by Fujino Omori
Where can we fight—?!
Avenues, alleys, and East Main Street passed below Bell’s gaze. Guild staff and evacuees stood out in the roads staring up at them, their presence limiting his choices. Finally, he caught sight of a large open space up ahead—
“—Come here!”
As if drawn by the voice of the beautiful goddess on the top floor of the huge tower, Bell descended into Central Park, in the heart of the city.
“Huh?”
“The Little Rookie?! And what is that…?!”
The huge crowd of adventurers guarding Babel looked on in astonishment as Bell and Asterios once again plunged into combat.
Their eyes bulged at the sight of the stunning black minotaur, but when they tried to join in the attack, the monster howled as if to say, “Stay away!” The Level 1 and 2 adventurers were rendered completely useless.
“Keep your hands off!”
“Quick! Escape!”
As the crowd in Central Park rapidly thinned, voices urged the few remaining second-tier adventurers to leave as well. The yells came from smiling deities. In obedience to these pleasure-seeking gods and goddesses, the adventurers fled, dragging their companions with them.
“Ganesha?!”
“…Help the unconscious adventurers! Ilta, don’t you get involved! Our priority is evacuating any nearby townsfolk!”
Ganesha Familia members who had been guarding Babel obeyed their patron deity and got to work rescuing people. The red-haired Amazon Ilta expressed some irritation but nevertheless led the other upper-class adventurers in the rescue operation.
The deities were bent on removing any interference they deemed senseless.
The eastern side of Central Park was now the battlefield for the final clash between Bell and Asterios.
“Yaaaaa!!”
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
The sword and the ax collided again and again. Again and again, the sound of metal on metal rang through the air.
As if drawn by the music of the battlefield, adventurers and townsfolk throughout the city fixed their eyes on Central Park. They looked down on the fight from familia headquarters overlooking the park, from the roof of the theater towering over the Pleasure Quarter, and from the buildings in the center of the city.
Every time blood spurted from one of the monster’s wounds, the townsfolk trembled. Every time Bell was thrown into the air, the adventurers gripped the railings and leaned forward.
“Kill the monsterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! Yeah! Right theeeeeeeeeeere!!”
“Shut up, Mord!”
The adventurers had converged again after following Bell and Asterios out of the Labyrinth District and had resumed their shouting and screaming. Eina was among the Guild employees who had followed along despite the risks. With the help of Ouka and Chigusa, she climbed onto the roof of a shop next to the park and was watching Bell.
“How about right here?” Ouka asked.
“Yes, this is great, thank you!”
Even the animal people who had planned to defy the orders of the deities and shoot at the monster, the elves who had lifted their wands and begun to chant, and the adventurers bent on annihilating the minotaur eventually lowered their weapons and simply stared like the residents of the Labyrinth District.
“…Yeah! Get ’im!” they shouted.
As if time were repeating itself, they began yelling angrily, as if to show their adventurers’ spirit.
“Mr. Cranell…” whispered Lyu, who had come running to the park.
“Hey…Am I seeing things?” said Aisha with a smile. She was standing next to Lyu.
Nearby, Daphne and Cassandra trembled violently as they watched the boy face the terrifying creature all alone.
“What in the world is that kid doing…?” Daphne gasped.
“Oh geez…!” Cassandra said.
“Welf’s familia is nothing if not fun,” said Tsubaki, squinting through her good eye.
“Bell…You’ll die if you keep this up!” said Nahza, gripping her silver prosthetic with her left hand.
As cheers thundered through the air, the townsfolk, the deities, and everyone else in the city trained their eyes on the adventurer and the monster.
“!!”
“UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!”
Bell and Asterios raged against each other, both wringing the last drops of power from their bodies.
Bell’s arms screamed as they wielded the huge sword. But that was all. Although his fissures spiderwebbed across his bones, he felt he could move them endlessly. On and on he swung the sword, transforming the fire of searing pain into power driving his attacks.
He slashed at Asterios, then used the force of the minotaur’s interception to spin around and slash at him again. Again, the Labrys blocked his blow and smashed down Bell’s desperate Firebolt, swinging his ax diagonally a hairbreadth from the boy’s chest.
The ax’s blade grazed his gauntlet, and the oculus buried within it cracked into a thousand shards.
“…Shit!”
Bell’s equipment was falling off piece by piece. The fasteners on his gauntlet were broken, and its surface was covered in scratches. The epaulettes he had used as impromptu shoulder guards fell off from the force of Asterios’s blows. Even the mud beneath the minotaur’s feet became a threat as Bell slipped and slid over it.
Bell’s entire body was stained red.
But the blood was not his.
It was the fresh blood that gushed from Asterios every time he raged. The minotaur was not only missing one arm; he was on the verge of death. His body was inscribed with wounds that easily could have brought him toppling down.
Had that not been the case, Bell would have been killed instantly.
If he had both arms, if he had not been on the edge of death—
Asterios had come to this battle after Aiz and many other adventurers had injured him. This fight came at the end of a long road.
If Bell’s opponent had been in the prime of health, the boy would not have lasted a minute.
He was that strong.
He was ridiculously, fiercely strong.
“U-U-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
The Labrys and the black fist that held it swooped in on Bell, who was powerless to deflect it fully.
Behind Asterios, Bell saw Dix. He saw Aiz, the idol whose feet he could not even touch. He saw Wiene, who had once turned to ash and disappeared because he was not able to save her. He saw his own powerless image.
Behind the Labrys, he saw Dix’s spear, and Aiz’s sword, and Wiene’s tears. They woke in him a mad hope that tore at his heart.
I want to be strong.
So I can overcome this worthy opponent—and overcome my own powerless self.
I want to be strong.
So I can beat this worthy opponent—and so I never lose anything again.
Be strong.
Like a hero.
Like a hero who protects the ones he cares about.
Like a hero who struggles on even when reality crushes him and hypocrites mock him.
I.
Want to be…a hero.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
Bell roared.
He thrust himself forward beyond his limits and ran full speed into a world of white.
He dashed with all his might through a white field where everything burned with white heat, toward the black minotaur who waited on the far side.
“?!”
He lunged forward on his left foot with such force it blurred before the eyes of his audience, and at the same time he swung the huge sword.
His opponent could not respond in time to this boundary-shattering speed. The sword crashed into his armor, but still Bell did not stop. He unleashed a storm of blows onto the tough full plate armor.
“U—UOO!!”
As if it had reached the limits of its patience, the Labrys flicked Bell’s sword high into the air.
The spectators screamed, but Be
ll ignored them and leaped forward at full speed.
The upward kick that exploded into his left cheekbone caught Asterios completely off guard. Not to be outdone by his opponent, Bell had turned his body into a weapon and unleashed his rabbit’s claws on the minotaur. Asterios somehow withstood this kick to his face from a first-class adventurer—but the next moment, the minotaur was plunged into shock.
Still hovering in midair with his left foot extended, Bell thrust out his right arm like the barrel of a gun.
“Firebolt!”
He released six consecutive bolts.
“—O?!”
They were fired from such close range that the adventurers watching gasped. The decisive blow crushed one of the minotaur’s eyes.
The force of his own blast threw Bell back. The instant he hit the ground, he ran toward Asterios at full speed. In his right hand, he grabbed the sword that had come spinning down from above his head, tottered backward a few steps, then lunged at the monster and slashed with all his might.
“GUO?!”
Diagonal downward slash.
“UO?!”
Horizontal mowing strike.
“OOOOO—?!”
Uppercut.
Three flashes of light all told. This time the minotaur’s full plate armor split open, and the enormous body gushed a fountain of blood.
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!”
The adventurers and gods screamed as if their chests would explode at the sight of Bell’s full power awakened.
As for Asterios, whose left eye had been obliterated and whose body had suffered a deep wound—he smiled.
A quiet, powerful expression so uncanny it silenced the cheers of the crowd for a moment.
The boy’s will to fight was as fierce as ever. He rushed forward with the huge sword, burning with determination.
Asterios’s feet pounded into the ground, splintering it underfoot.
Bell’s feet carried him forward with blinding speed.
Each could see only the other. Their eyes flashed as they charged toward their final clash.
““!!””
It was the final match.
The roars of the boy and the beast filled the air. No trace of elegance could be found in their duet—only the battle cries of two beings hungry for victory.
Persistence clashed fiercely against strength.
Even as the ringing hunk of silver warded off the bloody double blade, the minotaur’s powerful leg crashed down to cut Bell’s parry short. The sword and ax were pulled back, only to meet again an instant later in a swirl of flashing light and flying sparks.
The ax grazed Bell’s shoulder, and blood spurted out. The sound of flesh being crushed came from within the armor that had deflected the blow.
Bell’s right hand shot a Firebolt that burned the monster’s body, but mere contact with the inhumanly strong opponent was enough to damage more of Bell’s gear.
Even the Divine Knife and the crimson horns played their part in the epic battle, inscribing purple-blue and crimson arcs of light between the ax and the sword.
This clash of wills and stubborn determination had nothing to do with pride.
Each accepted no compromise from the other, instead urging him on like an image in a mirror.
The adventurers leaned backward to avoid their blows. The townsfolk shuddered. The deities smiled and cheered. Wordless screams flew toward the battle. The crowd standing around the edge of Central Park forgot even to breathe, instead pouring their whole selves into one continuous scream.
The beautiful goddess’s silver eyes glittered feverishly.
The half-elf trembled and turned pale at the sight of the deadly struggle.
All those who had crossed paths with the boy watched with bated breath as the fight approached its final stretch.
And as they watched, the boy and the monster desperately staved off the end of their battle.
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“Ooof!!”
The Labrys struck a powerful blow to the sword raised hastily to ward it off.
Bell’s feet left the ground and he was thrown backward as if he were a mere feather. The moment his back hit the cobblestones, he rolled and saw Asterios in the center of his field of vision.
“—OOO!”
About ten meders separated them.
As if he had been waiting impatiently for this moment, Asterios brought his left hand—and the Labrys in it—crashing onto the cobblestones. With his one arm planted firmly down, the minotaur dipped his head low.
A buzz of anticipation swept through the crowd of watching adventurers. The minotaur seemed to be preparing himself to use his most deadly weapon—his horns.
He charged forward with incomparable power, crushing everything in his way.
Bell stared at the raging bull outlined against the limestone tower. In an instant, he guessed his intent and brought his sword directly in front of his body.
He was about to unleash the Hero’s Attack.
A chime sounded, and white light gathered.
“!!”
The trigger for his skill was the image of an argonaut, his role model.
The argonauts had wanted to become heroes, and they had overcome their checkered fate to do so.
Bell thought about this original heroic tale as he drew back his sword.
“—”
“—”
The image of the crimson horns burned into the boy’s eyes. The converging white sparks of light pierced the monster’s gaze.
Their eyes met. Both brimmed with a will to fight that erased all boundaries. A single second stretched on forever.
Their limbs cried out, their hearts hungered, their warrior’s resolve burned fiercely.
Bell’s red eyes met the monster eyes of Asterios.
And then—
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
They rushed at each other.
Don’t lose!
For the first time, Eina prayed not that the fight would end—but that Bell would win.
The adventurer and the minotaur turned their bodies into powerful bullets that shattered the cobblestones as they shot forward.
The townsfolk, the deities, and the adventurers gasped at the thunderous roars.
In an instant, the mad rush reduced the space between the two forms to nothing.
Bell had been charging for twenty seconds.
He swung his sword down and then up again.
Aiming for his opponent’s red horns, Bell unleashed a ferocious slashing attack of white light.
“”
One instant.
That was all it took for Bell to realize the destructive crimson light of his opponent was crushing his pure white radiance.
The next instant—
“—Uwaah!”
He had lost.
His Hero’s Attack had been defeated.
A mortal shock resonated through him as his body flew high into the air.
“—”
Complete silence fell over Orario.
Bell’s body rose straight up from where he had collided with Asterios, blood spewing from his mouth.
All eyes followed that form into the air, all faces turned white, and all watched as fragments of the shattered silver blade twinkled with white light in all directions.
“B-Bell—”
Eina pressed her hands to her mouth. She felt as if time had stopped.
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Meanwhile the monster, having crushed the boy’s worst attack, let out a victory roar and circled triumphantly. Then he stopped and reversed direction abruptly enough to crush stone as he headed toward where Bell would fall. He charged forward like a truly wild bull and, the instant the boy hit the ground, set on him again.
“Eeyaaah!�
�
The outstretched black arm pounded onto Bell, and for a second time he vomited blood. Asterios caught up his body and dashed toward the lofty limestone tower.
“T-take shelter!! Runnnnnn!!”
The handful of Ganesha Familia upper-class adventurers guarding the door to Babel fled as fast as they could in the face of that unrivaled, unstoppable rush.
A moment later, the minotaur crashed through the door and walls of the huge tower.
“?!”
Still gripping Bell under his left arm, Asterios charged with overwhelming force into the grand hall on the first story of Babel. He hurled both Bell and the Labrys against the floor, which resembled an enormous stained-glass flower. The superhuman strength of the blow inflicted equal damage on Bell and the floor, which in the next instant began to cave in.
When Bell fell through the destroyed floor, he tumbled straight into the huge hole waiting in the basement. The hole that led to the Dungeon.
He fell, and fell, and fell.
Spitting blood and wrapped in a peculiar floating sensation, he was pulled to the bottom of the earth along with masses of rubble. The nighttime lights of the surface receded before his blurred vision, and the moment arrived.
Bang!!
“Oof!!”
He crashed to the first floor of the Dungeon with a deafening thud.
An electric shock seemed to run down his back and through the rest of his body. For a few seconds, he lost consciousness.
When he came to, he was tormented by a searing pain that would have killed him instantly had he not leveled up earlier that night. He coughed up a clot of blood stuck in his throat and cracked his eyes open.
He was lying on his back, and far above, he could see the dim night. It must be moonlight shining through the door of Babel Tower. The inside of the tower was completely dark, perhaps because the collapse had snuffed out the magic-stone lamps. Part of the spiral staircase inside the cylindrical hole had been destroyed as well.
Bell lay motionless on a bed of rubble. The collapse must have also damaged this underground floor, because the walls were webbed with fissures, and they glowed with only a weak phosphorescence. They reminded him of a cave illuminated by moonbeams.
As Bell stared into the blackness above his head, his mind moving sluggishly…a black shadow fell over him.