A.N. I have begun a new story. It is called 'Is it Wrong to Cook in a Dungeon'. A mostly JJK x Danmachi themes fic. Check it out because I'm about to update it the first readable chapter in a bit. Anyway, on with this story...
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"Are you all ready?!" Finn called out to his Familia as they assembled before the entrance to the 49th Floor.
"AYE!" The Loki Familia called back.
An entirely different attitude had come over them now, one very much different to what they carried during their journey up to this point. Now each and every adventurer, both in and out of the Loki Familia were armed to the teeth with their strongest and finest weapons. Even Tsubaki and what remaining men she had that had not been left behind in the safe zones were geared up for serious battle.
It was the correct way to behave, considering the maw of death they were stepping into. In the 49th Floor, there was no refuge, no place safe. The land in that Floor was like cracked mud enlarged. The surface plates were where the lesser monsters spawned to make the journey difficult as adventurers tried to cross from one land plate to another. And the cracks were deep caverns where even nastier monsters lived, and where the Monster Rex would crawl out of once he was ready to meet them.
Once a party stepped into the 49th Floor, it was nothing but endless fighting and you had to brute force your way past the monster rex to escape. Very rarely could you just run by him. That was not the objective of the Loki Familia however; they intended to run straight into him and take him down. The anxiety for this upcoming battle was nauseating even for the top three and it was no different to Lyze.
Lyze already had Excalibur out, not wanting to draw it once they were on the 49th Floor. The Holy Sword did not need to be sharpened but he'd gone through the effort of polishing it and ridding it of all the dirt and the grime. He needed all his gear to be in pristine condition when engaging Balor. Geranos had been given a holster of its own instead of being tucked into his belt, though he couldn't really see how the dagger would come in use against such a large monster rex but it was never a wrong idea to keep a powerful weapon at your side.
His stomach was still full of butterflies and the icy grip of adrenaline wrapped his heart as his breathing was a little shaky. Everyone was nervous.
"Alright, listen up!" Finn called out to them and hushed any idle chatters or whispers as they all focused solely on the captain. "We are about to do something we have never done before. The Monster Rex we are about to encounter is unlike all the others. Its malice is almost as beastly and terrifying as its power set. In contrast to our previous monster rexes, Balor capitalizes on both physical attacks and possesses extensive magical abilities." Finn looked to the mage team. "We are going to need to bombard it with sufficient power at the correct given times so we can prevent it from using magic."
"I would urge that ALL mages be on guard." Riveria said, looking pointedly at Lyze. "Simply firing off spells and hoping they do some damage won't be enough to overpower this beast. It possesses vast amounts of stamina and it can tank magic even more powerful than I can wield. Fortunately, we have an opportunity that all other Familia did not have when they came to this point for the first time in their careers."
"Indeed." Finn nodded. "I would like to call up Lyze to the front please."
Lyze did not receive as many surprised looks as he had expected. But regardless, he walked up to Finn and turned around to face all the Familia. Riveria came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Lyze here has been a part of our Familia for almost two months now." Riveria said. "But in that short amount of time, he has accomplished more than what it has taken others lifetimes to do. But this is not a time where we sing his praises. Fate has blessed him with numerous powers, many of which we have all seen on our way down here. I'm quite sure that due to these experiences, we have all managed to come closer to him."
The Loki Familia nodded and mumbled many things amongst them selves.
"That's right. There's our famous prodigy."
"There is nothing he can't do."
"I bet he's going to defeat this monster rex while leading the battle, just like the others."
"There's nothing our Prince of Flames can't do!
"He's just an overconfident brat that stands on the shoulders of others. He won't be able to do anything in this fight because even the executives will be tied down."
"Are you looking to get sparked out cold?! Cause I've got a nice fist here that just wants to punch something after the crap you just said!"
...
"Ahem!" Riveria said with a glare, which immediately shut everyone up. "Like I said, we are not here to sing praises for Lyze. But he has demonstrated his many gifts to us in this expedition and thanks to him, we have managed to come this far ahead of our expected time. In just over a couple of weeks, we have managed to make it to the 49th Floor. But considering who we're about to fight, we need to have every advantage on our side in order to win. And that is where Lyze will share one of his gifts with us."
Finn nodded at Lyze who looked to him for clarification and permission. "Do it."
Lyze sheathed Excalibur and looked down for a moment as he concentrated. Golden light wrapped around him like a cocoon in a similar fashion to what the Loki Familia had seen before, and the bubble of holy magic burst open to reveal Lyze in his Goddess form, four beautiful big wings sticking out of his back and illuminating the area with warm light, and his hair turned the colour of moonlight.
Lyze put his hands together as a mass of golden mist began to gather between his palms, rolling around and becoming brighter and more dense as magical energy thrummed in the air, nearly intoxicating the Loki Familia with his power. This was nowhere close to the power he'd demonstrated before, but it was a close reminder of the legendary figure their poster child was.
"{Breath of Blessing}" Lyze said as he blew the mist from between his hands. It covered the Loki Familia like a fog, swirling around them as warm magical energy weaved between them. A moment later, these mists entered the bodies of all those present and the adventurers almost keeled over in the sensation of the power that flooded their senses. They just KNEW they were instantly stronger, their fingers trembling with new reserves of strength.
"What you are all feeling now is what I feel whenever I take this form." Lyze said to them. "As I'm sure many of you noticed, whenever I look like this, my combat skills jump by leaps and bounds and my magical powers become ever so stronger. That is because these powers boost all attributes of ours to such a degree, it counts as a temporary level up."
"Wait, so what you're saying is..." Raul began.
"Yes." Finn answered for Lyze. "Lyze's powers have given us all a level boost for our upcoming battle. For the duration of the upcoming battle, those who are 1s have now become 2s. Those who are 2s have now become 3s. Those who were 3s are now 4s. Those that were 4s are now 5s. And as for those who were already 5s..." Finn gestured to himself, Riveria, Gareth and Tsubaki as they too felt the rush of power flow through them. "...we are now level 6!"
There was a brief moment of pause before the adventurers erupted into cheers and hollers as they processed the boon they'd just been granted and they comprehended just how much more powerful they were now, all because of their prodigy. Lyze looked over his comrades, feeling an uncanny warmth as he realized that these cheers were for him and the efforts he'd put in. These people had no idea the struggle he'd been through himself.
He was not the same Lyze that had walked through the Familia gates two months ago. Back then he'd been callous, distant, uncaring of what was going on around him. But being with other people, fighting alongside them, it had all opened up his empathy and his humanity and his life had become warm. And though he most certainly had a feud with certain members of the Familia, he knew now that he was not willing to lose a single one of these people cheering for him or standing before him.
This was his new family and he was going to do everything he could to make sure that they would take down the bastard that they were about face. Finn flexed his fingers as he felt the familiar sensations of Lyze's booster magic in his body. The power boost was an almost addictive feeling...he made note to tell Lyze not to bestow this thing on anybody for a good while after this battle was wrapped up.
"Loki Familia!" Finn called out to catch their attention again. "We'll acclimate to this power boost using the monsters that stand between us and our quarry. Now let us go forth, in the name of our Goddess Loki and in her honour, let us bring glory to our Familia name. Let us kill this monster, and return home with victory in our hands!" Loud hearty cheers followed his declaration as the Loki Familia felt more motivated than ever to face down the infamous terror that was Balor the Piercing Eye. "Loki Familia, MARCH!"
...
Footstep began pounding the stairwell as the Loki Familia began to descend into the further Abyss where a hellscape awaited them. Lyze remained in his Goddess form because he wanted to start with a barrage of attacks when the first monsters appeared. He walked in his place behind the vanguard but as he walked, he felt a small hand slide into his and looked down to see Ais smiling up at him. He smiled back and held her hand tighter.
"You know, you've been doing this a lot." He said to the half-spirit.
"What?" She asked.
"Holding my hand and giving me those warm smiles." Lyze said. "Are you afraid of the upcoming battle and you're doing your best to enjoy these moments in case something bad happens?"
"Maybe." Ais said as she held his arm with her other hand. "I feel like something bad is about to happen Lyze...I'm scared."
"I'm scared too." Lyze admitted. "But remember what I said about being scared."
"That it's half of bravery." Ais said. "The other half is standing up to what you're scared of."
"That's right." Lyze said. "And right now, you're walking right towards the very thing that scares you, armed and ready to fight to the death if need be. You're not just scared Ais, you're brave...very very brave. I wish sometimes I were as brave as you."
"What do you mean?" She asked, genuinely gobsmacked by his remark. "You're the bravest person there is, that I've ever met!"
"Only because of the many powers I have and the several backups I've made." Lyze said. "Whereas you, your powers are limited and you still walk into battle, determined to not be trodden over just because your level and your stats are low. If that's not the bravest thing somebody's ever done, I don't know what is."
"I still think you're braver." Ais said before she gingerly leaned her head onto his shoulder ever so lightly, and she spoke in a much smaller voice. "Remember the promise we made Lyze."
"I will." He said sincerely. "I will never forget it. I will do whatever I can to make sure we are together in the end, and we reunite with our families."
"Good. Because I can't do it without you." Ais looked up at him and smiled her special smile which she only ever gave him. "We said we'd grow stronger together, right?"
"Always." Lyze said as he stopped walking for a moment, making her stop as well and the other adventurers walked around them until they were left in the back. Lyze sighed and he took the hand that she was holding his with. She looked at him confused but blushed deeply as he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently. He kissed them once, before kissing them again and holding his lips there to savour the moment before letting go again. With his other hand, he brushed her cheek.
"W-what are you d-doing?" She stammered.
"Ais, listen." He said to her. "I do not know what the future has in store for us. What we're going to do is one of the most dangerous events in adventurer history and we're going to have to fight our way out like madmen. If something does happen to me, then I want you to know something."
"What?" She asked
He smiled and kissed her fingers again.
"Of all the people in our Familia..." He said. "...you are the one I care about the most."
"...Really?" Ais said, her past musings coming to the surface of her mind as her heart fluttered and her stomach became warm.
"Yes. When I joined, you went out of your way to make me feel welcome. When I was down, you were there to cheer me up even if I didn't want you there. When I needed a friend, and a shoulder to lean on, you were there. I owe you far more than you will ever realise. I am so grateful to have someone like you in my life." He gripped her hand tighter as his own cheeks became warm. "You are beyond a doubt, my dearest and my best friend."
"...I feel the same." She said. "I felt so comfortable sharing my secret past with you and my dreams. And you didn't judge me. You're just so much like me. And you're so kind and heroic, you're always saving me whenever I'm in trouble, even if it means you get hurt. And you always believe in me...I don't think I can live without you."
"Let's try not to get killed down there then." Lyze chuckled.
"Yes. Let's not." Ais giggled as they stared at each other. And once again, she found herself desperately wishing that she could see his eyes and see the emotions there for herself. She knew what her true feelings were, but she would never be able to reflect them on to him if she could not see through the windows to his soul herself. It was a most disappointing and depressing matter for her.
Sensing her frustrations, Lyze brought their heads closer and he leaned his forehead and nose against hers, sharing an intimate moment with her as they just enjoyed each other's presence. It was a far cry from much they cuddled when they were in bed for warmth of their souls, but at that point, both individuals knew who mattered most to them in the world as of that very moment.
The red string of fate drew very, very taut between them.
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Lyze sliced through a Fomoire half way into its body, making bloody spurt out as geyser before he brought Excalibur around and swung it the other way into the same cut to bisect the monster in half. Another monster grabbed onto his wings but he flapped the one below it, shooting sharp feathers into its torso where they lit up with golden electricity before exploding and turning the monster into mush.
Lyze flapped his wings and took to the air, gesturing with a hand as he made arrows of golden magic rain down by the hundreds upon the hordes of monsters that had rampaged upon him and his Familia. Already many had been wounded, only barely surviving due to the intervention of their comrades. The arrows had no risk of harming his comrades as they only hit what they were meant to hit, phasing through an adventurer if they somehow got in the way.
He dropped to the ground again before pointing a finger in a straight line towards a Flame Rock's face and an orb of magical energy appeared at the tip. A moment later it became a laser beam that pierced right through the eye and shattered the magic stone inside, turning the giant monster to dust. A Barbarian snuck up on him and tried to squash him with its club.
He folded his wings in and jumped to the side as the club buried itself in the the stone. Putting an arm on the Barbarian's own he jumped and then span on the monster's arm before delivering a roundhouse kick so powerful to the side of its face that he exploded its skull right off of its shoulders.
He caught sight of a yellow Ooze creeping up on one of the mages, the species that spat acid and he saw the slime monster rear its foremost part of its gelatinous body to spit at the back of the mage's head as they chanted, a singular icicle emerging from their magic circle that was aimed at a monster giving trouble to Finn. Lyze formed a normal fireball in his hand and hurled it at the Ooze, incinerating it there and then.
He then saw a Peluda climbing about on a wall near to the group he was fighting in and the spines on its back began rattling as it got ready to shoot. Luckily, being airborne was much faster than running there on foot and he managed to interfere just in time to {Full Counter} the spines back at the reptilian monster before lighting up Excalibur with the Flame and plunging it deep into the monster's eye where he roasted its inside and consumed its soul too.
He then climbed atop the wall and kicked down a Loup Garou that was making its way up from the other side. Looking past it, he saw more hordes coming towards them, most likely some sort of ambush to overwhelm them. He pointed his finger at the Garou and fired a stream of silver lightning at the wolf monster while also combining telekinesis with the technique.
The wolf was electrocuted as a stream of lighting connected its body to Lyze's fingers as he charged up a ballistic amount of Origin energy inside the monster's body. When he sensed it become unstable, he flung the monster with his telekinetic grip towards the middle of the oncoming horde where it bounced and spasmed before exploding as the energy inside it detonated. The explosion took out two thirds of the horde as silver fire ravished the area and he felt himself consume all the souls that his fire touched.
He heard a scream and quickly looked back to see that Ais had been picked up by the waist by a Fomoire while it held its weapon in its other arm, ready to cut her down. She was trying to get out of the hold by stabbing at the arm with her Desperate but due to her small size, she didn't have enough reach to get to the vulnerable parts.
Before someone could even blink, he was at its side and delivered a wrathful kick to the side of its knees which broke the joint inward and forced the creature to a kneeling position. The dumb beast had also in the process brought Ais closer to its face out of reflex of losing its sure footing and she took the moment to plunge Desperate deep into its eye, making it scream gutturally before Lyze finished the job by putting Excalibur to its throat and slicing its head clean off.
The arm dropped Ais and she landed on her feet. They exchanged nods and Ais gave him a grateful smile before she jumped right back into the hot fray, as eager as she always was. Lyze picked up the weapon that the Fomoire had discarded and threw it straight at an oncoming monster. The blade pierced its skull and split its brainstem, making it slide on the ground to Lyze feet where he covered it with the Flame and ate its soul too.
He looked around for more opponents to kill and was not disappointed by yet another round of monsters descending on his Familia. Without hesitation, he joined the battle once again and performed the dance of red roses, where blood flowed in flowery patterns amidst the brutal slaughter of monsters.
The hordes had been even bigger than expected. But fortunately, the boost that he had given all of them came in clutch as the increase in strength plus their great teamwork helped ensure that they all fought and survived. The executives were having the time of their lives, with Gareth not even bothering to use his axe as he simply used his bare hands to crush monster skulls, strength very reminiscent of his canon counterpart.
Lyze was once again in the zone, the same as he had been on the 37th Floor under that cliff where they'd been ambushed by monster hordes. But this time, he was stronger and more violent, same as the monsters this deep down. They were bloodthirsty and did not even seem to stop coming. Being in such great numbers appeared to give the monsters some sort of confidence boost and they would just rush into the adventurers' weapons without a second thought.
Lyze noted that they were near the approximate place by now where Balor spawned. Despite all that hardship and the blood and the sweat they were covered in, they had managed to fight their way to the real battlefield. Deciding enough was enough and that they couldn't afford distractions when they were so close to being in the sudden grip of the monster rex, he resolved to finish this once and for all.
He folded his arms into himself as he sucked in a deep breath, dispelling his Goddess Form. He began gathering Origin energy inside his body and condensing it as the Flame inside him roared with power, charging up great abundance of the magical energy almost the same way as he had turned the Garou into a bomb. When he felt he'd gathered enough, he jumped in the air and flung his arms outwards.
A blast wave of pure Origin energy was expelled from his body which did not interact on the physical realm even though it was visible. It was a repulsive force of soul magic that passed over every living thing in the small radius that his Familia was packed into, ignoring the souls of his Familia and focusing on the targets he focused on through his Soul Vision. Monster souls had a specific colour and he wired the last wave in a way where it would only target souls of that specific colour.
The monsters that were pressing on his Familia members lost the light in their eyes and dropped dead as their weapons clattered to the floor or they just dropped in pools of blood. Knowing who did it, the Loki Familia glanced at Lyze and thanked him. Of course it was him. Only his magic made them feel the way they did just now, like a hungry predator was prowling them.
The looked ahead to see more monsters fast approaching them but Riveria's mage team had already got it covered and the Elf Princess fired of a {Rea Laevateinn} which annihilated the monsters coming in from around. Lyze noticed with intrigue that the fire this time around was now golden in colour with flecks of white as opposed to its usual orange colour. Perhaps a result of the level boost he'd given her and the Light Magic he'd mixed into her powers, but it was pretty good for aesthetics.
With all the monsters in the vicinity incinerated, the adventurers paused to catch a quick breath as sweat and monster blood dripped down their faces. Gareth grabbed a small water pouch from his belt and quickly drank a bit to kill his thirst while Finn, heaving as he was, turned to address his group.
"Everyone alright?"
""Yes."" Was the collective response he got.
"Alright then. Those that are wounded, quickly get them treated right away. We can't stay idle here. Balor will show up at any moment."
The ground rumbled which made the Loki Familia tighten their grips around their weapons as another Flame Rock pushed through. Lyze grimaced before summoning a giant rock fist to come out of the ground and punch the brute right back into his hole and effectively plugging it too.
"Thank you Lyze." Noir said as he brushed the sweaty hair out of his face. "The boost you gave us really helped you know. I feel young again with this sudden rush of power."
"Don't get used to it." Lyze advised. "Once it wears off, you might be tempted to do something stupid while subconsciously thinking that you are the same as you are now."
"I'll keep that in mind." Noor said as he sighed deeply. "Well, that was definitely a warm up for Balor. Once he shows his ugly face, our blood will be pumping nice and hot to greet him."
...
A terrifying roar broke out over the expanse of the 49th Floor which nearly scared some adventurers out of their skins and made them die of a heart attack. Lyze grimaced as a giant arm came out of one of the small canyons and smashed its palm into the ground before diggings its clawed fingers into the dirt.
"Speak of the Devil...thanks a lot Noir." Lyze huffed as the Loki Familia instantly readied themselves.
"No rushing!" Finn commanded. "Let it show its head, then strike."
The giant monster pulled itself up to their level and revealed itself in its fully glory. It body below the torso was just studded with large bone spikes while the skin was drawn up tight against the body. More bone spikes stuck out of its forearms as it balanced itself on its weird body. On its chest it had some minor form of exoskeleton that Lyze supposed was meant to protect its vital parts or perhaps its core.
But there were little openings in its body here and there which glowed red, like the inside of its body was filled with magical energy. Well it may as well have been anyway. Atop that mighty torso was a long neck that finally ended in a diamond shaped head like a snake with spikes sticking out of its face to give it a more intimidating look perhaps. But its most notable feature was what gave its title.
There was a singular eye in the middle of its cranium that glowed red, right above a mouth lined with sharp teeth. It released yet another ear shattering roar as it struck fear into the hearts of the adventurers that heard it, even though there was a hundred feet worth of distance between them and the monster rex at the most. Lyze gripped Excalibur tight as for some reason the monster looked straight at him, like it was meant to to target him alone in the first place.
"This is what we came down here fore boys!" Gareth shouted as he picked up his weapon and his shield. "Let's kill this son of a bitch and go home!"
"Loki Familia, Attack!" Finn pointed his Fortia at the monster rex's face as the mages charged up their spells. But Lyze was quicker as he summoned his attack first.
"Greatest Fireball!"
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