The Fallen Argonaut
Rated; M (Blood/Gore)
Disclaimer; I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Ōmori, all rights go to him
Authors: Eli-er01 & ViceroyChalister
Summary: The will of a hero is strong, yet unwavering but all good things must come to an end, even at the cost of one's Heroic Will. Imprisoned and blamed for a crime he hadn't committed, Bell seeks a way out of his predicament so that he can live without fear of being hunted by the people he once looked up to.
21: Crisis
=Anfesera, 1 month later=
For the last month, a lot of things have happened. When Bell had returned from The Far East, he had started looking out more for information about the rogue Viking captain leading a viking army against Rakia.
It was honestly a big surprise that Bell hadn't heard of it, and even more so that Rakia hadn't fallen yet. For the last month and a half, Rakia had been assaulted by the rogue viking captain's army in waves, not letting their enemy rest.
Bell had just chalked it up to their walls being superbly fortified so that an army of level 4's and 3's with one level 5 couldn't breach it.
That and the fact that Vikings weren't… the brightest so they practically had no spells, and the ones they had were honestly horribly inefficient from what he had heard.
He had thought he had been a bit of an idiot, but when he heard of the things vikings did, he honestly saw himself in a new light.
Like come on, who bangs their head on a rock when they are an infant without a Falna? It's just the definition of stupidity.
Other than that, Bell had remained off hands for the moment, waiting for things to get a little more desperate for help, or he would be risking being bombarded from both sides of the battle. That… would not be fun.
So he waited, and he knew it was soon time but currently, he was-
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELL!" A villager exclaimed loudly as Bell chuckled at the enthusiasm. The fact that the village put together a party for him was flattering to say the least.
He already could guess who was behind it as he stared at his wife, smiling at him. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her frame.
"You know you didn't have to do this, right?" He said with a smile as Elora looked up with half lidded eyes, a smile on her face before she put her ear to his chest, sighing in contentment.
"Yes I did… you have done so much for this village without realising it… so much for me" She said as Bell nodded. She had explained it to him before and he didn't want to sit through another 30 minute explanation.
"Yeah… I got so much food from everyone I don't think we will be able to eat it before it spoils" Bell said as he glanced at the admittedly, ridiculously large pile of food.
"Well… it's their way of expressing their thanks to you" Elora said before the two let each other go.
"Hmm, that reminds me that I haven't received your birthday present yet" Bell said as Elora smiled sweetly at him.
"Don't fret, I do have one. You'll just have to wait for once we are home" She said as Bell raised an eyebrow. If her present was something as cliché as sex, then he would have to have a talk with her, even though they hadn't really done anything since before they left for Orario.
"Alright, I'm looking forward to it" Bell said with a smile as Elora pecked his cheek before scurrying off into the crowd and started to mingle.
"Hey" Bell turned around as his smile became larger as he spotted Bache, walking towards him with Adrienne in her arms.
"Hey. How are you doing? Enjoying the… celebration that I had no idea about?" Bell asked as Bache smiled and nodded.
"Yes… but it's not really my scene" Bell nodded, understanding what she was getting at.
"I understand. You're more of a punch it before asking questions kind of a gal" Bell teased with a sly smirk, causing Bache to laugh and blush slightly at the same time.
"I guess I am. So… how does it feel being 18?" she asked as Adrienne played with her hair as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Exactly the same as last year" Bell got out in a mix between a chuckle and a snort.
"Yeah…" Bache muttered as she stared off into the crowd. They stayed like that in a comfortable silence, enjoying the scenery of the smiles, dancing and generally good vibes.
"Mommy… why don't you and papa act like other parents?" The question threw them off as they were not prepared for it. Bache just stared at her daughter in horror while Bell was sputtering out incomprehensible words in a desperate attempt to get out an answer.
"W-what do you mean, Little Firefly?" He managed to get out. Adrienne just pointed in a direction. When Bell looked, he understood where the question came from.
In the crowd was a human man and a female werewolf, laughing with someone with their daughter between them, holding their hands. They talked, interacted and sent loving smiles at each other. They even kissed as the daughter blanched out in disgust. If Bell remembered correctly, that was David and Alicia Nomont and their daughter, Erikia Nomont.
Bell sighed, wanting to have saved this discussion for later. He reached for Adrienne as Bache understood, handing her over as Bell held her in a way that he could easily address her.
"You see, your mother and I aren't… like other parents. We never married out of love or anything of the sort" He began and was about to continue before he was interrupted.
"Why is that?" She asked as Bell contemplated the question.
"Well… as you know, the world consists of a multitude of different races. This village is a perfect example of that. Humans, Elves, Cat people, Werewolves, Renarts and many others live here, but there is one race that isn't here. Can you guess which" Bell asked as Adrienne tried to figure it out. Unfortunately for her, she had no idea that she was actually not a human. Bell and Bache had never really told her the fact that she was a race called an amazoness because it never really came up.
"I don't know…" She said dejectedly.
"Don't feel bad. I would be more surprised if you knew. The race that isn't here, is the race of Amazons, native to a country south east of here called Telskyura" Bell explained. The very fact that Adrienne understood all this was a miracle. Her mental capacity was years ahead of her age.
"Telkura?" She tried to repeat the name as Bache and Bell laughed.
"Yes, Telskyura which is where I come from" Bache said as Adrienne tilted her head.
"You're an amazon, Mommy?" She asked as Bache nodded.
"Yes, and so are you. Now, there is no easy way to say this but Amazons aren't like other races where they look for a permanent mate" She explained as Adrienne nodded.
"Then… What do they do?" She asked as the two took a deep breath. Normally, a child that's almost 3 years old should never hear something like this, but as both knew, she was smarter than she should be for her age. That combined with the natural curiosity of her age made it near impossible to hide information from her if you gave a taste of it.
"They… take… strong men from other species and have children with them" Bell said, purposely keeping it a little ominous as he really didn't want to actually tell her the full truth.
"Take?" Bell cursed her curiosity.
"Yes, take" He prayed that she would drop it, but alas, somehow his luck wasn't working when he really needed it.
"With consent?" Bell didn't even complain internally as he was a little too shocked at her using a word as advanced as consent. Really, his daughter was more like an elf when it came to her mind. Where did she get that from, Bell wondered with a slight smile, before it fell as he knew he would need to answer.
"No…" Adrienne looked at her mother, noticing her shameful look, staring into the ground with a deep frown and clenched fists.
"Mommy… did you…" All she got was a nod as Adrinne looked between the two sadly.
"Am… Am I not… wanted…?" She asked sadly as the two instantly snapped their heads towards her in shock and horror at the fact she even had the capacity to think that.
"What!? No! It may not have been my choice, but I don't regret it! You're my wonderfully beautiful daughter that I absolutely adore. I could never regret you" Bell said as Adrienne's tears fell faster making Bell's panic even worse.
"Oh, please don't cry. Adrienne…" Bell said as he hugged her, pulling her into his chest as he started hearing sobs. Bache was shaking before she launched herself at the two, joining in.
"Adrienne… I regret what I did immensely… but I could never regret you. My life was always bleak, and it only had started to get color before you were born but… when I first got even a glance of you… I… I couldn't have been happier" Bache said as tears pooled in her eyes.
Adrienne's sobs started evolving into cries that were muffled by Bell's chest.
In the distance, Elora noticed the two on their knees, hugging Adrienne in between them and was about to go and ask, but when she heard the soft cries of Adrienne, and noticed how she was practically ripping at Bell's shirt, she knew better than to interfere. This was personal, and she knew she was not involved.
They stayed like that for a while, before Adrienne's sobs started to dissipate into a sniffle before they separated. Bache held onto her daughter's shoulders as Bell smiled down at her watery eyes.
"B-but you two rarely talk… Is… is it because of what happened?" She asked as Bell sighed.
"No, I got over it a long time ago… I honestly don't know why, but if it makes you feel better" Bell started before he started smiling, hoping to disarm his daughter's sadness "I can try to interact with her more. After all, even if it doesn't seem like it. She has grown into a dear part of my family… That family is the most precious thing I have, and excluding one does not sit right with me" Bell said as Adrienne nodded.
"That… That sounds good, papa" She said, giving him and Bache a smile, showing that she was alright.
"Good, then Bache, how about we head back home? Elora said she wanted to give me her present there" Bache nodded as she started leading Adrienne towards their house, Bell heading towards Elora.
"Hey… are you alright?" She asked, worried clear in her eyes as Bell smiled lovingly and nodded.
"Yes… we just had a… personal discussion" Bell said, not really ready to share what had happened in detail yet. He would probably tell her tomorrow.
"Alright, I understand. I noticed Bache headed home. Are you doing the same?" Bell nodded.
"I thought it was about time. It's getting late. The sun set hours ago. It's probably beyond midnight" He said as she nodded.
"Understandable. I'll say goodbye and meet you there" She smiled at him as he nodded before the two split off.
Bell headed home, breathing in the chill night air on the way. Once inside, he found Bache and Adrienne on the couch where he joined them and mingled.
Shortly after, Elora came through the front door with a nervous look on her face. Bell smiled at her before patting the seat next to him. She shook her head and breathed in and out.
"Is something wrong Elora?" Bell and Bache asked at the same time, causing them to look at each other before chuckling.
"No… I'm just a little nervous. Where is Erebus?" She asked as Bell quirked an eyebrow, wondering the reason of her nervousness.
"He's upstairs, sleeping. Don't know why, but he was pretty tired halfway through the party" Bell explained as Elora nodded. Bell didn't notice Bache smiling softly at Elora, nodding at her in encouragement which the elf was eternally grateful for.
"Well… you see, the present isn't much of a present. It's more of a surprise you know. I have been thinking over and over about how to say this to you for the last month but I just didn't find the right moment. Things never felt right and… I didn't know how you would react… and I'm rambling now" She finished as her already red face deepened in color to the point that Bell worried for her blood circulation.
"It's alright honey, take your time" Bell encouraged which earned him a smile from her as she nodded and composed herself. She took deep breaths as she got herself ready before looking at him with determination.
"Last month, I felt a little queasy for no reason. I knew I wasn't sick so I decided to check it out… Turns out it was true" She started as Bell nodded, not understanding quite yet.
"Bell… I'm…" the words after were so quiet it was not even audible, but Bell heard them only because of his status and he froze. His expression was completely still, unchanging as his mind processed the information.
Elora, seeing this, started to panic internally, wondering what to do. Her answer came as Bell shot up from his seat, staring at her with dinner plates for eyes, and the largest smile on his face she had ever seen.
"You're…" He didn't finish the question as she answered with a nod and her voice hitched as she laughed.
"Yes… I'm Pregnant" She said clearly as Bell just laughed out loud, honestly not knowing how one should react in such a situation so he just winged it. It wasn't like with Bache where he had no choice so this was different.
"Oh my god! How long!?" Bell exclaimed as he hugged her which she instantly returned.
"A little over 2 months. It's honestly a miracle that it happened since I was just due for my period, which as an elf only happens once every 10 years. Yeah, elven biology can be weird" She said as Bell shook his head.
"Doesn't matter to me. Bache! Can you believe this? She-" He stopped mid sentence and half frowned at her, seeing that she wasn't shocked at all.
"Wait… you knew?" He asked as Bache sheepishly nodded. Bell turned to Elora with a mock glare.
"How many knew?" She just chuckled at that and scratched the back of her neck, something she picked up from him.
"Well… pretty much everyone" Bell groaned. Why did everyone BUT him know about this!? What kind of cruelty is this? He shook his head after he groaned a second time before smiling at Elora.
"Well… it's a little too late to celebrate this and I think all of us have had a little too much celebration for one day" Bell said with a smile still holding Elora.
"You're right about that" Bache laughed out as Adrienne giggled.
"So…how about we go to sleep for now? It's quite late" Bell suggested before a loud cheering was heard from outside.
"For us that is. I don't know about them" Bell snorted out as he held in his laugh. Most people got drunk and half felt the celebration was for him, half was a reason to let loose.
Adrienne's giggles intensified as the others shook their heads before nodding.
"Adrienne, you want to sleep with your mother tonight?" Bell's question wasn't that off as he usually asks it every night.
She was two, almost three years old so she slept with her parents and they planned on preparing her own room on her 3rd birthday in a little under two and a half months. Everything was already paid for… By Bell of course as he's the walking valis bank.
Somehow, over the years his valis had only increased in quantity, taking short dips before going back up in number.
His current balance was around 211 500 000 valis if his math was correct. He had worked hard on improving it. Bell already had his suspicions upon where the valis came from. It was coming from the far east, or more accurately, Asuka Yume.
It was his pay as a Royal Executioner that had kept his valis increasing to this point and he had been gobsmacked when he realized that he had the funds to buy the Hestia Knife from Hephaestus. A whopping 200 million valis with even 11 and a half million to spare.
The pay as a Royal executioner was really luxurious from what Bell could gather as every month it came into the village by carriage. The number each time remained the same, being around two and half million a month. The first pay that came around 5 months after he became a royal executioner had even more of a ludicrous amount being paid, equaling 12 and a half million that time.
When it had arrived, he swore that Lili would have drooled at the Valis.
He had quickly stored the money each time. If he was ever robbed, that would be the person's biggest payday ever, though thankfully he can defend himself quite fine.
"Papa?" Bell was snapped out of his thoughts and laughed awkwardly at her.
"Sorry, Little Firefly. What did you say?" He asked.
"I'll sleep with mommy today" Bell nodded before smiling at Bache who returned it.
"Alright, I am going to go to bed so… goodnight" He started walking off as he heard Elora follow him upstairs.
Once they were inside their room, he started changing before going over and brushing his teeth.
"Hey Bell… When are you going to go to Rakia?" Elora asked. He turned to her direction where she was changing before thinking about it.
"Oh… Well… that would probably be next month. I've waited long enough and Rakia should be desperate by this point. They would take any help they could get" Bell answered as she nodded.
The two got into Bed and cuddled together as Bell felt her guide one of his hands to her stomach.
"Please… be careful. I don't know what I would do if I lost you" She said quietly "For me and… for him or her" Bell nodded before pulling her closer to him.
"I will honey. I will" Was all he could say as she nodded against his chest. In truth, Bell had contemplated not helping Rakia because of their action in the past with kidnapping Hestia. It had taken some contemplation but he realized that he wasn't thinking clearly, letting past actions cloud his judgement. Rakia may be a military country, but the civilians still outnumber the soldiers by a large margin.
Abandoning them simply because of a little feud he had with the country's military didn't sit right with him, but that didn't stop him from at least giving the military a little panic by waiting a little.
Now that he had even more to lose, he was going to make sure he comes out of this alive. He would return home no matter what… not only for Elora and Adrienne, but also for Bache, his unborn child and everyone else he had begun to care for in the village.
He closed his eyes and sighed out, feeling Elora's breathing even out as she fell to sleep. Soon after, he too, fell into the world of dreams.
=Orario, Twilight Manor=
"So that's what they are planning… they want to literally blow the entire city of Orario away" Finn gasped out had he put his face in his hands.
The news he got from the investigation run mainly by Hermes Familia and partially by Ganesha familia on the story of Niddhog had come back with some troubling news.
Apparently the 6 maidens in the story summoned a power that literally leveled an area so large that the magic could be compared even to the Arcanum. If Enyo manages to recreate this… then may the gods have mercy on their souls.
"We need to stop this. Call in all favors we have outside Orario, anyone we can think of. There are most likely 6 demi-spirits in a ring that we have to exterminate and we are going to be spread thin to do that in time" Finn called out as Riveria nodded.
"Indeed we are. We could call out to Kali. She does owe us for letting her go so easily… and for withholding information as you said" Finn nodded.
"Do that… I'll try to track down Thúl and the masked man, or at least get a message to them. Gareth, you contact Ouranos. He should be able to send out a mission to other familias. This is top priority!" The two nodded and left as Finn got up. He headed outside, a singular location in mind.
Eventually, he arrived at it and knocked at the door. It took a little time but eventually the door opened revealing a chienthrope with black hair, brown eyes and a darker hue of skin.
"Yeah what ca- BRAVER!?" She freaked out as Finn nodded.
"Yes, could I speak with Hermes?" The chienthrome nodded and allowed Finn inside and guided him towards where Hermes was.
She led him to a door and knocked.
"Come in" A female voice that Finn recognized called back as Lulune opened. Inside were two people. More accurately, one human, one god.
"Asfi, Hermes. Finn Demine is here to see you" Lulune told them as Hermes smiled.
"Oh? Braver himself has come to talk to little old me? Let him in" Finn hearing this walked inside and nodded towards Asfi who nodded back before addressing Hermes.
"Braver, How can I be of assistance?" Hermes asked as he smiled, hand outstretched in a questioning manner.
"I'll get straight to the point. I need to find the masked mercenary that's helping out villages" The moment the words were out of his mouth, a frown spread across Hermes face as he leaned back in his chair, looking at Finn with contemplative eyes.
"Oh? And why would you need that information?" He asked.
"Orario is in a crisis. The information you provided us with the story of Nidhogg has revealed a sinister plan to wipe Orario off the face of the map, literally" Hermes frown deepened as he sighed.
"And you want to request his assistance in this matter?" Finn nodded
"Alright, I will send a messenger. He is a hard man to find, so it's better if Asfi here goes. He's used to her" Finn nodded in thanks.
"Just make sure it happens before next month" Hermes nodded before Finn quickly took his leave as he had a lot to prepare for. Hermes waited a couple of minutes to make sure Finn was far away enough, you could never know with a level 7, before he sighed out.
"Poor Bell. He's getting pulled back into the affairs of Orario…" Hermes complained as Asfi nodded.
"Hermes-sama… I do not know if he will agree to help" Asfi said as Hermes shook his head.
"No… he will. After all, he is a hero at heart, and a hero can't resist helping others in their need" He said before looking out the window. He was just glad that Freya had left Orario temporarily. Apparently she had found a lead upon Bell and wanted to go personally. The irony...
=Anfesera, next day=
"What…" Bell said, processing the information he was told, staring at the blue haired ex-princess in front of him. She had asked to talk with him but this…
"Evilus is planning on destroying Orario by-"
"I heard you the first time, but to copy the spirits six-ring that destroyed the evil dragon Nidhogg? Really? Isn't that a little far fetched, and why are you asking me for help? Isn't Freya going to recognize my soul?" Bell asked as Asfi shook her head.
"Freya isn't in Orario at the moment. Apparently she believed she found a lead of you somewhere up north… Thankfully, that means you can help… if you want. Braver has personally asked for you, or the 'masked man' as he put it" Bell sighed, exasperated at the situation.
"Fine… I can't really let so many people die. They may have sent me off to prison, but they don't deserve to die… and if Orario is gone then… the world will be back in chaos like before the age of the gods" Bell said as Asfi nodded.
"Thank you Cranel-san. Orario will owe you another debt it can never repay" She said as Bell laughed slightly.
"Add it to the list" He sarcastically commented before continuing "When should I arrive?" He asked.
"Well… we got word from Braver this morning that the raid on the knossos would begin in 4 days. We don't have a lot of time" Bell nodded.
"Alright, I will arrive there in 3 days. I want to spend some time with my family before I go" Bell explained as Asfi nodded.
"Understandable. See you in a few days, Cranel-san" Bell nodded before Asfi left. He sighed out and looked up into the sky.
'Might as well take this opportunity to see how Finn uses his spear… Might learn something' Bell thought before he headed back home to inform his family.
=3 days later, on the roads towards Orario=
Bell, Bache and Elora were walking down the road, the three ready for battle. Bell was a little worried though. He wasn't all that happy that Elora had practically forced him to allow her to come along, even though she was pregnant.
He just hoped nothing bad would happen to her while they were there. He had been adamant to not let her but the words of the Empress had echoed in his mind. 'Trust them' was what she had said and he had finally caved.
He had decided to trust her to protect herself. She was her own person and they got to decide what to do, even if they were carrying another life inside them.
The walls of Orario were in sight and Asfi had handed them yet another pass into Orario, signed by Ouranos. He was helping them out a lot, which he guessed was because of Bell's help with the Xenos.
As they neared the walls, Bell's heart raced. He hadn't been inside them for nearly 3 and a half years now and it was nerve racking.
Once they reached the gate, Bell instantly knew something was off. Looking inside, the guards were running amok, left and right almost in a panic. The guard at the gate was twitching, as if he wanted to do something but couldn't.
Bell approached and the guard looked up before taking the distraction happily.
"I'm sorry, but the city is under lockdown right now" the Guard said with his hand pointed upwards in a stop sign.
"Well, we were called to help… here" Bell handed the pass that Asfi had handed him and he nodded.
"Alright, but I warn you. Whatever happened, it occurred faster than even the braver anticipated. The Loki familia rushed into the Knossos with the Ganesha, Hermes and many other familias in tow" Bell's eyes widened at that and nodded.
"Thank you. I will head straight there" The gates had opened and Bell rushed forward, Elora and Bache following him.
"Wait… you don't even know where the entrance is…" He whispered the last part as the three had already disappeared "God, why are they so fast?" The guard muttered before sitting down again.
Meanwhile, Bell didn't even have time to think about the fact that he was running through the streets of Orario. Unfortunately, Daedalus street was located at the opposite side of the city from where they entered, so it took a little time, but Bell pulled out the Knossos key that Asfi gave him and readied it for when he was going to enter.
Soon they passed Bable, which still had people that were running around in a panic, showcasing just how unprepared the public was for this event.
Eventually, they arrived at Daedalus street where Bell navigated the two following him and reached the entrance Bell was looking for.
"Eh… Bell, this is just a wall" Elora said as she stared at the brick. Bell chuckled at that before looking at the key resonating with the closeness of the knossos.
"That's what you see but…" He held up the key as a light emanated before the bricks moved and opened up, revealing the passageway.
"This is one of the entrances to the manmade dungeon, the Knossos" Elora stared slack jawed at the entrance hidden in plain sight. The same with Bache as Bell mentally thanking himself for remembering where Wiene came from last time when she escaped.
"Let's go" Bell said, his eyes gleaming behind his mask before his feet smashed forwards alongside the two behind him.
=Knossos=
Finn was mentally strained as he was nearly overwhelmed with the information of all the fronts he was managing while fighting himself. He mentally blessed whoever anonymously gifted him with these magic devices that allowed him to seamlessly communicate with each front.
"Finn! Enemies have reinforced front 4"
"We need reinforcements in front 6!"
"Front 4 and 6, we are sending temporary reinforcements to you now!" He began before changing the channel to front 3 and 2 that were doing the best. At the same time, he dodged a violas vines before slicing it in half with ease while half in wonder at the level 7 speed he now possessed.
"Front 3 and 2, split one 10th of your forces and send half to front 4 and half to front 6" He commanded
"Got ya Finn!" Gareth responded from front 2
"Understood" Riveria's voice came through the channel as Finn pushed forward harder and finished off the last of the violas with a few level 3's from the Loki Familia by his side.
They were holding out the central passageway leading to the other fronts. If this was held, it would stop the enemies from moving into a pincer attack on the 6 fronts consisting of all the most powerful familias in Orario and the few that had arrived on time.
The only issue is that they are running out of time. The song is progressing and the pressure in the air is rising from the ridiculous amount of power the song is calling upon.
Finn stood there, waiting for either more monsters to arrive, or someone else to contact him. What he didn't expect were footsteps from behind him.
He turned tround, twirling his spear and aiming it towards the newcomers, the spear landing right under the masked man's face, before it was quickly lowered.
"You called for us, Braver" The masked man said as Finn nodded.
"Thank you for coming to our aid" He started before-
"Finn, we have found the first Demispirit, we are engaging it right now!" He heard the voice of Asfi on front 1 as Finn nodded in understanding.
"Do you need reinforcements, your masked friend just arrived" Finn asked before receiving an immediate response.
"Is he alone?" She asked
"No, he has brought Bache Kalif, Level 6 and Elora Carleen, level 4" Finn responded, this time having opened the channel to every front.
"Send the masked man to me, we could use his special set of skills here. You can decide where the other two go… if that's alright with him" she asked as Finn sent him a questioning gaze.
The man nodded alongside the two beside him as Finn smiled in return.
"Alright, you go to front 1. It is straight down this path" Finn entered back into his commander's voice as the man nodded, springing forward in the direction at speeds that made Finn's eyes pop wide open.
'How is he so fast? Is he really only level 5?' Finn questioned, not believing the speed he was going. He was as fast as Ais using ariel!
Finn shook his head before addressing the other fronts.
"Are there any other fronts that could need reinforcements? We have a level 6 and a level 4 on standby" Finn asked as he got one response from Tione.
"Front 5 could use an extra level 4, we only need a small push" Finn nodded towards Elora who nodded back before he explained the path. She disappeared and shortly after another request was heard.
"We could use the level 6 on front 2. We are currently engaging the demi spirit here" Gareth called out as Finn nodded and as with the other two, he guided Bache towards Gareth before she sprung forward disappearing.
'I hope they will be enough' Finn thought as he got ready, another wave of violas heading their way.
=Knossos, Front 1=
"God, Is this damn bull never gonna stop!?" An elf screamed out as it rushed past her, slamming into the knossos wall, the female body on top still singing.
"Everyone, regroup and perform a pincer movement!" Asfi commanded as the beast regained it's bearings.
The vice captain of the Hermes Familia, Falgar, initiated the pincer movement with multiple level 3's at his side as Asfi followed suit on the opposite side with her own group.
Unfortunately, the demi spirit saw it coming, and jumped into the air using it's strong bull body, causing the two groups to dodge each other before it landed back on the ground, causing a shockwave that sent them flying.
"God, is there nothing we can do?" Asfi asked herself as sweat poured down the side of her head.
She was about to call out another command as a blur flew into the open room, flying straight into the bull's face, cracking it before it was sent flying backwards.
"EEEEEEEEK!?" The demi spirit screeched in surprise.
'Cranel-san!' Asfi screamed in her mind with relief once she laid eyes on his armored frame with the ominous mask on him.
"Everyone! Work with that man's actions! He is our reinforcement!" She called out as everyone nodded. Bell, hearing this, pulled out his spear and longsword, before getting into a battle position. The next second, he launched forward as the bull smashed forward as well, both meeting each other at blinding speeds to the level 4's and 3's present.
'Is this Cranel-sans power?' She questioned as she was shocked. Just like braver before, she questioned his level as he was fighting more like a high level 6! No, maybe even beyond that…
Bell mercilessly slashed at the bulls large exposed body, using his smaller size and considerable speed to his advantage, attacking it and tiring it out by continuously causing harm, no matter how small to its body.
"MAGICIANS!" Asfi called out as the magicians released the spells they had chanted. Balls of fire, ice and other elements were flying into the distracted Demi spirit as it screeched out.
All Bell really had to do was distract the demi spirit as the reason they had been struggling was because they couldn't land hits in time before it moved. With Bell holding it in place with him drawing all it's attention, magicians were in the clear to cast their magic.
"Front Liners, cover the man's blind spots!" The others surrounded the monster and attacked it from multiple angles while Bell kept up his barrage.
The demi spirit was panicking as it was being overwhelmed. It wasn't a magic type demi spirit and instead focused on physical action. The only magic it had took too long to chant and it was a fire type so the main threat, the masked human was most easily going to evade it.
It was desperately trying to find an out, before it spotted the magicians chanting and stomped into the ground, splitting it's focus from the masked human onto the magicians and rushed.
In it's thoughts, the masked human was as fast as it had inspected it during the fight. There was no way for him to help the doomed magicians, so when a fist slammed into its chin, it's eyes locking onto the very human it thought it had outsmarted, it was stumped.
It felt it's jaw crack before the head of the bull body underneath the female one on the back exploded. The shock became so strong, it completely froze, unable to even comprehend what had happened.
It crashed into the roof before landing back on the ground. The demi spirit, now having lost control of it's bull-like body, looked up through it's female eyes before it shivered in fear. The human was surrounded by a red aura that emanated death.
It completely engulfed it's vision as all it saw was the humans eyes glowing a bright shade of red before it disappeared out of it's sight.
The next moment, the world turned upside down as it wondered what was happening, before everything went black.
Bell had cut of it's head, using as much of Scourge as he could. He deactivated the skill before looking around, noticing the shaking of the other adventurers around, staring at him in fear. Has his skill gotten stronger? Or had he gotten strong enough that his skill was more intimidating?
Bell didn't try to figure out which was true, but instead walked over to Asfi who flinched slightly before composing himself.
"Well done" She began before turning on the oculus.
"The Demi spirit on Front 1 is dead. Where do you need us?" Asfi reported Finn's relieved voice came through.
"Well done! We need the masked man to reinforce Front 3. Riveria needs support against a magic type demi spirit. The rest of you stay and make sure no monsters get past you" Finn answered as Asfi looked at Bell and nodded before mouthing 'go'.
Bell smiled before he disappeared.
'Yeah, he's definitely stronger than level 5' She thought after she inspected the ash where the demi spirit had died.
=Knossos, Front 5=
Elora arrived at the front and was greeted to utter chaos. The group consisted of Bete, Tiona and Tione as the strongest from Loki familia and Shakti from Ganesha familia as their strongest.
They were fighting against Violas. One rushed Elora as she pulled out her shortsword, but before it reached her, it was crushed by a foot before a certain amazoness landed in front of her.
"Elora! Was it you? Great, we could use some help. What have ya got in your arsenal?" She asked energetically as Elora took down one Viola by slicing it in half.
"I got a wide area wind annihilation magic. I can concurrently chant as well" Tiona nodded.
"Alright, focus that on the group over there, it's the largest concentration" Tiona explained before she darted off towards a group of Ganesha familia members that were struggling.
Elora sprung forward, weaving in between her opponens fluently as she used her mind power to not only enhance her dexterity and agility, but also chant her magic.
"Through the protection of the forest, power flows through me." She began as some adventurers glanced at her chant. Bete sniffed and noticed her, scowling as he looked between her and her stomach.
'What the hell is she doing here? She's fucking pregnant!' Bete thought out angrily as he obliterated the head of a viola with a kick. He had told her last time to the hostess after she had puked in the toilet for the 5th time that night.
"May the call of the wind show us the way." Elora continued chanting as she sliced three more violas in half, level 3 monsters not standing a chance against a high level 4.
"It cuts down the enemies, who stand before me" She finished, before jumping high into the air before-
"Secatus Veti!" She pointed her sword forward as it became the medium for the spell, sending out hundreds of focus cut's that sliced through the violas with ease while evading all the adventurers.
"Well done, Elora!" Tione screamed out as the mass of enemies Elora had just killed freed her and a good number of people to help others out.
Elora continued and sprung forward and started killing even more violas before Tiona joined her as the two tore through their lines as Bete and Tione did the same at the other side.
Soon enough, the tide of the battle had turned in their favor as they continued pushing onwards towards the location of the Demi spirit.
=Knossos, Front 2=
Bache had arrived at Gareth's front fairly quickly and had melted into the group fairly fast as she decimated the enemy lines with her poison infused fists and kicks.
Gareth was doing so too, smashin through dozens of them with each swing of his axe as he shattered the lines in front of him.
The reason he had asked for Bache was because he was the only first class on the second front, having another would help greatly in putting some of the burden off of Gareth's back and it did wonders, just as he had expected.
The level 3's that had been accompanying Gareth had been struggling with the sea of level 3 monsters that had poured through the passageway towards the Demi spirit. Gareth had been the only reason they had hung on, but with Bache added into the fray, things got much more bearable for them as her battle crazed fighting style tearing holes in the enemy forces sent inspiring chills down everyone's spine.
That included with the very same inspiring destruction Gareth's powerful blows were inspiring and made sure that everyone was at their peak, fighting with vigor and emotion.
"Oy, Finn. The reinforcement you sent is really good!" Gareth complimented through the Oculus and he swore he heard a chuckle from the other side.
"How are things looking over there, Gareth?" He responded back as Gareth decimated another large group of plant monsters.
"A lot better. The Amazon sure helps out a lot!" He answered.
As time went on, the numbers kept dwindling and eventually, they started to make ground, moving forward towards their target.
=Knossos, Central command=
Finn was elated with the report that just came in, so much so that he breathed out a sigh of relief. Time had been bought as the song slowed down because of what happened.
"The Demi spirit on Front 1 is dead. Where do you need us?" That man sure is something else. Finn could only smile at the fact that the battle that Asfi had been in had turned over so fast the moment he had arrived at the scene.
"Captain, we are pushing onwards towards the Demi spirit. Elora sure is a big help" Tione reported from front 5. Before he could even respond-
"Oy, Finn. The reinforcement you sent is really good!" Finn chuckled at how the operation had done a complete 180 from the appearance of three people. Because of these three, the entire operation was becoming more and more of a success.
They had been kind of under armed with the Freya familia being awol, somewhere up north, but it seems that these three were filling their shoes brilliantly.
"The Demi spirit on front 3 has been eliminated. I give my praises to the royal executioner, he did brilliantly." Riveria's voice came in as Finn couldn't help but grin. The demi spirits of Front 1 and front 3 were done. What was left were the othe-
"Finn, The demi spirit here is toast" Gareth called
"Captain, we have taken down the demi spirit here" Tione's voice came through.
"Everyone, Well done! Reinforce fronts 4 and 6. Those are the last remaining Demi spirits!" Finn commanded as he got multiple 'Yes Captain'.
This battle had truly turned around quickly, but there was this weird feeling. It was all going too well, as if things were almost meant to turn out like this.
=Knossos, Hidden passageway=
"So, Dionysus. Looks like your plan is being flipped on you" Loki asked
"..." Dionysus was silent as he gazed at the ground as he stared through the divine mirror that overlooked the battle. Things had been progressing so well until those three meddlesome people arrived.
"Ha….hahahahaha" He started laughing hysterically as his divine pride was completely sure of his victory.
"You think I didn't anticipate this? I have been planning this for 17 years and worked meticulously to eliminate any potential unaccounted factors. I had help of course, from someone you have been to blind to even notice. How do you think I got rid of that damn pesky boy?" Those words sent Loki spiraling backwards a few steps as she took in his words.
'Boy?' She thought for a second before it clicked.
"You mean you..?" She seethed out as Dionysus grinned. As the last two of the supposed 6 Demi spirits songs were extinguished. For a split second, Loki believed they had won, but when she saw the grin on Dionysus' face widen, a dreaded sound blew across the entire Knossos.
The song had reignited from where it left off.
"A seventh one!?" Loki screeched out as Dionysus laughed and spread his arms.
"Exactly right! I foresaw that the boy would become a nuisance, but I couldn't get rid of him on my own, no that would be too obvious! I simply asked a certain goddess to help me out! She did a wonderful job, and the boy is nowhere to be seen and I can finally enact my Orgia!" He called out as if he had already won, that his divine will had come to fruition as Loki frowned hard.
"I have to give you credit though Loki, I never expected your children to reach level 7 before my plan came to fruition. Why do you think I had Filvis plant evidence up north of the boy being there?" Dionysus teased as Loki's eyes widened. He had intentionally weakened their forces because of her unexpected gain from the last expedition. Her frown deepened as she brought out the magic item they had been gifted and listened.
"Everyone mobilize on the 11th floor!"
"Huh…?" That slightly surprised Dionysus as he hadn't anticipated that all demi spirits were already dead, unable to be enhanced to a monster rex status.
"No matter. The symbol of Nidhogg at the center is already too far progressed with the song. By the time your forces reach there, it will already be far too late" He said before a voice came through the magic item.
"Sword Princess, is it possible for you to lend me your wind?" The voice of a man that Dionysus did not know reached his ears as he became confused.
"Awaken, Tempest" Ais' voice came through before a large blow of wind was heard.
"Thank you" The voice was confusing Dionysus to no end.
"Who is that!?" He called out, almost demanding Loki to answer as she grinned.
"An unforeseen Nuisance" She replied as the final battle of the crisis would ensue
That's chapter 21! Sorry if the information doesn't completely match SO12. I haven't read it in a while and the details are a little whimsy. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to the next chapter 'Heroes'. Welp, nothing else to day so I will get right into the reviews.
Hunternight:Are you going to give Bell a new skill like Liaris Freese or modify the skill? Because I cannot see Bell progressing without it.
Author: I can't really tell you now can I? Whether it happens or not would be a huge spoiler and as some of you may know, I am fully against spoilers of any kind. Always let the readers experience it first hand or it will be ruined.
Kid Drive: At this rate Bell must be level 7 instead of 6 in order to return to Orario.
Also Kaius is the other level 7? & is from Zeus Familia?. i'm surprised I was expecting the other level 7 (who was said to be the "King of Knights"?) to be from another familia.
When I first started reading this I was expecting "just another edgy betrayed Bell Fanfic" but when I saw that it was made by the same author as Heroic Will which was the first Fanfiction that I read(& what got me into Fanfics in the first place) I was really hype and I wasn't disappointed.
Author: Yeah, he does and the other level 7 is nicknamed 'The King of Knights' in the empire as he technically is just that, but he was originally from Zeus Familia.
I am happy you weren't disappointed with the story so far :)
alex882: This story keeps getting more interesting! I wonder if Hera will be included in the future, she had quite a bit of power before the OEBD.
Author: You'd be surprised on who we're planning to add, though, if we add Hera, Zeus or another group you'll find out. And the wait will be worth it.