Chapter 43: Shadow of the Behemoth 2

The Capital of Shalzard.

The city of white sands and flowing rivers.

Sorshana.

A city that flourished with the immense trade that came through the flowing river of Gazoob that saw immense use by wealthy merchants.

Funding the construction of numerous resplendent houses, public facilities, and works of art that sat upon the cutting edge of technology and cultural appreciation of the desert people.

A city that became the center of Shalzard's prosperity and power throughout the ages. The promised land discovered by their founder King Ziusudra, who claimed the land brimming with life and potential with his sword.

A sword that was bloodied with the crimson essence of countless armies. But a weapon that laid itself down from the path of war to construct a kingdom of peace and prosperity.

This city that was filled with the hopes and dreams of the once-lost Shalzardian wanderers... has now turned into a city of despair and tyranny.

"FORTIFY THOSE DEFENSES!!!"

Shouts of slave drivers rang throughout the street of Sorshana which once housed numerous smiles and light. They now only accommodated the wreckages of war and the dilapidated eyes of slaves as Warusa commanders forced them to work harder.

"IF THOSE SHALZARDIANS BREAKTHROUGH. I WILL PERSONALLY KILL YOU ALL BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON ME!!!"

The snapping sounds of whips reverberated as the slaves continued to carry war rations and supplied to the city walls.

The Warusa army was growing desperate as the Shalzardian resistance was pressuring them with a fast but swift assault on the northern gate of the city.

The high command of Warusa was barely able to formulate an effective defense to the lightning war the Shalzardians posed against their forces. They now stood a fighting chance after they pushed all the way into the capital from the border...  but it didn't make the defense any easier.

????...  ????...  ????...  ????...  ????...  ????

The desert ships swam fiercely through the desert sands as they unloaded pure hellfire upon the city's defenses. The fleet tried their best to force open a way for the ground forces.

The endless symphony of cannon fire was assisted by the blaring noises of ground artillery, along with the shouts of the ground troops who crashed into the Warusa forces' lines with unyielding determination to reclaim their home.

"LONG LIVE SHALZARD!!!"

War cries rang throughout the air as hot blood spilled against the cold steel of weapons.

The burning spirits of Shalzard resistance shined over the looming capital city walls, and the Warusa army could feel the deathly consequences should the rays of the burning light pierce through it.

The snapping of whips grew more malicious as commanders ordered their slaves to work harder.

But as the Warusa forces focused on the threat in front of them... Bell broke deep within enemy lines to begin his massacre of the enemy forces.

????... ????... ????...

The sounds of lifeless bodies falling onto the floor reached Bell's ears as he swung away the blood that dirtied his projected chained swords. His blue eyes glowed coldly at the corpses in front of him.

"... just a few more steps until we reach the top of the tower Freya... sorry I couldn't make this cleaner... "

Bell said as he apologized to the goddess who was tagging alongside him for this operation. Freya smiled kindly at her beloved's consideration and spoke out for him to not worry about it.

"Like I said multiple times before, Bell. I am fine with the sight of blood. The dark ages of Orario weren't a pleasant time for me or my familia"

"Along with that, how do you expect a goddess to lead her familia to become the best of Orario without seeing bloodshed? I am not some innocent maiden, Bell... though I appreciate the sentiment"

The goddess smiled even wider as she imagined Bell being a gentleman that didn't want her to see such unpleasant sights... but the truth couldn't have been further.

'I just don't want your children to rip me apart for making their goddess have to stain herself with enemy blood... '

Contemplating how pissed Ottar would have been if Bell had allowed a single droplet of crimson to stain her body, Bell moved on with Freya in tow to the top of the clock tower that overlooked Sorshana.

"..."

Bell stood quietly as the breeze flew by him and Freya atop the clock tower. In his vision, he could see numerous atrocities being committed.

The punishing of slaves as the Warusa army worked them to exhaustion. Some fell unconscious due to fatigue. Some died after succumbing to their inflicted injuries. But the endless punishments didn't impede one bit.

The destruction of a once beautiful city as its broken parts lay scattered across the city streets.

The dead look of the enemy soldiers as they fought a meaningless war for a megalomaniac dictator. Spilling their blood for no just cause.

Shalzard's capital city represented hope for lost souls but now was nothing more than the tainted remains of cold reality.

"..."

Freya felt troubled as Bell's eyes grew lifeless as he faced the truth of the world he worked so desperately to save. The goddess wished there was some way to avert her beloved's eyes from the hurting truth of his path, but her worries were swept away as Bell's hand held hers.

"..."

Freya smiled as she saw her love relying on her, so she made sure she rose up to the occasion.

"Even if you walk down hell, Bell...  I'll be with you every step of the way..."

(E/D: When you're in hell I will be waiting for you. Seriously, someone needs to make a Lucifer in Danmachi type of fic or just a few chapters of him traveling there on vacation. But if no one wants to do it. I will do it myself… once I'm bored that is.)

Bell smiled faintly underneath his hood as he heard the goddess' words of reassurance. Firming himself to repeat once again a bloody path he created multiple times during this war.

『Trace on』

Bell's magics circuits began to heat up as his Mind coursed through them. Invoking his magic as his nameless bow manifested in his hands alongside a random sword he had traced during his time in the desert.

A sword that held no meaning or significant purpose. Wielded by a warrior who will be lost to the sands of time and history. But a sword whose legacy will be remembered by Bell and his world of infinite sword creation.

"Fuu... "

Bell breathed out slowly as he began to train his eyes on a target he was aiming for.

A group of Warusa army officers, who were currently harassing a child slave to get back and rejoin their group who were carrying rations to the front lines. They would be Bell's first targets.

'Load'

Bell began his process of archery that he had practiced ever since he was a child who was training in his home village's forest. Altering the nameless sword in his hand into an arrow, nocking it into his bow after he had accomplished it.

'Draw'

Bell then began to pull back on the bowstring and arrow, but not before...

'Breathe'

... filling air into his lungs as he stretched the bowstring to its absolute limits.

'Aim'

The air he had drawn in, it now began to be utilized as Bell began calculating his shot before letting his arrow loose into the air.

『Trace on』

Bell's magic circuits began to spring into life as they manifested inside his reality marble and reached out to the golden scabbard which lay deep beneath the white sands of the inner world.

『Orion Arrow』

The scabbard opened itself to reveal two divine constructs which composed its structures. The magic circuits extended itself to the blue arrow that soon began to fill Bell's mind with a minuscule portion of the divine huntress' experience with the bow and arrow.

As knowledge flowed into his head, Bell's eyes began to see through his target, stance, and the entire world around him. Correcting for every precise mistake he had committed. The vigilante was in awe once more at the enormous gap that existed between himself and Artemis.

'I'll have to ask Artemis to help me train one of these days... '

Bell smiled inwardly at the passing memories of his smiling moon goddess but soon returned to the task he had at hand.

"..."

Standing quietly behind Bell was Freya who observed the barely noticeable shift in mood and posture within her Odr. Pouting slightly despite not knowing the reason.

'I feel like Bell is thinking about something that would make me mad...'

But unsure as to why she had this sudden urge, Freya decided to not act on it and remained silent.

"…"

Unaware of the goddess' suspicions, Bell's muscles tensed hard as they could, continuing to pull the heavy bowstring to its limits. Everything was prepared. Everything was now perfect. All Bell had to do... was let go of his bowstring.

Bell closed his eyes as his mind began to wander.

The pleasant meadows of grass and flowers of his home village that swayed with the gentle valley breeze. Medea running along with a smile. His Aunt Idyia watching over them both with a king gaze. His grandfather Zeus smiling like an idiot with the setting sun against his back.

The bustling streets of Orario. The gentle afternoon glow of Eina's office filled the earthy scent of tea leaves. The roaring Hostess of Fertility with the floating aromas of alluring foods. The gentle home he shared with Lili as the cracking of the fireplace broke the calming silence.

The moonlight lake where he shared moments with Artemis. The sea breeze by the window sill as he studied alongside Athena. The gentle sands of his reality marble as he embraced the nearly broken Freya.

'The crescent moon night where I swore to serve Arry...'

For those sceneries. For those moments. For the continuation of the memories, he held so dear to his heart...

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim'

Bell chose to believe in the smiles in the memories that flashed through the halls of his mind.

'Release'

? ? ? ? ?

Bell let loose the tensed bow string as his arrow began to tear through the air fiercely. A gust of wind erupted in the clock tower as his projection began to fly with deadly swiftness.

The arrow began to curve as if it were sentient... and in a moment... in the area where shouts of hate intertwined with the cries of the child slave.

????... ????... ????...

Silence fell as the cold sound of three bodies hitting the ground was all that was heard.

"... "

The child slave looked in disbelief at what had happened. Powerless to defy their captors, the child feared the Warusa officers as their eternal tormentors... but with the howl of a single arrow, they were all wiped away in an instant. As if it were nothing.

The young child's eyes weren't fazed by the sight of their bodies bleeding out as the light faded from their eyes, Such a sight was normalized in the child's juvenile mind. What concerned the child more was who had ridden them of their living demons.

"..."

The child turned their head and frantically began searching, eventually meeting eyes with the mysterious archers with eyes of glowing blue. The sight of the warrior enraptured the child.

Unsure of who they were, the child wasn't able to call out to them in thanks... but his name soon began to ring through the panicked voices of the Warusa army men who saw the cold murder happen.

"I-ITS... IT'S THE GRAY GHOST!!!-"

Numerous army men of the Warusa forces began to frantically run for their lives as they tried to signal all of their comrades to the presence of the unseen terror. The nightmare of the Warusa army.

"Gray... Ghost... "

The child clasped their hands that were bound in chains as the men who had tormented themselves and their kin for day and night began to scramble. Like a gust of wind that gently touched the skin of the innocent, and blew away the darkness that haunted them.

The nightmare that hunts nightmares.

? ? ? ? ?

????... ????... ????...

Numerous arrows began to howl ominously as the bloodbath began. Bell performing again once more his routine of archery.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

His body began moving mechanically. Achieving the perfect form in his first attempt, and merely replicating and slightly modifying it with each successive attempt. His body ran smoothly from projection to shooting.

Like gearwork that was never stopped or hindered. Bell began laying waste to the Warusa army from within, as the resistance laid waste from the out.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

? ? ? ? ?

????... ????... ????...

A spiraling trail of arrows began to shoot forth from the clock tower as the Warusa forces tried desperately to cling to their lives. But try as Bell might to silence the crowds that drew attention to himself, the forces in Sorshana soon began gathering en-masse to rid themselves of their nightmare.

"ALL FORCES THAT AREN'T ASSIGNED TO THE FRONTLINES ARE TO CHARGE TO THE GRAY GHOST'S POSITION!!!"

The rumbling of armored footsteps began ringing all around Bell as the shouts of commanding officers directed them all to his position.

Warusa knew that the Gray Ghost was a massive threat with all the reports of their losses stating the vigilante's immense role in their swift demise.

Gouza and his war council soon began to devise a strategy to best deal with the Gray Ghost with their limited resources... that was to draw him out and drown him with sheer numbers until he was dead.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!-"

The war cries of desperate soldiers resounded in the dread-filled air. Crowds of Warusa forces screamed for Bell's death as they began to fill the once desolate streets with frantic desires of murder.

"... "

But Bell looked upon them with the same indifference he gave to the three officers that signaled the start of his massacre. What difference did it make if three or a hundred pests gathered in defiance of him?

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

? ? ? ? ?

????... ????... ????... ????... ????... ????... ????... ????... ????...

No matter if they were one, ten, a hundred, or a thousand. Bell would simply shoot his arrows until all were either gone from his sight or they lay by his feet in a pool of red.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

Bell's arrows began to pierce through numerous soldiers with little regard. The sight of their comrades falling one by one began to unnerve and break the resolve of the soldiers that were charging at his position.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

Bell switched position frequently to equally dispatch all the forces from every road that led to the clocktower. His hands and bow sometimes brushed past the goddess Freya as she smiled seeing her beloved display his immense strength.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

The leading soldiers fell one by one. The scene of the leading men falling in an instant began to discourage the ones behind their backs before they too fell prey to Bell's relentless shower of arrows. The resolve of the enemy forces continued to waver.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

Trails of arrows began to curve throughout all sides of the clock tower. Like a blooming flower that painted the streets of Sorshan with its crimson petals. The resolve of the enemy forces continued to waver.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

"..."

All it takes is a single drop for a great wave to form. All it takes is a single tremor for the mountains to shake in fear. And all it takes... is a single man... before a crowd gets swept up in their beliefs.

"..."

A Warusa soldier that joined the charge silently watched as the crowd of people in front of him began to grow thinner and thinner.

In a matter of seconds, it would soon be him joining the countless many being trampled on the ground by other soldiers.

In a matter of seconds, he would soon cease to exist. All his hopes, dreams, and aspirations will be brought to nothing by a single cold arrow.

For what? For a dictator that would make his life hell no matter which choice he picked? For a nation that looked away as he begged for help for his struggling family? What point was there to die for a cause he didn't even believe in?

"..."

The man slowed down his pace as a feeling of realization and fear began to sweep over every inch of his body... and he soon began running in the opposite direction.

"Haa... haa... haa... haa... haa-"

The bastard of a ruler he served. The bastard of a superior officer he obeyed. Why should he die under their orders as they rested comfortably away from the dangers of war?

"..."

Other soldiers began to see the man's choice of defiance and… they too began to join him.

One to ten. Ten to a hundred. A hundred to a thousand. Under the relentless and unimpeded rain of arrows from Bell's bow, the tide of the rushing armies soon began to reverse as they began to run in fear of the nightmare that didn't waver in spite of facing their assault.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?! GET BACK THERE AND KILL THAT GRAY GHOST!!!"

A commanding Warusa officer shouted at the crowds of his retreating men with a fury. Screaming at them to go back and force a path to their foe with their lifeless corpses.

"IF YOU DON'T GET BACK! I WILL-"

But as the commanding officer tried in vain to reestablish his control over his armies. An eerie cry began to resound in the air.

? ? ? ? ?

Before he even had the time to process it, a blurry black dot began to fill his vision in an instant. Soon, the arrow that was directed toward him pierced through his skull with ease.

? ? ? ? ? ?... ????...

The commanding officer's body fell lifelessly onto the ground and soon began to be trampled on by the continuing crowds of soldiers who wished to escape the hell Bell had personally crafted.

"..."

The vigilante looked upon the escaping crowds with his usual cold eyes. Pausing for a moment to take in the scenery... before resuming his process once more.

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

Bell didn't hesitate to attack a fleeing foe. Because no matter what they chose at this moment, there would be no escape for them.

'With myself in the back with the resistance in the front. The Warusa forces are caught between a rock and a hard place. The moment they chose to stick with Gouza despite all his atrocities... their fate was sealed... '

Bell knew there was no innocent side in a war.

Though Arry tried her best to rein it in, there were quite the vulgar and inhuman suggestions posed by the resistance leadership in regard to captured enemies.

Though many of the Warusa soldiers may be forced into conscription, many if not all of them were complicit in the cruel treatment of fleeing Shalzardian citizens during their initial invasion of Shalzard.i

'There is no innocence, only a friend or foe in accordance with your current stance and circumstances... though I wish to serve Arry, I do not strike down Warusa because I hate them... '

Bell thought as he readied his bow once more. Steadying his breath as he trained his eyes on another soldier he was going to dispatch.

'I strike down Warusa for the chance of peace to come for this region's future... even if it is hypocritical, I will ensure this possibility comes to fruition... even if I bloody my hands with countless... '

"Fuu... "

'Load. Draw. Breathe. Aim. Release'

Bell firmed his decision about what he was doing. But before he could, numerous presences entered Bell's senses as they soon began to surround himself and Freya.

"... "

Bell remained in his shooting stance as he began eyeing the force that surrounded his position in an instant. He could sense strength radiating off each and every one of them.

An aura that distinguished itself from the numerous soldiers he had decimated from the Warusa forces. The aura of a god's blessed child. On all sides, Bell was surrounded by adventurers.

'And there's only one force that could gather so many blessed people in Warusa-occupied lands... '

????... ????... ????... ????...

Sounds of footsteps began to resound from the stairwell of the clock tower. Bell was unable to move, but he was sure of who exactly was climbing up the stairs... because only someone who was absolutely sure of their safety could have the balls to perform such an act.

"..."

Freya narrowed her eyes as she sensed the aura of the person climbing up the stairs. A figure she had been informed of by Bell and Arry for being the main instigator that caused the Shalzard-Warusa war. A god who played with the fates of nations because he thought it was fun.

"My my my~ What an honor it is to meet the famous Gray Ghost that has brought my client endless sleepless nights~ or would insomnia be a more fitting term? Not that I care much HAHAHA!-"

A condescending voice began to call out to Bell from the stairwell. His small figure began to enter the view of Freya. A god who wore a head of long black hair tied up. Dressed in a rather unique fashion that conveyed his disorderly personality.

"And might I say... what an absolute pleasure it is to meet you once more, o' most beautiful Freya~"

The god grinned as he greeted the goddess who stood by Bell's side. Freya narrowed her eyes in disgust at the absolute failure of a god that entered her sights.

"I cannot say the same for myself for meeting you again, Resheph"

Seeing the utter contempt in the goddess' eyes, Resheph broke into a fit of laughter as he found the entire scenario extremely amusing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!- Good! Good! Hate me more, Freya! It pleases me that my actions have caused even you to revile me! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!-"

Freya and Bell felt immense scorn for the god who laughed endlessly at his persecution. Resheph's familia that stood guard around Bell smiled evilly just as much as he did.

'The scourge of the desert. The foreign god who plants seeds of barren blood wherever he walks... laying waste to all enemies he is hired to kill. Drawing out as much suffering as he could from every victim with his familia of psychos... that is Resheph and his familia... a group of villains that makes even Warusa turn away in disgust'

Bell thought to himself as he tightened his hold on his bow. The subtle movement was noticed by the Reshephs familia's captain. A level four elf who wielded twin magic swords that spewed out fire and ice.

Seale, a black-haired and ominous-looking elf. The familia captain raised his vigilance around Bell.

The vigilante chose to not provoke him too much, but not because the elf could overpower him in a fight. Seale was probably the weakest possible level four. Leveling up with the bare minimum of stats every single time.

The reason Bell was vigilant with Seale was not only because he possessed magic swords, but he held a rather potent quick-chant curse that was rather troubling. A curse that even stumped Allen of the Freya familia during their first encounter in the original story.

『Har Resheph』

'Har Resheph... a mental curse that forces the target to relive the greatest tragedy of their lives... a curse so potent, it continued to affect the target even if the user were to die... it would eventually wear off, but it will hinder them for some time'

Bell recalled the elf's annoying ability. It was the elf's singular defining trait, and it was what allowed him to grow so strong despite his weak atmosphere.

Cursing opponents way above his level with their personal tragedies, and taking that moment to kill them.

As a result of this lazy form of growing, he neither developed impressive stats from feats worthy of praise, nor did he develop refined technique. Simply using a rudimentary stabbing technique to end his entrapped opponents.

'I won't leave myself open to attack even if I was cursed... but it would hinder my ability to end this war swiftly... '

Bell didn't wish to prolong this war and planned to go all out in order to bring a decisive end to it all. But the curse's lingering nature and effects would hamper him quite a bit.

"..."

Bell and Seale began to cool down as the divine beings began to enter a conversation.

Resheph began inspecting Bell by going around him. Acting like he was a toy on display at a toy shop. The act of disrespect against the man she loved grew a growing flame of anger within Freya. The goddess began their talk with a question.

"It's quite the common news that you and your familia instigated this whole war that I found myself in... it seems you're quite infamous with the locals of the desert... so why is it that I had yet to encounter you and your ilk despite all the battles I've participated in?"

Freya questioned the playful Resheph who began turning her way to participate in her talk. Growing bored of Bell's outward appearance after his initial excitement.

"Hm? Oh, that... well... isn't it obvious? I don't want my children to die, silly Freya~ I may have been hired by Warusa to conquer Shalzard as an allied force, but I'm the one who decided when or where my children and I go... and I chose to not send my forces to a battlefield that was doomed for failure~"

Bell's heart began to beat in anger with each word the god had said. Resheph had no ultimate goal like Evilus or sympathizable motivation like Rudra... he simply killed, pillaged, abused, and destroyed whatever he encountered... because he considered it fun.

"Can't really enjoy what we're known for if we're dead you know? So why go through all the hassle... if I can simply eliminate this mortal over here after all those background characters kicked the bucket?"

Resheph said with a wide smile as he essentially admitted to letting his supposed allies die because he didn't feel like putting in the effort.

"..."

Freya looked in utter disgust at the sheer lack of care in the god in front of her. Resheph possessed neither the grace nor dignity of the divine... he was simply a spoiled brat with a propensity for murder and suffering.

"I see... so you were so scared shitless that you decided to hide away for a bit?"

Freya asked in a mocking tone to Resheph and his familia. A few of them grew in anger at the beautiful goddess' accusation toward them. Most simply continued lecherously eyeing her up. But Seale and Resheph were unfazed by the goddess' words.

"Hmmm? I guess so? Yeah! I was pretty scared! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!-"

Instead of being offended by Freya's words, Resheph began to find amusement at being called a coward.

"..."

Seale remained quiet as he continued to watch Bell's every movement. The elf knew he would die if the enemy in front of him was given the first strike, so he readied to cast his curse at a moment's notice.

"..."

But as the jester of a god continued to laugh at his own cowardice, Freya began to smile lightly as she began making his way to him.

????... ????... ????... ????...

The god and his children began to have their attention focus solely on Freya except for Seale who feared for his life.

The crowd watched as the goddess' hips swayed with each step she took, while Resheph began to smile even wider.

"Oh ho ho? Freya? Have I possibly charmed you? It's been quite a while since I last did it... but doing it in front of my children seems interesting, so why not? HAHAHAHA!!!-"

Freya's smile continued to show on her face. But the light in her eyes began fading with each step closer she got to the god she reviled so much. The goddess remained silent as she got closer.

"Hm? Did I get that wrong? You gotta excuse me, quite hard to tell what you want, given your reputation in Tenkai HAHAHAHA!!! Wait... that reminds me... how come you're tagging along with this guy? How come your children aren't with you?...  don't tell me... did you elope? HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"You sure about that Freya? They say a good marriage is built on humor, and this walking shadow looks like he would suck the joy out of any good murder scene... so~... wanna get hitched with me instead? HAHAHAHA!!!"

Resheph's ramblings continued in the same vain incessantly. The goddess tuned off his voice as she grew tired of hearing his annoying laughter, but Freya continued to smile, regardless of her desire to shut him up at that instant.

????... ????... ????... ????...

Soon Freya and Resheph were face-to-face. The goddess looked down on him, and his eyes reflected the lack of awareness of a spoiled brat. A brat who was highly intelligent enough to coordinate a familia to become an entire region's terror, but a spoiled brat nonetheless.

His eyes... unlike the charming appeal she saw in Bell's pair... in Resheph's... she could only find more reasons to disdain him.

The look of expectation that such suffering was something that they earned naturally as a divine being.

The look that their actions cannot possibly have consequences.

The look that viewed the world as an abusable toy.

'The look those bastards had when they locked me in a cage in Tenkai... suffocating and devoid of consideration... '

?? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?????

"Resheph?... you believe that gods have free reign to do as they please, right?"

Freya smiled as she questioned Resheph who immediately became interested in this line of questioning from the goddess of beauty.

"Yes! Yes! Gods and Goddesses, the world over should be free to do as they please!"

Seeing the god's enthusiasm, Freya neither had her hatred grow nor diminish in reaction to it. Freya too had been a believer she could do such things if it meant she could find her Odr... though now that she had him by her side, the goddess found little need to utilize such a belief... but she would need it for what she and Bell planned next...

"I see... I see... but Resheph... there is one rule that you have been following... a rule that you've been using for all this time... don't you think that contradicts what you said?"

Hearing Freya's words, Resheph began to worry that he was breaking his personal beliefs. Beginning to press Freya to reveal what he had been doing wrong.

"WHAT?! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me, Freya! What rule have I been following?! This is a disaster! My personal image!-"

Resheph began to panic like a child as he began frantically moving around the clock tower, but Freya simply continued to smile as she tightened her grip on an object.

"Hm? Isn't that obvious Resheph? It's the reason why you were able to so easily approach Gray Ghost... why you were able to approach my beloved without worrying about your own safety~"

The panicking god began to stand still at the reveal of Freya's intentions and the fact she was in love with the Gray Ghost.

"HUH?! YOU'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A MORTAL?!-"

But before Resheph could process what he heard...

? ? ? ?

... he had been silenced by the immense pain he felt in his chest.

"... h-huh?... "

Resheph began to step back in shock as he soon began clutching his chest. His divine ichor began to pour out and stain his hands. The pain he felt was unimaginable to the divine being who knew naught of a single day of personal suffering and sacrifice.

"F-Freya?... you... you... "

Resheph looked at the goddess with widened eyes as his arcanum was beginning to spur alive to recover his body back to normal... but the significant release of arcanum would trigger the rule Ouranos had imposed on every descended god and goddess.

High amounts of divine aura of arcanum aggravated the living dungeon to produce monsters that began rampaging and were instilled with an intense desire to reach the surface.

In order to counteract this, any divine being exceeding a certain threshold of arcanum would be immediately sent back to Tenkai without the possibility of ever descending again.

"..."

Freya smiled sweetly as she began to observe the god who would not be long for this world. Kneeling down to his level as she began to unravel the truth in his delirious mind.

"It's quite simple Resheph... there's been one rule you've been happily making use of despite your lack of fondness for the concept... that being the treatment of disputes between gods and mortals... "

Freya smile with utter contempt at the injured god. Fully letting out her disdain for him.

"Mortals against mortals, gods against gods... I didn't want my beloved to be labeled as a blasphemer, so I figured... how about I handled the dirty work for him? I hate you around the same level as he does. So I'm sure you would be facing the same pain regardless of who held the hilt of this knife~"

Resheph's smile had faded as a wide grin began to grow on Frey and Bell's faces. This was the exact moment they both had been waiting for.

The Gray Ghost didn't simply remain stationary as he tore through each battlefield he entered. He constantly changed his position in order to bring more fear among the enemy forces. The fear of an enemy that appears and strikes from anywhere... so why was it did Bell choose to remain stationary at the clocktower?

'Because I wanted to lure you all out'

Bell thought as he lowered his stance to enter combat with the Resheph familia members.

The vigilante betted that the mercenary familia would prioritize their own lives over their contract with Warusa. He betted that they would only present themselves if Resheph was absolutely sure of his victory.

'Resheph and his children only fought those weaker than them, so I guess I should've expected such behavior from an infamous mercenary familia'

Bell closed the discrepancies between the story and the reality he lived and attributed it to simple cowardice.

'But now that there are no more problems...'

Bell thought as his eyes began to focus solely on Seale, the Resheph familia captain.

"-!!!"

The elf felt a deathly chill roll down his spine. His enemy was dead set on killing him the moment he entered his range. His mouth began to open in order to invoke his curse upon Bell. He wasn't sure if it would be enough to save his life, but his desperation simply told him to use every skill he had at his disposal.

『Reawaken dormant nightmares! Har Reshe-』

But as the elf began to frantically chant the invocation of his curse, Bell's bow disappeared from his hand and all that was left was a singular throwing knife.

"..."

Bell's arm which once pulled on the bowstring, now readied itself to launch the knife. The vigilante once let an enemy curse him to impress a god who he wanted to gain favor with... but in this situation, Bell had no reason to entertain such a thought.

『Reinforce』

? ? ? ? ? ?

"-?!!!"

A knife flew quickly through the air before embedding itself deep within Seale's throat. The elf's invocation was cut prematurely as he lost the ability to conjure his own voice.

"-!!!"

Unable to continue his chant, his mind energy which was once forming into the curse through his invocation now had nowhere to go. With no direction for the energy to manifest, the pure energy began reacting violently to the mishap of the casting process. The shame of magicians began to form. The event is made when a magic user has their chant cut prematurely.

"AAAAAAA!!!-"

The elf could only scream incoherently as his magic began to turn on him. Cursing his body with countless mental attacks. Nightmares with substance but without form. The familia captain was now suffering through an indescribable hell of his own making.

『Ignis Fatuus』

The god Resheph began to have his body cloaked in light as he would soon begin to recover with his arcanum. Consequently sending him back to Tenkai permanently.

The familia captain Seale began to scream as he tripped off of the ledge he stood upon. Inundated with his mind's monsters. Unable to form coherent words, much less coherent thoughts.

"..."

The rest of the familia watched in silent horror as their position began to fade. Every single one of them felt their falna beginning to fade. Reverting them back to a normal mortal with every second that passed.

"Damn you... Freya..."

"AAAAAAAAAA!!!-"

The weak voice and screams of their familia's greatest pillar were all they could hear. The sight of the Gray Ghost's glowing blue eyes was all that they could see.

『Trace on』

The cold touch of steel swords was all they could feel. A shivering sensation pressed against their necks.

Numerous projections manifested for each Resheph familia member in Bell's sight. Their lives were now in control of Bell's tongue. A single command was all he needed to sign their death warrant.

"..."

Their execution was coming. Their countless sins against the desert people had now caught up to them. The grudges and sorrows of countless innocent lives formed into the boogeyman they saw in front of them.

The bell began tolling for their heads...

????????...

A pillar of great light erupted from the clock tower. Resheph succumbed to his wounds and began regenerating with his arcanum. The detection of massive divine energy immediately sent the god back to the heavens, where his ignorant sadism would no longer touch the lives of mortals. His return to Tenkai... meant all of his children were now bereft of the blessing that allowed their atrocities.

?????...

A resounding crack rang through the air as the elf of the now disbanded familia crashed onto the cold hard ground of the city's streets. Without his falna, Seale was now a simple mortal once more. A mortal who could not survive a fall from such a great height. His eyes laid eerily open in terror as he lay still and lifeless. His body bleeding against the gray pavement.

"..."

With the deaths of their God and Captain... it was now time for Bell to make sure their whole family could enter the world beyond this one together... walking down the pits of hell side-by-side.

『All projections... 』

Bell's manifested swords began to brim with energy as they prepared to strike deep within the necks of the sinners they trained their aim against.

The Resheph familia looked toward the Gray Ghost in fear and desperation. Some tried to open their mouth to beg for their lives... but the vigilante wouldn't afford them the luxury they so refused for many others.

『??????』

Bell ordered his sword with an unfeeling voice.

??????... ??????... ??????... ??????... ??????...

With his word, all the former adventurers were impaled in a moment by his sword. The numerous men of various races began to fall weakly from the ledges and rooftops they stood upon.

?????... ?????... ?????... ?????... ?????...

Their numerous bodies crashed onto the ground in the same manner as their former captain had. A rain of men with crimson droplets flooded the street.

"..."

Bell stood still for a moment from his posture after the sudden dispatching of the Resheph familia. The vigilante took a moment to process that he had eradicated an entire familia in a matter of seconds.

"..."

Freya watched over Bell with sadness in her eyes and a renewed perspective on her beloved's mysterious powers.

'Bell's time in Orario didn't always end in bloodshed against criminals. He tried his best for each target he captured to face justice through the proper channels of Orario... for the peace of mind of the victims affected... and to maintain faith in the city's governing forces... '

The goddess reminisced on the numerous times she had watched with excitement the nightly patrols of the dungeon vigilante. There was blood, but not to the extent that had been spilled by Bell during this singular month in the Kaios.

'Bell would usually only use his chained swords to enter combat during Orario... a throwing knife here and there... but in a warzone where everything and everything is nearly committed under the veil of the chaotic dispute... Bell's abilities truly show their deadly potential'

Manifestation of numerous arms beyond his iconic chained swords to drown his opponent in a flurry of unpredictable fighting styles.

Turning the enemy's weapons against them by altering their structure and appearance into a more deadly form.

Super long-ranged sniping that is so masterful that arrows curve unnaturally and pierce through numerous targets in a single shot.

'Even creating weapons to strike at an opponent's blind spot in a near instant... Bell's hands wish only for peace... but his power... it was as if it was created for war'

The goddess closed her eyes before approaching Bell's side once more. Beckoning the vigilante to move on from the rather bloody sight that presented itself to them both.

"Let's move from here, Bell. Don't we need to continue helping with Arry's reclamation effort?"

Freya smiled as Bell looked at her in silence. The vigilante nodded before placing her hands around her hips. Immediately taking action to leave the gruesome sight behind.

"Oh?"

The goddess was surprised for a moment by her beloved's forwardness, but she accepted his hand with ease and joy.

"Hold on tight, Freya"

Freya nodded to Bell's monotone voice with a gentle nod. She could feel a lot of emotions stirring within Bell's soul. Regret. Anger. Sadness. Many feelings swarmed Bell's soul like a furious storm. But despite all that plagued him...

'His brilliant light still remained'

The goddess grew closer to Bell's body as she resolved to continue caring for him. Along with the fact that he was now going to begin moving with her in his hands.

『Reinforce』

Bell strengthened his body as he then leaped off the high clock tower with a single step. The vigilante and goddess fell down from an immense height with incredible speed.

"Mmm-"

Freya whimpered as she struggled to accept the sudden forces acting upon her body. The divine beauty was unsure how her children were able to perform such maneuvers with such ease without being affected.

"Heh..."

Bell chuckled as he saw Freya act like a scared child that was on a fast roller coaster. The once ice-cold queen was now simply a scared girl whenever she was with him. The difference between the face she showed in public and the face she showed only for him... it eased Bell's heart somewhat from the acts he had performed.

'To think I was hung over a bit from being rejected from Arry... I should stop being such a greedy bastard... pushing my luck when I already have Artemis, Athena, and Freya... I might be nearing Jason's level of bastardness'

Bell thought to himself before deciding to ease the forces acting upon Freya's body. Calling upon his chained swords to slow his descent.

『Trace on』

????... ????... ????...

Three chained swords manifested into reality. A trio of swords whose chains are all connected by a singular point under Bell's feet.

The weapons launched and embedded themselves onto nearby structures. The chains acted upon Bell's descent by slowing his acceleration. Before finally bringing him and Freya to a complete stop by the time they reached the ground.

"You alright there, Freya?"

Bell jokingly called out to the goddess who was fixing her disheveled hair whilst trying to steady her breath. After accomplishing both, Freya looked at Bell with slight anger on her face.

"Must you always take the fast route? It's not easy keeping up these appearances you know... "

Freya complained about Bell's movements whenever he carried her. The goddess was able to hold it in until now due to not wanting to be a burden to her beloved. But after growing close enough with him, Freya aired out her grievances with the vigilante.

Bell smiled beneath his mask and hood and consoled the goddess who tried desperately to fix her appearance.

"I like it when you look less orderly, Freya. Gives you a more natural vibe... a side of you that not many have seen... it's like only I can see this side of you"

"-?!"

Freya's face grew red with the sudden comments of Bell. The goddess grinned to herself like an idiot before replying back. Seeing this moment as a chance to secure Bell to herself once more.

"You know... if you accept my love, you can see more sides to me that will be reserved for only you... "

Freya spoke with her sultry voice as she neared Bell's armored nape. The goddess grew hateful of his armor for exposing the supple skin she so loved.

"..."

Bell was quiet at Freya's advances before setting herself down on the ground. Replaying an interaction they both shared numerous times over the past month.

"I am afraid all personal requests will be postponed until after my contract with his highness Allum is concluded... please do understand my priorities as his contracted servant, Lady Freya"

(E/D: Resistant you are… Proud I am…)

"..."

Freya narrowed her eyes and began to fake being frustrated.

"Honestly, Bell. If you stall for so long, I might just break and do something drastic to gain your love, you know?"

Though Freya said what she did as a joke, Bell flinched a bit before making his way down the street to somewhere that interested him. Thinking to himself once more at how closely Freya's intuition struck the truth.

'If only you knew Freya... if only you knew... '

Bell chuckled to himself before arriving where he wanted to be. Silent as his eyes laid on the lifeless body of Seale.

???????... ???????... ???????...

Bell kneed down to the corpse before he began rummaging through his belongings. Not caring if he was desecrating his body. Having no sympathy for the captain of a familia that would be labeled as heinously evil should they have moved beyond the Kaios.

It wasn't long before he found what he wanted. A pair of magical swords that the former familia captain used to kill his opponents after cursing their mind

"A magic sword that shoots fire and another that shoots ice... both are named with the Crozzo mark... "

Bell's eyes narrowed as he knew where the swords came from. There was no way Welf could've produced them. He would rather stop smithing than give his creations to a bastard group like the Resheph familia. So there was only one possibility remaining...

"These weapons were forged by his relatives that still remained in Rakia... only his father and grandfather were mentioned as prominent smiths in the story... is this one of their creations? Or another relative who wasn't mentioned?"

Bell whispered to himself as he pondered the origin of these weapons' creation, but he soon dismissed the ideas his mind formed as he began to ready himself to utilize them much better than their original owner ever did.

"..."

Freya watched in silence as Bell began to look towards the northern gate of Sorshana. Bell had already torn through the back lines of the enemy rather quickly, but it would seem the resistance forces were having a much harder time on their end.

????...  ????...  ????...  ????...  ????...  ????

The deafening roars of cannon fire had yet to cease. The burning light beyond the wall's high defenses still shined as fiercely as it did in the beginning.

"It would seem the Warusa army is putting their all into defending the northern gate... "

Bell reinforced his hearing and heard the numerous orders being shouted out by the commanding officers. The continued defense of the northern wall wasn't a show of skill by the Warusa high command, but a simple feeding of men and resources into a futile pit.

Throwing men and supplies desperately against the incessant Shalzard offense as they feared for their lives under capture from their enemies.

"..."

Bell couldn't take hearing all the cries of help and mercy inundating his senses all at once, so he cut off his reinforcement.

"..."

But rather than disheartening his will. What he had heard only strengthened his resolve. Bell would ease their suffering... and tear down the wall in a single moment.

『Trace on』

Bell's magic began to analyze the structure of the two magical swords in his hands. Bell had yet to see a proper magic sword crafted by a Crozzo who inherited the original Crozzo's legacy, but he could already see the imperfections in the weapon's creation.

'Welf mentioned in the story that magic swords are built with magic circuits... the structure is similar to the circuits I'm familiar with, but these... the circuits seem much more like a desperate attempt to complete the circuits than a proper connection... '

Bell could feel the sheer desperation to reclaim lost glory with every strike the creator put into making this sword. His mind was then inundated with the horrors Seale inflicted with both weapons.

The vigilante's face scrunched up in disgust... but he soon turned to normal. After tracing each and every weapon used in the war, Bell grew desensitized to the horrors of mortal conflict.

'I wonder if Emiya had to deal with this too?... carrying the trauma of every weapon he traced in the war he participated in... '

Bell couldn't help but respect Shirou Emiya for being able to hold out for so long with his ideals despite the repercussions UBW gave to its user. Though he soon grew jaded after years of serving the counterforce, it was still a mystery to Bell how he held on to his dream for as long as he did.

'Though I won't allow myself to die after being branded as a traitor... even if the world comes to hate me. For the people who remain by my side, I'll ensure this world continues unabated'

Confirming his determination. Bell invoked once more his magic after planting the fire magic sword into the ground, readying the ice magic sword in one hand, and projecting his nameless bow in the other.

『Alteration』

Bell nocked the ice magic sword into his bow. As he pulled the sword along with the bowstring, the sword began morphing in form. Twisting and turning until the bladed weapon became a sharp arrow.

『Reinforce』

Bell's magic began to fuel the magic sword alongside its innate mind capacity. The intrusion of Bell's energy alongside the sword's would no doubt break the weapon. But Bell didn't plan on using the magic sword beyond this single strike. So he kept packing it with energy until its structure was on the edge of collapsing in on itself

『I am the bone of my sword』

Bell chanted the first verse of his aria in order to invoke a greater magic he had seldom used during his time in this war.

『Trace: Overedge』

?????... ?????... ?????... ?????...

The sword arrow began to violently spew out cold blue bolts of energy. The mystical glow of the weapon began to draw in the eyes of Freya who couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of the craft that radiated immense intent to harm and destroy.

"..."

Bell began to connect once more with 『Orion Arrow』. His eyes began searching the northern gate for the optimum location to strike. Finding it an instant, Bell began to ready himself...

"Fuu... "

Breathing out calmly. Bell let loose the arrow.

? ? ? ? ?

An immense gust of wind was left behind as the arrow flew. Freya had to cover herself with her hands to deal with the violent aftermath winds.

? ? ? ? ?

An ominous howl rang throughout as the arrow tore through the air for a second. In an instant, the weapon had reached the wall... and it unleashed its full capacity as a magic sword against the wall.

? ? ? ?

A deafening boom resounded as the cries of the Warusa wall garrison grew silent. Same with the war cries of the resistance, and the remaining forces fortunate enough to not have been caught in the attack.

"..."

The air grew colder.

The entire northern section of the wall was encapsulated in icy glaciers.

"..."

But rather than admire or stand in awe at what he had done, Bell simply began to nock the remaining magic sword he had yet to utilize.

Performing and invoking all he had done previously, Bell began to train his bow on the optimum spot for his new arrow to penetrate through. The red magic sword became a burning arrow that fired out intense plumes of flames throughout its structure.

"..."

Bell was silent as he readied to properly perform what he wanted to do. He could have easily broken the wall with the fire magic sword. But the consequences of such an action would have been detrimental.

The entrance to Sorshana would be burning hot. This would greatly affect the resistance's ability to cross the opening as they would have to contend with the ground that burned them all alive.

It would be much more ideal if the wall simply broke away... and that was what Bell intended to do.

'Rigid objects that are cooled and then suddenly faced with immense heat are prone to structural breakages... I am not sure where I learned this information, but it's good enough I was able to remember it in a time like this'

Breathing steadily, Bell let loose once more the arrow that was on the verge of collapsing in on itself.

? ? ? ? ?

A dazzling orange light blazed through the air in an instant. Upon making contact with the wide glacier of ice, the arrow erupted with a great burst.

? ? ? ?

A scorching plume of flame engulfed the wide glacier in an instant. The immense heat tore away at the freezing crystal that encapsulated the northern walls. The expansion of heat began weakening the walls' structure, and soon...

? ? ? ? ?... .?????????...

As the smoke produced between the glacier and the fire began to dissipate with the wind, a stupefying sight lay before the Shalzard and Warusa forces.

"..."

The two armies were silent as they took in what had happened and processed the aftermath of the two immense magics that were displayed.

The northern wall was nothing more than the crumbling remains of what once was its base. The high walls that repelled the cannon fire of an entire fleet of desert ships, were taken out in an instant by the invoking of two awe-inspiring displays of strength.

The creator of those miracles was clear to both sides. Bringing unending vigor to the Shalzard while instilling absolute despair within the Warusa forces.

"GRAY GHOST!!! GRAY GHOST!!! GRAY GHOST!!! GRAY GHOST!!!"

The Shalzard resistance resounded their shouts with the beating of their drums and weapons. The deafening cries of the army shook the enemy soldiers to their core.

Leading from the front of the resistance army, Arry smiled conflictedly at the display Bell had manifested for his loyalty to her. The king debated whether to feel grateful for his presence in her life, or terrible for the pain she inflicted on him despite everything he had done.

"... I'm really going to regret letting you go"

Arry laughed at her own indecisiveness, but she didn't allow herself to fall into delusions of a life she could share with Bell.

Lowering her voice as she raised her sword, Arry rallied her resistance forces to reclaim Sorshana.

"Raise your flags high, children of Shalzard! The road to our nation's reclamation has been paved! Follow me in ousting the Warusa oppressors!"

Arry's figure stood tall in her white robes and silver armor. Raising her sword high above her head, she beckoned upon her people as she dived straight into the fray of battle.

"CHARGE!!!"

Seeing their king take the first step onto enemy lines, the Shalzard resistance began to scream their war cries as they all began to food through the opening Bell had made for them.

"R-R-RETREAT!!!-"

Seeing the Shalzard forces heading toward them with such strength and resolve, the Warusa forces decided to retreat en masse. But unfortunately for them, the retreating Warusa forces entered the line of sight of Bell... and Freya.

"♩♪♫♬♭~"

The goddess hummed with excitement at finally being able to play a role in the decisive battle of Arry, Bell, and the Shalzard people.

Bell had informed Arry of Freya's distaste for overusing her divine charm to get her way. So even though Freya had been assigned to become the resistance's mascot, Freya and Bell sparingly utilized her abilities in the field, unlike a certain god of lightning and goddess of matrimony.

Freya was joyful that they were so considerate of her circumstances, but it had grown to the point that she nearly only became luggage for Bell to carry as he wreaked havoc on the enemy backlines.

'It was only after hours of negotiation did I secure myself this singular spotlight! I'll make sure to play this part right!'

Freya pumped herself up for the first role she had to take in this war beyond smiling at the crowds and being carried around by Bell.

The goddess who once desired nothing in life has now become a divinity that felt immensely joyful for being able to contribute. Much like a child who was happy to join whatever activities the adults were doing.

'I feel like something is wrong... '

Freya felt something was off as she hyped herself up.

'Like something fundamental has changed without my notice... '

Unknown to the goddess' notice, a full month of bonding with Bell and Arry had done much to improve the goddess' mentality.

'... Eh, if I forgot, it was in most likelihood not that important in the first place''

Unable to formulate an answer for the strange feeling she had felt, she simply ignored it entirely and began continuing back to what she had been doing.

Stepping in front of Bell and clearing her voice, despite not needing to have to as a goddess. Freya began preparing her voice for her momentous occasion. Breathing in with excitement as her silver eyes began to glow. Freya's voice began to resound.

『Ehem... you can do it, Shalzardians!』

Freya's voice reached the ears of the common soldiers. Seeing the divine beauty cheering them on, more than the Gray Ghost's amazing feats, more than their king's show of regality and leadership, this simple phrase from their resistance's Maiden of victory was enough to make their morale reach an all-time high.

"LET'S WIPE SHALZARD'S FLOOR WITH THEM FUCKING BASTARDS!!!"

Numerous leading officers in the resistance shouted in unison towards their men, who replied in kind with a war cry of their own.

"FOR MAIDEN FREYA!!! FOR MAIDEN FREYA!!! FOR MAIDEN FREYA!!!"

The Shalzard forces began to accelerate even more and crashed into the desperately fleeing Warusa infantry.

"..."

Immune to the charms of the goddess, Arry was speechless as she watched her entire kingdom rush in front of her and take the initiative with the enemy.

Simply accepting the antics of the goddess she grew to care deeply for, Arry decided to just accept it as it was and head into the heated battle. Her sword flowed from enemy to enemy with ease and lethal intent.

"..."

Bell who watched all of what happened on the sidelines, began to feel conflicted seeing the battlefield he once struggled to accept turn into a carnival at a single utterance of the goddess' words.

The Shalzard forces were so motivated, they were taking every single person they encountered as a prisoner instead of dispatching them. As if it were some competition to prove their dedication to Freya.

"..."

Bell was speechless. But as he struggled to process what had happened, a clearly excited Freya turned his way and met his eyes. Her silver eyes waited for words of praise for the goddess' display.

"... haa"

Bell sighed as he took the goddess' hand into his own and began walking opposite the battlefield.

"B-Bell?... "

Freya was flustered as she had expected at least a few words of affirmation from her beloved, but she was only met with a firm hold of his hand as he took the initiative to lead her somewhere.

'I don't hate this... but I was expecting something else... '

Bell saw the disappointed expression of the goddess and decided to speak up before the beauty sulked even more. Lest he faces the wrath of her children, should they ever find out what he had done to their goddess.

"I'll praise you all you want after we vacate this area, Freya. The Shalzard resistance has now breached their capital city. It's now up to them to finish off this story"

Bell wanted Arry and her people to write the closing paragraphs of this war, so he wanted himself and Freya out of the picture as much as possible. Only intervening should it be absolutely necessary.

"..."

Freya was quiet for a moment before she accepted Bell's answer. Though not entirely happy with the situation.

"I'm only being this considerate because of Arry, alright? My Odr should be a man who easily communicates with me in the future... "

Bell laughed as he heard Freya's compromise. Grasping her waist before he began maneuvering to a more hidden location. Replying to the goddess' suggestion for how her fated lover should be.

"I haven't even accepted your proposal, Freya... but I'll do keep it in mind"

Freya widened her eyes at Bell's comment and began to smile brightly as she processed every single word he had said. Pressing closer to his body as he began to move them both away from the highlight of the battle

The vigilante and goddess lightly bantered as they left the stage to Arry and her people. Trusting in the king to end the cruel story known as the Shalzard-Warusa war.

...

..

.

The royal castle of Sorshana.

Deep within the throne room's chambers, Gouza and his military advisors were currently all being held at swordpoint. Kneeling on the ground as their lives hanged at the whims of a single individual in the room.

"..."

The military general of the Warusa forces was silent as he wrinkled in anger at the monarch who had laid him so low.

The lost prince was once presumed dead but was now the rightful ruler of the blazing remnants of Shalzard who retook their lands from their enemies with swift and brutal force.

Allum Raj Shalzard. The last remnant of the once storied and prosperous line of Shalzard, and the warrior king who now loomed over the threat that once brought her and her people so much fear in the past.

The battle toward the interior of the royal castle was fiercely fought. But with Allum charging from the front and dispatching all foes that got in her way, the king and her forces eventually were able to pierce through the last remaining defenses.

Numerous dead littered all corners of every room. The sword, Merodach, which was being put against his neck was stained with the bloody essence of numerous people.

"Look at me in the eyes, Gouza"

Allum called out to the general who had ordered the numerous atrocities against her nation and people. Her amethyst eyes glowed in hatred of the man who continued to act as if he were innocent.

"I'm sorry, but I only acknowledge actual kings"

Gouza mocked Allum as he continued to stand in defiance of the ruler of his enemies. The general's vassals paled as the Shalzard resistance attempted to put their hands on the man who had sentenced their kingdom to endless suffering because of his greed... but before the general could die in a mob, Allum raised her hand to still the crowds.

The restless resistance members immediately ceased their actions as they saw the eyes of their king. Their king who had led every battle with poise and calm... was slowly beginning to lose grip of her rationality... and the sight of it scared the anger of the resistance members still.

"..."

Allum stood silent before she flashed the general a warm smile. The act confused Gouza immensely, but the Shalzard king explained herself to the confused man as succinctly as she could.

"It is true, general Gouza. I am nothing more than a king who has yet to learn to rule... so... I would highly appreciate your guidance in the role of governing, general Gouza"

Gouza continued to remain confused as Allum began approaching him. Kneeling down to his level, her hand began to rummage through a sack carried by her waist... until...

? ? ? ?

Allum pulled out a knife that embedded itself deep into Gouza's abdomen. The Warusa general began screaming in pain as the sensation of the cold knife began to fire off numerous signals to his brain. The general bled as he screamed.

"AAAAAAAAA!!!- WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!-"

Gouza asked in anger toward Arry who simply continued digging the knife deeper into his body, before eventually pulling it out. The blade was stained with blood alongside a mysterious liquid.

Seeing that the knife's purpose was complete, Arry began to grab a health potion from her sack before apathetically throwing it on Gouza's body. The king complained and requested for the general to stop moaning in pain. His incessant screaming disturbed her senses greatly.

"All that muscle and bravado and you break down after a simple stab wound. To think you had the gall to act tough"

Arry spoke in spite of the display Gouza had been reduced to. The Warusa dictator took a moment before he soon realized something else had begun affecting him, beyond the pain of his injury that was now healing from the potion.

His sight began getting blurry and his senses began to feel numb. Gouza barely found the strength and coordination to call out to Arry before he eventually fell onto the ground unconscious.

????

Gouza's subordinates fell into fear as they saw their leader become nothing more than an unconscious mortal whose fate now lay in the hands of the people they had persecuted.

"There were more peaceful methods to induce Gouza's silence…but I believed this would be most effective in conveying our policy with Warusa henceforth from this day"

Arry spoke with a cold tone as she turned to the remaining subordinates of the dictator. All of them were high-ranking military advisors or personnel, privy to vital knowledge regarding Warusa. Individuals, which Arry planned to make great use of for the future of Shalzard.

"I will present to you two choices…either I publicly execute to ease the bloodlust of my people for just retribution for the crimes you have authorized against them…or you comply with my demands for Warusa intelligence, and get to escape with your lives in prison…so what will it be, gentlemen?"

The subordinates looked towards the king whose eyes glowed a mystical amethyst hue. Radiating immense pressure alongside the finest warriors of the Shalzard resistance who held looks of disdain towards them.

"..."

Arry's act of mercy was the only thing that separated her nation from mangling their bodies until they were unrecognizable. Faced with such options, the subordinates quickly complied with Arry's demands.

The king ordered her men to gather the prisoners for interrogation before turning to the remaining fighters who were left behind. Proclaiming her will as the ruler of their people.

"Brave children of Shalzard. This day marks a momentous occasion for our cause…but though we have made great strides, our fight has yet to end"

Arry spoke with dignity as she made her way to the front of the Shalzard royal throne. A seat besmirched with the mark of the Warusa dictator but has now returned to the presence of its rightful heir.

The king smiled as she gently closed her eyes. Feeling the storied history of the royal halls welcoming her back to where she truly belonged.

"The road to reestablish our sovereignty as a dignified nation will be long. The path of recovery for our people even longer…even still, I will dedicate every ounce of my life to this effort"

Arry gazed directly at her subjects. The resistance fighters felt immense magnanimity from her poise and appearance. The true coronation of their king was soon descending upon them.

"Should you find me still appropriate to rule and willing to serve under my cause, accompany me through this path… so that I may return the glory our ancestors dreamt for this land"

? ? ? ? ?

Arry struck the tip of Merodach down upon the floor. Its sound reverberated clearly and resplendently through the grand ancient halls of the royal castle.

"For Shalzard!"

The king rallied her people to declare their resolve. The fighters shouted out loudly as their blood boiled with tension and pride.

"FOR SHALZARD!!!"

Shalzard was slowly piecing itself back together. From the horrors of war, they now sought the road back to the normalcy of their old lives. Their fight had yet to end, but their blade did not drown in blood, in hate of what lay in front of them…but in pursuit of what could be. A life of peace. Where a child need not be birthed and raised in the heat of flames and the coldness of steel.

"..."

Atop a tower in the royal castle that overlooked the hall where the resistance was currently located, Bell and Freya watched over the group as they finally achieved the goal they so desperately wanted to achieve.

The goddess smiled fondly as she watched Arry, while Bell did the same… but kept his vigilance open for the possibility of something he wished would be nothing more than paranoia on his part.

"It's adorable how Arry acts so stoic when she's just a nervous mess behind closed doors, don't you think so Bell?"

Freya spoke as she tried to make small talk with the vigilante. The goddess adored the difference in personality in the king she grew fond of in recent times.

But as her comment went unanswered, Freya turned to see what was holding Bell from participating in the conversion.

"Bell?... what's wrong?..."

Freya asked in concern after noticing the air of apprehension that surrounded Bell. His glowing eyes occasionally checked up on Arry and the resistance fighters, but he more often than not focused on scanning the surroundings. As if he were looking for something.

But after a moment of coming up empty despite his best efforts, Bell eventually stopped his incessant search. Turning to the worried goddess to apologize for his apprehension.

"Sorry about that Freya. It's just that things are going too smoothly…"

Bell grew worried over time about the general ease of the situation. He had known that the story of Arry and the reclamation of her nation wasn't one filled with immense difficulty.

The Kaios region sparsely had adventurers of a level beyond level two. Aside from the Resheph familia, there was nothing that posed much of a threat to Bell when he planned to assist Arry when he had first reincarnated.

'I'd be idiotic to not sense the general pattern. Wherever I go, there's always trouble brewing nearby…I encountered some mentality problems during this war, but I highly doubt that would be enough of a challenge…have I finally gone crazy?'

Bell struggled with accepting his fate as who he is. Bell Cranel is always fated to overcome immense struggle as the last promised hero of mortal kind… but where the original Bell Cranel had the assistance of numerous odd-defying abilities…

'I am reaching the limit of my skill set. I need to gain a falna, but I don't have a great option for sourcing it at this moment… Freya could work if I'm truly out of options, but it will mess up my plans for the future…'

Bell knew that if he offered himself to the goddess at this moment in time, things would become significantly harder for him.

'A new unestablished force is needed to break the status quo set by Freya and Loki. A new flag to rally behind for the new age…'

With his knowledge of the story, Bell knew the importance of a disrupting force in the dungeon city. If he joined Freya, Loki would start becoming worried and tensions might escalate beyond the near-boiling point they were already in.

If he joined Loki, it would be the same story, except Freya would become even more prone to anger due to his position in the goddess' heart.

'Along with a potential war game between the two current strongest familias in Orario, if I joined Freya at this point in time, it will become impossible to save her… because I need to tear down everything she had built to finally destroy the evil persona the goddess built for herself… I would have to establish dominance over her entire familia…'

Bell felt a headache begin to form as he tried to keep track of every ongoing development as best as he could. His knowledge of the future was the best tool he had aside from his powers, and he couldn't stop stressing over anything he might've missed.

"..."

The vigilante fell once more into thought as he began trying to sense for any disturbances once more. But as Freya watched her beloved drown in fear of something that had yet to appear, she grabbed hold of Bell's hands and squeezed tightly.

"..."

Freya was silent as she did this and Bell slowly returned to reality. Turning his head to meet the face of the goddess who simply smiled brightly back at him.

Taking a few more moments to process what was happening, Bell soon had a soft chuckle escape from his mouth. Finding it funny how the role he once took on for the three goddesses he loved now needed to be performed on him.

'A therapist needing his own therapist huh?... it's not bad …'

Bell calmly thought as he began to readjust himself, enjoying the soft sensation of Freya's hand. The divine beauty now being his personal therapy treatment in recent times.

'Eina once called me a white dog, so I wonder what would be the best way to describe Freya? A boar was generally associated with the Vanir and Freya… but I don't think that would be the best way to describe her… and I feel Freya would take personal offense to being called a boar'

Bell snickered once more as he thought through his realizations. Freya simply continued watching Arry while holding his hand, unaware of her beloved's mental ramblings.

"..."

Bell took in the moment of silence between himself and the goddess as he remembered the words of his grandfather to not desensitize himself to reality due to his reincarnation.

'This is no longer a book Bell… this is your life… personal experience triumphs over everything else…'

Bell breathed calmly as he finally recomposed himself. Seeing his apprehension begin to slip away, Freya began to resume her talk.

"Calmed down, beloved?"

Freya asked with a charming smile. Bell took in the sight before replying. Grateful such a woman was doing so much for him.

"Yeah…I guess this war has had a lot of effect on me… figured I wouldn't be changed much given I didn't have to fear for my life"

Bell answered with some remaining hesitation. Freya simply smiled as she continued to remain open to his feelings.

"You'll learn to handle it better in the future, Bell. I would be more concerned if you could leave your first warzone without being affected"

Freya joked as Bell replied with his own short reply. The vigilante playing along with her lead.

"That's true… but you would be there to pick me up when I fall down, right Freya?"

Bell laughed slightly as he finished what he had said, but Freya stared blankly at Bell. Her heart began to pound as she felt the distance between her heart and his was now close enough… she began raising her voice to confirm whether or not it was what she thought it was.

"Bell, is that a yes to my confess?!-"

But Bell cut her off before she could finish it.

"That is not an answer to your confession, dear goddess. Merely an observation of your behavior"

Bell's blunt answer caused a frustrated look to show on the goddess's face who simply began to pout at her beloved's stubbornness to not accept her. Despite all that they have been through.

"You know you can't keep this up forever, Bell… we already kissed that one night, and we are close both emotionally and physically… so what's stopping you from just accepting?"

Freya asked just what exactly was holding back Bell. The goddess had a few ideas of what it might be… and if her speculations were true…

'I would need to have a one-on-one with those virgins…'

Freya's eyes glowed silver as she remembered that Bell had close relationships with other goddesses besides her own. A bond he shared with the divine virgins who were specifically elevated to prominence by Odin and Olympus as a failsafe against her charm.

'I still have some apprehensions talking to the virgin goddesses outside of Hestia… but it's needed if it's for Bell…'

Freya was still unsure if she would accept their presence in his life. But she knew she had to talk to them at some point if she wished to further her relationship with the vigilante.

"..."

Bell saw the growing jealousy on Freya's face and let out a silent sigh. He was beginning to wonder if a relationship where both sides needed each other for constant therapy was the healthiest thing to have.

?????

"Hm?"

Freya was broken out of her thoughts by the sudden sensation of Bell's hand on her head. Feeling the way he caressed her hair, Freya simply snuggled up to his hold subtly to further enjoy the feeling.

'I'll think about Artemis and Athena later… I should make the most out of the remaining private time I have with Bell…'

Deciding to leave her feud with the two goddesses for another day, Freya and Bell began to make small talk after fulfilling their roles as the other's mental tether to normalcy.

Freya began talking incessantly at how adorable Arry was for acting so stoic despite being such a nervous mess whenever she was alone with the goddess and the vigilante.

Bell made talk about the future that lay in store for the desert king and her people. Discussing with Freya the delicate path she would have to walk to reestablish her nation's presence.

While talking about the future, Freya mentioned that his servitude to Arry would be coming to an end. The goddess asked Bell what he planned to do with his relationship with Arry.

"..."

Bell grew apprehensive again as the subject was reminded to him.

"I am not sure, but if Arry believes that leaving things the way it is… is the best for both of us. Who am I to disobey my master's wishes?"

Freya was silently frustrated about how Bell was loyal to a fault. She had wanted to mention the hypocrisy he held for hesitating with Arry but not having a problem picking up three goddesses at the same time… but Freya simply relented.

"She will regret it a lot, you know? Same with you…"

Freya's words stung Bell's heart. The vigilante looked at Freya with confusion as she wanted him to add more women to his harem, while at the same time being conflicted about it.

But unable to find a retort that didn't escalate the problem unnecessarily, Bell simply accepted the hypocrisy of his life. Perhaps it was something expected among fakers to be dripping with hypocrisy.

"You may very well be right, Freya… but that's just life for mortals. Always imagining what if's as we look back in the past…"

Freya sighed as she continued to move along with the conversation she was having with her beloved.

A king rallying her people for a better tomorrow.

The royal's sword and Maiden of victory watching over her blooming future with satisfaction and pride.

The perfect moment for the story to end… but Bell was right all along…

"..."

Wherever he went… turbulent troubles were always nearby…

"..."

Freya felt Bell begin to tighten his hold on her hand. The goddess looked up and began to see Bell begin to shake in fear. Growing concerned, Freya called out to him.

"Bell? What's happening Bell?... what are… you… doing?..."

But as the goddess began to call out to him, she soon began to feel it as well. A low sensation crept from the ground and traveled up her body.

"..."

Freya looked around and she began to see nearby buildings begin to sway as the sensation she felt began to make itself more prominent.

"..."

Arry looked in worried confusion at what was happening. Her followers were equally worried as they began to surround themselves around the king. For a phenomenon unknown to the desert began to make itself known.

??????… ??????… ??????… ??????...

The earth itself began to shake. As if in fear of whoever caused such soul-chilling quakes.

"This can't be… this… this… this is simply too absurd…"

Bell began to softly mutter in disbelief as his eyes looked beyond the buildings of the city, beyond its defensive walls, and beyond the resting resistance forces… over the horizon, a plume of black ash began to approach their location with frightening speed.

"I knew there was more than one… but isn't this too much?"

Freya soon locked her eyes on the direction Bell had directed his gaze towards, and she too began to feel a sense of disbelief washed over her. She was all too familiar with the sight. As the goddess that had been so vital to the completion of two of the three great quests, Freya was all too aware of what lay within the black storm of ash.

"Wanderer of ash…"

As the two failed to process reality, Bell soon had alarm signals ring throughout his body as he felt a foreign presence enter his range. Invoking his magic immediately to meet the intruder.

『Reinforce』

Bell began to fill his circuits with Mind. Pushing his physical capabilities to meet the intruder in an instant.

All too familiar with the presence they held, Bell wouldn't allow himself to let the figure escape his grasp once more.

『Trace on』

Manifesting his chained swords into his hands. Bell turned into a blur before sticking the edge of his blades to the figure's neck.

"..."

Bell was silent as his eyes gazed with hate at the figure who stood at the end of his projections. A figure who radiated an air that naturally drew him to hate. Clothed in a decrepit black robe. Wearing a smile that boiled his blood to no end.

"Tell me what you've done, Angra Mainyu. I won't hesitate to kill you if you play any games"

Seeing the genuine drive in Bell to hold his promise true to kill a god, the figure began to smile widely. Bell was exceeding every one of his expectations at the very beginning of their game together.

"Ahhhh… you really are the best, Gray Ghost~"

Hearing his voice that was drowning in ecstasy, Bell's anger ceased to be contained as he began to release it all on the evil god in his reach.

"TELL ME WHAT YOU'VE DONE THIS TIME, YOU BASTARD!"

Bell's chained swords began to sharpen incessantly as his mind began making his projections even more lethal. Responding to his emotions greatly.

But the evil god simply continued to laugh up a storm. Seeing how much he had affected the vigilante from his one peaceful moment.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!-"

Just as Bell was about to act upon his threat, he soon began to stop as he fell into confusion.

His senses were relaying to him information that didn't compute in his mind. It simply couldn't be real.

However, in the corners of his vision, Bell's eyes widened as his senses confirmed what was being told to him.

"..."

Atop a nearby rooftop, a figure clothed in a black hood began to smile back at him.

"..."

And another… and another… and another… soon, Bell and Freya were surrounded on all sides by an army of black-clothed figures who smiled eerily at him.

"These presences… they're similar… but they're not a god's…."

Freya spoke in disbelief. Being fooled that the first hooded figure was a divine existence like herself, but after seeing numerous similar presences appear all around, the goddess now knew… they were all mortal.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!-"

Bell looked in fear and disbelief at everything that was being revealed all at once, but before he could even begin to process it.

????

The hooded figure he held at bladepoint began to wedge Bell's projections deep into his chest. Laughing all the while as he did so.

"..."

Bell was left without words to say. But not wanting to leave such a joyful encounter for awkward dead air, "Angra Mainyu" began to speak to Bell as blood poured from his body incessantly.

"Confused? I understand… but though we may be different…we are all still Angra Mainyu… forced mental deterioration and self-suggestion goes a long way… to convincing the forced child of a familia that they're actually the god in charge~"

The hooded figure was unmasked as an ominous stale wind blew through the air. Revealing the visage of a tanned human male whose eyes emitted no light. No matter how far Bell peered into his pupils.

For he was broken and remade into acting out a false sense of self.

"..."

The same breeze of ominous stale air unmasked the numerous hooded figures standing atop the rooftops of the buildings. All were revealed to be people of various appearances, physiques, sexes, and races.

Differing greatly in numerous qualities and descriptors but sharing the same lifeless eyes as the bleeding man possessed.

"..."

Bell took a moment to understand what was happening… but he soon remembered a plotline in the many books he had read in his past life… a figure once desired to obscure himself from discovery, but spread his influence to every corner.

Faced with the predicament of how to solve such a task, the figure came up with an idea that fulfilled all the criteria he desired. Collecting orphans with no purpose in life to accomplish his goal…

"Break the minds of numerous people, and convince them that they are all the same person until they're indistinguishable from the real deal…"

The bleeding man smiled as Bell uncovered the truth of what he had done to countless people during his tenure as an evil god.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!-"

The bleeding man laughed profusely. With each jolly laughter, more blood began to spill from his mouth. He was insane, or perhaps it would be more apt to say his new persona was utterly insane.

"YOU REALLY ARE THE BEST GRAY GHOST!!! I JUST KNEW FROM ALTENA!!! YOU WERE THE ONE FOR ME!!! THE GREATEST ENTERTAINMENT THAT I CAN ASK FOR!!!"

The hooded figure drew closer to Bell. The vigilante only being able to stand in silent horror as Freya watched in shock at the depravity her people had inflicted upon mortal kind.

"I SIMPLY COULDN'T GET ENOUGH AFTER OUR FIRST MEETING- SO HERE WE ARE!!! PART TWO WITH EVEN BIGGER RISKS AND STAKES!!!"

"BUT IT'S TOO BORING TO HAVE ANOTHER DEFENSE….SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFEND. SPICE THINGS UP WITH TRUE DESPAIR!!!"

The man lost strength in his body as he began to lean on Bell for support. His laughter or energy was never once affected.

"There's no hope. There's no dream. There's no turnabout… simply cold brutality given into monstrous form… so run… let me see how valiantly a hero like you runs… escape from the impending doom heading your way…"

??????… ??????… ??????… ??????…

"Unless you think you can stop a raging horde of Behemoths… please… be my guest…"

??????… ??????… ??????… ??????…

The man's voice began to grow softer and softer as the rumbling grew louder and louder. Eventually, the man's body fell onto the floor as Bell let go of his chained swords.

????

The cold sound of the corpse hitting the ground was drowned out by the endless noises. But the sounds blurred into white noise as Bell began to slowly process everything.

"..."

The look of uncertainty in Freya as she neared closer to his body. The look of fear in Arry was held back desperately as she began to coordinate with her followers to gather information. The feeling of hopelessness crept up his spine. Reality had finally caught up with his naive ideals.

"..."

The figures began to smile insidiously as they began to see the glow in Bell's eyes begin to waver.

They all began to speak in unison as they acted to open the beginning of Bell's nightmare. Where no light reached him no matter how hard he struggled.

…

..

.

"?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ???"

…

..

.

Editor:

Editor-kun#4796

AN:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

I planned on uploading four chapters today, but I am still in the process of writing the last one. I will explain why I wasn't able to upload all four of them at the same time when I update this fanfic again tomorrow. I hope you can understand.

May you all have a nice day.