3rd person POV
Ouka and Chigusa were in the town square of Daedalus. It was quiet right now, and so the two were just talking to each other. Their job was to keep an eye on the populace until this situation was over.
Demeter was also here with Persephone and Lunoire handing out free food and drinks to everyone. The guild, of course, tried to manage this, but Demeter told them to fuck off as it's her food, her rules.
"Goddess, are you ok? You seem down," Lunoire asked.
Demeter let out a sigh as her mood wasn't how it usually was. She was normally cheery and ditzy with an undertone of care. But for the past few days, she had been more recluse and sad.
"I'm ok, just worried," she replied, handing a sandwich to someone.
Her children knew who she was worried about. News spread fast of what Bell had done, and how his name was spat and cursed upon in these streets hurt Demeter immensely.
"Want me to go shut them folk up," her captain asked.
"No, Persephone, let's just give these people their food, they've lost a lot as is," Demeter told her.
While yes Demeter did worry about her nephew, she wouldn't deprive these starving people of food just to get back at them.
"Hear me and rejoice," a cloaked figure standing atop a roof said. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face him. He wore a white cloak and a red porcelain mask to mask his identity.
"Yes, yes, gather around everyone because you all are part of my show tonight, because tonight we see if a hero can save all of you poor souls" The man made a gesture with his hand for showmanship.
Lunoire and Persephone got in front of Demeter to protect her.
"But if he fails, do not worry, your souls will be managed well in heaven."
Multiple other people in white cloaks with hoods covering their faces appeared on the rooftops surrounding the square. All led by a woman with medium-length pink hair and yellow eyes. She wore a black top with black pants that had red lines in them, with both the top and bottom damaged to some extent, leaving her stomach exposed, along with a brown belt around her right thigh and a black coat with fur trimming. Her name was Valletta Grede.
"Oh, I can't wait to see the despair on all of your faces, will your hero show up in time" she sadistically cooed.
Valletta looked around the scared and shocked crowd, almost as if she was looking for someone. Once her eyes landed on Demeter, she glowed with a sadistic gleam.
"Found you," she said in a singsong voice.
Before Persephone could react, and dart of paralyzing poison found its way into her neck, Lunoire quickly turned around to react but found one in her neck too. Demeter was now left defenseless, just like Valletta wanted.
The rest of the cloaked figures, minus the one in the mask, jumped off their rooftops and engaged the few adventurers there, all the while, Valletta slowly made her way to Demeter.
She dragged her cursed sword along the ground sending up sparks to scare Demeter further.
Demeter tried to run away, but a knife in her leg stopped her as Valletta drew ever closer. Demeter tried to crawl away, but Valletta stepped on the blade, causing it to sink deeper in.
Demeter let out a scream of agony as her children watched helplessly. Valletta kicked Demeter on her back and stepped on her hand, her level-five strength holding her down.
"A pity, looks like the so-called hero won't be able to save you" Valletta then brought down her cursed sword aiming for Demeter's abdomen.
A fire-infused fist met Valletta's face and sent her flying into a building.
"Get the fuck away from her!" Bell yelled, Realmheart active. His lightning and fire were both activated, giving him a speed and strength boost.
His red eyes were now blue as lightning took their place. He turned his eyes to Demeter and dispelled the fire from his hands. He walked up to her and pulled the knife from her leg, and used Aether to heal the wound.
Demeter sat up and looked around behind him, seeing the mangled but still alive bodies of evilus. Bell picked her up and brought her back to Persephone and Lunoire. With a simple wave of his hand, he dispelled the poison in their system, allowing them to move again.
Behind him, Bell heard the rubble of the building being moved as Valletta was getting back up. Bell gently put Demeter down in front of her familia.
"Keep her safe, I'm going to fuck that bitch up," Bell said as he unsheathed Basilisk tear. Valletta brushed the stone and wood off her body, looking at Bell excitedly.
"Now that's what I'm talking about, hero, you're a fast little shit. I didn't even hear ya coming, say I'd love to fight, but I have something else for ya."
Suddenly the ground started to shake, and the stone beneath Bell began to crack. He jumped back right as the stone collapsed, and a giant monster made of wood and vines appeared. It stood at over 20 meters tall and had the body of a centaur. Its upper half looked like a person, its eyes filled with pride and anger. The bottom half didn't look like a horse with the mess of vines and branches that draped from it.
Bell knew what this was and immediately activated his lightning and shot forward. He swung basilisk tear down and severed the Elderwood guardian's arm.
He was then smacked aside but its other arm. Bell landed on his back and rolled back to his feet, and noticed a green dome over his head. He paid it no mind as he saw the Elderwood had already grown its arm back.
It shot its vines at Bell, which he promptly dodged, seeing a roof explode behind him. The debris from the roof started falling to the ground and would've landed on people if not for Ouka moving them out of the way.
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"Ouka, you and Chigusa get them as far as you can, I'll distract this thing," Bell ordered.
Before Ouka could do what he said, he had to block a stray vine from hitting him. His great axe shattered, but he had blocked the hit.
Bell whistled to Ouka and tossed him the great axe Lena gave him for his birthday. Once the exchange was done, Bell went back to fighting.
He coated Basilisk tear with his dark magic and sent multiple slashes forward, they impacted the Elderwood, cutting off a few vines, which were just immediately regenerated.
Mist started to seep out from the beast, but using his wind magic, Bell dispelled the mist before it could take form.
One of the unique properties of the Elderwood guardian's mist allowed it to create illusions, and anyone trapped inside it would most likely die.
The Elderwood Guardian saw a group of civilians, and a wicked smile spread on its face, It turned its arm into a cannon and aimed it at them.
It fired a huge mass of vines decorated with thorns at the group, they huddled together to brace themselves for it, but were spared as Bell had cut it in half.
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"Run!" He yelled at the group.
He blocked another tendril of vines before shooting fire at the monster. It roared in pain and anguish before trying to kick Bell, he couldn't react in time as he was still shooting fire.
He braced himself for the hit but was saved when multiple crescents of wind sliced through the vines. Ryu landed next to him as the Elderwood guardian regrew its limb.
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"I'm assuming you know what this thing is," she asked.
Bell nodded his head. "Something from Arthur's past, I haven't been able to go all out yet because of the civilians, mind helping me buy some time"
"Got it, but after this, I want to know what you did to Alise," Ryu agreed.
Bell gave a small nod before taking off again. He had to find this beast's weak spot. Fire seemed to do some damage to it, but it regenerated so fast it would be a battle of attrition at this rate. He also had to worry about this dome that trapped him and everyone else inside it.
Bell then got an idea, using his fire he shot himself forward and began running up the beast's arm, the beast tried to shake him off, but Bell again shot forward using his fire, he drove Basilisk tear into one of its eyes, causing the beast to scream.
He then coated it in fire, causing the Elderwood guardian to be burned from the inside. The beast turned its hand into claws and swiped at Bell, he barely avoided being slashed, but he had a new problem. He was falling.
Before he hit the ground, Ryu caught him, and the two landed behind the beast that still roared in pain.
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"Ryu, I have a plan," Bell panted, he was running low on mana and had to finish this fight soon.
Ryu nodded, signaling that she was listening.
"My fire, your wind, we burn this bastard to ash" Bell's plan was simple, and Ryu would follow it.
The beast let out a haunting roar as it looked down at the two. Its right eye was burning, and its left one was full of rage.
It turned its right arm into a Gatling gun and started shooting a volley of thorns and seeds at them. The two split up and dodged the Elderwood focusing on Bell.
He blocked the volley using Basilisk tear as a makeshift shield as he ran. The thorns and seeds impacted against his sword with enough force to slowly push Bell back.
Ryu ran atop a rooftop and jumped off it, she dug one of her short swords into the Elderwoods leg and used her wind to spin around.
She cut in a circle-like motion, and she dragged her blade down the leg. Once she landed on the ground, the Elderwood lifted its leg up to crush her, but was stopped when a pillar made of earth shot up and knocked it off balance a little.
Ryu shot a massive gust of wind forth, causing the Elderwood to lose its balance and fall. Both took advantage of the opportunity.
Both of them jumped atop the beast, Bell drove his sword into its abdomen and started pushing fire into the wound. Ryu added oxygen to the fire, making it bigger and stronger.
The Elderwood guardian roared in pain as it turned its right hand into sharp claws. It took a swing at Ryu, and before it hit her, Bell tackled her out of the way, feeling the sharp claws go down his back.
The Elderwood then turned its left hand back into a Gatling gun and fired again.
Bell shielded Ryu with his body feeling the thorns and seeds dig into his back. Ryu used her wind and pushed them behind some rubble, giving them cover and allowing Bell to get off her.
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"Are you ok?" Ryu asked Bell putting a hand on his shoulder.
Bell gave a nod, but it was clear he was in pain. "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm almost out of mana however, I have maybe five minutes left, how about you."
Ryu felt her mama reserves and answered. "I can keep going, I have about 10 minutes left."
Bell nodded and pushed himself up to his feet, his back screaming in pain as he did so. Yet he persisted, he looked at Ryu, and the two shared a nod before running in opposite directions.
The Elderwood focused on Bell shooting thorns and seeds at him again, its other hand turned into whip-like tendrils and aimed for Ryu.
Ryu jumped out of the way of the tendrils shooting off into the air and delivering cuts all over. It didn't regenerate as fast this time as Bell's fire seemed to have slowed it down.
Bell was blocking the projectiles with his longsword, shooting fire at the beast whenever he could. It was just tiny little sparks, but thanks to Ryu's wind, they were becoming raging infernos.
The beast roared in pain as its legs were burnt to ash. It fell to the ground, landing face first, allowing Bell and Ryu to slice and dice it.
But the two dodged as spider-like legs shot forward from its stomach, allowing it to move once more.
Its arms turned into whips and swung at our two adventurers, both jumped up and landed on rooftops avoiding the blows.
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"This beast is a stubborn bastard," Bell panted. His mama reserves were running low.
"Now you know what it's like fighting you," Ryu joked.
"Ha ha, funny" Bell rolled his eyes, then an idea came to him.
"Ryu, distract it, I have an idea," he told her. Ryu, trusting Bell, jumped off the roof and got the Elderwood's attention.
The beast focused on Ryu as she sent crescents of winds at its face, its arms shot forth, impaling themselves into walls.
With the expert grace of a first-tier adventurer, she dodged whatever was thrown at her, if Bell had seen how she moved, he would've thought she was a ballerina.
But Bell wasn't able to see her as he pushed himself higher and higher into the air with his fire, once he felt he was high enough, he stopped his propulsion and started falling back down to the ground.
He coated his sword in fire once more, the populace seeing only a sword of fire in the night sky. Once he was directly above the neck of the Elderwood, he brought the blade down and decapitated the beast, finally ending the fight.
Bell immediately turned off Realmheart feeling the ambient mana flow into him as he had stopped fighting. He was tired and beaten, yet he smiled, knowing the fight was over.
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"We fight well together," Bell panted as he pushed himself to his feet. The back of his shirt was gone, and his back was covered in three giant claw marks, as well as having multiple projectiles lodged into it as well.
Both walked over to the dead Elderwood guardian, and that was when Bell noticed something. He went to get a closer look and saw it was a beast core. Knowing that Agrona sent the Elderwood that Arthur fought to poison Tessia with the beast's will, he would ensure it was clean before giving it to someone.
"Are you ok, Bell" Ryu asked, walking over to check on him?
Bell nodded his head. "I'll be fine, I'm just glad you're ok."
Ryu felt an odd feeling in her chest when he said that, but pushed it away as now wasn't the time.
Bell walked over and picked up the beast core, storing it in his dimension ring for Regis to check later.
"Seems this green dome is still up, odd where are all the people that were here" Bell pointed out.
Ryu's eyes widened in fear as she knew who put this barrier up. "Bell, we need to-
She was cut off as the woman in black had slammed her head into the ground, this wasn't enough to knock Ryu out right away, so a curb stomp was followed, sending Ryu into darkness.
"RYU" Bell yelled as he rushed forward. He swung Basilisk tear, but the woman in black simply blocked it with her arm.
Bell swung a few more times, but each time was blocked.
The woman in black delivered an open palm strike to Bell's stomach, sending him skidding back, but not before he used a water whip to wrap around Ryu's leg to pull her to him.
Crouching down to pretend he was in pain, he reached into his boot, where the Kunai Mikoto had given him for his birthday.
The woman slightly moved her head to the side and dodged it, but it snagged onto her hood, bringing it down.
Long white hair was revealed, blowing in the wind, and her heterochromia-colored eyes were coldly staring at Bell.
His eyes widened in shock and confusion.
"How, how the hell are you alive, Alfia."
Well, what a chapter. Bell saw Demeter getting hurt and flew into a rage. Bell and Ryu worked together to defeat the Elderwood guardian.
And it was revealed that Alfia was alive this whole time. Before any of you complain, I'll reveal why she's still alive next chapter. I've had this reveal planned since I started this story cause I wanted Bell and Alfia to have a fight like this since I started this story.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and that the fight wasn't too boring, so later.