The Dungeon's upper floors, usually a cacophony of screeches and skittering, fell unnaturally still. A new presence had entered – not an adventurer, but a predator.
A blue blur streaked through the quartz-lit caverns of Floor 5, leaving only decapitated Kobolds and headless Goblins in its wake.
One moment, a War Shadow lunged from an alcove; the next, its obsidian form dissolved into ash, a magic stone plucked from its crumbling skull before the dust settled. Efficiency. Ruthless, terrifying efficiency.
Bell Cranel moved with a speed that defied his Level. His blue eyes, sharp as shattered ice even in the dim light, missed nothing.
An ant swarm boiled out of a side tunnel on Floor 7.
The blue blur didn't slow; it became a zig-zagging serpent, weaving through the chittering mass. Each flick of the Rasakas Fang was a pinpoint strike, shattering magic stones with lethal precision.
Frog Shooters unleashed volleys of acidic spit from perches above; dark stakes materialized from the shadows (Umbra Mortis), impaling them mid-leap, while beams of searing light (Brilliant Light) punched holes through clusters emerging from a flooded passage.
Monsters died not in battle, but in an instant, silent harvest.
Ais Wallenstein's intuition wasn't wrong. The Dungeon itself sensed it. A primal fear rippled through the ecosystem. Goblins cowered. Kobolds whimpered. As monters cluttered in the cavern.
War Shadows retreated deeper into the stone. A predator had come, not to delve, but to hunt.
Purple Papillios fluttered erratically near the ceiling of Floor 8. One vanished in a burst of incinerating light.
A Blue Papillio dipped lower; a hand blurred, snatching it from the air, tearing its delicate wings with brutal pragmatism before pocketing the drop item and stone in the inventory.
It was practiced, cold, the act of a being utterly in control of the slaughter.
Beside this whirlwind of death, Lili Arde struggled to keep pace. Her pack, already groaning with magic stones and choice monster parts scavenged from Floors 1-8, threatened to fillup fast.
Sweat beaded on her brow, not just from exertion, but from the sheer, terrifying speed of her master and the gnawing awareness of their shadows. Kaeda and Momiji.
The Soma Familia girls had followed them from the surface, their presence a dull throb of anxiety beneath the adrenaline.
She saw their wide-eyed awe reflected in the brief moments Bell paused – the way he moved, defying physics, using spins and rebounds off walls to land killing blows without breaking stride, eyes seeming to track threats from every angle.
It was like the movement of a veteran decades his senior, honed in crucibles far deadlier than Orario's upper levels.
On Floor 2, a flash of iridescent feathers. Three Jackbirds darted for cover. Bell didn't hesitate. A burst of speed, a coordinated flick of his wrist sending Lili scrambling in a specific direction, and within seconds, the elusive birds golden eggs trussed and secured.
It was a moment of bizarre normalcy amidst the carnage, highlighting their synergy even under duress.
"Too fast, Master Bell," Lili panted, adjusting her overloaded pack as they finally reached the mist-wreathed entrance to Floor 9. "Lili cannot harvest and keep pace!"
Bell paused, his breath barely ragged. He scanned the swirling grey wall of fog ahead, then glanced back, his gaze seeming to pierce the stone corridors behind them.
"Understood. Floor 10 is our stage. Be ready." His voice was calm, but Lili heard the steel beneath. He knew they were followed. He had a plan. The fog would be his ally.
~(Scene change (Floor 10 - Lili's Gambit))~
The fog on Floor 10 was thick, wet, and alive with unseen menace. Visibility dropped to yards. Sounds were muffled, distorted. Perfect.
Bell gave Lili a sharp nod near a cluster of giant, dripping fungi and trees. Without a word, he activated Stealth and melted into the grey curtain like a phantom.
He and Lili had made record time, Lili struggling to keep pace with harvesting stones and parts amidst Bell's relentless advance.
The Soma followers – the Hume Bunny (Kaeda) and the Renard (Momiji) – had been spotted easily. Bell's plan to use the fog was in motion.
A subtle nod to Lili near a cluster of massive, fog-dripping fungi, and they split. Bell activated 'Stealth', vanishing into the mist like smoke, leaving Momiji hesitantly following his last known path, while Kaeda, ears twitching, pursued Lili deeper into the woods.
~(Scene Change)~
Momiji cursed under her breath. He vanished! The record holder was far more perceptive than Zanis had assumed.
The Soma urge clawed at her thoughts, a toxic fog clouding her judgment worse than the dungeon's mist.
Zanis had spiked their morning water with the real thing, not the diluted swill. The craving warred with her revulsion for the mission. She needed to find him, talk, plead, something…
Cold steel kissed her throat.
She froze. Every hair on her body and tail stood erect. A presence materialized behind her – not just a person, but a predator.
The air grew heavy, saturated with a palpable, chilling killing intent that froze the breath in her lungs.
"Speak," Bell's voice was low, devoid of warmth, resonating from the mist just behind her ear. "Why are you from the soma familia following us?"
Momiji trembled, sweat beading on her forehead despite the dungeon's chill.
He knows. He absolutely knows about Canoe. Zanis was right about that much.
Fear, sharp and primal, cut through the Soma haze.
"P-Please! Don't kill me!" she gasped, tears welling.
"I was sent! To bring back Lili! Our Captain, Zanis… he says she betrayed the Familia, helping you get members killed! He… he wants to question you! Frame you!"
Bell's 'Sacred Insight' flared, confirming the core truth: she was acting under orders, terrified, and believed Zanis's twisted narrative.
"Frame me for defending ourselves against thieves and murderers?" Bell's voice held cold contempt. "Canoe tried to kill us."
Momiji sagged slightly, relief mixing with despair. "I… I thought it might be something like that. I know what Canoe was he had habit of pass parading and stealing loot after from lower level adventurers. What the Familia is. Joining them… my fault." Her voice was thick with self-loathing.
Bell felt a pang of unwanted kinship. Could I have ended up like this? Trapped? His 'Sacred Insight' confirmed her genuine regret and disillusionment.
He lowered the knife slightly, though his guard remained high. "The others? Following you?"
"Others?" Momiji's eyes widened in genuine confusion. Then, horror dawned. "Kaeda! She followed Lili! But… others? No! It's a trap! I need to—!"
She tried to lunge towards where Kaeda had gone. Bell's senses screamed.
[KILLING INTENT DETECTED]
He moved faster than thought. One arm hooked around Momiji's waist, yanking her backward just as a black blur, moving with impossible speed, slammed down onto the spot where her head had been.
The pommel of a vicious dagger cratered the damp earth.
Bell landed five yards away, depositing Momiji roughly but safely beside him.
"Damn," a smooth, sarcastic voice cut through the fog. "Missed by an inch."
A figure coalesced from the mist. A Black Cat person, clad in an expensive but now slightly disheveled black suit, a stylised cat mask covering the upper half of his face.
Yellow, predatory eyes glinted behind it, fixed on Bell. "Could you kindly hand over the girl?" he asked, his tone deceptively light. "Do that, and I might let you scurry away."
Bell stared back, his own eyes like chips of frozen violet ice. He said nothing, his gaze locked on the assassin.
"Cat got your tongue?" the Black Cat chuckled, running a clawed hand over his mask. "I see. Not as naive as you look. Pity." He raised his voice slightly. "Come on out, boys. Show our guest the welcoming committee."
From the swirling fog, seven more figures emerged. Rough-looking adventurers, Soma crests visible on their gear. One of them carried the unconscious form of Kaeda, her rabbit ears limp.
Momiji cried out, scrambling to her feet, only to be held back by Bell's warning glare.
"As you can see," the Black Cat purred, gesturing with his dagger towards Kaeda, "you're surrounded. And we have leverage. Be smart, little rabbit. Give me the fox, and maybe your Pallum pet lives."
Bell slowly straightened up, his movements deliberate. "Can you walk? Fight?" he murmured to Momiji, his eyes never leaving the Black Cat.
"Y-yes," Momiji whispered, her voice shaking but determined, her gaze fixed on Kaeda.
"Oi, oi, brat!" the Black Cat snapped, his voice losing its smooth edge. "Did you not hear—"
"I heard," Bell interrupted, his voice unnervingly calm. "But you're mistaken. You're not surrounding me." A faint, chilling thine line touched his lips. "You're surrounded."
"What—?" the Black Cat began.
CRACK! THWUNK!
An arrow, moving with lethal silence born of Lili's 'Blood Geas' skill and the fog, materialized through the eye socket of the man carrying Kaeda.
He dropped like a sack, Kaeda tumbling to the forest floor. Simultaneously, guttural roars erupted as Orcs and Imps, drawn by potent monster bait Lili had strategically placed while evading Kaeda, burst from the mist, slamming into the startled Soma thugs.
Chaos erupted.
"Shit Karl they got Randy!"
[An emergency quest has been issued]
[Emergency Quest: Kill the enemies!]
There are entities nearby that intend to murder the PLAYER. Slay them and ensure your safety.
If this quest is not completed. The player will die.
[EMERGENCY QUEST(!): TARGETS TO ELIMINATE -1/8]
Bell's heart sank. Again. Like Canoe. That familiar, sickening crack echoed in his soul. He didn't want this bloodshed. But the Black Cat after their lives, enraged, was already moving.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Karl Norv(Black Cat) snarled, abandoning all pretense. He lunged, daggers a blur aimed at Bell's throat and heart.
Bell met him, the Rasakas Fang intercepting with sparks. Their forms vanished into the fog, reappearing yards away in bursts of blue and black, steel clashing violently.
The moment the Black Cat assassin lunged, time fractured.
Bell's world narrowed to the glint of steel, the shift of muscle beneath the tailored black suit, the predatory gleam behind that mask. His body moved before thought could catch up—instinct, honed in battles across the dungeon, took over.
(!)Alarm
[SKILL-SPRINT-HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]
(!)Alarm
[SKIL-CHALLENGER-HAS BEEN ACTIAVATED]
[STATS HAVE BEEN DOUBLED]
The assassin's dagger came low, aiming for Bell's ribs. A flick of the Rasakas fang deflected it, sparks screaming in the mist.
The counter was already in motion—Bell pivoted, his back leg sweeping out in a crescent kick aimed at the man's knee.
The Black Cat twisted, barely avoiding the blow, but Bell used the momentum to rebound off a nearby tree, his body a coiled spring.
The assassin's eyes widened behind the mask. Too fast.
Steel met steel in a flurry. The Black Cat fought dirty—feints, hidden blades, strikes aimed at pressure points.
But Bell had fought worse. He had fought monsters that defied reason. Every move the assassin made, Bell read it a breath before it happened.
A dagger grazed Bell's cheek. He didn't flinch.
Instead, he ducked under the next slash, spun, and drove his elbow into the assassin's ribs. Bone cracked.
The man staggered, coughing, but recovered with a snarl, slashing wildly. Bell leaned back, the blade missing his throat by a hair's breadth.
Two figures moved like ghosts in the fog—blue and black blurs, vanishing and reappearing between the trees. The Black Cat was relentless, his experience showing in every calculated strike. But Bell… Bell was adapting.
Faster.
Smoother.
Bell feinted right. The assassin took the bait, shifting his weight.
Bell's knee snapped up, crashing into the man's gut. The Black Cat gagged, stumbling back—but Bell was already in the air, twisting mid-leap, his foot slamming into the assassin's jaw with enough force to send him skidding through the mud.
The mask cracked.
The assassin spat blood, yellow eyes burning with fury. "You !" He lunged again, but this time, Bell didn't dodge.
He charged.
Their blades met in a shower of sparks, locked at the hilts. The assassin's breath was ragged, his grip trembling. Bell's violet eyes burned into his soul.
"You're not just Level 2," the Black Cat hissed.
Level 2 my ass! Karl's mind screamed. This is Level 4 at least! That slimy Zanis set me up! Memories flashed – broken bones, the loss of Artesia, the bitter taste of defeat of his past.
Bell didn't answer.
He wrenched his knife down, breaking the deadlock, and drove his forehead into the bridge of the assassin's nose.
CRACK.
The man reeled, mask shattering completely. Blood poured from his nose, his snarl turning into something desperate. He swung wildly—but Bell was already behind him.
A whisper in his ear:
"You shouldn't have threatened them."
The Rasakas fang flashed.
The assassin barely had time to turn before a fist punched shattering his ribs. He gasped, eyes widening, as Bell twisted the blade—once, twice in his stomach as he sliced—before yanking it free.
[EFFECT-BLEED HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]
The Black Cat collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest. His breath came in wet, ragged bursts.
Bell stood over him, violet eyes dimming back to blue.
Karl fought with desperate, vicious experience, but Bell's speed was otherworldly, his movements adapting, learning, accelerating.
The chill down his spine intensified as Bell's violet eyes bored into him, cold and relentless. Only experience is keeping me alive… but he's getting faster!
Karl saw his chance. Momiji, ignoring the chaos, had reached Kaeda and was trying to drag her away.
If I can't beat him head-on… With a desperate roar, Karl feinted, took a shallow cut across his ribs that Bell intended for his heart, and used the momentum to launch himself past Bell, dagger aimed straight for Momiji's exposed back as she bent over Kaeda.
Momiji sensed it. The killing intent washed over her, paralyzing. Her tails and ears standing up. Yellow eyes filled her vision. She could only shove Kaeda aside and brace for the end.
CLANG! SCHLICK!
Bell materialized between them, his knife deflecting Karl's dagger inches from Momiji's face.
But Karl's other dagger, held low bringing it out from his sleeve, found its mark, slicing through a gap in Bell's leg armor, sinking deep into his thigh. Bell grunted in pain.
Karl grinned savagely. "Got you now! This is what you get for playing hero!!"
His triumph was shattered by a whistling sound. An arrow sliced past his ear. He reflexively hurled a dagger towards Lili's position high in a tree, hearing her yelp, then viciously wrenched the blade still embedded in Bell's thigh.
Bell gasped, staggering. Karl raised the bloodied dagger for a finishing blow. But was disturbed by a chanting
「閻魔の加護,ここに在れ!」
"Enma no kago, koko ni are!"
("By Enma's protection, be here now!")
「黄泉の審判,光となれ!」
"Yomi no shinpan, hikari to nare!"
("Judgment of the underworld, become light!")
「迷える魂に勇気を授けよ!」
"Mayoeru tamashii ni yūki o sazuke yo!"
("Grant courage to the lost soul!")
「閻魔の御前,我が願い聞きたまえ!」
"Enma no omae, waga negai kikitamae!"
("Before Enma's presence, hear my plea!")
Momiji's voice, clear and strong despite her fear, rang out.
A surge of emerald-green energy enveloped Bell. He felt lighter, faster, the pain momentarily receding beneath a wave of empowering magic.
By taking the change of the distraction bell chanted his saved up recovery.
"Status Recovery!"
A Golden glow eclipsed startling Karl from the blow.
Kaeda, groggily awake, she came face to face with a golden warrior glowing in light. A pulse of warm, golden light washed over Bell, knitting flesh, easing the deep wound, clearing his head.
Bell locked eyes with Karl Norv. Violet light blazed within them, cutting through the fog and the assassin's mask.
The Soma thugs were being overwhelmed by monsters and Lili's pinpoint arrows. It was time.
"Let's end this," Bell stated, his voice colder than the dungeon stone.
He unleashed his full Bloodlust Skill.
[SKILL-BLOOLUST-ACTIVATED]
~(Scene Change: Lili POV)~
Lili didn't look back. She plunged deeper into the mist, her small form quickly obscured.
Her Pallum senses, heightened by Falna, strained – the damp scent of earth and decay, the faint skitter of imp claws and orc Landform weapons on stone, and… the unmistakable, rapid patter of light footsteps trying to mimic her own. Kaeda.
The Rabbit Kin's ears would be her downfall here. Lili deliberately scuffed her boot against a root, snapped a small twig, leading her pursuer away from Bell's vanishing point.
Focus, Lili, she commanded herself. Master Bell needs the stage set. Her mind raced, recalling the plan discussed in hushed tones over lunch. She needed height, visibility, and chaos.
Spotting a gnarled, fog-slicked tree with sturdy low branches, Lili scrambled up with practiced ease. From this vantage point, the fog thinned slightly. She could see vague shapes moving below – the lumbering hulks of Orcs, the skittering forms of Imps drawn by the damp.
And then she saw it: a black blur, almost liquid in its speed, darting from behind a moss-covered boulder. It converged on the spot where Kaeda, ears twitching, was trying to pinpoint Lili's last sound.
A swift, brutal strike to the neck. Kaeda crumpled silently. The blur – a Cat Person in a fine black suit, mask obscuring his face – caught her effortlessly.
Yellow eyes scanned the fog dismissively before focusing deeper, towards where Master Bell had vanished. Lili's blood ran cold. Assassin.
Her Pallum heart hammered against her ribs. They were underestimated. Always. Small. Weak. Ignorable. The red glow Blood Geas flared within her, her eyes burning crimson in the gloom. Time to make them regret it.
She nocked an arrow from the powerful D-rank bow acquired in the Dungeon according to master bell , its draw weight a comfort. Below, the assassin gestured. Seven rough-looking men, Soma crests visible even through the mist, emerged, one taking the unconscious Kaeda.
They moved with predatory intent, following the Black Cat towards Master Bell's last location. Perfect.
Lili moved silently through the branches, paralleling them, staying high. Her target wasn't the assassin yet; it was the thugs. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out small, pungent pellets – potent monster bait, a souvenir from a particularly nasty higher floors of the dungeon.
Timing it perfectly as the Soma group passed beneath a cluster of dripping vines near an Orc patrol path, she scattered the pellets like dark rain.
The Dungeon responded instantly. Guttural roars erupted as Orcs, nostrils flaring, charged the source of the irresistible scent. Imps, drawn by the commotion, swarmed from crevices.
Chaos engulfed the Soma thugs.
Perfect. Lili drew her bow, her crimson eyes narrowing. Time for harassment. An arrow whistled, embedding itself in a thug's eye dropping the Hume bunny.
He bellowed, stumbling into an Orc's path. Another arrow aimed for a grasping hand, pinning it to a tree trunk as an Imp lunged.
She aimed for eyes, throats, groins – not always fatal, but maximally disruptive, terrifying, and painful. Let them feel hunted.
Her gaze flicked to the duel raging nearby. A blue and black blur clashed violently, sparks flying where blades met, vanishing and reappearing yards apart in bursts of impossible speed.
The Black Cat was good, experienced, fighting dirty. But Master Bell… Bell was adapting, moving faster, his eyes blazing with an unsettling violet light.
Lili saw the moment the assassin's frustration peaked.
He disengaged from Bell with a feint, taking a shallow cut, and launched himself past the fight, daggers aimed at the Renard, who was desperately trying to drag the stirring Hume bunny away.
She saw Bell intercept, saw the brutal dagger stab into his thigh, heard the assassin's triumphant snarl: "Got you now! This is what you get for playing hero!!"
Panic warred with fury in Lili's chest.
Lili's arrow was already loosed, slicing past the Cat's ear, forcing him to throw a dagger wildly in her direction.
But before she could nock another arrow she was startled with a blade slipping past her head.
She ducked with a yelp, the blade thudding into the tree trunk beside her. She'd revealed her position, but it had forced him off Master Bell.
then voices rose from below.
「閻魔の加護,ここに在れ!」
"Enma no kago, koko ni are!"
("By Enma's protection, be here now!")
「黄泉の審判,光となれ!」
"Yomi no shinpan, hikari to nare!"
("Judgment of the underworld, become light!")
「迷える魂に勇気を授けよ!」
"Mayoeru tamashii ni yūki o sazuke yo!"
("Grant courage to the lost soul!")
「閻魔の御前,我が願い聞きたまえ!」
"Enma no omae, waga negai kikitamae!"
("Before Enma's presence, hear my plea!")
Tempestas Celeritas!
Momiji's voice, strong and clear despite the terror. A surge of emerald energy enveloped Bell.
"Status Recovery!"
Master bell called out
Lili watched, heart in her throat as she felt killing intent from her, as Bell straightened, violet light blazing pure and cold from his eyes, locking onto the momentarily stunned assassin.
The tide had turned. Her traps had funneled the enemies, her arrows had harried them, and now the pawns Zanis sent had become unlikely allies. It was time for the master to end the game.
The emerald staus enhancement magic (Tempestas Celeritas) surged through Bell, a hurricane confined within his veins. Momijis emerald enhancement magic was a warm counterpoint, sealing the fiery agony in his thigh, clearing the fog of pain from his mind. The System confirmed it:
[STATUS ENHANCED: ++].
Before him, Karl Norv, the fake Black Cat, recovered from his shock, his yellow eyes widening behind the mask at the sudden shift. He saw not just defiance, but cold, absolute purpose in Bell's violet eyes.
"Let's end this," Bell stated, his voice cutting through the din of the ongoing struggle between the Soma thugs, monsters, and Lili's relentless arrows. There was no anger, only chilling finality.
Bell unleashed his Bloodlust Skill. It wasn't just fear; it was annihilation. The world didn't darken for Karl; it ceased to exist. The fog, the trees, the screams – all dissolved into a suffocating void of pure dread.
Only seven remained remained: Bell's burning violet eyes, fixed on him like the gaze of an executioner. Karl Norv, veteran of countless battles, assassin of kings, froze. Paralyzed. The terror he'd felt years ago, facing that beastman who broke him, who took his lover Artesia… it flooded back.
Bell moved. Not as a blur, but as a manifestation of the void itself. The enhanced speed from Momiji's magic propelled him forward, a silent streak of violet-eyed death.
Karl saw the movement, screamed soundlessly in the void of his own terror, but his body refused to obey. Years of instinct screamed to dodge, to parry, but the Bloodlust held him fast, a rabbit in the gaze of a dragon.
The Rasakas Fang, cold and unforgiving, pierced through Karl's chest with a sickening SPLURCH. He felt the cold metal pierce his heart, an impossible shock radiating outwards.
[NEW SKILL-CRTICAL STRIKE : ACTIVATED]
The void receded as quickly as it came. He looked down, seeing the ornate pommel protruding from his chest.
He looked up, meeting Bell's eyes. The violet light was fading, replaced by an exhausted, hollow grey, but the coldness remained. There was no triumph, no hatred. Only the grim necessity of the kill.
A bitter, bloody smile touched Karl's lips. This is it, huh? Damn it all... His final thoughts weren't of vengeance, but of Artesia's smile in a sun-drenched field far from Orario, and then the chilling emptiness in his killer's eyes.
Latro… brother… pray you never meet this monster… Darkness claimed him.
Karl Norv, adventurer, mercenary, assassin, met his end on the 10th Floor, slain by the white rabbit he'd fatally underestimated. His body slumped to the fog-dampened earth.
The sounds of battle around him registered again. Lili's arrows still whistled. Orcs roared. Soma thugs screamed, now leaderless and being overwhelmed.
Momiji was helping Kaeda to her feet, both staring at Bell with a mixture of awe, terror, and profound gratitude.
"T-thank you," Momiji stammered, her voice shaky but sincere. "You saved us... even though..."
Bell didn't answer immediately. He pulled the knife from Karl's chest with a grimace, wiping it clean on the assassin's ruined suit. His gaze swept the chaotic scene.
The mission counter glowed: [TARGETS REMAINING: 6].
The remaining Soma thugs were panicked, surrounded by monsters and harassed by Lili. They were bullies, thieves, addicts… not hardened killers like The Black cat. Killing them felt… hollow. Wrong.
He took a deep, shuddering breath, the fog chilling his lungs. "Lili!" he called out, his voice rough but carrying.
"Disable! Kneecaps, weapons hands! Drive them towards the east tunnel!"
Lili, high in her tree, understood instantly. Her crimson eyes narrowed. Arrows began to fly with surgical precision, not to kill, but to maim and herd.
A thug screamed as an arrow shattered his kneecap. Another dropped his sword, clutching a pierced hand. The Orcs and Imps, sensing easier prey, closed in.
Bell turned to Momiji and Kaeda. The Renard met his gaze, her own filled with a dawning resolve. Kaeda, still pale but alert, nodded shakily.
"We... we can help," Momiji said. "We know their weaknesses. We can… we can make them run."
Bell stood over the black cat, breathing heavily, the violet light fading from his eyes, leaving only exhaustion and the heavy weight of another life taken.
Only six of eight remained: Bell's burning violet eyes roared, fixed on others with absolute finality.
The System prompt flickered:
[TARGET ELIMINATED: 2/8.]
No satisfaction. No glory.
Just the weight of another life taken.
The fog swallowed the sound of the assassin's last breath.
The crack in his soul widened. The cost of survival in Orario was steep, and the blood on his hands felt colder than ever.
Bell exhaled, the adrenaline fading. His hands didn't shake. They never did like first time anymore.
But the crack in his soul deepened.
It was as if something was taken from him.
Kaeda and Momijii. "Mister …"
He didn't answer.
The fight was over.
But the war inside him?
That had only just begun.
"DON'T MOVE"
Bell quickly looked behind the girls Renard and The Hume bunny and saw one of the Soma familia members were was able to claw through and aim a blade on the Renard's throat.
The metallic tang of blood – of the Black Cats, his own, the fallen thugs – filled Bell's mouth.
The System's cold notification pulsed behind his eyesagain:
[TARGETS REMAINING: 6].
It felt like a brand. He'd killed again. Taken a life in the heat of battle, the violet fire fading to leave only ashes of self-loathing in his soul.
His world narrowed, sounds muffled as if submerged in thick oil. The triumphant clash with the Black Cat felt hollow, replaced by the suffocating darkness of what he'd become. Grandpa… what would you think of me now?
He'd hoped to trap them. Use the C-rank dungeon key as a scare tactic, a non-lethal solution.
But everything had spiraled too fast. His hesitation, his revulsion at killing, had almost cost Lili everything. Now, that same hesitation…
"Don't move!"
The harsh voice sliced through Bell's internal fog. He turned slowly, the motion heavy, his limbs leaden. His senses, dulled by trauma, struggled to focus.
There, across the clearing littered with groaning bodies and monster corpses, stood one of the surviving Soma thugs.
He was wounded – one eye a ruined mess from Lili's arrow, his thigh bleeding profusely – but desperation lent him strength. He held Momiji roughly, a chipped short sword pressed hard against her throat.
Kaeda the Hume Bunny lay sprawled at his feet, dazed but conscious, terror etched on her pale face. The thug's remaining eye was wide, frantic.
Bell's gaze dropped to the dagger in his hand – Raksas's Fang, his trusted knife still dripping with blood reminding him what he did, a different kill.
Blood dripped steadily from its tip onto the damp moss. Another life? Do I have to take another life just to survive? Is this all Orario is? Blood and pain? The naive dream of heroic adventures felt like a cruel joke.
"Help! Please!" The plea didn't come from Momiji or Kaeda, but from another direction. Bell's head swiveled numbly.
Two other surviving Soma thugs, one missing an arm, the other dragging a shattered leg, crawled towards him through the gore. They looked at him, the boy they'd been sent to ambush, with the eyes of drowning men seeing a raft. "Help us! The monsters!"
Help? The word echoed strangely in Bell's mind. You tried to kidnap and likely kill innocent girls. You attacked us. You serve scum like Zanis. He looked at their wounds, at the Orc already lumbering towards the one with the shattered leg, club raised.
He looked at the Imp sinking its fangs into the armless man's shoulder. A chilling calm washed over Bell, colder than the dungeon fog. The frantic beat of his merciful heart quieted, replaced by a hollow stillness.
He felt… nothing.
He saw them as obstacles removed. No evidence. The thought slithered in, terrifying in its cold practicality.
They'd leave me or Lili to die without a second thought. He turned his head away just as the Orc's club came down with a sickening crunch. The Imp tore flesh. The screams were cut short, replaced by wet, tearing sounds. Bell didn't flinch.
[TARGETS ELIMINATED: 7/8]
He saw Lili then, darting from the base of her tree, her pack bouncing. Three Orcs, drawn by the fresh blood and noise, charged her. Without conscious thought, Bell raised his free hand. "Brilliant LIGHT." A searing beam of light lanced out, vaporizing the lead Orc and scorching the others, buying Lili precious seconds. She scrambled towards him, eyes wide but focused, giving a quick nod of thanks.
"DON'T MOVE, DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?!" The one-eyed thug's voice was shrill with panic, his grip tightening on Momiji. Kaeda whimpered.
"Drop the knife! Now! And hand over all your damn potions! Or I swear I'll open her throat right here!"
Bell's gaze locked onto Momiji's terrified golden eyes, then Kaeda's.
He saw it then – not malice, but the same trapped desperation he'd seen in Lili before.
Victims of a rotten Familia, forced into this nightmare. Like Lili. His numb heart gave a faint, painful throb. Not all of them are monsters. Just… desperate.
Slowly, deliberately, Bell began to lower Raksas's Fang. He had a plan forming – stall, distract, maybe use the System potions as a ruse to get closer… He could disable the man without killing him. He had to.
THWICK-SPLASH!
The sound was abrupt, wet. Bell's head snapped up.
The one-eyed thug's head was simply… gone. A fine red mist hung in the air where it had been.
The body stood rigid for a second, the sword clattering from its hand, before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
Momiji stumbled back, free, covered in gore, her scream frozen in her throat. Kaeda scrambled away, retching.
Standing where the thug had been, her sword held low, a single drop of blood sliding down its pristine blade, was Ais Wallenstein.
Her golden eyes, usually distant, were wide with shock – not at the kill, but fixed directly on Bell. Recognition flared in them, mixed with utter disbelief. He moved… like lightning. Faster than me?
[TARGET ELIMATED: 8/8]
[Quest Complete]
Before Bell could process her presence, the ground trembled. A deep, resonant bellow echoed through the fog, shaking the trees. Then another. And another.
"Master Bell!" Lili skidded to a halt beside him, pointing frantically. "Land Dragons! Multiple of them!" The tremors intensified.
~(Scene Change (Ais Wallenstein's POV))~
The fog of Floor 10 swirled thick and cold around Ais Wallenstein, but it did nothing to obscure the carnage unfolding below. From her perch high in the gnarled branches of a massive, fog-dripping tree, Ais watched, her golden eyes wide with a shock that bordered on disbelief.
Bell Cranel.
The boy who, mere weeks ago, had trembled before a Minotaur on the upper floors, moved with the terrifying efficiency of a seasoned veteran adventurer.
Flames, purest white and searingly hot (Light), erupted from his hand, vaporizing a Lizardman mid-lunge.
Before the ash settled, dark, jagged stakes (dark tendrils) erupted from the earth itself, impaling a War Shadow and two Imps with brutal precision.
He didn't just fight; he harvested. Monsters fell like wheat before a scythe, their magic stones plucked mid-fall, their forms dissolving before they hit the ground.
The air crackled with spent mana and the ozone scent of his light magic. The ground was scorched black in wide arcs, littered with the dark, crumbling residue of his shadow spears.
Ais's breath hitched. Two magics? And such destructive power… far beyond any Level 2 she'd ever seen, even accounting for his rapid growth.
The efficiency was chilling. His supporter, Lili, darted through the aftermath like a small, determined shadow, harvesting stones and parts with practiced speed, leaving no trace of the slaughter except the scars on the land. No monster remained standing.
The rabbit became a warrior… a Lion. The thought echoed in Ais's mind, accompanied by an unfamiliar, rapid thudding against her ribs.
How? How did he get so strong so fast? What conviction fueled this terrifying transformation? A fierce, almost desperate curiosity ignited within her.
"Is it possible to learn such power?"
she whispered into the fog, the words tasting strange on her tongue, echoing a phantom phrase from a forgotten tale. She needed to know.
Her attention, honed by years of survival, hadn't solely been on Bell. From her elevated vantage point, enhanced by her Level 6 status, she'd easily tracked the Soma Familia thugs and the sleek figure in the black mask tailing Bell and Lili from a distance.
They moved with crude stealth, focused intently on their quarry, oblivious to the slaughter happening just ahead of them, hidden by terrain and mist.
Their predatory intent towards the white-haired boy and his supporter was palpable even from afar.
When Bell and Lili reached the denser fog near the midpoint and split up, the pursuers followed suit. Ais waited a beat, ensuring their paths diverged deeper into the grey veil. Then, she moved.
A whisper of power. "Ariel." The wind answered her call, swirling around her feet. She leaped from the branch, not falling, but soaring through the air above the fog layer, propelled by the gentle yet powerful wind.
Below, the world was a shifting sea of grey. She landed lightly on another massive tree limb, then another, using Ariel in short bursts to cross gaps, a silent golden ghost above the mist.
Then, the sounds reached her: the sharp clang of steel on steel, guttural roars of Orcs, panicked shouts. Trouble. She pushed Ariel harder, a focused gust momentarily banishing the fog directly below her as she passed.
Through the clearing patch, she saw it: a blue blur and a black blur, locked in a deadly dance. Sparks flew as blades met.
They moved with impossible speed, ricocheting off trees, vanishing into the fog, reappearing yards away in bursts of violent motion.
Blue and black lines seemed to etch themselves across the forest floor and trunks in a chaotic, lethal zig-zag pattern.
Soma Familia. Up to no good. Fear, cold and sharp, pricked at her – not for herself, but for the white-haired boy caught in the assassin's dance.
She angled her descent, Ariel carrying her swiftly towards the epicenter of the clash.
Landing silently at the edge of the clearing obscured by fog, the sounds of battle intensified – Orcs bellowing, men screaming, the wet thud of impacts. The mist thickened unnaturally, making it hard to see.
Then, a pulse of energy. A golden glow erupted from the center of the chaos. For a split, heart-stopping second, Ais didn't see Bell enhanced by the Renard's magic.
She saw a red scarf swirling in golden light. The image slammed into her of her father
Then it all turned dark into an abyss– the Black Wind, the screams, her mother's fading warmth. Primal terror surged.
Black flames flickered instinctively at her fingertips, a desperate urge to burn, to destroy the memory and the threat.
The flames died as quickly as they sparked, snuffed out by sheer will. The golden glow and the dark abyss with blue eyes faded.
But then… darkness. Not the fog. A suffocating, terrifying pressure that felt… familiar, yet alien. And within it, two vast, impossibly blue eyes. Like cold stars in a void, they fixed on her position, peering through the fog, the trees, into her. Judging. Ancient. Godlike.
Ais froze, her blood turning to ice. The gaze held her for an eternity compressed into a second before it receded, vanishing as if it had never been.
Ariel faltered, the wind dying around her feet as she landed hard on the forest floor, her boots sinking slightly into the damp moss.
She looked down at her hands. They were trembling. Not from exertion. From the echo of those eyes, the phantom scarf, the crushing weight of the darkness.
The dungeon itself seemed to react; deep, ominous cracks echoed through the stone beneath her feet, followed by the earth-shaking roars of Land Dragons – a sound she despised, but now barely registered.
Her focus snapped back to the present. The darkness had lifted. She saw Bell, white hair stark against the gloom, driving his knife with cold finality into the heart of the black-suited assassin.
The sight stunned her. How? How could this boy, who radiated such earnestness, deliver such a killing blow? The disconnect was jarring. The fight at least seemed level 4 and how could he be so fast.
Then, the memory surfaced: her own first kill. A bandit, trying to slit Riveria's throat during an expedition when she was barely twelve. The feel of Desperate piercing flesh, the shock in the man's eyes.
She hadn't meant to kill him, just stop him. Excess force. Her hands, too, were stained – not just with monster ichor, but with human blood spilled in defense, sometimes unavoidably fatal.
She understood the harsh necessity, the desperate need to survive that could force such an act.
She saw that same haunted understanding flicker in Bell's eyes as he stared down at the body, the weight of the act settling on him.
Her attention shifted instantly as a new threat emerged: a wounded Soma thug holding a sword to Momiji's throat, demanding Bell surrender.
She saw Bell slowly lower his knife. Something twisted sharply in Ais's gut, a visceral pull stronger than curiosity.
He cannot be hurt.
He cannot die. The questions unanswered, the apology unsaid – for her part in letting the Minotaur loose, for not understanding sooner…
She cannot let little bunny go.
"Don't move didn't you hear what I just said!" the thug screamed again, his voice cracking with panic.
Ais didn't hesitate. Ariel ignited at her feet, a silent, green-tinged vortex. The world blurred. A flash of black (her armor) and green (Ariel's energy). Steel whispered free of its sheath. The sword at Momiji's throat never had a chance to bite.
She cannot let her little bunny go.
Huge, lumbering shapes began to coalesce in the mist, drawn by the carnage and the potent scent of blood. Orcs and Imps, forgotten for a moment, surged forward again in a renewed wave.
Ais met Bell's gaze. No words were needed. She gave a sharp, almost imperceptible nod.
The Sword Princess vanished from her spot, a golden blur slicing into the advancing Orc ranks with terrifying grace and power.
Bell pushed his shock aside. Action. Survive first. He rushed to Momiji and Kaeda, pulling two standard health potions from his belt. "Drink. Now."
His voice was clipped, devoid of its usual warmth.
He downed two System potions himself, feeling the deep ache in his thigh fade and his depleted energy surge back. The cracks in the ground widened as the first Land Dragon, a hulking monstrosity of scales and claws, burst through the mist, roaring.
"What about them?" Lili yelled, gesturing to the trembling girls as she nocked an arrow, aiming at an Imp lunging at Kaeda.
"They're targets too now. They come with us," Bell stated, already turning towards the new threat. Zanis won't forgive their failure. He couldn't leave them to that fate, or the monsters.
Orcs closed in, a wall of muscle and crude weapons. Bell didn't hesitate this time. He vanished.
A blue and gold blur became the only sign of him. Orcs fell in halves, bisected mid-charge. Imps' heads flew from their shoulders before their screeches fully formed.
It was a whirlwind of precise, lethal motion. For a split second, his path intersected Ais's golden streak as she carved through another group. Their eyes met – his burning with cold, focused energy; hers wide with shock morphing into intense scrutiny.
He matched my speed? The unspoken question hung between them before they shot apart, continuing their grim harvest.
"Lili! Left!" Bell's voice cut through the din. A Land Dragon, smaller but faster, had broken past the Orc line, jaws snapping towards the Pallum as she tried to shield Momiji.
Bell pivoted, arm snapping up. "Brilliant Light!" A focused beam, hotter and brighter than before, lanced out.
The Land Dragon's head vaporized in an instant, the body collapsing in a shower of ash, leaving only its glowing magic stone bouncing on the ground. Two more Land Dragons emerged, bellowing in challenge.
Three quick shots. Bell's mind calculated coolly. He raised his hand again, fingers splayed. Three rapid pulses of searing light erupted.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three dragon heads ceased to exist, replaced by falling ash and tumbling magic stones.
He sighed, the effort momentarily draining him.
He took another gulp of System potion, the artificial energy flooding his system. Three more Land Dragons loomed in the fog, reinforced by another wave of Orcs. This would take time.
He saw Ais Wallanestein dispatch a cluster of Imps with a single whirlwind slash. She glanced at him, then at the new threats.
Lili was helping Kaeda up, firing arrows with grim determination. Momiji, though pale and shaking, had picked up a fallen thug's knife, her knuckles white.
A chime sounded in Bell's mind, unexpected amidst the chaos:
[A DEMI SPIRIT HAS JOINED YOUR PARTY]
[A RENARD HAS JOINED YOU PARTY]
[A HUME BUNNY HAS JOINED YOU PARTY]
A Demi what now?
Bell didn't have time to question the System's sudden social feature. He locked eyes with Ais, then with Lili and the girls. He gave a single, sharp nod towards the advancing Land Dragons.
The Sword Princess nodded back, her golden eyes reflecting the dim dungeon light, now holding a spark of something akin to… challenge? Respect? Lili hefted her bow.
Momiji tightened her grip on the knife. Kaeda took a shaky breath.
The dungeon didn't pause for recovery. It sensed vulnerability. And Bell Cranel, blood drying on his hands and a cold void warring with duty in his heart, knew the hunt was far from over.
He ignited Brilliant Light once more, the white light flaring deep within his eyes as he launched himself forward, the temporary party moving as one against the tide of scales and claws.
~ (Scene Change) ~
Exhaustion was a physical weight, crushing Bell against the gnarled tree trunk. Every muscle screamed. Every breath burned.
The relentless tide of monsters – drawn by blood, lure, and the Land Dragons' roars – had been apocalyptic. He'd fought like a machine, a terrifyingly efficient one.
Brilliant Light had scorched the fog covered land dozens of times.
Umbra Mortis had summoned dark stakes until his mind felt scraped raw, mana reserves screamingly empty.
Only the System's cold efficiency and the mountain of potions bought with dungeon rewards had kept him standing.
He'd tossed them to Lili, Miss Ais, Momiji, Kaeda – anyone who needed them – like lifelines, gulping down his own between bursts of lethal light and shadow.
He hadn't intended to let Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess, into his makeshift party. The System notification [A DEMISPIRIT HAS JOINED THE PARTY] had been a shock.
But she'd saved Momiji. She'd fought beside them, a golden whirlwind of steel against the scaled onslaught.
So, he'd let it be. Maybe he will help her and she'd get some Excelia. He didn't know how long they'd fought.
Not knowing it was going to be a mistake.
Time blurred into the rhythm of kill-counts piling up in his mind and the growing mountain of magic stones and monster parts Lili was industriously stacking before him like a grotesque offering.
Finally, the last Land Dragon's roar had been silenced by a final, searing beam. The fog seemed to settle, heavy with the stench of ozone, ash, and blood.
Silence, thick and unnatural, descended. Momiji and Kaeda slumped against each other, eyes glazed, saved from unconsciousness only by the potions Bell had forced on them.
Momiji's enhancement spells had flickered out long ago.
Ais stood nearby, her golden hair slightly tousled, her armor pristine save for a few smudges of ash, her expression as unreadable as ever. Lili, ever the pragmatist, wiped sweat from her brow and resumed stacking loot.
Bell fumbled in his System interface. Shop. Consumables. He needed… something. Not a potion. Something to anchor him back to something normal.
His fingers found it: a simple water bottle and a thick bar labeled 'Artisanal Dark Chocolate (70% Cacao)' He received after completing his daily quest.
Materializing cost negligible points. He cracked the bottle's unfamiliar plastic seal, pouring half the cool, clear water over his head.
It sluiced through his white hair, dripping down his face, washing away some of the grime but none of the deep weariness.
Then he tore the foil wrapper off the chocolate, broke a piece off with a satisfying snap, and shoved it into his mouth. The rich, bitter-sweetness exploded on his tongue, a shocking contrast to the metallic tang of blood and battle.
It was real. Soothing.
He slumped back, closing his eyes, the chocolate a small, desperate comfort.
"Where did you get that?"
Bell's eyes snapped open startled.
Ais stood directly in front of him, her golden gaze fixed not on his face, but on the water bottle in his hand and the half-eaten chocolate bar.
Her skirt, stirred by some unseen dungeon draft or her own movement, fluttered slightly. Bell, too numb for his usual flustered panic, registered the flash of simple white fabric beneath it with detached indifference.
No sense of shame, indeed. Or maybe just no concept of it in this context.
"Hmm?" Bell mumbled around the chocolate, his brain sluggish.
"The water. The… brown thing." Ais pointed, her head tilting with genuine, almost childlike curiosity.
"The container. It is strange material. Soft, yet hard. The seal… I have not seen its like. And the food? It smells… rich."
Bell looked at the bottle – smooth, cylindrical plastic.
The cork-like screw top. The shiny foil wrapper. Utterly alien to Orario.
He broke off another chunk of chocolate, larger this time. "Here," he said, his voice rough. "Try it.
Thanks for…" He gestured vaguely at the carnage surrounding them. "...all that."
Ais took the offered chocolate. She examined it closely, sniffed it, then popped the entire piece into her mouth.
Her golden eyes widened almost imperceptibly. A tiny, breathy sound escaped her – something between surprise and delight. She chewed slowly, savoring.
Then her gaze locked onto the remaining chocolate bar in Bell's hand.
He followed her look. His own half-eaten piece, with clear bite marks, lay beside it on the foil. Without a word, driven by sheer exhaustion and a bizarre impulse to appease the suddenly chocolate-focused Sword Princess, he held out the entire bar.
Ais took it without hesitation. She broke off a piece near the end, untouched, and ate it.
Then, with unnerving directness, she took the next piece – the one Bell had bitten from. She ate it too, her gaze meeting his as she did so.
Indirect kiss.
The thought slammed into Bell's weary mind like a War Shadow's fist.
Heat flooded his ears, fierce and sudden. He jerked his head away, thumping it back against the tree trunk with a dull thud. Idiot! Why did you offer the whole thing?!
He didn't need to see the synchronized, narrow-eyed stares from Lili, Momiji, and Kaeda to feel them.
Three sets of eyes radiating disapproval, disbelief, and a hefty dose of 'Seriously? The Sword Princess? Now?' He could practically feel Lili's exasperated sigh. He kept his gaze firmly fixed on a particularly scorched patch of moss.
Ais finished the chocolate bar, licking a tiny smear of dark sweetness from her finger with a look of pure, simple satisfaction. The awkward silence stretched, thick as the dungeon fog.
Bell pushed himself upright, the movement fueled by a desperate need to escape the situation. "We need to go," he announced, voice strained.
He bowed stiffly to Ais. "Thank you, Miss Wallenstein. For the assist. With the monsters. And the… hostage."
He included Momiji and Kaeda with a nod, though Lili's muttered "Yeah, thanks," sounded more grudging than grateful. "We appreciate it."
Ais blinked, the chocolate-induced focus shifting back to the present. "What happened here?" she asked, her voice flat, her gaze sweeping the battlefield littered with Soma corpses and monster ash.
Kaeda, her Hume Bunny ears flat against her head, spat the words out before anyone could stop her.
"Soma Familia ambushed us our own damned familia! They tried to kidnap us! Probably to sell us off to some creep!" Her voice shook with residual terror and fury.
Ais absorbed this. Her expression didn't flicker. She'd seen worse.
Fought Evilus cultists at twelve. Witnessed Familia atrocities that made this look almost mundane.
Numbness was a shield she wore well. "I understand," she stated calmly. "We report this to the Guild." Just like Mama Riveria has Taught her.
Lili and Bell exchanged a loaded glance. A silent conversation passed between them – worry, distrust, strategy.
Bell cleared his throat. "Miss Wallenstein… with respect, could we handle this? It's… complicated Familia business."
Momiji looked alarmed. "But the Guild… shouldn't they handle criminals?"
Lili snorted, a harsh, cynical sound.
"The Guild? Royman Mardel would roll over for a sack of Valis, let alone whatever Zanis offers him. 'Impartial'?" She made air quotes with her small fingers.
"He'd twist it. Say we stole from Soma. Say Bell attacked them. Zanis has contacts. Money. Influence. It's our word against his, and his carries weight with Royman's belly."
Bell felt a pang of disillusionment. Eina was fair, kind… but was she the exception?
"So corruption runs deep there too?" he murmured, the thought adding another layer of grime to his exhaustion.
"Like mold in a cellar," Lili confirmed grimly.
"Reporting this officially? It hands Zanis the knife to stab us with."
Bell's jaw tightened. He looked at Momiji and Kaeda, their faces pale and bruised.
"It was Zanis," he stated, needing confirmation. "He orchestrated this? Sent those men? That assassin?"
Momiji nodded, her voice trembling. "Yes. We… we wouldn't have agreed. But the bastard… he spiked our morning water. With the real Soma."
Lili sucked in a sharp, shuddering breath beside Bell.
"The Perfect Soma," she whispered, a note of primal fear in her voice Bell hadn't heard since their early days. "God Soma's own brew.
One sip… and you're lost. Will stripped away. Just a dog begging for the next drop. That's how Zanis rules. That's his power."
Rage, cold and sharp, cut through Bell's fatigue. One man. One man's greed and cruelty had caused this bloodbath, enslaved Familia members, threatened Lili, nearly killed innocent girls.
Even though he was blaming them to feel righteous this did not make him feel better.
This vile rot festering beneath Orario's surface.
He shuddered, the image of Zanis's smug face flashing in his mind. "People like that…" he breathed, the words heavy with disgust.
Ais watched him, her golden eyes unreadable. "I have done enough?" she echoed his earlier words.
Then she reached down, unbuckling a strap at her thigh. She pulled out a familiar piece of dark green leather, singed at the edges: Bell's arm vambrace. "I found this. Where you fought before. the Guild advisor, Eina told me it was your as I bought it to her. I thought it yours when I found it."
Bell's breath hitched. He'd mourned its loss.
He took it, the worn leather cool in his hand. Lili's eyes darted between the vambrace and Bell's face, a flicker of relief there. Bell passed it to her silently. Keep it safe.
Ais continued, her gaze steady on Bell.
"I wish to talk. Later." Before he could ask what, she turned her attention to Momiji and Kaeda. "You are injured? Able to walk?" Her tone was practical, devoid of pity.
Kaeda gasped, suddenly aware of her state. Her tunic was torn, the strap holding her chest binding loose. She flushed crimson, crossing her arms tightly and turning away.
Momiji self-consciously tugged at her own ripped and bloodied clothes. Bell quickly averted his eyes, the pink returning to his ears.
"We… we can walk," Momiji managed.
A distant, ominous crack echoed through the dungeon stone. Bell tensed. "We need to leave. Now."
Ais nodded. "I will assist you and take you to the guild and take you to my familia if needed." She gestured for Momiji and Kaeda to follow her. "Stay close."
The two girls, grateful for the protection, stumbled after the golden-haired Sword Princess. Ais glanced back once, her gaze lingering on Bell, giving a final, curt nod before disappearing into the fog with her charges.
Lili was instantly at Bell's side, her voice a low whisper. "Master Bell, what about them? Zanis sent assassins once… if he knows they talked…"
Bell watched the spot where Ais vanished. "She's taking them. Loki Familia territory… safer than anywhere we could offer right now."
He turned, surveying the battlefield. His gaze landed on the truly appalling sight: the mountain of loot Lili had meticulously stacked – sacks bulging with monster parts, a glittering hillock of magic stones, valuable drops piled high.
It was a beacon screaming 'Irregular Party form Here!'
Lili followed his look. "We need to destroy it," she said pragmatically, though her eyes held a greedy gleam.
"Too much to carry, too dangerous to leave…" Her voice trailed off as she saw Bell's expression. He wasn't looking at destruction.
"Distraction," Bell murmured. He focused inward. System. Inventory. Store. A wave of his hand, subtle, almost dismissive. The entire mountain of treasure – sacks, stones, claws, fangs, shimmering drops – simply vanished.
One second it was a monument to their brutal victory, the next, only disturbed earth remained. Lili's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with awe and pure, unadulterated greed. "M-Master Bell! That's…!"
"Hush," Bell cut her off. He raised his hand, conjuring a small, controlled ball of fire with Brilliant Light. He tossed it onto the spot where the loot had been.
Flames licked hungrily at the ground, consuming stray bits of monster flesh and leaving scorched earth.
"Covering our tracks. Let them think we burned it." He started walking towards the path Ais had taken, his steps heavy. "Come on. Before they circle back and wonder where a mountain of loot went."
Lili scurried after him, casting one last, longing look at the flames where her hard-won hoard should have been, a grin spreading across her face despite everything.
"We made… quite the unexpected profit, Master Bell."
Bell's answering chuckle was hollow, devoid of any real humor.
"At what cost, Lili?" he asked softly, the weight of eight deaths, the thugs torn apart by monsters, the corruption, the constant fight pressing down on him again. "What cost?"
He just wanted to go home. To the crumbling church. To bury his face in Hestia's soft hair, feel her small arms wrap around him, and pretend, even for a moment, that the world wasn't stained with blood and the bitter taste of stolen chocolate shared with a princess who didn't understand personal space.
He followed the fading echoes of Ais Wallenstein's path, the flickering firelight casting long, weary shadows behind them.
~(Scene Change)~
Latro Carves, the man wearing the stolen mantle of "Black Fist," nursed a bitter ale, his eyes fixed on the Dungeon's discreet emergency exit across the plaza.
Beside him, Zanis fidgeted, his fingers drumming an anxious rhythm on the cheap wooden table.
"Why is it taking so long?" Zanis hissed, scanning the bustling crowd. "He should have been out by now. The brat's just a Level 2!"
Latro didn't turn his head. His voice was a low growl, rough as gravel. "Patience, Captain. Undermining our professionalism? A clean extraction takes time. Disappearing after a hit in the Dungeon isn't like skipping out on a tavern tab. He'll signal when it's done, unseen."
Zanis coughed, a nervous sound. "It's not that. I need to get back. Leave those drunken fools unsupervised too long, and they'll burn the damn manor down trying to distill floor moss."
He took a swig of his own drink, trying to appear nonchalant. "So… this 'Black Cat' legend. How'd you two come by it? The real one just… quit?"
Latro's mind flickered back. The real one quit… and we took his name, his reputation, everything. He kept his face impassive, a skill honed in the Western Empire's blood-soaked courts.
"Some truth to the rumors," he rumbled, choosing his words carefully. "Met Karl in the Empire under Eris. He belonged to Nemesis long before… lost his taste for divine oversight, like many." Stolen the name, made it ours.
Zanis's eyes widened slightly. "And Terry knows? That you're… not the originals?"
Latro finally turned his head, a cold, humorless glint in his eyes. "Terry knows what keeps him breathing. He opens his mouth…" He let the implication hang, watching Zanis gulp.
The Soma Captain was Level 2; Latro, nearing Level 4, was a palpable threat in the confined space.
"We got ousted after Eris lost her little succession gamble. Prince was an idiot. Goddess fled here, wanted chaos in Rakia, maybe Orario… but her sleeper cells vanished. Gale Wind's work, likely. We were… extended familia. Lucky."
"Goddess Eris…" Zanis breathed, a flicker of genuine fear crossing his features. "Frightening connections."
"Not like the old monsters," Latro countered, a shudder he couldn't fully suppress rippling through him.
"Marduk, Ra, Horus, Osiris… the things they unleashed before Zeus and Hera finally put them down? Makes your little Valis skimming look like child's play.
The Western Empire… it's a meat grinder. Factions tearing each other apart over a dead Emperor's throne. Corpses piled high enough to build walls. Compared to those butchers, Zanis, you're practically a saint."
Zanis's lip twitched in distaste. "Don't compare me to such… excess."
"Typical," Latro snorted. "Kings, nobles… treating people like dogs. Life got better here. Set Ted up – former Evilus trash, knew the underworld – to run El Dorado as 'Terry Cervantes' after we… acquired the previous owner's identity. Smooth transition."
Zanis stared, realization dawning. "So… all of it? Borrowed names? Living off stolen fame?"
"Took the names after the previous Black Fist and Balck Cat quit," Latro confirmed, a hint of pride in the audacity. "Thor and Nemesis kicked both me and Karl out for freelancing assassinations.
Then we joined Eris for the Falna, then jumped to Plutus. God only cares about the coin we bring. Complicated? Maybe. Profitable? Definitely."
Zanis sighed, raising his mug in a mock toast to the tangled web. "Complicated history indeed." He took a long drink, perhaps seeking courage.
The courage vanished instantly as one of his own Familia members, Kirk, stumbled into the café, face pale, sweat pouring down his temples. "C-Captain! Problem! Big problem!"
"They're back already? Did they bring the Pallum?" Zanis snapped, half-rising.
Kirk just pointed a trembling finger towards Babel's main entrance. "Th-there!"
Both men turned. Emerging into the fading afternoon light, covered in grime, blood, and looking utterly exhausted, were Momiji and Kaeda.
Flanking them protectively was Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess, her golden hair a stark beacon. Behind them walked Lili Arde, her small frame tense, and finally, Bell Cranel. The white-haired boy's crimson eyes scanned the plaza, locking instantly onto the café window where Zanis and Latro sat frozen.
Zanis's jaw dropped. "The Sword Princess… with them?" Horror washed over his face as he took in their haggard state.
Did she stumble upon them? Or was she… with him? His mind raced, desperately seeking an explanation that wouldn't end with him facing Loki's wrath. "Shit! The bastard got lucky!"
Latro's blood ran cold. "What's the meaning of this, Zanis?" he hissed, his knuckles white on the table.
"Are you blind? Look who's with them!" Zanis spat, gesturing frantically at Ais.
Understanding dawned on Latro, cold and terrible. "You're telling me… Karl… my brother…" His voice choked. "He fell… to the Sword Princess?"
Zanis nodded grimly, sweat beading on his forehead. "Got the short end of the spear, looks like."
Rage, white-hot and blinding, erupted in Latro. He lunged across the table, grabbing Zanis by his fancy collar, hauling him halfway out of his seat. "YOU BASTARD!! You said it would be an easy job! Just a Level 2 and his rat!"
"Don't blame ME!" Zanis shrieked, struggling. "The boy got lucky! The Sword Princess intervened!"
Latro glared past him, his gaze locking onto Ais Wallenstein. The urge to charge, to unleash his Black Fist on the golden-haired terror, was almost overwhelming.
But sanity, cold and pragmatic, reasserted itself. Terry won't be happy. Loki Familia attention… disastrous. He shoved Zanis back into his seat with a snarl, forcing his fury down.
He looked back towards the group. Bell Cranel wasn't looking away. Those crimson eyes held his across the distance, cold, assessing, devoid of fear. It seems the commotion attracted their attention.
Momiji and Kaeda stared at Zanis with pure, unadulterated hatred. Even Lili's gaze was venomous. They knew.
Zanis saw it too. Panic seized him, pure and primal. Brought before Loki… Ousted… Soma would know about the spiked drinks, the assassinations… He didn't hear Kirk's confused stammer or Latro's low growl.
He scrambled to his feet, chair clattering, and bolted from the café, shoving patrons aside in his blind dash towards the labyrinthine safety of Daedalus Street. He didn't look back.
Latro watched the coward flee, disgust warring with his own fury.
A rat abandoning ship. He couldn't touch the Loki Familia. That was suicide. But the source of this disaster… the boy who cost him his brother…
His eyes snapped back to Bell Cranel. The boy was still watching Zanis's fleeing figure, then slowly turned his gaze back to Latro.
Those red eyes… they weren't just looking. They were dismissing him. A chill, deeper than any dungeon fog, ran down Latro's spine. How dare he?
The fury crystallized into cold purpose. Revenge. Not against the Sword Princess. Against him. He just needed to lure the rabbit away.
Wait for the princess to leave. Plan. He couldn't let Terry know Karl was dead, not yet. Went home for business… caught in the Empire's war… killed. A plausible lie.
The sun dipped lower, casting long, predatory shadows.
How to lure him? Latro's gaze shifted, landing on the exhausted forms of Momiji and Kaeda being guided by Ais.
A cruel smile touched his lips. Yes. That would work perfectly.
He'd make the white-haired brat pay in blood and pain. He just needed the right bait, and the cover of night. The borrowed name of Black Fist would soon earn its reputation anew.