Hello everyone and welcome back.

I just wanted to give another, big thank you for all the kind words you all have given me recently and all the encouragement, it really does warm my heart. Thank you all, truly.

Now, I know this is technically the 100th chapter, but given that two of them were "Author's Notes", I count this as chapter 98 so we won't be having a big celebration quite yet. However, the next three chapters will be quite exciting, I assure you.

With that said, let's jump back into the story.

I do not own Danmachi

Ryuu and Bell ran down the 49th floor with all haste.

They were still finding traces of the Juggernaut and its consumption of the other monsters it found along their path, and with each claw mark and boney spire, their anxiety grew.

"We're almost to the 50th floor safe zone. We should stop there and rest before delving deeper," Ryuu instructed.

Before Bell could agree, the ground started to shake, causing them to stop and begin quickly looking around.

Bell focused his hearing and soon discovered the sound of a full-on monster horde heading their way.

"Hide!" he ordered.

The two rushed into a nearby crevice in the wall and took cover, their weapons at the ready in case the horde should spot them.

Soon, the mass of monsters was rushing past. This tsunami of rage and hunger seemed to go on and on, but at no point did a single creature stop to search for the two hidden adventurers. In fact, they all seemed possessed by the singular need to keep moving. At last, the horde vanished from sight and hearing, allowing the two to slowly creep out of their hiding spot.

"They're headed for the upper floors," Ryuu realized as she looked down the pathway.

"They must be going after the expedition," Bell deduced.

"But why? In all my years fighting in the Dungeon, I've never seen it collectively gather its strength like this, not even when we were coming to rescue you from Dionysus," the Gale stated, a confused and worried expression upon her face.

Bell shivered at the name, but shook his head.

"Maybe the Dungeon itself considers the expedition dangerous for some reason," he suggested even as a different, more horrible theory echoed in his mind. Or maybe those voices are trying to stop them from reaching us.

"Surely if that was the case, then it would have stopped us when we came down in force to rescue you?" Ryuu pointed out.

"It was just a theory, Ryuu. Maybe it has something to do with the Juggernaut. Maybe the Dungeon is trying to protect itself from further damage. I…I really don't know," he replied uneasily.

Ryuu did not miss this uneasiness and quickly grabbed his hand and looked at him apologetically.

"It doesn't matter what their reason is, if anything, we should simply be grateful that it clears the way to the Juggernaut," she stated, hoping to both ease his worries and focus his mind on their purpose.

It worked for the most part as the Juggernaut itself was more than a little worrying all by itself. However, the thought of the monster did focus Bell's mind and he nodded sternly.

"Let's get to the 50th floor so we can rest and prepare to finish this."

Ryuu nodded and they continued their journey down into the darkest depths of the Dungeon.

The expedition had finally reached the 38th floor. After what seemed like an endless tidal wave of monsters, many of whom should not have even appeared until the lower floors, they had nearly reached the second safe area.

"Alright everyone, we're almost to the 39th floor. We can rest soon," Finn called, though he couldn't keep his own exhaustion fully from his voice.

There was a half-hearted cheer from the expedition as, though they were immensely glad that they would soon be able to rest, they had been pushed to their limits by the unexpected resistance and had no energy for a proper reply.

Finn sighed, knowing precisely how they felt.

This has been crazy, especially without our full strength, he thought before he noticed Achilles eying the Dungeon floor warily, hand tight around his longsword.

"Everything alright, Achilles?"

The Father On High did not turn and kept his electric blue eyes fixed upon the Dungeon.

"We need to get to the 39th floor immediately," the ex-captain stated.

"We'll get there soon enough and then everyone can rest while we wait for the others to arrive," the Braver assured him.

"That's not what I'm saying Finn," Achilles finally turned. "We need to get past this floor…now."

Finn's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"If you're worried about Udeaus, you shouldn't be. It was dealt with recently and won't spawn for some time."

"Normally yes, it wouldn't, but things aren't normal Finn. The masters of the Dungeon are taking an active roll right now and I don't trust the Dungeon to obey its normal rules," Achilles explained.

Finn's thumb throbbed at this and he nodded.

"Let's pick up the pace everyone! We need to get to the 39th floor as soon as possible! Come on, pick up those feet! We can rest once we're in the safe zone!"

Though there were plenty of groans of exhaustion and confused replies, the expedition did begin to pick up the pace, using the last of their strength for a final rush.

For a moment, Achilles and Finn dared to hope that they had merely been paranoid. That all would be well. However, the Dungeon soon proved their years of experience driven instinct were not merely for show.

The ground suddenly began to quake, stopping the expedition in its tracks and causing a few cries of alarm before everyone, knowing such a thing could only mean trouble, immediately formed up for battle.

Suddenly, a giant, black, boney hand erupted from the ground and smashed into the Dungeon floor as the massive form of Udeaus emerged from below.

"There are times when I really wish you and your instincts were wrong, Achilles," Finn stated as he stared at the Floor Rex.

"There are times I really wish they were too, Finn," his companion responded as he unsheathed Dragonsbane.

Things were only beginning though as, to the immense horror of the adventurers, a fresh wave of monsters emerged from the 39th floor, their eyes glowing with crazed malice as they awaited Udeaus's orders.

"They are desperate to stop us," Ottar noted as he and the other high-ranking adventurers moved to join Finn and Achilles.

"They're trying to stop us from getting to Bell," Achilles stated.

Ais, hearing this, felt that horrible concoction of anger and desperation well-up from her heart once more. This time, however, she could not restrain herself any longer and shot off towards Udeaus, intent on destroying the floor boss and continuing her plunge into the depths of the Dungeon to save her love.

"Ais! Wait! Shit! Achilles!" Finn boomed.

The former captain needed no further prompting and chased after the Sword Princess with all haste.

"Tempest!" Ais called, surrounding herself in her wind as she raised Desperate and prepared to shove it into the Rex's magic stone.

Udeaus, seeing her shooting towards it, raised its great black blade and swung the monstrous weapon with all its might at her. Ais dodged the attack, though she noted uneasily that the monster seemed faster than the last time she'd fought it, despite her leveling up. Even so, she continued to rush forward, only for the great skeletal beast to roar as it threw a fist directly at her.

Ais's golden orbs widened as the fist shot towards her like a magically-empowered ballista bolt. Knowing she did not have time to dodge, she stopped as best as she could and raised her arms to take the incoming blow.

Just then, Achilles arrived, meeting Udeaus's powerful fist with Dragonsbane.

"Grrr, looks like old skull and bones has been working out," he growled before managing to force the floor boss's hand to the side, allowing him to grab Ais and retreat.

"Udeaus is more powerful than normal," Achilles reported.

"And faster, if he can match Ais's speed," Finn added. "We won't be able to move to the next floor until he's destroyed, but we need to do this carefully," he continued, centering his gaze on Ais who, understanding the silent reprimand and the severity of the situation, nodded in submission. "Achilles, Ais, Ottar, I'm assigning you to Udeaus while we deal with the horde."

"Very well," the boaz captain agreed as he joined Achilles and Ais.

As if sensing the addition of the Freya captain, Udeaus suddenly plunged its hand into the ground and pulled out a giant black heater shield. The monster bashed its sword against its new equipment, as if to challenge the adventurers while the monsters below it growled with cruel hunger.

"Oh this just keeps getting better and better," Finn groaned as he raised his spear. "Go," he commanded the three. The veteran adventurers shot off towards Udeaus who readied to meet them while Finn jumped to the front of the expedition.

"Adventurers of Orario! You have faced worse than these bastards!" he bellowed, eying the collection of middle and deep floor monsters. "Keep to your formation! Watch each others' backs! And remember that I will always be right in front of you!"

The expedition cheered just as the monster horde charged.

Ais headed straight for Udeaus, just as she had done before, only now Achilles and Ottar moved to attack the giant monster's flanks.

The floor boss's glowing eyes shifted between the three understanding it needed to choose one to focus on. As if remembering their previous battle and desiring to avenge itself, the Monster Rex eventually centered its gaze on Ais.

"OOOORRRREEEEEEE!" it roared as it raised its blade high above its head.

Ais was undaunted by the sight and jumped into the air, aiming once more for its magic stone.

Udeaus brought down its giant sword, only to be intercepted by Achilles who blocked the strike with his own blade. Having failed at this route, the Monster Rex tried to swing its shield around to bash the Sword Princess away, but was once more intercepted, this time by the High King of the Freya familia.

"Tempest," Ais chanted again, surrounding herself with wind as she readied her strike.

However, before she could pierce the floor boss's boney hide, a Deformis Spider appeared in her peripheral vision, forcing her to turn and cut it down, only for a Thunder Snake to appear on her other flank, forcing her to once more turn and deal with a monster other than Udeaus.

The Monster Rex was not idle during this time, and with another ground-shaking roar, managed to knock back both Achilles and Ottar, who landed gracefully, but were soon dealing with a plethora of lesser monsters themselves.

This isn't going to be a quick battle, Achilles deduced unhappily before charging a group of Ill Wyverns.

Finn, Gareth, Galadriel, Alfia, Tione, and Tiona cut their way down the frontlines, opening up some breathing room for the lower ranked adventurers.

"Archers! Loose!"

A wave of missiles fell upon the monsters, cutting down many of them, but barely thinning the ranks of the horde.

"Gullivers! Now!"

The Gulliver brothers, two on each flank, charged, making a giant scythe-like sweeping motion through the waves of monsters, further thinning the ranks of monsters.

But still not enough to make a real difference, not when we're so exhausted, he noted he saw the sweating, exhausted faces of his fellow adventurers.

His hand tightened around his spear.

We just have to hold them long enough for Ais, Achilles, and Ottar to beat Udeaus. Once the Rex falls, we'll be able to wipe out this horde. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and the monsters will retreat once Udeaus is gone.

His optimism sounded hollow, even in his own head.

CLANG!

"I would really appreciate it if you would go back to being a mid-tier floor boss, you char-broiled stick figure!" Achilles yelled as he ground his teeth and used all his strength to hold Udeaus's sword in place while Ais and Ottar attempted to destroy the monster.

Ais took the lead, attacking from the beast's flank to occupy its shield. This worked and Udeaus was forced to raise its defenses in order to prevent Ais from piercing its skull. However, when Ottar moved to slice the Rex in half along its sternum, two Ill Wyverns, a Venom Scorpion, and a Silver Worm blocked his path, giving Udeaus the chance to push Ais back and attempt to bring its shield down upon the High King.

Ottar, having dispatched the lesser monsters, jumped back out of harm's way, but having once again failed to destroy the Monster Rex.

"We're getting nowhere. The deep level monsters keep interfering," Ottar stated with cold annoyance.

"And the others won't be able to hold off the horde for long, they're too exhausted," Ais added.

"Looks like I have no choice then," Achilles said before quickly downing a mana potion. "You two help the expedition, I'll finish this," he continued as he raised Dragonsbane. "I call upon the heroes of old."

Recognizing the chant, Ottar and Ais quickly fell back to the expedition, knowing that Achilles would be able to handle whatever came his way.

Udeaus watched two of its opponents fall back, leaving only one. It centered its glowing eyes upon the remaining adventurer and glared at him as the mortal continued to chant.

"Friends, comrades, brothers and sisters-in-arms, the world has darkened," Achilles continued, his eyes never leaving the Monster Rex.

Sensing danger, Udeaus roared and charged towards Achilles, black blade raised with the intent of cutting the adventurer to pieces.

"The people cry out for aid. Rise, oh noble saviors. Oh gentle souls-"

Before Achilles could finish, an explosion suddenly erupted upon Udeaus's face, sending the beast back with a cry of pain.

Wait…I know that spell.

Spinning around, Achilles was just in time to see a wave of spells fall upon the monster horde, obliterating a huge portion of it while Uriel flew past him and cut off the unprepared Udeaus's sword arm.

Looks like my princess has arrived and with plenty of help, Achilles smiled as a cheer arose from the distant expedition. Which means, he turned back to the Udeaus. "It's time to finish this, sceletus."

"...Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy. Arcs Ray!" Lefiya cried casting her spell upon the horde of monsters as her mentor and allies did likewise.

"Good work, Lefiya," Riveria complimented as she finished her own spell.

The horde had been massively depleted by the efforts of the reinforcements and things were quickly calming down, much to the initial expedition's great relief.

"You have excellent timing," Finn complimented as he joined the reinforcements in the back ranks.

"I'm sorry we didn't arrive sooner," Riveria replied. "What's the situation?"

"We've been bogged down ever since we lost track of the Juggernaut. Apparently the Dungeon itself is trying to stop us from getting to Bell," he explained.

"What does that mean?" the Nine Hells asked, a tinge of anxiety crawling up her spine at Finn's wording.

"That's something you're going to have to ask Achilles," her captain replied, though she could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted answers just as badly as she did.

The two turned towards the distant Udeaus where Achilles, Ais, Ottar, Uriel, and Cerberus, were finally overcoming the floor boss.

Achilles spat as the giant form of Udeaus disintegrated into dust.

"Don't ever be that much trouble again," he commanded as he turned to the Hades commanders. "Your timing is impeccable."

"I'm sure you could have handled that chew toy in time, little guy," Cerberus joked as she smiled down playfully at the short-by-comparison ex-captain.

Uriel remained silent and unable to meet Achilles's eyes as her beloved god's orders echoed in her mind.

"...if there is any risk that the Juggernaut may capture him…any chance at all that Bell should fall into its claws…then you must kill him."

What terrible retribution would the Father On High inflict upon us if he knew our orders? She wondered with justified terror.

"Uriel?" The succubus jumped and focused on Achilles. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes…I'm sorry. It's just…everything seems so…crazy…at the moment," she replied.

Achilles had been around long enough to recognize such an obvious deflection and to recognize the uneasy feeling radiating from the two Hades executives. However, he kept his peace on the matter, though silently noting to himself to keep an extra eye on both of them.

"I can't say I disagree with that assessment. The Dungeon is throwing quite literally everything it has at us and if it weren't for your timing arrival, things might have turned drastically against us."

"We are glad to be of service. Now, we should get back to the others," Uriel replied a bit too quickly.

Achilles turned to Ottar and they shared a look before joining Uriel, Cerberus, and Ais in returning to the Expedition.

Everyone but the newly arrived reinforcements and the high-ranked adventurers had collapsed the moment the fight was over, prompting the supporters to start passing out potions, food, and water.

"We should probably get to the 39th floor before resting," Achilles pointed out once he'd joined the others.

"I'm honestly not sure anyone could take another step at this point," Finn replied as he eyed the exhausted, but luckily still very much alive adventurers.

"Have things truly been that difficult?" Riveria questioned.

"Our progress has been extremely slow since we first encountered the Juggernaut," Gareth answered.

The mention of their initial target opened the floodgates, causing the Hestia familia to rush forward.

"What happened to Bell?!" Lili and Haruhime cried.

A look of painful failure filled Ais's face as Achilles's face contorted into a look of mortified rage.

"Bell was gravely wounded while fighting the Juggernaut," Finn explained as he eyed his two companions. "During the battle, he fell into one of the waterways of the Dungeon. Ryuu tried to rescue him, but something prevented her."

"What do you mean, 'something'?" Aisha questioned, her eyes narrow as she scowled at the prum.

"Honestly…we're not sure what it was or what happened in the water," Finn responded, even as he shot a quick look towards Achilles, "all we know is that, at some point, Bell activated the same attack that he used against Tiamat. In doing so, he cut through the Dungeon like a hot knife through butter, forcing the expedition to retreat to a higher floor. During the chaos, the Juggernaut, Ryuu, and Bell fell deeper into the Dungeon. How far down they went…we don't know."

A terrible silence filled with anger and fear fell upon the adventurers for what seemed like a century.

"B-But…if Bell used the same attack he used against the Herald…t-that must mean he's alive…d-doeasn't it?" Haruhime asked.

She wasn't wrong and everyone knew that, but everyone also knew that the attack had also nearly killed Bell when he used it against the Queen of the Skies. His being a level seven might minimize that risk now, but given he was already mortally wounded, they could not be sure what state the Hestia captain was in if he indeed had survived all his traumatic experiences.

"He's alive!" Uriel declared, turning every eye towards her. "Hades was absolutely sure of it when he told us to join the expedition. Perhaps he spoke to Ouranos who knew something of Bell's condition, I'm not sure, but Hades-sama was absolutely sure that Bell was still alive and he would not give us false hope like that."

Though surprised somewhat by the outburst, it did ease the other adventurers quite a bit, especially amongst the Hestia familia.

"Is that how your familia knew to go into the Dungeon even before ours? Because of Ouranos?" Riveria asked.

"I…I would assume so. Hades-sama did not actually explain how he knew about the situation, but I also did not feel the need to ask given how much I trust him. Now that I think about it, in comparison to his usually very in-depth mission explanations, this was remarkably straightforward, simple, and lacking in detail. Hades-sama simply told us about your mission then gave us ours. Find Bell and bring him home," she explained.

Or kill him if we can't, Cerberus added silently for her captain.

"Well, I suppose that's all you really need to know, and I'm certainly not going to look a gift horse in the mouth," Gareth joined, earning a few laughs.

"We could certainly use the extra help. The sooner we find Bell and Ryuu, the better. However," Finn pointed at the Hestia familia, "I'm charging all of you with taking those two back up with you immediately upon their rescue. They were specifically not allowed to join the expedition against the Juggernaut for craziness like this."

"Oh don't worry, Lili will drag both back by their ears and won't care a fig when they complain!" the prum declared ferociously, getting a resounding agreement from all her familia, as well as Alfia, who looked upon the young woman approvingly.

"Good. Now let's get to the 39th floor so we can recoup our strength before we continue our search for our missing adventurers," the Braver ordered.

Ryuu's eyes blinked open and immediately searched for Bell.

"I'm right here Ryuu," he assured her, seeing the darting of her head.

Ryuu sighed in relief and gratefully accepted the piece of bread and water-skin he handed her.

The two ate in silence, knowing that the chances of them discovering the Juggernaut that day was extremely likely for even a monster of its power could only delve so far. Besides, they knew it wanted to kill them just as much as they wanted to destroy it.

"Are you ready for this Ryuu?" Bell asked, his draconic, ruby eyes grabbing her sky blue ones.

The elf held his soft, but worried eyes for a moment before looking down at her shaking hand.

"I'm as terrified of that beast now as I've ever been," she admitted before her eyes rose to meet Bell's once more, "but I have also never been more determined to see the world rid of it."

The strength and determination in her voice was all Bell needed and he nodded seriously.

"Let's end this."

The two finished their breakfast, gathered their weapons and equipment and continued down into the darkest depths of the Dungeon. They were not prepared for what they would find.

He comes, Kronos's thunderous voice echoed through the doors of Tartarus.

Gaia looked up from her prayers.

"Your descendant shall not become your key, my son. Not if it puts your children, his beloved ones, at risk. Especially not after what you've done to him," she stated harshly.

For a time, silence was her only response, but she knew her son well enough to know he had not spoken his last.

He will not have a choice, Mother, and when we are free, you and Father had best pray that I, my brothers, and my sisters are in a merciful mood.

With that…he fell silent as a grave.

A bead of sweat dripped down the primordial's temple.

"I'm not sure you know what mercy is anymore, my child," she whispered as her eyes turned upwards. "May all the celestial powers aid you, Bell."

Ryuu and Bell reached the 52th floor and paused.

"Once the Valgang dragons blast a hole from the 58th floor, I'll take the lead descending the hole. Don't worry, I can take their fire," Bell stated.

Ryuu nodded, though she wasn't exactly happy with the idea of her captain tanking a fountain of flesh-melting fire, especially not for her sake.

"Three," Bell held up three fingers. "Two. One. Go!"

The two ran with all haste down the hall.

Further and further they ran, expecting at any moment for a column of fire to shoot through the floor from below. However, as time went on, no burst of molten plasma arrived. Still they ran, confused, but not trusting that this wasn't some trick of the Dungeon. Only when they reached the 53rd floor entrance did they stop and look at each other.

"The Valgang dragons didn't attack us," Bell noted uneasily.

"Perhaps…they couldn't," Ryuu replied just as anxiously.

The two shared a look, knowing full well what that meant.

"We need to get to the 58th floor, now," Bell ordered.

They rushed through the next few floors with speeds nearly unmatched by any mortal creature until, at last, they reached the 58th floor.

Just as they suspected and feared, the floor was utterly empty. Not a single monster, Valgang dragon or otherwise, in sight…except for one.

Bell and Ryuu's eyes fell upon the form of the creature they had been so desperately hunting and both froze with heart-destroying dread.

The Juggernaut finished the last Valgang dragon stone and turned its head towards its prey.

Nay, this was not the Juggernaut, at least, not the one they had faced before. It had changed. Grown. Evolved.

The beast was now nearly twice the size it had been before, yet still looking fearsomely agile. Its formerly white bones were now stained blood-red, matching the draconic scales that dotted its head and body in uneven patches. From its head sprouted two dragon horns similar to the Valgangs. Its tail had become a dragon tail, with strong muscles, crimson scales, and a bout of fire at its tip. However, dreadful though these all made the creature appear, the most terrifying part of the transformation was upon the monster's back. Where once there had been nothing but a boney spine, there were now two large, boney wings which the evolved monster could use to charge its prey and take to the air.

"So you've come," it hissed, sending ice through Ryuu and Bell's souls.

Seeing their fear, it smiled, then opened its boney jaws.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" The Valgang Juggernaut roared as the mortal realm quaked in fear.

End.

I know I already said this last chapter and the beginning of this one, but thank you guys for your continued support. You all really lifted my spirits and helped remind me that I write because I love to write, not because I'm trying to become the next Rowling, Martin, Patterson, or Tolkien. So thank you.

So, do you guys like my upgraded Juggernaut? The idea actually only came to me as I was writing this chapter as, initially, I just planned to make the Juggernaut stronger and faster by eating magic stones, but then I thought, "You know what's scarier than a regular Juggernaut? A flaming one that can fly.", thus the Valgang Juggernaut was born. I hope you enjoy it more than Bell and Ryuu are going to.

Whelp, that's all for now everybody. I hope you all had an excellent Mother's Day if you're in the US and that everyone everywhere has a lovely rest of their week. Bye for now!