Chapter 38: Quarrel

Crystalline light shone on the official final day of the Loki familia dive. Every member's belongings had been gathered, except for a few tents, which were left behind for unexpected guests. Lower-level adventurers were used as unfortunate pack mules, and either held immense bags on their backs, or pushed trolleys up the steep terrain. This time, group one would contain the first-class adventurers Gareth, Ais, Finn, and Riveria, who would clear a path through the pit. Group two had the easier task of protecting supplies, and contained Bete, Lefiya, and the Hiryute twins. This second group would proceed forth, shortly after Goliath was defeated.

Unbeknownst to Hit, Gareth had acquired a magic item from Asfi, which silenced a large area for some time; however, it was immovable once activated. The dwarf was fully aware of how astute Hit was and was not going to take any chances; once they entered the boss room, Gareth would trigger the tool. The magic item was one of many peace offerings from the blue haired woman; however, it served little purpose in the dungeon. Finn had accepted the tactic since they did not actually have much use for it. Anyway, Hit had other matters to worry about today. Thoughts on the Goliath took a back seat, as he spent the morning spying on Lord Hermes, and placing earned magic stones and drop items within his new backpack. Unfortunately, some would still need to be left behind; he could always make two trips.

Now that Hit could see the god, he was covered in faint bruises, each globular in shape, with five thin protrusions, suggesting that he had received swift punishment the day before, via a myriad of slaps.

...

On the other side of the dungeon, two admirers would soon bid each other farewell. Unfortunately, a certain wolf had managed to finally corner a flighty rabbit...

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU!" Bete Loga shouted venomously at a cowering Bell Cranel. The bunny boy's red eyes shuddered, sure that the man was about to pulverise him.

"WHY DID YOU GET TA SEE AIS WALLENSTEIN TAKE A BATH!? THAT IS TOTAL BULLSHIT!" The dog kicked an armoured foot at Bell, which would have struck the prone boy, if it weren't for the two women holding him back. The Hiryute sisters each held one of Bete's arms and pulled the struggling werewolf away.

Tione groaned at the man, tired of this shouting match; it had been a mistake to tease Bell in front of the obviously jealous Bete. "Ugh! Would you please let it go?"

Tiona huffed, holding Bete's other arm. "Lord Hermes made him do it, and he's already been punished, severely! He was caught straight after falling down."

This time, Hermes had to face the consequences of his actions, and was swiftly apprehended by a mortified Asfi Al Andromeda. He had some specks of honour, as he had not disclosed the reason for his fall. Although, it was more likely that the impish God did not want Hit to get praised for his downfall from the heavens.

Lefiya could be seen a short distance away, sending a deathly glare towards Bell. A stormy cloud of ravenous demons clung over head: the manifestation of her rage. The elf was utterly furious that this random boy had laid eyes upon such a beauty! Why was he spending so much time with her!? Ais Wallenstein was a horizon that this interloper could never hope to reach! The girl collapsed and beat at the ground with a tight fist. "It should have been me, not him! It's not fair!"

Bete continued to lash around and attempted to dig his boots into the ground. "PUT ME DOWN, YOU NASTY FREAKS! THAT LITTLE SHIT SHOULDN'T BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

The amazon wardens simply ignored Bete's belly aching and carted him away.

This was Ais' cue to arrive on the scene; the girl observed Bete's odd behaviour, before directing her golden gaze to Bell, below. She was dressed in her usual battle armour, desperate held at her waist. Lefiya's imaginary cloud of demons instantaneously dissolved into a mist of pink hearts; her eyes became glued to Ais as she shot up and ogled her.

Bell huffed and proceeded to raise himself, walking up to Ais. "You're leaving pretty soon, right, Miss Ais?"

Ais nodded, a little saddened by their imminent parting. "Yes... I have been assigned to the lead party, whilst I assume you have been assigned to the trailing party..."

In this case, the lead party was divided into groups: one and two, whilst the trailing party consisted of the Hestia, and Takemikazuchi familias, along with a few stragglers from the Loki and Hephaestus familias.

Bell nodded, sad that the woman he loved would be leaving him. From now on, he would rarely get to see her, locked within the confines of the Loki familia. "Yeah... be careful... Okay?"

Ais Wallenstein smiled lightly, cheeks gaining a slight rosy tint. "Yes... you too..."

Bell glanced around at the Loki familia members, but failed to lock eyes with a familiar face. "Um... Miss Ais? Do you know where Mr Hit is? I need to thank him for helping my party again."

Ais shook her head. "He is a wanderer; none of us know... You will likely see him again when the prisoners are released."

Bell, nodded, more seriously. He had spoken to Ais about the potential evilus members, yesterday. Why would they do something so horrible? ... or join such an insidious group? Bell simply could not comprehend such evil.

Off to the side of the meeting, a resentful eye peeked out from within a white tent. High pitched growls and sounds of annoyance resonated from inside. Goddess Hestia swished the fabric closed, and picked up an expensive perfume bottle, an essential purchase!

"Grrr! What is wrong with you, Bell!? If you want a peep at me, you should do it when I'm all alone!"

The jealous deity squeezed the bottle's pump yet received a strange sensation. An ethereal force covered her mouth, muffling any signs of protest, and whisked her away.

...

Bell Cranel watched as Ais, and the rest of group one, ascended past the archway into the 17th floor. The boy's heart ached, yet he had to march on; his friends and goddess needed support. With a heavy heart, he marched into a nearby tent, expecting to see a miniature deity; however, the space was completely devoid of life. "Goddess...? Huh?"

Bell's boot clinked against a fallen perfume bottle, one that was instantly recognisable. Hestia had certainly applied the substance enough times for him to never forget it. Next to the container, was a rolled-up scroll. Bell's heart shook in foreboding, as he unrolled the parchment and read its contents.

-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-

Little Rookie,

We have your Goddess.

If you want her back in one piece, meet us at the big crystal, east of the central woods.

Come alone.

-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-

Bell gritted his teeth and rushed away, desperation clawing at him. He would not allow anyone to harm his precious friends! Trees shook as the boy employed his newly acquired movement style, and he bounded towards the written location, fully knowing it was likely a trap.

Far away, at the location Bell was instructed to encounter his blackmailers, Hit was performing some espionage; he had not thought of Goliath once today, finding the current observations far more interesting.

Hit's stony face bore down onto a jovial-looking God. The former assassin sat still, high above on a tall cliff. Hermes was sitting down below, on a lower outcrop, swinging a leg over a ravine. Asfi stood at his side, fidgeting. The pair had been looking out onto an overhanging earthen platform, for some time. The circular area was fairly vast, and incredibly flat. The underside was littered in large kaleidoscopic crystals; whereas, the surface was far less populated.

'This must be the arena for the battle; not bad. This would actually be fairly entertaining, if it weren't for the divine interference.'

Oddly, Hit had little issue with Mord. Wretches like him would always exist, and it was up to Bell to deal with them. If the kid lost, it would be his own fault, and he would have to deal with the fallout. However, this was not a fair fight. Via some eavesdropping, Hit had learned that the woman, Asfi, had created an item of some kind, called hades head. This was the tool that Hermes had gifted Mord, the day before.

'I will have to investigate the Hermes familia when I return. This woman's power feels on a higher order of magnitude to mine and Bell's, likely a level 3 or 4. How did she craft such a powerful instrument?'

Hit scowled at the highborn-acting woman. He saw the pathetic worm as a mere pawn, who did not think for themselves. She allowed herself to be pushed around, and acquiesced in her protests whenever Hermes patted her on the head. This was no longer a battle between men, but a weighted tournament for the gods' amusement.

Hit's ears twitched as heavy footsteps approached, signalling the arrival of a group of people. Soon, a congregation of mercenaries drew near, with Bell Cranel and Mord Latro at the helm. Hermes and Asfi finally noticed them, causing the god to smile in anticipation, and woman to gulp in dread.

Bell paced, strangely silent, towards the centre of the platform. His face was lacking in emotion, likely forced down, out of worry for his goddess. Mord stopped at the entrance, and smirked, pleased that so many people had come to see the little rookie's beating. "We didn't hurt your little girlfriend. I'm not stupid enough to piss off the gods."

Bell turned around, not at all enthused. "What is it you want from me?" The uncharacteristically serious boy decided to get right to the point.

Mord chuckled and glanced behind him. The tens of level two adventurers, that blocked off any chance of escape, were quite menacing. "Don't worry, we're not all gonna gang up on ya. Sorry, if that's the impression you got. I was just hoping we could have ourselves a little duel. Just you and me." Mord's smug face lacked any form of remorsefulness. The man was hoping to scare the kid out of adventuring.

Bell's eyes widened as some anger finally bled through his barrier of self-control. The man had kidnapped his goddess, for such a selfish reason!? "A duel!?"

Mord nodded, enjoying Bell's despair. "Sure. The winner can ask for whatever they want from the loser." The rugged bandit unsheathed a relatively thin, steel sword, fit with a silvery pommel, and pointed it at Bell. "If I win, you have to hand over everything you own. Everything." The man gained a slightly lascivious expression towards the end, suggesting that material possessions were not the only items he was after.

Bell was not shaken, and finished Mord's statement. "...And if I win, you let my Goddess go". He pulled out the precious Hestia knife, whose blue runes pulsed violently. The weapon was joined by another dagger, the fiery red Ushiwakamaru. Welf Crozzo had crafted the item, upon being recruited into Bell's party. Neither Lili or Welf were actually Hestia familia members, however, they knew in their hearts, that their lives would forever be entwined.

Mord smirked, although, this time it was out of respect. "I like yer spirit, but I don't think you understand, little rookie. I'm not here to win..." The warrior raised his sword upwards and grinned. "...I'm here to make you suffer!"

*CRASH*

Mord swung his weapon down, and pulverised a nearby crystal growth, reducing it to a cloud of shimmery flakes. Bell gasped and clamped his eyes shut, protecting them from the sharp shards.

Above, Hit's keen eyes homed in on Mord, who plucked a metallic item from a strap on his belt. It was a dark, segmented helmet, with a purple crystal at its centre. Mord happily placed the magic item, hades head, atop his brown locks. Hit narrowed his eyes. 'Let's see how this operates.'

Bell hurried to open his eyes and glanced all around him. Shockingly, he was now alone on the battlefield. "H-he's gone?"

*BAM*

Suddenly, a powerful force impacted with Bell's cheek, sending him crashing onto the ground. Bell hastily raised himself, mind whirring to understand what had happened.

Unfortunately, the force instantly pulled at his armour straps and launched an array of blows to the boy's head and stomach. Bell fell to his hands and knees, coughing up spittle, yet was kicked in the jaw, forcing him up. The surrounding adventurers laughed, pleased to finally get some entertainment in this dump.

Far above, Hit scrunched his face, mind working in overdrive to actively decipher what Mord had done. Following a powerful blow, which sent Bell into the surrounding wall of cowardly adventurers, Hit's scarlet eyes sparkled in realisation.

Mord's form became visible again, surrounded in a rainbowed layer of magical energy.

'I see now. This 'hades head' is nearly identical to the quantum stealth invisibility cloaks of my world. According to the surrounding energy field, the effect should last for a staggering amount of time.'

Hades helm operated in a surprisingly simple manner. A thin layer of magical energy was vibrated at a specific frequency, designed to reflect, and divert light rays from the exterior, and keep sound waves from exiting the shroud. The purple magic stone provided the energy and instructions for its operation, whilst the magic-conductive metal deflected the energy around the wearer's body. In this way, the wielder would remain unseen by the human eye. Hit had encountered similar devices, which were technological marvels in his universe, rather than magical instruments. Still, it was an incredible feat for someone of this world.

Back to Bell, the poor boy spluttered within someone's grasp. The onlooker then cruelly kicked the bruised kid back into the arena, depriving Bell of any chance to gain his bearings. The vermin chorused in laughter as Mord dealt out another beating, causing Bell to collapse.

"Get back up!"

"Come on, I thought you were the famous little rookie!"

"You don't want ta lose your harem, do ya!?"

"Do you see his face!? He totally lied about ranking up!"

Bell spluttered and gritted his teeth as a Mord finished his combination with a powerful stomp to the boy's back.

Up above, Hermes looked on, a little disappointed at his champion. The god was garbed in a green coat, which covered his tan shirt and trousers. He toyed with the feather atop his cap. "That's the magic item called hades head. Makes the user invisible and unheard... Quite the sight, right?"

Asfi narrowed her eyes at the inhuman deity. Sometimes, she truly believed the man had no humanity; he was borderline psychopathic. Sure, the being's reasoning was sound; however, this was simply too much. "You're sick in the head. Have you got a grudge against that poor boy?"

Hermes shrugged, used to her chidings, and got up to get a better view. "I'd rather think of it as tough love. Plus, this makes for a good show..."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"…Ghk!?" Suddenly, the pair's blood ran cold; the temperature plummeted as a pitch-black miasma buffeted all around them. Their eyes widened at the sensation.

"Interfering with a mortal skirmish. You gods are nothing but meddlesome insects." Hit's cold voice slithered from directly behind Hermes.

The god did not dare move, as he felt like it would be a fatal mistake. Bloodlust crawled across every inch of his captor's body.

Hermes sweatdropped but did not turn around. Asfi bit her lip; she could very likely deal with the boy, but he had a fragile hostage.

Hermes put his cheerful face on, and tutted. "Interfering? Where do you get that idea, Hit?"

Hit made sure to maintain vigilance of all his surroundings: the meddlesome God; worried Andromeda; the one-sided battle; the wall of adventurers. "Words carry, deity. Taverns are poor places to discuss secrets."

Hermes' eyes widened. "Spying on me, eh? Interesting, I did not see you there. You should know, nearly all of that was hot air. Bell is still blind to how nasty humanity can get... He needs to witness this."

Hit deepened his scowl and placed a fist over the God's unprotected back. "We are not your tools. Do not overstep your bounds."

Hermes twitched as the hand was pressed against him, threatening to punch right through.

ゴゴゴ "This would be an unfortunate place for someone of your race to perish." ゴゴゴ

Asfi's face was doused in a cold sweat, and she twitched towards the hostage situation; however, Hermes shook his head, smile wavering.

*Swish* *Swish*

Hit gained another faction to focus on, as a rain of arrows zipped towards the crowd of mercenaries, who dashed them away. The back row snarled and turned to face the newcomers. "We've got company!"

It was the Takemikazuchi familia, led by Welf at the front. He wore a thick red salamander wool coat, and stern look on his face. A long object was strapped to his back, wrapped in a white cloth. Hit's eyes sparkled as he sensed a strong magic force from it. The executioner gained a puzzled expression, wondering why he was suddenly perceiving these odd stimuli. 'Is this a new skill?'

Hermes followed his gaze and smirked. 'Here comes the cavalry.'

Welf snarled at the scene that greeted them. He had found Mord's blackmail note, and quickly set his differences with Ouka aside, pleading for his aid. "So, this is why these bastards wanted Bell alone!"

Mikoto leapt into the air and sent another quick barrage of arrows, towards the blockade, which sang from a wooden bow. It was an odd weapon, rarely used in the dungeon due its size and finite ammunition.

A racoon demi human cut the arrows out of the air and growled. "How the hell did they find us!?" A dwarf brandished a heavy axe and raced forwards. "Doesn't matter, just cut 'em up!"

Kashima Ouka grunted, and raised a spear, provided by Chigusa. He bellowed and swung it in the air, preparing for battle.

Swords and axes were easily dodged, or deflected, as the eastern warrior danced around the battlefield. The burly man managed to easily fend off the unrefined mercenaries, with counters sending their weapons hurtling off the tall cliff.

Worryingly, two mages stood to the rear, chanting their spells. One held their hand forwards, fiery orb growing in size, whilst the other held a ball of purple electricity in their grasp.

"Ignite, heretic spell!" Welf Crozzo held a palm to face them, and a faint vortex of forbidden power accumulated in his grasp. "«Will-o-wisp»!" The anti-magic activated, and any the mages experienced forced ignis Fatuus: their spells self-destructed into colourful blasts.

Hit's eyes widened, impressed by the anti-magic. He made sure to apply greater pressure to Hermes' back, who attempted to move forwards slightly. 'Will of the wisp? It appears to interfere with the gathering energy of spells, forcing them to detonate, prematurely. Would it work on chantless magic? My [Time Lag] does take a split second to land..." Hit took a mental note of the spell. He would have to make sure to cast [Time Lag] during time skip, if he ever fought the red-haired teen.

The racoon demi human roared, and ran past the fallen mages, wielding a short cutlass. Mikoto sped up to the man and used his weight and momentum to her own advantage. The lithe woman held his arm, and hauled his body forwards, causing the man to overextend and plumet to the ground. Ouka stomped onto the racoon's stomach, placing his spear's blade against the man's throat.

Mikoto noticed that one of the mages was crawling away and pinned his light body to the ground. The blond man whined in pain, twisting to face his allies. "T-they're too strong!"

His companions gasped at the quick disposal of their frontliners and stepped back. A brave member edged forwards and rallied the troop. "We've got them outnumbered, ten to one! Come on!" The recreants pulled themselves together and charged ahead.

Welf tutted and readied himself. "Dammit! How are we gonna reach Bell!?"

*Patter* *patter* *patter*

Crozzo blood pumped in dread, as a set of footsteps approached Welf from behind; the teen turned around, and stepped back, to face the rat-like man from yesterday. The vermin had attempted to slash Welf in the back; however, the rodent merely cut the straps holding his magic item. Welf made a fatal error, as he watched the white cloth fall to oblivion, reaching out to catch it. His opponent grinned and drew the rusty cutlass upwards, ready to decapitate the unfortunate smith.

*CRACK*

"GAAAAHHHH! Ghk!?"

Welf whirled around to see a disfigured man. His sword arm was utterly shattered, and nose completely caved in; the limp body was already falling back, unconscious.

"Focus on the battle. Your tools are expendable."

Welf turned again, to face a familiar face. Hit was standing in front of him and thrust a white parcel into his hands.

Welf grinned in gratitude, although terror licked at him, realising how close he had come to being killed. "T-thanks, buddy! I was really about to die there...!"

Hit grunted and let the parcel go. He had predicted the previous set of events perfectly and rushed to the scene as soon as the rat-man had enacted his ambush. The cowardly attack was utterly unforgivable in Hit's eyes. He had broken the creature's arm and pulverised its face, under time skip, then retrieved the blanketed magic item. Part of him simply wanted to know what was inside. Hermes had collapsed to the ground in relief and was being nursed by a worried Asfi. Hit tensed as a familiar someone arrived on the scene.

"HAAAA!" Suddenly, Mord's other subordinate leapt at Welf, wild blond hair waving in the wind. Welf gritted his teeth and shielded himself. However, a wooden blade knocked into the attacker's head, rendering them unconscious.

"Trash. Know your place." Ryuu Lion, the one Hit had actually been tracking, waved her wooden sword and glared at the mercenary's body. She turned to face Hit, staring into his eyes for a few moments, trying to determine the reasoning for his intervention.

Hit ignored the woman's sapphire eyes, and strode ahead, voicing an order to his temporary companions. "Get to work"

Hit vanished sporadically as he entered a sprint and carved a path through the disorganised adventurers. Weapons and bones shattered abruptly, by unseen forces, and screams echoed across the battlefield. These men were utterly pathetic, incredibly weak for level 2s, and rife with exploitable human weak spots. The confined scrum of men became a maddening hellscape as no one could tell just what was occurring. Blood spurted, and armour was torn to shreds. Welf and the Takemikazuchi familia stared, completely dumbstruck.

"W-what the hell is going on!?" Welf wiped at his eyes, finding the sight incomprehensible.

"How is he moving so quickly!?" Mikoto sweated, unable to pinpoint the slippery fighter.

"He's a monster." Ouka gripped his spear, registering Hit as an even greater threat than previously thought.

"...This doesn't feel good..." Chigusa held back, heart trembling in trepidation.

'Those moves... it must be a skill.' Ryuu tensed and followed after Hit, dealing with the stragglers. "Just what are you after?"

...

During this commotion, Bell's gauntlet of pain continued, and he was knocked down, yet again. However, the determined hero would not back down, and strained to get up. Mord was beginning to tire of this game, and of the boy's tenacity, and growled. Bell gasped as his instincts screamed; he raised an armoured arm, upwards.

*CLANG*

An unseen fist clashed with Bell's armour, directly on one of its red gems. Mord stuttered and stepped back, in shock. 'No way can he see me...' The coward circled around the oddly durable boy, and raised his fists in a sledgehammer attack.

Bell whirled around and slashed, cutting a deep gash into Mord's armour. The boy remembered his fight with Hit, and had attuned all of his senses to their maximum, not daring to hold back in his deadly attacks. Little by little, Bell was getting used to Mord's movements, and began sensing his rhythm.

Mord shivered in shock, staring down at his ruined clothing. 'If...if that was any deeper. I don't get it, how can he see me!? Did that guy lie to me?'

Bell stared at Mord's location, gathering all the courage he could. 'These punches are nothing like Hit's, and they're so telegraphed, it's laughable.' Bell closed his eyes, sensing around himself. 'I can sense his gaze. Hit was far more difficult to detect!'

Mord growled and attempted to grasp at the little rookie's unshielded head, yet only clenched thin air. The mercenary gritted his teeth and punched at the boy, who dodged the attacks perfectly, eyes closed.

Hermes had recovered from his petrifying attack, yet still could not bring himself to stand, and widened his eyes as the tables turned. "O-Oh? The kid's really doing it?"

Mord snarled, finished with this mockery of a battle, and drew his sword again. "You're done, you hear me!?" He sailed at Bell, intending to skewer the boy; however, the speedy rabbit cartwheeled and rolled out of the way. Bell landed on the edge of the platform, shattering a crystal with his minotaur-infused dagger. The foreboding sound reminded Bell of the beginning of this match, and he grasped a handful of the crystalline splinters.

Mord raised his sword heavenward, to cut his opponent down; however, Bell threw a stardust breaking attack upwards, into Mord's eyes. The soldier got a taste of his own medicine and shouted in agony, wiping at his reddened eyes. Abruptly, a sword materialised into vision, to any onlookers, and clattered noisily on the ground.

Bell kept his eyes shut and let instinct take over; he pushed himself up from his crouching position, and hurtled at Mord, fist raised.

"HAAA!" The boy's ardent punch cratered into Mord's temple, obliterating hades head. Mord rolled onto the ground, crimson eyes bulging.

"EVERYONE, STOP!" A maidenly cry erupted from the sidelines, drawing Bell's gaze. It was his dear goddess Hestia, accompanied by Lili. Welf and the Takemikazuchi familia members stood to the side, whilst Hit and Ryuu were at the entrance to the arena, pile of disfigured bodies behind them. The few remaining mercenaries backed away, terrified. This lapse in concentration was not ignored by an enraged Mord.

The ashamed man grinded his teeth until the gums bled. "I'm not. LOSING!" Mord grasped his fallen sword and ran at Bell, who narrowly stopped the blade between his two daggers. The sharp object inched forwards, cutting into Bell's cheek. Hestia's eyes widened at seeing her precious child in pain.

*Thrum*

An alien pressure radiated outwards from the goddess, enshrouding her in a multicoloured light. Divine flames encircled Hestia's frame and lit her body into a beacon of hope. Flowery hair ornaments fell to earth, as the black locks they imprisoned swayed in the angelic wind. Faint seraphic singing heralded the slight release of a God's divinity.

Hit gasped at the sensation, feeling nothing discernible from the shockwave of power, except for a layer of pressure. "Can it be...?" 'This feels somewhat like god ki... However, I cannot be sure.' Hit narrowed his eyes at the deity, making sure to take in as much information as he possibly could.

The surrounding adventurers had a different reaction and gazed at the god in reverence and faint fear. Hestia's usual chirpy voice was replaced by one of absolute power.

"I told you to stop."

The Takemikazuchi familia instantly bent down into crouching positions, out of respect. Hestia walked onwards, unabated.

"Please, put down your weapons."

The mercenaries' eyes bulged at the mythical being, and they sprinted away, terrified of the prospect of being tortured for eternity. Some even scaled the cliffs, desperation overriding their normal thought process.

Mord turned around to his fleeing companions. "Where the hell are you going!?" However, any remaining bravado was snuffed out when he met eyes with the wrathful goddess Hestia. Mord followed his friends, and ran away, losing the battle completely.

Hermes smiled from above, happy that Bell had proven his worth. "Looks like the shows over... I'll give gramps the good news."

Asfi breathed out in relief, pleased no one had died today. Well... Hit's pile of bodies was not very encouraging.

Hestia lost her radiant hue, and ran at Bell, who received a suffocating hug from the girl. "Oh, Bell! I'm so glad you're okay! I was so scared! It's all my fault..." The goddess bawled into her child's arms, quite the juxtaposition from her previous state.

Bell attempted to calm his goddess down, and hugged her, softly. "No, I should have been there for you..."

Behind the couple, Hit placed his bloodied hands away, and huffed, glad that the cowards had been put in their place. However, the boy's eyes instantly widened into saucers, and his head shot upwards; Hit felt like something terrible was about to descend upon them. The rage that was now radiating out from the floor's ceiling was bottomless, and desperately sought to slaughter its mortal enemy. Ryuu glanced at the startled boy, puzzled by the odd behaviour. This was the first time she had seen Hit's expression shift from a scowl, or extremely faint smirk.

Bell's friends finally arrived at the lovely scene, and smiled, happy that their trials were finally over. Lili marched up to the prone pair, smiling slightly. "All's well that ends well!"

****BOOM****

As if divine retribution struck the floor, the ground shook violently, nearly knocking the group to their knees. Trepidation marred the adventurers faces, as they too stared upwards, swaying in the earthquake. Ryuu finally understood what Hit had been startled by, ears drooping. "It's a quake... an evil one". Her stomach dropped as she was remined of her harrowing losses on the 30th floor.

Vast, catastrophic splinters erupted throughout the crystalline ceiling, as a black silhouette emerged into view, behind its translucent prison. The previously radiant hue of the floor died into grey lifelessness.

*CRASH*

A titanic humanoid burst from its birthplace, along with tonnes of razor-sharp minerals. The creature's skin was charcoal black, marred by a white mop of hair, just visible from its foetal position. The giant bellowed out its first cry, as it sundered down, a manifestation of the dungeon's revulsion. On this day, the gods would be reminded of its hate.

All across the floor, adventurers furrowed their brows in distress as the first ever black Goliath was born. The only being who was not utterly petrified, was Hit, who was elated. He smirked at the beast as it crash landed onto the dungeon paradise below.

'YES!' The studious teen recognised the monster as Goliath, albeit possessing an irregular phenotype. It appears that good things do indeed come to those who wait. Although, not many people would consider a towering monstrosity as 'good'.

**CRASH**

Unfortunately, this final boom was the straw that broke the camel's back and sent a particularly large crystal 'iceberg' plunging onto the peak of the floor's immense tree. Hit's smirk died into a horrified grimace, as he watched the steadily cultivated base become completely obliterated. Branches splintered and nesting birds cried out in fear as they fled the scene. Purple mist accompanied the white crystalline flecks, as a multitude of magic stones were pulverised to smithereens. Hit glowered and froze in place, mind screaming in resentment.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

The surrounding adventurers took a step back; somehow, Hit was emitting an aura that was just as incandescent as the hellish floor boss'. A dark cloud of rage clung to his entire form: the antithesis of Hestia's sublime radiance. Hit raised his fists and tensed his honed muscles.

'Now... it's personal.'

Hit's powerful legs propelled him off the cliff, and into the trees. His terrified companions watched, aghast, as the suicidal boy scrambled towards the mighty level 5 foe.

Author's Notes

Hit's poor again :(

This one wasn't too fun to write since it's very similar to the anime, but the ending was nice.