1053. The Whole City Celebrates! / 1054. Shirou's Demand of Apollo

Bell arrived at the enormous spiral staircase extending to the left and right, stopped, and looked up.

From above his empty head came the sound of multiple footsteps running down the stairs.

As if trying to pluck the sun from the sky, Bell raised his right hand and stretched it high into the air.

At this moment, the Hero's Wish had completed its sixty-second charge, and the concentrated white light became dazzling and brilliant.

Immediately afterwards, Bell roared and activated his skill.

"Flame Volt--!!!"

The immense flames and lightning transformed into a beam of light, shooting straight upwards.

On the rooftop, the floor was cracked, and pure white light leaked out.

Just as Hyacinthus was speechless, a bolt of lightning shot straight into the sky and exploded between the thrones.

Just as the throne room was about to be engulfed by the white light, Cassandra leaped up and rammed into Hyacinthus, knocking the man out of the thunderstorm's area.

Immediately, a tremendous bolt of lightning filled the man's vision, and then he fell to the ground along with countless fragments that had been blasted away. The area around him was now a ruin, and a large amount of sand and dust obscured his vision.

"Cassandra!? Laon!?"

Unable to distinguish whether he was driven by anger or chaotic emotions, he called out the names of his band members, but no one answered.

As the smoke and dust gradually thinned, Hyacinthus finally noticed the faint outline of an arm and upper body beneath the rubble, and his entire body gradually froze.

When Lei Yan charged forward, he engulfed several guards, wiping out all of the members that Hyacinthus had carefully selected.

Chapter 1053 A Citywide Carnival!

Hyacinthus was forced to accept the fact that he was all alone; the man was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He couldn't understand how things had turned out this way.

Suddenly remembering something, the man abruptly drew his superior weapon, the Ripple Sword, and warily scanned the surrounding smoke. The enemy was approaching!

"Where are you! Come out now!" he roared, wielding his wave-shaped sword.

The enemy is nearby! Hyacinthus could feel the fighting spirit that seemed to pierce his heart; he was absolutely certain of it.

His heart was pounding so hard he felt like he was going to explode, and sweat poured down his face. Where exactly was the enemy hiding in this cloud of dust, waiting for their chance to take Hyacinthus's head?

Even as he spun around and around, he couldn't calm his mind. He just stood amidst the crumbling rubble, constantly looking around in all directions.

The cold blade sliced through the dust and mist, and in the dim light, a pair of red eyes suddenly appeared before Hyacinthus.

Bite!!!

Hyacinthus's eyes widened; the force of his grip was unexpectedly strong, and the speed was frighteningly fast.

The white-haired boy was completely different from when they first met!

Having failed in his first attack, Bell jumped out again and retreated back into the dust and mist.

Cold sweat beaded on Hyacinthus's back. He could sense deep red eyes gleaming from the depths of the smoke and dust, shifting direction from time to time.

The once frail boy now resembled a blood-soaked beast, exuding a ferocious aura, and he shuddered.

The next instant, as Bell burst through the dust, Hyacinthus turned and swung his sword horizontally.

The short sword and the longsword clashed fiercely, sparks flying.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!!!

At this point, Bell's true condition was not as strong as he appeared.

Although he had already received treatment with the special recovery medicine given to him by Naza from Azure Pharmacy, the side effects of [Hero's Wish] had not been completely eliminated. The powerful burst of energy came at the cost of damaging the meridians that transmit magic power in his body; if he were to use a weapon to transmit it, the weapon would also break down.

The thought that if the battle dragged on, he would have no chance of winning was constantly urging Bell, driven by the heaviness in his limbs.

In order to decide the outcome in a super short decisive battle, Bell was determined to put everything he had into this one minute. As if trying to break through his limits, Bell's body accelerated again.

He gripped the red bull horn daggers in both hands, neither using the wolf-fang demon sword Shirou had forged for him, nor the divine weapon Hestia had crafted for him. He wanted to win this battle fair and square!

Orario experienced an unprecedented commotion.

Whether they are adventurers, ordinary viewers, hosts, or gods.

On the other side, Shirou also stopped showing off his magic sword and scabbard skills. People elsewhere also put away their weapons and stopped fighting, all looking up at the high places.

Their battle was over; the outcome now depended solely on a one-on-one duel between the two generals.

What started as a siege battle between five against a hundred men eventually devolved into a duel between two generals, an incredible turn of events that ignited excitement throughout the city.

The sight of this decisive battle made everyone clench their fists, their palms repeatedly soaked with sweat. The evenly matched fight between the two made...

The audience erupted in a frenzy, cheering for the duel that was about to unfold.

'Evenly matched?'

Hyacinthus was devastated.

In his fight against the white-haired youth, he had a slight advantage in strength, but his opponent was superior in agility. Even if he managed to lure his opponent into an opening using his combat experience, the youth would always recover with his excellent reflexes.

Bell recalled the defensive techniques Shirou had taught him: how to deal with someone stronger than himself, how to deflect their force, and how to anticipate their moves.

Hyacinthus found that even with all his efforts, he was helpless against his opponent. What was worse was that his opponent was still adapting to the battle and would continue to grow stronger.

A swift and sharp attack flashed past, and after blocking one, three more slashes followed, a cold glint in the air.

The moment they faced each other head-on, the white hair would rush away; it would circle around into their arms, to the side, to blind spots, and out of sight, followed by a furious, chaotic beating.

Hyacinthus was forced to defend, finding no opportunity to counterattack. The powerful impact was transmitted through his weapon to his palm, causing repeated numbing sensations.

Bell, wielding identical red blades in both hands, slashed at him, and Hyacinthus's blue eyes flickered with unease.

'Why???'

"I'm a Level 3!!!" Hyacinthus roared in despair.

In just one week, through learning the essence of human combat from Ais, Shirou, and others, Bell has made significant progress in both offensive and defensive skills.

By making full use of the teachings of his predecessors, including techniques and contingency methods, and with his own imposing presence, Bell was able to successfully maintain his technical exchange with the enemy.

The feeling of victory and defeat, etched directly into the bones by the fists and feet of a first-class adventurer, helped Bell cut off Hyacinthus's retreat.

The rapidly improving stats and the unwavering will to defeat the enemy, now ingrained in their very being, have driven the Level 2 adventurer to the brink of despair.

Bell seized the opening, swung his dagger with his left hand, deflecting Hyacinthus's wave-like sword, and then clenched his right fist, gathering energy that emitted a white light. He twisted his waist and charged towards the opponent's profile.

The man's face contorted in agony, emitting a bloodcurdling scream before being sent flying. Hyacinthus rolled about ten meters across the ground before finally coming to a stop, spread-eagled, facing the blue sky and the sun. A large swelling swelled up on his cheek, his eyes rolled back, and his body convulsed. He was completely unconscious and would not wake up for the time being.

"We won!"

"We won!"

In the tavern, in the square, and around the Loki Familia girls, people cheered loudly.

Humans love stories like this one, where the weak overcome the strong, and one person single-handedly turns the tide – thrilling adventures!

The five victors gathered together, their figures, both young and old, reflected in the mirror and spread throughout the city, earning praise from everyone for their glory.

The entire city was enveloped in a joyous and festive atmosphere, except for Apollo, the god who had lost everything. As agreed, he was to grant Hestia any request. This was a declaration made at the divine assembly, and it could not be reneged on.

At this moment, Hestia also turned around and looked at Apollo, her expression not pleasant at all. She would absolutely not let go of any god who dared to covet her Bell-kun.

Apollo, and he could even sense a Hades-like gloom and terror emanating from her. He didn't know.

"I originally intended to make you hand over all your assets and then expel you from Orario. But there's something I need you to do. You're lucky, hmph!" Hestia walked forward with a sullen face.

"Great! You don't have to leave Orario. Just come with us!" Hermes said with a smile, pressing on Apollo's shoulder.

"Is... is that so?" Apollo's mouth twisted into a grimace; he couldn't manage a smile and could only follow the two of them.

Chapter 1054 Shirou's Request to Apollo

Apollo was taken to the secluded hut where Shirou had lent Hestia a place to stay temporarily. Soon after, Shirou also parted ways with Bell and the others and came here to meet the gods.

"Did you get it?" Shirou asked Hermes.

"Are you referring to the video you used to demonstrate the weapon's effects?" Hermes asked, tossing a crystal in his hand.

This is the True Magic crystal that recorded today's mirrored live stream. As long as you inject magic power, you can play the recorded videos inside an unlimited number of times.

"You can have someone come over anytime to have three weapons custom-made for you," Shirou said directly.

"Shirou, you're so straightforward! Here you go, I've already edited the video inside. Besides your product demonstration, there's also Bell-kun's duel at the end." Hermes smiled and tossed the crystal to Shirou.

"Um! I want to see it too!" Hestia raised her hand and said.

"I'll hand it over to you after I'm done using it." Shirou nodded; he was going to use it for something big next.

"It's a deal then! Hehe." Hestia said with a happy smile.

"Now, let's get back to the main topic." Shirou looked at Apollo was sitting on a low stool with a bitter expression.

Apollo gulped and swallowed. Now his crown was askew, his clothes were tattered, and he looked like a fish on a chopping board.

Shirou sat down, poured a cup of tea for this down-on-his-luck idol, and slowly began to speak:

"I have something important to bring up later, which will surely lead to a meeting of the gods and a vote."

"Oh, right!" Apollo revealed a knowing look and laughed arrogantly.

"Ahaha, I see."

Apollo immediately perked up, his eyes scanning Shirou from head to toe with a satisfied expression. He adopted a haughty demeanor, picked up the tea Shirou had brewed, and leisurely sipped it before speaking:

"Since I can't have Bell-kun, I think you're quite good too Shirou-kun. Why don't you join my familia? I'll do my best to fulfill all your requests."

"Hestia, I'm counting on you." Shirou turned to the goddess and pleaded.

"Alright!" Hestia raised her whip.

Whoosh!

Hestia struck Apollo directly in front of him!

"Gah!" Apollo was startled.

"Don't be so arrogant! I haven't given the order yet! Otherwise, I'll make you finish everything and then send you back to the heavens!" Hestia grabbed Apollo by the collar and said fiercely.

"Hahaha... Hestia, don't get excited. Think about it, we've known each other for so long. I was just momentarily blinded by lust," Apollo pleaded.

"Hmph!!!" Hestia, engulfed in jet-black flames, delivered a painful lesson to Apollo, who hadn't grasped his own position.

A few minutes later.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Apollo crouched down in the corner, clutching his head.

"Then you understand what I'm saying, right?" Shirou said to the god.

"Yes!" Apollo replied with a mournful face.

Hestia's conditions were: in addition to helping Shirou persuade the other gods, Apollo also needed to compensate them with a mansion, Apollo had to grant freedom to members who wanted to leave the Familia, and he had to swear never to force anyone to join the Familia.

Next, the Apollo Familia and the Hestia Familia came to the guild to hand over the mission.

The Apollo Familia lost the Game War, which meant they lost everything. This treatment was already considered very lenient, and people in the city praised Hestia for her tolerance.

After the handover was completed, half of the family members chose to leave Apollo.

The short-haired girl Daphne and the long-haired True Magic girl who had previously delivered the invitation to Bell have also left the Apollo Familia.

Of course, this is not Apollo's time to catch his breath; he still has to run errands for Shirou and act as his persuader.

One week later.

Shirou, along with the loli goddess, Bell, Wielf, Lili, and the samurai girl Mikoto, arrived at a European-style villa. The villa was surrounded by an iron fence and was quite nice. Hestia had commissioned the Gubunyu Familia, who were skilled in architecture and decoration, to carry out a complete renovation of the place.

Atop the villa's tower stands a banner bearing the image of a bell surrounded by flames—the emblem Hestia designed for her clan, representing Hestia's protective flame and the bell symbolized by Bell's name.

"Hahaha~! Gentlemen~! This is the new base of our Hestia Familia!" Hestia said with her hands on her hips and her nostrils flared up.

"Oh, so that little hut over there is my forge. It looks quite nice. As expected of Gubinyu, he really knows a blacksmith's tastes," Wielf said, looking around.

"Lady Hestia, where's the hot spring? The hot spring!" the samurai girl asked anxiously.

"Of course!" Hestia replied with a smile.

"Yay! That's awesome!" The samurai girl jumped up excitedly.

"Lady Hestia, are you sure it's alright for you to spend money like this?" The Little Folk girl Lili asked with some doubt. After all, the goddess had been spending money recklessly like a nouveau riche these past few days.

"It's alright, it's alright, it's only a few million falies. Apollo still has a lot of money left from the compensation. Everyone has worked so hard, I should be able to meet this kind of request," Hestia said with a smile.

"Is that so? Well, Hestia, you can pay back the money you owe Hephaestus sooner rather than later," Shirou said.

"Gah..." Hestia's mouth gaped open, then froze on the spot. She had completely forgotten about the debt.