Chapter 39 - Counterstrike Force

Hestia contacted everyone with the big news. She found out what happened to the other gods. Apparently, the enemy had trapped them in the timeless dimension that was previously used to trap the Black Dragon. Because the Gods were taken by surprise, they did not have a chance to release their powers before being trapped by the enemy's magic. The biggest problem is that Cronos was also trapped and he was the only god who had the power to control the use of the timeless dimension. Hestia had no solution, but the first step must be to stop the enemy's campaign to trap the remaining gods left on the surface world. Finally, the other big news was that Lili woke up. She was still weak but she will be alright.

After talking to Hestia, the team sat around and talked about what to do.

Finn: "Let's talk about red hair woman. Since Ein was level 10, it was reasonable to assume that she is at least level 10.

Ais: "Yes, if that is Revis, she was fighting at level 9-10 a bit more than two weeks ago."

Riveria "If it is Revis, she may well have leveled up in that time. She could easily have killed a few underlings to level up. Revis is definitely level 10 if not 11. Let's hope that she is Revis, otherwise we got even more enemies."

Bell "With Wiene, Ais, Riveria and me, we already beat Ein who was also level 10. Riveria was not using her magic much because of magic resistance. So with my level up, I think we can beat another level 10 if she stayed at the same power level. "

Wiene "We were beating Ein the level 10 pretty badly so I think we can take her on. I think I may have leveled up once also since. My lightning edges were already used up when we fought Ein."

Tione "Well, what if red head is level 11?"

Tiona "I think they can still take her - argonaut-lun leveled up and no longer injured. And he already used his hero's strike against the level 9. And Wiene leveled up. Ais is also no longer injured. Riveria was not fighting that much anyway."

Riveria "I would agree. Wiene was pretty much taking up most of Ein's attention. And Asterius is a much better fighter than me lol"

Asterius "Riveria, don't sell yourself short. But I think we can take her on even if she is level 11"

Finn "Good grief, it would be Bell, Ais, Wiene, Asterius, Mikoto - it could be a 5-on-1. Wait, what about Enyo or whoever that magic being is"

Riveria "Yes that is the elephant in the room"

Gareth "Well it seems their target are the gods. They ignored Haruhime and did not bother to kill off the Ganesha familia. I guess they knew all the children become powerless if the gods are banished"

Bell "Yes, that may be our chance because they assumed we are all monster food right now deep in the dungeon"

Finn "We were so played. They went after the king and queen while we were fighting the bishops and rogues"

Ais "I hope there are no more fighters deep in the dungeon... I still think we can take on the red hair whether she is Revis or not.

Ottar "Yes, you guys can definitely take her on. Now if she is level 12, then may be not..."

Tione "What do we know about the magical being?"

Bete "Not much... Well she seems to be able to create the hybrid beings that have magic crystals. She somehow mixes some plant magic in that"

Lefiya "Right, does that mean she gives them a Falna? That plant magic may be involved in those new monsters..."

Finn "Not sure, if she does, that would make her more a god than a spirit. But if she was a god, why did no one realize who she is"

Bell "And it can send gods into the timeless dimension. I remember reading that there were some older gods that no longer exists..."

Ottar "But it probably needs to be close to its target to do that. That is probably why they are going all over the place. Bell, you read a lot lol"

Ais "Yes, we need to keep our distance from the magical being. And we need to think that there still could be some demi-spirits in their arsenal"

Asterius "Why dont we take an accounting of what we have. None of us Xenos have tested our powers since all those magic stones. Thanks by the way"

Finn "No, it was you guys saved our behinds, thank you."

Asterius "Well Gros and Ray are not here, but I know their rough power levels compared to mine and Lyd"

Asterius "Bell, let's do it"

As Bell sparred against the Asterius and then Lyd, everyone got a good feel for their power levels. The consensus was that Asterius' power level is mid-8 and Lyd was mid-6.

Asterius "If I am mid-8, then probably Gros is a mid-7 and Ray is a mid-5." "Well Gros and Ray would need to stay near the dungeon anyway to keep the monster population under control and to prevent any from escaping to the surface. We are already coordinating with the other Xenos to do this"

Finn "Great that you guys are taking care of that. We have not seen any virga or viola because they were probably harvested. But with the main force destroyed and Revis probably on the surface, they may make a come back. That would be a problem if they ever made it to up the dungeon like they did before"

Bell "If it was the intent of the enemy to wreak havoc by releasing monsters to the surface, then they would be unhappy if that does not happen."

Ais "Right, so sooner or later, this could be a flash point. Gros and Ray need to be careful"

Riveria "Hestia is already monitoring the location of the enemy. But lets make sure she understands that Gros and Ray are going to be near the dungeon entrance. And that will likely be a flash point after the enemy is done trying to capture the gods on the surface"

Bete "Wait, Hestia said we need to protect the remaining gods - where are they?"

Tione "Yes, we need to warn them. Perhaps they can hide or even help us fight. Much better for them to go back to heaven than be trapped in the timeless dimension"

Finn "Let's call Hestia back right now. Let's hope she knows where the remaining gods are"...