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Hello! New chapter. First, I want to thank Ekhemos for highlighting some things that were necessary. He's a great example of the kind of comments I really like and find helpful. I also want to thank Zailo95 and Monster756 for filling up the comment box. I LOVE reading those comments and getting a laugh from you. Thanks for the support.
On the other hand, there are some comments I don't like. But it's not because they said anything negative or because they criticized this work, because that would at least mean I could get something good out of it.
No. I'm talking about the comments (especially on fanfiction) that are all about: Upload the next chapter, NOW. That's literally all they say. You know how disappointed you feel when you see the comment notification and are excited to see what they put, only for it to be that. It really seems like I'm being paid to make this fanfiction, judging by the way these comments are written.
Thanks to LimX23 for being the beta reader and quality supervisor of this chapter.
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The clash of spears and swords echoed like a constant thunderclap within the castle walls. The air was saturated with Magic, steel, and dust raised by each impact. Bell, surrounded by the twelve shards of blue fire orbiting him with perfect precision, had absolute control.
Hyakinthos tried to stand his ground, blocking the relentless onslaught with both swords. Each blow from the Artemis Spear wasn't single; it was accompanied by several of those small fire shards that replicated Bell's movements, multiplying the range and shutting down any attempt at a counterattack.
The Apollo Familia Captain grunted, taking one step back, panting with suppressed fury. He wasn't used to being pushed against the ropes. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and in a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the most attentive, he put his hand to his chest in a moment of weakness.
"Come on… Work, you damn thing!" he muttered under his breath, his voice thick with frustration.
Bell, too focused on maintaining the pressure, failed to hear. What he did notice was that Hyakinthos's stamina fluctuated unnaturally. There were times when the Captain seemed to regain his original strength, his swords moving with the same cold dexterity of a skilled duelist, swift and precise as before. But at other times, it was as if that energy suddenly vanished; his defense faltered, his movements became clumsy, almost slow for a Level 3.
Hyakinthos noticed it too, and the irregularity made him grind his teeth. He couldn't afford to waver in the face of this brat who was surpassing him in every way.
"Don't think you're invincible just because you have a few new tricks!" he shouted, slashing diagonally with both swords, only for Bell to dodge backward and meet it with a counterattack accompanied by three of his blue flame shards, forcing Hyakinthos to retreat again. Though he had almost managed to graze him.
At that very moment, a new Divine Blessing appeared in his mind;
[Divine Blessing of the Iron Skin]: Allows you to harden the skin throughout your entire body to be as strong as iron.
It was a very useful and interesting Divine Blessing, but he couldn't pay too much attention to it because there was something more important in front of him.
The young Adventurer watched intently, his expression serious. It was obvious something was wrong with his opponent. This fluctuation wasn't normal, and although Bell didn't understand the reason, his instinct told him it was something more dangerous than it appeared.
Meanwhile, far from the battle, in the hall where the Gods watched through the Divine Mirrors of Hermes, the tension was reflected with equal intensity.
The Deities were all gathered in a semicircle, each holding a cup, a smile, or a grimace depending on what they saw in the mirrors floating like sheets of water. Bell, the Sword Saint, shone with a ferocity that drew murmurs and comments from everyone present.
It was Ekhemos, a God with a long face and cunning eyes, who broke the silence with a comment full of intrigue.
"Interesting… very interesting. Both of them are fighting beyond what should be their natural limits. Bell Cranel, of course, doesn't surprise me. Much has been said about his abnormal growth, and this display of strength only confirms it. But Hyakinthos… what we see from him is equally strange. His skill level, his speed, even the pressure he exerts… that's something I would expect from a Level 4 Adventurer."
The words floated through the air like poison. Several Gods exchanged glances.
Apollo, sitting cross-legged with his fingers drumming on the arm of his chair, forced a wide, theatrical smile.
"Oh, of course! Hyakinthos is my pride, my trump card. What did you expect? For him to stay behind while that boy steals the show. No, no, no! He's showing what it means to be chosen by me."
However, the humor in his tone failed to hide the tension on his face. A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek, which he quickly concealed with a dismissive gesture. In reality, Apollo had no idea what was happening. He hadn't granted any "hidden powers" to his Captain. In fact, he didn't understand why Hyakinthos was displaying such a sudden surge of power.
Loki, leaning back in her seat, quickly took the bait.
"Ha! How convenient, Apollo. So your little dog had hidden fangs this whole time? And he just decided to show them when he's on the verge of defeat? What a… convenient coincidence!"
The red-haired Goddess let out a nasal laugh, loud enough to make more than one person uncomfortable.
"Come on, don't tell me you didn't even know about this 'sudden improvement.' If you planned it, you're smarter than I thought. And if you didn't… well, that means something fishy is brewing in your garden."
Apollo narrowed his eyes, uncomfortable, but didn't respond directly. Instead, he sipped from his cup slowly, trying to regain his composure.
Hestia, for her part, wasn't laughing. Her hands were clasped in her lap, and her normally warm eyes were fixed on Apollo with a seriousness she rarely displayed.
"What have you done, Apollo?" she murmured softly, but loud enough for the ensuing silence to make her hear.
The Sun God felt a chill run down his spine. He turned to the Goddess of Hearth, giving her a fake smile.
"My dear Hestia, what are you talking about? I have done nothing but support my Familia. If Hyakinthos shows his true potential, it is only proof of the loyalty and greatness I inspire in my children."
But his empty words didn't convince anyone. Hermes, who stood with his chin resting on his hand and a smile that seemed too comfortable, watched everything with shining eyes. For him, every detail, every anomaly, was evidence that the "War Game" was progressing according to his expectations. Bell was growing, yes, but the presence of a rival who also transcended limits only made the forging even more perfect.
Ekhemos spoke again, crossing his arms.
"It's not normal. That kind of fluctuation… It seems artificial. As if his body is being forced into a power that isn't compatible with it."
Murmurs increased among the Gods. Some nodded, others were intrigued, others simply enjoyed the spectacle without worrying about the implications. But the seed of doubt had been planted.
Hestia, without taking her eyes off Apollo, pressed her lips together. She had no proof, but something inside her screamed that this was all dirty, that there was something murky about the way Hyakinthos moved, about that irregularity that not even Bell seemed to understand yet.
"Bell… Be careful," she whispered, as if her words could pass through the mirror and reach him.
Back in the castle, Hyakinthos felt another wave of weakness wash over him. His arms trembled, and his swords barely managed to block Bell's downward attack, accompanied by five of the blue flame shards. The impact knocked him back several meters, his knees nearly buckling from the pressure.
The Artemis Spear danced in Bell's hands with a precision impossible for most of those present to follow.
The Captain of the Apollo Familia gritted his teeth in frustration. Sweat trickled down his forehead, mixing with the dirt and blood from minor cuts. He tried to smile with his usual arrogance, but his expressions grew increasingly tense and forced.
Bell, on the other hand, showed no such arrogance. His eyes were firm, clear, but not filled with hatred: only determination. Every step he took was calculated. Every twist of his spear brought him a step closer to total dominance of the fight.
The blue fire shards orbiting him acted as extensions of his will. When Hyakinthos tried to dodge into a blind spot, three shavings mimicked Bell's thrust, blocking his escape. When the Apollo Familia Captain tried to counterattack, other shavings extended spearheads in sync with the real one, forcing him back beneath a sea of blades.
It was humiliating.
Hyakinthos, who until now had been seen as Apollo's right-hand man, as the proud Captain who was to lead his Familia to victory, was being reduced to a simple defensive puppet, unable to even touch his opponent.
Bell decided it was time to end this. He dropped his guard for a moment, took a step forward, and in an unexpected move, got so close that Hyakinthos barely had time to cross his swords to block.
The Artemis Spear collided with the leaves, deflecting them, and at that same instant Bell muttered firmly:
"EXPLOSION!"
The spell exploded at point-blank range. A burst of flame roared violently, engulfing both combatants in a blinding flash. The ground shook, raising dust and smoke that obscured the vision of everyone present. The Apollo Familia Adventurers screamed in horror. Mikoto herself raised an arm to her eyes, trying to distinguish between the shadows.
As the smoke began to clear, Bell's figure emerged first, standing tall and still holding his spear.
His eyes searched for his enemy among the debris of the explosion.
And then he saw it.
Hyakinthos was still standing, though wobbly. His body was covered in burns and cuts, his breathing ragged. But what shocked Bell wasn't the wounds.
Much of the upper part of his uniform had been destroyed, reduced to charred shreds.
And there, stuck directly to his chest, was something that did not belong to a human body.
A Creature.
It was a grotesque, moss-colored, slimy mass, occupying nearly two-thirds of Hyakinthos's torso. Its surface seemed gelatinous but firm, and it pulsed with a slow, nauseating rhythm, as if it had its own pulse. Occasionally, black veins extended from the creature into Hyakinthos's skin, digging into it like roots.
Bell took a step back, unable to tear his gaze away.
"That… that's a Monster…" he muttered, his voice thick with disbelief.
At that moment, his [Divine Blessing of Context] reacted, clearly recording the name of the thing.
[Parasite].
Mikoto, across the field, stopped fighting abruptly upon seeing the scene. The Apollo Familia Adventurers surrounding her did the same. Their eyes widened, their swords and spears trembled in their hands.
"What… what is that?" one of them stammered.
Even Luan, always loyal to his family, stood frozen with his mouth open, staring at his captain as if he couldn't recognize him.
The Apollo Familia Captain, far from responding, merely gasped. His face twisted between pain and rage, as if he were fighting something invisible within him. The creature in his chest throbbed louder, as if mocking the horrified stares.
…
A blue-robed God was the first to break the silence. His voice trembled with disbelief.
"Th–That… What the hell is that?"
Another, more daring, banged the table with the palm of his hand, his eyes wide open.
"It's a Monster! It clearly is! What's it doing stuck to an Adventurer?!"
Reactions quickly multiplied. A murmur of outrage erupted like a wave rising unchecked. The Gods rose from their seats, pointed at their mirrors, and shouted among themselves. The din grew until it transformed into a storm of overlapping voices.
"This is an aberration!"
"A Creature from the Dungeon, here on the surface, helping a Human!"
"It's impossible, Monsters don't think! They don't make alliances!"
The accusations began to take shape. Many people's eyes fell on Apollo, who, despite trying to maintain his composure, was as pale as marble.
Loki was the first to burst out with a venomous laugh, but she wasn't smiling.
"Ha! Now it all makes sense! How low did you have to sink, Apollo? Using a Monster to buff your Captain?"
The comment drew a mixture of strained laughter and indignant grunts. Other Gods began pointing fingers.
"This is blatant cheating!"
Hestia, silent until then, slowly rose from her seat. Her small figure didn't normally intimidate anyone, but the gaze she pierced Apollo with was enough to make him shrink back in his throne. Her eyes burned, as if the same flame that had blessed Bell had been ignited within her.
"What did you do, Apollo?" She said in an icy voice.
The Sun God hesitated, opened his mouth to reply, but found no words. He only stammered excuses, gesturing with his hands as if he could deny the evidence projected in the Divine Mirrors.
"Th–it's… er… I don't…"
Hestia looked away from him with a sneer and turned her head to where Hermes was standing.
Hermes had remained silent until now, his hat tilted and his smile strange, ambiguous. When he noticed Hestia's gaze, his smile faded slightly. His eyes revealed something he wouldn't admit out loud: concern.
"This… got complicated," he murmured in a whisper that only a few could hear.
And then, a voice echoed throughout the room. It didn't come from anyone present. It was a deep, gravelly voice, as if speaking from beneath the earth itself. A voice that imposed immediate silence.
Ouranos.
"Stop."
The murmuring ceased at once. No one dared to reply. The Divine Mirrors continued to show the image of Hyakinthos, standing with the Parasite pulsing in his chest, and Bell, his spear pointed at him, rigid with surprise.
Ouranos continued, each word carrying an unappealable weight.
"The use of a Monster in a War Game is a flagrant violation of our rules. Monsters must not be mixed up with the fighting between the children of the Gods. This can only mean one thing: Evilus's intervention."
A chill ran through the room. The name of that organization still evoked fresh scars in Orario, memories of massacres and betrayals.
Ouranos left no room for doubt:
"The War Game is hereby cancelled immediately. Victory goes to the Hestia Familia."
A roar of voices erupted. Hermes rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, uncomfortable. Hestia sighed, but her eyes didn't soften one bit.
Apollo, on the other hand, panicked.
"W-Wait, wait! It's not what it looks like! I didn't order any of this! I don't know what that thing is, I have no relationship with Evilus!"
No one paid attention to him. His voice sounded like the desperate screech of a cornered bird.
Ouranos ignored him completely.
"Loki."
"What's up, Gramps?" She replied jokingly, but with a spark of tension in her eyes.
"Deploy your Adventurers. Investigate the situation in the field. Find out where this Parasite is coming from and apprehend those involved."
Loki clicked her tongue. She crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.
"Now? Just when it was most interesting… and you make me miss the show."
No one laughed. Ouranos's order wasn't something to be discussed lightly. Loki knew that. After a second, she shrugged and stood.
"Okay, okay. I guess my kids will have more fun down there than I will."
She turned and started walking toward the exit. Her eyes shone with a strange tinge: disappointment at missing the climax of the fight, but also anticipation at the opportunity to poke her nose into a shady business.
Apollo, seeing that he was losing all opportunity, threw himself on his knees toward the center of the room, pleading like a beggar.
"No! This isn't fair! I didn't cheat, I didn't know anything! Ouranos, listen to me! Gods, don't let them take my victory away from me like this!"
But the others just looked at him with contempt or indifference. For them, the show was over. All that remained was to clean up the dirt that had come to light.
Hestia looked at him one last time, glaring at him.
"Your ambitions have blinded you, Apollo. And now, your Familia will pay the price for your sins."
The Sun God remained silent, pale, as Loki left the room with a light step, and the other Gods whispered about what they had just witnessed.
…
Hyakinthos, his uniform torn and his chest still wet with blood and the Parasite's disgusting slime, let out a desperate roar. His gaze was no longer that of a self-confident Captain, but that of a man on the brink, aware that everything that had sustained his pride was crumbling before him.
Bell watched him, the Artemis Spear held firmly in his hands. His red eyes shone with the tension of combat, his breathing controlled, every muscle ready to move at the right moment. The Sword Saint stood there, determined to finish what he had started.
Hyakinthos charged. His swords flashed with frantic brilliance, as if with each slash he sought to deny the reality that he had lost the strength borrowed from the Parasite. Desperation made his movements more erratic, more aggressive, but also more predictable.
Bell dodged the first slash by barely tilting his head, feeling the air tear inches from his cheek. The second blade came like a horizontal flash; Bell deflected it with the spear's shaft, the tempered wood resonating with a sharp crack. In a fluid motion, he countered, spinning on his heels.
The blue tip of the spear found its target. Not Hyakinthos, but the slimy mass still clinging to his torso. Bell hadn't entirely planned this; his instinct had guided him. The blade pierced the Parasite's soft body with a wet, nauseating sound.
An inhuman shriek rose. It came not from Hyakinthos's throat, but from the creature itself. It vibrated in the air like an echo from the Dungeon, a sound that chilled the blood of everyone present. The thing twitched, jerking in violent convulsions, while the Artemis Spear held it aloft while impaled.
Bell clenched his jaw, feeling disgust run down his arms as he watched the greenish substance drip from the monster's wound. The spear trembled under the creature's spasms.
"Ugh… what a disgusting abomination," Artemis's voice echoed from the weapon, her tone laced with visceral contempt. "Orion, just kill it."
He nodded, not needing to answer out loud.
He raised the spear, and in the same motion activated the twelve shards of blue fire orbiting it. They reacted like predatory birds obeying their master. They elongated, sharpening into small, flaming azure spears.
The burning splinters tore through the Parasite's body one after another, enveloping it in a burst of blue flames that devoured the slimy flesh like paper. The screech grew sharper, more desperate, before fading into thin air. The Parasite contracted in a final spasm and then exploded in a puff of smoke and ash, leaving behind only an acrid smell that made several of the nearby adventurers cough.
Hyakinthos, freed from the creature's weight, fell to his knees, gasping. His chest was covered in minor burns and fresh scars where the thing had latched onto him. His once arrogant eyes looked hollow, as if he realized too late that all the strength he had displayed was not his own, but borrowed from a monster.
He charged at Bell again, but their movements were no longer synchronized. Each slash was desperate, clumsy, sustained only by stubbornness and humiliation.
Bell watched him calmly. There was no trace of pity in his gaze, but neither was there any cruelty. Only determination.
Hyakinthos's first blow was deflected with a twist of the spear. The second was dodged with a simple step back. On the third, Bell swung the weapon in a downward arc and struck directly into his opponent's blind spot, driving the butt of the spear into his exposed abdomen.
The air left Hyakinthos's lungs in a stifled moan.
Bell wasted no time. In a fluid motion, he spun around his own axis and delivered a second blow, this time with the side end of the shaft striking his jaw. The crack resounded loudly, drawing a spray of saliva and blood from his mouth.
Hyakinthos staggered, his eyes glassy, but he still tried to raise his sword.
Bell, without hesitation, stepped forward and delivered the third and final blow. This time it was a sharp impact, directly to the side of his head with the middle of the spear. The force of the blow lifted him off the ground a few inches before slamming him against the stones with a crash.
The Captain of the Apollo Familia lay motionless, unconscious. His swords slipped from his hands, clattering to the ground.
A heavy silence descended on the area. The Apollo Familia Adventurers that were still holding out stood petrified, watching as their leader, the man they had trusted with their entire strategy, had been not only defeated, but humiliated.
Bell lowered the spear slowly, exhaling. His red eyes remained fixed on Hyakinthos's collapsed body. He could still feel the Parasite's disgust imbued the wood of the weapon, as if the memory of that Creature had tainted everything around him.
Artemis spoke again, her voice softer, though no less serious.
"Well done, Orion. It was necessary. But let it be engraved in your heart: never forget what you saw. Don't forget how far corruption can go."
Bell nodded silently. His hands were still trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the tension he'd released. He'd won, but the sight of that Monster clinging to a Human like a symbol of power was something he'd struggle to erase from his memory.
Mikoto, who had been fighting against Apollo Familia's reinforcements, made her way through the bodies of the unconscious and wounded, reaching him. Her breathing was labored, her hair plastered to her face with sweat. When she saw Hyakinthos's unconscious body, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Bell-dono… did you do it?"
He nodded, his gesture sober.
"Yes. But it wasn't just me… that thing was feeding him. Without it, Hyakinthos couldn't match me."
Mikoto frowned, her lips trembling in disgust. "It looked like a Parasite…" she murmured, understanding dawning.
The silence that had remained after Hyakinthos's defeat was broken in an instant. A blinding explosion lit up the sky, rising from deep within the battlefield. It was a pure radiance, impossible to mistake for common Magics or the fires of battle.
A pillar of light pierced the clouds, rising high with an almost divine brilliance. The light bathed the Apollo Familia's castle and the streets of Orario, forcing everyone to squint. The light carried neither heat nor destruction; what it conveyed was something far more chilling.
Everyone stood still, as if time itself had stopped.
Bell felt it before he understood it. A chill ran through his body, making every fiber of his skin prickle. Mikoto, her face still shaken from the battle, let her sword slowly lower.
The Adventurers of Apollo Familia, who had been struggling between resistance and despair a moment before, dropped their weapons as if the weight of that vision had taken away all will to fight.
"A God…" Mikoto murmured, her voice breaking.
No one needed to explain. That pillar of light was the final seal of a God's life in the mortal world. The Gods were immortal on their plane, yes, but in Gekai… dying here meant being sent back to Tenkai, and never walking among mortals ever again.
Bell gripped the spear tighter in his hands. His throat felt dry.
"Who…?" he asked, not realizing he had said it out loud.
The Adventurers around them began to murmur nervously. The psychological impact was devastating.
Hyakinthos, still unconscious on the ground, seemed oblivious to the terror of his people.
Bell stared at the glow as it slowly began to fade. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He knew the battle wasn't over, but the sight overshadowed everything else.
It was confirmation that the War Game had escalated into something much bigger than anyone had imagined.
A God had died.