What happens after a War?

So, I was supposed to post the side chapters now, but I decided to continue for a little while first.

In case you guys want to see them first, tell me in the comments.

But be warned, both side chapters are pretty big, so I would remain a few days without posting, to give myself some rest.

Also, as you'll all see, this chapter is still within Volume 4.

I'll do like I did before, and say we're in the Intervolumes.

Though different from before, I won't start Volume 5 right away, I wanted to have some things end before that.

After that's done, I'll start Volume 5.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say.

Thank you for reading, peace!

------------

Join my Discord!

//discord.gg/zpAgtPBAMK

If you wish to support this series, take a look at my P@treon.

//www.p@treon.com/join/AbadomWriter?

You can also find the links on my Disc@rd in case it doesn't work here.

And if you are bored, remember to check my other Novels.

(Including the one on my other account, its called: Azimuth: The Elden Throne

You can also find it by searching for my other account: Follower_of_Abadom)

-----------

PS: If you are interested, we achieved another Goal on P@treon, and one of the things I do is increase the number of chapters to all Tiers for free, so if you're interested, we already went over 3 goals, and all Tiers received quite a bit of extra chapters by now, so it may be a good time to check it out again if you're interested.

Especially if you are a fan of Zero fate, all Tiers have access to all advanced chapters of that story, with the newest goal, its 5 chapters, of course, I have to make them yet lol.

Life is hard.

.

.

.

---------

/Thud…/

/Thud…/

'Slowly but surely, Silver made his way back home.'

'Each step was more solid than the other as he recovered his strength and energy, while also getting used to his current predicament...'

'The fact that he had lost his eyesight, together with his arms.'

'He even noticed how his eardrums had been somewhat damaged, though that was easily fixed by spraying some Elixir down there.'

'The marvel of potions was surely very convenient.'

'If his hearing wasn't enough, his ears had also been partly erased due to the flames, but as they were purely cartilage, they were easier to recover, a day or two should suffice, and until then, using his powers to hide it should be enough.'

'It may even be applicable to question... If his powers are based on body alteration, was he even hurt right now?'

'It could be said this is just a temporary appearance, and by changing it, voila, he isn't hurt anymore... If only it was that simple.'

'Maintaining a changed appearance takes focus and energy, something that degrades over time.'

'For now, the only thing he wanted was to go back home and enjoy this victory with everyone… And then rest.'

'Albeit he understood very well that it wasn't the time for that...'

'He would have to think about his future later, from how he'll move forward with his current body to how he's going to fix it… And in the meantime, deal with the consequences of this War game.'

'There were many things to go over…'

'Making sure Ishtar would pay for her actions to seeing how the other Familias would deal with them as well… Including how 'those' people will react.'

'There was also the bets he made… Once again, he bet on his overwhelming victory, he couldn't let the money escape.'

/Stops.../

"Huff… I'm starting to feel tired all of the sudden…" Silver mumbled as he rested his back on an alley's wall

What's happening this time?

'He touched his head to see if there was anything wrong with it, but his temperature was okay...'

I feel heavier than usual as if I got a strong cold.

It's been a while since I got sick, I wonder if I still can...

'Breathing heavily, he shook his head, continuing to move forward, remembering the long past when he was a child.'

'A time when he trained daily with his grandparents, a time where it was normal for him to grow sick.'

I'm almost there, as long as I'm there, it'll be okay.

I need a bath and some rest… I can do the rest after I'm done with those.

'Dusting his clothes, he smiled slightly.'

"In the end… It all went well."

I had many backup plans in case things went awry…

To use curse items… Traps… Extreme Poison and Toxins…

Things that would make people frown, but I was ready to throw that away for the sake of victory and my life... At least I think I was, my actions didn't really reflect that.

In the end, I did it, I beat her in single combat…

A fight to the bitter end, my body versus hers.

The reason she lost was that she neglected the most important aspect of an adventurer, balance.

Strength without control... A sturdy body, but at the cost of her agility...

She was a tank in every sense of the word, unfortunately, she wasn't unbreakable.

Though it's not I won without some losses...

Had she been faster instead of tanky, coupled with her strength, then things would've been bad, and I wouldn't be able to guarantee victory.

If her mental condition was sturdy, then she wouldn't have panicked towards the end, and neither would she have hesitated nor misused her strength, giving me many openings.

Though if she didn't have her Magic resistance, defeating her would've been that much easier, even if she were better in all those aspects.

Maybe if she tried to grow stronger instead of relaxing, she would have more Skills and perhaps even a Magic Spell.

"I should thank Ishtar for that."

I guess no matter how much she thought about this, she never predicted that I could face Phryne at all, she probably believed I was still the same boy that fought Apollo.

Even if stronger, my strength was being boosted by Haruhime's Magic, so she undervalued me.

Everything was built upon her misconceptions, her arrogance, and Phryne's Pride.

Otherwise, she would've sent her top warrior from the start, and even if I defeated her, it would've been a pain to deal with Tammuz like this.

Not that I would lose, but it would be bad to just fall onto the ground after everything was over.

I trust Ganesha to protect me, but at the same time...

'Silver always kept his guard up for possible interventions, he didn't know what sort of plans those in the dark had, but they could move on him at any minute…'

'He wasn't exactly talking about Evilus, but about the world itself.'

'Almost all First Class adventurers were once hunted down and marked for assassination, given bounties for some fool to try to take on…'

'Did he have one? Were there bounty hunters wanting to gut him open?'

'Silver was hard pressed, if there were some, wouldn't now be the best time to act?'

'Defeat the hurt warrior that made the impossible and rise in fame… Or infamy…'

'But for an assassin, Infamy and fame are one and the same.'

'They just need one good hit while he was down and they would go down in history...'

"Sigh…"

/Gulp!.../

'Silver took down a small water bottle from his pocket space, drinking its contents to satisfy his thirst.'

After this fight… How should I classify myself?

Am I a top First Class adventurer? A top Level 5 combatant…

Or am I something above that?

Should I even try to classify myself like that? Given what I can do and what I can bring?

"How tiring…"

'Seeing he had arrived at the end of his alley, Silver vanished once more to another alley in the distance.'

…

/At the same time inside the Hearth Manor…/

/CHEEEERS!/

'A party was going on as everyone screamed around, some even crying.'

'Some of the light-hearted girls even straight up fell unconscious, either due to the gore of watching her captain burn himself alive, lose a few limbs prior to decapitating a woman, or merely at how exciting seeing him do it was.'

'From a moment of extreme pressure to relaxation… It can knock someone out rather easily.'

'It didn't matter how serious they were, they were all cheering… In their own ways.'

"Haaa..."

The flames that consume yet give meaning...

The price he had to pay... But in the end, he persevered... As always.

'Cassandra collapsed on the ground with a silly smile, sweat on her face, her hair disheveled as she thought about her dreams.'

'She started to realize, that she was having more and more dreams, and most of them end up being related to him... She wondered why.'

'Was there an underlying reason for that, or was it merely because he was always in some sort of danger?'

'For now, she only wanted to forget it all and rest a little, and this time, she didn't want to have a nightmare... Was it too much to ask?'

"Crazy guy..."

'Daphne held Cassandra by the arms, trying to help her up... But she still looked up, as if she could see him there…'

'Though the projection had already vanished, she saw herself imagining the fight all over.'

'Her expression was of complete and utter shock, she couldn't believe what she had seen.'

'She turned her face to the other people, and her expression twisted a little.'

That son of a... Look at what he's teaching them...

If this continues they'll all try to do something similar... What a headache.

He is... Strange, so he can do those things... But them...

'She felt her tongue lock, how was she supposed to tell them they can't throw themselves onto a fire like moths to a flame and survive?'

'They weren't "that special" yet...'

'In the end, she passed the burden to her future self, right now, she didn't have the heart to break their dreams of glory and happiness.'

'She wasn't the only one with such complex emotions, each of them took this in their own ways…'

"HELL YEAH!!! CAPTAIN KICKS ASS!!!" One of the triplets exclaimed as he got on top of a table

"Oi brat! Get down from there!"

"No! I refuse! From now on I'm..."

/THUD!/

'Igva, the Amazon, threw a small paper roll on the boy's face, sending him tumbling down, his eyes spinning.'

"Don't dirt the dinner table with your stinky foot." She said with a helpless smile

/Laughter/

'They laughed, the older of the triplets shook his head, the youngest covered his mouth, laughing at his brother's misfortune...'

'But amidst them, there was one person that wasn't cheering… Their Goddess.'

'She was also extremely shocked, but more than anything, she was concerned.'

'She wanted to smile like them as well, her excitement was likely higher than theirs combined…'

'But she saw something she couldn't believe…'

"I was likely mistaken..."

'Yet, as she saw her children commemorate, she decided to set aside those thoughts… She had a job to do…'

'Looking up as well, she smiled.'

"Good work."

Silver.

'Small tears forming in the corners of her eyes, she shook them off as she turned to her Familia.'

"EVERYBODY! He'll be coming back soon! Let's get this party started!"

/CHEERS!/

'They all started to move, preparing to welcome their Captain.'

'It was a time to rejoice in the Hestia Familia, a new page in their book, one that it was time to flip.'

'A new chapter in their story.'

…

"This should be enough." Silver mumbled as he looked at a small ice mirror he made

'His previous ragged look was gone, being replaced by a man in good clothes.'

(Image?)

'Although he still had some bandages around his body, his skin injuries had been quite severe, and even with the help of the Elixirs, terrible scars were left behind.'

'He planned on clearing those over time since despite the fact he didn't mind scars on his body, treating them as good memories.'

'Though he also valued his body's aesthetics.'

'So these burn scars were a bit over the top for him.'

"It feels weird to do it like this..." Silver said as he raised his arm...

'Indeed, he even had his eyes and arms back, though those were nothing more than a tangible "cover-up", they didn't hold the same power or functionality as his true limbs had.'

'He merely made himself presentable as he didn't want to appear in front of everyone with a bloodied bandana and two missing arms while having multiple first, second, and third-degree burns… As if he had returned from a bloody and miserable war.'

'It wouldn't do good for them.'

"I need to get into the mood, if I return like a beaten dog I'll break their spirit."

Albeit... How much money did I just throw away drowning myself in potions?

/Chuckle.../

I think I've drank more potions than beer by now.

'Even if he wanted to show that yes he was human and that he also suffered greatly from this encounter, he also had to account for other things.'

'Over time he would show them his injuries, still, that would be better than a flat-out "I'm a cripple now" line.'

"My body's all stiff… I feel like an old man." He said as he stretched his back

I want to sleep… But I have so much to do.

"But… They're waiting for me… I'm sure of it."

'Silver walked out of the alley, making his way to his home.'

…

/At the same time.../

'The Gods slowly left Babel, almost all with lingering excitement.'

"I won't be able to forget this for a while..." A male God without hair spoke as he looked up

"Hey, should we go visit Ishtar? See how she's doing and all of that?" A God with a rat-like face replied, having a sneaky expression as he spoke with the other God

"Wow, man... If you want to poke a beehive, go by yourself, don't pull me down with ya."

"I'm just kidding, I'm sure she would claw my eyes out if I were to make fun of her now... But still... Are we supposed to... You know?"

"... I was thinking about that, but seeing how no one spoke about it, I have the lingering impression they'll bring it soon, likely tomorrow."

"We'll be having a meeting tomorrow?"

"Of course, we will, it's protocol to have a meeting like this after a War game..."

'The bald God's expression sharpened.'

"Besides... I'm sure this will be an equally interesting day."

"!"

'The other God suddenly understood...'

"Of course... His Allias... Oh boy, that'll be a hard one, I can already think of some juicy ideas..."

"You better keep it down now, Hestia isn't the same as before... If she gets pissed..."

"Do you think she would do it?"

"I prefer stability..." The bald God said with a helpless expression

"As always, you're such a bore... But I gotcha ya, I'll let the others pave the way."

'With a solemn expression, the rat-faced God said:'

"From now on, we'll have to treat her in a similar way we treated Ishtar."

'After all, today they saw what they wanted to see the most, the impossible.'

'Level 3 versus Level 6, its result was supposed to be determined merely by that.'

'Yet, in the end... There was no way this could've gone better.'

'For them who seek entertainment, this show is without a doubt the greatest they had seen.'

'But this also meant something else... The birth of a giant, one that had started to crawl.'

"..."

'Not all were like that of course…'

/Atop Babel.../

"... Hermes…" Vultus asked in a heavy tone as he looked at the Gods

"..."

'But the blond God said nothing, instead, he looked at the city below the tower, gazing at it with a dark expression.'

'Vultus sighed, turning his face to look at Asfi, but she shrugged as well, she couldn't understand why he had become like that.'

'It was extremely rare to see Hermes so pensive like that, so serious, what was he thinking?'

'She could only wander… And wait.'

…

/Step step…/

'At the same time below, as the Gods moved, a pair made their way across the streets, drawing many eyes as they walked.'

'A woman with Silvery hair and eyes, ones that shimmered in purple light as she blinked...'

'Followed by a tall man with bulging muscles.'

(N1)

/Step step…/

'Silently, they walked, one in front, the other on the back, like her shadow, tracing her movement almost instinctively.'

"..."

'Ottar looked at his Goddess, and despite her silence, he could tell exactly what she was thinking.'

'Extreme desire, excitement…'

'Her expression may be neutral, but her silence said a lot already.'

'The way she walked and her bodily expressions, they lacked focus, meaning it was elsewhere…'

'He couldn't blame her, that was also replaying in his mind.'

… Burn asunder…

'Ottar closed his eyes momentarily, thinking deeply… And he eventually remembered his own past.'

'He also challenged those above him many times before, but unlike Silver, he failed time and time again, and when he saw himself capable of taking them down, they disappeared, their legacy was all that remained…'

'Together with a question that to this day he is without an answer.'

'Why?... How?...'

'When they reappeared in front of him, he only saw a broken reflection of their past selves, incapable of understanding how they've become like this.'

'It plagues him to this day, why?'

"?"

'He suddenly opened his eyes, as without him realizing, he followed Freya all the back to their Manor, their home, Folkvangr.'

'Folkvangr is a huge mansion that has a solemn structure similar to a temple, and it's located around the center of the business area in the Southern section of Orario.'

(Image?)

'It was actually pretty close to Ishtar's home as the Entertainment District could be said to be part of the business area of Orario.'

'The Manor covers a large area and is surrounded by four large walls, it has a garden large enough for all Familia members to assemble in. The sight of it displays the Freya Familia's wealth, power, and honor.'

"..."

'Although his expression did not change, he blamed himself for dropping his guard for so long, it wasn't his style to get so lost in his thoughts… Especially in the open like this.'

'He found it difficult to focus for long, his mind trailing back onto the fight whenever he lost it.'

"Hm?"

'While he tried to correct himself, Freya turned her head slightly, because in front of the large entrance to her home were a few people… 7 to be exact.'

'They were all fully geared, as if ready for war.'

(Images?)

'A dark elf in edgy clothes, holding an even edgier black and red sword.'

'A blond High elf in noble wizard clothes, holding a double-edged Rhomphaia and fixing his glasses as he looked forward.'

'A very angry-looking cat boy holding a spear, his armor very minimalistic geared towards lightness and maneuverability.'

'And a group of 4 Pallums wearing golden armor, the only way to differentiate them was through the color of their waist cloths, each had their own unique color, and their weapons as each held a unique weapon.'

'A hammer, a sword, a spear, and an axe.'

"..."

'Ottar's eyes opened slightly as he looked at them, he knew exactly what they wanted.'

'No words seemed to be needed, but the white elf still took a step forward to inform her that they would be going to the Dungeon for a few days.'

'Freya could stop them if she wanted to, but she only asked if they had everything ready, like a mother would ask her child if it was bringing everything in its bag before sending it off to school.'

'After a few brief words, she saw them off…'

/Silence.../

"You can go as well, Ottar." Freya spoke, breaking the silence

'But Ottar immediately replied:'

"No… Someone must stay..."

"Ottar."

'Freya turned to look at her champion.'

"They're waiting for you."

"... Understood."

'Although he didn't say it, Ottar really wanted to go, he needed to sort his thoughts.'

'His fighting spirit had been ignited by the fight he saw, and this was greatly distracting him.'

'Different from him, those guys ended up succumbing to their wishes, complete lack of responsibility, leaving the Familia open…'

'Regardless, it seemed this had come to her eyes, he had once again failed at keeping his cool… Or in the first place, there was no point in trying to.'

'Ottar accepted her words, getting inside the Manor to grab his equipment as he switched to a more appropriate set of garments.'

'He didn't know when he would be back, as it normally went like that.'

'But this time, he felt like wanting to go beyond… Could he do it?'

"..."

Is it time already?

'No, he would do it.'

'Towards the 59th floor…'

…

"Hm…"

'Freya watched as Ottar left, armor equipped, a bag full of supplies, and his iconic ultra-large swords... Tough one bag would barely suffice for an expedition.'

'She wondered when they all would be back, but she was interested to see how much they would grow this time.'

'It was rare to see them like this, it's almost as if they were going on an Expedition, and in a sense, they would.'

'Though not a conventional one... It was more of a competition to see who would dive the furthest.'

'They would kill everything on their way, moving together...'

'Somewhere along the way, the Pallum brothers would have to stop, they had just recently leveled up, a month or two before Ais and her group, so they could only go so far.'

'Then it would be a competition to see who amidst the Level 6s could keep up with Ottar's momentum... And who would last the longest.'

'All while pulling each other down.'

'Even in the dangerous Dungeon, they would fight and compete with each other as their dreams were as big as the moon hung in the sky.'

'It might sound cruel, but Freya allowed such behavior, encouraging it.'

'The thing she wanted the most was to see her children succeed with their ambitions, no matter how impossible they seem, she would support them.'

'And to succeed in that, they needed to have the determination to do so, else they would only hurt themselves in the long run.'

'Isn't that right?...'

...

/Later.../

"I wonder… What did he see?" She mumbled as she looked at the window

'Freya now sat on her favorite couch, half naked as she had just taken a shower.'

What made your expression twist?...

Hermes.

"..."

/Grasp…/

'Behind her, a woman with long platinum hair clenched her fists, mixed emotions on her face as she closed her eyes.'

'What was she thinking about?'

…

.

.

.

Notes

N1->

Actually, in the Novels, Freya has silver eyes like Silver, but in the anime, they made them Purple, so I decided to mix that.

Depending on the angle, her eyes could be any of the two colors, or when she is using her powers, or anything of the like.

I think them sharing an eye color could become an interesting line for the future.

-----

Before you go, how about some speculation regarding his new Alias?

Since it may take a while for it to appear, I could also change it if a proper one was introduced to me.

I tried to research many things, even mythology related to Hestia, but it doesn't have to be related to her for it to be proper.

Bell was the Little Rokkie and then the Rabbit foot.

Anyway, goodbye, have a nice evening!

(More images?)