It Is Alright To Use Spiral Power In A Dungeon (TTGL X Danmachi Crossover)

[Xodarap]

Oof the Lily arc is always such a chore to read through in fics as the constant angst and suicidal thoughts are way to real for me so to see that argument being pulled apart is nice.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Man this stories just awesome

 

[LinkOnScepter]

Spoiler: Sneak Peek

"So, the Gods came down here, destroyed the original thing keeping the Dungeon closed by accident, laughed, and then made this thing to make up for it?"

Bell and Lilly nodded in response to Simon's question. Simon hummed and then glared up at the tower. The three of them had come back from another very productive Dungeon run. It was late outside, with Central Park covered by a curtain of darkness. According to Bell, his income had skyrocketed since the two of them started working with him. Which Simon understood. Many hands made light work after all. And, as always, Bell was planning to give Lilly fifty percent of their haul, while Simon was going to give her whatever extra he had learned. Though both took note of how Lilly tried to convince them to not give her so much because it was "too generous" and how she was "worried because Mr. Bell looked vulnerable".

She had been giving Bell a lot of lectures like that lately, and he didn't seem to understand where they were coming from. But Simon could see what was happening. It was likely her way of making up for stealing from Bell and lying to him. Seeing it made him smile, though he really hoped that Lily would eventually trust them enough to tell the truth.

Which led to the discussion of Babel Tower and the history behind it. As well as how many floors there were, and how the gods were living on the upper floors. Learning that the tower was something made by the gods after they destroyed the old one, and only fixed it after laughing at the people who made it...gave him mixed feelings. On the one hand, at least they bothered to fix their mistakes and, arguably, gave people something better than just a normal lid. On the other hand, the fact that their response to causing such suffering to humans was to laugh at it and act like it wasn't a big deal didn't sit right with him. He glared up at Babel Tower, wondering how many gods like that there were in Orario. And if he should give them a bit of a reality check.

"I think I understand," Bell began, eyes focused on the Tower, "Whenever I hear stories about the gods, I can't help but wonder just how boring their world is. They'd have to be bored enough to want to leave the heavens and come down here, right?"

"Maybe they hated their jobs enough to run away?"

"Doesn't sound like a good enough reason to me. Then again, maybe that's cause I'm not a god. And, personally, I'm glad I'm not," Simon said, putting his hands in his coat pockets.

Bell had turned to face Lilly who was still staring at the Tower. But as she spoke it sound like she was speaking to Simon, "Lilly's isn't sure about that. Lilly's heard that the gods had many responsibilities in Tenkai-the upper world. Their most important one is taking care of us, their children, when we go to eternal sleep."

"Isn't that...?"

"So they help those who have died," Simon answered for Lilly. She nodded and he continued, "And what exactly do they do? Just grab the soul and keep it forever."

Bell was the one to answer, shaking his head, "No, no. It really depends on the person. They judge their souls once they reach Tenkai. You could be allowed to live in Tenkai forever, made to suffer unimaginable pain, or be forced into endless meaningless labor. It all depends on how much the gods liked you."

Simon grunted and shook his head but Lilly spoke up before he could say anything, "Then again, most souls just get reincarnated anyway...Since there is all this work to be done, the gods still up in Teinkai have to pick up the slack left behind by the gods living down here. They're overworked with no time to rest. They'd be angry, wouldn't they? The next ones to come here will have a very intense 'discussion' to determine the order they leave."

Simon narrowed his eyes and focused on what Lilly had said about "reincarnation". He didn't think that applied to him. Sure, he knows he died an old man in his world and then just suddenly appeared in the Dungeon just as Bell got attacked. But he didn't really remember how any of that happened. Whenever he tries to think of it, the only thing he could recall was him laying down and closing his eyes. Considering what Lilly had said, there was a chance that he was here because the gods reincarnated him...but he doubted that
.
First, if this was supposed to be a reincarnation, why did he keep his memories? He's pretty sure you're supposed to lose those when you come back to really get the "second chance" it sounded like it was. And you were supposed to completely start over. Be reborn as a baby and grow up as a different person. At least that's what he always got when people talked about it in his world. Yet he had just woken up in the Dungeon, with all of his memories, and his body back to its prime. As if he had just taken a nap and woken up from a dream
.
Second, he's pretty sure that if any of the gods tried to judge his soul, he'd fight back. At least fight to get some say in what happened to him after he died. He may have died peacefully, but he still held the same ideals that him and his friends had fought so hard to defend. To be free to decide their destiny, fighting against a world that tried to tell them what was true, when they could define it for themselves. If some god then took his soul and tried to decide where he would go against his will, he'd punch them in the face. Especially if they were anything like the gods of this world. At least from what he's heard of them.

Lastly, if he was reincarnated by the gods, why did he show up in the Dungeon? Bell had told him that the gods weren't allowed to go into the Dungeon. And if the gods could put people in the Dungeon, then couldn't they just remove the monsters from the Dungeon? Or wipe it off the face the planet? He felt like the gods didn't have any control over how the Dungeon worked, so it was unlikely any of them had any say in how or why he show up there.

He was lost in thought for a moment, until he heard Lilly's next words, "...But there was a time when Lilly longed for death. If Lilly went before the gods...if Lilly could be reborn...the new Lilly would surely be better than the current one..."

Simon was already preparing to refute her as always, while Bell was standing as if he had been punched in the gut. However, before either could speak, Lilly lowered her head and lifted her right palm toward her face. Her hood had fallen back letting both Bell and Simon see her focus on the item in her hand. The core drill that Simon had given her. She curled her hand around the item and said, "At least...that's what Lilly used to think...now Lilly isn't too sure..."

"L-Lilly," Bell said, seeming relieved with her response. Simon relaxed and his lips curled into a small smile. He kept it up as Lilly regained her bright and cheerful act and said they should all hurry home. Though Simon moved to follow her and say goodbye, Bell was left speechless for a few moments. He knew that Lilly had meant what she said both times. And he was happy that she seemed to have changed her mind from before. But...he couldn't stop his mind from asking; What had happened to Lilly to make her think like that?

He didn't get an answer. So, he did the one thing he could do. He ran after her and Simon.

---

Freya stood within her private room in the Tower of Babel. She stood before the glass wall of her room, her eyes focused on the white shadow below as it ran after two other shadows. Excitement filled her eyes and she clapped her hands together, "That's wonderful. You must shine even more. More, more, shine even brighter child. It's your duty, now that you have my attention."

Freya watched Bell Cranel with great intensity as he continued to run. It was an obsession. An obsession guided by a fire passion for love. Because that was her "hobby". Using her "Eyes of Insight" she saw the true colors of the children and sought to add the most talented to her collection. And, to many, having the Goddess of Love and Beauty do that for them was of the highest honor. Even if they were forever restrained and denied their freedom.

No one refused her. No one could refuse her. No one had ever been able to resist the magic that were her beauty.

No one...except that man.

Freya's beautiful smile slowly disappeared. In its place were lips curled into a frown. For she could see very clearly that the emerald light she had seen in the child's soul had only grown brighter. What was once a simple discoloration in the bright white of his soul, had turned into a dim green light. It still wasn't strong, but she could see that it wouldn't stay that way. It would grow along with the boy.

And that...was wrong.

"He's mine," there was a barely hidden curse within her voice, as she cut her eyes at the man who walked alongside the boy. He walked alongside the boy and the small girl that had joined their group recently. She couldn't help the frustration that filled her just seeing the man being with the boy. Most who had met or were aware of the goddess couldn't be blamed for being confused. When asked about her "hobbies" she had openly stated that she "Just likes strong men". And the man, Simon from what she remembered, certainly fit that description. He could go into the Dungeon without a blessing, his souls showed that he had a powerful mental and emotional base, and he could match Ottar even though the boarman wasn't using his full strength. He should be someone that Freya liked.

Yet anyone who truly knew the Goddess of Love and Beauty, would understand exactly why she didn't like him.

First, Bell. Bell was her's to guide. He was meant to get stronger because of her intervention. He was supposed to grow because she allowed it. His soul was meant to shine brighter as he became stronger thanks to her decisions and actions. Everything Bell would become was meant to connect back to her. He was meant to be her toy to do with as she saw fit. Simon was getting in the way of that. He was guiding the boy's growth more than she was at the moment. And that was unacceptable. Even if he wasn't aware of it, he was going against the will of a goddess. To Freya and those who followed her, that was akin to blasphemy.

Second, what his ring meant. The first time she saw it, she could tell that he was married. Though she hadn't seen his wife, her eyes had let her see the connection he shared with her. The pure love that she had seen had impressed her. And, because of that, she had left him on that day he had met Ottar. However, it was only that. A gesture done out of respect for how much he loved his wife, even if she was not with her. But in truth she saw such a thing as an anomaly.

To Freya, love's very nature was to deteriorate. To begin at the height of emotion with both sides holding hope and excitement in their hearts during those first moments. Then, after hitting its peak, it was fated to crumble away. No one longed for a love that had gone cold. That was simply how it was. And to Freya, the Goddess of Love, that was why it was beautiful. Yet one look at Simon's soul told her that he defied even that. The love he felt for his wife was old. Much, much older than he looked. He still carried that flame for her after all this time. Despite how long it had been, his love for the woman hadn't crumbled.

That was an exception. A defiance of nature. Which meant it was a defiance of love. Which meant it was a defiance of Freya.

Which led into the final reason Freya didn't care for Simon. Which, to her, provided an explanation for how he was able to resist her Charm and deny her offer: He was still in love with his wife.

If his love for his wife was this strong, then that means she must be beautiful. A man like Simon would only fall for a beautiful woman. That in and of itself wouldn't be enough. Even married men and women had found themselves captivated by Freya before. But Simon's love for that woman was enough to overcome the Charm that Freya had. Which would only happen if that woman was so beautiful and charming that Freya didn't compare.

Which meant Simon thought that there was a woman more beautiful than Freya, the Goddess of Beauty.

And that...was insulting.

The boy and man were quite small in the distance, but both had come to a complete stop and were looking around. The boy was frantically searching the area, as if he had lost something and desperate to find it. The man, meanwhile, had already divined where her gaze was coming from. His head was tilted upward with his eyes locked onto her abode. She felt like he could see right through the glass, swirling green eyes glaring into her silver ones. She could feel the defiance contained within them. Defiance of her will, as if saying that she would not have her way with the boy. That he would be there to stop her.

Freya's frown deepened for a moment, before she let the frustration slide away like a wave off a rock. Her lips curled back into that confident, beautiful smile she calmed herself. There was no need to get so worked up over him. He may have managed to overcome the challenges of wherever he was from, but he would find that Orario would not be so easy to overcome. His intervention would be annoying but not impossible to circumvent. After all, at the end of the day, he was just one man.

And one man could not defy the gods.

It was simply impossible.

---

Bell sat down at the table in his home, placing the book he had brought home down in front of him. Hestia and Simon weren't around, so he had all the time in the world to read it. The last few days he had been in something of a slump. During an earlier Dungeon Run, he had messed up and nearly lost his life to an army ant. He only survived because Lilli and Simon were there to watch his back. Lilli made sure to scold him for being careless, while Simon just nodded along with what Lilli was saying. Lilli scolding him in the same way Eina would had already shot what little pride he had down, Simon backing her up delivered a finishing blow. Things only got worse when he asked Lilli about her Familia and how it worked. While she told him some things, he couldn't help but feel like the distance between them had grown larger.

In contrast, she seemed to be much more comfortable around Simon. When he asked her about the wine that the god Soma made, she explained how drinking it had changed some of the adventurers in her Familia. And how the two of them should stay far away from it. Neither Bell nor Simon fully understood what she meant, but they both agreed to stay away from the wine at her advice.

Yet, throughout the entire circumstance, Bell couldn't help the feeling that he was failing. Failing at helping Lilli, failing at being adventurer, failing at...everything really. It got so bad that he hadn't gone to the Dungeon at all these past few days. He knew Lilli was handling herself and doing things he had no business in helping her with, and Simon had gone off to the Guild. He had made it clear it wasn't to go into the Dungeon, but to talk to Eina and ask her a few questions. So, he had stayed home doing nothing for the longest time this strange feeling killing any motivation he had to continue adventuring. The only reason he had left the house today was because he realized he had forgotten to give Syr her basket back.

However, it turned out going to the Mistress was exactly what he needed. Syr had listened to his woes and had said he should try reading. He figured she was might be right. If he read the stories that had inspired him as a child, he would regain the motivation to be an adventurer. Though he was skeptical about taking the book she offered as it did belong to another adventurer, he couldn't turn her down after she said it was "the best should could do for him". And Simon had told him not to reject an offer from a girl. He would just have to remember to give it back after he was done reading it.

So, he pulled up a chair, sat down, and opened up the book. He looked over the title page without a title.

Mirror, Mirror: The Fairest Witch in the Land Is ME: An Autobiography (With Appendix: Awaken Your Magic!)

Bell couldn't help feeling that it sounded childish.

Chapter 1: Modern Magic Even Goblins Can Understand!

And he certainly didn't think teaching magic goblins was a good idea. He felt like closing the book, but decided to push through. He couldn't let Syr's good intentions go to waste. He forced his eyes across the characters on the pages with all the endurance he could muster. However, as he read he started to notice something strange about the book. While some parts of the book were written in Koine, the general trade language that almost anyone could understand, there were strange characters between the lines. They were different from hieroglyphs, the language of the gods, and different from any language of the races of people. Nothing in common with itself, just a strange grouping of marks.

Yet...the passage...the sea of characters was pulling him in.

Magic is interest. This is a vital factor for all acquired magic. What holds your interest-what do you accept, hate, want, grieve for, worship, swear to, long for? The trigger is already within you. Your Falna will carve your soul into a blazing sun. If you desire it, answer. If you desire it, break. If you desire it, focus! A terrible mirror of truth lies before you.

A picture of a face had appeared in the book. It took Bell a second to recognize it as his face. His face with nothing above its forehead. No, it wasn't his face...it was a mask. Another face of him. A him he didn't know.

Now, let's begin.

The picture's eyes open and it speaks with his voice. Its words shoot through him as the words begin to spin.

What is magic to me?

Bell didn't know. But he always saw it as something great and mysterious. A finishing move to slay monsters. A mysterious power used by heroes to come back from near death. Strong, fierce, mysteri-

Badump

For but a moment, Bell was drawn out of the trance induced by the book. His left hand was still on the book, but his right had moved to just above his chest. He could feel something warm against his palm and looked down.

His hand was tightly squeezing the core drill around his neck.

His attention returned to the book and he felt his mind be drawn in once again. The question repeated itself.

What is magic to me?

...At one point in time, he would've said power. A great power to defeat his weak self. But now, after having met Simon...he didn't think that anymore. Because Simon could do the things that normally required magic. Making his cloak as hard as steel, blowing a minotaur's head off in a single attack, somehow making a silverback explode twice. But none of that was magic. It was Spiral Power.

Fighting Spirit
.
That's what magic was to him. Fighting Spirit. The strength needed to keep going forward. To face any challenge no matter how tough. The will to smile through the worst the world has to offer.

What kind of a thing is magic to me?

Thing?

What kind of a thing?

...A drill.
Just like the thing that felt warm in his palm. Magic had to be a drill.

Sure it was small and seemingly plain. At first glance, no one would see it as something magical. But Bell had seen Simon use it. He knew what it truly meant to be a drill.

It meant to spin and break through
.
Walls? Drill through them. Metal? Drill through it. Shields? Drill through them. Monsters? Drill through them. It didn't matter what was in a drill's way, how long it may take, or what it was up against. As long as a drill kept spinning it would break through anything that tried to stop it.

That's what he wanted to be.

A drill that could pierce through any obstacle.

He wanted to become a drill.

What do you seek in magic?

To become stronger, like him.

To become faster, like him.

Like an emerald light breaking through the clouds.

Like lightning racing across the sky.

More than anyone, more than anyone, more than anyone.
Faster than anyone.

Like him.
To be in his sight.

That's all?
...No.

He didn't just want to be in his sight. He wanted to catch up to him. He wanted to reach the same place that man stood at. He wanted to catch that strong back he saw the day he was rescued from the minotaur.

He wanted to become a hero.

He always wanted to be a hero, and like a fool he's perused that dream.

Not only like the ones in the tales...but like the one he met that day in the Dungeon.

He wanted to become like him. Like Simon.

Because no matter how pathetic a fantasy, how vain and indignant, how miserably unsuited he was for it...he believed in Simon.

And Simon said he could be a hero.

So, he wants to become enough of a hero for Simon.

To prove that his belief wasn't wasted.

You're such a child.

...Maybe...but Simon acts like this too. And he's an adult.

That's true. And it's me, too.

The him inside the book smiles.

Then everything went black.

 

[Savanna]

Nice snip the danmachi gods have only dealt with mortal who never tried to oppose them and even then fell figure out life extended potion and had his original God freak out a scream at him about mortal shouldn't be able to do that.

Is it strange that this just makes me want to see your library of ruina and danmachi crossover written more. I blame caito 7 and qk blood fiend bell snips for making me want a project moon and danmachi crossover more. Mostly because them having to deal with e.g.o stuff and the light would be funny especially if they meet the birds

 

[OutcastClankzilla]

Well, I knew that sooner or later, someone would finally push Simon to take off his kid gloves and show just how and why he got as far as he did.

But damn is Freya a fucking petty-ass bitch! But at the same time, yeah - Nia would be leagues better than you!

 

[TwinstarKegare]

ok who here also wants to pass down the glasses and the jacket symbol down to Bell? And since Lily also has a Drill too who here wants to have her melt it down to make it part of a weapon for her like a drill like lance or a drill sword for her.

https://www.deviantart.com/deiyeah/art/Drill-lance-435505972

https://www.reddit.com/r/conceptart/comments/11hivsc/drill_lance/

https://www.tumblr.com/teamvcta/89623975656/name-spina-di-rosa-passione-mortale-weapon

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/336081190939926293/