Hey guys, Striker777 here. How have things been? I know, I know, it's been a while, but as it turns out, job hunting isn't as easy as I thought it was gonna be. I was basically shot in the balls by a company I had been doing work experience with for four months, unpaid. They said they'd have a job for me in the new year, but they then said that I couldn't come on because I wasn't a senior with a lot of experience in the field...

They didn't even have the balls to tell me in person, just called me after I tried coming in to ask about it twice before.

So I've been going through interviews and applying to the scarce few jobs around, but I've been unable to get anywhere there, and apparently my job I'm currently working for doesn't have the budget to put me on a full time contract, so I'm essentially just some dumbass uni graduate without a full time job, and as much as I'm helping around the house and I am paying board, it still feels like I'm just taking advantage of my mother...

It doesn't feel great, so I guess it took a toll on my will to write, even when the new season came out and I got hype as all fuck.

But enough about me. You're here for the story, and I've come to deliver, no matter how late in the making this is. I hope you all enjoy, now onto the story!

Also, I feel like I haven't responded to the reviews in a while, so let's do that.

Asclepius Ouroboros: Okay, I'm personally a fan of heroes and such, so whilst I don't see why, I can understand you don't like it. Hope to see you stick around though.

Guest (1): Don't worry, neither Bell nor Akihide will be inheriting any of Alfia's magic, that's Alfia's, plain and simple. I can also see where you're coming from about Akihide developing too fast, so I don't think you'll like this chapter as much, but I feel like he's at an appropriate level for where he needs to be in relation to the situation happening in Orario at the moment, and for what's to come. (I love Omori-sensei, but I have no clue how Orario is meant to survive against the dragon.) Also, I do have some plans for Bell and his abilities, but I'm afraid they'll have to wait for a while. Forgive me.

BrimazKing: Hope you've had a good time too man. Lovely seeing you in the reviews again bro.

Roland Tepes: Yeah, Evilus is stacked to hell. You'll just have to see how the forces of Orario can handle them.

dengandos: Yeah, non-canon fun little side project.

Akihide sighed. Finn had let the Astraea Familia go alone in taking care of an Adventurer Hunt that Evilus was enacting, and he was ordered to bed rest. "This sucks..." he muttered, hoping that the others were okay. He knew that even with a pair of level 4s, anything could happen in the Dungeon, and the last thing he wanted to do was worry, but as a young boy surrounded by constant death and despair, he just couldn't help it. "I could've been useful. I'm level 4 now too. I should be out there helping people." he said, looking down at the sheet of paper that held his updated Falna from a few days ago.

Status:-
Level: 34
Strength: 823(A)→0(I)
Endurance: 701(B)→0(I)
Dexterity: 943(S)→0(I)
Agility: 999(S)→0(I)
Magic: 987(S)→0(I)
Magic: Kaizen no Mon
Tsudzurao-ō no Sējifaia
Skills: Mico Grandus Maxima
Reiður Styrkur Tamamo
Torch Bearer
Development Abilities: Hunter (G)
Mage (H)
Spirit Healing (I)

He sighed once more. "What's the point of this strength if I can't use it to help others?" he asked himself once more, before placing the paper back on his bedside table. His mind drifting to his new skill. Remembering what Loki had told him, hearing her voice in his head, seeing her when she told him.

"Now this is something..." muttered Loki, giving Akihide his completed paper with his new Falna. "Torch Bearer is another rare skill, and in the right circumstances, it can even be counted as a broken skill." she said, biting the corner of the sheet of Akihide's bed. "Just how many broken skills do you plan on getting?!" she asked in faux concern. "My child has so many broken skills I need to send him back to the manufacturer! He's too broken!"

She turned serious as she looked back at the shocked Akihide. "Now listen to me." she said with a stern voice. "That skill is by far the most dangerous one you have. It's one you can't rely on, and one that you have to always consider is going to backfire." she said, a grave warning in her voice. "Torch Bearer only appears on heroes of the millennium, who bear the torch of all the people's hopes, desires and dreams. They must be unyielding in the face of adversity, unshakable in nature and always look their best for the people. Because if they lose the faith of the people, that skill will be as much of a detriment to them as it could be a blessing." she said, looking into Akihide's eyes. "No matter what, no matter what you feel, how scared you are, how terrifying a foe is, you must be strong. If you appear strong, people with believe you to be strong, and trust you to bear the weight of their torches of hope."

"Because if you can't..." she began, her eyes going dark, "If the people lose faith in their hero, if that hero is ever cast down, beaten, and the faith of the people is lost, then the skill will harm you in return." she said. "It will burn you. So painfully, you may even wish for death. The fear of the people who once held hope for you will turn on you. If I could, I'd just reject this skill."

"Remember, Akihide." said Loki, looking more serious than Akihide ever saw her. "Always assume that skill is going to backfire, and never rely on it."

"Be strong, huh?" asked Akihide to himself. "If only it was that easy..."

Six Days until the Great Feud

The streets were filled with the festivities of the people, Demeter Familia really pulling out all the stops in order to make the festival go well. Akihide had decided to come down, not only acting as extra security in case something happened, but also to enjoy some of the time he had for himself, since he was still recovering from the last Evilus attack. "It's so nice... this must be what a Goddess Festival looks like..."

The Goddess Festival was a time to celebrate the coming of spring with the first crops of the season. Food would be heavily discounted, people would set up stalls with special once a year items, and the people would celebrate the fertility goddesses in Orario, Demeter, Hathor, Damia, Ishtar and Freya. It was a time Orario celebrated the coming of spring, crops, even love to a certain extent.

But it was also a prime target for Evilus, who attacked it 5 years ago, leading to a devastating loss of life. Since then, the Goddess Festival had been discontinued, hoping that Evilus wouldn't target them anymore.

It didn't stop them from attacking Orario, but at least it didn't cluster so many people together.

Such a horrible thing to think, but that was the truth of this world.

However, with most of the top levelled adventurers in Orario, including 3 of the level 6 adventurers, the Guild, who was putting on this charity event, as well as the Demeter Familia, were more than confident that things would go off without a hitch.

Gareth had been helping guard the main entrance, Finn was taking command of the guards from the central plaza, and Riveria was scouting along the rooftops. Freya Familia had even managed to dispatch Hedin and Hogni to act as additional security, and unofficially as bait in case a certain crazy set of twins ended up attacking the festival.

Akihide sighed. "No need to worry about that!" he said, looking around. "I just need to enjoy my day off, get some good food, and relax." he said, smiling to himself. "I wonder if they have anything from the Far East here? I'm kinda crazing some home food..." he muttered, looking around at the various stalls. There were no clear signs of Far Eastern food, much to his dismay, but he smiled anyway and looked around for something he'd enjoy, something sweet like candy.

Going through the stalls, he looked on as he hunted a sweet treat for himself, before coming across a pair of level 5s he'd been thinking about earlier. "Ah! Mister Hedin! Mister Hogni!" he called out, getting the attention of the two elves, Hedin glaring lightly at the boy and Hogni looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Good morning! Nice day for a food bank." he said with a smile.

"Rev Blitsen." said Hedin, nodding at the small boy professionally. "Congratulations on making it to Level 4."

Hogni snickered. "The fox of flash makes his trail, blitzing through the enemies to take strength upon himself..." he said, before going into a smaller tirade. Hedin sighed, looking at Akihide with a look that screamed 'See this shit that I have to deal with?!'

Akihide felt bad for Hogni.

Nevertheless, he smiled. "Sorry you guys had to come out and help us. You must be busy planning to Rank Up yourselves." he said in an innocent voice. Hedin and Hogni looked him over. "Ottar told me he wasn't planning on letting Finn, Riveria and Gareth catch up to him, so I'm guess you guys aren't gonna let him get too far ahead either, right? You'll hit Level 6 soon, won't you?"

Hedin nodded. "We're going to give it all of our effort." he said confidently. Honestly, he was planning on addressing the other Executives on the possibility of having a temporary truce so they could all Rank Up, going down to Floor 58.

Maybe even lower.

There was only so much that they could do as individuals, no matter how much Allen would deny it. If he was left in the dust, so be it, but Hedin was not going to fall behind due to the selfish whims of a cat who couldn't get his own ego far enough out of his ass to get up off it and actually do something. He already had Ottar on board, wanting to try facing off against Balor alone to try and hit Level 7. Hedin hoped that the Valgang Dragons would give the Executives enough Excilia to Rank Up, but so far that was just the outlines, and there was much prep work to do to not only make the trip feasible, but also profitable.

"I'll be rooting for you!" said Akihide, before a thought struck him. "Oh! You could ask Finn and Gareth if I could go down with you and buff you all so you were stronger!" he said, conveniently not mentioning Riveria, who would never agree to such a thing.

"And risk getting on Riveria's bad side?" he asked the boy with a glare, as if thinking the sole reason he said to do so was to get him to piss Riveria off. "As invaluable as you would be, I'm not stupid enough to try getting on the bad side of Riveria of all people."

Yes. Getting on the bad side of the princess of all elves was not an ideal situation, and one Hedin would avoid at all costs.

Akihide sighed. "Guess that's fair..." he muttered, looking at the pair. "But still, don't be afraid to ask. If I can help someone become stronger, I want to do it." he said, looking out at the city, and over the wall. "After all, we need to finish what Zeus and Hera started 8 years ago."

The subjugation of the One Eyed Black Dragon.

It was a feat that Alfia had told him she was explicitly training him for, and also the reason she gave Finn, Riveria and Gareth information on Dragon Valley to help them Rank Up, because they needed as many powerful adventurers as possible. The best idea was to get a ton of Level 7 and higher adventurers, amass an army even greater than the combined might of the Zeus and Hera Familia, with as many powerful and game changing skills as possible, and take the fight to the One Eyed Black Dragon with not only everything Orario had to offer, but what the entire world had to offer.

Hedin nodded sagely. "One day, we will have to face this threat. Caught up with Evilus and the continued expeditions into the Dungeon, it's easy to forget there is another challenge we need to face." he said, looking at the boy. "But to think... you'd be preparing for that monster on top of everything else..." he muttered.

Hogni smirked. "The child shall become the light that leads Orario through the darkest of days, bringing peace to this war torn kingdom." he said, chuckling to himself. "The powers of the boy will reach beyon-"

"Shut up Hogni, you're embarrassing us." said Hedin, as Hogni looked like he'd just been hit where the sun don't shine by Balor himself.

Poor Hogni...

Akihide turned back around. "Oh, have you seen any Far Eastern food around? I've been craving dango and mochi for a while now, but there's never anyone se-"

A scream pierced through the festivities, as the three went on immediate high alert. "Evilus!" called out a civilian, as they began running from the festival. Akihide was quick to jump into action, as he, Hedin and Hogni jumped to the roof to get a better view of the situation. They could see fire arising from several areas around Orario, but he had to have faith that Ardee and the rest of her Familia could take care of them, as the majority of Orario was located at this festival.

"Hedin! Hogni!" called out two high pitched voices, and the three turned around to see a pair of lightning bolts being fired at them, the three quickly evading. Akihide looked up and glared at the sudden intervention of the duo who had come to kill them, The Dis Sisters, Dina and Vena.

Vena smiled. "Oh, it's great to see you two! Now we can kill you and stuff you like dolls!" she squealed, looking at Hedin with her disgusting smile. "Oh, I can't wait to play with my new Hedin doll! It'll be so much fun to drench it in blood!"

Dina smiled. "I get what you mean, sister!" she said, just as psychotically as her twin. "I want to play with my Hogni doll so much, it hurts! Oh, there'll be no cuter doll in the whole wide world!"

Akihide looked at the pair. "These are the infamous monsters?" he asked, looking between them as their smiles dropped and they looked right at him. "They give elves like mama a bad name."

"Huh?!" demanded Dina, looking at the boy with a disgusted look. "Who the hell are you to say that?! Can't you see we're beautiful faeries like the rest of our race?!" she demanded.

Akihide, the young ten year old with no filter that he was, saw this as a great opportunity to piss off his opponents and keep their attention off the evacuating civilians. "You two look more like a faerie shit than actual faeries!" he said with a smirk, watching as veins began popping on their heads. "And you don't act like regular elves at all. Honestly, broken dolls, the pair of you, not even worth playing with."

And that pissed them off.

"Fuck you!" screamed out Vena. The dark elf pointed her hands at Akihide, as her sister prepared to charge in with her short swords. Hedin was quick to prepare his own magic, Hogni drawing his sword, as Akihide jumped back further, and began his own chant, a magic circle appearing under him.

"On the divine path up the mountain's edge." said the boy as the four others prepared for combat. "Guide my unworthy soul down the path of the gods. Showcase your brilliance and give this body the power the bestow your blessed might onto others. Let the gates of heaven open up and allow your holy power to flow. Sixth Gate: Kibin no Mon!" he finished his chant, watching as a Tori Gate with the number 6 in Far Eastern Kanji, as Hogni and Hedin felt a rush of power wash through them, feeling faster than ever before.

'Definitely level 6 agility.' thought Hogni, as he jumped at Dina, clashing swords as Hedin and Vena clashed with their magic, fire meeting lightning and clashing in the air, as an explosion rippled through the streets of Orario. Akihide wasn't done, however as he repositioned himself and began chanting again.

"Under the Tori Gates upon my path. In way to the path of heaven, to join the gods. My soul becomes cleansed, letting divine power flow through me. Allow the divinity of heaven's gates become my power to bestow upon others. Fifth Gate: Kiyo-sa no Mon!" he cast once more, as another Tori Gate appeared, the number 5 on it. Hogni's moves became more agile, as he twisted his sword with swordsmanship he didn't think possible until now, placing Dina on the defensive.

Vena, not to be outdone, started her own chant, and nine magic circles began appearing over Akihide. The boy looked up in no small amount of horror as the magic began to take effect. Hedin looked and prepared to cast his own magic, knowing full well he'd have to put everything into it to match Vena, who was surely under the effect of the Dis Sister's curse, Diaval Stige. She had to be level 6 comparable in terms of magic.

Akihide didn't know that, but he knew what to do next. He prepared again to cast his magic. "With each step, the path grows steeper, the air grows thinner. The mountain's peak whispers of gods and the weight of their thrones. Power flows not from the summit but from the climb and its scars. Take what I've gathered, and rise higher than before! Second Gate: Kokoro no Mon!" he said, watching as a third Tori Gate appeared, the number 2 on it. Hedin felt his mind return to him, and his magic became stronger. He smirked to himself, as he leapt next to Akihide, his magic ready to clash with Vena.

"Diaval Dis!"

"Varian Hildr!"

Lightning and fire clashed in the air, sparks and flames shooting out all through the sky like a massive firework. With both Vena and Hogni having the magical capabilities of a level 6 adventurer, the people of Orario could only watch in amazement at the showcase of power. Hogni could only look on in shock at Akihide, who was watching the aftermath of the clash of magic. 'If we had him when we went down to the Lower Floors, could I perhaps take on Udaeus alone?' he thought for a moment. It took only two seconds for him to reach his conclusion.

'Easily.'

The fight, however, was not yet over, as Hogni and Dina appeared through the smoke, short swords meeting Victim Abyss, as sparks of metal clashed. Hogni had been using Dainsleif since the start of the fight, and with Akihide's boost, he had been pushing Dina much harder than ever before, even scoring a couple of good hits on her and barely taking any in kind. The elf girl was looking out of breath, no doubt from her endurance being drained along with her magic to give to her sister. A single thought entered the head of Hogni under the effects of Dainsleif. 'If there was ever a time to finish this, it's now!'

"Rev Blitsen!" he called out, getting Akihide's attention. "Continue supporting us, but prepare to fight!" he said, activating Victim Abyss' ability for the first time in the fight, increasing the range of the sword by another 20 centimetres, and using it to clash with Dina from a longer distance. 'If I can send her down to the boy, we can engage her in two on one combat. With Hedin keeping the other one busy, we should be able to put an end to Dina once and for all.'

Hogni continued his relentless assault, the agility and dexterity of his body matching up with Dina's, and even surpassing her own while under the influence of the curse for a few moments. Dina struggled on the back foot, fighting tooth and nail just to keep her head above ground while facing the Hogni she had gone toe to toe with so many times before in the past, and losing.

Something needed to be done.

More specifically, something had to be done about the kid.

"Sister! The fox!" she yelled out, as she immediately changed targets, dashing away from her beloved Hogni and shooting straight for the child, who looked at her with a small amount of shock as she suddenly changed targets. Vena was quick on the uptake too, casting Diaval Otua, and sending it towards Hedin, who cast his own Caelus Hildr to intercept, only for the dark fireballs to go straight over his head and towards the young boy as his arrows struck the female dark elf, who smirked in victory as her sister drew ever closer along with her fireballs.

Akihide, however, refused to die that easily.

Gripping a knife on his back, he swung as the fireballs rapidly approaching him, a thick and chilling wall of ice forming between them as the two magics clashed, mist and ice fragments going everywhere. Dina was shocked as her vision became obstructed by the sudden introduction of the mist onto the battlefield. She jumped back to avoid it, only for Hogni to be right behind her, slicing Victim Abyss through her back, causing the elf to scream out it pain. Vena looked to her sister, preparing to launch another round of fireballs to protect Dina.

Hedin had other plans.

Specifically, plans to introduce her to the bottom end of his staff, the pointy end.

As Vena went to cast her magic, she took all her attention off Hedin, who used the opportunity to stab her through the chest with his weapon. She looked down at her wound in shock, before turning her head to Hedin. "I-I..."

She would never finish her final words, as her body went limp on his blade, her eyes glossed over as the light left them.

Dina looked as the life left her sister's eyes. "V-Vena?" she asked, sounding confused. Her sister's corpse did not respond, however, and Dina looked right past her. "Vena?" she asked again, looking around. "Sister, where are you?"

Akihide turned and looked at Hedin with a questioning face. Hedin shook his head, not quite understanding the situation either. "Vena!" called the psychotic elf, having lost all sense of reason apparently. "Sister! Where are you?! This isn't funny!"

"We were going to play with our dolls after this! Make Hogni and Hedin beautiful, right?!" she said, spinning around in a desperate search for a sister that no longer existed. "And we were going to eat our favourite for dinner! I set it aside for us!"

She turned around, before her eyes lit up. The beautiful brown skin and silver hair of her sister entering her view. She smiled in accomplishment. "Sister Vena..."

And Hogni swung Victim Abyss, seperating her head from her neck. Dina's eyes went wide for a single moment, but in the end, she smiled.

She looked peaceful.

Which was more than what a monster like her deserved.

Akihide watched her head hit the rooftop and roll onto the ground, blood pooling around both the elf's head and her neck stump. He sighed, and dropped his magic, dropping Hogni and Hedin's stats back to their original level 5 state. With a fairly large chunk of his mind missing, he pulled out a spare mind potion he always kept on his person, and drank it all at once. He sighed, and looked around. "I'll head to the medical area. They'll need some more healers."

There was always a need for healers after an Evilus attack.

Hedin nodded. "We'll escort you. I think Riveria has set up a healing zone near the centre of the festival grounds." he said. It's what he would have done, being an easily defendable location with their numbers as well as easily accessible for people who needed medical attention, and he expected Finn to have everything set up as he would, those two being the most tactically inclined in Orario. Akihide nodded as the three rushed off towards the central plaza.

When they arrived, Riveria had indeed set up in the central plaza, Van Alfheim being used on the much more seriously injured patients. Akihide was quick to release his own, the tori gate acting as a beacon to all those who had lighter injuries. An appreciative air was among the innocents, as well as a melancholy at the attack.

Hedin approached Riveria. "Your fox was well trained and helped out against our opponents." he said, nodding to the princess. "Thanks to him, the Dis sisters are no more, and the Alecto Familia is in shambles. They won't be long for this world." he said with confidence.

Riveria sighed. "How can a ten year old be involved in all this?" she asked, looking at the sea of injured, and then to the group of dead civilians and adventurers currently covered by white sheets rapidly turning red with their blood. "He... should be enjoying his childhood. Like other kids his age, playing with friends, eating as he likes... but he's here, fighting for his life and the life of everyone else... it makes me feel like I'm too weak to protect his childhood."

Hedin nodded thoughtfully at Riveria. "I understand where you're coming from." he said, looking at the boy, rubbing the arm of an elderly woman as his healing magic repaired the burn she had suffered from the days events. "But... I don't think he wants to be anywhere else right now." he said, getting an odd look from Riveria. "I think he enjoys helping people more than he does playing or acting like the kid he's meant to be. Being able to help, that's what brings him joy."

"But he shouldn't have to..."

"He shouldn't, unless he wants to."

Before the conversation could go further, a familiar presence came into view. The covered visage of Freya came into view, holding a collection of food for the people, and handing it out to them. People were quick to accept, thanking the goddess, as she moved between people, before making her way to Riveria and Hedin. "Ah, I'm glad to see you're alright, Hedin." she said with a warm smile.

Hedin bowed slightly. "Of course, Goddess Freya." he responded politely and professionally. "You'll be happy to know the Vena and Dina Dis have met their end at the end of Hogni's blade and my own, with the assistance of Loki's Fox, Rev Blitsen." he said, giving his report.

Freya smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." she said, before she walked behind his back. "Now then, take your shirt off. I want to update your status now." she said.

Hedin replied instantly. "Of course, Goddess Freya." he said, getting down on his knees and opening his black shirt and removing his white cloak. He got down as Freya nicked her finger on his blade, and let the blood flow onto his back, unlocking his Falna to be updated. She hummed as she updated his status, before addressing him. "Does the 'Destructive Lightning' development ability work for you, Hedin? It's that or 'Initiative'."

Apparently not at all surprised that he had managed to Rank Up, he simply nodded. Freya smiled and continued updating his Falna, finishing it and smiling. "You're now level 6 Hedin. Congratulations." she said with a smile. She turned to Riveria. "And it seems I owe young Akihide my thanks as well, for helping protect my children and making them stronger. Please pass it along, Nine Hells."

Riveria cautiously nodded. "Of course, Goddess Freya." she said, looking back at the boy she considered her own son.

Freya smiled. "Thank you. Now please excuse me, I need to find Hogni. Hedin, let's go." she said, as she began to walk away. As the two left in the distance, Riveria sighed.

"What a troublesome fox you are, Akihide."

The news spread through Orario like wildfire. News that the festival had been attacked, that Evilus weren't going to back off on their attacks, and that Orario was being plunged once more into chaos. The citizens were scared, understandably so, as the thought of death at the hands of Evilus became more and more of a reality than anyone wanted to admit. The people were losing their nerves.

And yet, they continued to gain hope.

Two of the strongest members of Evilus, the psychopathic Dis Sisters, had been slain by Hedin and Hogni of the Freya Familia, resulting in the introduction of two more level 6 adventurers. Orario's forces were growing stronger, Evilus' grew ever weaker, and this decisive blow to their manpower went a long way to getting them eradicated once and for all.

All thanks to a pair of elves and a young fox.

The people cheered in the streets.

The Freya Familia refused to back down and continued to fight, to prove their strength to their Goddess.

Loki Familia continued to plot on how to destroy Evilus, to rid Orario of a mess that they had some hand in creating.

Akihide celebrated successfully thwarting Evilus' attack.

Ryuu contemplated the words of the god, Eren.

Airmid worked tirelessly to heal the injured and sick, not allowing herself to stop until everyone she could help was healed.

Ardee contemplated her own justice, and her place in the world as a whole.

Lili refused to slow down, even for a second, desiring to grow strong enough to protect her own little world, a sense of justice bought on by selfishness.

Evilus began to plan their greatest ploy, even with the sisters gone.

Zodd continued to fight, seeking glory and thrill in battle.

Echidna continued to study, seeking knowledge for knowledge's sake.

Zard continued to pray, that the coming fight would boost Orario to new heights.

And at the end of it all, Erebus continued to look to the stars. To seek the Hero who would change the world. To see his own justice put forth, no matter how evil he had to be to do it.

After all, he was the god who presided over all of evil itself.

Hope you guys enjoyed that. No omake this time, I'm going straight into the next part in terms of writing. I'm hype as all fuck for what comes next, and I'm glad you've been with me, joining me on this journey. It couldn't make me happier.

I fucking love each and every one of you. None of you ever forget that.

Anyway, I'm gonna get started on the next part. This is Striker777, over and out.