1 Danmachi :Bell Ōtsutsuki

Prologue: The Beginning

Let me tell you a story...

A tale about a boy, a child, a young man who's dream was to be a Hero.

He was a peculiar boy, an energetic lad, hyperactive yet curious about every little thing he ever saw. He was visually very different from everyone due to his strikingly white hair and red eyes, but that's what made him so

unique. He was bright, ethereal to a degree, he was unlike any other I have ever seen in my long life but, that could be attributed to his unique heritage. The child loved a lot of things, but the most joy he found in was in

my own handwritten story books about the Heroes of Old, the Heroes of Myth that attained their status through hard work and deathly adventure's.

Those were his favorite, he loved the story about Hercules and his 12 Labors, about how the great Theseus slayed the Minotaur, and even the story of Perseus and his battle against Medusa. The boy loved those stories and

never grew tired of listening to their tales, not once. The exuberance in his eyes as he read those stories over and over again told me all I needed to know, the boy had gained a dream. When I asked him what he wanted to

be, he answered in the only manner I knew he would.

''I...I want to be like them, Grandpa! I want to be strong, I want to be a Hero!'' that was his answer, an answer filled with all the childlike enthusiasm and innocence expected from a boy his age. However, unlike other

children, he truly stuck to those words and he went out on his first adventure into the woods outside our village.

He got lost of course and I found him after awhile and was about to admonish his behavior and his reckless endangerment of himself. That is until I found the boy crying a good few meters away, now that wasn't at all that

surprising but what was, was the corpse of a clearly dead wild Kobold at the boy's feet. Now, you have to imagine my surprise, no adventurer's had been in the area at the time, it was only my grandson. There had been no

protector's from our village either in the vicinity. So, this left me with only one conclusion, something that left me feeling something I haven't felt since I found the boy as a newborn.

Excitement...

My grandson, a boy of only 4 year's of age, had somehow or someway killed a Kobold, and the way it died was a feat in of itself. It's body had been scorched and was still burning in flames. But not like any other flame, it

was flames I was all too familiar with, they were the very flames of Hell itself. Wielded only by the Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu and all those affiliated by her flames, but I knew the boy hadn't been touched by

Amaterasu, so what was it? What caused it? I wasn't exactly sure myself.

But I was sure of one thing, it had something to do with the boy's unique heritage. I made sure the boy never knew of this one simple fact, but the fact was the boy didn't have normal parents like any other human child.

The boy was in fact a miraculous existence in of itself, he was a born conundrum that questioned everything I've ever known. His existence was a secret to all of the known world, something I made sure kept hidden away

from even my own kind. Cause you see...

The boy was not of this world...

Now before you go and disregard this as an old man's rambling let me explain, the boy isn't apart of this world because I found or more in fact felt his existence left astray in the cosmos. Being an existence that I am, I was

able to feel throughout the galaxy and I felt the boy's presence in the vast sea of star's. And so I traveled and found him in a derelict vessel of some sort, beyond any ability to salvage, but it was in that ship I found the

boy. He was but, a fresh newborn wrapped up in silk wrappings of strange dialect design and other objects that I have kept to this day.

I know not nor have I fully learned of what that dialect means, but I have kept it secret from everyone including the boy as I knew from my own experience that such strange incidents have caused great conflict's amongst

those of my kind. Which is why I have hidden the boy from their eyes, he was only a fresh newborn babe and deserved to live his own life. Only when he reached of age, would I feel the need to give him what was rightfully

his birthright.

Still, with that fact coming back to remind me that this was no normal child, this left me pondering about the boy, even after that incident he still pushed himself to be strong, he was adventurous for one so young and

because of that I decided to give him a little push in the direction he wanted. It was purely on a whim really, a sliver of excitement I hadn't felt since I first found him drifting among those stars but, it was that which urged

me on to give the boy that one little push just to see what kind of path lay before him.

That little push was me teaching him how to unlock the energy within him...

I was able to decipher a few thing's from the belongings with the child; the first being the boy's name which was oddly similar to the language used in the Eastern Lands of the Earth. And the other was the fact that the boy

held an energy that was very much like my own kind. It was the aspect of the two energies that I have come to know as Physical energy and Spiritual energy combined to create one universal energy that sung across the

cosmos. It was the very energy of every living thing in existence, Gods themselves were no exception to this fact. There just hadn't been a name for it until I was able to decipher it from what was found with the boy

himself. Humans and other races with God's Grace on this planet could use energy but, was only able to utilize the spiritual half called Mana, so this energy was in of itself unique and exciting to me.

So I had him unlock it, to release the energy that Gods themselves were physical manifestations of and that was Chakra.

If the depth of one's mana was how one could measure the potential one had then what I had felt from the boy when he managed to unlock his chakra was unlike anything I'd ever witnessed. It had sent my mind boggling

when he broke the lock on his power he was born with, it had made my own celestial being resonate with his chakra. The resulting backlash had been utterly massive, and if I hadn't knocked out the boy I was sure it would

have alerted the other Gods to his presence.

...Never before had I ever been so outright terrified and yet so thrilled as well from seeing so much potential in such a young soul.

Still...I saw it, for a moment I truly saw the kind of path the boy wanted to walk, the road he would travel. It would be a road filled with incredible hardship, one that would break anyone else, but it would be one filled with

adventure, one filled with all sorts of battles and people that he would come to call friends and even more so for others. It was a road he would forge for himself, a road that would define a generation, a road that...

A road that would ultimately bring great change to both the Heavens and the Earth.

At that moment, any shred of doubt I had for the boy was wiped clean, I knew he would become something great. I could see it every time I looked at him. He would become just like those Heroes he admired so much and

much more, he was filled with so much passion, so much spirit that I could not help, but support him. Because I knew, as his Grandfather and as one of the Elder Gods, I knew without a doubt...

He would become the Greatest Hero to ever walk the Earth, the Shining Star that would surpass the Heavens itself.

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The darkness greeted him like a long lost friend and as he opened his eyes it was lifted as if a veil had been torn from him. Recognition and familiarity lit up in his gaze as he looked upon his surroundings with a nostalgic

expression.

"Ah...I'm here again."

He knew this place...

How could he not? This was where he was raised by his Grandfather. It was a small humble little village outside the Labyrinth city of Orario, a village like many others meant for those with skills for farming and the

cultivation of foods and resources. It was a village of poverty, one barely protected by the adventurer's of Orario yet one of the few that provided the largest amount of resources to the city.

He stood there, amongst a village that was as silent a graveyard which in all honesty it was. It was nighttime in this little whimsical memory of his, but one he would not soon forget. Turning his gaze to the left, his eyes fell

upon the lands left untouched by the villagers so far, the same lands that were a bit away's from the village itself.

The grassy fields of his village were always something to be admired, it was his favorite spot as a child, when he was done with his chores for the day he always ran toward those ever stretching fields laughing, playing and

having the time of his young life. It was what kept him up in high spirit from the way he lived. He was a child of poverty, there was no denying this fact, he knew nothing else then that lifestyle. It was harsh, almost

unforgiving at times, but in the end it taught him more about life and to how treasure every second of it.

Living as a child with no parents and only his grandfather to raise him and teach him, he learned early on how to till the land, grow your own food, build your own home. He couldn't remember his parents as it was said

they died when he was young, but he didn't care, he had his grandfather. It was him who taught him all he knew today, how to cherish every second of life he had, it was because of him that he walked down the path he

was on this very day.

Though he only started down that path on his 7 birthday when his grandfather died...

It was said he had been chased by a monster and fell down a ravine, such a drop was too much for anyone, and it was recorded he died.

He remembered that event clearly, it was the day he lost the only thing left tying him to this world. His Grandfather had been his only family he had left and with him gone, he was left alone in the world. Yet he couldn't

allow himself to cry infront of anyone, only in the solace of his home would he allow himself that luxury. However he still remembered his grandfather's words before he left that day, the same words he kept remembering

since he started his adventure.

'Every beginning starts at a humble one, just like when a newborn makes their first steps for the first time, an adventurer should make his first steps something to remember. Make your adventure worthwhile, become

strong and make your own tale worth remembering. Become the strongest, the brightest of them all, and only when you stand at the top should you share that light with those close to you.'

Those were the words he lived by to this very day. It was his code, the saying that made him keep going despite the odds he faced. Even if his body was broken, beaten and torn, he would stand up and keep walking

forward to that Dream, that Goal. Even when others would shy away in the face of his presence, even as he steeped himself in an ocean of blood and death, he was satisfied if he could come back home to see the face of

his new family.

The world of his memories around him shimmered and broke apart like a wave crashing against a rocky shore and what greeted him next was a sight that pushed away the darkness festering in his soul. It was the faces of

those he wanted to protect the most. The very same people who were the reasons as to why he pushed himself like he did time and time and time again. Never faltering, never surrendering, they were his motivation, his

reason to live and for them he would conquer anything that stood in his path.

"Yeah..." the young man told himself as the faces of his loved ones gathered before him. They were his dream now. "Becoming a Hero is all well and good, but if you don't have a reason, a purpose to become one, then it

all becomes a monumental waste of effort.'' he spoke from experience. He knew this better then anyone else, ever since he started his adventure he never stopped pushing himself, even when his body was beaten and

broken, he never stopped.

He wanted to become strong, stronger then anyone, it was why after his Grandfather died he moved to Orario and threw himself into the Labyrinth of Orario with little more then the clothes on his back and a knife in hand.

Strength is what made you stand out amongst the norm, and due to his small stature he was written off by most of the familia in Orario. But he never let that discourage him, in fact it was what drove him into those

suicidal runs into the dungeon every day.

Their was pain, oh so much pain when he began, but the pain mattered little to the mental sorrow he suffered every waking moment of his life. He was alone in the world, he had no one to come home to, no one to call his

family anymore. He lived a lonely existence that he covered up with his drive to become strong. He closed off his heart, his soul to the world and became nothing more than a machine without a purpose.

But then he found a purpose...the light that shattered the darkness of his soul. She had been the first of a few, but she was the first one. His most beloved light, she was the one who gave him a chance where others

turned their backs on him. She gave him something he could never repay, she, a Goddess, had given him the chance to be the first of her familia. Her family.

...He could never repay such compassion and in the end he accepted with the duty of supporting himself and his Goddess. She gave him a chance and in turn he would make sure her decision wasn't wasted on him. Despite

her saying otherwise, she became his first light and with it a purpose for him to become a Hero he so dreamed to become.

"...She was the first, but not the last. For them, for all of them, I will become their Hero." as his thoughts waned on his purpose, his resolve strengthened as he looked upon the additional faces of those he had came to

know since he started his adventure when he was only 7 year's old. Their smiles, their encouragement, they were his purpose, his drive to become strong.

But among those faces another appeared, one that shined just as brightly as the others. But her face escaped him, all that he knew was her long gold hair and golden eyes.

"Who...are you?" he questioned, though it was left unanswered, her face was familiar to him. It reminded him of the days of when he first began his adventure, but he was not sure why. That long flowing golden hair and

those orbs of liquid gold was strikingly familiar to him, and yet he could not fathom as to why. Why did this person's face make him feel uneasy? As if he had forgotten something.

However there was something else lurking behind those faces, something dwelling in the darkness. He wasn't sure what but, it was always there when he awoke to these memories of his. It was a dark and hollow feeling he

felt, but among everyone, even of his Grandfather, he felt something was amiss. Something was in that darkness of his, waiting, festering within his soul just waiting to come out at any given moment of his own weakness.

"I know this feeling..." he did, he had known about it for as long as he could remember. One secret he had kept from even his grandfather, the one thing that had come along with him when he unlocked his natural born

power. The sentient entity that latched onto his soul like a leech and fed upon his own darkness.

Even now he could feel it, writhing around, moving in accordance to his own thoughts. As if to scorn him and his existence, reminding him that he was not human, that he was an existence that was much more yet much

less then a human.

He was a Monster.

But his thoughts were left unattended once again as the darkness came back, swallowing up his world in a never ending tsunami of ebony. Consuming what light he had built up within his soul and with it his eyes closed to

the eternal night. His body surrendered to the nigh omnipotent force of the blackness, and he let his body still as he let his mind drift away once again. Amongst the inky black waves that threatened to consume his entire

being and yet it embraced him like a long lost friend.

Warmth was the first thing he felt upon returning to the land of the living, the steady beat of his heart was the first sign that he was alive. Then he felt for his surroundings, an instinctual habit if nothing else and he relaxed

when he felt the familiar feeling of his bedroom. His body adjusted to his worn out lumpy couch, the springs punching into his back. Mildly discomforting but, nothing he had grown used to. However, once he regained motor

function of his body again he became well aware of something else.

Their was a weight on top of him, a distinctly smaller body then his own and one he was all too familiar with. Upon opening his eyes, orbs of the purest crimson pierced through the darkness and they looked down to see

another person sleeping with him. Pulling the cover over him off slightly he was unsurprised to see it was a young looking girl that appeared to be his age. She had long silky black hair and a fair complexion. If her eyes

were open one would have been greeted by the sight of the deepest blue one would ever have the honor of seeing. The young girl in question was dressed only in a light blue tank top and panties. The clothing only

accentuated her robust bosom, wide hips and tight buttocks, a contradictory to her rather young appearance.

If he was younger he would have been affected by this show of flesh and display of affection from this girl, but he had grown accustomed to it and on some level welcomed it. After all, her appearance could be deceiving to

many as she was in fact a Goddess, one of many that resides in the Lower World. She was his Goddess, his most cherished person, the one who saved him and in turn he vowed to protect with all his might.

'Hestia-sama...' that was the name of his Goddess, one that had the appearance of a teenager, but was in fact a transcendent existence in her own right. While not as well known as other God's and Goddesses, she was still

one to be respected. He respected her but, also took care of her when she got in over her head on certain matters as he had learned early on when he joined her that she always seemed to get in trouble.

She was a glutton, clumsy, hyperactive as he was when he was a child and was always finding ways to steep herself in debt with her fellow deities. He remembered on a few occasions having to spend his entire sum to get

her out of trouble with them, with the risk of revealing himself to the other deities as well. But with his dungeon runs on his own he was recently able to completely get her out of the debt she put herself in with the other

Gods. How she could put herself in a 200,000,000 Vali debt was through a series of events before she met him 8 year's ago.

...But he wouldn't have wanted her any other way.

Running his hand through her long black tresses with all the tenderness acquired from year's of being under Hestia's affection and compassion. The young man allowed a small smile to grace his features as he stared down

at the girl. Hestia was the Goddess of the Hearth and Family, and treated him with so much compassion when she first found him that he had been balked by her generosity. In his mind, he could never repay her, which is

why he dutifully vowed to always be at her side when she always needed it. Be that against other Familia's or the other deities themselves, he would stand at her side and slay anyone that stood to oppose or oppress her.

He was her sword and shield, to be used how she pleased. That was his vow to her as the only familia dependent she had, he understood her position with the other deities and made sure she understood he would be at her

side regardless of what others may think or say.

'Yes...let them come...' his eyes burned at the notion of conflict with the other familia, while he and Hestia were on good terms with a few familia's that worked for their keep. The same couldn't be said for those that stood

at the higher echelon that looked down on the others. He remembered perfectly well on those that looked down on him when he first arrived in Orario. Now that he was older, stronger then he could have ever dreamed of

becoming, he stood ready to oppose them or anyone for Hestia.

Feeling her hum against his touch he felt her sink even more into his body and he let out a sigh, shaking his head he turned to look up at the window and, seeing the midnight sky made him narrow his eyes. From his view

of the sky it had just reached midnight meaning most of the occupants in Orario were fast asleep.

Which was his time to get started on his nightly activities...

There was a reason his existence was a mystery to the other deities in Orario and more to the other familia, he knew of his unique status when Hestia bestowed upon him her Grace. A secret shared only between him and

her and no one else, and that was the fact that he had a unique ability that, if found out by others would cause a massive conflict with the other Familia's. And that was one of his inherent skill's called Realis Phrase.

It was a rare skill that Hestia said was the first of it's kind. It was a single minded pursuit ability that enhanced the speed of growth to the user as long as his or her feelings for the one who awakened the ability lasted. It's

what enabled him to grow so quickly as it was Hestia who awakened that ability the first time they met. At first he didn't understand as to what it meant and, Hestia didn't let a single moment pass her by where she didn't

tease him about it. Yet over time he began to understand what it meant and least to say he wasn't the least bit troubled by it.

But there in itself was a problem, he grew too fast for a human and to protect himself he conjured a facade of a shy inexperienced boy for the citizen's of Orario to underestimate. Yet underneath that exterior was someone

else, something else that was far too dangerous to be kept alive in the eyes of the other Gods if it was known publicly. It was a double life he lived but, it was for the safety of Hestia and those he cared for, it was to protect

them from those that would seek to harm anyone that was close to him. Which was why he chose the split facade in the first place; to throw off his enemies.

'But, there is more to this, of that I am sure.' he thought about that, even with the Realis Phrase making his growth speed far faster then most it couldn't fully explain everything else that made him distinctly different from

everyone else. He'd known he was different from most others the moment his grandfather unlocked his power when he was 4 year's old. What that power was, he wasn't sure of but, it was very different from others since it

was something of his own inherent body instead of something gifted by the God's Grace.

After that power was unlocked he became aware of other skills and abilities he was made wary of through his adventure's but, it got stranger as they couldn't be recorded by Hestia's Grace. Abilities that weren't gifted by

it's Blessing but, were similar to a skill's he inherited on his own, and not by the Falna which was powered by the Blessing of the God or Goddess. Which was impossible since without a Deities Blessing Humans or other

races were not able efficiently use their inherent abilities as effectively, if at all.

His in particular were a wide range of Skill's and Congenital Magic abilities that were far far too abnormal to be listed among the Modern terminology of other skill's and Magic abilities. Even Hestia was a bit freaked when he

mentioned it to her which was why he kept those particular abilities to himself and strictly used only at his own leisure.

'Speaking of which, it's about time to get started.' mentally apologizing to his Goddess, he snaked himself out of her embrace, gently as to not rise her from her peaceful slumber before casting his gaze toward his

equipment. Taking hold of his backpack he threw it over his shoulders before putting on his leather boots, black gloves and lightweight armor. It was of very simple design of a stark white metallic sheen with crimson

outlines. It was the current armor he bought under the blacksmith name of Welf Crozzo but, he never managed to find the man to enlist him. The armor consisted of a light chest plate, shoulderguards, forearm protectors

and shin guards.

The armor served it's purpose, it was cheap and it protected him well enough, he didn't have the funds to buy other expensive armor's as most of his funds went to supporting him and Hestia. The excess amounts of Vali he

had were being transferred into the Bank of Orario for a rainy day. Strapping his armor over his long sleeved black shirt and black pants, then he went for his weapon of choice, and the very weapon Hestia had given to him

as a gift 8 year's ago when he was just a few month's into his adventuring career.

Pulling out a small black sheathe, he pulled out a jet black combat knife; it had a simple handle and grip with a small rectangular guard. The blade was as black as night while the sharpened edge glinted in contrast. Beyond

that it looked like a regular knife, but once he took hold of it runic symbols lit up in a dim blue light along the length of the blade. Bell looked down at the weapon as Hestia's words ran through his mind when she first gave

him the knife a few months after he joined her familia.

"This is a weapon that was forged by my friend, Hephaestus, the Goddess of Smithing, she is known as the Divine Smith of Heaven and all her works directly forged by her hand have been known to be legendary in of

themselves. This particular weapon I helped forged with a little bit of my own essence, it is a sentient weapon, it is alive and it will grow along with the strength of it's wielder. It will take awhile but, as you grow Bell-kun so

too will this weapon. Treat it as your partner just as you treat me and I am sure it will help you in your adventure."

The weapon had been a request Hestia made to Hephaestus, something made secret from him until gifted to him and, rightfully he was concerned about how much it took to make it. It took awhile until Hestia admitted it

would take awhile for her to work off the amount she owed to her friend for making the weapon. At first, he wanted to give all the money he earned in return to pay off the debt but, Hestia readily refused saying it was her

gift to him for all he did for her.

And so too not disrespect her wish he reluctantly accepted but, made sure to always check up on her when he wasn't in the dungeon. While he accepted her wish, it did not mean he wouldn't make sure she wasn't worked

beyond her capability. However he was always assured by the Smithy Goddess herself that Hestia was doing fine, he knew of Hephaestus through Hestia and while she was serious and a hard working Goddess, the polar

opposite of his own Goddess, she was still a close friend to Hestia and she always made sure she was well taken care of when he was gone in the Labyrinth.

Sighing, he sheathed the blade before strapping it on his lower back. Then he reached for the last two pieces of his equipment which was probably the last two most important pieces that kept his identity a secret. The first

was a full body black cloak with a hood that covered his head, it was made to endure the extreme abnormal weather conditions of the lower floors of the Labyrinth. It was made through the hide and scales of a mature

Dragon he'd found in the deeper levels of the dungeon, so it's durability wasn't to be questioned.

Once he put that on he picked up the last piece of his equipment which was in fact a mask, a plain white mask that he had picked up at a smithy shop in the Babel Tower above the Labyrinth. According to the smithy, it was

made through specific materials that was made for the specific resistance of the elements and through battle. It filtered oxygen through the air in case of poison being released into the aitmosphere. But it's simple use was

to conceal the user's identity from others unless the wearer removed the mask himself. Which was just perfect for him.

The design itself was pretty plain, it was mostly white with with two red vertical lines going down the eye holes and the grinning visage that made up the design. It oddly resembled a human skull's frontal visage but, it

wasn't detrimental to him in anyway. It served it's purpose in more ways then one.

Taking hold of it, he channeled his power into the mask before placing it over his face. For a moment, he took in the sensation of the mask latching onto his face as if it had a mind of it's own. But once it was on he made

sure the hood was covered his head, his crimson orbs adjusted to the slit eye holes of his mask. Taking extra measure to blink a few times, he turned his gaze onto the still slumbering Goddess and his gaze softened.

Bending he pat her head gently before covering her up, ''Have a good sleep, Hestia-sama.'' speaking his piece, the young adventurer turned away and crept off. Completely unaware of the fact that as he left, the woman's

eyes creaked open before they looked over her shoulder. In contrast to the young man's crimson orbs, her orbs were like liquid sapphire that glinted with worry for the man that had left her.

''Off again...'' she let out a sigh, worry was etched her pained expression as she curled up into the lasting body heat left behind from the man that was her sole familia dependent. And the cause for which had stolen the one

thing that was highly coveted in Heaven. The boy she saved 8 year's ago had turned into such a man had taken the one thing she valued just as much as she did her own innocence.

Bell was the one who held her heart in his hands.

"I swear to Hestia, on my body and soul, until the day I die and even after the hands of the damnation takes me, I will forever be your sword that cuts down your enemies and your shield that will protect you from what

you cannot defend against. You gave me a chance and for that compassion, you may use me however you wish. Call upon me and I will be there, Kami-sama."

The vow he made to her had been the same day he swore to her that wherever she went, wherever she wanted to go, he would follow her. She was his light and he was her Hero, he would protect her where she could not

and put down those that would seek to oppose and oppress her.

...He never ceased to amaze her at how he never stopped making her fall in love with him again and again.

Pulling the cover closer, Hestia snuggled into the body heat hoping on some small hope that it would last the night. It seemingly did as a moment later she fell fast asleep again with the lasting body heat from the young

man of her affections accompanied her throughout the entire night.

There was a certain method to dealing with the rising difficulty in the Labyrinth beneath Orario. Due to the vast, almost immeasurable number of floors of the dungeon, it was considered to be the sane choice that at the

first few levels you could solo and pair up for the first few floors. However beyond the 13th floor it was best to be in a party of other well armed and experienced adventurer's, supporters and blacksmith's to take on the

harder and much more difficult floors. To traverse the deeper floors took days worth of time and it wore on your health to venture on without a supporting hand or the well hand of a smithy to keep your equipment in check.

It was plainly suicidal to go so deep without a party in hand, it was an iron clad rule of the Guild that governed over the Dungeon and the Adventurer's affairs when concerning the massive Labyrinth. It wasn't persay illegal

but, it was ill-advised to go any deeper without a party in hand unless you were just actively seeking death at every turn. The reason you may ask? Because the monster's inside not only grew more fierce and terrifying the

deeper you went but, the more numerous they became. It isn't a lie to say a party would run into a horde of Minotaur's numbering in the hundred's or a Monster Parade consisting of a massive variety of different types of

monster's.

Yet there were those rare few that were either foolishly brave or misconceived in their own strength to traverse the dungeon alone. And to date, on record, none had ever come back alive to survive traversing the Labyrinth

solo. It was simply madness to do so without the party the size of one like the Loki Familia which garnered an entire army of adventurer's, supporters and blacksmith's just to traverse the deeper levels.

Truly it was maddening to think of anyone remotely thinking of doing something so monumentally stupid and insane!

Thankfully, Bell Ōtsutsuki fit that description perfectly.

''So, this is where you were hiding, Roku?'' the young man questioned as he walked upon a desolate labyrinth floor, it resembled a landscape similar to how one would picture Hell. A land of brimstone, fire, lava,

molten rock and surprise surprise more fire. But the extreme heat didn't affect him thanks to his cloak absorbing most of the heat. That wasn't to say he wasn't a bit annoyed with watching for breaks in the ground since

some were deceptively veiled lava pits.

He should know, he'd nearly fallen in on more then one occasion.

His words seemed to have affect as his crimson eyes looked upon one of the five volcanoes dotting the massive dungeon floor. And he cast his gaze upward to the top just in time as the ground beneath him began to quake.

Tremor's began too burst forth from the volcano before him before cracks formed along the land causing showers of lava and molten rock to spew upward's into the air. But he paid it no mind as he watched the volcano

erupt once before it began to break apart from something crawling out of the earthen cavity.

Once a giant claw exploded out of the volcano the young man simply unsheathed his knife before twisting it into a reverse grip. The claw came slamming down as the volcano rumbled erratically before another claw

punched through the outer rim. Once the second claw took hold of the land the creature inside pulled itself out of the molten core of the earth allowing itself to bask in the freedom since it's long rest.

The creature was in fact, a Dragon, but not just any Dragon it was one he had been searching for as it was one of the Elder Dragon's rumored to dwell in the lowest levels of the Labyrinth. It had the body of purely cooled

molten rock with cracks of spewing lava forming the underbelly and throughout it's neck and face. It was a gargantuan of a beast, one whose very height darkened the landscape and it's wingspan spread out further casting

a veil over the land. But the object that had his interest was the giant horn on the dragon's forehead.

It reared back it's head, it's molten orbs of liquid fire stared down at the intruder with a baleful glare that would have made any less of a man run in terror.

Then...then it roared.

''RRRRRRRRAAAAGGGHHHHH!''

For a moment, Bell was almost entirely certain the roar was powerful enough to have sent a small tremor toward even Orario but, from how deep he was, he was sure it was a small one. Regardless, he moved just in time

as the resulting roar sent a shockwave that caused the ground to rupture into multiple geyser's of lava all around. Moving in a zig-zag formation, he jumped from one rock to the next before landing on a boulder in the air

before jumping off it.

Propelling himself forward his turned his gaze toward the dragon as it fully escaped the volcano and only then did he pull out his knife. The wind seemed to beck at his command as it encompassed the length of his knife

into a wind sharpened edge that only grew a few more feet in length. And as he came down on the dragon, his eyes changed, a rippled-like pattern began to form just before he clashed with the dragon.

And soon, the 69th floor of the Orario Labyrinth erupted into hellfire as the two entities clashed.