Author's notes: A new chapter has arrived. I'm not very satisfied with this one, but I hope you'll find it a pleasant read nonetheless.

Chapter 18: Lion's Fangs

Bell was running towards the place where he had been summoned. Welf and Lili were hot on his heels. Hestia had just been kidnapped and he had been ordered to come if he wanted her back.

As they neared their destination, several other adventurers appeared to try and slow them down.

More specifically, to prevent the blacksmith and the supporter from interfering and force Bell to go alone to meet Mord.

The only thing Bell didn't know was that the man hadn't come up with this plan on his own.

It had all started after the departure of the Loki Familia. Although they were very grateful for their help, Bell's party and the rescue team decided it would be better not to abuse the generosity of their benefactors any further and to fend for themselves. Especially as they had two deities in their ranks, something totally forbidden, and Loki's children would be the subject of attention once they returned to the surface.

So they decided to postpone their departure until the following day. That way, Loki's familia would have got rid of the Goliath and the excitement of their return would have had time to die down. Moreover, the new team was now strong enough to return to the surface on their own.

Once Loki's children were out of the way, it was then that Mord and his henchmen went into action, following the plan devised by Hermes.

The first thing to do was to thin out the ranks of Bell's companions, in particular two amazoness who were a little too strong for the success of their plan.

As she passed by the tavern, someone challenged Aisha to a drinking contest. Strangely enough, the person knew just how to provoke her and, out of pride, she responded and agreed to drink a few pints.

Without suspecting that they were filled with a very powerful sleeping pill.

Normally, Aisha knew how to spot this kind of mischief; there were always people with bad intentions among the customers of the entertainment district. The difference this time was that the sleeping powder had been supplied by Asfi and was therefore undetectable. The sensual amazoness collapsed after three beers.

Several men grabbed her and fled, carrying her away. It was at this point that Hermes found Lena and gave her a dramatic performance worthy of the most famous actors to explain the situation and urge her to hurry up, promising to go and warn the others straight away.

Of course, he did nothing of the sort.

So it was that Aisha found herself sleeping and Lena running after her captors. Two amazoness down.

Takemikazuchi's children were simply picked on by a whole group of adventurers and kept busy defending themselves, while Bell received the message that Hestia had just been kidnapped and was to be picked up at a specific location.

As for Ryuu, he hadn't had to do much. Ever since the incident involving Bell and Lefiya's fight in the acid pool, she'd been convinced that survivors of the Sons of the Night were hiding in the area, and the wandering god had only had to give her some vague, screwed-up directions to send her off on a hunt for draughts away from everyone else.

With his allies scattered all over the floor, he could only count on Welf and Lili, Hermes and Asfi being mysteriously nowhere to be found.

The large rocky ridge opened up into a sufficiently open space. When Bell reached the spot, several people appeared and blocked his retreat, cutting him off from Welf and Lili as well, with the supporter forced to hide behind the blacksmith until an opening appeared.

Facing Bell was a man with an evil smile and a strange helmet in his hands. Further back, Hestia was sitting on the floor, bound, gagged and guarded by two of Mord's accomplices. Sitting on the ground, the little goddess fidgeted as much as she could to make her displeasure known.

"Hi kid!" said the man in the middle. "So, have we finally decided to show ourselves?"

"I'm here now, release Lady Hestia!"

"Tss! Tss!" replied Mord, indicating his refusal with a wave of his finger. "That's not how it works, my boy. First, I'll give you a good thrashing and then, eventually, I'll give you back your goddess."

Lili and Welf may have been blocked, but they could still hear everything. The pallum supporter then made her displeasure known.

"Don't accept, Master Bell! You don't have to put yourself in danger for the maid!" shouted the pallum, surprising everyone.

"Lili! It's not nice to talk about her like that!"

And Hestia didn't seem to like it either, the way she was suddenly fidgeting more briskly while making loud noises behind her gag and glowering at Lili. Lili understood perfectly well that the goddess's hostility was directed at her.

"If you wanted me to be nicer to you, you shouldn't have broken my night of love with Master Bell!"

"Lili!" shouted a very embarrassed Bell.

"Tell me if I'm bothering you during your domestic scene!" inveighed Mord. "I don't always get on with Ogma, but I still speak better to my god."

"She's not our goddess, you moron! At best, she's just the house mascot!"

Another statement from Lili, which was naturally followed by another outraged gesticulation from Hestia. Clearly, Lili's failed attempt to invade Bell's bed was a story the two of them had yet to settle.

"OK, time out, now I'm lost." Mord interrupted. "Is this your goddess?" he asked Bell, pointing at Hestia.

"Er... no. She lives with us, she does the chores and she's a goddess, but she's not my goddess."

"Dammit, I don't understand anything any more!"

That wasn't at all what the blond boy had said. But he couldn't have known that Hermes' idea relied above all on a lot of luck and Bell's sense of justice, hoping that the latter wouldn't pay attention to details and would fight directly to save Hestia from danger. He obviously hadn't anticipated that Lili would open her big mouth and lead to this situation.

"So who's your goddess then!" asked a very annoyed Mord.

"It's Lady Ishtar." Bell replied.

"Wait, what? What do you mean, Lady Ishtar? You mean THIS Ishtar?"

"Mord! Mord! We've got a big problem!" a man shouted as he came towards him.

"What's going on now?" he asked angrily, as this absurd situation was beginning to get on his nerves.

"Our information is rubbish, listen to this!" replied the newcomer, whispering things in his ear.

"psst psst psst..."

"Huh? What do you mean? Ishtar Familia... Little Lion... His little favourite... What did they do to Heimdall's familia?... Bloody hell, you're sure of your information?"

The man stepped back and gave Mord a simple nod to confirm what he was saying. The poor man suddenly turned pale and dropped his Hades helmet to the ground.

Further away, Hermes was watching things with Asfi, well hidden, and he was not at all happy with the situation.

"What are these idiots doing? Why aren't they fighting?" he asked.

Suddenly very embarrassed, Mord put his brain into full gear to find a way out of the predicament he was in.

"It's... it's... it's a joke!" he suddenly shouted. "Surprise! We've tricked you, kid!"

Obviously, the only solution he could come up with was to try and make Bell believe that it was all a gigantic hoax.

"All right guys, we're done! That'll be all this time!"

Of course, his companions were confused and one of them began to speak.

"I don't understand anything any more Mord, weren't we supposed to..."

But he was interrupted when he saw the look and grimace of the man who seemed to be saying something along the lines of "Shut the fuck up and do like me!".

"A... joke?" asked a completely confused Bell.

"Yes, it was just a big joke!" confirmed Mord. "It's a tradition, we often do it with newcomers arriving on the eighteenth floor for the first time. All right, I admit, our jokes sometimes go a bit far, but you have to see it as a friendly little hazing. With all the stress and routine, from time to time we want to liven things up a bit. That's just the way it is, we adventurers are often big kids."

In his panic, Mord obviously couldn't think of anything better than this huge lie, but it wouldn't be the first time someone in the grip of fear had tried something completely irrational.

"Seriously, even Master Bell wouldn't believe something like that," Lili said to Welf, both of them completely disbelieving the story Mord had made up in a panic.

"You really do have a strange sense of humour," said Bell to the boorish man.

"He fell for it!" thought Welf and Lili in unison.

Although Ishtar and other people had already gone a long way towards loosening Bell's grip on the subject of sexuality, as for the other things, he was still sometimes this terribly naive boy, capable of buying such a stupid story.

But it also made him realise that, sometimes, the simpler the lie, the easier it is to make people believe it.

"Erm... Do you think we can untie Lady Hestia?"

"Oh yes, of course, right away!" replied Mord, gesturing to one of his friends to untie the little goddess.

Of course, as a deity, Hestia could detect lies and could see perfectly well that all this was false. As angry as she was, between the pity Mord was suddenly inspiring in her as he tried desperately to make up for it and the fact that the situation had finally been resolved without violence, she chose to refrain from comment and leave the situation as it was. Especially as she had other things on her mind at the moment.

"LILI!" she shouted at the pallum, intent on settling the score. Without an epic battle to save a poor defenceless damsel, the locals would have to be satisfied with a cat fight between two midgets.

"Well, I hope you'll forgive the joke," Mord said, putting his hand on Bell's shoulder as if he were an old friend. "There's no need to get upset about it, you can just forget about it. Let's make a fresh start."

Anyone reading between the lines would have heard something more like: "Don't bother telling your goddess... Please don't get us banned from the entertainment district!"

So this strange situation had been resolved in an unexpected way... with the help of a big, stupid lie.

While everyone seemed more or less satisfied with such a resolution, this was not the case for Hermes, who was watching from a distance in the company of Asfi. The god was displeased, while his captain couldn't help laughing.

"Well, well, Master Hermes, it seems that your plan has completely failed this time." she said with amusement, unable to help enjoying the situation and seeing her god fail.

"Indeed, Asfi, I often forget that mortals are capable of being surprising in their choices. But... although I normally like it, this isn't the case at the moment, because they haven't chosen the best time at all."

"True, but there's nothing more we can do at the moment."

"No... I still have one more card to play." he replied as the young woman felt her god's divine aura return. Worse still, a faint multicoloured glow even surrounded his body.

"Master Hermes, what are you doing?" she asked in panic as she saw the wandering god release his divinity so openly.

"I'm tempting fate a little, let's see how it reacts."

Far above, sitting in the darkness and silence of his throne room, Ouranos felt a sudden disturbance in his prayers.

"A god has invaded the Dungeon..."

The calm of the eighteenth floor was suddenly disturbed by a strange scream, as if the walls themselves were beginning to roar. It was as if the Dungeon was telling them of its wrath. This was followed by the sound of shattering rock coming from the floor's ceiling.

"Is this part of the joke too?" Bell asked, suddenly having a very bad feeling.

"Er... no." replied Mord, also having a very bad feeling.

When the roar sounded, Ryuu was deep in the forest. Her hunt for the Evilus survivors had turned up nothing, which was hardly surprising given that she still knew nothing about Knossos and, like so many others, would never have suspected that there was a sort of "parallel dungeon" surrounding the first one. Not to mention the fact that Hermes' deliberately misleading directions were of little help.

However, she now had a hunch that something more urgent was going to require her attention, and she hastened to join her companions.

Lena had finally managed to catch up with Aisha's kidnappers. Or rather, they had mysteriously left her in the lurch before leaving without a second thought. The amazoness didn't even have to fight to get her sister-in-arms back. It was then that the roar was heard.

"Bloody hell! Come on Aisha, wake up! This really isn't the time to be sleeping!" she said, shaking her like a coconut tree. It worked... a little.

"Hm? It's not even noon Haruhime... five more minutes..." she replied, completely out of it, while hugging Lena as if she were a human-sized pillow.

"Damn it Aisha, not now!"

As for the three Takemikazuchi children, the situation remained deadlocked for quite a while. Mord's allies were only there to hold them back, no one was hurt, but the fight went on and on.

When the roar of the Dungeon was heard, another man arrived, whispered a few words to his allies, who broke off the fight and went away, leaving Ouka, Mikoto and Chigusa stranded with their questions. However, they all agreed that it was best to find the others.

Some of the ceiling crystals that provided light on the floor suddenly shattered as chunks of rock began to fall, much to the annoyance of the unfortunates below who had to dodge the sudden shower of stones.

Then something big fell from the ceiling and hit the floor hard, shaking the whole floor and raising a huge cloud of dust.

And when the dust finally settled, everyone could see it. A gigantic humanoid monster with a powerful body. It looked like the Goliath, but all the adventurers present knew that it wasn't the guardian of the seventeenth floor. This Goliath was taller, more muscular, with black skin and white hair - the exact opposite of his counterpart.

The black Goliath let out a terrifying roar that chilled the blood of even the weakest. But alas, there was no escape. As it fell, the beast had knocked over some rocks that had blocked the access to the seventeenth floor, and the situation was not necessarily any better on the other side.

Of course, no-one in Rivira had missed the action. While the small fights between adventurers outside the city didn't bother anyone, the arrival of an irregular monster rex was much more worrying.

Bors, an adventurer who was more or less the leader of this community, immediately sensed that it was going to be a horrible day, even more so when one of his allies arrived with bad news.

"Bors! It's terrible! We've got a whole army of monsters coming down through the nineteenth floor access!

"Bloody hell! Just what we need! To arms everyone! Fight if you don't want to die!"

Bors was an old Dungeon regular, and he knew very well that while some situations could be avoided, others were forced upon you whether you wanted them or not. When you chose to live in the Dungeon, you accepted the risks involved.

The atmosphere was only lightened by an adventurer who commented on the situation.

"Ah shit, we're going to have to rebuild again...".

And so all hell broke loose on the eighteenth floor and the unfortunate people trapped inside, just after the departure of an armed force that could have put an end to it very quickly...

One day was more than enough for the Loki familia expedition to return to the surface. Since Finn had welcomed Bell, his group and their rescue team to their camp, he thought it best to send a message to Ishtar's familia to let them know that her children were all right. Loki seemed to want to keep an eye on Ishtar, whose behaviour had become increasingly troubling. For this reason, it was best to maintain good relations with her through a few small gestures.

The courtesan goddess breathed a sigh of relief when she received the letter. Shortly afterwards, she went to Haruhime's room to check on her condition. The poor fox seemed to be having trouble recovering from her nasty flu, but it would pass in the end.

"How are you feeling Haruhime?"

"A little... better." The foxgirl replied in a voice that was still weak, as her goddess placed her hand on her forehead.

"Hmm... still a little feverish, but you look better already."

"Good... I'll be back to work as soon as I can."

"Out of the question, complete rest until you're fully recovered and then that's an order Haruhime."

Even though it was probably the most tender order she had ever given and the young woman could feel it. She too couldn't understand why her goddess had become so soft and pleasant, but she didn't feel like questioning the origin of this gift from heaven. Perhaps it was just a little pity she was showing her before sacrificing her, but it made things a little sweeter all the same.

"We've heard from Bell and the others."

"Really?" asked the pretty blonde whose eyes suddenly seemed sharper.

"Yes. They're all on the eighteenth floor. Bell, Lili and Welf had a rough time of it, but they found refuge there before Hestia joined them. They should be back tomorrow."

"That's wonderful, I was so worried about them."

"So worried that you even made yourself sick."

The goddess's little joke drew a small laugh from them both.

"Yes, I have to get well before they come back."

"In that case, sleep and rest, my pretty fox."

"Yes, that should be easier. Now I know everything will be all right." Said Haruhime weakly before drifting off to sleep. She needed to rest, but the worry she had for her friends in the Dungeon had prevented her from sleeping well despite the illness. Now that she was reassured, her nerves were finally calming down enough for her to actually sleep.

"Everything will be fine..." the goddess repeated softly as she stood up. However, if everything was fine, then why did she have this horrible feeling that wouldn't leave her?

Ishtar was right to have a bad feeling, because on the eighteenth floor, it was war. A black Goliath and all his horde of enraged monsters were wreaking havoc, promising the locals an intense workout.

At first, everyone tried to remain confident. Even if irregular monsters were a pain to deal with, it was still good old Goliath. More than half the adventurers able to reach the eighteenth floor had already fought him, as he was literally the gatekeeper of the area.

But they found out the hard way that this monster wasn't just a vulgar Goliath with a swap colour and that there was a whole world between a monster rex and its irregular version, even more so than for other irregular monsters.

The Black Goliath had a particularly powerful advantage, an advanced regeneration capacity. This thing regenerated at an incredible speed and the slightest wound, even in a vital area, disappeared in a matter of moments.

In that category, only Deadpool could compete.

However, it wasn't for lack of trying, all the adventurers present united in a great common effort to try and get to the end of it. The kind of unity you only see in exceptional circumstances, but it wasn't enough.

Under Bors' command, a large majority of the adventurers stood in the way so that all the available mages could prepare a powerful simultaneous magical bombardment. A simple but highly effective tactic that could potentially defeat the monster.

But would it be enough...

On the other hand, they also had to deal with the horde of monsters that had appeared at his call.

Lena and Aisha, like perfect amazoness, would have liked to come and take on the big monster. However, the little misadventure of the more sensual of the two had led them very close to the entrance to the nineteenth floor. Not only were they a long way from the main battle, but they had also found themselves swamped by monsters and too busy fighting for their lives, even if they were contributing to the collective effort by eliminating as many creatures as they could.

"Why am I stuck here when Bell needs me!" snapped Lena with all her indignation.

"Stop with the big sister act and kill some things!" was all she got in response from Aisha, who was also annoyed at being deprived of the real party.

Bell's various allies divided up the work as required. Ouka and Chigusa were helping to contain the horde. Lili was running around getting people supplies. Hestia was taking care of the wounded as best she could. Ryuu and Mikoto were trying to distract the monster rex.

Asfi, who had returned in the meantime, began bombarding the creature from the air, using her whole range of magical objects, from the most sophisticated, like her flying shoes, to the simplest, like her explosive vials. However, no one ever knew where she kept it all...

A commendable effort, but unfortunately it wasn't enough, as the creature regenerated from all the damage it suffered.

Bell made a few friends in the process, particularly when he came to the rescue of Mord, who hadn't expected so much.

Then came the long-awaited magical bombardment. Asfi and Ryuu had bought precious time for their allies and the magical assault hit the creature head-on. The adventurers thought they had their chance, only to find that the creature was already recovering from its wounds.

Unfortunately for them, the black Goliath did not remain on the defensive and began to attack. First it let out a violent roar, a full-scale sonic attack that nailed the weakest or those with over-sensitive ears. Then he slammed both fists heavily into the ground, shattering it and sending out a violent shockwave that swept away everything around him, both the adventurers and their hopes of victory.

Bell decided to try something. As he began to understand his Argonaut skill a little better, he decided to give it a go. Concentrating on the tales and legends he loved so much, he sought the strength within himself and it responded as the sound of bells rang out.

Then, once he had charged his power, he went on the attack, raising his hand, ready to give it everything he had.

"Shooting Star!"

A burst of flame and light left his hand and became a magical explosion of great intensity. The blast struck the black Goliath square in the face, almost ripping his head off.

Everyone thought they had won... before realising that even a nearly destroyed head was no problem for their opponent. They watched in horror as the creature regenerated in a matter of moments.

Stunned by what he saw, Bell hesitated for a moment. But he was about to pay for his hesitation, because the monster was already on the counter-attack. What saved the young man was Ouka, who, equipped with a large bulwark, stepped in and took the blow. However, although this saved Bell's life, it didn't prevent a violent impact.

Ouka's shield exploded into pieces. As for the two adventurers, they were propelled backwards very violently. Ouka fell to the ground, unconscious. Bell's armour was shattered, while the lighter young man was thrown into the woods and disappeared from his allies' field of vision.

The man who had stepped forward as a hero had fallen, and with him, hope was beginning to leave everyone's hearts.

Welf was not at this battle. Seeing the desperate situation they were in, he was overcome by a terrible moral dilemma. Should he follow his convictions to the end? Did his companions deserve to suffer for his pride? With sadness, he understood the message his goddess wanted to give him.

However, in the chaos of events, the package she had given him had fallen into the forest and he was now trying to retrieve it.

As for Lili, she was still looking for a solution of her own. While providing supplies for everyone, she had discovered a real treasure by chance in one of the town's storerooms.

A rough, black blade. A fragment of the Sword of Udaeus, a weapon from the depths. The object hadn't been worked on much, someone had simply tinkered with it to fit a guard with two handles, no doubt to make it easier to handle.

A bit of tinkering, but one that would prove invaluable. Since no one was there to complain, the young woman loaded the sword onto her back and set off in search of Bell.

He was still in trouble, injured, but not as badly as expected, thanks to Ouka's intervention. However, he was on the verge of unconsciousness and almost sank when he heard a distant voice.

"Bell... Bell!"

The voice was that of Hestia, who had immediately set out to find him. She hadn't gone to such lengths to find him only to see him die so stupidly. At least, that's what she would have said to others, but deep down it was simply because she was attached to him.

"Get up, boy, you're not going to give up now, are you?" said Hermes, who had just appeared.

"Hermes? Where have you been?" asked Hestia, annoyed, worried and distraught.

"I think there's something more important. Come on, Bell, didn't you want to become a hero?"

"'Damn it, Hermes, do you think this is the time for..."

"A... hero." Bell articulated in a weak voice.

"Yes, you are without doubt the one who can become the greatest hero of this age. I believe in you, my boy. You believe in it too, don't you? It's your dream, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

In his state, he didn't wonder how Hermes could know that. It was just that his mind was on the verge of unconsciousness and it was a constant struggle not to go under.

His mind began to drift. He remembered the first time he had expressed his wish. Ishtar had accepted him and even encouraged him. True, she often teased him about the harem, but she had never denied him his desire to be a hero. The goddess had always supported and encouraged him; she believed in him.

Deep down, Bell had the impression that she was there; he felt a gentle warmth at his side. A flame burned inside him, just like his goddess, passionate and ardent. Its warmth enveloped him, and he had the feeling that his goddess was there, gently embracing him, as if she wanted to give him courage. She may not have been there physically, but their bond was unbreakable.

"...Bell... master... Bell..."

"Found it!"

With joy, Welf had found the object he was looking for, a magical sword, stuck in the ground. The cloth covering it was half undone. Despite a little hesitation, he grabbed the hilt and pulled the blade from the ground before contemplating it for a few moments.

He had sworn never to use it. Not this magical weapon, nor any other. He'd sworn he'd never make another. And Bell had accepted that part of him. He had never tried to persuade him otherwise and had tried to understand his philosophy, even if it was wrong.

And now, if he wanted to save this precious friend, he was going to have to give up. Or rather, move on, accept this power and use it for the good of those he cared about.

Regaining his determination, he gripped the weapon more firmly and returned to the battle area.

"Master... Bell... Master Bell!"

The young man woke with a start, then gazing at Lili's relieved face as she held several empty potion tubes in her hand.

"Lili?"

"Master Bell!" The young pallum jumped around his neck, relieved to see that he was all right. "Thank heavens, I was so scared!"

Bell returned her embrace, relieved to see that she was all right.

"Me too, Lili. How are the others?"

"Everyone's still alive, but..." the roar that sounded at that moment made it easy to understand the situation.

"He's still alive."

"Yes." Replied the pallum in a weary voice.

"I... I've already given everything I've got against him. I don't know if there's anything more I can do."

"You can Master Bell."

"Lili?"

"You can still fight, you just haven't given it your all yet. First things first, you're going to use this." She said, showing him the long black sword she'd brought back for him.

"It's... a powerful weapon, I can feel it. But will it be enough?"

"Yes, thanks to something else."

"What do you mean?"

Lili flushed slightly, she knew what she had to do, but it was horribly embarrassing, especially with two gods as spectators. But the pallum found enough determination in herself. She looked Bell straight in the eye and said in a confident voice:

"I love you Master Bell!"

Bell was obviously surprised, not expecting Lili to say such a thing in such a situation.

"Lili... I'm moved... really. But is this really the right..."

"Yes! This is the best time ever!" she told him confidently.

"Lili?"

"I love you Master Bell! I love you with all my heart. I was living in darkness and you have become my light, my hero. You are everything that is most important to me in this world."

Bell didn't know what to say. He could see in her eyes that Lili was deadly serious. She was expressing her love in no uncertain terms, and it was far more powerful than he had imagined. He had always suspected that Lili had feelings for him, but he had never wanted to face them. As Neela had told him, he had swept it all under the carpet and pretended not to see. But now he had to acknowledge that Lili's feelings were indeed real.

"I love you Master Bell... and this is a token of my affection..." as she spoke, she had grasped Bell's face in her hands, tenderly before moving closer to him and sealing her lips to his.

Once again, Bell hadn't expected this and let himself be taken in. Not to mention that this wasn't a chaste little kiss, lip to lip, but a deep, powerful kiss of love. Bell realised this as soon as he felt Lili's tongue slip out to seek out his own and invite him to dance with her.

Completely shocked, the higher functions of his brain suffered a critical bug and it was the more basic functions that took over, making him respond instinctively to Lili's kiss. And a little clumsily too, it was his first kiss after all, so he had no expertise in the matter.

But the technique didn't matter, the most important thing was the way Lili expressed her love for him through this gesture.

For their part, the two deusdeas had not expected this. Hermes contented himself with a little "ho-ho..." coupled with an amused smile, while Hestia was red to the tips of her ears. Yet she didn't dare intervene to separate them. She sensed that this time it wasn't the usual mischief. No, this time it was an expression of pure, sincere love and she would never dare pull them apart at such a moment.

After a few moments, Lili finally released Bell, who was even redder than usual. He would never have expected his very first real kiss to be with Lili, or under such circumstances.

The poor boy was at a loss; he had no idea what Lili had in mind when she did this. But it was then that a gentle warmth began to radiate down his back, while in the back of his mind he had the feeling he heard something, like the growl of a wild beast ready to go on the hunt.

And then he understood everything.

"Lili! What you wanted..."

"Win Master Bell, you have the power."

Leo Dominus... The second skill Bell had obtained with his level up. A skill he had more or less unconsciously tried to forget because everything it implied embarrassed him so much. But then he remembered that Lili and Haruhime had been spying on them when Ishtar updated his status and therefore knew about this skill.

Leo Dominus was a skill that gave him a temporary power boost if someone who genuinely loved him gave him a token of affection. It was hard to find a more sincere love than Lili's, and a more beautiful token of her affection than that passionate kiss.

He still didn't know how to respond to Lili's feelings, but that wasn't the most important thing at the moment. By her gesture, she had offered him the power to return to combat, so he would make good use of the sincerity she had expressed to him.

Holding his black sword in his hand, Bell advanced towards the scene of the battle. He once again drew on his heroic desire, for he remembered that Argonaut and Leo Dominus could be combined.

The sound of bells began to grow louder as the growls of the beast in the back of his mind grew more intense and threatening. He didn't know what such a combination would result in, but this was the moment for him to give it his all.

When Bell emerged from the wood, everyone knew that something had changed. He seemed more determined than ever, his eyes showed he hadn't given up and the sword he was holding glowed immaculately.

They didn't need to exchange a single word, they all spoke to each other through their eyes and his allies understood that he needed time.

Welf was the one who started things off, taking a firm grip on the magic weapon he was holding, he activated its power and unleashed a violent firestorm.

The black Goliath took a few steps back and instinctively protected himself with his arms. But despite his severe burns, he quickly regenerated.

Welf's weapon shattered in his hands, unable to give any more after such an intense attack. Anger and frustration invaded the blacksmith's mind, not for having denied his values, but for his inability to forge a weapon that would not have abandoned his companions now. But this imperfect magical weapon merely reflected the immaturity of its creator, and he was becoming painfully aware of this.

Ryuu appeared in the air, charged with magical power. She released her Luminous Wind as strongly as she could. The beast howled in pain and fell to the ground, wounded, but eventually regenerated once more and began to rise again.

Mikoto didn't let the creature regain its senses, and summoned the trump card she'd kept secret until now, unleashing her powerful gravity magic. The area of effect was enough to surround the black Goliath and pin it to the ground. The advantage of gravity magic was that the heavier the target, the more effective it was. The irregular monster rex may have had the power of a level 5 monster, but with his weight, he was forced to submit.

But unfortunately, it had the power of a level 5 monster, so it was very hard for Mikoto to keep it under her control for long. First of all, her spell required a lot of mental energy and she was no mage, but the creature was also exerting enormous pressure to free itself.

And it wasn't the poor assaults on its body that managed to slow it down. Mikoto resisted valiantly, drawing on her strength and determination, but the black Goliath finally managed to break the spell that was holding it back.

Unfortunately, Bell wasn't ready yet, he hadn't mastered his two abilities yet and it was the first time he'd tried to combine them, so he still needed a little time to adjust.

"Spectris Catenae!"

Lena's voice rang out as two ethereal chains wrapped around the creature's neck and Lena pulled back violently to hold it back. However, even with her magic, holding back such a mass was too much for her, freshly level 3. However, Mord and his few remaining companions had no intention of simply standing by. They moved towards Lena and grabbed the chains to help her, forcing the Goliath to take a step back.

A saving grace, but not to everyone's taste.

"Hell Kaios!"

The energy blade decimated a whole bunch of monsters as Aisha fulminated. Lena had literally left her in the lurch! The wild amazoness had said she had to go to Bell's aid and had left Aisha to deal with the monsters on her own, telling her she had full confidence in her to cover her back. Without asking her opinion, of course.

The luscious amazoness' clothes were torn in many places, which meant they hid almost nothing, and she had numerous minor wounds on her body. This had forced her to draw on her new skill, Supplice of Ecstasy, to continue the fight. Ignoring the pain and turning it into strength, she continued her rampage, fuelled as she was by anger.

"Lena! I swear as soon as I get my hands on you, your little arse is going to turn red, but not for the reasons you like!" she shouted to the sky. This was a promise she intended to keep.

Once she'd finished with this endless tide of monsters. Was it a sale or something?

Bell had been given all the time he needed thanks to Lena's life-saving intervention. And just as well, because the amazoness no longer had enough mental energy to keep her chains materialised. They evaporated into thin air, knocking all those holding them backwards. But above all, it freed the black Goliath.

The latter immediately noticed Bell and the extraordinary energy he was giving off. Perceiving him as the biggest threat, he moved towards him with the intention of crushing him to the ground.

But Bell was ready, and concentrated all his strength into his blade. Behind his back, his falna felt like it was on fire; he was bursting with a power the like of which he had never known.

He brandished his blade and brought it down with a jerk, releasing all his power.

"SHOOOOOTING STAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

The sound of the grand bell rang out even louder, accompanied by an overpowering feline roar.

The burst of energy was even more intense than the last, but more importantly, in an instant, it transformed. Bell's magic took the form of a gigantic lion's head, all flame and light. Its appearance was rather rough, but terribly intimidating.

The flame lion charged straight at its target, opening its incandescent maw wide, hitting the Goliath head-on and stopping it dead in its tracks, before beginning to close its jaws on it. The irregular monster rex tried in vain to resist, but the pressure of the magical manifestation was far too much for him. His skin melted under the heat, his muscles were torn apart by the flaming fangs and his bones began to splinter under the pressure.

When the fangs of the flame lion reached the monster's magic stone, it began to glow much more intensely, then everyone in the vicinity was blinded by a flash of light just before the flame lion exploded extremely violently.

The explosion was very intense. The few trees nearby were flattened. The nearest adventurers, even if they had already moved away, were still propelled several meters by the explosion. The shockwave was so strong that the windows shattered at Rivira and shook the entire floor.

When the light and noise died down and the dust settled, all that remained of the black Goliath were two feet, which quickly disappeared into the dust.

It was finally over.

First there was silence, just long enough for everyone to realise what was happening. Then, once the shock had worn off, once everyone realised that the gigantic monster was finally dead, there was an explosion, this time of joy.

The black Goliath was dead and the monsters he had summoned had retreated, at least for those still alive.

"We won!"

"The kid did it!"

Still stunned by what he'd just done, Bell fell backwards, exhausted. The black sword he'd been using had fallen to pieces, unable to withstand such a blast of energy.

"Did I... did I do it?" Even he could hardly believe it. But he had no time to ask himself any more questions as Mord and his companions came to find him before carrying him off as a hero, drawing him into the general jubilation.

For his part, Hermes, who had isolated himself to better enjoy the spectacle, was laughing out loud, a laugh somewhere between ecstasy and insanity.

"HAHAHAHA! I knew it! You were right, Zeus! Your boy is indeed the one who will become the last hero, the one who will finish what you started!" The god then calmed his laughter before resuming in a more subdued voice. "I feared that having Ishtar as your goddess would debase you, but I was wrong, it seems that she is capable of sublimating you, my boy. What do you think, Asfi?" he asked his captain, who had just joined him.

"That you risk paying dearly for this kind of trickery." She replied dryly and sharply. The young woman was in a rather bad mood, as he didn't seem to care much about her even though she had just given her all in this epic battle. She was seized with a sudden urge to see what would happen if she stuck one of her explosive vials in his bottom. Fortunately, Asfi had a great deal of self-control.

Even though she was a long way from the main battle, Aisha was able to see the overpowering final attack and she knew instinctively who had fired that lion of flames. The amazoness had a big, happy smile on her face, as if a divine revelation had been offered to her.

"Yes... this power... with this power, we can save Haruhime! I really did well to bet on you, kid!"

The next moment, she collapsed on her back, her whole body aching. Her skill had just stopped working and all the accumulated pain suddenly came flooding back.

Lili and Hestia were thrown to the ground when the lion of flames exploded, but they hadn't missed a moment of the show. Once the pressure was off, Lili suddenly started laughing like an idiot.

"Huhuhu... Lili's love is so powerful." The pallum was clearly on cloud nine, happy to have contributed to this victory while getting a particularly intense kiss from Bell.

Hestia wanted to say something, but thought better of it and sighed before looking at the supporter with an amused expression. Clearly, it had been her idea that had made this possible and she really didn't have the heart to shatter her illusions.

Lena remained silent without moving. She had contemplated the flame lion in all its glory. She had seen what Bell was capable of doing and it had left its mark on her.

"A beast..."

The amazoness no longer understood her body's reactions. She felt... excited? But it wasn't like usual. Lena had already experienced sexual excitement, both through her nature and her job. But this time it was different, deeper, more intense.

The heat spreading from her belly, making her slightly feverish. Her legs instinctively rubbing together. Her skin suddenly seemed more sensitive.

Normally, this sort of thing only happened to an amazoness once she found a strong man who beat her in an epic battle, according to what she'd been told. But it would seem that a fine display of strength and power could do just as well.

"A fawn... such a magnificent fawn..."

Lena was now divided, with part of her telling her that even if Bell was a little shy, he was indeed hiding a terrible beast deep down inside and was dying to offer herself up to it. But another told her that she wasn't ready and that if she let such a beast unleash itself on her without preparation, she'd end up devastated for good.

For her part, Ryuu remained far from all the jubilation. But what she had seen had left its mark on her too. Up until now, all she'd seen in Bell was a nice boy full of good intentions, but a little naive, as well as being an indecent little rascal at times. But what she had just seen was the seed of a hero. A potential just waiting to be realised, a major power in the making.

She had talked about marrying him to make him take responsibility for his indecent behaviour, but it had all been half a joke that Syr had kept up. But now, she too was beginning to be fascinated. Not by his raw power, but by the heroism he had shown.

Perhaps he could embody the ideal of justice that she had not been able to reach.

However, the toll was heavy: many adventurers were wounded in the battle, some of them seriously. And all those who were still standing were exhausted.

After the jubilation, there was a sad return to reality. The wounded had to be cared for, shelters had to be built from what was still standing in Rivira, and people had to recover.

But that didn't stop a big party from getting underway that evening. There was nothing like the risk of imminent death to make you appreciate the pleasures of life all the more.

Bell found himself at the centre of attention, even though he was horribly embarrassed by it. As for Mord, who had kidnapped Hestia that morning with the intention of fighting Bell out of sheer jealousy, he was now acting as if the boy were his new best friend.

But this time he was much more sincere. Bell had saved his life in that fight when he had no reason to do so, and his display of heroism had left a deep impression on him and everyone else.

Bell was what the adventurer community needed. A community long undermined by the sadness of a life that had nothing really glorious about it, the pursuit of fortune and a certain cynicism. In the face of all this, Bell and his heroism was a breath of fresh air; for many, it was even a reminder of why they had chosen this life.

That day, the heroic legend of the little lion of Ishtar took a new turn, even if for a long time this episode remained fairly confidential by Guild order.

Author's notes: And that's the end of that chapter. I'm sorry for those of you who were hoping for more epic action, but fight scenes aren't really my thing. I hope you've enjoyed it, though, and that you've appreciated the few surprises I've included in this chapter.

And for the first time, Leo Dominus in action, and I hope you enjoyed it.