Bell walked back towards the surface. He could have kept moving to deeper floors. His thoughts however disagreed.
It was better to rest and sort himself out after killing that many monsters.
His emotions were wrapped in regret though. He felt like someone had stolen his hard earned money. Since he could not bring that mountain of magic cores back with him to the surface.
'Wheel, why don't you give me a inventory next time?' Bell quipped while walking back.
Silence answered him.
He walked through the dungeon floors with casual steps.
At an isolated corner on the 3rd floor of the dungeon. Bell saw a group of three adventurers surrounding a person.
A certain pallum girl surrounded by them gave his old memories of *Danmachi* a jolt.
The racoon like adventurer among them punched the pallum girl straight at her gut without mercy.
"Arde...Arde...Come on, cough out all the haul you gathered today." The adventurer spoke with disdain, whom now Bell recognised as Canoe Belway, the racoon who had made Lili's life hell.
He watched calmly as the pallum girl doubled over. Holding her chest like life had just given her a sucker punch.
His gaze held as the other two adventurers took their turns to kick at her kneeling form. Making her tumble even closer to the ground. New wounds forming beneath her clothes.
It was pitiful...still he knew that Liliruca was not a saint either. She had stolen, killed, lied. The bones beneath her path were nothing to scoff at. Even though she only killed indirectly.
He understood her reason for doing what she did. To survive. To live.
It was not wrong.
Yet it did not justify her actions.
He understood. It was easy for him to judge from outside. It was not him who had gone through what she had.
So, he would give her the same thing he had given the others on his path.
The freedom to choose.
It seemed...Evilus had to make an appearance here too.
Bell concluded. His actions resolute as he pulled out the clown mask and black cloak from earlier.
Clown mask covered his face. Black cloak covered his body.
Instead of an adventurer. He now looked more like a spectre.
As the adventurers played around with Lili like a toy. His voice reached them before he did.
"Jie Jie Jie."
His laugh was cold and clammy, choking the lungs of adventurers ahead.
Canoe Belway and his two lackies snapped their eyes towards his voice. Their gazes landing on his clown mask and black cloak.
"W-Who are you?" Canoe asked. His voice stuttered. His gaze cautious.
The two adventurers behind him pulled their swords out of their sheaths. Pointing them at him with trembling arms.
"Me? Oh...I'm from the Hall of Souls...Jie Jie Jie.... A new subdivision under Evilus." He spoke. His voice brittle. Madness leaking in his tone.
The moment those adventurers heard the word Evilus. Their faces went pale. Sweat started to bead on their foreheads. Even Lili trembled like a old Nokia flip phone.
"D-Don't come close... or we'll report you to the guild..." Canoe fumbled. His eyes trembled. His sword unsheathed. Pointing towards him now. Though his legs trembled way more than his eyes.
"Now...Now... No need to be scared of us...We from the Hall of Souls like plump people like you the most." Bell rasped. His voice should have come from ahead. Yet it came from behind them.
He was already standing in front of the kneeling form of Lili. Her chin held in his fingers. Her eyes gazed at his clown mask with terror. He examined her face like unremarkable porcelain.
Both adventurers at his sides swung their shaky swords at him instinctively.
He did not even need [Instinct (A)] for trash like this.
His free hand came up. Sliding towards the sword coming from his left. His finger touched the spine of that sword and shifted it's angle slightly.
The sword passed from above his rib. It's tip collided with the tip of the other sword reaching from his right.
Both swords deflected each other with impeccable accuracy. In the meantime, he pulled his hand away from Lili.
By the time she looked at her sides. Both adventurers there were already falling to the ground. Fainted by a neck chop.
When she searched for that black cloak. He was already there. Canoe forced on all fours. His back used as a cushion by him.
"Liliruca Arde...Evilus does have some interest in you." Bell spoke. His voice harsh. His tone indifferent.
"Now...tell me, do you want to live...or die?" He continued. Looking at her with abyssal calm.
"L-L-Live" Lili spoke with terror and fear written all over her face.
"Then...run to Braver from the Loki Familia. Tell him Evlius will come for the whole Loki Familia soon. Tell Braver to protect you if he really is a hero of pallum race...or you can ignore my words. I won't kill you. We, from the Hall of Souls don't crush ants without profit." He spoke. Disdain plain in his voice.
He felt Canoe tremble beneath him like something terrifying was sitting on his back.
Bell felt his fear and spoke while getting up from his makeshift seat.
"You know Canoe... Evilus has had some shortage of fresh blood in the recent years. People like you are perfect for us," Bell spoke. Stretching his legs. His arms loosening.
"I'll give you a chance. If you can run away from here. I'll spare your life. Even let you join Evilus."
He continued. Tempting him with his words.
Canoe did not reply. Instead he got up and started running without fanfare. His legs moved with raw desperation. Faster than they had his whole life.
Bell let him run faster. Farther away from him.
"Guess it's time to stretch my legs for a bit." Bell murmured. His gaze sharpening. His focus condensing to a point.
[Grega]
A ball of flame materialised in his hand. He had it fall down towards his leg. The ball came close to his leg and burned with ferocity. However, the next movement of Bell made Lili question reality itself.
He did not flush the flame out. He did not alter it's trajectory. He juggled that ball of flame between his legs like a football.
It's heat burned his skin. [Super Regeneration] working overtime to mend any burns and cellular damage.
He was literally playing with fire.
Then slowly, he kicked that ball of flame like a soccer ball straight towards the running form of Canoe.
The ball curved through air like a parabola and landed straight on Canoe's behind.
Howls of a pig burning resounded across the 3rd floor. Canoe ran around. His behind on fire. Not knowing where to put his hands.
Lili looked at Canoe. Not knowing whether to laugh... or laugh even more.
"Little pallum...You better run... Or I might end up wanting you for myself. Jie Jie Jie." Bell spoke. Though there was no mirth in his words.
Lili felt a cold chill run down her spine. Without another word. She skedaddled away from this monster. Never wanting to run in a lunatic like him again.
'Now, that little pallum Lili would probably get help from Braver and the Loki Familia to resolve her Soma Familia problem. She won't have to keep living in hell after this.'
'I showed her a new way. The freedom to go to Braver or continue to live in hell among Soma Familia.'
Bell left Canoe and his party there and left casually.
His mask and cloak were gone by the time he reached his home.
'Captain Finn...You better thank me for sending a wife straight at your front gate.'
He remembered about how in *Danmachi*, Finn had once proposed marriage to Lili.
Just thinking about their complex relations made Bell's mind spin.
Lili was the reincarnation of Fianna. Finn was the reincarnation of Dim.
In their past life. Fianna was a half sister of Dim.
Bell only had one response to that.
F for Finn.