Author:
So my boys in the webnovel said I should skip the combat scene so I'll do just that.
And since we'll do a time skip, I might as well get the most out of it. If all goes well, the next chapter will be the last for season 1. After that, we go into the war game the Ishtar part. For Ares, I'll just time skip that guy.
Btw I'll correct myself in my other previous statements, Haruhime's rescue is in season 2, I thought it was in season 3 my bad. I haven't watched Danmachi for a long time so my memory is a bit clanky and I get some information wrong. But hey, that's a good news for us. That means we just need one more season.
If the planning goes well and I can cut a lot of corners off, we can expect Alfia's debut at around 30ish chapter, especially if I can maintain the high word count per chapter.
And for those who are wondering why it took so long for me to update, I've been cranking that soulja boi
∆∆∆∆
30th Day Since The MS Begins
∆∆∆∆
[Today's the day the kid gets to fight the minotaur.]
"I know." Yuuya murmured.
It's been weeks since Yuuya got his sword and a lot of things have happened since then.
First is that Hestia almost had a heart attack when Bell reads a book that Syr gave to him.
The said book is apparently a grimoire which cost a lot. But everything turned out fine in the end.
As for the two week dungeon ban from Eina, when that is lifted off, he goes back to wearing his helmet and armor.
Though, there are times when Bell caught him in the dungeon, Bell stayed real and didn't snitch to Eina.
Now it'll be lying if we said Bell isn't scared when he first saw Yuuya. Bell is afraid but for an entirely different reason. It's not because what Yuuya has been doing is against their advisor's words no.
Bell is afraid that if Yuuya gets caught, he will be scolded as well.
As for Hestia who is bound to find out why Yuuya's stats are growing despite being in a ban during those two weeks, well, Bell and Yuuya managed to convince her.
How? Well, when Hestia confronted Yuuya about it, saying how it's borderline illegal, Yuuya just placed a hand on Hestia's shoulder.
He then told the goddess and I quote, "Goddess, it isn't illegal if no one finds out."
Hestia wants to resist at first but Bell, who was influenced and borderline hypnotized by Yuuya that day to convince him it isn't illegal, also placed a hand on her shoulder and repeated Yuuya's word.
Faced with this predicament and the fact that her children are breaking the law, Hestia eventually caved in.
Oh, they also acquired new friend named Lili. She's a supporter, which is a big help for Bell. Very nice. What isn't nice though is that she betrayed Bell due of her bad experience to adventurers. Though you cannot really blame her.
Bell almost ascended to Tenkai. Lili almost kicked the bucket. But in the end, everything is fine thankfully. The asshole adventurers who are the main culprit as we know is, well, dead.
Lastly, Yuuya has reached rank S in all of his stats.
~~~~
Yuuya Mitsukuji
Race: Human
Level 3
Strength: 910
Endurance: 925
Agility: 905
Dexterity: 942
Magic: 930
Development abilities:
Mage (Rank G)
Luck (Rank I)
Skills:
Ingenium Insuperabile
Regen
Magic:
AEEOC
Skill/Magic Creation
Satanas Verion
Genos Angelus
Mana: 3930/3930
Excelia: 2,689,527/4,000,000
~~~~
With his current stat points, he has the strength of a high level 4 and rivals that of even a level 5.
[With your current stat, how about fighting the floor boss in the 27th floor?] Said the system.
Yuuya shuddered, the memory of fighting the Black Goliath still fresh in his mind.
"Not my current priority besides, it was already dead. It's what allows us to venture beyond the 27th floor." Said Yuuya. "My objective for now is get all of my stats maxed out as well as make sure Bell and the others doesn't die to that Black Goliath."
[Fair enough. Though, it's a waste you couldn't be at least at level 4 before the event on the 18th floor.]
"We can do it later and I swear," Yuuya stopped for a moment, his expression darkening. "If I get another black variant, I'm gonna lose it."
Jinxing yourself. Nice.
Anyways, you guys might be wondering. What our protagonist that is Yuuya, currently doing.
Well, he is currently on the bed and feeling lazy. The sunlight was unusually warm, hitting the basement floor in a lazy, golden rectangle.
Yuuya then groaned, pulling the blanket over his head. He woke up late and quite frankly, chooses to wake up late. He didn't hear the clatter of Bell's armor or Hestia's morning bustling, except for the system who tells him today is the day Bell fights the cow. Again. Other than that, they had already left.
'Whatever,' Yuuya thought, his eyes half closed. 'Bell's out with Lili. Goddess is at the stand. I've been grinding until my bones ache for days. I'm staying right here.'
He felt like a boulder—solid, immovable, and perfectly content to be lazy.
[You really aren't going to go watch Bell fight the cow?]
'Go away, System,' Yuuya grumbled internally. 'I'm taking a day off.'
[Bitch I'm bored as hell.]
'Cry about it'
[Man... Oh. Ohhhhh.] Said the system. As if it had just discovered a treasure.
'What?'
[Hate to break it to you man but I won this one.]
Yuuya's eyes snapped open under the blanket, but he didn't move yet.
'Its just the Minotaur right...? The one Ottar educated for Bell. It's fine. Bell wins that. It's his awakening. He gets his Level 2 and the respect of the Loki Familia. I'll just go down later to treat them to dinner.'
[Yeah... about that. I just detected an unexpected variable in the timeline.]
Yuuya froze.
'Variable? What do you mean? You said the major events stay the same.'
[The "outcome" stays the same. Bell wins. But the process took a different route. And...]
'and...?' Replied Yuuya, waiting for an answer.
[Bell will defeat the Minotaur yes. Though there's a massive chance of him not being in one piece afterward. We're talking about missing limbs or permanent retirement levels of injury.]
"Why didn't you lead with that?!" Yuuya roared, throwing the blankets aside with such force they hit the ceiling.
In a blur, Yuuya was off the bed. He didn't have time for the full ritual of his armor. He grabbed his combat leathers, sliding into them with practiced, frantic speed.
He snatched Kurotsuki from its stand, the black scabbard clicking into his belt.
He wore his armor just in case but didn't grab his helmet. There was no time to be.
"Where is he?!" Yuuya demanded, lacing his boots so fast the leather groaned.
[9th Floor. Large chamber near the descent to the 10th. He's already engaged. You have approximately seven minutes before things get messy.]
Yuuya immediately bolted out the abandoned church. Not even bothering to close the doors as he rushed towards the dungeon.
The citizens of Orario only saw a silver and black blur streak go pass. He wasn't running; he was practically teleporting, his feet barely touching the cobblestones as he headed for the Tower of Babel.
'Mind telling me what goes wrong now?' Asked Yuuya, his mind frantic.
[Yes. So unlike in the original where Ais, Bete, and Tiona managed to go through Ottar, in this one, they didn't. Ottar remains unmoved even with Riveria and Finn's presence. He is dead set in not letting them through.]
Upon hearing this, Yuuya just stayed silence for a while. The sound of his foot hitting the ground becomes a distant noise.
Then finally, he clicked his tongue. He is angry.
He is not angry towards Ottar or anyone, he is angry to his self.
All this time, he is trying his best not to interfere to the timeline as much as possible.
Despite the system's reassurance, he still chooses to let things go and make himself an extra.
A background character.
He remains ignorant or rather, he chooses to ignore the fact that this world is already different from what he known.
And now, because of this same ignorance, a life is in danger because of him.
'If that kid didn't fulfill his wish to her because of me, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.'
∆∆∆∆
The corridor leading to the chamber where Bell is fighting the minotaur was thick with a tension that felt physical, like a storm front held back by a single, immovable mountain.
Ottar, the "King" of Orario, stood like a monolith of muscle and divine purpose. His arms were crossed over his massive chest, his shadow swallowing the path forward.
Facing him were the legends of the Loki Familia—Finn, Riveria, Bete, and the twins, Tiona and Tione.
And, of course, Ais Wallenstein.
"Move, Ottar," Bete snarled, his fangs bared, his boots sparking against the stone. "A brat is going to get turned into a red smear if we don't get in there!"
Ottar's eyes didn't flicker.
"Ottar, you know this is going to stir a lot of controversy right? Is this an order from your Goddess?" Asked Finn.
"I am doing this of my own accord. You could say I take an interest in the kid." Lied Ottar, protecting his goddess.
"Then what will you do if the kid dies?" Asked Riveria.
"Then it's a disappointment."
"And the potential backlash of the guild?"
"I do not care."
Ais gripped the hilt of Desperate, her knuckles white. She could hear it—the heavy, rhythmic sound of the Minotaur's strikes and Bell's ragged, desperate gasps from the distance.
Bell is currently stuck in a cycle of pure survival. He is still traumatized by his last encounter with the minotaur.
And without the motivation that he will originally get by getting protected by Ais again, the pressure is slowly crushing him.
"Ottar, please," Ais whispered, her voice trembling.
"No." the King replied.
Frankly, they cannot do anything. The corridor they are standing on is narrow. They cannot attack all at the same time because of the small space.
A battle would also risk collapsing the place they are standing on. If that happens, not only is the expedition of the Loki familia might be disrupted, in the worst case scenario, it'll be cancelled as a whole.
And Finn cannot afford that. He cannot risk the life of Riveria and the others including himself because of one person.
If they aslo want to fight Ottar, they need to hold back to not collapse the place. But in doing so, they won't be able to break through.
Everyone is starting to lose hope. Even Riveria is already drafting an explanation to the guild and to the familia of the unfortunate adventurer.
But then, it happened.
The sounds of the Dungeon—the distant groans of the walls, the crackle of Bete's aura, even the frantic fighting in the next room—simply vanished.
It was the silence of the jungle kind. It was the moment a predator enters the clearing and every other living thing instinctively holds its breath to avoid being noticed.
Tap
Tap
The sound of a single pair of footsteps echoed through the silent corridor.
They weren't heavy, but they possessed a terrifying certainty.
The Loki familia elites turned, their weapons half raised in a reflex they didn't even understand. Out of the darkness of the 8th Floor passage, a figure emerged.
It's a man, whose physique is hugged by his armor. His weapon on his waist, His jet black hair fell over eyes that weren't the eyes of an adventurer—they were the eyes of an abnormality.
"Who...?" Riveria started, her grip on her staff tightening instinctively.
Finn and the others felt like they had seen him before but cannot quite put a finger on it. They didn't know it was Yuuya just without his helmet.
For Yuuya, he looked beyond angry. He was still carrying the same anger he had ever since the system told him what changes.
Yuuya didn't even look at them except for Lili who is at Riveria's lap, examining her injury. He then walked past them as if they were statues. His focus was entirely on the massive Boaz standing in the center of the path.
Ottar finally uncrossed his arms. His primal instincts, the ones that had kept him at the top of Orario for decades, were screaming at him. He didn't see a boy; he saw a storm dressed in human skin.
Yuuya stopped at arm's length from the King. The height difference was massive, but the pressure radiating from Yuuya made it feel like he was the one looking down.
The black haired youth tilted his head slightly, his eyes cold, sharp, and utterly devoid of patience.
"Move."
With a single word, the air between them instantly became heavier.
He didn't scream. He simply walked into the kill zone of the strongest adventurer in Orario, perhaps the world, and made his statement.
The visual was absurd. Ottar, the massive Boaz King, looked down with a gaze that had weathered centuries of violence. Yuuya looked up, his face devoid of any emotions.
Ottar didn't move. Why would he? To him, the adventurer standing before him was just an insect.
Seeing Ottar unwilling to move, Yuuya sighs. Without a word, he enters < Limit Off > and wind up a punch.
Yuuya knows he cannot win a battle against Ottar. After all, no matter how absurd his stats may be for a level 3, Ottar is still a level 7 and that's not accounting for his skills, development abilities, etc.
But Yuuya doesn't need to win against Ottar, he just needs to make him move aside or make a scenario where he can pass through.
Luckily, Yuuya knows one of Ottar's habit. One that he will exploit.
What habit? It was Ottar's physical endurance. As a level 7, he absolutely believes that nothing in the lower world could penetrate his physical vessel.
Ottar saw the punch coming. It was fast—frighteningly fast for a Level 3—but to Ottar's eyes, it was a move he could block with a finger.
Yet, he didn't. Maybe he wanted to see the look on Yuuya's face when his fist shattered against his abdominal muscles.
Perhaps he wanted to see the moment Yuuya realized the gap between talent and the peak.
But if anything, Ottar is intrigued. He wanted to see what made Yuuya so confident into attacking him. Is it frustration? Desperation? He wants to find out.
And he will.
As Yuuya's left fist approaches Ottar, he uses everything in his disposal in this one punch. His strength, his magic, his development ability, everything.
Why? Because this isn't just a normal punch. He wasn't aiming to just hit Ottar's skin; he was using the skin as a conductor.
Just a millimeter before his knuckles made contact with the Boaz's stomach, Yuuya breathed the command.
•Gospel•
The spell Satanas Verion didn't travel through the air this time. It was discharged directly through his hand.
It's the gospel punch.
[Physics Lesson mate: You can harden your skin until it's like diamond, but sound is a mechanical wave. It doesn't care about your defense stat; it only cares about the density of the medium. And Ottar, you are one very, very dense medium.]
BOOM
The sound wasn't a wet thud. It was the sound of a cathedral bell being struck by a meteor. The sonic vibration bypassed Ottar's legendary durability, rippling through his internal organs, his spine, and his very equilibrium.
The punch has landed perfectly on Ottar's stomach, right exactly where his liver is.
The intensity was so high that for a split second, the air around them turned white.
The shockwave didn't blow Ottar backward—Yuuya is still lacking in strength to do that.
But Ottar's eyes, previously bored and amused, went wide. His pupils contracted. The air was forced out of his lungs in a silent gasp. His knees, which had never buckled under the weight of a floor boss, hit the stone floor of the 9th Floor with a bone jarring crack.
The King was on his knees.
And the path is now clear.
The silence that followed was deafening. The Loki Familia elites—Finn, Riveria, Ais—stood paralyzed.
They had just watched an adventurer they didn't even know about bring the strongest man in Orario to the ground with a single, unadorned strike.
Yuuya pulled his hand back, his knuckles smoking. He looks far too casual, as if what he had just done is nothing but his eyes never left Ottar's.
He didn't gloat. He didn't even look surprised. He just looked down at the kneeling King.
"I told you," Yuuya's voice was a low, dangerous rasp that vibrated in the silent corridor.
"Move."
Ottar remained on his knees, his massive hands braced against the stone floor, his head bowed as he fought to regain the simple ability to breathe.
The Loki Familia elites were statues. Even Finn, whose mind usually analyzes a battle with a terrifying speed, was momentarily offline.
Yuuya didn't glance at them. His eyes were fixed on the passage leading to the circular chamber, where the sound of Bell's struggle was reaching a desperate crescendo.
He knew the narrative. He knew that if he walked in there, the story would change into a rescue. But if she walked in there, the story would become a legend.
Or that's what he chooses to believe at the very least.
[You're doing it again.] Said the system. [You're being stubborn again.]
Yuuya didn't answer.
Instead, he turned his head slightly toward Ais.
"Go." Yuuya said.
It wasn't a suggestion. It was a command—short, sharp, and backed by the authority of a man who had just brought a Level 7 to his knees.
Ais snapped out of her stupor. Her golden eyes met Yuuya's cold, black gaze for a fraction of a second. She saw the urgency, the faith he had in the boy in the next room, and the silent warning that the clock was ticking.
She didn't speak. She gave a single, sharp nod, adjusted her grip on Desperate, and vanished—a blur of wind and silver rushing toward the roar of the Minotaur.
Yuuya didn't follow her immediately. Instead, he took one slow, deliberate look back at Ottar.
The Boaz was starting to move, his legendary endurance finally beginning to clear the sonic fog from his brain. He looked up, and for the first time in decades, Ottar's eyes held something that looked like recognition.
For a moment, he didn't see an adventurer; he saw a ghost of the Hera Familia's unyielding spirit—an anomaly that didn't care about levels, only results.
Yuuya didn't say a word. He didn't gloat about the punch or threaten the King. He simply stared, his face as cold and unreadable as the starlight steel of his blade. The message was clear: Stay down.
Leaving the King in the dust and the Loki Familia in a state of total disorientation, Yuuya turned and walked toward the chamber.
∆∆∆∆
The atmosphere in the circular chamber of the 9th Floor was suffocating.
When Yuuya entered the chamber, he felt like he was watching the anime all over again.
The only difference is that he is experiencing it in real time.
Bell was on the ground, and he is a mess. His breathing was a series of ragged, wet stutters, and his grip on Elucidator was slipping due to the sweat and blood coating his palms.
A few feet away was the Minotaur—a beast that seemed to grow larger and more terrifying with every second of Bell's hesitation.
In front of him, Ais stood with her sword drawn.
"You've done well, I'll save you now." Said Ais.
...
'...save me?' Said Bell.
'I'll be saved... Again...?'
The memories of the past then came back to Bell, haunting him.
The scene in the pub where Bete berated him, the laugh of the people who find his situation funny, and most painfully, his promise to Alfia.
"You'll become a hero? What a joke!"
The voice in his mind laughs at him.
"Is this what a hero is? Someone this pathetic that he is being saved all over again? Aren't you supposed to be the one saving others!?"
The voice in his head followed, it started sounding angrier by the second.
'No... Please shut up...' thought Bell, clutching his head. Trying to muffle the sound
On the outside, Yuuya stood still for a moment. He didn't expect this development in any way.
"There's something wrong..." He whispered to himself.
[Yuuya, Bell is drifting. Ais's action should be the catalyst for him to stand up again but—] The system paused, as if looking at the boy as well. [Ais's action is doing the opposite. It's kicking him further down into the abyss. Yuuya, Ais's action indirectly affected Bell's memory to Alfia.]
Back to Bell, the voice in his head just gets even more relentless.
"HOW DARE YOU PROMISE TO ME YOU'LL BECOME MY HERO!? HOW DARE YOU TELL ME YOU'LL BECOME THE LAST HERO AND GIVE ME A FALSE HOPE!?"
In a cruel twist of event, the voice in Bell's mind started to sound terrifyingly like Alfia's. It was blaming him for his own weakness and it's only kicking Bell further down into his despair.
"HOW CAN YOU PROMISE SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHEN YOU CANNOT EVEN SAVE YOURSELF!?"
'Please stop... Stop... No more...' thought Bell, clutching his head even tighter as tears stream down his face.
"Just admit it already Bell." The voice in his head this time took a form of his own voice. "You're just a child. "You're just one pathetic, coward, good for nothing loser who will never grow up."
Just then, when Bell is near to the point of no return, a shadow of a man fell over the floor, knelt in front of Bell.
It was Yuuya. He cannot just stand by anymore and watch the boy fall into despair. He knows he needs to do something.
[Go on Yuuya, remind him. Tell our little hero who he's really fighting for.]
'I know.' Yuuya replied as he placed a hand on Bell's shoulder.
Upon feeling Yuuya's hand, Bell finally snapped out from his predicament. Slowly, he looks up until his gaze meets Yuuya's.
"Yuuya-bro...?" Said Bell, his voice fragile.
"Yeah it's me." Yuuya said, his voice low and steady in the chaos.
"Y-Yuuya-bro... I can't... she's protecting me again... and I'm just..." Bell's eyes were unfocused, darting between the Minotaur and Ais.
"Stop looking at the Sword Princess." Yuuya said softly.
Yuuya chooses his next words carefully, keeping the secret of Bell's lineage buried from anyone who might be listening, while giving Bell the words he needs to hear.
"I don't know what that voice in your head—if there is one—is telling you right now. But whatever cruel thing it may say to you, don't believe them. You know your mother better than anyone, Bell. She would never tell you those words, you know how much she loves you. The letter that she left for you is more than enough proof of that." Yuuya said.
Yuuya paused for a second, looking at Bell's face.
"Bell, stop belittling yourself. You're capable of greater things. Stop looking at the sword princess, she isn't the one you gave your word to. I'm not telling you to forget your resolve to catch up to her, instead, use that to fuel your determination to grow." Yuuya explained softly to Bell.
Yuuya's hand on Bell's shoulder tightened just a little bit.
"And lastly, more than anything, Bell, remember the field. Remember the smile of the person whom you made your promise to in that village." Finished Yuuya while his expression softened and as he offered Bell a soft, genuine smile.
When those last words left Yuuya's mouth, Bell's pupils contracted. The image of the silver haired woman—his mother—flashed through his mind. The woman who gave up everything to ensure he could have a future.
"You told her you'd be her hero, is this the hero she's proud of? The one who shakes in front of a cow?" Yuuya jokes lightly.
Bell's breath hitched. The trembling in his hand didn't stop, but it changed from fear into a desperate, rising heat.
"She's not here to save you, Bell. But her strength? That's a different story."
Yuuya reached out and gripped the blade of Elucidator. The mythril in the sword's construction hummed as it sensed the mana.
•Gospel•
Yuuya didn't discharge the spell into the air. He funneled the vibration directly into the sword. The black blade began to thrum with a high pitched, crystalline frequency. A resonance of the Hera Familia. The air around the sword rippled, distorting light and sound alike.
"Turn that cow into a steak for me will you?" Said Yuuya as he stood up and gave Bell's shoulder one last, grounding squeeze.
"Go, Bell. Become the hero you promised her you'll be. She will be with you in every step."
As Yuuya stepped back, Bell felt it. The Elucidator wasn't just a sword anymore; it was a physical extension of the vow he had made to Alfia. The vibration of the gospel traveling through his arm felt like her hand over his, steadying his hands.
Bell rises up once more, walks past Ais and he didn't even look at her. He also didn't spare a look at the Loki Familia who just arrived.
He gaze is focused entirely at the minotaur where he saw not a monster, but a hurdle on the path of his promise to Alfia.
"Yuuya-bro." Said Bell.
"Hm?"
"How do you like your steak?"
Yuuya grinned.
[That's the spirit.]
"Medium rare."
Bell smirked, feeling better than he previously was.
"Coming right up!"
And so, with a roar that tore through the silence of the 9th Floor, the rabbit charged once more.
This time, he isn't afraid anymore. He wasn't running away anymore.
He was now chasing the legend he had promised to create.
∆∆∆∆
The chamber was a chaotic orchestra of violence, but for the onlookers, the focal point shifted the moment a small, pained voice broke through the tension.
On the outskirts of the battle, Lili who has finally stirred awake. Her vision was blurry, her body a map of bruises from the previous chaos, but the sight of Bell's white hair dancing amidst the Minotaur's strikes jolted her awake.
She saw Yuuya standing motionless in the, his gaze fixed on the boy. She didn't see a protector; she saw a man who seemed to be letting her master die.
"Y-Yuuya-sama!" Lili's voice cracked, a desperate plea that carried over the sound of clashing steel. "Please! You have to save him! Bell-sama is... he's going to...!"
The name hit the Loki Familia like a physical blow.
Bete, who had been leaning against the wall, nursing the lingering ache in his ears from the gospel punch earlier, suddenly stiffened. His eyes snapped toward the armored figure.
"Yuuya?" Bete snarled, the name tasting like copper and shame in his mouth. "The tin-can from the pub...?"
The realization rippled through the executives. Finn's eyes narrowed, his thumb tracing the hilt of his spear.
Riveria's breath hitched. They had spent the last few minutes wondering about the identity of this adventurer.
"It's him." Tiona whispered, her usual excitement replaced by a wary respect. "The one who brought the King to his knees."
Bete's instincts flared. He looked back at the corridor where they last saw Ottar, then at Yuuya, and finally at the boy, Bell and just clicked his tounge.
Yuuya didn't turn to look at Lili. He didn't acknowledge Bete's snarl. He simply stood like a monument of starlight steel.
"He'll be fine Lili." Yuuya's voice was a low, metallic rasp that silenced the girl's sobbing. "I promise I'll interfere if push comes to shove."
"Neh Yuuya..." Started Tiona. "Are you sure about this? He's a level 1 right?"
"I am, Tiona. Just watch."
(Author: I'll turn off my brain while writing Bell's fight scene since I don't have any motivation to create fight scenes right now lel. So pardon me in advance if this part is ass.)
Back to Bell, his sword Elucidator turned into a high frequency vibration blade thanks to Yuuya casting Alfia's spell into it and thus, increasing its sharpness.
The battle begins, and it is a grueling, visceral display of endurance. Bell is still outclassed physically, but he uses his advantages: one is that he is faster and two, the increased sharpness of his sword.
Bell doesn't bother in trading blows, he dodges because after all, he was still outclassed in strength.
(Author: for those who are wondering, most of Bell's stats are around 1000~1300 points.)
But that doesn't mean Bell doesn't meet its strikes, he still parries when given the chance.
Every time he does, he chips away the edge of the Minotaur's greatsword.
When the beast tries to block Bell's slash with its dense muscle, the blade just cuts it thanks to its increased sharpness.
The chamber is filled with a constant, bone shaking hum. Bell moves like a man possessed, his feet finding the best position on the stone floor through sheer instinct.
The Loki Familia observes in a chilling silence. They see the rabbit fighting a war of attrition. He isn't winning through a miracle; he is winning because he refuses to let the blade stop singing.
Bell is utilizing every inch of his training, pivoting and weaving just outside the reach of the beast's horns.
Every time Bell feels his stamina flagging, the vibration in his hand— her spell—acts as a physical reminder of the woman who held him. It's not just magic; it's a tether to his identity.
The Minotaur is covered in deep gashes. It's exhausted, its breath coming in ragged plumes of steam. Bell stands ten feet away, his chest heaving, his eyes locked onto the monster's heart.
The spell on Elucidator is running out but Bell won't just let it go to waste. He lunges once again towards the minotaur.
The minotaur seeing this, makes the mistake of trying to pulverize Bell by throwing a punch. Which only hits nothing but air as Bell dodges it.
By instinct, the minotaur raised it's other hand—the one holding the greatsword—to protect itself.
With the last remaining embers of Yuuya's gospel on Elucidator, Bell swung with all of his might.
The blade landed on the minotaurs wrist, stopping for a second as it meets resistance, before continuing in its motion.
The blade goes through, cutting the Minotaur's hand as it falls to the ground together with the sword.
ROARRRRRR
The beast roared in agony as a result but Bell isn't done yet.
Without wasting a moment, Bell puts his sword back into its sheath and makes his way into the greatsword and picking it up.
Using it, he immediately attacks the minotaur. Giving the beast a new set of wounds as it roars in pain.
The minotaur tries to counter attack by throwing a punch towards Bell but he easily dodges it before slashing the minotaur again, making it stumble a few steps back.
The space between them creates a moment for them to catch their breath as they both stare each other down.
'This is it Bell, just a little more.' Thought Yuuya while looking at Bell's back—the back of a boy who has finally stopped letting his own self hold him back.
The minotaur then got into all fours as it prepares for charge.
Bell didn't falter instead, he stood his ground.
Then, they charge.
Bell lunges forward as the minotaur does the same. His greatsword met that of the minotaurs horn.
Which upon impact, Bell's weapon shattered into pieces.
For a moment, everyone thought it was over for Bell. Even Yuuya is about to cast gospel even though he knows Bell will win.
And Bell did not disappoint.
The minotaur tried to take out Bell with its horn but Bell dodges by pivoting.
While doing so, he unsheathes Elucidator, planted his feet, and then thrusted forward. Stabbing the minotaur in its abdomen as the blade bit deep into its torso.
Blood rushes out of the Minotaurs mouth as it reels from its injury.
It was about to crush Bell but—
•Firebolt•
Bell channeled his magic through his sword which made the firebolt ignite inside the minotaur.
Which resulted in flames coming out of the minotaurs wounds as more blood rushes out of its mouth.
•Firebolt!•
Another one.
But it still isn't enough to kill it.
Bell knows this.
And he doesn't care.
•FIREBOLT!!!•
In the third firebolt, the Minotaur's endurance cannot hold on anymore. The beast's body contorted, looking like balloon who was pumped with too much air.
And what happens to a balloon when it cannot hold on the excess air anymore?
It explodes.
The Minotaur's body exploded, taking its entire torso along with it. Only leaving it's lower body. Which immediately turned into dust
Bell stood in the center of it all his chest heaving, his eyes wild. He held Elucidator high, the blade still humming a faint, fading note of the silver haired woman's melody as the last of Yuuya's spell goes silent.
He had done it.
He had won.
"Well done, Bell." Yuuya said softly, reaching out to catch the boy before he hit the ground. "You made her proud."
∆∆∆∆
Author: Next chapter will be the last for season 1 so it might take a bit of time to finish. If I were to give an estimate, it'll be more or less at 10k words.
After that, if I follow the pace of the anime (which is my main source), we will be looking at 12 chapters for season 2. Once that is finished, we now go into the long awaited Alfia arc.