Danmachi- Hell’s Forge

Shock and awe

(3rd person POV Denatus chamber)

Many gods look at Hestia hoping that she could spare some insight on the mysterious item.

The small goddess shakes her head "All he told me was that it was a surprise that he whipped up for this." she said honestly and helplessly.

"Oh and the Apollo familia has spotted the approaching Hestia familia and began setting up defensive and offensive lines to defend the fort!" Hermes commentated excitedly.

The gods watched with bated breath to see how the Hestia familia would deal with this situation. The were surprised when they stopped so far from the fort and even more so when Alex started unwrapping the thing he was holding.

"A staff?"

"What material is that?"

"So pretty!"

"I want one!"

"Me too!"

The gods chattered excitedly at the staff that gleamed under the sun within Alex's hand. They watched him raise the staff curiously but that rapidly turned into shock and awe at what happened next. 

"Before creation comes destruction!" Alex's voice rang out clear and firm from the mirrors.

Then the black fire erupted from the staff making the gods and mortals alike watching this play out gasp in shock, awe or in a few cases, horror.

"Impossible! She's cheated somehow, theres no way that a level two could have that much power!" Apollo screeched angrily and full of accusation.

"Are you implying that this mortal has somehow managed to fool the perception of all of us gods at the same time?" Nyx questioned Apollo with a very unfriendly look.

"Well um no, but surely you can see that this is clearly impossible? He is a level two for goodness sake and not even a mage at that!" Apollo said defending himself fearfully.

"Would it not be more likely that we simply lack the necessary information to determine whether or not it's possible? For all we know that staff might demand a massive cost to achieve such results?" Hephaestus asked and many of the other gods nodded in agreement.

Apollo went silent at that but still glared hatefully at the mirror displaying the events of the war game. He got even more upset when he noticed the clear resemblance between the massive black flame sphere and the sun in the sky. The gods watching in eager excitement as the dark sun fell and the signs of it's heat appeared while it started condensing.-

When Lili and Bell started defending Alex from the Apollo familias attacks the sun god erupted in anger again.

"Hestia's familia are obviously using outside magical items! Surely that is against the rules we specified right!?" he demanded and Hestia scoffed.

"Alex made all of that himself, there is not a single thing that was gotten from outside." she said firmly.

"Absurd! A mere level two couldn't possibly create such things! Hephaestus your familia is the experts on such matters I'm right aren't I?" the sun god said desperately looking for validation to his words.

The forge goddess sighed "Normally you'd be right however that man is anything but normal. I can personally confirm that he certainly possesses the capabilities to craft such things. If I recall correctly Ogun here has even gotten a first rate weapon made by Alex." she said honestly.

The dark skinned god chuckled at being called out "I had not expected it be exposed so soon but she speaks true. It was named [red current] and has since lived up to this name spilling much monster blood in the dungeon." he said calmly.

"Eclipse!" Alex's voice echoed out again and the attention went back to the mirror as he unleashed his attack.

"AAAARG!" Apollo cried out in anguish as his connection to so many of his children was cut in an instant.

"How ruthless!"

"He looks so handsome!~"

"Such power!" 

"A devastating blow to the Apollo familia by Alexander Drake!" Hermes commentated while the gods collective reacted.

"Look! The staff is crumbling!" a god pointed out and indeed they all saw the staff crumble to dust and blow away in the wind.

"So that's how he did it, clever!" Hephaestus exclaimed in admiration.

"He traded endurance for power, a risky strategy but one that has certainly worked in this case. That power was nothing to scoff at." Loki commented seriously.

"The cost must be much higher than just that though look he seems to be on the verge of collapse!" another god called attention to Alex's wretched state.

"Attack him! Kill him! Do something damnit!" Apollo raged at the mirror as he saw his familia frozen in fear and shock as alex rapidly started to recover.

After that they watched excitedly as the Hestia familia fought their way through the remaining members of the Apollo familia. They watched as Lil was taken down and how Bell and alex were like unstoppable juggernauts. They watched Alex seemingly regenerate from the sneak attack the captain of the Apollo familia hit him with. They saw Alex extend an invitation to one of the Apollo familia members that was protecting their friend. And finally they watched Bell fight against that same captain while alex sat nearby and relaxed.-

"Ladies and gentlemen that's it! In a shocking upset the Hestia familia is the winner of the war game!" Hermes called out from the mirrors and with a snap of his fingers ended the broadcast.

"Hestia please be reasonable! I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement?" Apollo threw away all pride and begged Hestia for mercy but she scoffed.

"You agreed to these terms so it is only natural you should be prepared to pay them. You brought this on yourself." she said firmly.

It took two days for all of the Apollo familia's members to be stripped of his falna and all of his familia's assets to be legally passed over to Hestia. It was an event that stirred the whole of Orario as none had thought the Hestia familia capable of winning and in such a decisive manner no less!-

The Apollo familia might not be a first rate familia but they were ranked way higher than the Hestia familia. This was something the guild changed after this victory as the Hestia family was now a third rate familia even while only having three members. It was a matter of quality over quantity for the guild and this meant that the familia was going to start performing quests for the guild for the records. Stuff like full expeditions as far as possible, resource collection quests and stuff like that.