MTLNOVEL Chapter 10: chapter 10
"If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you don't fight, you can't win!"
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Two weeks and three days since joining hestia familia.
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All For One unleashed a massive fireball, its blazing light consuming a group of killer ants as they closed in relentlessly. The acrid scent of charred carapace filled the air, but there was no time for respite.
He turned toward Welf, whose face was tight with worry. "Stay back," All For One commanded, his voice calm yet firm, cutting through the tension like a blade. The clicking mandibles of the ants echoed in the cavern, drawing closer.
Welf's grip tightened on his heavy sword, his knuckles whitening. "But what about you? You seriously can't expect to handle all of them alone!" His tone betrayed his uneasiness, though his stance remained defiant. He had no intention of losing a companion on their first day together.
All For One met Welf's gaze briefly before focusing on the approaching swarm. "Don't worry. I'm strong," he stated with unshakable certainty. There was no room for argument. Without hesitation, he leapt into the fray, his sword slicing through the first line of ants in one sweeping arc. He pivoted and bisected another with precision.
A particularly large ant lunged toward his leg, mandibles snapping. All For One sidestepped with practiced ease, driving his blade downward into the creature's eye. A satisfying crunch followed as fluid spilled from its crushed head. Yet, the swarm pressed on, unrelenting and seemingly endless.
"Fireball!" he cast again, a massive orb of fire exploding from his hands. The cavern lit up in a dazzling flash, the heat searing and vaporizing another group of advancing ants. Despite their losses, more surged forward, undeterred by the fate of their comrades.
All For One spun, reacting to a sudden threat behind him. He drove his heel into an ant, the force sending it crashing into several others and momentarily stalling their advance. The reprieve was short-lived. His mind pool was running dangerously low, the telltale ache behind his eyes warning him of his limits. He couldn't risk reaching for a potion—doing so would leave him vulnerable and cornered.
Gritting his teeth, he sidestepped a pair of snapping mandibles that came perilously close to his shoulder. He retaliated by cleaving the attacker in two. Another ant lunged at his leg, but he countered with a crushing blow from his sword hilt, the crack of its shell a satisfying music to his ears.
"Agh!" Welf's cry of pain sounded behind him—he had missed a swing, leaving himself exposed. An ant seized the opportunity, its mandibles sinking deep into his arm.
All For One bolted toward him, his enhanced senses locking onto the threat. Without hesitation, he threw his sword, the blade impaling the ant biting down on Welf's arm. He dashed forward, retrieving his weapon in a fluid motion and spinning to dispatch the remaining ants around Welf with surgical precision. Carcasses piled at their feet, but the swarm continued to pour in.
Welf collapsed, unconscious but still breathing. All For One barely had a moment to assess the situation before the ground beneath them began to tremble. A fresh wave of ants surged forward, their numbers seemingly endless.
His eyes darted toward a gaping hole in the cavern—a passage leading deeper to the Ninth Floor. If he could collapse it, burying the swarm, they might have a chance at survival.
Summoning the last reserves of his mind, All For One raised a trembling hand. He funneled every ounce of remaining energy into one final, explosive spell.
"Fireball!" This one was larger than any he'd cast before, its blinding intensity forcing even the ants to hesitate. The blazing orb streaked toward the cavern wall, slamming into it with a thunderous explosion.
The ground quaked violently as the wall fractured. Cracks spiderwebbed outward, and massive chunks of stone began to fall, sealing the passage in a catastrophic landslide. Dust and debris filled the air, muffling the frantic clicking of the buried swarm.
Pain lanced through All For One's head, his vision dimming at the edges as his consciousness threatened to slip away. Yet, he remained standing, swaying but resolute. He watched as the last of the ants were entombed beneath the rubble.
With labored breaths, he turned to Welf. The smith's arm was bleeding heavily. All For One tore a strip from Welf's sleeve, fashioning a makeshift bandage to stanch the bleeding. Then, he lifted Welf by the collar and began dragging him forward.
His features were calm, but his eyes were furious.
"I'll make sure you pay dearly for this," he muttered under his breath, the promise as sharp and cutting as the blade he wielded.
There was still unfinished business to attend to, and neither exhaustion nor pain would stop him.
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'Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it!' The thought pulsed through Lili's mind like a desperate mantra as she navigated the dungeon toward the exit, her hands trembling slightly despite her resolve.
This will all be worth it in the end!
Freedom. That dream was now within her grasp. For the first time in her life, she could almost taste it—no more chains, no more oppression. A peaceful, happy life awaited her.
It had only cost her yet another stain on her already damned soul...
As she hurried toward the sixth floor, Lili's guilt fought to drown her. But she silenced it.
She had already made her choice.
Focusing on the strange mental link her benefactor had established, she relayed Bell-sama and Welf-sama's locations as planned. Slowly and carefully, she'd slipped away from her support position, ensuring they passed her without suspicion.
Everything had gone perfectly.
She just needed to leave the dungeon, and she'd finally break free of the crushing chains that had bound her since birth.
But as she rounded a corner, something hard struck her square in the face.
"Agh!" Lili cried out, collapsing to the ground in pain and shock. Her vision blurred, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Tears welled up as she tried to understand what had just happened.
Her answer came in the form of a black-haired human wielding a katana.
"Doran! I found the mouse!" the man called, his voice sharp and triumphant.
From behind him, a dwarf emerged—the very man who had hired her. His gaze was cold and sharp as he approached.
Lili's heart pounded as the dwarf stopped in front of her, towering over her trembling form. "Tell me," he began, his voice calm but laced with menace. "Did you say anything to them about us?"
Frantically, she shook her head, her words tumbling out in a desperate rush. "L-Lili didn't say anything! S-She just wants to leave! Lili won't tell anyone!" Her voice cracked, desperation overtaking her.
Doran stared at her for a moment, his silence like a dagger twisting in her gut. Then he spoke. "Good. You did your job well. But now..." He turned his back to her, his tone chillingly indifferent. "We don't need you anymore."
Her breath hitched as the dwarf glanced over his shoulder, his eyes devoid of emotion. "Haruto, finish her off so we can get out of this shithole."
"W-Why..." Lili choked out, blood mixing with her tears as the crushing weight of what's happening sank in.
The dwarf's chuckle was dry, heartless. "I want silence. And dead mortals tell no tales." He gestured toward Haruto with a flick of his hand. "Do it."
Haruto stepped forward, his katana gleaming ominously as he raised it high.
Lili stared up at him, her body trembling but her mind numb.
After all the torment she'd endured, this was how it was going to end—a pathetic death at the hands of the very people she'd helped.
'How fitting,' she thought bitterly, tears sliding down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, her last thoughts filled with regret.
It was the end, after all.
Haruto tightened his grip, readying his blade for a clean strike. He moved forward, his katana poised to slash at her vitals.
But the strike never landed.
"What the hell?!" Haruto shouted, leaping back as a ball of fire streaked toward him, narrowly missing his face.
The dwarf's eyes narrowed as he turned toward the source of the attack. "That was quite fast," he muttered, his gaze settling on the figure emerging from the shadows.
It was their target.
Lili hesitantly opened her eyes, her gaze landing on Bell-sama, who was dragging an unconscious Welf by the collar, his expression darker than Lili had ever seen. His crimson eyes burned with a fury that sent a chill down her spine.
"Bell-sama..." she whispered, her voice trembling as she watched him let go of Welf's limp body and take a step forward, his gaze locked on the enemies before him.
As the intense standoff began between the two, Lili felt her consciousness fading away.
She hopes bell-sama will survive, at least she wouldn't have to live with another unnecessary death on her...
Her vision went blank just as the dwarf began talking again.
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"It seems we underestimated you," the dwarf chuckled, his tone dripping with confidence.
All For One observed the two standing before him, his annoyance spiking. These two fools were the supposed planners behind this trap?
"You two are the masterminds? A stout midget and a wannabe samurai? How utterly disappointing," he said, his voice laced with mockery as his sharp eyes shifted toward the now-unconscious Lili lying nearby.
He ignored her for now, refocusing on the idiots ahead.
The samurai scoffed, visibly offended. "I'll make sure to cut that tone!" he barked, stepping forward and drawing his katana with an exaggerated, menacing arc.
A katana—so they existed here.
"You'll be sorely disappointed with the results, boy," All For One said coldly as he unsheathed his sword, the steel gleaming ominously under the flickering light of the cavern. His grip tightened.
Without further delay, both combatants charged. Their weapons clashed with a deafening ring, sparks flying as steel met steel. The sheer force of their blows stirred the air, kicking up clouds of dust from the cavern floor.
"You're stronger than you look," the samurai taunted, springing back before launching into a spinning slash. All For One parried the strike and countered with a headbutt, but the samurai narrowly dodged and slipping past him.
'Fast,' All For One noted, irritation creeping into his thoughts. He needed to deal with this nuisance before his dwindling stamina betrayed him.
"That was close!" the samurai teased with a whistle. "Let's see you handle this!"
The samurai dashed forward, katana poised for a horizontal slash aimed at All For One's abdomen.
"Fireball," All For One muttered, his free hand glowing. A sphere of fire shot toward the samurai's face, forcing him to abort his attack and roll away, narrowly avoiding the searing heat.
"Tch! I'll show you!" the samurai shouted, annoyed. Then he began to chant: "Storm-bringer, grant my steps the speed of light!"
The moment All For One heard the words, a dark smile spread across his face.
As the samurai continued his incantation, All For One quietly activated his own spell. "Burn out, illegal work. Will-o-wisp," he murmured, his voice a sinister whisper. A faint wind slithered toward the samurai's feet, unnoticed as the man pressed his attack.
"Through thunder's roar and tempest's gale, guide me swi—" The samurai's chant ended in a bloodcurdling scream as blue flames erupted around his legs, consuming them in an instant. His flesh charred away, leaving only blackened bones.
"Aghaaa! What the hell?!" the samurai howled, his katana clattering to the ground as he collapsed.
From the back, the dwarf sighed in irritation. "Fucking idiot," he muttered under his breath.
"Fascinating spell," All For One remarked with a sinister calm as he approached the writhing samurai. His expression betrayed neither pity nor mercy.
He had taken Welf's abilities while heading here, hoping they would prove useful in this fight.
And he was correct.
Without hesitation, All For One grabbed the samurai's head. Black lightning crackled ominously around his hand as his quirk activated at full strength.
"Aghaaaa!" The samurai's agonized screams turned into strangled gasps as his magic was ripped from him in a torrent of pain. With one final shudder, the samurai went limp.
All For One discarded the body like trash, slashing the throat for good measure before turning to the dwarf. The burly figure remained composed, pulling a massive axe from his back.
"Quite the terrifying gift you wield," the dwarf said with surprising calm. "To strip others of their strength and make it your own."
All For One's eyes narrowed. He knows too much.
But it didn't matter—the dwarf wouldn't leave here alive.
The dwarf moved without warning, bounding toward All For One with surprising speed. His axe came down in a brutal arc. All For One barely dodged, the blade grazing his shoulder and cleaving into the stone floor as he rolled away. The dwarf pressed the attack, his swings relentless, each one shaking the cavern.
'He's strong,' All For One thought grimly, feigning a retreat to draw the dwarf into a fast-paced exchange. Their weapons clashed, sparks flying as All For One parried the strikes, his arms jarring from the dwarf's sheer power. He sidestepped, delivering a quick slash across the dwarf's arm.
The dwarf grunted, momentarily thrown off balance, but retaliated with a wide sweep of his axe. All For One leaped over the attack, bringing down his sword midair down at the dwarf's shoulder. The dwarf blocked with his forearm, gritting his teeth as the blade bit deep into his flesh.
'Strong but not fast enough,' All For One thought, his mind racing.
He began chanting the spell he just stole: "Storm-bringer, grant my steps the speed of light."
As the dwarf charged again, All For One completed the spell. "Raijin!" he roared. Black lightning coursed through him as he shot forward with blinding speed, striking from multiple angles.
The dwarf staggered, blood oozing from numerous wounds, but he grinned through the pain.
All For One pressed his advantage, his strikes relentless. The dwarf's defenses faltered, and a precise uppercut carved a deep wound across his cheek. A sidestep brought All For One close enough to slash the dwarf's thigh, forcing him to take a knee.
The dwarf lashed out with a desperate axe strike, but All For One dodged, countering with a fireball that exploded against the dwarf's chest. The force left the dwarf stunned. With a final, powerful strike, All For One severed the dwarf's arm, the limb dropping with a sickening thud.
Barely standing, the dwarf raised his axe with his remaining hand. "Still… standing…" he muttered, defiant to the end.
All For One delivered a vicious kick, slamming the dwarf into the cavern wall.
The black lightning slowly faded from him, exhaustion taking over from the overuse of his Mind reserve.
He approached the dwarf slowly, his steps sluggish. Placing a hand on the dwarf's head, he began extracting his ability.
"You… win," the dwarf rasped. Before All For One could interrogate him, the dwarf bit down hard on something hidden in his mouth. A sudden choking sound followed as the dwarf ended his own life.
"Poison," All For One noted, stepping back, watching as the life drained from his foe.
Loyalty until the bitter end. He could admire pawns like this.
Taking a deep breath, he turned towards Welf, but his legs buckled. Exhaustion finally taking him, he collapsed to the ground.
"Damn it…"
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The End
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Updated version: what changed? Shortened and slightly different scenes.