218 A Monster to topple all

This chapter is quite tense, but hopefully, it delivers

I'm sure you're all tired at this point due to the constant POV changes, but this small arc should be the only one as we already finished the Soma Familia incident Arc and some other characters' Arcs, if they can even be called that.

If everything goes as planned, the next few chapters will follow Silver's POV as he deals with some remaining problems like that.

There should be a few more things to talk about, and even a few new characters to be introduced as we make our way into the next Recruitment Arc but that's it for now.

We're likely seeing what will be thee Hestia Familia's full team for the next few years as I don't think I'll add any significant characters after this Arc, and as I said before, I don't plan on doing it again after.

We'll be gathering interesting and talented characters in preparation for the future.

I have yet to figure out how I'll deal with the 1 thing Black dragon history end of Danmachi, but I have some ideas for that.

Peace!

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/Back to the future…/

/SCREAMS!/

/SLASH!/

/CLANG!/

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!"

/CUT!/

"AHHHH!"

/CLANG!/

"N-Not even a scratch?!"

/CUT!/

"DAMMIT! NOT LIKE THIS!!!"

/SPLAT!/

"GWHAA…"

/SPLURGE!/

/CRACK!/

/BOOM!/

/SLICE…/

'Deep bellow...'

'It was hell.'

/Tremble…/

'Somewhere on the 53rd floor…'

'A group of people wearing white cloaks could be seen fighting… Or better put, being massacred by a black monster…'

'It didn't have skin… Much less flesh, it was a walking abomination of bones, a skeleton that didn't resemble any creature be it from the surface or the Dungeon.'

(Image?)

'It possessed no core, as such, it wasn't a Monster, but it behaved like one.'

'Its bones glimmered as it moved, displaying its protective invisible shell, its eyes burning red as it finished devouring another prey.'

'They darted around at high speeds, seeking its next foe.'

'It only had one purpose, to make this place devoid of all life.'

'It was the Dungeon's executioner, the beast it let loose whenever it felt pain.'

'The beast that took the lives of the Astrea Familia without resistance...'

'The Juggernaut.'

/SCREAMS!/

/Splat!/

/Clang!/

/Clang... clang.../

'Far yet close to the fight, a man ran as blood seeped onto his clothes... One of his arms having been ripped off by the fangs of the abomination they invoked upon this land.'

"Haa… Haa…"

/Breath in…/

"Shit, shit…!"

I need to...

/SCREAMS!/

Haaa...

'Hiding in the corner like a rat, the captain of the Evilus team, the one responsible for this part of the operation quickly crouched on the ground as he tried to escape from the raging monster as it purged through his subordinates...'

'Holding onto his now left shoulder, he tried to process the immense pain that penetrated his Soul, all the while he tried to keep his voice as low as possible.'

/screams.../

'He tried to close his ears, ignore the cries and the sounds of bones being torn, flesh being split, life being reaped, but with only a single hand, there wasn't much he could do.'

'Those sounds haunted him, they echoed in this forgotten labyrinth as the monster rampaged about, and it was getting near every moment.'

'He closed his eyes, feeling the dread and fear course through his skin, this was the Dungeon, and today, it displayed its fangs.'

'This was more than a monster… It was everything the Dungeon represented and more, its unending hatred for the beings that infested its body like parasites.'

T-T-The plan…

'He grasped onto a small box hidden within his chest, seemingly calming down when he did so.'

The plan… Was a success.

The Beast of Apocalypse… Was summoned.

We invoked it, the Dungeon's cry, and with it, the beast.

Albeit we failed in summoning more than one... Perhaps, it wasn't possible from the...

/SCREAMS.../

O-One is enough.

'Evilus' plan had been of using the Valgang Dragons together with strategical detonation charges to collapse all of the labyrinth floors of the Dragon's vase at the same time.'

'And even if this wasn't possible, the damage they would cause would at the very least qualify to summon the Juggernaut, or so it should in theory.'

'There was no confirmation that this would work, the only thing they had available were the faint memories Jura had of that traumatizing event he experienced 5 years ago during the Nightmare of the 24th floor...'

'That day where he tried to ambush the Astrea Familia, only to fail and spread destruction across the floor as a hundred charges of the burning stone detonated at the same time, inducing the cries of the Dungeon, and the birth of the abomination.'

'Here, they tried to emulate this situation, there was no guarantee it would work, this place wasn't the Lower floors, it was the 53rd floor.'

'Mayhaps the Juggernaut was a secret monster of the Lower floors, perhaps destruction wasn't enough to summon it or one of the many conditions that had to be present...'

'Perhaps... Something worse would appear.'

'But they invested in this plan as they believed that, if they could summon it, then the Freya Familia would die.'

'If that wasn't enough, then they would be forced to move deeper... And in there without a doubt, they would die.'

'It was a trap they walked into on their own, one created thanks to their arrogance and confidence.'

'For the plan to fail, they would have to wake up from their arrogant mentality, and was that even possible?'

/Grasp…/

I only need a chance.

'The man gulped dry as he gathered the courage to peek over the corner, as the cries of his subordinates had already ended, and the fight had likely already finished...'

'Those that fled would eventually die to stray monsters of the labyrinth, there was no way they would survive alone, here, so far below...'

'They all came here with expectations, but those were all lies they told themselves just so they could move, even if just a single step more.'

/Tremble.../

'The faint tremblings he felt from time to time were the only indications there might've been survivors, as one of the emergency plans they had was to scatter and draw as much attention from the Valgang dragons as possible so more damage could be spread around, heightening the possibility of this beast's birth.'

'But even those were starting to draw thin...'

'Eventually, no matter how much he tried, all around him... Silence echoed…'

/Badum.../

'He could hear his own heartbeat.'

"..."

"..."

'After some time, he decided that it was time for him to move and finish what they had started, his body was starting to grow weak, if he was to move, it would have to be now.'

'But when he finally turned, he saw a pair of red eyes stare at him.'

'As they looked at each other, he saw his life flash…'

'Or perhaps, it was something else.'

/BOOOOM!/

"?!"

ARG!

'When he thought everything was over, a massive pillar of red flames struck from bellow, and the Juggernaut was forced to jump aside as the protective barrier around its body flared, reflecting the Valgang Dragon's breath attack back.'

'As for the man, his skin started to burn as he felt the intensity of the red flames... Sending him back slightly.'

"HAAA!"

'But this was exactly the chance he needed, so he left his hiding spot after stabilizing himself, jumping in the air after the immobile Juggernaut.'

'In the air, it couldn't evade, but the same could be said for him.'

'The beast gazed at his approaching figure, analyzing his every move just like a hawk staring down at mice on the floor.'

/Crack!/

'What the man didn't expect was that the Juggernaut was much faster than him, even though it jumped rather awkwardly, it still managed to reach a pillar and stabilize its body.'

'So now, the only one at a disadvantage was him... He was the perfect target.'

"..."

Goodbye...

'As he slowly approached the beast, he closed his eyes, already knowing what awaited him, the flesh slices on the ground whispered to him the fate that awaited him.'

'He even believed that he could hear voices, calling onto him... It was his turn to die.'

'But he didn't feel regret, his life was already forfeited.'

'From the moment he joined the cause he knew what his end would be, it was only a matter of when.'

'From the moment he decided to move on to the afterlife, all life on the surface was meaningless as he had now chosen to ally with those he once scorned.'

'The day the curse embedded itself in his veins and he felt his powers grow, he knew he didn't have much time left.'

'He had only a single desire, to accomplish his mission so he could go to heaven with glory and have his wish made true...'

'As he wished to see someone one last time.'

/Open!/

'In the air, he opened the box, revealing a unique round jewel of mysterious origins.'

'Inside the jewel was a strange fetus of an unknown monster…'

(Image)

"ROAR!"

'Perhaps feeling the danger of the box, the Juggernaut's pupils contracted as it tried to swipe its tail and send him away instead of using its claws to cut him to pieces.'

'But little did it know, this was exactly what the man wanted.'

/BAM!/

/SPLAT!/

'The tail's impact was so strong and fast that it almost split him in two, sending pieces of his body across the sky, but in this act, the jewel touched it, and it started to fuse with its body…'

'Like a virus, once it made contact, it quickly spread in the blink of an eye, not even giving the Juggernaut time to process what had happened.'

"ROARRRR!"

'An earsplitting roar shook the floor as the Juggernaut lost its grasp from the pillar, falling into the hole beneath as it transformed into something even more terrifying…'

…

/Below…/

/SPLIT!/

'The Freya Familia's expedition cleaved through an army of monsters as they reached for the entrance of the 59th floor.'

'This was the 58th floor, the base of the Dragon's vase...'

'Armies of monsters shaped the sky and land in this hellish landscape that went as far as the eye could see.'

'Dragons flew over their heads, diving in whenever they saw an opportunity, opening their massive jaws to spew fire and swallow them whole.'

'Strange insects burrowed in the sand, waiting for them to step into range and drag them to their deaths.'

'Beasts of all kinds swarmed them like flies.'

/SLASH!/

'Ottar easily cleaved through the monsters with his Ultra Greatsword...'

/PIERCE!/

'Allen quickly punctured anything on his path with his Platinum Spear.'

/CUT!/

'Hogni bifurcated all creatures that were too unfortunate to stay in his path with his Cursed Sword.'

/BZZZ!/

'And Heidin cast his potent lightning magic, charring all monsters on the horizon as a torrent of thunder balls crashed from the skies like comets.'

"HAAA!"

'The ones suffering the most were the brothers as their Levels were barely enough to be here, all monsters were around the same level as them...'

'But they weren't your ordinary Level 5s.'

/SLASH!/

/PIERCE!/

/CUT!/

/SPLAT!/

'Together, they weren't just 4, they were an entire party.'

'And albeit it seemed the situation was chaotic and unruly, it was actually pretty tamed and contained.'

'Soon enough, the Freya Familia would go into the unknown...'

'But something was wrong…'

/SPLAT!/

/CUT!/

'Even as he cut monster after monster, Ottar kept gazing up, as if waiting for something to appear, his eyes sharp as he tried to scan the darkness for any strange movements.'

'This greatly confused everyone, and it didn't take long for one of them to ask:'

"Is something up there?" Hedin asked with a frown as he finished casting another volley of lightning bolts

/BOOM!/

/CUT!/

"Did you hear it? That cry?" Ottar asked as he split apart a massive Valgang Dragon in a single swipe

"The one that happened not so long ago? I did… And it was certainly unusual, but is there anything special about it?"

"..."

/SPLAT!/

'Ottar slammed his fist sideways, smashing a massive scorpion sting into pieces.'

/STOMP!/

'He then squished the massive scorpion that was hiding in the red sandy ground...'

/SLASH!/

'He swung his sword, as a large crowd of monsters was pulverized as a powerful airwave threw them away from him.'

"That cry… Be prepared for trouble." Ottar voiced out seriously

'Ottar rarely spoke in such a tone, much less of a monster in such a way.'

"Trying to act mysterious..." Allen spoke with a snicker, but his hands clasped his spear even further

'He was smarter than that, acting cocky towards his words was the epitome of stupidity.'

'His words were enough to make everyone get on their guard…'

/ROARRRRRRRRRRRR!/

""?!""

/Tremble!!/

'From the skies, something seemed to be falling… A red ball of some kind?'

'As it fell, the ball twisted and turned, and it didn't take long for them to realize that... It wasn't a ball, it was an amalgamation of flesh.'

'As it fell, the ball slowly grew thinner, taking on the shape of a reddish creature without skin whose flesh seemed to be constantly seeping blood, wriggling as if alive.'

'Due to the distance, it gave the illusion that it slowly fell from a hole in the ceiling...'

'At the very least, they finally understood why Ottar was looking up.'

'Its body shape was irregular, like a wolf's but its legs were distorted, and its head was like that of a dragon's.'

/GLARE!/

'The strange creature finally opened its eyes, immediately noticing them below it.'

'Its glaring white eyes stared down at them from above with unending bloodlust…'

"ROAAARRRR!"

"URG?!"

'Its presence was so overwhelming that the Pallum brothers immediately saw themselves falling to their knees as they gasped for air.'

'If it wasn't for their extreme will, they would've fallen unconscious immediately, and that might've been how they'd die.'

"What is that?!"

My heart…

'Allen's eyes opened wide as he stopped moving, as for the first time in a long time… He felt fear.'

'His body reacted, his fur was on its ends, and his body started to tremble as he took a step back, unconsciously entering a defensive stance.'

"..."

'Hedin let his glasses fall as his eyes shook, but he soon bit his lips as he started to chant something, understanding the severity of the situation…'

'Magical power flared around him as he poured in everything he had, there was no time to joke around.'

'Albeit he was the cruelest and most pragmatic of them all, he also understood when to stop and give in.'

'And he immediately understood that this wasn't something they should look down on!'

"S… Suffocating…"

'Hogni took a step back in fear as well, but seeing his arch nemesis chant, he also started his own after stuttering a few times…'

"Allen!" Ottar exclaimed loudly as he grasped his sword with his two hands

"D-Don't need to tell me!!" He screamed in anger as he started to run

/CUT!/

'Allen sobered up, slashing all around him violently, splitting all monsters as he tried to buy time for his companions to chant.'

'His body became faster and faster as he build up speed, it was time to run like never before.'

/SMASH!/

"WAKE UP YOU TWERKS!! THIS ISN'T THE FUCKING TIME TO SLEEP!" He screamed as he kicked one of the brothers in the gut before continuing his rush

"GWARG?!..."

"Haa… Haa…"

'While one of the brothers was kicked away, the others slowly rose from the ground, blood seeping from their lips, it seemed they all had the same idea of biting their tongue to wake up from their stunned state.'

'But they would never admit that it was Allen's desperate scream that made them snap out of it.'

"Wh… What is… That damn monster?" One of them asked in between gasps as he looked up

'The beast was approaching…'

"... It's a Juggernaut." Ottar claimed as his grip on his sword tightened

"The Dungeon's executioner." He spoke with some nostalgia

'This was his first time facing it, however, he wasn't unfamiliar with its existence.'

'Long ago he heard stories of it, dreaming of facing it one day, but due to limitations, he never got the chance to face it.'

'Today, it seemed fate had brought them together... It was time to prove himself into an enemy of the past, as those that he once looked up to were not there anymore to see it.'

'But this also said something to Ottar, as he started to realize what was the strange feeling he was having.'

'They weren't alone in this place, at least, they weren't at first.'

'Ottar didn't believe they were this creature's first target...'

Something is wrong, its appearance isn't the same...

'But he shook his head, whatever it looked like right now was irrelevant.'

"Magic is ineffective against this monster, it possesses a protective barrier that deflects all incoming magic back to its caster." He spoke quickly as he weighed in the options, formulating a strategy in his head

'He wasn't just a mountain of muscle, Ottar became who he was through a combination of Force and Strategy.'

'To be King, one must excel at everything...'

""!""

'Everyone was shocked.'

"Until the barrier is down…"

'Ottar didn't need to say anything else, they all understood.'

"Laurus Hildr!" Hedin exclaimed as a golden magical circle flared beneath his foot, covering dozens of meters of ground

/Thunder!/

'Golden armor enveloped Ottar as lightning surged, and he immediately felt his strength increase.'

'This was Hedin's third Magic, a rare, super short chant, lightning enchantment magic.'

'It boasts an incredible potency that distinguishes it from normal enchantment magic, making it almost comparable to Ais' Ariel, even if most don't know about it.'

'It materializes around its target in the form of lightning armor that grants them great protection, specializing in both power and speed.'

'Not only that, it possesses an unusual penetrating power that fills the target's body with Hedin's lightning, causing their attacks to create electrical discharges on both offense and defense, causing the opponent to slowly accumulate damage regardless if they make direct contact with them or not.'

'And in addition to greatly increasing movement speed, it also improves the target's reaction speed and perception, while also fully healing the target when applied.'

'Hedin cannot cast it on himself and can only use it on people he has recognized. And lastly, it requires him to use all of his remaining Mind in order to cast it.'

(Wiki)

'As such, casting it also signifies his trust in someone else, as its not that different from putting his life on their hands.'

/Thud/

'And as expected, upon casting it, Hedin fell to his knees, but not without a fight, as he immediately got back up as one of his hands made way to his fallen glasses.'

'Once his glasses were back in place, he took out a small potion vial from his waist, gulping its contents down without hesitation.'

"Unleash, king of the magic sword…"

'But he wasn't the only one chanting at this moment…'

"Compensation of reason, offering of fresh blood." Hogni spoke as his eyes sharpened

"Until the end of the banquet - slaughter."

'Just as Hedin finished his own chant, Hogni finished his.'

/Shaa…/

'Nothing seemed to change, no special effects, no glaring magic effects…'

'But Hogni's Aura had greatly altered.'

'Pulling down his mask, Hogni stared up without a single shred of fear, like a proud champion facing down a beast being sent by the Gods.'

'This was Hogni's unique magic, Dáinsleif.'

'Dáinsleif is a short chant magic that allows Hogni to embody his best mental image of himself.'

'It invokes his most powerful version possible, transforming him into his ideal self, effectively turning him into a ruthless warrior of legend.'

'Dainsleif does not grant Hogni an increase in his abilities, limiting itself to only changing his personality, contrary to other self-boosting Skills and Magic of the same type.'

'Nevertheless, the magic increases his combat prowess by removing all of his mental limiters, allowing him to make complete use of his full power and mental capabilities.'

'As due to his cowardly nature, Hogni needs to use his magic to fight with maximum efficiency against powerful opponents, sometimes employing it even against weak opponents to overcome his nervousness.'

'It is a magic that looks and feels useless, but it completes the top tier Warrior known as the Black Knight of the White and Black Knights.'

"OWWWHAAAAA!"

/BOOM!/

'Screaming with all his might, Ottar forcibly beastified, raising all of his Stats past the limits of a Level 7 and into the legendary realm of 8.'

'This transformation blew the air around him as if an explosion had rung, blowing stone and dust all around him as his expression turned extremely fierce.'

'This was Ottar's Skill, Vana Arganture. Simply put, it allowed him to beastify whenever necessary at the cost of both Stamina and Mind.'

'And together with Hedin's enchantment, Ottar's strength had reached terrifying levels...'

"ROAAAAR!"

'Despite all of this, the transformed Juggernaut had absolutely no intention of letting them go as it opened its bloody mouth in the air...'

/BLAST!/

'It released a powerful shockwave that threatened to flatten them all!'

/BOOOM!/

'But a series of golden lightning orbs intercepted it, they were obviously Hedin's first magic, Caelus Hildr...'

"Silver moon's mercy, the golden wilderness."

'Ottar raised his sword, pointing it towards the Juggernaut as he took a stance, his hair floating slightly due to the combination of his Skill and Hedin's magic.'

"This body is destined for the wild boar of the war."

'His voice was stiff, not being melodic at all, but it carried immense momentum...'

"Run through, carry the goddess' will..."

'His sword started to flash in strong golden light...'

/BOOOM!/

/TREMBLE!/

'The Juggernaut crashed against the earth, and immediately after, a flash occurred as it started rushing forward.'

'It pierced through the dust clouds as a bolt of lightning, leaving behind a red afterimage.'

'The brothers couldn't see it, Allen could only gasp at its frightening speed...'

'The only thing they could all do was retreat behind Ottar, as the strike he was about to unleash wouldn't differentiate between allies and foes...'

/ROAAAAAAR!/

"Hildis Vini!"

/SHINE!/

'Finishing his chant, Ottar swung his sword downward as he intercepted the terrific monster!'

/BOOOOM!/

'And they clashed, turning the whole world upside down, sending everyone flying away...'

...

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Notes

How strong do you think this transformed Juggernaut is?

And how strong is Ottar with everything he has at his disposal used on him?

Do you think it would be okay for them to defeat this monster without difficulties?

Should someone die or at least fatally injured?

Was Evilus' plan that narrow minded?

Anyway, peace.