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Chapter 83: Firebolt
Having successfully neutralized the enemy healer, Tsuna hoisted Cassandra over his shoulder and carried her down the spiraling staircase.
"Haa... Haa..."
Meanwhile, in the grand corridor below, the sounds of clashing steel rang out. Welf and Daphne were locked in a fierce duel, completely surrounded by the unconscious bodies of the Apollo Familia guards. They were the only two left standing.
Because both were Level 2 adventurers, their combat abilities were evenly matched. They circled each other, chests heaving, waiting for the other to slip up.
"You're pretty good..."
"Right back at you..."
Despite being enemies, the two warriors couldn't help but acknowledge each other's skill.
"There you are!! You're the bastard who's been running around wearing my face!! I'll kill you!!"
"Wha—!?"
Daphne jerked her head around. That was her voice coming from behind her. Her eyes widened in absolute shock as she stared at an exact, perfect duplicate of herself standing at the end of the hall. For a fraction of a second, her brain completely short-circuited.
"You're wide open."
"Cra—Gah!?"
That single moment of hesitation was fatal. Welf swung his greatsword in a wide arc, the heavy flat of the blade slamming directly into the back of Daphne's head. She crumpled to the floor instantly.
"I won, but... talk about a hollow victory."
Welf sighed, resting his sword on his shoulder. He knew full well that the second Daphne was just Tsuna using his illusions to create a distraction. A win was a win, especially in a War Game with their Familia's survival on the line, but taking her out with a cheap shot from behind left a bitter taste in the blacksmith's mouth.
"The healer and the commander are both down." Tsuna said, dropping his disguise.
Without Cassandra, there would be no magical healing. Without Daphne, there was no one left to make rational tactical decisions for the entire army. The Apollo Familia's combat effectiveness had just been critically crippled.
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the castle. The floor beneath them shuddered violently, and dust and gravel rained down from the ceiling.
"Looks like Bell's surprise attack landed." Welf grinned.
"Now it's just him and their Captain."
"We don't have time to stand around. Let's initiate our part of the plan."
"I hope this works... After all, this relies entirely on how the enemy chooses to act."
"Sorry for dragging you into such a massive gamble." Tsuna said earnestly.
"Don't apologize. I was shocked when you first pitched it, but I agreed to do it. I'm seeing this through to the end."
"Thank you. I'll leave the preparations to you."
"You got it."
.....
Just a few moments prior, on the stairs leading to the throne room.
"Huuu..."
Bell had stopped halfway up the steps, his body completely relaxed. His right hand was glowing with a brilliant, blinding white light, emitting a high-pitched, resonant chime that sounded like a bell.
This was Argonaut. A unique skill born from his desperate, overwhelming desire to become a hero during his clash with the Minotaur. It allowed him to drastically amplify the power of a single action based on his charge time. When active, the charging limb was enveloped in white light, accompanied by a rhythmic chime. He could only charge one point of his body at a time. If he used it on his weapon or fist, his attack power skyrocketed. If combined with magic, the spell's firepower became devastating. If applied to his legs, he could move at explosive speeds. The only downside was the massive toll it took on his stamina and Mind.
When his desire reached its absolute peak, the skill could evolve into a Grand Bell, a sound that resonated with the very soul. It was a power capable of overturning the impossible—a strike of absolute absurdity that Hestia affectionately called the blow of a hero.
"One minute..."
A full sixty seconds had passed since he activated Argonaut. Bell pointed his glowing right palm straight up at the ceiling.
"[Firebolt]!"
A massive torrent of flame, crackling and arcing like crimson lightning, erupted from his hand. The overcharged spell obliterated the ceiling, tearing straight through the stone floors of the castle above him, piercing a hole directly into the throne room at the very top of the tower.
.....
The Throne Room.
"W-What in the world...!?"
Hyakinthos, who had been lazily reclining on his throne, barely had time to react before the floor directly beneath him detonated. He was violently thrown across the room as the explosion tore the chamber apart, burying him under a mountain of rubble.
"W-Wiped out...!?"
Coughing violently, Hyakinthos clawed his way out of the debris, immediately drawing his weapon and scanning the room. Not a single one of his guards was left standing. He was forced to accept the unbelievable reality that his elite guard had been annihilated in a single strike.
Through the thick smoke caused by the explosion, he sensed a presence stepping into the ruined chamber.
"Y-You...!"
It wasn't one of his men. It was Bell Cranel. Hyakinthos didn't know how the boy had managed to create such a devastating blast, but he immediately readied his Flamberge.
The undulating, wave-like blade was designed to gouge and tear flesh rather than slice it clean, leaving horrific, jagged wounds. It was also excellent for defense, easily parrying strikes or catching polearms.
"To think I would be forced to face you myself...!!"
The Apollo Familia had started with over a hundred men. The Hestia Familia had six. The difference in power was absolute. Hyakinthos had genuinely believed he wouldn't even need to draw his sword today. But to have his stronghold breached and his pride trampled by someone he considered beneath him was unforgivable. Glaring with pure, murderous intent, he readied his blade.
"Let's settle this."
As the smoke cleared, Bell stood tall, holding the Hestia Knife in one hand and the Ushiwakamaru Mk-II—his new secondary dagger forged by Welf—in the other.
The fated battle against Hyakinthos was finally beginning.
.....
Meanwhile, back with Mikoto.
"Haa... Haa..."
"Persistent little brat..."
"But she's wounded! She can't keep this up!"
"Crush her!!"
Mikoto had been using her gravity magic to hold down the massive group of guards, but the sheer mental strain of maintaining the field was pushing her to her limits. Unable to hold them any longer, she was forced to disengage the spell and resort to close-quarters combat. The sheer difference in numbers was quickly draining her remaining stamina.
"Stop right there!!"
"Daphne!?"
Just as Mikoto was about to be overrun, a commanding voice echoed across the courtyard. The guards halted in their tracks, utterly bewildered that their own commander was stopping them.
"What are you doing!? Why are you stopping us!?"
"We have an emergency! The fifty men we sent out are being slaughtered by the enemy Elf! You need to reinforce them immediately!!"
"W-What!? That's impossible...!"
"There's no time to argue! Bell Cranel has already breached the throne room! If that Elf breaks through and regroups with him, we will lose this War Game!!"
"W-What!?"
"T-Then we need to go help Captain Hyakinthos!"
Since the loss condition for the Apollo Familia was the defeat of their Captain, the guards logically assumed their priority should be to protect him.
"He's facing a Level 1!! You seriously think a Level 3 like Hyakinthos is going to lose to him!? Besides, if you go up there and interfere with his duel, do you have any idea what he'll do to you afterwards!?"
"Guh!?"
If they, who were lower leveled, rushed to his aid, Hyakinthos would assume they thought him too weak to handle a Level 1 boy on his own. Knowing their Captain's fragile and highly volatile pride—and his tendency to severely punish anyone who slighted him or Apollo—the guards realized Daphne was absolutely right.
"I'll handle this girl! You all get out there before it's too late! Once I finish her off, I'll follow right behind you!!"
"U-Understood!!"
Terrified of their Captain's wrath and desperate to prevent the Elf from breaking through, the guards immediately turned and ran toward the front gates. Once the area was completely clear, Daphne jogged over to the exhausted Mikoto.
"Are you alright, Mikoto?"
"Y-You saved me, Sir Sawada..."
Recognizing that the Daphne standing before her was actually Tsuna using his illusions, Mikoto offered a tired bow of gratitude.
"Drink these. I stole a few from their storage."
"Thank you..."
Tsuna handed her two potions—one to restore her Mind and another to heal her physical fatigue.
"Lord Tsunayoshi! Lady Mikoto!"
Lili, still disguised as Luan, came running out of the castle to meet them.
"What's the situation!?"
"Bell has engaged their Captain. I've neutralized their commander and healer. We're moving to the next phase of the plan. Welf is already setting it up."
"It's finally time..."
"Let's go."
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