Tensei Skill Shop Chapter 33

Tensei Skill Shop

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 33:

“Alright, I can see you all aren’t able to focus enough, so that’s the end of training for today! Go on, get going! I know you all want to find out what the aliases are!”

“Yes, coach!” The familia members chorused, before running off.

At least they remembered to answer before running. Or else I’d be punishing them afterwards. I headed for the washing area, intent on cleaning the sweat off my body before I followed them to the same spot.

Yesterday’s Denatus went on for quite a bit, mainly because trying to corral the myriad gods to agree on a shared decision was like herding cats. And just like the gods themselves, there was quite a long list of issues for them to go through. Selfish, capricious, hedonistic… it wasn’t required for them to be an ‘evil’ god to cause trouble and chaos with their whims. Zeus only returned to the familia’s base quite late last night because of that.

He didn’t divulge much regarding the nicknames, or aliases as the gods termed it, decided upon by the congregation. One of the rules they came up with was that the god in charge of the adventurer had no say in the decision, though backroom deals and other agreements obviously played a role. Apart from that, Zeus also informed the rest of the familia of the appointed time for the Guild to announce them.

Hence the current lackluster training performance.

I felt the telepathic link from Matsu connect to me. Alongside her mental presence, I could feel Uzume’s and Irene’s as well.

<Rick-tan, we’re at the Guild already! It’s very crowded here!>

<Should I go to Babel instead?>

<That might be a better idea. We can go down into the Dungeon to train afterwards,> Irene agreed.

<You two still need to get used to the ability boost from ranking up, right?>

<I’ve almost gotten used to it.>

<Alright, I’ll get my equipment and meet you at Babel.>

In the distance, my vision spotted another falling star, barely visible in the daylight. That was the sign of another god descending to the physical realm, in search of the entertainment that they couldn’t get up above. Whether or not that deity would come to Orario remained to be seen. It wasn’t the center of the world just yet, and a determined being could find fulfillment anywhere if they tried.

Adventurers were thronging the streets, headed for either Babel or the Guild headquarters. At the same time, I could see some that didn’t really care, and were focused on their own things. Given the popularity of adventurer life, the proportion of the latter was quite small. Spotting my Sekireis was an easy task, since I only had to look for the largest female group. As expected, some of my own familia members were there as well, though there was a clear line of separation.

“Ah, there he is! Rick-kun, over here!” Uzume waved at me in the distance.

“Uzume, Matsu, Irene,” I nodded to each of them in turn, “And nice to see the rest of you Hera Familia girls as well. Shall we go?”

The other familia members echoed my own greeting with varying levels of enthusiasm, but didn’t object to my suggestion. The other adventurers made way for us as our two familias headed into Babel, to where several harried-looking Guild workers were busy putting up lists on multiple boards.

“Please move on once you’ve found your name!” A representative called out into the crowd.

“Zeus and Hera are dominating the lists.”

“As expected of those two familias.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll catch up and beat them next time!”

“Still, these names sound incredible! The gods have such impressive naming sense!”

I scanned the list the moment I had a clear line of sight of them. Hmm, so the whole tormenting the newbie familias hasn’t started yet. Some of them sound pretty cool… others just have meanings that mortal races won’t get at all.

Our presence was also noted, and some of those who had seen the list first were already using those aliases.

“Look at that guy, the title Immovable Breakwall definitely suits him!”

“Then that dangerous-looking woman next to him must be Magni Sif!”

“Fiery Blossom must be one of those two redheads, but which?”

I glanced at Irene who was pointedly not looking in the direction that comment had come from. I already knew that that nickname wasn’t hers.

“Oh, that’s a nice nickname they gave me!” Matsu commented.

“All of ours are based on the skills and magic we have, so they fit pretty well. Mine sounds rather weird though.”

Yeah, I definitely doubt I’m that heroic… I thought as I looked at my name on the list again.

Rick Steel - Chiron <<Heroic Trainer>>
…
Uzume Hire - Element Ballerina <<Four-Colored Dancer>>
Matsu Chie - Panopticon <<All-Seeing Eyes>>
Irene Dragnof - Scarlet Verdict <<Deep-Red Sword of Law>>

I could feel Irene’s embarrassment as she realized the secondary title to her alias. The fact that those around her were using it to address her with respect just made it more cringey for her.

“Well, I guess that’s that. Anyway, shall we go?”

“Sure!”

As we headed down into the Dungeon, I noticed more attention on me, mainly coming from the gods in the area. By now, they must have realized that I was the one responsible for the Zeus Familia’s rapid growth.

I wouldn’t put it past some of them to try pulling tricks to mess us up…

Being Level Two really made quite a lot of difference, especially when Developmental Abilities came into play. Even more so for all four of us, since I lent out [Development Potential] so the three Sekireis could pick more of those. The skill enabled its holder to pick a total of four Developmental Abilities upon ranking up, which was quite an advantage over normal ones. Zeus wanted to trade me more for it, but I rejected it since the potential for obtaining more skills was too useful to pass up.

After discussing it with the other three, we decided to pick whatever we found interesting. I chose Swordsman and Chain Attack, which synergized well with [Full Focus Breathing]’s movements, along with Trainer and Thievery, two that weren’t in the list of canon DAs. Similarly, Matsu chose Mixing to complement her interest in making potions, and Tuning to help improve the results of her adjustments, whether it was with skills or mechanical gadgets. Uzume’s experience with crafting magical outfits and accessories granted her Mystery, which would help make even more magical items. It also gave her Clothworker, which appeared to be a cloth-related version of Blacksmith.

As for Irene, she naturally picked magic-related ones. Mage for improving her magic abilities across the board, Spirit Healing and Strong Body to improve her mana recovery and physical condition respectively, which would hopefully help her in our world. Her final pick was Enchant, which apparently worked like a mix of Mystery and Mage, in granting magical effects to items and living beings more efficiently. According to Hera, it wasn’t supposed to appear at Level Two, but apparently came about due to her skills.

All those additions to our falna made the previously challenging fights a cakewalk.

“Bind.” Irene intoned, causing all the monsters to freeze up as rings of light appeared around their limbs. “Begone.”

They vanished, and the wall in the far distance exploded into dust. I could barely see them start to move, which was a testament to how much power Irene now wielded.

Uzume and I barely had to put in any effort to cut our opponents to pieces, and even Matsu, the physically weakest among us, could knock a monster dead with a swing from her mace.

“Alright,” She took a few more swings, the force creating gusts of wind of varying power, “I think I’ve gotten the hang of how much power to use.”

“It’s quite a jump compared to the normal status updates. Would this be how Sekireis were like without any adjustments?”

“Who knows?”

I was about to pull out a knife to start carving out magic stones, but Irene stopped me.

“Allow me.” She pulled a pouch from her bag and held it out.

Magic in the Danmachi world was usually thought of as difficult but powerful, so mages were often their group’s trump card, meant to turn the tide of battle with a single spell. The falna also changed things, making even the simplest spell from it stronger than the native casting method with its long chants and rituals. The Mage Development Ability pushed that to yet another level higher.

Now imagine that convenience applied to the variety of magic in Fairy Tail.

In one instant, the bodies of all the monsters exploded into ash, and there was a tinkling sound as multiple magic stones fell into the waiting pouch. A moment later, she repeated the same act with the drop items that were left behind.

“Spatial magic is really convenient, huh?” Matsu remarked.

“No arguments there.” I moved my hand away from the handle. “You located all of those stones within their bodies, and exchanged them with the air above the pouch, nearly simultaneously without having any intersecting effects.”

“As expected of our mistress of magic, Irene-chan! Or should I say-”

“Stop. Don’t call me by that nickname. Please.”

Chuckling, we continued on our way through the floors, taking note of the various monsters to be prepared for when the expedition got underway. While our quartet had advantages like Irene’s enchantments and other accessories, most normal adventurers had to prepare more meticulously to deal with some of the more annoying monsters the Dungeon threw at them. Especially when they showed up alongside the tougher monsters to harass the adventuring party.

Bad Bats that harassed with sound waves from a distance, Purple Moths that scattered poison, and the worst of them all in these middle floors, the Hellhounds with the fiery magic breath.

“We’ve got another three at ten o’clock! They’re casting!”

“Leave them to me! Red dispersal!”

One of Uzume’s cloths turned red, and she leapt out in front of us. With a wave of her arm, she whipped the red stream out, intercepting the three flaming balls and scattering them into harmless sparks.

“Leafeon, use Magical Leaf!” Matsu ordered.

“Fee!” The Pokemon reacted instantly, launching several glowing leaves from its body.

“Sharpness enchant!”

The glow intensified, and the leaves found their mark, causing the hellhounds to keel over dead.

I sheathed Murasame, turning away from the minotaur as its body slid apart into pieces. “Alright, that’s the last of them. How about we call it a day here?”

“Sounds good to me.”

The others voiced their own agreements, and after collecting the spoils of battle, we began the journey back, making idle conversation along the way.

“You know, random battles like this reminds me of our time in Spira.”

“Now that you mention it, it really does seem similar.”

“That reminds me, Irene-tan hasn’t been there yet, right? We’ll bring you along next time!”

…

The preparations for the expedition took up quite a lot of our time. The information our scouting missions gathered were put to use; while the actual preparations were delegated to the other members as training, just so they weren’t solely focused on being meatheads who could only fight, the four of us devoted our time to improving their odds. Matsu came up with training plans that I carried out during joint training sessions between the two familias, while the other two assisted in other ways.

I signaled the newbies to raise the targets, mentally counting down.

The appointed commander reacted quickly. “Hellhounds to the right!”

The archers quickly shot their arrows, managing to nail two of the three. From behind the third, another adventurer popped out and threw a cloth ball, but one of the members who wore salamander wool moved to intercept it, protecting his fellows from the simulated attack. The remainder of the faux monster attack was soon dealt with.

“Good job. Minimal injuries received, and reaction time was quick. Alright, next team, you’re up!”

“Yes, coach!”

“You there, pay more attention to your feet! Your block’s weaker if you don’t!”

“S-sorry! I’ll be more careful!”

“You! Hold that position!” I stepped closer and began adjusting the placement of the limbs. “Alright, try again. Feel the difference?”

“Yes, it feels much smoother now! Thanks, coach!”

“Hey! You two lovebirds, this is training! Not a place for you to make loving eyes at each other!”

“Sorry, coach!”

“You two just volunteered to be sparring targets for the next three rounds! Start!”

As the timer ticked down, it became obvious that our Developmental Abilities seemed to be having a positive effect on our actions. My trainees improved faster compared to the Hera Familia’s solo sessions, Matsu’s small adjustments to whatever she touched worked better than they should, Uzume could make smaller cloth accessories that had the same level of protection as a full cloak, and Irene’s enchantments just blew them further out of the water.

And finally, the day of the expedition came.

We gathered up and trooped out, our combined numbers being more than twenty. Not all of us were Level Two, there were a few Level Ones with relatively high status, or had a skill that would allow them to stand with the rest.

The people of Orario came out to watch us as we passed. The general emotion was admiration and hopefulness, though there were some jealous gazes as well. But mostly, they kept out of our way.

There was a brief pause at the entrance, when a Guild employee told us that if we managed to defeat the Goliath and breach through to the 18th Floor, our two familias would receive an increase in ranking. It was nothing more than a show to attract more competition from the other familias, but we endured it.

“Awwright, first team. Go!” Drock, the appointed commander for this expedition, gave the command to head out.

The brusque guy whom we met back then had turned out to be a pretty good commander, able to react fast and make good decisions. We butted heads a few times, but eventually developed a healthy respect for each other, especially after that punchfest where I beat him into submission.

The whole expedition was split into three teams; the initial group consisted of the newbies and fast responders, while the second one was the main team with the supplies, and finally us, the backliners that would step in if anything went wrong.

Though it seems like we’re not necessary. I strolled along the path, eyeing the damage left behind those who went before.

The first ten floors proved to be no obstacle, not even the War Shadows and the Killer Ants, which were normally dangerous to new adventurers. Once we reached the 11th Floor, some members from the second team moved up to assist the first, with the newbies relegated to supporter roles. As though trying to stop us, the Dungeon began ramping us, sending more monsters with the occasional cave-in, but our two familias continued to push onwards.

Eventually, all three teams assembled together on the 17th Floor, within a chamber a short distance away from the large one where the Goliath awaited. The walls of the chamber were damaged to prevent any monster spawns, and a brief camp was set up for everyone to rest and recover. It was also the time for one last discussion before we confronted the Monster Rex.

“Alright,” The Hera Familia commander, a rough-looking beastgirl, called for attention, “We’re about to fight a tough monster this time, and it’s obviously gonna be different from the ones we’ve had until now. So listen up as our strategist explains what we’ll do.”

At this stage, there was only one person present who could be called the strategist.

“If things were convenient, we would be able to fight the Goliath head on without any interruption,” Matsu said, “Unfortunately, this is the Dungeon, so we can expect some monsters to try and come at us from behind while we’re in the middle of fighting.”

There were nods all around from those listening. Everyone present knew from experience that the Dungeon was just like that.

“And there are other differences you all need to keep in mind,” She added.

She began listing them out, and proceeded to delegate roles and locations to handle. Once everyone acknowledged their roles, the commanders announced that the raid group would head out after a few more minutes of rest.

Everyone appeared to be on edge, even my Sekireis. For me, I was running [Full Focus Breathing] the entire time, focusing on controlling my body.

“Awright,” Drock growled as he got to his feet. “Let’s go.”

The area up ahead had been nicknamed the Great Wall of Sorrow, for the flat, wall-like feature of this giant corridor. And standing at the far end of it was a giant humanoid standing at least twenty meters, brown-skinned with long black hair that draped over the upper half of its face. It was naked, but there weren’t any genitals on it.

Sure looks like it came out from Attack on Titan. My ears twitched at the sound coming from behind. “We’ve got incoming from behind!”

“Blocker team! Do your job! The rest of you, follow me!”

“OOHHHHHHHHH!”

Leaving our group to handle the mobs coming at their backs, the vanguard charged forward with their weapons raised.

The Goliath groaned, and started advancing as well, its trunk-like legs moving relatively slowly, but with undeniable force.

Yeah, expecting a Level Two to block those is a bit much.

There was still some time before the smaller monsters would arrive, so we kept stealing peeks as the battle was joined. Axes and swords were swung, but the amount of damage dealt to the Goliath might as well have been papercuts. The Monster Rex’s retaliation was to swipe with its arms and stomp with its feet, though none of the powerful blows accomplished anything other than forcing the attackers to retreat.

Even the strength of Level Twos could only do this little damage to a Goliath. At this rate, the only thing that would be accomplished would be wearing out all the weapons we brought along.

“Irene, go ahead and buff them,” I told the redhead, who nodded and moved forward.

“Incoming-!” One of the blockers warned.

I forced myself to turn away from the big battle to pay attention to my side, despite the enthusiastic cheers of the fighters who now found their attacks effective. It was a wise decision, because swarming down the path to our current location were a veritable horde of monsters; I could see several minotaurs, liger fangs, crystal mantises, even a few wyverns and infant dragons. All those tough monsters with high strength, to serve as the hammer to the Goliath’s anvil.

“Zeus’s balls,” One of the men nearby swore, “The Dungeon must have been building up for a moment like this!”

“I-is it normal for you m-men to swear on your god’s genitals?” A rapier-wielding woman asked, her trembling voice betraying her nervousness.

“Nah, just him.” Someone else answered.

Matsu glanced at me. <Should we use our other magics?>

I considered the risk, before deciding against it. <Not yet, but we should use that instead.>

She nodded and signaled to the blocker team’s commander, who gave the order.

“Defenders, drink your shield potions!”

Even as the horde continued to approach, the four heavy shield users quickly pulled the vials from their pouches, popping off the corks and downing them. The next moment, their bodies seemed to expand and harden slightly, as the effects of the Skyrim-inspired potion kicked in.

“They’re nearly here! GET READY!”

The large shields thudded into the ground. The minotaurs at the head of the group were only a dozen meters away.

“BRACE!”

Muscles tensed, and the horde crashed into the bulwark with a thunderous boom.

“ATTACK!”

I kicked off the ground, Murasame silently whipping through the air. Alongside me, the other attackers descended upon the monsters from above.

The next few moments were pure chaos, as I was reacting on pure instinct. My blade lopped off limbs, decapitated heads, stabbed through magic stones, parried strikes… it never stopped moving. But the force of the charge was forcing us back, and even I had to retreat to avoid getting pinned and surrounded.

<Left side, fall back! Center team, support right!> “Leafeon, Grass Knot! Then Razor Leaf!”

Matsu’s telepathic commands quickly helped the group reassert cohesion, and the rate at which we were giving ground quickly reduced to a few steps at a time.

A quick glance back showed that the assault team was faring well; the Goliath was standing in a huge puddle of its own blood, leaking from the multiple wounds on its legs. However, our side wasn’t holding up as well. Some of the monsters were managing to slip past the defensive frontline, trying to get at the ones behind. It forced us attackers to pull back to deal with them.

Irene seemed to notice as well, and she turned towards us, only for Matsu to stop her with a raised hand.

“Rick-tan, cover me.”

“Yeah.”

Tightening my grip on Murasame’s handle, I sucked in a deep breath of air, feeling my oxygenated blood rush through my arteries. My field of vision seemed to expand, and I could see all the incoming threats. Behind me, my Sekirei began to chant.

A charging liger fang. Cut off one paw, twist into a stab. Magic stone destroyed.

“I hereby invoke a prayer.”

Minotaurs about to break open another gap in the defenses. Draw two throwing knives, target the eyes. Sufficiently distracted, leave the rest to the others.

“Upon my granted wings, I pledge my wisdom.”

Almirajs throwing weapons. Deflect, deflect, catch, throw back, deflect, catch. Target Blue Papillo up high.

“Crown of knowledge, blessing of awareness. Let no evil go unseen.”

A rumbling beneath my feet. Jump aside, avoid dungeon worm ambush. Murasame’s water cutter slices it into two. Stomp down hard, kick the separated portion into the crowd.

“Fly, blessed wagtail.”

Matsu’s spell was unleashed, and the whole battlefield shifted in a single moment.

If I were to describe it, it was like the Sons of the Patriots system in Metal Gear Solid 4. Every one of the fighters knew what the rest was aware of, replacing fear with confidence and will. A spontaneously-formed network capable of incredible synergy.

We were one. We acted as one.

On the far end, one sword user ducked to avoid a strike that would have hit her from a blindspot, while another leaned back to allow an arrow to strike a different monster. The brief opening was quickly exploited to destroy the magic stone, before moving on to support another fighter against the next.

I sensed Irene’s presence nearby, she was standing next to Matsu.

“They’re fine there. I was ordered to support over here now,” She informed us.

A buffing enchantment settled on all of us, enhancing our speed and power to incredible heights. Empowered like that, we lunged forward, and the monsters were quickly eviscerated. Even then, there were still a lot left to deal with.

I settled into a stance, then burst forward with a powerful strike. The other familia members smoothly slid out of the way, so only the monsters were struck by the powerful tsunami from my skill.

The opening was not ignored, as they rushed back in to capitalize on it. Multiple monsters were killed before they managed to mount a counterattack, but we were ready for that.

“Leafeon, Solar Beam!” Matsu ordered with a grin.

“Feeeeee… ON!”

The Grass Pokemon unleashed a searing beam of energy that bowled multiple monsters over, the final explosion sending an infant dragon crashing heavily into others.

“[Summon: Bladeforme],” I intoned. “Go.”

The metal bird wove in and out of the crowd, inflicting deadly wounds on the monsters alone, even though it was practically threading needles with how close it flew to the adventurers fighting.

Now, it was the monster side that was beginning to get pushed back. A shield bash here, a concentrated thrust there, followed by a vicious flanking to prevent them from recovering; our wills were combined, and a mindless horde of monsters could not beat us.

“Retreat! It’s doing something!”

I didn’t turn around, allowing the curious gazes to fill me in through Matsu’s magic.

The Goliath had been weakening with how much damage the others were dealing, especially when Uzume used her elemental cloths to scorch and damage what she could, defending the others when a swipe or stomp came too close. Irene tipped the scales further, throwing enchantments out at opportune times, or even launching spells of her own, even if the Monster Rex’s hide mitigated most of the damage.

However, it now appeared to be charging up for a powerful attack, uncaring of the damage it was taking as it did. A light was growing inside its mouth, and its face was aimed in the general direction of the blocker team.

Oh fuck. It’s aiming for us. I realized, and so did the rest of the network.

The remaining mob monsters seemed to fight with renewed viciousness, as though trying to keep us locked down for the deadly finisher. A few of the surviving minotaurs and liger fangs grappled with the shield users, preventing any of them from repositioning to the back. We could kill them all, but it wouldn’t be in time to escape from the blast zone.

“I won’t let you!” Uzume dashed forward, a length of her cloth twirling to form a drill.

The formed weapon swirled with powerful energy, even as she leapt high into the air to target the head.

The Goliath raised one of its thick arms, putting the limb in the way of the attack. It was shredded into an unrecognizable mess, but the sacrifice allowed it to preserve the beam it was charging.

Nearby us, Irene raised her staff, preparing to unleash a heavy spell. Unexpectedly, another dungeon worm burst out from the wall in front of her way. By itself it wouldn’t have been enough, but the crystal mantis that followed in its wake took the main brunt of the blast, its crystalline shell dispersing most of the energy. The remainder still managed to penetrate through to nail the Goliath in the face in a moderate explosion.

Hopeful emotions from those watching was quickly replaced by horror when they saw the energy was still charging up, even though most of the Goliath’s face was a mess.

“Ah!”

A spike of fear went through me, as I spun to see Matsu on the ground, clutching a wounded leg. The culprit, an Almiraj, was quickly dispatched by Leafeon’s tail blade.

<Got through when we were all distracted,> She told me, already treating it with a potion. <It’s not serious.>

<It’s too late to avoid it now.> Irene told us solemnly. <I’ll cast my strongest defense enchantment, and we’ll just try our best to block it.>

<Irene-tan…>

<My magic’s strong, I’m sure I can survive this.>

This fucking Dungeon! FUCK! I gritted my teeth, even as the power of Irene’s spell settled onto our bodies. It actually set all of this up just to get us!

Uzume was looking at us horrified, even as she and the rest of the attacking team continued to assault the Goliath to stop its attack.

Then it happened.

A glowing shockwave burst out from the Goliath’s jaws, tearing a path of destruction towards us. It really was aiming for the three of us. At our backs, the last of the monsters were dispatched, and some of the defenders were rushing forward to try and put their already battered shields in front of us, but it wasn’t going to be in time. The rest were running out of the way, choosing to save themselves instead.

An idea struck me.

A crazy idea.

A gamble.

But it might work.

It WOULD work.

Everything seemed to slow down, making every little thing stand out to my awareness.

Irene twitched as I stepped around in front of her, her hand reaching out to stop me from sacrificing myself for her and Matsu.

The air being sucked through my mouth into my lungs.

The heat spreading out from the falna on my back.

The memories of a scene in an anime, broken down into steps that I applied to my current situation.

The wave of destruction that was headed my way, its various points, ebbs and flows, mashing together as it moved. I could see an imaginary path trace across the chaotic surface.

The odd humming in Murasame as my hands tightened on its handle… suddenly stilling.

[Full Focus Breathing: Eleventh Water Form]...
[Dead Calm]

My body moved. My skills were working at top speed; [Appraise] the critical points, and slash through them, cutting out a safe tunnel right through it. The surging destructive energy was nullified.

Negate. Negate. Negate. Negate. Negate.

Within the domain I cut out, no harm would befall those I protected.

Bone-breaking force became clothes-fluttering breezes.

A breath escaped my lips, and I took in the scenery before me. I stood on a patch of unbroken ground, in between a trail of destruction that split into two on either side of me.

I noticed there were a few dissolving metal pieces lying around us. Bladeforme had flown in to handle what I couldn’t, its body splitting into multiple parts to extend my coverage. It used up all its energy in doing so, but its help had made a huge difference.

“Rick-dono… that was amazing.” Irene’s words were said in a hushed voice.

Amazing? No. It’s not over yet.

The Goliath was still standing in front of me. We came to defeat it. To conquer it.

My fingers tightened even further on Murasame.

“Go.”

Someone said it, but I didn’t know who. All I knew was that my body reacted to it.

“Go! Get it!”

I wasn’t the only one. Others were following me, their feet kicking up dust as they ran.

“GOOOOO!”

“UUUUOOOOOOHHHHHHH!”

As one, the Zeus and Hera Familia roared, and charged at the Goliath. Tired limbs found new strength, flagging morale was reignited, and determination burned anew with our chests. Linked by Matsu’s spell, I could tell that I wasn’t the only one with a Limit Off.

Just like earlier, my subconscious provided me with a memory. Memories.

Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die.

The negative words only served to hone our wills, and we rapidly closed the distance.

Even so! To create history… with a light unknown to gods!

Any notion of impossibility was discarded. We WERE going to kill the Goliath, and win!

Set your heart ablaze! Grit your teeth and look ahead!

Against attacks fueled by strong determination to fight against death, the Goliath’s hide provided no defense.

Right here, right now! Surpass your limits!

My feet found footholds in the wounds marring its body, carrying me up towards its head. It was trying to fight back, but its movements were feeble.

Go beyond!

With one last leap, I cleared its chest, landing on the Goliath’s shoulder. It was turning its head, opening its jaws to try and take a bite.

“PLUS…!” I ground out as I lowered my stance, Murasame pulled back behind me.

Blood surged through my limbs, and I launched off at my target.

“ULTRAAAAAA!”

And I swung with all of my might.

I didn’t recall much of how it was like, other than there being very little resistance, but according to those who managed to pay attention, it was like a blue flash whipped straight through the Goliath’s neck, popping off its head and leaving a deep gash in the far wall.

What I could recall was having to jump to safety as its headless body toppled over to crash loudly on the ground, and everyone staring up at me on its back. Then I raised my sword arm, and roared.

And they roared back.

It was glorious.

Afterword: I was considering going further with this chapter, but then I thought that just ending right on this high note was good enough. The main lure of Danmachi fanfiction for me is the chance of a hero to rise, and I felt like that emotion was fuelling my writing in this chapter. There are several references to the anime series that I really enjoyed, and I’m sure my readers will recognize quite a few of them, since they’re mainly from shounen series.

Hope you enjoyed reading this.