Bell POV
"Bell come here I want to tell you something" Grandpa called me over.
I stopped reading my hero story and walked over to him. He patted the spot next to him on the couch and I sat down on it.
"What is it Grandpa," I asked.
He sighed before speaking. "Remember how I told you about Beast wills and how they can give their users exponential power, but they normally only have two phases"
I nodded my head. "Yeah, I remember, why do you ask"
His face then turned serious. "Because your beast will has a third phase, and you are to never use it understand"
His face was dead serious and I knew he wasn't making a joke.
"Why can't I use it, Grandpa," I asked.
His face softened a little but still kept its seriousness. "Because it will kill you, it will tear your body apart from inside starting by breaking your mana core than the rest of your internal organs, but it will provide you with power beyond your wildest dreams"
I was shocked. Could my beast will really do something like that? "Ok Grandpa, I won't use it" I promised.
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I was walking the 18th floor with Asfi to meet up with Lyd and a few other Xenos. Asfi and I knew each other but we didn't talk much. I think the last time she came around was when I was 11.
"You've grown Bell" Asfi's voice broke me out of my thoughts.
I chuckled. "So have you, I mean being able to deal with Hermes whims for eight years, you have to be a saint of some kind"
She blushed in embarrassment as she looked away from me. "Thank you for your praises"
We kept walking until we came to a heavily wooded area where the Xenos were hiding. However, there was an odd one among them. Standing next to Lyd was a person dressed in a black robe. It wasn't the woman in black however as this person had a man's voice. He noticed Asfi's and I presence and waved us over.
"Nice to see you again Asfi, Bell I already know about you my name is Fels, we don't have much time to talk but I need to know if you're willing to stand by the Xenos"
"I already gave Lyd my word, I'm with them through thick and thin," I told him.
He nodded his head. "It's good to know there are people like you, most wouldn't help the Xenos, and the ones that would, would be considered fools, be the fool," he told me.
Before I could ask what he meant he started leading us to the entrance of Knossos. The walk was quick but quiet. We had to sneak past Rivira and avoid its guards. Once we did that Fels led us to the wall of the dungeon.
There's no door? Could the door be inside the wall?
"Where's the door, Fels, are you sure this is the right place" Gros angrily asked.
Fels held up his hand and I realized that he was a skeleton. "We need a key, Lucky for us Bell stole one"
Realizing what he meant I reached into my pocket and pulled out the sphere-like object. I tossed it to Fels who caught it and he held it up to the wall. The wall then flung open and revealed a hidden passageway that was massive.
Everyone there was in awe except for Fels, but none of us said a word. We have a mission to accomplish. We only stepped one foot inside and the wall behind us shut. Torches that were evenly spaced out started lining up on the stone walls showing a path for us to take.
"Looks like we're being corralled" Asfi commented.
"It reeks of a trap" Gros added.
"What should we do Fels" Lyd asked.
Fels put his hand up to where his chin was supposed to be but I answered for everyone by walking ahead.
"Bell what are you doing" Asfi called out to me.
I didn't look back and kept walking, but I did answer her. "Simple, I'm springing the trap"
I heard the rest talk amongst themselves before hearing them follow me. We walked for five minutes until we came into this large stone room. There were cages stacked on top of each other with other Xenos. But the thing that shocked me the most. Was Wiene crucified above the rest. I felt an anger I never felt before course through me. It was then the Ikelos familia made their presence known, and standing above them all at the top of some stairs, was Dix.
"Well well well look who it is, I thought you said you didn't know anything about talking monsters, seems ya do, but my question is how were you able to lie to a god" he shrugged his shoulders "Well it won't matter, once we kill everyone here I'll just beat the shit out of you and ask you personally"
Before he could order any of his men to attack I activated static void freezing time for everyone but me. Or so I thought.
"So you can temporarily freeze time as well," Fels said. I had to ignore him for now as I dashed forward. I stabbed the man on the right in the leg dragging Dawn's ballad upwards.
I infused lightning into my fist and used it to temporarily paralyze the woman next to him. I crouched down and used dawns ballad to sever the second man's Achilles tendons.
When I saw the other woman who was at the end of the line I grew enraged. Attached to her belt was a hammer covered in blood. Wiene's blood.
With a quick slash of my sword, I cut both her hands off before impaling Dawn's ballad right above her kneecap. I then pushed Dawn's ballad upwards and popped her kneecap out of place.
I then shut static void off and heard the screams of pain from the victim. The woman with the hammer was the loudest.
3rd person POV
Dix looked at the scene from the top of the stairs in shock. For the first time in his life, he felt fear. An uncertainty that he could win. So activating his Phobetor Daedalus skill brainwashing everyone there to fight each other.
Yet to his surprise again it did not affect Bell and Dix felt his fear growing. He knew that Bell could fight a level 4 without a mana core and one with one and most likely win. Now Dix normally wouldn't have a problem with that. But because he used his skill it lowered his combat prowess to that of a level four. He knew he had to stall for time.
"Why do you even help these monsters, all they do is bring pain and misery to those around them, what difference does it make if they can talk" Dix argued.
"It makes all the difference, they have emotions like you and I, they can feel happy and sad, scared and alone, waiting for someone to come save them" Bell countered.
"And why help them, you should know better than anyone want monsters can do, your whole family was butchered because of the one-eyed black dragon, your aunt became a terrorist after their defeat, and after she was done she went and took the rest of her hatred out on you, that wouldn't have happened if not for monsters" Dix threw his hands up in the air as if trying to get a point across.
"That's true yeah, but if it's monster or human, if they ask for my help, I'll help them" Bell reaffirmed his stance as a rising hero and charged.
Dix quickly pulled out his cursed spear and parried Bell's slash, Bell threw fire in Dix's face causing it to have small burns.
Dix then kicked Bell in the stomach sending him skidding back. Before Dix could do any shit talking Bell used earth magic to create a pillar behind Dix, he then pulled it towards him and slammed it into Dix's back, Dix went flying and Bell clotheslined him.
Dix slammed into the ground and quickly dodged the blade headed to his arm, Dix shot to his feet and heard crackling. He looked at Bell and saw that his ruby-red eyes were gone, they were replaced by pure lightning.
Bell shot forward again faster than before, he aimed a slash to Dix's chest but Dix barely blocked, Bell then spun around him and stabbed Dix in the back of the leg with his knife.
Dix yelled in pain before backhanding Bell in the back of the head, the blow caused Bell to roll forward because of how low he was, but he quickly got back up to his feet and charged again.
Dix knew he was ok the backfoot, and he knew that Bell knew he was as well, he had to do something quick or else he would lose. So he did the only thing he could. He got his level-five strength back by dispelling his magic.
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It was like a cloud had been pulled away from everyone fighting each other. They all looked confused but didn't have time for questions. Their Xenos brethren were locked in cages and they needed to be free.
"Gros you start freeing them, I'm gonna go help Bellchi," Lyd said running off. Until he saw Bell with realmheart active slam Dix's head into the ground.
"Never mind he's got it, I'll help you" Lyd changed his mind.
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Bell parried a stab from Dix's spear and maneuvered Dawn's ballad to slice off a few of his fingers. Dix let out a grunt but spun his spear hitting Bell in the head.
Seeing his opportunity he thrusted his spear forward and stabbed Bell in his side, he tried to push the spear deeper but Bell grabbed the spear and pulled it forward, he head-butted Dix, Dix grabbed his nose and felt blood dripping down it. Yet he smiled.
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"This spear is a cursed weapon, that wound won't be able to be healed by magic or potions" Dix bragged.
But when he looked at Bell he saw him hovering his hand over his wound as a dim purple light emanated from it. After a few more seconds his wound was closed.
Dix just tsked in annoyance. "You're just full of fucking tricks aren't you"
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An idea then popped into Dix's head. He looked up to the wall Wiene was crucified on. She was watching the fight and was hoping Bell would win. She was also trying not to cry because of the pain she was in.
Dix then slammed the bottom of his cursed spear on the ground causing dust to go up providing a smoke screen. Bell lost sight of Dix for but a moment, and that was all Dix needed.
Bell heard the tearing of flesh and Wiene yell out in pain. Once the dust cleared he saw Dix taking out Wiene's Vouivre tear.
Bell watched in horror as Wiene turned from a innocent little girl, into a monster she didn't want to become. But it seemed she still had some self-control as she ran away down a tunnel.
Dix just laughed. "Look at that, your precious friend turned back to what she really was, a monster through and through, and what makes it better is that tunnel leads to a public street, your friend will be slaughtered like the monster she is"
Bell didn't say anything. Before Dix could even react Bell cut off his hand and stabbed him in the throat. He pushed the blade deeper and deeper until he saw the life fade from Dix's eyes. He then picked up the Vouvire tear and ran after Wiene.
Bell didn't have time to feel regret or sadness at the moment. It was the first time he had taken a life that he knew of. He could feel bad about it later. Right now he needed to save his daughter. So he ran, he ran faster than he ever had before.
Using his lightning to give him the speed he desperately needed. He shot fire from the bottom of his feet burning holes in his shoes to give him just that extra bit of speed.
But he was too late. Wiene had already broken out into the middle of Daedalus Street and the people were scared. Wiene was scared. She wanted her papa, she wanted Bell to come and save her from this nightmare.
Then she saw him. He had his hands out to try and calm her down, he was showing her he meant no harm, he even showed her the vouvire tear. Wiene backed into a wall scared that she would hurt Bell.
But he continued to get closer and closer, she started to calm down a little, she was gonna be alright, she was gonna be safe, and right before Bell reached her, a spear went through her shoulder.
Bell acted quickly as she screamed out in pain and put the tear back into the slot on her head. Wiene transformed back to her normal form and the last thing she saw, was dozens of adventurers standing behind Bell.
Bell POV
Once Wiene was passed out I knew I had a choice to make. I could hear multiple footsteps running toward me from the entrance of Knossos and knew the Xenos were coming.
I gently picked up Wiene in view of all the civilians and adventures, but I didn't care. I walked to the entrance to Knossos right as Lyd and the others arrived. I handed Wiene to Lyd.
"Go, hide, I'll buy you some time" I ordered. The way we came into Knossos was blocked which meant if the Xenos ran back in there they'd be trapped. So once Lyd and the others started running I unsheathed Dawn's ballad and my knife and turned to face my opponents.
"Fuck" I said as I looked at the combined might of both the Loki familia and Astraea familia. On my right at the end of the street, I saw Finn's mana beast. An a-rank lion capable of producing fire that burns at 2000 degrees.
However, this didn't deter me. I looked at all of them and didn't say a word, I didn't need to, my eyes said it all.
"Come at me, I dare you"
Well, we're gonna end this here. Sorry if the action sucks I feel like I say this every time I write fights but I'm not that good at them.
But a few noteworthy things happened. Bell is furthering his goal of becoming a hero but he also just killed his first person.
The Loki familia has also returned from the war with Rakia which is causing Bell another headache. Also, the Astraea familia has seen Bell doing some shady stuff, who knows how they'll react.
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed and I'll see you next time.