Well done.

Pretending to watch the surroundings, I eavesdropped on Bella and the trio's discussion. 

The Viking came forward, shielding the child with his body. He was fucking huge, around 6'6". Armed with an old-looking sword and a round wooden shield, his gear didn't look like it was part of the free weapons. 

"Why would we join you, Southerner? That man attacked me because we rejected him." 

Her voice was clear and heroic, but it was obvious that she was a woman. The female Viking's leather armor hid her breasts. Even her helmet covered her entire face, which helped to mask her true gender. 

"That may be true. But my sisters saved you under his orders. If not us, do you still intend to return to your former allies?" Bella countered. 

"We are no longer with those wankers! Those dickheads should just get stuffed! That ranga slag wanted to cop a root and threw me away because I refused!" the kid cursed, sounding hurt. 

'He was speaking English, right? Not even {Interpret} could translate it properly.' 

The kid had white hair and an androgynous face. I can't tell if his voice was undergoing the changes of puberty or if he was actually a girl. He didn't have any breasts but had toned muscles, which indicated an active lifestyle. The kid held two daggers as weapons. 

"Right, you would be crazy to return to them. But more importantly, you three need medical attention. You're not in good shape," Bella answered while nodding. 

"Our current state aside, are you insane, Southerner? How do you intend to fight a D-rank undead without even a single Phantom?" the Viking challenged in an imposing manner. 

I had no idea what the hell Bella was doing. But at 5'6", there was a full foot of difference in their heights, yet my petite partner didn't shrink back. 

The Brazilian replied just as fiercely, "That D-rank is most likely the boss. Meaning if we fail to kill it before sunrise, everyone here will die. Do you intend to leave your fate in the hands of another, Northerner?" 

'Wait, what? We die if they don't kill it? What the fuck?! And what the hell is a Northerner?' 

At that moment, the ninja came forward with a katana drawn. This person should be a man as his chest was flat, although his build looked a bit too slim. 

In the sexiest voice I have ever heard, the Ninja asked, "How do you intend to accomplish your claims? The two from earlier used {Soul Breakers}. Meaning they are dead and only the two of you remain. You both are poorly armed and appear to be Formless. Are you expecting a flower to bloom from stone?" 

'Okay, well, fuck me. The ninja is also a she.' 

The ninja who sounded like a Japanese hentai actress wore a black ninja outfit with a violet shawl. Apart from her eyes, she covered her entire body. Kunai or throwing knives were also adorned on her thighs. Compared to us, they indeed had a well-armed group. 

"We are, the same as you. But get one thing straight, chink, we do not need you. It's just that we understand your situation. You must have tried so hard to fit in, no? And yet you still got abandoned like trash, shinobi? I imagine your pride is in tatters, right?" Bella asserted. 

"It was my fault, not Aki's, you slagger! We might be Formless, but we can still run circles around you and your wombat over there! What the hell can you wankers even do?" 

The ninja, or Aki, placed her hand on the kid's head to calm her down. 

"Robyn, you have done no wrong in standing up for yourself. Even if he didn't try to force himself on you, Liv and I would have left, so stop blaming yourself." 

Okay, so the kid is definitely a woman, and it seems Red tried to rape her. The more I heard, the more I wanted to murder the bastard. Should I tell them what he did to me to have a common enemy? 

Before I could ask Bella, she stepped forward toward the Viking, the one supposedly named Liv. 

"See? Even the child is braver than you. Northerner, since when did your kind cower in the face of rank? Are you not the shame of your house? Why not help us take the boss down to regain at least some of your honor?" 

The towering Liv didn't answer immediately, but then soon exhaled in defeat. 

"For a Southerner, you seem surprisingly adept at our affairs. Indeed, they exiled me because I am Formless. But are you aware of how insane your plan is? Is that man your lover? Or is he your king? How can he command such faith from you?" Liv pointed out. 

With a lovely smile, my partner answered with conviction harder than steel. "Both, I am his right hand and his woman. My honey will become the 8th Revenant. Leader of the Formless and, one day, be the strongest Revenant. You saw the conviction of my sisters, right?" 

"They were Descendants from Europe, correct? If such people are willing to die for him, then I can only surmise he must be an excellent master. I also want to get even. Very well then, for the rest of the battle, I pledge my sword to your banner. Aki Miroku, shinobi, at your service." 

"King of the Formless, huh? Moreover, you wish to be the strongest of the Revenants as Formless. Show me then a fight worthy of a Revenant. Liv Ivaldi, Shield-maiden, let us welcome death together!" 

"Strewth, whatever! Robyn Lithgow, Combat Joey, sorry for calling you a wombat." 

Aki kneeled like a ninja from the old-school Asian flicks. Liv slammed her sword onto her shield and then performed a slight bow. Robyn performed an Australian salute, extending her palm outward. 

Bella came beside me and whispered so only I could hear. "A shinobi is a warrior from Japan, trained in stealth and assassination. Northerners are the Reapers from Antarctica. Their culture is based on Norse mythology. Combat Joeys are child soldiers from the Australian Syndicates." 

Holy shit, Hellsgate was a hodgepodge of cultures. It was fortunate that I had Bella. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know how to talk to these people. 

"You were amazing, Mrs. Code. Thank you for your efforts." 

"You are welcome, Honey, and I did it in under five minutes to boot; aren't I amazing?" 

"Indeed, well done" I praised. 

'Let's welcome them for now. If I want to earn their recognition, I should perform.' 

Bella raised the bar and used the {Soul Breakers} to convince them of my majesty. Luckily, it worked out. Bella had a talent for negotiation. 

"Pleased to meet you, Liv, Aki, Robyn. I am John Smith. I will kill the redhead and his entire assault group for their debt to me and you. Afterwards, I will snatch the brute from the gorilla. Let's have fun while we are together." 

At this point, Jo and Jas finally arrived. Jo immediately ran toward me and hugged me. Liv and Aki both got slack-jawed upon seeing them. 

"Did you see how awesome we were, Darling? Praise me! Praise me!" she chirped. 

I gave her a quick embrace before pushing her away from me; I then sent a chop to her head. 

"Ouchy!" Josephine yelped. 

I rebuked her in a fierce voice. "I forbid you from using {Soul Breaker} ever again. What would you have done if you couldn't heal in time? That was far too reckless!" 

Sad that I got angry instead, the blonde Italian made a teary expression. It was like she had found out Santa didn't exist. Feeling that this was enough, I then patted her head and praised her in the gentlest voice I could muster. 

"The dangers aside, you were amazing, Jo. I am so relieved you're okay. Well done." 

Josephine had deep scars yet tried to behave so carefree. Her years as a Descendant must have starved her for affection. 

'Following me might not give her the best life, but I will ensure she feels valued under my care.' 

After my praise, Josephine's face beamed like she had won the lottery. She then threw herself into my chest again and screamed with joy. 

"I will do better, Darling! I promise!" 

I awkwardly gave her a hug and noticed the others. They all had wry expressions. Jasmine was pouting for some reason. After Josephine calmed down, I walked to her sister and offered her a handshake. 

"Well done, Jasmine. I am relieved you are okay. {Soul Breaker} is off the table from today on, understood?" 

Reluctantly, Jasmine shook my hand and nodded. Bella then began to clap and announced to everyone. 

"Okay, now that they have gotten their reward, I will brief everyone on our next steps." 

She then introduced the sisters to Liv's group. When they learned everyone was Formless, a silent solidarity formed between the women. While they were discussing, I observed the battlefield. 

About two miles from our position, the remnants of the arrow formation lay in shambles. Dead corpses littered the area, belonging to both Reapers and the Undead. 

Some were still fighting, but with the zombies swarming them, they would all die soon. Further away, Red's group formed a defensive circle around the boss. But they didn't help Gori and the werewolves in attacking it. 

"This fucker, so you abandoned your allies all to ensure the gorilla got the kill? The other Reapers who trusted you all died just for that? Great. I won't feel any guilt as I fuck you up, Red." 

A finger tapped my shoulder. "Honey, Reaper vial time," Bella teased. 

"What do I do? The last time we tried this; I got accused of being a demon. Do we trust these three right off the bat?"

"To survive the coming fight. Teach them {Rewind}. And drink everything they give you. We need all the help you can get. If my guess is correct. You can create more {Kismet} beside {Identify}." 

"Understood."