That day, after Hestia burned herself.
"...Is this a dream too?"
He was dreaming.
A dream where his Patron Deity, who had set herself ablaze, stood before him in her original form.
"Yes, this is a dream as well."
She spoke of this dream with a calm indifference.
"Bell. Have you still not given up?"
"...I won't give up. How could I possibly give up! Until I save you, Goddess...!!"
"Save me? Look who's talking."
"!!"
Furthermore, she stated the reality with that same indifference.
"Right now, you are merely wandering lost in the woods."
"...!"
"With your [Falna] sealed, you can do nothing. You are only surviving because of Akumo, but..."
Sshhh—
Hestia reached out her hand, and the silhouette of a man began to form beside her.
"That, too, is reaching its limit. A hope forced together will eventually..."
Crack—!!
"...be shattered, pathetic and powerless."
The figure of Akumo.
As if speaking a cold truth, it began to crack and break apart.
"...Even so."
Glare—!
"We will never give up."
"...Are you saying you'll keep struggling?"
"Not as a hero, and not as a member of your Familia!!"
Bell shouted, but Hestia, as if she couldn't bear to listen, simply closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Bell? What's wrong? Did you have a dream?"
Conversely, Bell's eyes snapped open as he woke from the dream. Akumo was already awake before him.
"Brother... you were awake—"
"You look pale."
"!?"
At that moment, Bell finally realized he had been sleeping with his head in Artemis's lap.
He immediately scrambled up in a panic, his cheeks flushing deep red.
"The lap pillow again..."
"We did it because we wanted to, so don't be so upset."
"We...?"
Turn—
At Artemis's smiling reply, Bell turned his head toward Akumo.
"Ahaha... it surprised me too..."
"Did you dislike it?"
"Please... give me a break, Freya..."
Seeing his brother troubled by the whims of the Goddess of Beauty made the feeling of struggling in the dream fade slightly.
Step, step—
The brief respite ended, and their journey continued.
Slash—!
"....."
Boom—!!
"Brother..."
"We'll reach the shore soon. Let's hope there's some kind of clue there."
They faced attacks from wild beasts and [Flame Beasts] that ambushed them.
Sometimes holding their breath, sometimes fighting, the group gradually moved forward.
—"Be shattered, pathetic and powerless."
If Akumo hadn't been here. If it had just been him, with his Falna gone.
Clench—!!
How much would he have had to writhe in this [Hell] just to survive?
At that thought, Bell's fist tightened with self-loathing.
"Phew... we've arrived...!"
Swoosh—
"We're here..."
They reached the beach, but it didn't seem to offer any immediate solution.
Look—
"The sea after the forest... we've ended up on the complete opposite side of the inland, haven't we?"
"For now, it would be best for everyone to rest."
The goddesses sat on the beach and requested that they take a break.
Given the circumstances, both Akumo and Bell desperately needed the rest.
"I cannot call it a beautiful sea... but the melody played by the waves remains the same."
"I want us to sit shoulder to shoulder, close our eyes... and entrust ourselves to the sound of the waves together."
Crash—!
"".....""
What meaning does this action have right now?
The question crossed Akumo's mind, but he could also feel it.
—"I feel my strength returning a little..."
He realized how much comfort could be found in small joys within a desperate situation.
'Right... let's just rest for now...'
Anxiety constricted his throat, and he was being swallowed by impatience and tension.
Because he had the power to survive, he didn't want to merely pursue 'survival.'
Thud—!
"Am I being selfish..."
'A hero who saves everyone... is that asking too much...'
Having once been a man who pursued only power and soared freely, he felt like giving up. The responsibility of saving everyone felt heavier than ever.
Touch—
".....?"
In that moment of doubt, someone took his hand.
"What is it that worries you?"
The beautiful goddess asked about his troubles.
"...Failure. I am afraid of failure."
"Even if you fail, who would dare to blame you?"
"I would blame myself. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself..."
"You have already saved so many lives."
"You know as well as I do that the world isn't that kind, don't you?"
He had been a hero. A warrior. A man.
Because he was such a being, his path was filled with regrets despite his numerous successes.
He was terrified of failing.
—"He is a finer warrior than anyone."
The reason he couldn't speak well of Epimetheus's story was because he couldn't speak ill of it either.
'I don't want to meet an end like that...'
Thinking that today just isn't the day, that he should wait for next time, that it's okay to lose.
He had already had those regrets hundreds of times.
"...Bell!!"
""!?""
Just then, the voice of a girl reached them.
"Ilia...."
Ilia had come running the moment she spotted Bell from afar.
Grab—!
"Thank goodness... I'm so glad you're safe....!"
"Ilia... really...? Why are you here... no, how....?"
Bell was utterly bewildered as to how Ilia had made it through this [Hell] alone. Someone else answered for her.
"We used our power because we listened to what that little girl had to say."
Another Goddess of Beauty answered kindly as she revealed herself to them.
""Aphrodite...?""
When Aphrodite appeared with her Familia, Akumo and Bell both spoke in surprise.
"Well, I happened to be looking for you two as well."
Step—
"So you... are Bell Cranel?"
"Yes... that's right...?"
Aphrodite observed Bell intently.
"All of you, seize that boy!!"
Suddenly, a shocking declaration burst from her lips.
"""""Waaaaah!!!!!!!"""""
"W-Wait!? This isn't what we agreed on...!! Aphrodite!"
"Did you think I would just follow the request of a brat like you to the letter?"
Despite Ilia's frantic attempts to stop her, Aphrodite sent her Familia forward to subdue them all.
Ping—!
"...? What is this? Why are you stopping!"
The Familia members charging to seize Bell suddenly froze in place like stone statues.
Step, step—
"I could have handled it..."
"You're exhausted, aren't you? You and Bell both."
"Phew.... I understand. Freya."
As if explaining the reason, Freya approached slowly, radiating an incomparably beautiful aura, with Akumo standing beside her like a guardian. They both came into Aphrodite's view.
"F-Freya!? Why are you here...!!"
Thump—!!
"Enough. Now, tell me what you're doing."
Standing before her, Akumo sternly demanded an explanation for her actions.
"Hmph! Do you think I, the strongest, invincible, peerless beauty, would just listen to—"
Rumble—!
"Hieee!?"
"Shut up and give me a reason..."
As Aphrodite trembled in fear under Akumo's intense pressure, it happened.
Collapse—!
"...Hmm?"
Akumo's eyes closed, and he keeled over, falling to the ground.
"What... what is happening....?"
Thud—!
"I surrender, so please help us!!!"
"Eeeek...!?"
As Bell's declaration of surrender rang out while he knelt before her, not only the Aphrodite Familia but even Ilia looked on in disbelief.
"Phew... thank goodness."
'It wasn't... meaningless, Akumo.'
Clatter—!
Clink—!
"Munch, munch... Gulp!"
Escorted(?) by the Aphrodite Familia, the group arrived at their island.
"He's eating so much..."
"Just how much have you been starving? Don't tell me... ever since you were blown out of the city...?"
Watching Bell frantically empty plates and stack them high, Aphrodite and Ilia were intensely curious about what had transpired.
"..."
"How is that one doing?"
"Dehydration, malnutrition, and extreme sleep deprivation... by my count, it's been at least a week..."
"How did he even hold out...?"
During that time, Akumo and Bell had pushed themselves relentlessly.
They gathered and provided food for the two goddesses and fought off swarms of enemies to survive.
"Acshually... my brother wash... Cough! Cough!"
"What are you doing, being so clumsy! Here, have some water... and speak slowly."
"I will speak for him, so finish eating first."
Akumo, in particular, had substituted for Bell—who had lost his Falna—by cutting back on his own food and sleep to the point of total physical exhaustion.
Bell tried to explain, but since he was busy eating, Freya took over the explanation.
"Honestly.... he's a child who only knows how to overdo it."
"I'll say. To think he could still move after pushing himself this hard..."
'If it wasn't for Freya's charm, he really would have tried to keep moving.'
While his attention was focused on Aphrodite, Freya had poured her charm into him to force him to sleep.
It was a forced measure by Freya and Artemis to make him rest after days of overexertion.
"Aphrodite, it feels like some different genre has started... like a 'Rom-Com where I take care of the boy next to me with all my heart'..."
"They have a total 'couple vibe'~"
Seeing them, Aphrodite's Familia members, Sandro and Berclin, spoke with intrigued faces.
"W-Whaaat~~~~!? It's not that kind of vibe at all!? Not at all!!!"
"Rather than classmates... they're more like an old married couple."
"Who's a married couple!!!!?"
Ilia's explosive reaction combined with Aphrodite's playful teasing created a boisterous atmosphere.
"Ah~ fine, not a couple, okay? That aside..."
Look—
The state of this human named Akumo, who looked perfectly fine despite days of overexertion, was hard to believe.
Nevertheless, the eyes of the group watching him were full of concern.
"Will you tell me the truth now? Artemis, Freya."
Aphrodite questioned them seriously, intrigued by this unknown factor.
He was a contradictory existence.
He had made the power within him shine, and his talent shine even brighter.
He monopolized every stepping stone for growth before him and moved forward more brilliantly than anyone.
Clang—!
Schwing—!
Soon, his body was adorned with masterpieces. He became stronger than anyone else.
Slash—!
Until he was cut by that ominous sword.
Rip—!!
Thud—!!
A cursed sword, a defiled sword. People called it that and shunned it...
But I could feel it.
Hummmm—
That was my true talent, the original power that lay dormant within me.
'Black Dragon....'
But it wasn't mine.
A kismet that suited me so perfectly. It wasn't mine.
"....."
Knowing that, I pushed past my limits to cultivate myself.
No matter how many times I fell, I did it to grow my own pure strength.
"Bullshit...."
It wasn't true.
I willingly embraced the darkness to become stronger.
Through the talent within me, I gathered every fragment of power I could find.
Slash—!
As if mocking that effort, the being before me surpassed me in an instant.
'Why? How? What did that guy do?'
'Why am I the one being attacked by everyone?'
'It's unfair, I hate it, I don't understand.'
A contradictory existence, a contradictory self.
I committed contradictions to overcome contradictions, and I moved forward despicably to become righteously strong.
"Gugh...!!"
What I gained from that was a body forged hard, firm, and resilient.
Slash—!
Of course, it was a meaningless body that would be sliced like tofu in the face of a contradiction...
'Meaningless....?'
Why? Why is it meaningless?
Because I don't have the overwhelming power to crush someone? Because I don't have the mystery to escape everything?
"Vesta's sacrifice saves the lower world... it's the most certain and only way, isn't it?"
The voice of a goddess reached his ears, speaking of reality.
"No one can interfere with that [Altar] right now."
"So isn't it right to just stand by until the time of purification comes?"
For the sake of the world, for the lower world, the gods' choice was correct.
—"Isn't that enough? Wouldn't it be easier if you just accepted it?"
Unlike when he defied fate and walked the suffocating path of a king.
Accept it, and you'll be at peace.
'The situation is too powerful, too disadvantageous...'
"That's... please wait, weren't you an acquaintance of Hestia?"
"Yes, we're not exactly friends, but we're bound by our divine ties. I can at least tell what kind of girl Hestia is and what she's thinking right now."
"And yet... you're just going to let Hestia die!?"
"...!!"
Aphrodite was calm, as if she were stating an obvious fact.
"Why? Why do you want to resist?"
"I have to save her...! I must save my Goddess...!!"
"I'm asking why you're trying to stop it."
The goddess asked a question that was purely, utterly logical.
"We can't do it with our power alone. Please, I beg of you."
—"That power from before was too unreasonable...! All I could do was endure it!!"
"Isn't this what you children always asked for?"
So the gods granted a miracle.
They granted a great power to overcome the contradictions and unreasonableness before them.
"Even the mistakes that happened in the process, we say we'll resolve them..."
—"Just one word is all it takes. That power is practically cheating, isn't it?"
"Why are you resisting?"
—"Why so tenaciously?"
How can you be so unsightly, so stubborn, cursing the opponent's power while still standing against it?
".....Because it's obvious."
"Brother!?"
"What...!"
Once you've started walking the path.
I, too, was an existence full of contradictions and unreasonableness to someone else.
"No matter how unfair it is, no matter how much I want to curse...!!"
Glare—!
"You just shut up and let our stories collide."