Sorry for the delay, we return with the fight with a light pov from another perspective.
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—
/Step step step…/
'Just moments before their encounter…'
/Splash…/
/Boom…/
"T-There is it again..."
/Tremble!/
"W-What's going on?!"
/Tremble!/
"Don't stop! If you fall behind, return immediately! Don't try to catch up and regroup within the city walls instead!" Someone exclaimed from the front
'The soldiers of Belthane ran under the brittle rain, piercing through the caustic swamp, their heavy boots leaving deep footprints in the mud as they advanced through the dead vines and crooked trees.'
'Their armor was made from the strongest refined metal from the nearby mountains, tempered with the sole purpose of resisting the beast's corrosion; they bit their teeth as the poison from the Swamp seeped onto their skin.'
'Even so, their trained bodies evolved to combat its corrosion, remaining solid under the Swamp King's lethal breath.'
"..."
'Leading them was Lidari, the blind swordsman and Vice Captain of the Bhera Familia. A position he didn't seem too eager to be in, although he never seemed happy in any circumstance whatsoever.'
'Right now, he was leading the strongest warriors of the Familia in search of the Swamp King, their goal? To buy enough time for the ceremony to be concluded… Nothing else.'
'As anything else... Was meaningless.'
'Even so... What could they do? A dozen Level 2 Soldiers and a Level 4 Swordsman. Even if they were all close to the next stage, what could they do against the onslaught of the creature they were about to face?'
'Truth be told, Lidari questioned the intent of this action. After all, what were they supposed to do against the berserk monster?'
'It's not like they were about to engage in a siege, much less trap the beast somewhere... They tried it before with decades of planning... Multiple times at that with different strategies.'
'None worked.'
'At a certain level of might, Human ingenuity reached its limits, and no matter how much they tried, even with the help of Bhera's blessing, they saw themselves unable to effectively achieve results.'
'If they ever achieve any.'
'Every time they failed, Swamp King always fled with little to no injury, hurt solely from the sacrifice of their priestess.'
'Dozens would march onto the battlefield, few would return... But one would always be sacrified.'
'Eventually, they settled with sacrificing only one, and they grew used to it...'
'The thought alone disgusted Lidari, but there was little he could do but clench his fist.'
'He grew the most he could, and yet he saw no light at the end of the tunnel, all of his efforts... Worthless.'
'He wasn't the only one to feel like that. It had always been like that. For the people, for the Priestesses, their partners, family... Descendants.'
'For as long as their history was written.'
'But to remain here and march... Those were the orders of his Goddess, and for as rare as they were, he was going to adhere to them.'
'It seemed that at the end of the day, Bhera chose this path rather than trusting the outsider, maybe out of desperation, maybe due to something else, but right now, she was throwing away any degree of trust she had for him and putting it all on their own preparations.'
'It's not like she ever trusted him anyway… For them, this was just something they expected. It was only a matter of time till this day arrived.'
'It only dawned a little sooner…'
'He was upset, fuming with rage at the thought that Talvi's remaining time in this world had been cut short, but... There was no space for emotions on the battlefield.'
'Lidari sealed his mind and closed his blank eyes underneath his veil, focusing on his surroundings.'
'In a way, it was a type of mercy...'
'At least this way, he could forget that his sister was about to die.'
/Shake…/
"...!"
'As he ran, Lidari tried to feel what was happening in the distance to avoid prematurely leading his squad to their doom.'
'There was no expectation of them all returning together, they were here to die. But a meaningless one was not what he sought.'
'A wrong move could mean falling onto a pit of corrosion, never to be seen again, not even their bones...'
'A late reaction could mean being squashed by the beast's colossal body.'
'Lidari, a blind man, was tasked with leading these soldiers through the dark night as they sought to catch up with the duo's fight...'
'Truly a madman's crusade....'
/Tremble.../
'He could feel the Swamp King's powerful strikes, the heavy tremors as its body slammed against the ground…'
'Either from its own volition… Or another's.'
He's strong.
'Lidari understood that right now, the outsider was fighting the ancient monster. And from the looks of it, he wasn't losing.'
'By far, this was the most anyone had ever pushed the Swamp King. He had to give it to him.'
'There had never been anyone like the outsider in the entire history of Belthane.'
'He didn't know what Silver had done to pull the beast from its nest, but as he thought about it, Lidari realized that today was the weakest and most exposed moment the Swamp King would ever be.'
'Suddenly awakened from its deep slumber, the beast was far from the Spring's Source and, above all, on land.'
'If all of Belthane's army was to ally with the outsider, would they have a chance, this time?'
'Last time, they failed at the cradle. The beast devoured them whole before it rampaged across the forest, destroying much of the land and transforming it into this desolate and dead swamp…'
'But now, the beast had been pulled outside… Maybe...'
"?!"
'Suddenly, Lidari's expression tensioned as the hairs on his neck and back stood upright.'
"EVADE!" He exclaimed loudly as he pulled his sword
/JET!!!/
'But before he could pull his weapon, the entire world was covered in purplish light.'
…
/Meanwhile…/
/Shake…/
/Run!/
"Huff… Huff… G-Goddess-S-Sama! P-Please! Wait for me!" Momiji exclaimed as she ran on the streets, trying to catch up with Hestia and the others
'As Momiji ran, she realized, once again, how ridiculous her previous thoughts were...'
'Ever since she left her hometown, she vowed to maintain the style of her shrine and spread the honor sehe felt for having grown the way she was today.'
'And that meant to walk around in wooden sandals and her red dress...'
'It wasn't surprising, as lo and behold, like the others once said back in the Hearth Manor... Running around in those, especially down a hill, was excruciatingly painful to her poor ankles.'
'It took a lot of her will and balance just not to fall like a boulder.'
'As for Kaede, she was running around in wooden sendals (Geta), which wasn't much better... Thanks to her stats, however, she was having a better time running around the place, although she almost tripped once.'
(Image?)
'Haruhime, on the other hand, had long learned about these issues, so her dress was made in a way that allowed her to tie its ends around, and she also had specially made shoes to help her run unimpeded.'
'There were other details to it as well, like her dress being made so it wouldn't be caught by stone spikes or spears as easily, ripping apart instead.'
'In the Dungeon, being caught by a sharp spike and stripping while being pursued by monsters isn't great.'
'Still, it was quite the drag for her... But as Silver liked to say... Would it be the same if she didn't have her priestess dress?'
'Every adventurer of fame had their own... "Drip". Haruhime already had hers. Why change it?'
'He liked it. And more than anything, having his entire family follow a dress code would only work to diminish its charm.'
'Though he wouldn't refuse to look cool like the other Families do from time to time...'
/Quake!/
'As for how they got into this situation...'
/Quake!/
Immediately after the city began to shake and quake due to the tremors from the Swamp, Hestia bolted out of the Inn's room, taking to the city as she ran towards its entrance.
'Because Haruhime and the others didn't quite know what was going on or what to make of the situation, they followed after her, not stopping their Goddess in the slightest, albeit they did try to ask what was going on.'
'More than once...'
'Unfortunately, Hestia was far too focused on running to say anything, clearly distressed as she ran with everything she had… Which wasn't very fast, given that even Haruhime could follow her without sweating much, although Momiji struggled to do so given her recent awakening.'
'She was a Priestess, not a fighter… And although Haruhime wasn't any better, she did have much higher Stats than her merely from having her blessing for a few years more.'
"Huff... Just bite through it Momiji." Kaede said on the side as she ran after Hestia, trying not to lose sight of her as she cut through the crowds of people
"E-Easy for you to say!" She replied with a frown as she held her dress
"..."
'Haruhime, on the other hand, remained silent, thinking deeply as she watched the horizon…'
"!"
'At that moment, she saw the dark silhouette of a massive serpentine creature rise to the sky and bloat the stars, causing her to tremble momentarily and almost fall.'
"Th-That…"
'Momiji and Kaede soon saw it as well, their beast senses working their magic, allowing them to see better in the dark.'
"Wh... What's that?" Momiji asked as she tensed
"What else?... It's a monster." Kaede replied as her ears dropped
""...""
'Many things passed through their minds as they watched the shadow coil in the sky.'
"..."
'Even Hestia stopped running as her expression grew serene.'
'She clenched her fists, and with a decisive expression, she resumed running. But this time, she spoke:'
"We need to catch up to him… We can't leave…"
"I knew you would be here." A voice sounded from the side
""!""
'As they arrived at a somewhat isolated intersection, someone approached from a side street, walking calmly as they stood on their way.'
'It was a woman in strange clothing but with an unmistakable aura, a Goddess.' Was what the three girls thought as they saw Bhera for the first time
"Bhera… I, I can… No, Silver. He…"
"It doesn't matter anymore, it has already begun. Talvi is getting ready for the ceremony." She replied profoundly and with a cold expression as she looked at Hestia
'Whatever she felt now, be it anger, resentment, or regret, it wasn't possible to discern.'
'Her cold expression seemed even more distant then usual...'
"What?! But I thought we…"
"There is no 'we' here, Hestia. And maybe there never was."
"Your child made this point very clear." Bhera said professionally as she put her hands before her stomach
"Urg..."
/Step step step…/
'As she said that, a group of soldiers quickly arrived after Bhera, encircling them.'
/March!/
/Clang!/
'A dozen soldiers slammed their spears on the ground around them, they did not raise their weapons nor said anything, they merely stood there, unmoving.'
"B-Bhera! What's the meaning of this?!" Hestia asked out loud as she looked at the soldiers
This is bad… Bhera's really mad!
Dammit Silver!! I'm really, really... REALLY mad this time!
I… Can't be late…
""...""
'At the same time, Haruhime, Momiji, and Kaede, gathered, cautiously observing the soldiers as they waited for the Goddesses to finish their discussion.'
'For them, this situation was extremely confusing, when they arrived, they thought things would be calm and somewhat welcoming given the way Silver phrased things...'
'But now… Why did it seem as if they were the villains?!'
'Above all, every soldier was clad in heavy plate armor with a shield and weapon in hand while they barely had a weapon each, and from the four of them, only Kaede knew how to fight properly.'
'Things weren't looking good…'
"I've had enough of you and your group causing trouble." Bhera said out loud as she moved her right hand from left to right
"This time, there will be no interferences. Things will go my way. I had enough of your bratty child running wild in my home."
'She turned to Haruhime and the others.'
"Or children..."
"But we barely even started! You were supposed to give us a chance! And... Ehh, I mean…"
'Hestia got embarrassed as she tried explaining herself, but Bhera did not care.'
"It doesn't matter what you did or planned to do; What I felt... Or believed."
"The Swamp King has awakened and is laying waste as we speak. It's clear the situation isn't under control anymore, and I cannot give you all more leniency."
"When he spoke with me, I believed there would be a plan, that we would work together and figure something out. But he pulled the rug under me."
"It's clear, no, I knew this would be the case. You as well."
"He was never here to fight with others. A child that can only look at their own feet... One that ignores the others actively."
"I wonder what's worse, to act without considering others due to ignorance... Or what he's doing right now?"
"..."
"But what's the point of talking? Hestia, I can't put my faith in your child, regardless of how much trust you have in him."
"I only trust my children. In the same way your child only trusts you."
"Time's up, Hestia." She said with a light exhale
"You are to go back to your room and wait. We can talk about the rest once the ceremony has finished." She said as she waved her hand, giving an order for the soldiers to move
""Please, surrender peacefully!"" The soldiers exclaimed in unison as they raised their shields, taking a step forward as they closed in on them
"Wait, Bhera! We can't leave Silver to fight it alone!" Hestia exclaimed as she grew somewhat worried
"Fight? There will be no fight, Hestia."
/Boom… Tremble…/
"... The Swamp King…"
"You're underestimating Silver! He's stronger than you think!" Hestia said out loud as her expression grew firm
"..."
'Bhera did not reply.'
"You're trying to protect your children, I know that! But please, trust us! Your actions... You aren't saving them!"
"As long as we can get to him we…"
/Flash…/
""?!?!?!""
/Shine…/
'Light suddenly flashed deep in the woods. And after a moment of brilliance, came its echoes:'
/BOOOOOOOOOM!!/
…
/Sizzle…/
"Haaaa… Haaa… Huff… S-Shit…"
'As the smoke cleared and the mayhem settled, Silver reappeared amidst the falling dust as he breathed heavily, chaos surrounding him.'
'Around him, everything had been reduced to dust, the trees, the stones, the ground… Everything had vanished, leaving only dark puddles of poison and smog that continued to eat away at the ground, releasing toxic fumes into the atmosphere, prickling his skin, and tearing his eyes.'
'This destruction went on for dozens upon dozens of meters, but thanks to his intervention, its influence was focused instead on the area around him rather than the city behind him.'
'A lake of poison had formed where he stood. Had he not been here... The city of Belthane would be experiencing the worst rain in its history.'
'As it would be ending today.'
/CLANG!/
"Huff… It served its purpose." Silver said with a tired sigh as he threw the shield on his hand on the ground
'A green tower shield made of pure Adamantite, strong enough to withstand even the mighty blows of Gareth, the strongest Dwarf alive... And the full might of a Dragon's fiery breath.'
'Reduced to nothing but a slab of metal and slag. Alchemically decomposed into a mass of... Something.'
Welp… There goes all the money I saved in the last few weeks… At least the Adamantite is still there... Part of it at least, but I'll have to ask someone to reshape it again.
Unless this poison has rendered it useless.
But I'll take the loss.
'Silver wasn't a fan of shields, for various reasons, but he knew that having a plan B and C was necessary in this line of work.'
'Before going on this adventure, Silver requested such a shield from Hephaestus, expecting trouble in his journey.'
'And even if not in it, then in the future.'
'After some bickering and some rather... Not elegant pleas, she permitted him to buy one from one of her many shops, given their exclusivity contract... And with a discount, also infamously known as... Credit.'
'A top tier shield that went for dozens upon dozens of millions of Valis… Gone in the blink of an eye. And that's already considering he used his Plasmids to shield himself and those behind him.'
'The soldiers of Belthane now stood motionless on the ground, dazed.'
'Only one still moved somewhat as he tried to get on his knees...'
'The attack didn't pack much of a punch, but it was horrendously corrosive and loud. It was not great news for the shield or for their ears.'
'But… Better it than him… Although he was to blame for most of the sound...'
'To spread its area of impact, Silver imploded several kilograms of Kaenseki, the drop item from Flame Rocks.'
'The subsequential explosion dispersed much of the initial torrent, vaporizing much of the poison before it reached them.'
'But to some degree, the shield would've likely been enough on its own...'
"Phew… Where is… Hm?!"
'As he took a deep breath, recovering from the Swamp King's attack and the light confusion from the explosion, Silver noticed something odd!'
/Shaaa…/
'Lying where the Swamp King delivered its last attack was… The Monster itself!'
'Still coiled up, the Swamp King remained there, motionless.'
'But something was wrong… Or rather… Missing.'
/Jump!/
'Silver jumped from his location after confirming everyone's well-being, cautiously approaching the monster.'
/Tap… Tap…/
"This is… What?..."
Did it just… Shed?
'To his surprise, the Swamp King had shed its skin, leaving behind a massive carcass rotting and corroding in its poison, like a small mountain sinking in a lake of lava.'
"No, this isn't a shed… There's even a Skull there." He said as he turned to face it's head
Skin… Bones… Flesh?... Wait… The flesh is… Heavily rotted…
'He frowned, the gears in his head turning, cranking together as they moved in symphony...'
'And then, things began making sense.'
"Shit!"
/Jump!/
'Silver jumped backward, running towards the Spring of Life, passing through the fallen group of soldiers without giving them a second glance.'
'At that moment, multiple things connected at the back of his mind.'
'From the moment they arrived, memories of the strange possessed monsters resurfaced.'
'How they fought the carcasses of dead creatures controlled by the Swamp King's tendrils…'
/Run!/
"Huff…"
All this time… All this darned time…
I was fighting a fucking… Dead carcass!
'Silver tensed. Hopefully, what he was thinking about didn't happen, but he had to hurry, regardless of his feelings.'
'Before the worst came to be.'
...
/Bubble... Bubble.../
/Splash.../
'A thousand years ago, a weak, flimsy monster, cowardly by nature, pathetic in strength, fell inside the Spring of life in its dying breaths.'
'There was no goal in this action, no greater meaning behind its movements...'
'It was all... A stroke of luck.'
'A trickery of fate. A blessing for the beast... Doom for its pursuers.'
'But even as it changed, as its body was filled with energy and power, its disposition did not change.'
'Fearful and cowardly, plagued by the memories of its hunters, it remained within the Spring's depths, even as hundreds of tiny ants bathed and swam above it.'
'The beast saw little worth pursuing them, even as the voices told it otherwise.'
'It looked upwards towards the faint rays of the sun, gazing at the distorted light as bubbles floated towards the surface, only to pop soon after.'
'Sometimes, it could see its reflection, distorted and ephemeral...'
'"Kill them." The voices said. "Pursue them." They ordered, its marriage twisting as its muscles tensed, ready to pounce.'
'...'
'But… "I'm afraid". The beast replied
'This act of defiance worked in its favor, as it soon learned that there was more to the world than following orders.'
'The voices never stopped echoing however, but it grew to ignore them over time.'
'In this impasse, with little to do, the little monster hibernated for months, years, decades at a time…'
'Its body continued to change, mutate, evolve, breaking the boundaries imposed upon it by the Dungeon, becoming something even it, in its silent wisdom, could not fathom.'
'Growing... More and more...'
'Until everything changed.'
'One day, hundreds of years ago, a powerful monster invaded its territory, attracted by the scent of prey and the ever-fulfilling force of the Spring, just like it was so long ago.'
'And for the first time since it crawled out of its cradle, the little monster fought back.'
'To protect its territory, peace, and... Something else it could not describe.'
'And against all odds... It won.'
'Glee filled it's mind, victory, oh sweet victory.'
'Finally, it was strong. It had defeated a foe many, many times bigger than itself; it had conquered a being it could only look up to before!'
'A being created to slaughter! Its predator!'
'The little monster, created to be nothing but fodder, fought against fate and won!'
'Yes... Just like the very ants who once tried to hunt it.'
'But as it stared at the carcass of its slain foe, the little monster realized a crucial detail, a moment of enlightenment, if you will...'
'It concluded... "I"... "Why?"...'
'... Nothing could stand in its path! So why...'
'Why hide from the ants? Why sleep in the dark? The world was it to rule, the world would conform to its presence.'
'Not the other way around.'
'"Kill them." The voices ordered in its mind again.'
"..."
'At that moment… The little beast silently agreed, casting aside its past self, accepting its new form… And title.'
'It resurfaced from the depths of the Spring, dawning a new shell, a new appearance...'
'The Swamp King had been born.'
'At the same time, in the dead flesh of its foe, the Swamp King saw a kind of power it could never attain, a form of perfection outside of its physical ability.'
'So, with much pondering, it attempted something beyond its comprehension and instincts. A new realm beyond its initial programming.'
'Adapting and overcoming all odds...'
'Why?... Why go out of its way to do anything? Why even bother trying to do something... Alien?'
'Because… Of a strange emotion… It felt hunger, hunger like never before.'
'To rise, eat, destroy, grow, devour and repeat it all over again…'
'Yes… The monster learned to yearn.'
'A new word surfaced in it's mind, memories from time immemorial.'
'Desire... Individuality?'
'In its doubts and thoughts, the new beast took over the fallen body of its foe. It stole its Magic Stone, and fused with it, becoming a new being.'
'That was the first monster the Swamp King parasitized.'
/Bubble.../
/Open.../
'At the depths of Spring of Life, multiple pairs of hazy eyes opened in the dark.'
'They waited... Patiently...'
'Its newest foe was about to arrive.'
…
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Notes
See ya. Sorry for the delay, if the images aren't there... Bruh.