DanMachi Wiki
Advertisement
Synopsis

Volume 5[]

Prologue: The Harbinger of the Herald[]

One morning, Loki visited Hephaestus to have breakfast with her. They had breakfast on the fourth floor of a restaurant. Loki thanked Hephaestus for providing smiths for their expedition while Hephaestus also thanked her for giving them priority over drop items. The two discussed the Loki Familia for a little while until the conversation shifted to Bell. Loki was slightly curious about Bell since Hestia had been on her nerves ever since the Denatus. Hephaestus revealed that one of her Familia was with Bell, causing Loki to accuse her of cheating with Hestia. At that moment the ground shook but soon stopped. Loki commented that while it could be brushed off as a normal earthquake, they had the dungeon underneath so it wouldn't be that simple.

Promptly after sending Mikoto and the others off to the dungeon, Takemikazuchi was about to enter his home when Hermes approached him. Takemikazuchi was surprised that he was back so soon as he left soon after the Denatus the week before. Hermes told him that he was here to see him but Takemikazuchi quickly denied that as he knew Hermes was one of the Gods that made fun of him. He asked Hermes why he was back so soon and Hermes told him that he was interested in Bell. Hermes tried to gain some information on Bell from Takemikazuchi, however he refused to tell him anything. Being rejected didn't concern him at all and instead he looked up into the sky, wishing to meet Bell soon.

Chapter 1: Middle Floors[]

Bell, Lili, and Welf headed down to the middle floors for the first time after forming a party. While there, they went over the basics of fighting against the new monsters they would be facing, such as Hellhounds, and began fighting against the monsters that appeared.

A short while later, Takemikazuchi reported to Hestia that Hermes had returned. Hestia was already working at the Jagamarukun stand but nonetheless listened to what he had to say. He told her that Hermes had asked about Bell, expressing his concern that Hermes may be planning something. Hestia didn't think that much about it since Hermes wasn't the only God to express interest in Bell. Takemikazuchi was confident that it was different this time, citing his intuition. As Hestia thought about it, the Jagamarukun owner appeared, telling him to learn from Hestia and work. Takemikazuchi soon left, leaving Hestia to think about Hermes.

After meeting Takemikazuchi, Hermes met up with Asfi. Asfi reported to him all the information she had on Bell as they walked down the street. When she told him of rumors that Bell was falsifying his level up, Hermes brushed it off, telling her that the falna didn't let adventurers level up that easily. The two reached the Hostess of Fertility and went inside. Hermes asked Chloe to bring Mia to him. Mia appeared seconds later, not really happy to see him. Hermes tried to get Mia to set up an appointment with Freya for him but she rejected his request, telling him to do it himself. Syr spotted the two and called out to him. He tried asking Syr out on a date though quickly stopped after Asfi started pulling his ear. Syr offered him a seat at the counter, however he bypassed it, sitting at Bell's seat instead. She expressed her disapproval on her face but Hermes simply smiled at her. Hermes tried asking Syr about Bell, however just like Takemikazuchi she refused to tell him anything. He asked her if she didn't trust him to which Syr told him that she definitely didn't trust him.

On the middle floors, the Takemikazuchi Familia were under attack from a group of Almiraj, and Hitachi Chigusa was hit by an axe and was taken down. The others grouped around to protect her while they fought off the monsters. Mikoto told Kashima Ouka that she would keep the monsters off while they escaped. Ouka thanked her, leaving with the rest of the Familia. She quickly dispatched some Almiraj, however her battle was interrupted by two Hard Armoreds. She shoulder tackled one and then pushed it into the other one, which resulted in both slamming into the walls. Ouka ordered Mikoto to return as they ran away. While running from the monsters, Ouka spotted Bell's party and decided to leave the monsters to them. Having the monsters Pass Paraded onto them, they ran for their lives, and for the first time they experienced the dangers of the middle floors.

Chapter 2: How Many M Until Survival?[]

When Bell's party didn't come back from the dungeon, Hestia headed to the Guild to gather information. She asked Eina if she'd seen Bell. Eina told her that she hadn't seen him since morning the day before. Hestia decided to issue a quest for 400,000 valis to save Bell's party. Afterwards, she met up with Miach and Naaza in the front lawn of the Guild, reporting the results of her search to them. Not having anything else to do but wait, the three decided to gather the others.

Having survived their previous incident, Bell and his party went over their options, with Lili suggesting that they should try heading to the 18th Floor to seek help from higher levelled adventurers. At first, Bell was apprehensive of the idea, nevertheless he ultimately decided for the party to venture downwards.

Later that day, Hestia, Miach, Naaza, Hephaestus, Takemikazuchi, and the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia gathered at the Miach Familia home. Takemikazuchi apologized for the actions of his Familia. Hestia declared that while she would hold a grudge if Bell didn't return, she wouldn't hate them for it, asking for their assistance. All six members of the Takemikazuchi Familia immediately dropped to one knee and bowed to her. Hestia asked for help from the other Gods, though unfortunately they were only able to spare Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa. At that moment Hermes and Asfi arrived, announcing that they would help them, offering to take Asfi. Asfi realized what Hermes meant and tried to persuade him to stay in the city. However, Hestia overheard their conversation and demanded to go with them, causing Hermes to consider recruiting another person for their rescue party. Also, in preparation for their trip, Naaza gave them a load of potions, and Hephaestus gave Hestia a wrapped sword to give to Welf.

Soon after, Hermes visited the Hostess of Fertility along with Asfi to recruit Ryuu. Lunoire told him that the place was closed but Hermes walked right past her to Ryuu. She wondered why he was here until he asked for the help of the Gale. Once Hermes mentioned her alias, everyone in the room instantly showed murderous intent toward him, ready to destroy any threat toward their coworker. Ryuu asked Hermes if he was threatening her to which he replied that he wasn't and that he simply wanted her to help them rescue Bell from the dungeon, explaining to her the predicament they were in. Syr also asked Ryuu to save Bell. Not wanting to disappoint Syr and not wanting to let Bell die either, Ryuu agreed to go. Anya, Chloe, Lunoire, and the others cheered her on and promised to make up an excuse for her. Ryuu thanked them and left the Hostess of Fertility to prepare.

Before going into the dungeon, Hermes along with Asfi visited Freya in her room on the 50th floor of Babel. Hermes was there to inform Freya about their plan to rescue Bell's party. Freya wondered why Hermes was taking the time to tell her about it, causing him to point out that she protected Bell at the Denatus, which meant that she had her eye on him. He made sure to tell her that all he was doing was seeing how strong Bell was, asking her to not attack his Familia. Hermes thanked her for her leniency, but Freya made sure he knew that she was the only one that could play with Bell. Once Hermes and Asfi left, Ottar wondered if it was all right to let him go like that to which Freya told him that when the time came he would be dealt with, if necessary.

That night, the members of the rescue party gathered at the entrance to Babel, and subsequently entered the dungeon to save Bell's party.

Chapter 3: Dungeon Desperate Team[]

The rescue party steadily made their way through the dungeon. The members of the Takemikazuchi Familia were impressed at how easily Ryuu killed monsters on the middle floor. Ouka then asked Asfi where to go and she theorized that they must have headed to the 18th floor. Ryuu, Hermes, and Hestia also agreed and the party decided to head to the 18th floor.

On their way to the 18th Floor, Bell and his party encountered a Minotaur, causing Lili and Welf to be frightened, though Bell easily killed it. Three more Minotaurs appeared, however they were also killed by Bell who used Argonaut in conjunction with the Landform he took from the Minotaur he just killed to unleash an extremely powerful strike.

As they continued on, Hestia asked Hermes as to why he was helping. He tried to claim that it was to help a friend but she told him to tell them the truth. Pressured by Hestia, Hermes revealed that Bell's grandfather asked him to check up on Bell. She was somewhat satisfied with the answer but nonetheless was curious as to why he would enter the dungeon. He revealed to her that while he had the request, he also wanted to observe Bell up close to see if he was a vessel that could bear the current age.

Later on, Bell, carrying both Lili and Welf, reached the last room before the passageway to the 18th Floor, only to be confronted by the Goliath when it spawned. Having no way of fighting it in their current condition, Bell's group narrowly managed to escape. They had successfully reached the 18th Floor, but soon lost consciousness after Ais saved them.

Chapter 4: Dungeon Resort?[]

Ais brought them to the Loki Familia camp near Rivira. She revealed that they were on their way back from an expedition but they were camping there for a few days to treat injuries. Ais took Bell to meet Finn, Riveria, and Gareth. On the way back, Bell met Tione and Tiona, discovering that they saw his status after the fight with the Minotaur. He was surprised that Tiona referred to him as "Argonaut-kun". After the introductions, Bell returned to his tent to talk with Lili and Welf. Later on, the Loki Familia invited them to eat with them, and Bell sat between Ais and Lili. Welf looked around the area, commenting that there was a city on the 18th floor. Bell was surprised but made a promise with Ais to have her guide him through Rivira the following day. Tione and Tiona forced themselves next to him, asking him about how to get all skills to S. He didn't know if "hard work" was a valid answer, being saved when he heard a loud sound. Bell, Lili, Welf, and Ais investigated the source of the noise and found the rescue party.

Both Bell's party and the rescue party moved to a tent to avoid gathering attention. Mikoto immediately apologized for their actions, however Ouka still believed that it was the right decision, earning Lili and Welf's anger. At that moment Hermes and Asfi returned from talking with Finn, wondering what was going on. Hermes helped diffuse the situation by reminding them that they were willing to help. After discussing their situation, the group agreed to spend a few days with the Loki Familia.

The next morning, the group along with Tione, Tiona, and Ais made their way to Rivira. On the way there, Bell noticed that Hestia seemed different, to which she told him that she was suppressing her divinity. The group split up to explore Rivira and Hestia made sure to tell Ais not to follow them. Despite her warning, she still followed them anyway. As they looked around, Bell bumped into Mord, who tried to pick a fight with him, but stopped when he saw Ais. Hermes noticed the exchange and began forming a plan.

Hermes then treated everyone to a Dungeon Sandwich, though after hearing that it contained Honey Cloud, Bell left the group as he didn't like its sweet taste. While he was looking at some scenery, Ais appeared and asked about him, prompting him to make up an excuse that he was looking for the entrance to the 19th Floor, and she apparently seemed to believe him. She asked if she was a bother, causing Bell to accidentally let slip that he was happy that she was with him, quickly trying to hide it. Ais called Bell by his name for the first time, making him even more joyous on the inside. However, Hestia appeared to ruin the moment and dragged Bell off.

During the afternoon, Tiona invited Tione, Ais, Hestia, Lili, Asfi, Mikoto, and Chigusa to go bathing in the river. At the same time, Hermes invited Bell to go somewhere with him. After travelling through the forest for a while, Hermes revealed that they were going to peek at the women bathing in the river. Bell, not wanting to do something like that, tried to take Hermes back with him to their camp. Hermes struggled against him and Bell fell down into the water. He was then spotted by the girls. Tione and Tiona were impressed by his daring, and made no effort to cover themselves from Bell. Hestia, Lili, Asfi, Mikoto, and Chigusa on the other hand were embarrassed by his presence. Bell's gaze ended up on Ais near the waterfall and he saw her completely naked as well. Embarrassed, Bell ran as fast as he could out of the area and into the woods.

After wandering through the woods, Bell stumbled upon a spring with someone bathing. He remembered the story of a man that stumbled upon a fairy bathing and was shot with an arrow. His fears were confirmed when the person threw a knife at him. Bell immediately recognized the person as Ryuu and saw her completely naked as well. Bell quickly apologized and Ryuu had him turn around while she changed back into her clothes. He asked why Ryuu was bathing in a place like this, causing her to ask if he had heard about her past. Ryuu ultimately decided to tell him anyway, leading him to the grave of the former Astraea Familia members.

While there, she revealed that she was on the Guild's blacklist and once had a bounty placed on her for destroying the enemy Familia along with anyone connected to them for killing her companions. After she finished, she collapsed in an empty alley where she was saved by Syr and brought to the Hostess of Fertility. Bell then asked her why she came to Orario. She started to hate how Elves were prideful, coming to Orario to find others she could be friendly and comfortable with, however she still ended up shunning others. During that time, someone was able to hold her hand, of which Bell was the third person to do so. Ryuu told him that he was a Human worth respecting while smiling.

That night, Hermes and Asfi left camp to head for Rivira. Hermes was still in pain from the punishment he received from Asfi. At Rivira, Mord was complaining about Bell to everyone in the bar. He told everyone that Bell was basically making a fool of everyone thereby coming to the 18th floor so fast after leveling up. At that moment, Hermes arrived, overhearing everything that Mord said. The other adventures were cautious of him, but he agreed to help Mord with his desire to attack Bell. Hermes provided a Hades Hat made by Asfi to Mord as long as he provided him with an entertaining show.

Chapter 5: The Feast of the Outlaws[]

The following morning, Bell updated his status. While doing so, he heard Bete learn that he was in camp, with the Amazoness sisters complaining about Bete. Bell went to see Ais before she left, telling her to be careful. Afterward, he visited Welf to have his knife sharpened. While she was alone, Hestia was kidnapped by an invisible Mord. Bell returned later to find a note left by Mord telling him to come alone, to the eastern part of the 18th floor. Chigusa saw him leave but he didn't notice her.

In the eastern forest, Mord looked over the Hades Hat while Hestia was tied to a nearby tree. Hestia tried to gain some information from him but he refused to tell her anything, only that he was simply going to teach Bell a lesson. He left Scott and Guile in charge of watching Hestia and headed to the meeting place.

A little while later, Lili and Welf began looking for Bell though they couldn't find him. As they wondered if hey were in trouble, Chigusa called out to them and informed them of what she saw. While Welf and Mikoto discussed what happened, Lili discovered something within the tent.

As Bell approached the meeting place, an adventurer informed Mord of his arrival. Mord himself appeared from behind a crystal, telling Bell that it was going to be a duel between the two of them. A large number of adventurers sealed off the exit and the duel began. Mord used the Hades Hat to freely attack Bell while he was invisible.

Hermes and Asfi watched Bell's battle from the top of a tree. Asfi expressed her disgust at the scene and told Hermes that he had bad taste. He wanted Bell to experience the dark side of Humans though he also did it just for the fun of it. She asked him what would happen if Bell lost the will to fight but Hermes simply answered that if that happened he just wasn't the type. He then looked off in another direction and commented that Bell had great companions.

While they were fighting, Bell's allies came to help him. Welf managed to dodge an attack, however the magic sword he was carrying fell down into the forest. Ryuu came to assist them in their fight. In the forest below, an Almiraj appeared in front of Hestia. As the adventurers watching Hestia were about to shoo it off, three Bugbears appeared, causing them to run. Lili removed the magic she was using and helped free Hestia. She informed her that the others were helping to save Bell.

Bell himself was starting to sense where Mord was. Freya's constant staring had made his senses stronger. As they fought, Bell crushed some crystal, throwing it on him to show where he was. Bell followed up with a kick to his head, completely destroying the Hades Hat. At that moment Hestia arrived and ordered everyone to stop fighting. Mord tried to tell the others to ignore her but she used her divine power to intimidate the others into obeying her. The others escaped the area along with Mord, allowing Bell's allies to reach him. However, as they regrouped, the ground shook. A crack appeared in the ceiling and a monster spawned.

As the ground shook, Asfi asked Hermes if it was also of his doing. He cleared himself of any wrong doing while asking Ouranos about the prayers. Hermes then ordered Asfi to head to Rivira and gather allies to fight the monster.

Chapter 6: Hero's Hymn[]

At Rivira, Bors watched the Black Goliath spawn. As he watched the monster move around, Asfi arrived to gather reinforcements. He rejected her request as he was interested in running but changed his mind after Asfi pointed out that the monster had blocked the exits. Bors tried to reason with her about it though he eventually agreed to help her defeat the Goliath along with everyone else currently in Rivira.

Near the Black Goliath, Mord and his companions were besieged by not only the Goliath but also a whole horde of monsters that it called. Confused, the group struggled to move around, and at that moment the Goliath began to target one of his companions. Before it could crush him with its fist, Ryuu forced it to change trajectory with Mikoto and Ouka following up. However, despite attacking it with their weapons, Mikoto and Ouka did no damage to it at all. Welf switched places with them as they retreated, using Will o Wisp to negate its Howl. To his surprise, the Goliath was already about to launch another Howl as the smoke cleared. Ryuu attacked the Goliath's head, forcing it to change trajectory again. Ryuu herself noted the difference in power of the Black Goliath than a regular Goliath, deciding to repeatedly attack its legs. Out of all the attacks aimed at it, the Goliath only cared about the attacks from her, as they were the only ones that hurt it. The Goliath became angry and targeted the adventurers at its feet.

Southeast of the Goliath, Mord was busy fighting a horde of monsters along with several others, all the while looking for Scott and Guile. At that moment a strike from a Bugbear knocked him to the ground, sending his sword flying off in the process. Mord thought he was done for until Bell saved him. He was confused but wasn't given time to think as Lili dragged him off. Once they reached a safe place, Mord asked her why she saved him, though Lili simply told him to be thankful that Bell was a kind person. He was confused by her answer but the only reply that came back was the sound of fighting.

To the west of the battle, Hestia and Chigusa head to Rivira to gather weapons. However, they were targeted by a Bugbear as they neared the bridge, unable to do anything to fight it. The adventurers from Rivira heading to the battle saved them. The two watched the adventurers for a moment before getting back to the task at hand.

Asfi arrived ahead of the Rivira adventurers to assist Ryuu. She informed Ryuu that the adventurers were going to do an all out attack on the monster. Although she was intending to have Ryuu keep its attention, Ryuu had her help, much to her shock.

Bell later met up with Welf as everyone attacked. As they wondered what to do, a member of the attacking party provoked him to join them. Welf insisted that Bell join to allow him to brag that his contract partner helped defeat the Goliath. The two split off to head off to where they were needed. Bell received a large sword from the attackers and headed off to fight the monster. However, the others sensed danger and retreated, leaving him alone. Bell remembered how Ais had defeated a Monster Rex by herself, using that to propel himself forward. He dodges its fist and landed an attack at its feet, the accumulated damage from all attacks doing damage to it. While he retreated, Ryuu ordered him to follow after her only during attacks.

The magic squad soon finished their chants, unleashing their attacks to deal considerable damage to the Goliath. As the others celebrated, Ryuu noticed that the Goliath was regenerating, eventually healing all of its wounds. While the adventurers were stunned by the outcome, the Goliath smashed its fists down onto the ground, splitting it in two. The attack took out most of the adventurers in the battle. The Goliath noticed that there were adventurers still standing and called monsters from across the floor again. Ryuu noticed this and ordered Bell to help the adventurers hold off the monsters while she and Asfi held the Goliath back. As they left, Bell decided that he was going to use Argonaut.

Lili was astounded by the scene of the battle on her way to the resupply point. She hurried to the point and asked those there to supply her with weapons to take to the battle. She wondered where Chigusa was to which Hestia told her that she left to join Ouka. While she was filling her bag with weapons, Lili noticed the Udaeus Black Sword next to Hestia. She realized that it was a weapon from the deep floors and decided to take it to Bell along with the other weapons.

Ryuu fought near the Goliath, causing Asfi to warn her that her location was dangerous. She listened to Asfi's warning, falling back for a moment to regroup with her. The two talked over various methods to try and keep it busy. However, neither of them could think up of a proper solution with Ryuu deciding to just try and make the Goliath's magic power run dry. Despite their efforts, the Goliath was still wary of the mages, using its Howl to snipe them. Near the Goliath, Ouka requested a shield from Chigusa. She refused to give him a shield as she knew if he took a direct hit from the monster he would most likely take serious damage, possibly dying on top of that. Nonetheless he still asked for the shield, asking Chigusa to not let him be a man that was all talk and no action. Chigusa silently handed him the shield and watched him run off.

After a while, the white particles stopped gathering around his hand, signaling that the Argonaut charge of three minutes was finished. Immediately, Bell ran toward the Goliath. Asfi recognized the light around his hand as the same thing that defeated the Infant Dragon in one hit. As both Asfi and Ryuu fell back, Bell used an Argonaut charged Firebolt against the Goliath's Howl. The Firebolt easily broke through, destroying most of the monster's face. Everyone around thought that he did it though to their shock the Goliath regenerated its face. The Goliath locked on to him and fired a Howl directly at him through its still regenerating but before it reached him Ouka blocked the attack with a shield. The Howl still punched through, severely wounding both of them as they were blown away. Hestia, Lili, and Welf watched them in shock. Watching the scene, Welf recalled Hephaestus' words, running into the forest to find the magic sword.

After being hit by the Howl, Mikoto and Chigusa picked up Ouka while Ryuu grabbed Bell, taking them to a safe place. Ryuu cursed the fact that she didn't have any High Potions with her as a normal potion wouldn't be enough. Hestia rushed to Bell's side and learned of his condition. She had Ryuu return to the battle to assist Asfi, assuring her that Bell would come back. Once Ryuu left, Hestia desperately tried to get Bell to regain consciousness.

Inside his consciousness, Bell heard Hestia's pleas, however his body wouldn't listen to him. He cursed his unresponsive body over and over as he tried to regain consciousness. At that moment, Hermes appeared, reminding Bell of the words he had heard from his grandfather in the past. Remembering those words helped him get back up. While he thought of what he needed to do, Lili threw him the Udaeus Black Sword to use as his weapon. He then removed the limit on Argonaut using his overwhelming feelings that surpassed the Falna. Removing the limit changed the sound from a chime to a grand bell, and the sound echoed across the battlefield.

Southeast from the Goliath, Mord and his companions, along with some other adventurers, were fighting off a horde of monsters. Though his companions were starting to lose hope, Mord ordered them to remain steadfast. They asked him why he was still fighting and he told him that he wasn't going to abandon the others. His companions were still confused, causing Mord to follow up by telling them that it wasn't right to run even though they hadn't done anything. He began insulting the disheartened adventurers around him, successfully getting them to fight back against the monsters. Soon after, everyone heard the sound of a grand bell and saw Bell standing still with the Udaeus Black Sword. While the Goliath tried to gather the monsters to take Bell down, Mord and the others worked to stop them from doing so.

The Goliath itself decided that Bell was a threat and began moving toward him. Seeing this, Ryuu moved to stop it from advancing, attacking its legs to make it fall to the ground. Asfi was stunned at how it came down but quickly joined to help her. Their attacks enraged the Goliath even further, causing it to temporarily change its target to them. Ryuu began the chant for Luminous Wind while Asfi kept the Goliath busy. Watching from afar, Mikoto was impressed by Ryuu's skill in Concurrent Chanting and began chanting for her own magic. The Luminous Wind succeeded in keeping it still, however only for a moment as it forcefully charged through the magic using its regeneration. Mikoto also finished chanting, trapping the Goliath in a dome of gravity, though she knew she couldn't keep it up due to the difference between their strengths.

In the forest, Welf desperately looked around for the magic sword. It was the first weapon that he made after he joined the Familia and was also the weapon that he left with Hephaestus out of his hatred for magic swords. He eventually found the sword and returned to the battle. Using the magic Sword, he obliterated the horde of monsters Mord and the others were fighting, however he saw the magic sword crack, knowing that he didn't have much time. Welf quickly moved around to the Goliath and used the magic sword again, inflicting the first fatal wound on the monster. As the magic sword shattered, Welf apologized to it in his heart.

Due to the others buying time for him, Bell successfully finished the Argonaut charge again. Hestia ordered everyone to retreat as Bell charged toward the Goliath. Once he got within range, Bell unleashed the attack, briefly blinding everyone there with the light. When everyone could see again, they saw that his attack destroyed the Goliath's right arm and upper body while the left arm and lower body stood still. The remaining body parts soon turned into ash, leaving the Goliath's Hard Skin behind. As everyone celebrated, Hestia, Lili, Welf, Mikoto, and Ryuu rushed over to the exhausted Bell.

As Hestia and the others rushed over to Bell, Hermes watched them from afar. The excitement caused him to start a speech, telling Zeus that Bell was a real hero. He continued that the age was beginning to move, marveling at the fact that there were so many heroes within Orario. Hermes declared that he would look after them and their efforts.

Epilogue: Those That Shoot the Rabbit[]

Bell and the others eventually returned to the surface and took care of business. However, the Guild was horrified by the irregular of a Monster Rex spawning on the 18th floor, declaring it to be a Divine Disaster, and ordered everyone that was there to not talk about it. To prevent panic, the Guild penalized both the Hestia and Hermes Familias by taking half of their wealth while refusing to hear them out.

Following the incident with the Goliath on the 18th Floor, Apollo had Hyakinthos Clio report the situation to him. The Guild was suppressing any information about it, but Hyakinthos reported that he managed to learn that an adventurer by the name of Bell Cranel was the one that defeated the Goliath. Satisfied with the information, Apollo declared that he would make Bell his own.

Navigation[]

Advertisement