Danmachi: Bell Gojo

The atmosphere was thick with tension as the team of adventurers stood on the barren battlefield of Dragon Valley. Bell Cranel, his katana still stained with the blood of lesser dragonic monsters, felt his heartbeat thrum in his ears. His comrades—Alfia, Zald, Hera, Zeus, and the two former captains of the Zeus and Hera Familias—stood around him, each bearing the weight of centuries of history.

The towering presence of the Black Dragon loomed over them, casting a shadow that felt both physical and existential. Its ebony scales shimmered with an unnatural light, a testament to the unholy power it wielded. As Bell's eyes locked with the creature's remaining eye—blazing with an ancient, burning hatred—he couldn't help but recall the stories he had heard of the One-Eyed Black Dragon.

It was the tale of a nightmare given form, a creature that had survived since the dawn of time, long before the gods descended to Gekai. The Black Dragon had once been a force of nature, scouring the lands of men and gods alike. Its cruelty knew no bounds; it burned cities to ash, sundered mountains with a swipe of its claw, and left entire armies shattered in its wake.

The Black Dragon had become the greatest threat to the world, the indomitable beast that even the mightiest heroes of the Zeus and Hera Familias could not defeat. Its most terrifying power? Immortality. No matter how many wounds it suffered, how many of its limbs were severed, it would always regenerate. It was unstoppable.

The final quest—where the remnants of the Zeus and Hera Familia had fought the beast—had ended in failure. Most of their legendary adventurers perished, and those who survived were scarred, both physically and mentally. The Black Dragon had since been sealed in Dragon Valley, awaiting the day when it would be unleashed once more.

Today was that day.

"Dark Breath incoming!" Bell yelled, breaking from his thoughts as the Black Dragon reared its head.

The sky above them turned a deep, unnatural shade of purple, swirling as the dragon inhaled. In the next moment, a torrent of dark energy erupted from its maw, black flames laced with malevolent magic rushing toward the group. The sheer size and speed of the attack were overwhelming.

"Move!" Bell shouted.

Each adventurer dodged with practiced precision, rolling and flipping away as the attack scorched the earth where they had stood moments before. The heat was unbearable, the force of the flames shaking the ground beneath their feet. Up above, the gods—Zeus, Hera, and Alfia—watched from a safe vantage point atop a cliff. Bound by the divine restrictions placed on them in the mortal realm, they were unable to directly intervene.

"Bell," Hera whispered under her breath, her heart heavy with worry. She clenched her hands, unable to tear her eyes away from the battlefield. Zeus stood beside her, his expression grim as he watched his grandson take charge.

"Don't die on us, kid," Zeus muttered, though there was a trace of pride in his voice.

Bell, regaining his balance, quickly assessed the situation. His instincts screamed at him to act, and his mind worked furiously to formulate a strategy. He turned to the others, his voice firm.

"Everyone, aim for its limbs! We need to cripple it before we can finish it off. It can't retaliate if we take out its mobility!" he ordered.

Without hesitation, the adventurers sprang into action. Zald, Alfia, and the others darted toward the dragon, each targeting a different limb. Zald swung his mighty sword at one of the creature's legs, while Alfia fired off powerful spells aimed at its wings. The captains of Zeus and Hera Familia struck at its tail and remaining eye with all their strength.

With precision and ferocity, they attacked, managing to sever the dragon's leg and damage its wings. The massive beast roared in agony, its body thrashing as it struggled to regain balance. But just as Bell thought they had succeeded, the truth hit them like a crashing wave.

The wounds… were healing.

"What—?!" Alfia gasped, her voice laced with disbelief.

Bell's eyes widened in horror as the Black Dragon's severed leg began to regrow, its wings stitching themselves back together. The regeneration was almost instantaneous. The beast's missing eye remained a hollow socket, but the rest of its injuries vanished as if they had never existed.

"What kind of cheat is that?!" Bell roared in frustration, slamming his katana into the ground.

Desperation clawed at him as he watched the monster heal, mocking their efforts. He needed something stronger—something more devastating. His mind raced, and then, an idea hit him. There was one thing left to try. Something he had learned but never used against such a powerful foe.

Raising his hand, Bell gathered energy into his palm, focusing all of his power into a single attack. He aimed for the beast's one vulnerable point: its missing eye.

"Red!" Bell shouted, releasing the powerful magical energy in a single, focused beam.

The energy shot forward like a crimson bullet, striking the Black Dragon in its hollow eye socket. The reaction was immediate. The dragon roared in anguish, its massive body convulsing as the blast tore into its very being. Bell's attack had bypassed the creature's regeneration, striking at its core.

The dragon thrashed wildly, swinging its claws in blind fury. One of its massive talons raked through the air, catching Zald's arm and tearing it open with a sickening sound. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Zald didn't falter. Instead, he charged forward, using his last reserves of strength to strike back at the beast.

For days, the battle raged on.

The adventurers fought with everything they had, their bodies battered and broken. Zald, Alfia, and the two captains of Zeus and Hera's Familia held nothing back. But despite their best efforts, the Black Dragon's regeneration proved an insurmountable challenge. It was relentless, and every strike they landed felt like a drop in the ocean.

Finally, the two captains—wounded beyond recovery—made the ultimate sacrifice. With their final breaths, they channeled their Falna, their very souls, into Bell. Their power surged into him, their levels and experience transferring to the young hero. Zald, who had fought valiantly despite his grievous injuries, followed suit, passing his Level 7 strength to Bell as well.

Bell screamed in agony as their power merged with his own. His Falna swelled, pushing him to the brink of his limits. Level after level, he ascended, gaining strength far beyond anything he had ever known.

But even with this newfound power, the Black Dragon fought on, its regeneration slowing but not stopping entirely. Bell was exhausted, his body burning with fatigue, and the weight of his fallen comrades pressed heavily on his heart.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Alfia, the last survivor at his side, Bell gritted his teeth in frustration. They couldn't mourn. They couldn't rest. Not while this abomination still lived.

"There's only one option left," Bell muttered, his voice hoarse.

Alfia turned to him, her eyes widening as she saw the determination in his gaze. "What are you going to do?"

Bell held out his left hand, his fingers trembling from the sheer strain of the battle. "Alfia," he said quietly, "hold onto me. And don't let go, no matter what."

Confused but trusting him, Alfia placed her hand on his shoulder, gripping tightly.

Bell's hand began to glow with an eerie blue light, a light that seemed to warp the very space around them. His voice echoed through the valley, a declaration that would change the tide of the battle.

"Domain Expansion: Infinite Void."

A sphere of infinite space expanded from Bell, trapping the Black Dragon within its boundaries. The dragon roared in confusion and fury, unable to comprehend the incomprehensible. Within the domain, time and space blurred, and reality itself became a maze of sensations and nothingness.

Bell took a deep breath, his eyes glowing with fierce intensity. He made a binding vow in that moment, sacrificing his ability to use Blue and Red for the week, and limiting his magic reserves to 45 percent. In exchange, he gained the power to rapid-fire Hollow Purple, a technique that fused both energies into devastating blasts.

Bell grinned as he held his palm out toward the immobilized dragon. His hand crackled with energy, and the air around him pulsed with power.

"Let's end this," he said through gritted teeth.

One after another, Bell unleashed Hollow Purple, each blast infused with the power of three Black Flashes. The intensity of each strike tore into the Black Dragon, rending its flesh and soul alike. The creature, once a force of unstoppable destruction, was now reduced to a writhing, agonized shadow of its former self.

As the final Hollow Purple shot forth, Bell watched as the Black Dragon crumbled, its regeneration finally defeated. It let out one last roar of defiance before it fell silent, its massive form disintegrating into nothingness.

Bell stood there, panting heavily, his body trembling from the sheer exertion. The battlefield was quiet. The dragon was dead.

He had avenged the fallen.

The Black Dragon, the nightmare of Orario, was no more.

And Bell Cranel stood as the greatest hero the world had ever seen.