Sorry if this chapter was a bit rushed and too summarized, I'm trying to finish this arc quickly. I even ended up putting a fight I really wanted to do on the back burner, but in return, we finally got to Lili.
An emotional moment is coming up, as you already know, so come with an open mind and forgive me if it's a bit weak; I sincerely tried to make all the scenes the best I could.
//
The encirclement was complete before the fight truly began. Five level-six veterans moved as one, tightening the circle and leaving no path open. Wherever Luki stepped, they were already there, closing in without breaking formation.
Their strategy was simple: constant pressure, wearing him down little by little. Even with his unnatural instinct, Luki couldn't escape, every dodge led him into another threat, every opening vanished before he could act.
Cornered, he lashed out just to keep space. And his shield was anything but ordinary.
Bete Loga was dragged and swung by the leg, forced into being both weapon and defense. But he didn't submit quietly, struggling at every moment, disrupting Luki's movements from within.
Blood spilled, wounds opened and vanished just as fast. They noticed immediately: he could heal. So they stopped holding back a littlr, and when Bete Loga broke free, he struck back without hesitation. Even against six, Luki refused to fall, growing sharper as if will alone could carry him.
Then everything escalated. In an instant, six became twenty. Among them, one stood above all, Ottar, each blow crushing through him like a cannon. Others blurred together, until one presence silenced everything else.
A calm man, unassuming at first glance, but Luki's instincts screamed. His body froze, his focus narrowed, and the world seemed to distort around him.
He could see, beneath that gentle and paternal countenance there was only blood and death, an eternal battlefield between giants wielding swords bathed in lightning, their steps so heavy they made the ground tremble like an earthquake.
There was no doubt.
The God of War, Thunder, Swords and Martial Arts - Takemikazuchi.
The moment Luki noticed him, Takemikazuchi noticed him as well. No words were exchanged, yet amid the chaos, they began their duel. To them, everything else became secondary, mere obstacles to avoid.
Even as blows landed from others, Luki didn't react. His focus remained locked, clashing silently with his master, a restrained god against an overwhelming mortal. Their swords met from time to time, the forcing others back, their reach and precision setting them apart from the rest.
Their connection was clear in mirrored movements. Takemikazuchi seemed taken aback, recognizing how far his student had come. For a brief moment, it was something beyond battle.
But it didn't last. Surrounded by first- and second-class adventurers, and his own master, Luki fell. There was nothing left to sustain him.
...
Pinned down, arms twisted behind his back, legs restrained, Luki was held in place after five relentless minutes that felt far longer. Several level-six adventurers kept him immobilized, yet even like that, he didn't stop resisting.
He struggled violently, irrational and silent, not even reacting when they threatened to break his arm.
— He just won't stay still.
— Someone needs to put him to sleep; we won't be able to hold him like this for much longer.
Tione and Tiona complained as they held his arms, trying their best to control their strength so as not to hurt him even more. Which was proving to be difficult.
'What a monster.' They all thought, astonished by his growing strength.
Leveling up for an adventurer is a process that takes years, even decades, and is even impossible for some without sufficient latent potential to reach the next stage.
That's why abilities that grant an adventurer strength beyond their level, even temporarily, like Ottar's Vana Arganture or Finn's Hell Finegas magic, are so coveted.
Now, another living example of how overwhelming such power can be is right in front of them. They fought it, and it took the efforts of dozens to subdue it. Even if the later cost is high, everyone there could recognize that in the future, this boy would be great.
— Hestia-sama, try to bring him back to himself before something irreversible happens! — Finn urged her, fearing the price this power would exact; the sooner this ends, the better.
— Luki! — Hestia called out, breaking away from those who had stayed out of the fight.
Behind her, the others gathered, watching in silence, friends who understood her concern, though unease lingered among them.
— Have you ever seen anything like this before? — Miach asked quietly, his gaze fixed on Luki.
— Not once, in all my years walking this world as a mortal. — Hermes replied, eyes still wide, the echo of the battle fresh in his mind.
'Ouranos was right… the boy has the makings of a hero.'
The image lingered with him, a fragile figure standing against overwhelming odds, fighting far beyond his limits. Defeated in the end, yet never truly broken.
Hermes wasn't the only one who noticed. The other gods had seen it too, that familiar pattern. But for him, it went deeper, something he couldn't quite name.
'Why does he feel… familiar? Have I seen him before? Is he a descendant of a former member?'
The thought stirred something instinctive, almost primal. A quiet pull, as if Luki mattered in a way he didn't yet understand. It could have been just curiosity, but he knew it wasn't.
Could he uncover the truth with a single use of his divinity? He could. But where would be the fun in that?
With a faint smile, Hermes adjusted his hat, eyes gleaming with anticipation for what was to come.
— Luki! Luki! It's me, Hestia! Look at me! — Hestia cried out, her voice breaking as she cupped his face, desperate to pull his gaze back to her.
He thrashed against her touch, forcing her hands away as he struggled to break free. The blue light around him surged violently, bursting in uneven flashes, as if grasping for strength that refused to come.
— Luki… please, look at me. It's me. Do you remember? Your useless, selfish little goddess… the one who loves you. — she reached for him again, slower this time.
Her fingers barely brushed his skin before he snapped at her, teeth sinking in without hesitation.
— Ah! — Hestia cried out as she recoiled, clutching her hand to her chest.
— This isn't working. — Finn Deimne cut in immediately, his tone tight, urgent. — Hestia-sama, step away. We'll end this before something unexpected happens.
— Wait! It's okay… I can handle this. — She raised her voice, shaking her head despite the pain.
— We're not going to hurt him, just knock him out so he can be taken to the surface where-
— I said it's okay. Here, look. — she interrupted, more firmly this time.
Hestia lifted her hand, the others looked at it curiously, but there was nothing there; all they saw was a hand with the red mark of a normal bite, nothing more.
They couldn't understand how that was important in any way.
— With the strength he's shown, he could have taken a piece of my hand without effort. But he didn't. — She said determined
Only then did they understand what she meant; it was true, even though he seemed out of control, apparently he was still able to recognize Hestia, even if only slightly, enough to restrain his strength against her.
— Okay, sweetie, your love story and all that nonsense is really great, but if you don't calm him down now, then we're going to put him to bed the hard wa- BE QUIET! — Tiona Hiryute snapped, tightening her grip as his arm almost slipped free.
— What she said. I'll give you one minute. After that, we act. — Finn Deimne added, urgency cutting through his calm tone.
Hestia nodded quickly, stepping closer and kneeling in front of him, forcing herself into his sight.
— Luki… hey… look at me. Just for a second, that's all I need… You're not alone, okay? You don't have to fight anymore, it's over. You've already done more than enough.
He thrashed again, the blue light erupting around him in violent bursts, but she held her ground this time, refusing to step back no matter how unstable it became.
— I know you can hear me… please, Luki, listen to my voice. No one will hurt you anymore, I won't let them, you are safe now... — her voice wavered, filled with countless feelings, but she forced herself to smile.
Seconds dragged on. No reaction, no sign that her words were reaching him.
But Hestia didn't falter.
— Do you remember the first time we met? You were just a lonely kid… you couldn't even speak back then. — her voice softened, speaking slowly, drawing out each syllable as clearly as possible. — And now look at you… a big, strong adventurer, giving those brats of that meat slab a run for their money.
— HEY! We're holding back! — someone snapped in protest, but it was ignored just as quickly.
She reached for him again, perhaps because the adrenaline was subsiding or because her words were working, but he didn't reject her.
That alone filled her heart with joy and renewed hope.
Gently, she held his face, turning it toward her, her thumbs brushing across his cheeks in small, soothing motions.
— Do you remember our home? That old, abandoned church… that accident took it from us, but it was still our home.
— It wasn't much. It wasn't even comfortable. But it was ours.
— You used to complain all the time about that couch… saying one day you'd burn it because of how much your back hurt.
Even when his expression remained distant, even when the blue light still flickered around him, she stayed there, meeting his gaze with nothing but warmth, refusing to let him drift away.
And somehow… it was working.
— …Huh? — Finn Deimne narrowed his eyes, his grip steady but his attention sharpening as he felt the resistance begin to weaken.
— Oi… is this seriously working…?
— You've got to be kidding me…
— The light it's fading. Hestia-sama is actually doing it…
Hestia heard none of it, or perhaps she simply chose not to. Her world had narrowed to one person alone as she kept speaking, gently, patiently, pulling at memories only the two of them shared.
Little by little, the change became visible.
The blue strands spilling from his body grew thinner, flickering as if struggling to hold form. His hair remained tinted, the blond only barely pushing through in uneven patches, while his eyes lost a fraction of their intensity, but still not gone.
Until...
— Do you remember the first time we kissed…? — she whispered embarrassed, she knew the others would still hear.
Her fingers tightened slightly against his face, grounding herself as much as him.
— You promised you'd stay by my side until the end, remember? — her voice trembled, fragile but insistent. — We've already been apart for so many months… You're not going to break your promise again… are you?
His eyes widened, It was only metaphorical, but at that moment he felt as if his mind had been struck by lightning, while his expression changed to a mixture of astonishment and wounded.
For a moment the world disappeared for Luki as flashes of fragmented images appeared.
A glimpse of Lili dragging herself across the ground, her hands pressed against something unseen, striking it weakly, over and over. Her face distorted by desperation, tears running freely as her lips moved, calling out to him.
— LUKI-SAMA! LUKI-SAMA!! LUKI-SAMA!!! — her voice echoed, distant, fragmented, yet painfully clear.
Light bled into the memory.
A circle beneath her, glowing brighter, symbols flaring in rapid succession. The image shook, cracking apart as everything reached its limit.
— LILI!!
Then, as if finally remembering something, Luki turned his attention to the distance, relying on his sixth sense, and what he saw... was not good at all.
Something snapped.
— LILIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! — He shouted, his face completely enraged.
Luki's body jerked violently as if a wire had been cut inside him, and then he exploded into motion, thrashing with raw, uncontrollable force. The blue light that had weakened moments ago surged back with overwhelming intensity.
— What the hell—?!
— Hold him down!
— He's getting stronger again!
Arms tightened around him, grips reinforced, but it was already slipping. The light didn't just return, it grew, more than ever, pulsing as if something inside him had reignited far beyond control.
— Luki, stop! What's the problem, Luki? I'm right here with you, stop it! — Hestia tried to calm him down again, throwing herself at him and grabbing his neck, trying to reach him once more.
But it was no use.
— LILIIIIIIIIIIII!!! — The scream came again, louder and desperate.
The blue light flared even brighter, compressing around him, vibrating with a dangerous intensity.
*VMMMMMMMMMMMMM*
It sounded like something charging, building power.
— Everyone, MOVE! NOW! — Finn Deimne shouted, dropping Luki instantly as he grabbed the nearest person and threw himself away without hesitation.
A fraction of a second later.
*BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*
Blue light erupted from Luki's body in a violent explosion, blasting everyone restraining him away in an instant.
Many screamed in surprise and fear; things had derailed too quickly to understand, but Luki didn't care.
— AAAAAGHHHHHHHHHH!!! — Luki roared, now free, as he lunged forward, throwing himself ahead with pure force, like a beast unleashed.
— LUKI! — Hestia cried out, arms wrapping around his neck, clinging to him with everything she had.
— LUKI, STOP! PLEASE, STOP!!
— AAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHHH!!!
He didn't stop or slow, to tell the truth, he didn't even seem to notice her. He just kept going, screaming, pushing forward as if nothing in the world could hold him back.
And then, a wall appeared in front of him.
No, not a wall, a man.
Ottar stepped into his path, silent, his fist tightened. And then it came flying straight toward Luki's face.
And the world… slowed.
It was happening again. That strange sensation where everything dragged, stretched, where each fraction of a second felt unnaturally long.
Even in that near-maddened state, even with his mind on the verge of collapse, Luki could still think. A primitive form of thinking but just enough.
Block? Impossible. That punch carried enough force to shatter every bone in his body.
Dodge? Unlikely. And even if he did, it would change nothing. They would close in again. Stop him again.
Retreat. Advance. Counter. Ignore.
Options flashed through his mind, one after another, none of them enough. None of them right.
Meanwhile, the fist kept coming, filling his entire vision, those clenched fingers becoming the only thing that existed in that moment.
And then, in that instant of frustration, of helplessness, where the only thing he wanted was to move forward no matter the cost.
Something inside him answered.
KRAAAAAAASH!!!
The shockwave tore through the area, kicking up a violent storm of dust and shattered stone, forcing everyone back as the air itself seemed to split apart.
Silence...
— …Did he got him?
— That hit… there's no way he could have resisted that.
— Phew, that's finally over, but what a crazy day, man.
— Yeah, don't even get me started.
People began to relax, to let their guard down, all thinking that Luki had finally been knocked out, however...
The dust cloud quickly dissipated, a massive crater revealed itself. At its center, Ottar stood unmoving, his fist still buried deep into the ground.
But... there was no Luki at all.
— …What?
The realization spread, quiet, creeping.
Luki wasn't there, he wasn't anywhere.
— Wait! Where is goddess Hestia-sama?! — Someone noticed.
Eyes widened as everyone, especially a small group of gods, despaired. Where did they go?
...
[Meanwhile, elsewhere]
— AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! — Luki cryed beastly.
— AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!— Hestia screamed, clinging desperately to his neck.
But as suddenly as it had begun, Luki stopped, taking only a few steps to halt the momentum.
His body went still as his head turned, eyes scanning the surroundings with restless movements, as if trying to understand where he was.
There was nothing. No adventurers, no gods, no destroyed ground, no trace of the chaos they had just left behind.
It was as if he moved to a completely different place in a blink.
Hestia's grip tightened for a second before she slowly loosened it, her breath uneven, chest rising and falling rapidly as the shock caught up to her.
— Wh… what just happened…? — Hestia asked, her voice unsteady, breath still uneven from the sudden stop.
Only then did she realize that they weren't moving anymore.
Her eyes darted around, searching for danger. Nothing, but her heart kept racing, her thoughts still scattered BT that mess.
— Luki! What the hell was that?! — she snapped, the fear spilling out as anger. — Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!
He didn't respond.
— You idiot elf, you nearly gave me a heart attack! I almost used my divine powers back there just to keep you alive! — her voice rose, sharper now, trying to reach him, to pull him back. — Is this how you've been acting behind my back?!
Still nothing.
Frustration boiling over, she climbed up without hesitation, settling on his shoulders and forcing herself into his line of sight, hands grabbing his face.
— Don't ignore me! I'm talking to you—your goddess is very ang—
— …Lili…
The word came out broken. Barely a sound.
It stopped her.
— …Huh? Who is Li-?
Her voice faded. He wasn't looking at her.
His gaze was fixed somewhere far ahead, his eyes were wide and unfocused, the lips trembling slightly while he opened and closed his mouth like he was trying to speak but couldn't.
— ...Lili... — He said again.
His expression, his gaze, his voice, it was as if he didn't want to accept reality.
In an uncertain silence, Hestia raised her head and looked ahead, and what she saw made her immediately understand the reason for everything.
— Oh no...
There it was, lying quietly on the ground, motionless. A small, thin, frail body, limbs thrown to the sides while empty eyes stared back at them,
A large, red stain marred his figure and cloths, spilling on the ground; strangely, the entire environment seemed as bright as day, as if the Dungeon wanted this scene to be seen perfectly.
— …Lili… — Luki whispered again.
He moved. Slow and unsteady steps, like a corpse dragged forward by something it didn't understand.
Unconsciously, Hestia slid off his back so as not to interfere with the moment and also leaving him alone with the pain, simply observing.
— Lili... Lili... — Tears began to fall from his unblinking eyes, raising his arms weakly as if he wanted to reach her, to hold her.
He finally reached her, but it was too late.
Bam...
Luki dropped to his knees in front of her.
For a moment, he just stared, hands hovered in the air, shaking and uncertain, he was afraid. Afraid that the moment he touched her, this would become real in a way he couldn't take back.
Then, he pulled her into his arms, slow and carefully, as if she was the most precious thing.
His fingers curled into her clothes, gripping tightly as his body began to tremble, his face burying itself against her cold and wet shoulder.
— L-Lili… — his voice broke, uneven and fragile. — …wake up… okay…? Th-this isn't funny…
A quiet sob escaped between shaky breaths.
— …please… — his shoulders shook, his grip tightening, almost desperate. — you're… you're just tired, right…? Y-you just… fell asleep right…
Another sob, then another and one more, soft and contained but with each second, they become more loud.l and unrestrained.
— …s-stop messing around… I'm here now… s-so you can wake up… — his voice cracked harder, breath hitching.
He shook her gently as if trying to wake her, but she didn't move back; her chest didn't react and sank as if she weren't breathing, and he knew it.
And something inside him broke.
— …nn… ngh…! — The sound broke out of him, raw and uneven. His shoulders trembled violently, his breath hitching as the sobs came faster, heavier.
— Hhk-! …ah…!
He clutched her tighter.
— L-LILI…!
His voice cracked and... shattered.
— AAAAAAAAAAH!! — The scream tore through the air, loud and broken, uncontrollable.
— LILI!! …LILI!! AAAGH! …NNGH!! …AAAAAAAH!! — His cries turned wild, incoherent, nothing but pain spilling out as his body shook around her.
Tears soaked everything, his voice rising and breaking again and again, like a child who didn't know how to stop.
— LILI!! LILI!!
But no matter how loud he cried, no matter how tightly he held her. She didn't move.
Then something pressed against his back. Warm and soft. He trembled from surprise at first but he soon accepted it because of the feeling of comfort, security, and familiarity it brought.
As if he recognized that feeling and who caused it.
Arms wrapped around him from behind, careful and gentle, as if afraid he might shatter.
— Shh… it's okay… — Hestia whispered close to his ear, her voice trembling despite her effort to steady it. — It's okay… you can cry…
Her hand moved slowly through his hair, resting her head against his, holding him together the only way she could.
— I'm here… I'm right here…
And her kind words were all it took.
— AAAAAARRR! AAAAAAHHH!!! AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!