Bell dodge the incoming swipe and responded with a slash of his own with a wooden weapon. He and Welf were sparring with Mikoto, Ouka and other members of the Takemikazuchi Familia. When their goddess and captain took the female members of the familia to Britain for clothes shopping, Bell and Welf decided it was important to build up their teamwork and hone their skills.

"How's it going, Welf?" Bell asked, swinging his wooden sword at Mikoto who parried it and made her own counterattack. Welf was gritting his teeth as his own practice weapon was struggling to resist Ouka's wooden ax when the man was pressuring him with his own natural strength.

"Pretty fine here, Bell!" Welf grunted as he pushed Ouka away from himself and tried to regain his position. "Nice swing by the way, Ouka." the smith complimented.

"You're not bad yourself. Narrowly avoid that one!" Ouka responded as the two older boys sported grins on their faces as they all continued to spar.

*30 minutes later…*

Gulping down the last of the water, Bell sighed in relief as he wiped away his sweat with a cloth. He was developing a few new attacks with his Mana Burst skills but was hitting a wall with them. In order to clear his mind from this mental block he was suffering from, he had this spar with the Takemikazuchi Familia to let his mind drift. Seeing Mikoto's fighting style reminded him of Hakuno's swordsmanship, a spark of inspiration was drawn.

"Mikoto-san," Bell spoke up, using the honorifics of the Far East his captain taught in her spare time, "What kind of sword style does my captain use exactly?" he asked. Now this caught everyone's attention, especially the god in the familia himself as he was the one to speak.

"She uses the Iaidō, a martial art of quickdrawing and immediate response to attacks. It is a rather complex and difficult martial art to learn at your current age, Bell-kun." Takemikazuchi explained. "In the Far East, most study martial arts at a young age to help hone their skill. And your captain, Bell-kun, has studied the blade." he admitted with admiration and respect in his tone.

"Is learning it that difficult?" Bell asked. Unsure of it.

"It requires a mentality one develops from diligent training and focus. Your mentality, Bell-kun, is incompatible with it. It requires that of a warrior, which you are not." the war god answered him.

Well, Bell admitted, he couldn't picture himself stoic and aloof like Hakuno can be at times. But his captain did encourage him to try improving himself in various ways in order to become stronger. He figured from his spar with Mikoto, why not learn of the blades of the Far East? He's heard Welf's giddy giggles whenever he passes a specific hallway with a small special stand housing Hakuno's katana.

Even Bell had to admire the beauty and craftsmanship of that blade. His Goddess said that Hakuno had it on her person when the familia first started and a glimpse of those memories confirmed it. Seeing her in action with that sword once was captivating. Even his second crush, Ais was put in danger by the mere skill of Hakuno's swordsmanship despite having a higher level than the captain.

He wanted to understand the world those two girls stand at, and if learning how to wield a sword similar to the two could bring a sense of understanding. Perhaps he'll be able to converse more with the two on more advice from their personal experiences.

(*In other words, he wants to get closer to them by learning how to use a sword like they do.)

"Takemikazuchi-sama, is it at least possible to learn the basics of your homeland's swordsmanship?" Bell asked. Now this elicited an excited response from Mikoto and Takemikazuchi in an instant. Joy and pride, and happy smiles from the others of the god's familia. It seems that his luck was starting to turn around.

With Welf, he cupped his chin in thought, recalling Hakuno's rather odd request of forging a set of swords from the Far East. He had no idea why, but he wasn't going to deny a request from his captain, who loved to help criticize his works in order for him to improve. It actually gave the smith an idea, especially since he finished one of the blades in the incomplete set.

*Holy Empire-The Divine Purity*

"I see, so the Witch has succeeded in capturing our brave heroes and throwing them into the grips of those heretical gods." the Archdeacon stated as the Templar knelt before the man of the cloth faithfully.

"That they have Your Holiness," the Templar answered with his eyes closed. "No doubt the Witch has learned of us and is preparing a retaliation soon." the Archdeacon chuckled at this and the Templar nodded his head in silent understanding. "There is another Witch that's been commanding wyverns and a disturbing summoner that conjures abominations attacking our Executioners. They are believed to be on par with the Freya Familia if reports from survivors are accurate."

"Then they will be dealt with in due time. But first, Kishinami."

"I shall marshall our armies to begin a siege against Orario. The Godseal is almost ready for launch."

"Good, that Edison fellow was quite helpful in the improvements of the device. Soon, the Familia Myth will end, forever. All Hail the Lord."

*Dungeon Core*

Asherah felt it from outside. Although she can no longer see the sun thanks to the additional seals Ouranos has added long ago. Gaia was here too, cleansing the malice and curses of the billion souls of the Greater History trapped down here with her. Several of her children, the Xenos, were her pride and joy, for they broke free of the malice and regained their human sentience. When she reformatted the Dungeon, she made sure the sanctuary zones were left untouched so they could survive. They've improved on their survivability by robbing from adventurers, which was clever and amusing to this goddess. But at the same time she was sulking.

The boy that had Elohim's essence had not entered the Dungeon as of late, and the young witch too. She wanted to see them in action, and attempt to talk to the witch the most. She sensed the temporal anomaly on the girl's soul, one that signified someone outside of this world's history and had gotten her quite interested in the girl. The girl who knew the truth of the god's sins and the consequences of their actions. But since it came to this, Asherah decided she needed to take matters into her own hands.

The seals that chained her to this dark pit have weakened over the years since she was locked away initially, corroding after the spawning of countless monsters damaging the divine powers holding her back. She used her Arcanum to create a lesser vessel, a mortal avatar to blend into the surface and find those she sought. As she did so, she mused to herself. What would the goddesses she was friends with react?