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Chapter 87: Settlement
We must look back to the time of Bell's training with Reborn.
"Haa... Haa..."
Bell was sparring with Reborn in a dense forest with incredibly poor visibility. Reborn's small stature made him impossible to track in the brush, and his speed was entirely on another level. Bell was being completely and utterly dominated, unable to land a single counterattack.
"You're hesitating because you're fighting a person. You really think you can win with that kind of weak resolve?"
"That's..."
"Listen to me. The enemies you're fighting this time are human. Unlike monsters, humans have reason. And in my experience, that makes them far crueler than any monster could ever be. You should know that firsthand by now."
"...!?"
Reborn's words forcefully reminded Bell of the Apollo Familia's unprovoked, entirely selfish attack on their home.
"I wasn't going to tell you this because I thought it might distract you from your training, but it seems I need to. I'm talking about Hestia's fate."
"Goddess!? Did something happen to Goddess!?"
"If the Hestia Familia wins this War Game, Apollo bragged he'd grant any demand we ask for. But if we lose... you will be forcibly converted to the Apollo Familia, and Hestia will be deported back to Heaven."
"Eh...!?"
The revelation that Hestia could be permanently exiled struck Bell like a physical blow. He froze, completely paralyzed by the shock.
"At this rate, she's definitely getting deported. All because of your naive hesitation."
"...!?"
In truth, Reborn knew that with Tsuna participating, they couldn't possibly lose. But he deliberately fed Bell this harsh reality to break his complacency. As expected, combined with the brutal physical toll of the training, the gravity of the situation completely shattered Bell's hesitation, leaving him painfully aware of his own pathetic weakness.
"The Apollo Familia has over a hundred members. The difference in combat power is overwhelming. There's no way you'll win with such half-baked resolve. And when you lose, you'll spend the rest of your life regretting it, wishing you had fought with everything you had."
As Reborn's words sank in, the image of Hestia flashed through Bell's mind.
When he first arrived in Orario, driven by his dream of becoming an adventurer, reality had quickly crushed his hopes. Every single Familia had rejected him. He had been on the verge of giving up completely when Hestia reached out to him, offering him a home and a family. She was the most important person in the world to him.
"Listen to me, Bell. This isn't about whether you can win. You have to win."
As Reborn spoke, Bell's grip on his daggers tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"Mr. Reborn... Thank you. You really opened my eyes."
"...Looks like you've finally found your resolve. Good."
Bell raised his daggers, dropping into a stance. His eyes had completely changed. Gone was the hesitation and the fear. Seeing the sheer, unbreakable determination burning in the boy's eyes, the corners of Reborn's mouth curved into a smirk.
"Keep your senses sharp. Don't let your guard down for a single second. Devote every fiber of your being solely to the fight. Don't think about anything other than winning. Understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
.....
And now, back to the present.
I've crippled his mobility... Having struck Hyakinthos's vitals and shattered his speed, Bell didn't relax his stance for a moment. He kept his daggers raised, his senses pushed to their absolute limits.
At that exact moment, Tsuna and Daphne had successfully incited the anti-Apollo faction's mutiny, and their massive battle cries echoed across the entire ruin. Yet, Bell didn't hear a single sound. His absolute focus was locked entirely on the enemy he needed to defeat.
Next is... Bell began to circle Hyakinthos. Even with the Captain's mobility gone, Bell didn't underestimate him. He was carefully measuring the distance, waiting for a break in Hyakinthos's breathing to strike.
I-Impossible!? Hyakinthos's eyes widened in sheer terror. He could no longer track Bell's movements with his eyes.
D-Don't tell me...!? Hyakinthos finally realized the terrifying truth behind Bell's explosive growth.
Did he Rank Up again in such a short amount of time...!? It hadn't been that long since Bell defeated the Minotaur and reached Level 2. Yet right now, Hyakinthos could barely even perceive him. The only logical explanation was that Bell had leveled up once more.
His horrific assumption was entirely correct. Combined with the effects of Liaris Freese, Reborn's utterly hellish training had forced Bell's stats to skyrocket. Furthermore, by surviving Reborn's brutal sparring sessions—which essentially meant constantly fighting an opponent exponentially stronger than him—Bell had fulfilled the requirement of achieving a 'Great Feat.' Or rather, a feat so absurd that it would leave even the Gods speechless.
While Hyakinthos stood frozen in disbelief, Bell slipped seamlessly into his blind spot. Sensing the murderous intent behind him, Hyakinthos desperately swung a wide backhand, using centrifugal force to try and catch the boy.
"...!?"
In response, Bell raised the Hestia Knife, aiming to stab the blade straight through the back of Hyakinthos's hand. Panicking, Hyakinthos aborted the swing at the last possible second, barely avoiding having his hand skewered.
But that was a fatal mistake.
"Gahah!?"
By stopping his own attack, Hyakinthos threw himself completely off balance. Bell stepped in and drove a devastating left straight directly into his solar plexus.
"Gohoh!"
Using the impact as a springboard, Bell launched himself into the air and delivered a vicious flying knee strike square into Hyakinthos's face.
"Gof...!?"
As the Captain stumbled backward, his vision swimming from the blow to the head, Bell closed the distance. Repaying every ounce of pain he had suffered during their first encounter, Bell unleashed a merciless, high-speed barrage of strikes.
W-What is this!? Is this really Bell Cranel!? Trapped in the relentless storm of blows, Hyakinthos couldn't believe the demon tearing him apart was the same pathetic boy he had beaten in the pub.
.....
Twilight Manor.
"Those movements... there's no mistake..."
"But is it even possible...? I know he's special, but to Rank Up again in such a short timeframe..."
Having personally witnessed Bell's fight with the Minotaur, Finn and Riveria instantly recognized that his movements were on an entirely different level. They realized he had Ranked Up, and the sheer impossibility of it left them stunned.
"That's shocking enough, but... his precision in targeting vital organs is terrifying..."
"And he's not just swinging wildly. He's ruthlessly attacking the exact same weak points over and over again to maximize damage..."
Gareth and Tione were deeply unsettled by the sheer efficiency and brutality with which Bell was dismantling his opponent.
"He's like... a completely different person..."
"Yeah..."
When Bell had fought the Minotaur, his style was desperate and wild. Now, that frantic desperation was gone. His movements were cold, precise, and calculated—like an assassin's. Tiona and Ais couldn't help but feel a slight chill run down their spines.
What the hell is going on!? Just what the hell did that rabbit do!? Bete was losing his mind. He couldn't comprehend how Bell had not only Ranked Up, but had also acquired such terrifyingly high-level combat techniques in the span of a few days.
.....
Ruins of Shreme Castle.
"You little...!"
Amidst the storm of strikes, Hyakinthos desperately managed to catch both of Bell's wrists, crossing the boy's arms in front of him to completely lock his movements.
"Now you can't mo—Gah!?"
A triumphant smirk began to form on Hyakinthos's face, but it was instantly shattered. He popped his own shoulders out of their sockets just to break the lock, simultaneously driving a brutal headbutt directly into Hyakinthos's face.
Stumbling backward to create distance, Bell calmly popped his shoulders back into their sockets.
He dislocated his own shoulders just to land a headbutt...!? Just what kind of twisted mindset does this kid have...!? As his consciousness began to fade, Hyakinthos felt genuine, primal terror toward the boy standing in front of him.
"...Please surrender."
"Y-You...!"
Knowing the match was decided, Bell offered him a chance to yield. But Hyakinthos's towering pride refused to let him submit to someone he viewed as trash, even when beaten half to death.
Suddenly, Hyakinthos noticed movement in his peripheral vision. An Apollo Familia guard, gritting his teeth through his own injuries, was slowly creeping up behind Bell to restrain him.
"I am a child of Lord Apollo! I would rather die than yield!"
Hyakinthos deliberately screamed at the top of his lungs to mask the sound of the approaching guard.
"My name is love, the child of light. I offer this body to my sun!"
He raised his right hand, beginning the incantation for his magic. Seeing this as his cue, the guard lunged forward, throwing his arms out to grab Bell from behind.
"What!?"
Bell didn't even look back. He executed a flawless backflip over the guard's outstretched arms, landing perfectly behind him. The guard's eyes widened in sheer disbelief that his stealthy approach had been completely read.
Without a moment's hesitation, Bell planted a front kick squarely into the guard's back, launching him forward directly toward Hyakinthos.
Cra—!? Because his leg was heavily damaged and his body battered, Hyakinthos couldn't dodge. The flying guard slammed into him, breaking his concentration and forcibly interrupting his chant.
The resulting Ignis Fatuus triggered a massive magical explosion, blowing both Hyakinthos and the guard away in a violent shockwave.
H-He's gone...!? As the smoke from the magical misfire cleared, Hyakinthos scrambled to his feet, frantically searching the area. Bell had vanished.
"Gah!?"
Suddenly, the Hestia Knife and the Ushiwakamaru Mk-II plummeted from the sky above him, grazing both of his arms and drawing thin lines of blood.
"[Firebolt]!"
Looking up, Hyakinthos saw Bell high in the air, his right foot and left palm pointed toward the sky. A massive blast of flame, crackling like crimson lightning, erupted from his palm, acting as a thruster to rocket Bell downward at terrifying speed.
"Gahah...!"
Using the sheer, explosive momentum of the spell, Bell drove a devastating axe kick squarely onto the crown of Hyakinthos's head. The magically accelerated blow carried horrifying weight.
With that final, devastating strike, Hyakinthos's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor.
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