Took a while, but here we are.
Enjoy!
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/SLASH!/
/CUT!/
/... Thud.../
"..."
/Drip... Drip.../
/Silence…/
'Now that their fight had come to an end, the world seemed so… Silent.'
'Even the river's waters stopped splashing, the birds stopped chirping, and the insects went dark.'
'As if the world was giving this scene a moment of silence.'
It's over…
/Tsss…/
'As Silver recovered from his stupor, the flames around his body extinguished, slowly revealing his charred body…'
'Normally this wouldn't be concerning, Silver's abilities rarely cause him long-term damage. It may be extreme for the onlookers, but for him, it wasn't as much.'
'However... It wasn't recovering.'
"!"
URG!
'Sudden, intense pain, took over his body, and his vision started to darken as his eyes dried.'
'He had to use everything he had to not crouch down and scream in pain.'
/Bit!/
'Instead, he bit his lips and cut off his receptors while also increasing the concentration of adrenaline in his blood.'
It won't do much… Yet it'll have to suffice.
"Phew…"
It stopped hurting… But the situation remains unchanged, I need to heal myself as soon as possible.
My arms too, I need to go back and grab them, until then, I shouldn't worry the others.
'His current arms were nothing but an illusion, a palpable one, but one nonetheless, it did not have the same strength as his two arms had.'
/CLANG!/
'Silver dropped the remains of Phryne's axe on the ground, letting blood splash around.'
'In truth, the axe had become heavy for him to hold as he slowly lost his grip strength.'
"..."
'He thought about a lot of things as he looked at her body, but he was tired and worn out, all thoughts of anger and determination he had before slowly vanished like the murky clouds in the sky…'
'They seemed so… Useless now.'
'Initially, he wanted to kill Phryne and stick her head to the end of his Halberd, let the world know what it meant to deal with the Hestia Familia…'
'But now, he realized that may be a bit over the top.'
'He still has people to care for, people that see him with respect and expectation…'
'He wasn't a complete Barbarian, he would show them how he behaved.'
'Killing an adventurer in such a fight won't be frowned upon, people understand what's at stake... Though not everyone can be as understanding.'
'Taking that step would only make more people fear him... Or antagonize him.'
'Why trouble and anger himself over a dead body? Stain this moment of glory with a petty act of self-gloat?'
'Instead, he should pay attention to the more pressing matter… His own body.'
"Urg…"
/Crack…/
My skin's breaking, pealing… It's charred.
And I can't recover it, this is troublesome.
What happened? This shouldn't be a side effect of overusing my powers.
Unless… Did I accidentally burn myself without noticing?
If I took some damage, then it would be explained, I can't recover my body unless I heal it, its the reason why I can open a hole in my hand and close it immediately, but if someone pierces it with a spear, I won't be able to do the same.
I would have to heal it first…
/Fwoosh!/
'A red potion inside a beautifully ornate crystal bottle appeared in his "hand" out of thin air.'
'Silver couldn't care about the chances of people realizing something was wrong, he had to focus on recovery first.'
'He could make excuses later.'
/Splash!/
/Tssss!/
'He started by splashing the elixir on his face in an attempt to fix his vision.'
/Fwoosh!/
/Splash!.../
'And while the potion did its part on his face, he splashed the rest on his body, followed by taking another one, covering the rest...'
'His chest, shoulders, stomach, and then his legs…'
/Tsss…/
'As he did so, smoke was released into the air as part of the potion evaporated on his skin while the rest was absorbed by his now recovering muscle tissue.'
'This was the sign that the Elixir was in effect.'
'It was then he realized that his clothes had been mostly burnt, though, his shorts were still up, somehow.'
'Of course, his vision was still dark, Silver was mostly observing his surroundings through a mix of abilities... It wasn't very detailed, he was tired after all.'
'The only reason he could do so was that he barely used his Mind during this battle, yes, his performance drained him of a lot, however, he still could push it further...'
'His body was a different matter altogether though...'
It seems investing in these High-quality shorts was worth it, I almost showed my bare ass to all of Orario… Again?
'Albeit his shirt was cheap shit, his shorts and underwear weren't.'
'The flames that covered his body were intense, but the material they were made off was considerably Magic resistant.'
'If he could, he would also make them heat resistant, considering that is by far the most common way for his clothes to end up ragged... But that took time and effort, commissioning high-quality underwear wasn't exactly on his list of priorities.'
'He still has to check the place Gareth recommended him to.'
/Gulp!/
'After splashing his body with the expensive items, he proceeded to gulp some of it down, using the little bit of energy he had to make sure the potion quickly healed some of his internal inflammations and ruptures.'
/Gulp!/
'After the Elixirs, came the Mind potions, he needed his powers back so he could be ready for any situation, even if his head hurt.'
'And his headache due to overuse of Mind was the least of his problems.'
"..."
My eyes…
'But once everything was over, Silver was quick to notice two crucial things…'
'The Elixirs may have healed his skin to some extent, but his eyes were unsalvageable…'
'He had become blind!'
/Inhale…/
/Exhale…/
Okay… Breath in… And out… It isn't as bad as it looks.
'It was obvious, Silver wasn't okay with this… But as he calmed down, he understood what to do.'
'Panicking wouldn't do him very much... Though realizing that is easier said than done.'
'People will often move first, think later, it's the natural instinct of men.'
Healing my eyes on my own from zero won't be a problem... Not an impossibility at the least.
It's just that'll take a long time, and I'll have to fully rely on my senses and abilities to 'see'.
Even if they are squashed, I can make them again… Well, if they had been squashed things would've been better since I could redo that, but they were charred completely.
There's no recovery for that.
As for my arms…
'Silver turned his face to the side, he closed his eyes so that the onlookers wouldn't see the mangled state his sensorial organs were currently in.'
They are…
'The only thing on the ground was a pair of gloves and some black ashes.'
"..."
'As he realized what had become of his trusty limbs, grief took over his mind.'
Just what happened? How did my body burn like this?
The gloves I requested are still fine… They were made to last, so I can understand, it would be strange for Hephaestus' work to break like that.
But my arms themselves… They turned to ash, I can't even salvage anything.
Not even a bone.
"..."
'He bit his lips in anger, but in the end, he moved and crouched near one of the 'arms', grabbing it with his Telekineses.'
/Shaa…/
'Like sand, a lot of ash fell onto the ground, making a small pile in front of his feet.'
/Shaa…/
'As he walked to the more distant arm, he was soon to determine its cruel fate…'
Hot… So hot…
The metal is scalding… This means I was too late.
'A painful possibility formed in his mind.'
While I fought Phryne, during those last moments, the fire still burned on my arms, uncontrolled, so they raged my flesh and burnt it asunder…
In a matter of seconds, they were reduced to this.
"Hah…"
'Silver let out a dry laugh, thinking how ironic this situation was.'
I was the one that said adventurers should burn their Souls and march onwards… Is this Heaven punishing me for my actions?
Fine then, I can live with that.
Losing a limb or two permanently isn't going to stop me for long.
'After a moment of silence, he turned around, the two gloves flying next to him… In fact, they flew right next to his shoulders…'
/Step.../
'Next, it was his final piece of equipment.'
"..."
Partner.
'Silver stared at his beaten down Halberd, its edges now dull and twisted... Phryne sure did a number on it.'
It's all dented, but it can be fixed, it's not chipped, and this is the most impressive.
So the question is… Did she add the Durandall effect to it?
I never questioned how Hephaestus made it... Just what did she use during its confection to make it strong enough to resist several full-blow impacts from a Level 6…
Did she add the Durandall effect? Some secret smithing technique?
Or is it due to the copied Status?
Perhaps both?
"Hm?..."
The runes… They are a bit molten?
This can't be, nothing of this makes sense.
My fire was hot indeed, I was burning myself to make the greatest of fires… But it shouldn't be enough to melt it…
I did melt Phryne's weapon, but that was because I focused all of my firepower in one spot, instead of melting my weapon it should've cooled it down!
I wasn't even holding it.
Even if the fire was the case, it would've melted by the handle and not just the runes.
Something is missing… But I have a solution for that.
I can always just ask what happened and if someone can't give me a solid answer…
The thing I gave to Loiju… It'll show me the truth, everything I need.
Whatever the case…
/Cha!/
'The Halberd sprung into the air, following Silver as he walked.'
'Even if he had lost his arms, his lethality hadn't decreased by much, his Plasmids could more than cover for what he lost.'
"..."
As for you…
'Silver started at Phryne's body, but in the end, he just walked past it.'
'No words, no trophies to collect, no facial expressions, nothing.'
'He just walked next to her towards the high walls in the distance, leaving her remains behind as the sun shone on his back.'
'The greatest respect he could give her as a fellow adventurer was simply not profane her body, though he had none for her.'
/Fwoosh!/
'Once he took a few steps into the distance, he vanished, teleporting away, shaking the loose sand on the ground and leaving a tale behind for all to share.'
'And… So they would, because as soon as he vanished…'
/CHEEEEEEEEEEEERS!/
'Orario exploded in euphoria.'
'Had they lost or won their bets, it didn't matter, they had just witnessed something incredible.'
'Just like when someone's favorite sports team loses not due to their mistakes, but because the enemy team was too good… They'll stop and appreciate what they had seen.'
'Especially when the hardworking dark horse rises against the champion.'
'But that was a competitive game, and this was War.'
'Someone died, even if there was no one to mourn the dead…'
'Or was it?'
…
/A minute or so ago, back in the Entertainment District…/
'Inside a large hall, dozens of Amazons looked up with extremely amazed eyes.'
"... I can't believe it… "
This means…
'As Phryne's head hit the floor, so did their expectations for victory, as the blood splashed away, they understood…'
'The Ishtar Familia was no more.'
/Swoosh!/
'After Silver vanished from the battlefield, the floating mirror that was broadcasting the War game suddenly changed, moving to the people of the Ganesha Familia.'
'Although people still wanted to know what happened, the commentary from one of the most beloved Gods would have to suffice for now.'
'Though this wasn't of any interest to a certain Amazon...'
"Wow… Hm? Samira? Where are you going?" One of the Amazons asked as she saw a white-haired Amazon walk away
"Grab my stuff." She said calmly
"What?... Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, I'm dipping out… Before the lady up there recovers her bearings and goes ballistic." She said as she pointed at the ceiling
Now that Phryne is dead, Tammuz is severely injured, and Aisha was beaten to a pulp...
Even if we compare it to how it was before, though the strength of the Ishtar Familia hasn't declined much, the rules of the War game will throw us to the edge.
Ishtar already threw us into pits of hell to force us to improve, those that failed are either dead… Or in bed recovering, and I'm sure she'll force them down there again, or so she planned.
With this loss, everyone will want a piece of her, and she is a Goddess, she won't have to do a thing herself.
So the ones that'll work will be us… We'll have to fend off the world due to her mistakes while also abiding by the Hestia Familia's requests… And this means 5 years without the Dungeon.
Without being able to access the Dungeon, our greatest source of income will be cut, we won't be able to improve, and overall, I see no way of recovering from this unless Ishtar pawns off this Tower.
Even if we survive and keep the Tower, I see no way we'll recover, under normal circumstances, 10 years at a minimum...
But would Orario let us?... This city isn't so forgiving of those that aim high and fall.
... Nope, there is nothing for me here anymore… This isn't the sort of life I desire.
"L-Leaving?!"
'Samira stopped, looking back.'
"Do you plan on staying? You better think again, use that brain of yours, and try to figure out what'll happen to us if we do stay by."
"..."
/Silence…/
'The hall was in silence.'
"I'll be going first… Even if it's hasty and there's nothing that'll guarantee that Ishtar will let us transfer to another Familia…"
"Considering the rules, if she is thrown outside, she'll have to do something for us, we won't lose anything for leaving."
"She won't have a choice regardless..."
'Samira then shook her head.'
"I won't say it anymore, think it through yourselves, I'll go grab Aisha's stuff, I doubt she'll stay anyway."
'She smiled.'
"See you all at the gates."
/Step step…/
'Samira walked to the dark corridor, taking a turn and vanishing, her footsteps echoing in the hall.'
"... I… I'll go too, I'm only Level 2, if I stay… Ishtar will likely send me to die in the Dungeon again, I almost lost a hand last time..."
"And I don't want to experience that again anytime soon, at least not until the day I'm ready." Someone else said, running after Samira
Perhaps I should try my luck with the Hestia Familia?... Just kidding.
Though I am a bit regretful...
'This was only the start, soon enough, several more Amazons started moving after them, one after the other, until only a few stayed behind.'
'But after looking at each other and how empty the hall had become, they all moved, leaving the room behind.'
'Like this, within a minute, Ishtar lost over half of her Berberas, her main fighting force, and it wouldn't take long for this rebellious act to spread across all of her children, even the non-combative ones.'
'If leaving on your own marks said person as unloyal, making such person untrustworthy from other Gods perspectives, everyone leaving together means only one thing…'
'They had no respect for Ishtar and she failed miserably in making any.'
'It was all her fault, with this loss, how much money would she have to give away?...'
'Without a doubt, if they stayed, the ones that would make that money would be them…'
'The only ones that remained were the charmed males that tried to stop the Amazons from fleeing… But how could they?...'
'Belit Babili, Ishtar's proud home was turned into a battlefield in no time at all as the girls fought against the boys.'
'And their master… Stood crouching on the ground, her face hollow and her eyes unfocused.'
"..."
'It may seem like she was having a crisis, but in truth, Ishtar had lost conscience with her eyes wide open, the shock too great for her to take.'
/Twitch…/
'But from the slow twitches of her hands, it was clear she would wake up soon.'
'And when she did…'
…
'As for Silver himself...'
"ARG!"
/Crack!/
/Splat!/
'Inside a dark alley in the middle of Orario, Silver gouged out his own two eyes, letting their remains fall onto the ground.'
"ARG!"
Shit shit shit!
'Quickly cutting off even more of his pain receptors, Silver took a deep breath before storing the remains of his eyes inside a glass jar before taking out a white bandana from his inventory, wrapping it around his face.'
/Fwoosh!/
'As the bandana was stained with red, he vanished.'
'The sun shone above Orario as Gods exclaimed in ecstasy, a new page had been written today, it was the signs of a new day.'
'What would tomorrow hold for them?'
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Notes
Annnnd, cut.
It's over.
From here on out, it's officially the Inter-Volume I always do.
It'll compose of mostly reactions, with some chapters focused entirely on someone else other than Silver.
There are also 2 big side chapters one with Hephaestus that will explain where his gear came from, and the other that's more for comedic purposes.
With the mc now weakened after his fight, we'll be seeing a few months' worth of timeskip as he recovers and does other things, of course, the plot will continue, Ishtar will take the consequences of her actions, and characters will react to Silver, and so on.
Once I'm done with that, we'll star Volume 5.
There are many things to address here, and there are some plots some of you might enjoy.
One such thing is the outside, Silver will finally leave Orario for a period of time in search of his Family and other things, after almost half a year without seeing them, it's time to give them a heads-up.
There are many things he can do outside, what do you think he should do?
Aside from that, there is a chance the start of this Volume will focus more on outer POV's then on Silver, for the aforementioned reasons.
One, for example, will happen during the next small Arc that I have in mind, the Second recruitment Arc.
Now that the Hestia Familia is once again at the forefront of popularity, why not do another big recruitment?
And this time, introduce some characters from the games?
I told you guys I was taking a look at those, from now, after some research, the characters from Orario Rhaspsodia will suffice, but I don't know much about the game and neither it has content on youtube.
I'll start researching more from Danmemo now, if you are a player of this game and want me to focus on a character, now might be the time.
I am still unsure, but this Volume may be the last one before the start of Canon, not that it matters now anyway.
The only reason Cannon matters is that it's the year of the promise that's been foreshadowed in the main series, not due to Bell in itself.
There is still a lot to talk about, in this Volume, expect more Loki and Freya Familia action.
Mostly because Silver is about the same stage as them, being strong enough to rival the Executives of the Loki Familia, though I'm unsure if he can take any of the Level 6s of the Freya Familia, he might even have some difficulty against the current Gulliver brothers, even if they are rather recent Level 5s.
It's complicated.
Regardless, that's all from me.
(Images?)
XD