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Chapter 68: Death
Time rewound to three days ago. Bell was preparing to leave the city with Reborn for his special training.
.....
Atop the summit of Babel.
"Now then. I wonder what kind of performance that child will show me?"
Freya, the Goddess of Beauty and head of the Freya Familia, gazed down at Orario from her luxurious residence at the top of Babel. She was thoroughly looking forward to seeing what kind of spectacular feats her beloved Bell would achieve in the upcoming War Game.
Freya desired Bell for herself. When she initially learned that Apollo was trying to claim the boy, her first instinct was to unleash her Familia and annihilate them. However, her desire to possess Bell was matched only by her desire to see him grow into a true hero. Believing that a victory in this War Game would push him closer to that heroic ideal, she ultimately decided to spare the Apollo Familia for the time being.
Depending on the rules, if Sawada Tsunayoshi participates, there is no way they will lose. And even if they do, I can simply destroy the Apollo Familia afterward. Besides, Sawada Tsunayoshi likely won't intervene. Freya had watched the battle against the Minotaur through her divine mirror. During that fight, Tsuna could easily have stepped in to assist, yet upon seeing the boy's unwavering resolve, he had held himself back. She was certain that even if Bell were forced into a one-on-one duel with the Apollo Familia's captain, Tsuna would not lift a finger to interfere.
But I suppose he will be training with the Sword Princess again… If Bell intended to fight the Apollo Familia, it was obvious he needed to train before the War Game began. And she was ninety-nine percent sure his training partner would be Ais. The thought of Bell being trained by another woman did not sit well with Freya at all.
But as long as Sawada Tsunayoshi is there, stopping it is impossible… Allen and the Gulliver Brothers hadn't attacked Tsuna's group out of nowhere; it was Freya's direct order, driven by her jealousy over Bell training with Ais. Knowing full well that Tsuna had effortlessly swatted away her elite executives, Freya recognized that preventing Bell and Ais from training together was a lost cause.
"Oh my. Speak of the devil."
Peering down from her tower, Freya caught sight of Bell walking through the bustling streets below. She spent most of her days observing Bell's daily life from her high vantage point.
Who is that? Walking beside Bell was a figure she didn't recognize—a baby wearing a sharp black suit and a yellow pacifier around his neck.
A… baby…? Having watched the lower world and its countless inhabitants for hundreds of millions of years, Freya had seen almost everything. Yet, the sight of an infant casually walking on two legs like an adult was so bizarre she couldn't help but stare in sheer disbelief.
I can't see the color of his soul…!? Freya possessed the divine ability to see the true color of a person's soul. But for some inexplicable reason, she couldn't see anything when she looked at Reborn. It was an unprecedented anomaly, and it left the Goddess visibly shaken.
Just then—
"!?"
Reborn stopped walking. With clear, deliberate intent, the baby turned his head and looked directly up at her. She had never imagined anyone could notice her gaze from this distance, and instinctively stepped back in fear.
He noticed me!? Just what in the world is he!?.....
Having received a permit to leave the city from the Guild, Bell and Reborn headed toward the main gates.
"Is something wrong?" Bell asked, noticing Reborn's pause.
"I felt a gaze coming from the direction of Babel. Someone was definitely watching us," Reborn replied casually.
"Eh!? You can tell!?"
"More or less. I didn't sense any hostility, so it's not a problem, but having an unknown entity staring at you isn't exactly a pleasant feeling."
"Some of the most powerful deities in Orario live up there," Bell explained, looking up at the towering structure. "They were probably just observing the city."
"I see. Well, it's none of my business anyway."
Chatting idly, the two approached the gates leading out of Orario. They presented their permits to the guards and stepped out into the open world.
"Alright. Time to start your training. First, we're heading to a port town called Melen," Reborn stated.
Having examined the map Naaza had provided, Reborn set their first destination for Melen, a town located to the southwest of Orario.
"Bell. Hand over your knives."
"Eh? Why is that?"
"You won't need them for the training we're about to do. They'll only get in the way."
"R-Right…"
Thoroughly confused, Bell unequipped the Hestia Knife and Ushiwakamaru Mk-II—the secondary blade Welf had forged for him—and handed them over to Reborn.
"Hestia said she'd buy us a week, but there's no guarantee her stalling tactics will work. We train under the assumption that we have far less than a week. Are you prepared?"
"Yes!!" Bell answered firmly.
"Good response. In that case…"
Reborn reached inside his suit jacket and smoothly drew a green handgun. He leveled the muzzle directly at Bell's forehead.
"Die once and be reborn."
Without a moment's hesitation, Reborn pulled the trigger, firing a bullet straight into Bell's forehead.
Bell's body went limp, and he began to fall backward in slow motion.
Huh? Am I… dying? As he drifted toward the ground, the cold realization of death washed over him.
I knew this training might cost me my life, but to go out this easily… If I had just fought with a dying will, I might have been able to beat the Apollo Familia… I should have trained with a dying will… As he fell into the abyss of death, a profound wave of regret consumed him. He was losing his life before the training had even begun. His back hit the dirt, and for a brief moment, Bell Cranel's life truly ended.
Reborn!! Or so one would expect. Instead, Bell's body practically exploded, his Dying Will self tearing right through his own outer shell. Now clad only in his underwear, a brilliant orange Sky Flame ignited on his forehead. With a face contorted into a demonic scowl, the newly revived Bell roared into the sky.
"I WILL TRAIN WITH MY DYING WILL!!"
Without missing a beat, Bell launched himself toward their destination, Melen, moving at a speed that defied logic. The sheer force of his sprint kicked up a massive cloud of dust, and within seconds, he vanished completely over the horizon.
"It's Dying Will Time," Reborn smirked, tipping his fedora.
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