didn't reach Bell's ears. The presences of the man in front of him, the two women that Cursed him, and he unconscious Adventurers by his feet also didn't register to him.
It was like he was all alone in the world. The magical bonds that tethered him to the others were gone.
For the first time in months, Bell felt completely alone in the world once more.
It was only by instinct alone that he was able to defend himself as he tried to find an opening to destroy that Magic Item.
But as it was, there was no way he could find one in his current state. Not all by himself.
But of course, he wasn't truly alone.
""BELL!""
Two voices called out to him in unison, shattering through the curtain of the silent world.
Through the two windows on opposite ends of the room, he saw two girls. One human and one pallum.
X-x-X-x-X
Lily had left the castle shortly after the violas had been put down. She ran across the battlefield, stopping only once to stare at the barely restrained brutality that Rider was inflicting on the Apollo Familia. She then laid her body flat on the grass as she watched Berserker and Primo completely obliterate the castle's outer wall before they stormed inside with Bell and the others.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Lily took out a hook and rope from her pack and used it to scale up the walls of the castle.
Lily reached into her sleeve and pulled out the white Magic Sword that she received from Welf. Taking a leaf from Archer's book, the girl loaded it into the crossbow and took aim through the window.
With a simple pull of the trigger, the Crozzo Magic Sword flew just as well as any arrow. The blade smashed through the window, shocking the redheaded woman for a split second, before she and the mage she was protecting were blown away as the blade exploded between the two. The resulting discharge of the lighting magic stored with the blade also completely destroyed the magic staff that the mage was holding.
With that obstacle down, Lily called out the boy's name at the same time as someone else.
""BELL!""
X-x-X-x-X
Emma didn't know what was happening with Berserker.
One moment he was tough as any bull, and the next moment he was suddenly on the ground gasping for air.
The only thing Emma could think of that could make the powerful Servant fall to his knees was that something had happened to Bell, the Servant's anchor to this world.
Not that she really understood what that meant but she did at least get that "No Bell, no Servants."
With no other choice, she left Primo to try and calm Berserker down as she ran toward the castle to try and find out what happened to Bell even though she didn't even know where to begin.
With no other option, she ran close to the wall, peering through each of the windows to see if she could get lucky. Even though it was an emergency, Emma didn't feel confident enough to try and break through a window to get in.
As she passed by a window, she spotted her Vice Captain being pushed back by the enemy Captain.
Emma's hands immediately went for her blades but stopped just before she drew them out.
What exactly was she planning to do? Fighting the Level 1 members of Apollo Familia was one thing, but Emma wouldn't be able to do a thing thing against the Level 3 Hyacinthus. Especially not when there were two Level 2 Adventurers ready to jump in.
As it was, she was only going to get in the way.
At least, if she something as dumb as charge right in.
She secured Nikka back in its sheath while drawing out Gekka. She then carefully traced its edge on the glass in a circle, cutting out a hole wide enough for her to stick her hand through.
And then, she began her chant.
"Rend my flesh, pierce their soul."
An eerie light surrounded Emma as she gathered and focused her Mind into the Spell…no, into the Curse.
Unlike Gina, who received a self-enhancement magic, and Primo who received a new bombardment magic, Emma received a Curse from the Magic Grimoire.
"Break the blessing and wither their strength!"
The red headed woman turned to look at Emma and her eyes shot wide open. But before she could do anything, the ground beneath the woman's feet exploded, sending her and the Mage behind her flying away. The destruction of the Magic Item also caused the curse around Hyacinthus and Bell to vanish.
Hyacinthus stared in shock in the direction of the explosion, exposing his back to Emma.
Seeing her chance, Emma finished her chant.
"Épine Flétrie!"
A nearly invisible wave shot through the room from her hand, sending a high-pitched sound at Hyacinthus's back, enveloping him once more in a dark aura while also causing Emma to collapse onto her knees.
The Curse had an effect similar to her Skill, but it was also the complete opposite. Her Skill allowed her to take the Status of her friend and add it to her own. The curse however, temporarily took away a portion her own Status to do the same to her target.
If she could hit them that is.
With that done, she then called out her friend's name at the same time as someone else.
""BELL!""
X-x-X-x-X
""BELL!""
"Lily…Emma…"
Seeing the two of them come to his aid reminded Bell once again that he wasn't alone. The feeling of seven roaring flames being tethered to his soul also reinforced his heart. And with it, his strength.
"Hah!"
With renewed vigor, Bell swung his two red knives at the rouge blade…and shattered it into a thousand pieces. The bloodlust from the minotaur he defeated on the Ninth Floor still resonated within his two minotaur horn daggers.
Without his sword and Cursed by Emma's Magic, Hyacinthus was now no match for Bell.
With a punch, Bell sent Hyacinthus flying out a window and followed out after him.
"Miss Emma, are you okay?"
Lily hopped through the windows of the room to reach Emma as quickly as she could, pulling out a Dual Mind/Body potion from Miach Familia's Blue Pharmacy to give to the girl.
"Y-yeah…" Emma nodded as she accepted the potion gratefully. Once she drained it, she carefully got back up to her feet. She then glanced at the bottle in her hand before turning to the Pallum. "Lily! I have one more favor to ask of you!"
"Y-yes?"
Several meters away, Hyacinthus had pulled out a short sword to replace his destroyed weapon and was just barely holding off Bell's relentless assault as cuts and wounds appeared all across his body.
"W-who…" Hyacinthus began, eyes wide in fear and rage. "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE!?"
Bell caught Hyacinthus sword between his daggers as he glared at the man.
"We're…Hestia Fa-" he began only for something to fly from the side and strike Hyacinthus in the side of the head, throwing him off his feet and landing with a thud on the grass.
Blinking in both confusion and surprise, Bell looked around to see the shattered remains of a potion bottle and turned toward the direction it came from.
"That's what you get, you jerk!" Emma shouted, voice filled with righteous indignation as she was shining with the pink aura that signaled her Skill's activation.
"…Lily thinks Miss Emma ruined Bell's scene," Lily said as several bells resounded in the distance to signal the end of the war game. "Well…Lily supposes it's fine to let Miss Emma throw away her bottled emotions now and again."
X-x-X-x-X
A heavy silence filled the entire city of Orario at the scene but as Church bells rang out throughout the city everyone realized that bottle throw, anti-climatic as it was, that had been the final blow of the War Game.
People throughout the city were cheering as the commentator's voice rang out.
"There's the final bell! That was…well…that was something! The victor of this War Game is Hestia Familia!"
All throughout the city, those who cheered on and believed in Hestia Familia from the start were celebrating.
From Eina Tulle, temporarily forgetting her neutrality as a member of the Guild, hugging her coworker, Misha, in joy.
To Mord Latro, who laughed his head off as he ran toward the betting counter to claim his millions of valis in winnings alongside a trio of Gods who betted on the supposed underdog.
To Tiona Hiryute, as she happily hugged Lefiya before swinging the hapless elf around and around.
To Syr Flover, as tears of happiness ran down her cheeks in relief.
To Hestia herself, as she slid across the chamber to where a cowering Apollo was trying to back away from her and her swaying twintails that were snapping back and forth like snakes after checking to see that her Children were all unharmed.
To a young woman with long purple hair staring wide-eyed at the human girl being depicted on Divine Mirrors all across Orario.
"Why? Why are you here!?"
The woman spoke to no one as she clutched a blue diamond-shaped pendant around her neck, one identical to the one around the girl's neck.
