Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Bellatrix Pov. – Orario. – September 11, DxD world – 4 months and 22 days as Miach's daughter.
Orario remained unchanged. It almost reminded me of the magical world; the more things happened, the more everything seemed to stay exactly the same. Rakia's invasion had been stopped and ended completely, with nothing left behind.
The only thing that changed was the adventurers. With the addition of the teleporters that Riveria had installed, the entire adventurer system changed radically. The guild managed all the teleporters and had created a system that determined which teleporter an adventurer could use, depending on their level.
A level 2 adventurer could only use them to travel to the 10th floor. A level 6 adventurer, however, could travel up to the 50th floor, at least solo. If they were on a raid, a group of level 5 adventurers could travel up to the 50th floor with their respective god's permission.
All of this was solely to prevent people from committing suicide by overestimating their abilities and climbing to a floor that was too difficult, or simply out of 'curiosity'. There was also a small fee to use it, something no one complained about, not when it had helped all the Familia's so much.
From what I had heard from the gods, adventurers were gaining stats faster and faster by fighting enemies as strong as themselves more consistently every day, without wasting time on weaker monsters or going down there just to fight a few and then having to return for supplies.
And more importantly, every few weeks, deeper floors were explored, courtesy of the Loki Familia. Floor 60, accessible only to Level 7s, was where most of them descended. Recently, they managed to place the teleportation point on Floor 70, a significant milestone not seen since the Zeus and Hera Familia.
So, practically speaking, Orario and the adventurers were going through their golden age.
For my part, I had reached floor 76 along with Rebecca. It was entertaining. A wave of monsters on the level of high-class demons trying to kill you was a great source of entertainment.
And they weren't the only ones who improved. I looked ahead as I saw Miach's Pharmacy. The debt to Dian Cecht had been paid in full, so they practically had money to spare, and they'd used it to remodel the pharmacy. Nothing too extravagant, but the small, modest shop, where there was barely enough room, had been remodeled into a proper shop and home, spacious enough to live comfortably with a few extra rooms to spare.
It was quite a change, and one that made Miach and Naaza very happy and content. Especially since we now had two new members: Daphne Lauros and Cassandra Ilion, former members of the Apollo family. I really knew it was going to happen, so I wasn't surprised when Miach brought them in like he'd adopted two puppies off the street, but Naaza was. She was settling in quite well, though.
"I'm back." I said as I walked into the store.
"Bella," Naaza said, smiling slightly when she saw me. "You were gone all week." She pointed out. I sighed.
"I'm sure I warned you. I had to help my wife," I said easily. Naaza just nodded.
"Bellatrix!" Cassandra shrieked as she ducked down to hide. I just raised an eyebrow in her direction.
"Cassandra. Does the amulet still work? " I asked her easily.
"Y-yes!" Cassandra said, blushing slightly. "And the books were a great help too! And the crystal ball! I've been able to control my visions!" Cassandra said with a small, proud smile. I just nodded.
"Well done. Having the gift of divination is rare and precious; don't waste it," I said simply. Cassandra blushed slightly, then nodded and hid a little further behind the counter.
"I-I won't," Cassandra said softly. I just nodded. I hadn't really done much; I'd mentioned it to Serena, who had come invisibly under Death's command and analyzed Cassandra. Then she told me to give her several things: an amulet to prevent prophetic dreams, and books to help her focus more proactively.
"Charming Cassandra again, Bellatrix?" Daphne asked dryly as she approached. Cassandra squealed and shrank even further.
"I'm not doing anything," I said, shrugging. Daphne just shook her head playfully. "Is Miach there? I want him to update my Falna; I think I'll finally be able to level up." I said, unable to hide my excitement, which caught the three girls' attention.
To my shame, even after four months here, three months since reaching level two, I had been heavily stuck at that level. With my strength, little could truly be called a feat impressive to the gods, so I hadn't been able to accumulate the high-quality Excelia needed to level up, even though I had maxed out my stats long ago.
But killing Thanatos definitely counted.
"She went out to make the deliveries," Naaza said cheerfully. She was genuinely proud of her work. I mean, she should be. She'd exchanged ideas with Sera, and Sera had given her books, recipes, tips, and help—enough for Naaza to make great strides in her potion-making skills.
Enough to keep creating new potions and medicines, to the point that she had recently reached level 4. Truly impressive considering she had only reached level 3 a little over three months ago. It was a truly impressive record.
So, with Naaza's newfound skill, the pharmacy was doing really well. The family had started getting regular customers, and we'd even managed to steal some clients from Dian Cecht, which made Naaza even happier, in an almost sadistic way.
"So, what did you do to be so sure you could level up? You've been stuck there for two months despite being stronger than us," Daphne said curiously. I shrugged.
"A group attacked our city, and I took care of killing the strongest member," I said, shrugging. The three of them opened their eyes wide before they began talking rapidly at the same time, especially Naaza and Daphne. I just snorted and answered their questions vaguely. The four of us talked for a while until Miach finally returned.
"Bellatrix! My wayward daughter! " Miach said cheerfully as he entered the pharmacy. "You look healthy. I hope everything turned out well," Miach said with a warm smile. I nodded.
"No problem at all," I simply told Miach. He nodded contentedly. "I want to upgrade my Falna," I said directly. Miach nodded, not even hesitating to close the pharmacy door and shut the windows. I stood up and took off my top. I ignored Cassandra's squeal before sitting down with my back to Miach.
"Let's see," Miach said, letting a drop fall onto my back. "Yes, all your stats are still at SSS, and—" Miach trailed off. "And you can level up!" Miach exclaimed joyfully. "I don't know what you did, but you have enough Excelia to finally level up. Do you want to?" Miach asked excitedly. I just nodded.
"Do it." I told him easily. Miach nodded.
"Let's see, wow, you have several options to choose from among the Development Abilities. You even have a magic spell and a skill! That's really rare! " Miach said, sounding excited. "Let's see, first the magic. Mors." Miach said, stopping stiffly before continuing to read. "Death does not lose sight of its target. Death is patient. Death reaches the ends of the earth and all alike. Death cannot be deceived. No one can hide from it. No one can escape it. Death does not rest."
"The user can designate a target and mark it. As long as the mark remains, the user will maintain a constant connection with their prey. This connection allows them to perceive, track, and pursue it, even when it is hidden. The mark cannot be undone by other magic, distance, or concealment." Miach finished reading ominously. Everyone fell silent.
"...okay...that was ominous. Even after learning about your other magic, you go and get another one just as creepy." Naaza said dryly. I chuckled. I really couldn't blame her.
"Wait, wait, wait, that's all you'll get?! How on earth do you get magic like that?!" Daphne asked incredulously. Naaza shrugged.
"She likes killing things. It doesn't surprise me that she'd achieve something like this." To my surprise, Miach said it. I burst out laughing. "And now for the Development Abilities. There are several; I'll read them all to you and—you know what, I already know which one you'll choose." Miach said playfully. "Slayer. Improves the user's abilities when facing entities they have personally killed." Miach read, almost smugly. "As I said, she likes killing things." Miach said, completely pleased with himself. I smiled, amused.
"Wait, that doesn't sound like Hunter?" Naaza asked, now genuinely confused. "I thought you couldn't get it after level 2," she added.
"I mean... it says entities here. Hunter only works for monsters." Miach said, rereading the development skill.
" Hmm, didn't you say you just fought in a war? Maybe it evolved from that? " Naaza hummed.
"You fought in a war?!" Miach asked, shocked and worried. I sighed.
"It was less a war and more about cleaning up the trash." I dismissed it quickly. Miach just snorted.
"You'll be telling me everything when we're done," Miach said, pouting. "Now, do you want Slayer? Here are some other normal ones like Abnormal Resistance and Spearman. Mmm, you also have one called Executioner." Miach said, confused. And so was I. "Let's see..."
"Executioner: When the user attempts to kill a target, their parameters increase slightly, and their movements are instinctively corrected to maximize the efficiency of the execution. The user's body will react automatically to attack the target's vital points." Miach finished reading. "It's... similar to Slayer?" Miach said, confused.
"And there goes another development: abilities related to assassination," Naaza said dryly. "But speaking of it, Slayer is very similar to Hunter, while Executioner is more like a weapon development ability, such as swordsman, spearman, or similar, as it will correct your stance while attacking. Only it's not as restrictive; it seems you could use any weapon as long as you're trying to kill your target."
"Both are useful in their own way," Naaza said easily.
"Which one do you want to choose?" Miach asked. "I'd recommend Slayer. As Naaza said, it's very similar to Hunter, and if it's similar to it, you might not be able to get it again at a higher level," Miach warned. I hummed, considering it. Executioner almost seemed redundant with my authority, which already gave me an instinctive understanding of how to kill things, so it wasn't really necessary.
"Let's go with Slayer," I said easily. Miach nodded, and before he could mark something on my back.
"Alright, now let's talk about Skills. You have a new one." Miach said, sounding excited. "When the user loses a-" Miach stopped. "Huh? Can't read that word? That's weird... let's see what's next." Miach muttered, confused. "When the user loses a ???? during combat, their stats temporarily increase. The user's stats increase at a decreasing rate after passing certain thresholds. The effect stacks as long as the battle continues." Miach finished, confused.
"So... we don't know what she's doing?" Daphne asked dryly. "How can she lose what we don't know she's supposed to lose?" she asked, frowning. Hmm. Miach grabbed a piece of paper before handing it to me.
"Hmm, you know how to read hieroglyphics, right? I think you mentioned that your wife could. Do you recognize what it says there? Strangely, I can't read it; maybe it's a word you're familiar with? " Miach asked, confused, handing me the paper. I took it and read it quickly.
" Last Stand "
When the user loses a soul during combat, their stats temporarily increase. The user's stats increase at a decreasing rate after passing certain thresholds. The effect stacks as long as the battle continues.
My eyes widened slightly. Wow… that… is amazing. And too specific for me. And… too good to be true. I could see why Miach couldn't read it properly. The Defenses prevented Miach from finding certain information, and my souls were one of them.
I didn't even hesitate to sacrifice one of my souls, turning it into a bullet to slip into one of my pockets. The gain was... truly minuscule. I wasn't skilled enough to determine, but it must have been around 0.1%. It wasn't impressive, but...
Would losing 1,000 souls practically double my power? I'd already lost more souls against Thanatos and Esdeath than that. And I had over 200,000 within myself. Does that mean that if I sacrificed them all, I'd get a 20,000% increase?
However, declining growth shouldn't allow it. I needed to find those thresholds.
"Do you know what they mean?" Miach asked once again.
"I might have an idea," I told Miach vaguely.
"And you won't tell us," Naaza said curtly. I smiled at her, amused.
"You understand," I said playfully. Miach just shook his head.
"Very well, keep your secrets. If that's all, I'll level you up." Miach said cheerfully. I just nodded.
"Do it." I said easily. Miach moved his finger on my back, and I felt the surge of power that came with the level-up.
"Very good, Bella! Congratulations on reaching level 3! " Miach said happily. "Let me copy your stats and—uh?" Miach said, confused. "You… can level up again." Miach muttered incredulously. We all froze.
"What?!" Naaza and Daphne squealed in surprise at the same time as they came closer to see my back.
"Y-yes, it seems your stats stacked up enough after you maxed out the previous ones. You have them all at SS, except for SSS for Endurance. And whatever you did last week gave you enough high-quality Excelia to level up again," Miach said quickly. "You want to... You want to level up right away? I... I think I heard that the difference between power jumps without getting used to them can be detrimental, and it would take you a while to adjust," Miach said uncertainly.
"Hmm, do I have any development ability to choose from? Did any other skills or magic appear? " I asked curiously. Miach was startled.
"Ah, right. Let me see," Miach said quickly. "No, there's no new magic or skill. But you do have several development abilities. The same ones you had before. You even still have Executioner!" Miach said, surprised and happy. I nodded.
"Then do it and choose that one, and don't worry; don't forget that I'm already strong. I'll be able to adapt better than other people," I told Miach without hesitation. Miach stopped before sighing in relief.
"You're right; if anyone can handle the change, it's you. Although if there's a problem, I want you to mention it immediately," Miach said firmly. I just nodded. "Then, let's level up," Miach murmured as he went back to working on my back. After a few seconds, I felt the urge to level up again. "Congratulations once more. That... was a truly impressive feat. You're amazing! My daughter is amazing! " Miach said cheerfully as he began to smile.
"I'd call you a monster," Naaza said dryly. "I didn't even know it was possible to rank up twice in a row." She snorted.
"I... I think it's possible. But it's usually those who haven't updated their falnas for years," Daphne said, frowning.
"Y-you're amazing," Cassandra said shyly. "C-congratulations," she said with a small smile.
" Yes, yes, congratulations," Naaza said playfully. Daphne sighed, then shook her head.
"Anyway, that was amazing. Congratulations," Daphne said easily. I nodded.
"Thank you." I said to everyone as I began to get dressed.
"Here, this is your Falna now." Miach said cheerfully, handing me the paper. I glanced at it briefly.
Bellatrix Prince
Level: 4
Basic Skills
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Development abilities
Gunslinger
Slayer
Executioner
Skills
Mad Devotion
Ultimate Undead
Curse Focus
Last Stand
Magic
Impaler Queen's Edict
Will of D.read
Mors
It was a good gain. I wasn't expecting anything truly impressive, at least not compared to becoming a Campione, but they were a welcome addition. And I was glad Miach didn't realize I'd killed a god to get the necessary excelia; I guess I had our defenses to thank.
"Wow, girls! Let's celebrate! " Miach said loudly. "Two of my daughters are Level 4s!" Miach said happily as he left the pharmacy with a huge smile. We looked at each other, sighed, and immediately started following him.
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