Hey, I'm back with a new chapter. Apologies for the long wait. I've been busy with work and family. I also got sick last week and only managed to get the energy to get back here recently.

Anyways, glad everyone is happy with Hessian Lobo. Didn't expect everyone to like it at all, so glad that turned out well.

Aerodactly999, glad you liked Ranye being alive.

Guest, apologies. I meant Garent and Aiz in that chapter.

nekoshiroinu, I already did the Artemis movie. I think its around chapter 13 ish?

The Last Kenpachi, Moriarty is one I am thinking on how to bring in. I already have a Heroic Spirit in mind to counter Finn, so look forward to that.

AnimeFan13579, technically he could. But the way Bell inherited them is that he becomes them. So we could see Bell summoning Lobo on its own, but in the previous chapter, he was both rider and wolf.

NarverG, he will. Normally Bell wouldn't be an ass, but I considered the fact that he has inherited the memories of multiple heroes, some of whom are assholes by default (e.g., EMIYA, Gilgamesh, Zhuge Liang, Achilles etc etc). So if mash of them, that's what I felt Bell would have said.

Guest, in the original Stay Night, Saber Artoria understood how Gae Bolg worked after taking it once. I would believe that Riveria has at least an equal amount of understanding of such things to Artoria, and Lefiya to be somewhat close, if not just slightly behind. So I don't think them understanding it to be too far fetched.

Guest, maybe Bell will unlock Theseus. Maybe.

EmperadorFlojo, go ahead. I remember someone asking me permission for something like that before, pretty sure I said yes to that so I see no reason to say no to you.

Anyways, here's the newest chapter!

Xxx

To say Gran and the members of the Ikelos Familia were surprised was an understatement.

They were scared, and the lower level members were scared shitless.

Ranye and the remaining Xenos stared in shock as the Ikelos Familia turned their attention to the white haired rabbit.

No, it was more accurate to call him a wolf now.

The arachne was even more surprised that the boy had actually showed up, much less in such a way.

Bell took a brief headcount, including Gran, there were about 18 of them left standing.

Some were on the ground, either dead or unconscious from fighting the Xenos.

But the boy didn't care. He was more focused on the ones before him.

The white haired hero dashed forward, and in an instant, sliced two of the Ikelos Familia members cleanly in half.

Bell didn't stop there, as he bent down, a dozen scythes shot out of his back.

Without missing a beat, the boy shot forward once more, spinning as he dashed past some of the Ikelos Familia members, instantly killing six more of them.

Gran backed away in freight as he watched so many of his Familia members slaughtered in mere seconds, "W-wait! Why are you killing us?! The enemies are the monsters!"

The Heir to the Throne stood up, the scythes flexed back naturally, as if they were a part of his body.

He let out a low growl, "Monsters? That's right, my enemies are monsters. And the only monsters I see now… are you."

Bell took a deep breath as he bent down, "Set."

"Frieren Scharfricter."

Without another warning, the scythes on his back extended, shooting out and piercing the bodies of every adventurer in front of him.

Gran coughed out blood, as the scythe pierced him through his chest, "T-the fuck?!"

He tried to move, but quickly found that he couldn't move a single inch, something the remaining members of his team came to realize.

Bell then dashed forward, brandishing the two sword scythes in his hands.

In the next instant, the boy dashed past them, his two swords stained with blood, and with a few thuds, 10 heads fell to the ground.

Bell turned around, swinging his swords to flick the blood off of them as the scythes attached to his back retracted.

He took a deep breath as Hessian Lobo's powers left his body, regaining a sense of clarity before he turned to Wiene, "Wiene!"

The boy rushed to the vouivre, noting the numerous wounds on her body, "Load: Gilgamesh."

Summoning the King of Heroes' powers, the boy brought out a number of potions from his treasury.

Bell gave one to Wiene, "Drink this."

The vouivre nodded and downed it quickly, remembering the time from when she first met Bell, and her wounds vanished.

The heir to the Throne of Heroes turned and walked to Ranye, "Here."

He gave one to the arachne, and she took it gratefully, "Thanks."

In an instant, her wounds vanished, and she regained her lost legs, much to her surprise, "What the hell? How strong are these potions?"

Bell turned, "They're from the Gate of Babylon, my treasury possesses only items of the highest quality."

He quickly gave one to Fia and Four, the two healing their wounds quickly. He then went to heal the chained siren.

Bell asked as soon as they were all healed, "What happened?"

The arachne scowled, "They set us up."

The siren lowered her head, "I'm sorry… They killed everyone else in my group, and they tortured me… to make me scream, but like a monster."

Fia nodded, "They must have wanted someone who could hear your screams… Someone who would recognize the screams of a Xenos."

Bell frowned, "I see…"

The boy looked around, "Is it just the five of you?"

Ranye nodded, "We were on the way to meet the others at our next village, but Wiene heard her screams… And well… There was another one of us, but he's dead."

Bell nodded, "I'll come with you, in case there's more of them."

The arachne wanted to object, but upon seeing Wiene's hopeful expression and remembering how Bell slaughtered the Ikelos Familia members, she sighed, "That'd be appreciated."

The white haired rabbit nodded, "If we're all okay, let's move. We shouldn't stay here any longer."

No one objected, and they turned to leave the room.

But before they did, Bell spotted something at Gran's corpse.

Something that looked like a sphere, and on a closer look, there was an eyeball inside the sphere, a large red D around the pupil.

The boy reached down and picked it up, "What is this?"

"Bell! Come on!"

Wiene's voice reached his ears, and the boy pocketed the item, deciding to use EMIYA's Structural Analysis to look at it.

Unbeknownst to any of them, they had missed one of the adventurers, one that had been wounded by Ranye and Fia earlier on, who then decided to hide and stay low when Bell showed up.

That one adventurer got to his feet, downing a potion, before silently making his way to the surface.

With Bell and the five Xenos, as they walked, Bell asked, "Why were there only five of you? I thought you were moving as a group?"

Ranye explained, "We do, but we also split up into smaller groups. It was Fels' idea. Larger groups of monsters tend to attract stronger adventurers."

The boy nodded, "I see… That makes sense."

It really did. But it also changed things. He was expecting Wiene to be with all of the Xenos, not like this.

And speaking of Wiene, the smaller Xenos quickly held onto Bell's hand, "Bell, why did you not come see me before?"

The boy smiled softly, "Sorry, Wiene. I was busy with some stuff on the surface."

Wiene nodded slowly, "Oh…"

Bell's lips thinned, "We'll see each other a lot more from now on, I promise."

The vouivre brightened up, "Yay!"

The arachne looked at him, "But still… thanks… for saving us. You're not so bad, for a human."

Bell snorted, "If it wasn't for the Command Spells I gave Wiene, you'd be all dead. Be careful, please."

Ranye nodded, "We will. That was a mistake, we didn't expect it to be a trap."

The boy nodded, "Make sure you do. We all know there are enemies that are out for the Xenos, and you never know when they're coming for you."

The arachne fell silent. As grateful as she was, it was still frustrating, especially when he was right.

The group made their way through the dungeon, and soon came to a dead end.

Bell patiently waited, as Ranye walked towards the wall, "We're here."

She placed a hand on the wall, and it crumbled down, revealing a hall much like the one Bell and the Hestia Familia had seen when they first met the Xenos.

The boy asked, "Are these walls naturally fragile?"

Ranye shook her head, "Fels designed these walls. They're a bit different from normal dungeon walls. They only respond to those Fels allow."

Bell nodded in understanding, "I see, that's good to hear."

The arachne nodded, "Come on, the others should already be waiting for us."

No one objected, and they all walked into the cave.

After some distance away from the main parts of the dungeon floor, Bell glanced back, noting the wall had fixed itself.

He looked back to the front, noticing some light from afar, 'That must be where the others are.'

They continued walking, until they heard the voices of the other Xenos.

Ranye called out, "We're here!"

Almost immediately, two familiar figures appeared, and Lyd spoke, "Finally! We thought something happened to you guys!"

Gros immediately noticed Bell, "Why is the human here?"

The lizardman blinked in surprise, "Bell-cchi?!"

Ranye explained, "Something did happen. We were led to a trap, and if Wiene didn't call for Bell. We'd be all dead."

Lyd looked at them, before he noticed the change in members, "Ah… So Aude…"

Ranye nodded, glancing at the siren they had rescued, "Yeah, a group of adventurers captured her, and they tortured her, to get her to scream."

Gros' face grew furious, "Where are they? We'll kill them all!"

The arachne shook her head, "No need. Bell's already killed them all."

That surprised them, and Lyd looked at him, "Bell-cchi did?"

The boy nodded, traces of Lobo leaking through, "Yeah… What they did was unforgivable. They got what they deserved."

The lizardman scratched his head in concern, "But won't that put you against your people? If word gets out…"

Bell let out a small smile, "It's fine. What happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon. It'll be fine."

Lyd still looked uncomfortable, "... If you say so…"

Gros, on the other hand, looked over Ranye, "But are the rest of you okay?"

The arachne nodded, "We are. Thanks to him anyway. He even gave us potions to heal us all up."

The gargoyle fell silent, before he nodded begrudgingly, "You have my gratitude, Bell Cranel."

The white haired rabbit nodded, "You're welcome."

Lyd hummed, "I guess we owe you one now."

Bell smiled, "Don't worry about it. We're friends, aren't we?"

The lizardman nodded, "But thanks for bringing them here too."

The boy shook his head, "That's fine. I'm thinking of staying with Wiene for a bit too."

Lyd nodded in understanding, "Sure, we were expecting you to visit her sometime anyway."

He paused, before grinning sheepishly, "Well, just not so soon anyway."

Bell chuckled, "Well, I'm here now. So…"

Wiene nodded happily, "Come on! I made a lot of friends here! Let's go find them!"

The boy smiled, "Sure."

He looked at Lyd and Gros, "If you two don't mind."

The gargoyle snorted, "You will find zero complaints from me."

The lizardman chuckled in exasperation, "Go ahead, we'll let you know if we need you."

The vouivre visibly brightened up, and she pulled the white haired boy away.

That left the six Xenos.

Four grunted as he walked off, and Fia looked at the older Xenos, "I'll go with Four, okay?"

Ranye nodded, "Sure, get some rest."

The harpy nodded gratefully and followed her friend away.

Lyd looked at the siren, "I'll let Rei know what happened… We'll find another group for you."

The siren nodded, "Thank you, Lyd."

The lizardman nodded, "Go get something to eat, and wash up too."

The siren nodded and flew away, leaving the three older Xenos.

As soon as they were alone, Gros looked at Ranye, "Tell us what happened?"

The arachne's lips thinned, "It's worse than we thought. All this while we thought only a small number of humans knew of us, and that most of the time our brethren died because they were unlucky."

That caught their attention, and Lyd narrowed his eyes, "You mean…"

Ranye nodded, "They know what we are, and they are hunting us. Actively. This was deliberate, not a coincidence."

She looked down, "They were prepared, and they chose a corner of the floor on purpose, so none of us could escape."

Lyd nodded, "But we're lucky Bell-cchi showed up."

Ranye nodded, "Exactly."

She looked at Gros, "Gros, I know we didn't like him before… But I think… I think we can trust him."

The gargoyle fell silent, before he nodded, "Alright, I suppose we owe him at least that much now."

Lyd grinned, "Hehe glad you're seeing the light now, Gros!"

Gros scowled, "Can it, he saved our kin. He earned it."

The lizardman laughed, "No need to be so shy, Gros!"

Ranye let out a chuckle at their interaction, and the gargoyle glared at her, earning him more laughter from the two.

Meanwhile, Wiene was pulling Bell around to meet different members of the Xenos.

The vouivre pulled him to a group of monsters, where a lamia sat on the ground, "Bell! This is Laura, she's a lamia!"

Laura blinked when she saw the pair, "Wiene? Wait, you're that human…"

Bell smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, Wiene insisted she show me around this village, so…"

The lamia chuckled, "That's alright."

She asked, "But why are you here? Shouldn't you be…"

Laura trailed off, and Wiene fell silent, and the lamia got the hint, "Oh… Did something…"

Bell nodded, "Yeah, but that's fine now. It's all done and dealt with."

The lamia nodded, "I see… That's good then."

Laura noticed Wiene still looking down, and she smiled softly, "So, Wiene. You were telling Bell here about something?"

Wiene perked up, "Right!"

She looked at Bell, "Bell, Laura is a big fan of love and romance! Apparently she's been getting Fels to-mmmm!"

Before she could continue, Laura put her hand around Wiene's mouth, "Wiene!"

Bell blinked when he saw the blush on her face, and even more when Laura sudden grimaced and pulled her hand away, only to see some saliva on her hand.

The lamia grumbled, "Wiene!"

The vouivre just giggled, and the boy chuckled, "Alright, I think you've embarrassed Laura-san quite enough."

Wiene pouted, "But Laura always looked so excited when Fels brought her those books."

Bell folded his arms, "Hmm, alright, how about the next time I come down, I'll bring some more of those books with me?"

That caught Laura by surprise, "Wait, you'd do that?"

The boy smiled, "Why not? I can get more on the surface anyways."

Wiene giggled, "See? I told you Bell could help!"

Laura blinked, before she nodded slowly, "Yes… that would be great."

The vouivre giggled again before she pulled Bell away once more, "Come on! We should go see Fia and the others!"

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, in one of the chambers of Knossos, Dix Perdix grunted as he killed one of the harpies in the cages around him.

The captain of the Ikelos Familia sighed, "What a waste of time. All that work, and nothing."

He looked around, "Where the fuck is Gran? His group should've been back by now!"

A round of grunts and mutters that all went along the lines of "I don't know" reached his ears, and the captain clicked his teeth in annoyance.

Dix brandished his spear, "Whatever then. We'll have to think of our next plan without them."

He scowled, "Fuckers from the Hermes Familia are still on us like bloody hounds… the Thanatos Familia isn't doing much either…"

"Relax, we're still ahead of them. Besides, when you're hunting, you need to be patient with your prey."

Dix's scowl deepened, "Shut it you useless piece of shit, if you didn't draw attention from Hermes, we would've been done with these monsters by now!"

Ikelos cackled at the reaction, "But you're not out of business yet, are you? You can still bring this back."

The captain snorted, "Technically no, but it's still annoying."

It was true. They were still making a shit ton of money. They had more than enough monsters to last them for a while.

But knowing that their flow of stock was going down wasn't a good thing.

But before he could continue his musings, a voice reached his ears.

"D-Dix!"

Dix raised an eyebrow when he turned to see an adventurer stumble in, his equipment and clothing in tatters.

The captain quickly recognized him to be one of the men in Gran's group, "You're in Gran's group."

The man nodded, "T-the Little Hero! H-he's with the talking monsters!"

Dix raised an amused eyebrow, "Now is he?"

The adventurer nodded again, "He killed Gran and all of our group. I got lucky and came back!"

The captain hummed, "Is he lying, Ikelos?"

The god smiled creepily, "No, he isn't. You're planning something."

Dix snorted, "Yeah."

He narrowed his eyes, "The new rookie, this so-called Heir to the Throne of Heroes. Everyone has their eyes on him, one way or another."

Dix smirked, "Even the Loki Familia and Freya Familia. What do you think will happen when we tell everyone Bell Cranel is murdering adventurers for a group of intelligent monsters?"

Ikelos laughed, "I like the way you think!"

The captain nodded, "Go find the Loki Familia, or whatever place you think is best to spread the word. I want everyone to know… that Bell Cranel is a traitor to mankind."

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, Finn, Riveria, Bete, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete and Lefiya were in the Hostess' having lunch with Loki.

After their morning training session being cut short, they had decided to go grab lunch, while Raul and Aki stayed back to train more with Gareth.

As they ate, everyone chatted around, whilst Finn stayed silent.

Loki evidently noticed it, and she grinned, "Something's caught your attention, Finn. What is it? Is it a woman?"

Tione snapped her head at them almost instantly, "Captain?!"

Finn almost sighed, but he smiled instead, "No, far from it. I was just thinking about what Bell-kun did earlier this morning."

Riveria hummed, "His teleportation spell, was it?"

The prum smiled, "Well, that, and the weapon he used against Raul."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Oh, now which one did he pull out this time?"

Lefiya answered this time, "Gae Bolg, that's what it was called."

The goddess of mischief grumbled, "He pulled out an annoying one again, huh?"

Riveria nodded, "It was certainly an interesting weapon. I would not have expected him to have a weapon that could reverse cause and effect."

Loki snorted, "He has the King of Heroes. I'd say you should always expect him to have something can do just about anything."

Bete scoffed, "But the rabbit is still a rabbit! It'll take him some time to be able to beat me!"

Finn hummed, "I don't know about that."

The werewolf looked at the prum, "Huh? What the hell do you mean? You think he can beat me?"

The prum shook his head, "No, I didn't say that. But in a few, if not many areas, he outperforms all of us."

Tione blinked, "Really?"

Finn nodded, "For example, Bete. We know Bell-kun has Orion's abilities. His ability as a hunter increases his performance tremendously against anyone with beast traits."

The werewolf was instantly reminded of their training together, where Ottar had been wounded.

Riveria folded her arms, "That is true."

The group continued to discuss Bell's powers and potential ways of getting around it.

As they did, Ryuu gave them a passing glance as she put some dishes away.

"What's wrong? Afraid they'll beat him up?"

The elf glanced back at Mia, before she shook her head, "No, I suppose I should be happy. Bell has evidently captured their attention, it means he has grown that much."

The dwarf snorted, "You're not wrong."

Mia placed a tray of Japanese food on the counter, "That's for table 9."

Ryuu nodded, but the moment she did, she recognized the dishes, "Mama Mia, when did we start serving these dishes?"

The dwarf grinned, "Today. I finally managed to recreate them… Not as good as the brat's unfortunately."

The elf let a ghost of a smile appear on her face as she took the dishes to the table, "I'm sure that'll be enough to attract more customers, especially from the Far East."

Mia just snorted and went back to working on the next orders.

Until someone barged through the doors, and Syr jumped in surprise, happening to be standing near the door, "W-welcome!"

The man had damaged clothes, but everyone quickly noticed the unblemished skin under.

His eyes landed on the Loki Familia's table, "L-Loki Familia!"

Finn raised an eyebrow, "Can we help you?"

The man stumbled over to them, "B-Bell Cranel! H-He attacked my party! He killed everyone in my party!"

That caught everyone's attention, and Ryuu immediately stepped forward, "You lie! Bell would never-"

"He's not lying."

Loki's voice was calm and quiet, but it reached everyone's ears in the restaurant.

Finn let out a small breath, "Tell us more."

The man nodded, still shaky, "T-that's not all, w-we found monsters. Monsters who use adventurer equipment! Bell Cranel is taking their side! H-he's betrayed humanity!"

Bete scoffed, "Armed monsters? That's fucking stupid! And why the hell would the rabbit help monsters?"

The man shook his head frantically, "I don't know! But we found these armed monsters, and we fought them, and Bell Cranel appeared out of nowhere and killed all of my friends!"

Riveria asked, "And how did you survive?"

The man looked down, "I was injured by a harpy and stayed hidden before he appeared. I only managed to escape after they left."

Lefiya spoke up, "Bell wouldn't do that, would he?"

Tiona shook her head, "I don't think Argonaut-kun would do that too."

Tione nodded, "No, he wouldn't."

Finn folded his arms, his mind immediately going to when Bell disappeared earlier, "I believe he wouldn't as well. But…"

He glanced at Loki, who shook her head, "No, this dude ain't lying. Either he's telling the truth, or he genuinely believes everything he's saying."

The prum nodded, and he looked at the adventurer again, "When did this happen?"

The man swallowed, "Just around an hour ago, it happened on the middle floors."

Finn stood up, "Very well. Tell me where this happened. We will find the truth."

Bete sighed, "What a pain… And here I thought we would have the day off."

Riveria snorted, "You're welcome to sit this one out if you want to."

The werewolf scoffed, "And pay the bill? Thanks, but no thanks."

Lefiya looked at Ais, "We have to make sure Bell is innocent, right, Ais-san?"

The blonde half spirit didn't answer, and the elf asked again, "Ais-san?"

The blonde swordswoman glanced at Lefiya, and she nodded, "Of course."

With that said, the Loki Familia members left the restaurant after settling their payment.

As they did, Ryuu frowned, but before she could speak, Mia spoke up, "Before you say anything, no, I won't let you go after them."

The elf frowned, "Mama Mia!"

The dwarf shook her head firmly, "No. Bell is strong enough now. If he's found himself in trouble, and it's confirmed, we can help. But not now."

"Excuse me, Lion."

As if on cue, Asfi walked through the door, and Ryuu blinked, "Andromeda?"

The captain of the Hermes Familia spoke, "Can I talk to you for a sec? It's about… well, them. We'll need your help. And Bell Cranel is involved too."

Ryuu looked at the dwarf, and Mia grumbled, "Whatever! Do what you want, you dumb elf!"

The elf nodded, "Thank you, Mama Mia."

She turned to Asfi, "Tell me on the way."

Asfi nodded, "Let's go."

The two turned for the door, but before they could leave, Syr called out, "Ryuu!"

The pair stopped, and Ryuu asked, "What's wrong, Syr?"

The silver haired girl pursed her lips, "Make sure Bell-san is safe, okay?"

The elf paused, before she smiled, "I will. Don't worry."

With that said, the two left the building, and Mia shouted, "Now get back to work!"

A short while later, Finn stood alone before the Hearth Mansion.

He had told the others to wait for him at the dungeon entrance, mainly in case Bell left the dungeon.

Which was also another reason he was here, in case Bell had already left the dungeon and was potentially at home.

After a short while, the door opened, and the prum spotted a familiar looking young lady.

Lili blinked, "Finn-sama? What brings you here?"

The older prum smiled, "You must be Liliruca Arde. How are you today?"

The younger prum looked confused, "Good, thank you. How can I help you?"

Finn looked her in the eye, "Have you seen Bell-kun? I'm looking for him."

Lili blinked, "Didn't Bell-sama go to your Familia home for training?"

The captain of the Loki Familia nodded, "He did. But he left shortly after we began, but there was still some stuff we needed to talk about."

The younger prum shook her head, "No, I can't say I've seen Bell-sama come home."

Finn hummed, "I see. Thank you."

With that said, he turned away, but before he could leave, Lili called out, "Finn-sama, is everything okay?"

Finn stopped, and he turned back with a smile, "Yes, everything is fine."

He paused, before adding, "If you see Bell-kun, can you please let him know I was looking for him?"

Lili nodded confusedly, "Okay."

Finn nodded again, before he left the area.

Soon, the leader of the Loki Familia reached the tower of Babel, where the others were waiting.

Riveria asked, "He's not there, was he?"

Finn shook his head, "No, apparently he didn't go home. Guess we'll have to head down."

No one objected, and they descended down the stairs into the dungeon.

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, back in the Xenos' hidden village, Bell sat at a campfire with Wiene, Lyd, Rei and a few other monsters.

Bell had a small smile on his face as he watched Wiene play with the smaller sized Xenos, running around the campfire.

He turned to Lyd, "Lyd-san, I have to ask."

The lizardman looked at him, "Wassup, Bell-cchi?"

The boy asked, "Do you know who exactly it is targeting the Xenos?"

Lyd let out a breath, "I appreciate the concern, but we don't want to drag you into our mess."

Bell shook his head, "I already am. The moment those adventurers targeted Wiene, this also became my mess."

Ranye spoke up, "I think having Bell with us is a good idea too. If it wasn't for him, we'd all be captured, if not dead."

The lizardman scratched his head, "To be honest, Bell-cchi, we don't know much. All we knew was that a small group of adventurers were targeting our kind."

Bell narrowed his eyes, "So… you don't know who you're dealing with?"

Gros snorted, "Humans, that's what we're dealing with."

The gargoyle paused, "At least, that's how it would've been… Until you showed up."

Lyd nodded, "Our group isn't really big. Not big enough anyway. The only reason we know we're being hunted is because we don't see everyone each time we move."

Bell's lips thinned, "So you're saying every time you move villages, there are casualties."

The lizardman shook his head, "No, not always. But it does happen."

Rei nodded, "That's why we split up into smaller groups, to make sure we don't draw too much attention."

The boy nodded slowly, "I see…"

Lyd looked at him, "Is something wrong, Bell-cchi?"

Bell took a breath, "Lyd-san… I… we left Wiene with you, because we thought it would be safer for her."

The lizardman made a complicated expression, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened, but there was always the possibility-"

The boy cut him off, "No, I know it was a possibility. I just didn't think it would be this much."

Bell looked at the older members of the Xenos, "Right now, we don't know how many of these people are out there. And you don't know when and where they will be, not with how the dungeon is."

Gros leaned back, "What do you say we do then?"

The boy pursed his lips, "Come with me to the surface. We can figure out a way, I'm sure we can get the Guild and other Familias to help."

That caught them by surprise, and Lyd sighed, "We appreciate the thought, but Bell-cchi, there's no way we can bring so many monsters to the surface like this."

Bell shook his head, "I can figure out a way. And I have ways to bring you all out without anyone knowing!"

He looked Lyd in the eye, "I know we want to have the public accept your existence first, but at this rate you'll all be dead before that day comes."

The lizardman leaned back, "I…"

Gros snorted, "It's not a bad idea, but what about our enemies? If we go up, they find out we're there, what's stopping them from getting the whole city coming for us?"

The gargoyle looked at Bell, "You're strong, but you can't possibly stop a city from killing all of us."

Bell sighed and drank some water from his cup, "But I can't just let this go, not when-"

Rei cut him off, "Bell, I know you're worried for Wiene, for all of us. And as much as I yearn for the surface, we cannot rush this. We'll be wasting everything Ouranos and Fels have done for us."

The boy looked down, "Fine…"

Lyd patted him on the back, "Look, it is a work in progress, but we will get there eventually. If you're worried about Wiene, you can just come visit us more often!"

Bell just nodded reluctantly, "I guess so."

Ranye spoke up, "Speaking of which, what was that before?"

The boy looked at the arachne, "What was what?"

The Xenos pointed at him, "When you showed up to save us, you gained these extra legs on your back, and you felt more like… I guess the word would be a beast."

Bell's eyes widened slightly in realization, "Ah, you mean Hessian and Lobo. That was me channeling their powers."

Ranye blinked, "Oh… What sort of hero would feel like that?"

The boy shook his head, "They're not heroes, not in an actual sense…"

He looked down in thought, "My grandfather once told me… every villain is their own hero in their story… I guess the Throne of Heroes recognized that bit and I gained access to that."

Lyd blinked in confusion, "Wait, so does that mean, you can inherit the powers of monsters too?"

Bell shook his head, "I don't know, but I did inherit Hessian and Lobo's powers… I guess it wouldn't be impossible now."

The Xenos all nodded, falling into a moment of comfortable silence, and they turned their attention to Wiene, who was playing with Fia and Arles.

After a while, Bell stood up, "I think I'd better get going. I don't want the others to worry."

Lyd nodded, "Of course, thanks for what you did, Bell-cchi, it meant a lot to us."

The boy nodded, before he chanted, "Load: Gilgamesh."

The powers of the King of Heroes filled his body, and he pulled out some Command Spells from his treasury, "Before I forget, here."

Rei blinked in surprise, "Wait, aren't these-"

Bell nodded, "Command spells, like the ones I gave Wiene. I want the four of you to have them, in case anything happens, I can get to you immediately."

Lyd nodded with a smile, "Thank you, Bell-cchi."

The boy smiled, "Just don't let Wiene know, she might use hers to get me to come down if she knows you've got extra."

The older Xenos laughed at the thought, and Lyd nodded, "We'll keep that in mind."

"Bell!"

The five turned to see Wiene running to them, and the vouivre asked, "Are you leaving already?"

Bell nodded as he knelt down to her level, "Yeah, Hestia-sama and the others will be worried if I don't go back soon."

Wiene pouted, "But we haven't played enough!"

The boy smiled, "Tell you what, I'll come by tomorrow, if you're all still gonna be here?"

Lyd chuckled, "Of course, we usually stay in one village a week at a time, sometimes longer depending on the situation."

Bell nodded, "Excellent, I'll come by tomorrow then."

The vouivre asked, "Promise?"

The white haired rabbit nodded, "Promise."

Wiene nodded, "Okay."

Rei smiled, "We'll walk you to the entrance of this floor, okay?"

Bell smiled, "Thanks."

The vouivre perked up, "I wanna come too!"

Lyd laughed, "Alright, we can go together then!"

Ranye looked at Gros, "You coming?"

The gargoyle snorted, "Yeah, whatever."

Bell chuckled, "Alright, let's go."

The group of six walked out of the hidden village, making their way to the exit for the previous floor.

Fortunately, there weren't any adventurers on the floor, until they neared the stairs for the previous floor.

Bell's face immediately steeled when he saw the people before him.

Lyd groaned, "Ah shit."

"I was hoping that person was lying. I guess not."

Bell greeted neutrally, "Finn-san."

The prum looked at the monsters around the boy, and he noted Bell holding Wiene's hand.

Bete scowled, "What is the meaning of this, rabbit?"

Lefiya nodded, "Did you really kill all those people, Bell?!"

Riveria and Ais stayed silent, but anyone who knew them could see that they weren't happy at all.

Tiona asked, "Argonaut-kun! What's going on?"

Tione narrowed her eyes, "You better have a damn good reason."

Bell studied the members of the Loki Familia before him, and he spoke, "Finn-san, if I tell you these monsters with me are just like us, would you let them go?"

The prum raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

The boy mentally readied himself to Load a Heroic Spirit, "They can talk like us, they eat like us, and they have emotions just like us."

Finn narrowed his eyes, "I see…"

That changed things, if only a tiny bit, but the prum wasn't focused on that, "You're not denying the fact that you killed a party of adventurers."

Bell nodded, "Those adventurers were targeting these monsters, the Xenos. They used one of their kind as bait to lure them into an ambush."

Lefiya frowned, "But you didn't have to kill them!"

The boy shook his head, "No, there was no other way."

Riveria spoke up for the first time, "Bell, you killed adventurers… humans, to protect monsters. You do know how ridiculous that sounds, right?"

Bell looked at the high elf, "And why does that sound wrong? They have souls just like us. Just because they look different means I can leave them to die?"

Lyd looked at the boy, "Bell-cchi…"

For the first time, Ais spoke up, "They're not the same."

Bell blinked, "Ais-san?"

The blonde almost glared at the monsters, "Monsters kill people. They kill many, many people, and even more people will cry."

"As long as that happens, I will kill monsters."

Lefiya blinked in surprise, "Ais-san…"

Finn sighed, before he asked, "Bell-kun, are you involved with Enyo or the remnants of the Evilus?"

Bell blinked in surprise, "The Evilus? What does Evilus have to do with this?"

The prum hummed, "I see…"

He let out a breath again, "To answer your question, Bell-kun… We cannot let these monsters go."

Bell frowned, "I see…"

Finn raised an eyebrow, "Not going to ask why?"

The boy snorted, "No, I expected you wouldn't anyway. Monsters and adventurers, not just humans, but elves, dwarves and demi-humans as well. The conflict between us is too deep."

Riveria narrowed her eyes, "And yet you still help them?"

Bell nodded, "I would. Their cries have reached me."

Finn let out a sigh, "So this is your answer, Bell-kun? The kind of hero you're striving to be?"

The boy nodded, "It is."

The prum's features steeled, "Then I guess we have nothing more to talk about."

Lefiya blinked, "Wait, what?"

Bell chanted, "Load: EMIYA!"

Finn spoke, "Bete, Ais. Kill the monsters, but leave Bell-kun alive. As much as I hate this, he has to answer for his crimes."

The Xenos all moved, but Bell stepped forward, "Go! Those two will kill you without question!"

Evidently, they all hesitated, especially when they would essentially be leaving Bell to fight alone.

Unfortunately, neither Ais nor Bete had that problem, and they dashed forward in an instant.

The boy cursed the E-rank luck he inherited, "Set (Fake): RHO AIAS!"

"Tempest!"

Aerial's wind surrounded Ais' body as she charged forward with a thrust, and Bete followed after quickly, his Flosvirt absorbing the wind as he went in with a kick.

The two attacks struck the seven layered barrier, destroying the first three layers almost immediately.

Bell grunted as he pushed back, "I am the Bone of my Sword."

The remaining barriers glowed, pushing back slightly, before two of them breaking once more.

Wiene yelled, "Bell!"

The boy growled, "GO!"

Finn narrowed his eyes, "Tiona, Tione. Take them."

The younger of the twins blinked, "Eh?"

Tione sighed, "Alright."

The Amazoness drew her daggers and dashed forward.

The moment she did, Bell cursed, "No!"

But before he could summon some swords or Load another Heroic Spirit, time stopped.

"So you would go against your friends to save those monsters, the Xenos."

A voice reached his ears, a male's voice.

Bell nodded, "Yeah, I would. The Xenos are no different than us."

The voice hummed, "Normally I wouldn't bother helping, but she'd be mad if I didn't. In fact, I'm sure she'd do exactly what you're doing."

The boy blinked in confusion, "She?"

The voice responded again, "You'll understand when you receive my memories. Besides, you'll inherit my existence one way or another. Might as well get it over with."

Bell narrowed his eyes, "I see…"

The voice spoke again, "Just remember, as long as you will it, the shield will never fall. From this day forward, I am thou, and thou art I…"

Time resumed, and Bell chanted, "I am thou, and thou art I!"

Finn's eyes widened when he heard the chant, "Stop him!"

"Thou hast acquired a new vow… Thy body shall serve under mine will! And mine fate shall be thy sword!"

The prum dashed forward to join Tiona and Tione, whilst Riveria began to chant, and by now, Ais and Bete had broken through two more barriers.

"Let an oath be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven! I shall dispose of all evil of Hell!"

Yet, to their surprise, another barrier formed from behind Rho Aias, "If thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer my call!"

"Come forth from the rings of restraint, o' Protector of the Balances!"

"Load: GALAHAD!"

The shield of the Round Table formed in Bell's hands, and the barrier behind Rho Aias grew larger, letting the shield of Aias fade away.

Ais growled in frustration, "Tempest!"

The winds around her grew stronger, and even Finn and Tione joined in to break the barrier.

But Bell wasn't done.

"I shall stand in the seat of catastrophe."

The barrier stood strong even as the members of the Loki Familia struck at it, and the Xenos all watched in awe as Bell continued his chant.

"That is which heals all wounds, that is which heals all grudges, our glorious home."

Bell raised the shield in his hands, "Set: Lord…"

"CAMELOT!"

The boy swung the shield down, and the barrier exploded outwards.

Finn's eyes widened as they were all blown away, and for an instant, he caught a glimpse of the castle of white walls.

The prum groaned as he got to his feet, but the moment they regained their bearings, Bell and the Xenos were nowhere to be found.

Bete growled, "Where'd they go?!"

Ais stepped forward, "They couldn't have gotten far."

Finn cut her off, "No, leave it."

The blonde blinked, "Finn? But-"

The prum shook his head, "Not now. We will find them, but not now."

Ais gripped her sword tightly, "Alright…"

Lefiya, on the other hand, looked more shocked than anything, "Bell…"

Tione was pissed, but Tiona was delighted at the new Heroic Spirit, "That was awesome! How did he do that?!"

Her sister growled, "Who cares? I'll kill him the next time we see him!"

Finn stared at the spot where Bell and the Xenos were, "A shield, huh?"

He clenched his fists. He supposed it was fitting, with how hypocritical both of them were.

The prum turned, "Let's go. We have a lot to do."

XXX

Done. So its official. The Loki Familia is against the Xenos, for now.

I'm taking this in a slightly different direction from canon, so look forward to it.

Don't know when I can finish the next chapter though, I'm still quite sick, unfortunately.

So yeah, read and review please. Until next time.