Special thanks to my good friend and co-author of this fanfiction:

Dahmiel

You are a true friend and an inspiration at times.


I'm surprised there isn't any Legend of Zelda and Danmachi Crossover. It was hard to write a decent prologue for this crossover, but creativity challenges are fun!


Prologue: Echoes of the Past

Deep beneath the sacred grounds of Hyrule Castle, Link and Zelda ventured into the treacherous underground tunnels. The air grew heavy with the wisping crimson mist of Gloom, the cause of a mysterious illness that befell those who entered these caverns. As they traversed the labyrinthine passages, Link's piercing gaze scanned their surroundings, alert for any sign of danger. Zelda, her voice filled with concern, broke the silence.

"We must be getting closer to the source. Stay vigilant."

Nodding in agreement, Link maintained his pace with the Princess of Hyrule, his unwavering courage driving them forward. They descended the sloping tunnel in silence until they reached what appeared to be the deepest chamber.

In the darkness, a green twirling light softly spun in the chamber, a mesmerizing and mystical sight to behold. It swirled and danced, emanating a radiant and ethereal glow, casting a vibrant green hue across the surroundings. The light seemed to possess a pulsating energy, as if containing the essence of ancient magic and divine power.

However, within the twirling green light, there was something else, something unpleasant.

"That green light in the distance…" Zelda turned to Link, gripping her torch slightly tighter. "I have the strangest sensation. This all feels ominous..." The two focused their attention on the dancing green light. "What is this place? Let us proceed, Link, but we must be extremely careful."

"Okay."

Zelda led the way, her light piercing through the darkness, while Link stayed close behind, ever vigilant. As they approached the light, Zelda caught sight of something in the darkness.

"What is that?"

Zelda's voice trembled with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension as she gazed into the abyss of darkness ahead. The flickering light she held aloft cast eerie shadows on the surrounding walls, emphasizing the mysterious nature of their surroundings. Link, always dutiful and alert, instinctively moved closer to her side, ready to defend against any potential threat.

As they neared the source of the light, their footsteps echoing through the cavernous expanse, Zelda's eyes widened with astonishment.

Nestled within the darkness, partially obscured by wisps of ethereal mist, was an ancient corpse pierced by a disembodied ethereal green arm with metallic gold adornments. Resting on the back of the hand was a shimmering Secret Stone, a relic of immense significance and hidden power. The stone emitted a soft, ethereal glow, casting a mysterious light upon the surrounding area.

Unbeknownst to them, the Demon King's Corpse lay sealed by the ethereal green arm, with a Secret Stone embedded within it. It was a shriveled husk with sunken empty eyes, retaining its dull crimson long hair and oozing the crimson and black substance of Gloom. However, what truly captured their attention was the intricate golden adornment resting upon the corpse's forehead, prominently displaying another Secret Stone.

Suddenly, the arm trembled, its grip loosening. With a dull thud, the Secret Stone dislodged from the ethereal green arm and clinked across the floor near Zelda's feet. She hesitantly and cautiously picked up the object and examined it. The brilliant pale hue of the Secret Stone slowly turned into blinding gold, filling the area around Zelda with warmth and light.

At the same time, the sound of a rumbling heartbeat from the Gloom-oozing corpse startled her. As Zelda's gaze shifted towards the corpse, a moment of dread washed over her. The silence that hung in the chamber was shattered by a single, ominous rumbling. The sound reverberated through the air, resonating with a haunting pulse, as if the very heartbeat of darkness had awoken.

As if guided by an unknown power, the lifeless limbs of the fallen king of evil suddenly twitched, their movements accompanied by the unnerving sound of cracking bones. With each convulsive spasm, the corpse seemed to come alive, defying the laws of nature and the boundaries between life and death. The motion continued, and the corpse's once-twisted form straightened, as if emerging from a long and restless slumber.

But just as the eerie stillness gave way to this unexpected reanimation, the corpse went limp and buckled back, its head hanging on its backside for a brief moment. Then... Its head twitched violently and snapped to face them. Slit eyes reignited in blazing orange, gleaming with malice and an insatiable hunger for power.

Malevolence spilled forth from Ganon's revived form, its dark tendrils writhing and twisting like maddened serpents, reaching out with sinister intent. With a swiftness that betrayed their malevolent purpose, the tendrils surged toward Zelda, their target locked on the princess. Fueled by the embodiment of evil, the tendrils lashed out with an insidious force, aiming to ensnare her within their grip.

Before Zelda could even react, a swift and resolute figure leaped forward, interposing himself between Zelda and the encroaching darkness. Link struck against the blackened crimson tendrils with the Master Sword, sending showers of blue and white sparks through the chamber.

The malicious tendrils clashed against this familiar power, sparking and sizzling as light and darkness collided in a desperate struggle. In this struggle, darkness proved victorious, encompassing the Master Sword and moving up onto Link's right arm. The assault on Link's arm was relentless, the vicious surge of Gloom threatening to overwhelm him. In a harrowing moment, the force of the attack proved too much for his trusted Master Sword, tainting the Blade of Evil's Bane and consuming Link's vitality and strength.

Nonetheless, Link remained firm and standing despite the immense pain and damage inflicted upon him. Another tendril struck at him like a vicious snake, and Link met it head-on with his weakened Master Sword, shattering the iconic blade into fragments. The sound of the sword's destruction reverberated through the chamber, lamenting the loss of an invaluable ally in the battle against evil.

Malevolence spilled forth like crazed tendrils, shooting towards Zelda and assaulting Link's arm with a vicious surge of Gloom, shattering his trusted Master Sword into fragments. The shattered pieces of the sword scattered across the chamber, a testament to the magnitude of the threat they faced. In this moment of shattered blades, a piece sliced through the corpse's cheek, causing its dried skin to bubble and hiss. However, the corpse seemed unfazed by the damage dealt by the fragment of the Master Sword.

Zelda's eyes widened in horror as she witnessed Link's weapon crumble. "Link!"

With a bone-chilling creak, the ancient corpse of Ganon opened its jaws, releasing a hoarse voice.

"Was that the sword that seals the darkness?" The corpse asked, slowly straightening up in an unnerving series of twitches. "A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me." It locked eyes with the two Hylians before him. "Zelda..." It rasped, then turned to Link. "You, who carries that fragile sword... Are Link. Rauru placed his faith in you... And that was all you could do?"

The wound on the revived Demon King's cheek faded away as the ancient evil stood straight and tall. Link did not falter. His eyes blazed with unwavering resolve as he redirected his focus toward defending Zelda. Though disarmed, he drew strength from within, rallying his inner fortitude to protect the princess and withstand the onslaught of darkness.

"How do you... know our names?" Zelda took a frightened step back. Ignoring Zelda's question, Ganon's eyes gleamed with a malevolent intensity as he prepared to unleash his devastating power. Dark energy crackled and swirled around him, swirling in a tempestuous vortex of Gloom.

With a primal roar, Ganon unleashed his might, releasing a surge of raw, corrupt energy that surged through the ground. In an awe-inspiring display of his ancient might, the landmasses beneath the heroes began to tremble, cracks forming and spreading like a spider's web.

The very fabric of the surrounding landscape seemed to tremble in response, as if nature itself recognized the impending display of power. In response to his malevolent will, the very foundations of Hyrule quaked and trembled beneath the heroes' feet.

Landmasses, once solid and stable, were torn from their earthly roots and thrust upwards, defying the laws of gravity.

Propelled by malicious powers, these colossal fragments of land ascended towards the heavens, carried by the raw power emanating from Ganon. The sky darkened, clouds parting to reveal a nightmarish spectacle as the floating landmasses were suspended in the air, hanging precariously like forgotten islands in a realm beyond mortal reach.

The once-familiar landscapes of Hyrule being ripped apart and reshaped by Ganon's unholy might. The sight was both awe-inspiring and horrifying, a testament to the destructive force that Ganon commanded.

The ground beneath them cracked and split open, revealing a profound chasm that seemed to stretch infinitely.

Ganon let the chasm and its darkness swallowed him while Link and Zelda watched. With the immediate threat gone, Link loosened his firm stance and dropped to one knee while holding his injured right arm.

"Link!" She cried out, reaching out to him instinctively. But before she could grasp his hand, the ground beneath them gave way, sending Zelda hurtling into the gaping abyss.

Despite himself, Link's swift reflexes allowed him to seize Zelda's hand with his injured right, preventing her from falling into the void alone. Together, they plummeted into the darkness, their fates intertwined.

Yet, even in their shared descent, a sinister presence lurked within the bottomless darkness. A deep, cruel laughter echoed from the abyss, sending shivers down their spines.

From the unfathomable depths emerged tendrils of Gloom, writhing and twisting like vipers seeking to ensnare their unsuspecting prey. These ethereal appendages, infused with Ganon's malevolent essence, slithered towards Link and Zelda with a relentless determination.

Link's grip on Zelda's hand tightened, his resolve unwavering despite the encroaching darkness. With the courage that burned within him, he shielded Zelda from the encroaching tendrils, positioning himself as a stalwart barrier between her and the malevolent forces that sought to consume them. The tendrils of Gloom danced and lashed out with an insidious grace, testing the limits of Link's resilience.

"GRRRRGH!"

Yet, he remained resolute, his will fortified by his determination to protect Zelda at all costs. A clash between the hero's unbreakable courage hosted in a mortal body and the tendrils of darkness as the battle for survival played out within the abyss.

"No! Link!" Zelda helplessly clutched onto her protector, praying intensively in an attempt to bring out her power. Amidst the chaos, the ethereal green arm, no longer needed to seal the Demon King, reacted to the radiant golden glow from the Secret Stone in Zelda's possession. The arm's power surged and descended towards the falling duo, its hand reaching out for Zelda to take it. "That's...!"

Without hesitation, Zelda grabbed the disembodied arm intertwining with Secret Stone's essence, creating a blinding light that enveloped both heroes.

"RAURUUUU!" The revived Demon King bellowed with an angry roar at the intervention, intensifying his effort to maintain a grip on the Hylians.

Gloom engulfed them, desperately grasping at the ethereal arm and threatening to snuff out the light. The ethereal arm, however, refused to succumb to the vile power. It fought back, emanating a pulsating light that pushed against the encroaching darkness.

In that blinding moment, the boundaries of their reality shattered as light and darkness struggled fiercely against one anoher. The grip of Ganon's Gloom on them resisted with a malevolent tenacity, its tendrils writhing and lashing out in a desperate attempt to maintain control as they hurtled through a realm unknown to them.

Another pulse of blinding light erupted, shattering the Demon King's cruel hold. The Gloom dissipated into fragments, carried away by the winds that swept through a monster infested forest. However, the remnants of that vile energy would not easily fade away, as it quickly found refuge within the depths of the untamed wilderness, slowly festering in the shadows.

The disembodied green arm that had intervened to save them radiated with a brilliant glow. But it also seemed to be at its limit with its brilliance flickering. Nonetheless, its ethereal energy enveloped Link and Zelda, cradling them in a protective embrace. Guided by its mystical power, they were swiftly carried away.

The echoes of danger and despair slowly faded into the distance, replaced by a newfound hope and the promise of a different path yet to be explored.

/-/

In the vibrant realm of the Lower World, a young white-haired boy named Bell Cranel embarked on his own journey, driven by the burning passion to achieve his dreams. His red eyes shimmered with determination as he treaded the path of an aspiring adventurer, eager to prove his worth and carve his name in the annals of history… And pick up girls in the Dungeon.

As he wandered near a serene grassy lake, his attention was captivated by a mesmerizing sight. A radiant green and gold star descended gracefully from the heavens, its gentle descent painting the sky with hues of wonder.

"Wow…!" The ethereal beauty of this celestial arrival left Bell spellbound, as if the star itself whispered secrets of a grand destiny that awaited him.

In that fleeting moment, Bell's heart stirred with anticipation and a sense of shared purpose. He could feel the stirring of an extraordinary tale, a narrative interwoven with the fates of heroes from distant realms. Unbeknownst to him, an echo of a convergence of worlds was imminent, and his path was destined to intertwine with the legendary Hero of Hyrule.

Little did Bell know that his journey, which had just begun, would soon be entwined with the epic tale of Zelda and Link. The green and gold star that graced his presence heralded the onset of a profound adventure, where two realms would collide, and the boundaries between legends would blur.

In this convergence of dreams and destinies, a new saga was about to unfold—one that would unite the courage and determination of two worlds, forever changing the course of their intertwined fates. And so, with anticipation in his heart, Bell embraced the future, eager to embark on a journey that would surpass even his wildest imagination.


Publish your Danmachi merchant fic already, Dahmiel!

If it's done.