After unleashing the grand spectacle of [Rea Laevateinn], I decided to regroup with Lili alongside Mikoto. Or so I had thought.
"Mikoto-san, it seems Bell and the others are already near the throne tower." she informed me, prompting an immediate change of plans.
The question was, how exactly did Mikoto know Bell's location? The answer lay in her skill. Mikoto's ability, Yatano Shirogarasu (Eight‑Span White Crow), allows her to pinpoint the location of her comrades who share the same divine blessing. Since she is now part of Hestia Familia, she can sense the positions of Bell, Lili, and Welf. I had joined up with her earlier specifically so she could locate Lili.
"Mikoto-san, is Lili up ahead?"
"Yes. If we keep going, we should run right into her."
"Then let's hurry."
Borrowing weapons from the downed members of the Apollo Familia likely dispatched by Bell and Welf, we pressed onward. Before long, Lili, disguised as Luin, appeared from the opposite direction.
"Master Toki? Mikoto-san?"
"Ah, Lili. Thank goodness, we found you."
"Did something happen, uh, I mean, did somethin' happen?"
True to her meticulous nature, Lili had nailed not just Luin's appearance but his mannerisms and speech as well. Her performance was flawless.
"Bell and the others made it into the throne tower, right? That means we don't need a decoy anymore. The rest of the plan is simple, just keep the other members of Apollo Familia out of the tower, and we win."
"That seems... a bit hasty, doesn't it? Keeping them confused a while longer might be better."
"Trust me, once they see Bell's fireworks, every last one of them will make a beeline for the tower. Waiting to ambush them will be much more effective than continuing the decoy act."
I couldn't help but grin as I turned my eyes toward the throne tower.
"But, Master Toki, are you certain Bell will be fine without assistance?"
Due to our numbers, Bell was the only one tasked with facing Hyakinthos, the enemy commander.
"He'll be fine." I replied, this time smiling for an entirely different reason.
"That man's a soft-hearted, indecisive coward... but he's stronger than you think. Besides, "
"Besides?"
"He's a man too, you know."
Mikoto and Lili looked at me, puzzled, as I chuckled and resumed moving toward the tower. From afar, the clash of swords reached my ears. Up ahead, I saw Welf locked in combat with a female adventurer.
"Welf!"
I called out, hefting a borrowed weapon.
"Duck!"
The moment Welf turned toward me, I hurled the weapon with all the momentum of my sprint. Both Welf and the female adventurer flinched as the projectile came hurtling toward them.
"One more!"
I threw another weapon with my left hand. Since I'm right-handed, my left throws are weaker. As expected, the weapon clanged off her sword harmlessly, but the defensive reaction threw her stance into disarray.
"Gotcha!"
"Damn, "
Before she could recover, Welf's greatsword landed a devastating blow, sending her flying. She slammed into a wall and crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
As Welf caught his breath, I jogged over.
"Good work, Welf."
"Yeah, thanks for the assist earlier."
Just then, a pillar of pure white lightning erupted from the throne tower.
"So, it's starting." Welf muttered.
"Yes." Mikoto replied.
"Bell, hang in there." I whispered under my breath, slapping my cheeks to steel myself.
"Alright, here's the plan. I'll stay here and intercept anyone drawn by the fireworks. Lili, Mikoto-san, head to the throne room and stop anyone trying to interfere with Bell's fight."
"What?!"
Both Lili and Mikoto spoke up in surprise.
"Something wrong?"
"Why are you staying behind?" Lili demanded.
"If I were to face Hyakinthos, we'd lose on the spot. But if it's anyone else, there's no problem. You two can cover Bell; the more of us keeping his fight uninterrupted, the better."
"...Understood." Welf said, nodding.
"Welf-sama?!" Lili exclaimed, shocked by his agreement.
"Still, only Lili and Mikoto are going. I'm staying here too." Welf declared.
"No, no, actually, we don't have time for this debate. Fine. Lili, Mikoto-san, I'm counting on you."
"...Very well. Let's go, Lili-dono."
"Just don't get yourselves killed." Lili muttered, her voice low as they hurried off.
"Now then." I said, turning toward the corridor opposite the throne room. A group of around a dozen adventurers was charging toward us, including some I had knocked out earlier.
"...Why are so many still standing?"
"Oh, I only lightly knocked them out." I replied casually.
"What?!" Welf exclaimed.
"See, that way, I get to beat them up more than once."
Later, Welf would describe my expression in that moment as downright devilish.
"Well then." I said, picking up another discarded sword."Let's get started."
Welf readied his greatsword.
"Don't you dare fall behind!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
And with that, we charged forward together. Time to see just how much of a beating they can take.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Next chapter: Bell's battle begins!
==========
You can find much more on my Patreon: Patreon.com/Veltoria
There are currently 5 active fanfictions on Patreon, with over 442+ advanced chapters available across them!
From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time — Up to Chapter 285
Haikyuu!!: Rise of Sengoku — Up to Chapter 219
Danmachi: Is It Wrong To Aspire to Be An Adventurer? — Up to Chapter 97
Legend of Hogwarts (Harry Potter x League of Legends) — Up to Chapter 127
I Am Luffy: Partner System Online (One Piece) — Up to Chapter 110