Illuminated by a dazzling moonbeam, Haruhime let her head drop.
There were no tears. It was her heart that cried. But she didn't let it show.
Her tiny body held in all the sadness, pain, happiness, and regret.
All the memories she'd made in the past few days, meeting that boy and reuniting with
that girl, everything was packed tightly together and hidden away.
Her mind a blank slate, Haruhime slowly closed her eyes.
"—The enemy is attacking!"
A shrill voice reached her ears a moment later.
Haruhime's eyes shot open as her head sprang up. The intense sounds of weapons
crashing against one another echoed from the entrance bridge that connected to the
Floating Garden.
What appeared was a young girl with long black hair tied into a ponytail, charging into
the ranks of Amazons.
"Lady Haruhime—!"
Mikoto jumped over the guards at the gate leading to the Floating Gardens and raced
toward the altar.
The guards were already alerted to her presence; trying to hide was meaningless at
this point. She drew in a deep breath of air and shouted loud enough for the girl
chained to the glowing stone to know she was there.
"Again?!"
The Amazons around the altar grabbed their weapons and charged toward the
oncoming Mikoto.
However, they came to a stop about thirty meders in front of the altar. Mikoto, already
badly injured, stopped in the face of the wall of Amazonian muscle and steel. All the
guards she'd snuck past caught up behind her and fanned out. Mikoto was now
completely surrounded.
"Seriously, you came here alone?!"
Samira smiled as if she'd taken a liking to the brave and reckless human.
The rest of the Berbera soon donned the same grin, eager to see what was about to
unfold.
"Hey Haruhime, your hero is here!"
Samira looked over her shoulder at the girl in chains. What color remained in
Haruhime's face drained in the blink of an eye.
Her body tried to jump into action but was quickly held back by the chains.
"Why… WHY?! Leave, now, Lady Mikoto!"
The rattling chains accented Haruhime's screams as she struggled against them.
Despite being rejected before, Mikoto appeared before her once again. The human girl
looked up at her with an awe-inspiring gaze.
"That's impossible, Lady Haruhime. No matter how many times you refuse me, I will
do what I have always done since our childhood. I will take you outside."
Memories of days long past in their hometown in the Far East.
She had told them everyone would get angry, that they should just let her be, so many
times. But they ignored her pleas, not giving any pause to being labeled delinquents,
and still came to take her out of her family's manor.
Nothing had changed. Mikoto was the same as ever and Haruhime knew that look in
her eyes. The emotions that had been so tightly confined within the renart broke free
once again as her eyes glistened with tears.
"You lookin' pretty cool right about now."
The gray-haired Amazon Samira watched Mikoto's dramatic entrance and her long-
distance reunion with Haruhime with delight.
"Hey, Phryne, Aisha. Let me have her!"
She turned to face the commander and the heart and soul of the Berbera, practically
the captain of their familia.
"You two already had time to play! Let me have a turn!"
"… Ge-ge-ge-ge-geh, have some fuuun. We got time anyway."
Phryne glanced at the moon before a vulgar laugh rushed forth from her lips.
Samira had been tasked with overseeing the ritual preparations and hadn't been part
of the rabbit hunt. Phryne didn't see any problem with letting her have her way.
"Yeayuh!" Samira clapped her hands together in excitement.
Aisha made no attempt to stop her and watched on in silence.
"Please! Please stop this! Lady Phryne, Lady Aisha!"
Paying no attention to Haruhime's cries in the distance, Samira stepped out of the ring
of Amazons encircling Mikoto.
"That's how it is, so humor me. Tell you what, you beat me… and I might listen to what
you have to say."
"…"
Already feeling the eyes of all the Berbera squarely on her, Mikoto turned to face her
opponent.
A tenacious grin grew on Samira's face. Mikoto knew that she had no choice but to play
along.
This situation might even work to her advantage. At the very least, it would allow her
to buy time for Bell to arrive, or even open a path for him to the altar. Mikoto's mind
was set.
The human stayed silent as she withdrew Ushiwakamaru, the blade she had borrowed
from him. She held out the weapon in front of her, holding it backhanded in a defensive
stance.
The corner of Samira's lips turned upward, elated that her challenge had been
accepted. She chose not to use any weapons at all and stared down Mikoto as she
stretched her arms and legs.
They stood not too far away from the entrance to the stone bridge. The bloodthirsty
Amazons lined up shoulder to shoulder, creating a ring around the combatants. Their
battle started with the utterance of a simple phrase:
"Here I come!"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Samira had launched herself toward
Mikoto in a full-frontal assault.
"—"
The oncoming attack was too fast for Mikoto to block or counter, so she was forced to
focus completely on dodging the first strike.
"!"
The Amazon's large fist passed just in front of her eyes as she got her head out of the
way in the nick of time.
But that left-handed jab was only a feint. Samira turned that momentum downward,
placing her left hand on the ground and sweeping her legs upward.
"Guh!"
Mikoto caught a glimpse of Samira's right heel in time to block the attack with
Ushiwakamaru.
Her arms went numb as if getting hit by the blunt end of a steel pipe. A shock wave of
pain tore through her body, knocking her off balance. Samira wasted no time pressing
her advantage.
"Just like that, try and keep up!"
A barrage of fists and feet rained down on Mikoto.
Each one of the copper-colored streaks that was coming at Mikoto had enough power
to send her reeling. The human focused everything she had on getting far enough out
of the path of each strike that her Defense could withstand the blow if she couldn't
dodge it completely. No wasted motion, no room for error.
—As I expected, Level 3.
Her opponent's ash-gray hair shook back and forth, her minimal clothing holding tight
to her body as she moved. Samira's overwhelming dance of death proved to Mikoto
what she had already suspected: There was a large gap between her own Level 2
Status and the Amazon's. She had no way to overcome her opponent's overwhelmingly
superior power, combat style, and footwork.
How many of the Berbera surrounding her were just as strong as Samira? Their yells
seemed distant to her as that realization set in. Sensing the fear creeping into her
heart, Mikoto shook it off and regained her calm center.
She and Bell had already decided that they would save Haruhime no matter how
insurmountable the odds appeared.
"Hiiiya!"
"Hah! Not bad!"
Samira blocked Mikoto's first counterattack with her right arm.
She smiled as if enjoying the pain shooting through her arm, after taking the full force
of Mikoto's kick. Then she returned the favor.
"UgAHH!"
Mikoto went airborne.
Ushiwakamaru knocked from her grasp on impact, Mikoto watched the blade land at
the feet of their audience while on her back in the middle of the ring. Rolling over her
shoulder to face forward, her eyes opened wide as Samira charged her once again.
"You done?!"
Mikoto's eyes narrowed as the Amazon's right fist came hurtling toward her face.
Now or never! Mikoto grabbed ahold of the fist and guided it over her shoulder—into
a throwing position.
"?!"
The hollering Amazons and Samira herself took notice.
A judo-style arm throw. Another combat style instilled in her by Takemikazuchi—
Mikoto seized her chance to use one of these techniques.
Monsters in the Dungeon came in all shapes and sizes, making her judo training
practically useless. However, this Far Eastern style was extremely useful for
manipulating the bodies of human opponents.
These techniques were designed to help take down larger, stronger fighters. She was
on the verge of accomplishing something grand.
Mikoto exhaled with all her might, her muscles contracting at full power to bring
Samira down onto the stone surface.
"Hey, nice!"
But Samira had other ideas.
Commenting on her technique in mid-throw, she casually twisted her right arm and
broke free.
"!"
The throw was a mere heartbeat away from being completed. Now free, the Amazon
grabbed onto Mikoto's body with both hands—and threw her.
"Wha?!"
Just before the Amazon's back hit the stone floor, Mikoto's eyes registered two flashes
of tan skin go under her left arm and around her neck. The next thing she knew, Mikoto
had been forced skyward by the sheer muscle of her opponent. "Ow!" yelled Samira in
pain as her rear end landed squarely on the hard surface. At the same time, Mikoto
had been thrown all the way to the ring of Amazons.
The closest one watched with glee and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick that
sent Mikoto tumbling back into the center.
"Was that one of those Far East moves? That was pretty."
With that, Samira closed the distance between her and Mikoto in the blink of an eye.
The human girl was still on her back, reeling from the last hit. Samira took a more
playful approach to her next barrage of attacks, kicking Mikoto like she was trying to
juggle a soccer ball with her feet.
"GUAH!"
"Show me more if you got 'em!"
Samira's last kick sent the girl flying. Mikoto bounced once before finally managing to
regain her feet.
However, that just opened her up to the second-tier adventurer's merciless fists.
Mikoto's body jerked left and right as her shoulders, stomach, and cheeks all took
direct hits. Droplets of her blood flew with each blow, cutting dark splashes into the
pale-blue light emanating from the stone floor. Samira's beastly smile grew. In her
eyes, Mikoto was nothing but a toy that had some hidden features. She would stop at
nothing to see them.
Techniques were useless.
Mikoto's thoughts were a mess. The only thing that came through loud and clear was
awestruck horror at Samira's wild yet perfected battle style.
The Amazon was a living, breathing weapon. Years of experience culminated in a body
that could react on instinct, knew how to move without thinking. Each blow that
connected delivered more than just physical pain, they were direct shots to her
confidence and pride. Each impact was also the sound of her breaking down within.
Her talent and skill were outmatched.
Mikoto's knees went weak as each new wave of attacks showed her just how much
distance there was between her abilities and those of a second-tier adventurer.
"Lady Mikoto! MIKOTO!"
Haruhime's screams had finally reached her.
"!!"
Mikoto's eyelids flew open.
The human girl stood up strong, light back in her eyes.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Seriously, are you Level Two?"
Clearly impressed that Mikoto had taken the brunt of her full assault and remained
standing, Samira joyfully complimented her fighting spirit.
Another round of fists, knees, and elbows slammed into the bruised and bloody
Mikoto. However, she now had a good understanding of her opponent's attack pattern
and did her best to protect herself and avoid a fatal blow.
She even tried some more of her techniques when a window presented itself.
Unfortunately, the ash-gray-haired Amazon could sense when something was coming
and always managed to evade.
Winning as an adventurer is impossible!!
Mikoto screamed inside her mind as her body just barely avoided an elbow that would
have broken her shoulder.
As long as they remained on an even playing field, there was no way for Mikoto to gain
the upper hand. Coming to this realization, Mikoto threw her pride, compassion, and
battle etiquette on the back burner.
"Listen well, Mikoto. Ninjutsu is… dirty."
Takemikazuchi's voice popped into her mind.
"Sneak attacks, ambushes, traps… A ninja uses every option, any means to reach their
goal."
The god she loved and respected had said this with a stern face.
"So, to be blunt, someone as straightforward and honest as yourself might not have much
use for it."
While he wasn't eager to teach her the techniques, the deity explained his reasoning.
"True ninjas act out of devotion. Be it to a lord they must protect or someone very
important to them."
Then Takemikazuchi smiled.
"Should that someone be in mortal danger—then even someone as straightforward and
serious as you can become a ninja of legendary proportions."
Devotion.
Her devotion was to Haruhime.
If it's to save her, then any method—!
Samira's last kick caught her under the chin. Even while spinning in midair, Mikoto
reached for her item pouch, took something out, and threw it onto the floor.
"Huh—smoke?!"
"A smoke bomb!"
Samira and the surrounding Amazons took a step back in surprise as a thick gray gas
spewed into the air.
Along with a flash grenade, it was one of the items that Mikoto had taken from the
vault. The Berbera were more surprised that one of their own items had been used
against them than its actual appearance on the battlefield.
The cloud overtook Mikoto and Samira in the middle of the ring, completely hiding
them from view.
"Where is she?!"
A few of the Berbera retreated to protect the altar. Meanwhile, Samira's head was on
a swivel as she searched for Mikoto within the cloud. Her own senses, a second-tier
adventurer's enhanced sight and hearing, couldn't find the human. For the first time,
her air of confidence was gone.
A black shadow appeared behind her a moment later.
"—Got you!"
A crazed grin appeared on her lips as Samira jumped high into the air and brought her
heel down on top of the shadow.
Her reflexes had been spot-on, delivering an accurate blow from a nearly blind angle
at blazing speed. However, her grin was gone and eyes opened wide in shock.
"Cloth?!"
Her foot had made contact with the short robe that Mikoto had been wearing as a shirt.
Substitution technique—Utsusemi.
Then Mikoto approached her opponent in earnest from behind.
"!"
She came in high, high enough to wrap her thighs around Samira's head.
Blocking her opponent's vision, Mikoto roared with all her might as she thrust her
body back in the other direction.
"—HHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
Full-Moon Throw—Mikazuchi.
Samira was lifted off her feet. Her body arced through the smoke cloud with her head
pinned between Mikoto's knees. BAM!!It made contact with the stone floor in the blink
of an eye.
"GUAH!"
The sound blasted through the air, the impact strong enough to break the stone slab
and leave Samira's head buried under its surface.
"Haa… haa…!"
Mikoto gasped for breath as Samira's body fell limp to the ground beside her.
That was the scene that the Amazons were greeted by the moment the smoke cleared.
There wasn't a sound to be heard.
Her shirt gone, only the fabric wrapped around her chest protected Mikoto's dignity
as she struggled to climb to her feet. However, her fighting spirit hadn't left her eyes
despite all the injuries she'd sustained. That got the attention of all the Berbera.
"… Ge-ge-ge-ge-geh. Quite the fighter, aren't you."
Mikoto scanned the ring, shoulders going up and down as she waited for her next
opponent.
"Such a waaaste."
"…?"
Mikoto turned to look at the possessor of the deep, croaking voice: the Amazon
commander, Phryne.
The large face grinned. Aisha, who had been silent up to this point, opened her mouth
to speak. But just before she could…
"This ain't over."
From behind.
More specifically, from below.
" "
A cold chill ran down Mikoto's spine as she slowly looked over her shoulder.
The tan body on the ground had both hands up where its head should be. Muscles
flexed, causing a loud pop. Suddenly, the body had a head.
The Amazon briefly looked up through the dust and debris on her face while on all
fours. Shaking her head like a wet dog, she jumped to her feet.
"Definitely felt that one… Very nice."
Jerking her head from side to side to crack her neck, Samira's eyes narrowed as a grin
returned to her lips.
Mikoto's spirit fell into a dark despair. She'd exhausted all options, thrown everything
she had at the Amazon, but it hadn't even fazed her opponent.
That was the true meaning of Level, a barrier not so easily overturned.
"Come on, next round!"
"GAHhh!"
Samira's fist collided with Mikoto's cheek before she could react.
Mikoto had inflicted damage, but it wasn't enough. Her normally beautiful white skin
was dotted with black and blue craters and streaks of blood all over her body. She just
couldn't compete.
"AAahh…!"
Haruhime couldn't watch, tears rolling off her chin as Samira vented her frustration
on her breathing punching bag.
One girl locked in torment as the sound of fist to flesh created a melody of pain in the
background. Phryne watched everything unfold with glee… when another Amazon
appeared from the stone bridge with a message. The newcomer came right up to
Phryne and whispered in her ear.
"Ahhnn... The bunny's on the looose?"
"Y-yes."
"GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GEH! Looks like Lady Ishtar ain't so tough."
Phryne couldn't contain her laughter at the news. Her voice grew so loud that Samira's
barrage was little more than background noise.
Insulting her goddess over and over, she opened her wide mouth and took in a deep
breath.
"—Little Rookie, you're watchin' us right now, aren't you? Better hurry up, your
precious friend can't take much morrre!"
The surrounding Amazons had to shield their ears as Phryne's voice erupted like a
volcano. The massive woman's eyes went from tower to tower, searching every corner
of the Floating Garden.
Phryne was absolutely sure that the boy would come to rescue Haruhime after
escaping from Ishtar's grasp.
"…"
—And she was right.
Five minutes after Mikoto, Bell had finally arrived at the Floating Garden.
He'd given up on finding a safe route inside the tower that connected to the stone
bridge, opting instead to take advantage of the ziggurat's intricate carvings to scale
the outside wall all the way to the top.
Bell hid himself behind one of the towers surrounding the Floating Garden. Mikoto
was following their plan to the letter, drawing the attention of as many Amazons as
possible to give him an opening to destroy the Killing Stone—but he couldn't ignore
her once he got a glimpse of her horrible condition. He stood at another crossroads,
hands tightening into fists.
I can't take it! His mind was set. Just when he was about to jump in…
"SIR BELL!"
Mikoto's scream stopped him in his tracks.
He wasn't the only one. Every set of eyes in the garden was suddenly locked on the
bloodied human. Arms limp at her sides, Mikoto stood up to her full height and took a
step forward. Slowly but surely, her hands made fists.
Mikoto's voice echoed throughout the garden long after she fell silent, as if searching
for the boy she knew had to be here. Resolute eyes burning, she turned her shoulders
to face Samira once again.
"Ohh… But what are we gonna do about this now?"
Samira kicked high, the heel of her foot colliding with Mikoto's collarbone. She bent
backward but didn't lose her balance.
Gritting her teeth, Mikoto prepared for the next merciless attack.
"There ain't no time left!"
The girl's eyes shot open as the Amazon's fist dug into her gut.
Indeed, the tips of soft blue light emanating from the stones beneath their feet were
starting to get a red tint.
The altar at the center of the Floating Garden was also changing. The lunatic light in
the stone was reacting to the full moon almost directly above, pulsing as if calling out
to a long-lost brother. Streaks of red light leaped out from the blue and toward the sky.
It wasn't long before Haruhime was chained inside the eye of a crimson vortex
reaching out toward the moon far above.
"Sharay. When the time is right, do herrr."
Phryne's eyes narrowed in anticipation before issuing the order to an Amazon
standing at the base of the altar.
The warrior named Sharay nodded, the ceremonial longsword in her grip. The Killing
Stone glowed with the same ominous light emitting from the altar.
Aisha saw all this transpire and turned her right foot toward Haruhime.
"You stay right therrre."
"…"
Phryne's massive frame blocked Aisha's path.
Two Amazons glaring daggers at each other and one white-haired boy—his eyes filled
with disbelief.
Just out of their view was Mikoto, still absorbing punch after punch from Samira.
"… Go beyond…"
Mikoto whispered with a spark of determination in her dark-purple eyes.
"… the enemy's…"
Samira was enjoying the rush of her assured victory so much that Mikoto's voice never
reached her ears.
"… expectations."
Mikoto let her voice fade out.
Slipping past one of Samira's punches, Mikoto wrapped her limp arms around her
opponent's chest and held on with everything she had left.
"Haah?"
The Amazon sounded vaguely annoyed that her toy wanted a hug rather than to try to
fight back.
Mikoto didn't pay attention to her and started casting.
"Fear, strong and winding—"
Samira smirked at the human girl, who was trying to cast magic while draped over her
shoulder.
"I get it, I know how you feel. But don'cha think using magic now is a bit, I don't know,
amateurish?"
Magic—an ace in the hole that could turn the tables of battle and bring anyone back
from the brink of demise.
However, Mikoto's choice under the circumstances disappointed Samira to no end.
"You know, I saw your magic in the War Game. It's a kick-ass spell, but the trigger takes
forever!"
"GAH!"
Samira drilled her elbow into Mikoto's defenseless ribs in an effort to show her how
pointless the attempt really was.
"I call upon the god… the destroyer of any, and all for…"
Even still, Mikoto did not stop casting her spell between grunts of pain and staggered
breaths.
"Enough of this, you're boring me. Just cut it out, will you?"
"GuWAH!"
A second hit, a third. Samira's elbow hit harder and harder each time.
Mikoto made no attempt to pull away or dodge the blows as she continued to push her
magical energy forward.
The Amazons watching the pitiful spectacle just laughed or shook their heads in
discontent. Samira had to find some way to enjoy the rest of this fight as the blue cloud
beneath her feet became redder with each passing moment. She decided to see how
many blows it would take to knock the human off her—when something clicked in her
mind.
"H-hey… You wouldn't seriously…"
Mikoto's magical energy was beginning to overflow.
Like a bowl that couldn't hold any more water, like a flooded river that wouldn't obey
its banks, a storm had been let loose.
The small body could no longer handle the surging magical energy coursing through
it.
"Guidance from… the heavens…"
Mikoto's mind drifted further and further into darkness even as the trigger spell
continued to pass through her lips.
"—Watch your opponent, learn their habits, their expectations. And then go beyond
them. All ninjas must think this way to succeed."
Takemikazuchi's voice came to her as her blood-caked body went beyond its physical
limit, her consciousness on the verge of shutting down.
He had told her that all the techniques were just for show.
"Grant this trivial body…"
He had tried to convey one truth through his teachings:
The reason why he, as a god, considered ninjutsu to be dirty.
"A ninja learns the way the enemy thinks—and goes a step further."
Betray the enemy's expectations, an unthinkable sneak attack.
"… divine, power beyond power…!!"
The God of Combat's words ringing through her heart, Mikoto pushed her magical
energy even harder.
"No, you wouldn't dare—!"
Samira's shrill voice was laced with unmistakable fear.
But it was too late. The energy was free.
It coursed through her muscles, desperately searching for an exit, like too much water
in a thin pipe.
"O-OFF!! GET OFF MEEEEEEEEEE!"
Mikoto had converted all her Mind into magical energy without completing the trigger
spell. This caused a chain reaction that would inevitably lead to an explosion.
Desperation overtook Samira as she assaulted the girl hanging onto her chest with all
her might, panic in her bloodshot eyes.
More of Mikoto's vulnerable ribs cracked with each hit, but her grip didn't falter.
Quite the opposite. Despite her searing headache and the most physical pain she'd
ever experienced, a bloody smile appeared on Mikoto's lips.
"All of you! Get this thing OFF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
No matter how many times she struck her, no matter how hard she thrashed around,
Samira couldn't break free and finally sought help. The Berbera responded
immediately, charging in with weapons drawn—all too late.
The magical energy had found its exit and started to squeal like a boiling teapot.
Mikoto's body became the epicenter of a deafening explosion that enveloped the
entirety of the Floating Garden.
Samira, Phryne, Aisha, the Berbera, Haruhime, and Bell.
All sets of eyes flew open as rampaging magical energy overtook them.
"Protect, purifying light !!"
—Ignis Fatuus.
"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
An explosion of pure magical energy.
Sparkles of it reflected in all the awestruck eyes just moments before everyone was
caught up in the shock wave. The Berbera who'd charged in took the brunt of it, getting
blown off their feet and crashing to the stone floor.
This was how one smith's anti-magic Magic worked—an explosion caused by an
overloading energy within a body rather than using chemicals from without.
It could happen by mistake when young adventurers were still learning how to control
their magical energy, an outcome that most avoided at all costs. Mikoto, on the other
hand, lost control on purpose and used it to turn herself into a bomb.
Her opponent's assumption was the magic couldn't trigger if she couldn't finish
casting. The fire of life burning within her went beyond that expectation.
"GAH "
The explosion launched Samira's body skyward. She landed in a heap and slid all the
way to the edge of the garden. Burned to a crisp and leaking blood, the Amazon
showed no signs of trying to stand up. More than half the Berbera who were caught
up in the blast lay motionless on the floor. The ones who had managed to avoid a direct
hit—Phryne, Aisha, and the rest of the Berbera who were lucky enough to be outside
the blast radius—still felt the intense burst of energy wash over them. Even Haruhime,
still chained to the altar, felt the heat on her skin.
Echoes of the blast kept bouncing around the wide-open garden.
" ah."
Mikoto was falling.
Her Ignis Fatuus explosion sent her flying in the opposite direction of Samira and off
the edge of the Floating Garden. Arcing through the air like a limp spear, she
plummeted headfirst toward the ground.
The wind whipped the smoke emerging from her body into a frenzy as she fell.
Mikoto's skin was black, charred from the inside.
There was no pain, no feeling at all. Her eyes clouded as the last bits of physical and
mental energy she had were whisked away by the howling wind.
"Sir Bell…!"
The very last drop of strength in her body went into yelling his name.
Her words did not reach Haruhime.
She could not save Haruhime.
Just like in that memory of a moonlit night, she could not become Haruhime's hero.
Misty eyes started to close. All her sadness, pain, and a wish that went beyond all of it
gathered in the back of her throat.
Somehow, somehow.
That girl's curse.
Her ruin.
Her tears—get rid of them all!
Somehow, somehow!
Bring back her smile once again!
Reach—please reach!!
"SIR BELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!"
He ran.
The moment the explosion of life went off, he ran faster than anyone.
He heard.
The words of the girl who'd put her life on the line, and the yearning within them,
reached him.
Bell emerged from his hiding place the instant the shock wave blew past and
committed every muscle, every tendon, to reaching the altar one heartbeat sooner.
He had to break through the line of Amazons in his way.
" !!"
Bell tore through the hanging smoke so quickly that the Amazons couldn't respond.
His speed wouldn't allow any to give chase. The white rabbit was on a direct line
straight for the altar. The Berbera he passed couldn't even follow his movements, only
watch the smoke twist in his wake. Even Aisha couldn't make a move.
No one could keep up.
"—GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GEH!"
Except for her.
"I don't think soooooooooooo!"
"!!"
The frog-like Amazonian queen suddenly entered Bell's line of sight with unbelievable
speed.
It was a reaction that only top-class adventurers were capable of.
She had withstood the explosion and overtaken Bell at full charge. Now she stood as
an insurmountable wall in his way.
The corners of Phryne's lips curled up as she arched her back, pulled back her right
fist, and braced for impact.
"IT'S OVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!"
She focused all her strength into this one punch.
Less than a heartbeat was left between the incredible force and vicious object,
presenting Bell with very little time to make an important choice.
Left, right, or stop.
Or perhaps up.
Bell could already see the crimson altar and the girl chained to it just behind the
behemoth obstacle.
It was the moment of truth.
Bell's ruby-red eyes flashed.
He lowered his shoulder—and kept going forward.
"?!"
Faster.
Slivers of glowing stone sprang into the air as his feet kicked off the ground. Bell was
determined to go through the wall.
Riding this simple train of thought, Bell collided into Phryne.
A direct attack was the last thing the huge Amazon thought would happen. Her fist
changed course at the last instant to adjust to Bell's trajectory.
However, Bell managed to get beneath the overly showy punch and didn't slow down
even as his shoulder collided with her exposed flank. WHAM! Twisting ever so slightly,
his momentum bounced him into the air with minimal damage and knocked Phryne
off her feet.
"GUH!"
An airborne Bell, a reeling Phryne.
He had safely cleared the deadly attack.
Phryne's grunt of surprise behind him, Bell landed directly at the base of the altar.
The Amazon looked up from her seat on the floor and yelled at the top of her lungs:
"Sharay! DO HARUHIME, NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!"
Phryne's scream hit the Amazon like a wrecking ball. But she did as told and lifted the
longsword high into the air.
Blade forward, she aimed the tip directly at Haruhime's chest like a javelin. The moon
was in perfect position, the now crimson altar pulsing like a beating heart.
Haruhime sat motionless, her gaze following the shining Killing Stone until dropping
to the base of the altar the moment the boy touched down.
Bell fought through an awkward landing. One foot, second foot—and he jumped.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Bell launched himself skyward like an arrow fired from an overstressed bow.
A set of blank green eyes. The ceremonial longsword held high. The resonating Killing
Stone.
Gaze locked on the stone, Bell withdrew the Hestia Knife from its sheath.
The Amazon's back threatening to overtake him, Bell made his move.
A dark violet streak arced through the air the moment Bell tackled the Amazonian
guard from behind.
"YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The tip of the jet-black blade pierced the Killing Stone—and shattered it.
Pieces of the stone fell to the floor as the yells of the blade's owner filled the night.
Haruhime saw it all unfold in slow motion. The Amazon tumbling through the air, the
blade landing at her knees, the white-haired boy flying over her head and directly into
a stone pillar, breaking it before sliding to a stop at the edge of the Floating Garden.
And finally, the last of the shards falling to the ground.
The ominous red light filling the garden flickered before fading out.
"Ugh—gahhh…!"
Bell's exposed skin scraped over the stone surface as he slid all the way to the edge of
the Floating Garden. Knees, elbows, and the palms of his hands raw and bleeding, he
climbed back to his feet.
The red light that had consumed the garden before was now barely a soft glow. The
altar now had a withering, dull red appearance due to Bell accidentally knocking down
one of the pillars that focused the moon's light. The sparkles that had poured upward
like a confused waterfall only moments ago were nowhere to be seen.
Catching his breath, Bell returned the knife to its sheath. The sound of many bare feet
racing across stone swarmed around him within moments.
The infuriated faces of over fifty Amazons were waiting to meet his eyes when Bell
finally looked up. He was completely surrounded.
More accurately, they cut off his escape routes with a half encirclement, trapping him
against the outer wall.
"Now you've done iiit…!"
A massive Amazon stepped in front of the ring with such force that the ground shook
beneath her feet.
At the end of her meaty arm was Haruhime, forcefully pulled from the chains.
Phryne had a fistful of the renart's golden hair clutched in her mighty fist, roughly
pulling her forward. Bell's body jerked into action, preparing to rush to her aid.
However, the infuriated aura of the rest of the Amazons following their commander's
lead made him think twice.
"Brat, just wait till I get my hands on you…!"
"Ah…!"
Phryne slammed Haruhime to the floor by her hair, eyes bloodshot with rage.
"Miss Haruhime!" Bell yelled as the girl stayed down. A low, booming voice cut him off.
"So how you gonna pay, breakin' our Killing Stone like that?"
The sheer power in her voice made Bell lean backward, goose bumps jumping up on
his skin.
The Killing Stone lay in pieces. The very sight of the darkening crimson shards served
only to make the Amazons even angrier.
Bell had completely ruined the ritual that they'd spent years preparing.
Flames and smoke still rose from the spot where Mikoto's Ignis Fatuus had ignited,
and pieces of the pillar Bell tackled slowly rolled across the floor. At least fifty Berbera
lay motionless on the ground, looking like little more than corpses dotting the scene
of a massacre. They would not be rejoining this fight.
Bell scanned the crowd of Amazons surrounding him and made eye contact with
Aisha. He couldn't read her expression in the slightest. Looking away from her gaze,
Bell turned to face Phryne.
"All you did was bring us back to square ooone…!"
"…"
The muscles in Bell's face tightened as he stood beneath Phryne's icy glare.
It was true. All his efforts had accomplished was to reset the situation.
That's why he wasn't celebrating. Ishtar Familia could acquire a new Killing Stone.
Just like with Aisha, Bell's destroying the stone only delayed the inevitable.
This wasn't over.
… In order to protect Haruhime…
In order to save the girl collapsed at Phryne's feet…
There was no other option than to secure her freedom from the goddess who had set
all this in motion.
"… Please release Miss Haruhime."
Overcoming his fear, Bell made his appeal to the Amazons surrounding him.
Lips twitched, fists clenched; the Berbera were not in the mood to listen. Haruhime's
green eyes shook as she looked at the boy from beneath an imposing shadow.
Aisha's mouth narrowed into a frown, but the only audible response was Phryne's
croaking laughter.
"GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GEH! Ain't you a joker, Little Rookie!"
The Amazon's massive eyes suddenly unleashed a piercing death stare at the whitehaired human.
"Get off your high horse, puny braaat! Who do you think you are?"
"Ahhgh…!"
She grabbed Haruhime's hair again and pulled her up to her feet. Then the frog-like
Amazon leaned down to the point that her face was next to her captive's. Phryne's jaw
hid Haruhime's shoulder as she opened her mouth to speak.
"This here is our tool! One that we'll use to smash Freya's lot to bits! This has nothin'
to do with the likes of you!!"
The Amazons were too hungry for war with the Labyrinth City's most powerful familia
to let go of Haruhime's power so easily.
Bell couldn't stand the look of pain on Haruhime's face and tried to repeat his
demands, but Phryne wasn't finished.
"Just who do you think kept this varmint alive—a varmint so useless she couldn't even
make money as a prostituuuute…? It's her duty to use that body to pay us baaack!"
"…"
"Isn't that righttt, Haruhimeee? You tell him how it isss."
Haruhime's body shook. The Amazon's wide lips whispered into her ear with all the
affection a chef would have for a rat.
Momentarily released from Phryne's grasp, Haruhime made eye contact with Bell.
"Master Cranell…"
The young girl's hands came together in front of her chest, still well within grabbing
distance of the fleshy boulder behind her. A range of emotions passed through
Haruhime's eyes.
"Please take your leave… I'm fine…"
"…"
"Leave me be... I beg you, do not bother yourself with my situation any longer."
Haruhime's voice trembled out of fear of Ishtar and the Amazons around her. Bell
watched the renart look away as menacing grins appeared on the lips of every Amazon
in his line of sight.
Bell kept his eyes trained on the girl and opened his mouth to speak.
"Stories of heroes."
"Eh…?"
"I made my decision based on the heroes we talked about."
Haruhime's head shot up in surprise. Bell's voice never wavered as he continued.
"I decided to save you."
"How do you mean…?"
"To save you and to prove you wrong… I've made up my mind."
—No hero would ever come for someone as lowly as myself.
—Prostitutes are the ruin of heroes.
Bell declared that he'd come all this way to refute the words she had uttered that night
in the red-light district.
Haruhime recoiled, but Bell's confidence only grew.
"The heroes you and I admire—they aren't like that!"
The strength in Bell's voice caught everyone's attention. Aisha and Phryne blinked, the
Berbera shifted on their feet, and Haruhime stood in stunned silence.
"A prostitute, a cause of ruin—none of that would matter to a hero!"
"Th-that can't be true…"
"Heroes would fight, no matter how many frightening, powerful enemies are in the
way!"
"It can't be like that…"
"My idols, the heroes I look up to, they would protect you to the very end!"
"!"
He had said his piece.
Bell fought off his fear, anxiety, and unease to say exactly what he wanted to since that
night, in a voice loud enough for all to hear.
Just like the heroes the two of them aspired to, he would reach out and take her hand.
In fact, he was reaching out to her at this very moment. His outstretched hand
reflected in her green eyes, Haruhime's body quivered.
"Ge-ge-ge-ge-ge-geh! The brat thinks he's a heeeero!"
Bell ignored Phryne's chuckling as his eyes burned with the determination he felt in
his heart.
The boy's powerful gaze scared Haruhime. She held her own body tight and shook her
head back and forth.
"I… I am a prostitute!"
She thrust the words out of her mouth, declaring the title that had become her fate.
"I don't want to become your burden! I am a soiled being, not worthy of anything!"
Bell's chin shot up and he glared down at the renart.
"Don't think that we can't do anything, that you're not worth it!"
"—!"
It was the first time Haruhime had ever heard anger in Bell's voice. He wasn't finished.
"Being laughed at, pointed at, being called names, being called dirty—that's not
shameful at all!"
His grandfather's words.
They had become rooted within his heart. Now he brought them crashing down on
Haruhime.
"The truly shameful thing is standing still because you can't make up your mind!"
The renart's eyes went wide.
"I still haven't heard what you want!"
Bell's words—and his right hand—reached out even further. He yelled:
"I want to know the real you!"
The boy's voice cut through the remaining smoke and flames still inside the Floating
Garden.
It rang out into the night under the full moon. Even as it disappeared into the distance,
everyone standing above the weak red cloud felt a change in the wind.
The Amazons stood in silence. Haruhime met Bell's gaze.
Drop. One solitary tear rolled down her cheek and dropped off her chin.
"… Haruhimeeee."
A new sound.
A warning from Phryne from directly behind her ear.
Haruhime's shoulders jumped. Looking at the boy for another moment, she let her
gaze fall to the floor.
Her body, hair, and tail shook softly.
Her lips slowly opened.
"—Grow."
And she started casting.
"GE-GE-GE-GE-GE-GEH! That'll wooork!"
Phryne laughed with joyous mockery. Despite the boy's call, the renart began to chant
instead of answering him.
"Miss Haruhime…!"
Bell grimaced as she clenched her eyes closed tight and continued the incantation.
"That power and that vessel. Breadth of wealth and breadth of wishes. Until the bell tolls,
bring forth glory and illusion."
She reached forward from her chest, as if surrendering something to an unseen
recipient. The renart's regal voice continued to grow louder.
"Callin' yourself a hero gets you nowhere. Ge-ge-ge-ge-geh! Now I'm gonna show you
why!"
Haruhime's beautiful song reverberated throughout the garden as two Berbera
handed Phryne a grand battle-ax.
The other Amazons took that as their cue. Weapons were being drawn left and right
all around Bell.
"—Grow."
The intimidating clashing of metal and the stomping of feet on stone joined the
ensemble of sounds swirling within the garden. The Berbera flexed their muscles and
flashed their blades in the moonlight.
Out of all of them, Aisha was the only one who kept her eyes on Haruhime. She was
the only one who noticed something strange about the flow of magical energy
emanating from the golden-haired fox.
"Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above. Into
the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you."
The energy of her spell went past all the members of her familia and into the chest of
the human boy.
Her incantation nearly complete, a misty cloud of magical energy started to swirl
around him.
"Anybody, stop Haruhime!"
Right after Aisha's suddenly frightened scream reached the ears of her allies…
A magic circle appeared above Bell's head as sparkles of white light fell around him
like a veil.
The boy glanced around in surprise. It wasn't until he looked above his head that he
saw it: a pillar of light—no, a handleless hammer of light forming directly over his
head.
He felt the warmth of its light on his skin. His eyes fell onto the renart. Tears were
rolling down her cheeks, but she was smiling.
"—Grow."
The Berbera finally realized what was happening and jumped at the two of them, but
they couldn't make it in time.
Because the name of her spell escaped Haruhime's lips at that exact moment.
"Uchide no Kozuchi."
The sparkling hammerhead fell, surrounding Bell's body in a radiant light.
The light flooded his body and spirit with pure power, like a shot of revitalizing
adrenaline.
A spark had been lit within him, each flake of light emerging through his skin.
"HAH—HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The Berbera threw caution to the wind and charged in blades-first.
One particular Berbera brandishing a broadsword came straight at Bell from the front.
Her weapon flashed before Bell's eyes, when suddenly he grabbed hold of its hilt.
"Huh?!"
He stepped outside the weapon's path and into his opponent's space.
Tripping her with his foot and knocking her over with his free hand, Bell forced the
weapon into a wide sweep. All of the closest Berbera were knocked backward.
"GAH!"
Five Berbera hit the floor as Bell put his other hand on the broadsword that had
belonged to their ally. It was his now.
It was also at that time that Bell realized the flakes of light emerging from his body
were the same ones that had come from Aisha during their fight in the Dungeon. That
was the final piece of the puzzle.
Haruhime's Magic, "Uchide no Kozuchi."
It had the power to grant its target a temporary level-up.
While active, the magic allowed the recipient to move with power and speed one level
above their Status. That was the reason Ishtar kept her existence under wraps, why
she was the trump card against Freya Familia—"Level Boost."
The thing that made the Goddess of Beauty swell with glee; she'd worked so hard to
conceal the most powerful form of sorcery.
The reason that Phryne and the Berbera refused to let her go was that she possessed
a rare magic so powerful it should have been illegal. What Eina had told him at the
Guild, about Aisha's sudden increase in strength and speed and Ishtar calling
Haruhime her ace in the hole—everything made sense now.
Phryne and the Berbera froze in place. There was no stopping the power, Haruhime's
power, from flowing into Bell. He felt it, embraced it, and was fully prepared to use it.
"T-TAKE HIM DOWNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
More Berbera charged in with a battle cry, but Bell was ready to meet them head-on.
"—FAHH!!"
One swing of the broadsword sent several of the Amazonian warriors flying into the
air. Each one crying out as their feet left the ground, they spiraled into a hard landing
on the stone surface.
Bell's strikes were too fast for their eyes to see. The broadsword had become a wall
they could not break and a weapon they could not block. Sparks flew into the air,
joining the pinpricks of light around Bell as even more Berbera were thrown from
their feet. The Level 2 Amazons didn't stand a chance, knocked out in the blink of an
eye. Even the Level 3s who should have been on equal footing with Bell were tossed
aside like tissue paper.
Haruhime had bestowed upon him the abilities of a Level 4 adventurer, and he wasn't
about to hold any of it back.
"H-HARUHIMEEEEEEEEE!"
"UwAH!"
Phryne roared as the one-sided slugfest unfolded in front of her eyes.
A flash of gold within the rush of Amazons caught her attention. She reached out with
one meaty hand, grabbed the girl by the neck, and hoisted her off the ground.
"You betrayed usss! Break the spell, you worthless prostitute! Break it now!"
As soon as Uchide no Kozuchi was triggered, its effects would last until time ran out or
the caster chose to end it. Even if Haruhime were knocked unconscious or worse, the
spell would not wear off. Phryne resorted to force out of desperation, but even then,
the renart didn't give in.
Neck cracking between muscular fingers and feet swinging through the air, Haruhime
clenched her eyes shut. Her cheeks shone in the moonlight, wet with more tears.
Fighting to stay conscious, she forced weak words through her quivering lips.
"I do not want to sell my body ever again…!"
She said it; that shy girl actually said it.
"I do not want to hurt anyone ever again…!"
Afraid of others, terrified of the world, the fragile renart gathered up all the emotion,
every desire, every grievance she'd kept bottled up.
"I do not want to die…!"
And put it into two words:
"Save me…!"
She asked for his help.
"!!"
He heard. Bell's eyes instantly zeroed in on her.
Dashing through the horde of Amazons, he hurled himself at Phryne with the force of
a cannonball at full speed.
"Wha—?!"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The massive Amazon barely managed to get her ax in position to block the incoming
blade. However, the impact knocked her back toward the center of the garden.
She let go of Haruhime in mid-fall, sending the helpless girl into the air. Bell reached
out to catch her, but a quick shadow got to her first.
"Miss Aisha…!"
"…"
Holding an unconscious Haruhime in her arms, the Amazonian warrior's long black
hair danced in the wind behind her. Her narrow eyes were focused solely on Bell.
A heartbeat later she was airborne, jumping backward high into the air to allow a fresh
wave of Berbera to attack.
"B-blooood…?!"
Bell engaged the Berbera head-on in an attempt to follow Aisha. At the same time,
Phryne climbed to her feet and felt something unusual dripping down her face.
The blade of her ax had carved a gash into her own cheek. Bell's attack caused the
injury. She slowly traced the wound with her thick, trembling fingers in disbelief.
"My beautiful face… is BLOODYYY…?!"
Her whole body shook before erupting like a volcano.
"OUTTA MY WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
She charged forward like an enraged bowling ball, knocking Berbera out of the way as
she made a beeline for the white-haired boy. Bell froze for a moment as he watched
the bodies hit the stone floor in her wake.
Grand battle-ax and broadsword collided in an explosion of sparks a second later.
"…!"
"I had a soft spot for you, but no morrre! YOU DIE NOWWWWWWW!"
Fueled by pure rage, she spun into a swing that sent Bell arcing through the air.
Landing close to the wall at the edge of the Floating Garden, Bell barely had time to
get on his feet to block the Amazon's follow-up attack.
"Ai-Aisha, what do we do? Those two are almost outside the garden!"
"That toad… She's completely lost it."
Phryne drove Bell back onto the bridge amid sharp clashes and showers of sparks. At
this rate, they would be in the main tower before any other Berbera could catch up. A
younger Amazon came to Aisha for orders.
Aisha watched the battle for a moment before looking down at Haruhime's head
resting on her chest.
Trails of dried tears crisscrossed the unconscious renart's cheeks. Aisha closed her
eyes.
Then she set the girl who had asked for help for the first time in her life gently on the
floor and immediately stood back up.
Just as she was about to issue orders to the Berbera still able to fight—something
exploded.
"What was that…?"
Searching for its source, Aisha ran to the edge of the garden to look over the Pleasure
Quarter.
"Mr. Welf, that explosion just now…!"
Hestia and her familia saw the flash of light burst out from the Floating Garden as they
ran through the brothel-filled streets of the Pleasure Quarter.
Lilly knew that sound and had seen that color of flame many times before. She
quickened her steps to catch up with Welf and made eye contact as they ran.
"Ignis Fatuus…!"
Welf groaned under his breath. He knew out-of-control magical energy when he saw
it.
Something or someone with magical energy was in a dire enough situation to trigger
Ignis Fatuus on top of the building behind the palace.
Hestia wasted no time in declaring that Bell and Mikoto were there. The entire group
veered right and set a course directly for Belit Babili.
"Stop right there, intruders!"
"Tsk, not again…!"
Yet another group of Amazons arrived to bar their path through Orario's third district.
Ouka spat in frustration at barely making any headway. Even so, he charged into battle
with ax held high.
"Luckily, the opponents aren't strong enough to keep us back!"
"Yes, their forces are spread too thin…!"
Lilly shot her bow gun to distract the closest Amazon while calling out in an attempt
to raise morale. Chigusa added her own voice from the middle of the formation as she
jumped into the fray, spear a blur.
Ishtar Familia's forces had been split between protecting the Killing Stone Ritual and
capturing Bell. Street patrols, the lowest priority, had been assigned to the weakest of
the Berbera. It wasn't long before Welf and Ouka carved a path through the lower Level
2 Amazons and the Level 1 animal people and humans sent to support them. Slowly
but surely, the patrol guards fell by the wayside.
Thanks to Welf's unusual anti-magic Magic and Takemikazuchi Familia's incredible
teamwork, the group worked their way through waves of enemies.
"Can we make it through?"
Takemikazuchi called out to Hestia from behind the protection of his followers. The
goddess, however, was silent and in deep contemplation.
Why—why did it come to this…?
The War Game against Apollo had just ended. So why was Bell being targeted by so
many gods?
Of course his quick growth would perk their interest… but was this really a coincidence?
Welf and the others rushed to meet the next wave of enemies as Hestia ran through
the sequence of events in her head once again. "Outta my way!" the red-haired young
man yelled at the Amazons who blocked his path—KA-BOOM.
"Huh…?"
Hestia, Lilly, Welf, and all of Takemikazuchi Familia looked over their shoulders to find
the source of the latest explosion.
They immediately spotted a column of smoke emerging from a completely different
direction. Flames licked the sky as the pyre rose even higher.
It was the same explosion that caught Aisha's attention in the Floating Garden. An
eerie silence continued for a few seconds before… BOOM, KA-BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
More explosions came from around the Pleasure Quarter—no, the entire third district.
That's when the first screams reached their ears.
"What is going on?!"
Ishtar herself had joined the hunt for Bell in the main palace when the explosions
started going off outside. She was quick to demand a report.
Without her most trusted servant at her side, she addressed the first member of her
familia she could find. The unlucky passerby dropped to his knees and hastily strung
words together.
"S-some intruders are attacking the Pleasure Quarter…!"
"Attacking…?"
Pausing for a moment in shock, Ishtar then ran out of the hall and onto the closest
balcony where she could see all of the Pleasure Quarter. Waves of hot air washed over
her bronze skin the moment she stepped outside.
The condition of her territory made her jaw drop.
Loud noises, flashes of light, screams, and explosions erupted from every corner of the
Night District under the moonlight.
Countless human figures advanced through the streets, her streets, under the cover of
smoke and darkness. Shadows of the invading adventurer army flashed in every
direction as new explosions went off all around them. Ishtar was lost for words.
Her familia was under siege.
The invading adventurers were moving swiftly among the brothels. Members of her
familia fell one by one with each swing of a blade, each Magic casting, each flash of a
magical sword. Ishtar could see it all.
What is this, what is going on?! Her mind raced as she tightened her white-knuckled
grip on the balcony railing.
Her voice trembled as she watched the flames of war dance their way through the
Pleasure Quarter.
"Wh-what? Nobody would have the gall to…!"
She was the grand and mighty Ishtar, head of Orario's feared Ishtar Familia.
Who would show up with this many warriors, unannounced, weapons drawn, and
start a fight with someone as powerful as she? That was as far as her train of thought
needed to go.
The color drained from her face.
"It… it can't be…?"
"E-ENEMY ATTACK !"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
Yells and screams laced their way through the buildings.
Moonlight and the occasional magic-stone lamp cast light on the golden seal of a nude
female warrior in profile—the symbol of Ishtar Familia.
It could be found on discarded armor and weapons scattered throughout the streets.
Another flash of steel brought another Berbera to her knees, buckler rolling to the
middle of the street and coming to a stop with her familia's emblem facing the sky.
They had been overrun. Elves, dwarves, animal people, prums, Amazons, all types of
demi-human and human warriors surged into the Pleasure Quarter. They took over
strategic positions, kicked over barrels in the streets, advanced over rooftops and
eliminated Berbera resistance with ruthless efficiency. The invading men and women
didn't try to hide their faces—quite the opposite. They wore the beautiful and
handsome features that had captured the attention of their goddess like badges of
honor. They wielded the power that kept them in her good graces without any
hesitation. An elf with a fluid spear, an animal person with pulsing magical energy in
the palms of his hands, a dwarf with a war hammer that overshadowed him in size—
every single one of them showed no mercy to the opposition.
Swarms of noncombatants and prostitutes ran for their lives in the face of this onesided assault. Male customers, literally caught with their pants down, cowered in fear
as the invaders pointed their weapons toward only those who attempted to bar their
advance.
"E-Eina? EINA! Big problem—really, really BIG PROBLEM!"
—The onslaught was being monitored from the Guild Headquarters northwest of the
Pleasure Quarter.
Caught off guard by the panic in her coworker's voice from outside, Eina jumped up
from her desk and went to join her. She wasn't prepared for what was waiting for her.
Joining the masses of Guild employees who had gathered on the front garden, Eina
saw that every set of eyes was glued to the flashes of magical light, billowing smoke,
and orange-red glow emerging from the southeast.
"That direction—the Pleasure Quarter…? Could it be—Belit Babili is burning?!"
Eina found her coworker Misha pacing back and forth among the nervously chattering
staff of the Guild. Coming to a stop next to her, Eina cast her unsteady emerald-green
gaze toward the pandemonium on the other side of Orario.
"An outbreak? What familia would be powerful enough to launch an offensive against
Lady Ishtar?"
Eina thought out loud, unable to shake her disbelief.
Then it hit her like a jolt of lightning.
"It can't be…"
"It can't be…"
Other deities living in Orario watched the flames rise from the southeast.
"There's no way…"
Some watched from their homes; others climbed to the tops of tall buildings for a
better look.
"She wouldn't…"
From the Shopping District, from the engineering wards, from trading outposts,
deities young and old watched from a distance.
"Could that be… Ganesha?"
The divine beings all had the same reaction as Eina. A certain vermilion-haired
goddess watched from the tallest tower of her home, Twilight Manor. Her thin eyes
opened wider than usual; Loki kept a sharp vigil on the events taking place on the
opposite side of the city.
Windows beneath her swung open as the heads of her followers appeared one by one.
They yelled to one another, trying to figure out what was happening. Loki whispered
to herself:
"Couldn't be… Freya?"
Loki's tongue snapped at the thought, vermilion eyes opening wider.
"That airhead, makin' a move…"
Ker-tap. Ker-tap.
The sound of high heels on stone echoed through the scream-filled streets.
The bodies of fallen Amazons littered the streets, their faces illuminated by the flames
reaching to grasp the sky. And yet her beauty managed to remain intact, a diamond
traveling through the rough.
With her warriors clearing a path before her, she advanced through the Pleasure
Quarter at her own fast pace.
"The Pleasure Quarter is under our control."
"Ottar's team has reached the palace."
A man and woman appeared at her side to bring her up to speed. Freya kept walking,
only saying, "I see," without looking at the messengers.
The invaders showed no remorse for their actions. They traveled north through the
third district with either an air of arrogance or resignation to the knowledge that their
goddess's will was absolute.
"Both of you, go to the front. That boy, he should be there."
The goddess's unblinking silver eyes remained focused on her target: the gleaming
golden palace in the distance.
The first explosion hadn't alerted only Hestia and Takemikazuchi to Bell's position, it
showed Freya exactly where to go.
"But My Lady, your escort…"
"Not needed."
Freya didn't listen to her follower's concern.
"Eliminate all who stand in your way."
And find the boy. Those were her orders.
The two gave a quick bow and left her side. Freya kept walking, speeding up.
Her straight silver hair swayed in the breeze. The sounds of battle around her never
ceased. Surrounded by clashes, screams, and roaring flames, Freya continued to walk
down the middle of the street, all the way to what was left of Belit Babili's front gate.
Passing by a crater with random poles of warped steel littering the ground, Freya
could feel the traces of magical energy on her skin as she passed through the front
garden and stepped up to the palace. Then she just happened to look up.
Her silver eyes caught a glimpse of a bronze-skinned deity looking down at her with
amethyst eyes from a balcony.
Freya returned the scowl with a glare menacing enough to intimidate a hawk, an icecold grin on her lips.
The other Goddess of Beauty's face took on a ghostly shade of blue.
—Mere minutes had passed since Freya Familia began the invasion.
"…"
The mountainous frame of the boaz with the title of warlord stood with a human girl
lying limp in his arms.
The hair band that kept her black ponytail in place long gone, her singed hair listlessly
drifted in the breeze. She had fallen from the top of the building behind the palace.
The large man saw her in time and caught her before she hit the ground.
"… Self-sacrifice to protect your allies, was it?"
Ignis Fatuus—the unique markings of internal burns gave Ottar a clue to the young
girl's fate.
She lay motionless in his gentle embrace, eyes closed.
The girl's actions had earned her the boaz warlord's respect. He lay her down on the
ground and brought out an elixir from his item pouch before carefully pouring it on
her skin.
The girl's body, which was on the verge of falling apart due to the sheer number and
severity of her injuries, started to heal on the spot. Life once again took root within
her.
"Hey, Ottar. Quit playin' around."
"Don't waste time on that girl," a catman—Allen—snapped from behind him. Glaring
coldly at his ally as he walked past, the top-class adventurer flipped a spear over his
wrist.
Four more 120-celch-tall figures emerged from the shadows behind him: four prums.
Two more sets of eyes were lurking in the darkness, those of an elf and a dark elf.
"We're going to say this only once, Ottar."
"The boy who has taken over her favor—Bell Cranell. We don't like him."
"We will follow the goddess's will and eliminate all threats."
"But we refuse to help him."
"… Do as you will."
The four prums showed no fear in speaking frankly with their familia's commander.
The other three said nothing, their silence indicating they shared the same opinion.
Ottar's expression remained stoic despite his borderline insubordinate allies.
However, he did draw a line.
"Goddess Ishtar does not escape. Block the exits."
"And the ones who get in our way?"
"—Obliterate them."
Ottar's tone remained cool and collected as he led the team of seven adventurers
toward the golden palace.
The strongest battle party in Orario, composed completely of top-tier adventurers,
entered Belit Babili.
Roaring flames illuminated the streets of the Pleasure Quarter in place of the broken
magic-stone lamps.
The flames worked in unison with other adventurers to isolate the third district,
keeping everything inside. It was indeed the final hours of a once-proud fortress. Even
more explosions were still ringing out in the distance, signaling the battle was not over
yet.
Of all the spacious districts in Orario, the one that had given in to desire and adultery
was now burning red under the full moon.
"To think it would come to this…"
A dandy deity stood on the southeastern portion of the city wall that wrapped all the
way around Orario. He stood right up against the guard wall, looking down over the
carnage.
Feathered hat planted firmly on his head, Hermes watched the flames rise with Asfi
standing a few paces behind him.
"The one who told Ishtar about Bell in the first place was none other… than me…"
The words fell out of Hermes's mouth, his eyes tracing the ring of flames around the
once thriving district.
His orange hair wavered in the blasting heat, the precisely laid inferno reflected in his
orange eyes. His breaths were short, as if he was struggling to hold back tears.
"I'm the reason all this happened… Ahh, what is this piercing guilt in my chest…?"
He opened his arms wide and shook them, as if trying to cleanse himself. The deity
looked down and quietly brought his hands together in front of his chest.
Directly behind the deity, his follower looked at his back with a cold stare through her
glasses.
She sighed to herself at the same moment the light from a large explosion washed over
them.
"So, how much of this was according to plan?"
Hermes lifted his head and looked over his shoulder. An unmistakable grin grew in the
corners of his lips.
The remorseful aura was gone. Dropping the dramatic act, Hermes turned around to
face Asfi and give his answer.
"First off, I wasn't trying to make something on this scale happen. I just thought that
something interesting might be set in motion if I provided a spark… That's all."
Asfi's eyes twitched, a sure tell that she was keeping her opinion to herself.
Hermes had sown the seeds.
All he did was tell Ishtar about Bell under interrogation.
All he did was alert Freya out of concern for Bell's safety.
That was it. They were very small seeds in the bigger picture.
Hermes once again turned around to watch the battles unfold amid the flames and
moonlight.
"I'm not saying they're dancing in the palm of my hand. This completely outdid my
expectations. Ishtar's jealousy was far more intense than I expected, just as Lady Freya
was more attached to him than I thought."
He had no idea something this big would happen so soon.
His grin grew wider with each word.
"Well, even the best laid plans, you know? Nothing scarier than a jealous goddess,
right, Asfi?"
"…"
His voice was laced with excitement. Asfi continued to stare at the back of her god's
head but didn't say anything.
"But most importantly… Bell's good nature outdid my wildest dreams."
Hermes cast his gaze at the palace in the middle of Orario's third district and narrowed
his eyes.
The only information he'd given Bell was the existence of the Killing Stone.
Bell figured out the rest on his own without being provided with any hints.
Most likely, Freya wouldn't have made a move if Bell escaped from Ishtar's grasp. The
course of today's events changed two or three times based on Bell's actions alone—
and the boy had no idea.
He just went to save one renart he couldn't leave behind.
But not recklessly. Bell was ready to lose everything.
Asfi listened to her god. She let his words sink in for a moment before asking a
question of her own.
"Was your intention to destroy Ishtar Familia or entertainment? Or was it perhaps… a
trial?"
Hermes heard her question.
But he chose to smile at her instead of answering.
"People, gods… Everyone is seeking a girl like that. Every single being."
At the base of the city wall…
Hundreds of humans and demi-humans ran past in a desperate effort to escape the
Pleasure Quarter.
The many gods watched the Pleasure Quarter from afar.
And a renart girl still lay unconscious in the Floating Garden.
Hermes raised his arms as he took it all in—the battle still raging on the roof of the
palace between a large woman and a white-haired boy. Then Hermes made his point.
"The world wants a hero."
The last of the Three Grand Quests: the Black Dragon.
A darkness hanging over the city.
And the root of it all, the Dungeon.
It was hidden by a veil of peace, but in reality there was a ticking time bomb to
complete destruction lurking in their midst.
Hermes declared that what the world needed, was yearning for, was the birth of the
true hero.
"As for the one who can save the world from this tragic fate… I choose Bell."
"Not someone from Loki Familia? Not even Freya Familia?"
"That's right."
Shrouded in darkness of night, Hermes finally gave Asfi a straight answer, despite not
turning around to look at her.
The deity continued staring into the flames, talking to no one in particular, like a
monologue.
"Zeus, I, Hermes—no, Orario as a whole—shall finish what you could not."
A dandy smile emerging on his lips, Hermes looked to the heavens.
"We shall mold him into the last hero."
Then—
Hermes tipped his hat to the sky before returning his gaze to the burning district. His
eyes narrowed.
"And for that to happen… Ishtar and all the children who follow you, please become
his first stepping-stones. What? It's not like you're not going to die."
If it was for the hero…
Hermes had no qualms about using the jealousy of a goddess to his advantage.
Hermes watched the flames engulf even more of the battlefield around the boy, a cruel
smile on his face.
"Uh-oh… looks like she knows. Better get out of here before she really gets pissed."
Far away at the base of the palace, two silver orbs were aimed in his direction.
Hermes was quick to cover his face with his feathered hat, and he broke off eye contact
as soon as the Goddess of Beauty noticed his presence.
"Scary, scary," he muttered to himself with a grin, and left his spot on the city wall
behind.
"… Zeus, I'm betting everything on that white light."
That brilliant shine that took down a floor boss. The boy's blindingly pure soul.
To Hermes, it was but a sign of things to come—the boy's familia myth.
With those words, Hermes turned his back on the battlefield.
The flames of war climbed high into the sky, tinting the heavens bright red.