Chapter 6: The Fall of the Sun God
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One week.
That was all they had to prepare.
But Bell wasn't alone anymore.
The morning after the War Game was announced, Hestia stood before the shrine with a blazing fire in her eyes. One by one, new figures stepped forward.
Welf Crozzo—blacksmith and warrior. He knelt before the Goddess.
"I'm tired of forging for cowards. Let me build for a Familia that fights with heart."
Liliruca Arde—once a trickster, now reborn with resolve. She bowed.
"I was blind, but Bell helped me see. Let me repay him."
Makoto—samurai of Takemikazuchi, disillusioned by her own Familia's mistakes.
"My God has given me leave. Let me fight beside those with honor."
And last, silent as a ghost in the night, came Ryu Lion.
"I owe him a debt. And I do not leave debts unpaid."
Hestia trembled as she accepted them all. Her Familia—once a family of two—was growing. Not by numbers, but by bonds.
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The training was brutal.
Black Scythe watched over them with pitiless eyes, drilling them day and night. They learned to move as one, to fight in silence, to breach fortresses and exploit weaknesses.
Then, one evening, as the stars bled over Orario's sky, Black Scythe removed his mask.
"I am Ryu Min," he said.
They stared.
A name not known in Orario. But something deeper shifted.
"I am the one and only member of Hella Familia. Goddess of Shadows, forgotten by the heavens. Banished. I carry her name in silence."
He turned to Bell.
"And now, I fight for you."
Bell bowed.
"Then I will honor your past with my future."
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The day of the War Game dawned.
A towering fortress. Golden banners. Apollo's Familia at full strength.
And Bell, standing at the head of a small but fierce team.
The gates opened.
The battle was swift. Precise.
Makoto struck silently from the shadows, paralyzing key guards.
Welf led the charge with enchanted explosives that tore holes in the outer wall.
Ryu swept through the corridors like a storm.
Liliruca transformed into a Titan, clearing the inner court.
And Bell—eyes glowing with resolve—faced Hyakinthos once more.
This time, he didn't hesitate.
Three strikes. One final blow.
Hyakinthos fell.
And as the gates were breached, and the war flag torn down, the crowd roared.
Victory.
Overwhelming.
Apollo stood, stunned, as the judges declared the Hestia Familia victorious.
Then, with divine judgment, the decree came down:
Apollo—banished to the heavens for inciting conflict and endangering lower gods.
His estate, wealth, and holdings were now Hestia Familia's.
The goddess wept as Bell hugged her.
They had not just survived.
They had risen.
From shadows.
Into legend.
And from a single flame, an inferno was born.