Loud booms echoed from the giant magical screen. Sparks of white, green, and gold collided with the dense wind storm, creating flashes that blinded the eyes of the audience.
In the meeting room on the 30th Floor of the Tower of Babel, a tense silence enveloped dozens of Orario's gods and goddesses. Their eyes were fixed on the visual projection from the Divine Mirror floating in the center of the room.
On paper, the center of attention for the Orariopiad final should have been in the heart of the Great Plains, where Ottar the King (Ouja) and Leon Vardenburg the Knight of Knights were fighting, risking their lives against Zald. The clash of power between the two Level 8 pillars against the veteran Level 9 monster indeed produced destructive force that leveled hills and altered the landscape.
However, somehow, the monumental battle at the center of the formation suddenly seemed uninteresting in the eyes of the divine entities. The focus of the gods and goddesses was now completely drawn to the eastern wing of the battlefield.
On the Divine Mirror screen, they witnessed a phenomenon that tore apart the fundamental logic of the Falna system. They saw Bell Cranel and the Sword Princess Ais Wallenstein being forcibly boosted beyond their level limits by pillars of golden light. And across from them, two elves from the Barbatos Familia radiated an aura of terror that continued to multiply until it reached a realm that was utterly absurd.
"Oi, oi... are my eyes playing tricks on me?" Loki broke the silence. The red-haired goddess leaned forward, her usually narrowed eyes now wide open staring at the Divine Mirror screen. "The destructive power of his every step, his movement speed... and the density of the Excelia radiating from his soul..."
Loki swallowed hard, her divine instincts that had lived for a very long time trembling seeing the anomaly. "With the booster from that Renard girl, that white rabbit's power scale has now stepped into the realm of Ottar and Leon!"
Murmurs of agreement were heard from various corners of the room. What Bell Cranel projected on the screen right now was purely the physical specifications of a Level 8 adventurer, perhaps even with sharpness and speed at their absolute peak.
Loki turned her body, glaring sharply at the petite goddess sitting not far from her. "Hey, Hestia. Answer honestly. Is your precious white rabbit really still Level 5?"
Hestia flinched slightly, but she quickly controlled her facial expression. Behind her back, her hands were sweating coldly because she was hiding the fact that Bell had originally reached Level 7.
"Yes, of course. Bell is Level 5," Hestia answered with a voice made to sound as normal as possible, puffing out her chest. "You can check it yourself. Because it's true, the official report submitted to the Guild records him as Level 5."
Loki snorted skeptically, but she had no evidence to argue because the Guild documents indeed recorded it as such.
On the other side of the room, God Hermes stepped forward. His eyes were not fixed on Hestia, but on the figure of the bard god who was sitting casually enjoying wine in the council leader's chair.
"If Bell is indeed Level 5 and can reach that kind of monster strength thanks to the Renard magic..." Hermes began his analysis, his tone filled with intense curiosity. "Now it's my turn to ask you, Venti. What about those two members of your Familia? Dina and Vena. What level are they really at right now?"
Venti placed his wine goblet on the table. He looked at Hermes with a relaxed smile that showed no burden at all.
"Their level is the same as Bell's. Level 5," Venti answered lightly, as if he had just mentioned today's weather.
"Impossible," Hermes refuted immediately, his voice rising. His feathered hat shook slightly as he pointed at the Divine Mirror.
"Look how the ground around them is completely eroded just by their passive wind vortex! Their destructive power and reaction speed when paralyzing Hedin and Hogni at the beginning of the fight alone proved to be comparable to Ottar and Leon at Level 8!"
Hermes leaned forward, his eyes sharpening analyzing the footage on the screen. "And now? After Bell and Ais got a level boost, the intensity of those sisters' wind element waves skyrocketed again until it destroyed the surrounding geography. That scale of an absurd show of power is now fully comparable to Zald!"
Hermes's statement made the room's atmosphere even tenser. The gods already knew that Zald was at Level 9. If Dina and Vena were truly Level 5, jumping four levels of power solely because of a Skill was something that shattered the absolute laws of the world.
Facing Hermes's barrage, Venti merely chuckled. He leaned his back comfortably against his chair.
"Well, you witnessed everything yourself with your own eyes, didn't you, Hermes?" Venti said in a diplomatic yet cryptic tone. "This is the miracle of the Gekai (Lower World). This mortal world always has a way to refute impossibility."
Venti spread his arms. "There is Bell Cranel, who has a track record of always being able to fight across levels since he first entered the Dungeon. Then there's the miracle of the Renard girl from the Hestia Familia, who is proven to be able to temporarily raise an adventurer's level beyond the limits of their vessel. Dina and Vena also have a phenomenon like that. It's just one of the many miracles of the system."
Hermes fell silent. The analytical brain of the messenger god searched for a flaw in Venti's explanation, but he couldn't find a point of refutation. Venti used the anomalies of Bell and Haruhime as a shield for his argument to normalize Dina and Vena's anomaly. Both sides equally violated the logical rules of the Falna. In the end, Hermes could only nod slowly, giving up on pressing further.
The gods and goddesses in the room asked no more questions. They refocused their full attention on the Divine Mirror, awaiting the end of that impossible clash of power.
In his chair, Venti sipped his wine again. Behind his relaxed smile, the Wind God's brain was thinking of other things far beyond today's battlefield stage.
His thoughts drifted to his deadline in this timeline. This battle was the pinnacle of proving oneself. After all this chaos was over, it would be time for him to bring Zald, Alfia, Dina, and Vena back home to their original timeline.
What souvenirs should I bring back when I return to my timeline later? Venti thought in a joking tone to himself.
However, as his eyes gazed at the reflection of Dina and Vena on the glass screen, Venti's smile turned more sincere and proud. Venti realized that the greatest benefit of this cross-dimensional journey was not information or new allies, but the absolute evolution of the two members of his Familia.
Dina and Vena successfully absorbed the memories and past Excelia of the Dis Sisters perfectly, fusing them with the power of the Anemo Calyx. The two of them had now grown much stronger than Venti had ever anticipated. When they returned to the era fifteen years ago, the Barbatos Familia would have two pillars ready to tear down any threat.
Besides that, Venti glanced briefly at the reflection of Ais Wallenstein who was fighting desperately on the screen.
And for that girl... I have prepared one final surprise for Ais Wallenstein in this timeline before I go, Venti thought, planning a sweet closure to heal the remaining wounds in the Sword Princess's heart.
Meanwhile, far from the hustle and bustle of Orario City and the booming of the Great Plains.
In a hidden village surrounded by mountains and thick fog, an old man sat on the porch of his wooden cabin. A natural hot spring steamed in the backyard, but the old man was not interested in it at all today.
Zeus, the former leader of the strongest Familia in the world who faked his death, was sitting staring intently at an Oculus crystal ball resting on his lap. The crystal was a parting gift from Alfia when the woman came to beat him up a few days ago. From within that Oculus, Zeus could watch the live broadcast of the Orariopiad stage crystal clear.
The wrinkled eyes of the old god sparkled brightly. He saw how his adoptive grandson, Bell Cranel, darted through the wind storm with a speed that matched the legends of the past. He saw how the white-haired youth didn't flinch the slightest when facing power equivalent to Level 9.
"Bell has gotten stronger... huh," Zeus murmured softly. A very warm, proud smile was etched on his wrinkled face. Tears of emotion welled up in the corners of his eyes, realizing that the fragile baby he once raised in a remote village had now grown into a true hero who was the hope of the world.
However, a few seconds later, Zeus's emotional smile turned into the wide smirk typical of a perverted old man.
Zeus observed the formation on the eastern wing. He saw how the beautiful sword princess from the Loki Familia fought by Bell's side. He also saw how the girls from the Hestia Familia in the rearguard risked their lives to protect the support magic aimed at his grandson.
"But, there is something else far more to be proud of than just level and strength," Zeus chuckled, stroking his chin with absolute satisfaction. "Bell has so many beautiful female admirers! Ah, the blood of true romance really flows in his veins! Grandpa is so proud of you, boy!"
Zeus laughed softly, his laughter echoing in the silence of the quiet village. He looked back at the Oculus screen with a more serious gaze. Seeing how his grandson struggled to carry the burden of the Orario Battle, a decision began to form in the thunder god's heart.
"Maybe..." Zeus whispered to the empty air. "It will soon be time for me to return. It's time for me to meet Bell in person."
...........................
Back to the center of destruction on the eastern wing of the Great Plains.
The battle between Dina and Vena against Bell and Ais had entered a deadly stalemate. The muddy ground around them had been scorched and eroded into shallow craters due to the clash of magic and sword slashes.
Bell Cranel landed roughly, his feet dragging a few meters backward due to the repulsive effect of the Ventus Canticum wind dome. The youth's breathing was fast and heavy.
His tactical brain had found the key to shatter the enemy formation. He knew that the Resonance which gave the elf sisters that Level 9 aura relied entirely on a line-of-sight connection. They had to keep looking at each other to maintain that soul circuit. If Bell could disrupt their formation, create a visual barrier, and split their focus simultaneously, the elf sisters' power would plummet instantly.
However, tactical theories are always easier said than executed on the field.
Bell immediately realized the bitter reality of his situation. Diverting Dina and Vena's attention while simultaneously forcing them to separate was a nearly impossible task if he only relied on himself and Ais.
After all, the specification gap currently was extremely severe. Bell (Level 8) and Ais (Level 7) were forced to face a pair of monsters operating physical and magical parameters equivalent to Level 9 thanks to a forcibly overloaded resonance. If Bell tried to maneuver around to break their line of sight, Vena would fire Ventus Ruina to block his path, while Dina would use Phantasma Ventus to confuse their positions. The difference in reaction speed meant Bell didn't have a sufficient time window to execute his plan alone.
I need a massive-scale distraction, Bell thought, his eyes sweeping the battlefield quickly. I need the help of other adventurers to attack from a completely different angle simultaneously.
However, calling for reinforcements from the center of the formation was out of the question. Ottar, Leon, and now Finn, Gareth, and Riveria were fighting to hold back Zald. If anyone dropped their guard there, Orario's frontline would collapse instantly.
Right as Bell racked his brain looking for a way out, a flash of golden blonde and orange illuminated his peripheral vision. Two incredibly strong gusts of magical energy landed right on his left and right sides.
Bell turned his head quickly. His red eyes widened realizing the identities of the two figures who had just arrived to stand beside him.
On his left, Ryuu Lion stood holding her sword, Alvs Iustitia, with an incredibly firm grip. Her green cloak fluttered blown by the storm wind. On his right, Lefiya Viridis planted her feet steadily, her right hand gripping her magic staff tightly while preparing to recite a magic incantation.
What shocked Bell was not their presence, but rather the glow of golden light enveloping the bodies of Ryuu and Lefiya, exactly the same as the one he and Ais had.
"You guys..." Bell murmured.
"Don't think you can take all this burden alone, Cranel-san," Ryuu said without turning her head. The blonde elf's tone was very calm, yet radiating a sharp killing aura. "Sanjouno diverted the rest of her magic targets to the two of us after seeing you struggling."
Lefiya nodded quickly, her face looking tense but filled with strong resolve. She stared straight at Dina and Vena. "W-We are ready to help, Bell! Just tell us what we need to do!"
Bell swallowed hard, feeling hope reignite in his chest.
Haruhime's Uchide no Kozuchi magic possessed multiple targets. Thanks to Haruhime's stamina sacrifice in the rearguard, she successfully provided a level booster to the best reinforcements Bell could ask for right now. Ryuu Lion, whose original status was Level 6, now radiated the absolute pressure of a Level 7 adventurer. While Lefiya Viridis, who was originally at Level 4, had now been pushed past the limit to Level 5, giving her access to casting speed and magic capacity equivalent to a frontline elite mage.
The presence of a flexible fighter of Ryuu's caliber and a versatile magic cannon like Lefiya were the tactical variables Bell needed to divide the elf sisters' attention.
Across the crater, from behind the layer of the Ventus Canticum wind, Dina and Vena stared at the new formation that had formed in front of them. Seeing the addition of two elite adventurers who also radiated a golden glow, the elf sisters didn't look scared at all.
Vena rested her wind sword on her shoulder, smiling with pure curiosity. "Oh? More and more are gathering here, huh."
Dina narrowed her eyes, calculating the energy fluctuations on the enemy side. "How many people can that Renard girl actually forcefully level up? Her ability truly ruins the balance of the world's logic."
"No matter how many insects get extra power, the end result will remain the same," Vena added coldly. She readjusted her stance, preparing to chant the next wave of Ignis Gladius. "Let's just crush them all, Sister."
Dina nodded in agreement. She focused her ability to maintain Dis Resonance at maximum level.
Seeing his enemies prepare to launch a follow-up attack, Bell immediately gave quick instructions. He didn't have time to explain the mechanics of soul resonance to his friends. He just needed flawless execution.
"Ryuu-san, Lefiya! Focus your attacks on the elf in white and dark clothes on the right (Vena)!" ordered Bell quickly, referring to the Dark Elf. "Don't give her a chance to shoot at me and Ais! Ais and I will break through the wind dome and separate the white elf (Dina) from her!"
Ryuu and Lefiya confirmed the order with a firm nod. They trusted Bell's tactical command completely.
"Ais-san," Bell called, glancing at the sword princess beside him. "When Ryuu-san and Lefiya attack, we dash from their blind spots. We cut their line of sight."
Ais tightened her grip on Desperate. Her Ariel magic howled again enveloping her body. "Understood."
The four adventurers carrying the miracle of the golden pillars of level boosting solidified their stances. The air on the eastern wing of the Great Plains felt increasingly dense and suffocating. No side was hiding their power anymore, there were no more diversions.
The decisive battle on the eastern wing would finally reach its destructive climax.
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