The Fallen Argonaut
Rated; M (Blood/Gore)
Disclaimer; I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Ōmori, all rights go to him
Authors: Eli-er01 & ViceroyChalister
Summary: The will of a hero is strong, yet unwavering but all good things must come to an end, even at the cost of one's Heroic Will. Imprisoned and blamed for a crime he hadn't committed, Bell seeks a way out of his predicament so that he can live without fear of being hunted by the people he once looked up to.
51: Preparations
=Dungeon, Floor 50=
A day had passed since Bell had woken up and his wounds had all but healed. The properties of the status were ridiculous when you're literally able to heal a punctured lung with some healing magic and a bit of time. That's something that was normally lethal, especially if it's bad enough to fill the lung up completely with blood.
Apart from that, the time spent on the floor had mainly been spent collecting fruit and water from the rivers and plants scattered across the floor as well as collecting cadmus drops whenever they found them.
So far, they had collected around seven of them excluding the one he had found just ten minutes ago after having searched nearly every nook and cranny of the floor and if he had to be honest, he was itching to go down further.
That feeling of being watched wasn't going away and he was no closer to finding its source. One thing he had been able to deduce was that there were actually multiple pairs of eyes watching them, but from two sources. One divine, the other… less so.
The divine one was probably through something similar to a divine mirror but that made no sense. A god can't reach this far down into the dungeon. They themselves have confirmed it and it's even law for them not to try.
So naturally that raises the question. If it wasn't a god… then what was it?
The second source of the feeling was a bit more bizarre. Despite it not being divine, it was… well, it was on and off. Despite that, whenever it was watching them, he was unable to deduce its actual location wherever.
What he did know was that it was coming from this floor, which was why he wanted to delve deeper. That way, whatever it is won't watch them anymore and might move on before they return.
Sighing, Bell moved through a pair of bushes before the camp came back into sight on top of the cliff.
Crouching down, Bell leaped into the air, easily closing the distance and landing right beside a tent.
"Ah, Bell! You're back. Any luck?" Welf noticed him as he stopped what he was doing with his longsword.
"Yeah, I found one Cadmus drop. I'll head over and add it to the rest" Bell said with a smile as Welf nodded.
"Great, that adds up to eight collected. We need seven more" He said as Bell nodded.
"Yeah, I was actually thinking of us heading deeper and spending a day here once we return in order to collect the rest" Bell told Welf as the smith thought on it.
"I mean, I don't see why not. It would allow those pesky ones teasing us up there to actually fall" Welf pointed upwards with his thumb as Bell glanced in the direction. He couldn't hold in the chuckle at the clear pertrutions that went a little too far from the usual crystal on the roof.
Those were all Cadmus drops that were a hair strand away from dropping to the ground.
"Yeah, they should drop in a day or so" Welf commented before looking unsure "Well, that's what Tsubaki says and I have no idea what to believe from that half-dwarf" He muttered the last part of the sentence as Bell chuckled.
"Well, guess we just have to wait for the others to return. Should be in a few hours or so" Bell finished before walking past Welf, deciding to start making food for dinner.
=Further into the forest=
Bache sighed out as she walked around a tree, scanning the ground whenever she felt like it as her senses would be sharp enough to sense anything unusual. To her, the dungeon was bizarre, which was a given of course. It's the dungeon, but the experience is like nothing compared to the outside.
Out there, monsters can't really come out of nowhere, they have to have a base, a home. Same with people and bandits. Here? You can be walking down a tunnel and the wall can literally birth a monster out of what seems as if from thin air.
And as if that wasn't enough, the dungeon also increased in difficulty almost as if perfectly reflecting the increase in power the status gives.
The dungeon was bizarre, and thus played by different rules. Those words spoked by Elora and Bell to her and the children had more meaning than she had ever truly thought they had.
Now, walking through a forest and not coming across a single monster at all like this in that very place felt strange and in a way, somewhat boring.
Don't get her wrong, she quite enjoys the peace, contrary to some people's belief. She may be an amazonian that likes the thrill of the fight but after living her life in a balance between life and death for… well, most of her life, or more accurately, the first 27 years of hers.
Then she had known peace for the next fifteen and she would never take it for granted, but that didn't stop her from preparing, after all, if there was one thing she understood now, it was this.
Peace was only the calm before the storm.
Breaking out of her thoughts, she looked up at the lights on the roofs, frowning slightly at the Cadmus Drops that were just a hair lengths away from dropping. She swears they were teasing her as every time she looks, they always seem to sway in a way to suggest they are dropping.
"Bache?" She blinked before turning her head to the side, blinking.
"Elora?" The amazonian asked, just as confused as the Elf.
"Didn't we go… well, you know, in the opposite direction?" The elf asked, Bache nodding slowly as they just stared at each other.
After a moment, both burst out laughing at the irony.
"Wait, you're saying one of us has gotten so lost they actually went around the entire floor without realizing it?"
"Or we both got lost and met halfway through" The elf suggested as Bache shrugged.
"Well, that's possible I guess. Well? Any luck?" Elora instantly knew what her sister in all but blood was asking before shaking her head.
"No, but I swear, this entire floor is playing with us" She muttered as she glared daggers into the roof. Understanding, Bache did the same.
"I know, every time I look, I swear they move just in the right way to seem as if they are dropping" She said back in a hiss before they sighed.
"Right… anyway, we should probably start heading back. The lights indicate it's around five in the afternoon. The others should be returning too" Elora suggested as Bache nodded.
"Right, but we got a problem" Elora couldn't help but tilt her head at the amazonian, blinking as she saw the look on her face.
"Which one of us got lost?"
"Right… One second" Elora said before shooting off into a tree and climbing it. Understanding what she was doing, Bache followed, climbing it with extreme ease due to her fingers simply impaling the wood like handholds.
Once atop, both looked across the landscape of the floor. It was mostly covered in trees, but there were two cliffs and a large pond that interconnects with the rivers at the western part of the floor.
"There, I can see the camp" Elora said as she pointed in the direction of the central cliff which she figured must be the southern one based on the location of the pond.
"Good, let's head back" The two dropped down onto the ground before shooting off into the forest, heading in a beeline towards their camp.
=Back at Camp=
"Elora and Bache sure are taking a while" Welf said.
"That they are, but I have faith in them. If they get into trouble, we'll definitely hear it" Bell responded, a slight chuckle coming from both of them.
They turned to see Lili walking up, "Hey, did you find what you needed Lili?" Bell asked.
"Lili did" she smiled.
"That's good. I've also decided to tell you all another story, but I'll wait until everyone's here" Bell smiled. Lili and Welf, knowing a bit about Bell, saw that there was a bit of worry behind it.
"Another story? Sounds interesting" Mikoto said, being tagged along by Haruhime and the kids.
"It definitely is interesting, I'll tell you this for now, it's how I came into contact with Artemis and became the wielder of Orion's Arrow" Bell said.
"That's the spear you use correct?" Haruhime asked.
"Indeed it is, though the scary part is that it's supposedly capable of 'killing the unkillable'…" Bell added in air quotes and shrugged. "Whether it is capable of such feats, I am truly unsure, but I do know that when I use my skills with it…" His pause and shiver unsettled the group a bit.
"It's not a pretty sight, I leave it at that" Bell said
"Okay then, should we go get Elora and Bache, or should we just wait?" Welf Asked.
"Lili believes they'll be here shortly" She said, turning to look at the forest.
"Second that, I heard Elora say something about elbow leeches, never heard of them, but they don't sound fun" Haruhime added, all the females shuttered and the thought of something that was slimy and squirming.
Jannor spoke up, "I've been thinking though dad, do you think we'll meet that guy again? What was his name?"
"Who exactly? I've met a lot of people since you were born" Bell said, trying to lighten his own mood with a bit of humor.
"You know, the guy from the cave. Ehm… Her-something. He was part Minotaur" At that, Bell blinked before nodding.
"Heracles… I don't know. His wounds were severe. But… it's possible… with her…" He trailed off at the end, thinking about it.
Welf's brows perked "Before I ask who this 'her' is, who's this Heracles guy? You said he's a type of Xenos?" Welf asked.
"Yes, he looked like a Xenos, yet didn't. He was as tall as a Minotaur, had the horns too… yet resembles a human" Bell paused.
"He has a human head…" Bache spoke.
'They're back' everyone thought in unison as Elora and Bache came out of the buches, both looking at Bell in curiosity at the subject at hand..
"What do you mean, 'human head'? Haruhime asked.
"What Bell said is accurate. He's as big as a Minotaur, has the horns too, but just looks human. Nothing too crazy about it other than he exists" Bache said as Bell nodded.
"He could probably stand against Ottar in even footing when it comes to his physical strength, but Ottars skills and other basic abilities would play a major role if they were to fight." Bell added as the group that hadn't seen it first hand blinked.
"Wait, we got another black minotaur on our hands?" Welf asked as Bell hummed, remembering how they had mentioned he had taken on the entire Loki familia on his own.
Sure, he lost his arm but still, no ordinary monster or Xenos could take on the Loki familia and live to tell the tale.
"I don't know… Maybe? He was strong, Level 7 at a bare minimum when you look at everything but his physical strength was easily on par with a high level 8. Maybe even level 9" Everyone felt uncomfortable at the mention.
"Well… we just arrived but I'm guessing you're talking about that Xenos that threw you around the cave?" Bache asked as Elora frowned, trying to remember it.
"Oh right, you guys mentioned that" The elf said after a moment, remembering that she hadn't been there.
"Yeah, though they were adamant on them not being Xenos but something else. I don't know, it was weird. I mean, how did they even get onto the surface and why are they so strong?" Bell asked as everyone shrugged.
"Beats me. They didn't exactly seem to be friendly but not an enemy either… something in between"
"Oh, yeah, she did threaten me" Bell sweatdropped as she remembered the feeling.
"Wait, they actually threatened Bell-sama!?" Lili exclaimed as everyone looked at Lili's curious but worried face.
Bell's entire family turned to him. After all, he was the only one there so only he can really explain it.
"Oh, yeah. There was this Vouivre…" He trailed off again, trying to form the scene into words.
"Like Wiene?" Haruhime piped in, tilting her head as her tail wagged slightly at the thought of her friend.
"Eh… race is the same but she looked different. Where Wiene has this innocent aura to her… Kita, which is her name by the way, was more commanding, and her power…" Bell shivered.
"What about it, Bell-dono?" Mikoto asked as Bell looked at her, his eyes reflecting the feeling he had felt that time. A feeling he rarely feels in that amount anymore.
Fear
"She's powerful… the only time I felt something similar was with that dragon… Which to me is another bizarre thing. As far as I know, there are three great quests, right?" He asked as everyone nodded.
"Then how was she as strong or close to the strength of the black dragon that Zeus and Hera familia couldn't defeat?"
Everyone blinked as that settled in until it really hit home.
"Wait wait… are you saying there is a monster out there that's equivalent to a great quest that no one knows about?" The smith asked, looking worried.
"Yeah, I felt real fear when I was in front of her and I was level 7 at the time. If I fought her… I'd lose my life within a minute with the way I was back then"
The entire area became silent as the words reeled in their minds. The very thought of a level 7 dying just like that was horrifying. They were seen as the pinnacle of adventurers, the best of the best. If not even they can take on this Vouivre, which isn't even mentioning the rest of her army, then who can?
"Well, that's an apocalyptic thought. How about we eat?" Adrienne said, trying to light the mood as everyone happily took the chance.
"Yeah, that sounds good" Aralaya said before turning towards the pot of food over the fire that Bell had prepared, still hot and ready to be consumed.
"Oh, I am so getting the first bowl" Bache grinned as she instantly shot towards it, seemingly recovering from the conversation without a hitch.
"Hey! Leave some for the rest of us!" Jannor complained as he tried to pry Bache away as she began filling her bowl to the brim.
The scene instantly put the camp into a better mood, as the usual banter began to pick up, but even with that, the lingering thought of the vouivre as strong as the black dragon lingered in all of their thoughts.
=Einhente=
"Ah, Torin. This is where you've been hiding I see" The elf captain of the imperial guard perked up at the voice of his queen before turning in her direction and bowing slightly.
"M'lady. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked politely as he looked at her with a smile.
"Oh, nothing much. I wanted to know how your search goes the Abnormal current whereabouts" Kita's glowing blue eyes resonated the curiosity in the statement as she tilted her head, her pale ears twitching slightly as she listened to whatever answer awaited her.
"By Abnormal, I assume you mean one Bell Cranel, correct?" The nod was all that was needed for Torin to understand.
He had been the one tasked with keeping track of Bell Cranel who they had dubbed 'The Abnormal' when the queen returned from the main continent. The name had come from his… uniqueness.
The reason for him being tasked with this was that the monster's weren't clandestine enough to do stealth operations in the shadows and snoop for information. That's where he and the mortal population of Einhente, specifically the military part of it came in.
They could blend in, get information and learn things that would take the monsters years to learn in the matter of days.
But even with that, learning the identity of The Abnormal had been much harder than anticipated. It had taken 3 years to do so and once they did, they still had to keep track of him, despite him being up in the wind and downright impossible to find or follow.
One of his scouts had come back scared out of their mind, and it had only been the first of many.
Apparently, even laying eyes on him was enough to alert him. At first, he had thought that his queen had over exaggerated the ability of this mortal, but he should have known better.
This man was anything but normal. They were even able to keep eyes on Kaius, a level 8, but a level 7 Bell Cranel was too much to handle somehow.
Either it was a skill or one hell of a scary talent.
Either way, somehow, they had managed to keep their true allegiances hidden, despite their agents being caught quite often.
In the last six months though, they had stopped following him, and instead listened to rumors and official information instead to keep track.
It wasn't as reliable but it was better than taking such a constant high risk.
"Bell Cranel is still within the walled city of Orario, though as of the moment if the information is correct, he's on an expedition into the dungeon, heading to the 50th floor" He reported as Kita hummed and thought over the information.
"Hmm, half way down to them"
"Indeed" They were silent for a moment, his eyes glossing over her form, how her pale skin got darker the further in towards the center of the body you looked. Not overly so that it looked weird, it was almost mesmerizing with how it matched her eyes and red gem. The contrast was incredible.
"That's good news. We are planning on working together with him. The stronger he gets, the higher our chances of success are"
"M'lady, if I may?" Torin asked as Kita turned to him with a hum before nodding "Why stray so far from our original plan? Wasn't it the highest possibility of success?" He asked as Kita looked at him before nodding.
"It was, at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that our encounter with Bell Cranel was most fortunate. After all, it isn't every day you meet a mortal with the capacity to kill the unkillable" She answered as Torin blinked.
Kita had yet to inform him of the weapon that Bell Cranel wielded, but with it and his power, he had suddenly become one of the key components to their plan.
If he can truly kill the unkillable, then he would be the only one capable of ending this conflict once and for all, permanently.
"That's… quite big" was all Torin could say as the Vouivre nodded.
"That it is. If he is in the dungeon now heading to the 50th floor…" She started, thinking of something that Torin didn't have an inkling about.
"Torin, when would be the earliest we could get a messenger to him?" She asked as the head of the imperial guards looked at her before turning to the side.
"I don't know, it depends on their luck. The items they had to gather were quite rare, especially the Cadmus Drops. A rough estimate would be that they would return at the earliest, one month. At the latest? A month and a half" He reasoned as Kita nodded.
"Send one with a message to him" She said as Torin's eyes widened at what she was saying. Before he could protest, his mind spoke against him.
He knew better than to question his queen's decisions, all he could do was trust her. It hadn't led them astray so far.
"And what would the message be, M'lady?" He asked as her blue eyes latched onto his indigo ones.
"I'll get you a letter to be delivered to his home. Make sure he receives it" Was all she said before walking off, heading deeper into the city to continue her duties, leaving behind a curious and confused royal guard.
=Orario, Southern District=
Things had been quiet for the last few days since Themis Familia had headed down on their expedition.
To Ais, it was almost like the city had fallen asleep with nothing to do but wait and train. Every day she had been working on the techniques Bell had taught her alongside Fiona.
The progress had been slow, but at least from what she can tell, steady.
If she wasn't spending her days training, she was either wandering the manor, entering the dungeon or walking the streets of Orario.
The latter was of course where she was at the moment and had found herself on the outskirts of the Entertainment District out of pure coincidence. She did have a nasty habit of wandering her thoughts.
As she walked down the pathway, her eyes glanced towards the smaller image of herself, looking curiously towards her left, her head tilted quite high.
The girl had been a constant fixation in her life, almost as if her child self had followed her into adulthood. She had gotten good over time at ignoring it and she knew that it was in fact an illusion, formed from her mind. Riveria had said as much, but it was one that was fueled by her heart.
Ais turned her head towards where the illusion of her younger self started, her eyes latching onto the rising tower of Belit Babili, former home of the Ishtar Familia. Funnily enough, the tower was still damaged from the events 15 years ago when Ishtar was returned to heaven.
The reason? Freya had purchased the tower only to never touch it again. Literally. Most took it as her way of spiting the goddess of beauty while others thought that it was her taking their rivalry too far.
Honestly, Ais couldn't care less. She never really ventured into the entertainment district as she had no interest in what they offered. It neither appealed to her nor intrigued her. That and it would only take away time for her to get stronger.
Even now, her muscles and soul itched to train, to get stronger to save her mother but she knew from learning the hard way, rest… was a necessity.
Without it, your muscles won't heal and will eventually break down. In the beginning of her adventurer career, she had been reckless, entering the dungeon at dawn and returning at midnight. Whenever she was forced to stay at the manor, she trained without budging if anyone tried to stop her and only ate whenever she was literally forced to.
Riveria even tried to lock her in her room without any weapons or equipment to train with. She ended up training her magic by flying out the window (She broke it).
For a normal person, they'd break down within a week, but thanks to the falna and status updates, her body handled it much better, even as a level 1.
Thanks to that, she lasted until one month into level 2. In other words, thirteen months until her status couldn't keep up anymore and her body completely broke down.
She had been bedridden, every tiny fraction of a movement feeling like she was trying to move an entire fully stocked merchant cart without the falna by herself.
It took her three weeks to even be able to walk again, and even then, carrying any sword, no matter how light was too much.
She wasn't able or allowed to leave the manor until they deemed her healthy enough, which took six months in total.
Even if her level up time is estimated to be around one year, her time between level 2 and level 3 was actually nearly two years, but due to her other level ups taking a year until it basically came to a halt at level 5, it was re-estimated.
She couldn't help but smile bitterly and take her eyes away from the tower and onto the ground at her next thought. Things had really changed since then. She had been growing so steadily back then, but at level five, her level ups suddenly jumped to three years from one to two. Then she was stuck at level 6 for over a decade, adding up to twelve years.
Leveling up became harder and harder. Even if it's much, much slower than at lower levels, gaining points in her basic abilities wasn't the issue, that naturally increased with time and effort. The issue was that the requirements for the feats massively increase to the point that it seems impossible to level up.
How Bell had managed to do it outside Orario was still a complete mystery to her, even if he had seen the Black Dragon himself.
Her face darkened as the black beast entered her trail of thoughts. Oh how she wished it'd just drop dead and give her mother back. Unfortunately, that's now how reality works.
She looked up again before turning towards Babel tower before taking a deep breath. Trying to wish the dragon to death won't help anyone, so she might as well just let it go for now. She began walking forward, as her eyes trailed towards the bottom of the tower, her thoughts drifted back to white hair and red eyes.
She wondered how he was doing down in the dungeon. It's been nearly six days since they departed on their expedition to the 50th floor and she couldn't help but worry, despite knowing that they were more than strong enough to make it there. Two level 7's and a level 6 can easily get three second class adventurers to the 50th floor on their own.
She should know, if she wanted to, she could travel down deeper than the 50th floor on her own. Level 7's were a completely different realm compared to level 6.
After all, the status had been observed to gain power a lot faster at level 4. Level 7 was a similar point where the difference is just in a different league to anything lower than it.
A level 2 is capable of losing to a single level 1 though unlikely, same with level 3 to a level 2. But it's virtually unheard of for a level 4 to lose to anything lower to themselves in a one on one.
It's the same with level 7. It'd take at least three high level 6's to take on a level 7 on equal grounds. It's the reason Freya Familia had such a massive advantage on Loki familia for so long.
She's unsure on level 8's though as they haven't really crossed swords with Ottar since he became one so it's impossible for them to tell.
"Ais?" The half-spirit jumped as she had been fully absorbed in her thoughts to the point that she hadn't even noticed the girl right in front of her.
"Tiona" She sighed out as her heart slowed down "You scared me" The amazoness blinked as before frowning in confusion.
"Eh? But I called your name and waved at you. You even looked at me" She said in response as Ais shrugged.
"Sorry… I was thinking" Was all Ais said which Tiona accepted.
"Eh, that's alright. What were you thinking about? Training? Fighting? The dungeon?" She said before her smile became incredibly teasing and Ais instinctively knew what was coming "Maybe Argonaut-kun?" She asked as Ais slightly blushed.
It wasn't exactly a secret with how she had felt for him back then, and now that he was back, the teasing had returned with a passion.
She only wished they'd stop since every time those emotions were brought up in any way, her mind instantly went to the fact that he was married and had children.
She would be lying if she said it didn't bother her because it really did. She just didn't show it. Despite that, there wasn't anything she could do, in a twisted way, she honestly thought she deserved it.
After all, who does what she did to the person they like? Abandons them to a place like Kauhea Forbande, to months, if not years of hell?
In her mind, it was her punishment, so she could do nothing but take it.
"I was wondering how they were doing" She answered Tiona who hummed before smiling, her energy almost being infectious.
"Oh, Argonaut-kun is doing fine! He's probably plowing through a horde of monsters right now!" She grinned as she punched the air to emphasize her words.
Ais chuckled quietly before nodding, it did seem like something he would do. She had seen him do so at level 5. Why would he do anything less at level 7?
"Come on, let's head to the Hostess, Fiona and the others said we'd meet there to eat!" Tiona exclaimed, grabbing Ais arm without hesitation and pulling her along before she could answer.
Her face broke out into a smile at the friend she had as her grin was spread across her face, enlightening her features.
Yeah, Bell was right. Family was the most important thing in life.
As she was dragged along, her eyes turned to Babel for the last time as her mouth moved, mouthing a prayer of good luck to the boy she fancied, hoping it'd make its way to him and protect him before she disappeared around the corner alongside Tiona.
=Far up north, Capital of the Empire, Ptytas Virsuje=
"HAIL THE RETURN OF OUR CHAMPION!"
Cheers erupted along the road of the main gate of Ptytas Virsuje.
"Welcome home Holy One!" One lady screamed.
Another feinted, foaming at the mouth.
Their Champion, Kaius Viss, the Knight of Knights, and the chosen Holy Warrior of the Empire.
Kaius waved to the people, smiling with his entourage flanking him, following his path to the castle. His vermillion eyes glanced up at the castle, latching onto the lone figure on the top balcony, leaning on the railing as she stared at them.
As the wind blew the banners of his band of men, he stroked across his head to calm his blond hair. His armor glistened in the sun, as he walked through the large plaza, illuminated by the setting sun.
As they made their way through the capital, his second within his unit flanked him before giving him a glance.
"Is there something wrong, Nakul?" Kaius asked in his naturally gruff voice while his second shook his head.
"No, just that I never liked these welcomes" Kaius understood what he meant. He wasn't one for the spotlight, that much was true. After all, his entire fighting style revolves around stealth maneuvers while Kaius and the others pull all the attention.
He even got a good sneak attack on Ottar when they fought before he reached level 8. It probably helped that Nakul had heritage that traced to the Far East, the clan his lineage hails from was known for their combat within shadows.
Kaius nodded, "Well it will be over once we reach the castle….. though I must say, the look on the Emperor's face did concern me" this caused Nakul's brows to raise.
"Why do you say that?" He asked.
"Call it what you want, but my guess is that he has news about Orario" Kaius sighed "It'd be nice if the entire city burned overnight" Kaius' vermillion eyes darkened and he chuckled grimly, his men did the same.
"I hope they meet a slow end" one soldier said.
"Perhaps they've gotten stronger, and hopefully they've announced they're going to try and fight the dragon again" A petite woman, with a long, seemingly heavy armored battle robe said. Her violet eyes turned with cold indifference.
"No, I don't think it'd be that if it is Orario, but it's an entertaining thought nonetheless Varede…" Kaius said. Only getting a simple nod in return. The spell caster turned to focus on the road once more.
Each person of the warband had a specific role, but in all we're in service to the whim of the Emperor. Kaius was the commander of the 'First Legion' his Second was Nakul, a scout and assassin, lastly his tactician and wizard was Varede, a cold woman of no remorse.
Each lead their own group within the legion, much like an adventurer's party, a vanguard, middle and rearguard. Though Kaius was the vanguard, and his men the middle guard. Nakul would flank, while Varede would give long range support with spells and arrows.
Now approaching the castle they began to prepare themselves for the news they were about to hear.
Minutes later they would arrive at the gates and make their way to the throne room. Once there, they gained permission to enter.
"Ahhh, my loyal subjects! How did the hunt go?" The Emperor asked.
"We found a few of the artifacts you asked for, but the majority remained elusive, Emperor Edan" Kaius said coolly.
"Good, what artifacts have you managed to obtain this time?" The emperor smiled gleefully in a sense of success as he awaited the answer.
"We have found the Veil of Obscurity and the Sword of Oath" gasps were rung around the room as even the emperor gaped.
"Sword of- You found it? Hahahaha!" He laughed maniacally before forcefully getting his bearings back "Ah, this is a pleasing turn of events. Have you already sealed it in the collection?" He asked as Kaius nodded.
"Yes, it's for the better as of the moment. After all, that artifact may be powerful but it's twisted. Don't forget what happened to the last person who wielded it" Kaius warned as the emperor stopped, staring at him for a long moment of silence.
Eventually he sighed and nodded, understanding where he was coming from.
"I guess it's for the better then. Now, as for our plans-"
"There has been a change of plans" A woman's voice sounded through the hall as all eyes turned towards its origin.
Long dark hair with violet eyes glimmering as she walked with elegance, her outfit revealing almost as if she wanted to look at her skin.
"Ah, Kami-sama. It's been a while. Has all been well?" Kaius asked as he politely bowed at her.
"Unfortunately, it hasn't. That vexing boy still hasn't perished, despite my plans" She grit her teeth as Kaius thoughtfully kept his mouth shut, knowing it was better to let her rant.
"Ah, Bell Cranel" The Emperor said as Kaius had half the heart to not glare at him for not staying quiet.
"Oh, how I wish he hadn't escaped from that prison… oh my plans had been so close to fruition, but confounded it all, he had to find a way out!" She hissed as she clenched her fists together, her brows furrowing on her face in frustration.
"But thankfully, with your return, the planned schedule has changed" Her frown disappeared as quick as it came as Kaius tilted his head.
"We have finally found him" She said as the knight of knights knew what that meant for him and his entourage.
"Where, if I may ask"
"Orario" The emperor told him curtly as the goddess of beauty nodded in confirmation.
"He's returned there? Shouldn't he have been arrested?" He asked as the only answer he got was a shake of the head.
"That'll make it difficult, even if he's level four or five" Kaius muttered while the look on his goddess soured once again.
"About that Kaius, Varede might have to use that on him" She said as even the woman herself blinked.
"Why is that? We should be able to handle him ourselves. Both of my executives are level 7 while I'm level 8. We should be able to handle a level 5, at most 6" he told his goddess curtly, feeling slightly offended at her lack of confidence in them.
"That's where the issue lies, according to reports, he's reached level 7, and abnormally strong at that as well" She told him as Kaius' eyes widened as flashes of silver hair and heterochromia eyes flashed in his mind.
'Don't tell me…' He thought as he nearly shivered from the earth shattering fear he had felt exuding from that woman.
A level 7 with the power of a level 9. Most people had called his old familia and Hera, familias of monsters, but the truth is, the true monsters were only two of them. Alfia and Zald. If they had reached level 8, then they'd have been unstoppable.
"Abnormal, you don't mean…?" he asked, hoping the answer was no.
"Unfortunately, our spies witnessed a duel between him and Allen Fromel as well as him and Ais Wallenstein. He vastly outpaced them with ease and no real exertion on his part, showing a massive difference in power" She told him, as Kaius frowned.
Who would have thought that the son of that pervert and the physically incapable Meteria would become that powerful. It's almost like a joke, but he figured that Alfia's blood must have accounted for something, even if she is only his aunt.
"Is that so… then we should play it smart. Search his background before he returns and report to me. I'll decide my approach then" Kaius said as the emperor and goddess nodded.
"Acceptable, and do tell me when you go? I want to see the look on his face for myself" At that, she headed back the way she came, leaving the rest to continue their reports.
=The Dungeon, Floor 50, The next day=
"Hey, Lili. you got the tent's packed up?" Bell asked as the prum looked up at him with a smile and a nodd.
"Yes, Lili finished a few minutes ago. We should head out soon too… Though I am curious, Bell-sama. How deep are we going?" She asked as Bell chuckled.
"As deep as we can go. Elora wants to level up quite badly even if she doesn't say it and Bache wants her feat done as soon as possible. Adrienne, Aralaya and Jannor are basically ready to level up too and only need a push" He told her as Lili understood.
"If you don't feel safe, you can always stay up here and keep looking for the cadmus drops? Though… I don't really like the idea of it. This feeling of eyes on me hasn't gone away so I'd feel safer having you where I can see you" He said as Lili blushed slightly at his protective nature.
"Lili's going to follow. Lili's status is eligible for a level up as well so Lili can get her feat done too" Bell smiled at her before nodding.
"Alright then, we'll stop whenever anyone feels like they can't continue" Bell said in response before turning, coming face to face with a certain pale golden haired amazoness.
"Hey, Bell! When are we leaving? I'm kinda excited" Bache asked with a smile to match, her sand colored hair swaying in the air as she turned towards him.
"Well, we got everything packed and ready. We're just waiting for everyone to be ready" Her eyes lit up as she shot off towards the rest, presumably Elora first in a hurry.
God he wished he had an off button for her amazonian instincts. Shaking his head while chuckling, he followed after, knowing her path would lead straight to everyone else.
To no one's surprise, just beyond a set of bushes, everyone was already gathered, Welf standing and talking to Adrienne with his sword leaning on his shoulder with one hand on its hilt.
Adrienne shook her shoulders with energy as she talked about something he didn't have the mind to listen in on.
Bache had practically latched onto Elora, making for a comical sight while the elf herself looked a mixture of exasperated and amused.
Aralaya and Jannor were looking over their gear, talking to one another while a snicker or two could be heard between them once in a while.
Lastly, Mikoto and Haruhime, similarly to Welf and Adrienne, were standing together and talking to one another. They did have a stronger connection than most after all so it's natural for them to be drawn to one another in situations like this.
"Lili is done!" The prum announced as all eyes turned to them, Elora practically forcing Bache off of her, sending the amazoness onto the ground with a thud.
"Is everyone ready?" Bell asked as his eyes turned to look through the gap between the large trees. Their camp had been set near the entrance to the 51st floor due to their plans to head down there.
"Yeah, we are" Elora answered as Bell nodded before sending a teasing smile towards Bache.
"Guess that's music to your ears" Tha amazoness' smile widened before turning towards a grin.
The woman normally is composed, but at certain times, excitement does take over, hence his wish to turn off the instinct that affects it. It does get a little annoying after a while.
Thankfully, that need is soon to be satiated. After all, the floors below are supposed to be hectic, constant action.
According to Erebus' retelling of Alfia and Zald's words of the floors.
'A complete shithole with nothing worthwhile to eat while spitting at you for every step you don't take' Was according to the god, was Zalds exact words to describe it as shortly as he could. Alfia wasn't much better.
'The Dragon's Crucible is… well, exasperating and too loud. Those vermin have no understanding of the tranquility of silence'
Thankfully, they did actually say what it entailed and its name.
The Dragon's Crucible
"Well, once we head down, there is no stopping. Either we continue all the way to the safety point of the 64th floor or head back when we feel we can't head further" Bell announced as he got a nod from everyone.
"Alright then, no time for the present. Lili, take the lead" Bell finished as the prum stepped forward.
"Everyone, once we get down to the 51st floor, we get into formation. Do not stop moving and under no circumstance split apart from one another unless in emergencies" She ordered as everyone nodded.
"Got ya, Lil'Lilli" Welf nodded as she returned it.
"Good, Anvil-head, you clear the path if monsters become too crowded" Welf nodded once again before everyone turned towards the entrance behind the trees.
"Alright, let's head out!" Bell smiled as they moved, ready for the adventure ahead.
That's Chapter 51! A little intermission chapter with an added munchy plot building part. Anyway, I won't keep you so I'll get straight into the reviews!
PINHEADLARRY0122: Yo what, we can be banned from viewing certain stories. I had no idea wtf. I'll be quiet, this is my favorite fanfic. I'm not getting to 50 chapters just to get banned. Miss me that shit.
P.S. Congrats on your big milestone
Author: Wait what? No you can't. I was just joking with you and even if I could, I wouldn't. That's like blacklisting someone from reading a light novel just because they theorized upon how the plot may go xD.
Anyway, theorize all you want. It's fun to read what everyone thinks will happen and see their reactions whenever they are either right or wrong, after all this story's major plot points and twists have already been decided upon and we aren't changing it, even if someone guesses something right.
Rakks:Another great update as always! But why must you toy with me! Every comment about things not lasting, and all the foreshadowing only gives me more and more anxiety.
About that warning though at the end of the AN, I can't help but think about the juggernaut. I'm pretty sure there was a comment about it a little bit ago too, and it being spawned on floor 51 or lower would make it an absolute powerhouse. Afterall, in the light novels it spawned on the 27th and still absolutely slaughtered over 50 adventurers.
At the same time, the matter of the dungeon being damaged enough to spawn its defense mechanism is a little tricky. The only possibility I can think of is if the being behind the 'divine' gaze decides Bell's party is going too far down and needs to be stopped. Sorry about the rant, but I'm looking forward to the next update!
Author: Because we are testing jerks! It's our lifeblood! Anyway, I won't spoil anything but I will definitely say this.
Things will get real soon, and at first, you all will definitely be confused and not all answers will come here but later in the story… near the end actually. We are after all in the stage where the major questions really start piling up.
But don't worry, for every major question, there is an answer, all you have to do is look deep enough.
Mistalenny:Fuck what a fight. Defeating the Balor is definitely level up worthy for Bell and even if THAT isn't enough, whatever roared as Bell went to sleep will definitely be. Also happy that Asuka and her mother are back!
Also still spooked about the fact that you mentioned they would have to fight Udaeus and Elora brought up the massacre of the Astrea familia. God I couldn't even imagine Bell fighting a juggernaut that spawned below floor 40. That would be insane.
Looking forward to the next chapter!
Author: Hehe, you are in for a shitshow, that I will tell you hahaha.
NotRimuru:Wow. My sense of foreboding is through the roof. You said at the end to pay attention to OC names, so I did. Elora and Ariadne are both of Greek origin, and the Greeks are known for telling stories that don't end too well, perhaps even tragically, so that's fun. The meaning for Elora is 'My God is my light' according to google so that probably means something, and don't get me started on Ariadne. One of the people most heavily involved with labyrinths in greek myth is in the *𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱* story with a dungeon in it! Good name choice though. Well, according to Wikipedia, Ariadne gets abandoned in the myth so fun times are ahead for her. Honestly, I'm just spitballing here and have no idea if any of this has relevance, especially the bit about Elora, but who knows, I might be onto something. Great chapter as always
Author: Damn… just… Damn.
Aspect of Stories:great chapter but one small error.
'it was almost like multiplying his power by half' doesn't make sense shouldn't it be by 1.5?
Author: Thank you for the spell check but I'm a little confused as well. Both me and Viceroy looked it over and found that it did make sense. Multiplying something by half is the same as multiplying by a factor of 1.5. Companies use the term here and there to describe the increase in employee hourly earnings during critical hours by increasing earnings by half.
It would look more bizarre by writing it like this: 'His power multiplied itself by 1.5' rather than 'His power multiplied itself by half'
So I do think I'll keep it as is. Thank you anyway and if you or anyone else sees anything. Don't hesitate to point it out!
Anyway, that's all for the reviews, and as always, I hope to see you all next time!