Hello peeps and welcome back!
Well, it's time for the rematch between Bell, Ryuu, and the Juggernaut, however, this is not th same Juggernaut at before. No, now it's evolved! It's bigger, stronger, faster, and has a new arsenal waiting to be unleashed against our heroes. Will they survive? I wonder. Let's find out.
I do not own Danmachi
"Well…I can't say I was expecting you of all people, Dido," Aphrodite greeted as she took a sip of her wine while her captain, Paris, massaged her shoulders. "What can I do for regal Hera's glorious captain?"
Dido's frown deepened at the mockery, but she pressed on.
"We want the same thing. The permanent removal of Bell Cranel as a threat."
"I want the child banished, not executed, which from your tone is what you desire," Aphrodite responded sternly.
"Banishment is not good enough. He will still be dangerous even outside of Orario, if not more so," the Hera captain immediately shot back.
"I've been trying to tell her that for weeks," the voice of Lancelot stated as the Knight of Knights strode forward.
"You were supposed to keep hidden and observe," the goddess of love hissed before sighing and turning her eyes back to Dido. "Why do you want Hestia's little captain dead? What could he have possibly done to you that warrants that?"
"He is a threat to the entire world. A danger greater than any other the world has seen."
"That's perhaps the largest exaggeration I've heard in my immortal life."
"It's not," Dido stated, her voice so harsh it was downright insolent.
Aphrodite glared at the mortal and was nearing the point of throwing her out of her home, but just managed to restrain her wrath.
"Then you won't have any issue providing some proof of how dangerous he is. Some incident or action he took that clearly demonstrates that he's worthy of fear and the death plenty you which to inflict upon him."
"Was his fight with Tiamat not enough to show that?" Lancelot cut in.
"You mean that heroic act that has made half the city fall in love with him?" Aphrodite countered. "It was certainly alarming to see how powerful he was, I'll give you that, but not enough to want his death. Banishing him will stifle his growth enough by cutting him off from the Dungeon, which will satisfy me plenty. And, if I'm being completely honest, his fight with that beast, if anything, makes me less willing to kill him. He's dangerous, but not evil. Goodness, I might even dare to call him naively good-hearted."
"You're wrong," Dido stated, her voice so deadly serious it made everyone, including Aphrodite and Lancelot jump. "He is evil incarnate, hidden behind a smile and boyish face."
Aphrodite did not like how coldly and unflinchingly Dido said that. However, she still wasn't willing to simply accept the Hera captain on her word.
"Proof?" the goddess repeated.
Dido stared bitterly into the goddess's eyes for a tense moment before responding.
"You're aware that Imilce is currently in a coma?"
Aphrodite blinked, but nodded.
"I had heard of her unfortunate condition. You have my sympathy and my hope for her to awaken soon. Such a sweet girl shouldn't suffer something like that."
"Do you know how she fell into a coma?" Dido pressed, completely ignoring the pleasantries.
"Fighting the Evilus in the Dungeon," the goddess responded.
"No. She survived everything the Evilus threw at us. It was only when that boy…nay…that creature arrived that her suffering began," Dido informed them as she reached behind her and pulled out a crystal. "The others would probably kill me if they knew I had this. Achilles certainly would."
"What is it?" Aphrodite questioned.
"It's a magic stone that's been crystalized for a device that can record sight and sound. It was made by a man named Lumin who used it during the Grand Tournament," the Hera captain explained.
"Ah yes, I remember that contraption of his. Clever, but what does that have to do with Bell Cranel?" the goddess asked as Lancelot jumped in.
"You recorded something," he stated.
"Yes," Dido confirmed. "Achilles isn't the only one with an Infinite Bag and I bought one of Lumin's devices and hid it within my bag so that I could record the Expedition."
"To what end?" Aphrodite inquired.
"I regularly send reports to Hera-sama and given the importance of the Expedition, I wanted to give as much detail and as accurate information as possible to her."
"Clever. So, this crystal has something you want to show us?" the goddess asked.
"'Want' is not the word I would use. I would rather never see the nightmare held within this crystal again," the mortal captain responded as she eyed the magic stone with disgust and terror, "but it appears that's the only way for you to understand exactly how great of a threat the boy is."
With that, Dido pulled the recording device from her Infinite Bag, set it up, and placed the stone within its confines.
"Do not expect to get any sleep tonight," she warned before she turned on the device.
Aphrodite, Lancelot, and all their subordinates turned to the wall where the recording was projected and began to watch. They all soon wished that they had fled from the room.
The recording was of the battle between the Expedition and Bell in his White Dragon form. Several adventurers and knights had gasped, shrieked, or retreated at the initial sight of him and their horror only grew worse as they watched him battle the Expedition. Watching him so readily take on so many powerful adventurers was one of the single most terrifying thing any of them had ever seen.
Then, the scene of Allen's death arrived and the room was filled with the sound of vomiting as the White Dragon tore apart and devoured the Freya vice-captain.
"Monster," Lancelot whispered to himself as genuine fear gripped his heart.
The recording continued. Dido had managed to find a way to edit the recording to hide the existence of Alfia, was well as her Genos Angelos as another kind of powerful magic attack. It was hardly perfect, but luckily everyone was so focused on the White Dragon's survival of the great magical attack that they did not make a second glance towards the one who had cast it. Indeed, the caster was forgotten the moment the White Dragon unleashed his Storm of Armageddon, ripping through several floors of the Dungeon, nearly destroying the Expedition, and sending Imilce into her coma.
Finally, once the dust had cleared, it showed Ais and Haruhime's defeat of the White Dragon and the capture of Dionysus and Thanatos.
To have defeated such a monster…she truly is the greatest swordsman of her generation and one of the most exceptional women in the world, Lancelot thought as his gaze locked onto Ais just before the recording ended.
"Now do you understand why he must die?" Dido questioned, though it sounded more like a demand.
Aphrodite could only nod and it was only after heavily swallowing and taking several deep breaths that she found her ability to speak again without the risk of puking her guts out.
"Y-Yes. That…abomination…cannot be permitted to live, no matter how he appears outside the Dungeon," she answered as she turned to Dido. "But how do we do it? Achilles and the other adventurers saw him in that form and fought him, yet they still defend him. We won't be able to overcome them all and kill him."
"We won't need to, we will simply need to wait for the right opportunity," Hera's captain replied as she pulled out a small vial filled with black liquid.
A shiver ran up every spine in the room as they stared at the vial.
"What is that?" Lancelot questioned.
"We call it 'Death's Blood'. It's Imilce's greatest accomplishment. An incurable poison that causes death in 100% of cases with even the smallest drop," Dido informed.
"Dare I ask how you know it's 100% effective?" Aphrodite questioned.
"If you think I'm ashamed to say we tested it on every form of life, including monsters and mortals, you're wrong," Dido spat. "This is the Hera familia's trump card. Our final line of defense against an unstoppable foe. The White Dragon certainly counts as that."
"Well it certainly feels like it could stop anything. I mean, seriously, in all my years I've never come across a poison that can make someone feel queasy when it's still in its bottle. What the hell is that made out of?" the goddess asked though she wasn't fully sure she wanted to know.
"The One-Eyed Black Dragon, of course," Dido stated as if it was obvious. "It's ground up scales and drops of its blood, to be precise."
"How the hell did you get ingredients like that?!"
Dido fell silent for a moment as her fist clenched.
"The Hera and Zeus familias may have failed to kill the Dragon, but they could wound it, if only slightly. So, after the battle we collected what we could."
"You prioritized that over burying your familia?" Lancelot growled.
"We did no such thing!" Dido roared. "We buried and burned the dead as their wills requested, but we also gathered the ingredients! Be glad that my lady, despite her grief, had such foresight as this!" She held up the vial. "Is the only thing that will save us now!"
Lancelot kept glaring at the Hera captain, but backed down.
"So, what's the plan? You slip some of that into his drink and wait for it to take effect?" Aphrodite asked.
"I don't have a death wish, Aphrodite," Dido sneered. "If I do that, Achilles will immediately suspect me and will kill me purely to cover his bases. No, we must wait for an opportunity where we can inflict the poison upon the boy in such a way that will allow us to be above suspicion, or at least far enough down on the suspect list that we won't be immediately slaughtered."
"That may take time. If the rumor mill is correct, Bell Cranel is down in the Dungeon fighting some terrible monster at the moment," the goddess replied.
"We can be patient for now. We will all keep our eyes and ears open for an opportunity and, when we find it, we will act decisively to end him before the threat of his existence becomes a danger to all of creation," Dido stated.
Aphrodite turned to Lancelot who immediately nodded.
"Very well, Dido. We shall wait and watch until such an opportunity is presented or created by us."
The whole Dungeon seemed to quake in terror at the Valgang Juggernaut's hideous roar and Ryuu barely managed to stop herself from vomiting as its shrieking malice nearly ruptured her ears.
When the terrible scream finally stopped, the forest elf doubled-over as she desperately tried to regain her breath.
It's…even worse than before. How is that even possible?
"RYUU!"
The Gale's head shot up and her heart felt as though a dagger had plunged into it as she met the horrible, goat-like eyes of the Juggernaut as the nightmarish creature flew straight for her, jaws open and dripping viscous saliva.
Her life flashed before her eyes. Her home in the forests, her arrival in Orario, joining the Astraea familia, all the wonderful times with Alise and the others, and of course, their deaths.
This is the end.
The Valgang Juggernaut stretched out its neck to consume her, but before its razor-sharp teeth could tear apart her pale flesh, Bell, coming in like a lightning bolt, grabbed her and pulled her out of the way, saving her life by mere inches.
"Snap out of it Ryuu! We have to fight back, no matter how scared we are!" he cried as, knowing he had no time to waste, he unceremoniously dropped her, grabbed his weapons and charged the fearsome denizen of the Dungeon.
Ryuu, reeling from her brush with death and his words, blinked and tried to regain her bearings, but found herself completely frozen, except for her shaking hand.
How…how can I fight back like this?
"Gah!"
Her head shot up again as Bell was sent flying across the 58th floor.
"Bell!" she screamed as she jumped to her feet, only to freeze again and look down. That's right, I can fight because of Bell. Because of my familia. Because of my goddess Because I have a promise to keep and because I have a life to return to. Her eyes beyond to burn to determination as she centered them upon her old nemesis. "Your reign of terror ends today!"
Taking her wooden blade, she shot off after the Valgang Juggernaut, ready to kill the abomination. Even if she had to die in the process.
Bell clenched his jaw as his bones rattled with the force of the strike that had him flying across the 58th floor.
It's so much stronger, he thought as his fists tightened, but that doesn't matter. It dies today.
Taking a deep breath, Bell pictured Agrippina, Ares, Athena, Dionysus, Lancelot, Tiamat, and everyone else who filled him with disgust and rage. As fury pumped through his blood, his skill activated, causing white scales to grow upon his skin as his nails transformed into flesh tearing scales.
Adjusting himself in midair, Bell landed gracefully and skidded to a stop before centering his burning eyes upon the Valgang Juggernaut as it flew towards him, bloodlust in its monstrous eyes.
"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAR!" Bell roared as he shot towards his foe like a ballista bolt.
The two were upon each other not even a second later and the evolved Juggernaut raised its scaled claws to impale the Hestia captain. Bell watched and waited for the right moment then just managed to dodge the creature's attack, nearly losing his face to the nightmare of the Astraea familia, before twisting his body around and lashing out with the Hestia blade.
"Raaaaaaaaaa!" he cried as he broke through the Valgang Juggernaut's scales and tore a long, but shallow gash along its flank.
The monster shrieked in pain and spun on its foe.
"I will flay the flesh from your bones for that, Typhon!" it hissed.
"You're welcome to try," Bell growled back. "And my name is Bell, you worthless bag of bones and malice."
The Juggernaut, snarling in rage, was about to charge once more, only for Ryuu to appear and smash her wooden sword against the side of its skull, sending it stumbling to the side.
Not about to let such an opportunity go to waste, Bell attacked and managed to slide beneath the Juggernaut's jaw and stab both the Hestia knife and his short sword deep into its mouth from below.
"FIREBOLT!"
Magic pumped along the blades and shot straight up into the Valgang Juggernaut's jaw, causing a great explosion to erupt within its mouth.
"REEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH!" the beast howled before, in an act of vengeful instinct, lashing out and striking the ill-prepared Bell who was sent soaring across the Dungeon.
"Bell!" Ryuu cried. However, before she could rush to the side, she was frozen in place as the Juggernaut, with blood dripping from its mouth, turned its hateful eyes towards her.
"You die first!" it vowed as it unfurled its wing and shot straight for her.
Had Ryuu been any less experienced or ranked any lower, that would have been the end of her life. As it was, she managed to dodge a lethal blow, but at the cost of having the tricep of her left arm ripped from her bone.
"AAAAAAAAHH!" she screamed before biting her lip and shooting away from Valgang Juggernaut which immediately gave chase.
The two beings flew around the 58th floor, the elven adventurer just barely keeping out of reach of the claws of her familia's bane.
But I can't keep this up for long! I need to put some distance between us and regroup with Bell!
She looked for a solution or means of escape. Her sky blue eyes eventually centered on the many stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the 58th floor.
That's it!
She quickly began to chant and prepared her spell, dodging a few more strikes from her old enemy before finally spinning around to face it.
"Luminous Wind!"
The verdant spell shot at the Valgang Juggernaut but, just as expected, the beast activated it magic deflection, sending the spells straight back at Ryuu.
The Gale smiled then shot straight down towards the ground, causing her spell to fly instead for the stalactites behind her.
The spells exploded, knocking down an entire section of ceiling, sending a wall of stalactites down towards the floor below. The Valgang Juggernaut's eyes widened as it did not have enough time to dodge the near minefield of falling rock that struck its wings and back, causing the beast to fall back towards the ground while Ryuu, temporarily free of the creature, flew towards her captain.
"Bell!" she called as she landed.
"I'm alright," he told her, though it was clear from his bleeding arm that this wasn't true.
"You are the worst liar I have ever met, Bell Cranel," she chastised as she helped him up.
"Sorry," he apologized before they both focused all their attention back on the currently screeching Juggernaut. "I'll attack it from the front and keep its attention while you flank it and attack its blind spot."
Ryuu nodded and the two rushed off with all haste.
The Valgang Juggernaut, though in pain and occupied by the small mountain of rock upon it, did not fail to notice Bell coming for it. Growling, it plunged its talons into the ground and a moment later, a wall of scarlet bones burst forth from the soil and moved to meet Bell.
The Hestia captain's eyes widened as the bone spikes appeared to block his path. Unfortunately, things only got worse as, suddenly, the bones began to glow white hot and, before he could get clear, exploded with enough force to shake the Dungeon.
Ryuu's eyes widened as she watched the explosions hit her captain. The shock and horror slowed her attack just enough for the Juggernaut, which had not failed to notice her, to lash out with its tail and catch her in the abdomen.
"Blah!" the elf spat as a wad of blood shot from her mouth before she was sent soaring across the Dungeon.
The elf dealt with, the evolved Juggernaut turned back to its true target and shot after Bell.
The Red Dawn slowly picked himself up while pieces of his armor dropped away, broken, burned, and useless.
"Welf's totally going to give me a lecture about busting another set of armor," he groaned as his crimson eyes lifted to see the oncoming monster. "Shit!"
Jumping to his feet, Bell just managed to raise his weapons in time to meet the flurry of strikes the Valgang Juggernaut threw at him.
Slash after slash was sent Bell's way and no matter how hard he fought back, they didn't seem to slow even a bit.
I have to break out before it finds an opening, he realized. He began to imagine the carnage Dionysus and Tiamat had unleashed upon Orario in order to give himself another burst of wrath and so empower his skill just enough for him to force back the beast's claws with a defiant roar.
The Juggernaut stumbled back, giving Bell the opportunity to jump into the air and then, holding his short sword like a javelin, cast it straight into the monster's eye.
The Valgang Juggernaut screamed in agony as the blade pierced its eye socket, obliterating the left crimson orb.
Bell landed and prepared to attack the writhing beast when a familiar sound filled the air.
RING!
RING!
RING!
Time to end this, Bell thought as his Argonaut shined ever brighter.
What?! The Juggernaut turned its one remaining eye towards Bell and found its foe glaring upon its skeletal form with determined contempt while the mortal's hand glowed with white light.
RING!
RING!
RING!
That sound! I've heard it before!
Remembering the attack that cut through the Dungeon, the Juggernaut hissed in trepidation.
Bell growled back at the monster before aiming his palm at the Hestia Blade.
RING!
RING!
RING!
"Fire…BOLT!"
The Argonaut enhanced Firebolt shot from his hand and covered the knife, imbuing it with power and elongating the blade into a full-length sword of blinding light.
Bell squatted down, gathering his strength into his legs then shot towards the Valgang Juggernaunt.
The beast's eye widened and, acting on pure instinct, it opened its wings and shot into the air, just barely dodging Bell's attack.
"Oh no you DON'T!" Bell roared as his snow white wings burst from his back, allowing him to give chase.
For the first time since gaining its new form, the Juggernaut felt the tinge of fear within its black heart as its foe gave chase.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAA!" it roared as it unleashed a torrent of exploding bone spikes at its pursuer.
Bell agilely flew through the mass of skeletal spears and explosions while gathering speed and focusing solely on the monster's chest.
Increasingly desperate, the draconic Juggernaut flew the roof of the Dungeon and tried to repeat Ryuu's trick by cutting loose a wall of stalactites, only to watch as Bell either dodged or outright smashed his way through the rocky obstacles.
"DAMN YOU, TYPHOOOOOOOON!" The beast screamed, only for Ryuu to make her reappearance at that exact moment by smashing a kick straight into its unguarded back, stopping the flying beast in its tracks and opening its chest cavity to Bell.
Thank you, Ryuu, Bell thought as, with one final push of his wings, he closed on his enemy and slammed his Argonaut-empowered knife into its chest.
It dodged at the last moment! Bell realized as his knife missed the Juggernaut's magic stone. Then I just have to attack again!
Bell pulled out his blade, ready to plunge it straight through the monster's stone and thus end its reign of terror, but it was not to be.
Before he even realized the Juggernaut was moving, the vile creature's skeletal paw swung around and slammed Bell into its chest with such force that it cracked not only Bell's scales, but the Juggernaut's scales as well. So great was its desire to save itself and to inflict the most horrid of torments upon the traitor, that even self-inflicted wounds meant little to the creature.
Bell coughed up a wad of blood against the Valgang Juggernaut's scales as he struggled to breathe, only for the claws of his wrathful enemy to wrap around his body so that it could cast him down with the force of a meteorite.
"Bell!" Ryuu screamed as the entire Dungeon floor cracked below from the power of his collision.
The Juggernaut's remaining eye shot towards her and not a second later, its tail wrapped around her body, squeezing her to bursting point, before throwing her down to join her captain with another terrible crash.
The Valgang Juggernaut stared down at its fallen foes even as blood dripped from its ruined sockets.
You two bags of meat will pay for your insolence. And you shall pay in blooooOOOOOD!
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the terrible beast roared as its wings stretched in preparation for its final assault.
CRASH!
"GAH!" Ryuu cried as nearly every bone in her body was broken. The pain was excruciating, but she knew she had to get up. Despite this knowledge and her attempts though, she couldn't move.
I have to get up! I have to get up and fight…BACK!
"Grrrr," she growled as she managed to lift her head. In doing so, she found Bell slowly picking himself up. "Bell!" she called as loudly as she could.
He turned.
"Ryuu…ugh. Don't worry, I still have a few…potions…ah…left," he told her as he tried to stand and make his way over to her.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Both heads shot around towards the ceiling where, to their absolute horror, the Juggernaut was flying down towards that at speeds not even Achilles could match.
"Shi-!" Bell tried to curse, but the Bane of the Astraea familia was upon them both before he could even finish that.
BOOM!
"BWAAA!" they both spat up a wad of blood as the Valgang Juggernaut pinned them to the ground with its hideous claws. However, their enemy was far from done and soon raised both fists above its head, then cast them down upon their unguarded forms like hammers.
BOOM!
The beast hissed, then raised its claws up again and slammed their bodies against their bodies again.
BOOM!
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" It screeched before going it's assault.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Over and over the Juggernaut pounded them into the ground, breaking the adventurer's bodies until their bones seemed to have turned to dust.
"R-Ry…Ryuu," Bell whispered as he painfully turned his head and found the once elegant and beautiful form of his friend little more than a pile of bloody meat beside him. "R-Ryuu? Ryuu…answer me. Ryuu?!"
No response came and Bell's heart thundered with despair.
"Thus is the fate of all insolent mortals and traitors," the Valgang Juggernaut hissed.
Bell's burning eyes shot towards the monster as wrath pumped through every inch of his broken body.
"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to tear you apart, limb for limb you goat-eyed bastard," he vowed.
The Juggernaut growled and brought its face right up to Bell's.
"No Typhon. Your fate is to be punished for your crimes against our masters before they use and discard you like all broken keys! As for this little elf," the monster picked up Ryuu's broken form. "She will make a good snack."
The Juggernaut brought Ryuu to its open maw and placed her on its tongue.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Bell shot up and placed himself between the Juggernaut's top and bottom jaws as they attempted to clamp down on the elf at his feet.
The Valgang Juggernaut growled and attempted to clamp its jaws shut, but found the traitor resisting with what was left of his strength. However, that strength was quickly draining away and it was not long until Bell was forced to his knees while his blood covered the Juggernaut's gluttonous tongue.
"N-No," he groaned pathetically as he tried to stop the fangs that were mere inches from Ryuu's body. "W-Wrath of the Dragon…i-isn't enough," he realized. "Ugh…then…I'll give it my all," he groaned.
Closing his eyes, Bell gathered every bit of willpower he had left and centered it on his heart.
Heroes win because they always give it their all. Heroes win because they don't stop until victory is theirs, Bell thought, picturing his grandfather's smiling face, his familia, his beautiful Ais, and the life he had to get back to.
A golden glow began to shine from beneath his shirt and soon flowed through his veins, granting him the strength to stop the jaws descending. However, he still needed to get out of his current predicament and get himself and Ryuu to safety.
Raising his hand Bell aimed at the Juggernaut's gaping throat.
"FIREBOLT!"
A bolt of red and gold shot straight down the beast's throat, making it scream in torment and drop the two adventurers from its mouth as it flayed about the ground.
Bell immediately grabbed Ryuu and shot off, not daring to look back, even as he heard the Valgang Juggernaut scream in agonized rage and give chase.
I need someplace to hide so we can heal and rest.
His eyes searched everywhere until, at last, he found a crack in one of the giant stone pillars of the floor.
Pushing his body to its absolute limit, Bell ran straight for the crevice, ignoring how his enemy sounded closer by the second.
"RAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed as he dived into the crevice just as the Juggernaut swung its claws at him.
"REEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAA!" the beast screamed as it clawed at the rock, trying to get to its prey. Bell, still carrying Ryuu forced himself deeper and deeper into the rock until, at last, the Valgang Juggernaut faded from view, though its furious shrieks continued even as he descended deeper into the stone.
Finally, a small cave opened up within the mountain and Bell dropped to his knees.
"Ha…Ha…Ha…we…we made it."
He looked down at Ryuu, just barely being able to see her in the limited light. However, what he was saw was enough, for the sight of her bloody, unmoving form was enough for his heart to stop.
"No no no nonononono!" he cried as he grabbed his pouch. Most potions were shattered, but, by some great luck, two health potions and two mana potions remained.
Uncorking one health, he poured it into Ryuu's mouth. Unfortunately, much of it dribbled out the side of her mouth.
Growling, Bell uncorked the other health potion, poured it into his mouth then locked his lips with hers so as to force the potion down her throat. This succeeded and he soon found her wounds to be healing and her chest rising and falling at regular intervals, though the elf herself did not awaken.
Sighing with some relief, Bell grabbed a mana potion and fed that to her in the same way before downing the second mana potion himself. The moment the last drop sank down his throat, his eyes roared up into his head and he passed out beside her.
Uriel and the rest of the Hades familia set up their tents alongside the other rows of tents currently being raised upon the 50th floor.
"Hades's ballsack, it'll be good to get some sleep after today," Cerberus groaned as she stretched her muscled-packed body.
"Please don't speak of Hades-sama's testicles," Uriel sighed, though that was all she could muster at the moment for she was just as exhausted as her vice-captain, if not even more so.
"I'd rather not think about our deity's genitals at all," Leanna stated, receiving a nod alongside her sister.
"You two look even more pale than normal. Go get yourself some blood," the succubus ordered gently. "You should get some food as well, Cerberus. Those muscles aren't for show and so need proper nutrition."
The vampire twins nodded without a sound and headed off. Cerberus growled, not in anger, but because all she really wanted to do was sleep, but now the mention of food had activated her stomach, forcing her to put off rest in exchange of nourishment.
Once her familia members were gone, Uriel sighed again and sat down.
"Everything alright?"
Uriel jumped and spun around to find Achilles looming over her.
"Achilles," the Hades familia captain rose to her feet and dusted herself off. "I'm just tired. I'm sure that once I get some rest I'll be as good as new," she replied, doing her best to smile.
"I'm glad to hear that, but that's not what I meant," he responded, his voice steady and betraying nothing.
"I'm…sorry?"
"You've seemed rather distracted since joining the expedition. As if something is on your mind. Something uncomfortable," he explained.
Uriel swallowed. She couldn't help it. Normally she would have been able to remain as undisturbed as an innocent child even when enacting the most brutal order, but against Achilles, a man who had seen and experienced horrors she could not even imagine, she found herself noticeably unnerved.
"Want to get it off your chest?" Achilles inquired.
"No!" she cried loudly, making the ex-captain raise an eyebrow and several adventurers turn. "I'm sorry…it's just…nothing you need to trouble yourself with. Just some…issues in the Hades familia that have my mind rather preoccupied," she clarified, her voice quavering as she stared up into the unwavering electric blue eyes of the Father On High.
Achilles Caesar stared down into her eyes for a moment and she even contemplated using her succubus powers to try and turn him away from his questioning, before he nodded.
"Very well, if it's familia business I won't pry too far," he assured her.
"T-Thank you," she replied as her thundering heart pulled itself from her stomach.
"You're welcome. Now get some rest, we'll all need to be at our best in order to get to Bell and Ryuu tomorrow."
"Of course. We'll find them both and bring them safely back to the surface," she replied, giving the best smile she could at the moment.
"And give them the sternest talking to they've ever received," Achilles added with a smile that greatly eased her fears.
"I will leave that to you, Alfia, Mania-sama, and Hestia-sama," she responded playfully.
"I'm sure Finn and Riveria will have a thing or two to say as well. Hell, Ais might give Bell a stern talking to," Achilles joked, making them both laugh.
"Perhaps," she agreed.
"Well, good night, Uriel-san."
"Good night, Achilles-san," she bowed respectfully, her heart overjoyed that he hadn't pressed her.
What she didn't know was that Achilles didn't need to press her. He'd gotten all he needed to from their conversation. In fact, had she not been so focused on his eyes, she would have seen the whites of his knuckles as his hand tightened around Dragonsbane.
Achilles walked off as casually as possible down the lane of tents, his mind a storm of raging emotion, until a familiar voice reached his ears.
"They're not here to rescue Bell," Ottar stated.
Achilles stopped and turned to his old student.
"That's probably their primary mission, but there's a caveat," Achilles admitted, in no mood to keep secrets.
"That caveat being to kill Bell if something goes amiss," Ottar surmised as his own eyes and voice darkened.
Achilles nodded as lightning crackled from his fingertips.
"Why Hades would want Bell dead or feel the need to kill him, I can't imagine, but I will not let Uriel or any of them hurt my son."
"Even if that means destroying their entire familia?" Ottar questioned.
"I'd prefer not to go there, Ottar. I've massacred enough familias and destroyed more than a cults in my time," Achilles answered cryptically. "I'd prefer to beat them half to death then drag them before Hades to demand answers. For now though, they need to be watched," his eyes, which had been aimed towards the distant Hades familia, turned to the Freya captain. "Can I count on you for that?"
Ottar nodded with fearsome determination.
"No one shall touch my lady's love even if I have to destroy the entire Hades familia," he vowed.
The feeling of a soft hand shaking him slowly brought Bell back to the waking world.
"There you are," Ryuu whispered with relief.
"Ryuu!" he cried as he sat up. "Are you alright?"
"As alright as I can be, thanks to you," the elf replied, smiling as best as she could in the situation. "Where are we though? I can't tell with the limited light."
"We're inside one of the rock formations on the 58th floor. The Juggernaut is outside and, if that scratching is any indication, it's still trying to find a way inside."
"Are we safe?" Ryuu asked as her pointed ears focused on the distant, yet still far too near, sound of talons scraping against stone.
"I think we're safe…for now, but we have to regain our bearings and even the odds," Bell stated.
"We can't. We're in no state to continue fighting and even if we were, it's evolved far too much for us to fight it alone," Ryuu argued. "It's faster, stronger, and more durable, not to mention more intelligent and with new abilities. We need to get to the expedition and fight it with the others."
Bell shook his head.
"We have no idea how much damage it could do in the meantime, and that's assuming it even presents us with the option of running, which is extremely doubtful. No, we have to deal with it and…I think I have an idea that could even the odds for us. Though," he held her eyes, "I don't think you're going to like it."
Ryuu swallowed. Something about the way her captain said that made her stomach churn.
"W-What's the idea?"
The Valgang Juggernaut continued its assault upon the mountain, tearing at the stone with its claws, uncaring of its exhaustion or the fact that Bell's sword was still stuck in its eye-socket. If anything, that latter fact only drove it on more.
You will not escape me, Typhon. I shall drag you back to our masters after devouring that little mortal and I shall laugh as they punish you for all your crimes!
A surge of…something...made it stop.
This feels…familiar…yet…not?
The Valgang Juggernaut stared at the mountain as that unpleasant feeling of fear reappeared within its soul.
"I…I can't do that Bell. I won't," Ryuu stated as firmly as she could at that moment.
"You have to Ryuu. We can't fight this new Juggernaut as we are now. We need to rebalance the scales and I think I can…if I evolve too."
"But…how can you be sure you'll be in control?"
"I can't," he answered honestly. "Which is why, if I do lose control, you will use me as a distraction so you can run to the expedition."
"I will do no su-!" the elf tried to yell.
"You will follow orders!" Bell roared, silencing her immediately as her eyes widened with shock and a bit of hurt. The sight of that hurt pricked at Bell's heart and he grit his teeth. "Ryuu, if this works, but I can't control myself, I am still confident I can take on the Juggernaut, but I would never forgive myself if you got so much as a scratch because of me and if I did worse…" his claws cut into his palms. "You will retreat if I can't keep control. If I can, you will help me as best as you can and together we'll destroy the Valgang Juggernaut. Alright?"
Though she wanted to resist, to argue, to outright deny him, there was no way she could win. Not when he was like this.
And he's right. It's only a matter of time before the Valgang Juggernaut breaks through this shell of stone, she thought as the ground shook and the horrible sound of distance scrapping filled her pointed ears.
"Fine," she hissed before lashing out and slapping him with all her might.
Bell, having expected some sort of warning before they began, nearly fell over at the strike.
"Fuck you, Bell! Fuck you and your stupid noble soul, you suicidal, philandering rabbit!" Ryuu cried before striking him again. "Who do you think you are, playing with young women's hearts you perverted fiend!" She slapped him again. "Damn you! Damn you and all your self-destructive foolishness and oblivious perversion!" She slapped him again, but paused as she saw that his eyes were filled more with shock than rage, she changed tactics. "Did you let Achilles do all the work with Ares too?! Of course, that only makes sense given how meek and pathetic you are when it comes to women! How long did it take for you to confess to Ais, hm? Or did she simply pull you along for the ride too! Gods, I'm sure Achilles had to take you by the hand and drag you to avenge Mania-sama give how pathetic you are!"
That hit the right nerve and the spark of anger arose in Bell's crimson eyes.
"He did not!" he roared back.
"Bullshit!" she pushed him, sending her captain stumbling back. "Who would trust you with righting the wrong done to your grandmother! You probably just wanted him to apologize and bake her cookies or something!" she continued, pressing her attack as viciously as possible with both her words and a barrage of slaps and pushes.
"I would never allow something that horrible to be forgiven with a mere apology!" Bell screamed as his slitted eyes glowed with rage.
"Oh really?! Just like how you would never allow yourself to be taken by Revis and turned into her and Dionysus's plaything like a little bitch!" she yelled, slapping him particularly hard across the face.
However, this time he did not stumble back or even flinch. In fact, it was Ryuu who flinched as her hands struck a painful solid cheek.
"How...dare...you."
Almost there, she thought before outwardly scoffing.
"Well well, don't you look angry? Where was all this fire with Revis and Dionysus? Where was it with Ares and Athena? With Lancelot? Or how about when Galadriel and the others beat the snot out of your father?! All I remember was you screaming like a whiny brat when they cook him alive."
"Shut UUUUUP!"
Ryuu pulled back and though she felt as if her heart would never forgive her for what she said, she could not apologize now. She had to keep going.
"Maybe you should be banished! What good are you to anyone if you can't avenge your grandmother, protect your father, or even save yourself?! You're pathetic! Just the pathetic plaything of gods and of people three times smarter than you, Bell Cranel! No, not Cranel. Bell the Fool! Bell the Pervert! Bell the Monster! Bell the…Bell the fucking White Dragon!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!"
The roar sent her flying back and she slammed into the wall.
"Ugh," she groaned as she picked herself up and looked back towards Bell. Her heart sank as his transformation slowly began to manifest, making it impossible for Ryuu to continue striking him without risking tearing the flesh from her hands. However, she continued her verbal barrage.
"What, don't like your real name, White Dragon?! Too bad! Monster! Abomination! Dionysus! Womanizer! Ares! Stupid rabbit! Cheater! Allen! Murderer! Tiamat! FIGHT BACK YOU COWARD!"
She stopped as she expended all her breath, but she had done enough. Her words had the effect Bell had sought and slowly his body turned every more draconic….and grew ever larger.
Finito!
Well, can you guys tell what's about to happen? :) Let's just say, the true chapter 100 is going to be very exciting and have a very BIG surprise.
Anywho, enough of my teasing. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and as always, feel free to share your thoughts.
Oh, and I quick thank you for the reviewer who reminded me that it's been a while since we've seen Dido plotting. Embarrassing as it is, I do sometimes forgot details and, very embarrassingly, characters for a while, which is why I try, on occasion, to reread the story to give myself reminders. All in all, thank you for the reminder.
With that, I will bid you all the finest day and I will see you all for the TRUE CHAPTER 100! So, until then, bye for now!