His fang

The attack by the assassins ceased as night fell, finally bringing peace to Orario. Many Amazons of the former Ishtar Familia perished, and it was also impossible to keep such an event hidden.

The guild, the Ganesha Familia, and the Loki Familia had joined forces to intercept the assassins and even managed to capture some of them, although it proved almost useless as they committed suicide soon afterward. At the very least, they managed to find out that the assassins belonged to the Sekhmet Familia, also known as the 'shadow of the continent', one of the best-known shadowy organizations and one that possessed many contacts due to the work they did.

With no other traces available and to appease the mood of the citizens, the guild simply said that considering the targets, the person responsible behind it all was a goddess who had a deep resentment towards the goddess Ishtar and that because of her jealousy, she had decided to hire assassins to kill the remaining members of her Familia.

(Entrance to the Tower of Babel.)

On the ground floor of the Tower of Babel, most of the members of the Loki and Ganesha Familia had gathered to block the Evilus from entering the dungeon, should they decide to escape.

"I'm sorry that I had to involve you in all this, Antianeria."

"There is no need to apologize, Braver, even a child would understand that you are not responsible for this. The real culprits are the bastards who orchestrated all this." -Aisha said, clenching her fist.

Between the two larger groups, there was a smaller one, consisting only of Amazons who had managed to resist the attack of the assassins, and led by Aisha, they had decided to participate in the operation to catch the perpetrators behind it all.

"Even so I hope you will accept my apology. It seems that our

investigation triggered their reaction and although I must say that I would not have expected such an outcome, that is no excuse for what had happened." -Finn said with a sigh.

Finn was intelligent and an excellent strategist, but he was not omniscient. The long period of peace after the dark age of Orario had in some aspects softened him, so he did not expect Valletta to think of such a plan.

"Like I said, no need to apologize. Haaaa, that damn goddess seems to be haunting us again, couldn't she just leave with all her troubles? Anyway, even if you were unable to protect us, we do not resent you. We are warriors and the only thing we criticize is the shame we will have to live with."

There was not the slightest sign of resentment in Aisha's eyes as she said those words, only the seriousness, and pride of a warrior.

"Ah, if possible say the same to Vanargand."

"Bete? What does he have to do with it?" -Finn asked confused.

When Tione arrived, she obtained several pieces of information, including Mark's status, and had heard that something had happened to Bete, but even she did not know the exact events.

"Haven't you heard?"

Looking at him with some hesitation, she began to tell him everything, how Bete found himself close to one of her companions, how they spent time together, and how it ended...

"The face that wolf made... Forget it. Anyway, thanks for the help, but from now on, it won't be necessary."

With those words, she walked away with the remaining Amazons, leaving Finn in his thoughts, while the others seemed to be arguing in surprise at the events that had occurred.

"We will use Bete as bait."

"?!"

Those were Finn's words as he turned towards them, leaving everyone speechless.

"The Bete I know is not the type to stand still after something like this, no, my instincts tell me that he is already preparing to go on the rampage to feed his revenge. We will use him as a diversion to distract them, while we block their every escape route and thus gain the opportunity to deprive them of their key." -Explained Finn.

According to his plan, they would split into three groups. The first commanded by Gareth would remain at the entrance to the dungeon, the second would remain to guard Daedalus Street, and finally, Finn would be the only one to guard the entrance to Knossos. It was a plan that, although simple, was the most effective, but there was a problem behind his reasoning.

"B-But captain this is too cruel!" -Tione said worriedly, and the others seemed to agree too.

As she said, the whole plan was based on using Bete's anger, ignoring the fact that they could help him.

"Hmm? And I thought you hated him after what he said."

"That... That is another story! We are a Familia and we should take care of our comrades, like when you all came to Melen to our aid!" -Tione tried to convince him in every way.

"It seems I was unable to convince you, let's see if you can understand by saying it differently."

Finn's expression became dead serious.

"All we can do is to put everything on Bete because nothing we say can stop him."

(Change of perspective.)

"Finn..."

"Did something happen Riveria?"

"It looks like it's going to be a long night."

Inside the Dian Cecht Familia's shop, Riveria was checking the message containing the information about Finn's devised plan and although she was not entirely in favor, she understood that it was something necessary.

"Leaving that aside, how long has this been going on?"

"...A lot..." -Said Lefiya hesitantly.

The two were watching Tiona, who had already repeated the same actions several times. She would look for a while at the door to the room where Mark was being healed, then get up and walk back and forth in the corridor a few times and then sit and look at the door again, in a perpetual cycle.

For Lefiya that was strange. She too was worried about Mark's state, but Tiona seemed ten times more agitated than her, something she would never have expected from the carefree Tiona.

'creeak'

"!"

Suddenly the door opened and Tiona sprang to her feet. Out of the room came Airmid with barely enough strength to stand. She was extremely pale and sweating profusely, the typical signs that she was close to mind down.

"Let me help you."

Seeing her almost fall to the ground, Riveria leaned over her and helped her sit on the chair.

"How did it go?" -Tiona did not seem to be able to wait to ask the question.

"He has passed the critical stage..." -She said weakly.

Tiona was about to burst with happiness, but Airmid's next words were a bucket of cold water.

"But he is not yet safe, in all honesty, he should have died already."

Airmid's words carried a heaviness that others could also feel.

"B-But he's better now, right?" -Tiona asked worriedly.

"Yes, but not completely. The poison is powerful and aggressive, so much so that almost all his blood has become infected, and the only thing I was able to do was to make the poison stop spreading. It will take several days before I can completely detoxify him."

Although the tunnel was still long, there seemed to be a light at the end and the three sighed with relief knowing that Mark was on the road to recovery.

"Wait, if his blood has become almost completely poisonous, how come..."

Lefiya did not conclude, but they could tell that she did not understand how Mark could still breathe.

"With my magic, I was able to analyze the state of his body, and surprisingly, or rather miraculously, his organs were completely intact. Another thing I don't understand is that, according to ancient texts, basilisks have an extremely strong curse in their venom that is said to turn anyone who touches it to stone, but he didn't seem to have anything like that." -Although tired, there was a strong curiosity in her violet eyes.

Airmid had no idea how his organs were clean, but for the curse, she had two guesses. The first was that the poison had already lost almost all its strength. The second was that Mark was resistant to curses, but she doubted the second option. She too had extreme resistance against curses, but she doubted she could resist something created by a monster like a basilisk.

Riveria listened in silence and she too had several guesses. She knew from the events at Knossos that Mark could handle curses up to a certain level, to what extent she wasn't sure, but in the end, it was enough for her that he could recover and the others had the same opinion.

While they were still arguing, Aiz suddenly walked in with a furrowed brow.

"Riveria we have a problem, Bete has disappeared."

With the news from Aiz, Riveria realized that Finn's plan had just begun.

(Change of perspective.)

Under the incessant rain that had not stopped falling throughout the day, Bete walked. His step was determined and in his eyes burned the flame of vengeance, now no one would be able to stop him.

"Yo."

"What on earth are you doing here?"

The person who greeted him nonchalantly was none other than Loki, who seemed to have stood in the rain for a long time, no matter how wet her clothes were.

"I guessed you would come by here and it looks like you were right."

Smiling at him, she threw him a bag, which he caught.

"Inside there are potions and some fruit if you get hungry."

"...Don't you want to try and stop me?"

"I could, but that would mean letting you live with the remorse of not being able to do anything and I wouldn't feel comfortable knowing that." -She said, scratching her head in embarrassment.

'They are too similar.' -Thought Bete

The eyes of those who could read him like a book, the same as his former God.

"But it seems you are not fully recovered."

"!"

As Loki said, Bete was not completely healed. Because of Mark's state, Airmid could not complete the healing on him, so there were still traces of curses left, but Bete was too proud to admit it.

"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME! YOU THINK I'M HURT, HUH?! I'M JUST PISSED OFF AT MYSELF AND THOSE EVILUS FUCKERS! ME, WHO LAUGH AT OTHER PEOPLE'S WEAKNESSES! I'M A DISGRACE! I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH, NOT AT ALL! I MUST BECOME STRONGER, STRONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE!!!"

Bete clenched his fists in anger; he could not accept his weakness. Weak people would end up losing everything they cared about.

"Pretty sad isn't it? It's these kinds of things that serve to make you strong."

"...I am going."

Continuing to walk, he passed her, when she added something else.

"In the past, I met Vidar. Although we both came from Paradise, we had barely spoken, but one evening while in a tavern I saw him sipping some beers and he seemed quite tipsy. Come to think of it, it was quite an amusing scene considering his character."

"..."

Recalling the scene, Loki gave a soft laugh, while Bete remained silent and listened.

"Anyway, since he was drunk, he seemed much more open to talk and told me several things, including their new member, namely you Bete. He held you in high regard, you know? But he was embarrassed that by being with him you would end up limiting yourself, so he asked me the favor of taking care of you in case you escaped from him, although I have to admit it's more complicated than I thought... Bete, do you understand what those fangs of yours are for?"

With those words, she turned away to head towards the Dian Cecht Familia to see the state of Mark, while Bete stood looking up at the dark clouds in the sky, feeling the cold raindrops falling on his face, caressing the tattoo on his face.

He had long understood the purpose of his fangs and perhaps it was fate that he met the Loki Family.

---Pov Bete---

It rained that day too.

I had finally completed my revenge. The shackles that bound me to the past had been broken and I could finally live in the present, but when I returned to Orario the joy I had, was quickly destroyed.

"I am sorry." -Those were the words of Vidar and my companions.

Lying on the ground was the body of Selina, my lover. Her complexion was now cadaverous white and when I tremblingly brought my hand close to her cheek, all I could feel was the chill of death.

Selina was dead.

It was to be nothing out of the ordinary. They were to go down into the dungeon, complete several quests and then come back up, but because of a mistake, she had lost her life.

'I was only gone a few months...'

'Why did this have to happen...'

'These weaklings can't do anything without me protecting them...'

'Why... WHY AM I NOT STRONG ENOUGH?! WHY AM I FORCED TO RELIVE THE SAME SCENES OVER AND OVER AGAIN?!'

What I could not accept, however, were Vidar's words of apology. He was a god, a higher existence, someone who would never have to stoop to the level of mortals, so I threw myself at him.

All I could do was howl piteously and it was decided that he and his broken Familia should leave the city, but the main reason they left was mainly because of me. With the hope that they would hate me, my stinging words had driven them out.

The guild could only accept this decision if they did not want a second-tier adventurer like me to leave.

I did not even go to see my companions on the day they left. With the half blessing left by Vidar, I could convert to another Familia without his presence, but at that time I was not interested.

I went into the dungeon alone and pushed myself deeper and deeper, killing everything in sight and it didn't matter if I lost buckets of blood. I had become a wolf hungry for strength and battles.

But the phantom pain radiating from the tattoo on my face would not leave me alone, whether it was day or night. Even outside the dungeon, I instigated battles with anyone who caught my eye and it was at that time that my tongue began to become as sharp as a dagger.

There was not a day that I did not fight and it was from there that the real disgust with weakness began. I wanted neither to see it nor accept it, because it reminded me of how pitiful I still was.

I had now become a lone, unsociable wolf, and during my journey to become stronger, the name Fenrir became less and less used. People began to call me by another name, which had the same origins as Fenrir, but had another meaning-

Vanrgand, also known as the monster that devours. That's what they started to call me.

My life during that time was a continuous cycle of the same actions. I would get up, go into the dungeon and fight until it got dark outside, go to a tavern where I would get drunk and instigate a few fights and then go to sleep and do it all over again.

It was a monotonous and boring life, but it allowed me to think about nothing so I didn't mind it much, or at least it was until a certain evening.

I was drinking in a tavern as usual, when from the doorway I saw members of the Loki Familia enter. Even someone like me, who didn't care about the others, knew them, one of the Familia that was competing to reach the top of Orario together with the Freya Familia.

At first, I just wanted to ignore them, but with the alcohol flowing through me and hearing their merry laughter, I got fed up and started to provoke them.

It seemed that what I said was successful from the way one of them charged toward me angrily, but I did not even have to exert too much effort to knock him down.

'What a disappointment.' -That was my thought.

I expected much more from one of the strongest Familia-

'SMASH!'

The next second I felt as if a boulder had crashed into my face and my body was sent flying into tables.

"Come on kid, you made me drop my drink. How about you shut your mouth now and sit there?"

When I got up still half dazed and with a bruised face, I realized I had been hit by the dwarf Gareth and as I heard his derisive words, together with the fact that that pallum and elf were sipping their drinks without even looking at me, I felt my anger reach new heights.

"Die!"

I ran at full power, but as before I was thrown off, but it didn't matter and I tried again. That night I had the beating of my life, no matter what I did, I could not connect a hit, but contrary to my expectations the anger I felt was replaced by excitement.

'I finally found them... the fucking strong people I was looking for.' -With that thought and a smile on my face, I fainted.

When I regained my senses and with my body still half in pain, the goddess Loki offered me to join her Familia and I did not hesitate to accept.

The leaders of the Loki Familia were better than rumors. Each of them knew their weaknesses and strengths and used them to improve their explorations in the dungeon. Another thing was that none of them accepted anyone who decided to stop becoming stronger and maybe because of this reason or maybe because they did not want to disappoint them, the other members did everything to meet their expectations.

I knew that this was the right place for me and that it would allow me to become stronger, there was however the problem of my shitty mouth. As usual, I tended to insult others and didn't even try to mix with them, which led me to an almost daily battle with Riveria.

But with time... I began to accept them.

Some complimented my dedication to training, some thanked me for saving them and some asked me how to fight better. Slowly I began to see them as comrades.

Thanks to the environment I was in, I quickly reached level 4 and the reason the others were able to keep up and fight to the end, even in desperate situations, was because of Finn's leadership and the trust the others felt in him.

Of course, everything did not always go well and there were times when we had losses, although most of us came back, the weaker ones were not so lucky. Perhaps that was the reason why Aiz Wallenstein became a kind of savior for me.

The figure of the girl who was then ten years old overlapped with the various people I had lost. She was the same age my sister would have been if she were still alive, her blonde hair was identical to that of my childhood friend and her fighting spirit reminded me of Selina.

But if there was one different thing, it was that she was strong. Once she had invoked her magic she surpassed even me and desired strength even more wildly and recklessly than I did.

She was the image of the perfect woman. Seeing her grow stronger became the only source of joy in my life because I knew that this way, I would not have to bury someone I cared about again.

The next year the amazon twins joined, and the year after that Lefiya joined, and by spending time with them, Aiz began to smile more often and feel more alive. I too, without realizing it, began to lose my sharpness, but it wasn't bad. The pain of my tattoo began to disappear and with it the image I had of the ideal woman, so I was no longer able to feel anything for her.

In the end, all I was left with was an empty hole.

'I hate weak women.'

They are only able to say sweet words without any consistency.

They smile happily when they look at you in the hope that you will reciprocate.

They say they will always follow you and become stronger, but in the end, they are always the ones who leave.

'One after another they fall miserably and all I can do is always be late. If only I were stronger if only I were faster...'

'If only... I could have protected them...'

'I... I'm sorry.'

-------------(END FIRST PART) -------------

As the various groups were making their way to their positions, the same question arose for several members.

What was the reason for Bete's behavior?

Despite having been a member of the Loki Familia for so long, few knew him well, even the core members did not know much, but there was one thing Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Loki could agree on.

Bete was socially inept.

His twisted mentality did not allow him to be honest with himself, forcing him to use insults or teasing to express himself, but he did this not out of malice, no, he did it to push others to give them better. The problem was that he exaggerated to the point of dislike and maybe it was because of this mentality of his, but he believed that to get others to go beyond their limits he had to hurt them.

Of course, Bete was aware that he was tactless, but even so, he preferred to be hated than to see someone else die for not instigating them to do better. He didn't want anyone else to die so he took on that role because he realized that no matter how hard he trained to become strong, it was impossible to save them all, so he would drive them away by forcing them to become stronger.

Hearing the reason behind Bete's actions, the other members did not know how to react. They had always regarded him as a rude person, but in the end, all he wanted was for them to stay alive.

"That tattoo on his face is not a fang.... it is just a scar he has hidden and a symbol of his weakness."

(Bete Perspective.)

With only the shadow of his body barely visible, Bete leaped from one building to the next. His footsteps were light even though he was moving at such a speed, and the rain that whipped across his face did not seem to disturb him from his goal, and in no time he reached the ruins of the red light district.

'inhale.'

He climbed on top of a fairly elevated spot that allowed him a good view of the surrounding area and inflated his lungs with as much air as possible.

'HAWOOOOL!'

From his mouth came a loud howl that spread throughout the district.

In nature, wolves howled as a form of communication, but for the werewolf, it had an extra meaning, it was a promise. What Bete was promising was that he would start a hunt against each of his enemies and bathe the ground with their blood.

When the echo of his howl was no longer audible, several hooded figures began to make their way toward him.

What was the difference between an adventurer and an assassin? Both were skilled with weapons, but their method of combat was different. For the adventurer, it was to return home alive, while for the assassin it was to complete the mission at the cost of his own life.

The remaining assassins were thirty in number, including one level 4 and a couple of level 3, they also possessed weapons with curses that prevented healing, and anti-status spells, and were in a clear majority, so even though they were going up against a level 6, they were certain of their victory.

They hurriedly arrived in the area when they saw Bete land on one of the roads, but when they went there, there was not a shadow of his presence.

"GHA!"

When they turned around, one of them had his neck lacerated by what looked like the result of a beast.

The assassins got into formation to better defend themselves when another of their member was killed and then another.

Within seconds, the assassins were being decimated one after the other, with their decimated bodies, without being able to react. Their plan might have worked if they were dealing with a normal adventurer, but what they were facing was a beast, a wolf-hunter born to kill.

In a short time, the assassins were halved.

A couple of them tried to attack him while he was in the air, but with a swift movement of his hand, he threw two daggers he had stolen from those he had killed toward them. The two blades traveled at such speed that the killers did not even have time to react before their heads were impaled.

Bete continued his silent but brutal hunt. The killers could barely keep up with his speed and by the time they could spot him, he had already killed one of them.

Some of them began to move away to regroup, but Bete would not allow any of them to run away. The level 4 assassin also began to move away, hoping that by regrouping with the others, he would be able to kill him.

"Tonight none of you will live."

With those icy words that seemed to make their souls tremble, the level-4 assassin faced the fangs of a beast that painted the world red and then collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

(Evilus Perspective)

'Hum.'

Inside the residence of the former Ishtar Familia, Valletta was lying on the throne where the Ishtar goddess liked to sit, happily humming.

"Fufufu, by now his body must be turning to stone, haaah how much I would pay to see his suffering face."

Full of ecstasy, she imagined the scene of Mark writhing and moaning in unbearable pain, praying it would end quickly. Valletta regretted not being able to see the scene of Mark's pathetic state, but just imagining it erased any pain she felt from her missing eye.

'Even with the Saint, it is impossible for him to survive. The poison is too strong for a level 3, once he gets there, his innards should have already partly dissolved.'

Thinking like that, she felt even more in a good mood, completely different from the mood of the Evilus members who were there.

"M-Mrs. Valleta what do we do?! Our escape routes are blocked a-and we have no more assassins available!"

"Stop whining like a little girl. That curmudgeonly god Thanatos must already be trying to get in touch with Ravis and once that monster gets to work, Finn and the other idiots will die, while Vanargand, the biggest idiot who had the great idea to attack us on his own... why don't we properly welcome him?"

Licking the lips that had risen in a twisted arch, Valletta looked forward to savoring her second prey.

(Bete Perspective.)

"Are they finished?"

Looking around, all that surrounded Bete were mangled bodies. The blood seemed to have turned into rivers flowing down the streets, but Bete did not care. He knew there were still survivors, including Valletta.

"Tch."

Momentarily feeling the weakness caused by the curse that had not been completely erased, he shook his head to recover and stood up.

Moving away from the area, he used his animal senses to perceive the environment, when he smelled blood coming from further away. Following the trail, he came upon a wall with an inscription made of blood.

[Come to the palace Vanargand! We look forward to welcoming you!]

Ignoring the bad taste they had, he turned towards what was left of the palace and started to head there. Considering the distance, it did not take him long to get there, and making his way through the rubble he entered the building.

"There."

Making use of his senses, he walked down the long dark corridor in the direction in which he felt various presences and when he arrived, he found himself facing an enormous circular hall supported by dozens of columns and lit by the various torches present.

"Here is our dear Vanargand!"

From behind a pillar came Valletta, who greeted him with a warm greeting.

"Bitch!"

Unlike her, Bete exuded bloodlust from every pore.

"Looks like someone is angry huh? So are you coming or are you scared?!"

As she said this, several violet patterns formed beneath her feet, extending almost across the room, and from the elevated position in which Bete stood, it almost looked like a spider's web.

'A trap, but... I don't care!"

Disregarding the possibility, Bete charged and Valletta smiled at the scene.

"Don't let him get near me, guys!"

The various members of Evilus headed toward him but were sent flying shortly afterward.

"Tch, you shitwolf."

Using the members of Evilus as a meat shield, she tried to keep away from Bete.

"BEGONE!"

"Shit!"

'slash.'

With a monstrous burst, Bete arrived in front of Valletta, who dodged just in time, although she still suffered a cut on her cheek, infuriating her.

"HEY PIECES OF RUBBISH YOU HAVE TO BLOCK HIM!"

'How did I miss it?' -Bete was confused by what had just happened.

He had to be more than quick to catch her, yet he missed. At first, he thought the anger was blinding him, but the more he fought the more he noticed something strange.

'Have they become faster? No, it's not them!'

The more he moved, the more he began to feel his body being slowed down.

"Too late to notice!"

With a sick laugh, Valletta attacked for the first time. Bete tried to dodge, but his body seemed to respond late, so he was forced to raise his arms for protection.

'slash!'

Valletta's broadsword ripped through flesh, sending spurts of blood flying and at the same time damaging his magic boots.

"You seem to have figured it out, but this is my magic. It's not very useful for attacking, plus the very long chant combined with the amount of Falna it requires prevents me from using it on the spot, but it's perfect for traps!"

"It creates a zone that causes the more a person moves within it, the faster their status drops, and considering how much you have already gone wild, my web is now woven all over your body. Now my dear minions use your magic swords!"

"Fuck!"

Bete retreated quickly when the Evilus members brought out their magic swords, but with his status having dropped to around level 4, he could not avoid the barrage.

'Booom!'

"GHNN!"

"Again!"

'Booom!'

"AGAIN!"

'Booom!'

"AARGHH!"

"HAHAHA! Once the wolf dies, we move on to the others."

Valletta was enjoying herself, but when the cloud cleared and she saw that Bete was still alive, she snapped her lips discontentedly.

"What a persistent bastard."

'Heavy breathing.'

In the meantime, Bete was breathing heavily, the damage from the magic swords was extensive and every part of his body ached, but even so, his anger canceled out all other feelings. He hated this weakness of his, but to reverse the situation, he had to use the weapon he had sworn not to use because it forced him to remember the past.

Clenching his fist, he rose to his feet and then closed his eyes, he was about to destroy the chains that locked his "fang."

**

"Now I think I understand him a bit more, but don't you think we should at least help him? He is attacking an enemy base alone."

After hearing the reason behind Bete's behavior from Riveria, Lefiya did not feel comfortable letting him fight alone and Tiona, who was standing next to her, thought the same.

"Bete is strong."

"But still..." -Tiona didn't seem to be sure.

She knew Bete was strong but nothing was certain.

"You must know that Bete has never given 100% in a fight." -Riveria said.

"??"

Both Tiona and Lefiya looked at her confused.

"Being a werewolf, his bestification only occurs on a full moon, plus he has magic I have only seen him use once."

"He can use magic?!" -Tiona and Lefiya shouted in unison, only to be scolded by the Dian Cecht Familia staff.

'tremors.'

"W-What is that thing?!"

Hearing the earth shaking and the scream of someone at the window, the three of them looked out in turn, seeing a huge column of fire had risen from the direction of the red light district.

"Once Bete gives his all, only ashes remain in his path."

**

"Y-You've got to be kidding me..."

Valletta looked in horror at the flames that had consumed his allies and destroyed a large part of the palace, creating a hole that allowed her to see the sky.

It all happened when Bete began to recite a magic chant with his eyes closed. Valletta ordered his henchmen to attack immediately and while being attacked, Bete stood there motionless, continuing to recite his chant.

Valletta began to feel agitated by the length of the chant, but when Bete finally invoked magic, all that happened was the formation of small flames on each of her limbs.

The scene made Valletta laugh. She had expected some kind of destructive magic and laughed at him for it, but the horror began shortly afterward when those small flames began to grow bigger and bigger, and with one punch of his, hell was formed.

"WHAT IS THAT MAGIC?!"

Valletta could not understand as she screamed out in madness.

Hati was Bete's magic and was a form of damage drain. It was an ability similar to the amazon twins' berserk, but it had no limit. The flames would damage Bete, which in turn would increase the strength of the magic and this would be repeated as long as Bete was able to maintain that state.

But his magic did not only absorb damage.

"How-how can it be that it is also absorbing my magic?! IT'S NOT EVEN A FORM OF ATTACK!"

As Valletta was shouting, her magic was being absorbed, fuelling the flames surrounding Bete even more. Anything that made use of magic power would be consumed making it stronger.

'Fush!'

"GHAH!"

A fiery fist landed on her mouth, melting part of her skin. But Bete did not stop and continued to attack her mercilessly, avoiding hitting vital areas to make her suffer even more.

"G-GHAH! P-please p-please stop cough... i-it hurts, I-I don't want to die..."

In her pitiful state, she began to beg for mercy.

"And tell me, what you did when all those weaklings said the same words you did?!"

Filled with rage he squeezed her neck, which began to sizzle.

"D-don't tell me you're talking f-for what happened to that a-amazon and your c-companions cough... you're a-adventurers no? Death is cough-cough a-always behind doors."

"It is true that they died because they were weak and that perhaps my anger is unfounded..."

"T-Then"

Seeing him lower his hand, hope lit up in Valletta's eyes, although it was short-lived.

"Then that gives me every right to beat you to a pulp!"

Seeing his eyes filled with bloodlust, Valletta knew there was no way out so she tried her last hope.

"W-Wait I have the key-"

'Slam!'

Bete ignored her words and continued to throw flaming punches at her, which crippled her body time after time, making her unrecognizable.

"Last words." -Bete said coldly.

"Cough-cough... I-I'm going to say hi... t-to every cough friend of yours... in the afterlife, s-specially Mark cough."

Even with her face unrecognizable and without a tooth in her mouth, Valletta still seemed to be laughing.

"Mark? That piece of shit is still breathing to your and my misfortune."

"H-Heh?" -Valletta thought she misunderstood.

"He is like a cockroach, to make sure he was dead, you should have taken his head off. Now go to hell."

"N-NOOOO!"

The flames engulfed her quickly consuming her body as she cried out miserably. She could accept that she was dying, but the idea that the person who had forced her into weeks of suffering was still alive tore at her soul.

"..."

When silence fell in the hall, what remained of Valletta was a pile of ashes, only then did the flames surrounding Bete die down.

"Bete..."

Hearing Aiz's voice calling him, he turned around. He had long since felt her presence but was too angry to think of anything else.

Without a word, he passed her and walked out of the building.

Two days later...

Peace had finally returned to Orario. The Guild assured the citizens that everything had been resolved, without naming the Evilus, and the amazons, who were under the Guild's protection, could once again walk the streets in safety once the death of the assassins had been confirmed.

"Oh, there it is."

"What do we do?"

In the ruins of the red light district, Bete was sitting on a rock, bathing in the light of the sunset, while Aiz and Loki were hiding a little further away from him.

"Even after being alone for a few days, he doesn't seem that happy..."

"So it seems... oh, I got an idea, listen."

Approaching Aiz's ear, she began to explain to her what to do, while she stepped back for a moment.

Getting to her feet, Aiz approached Bete, and after a little tap on his shoulder-

"I got you bro." -She lifted her thumb in a sign of encouragement.

"?"

"??"

There was a momentary exchange of puzzled glances, which lasted until Loki appeared.

"What a coincidence to meet you here."

"Haaa..."

He didn't even have the strength to answer her.

"Now let's talk about serious things, Aiz wants to ask you something."

"...What?"

"Why do you always look down on others and for what reason do you want to become strong? Please tell me."

"Listen Bete, you don't want to leave that sad little face without an answer, so answer her, this is an order from your goddess."

Seeing the look on Aiz's face and the fact that Loki did not look as if she would let him go if he did not answer, Bete smacked his lips in irritation.

"...Because I hate the weak."

"Is that all?"

"They are disgusting."

"And?"

"Hearing their cries gives me goosebumps..."

"And?"

'twitch'

"WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY HUH?! IT'S UP TO US STRONG ONES TO SEND THE WEAK AWAY, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T DO IT, WHO WILL?! WITHOUT US THOSE IDIOTS WOULD ALWAYS GO TO THEIR DEATH, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?! THEY SHOULD LEAVE THE BATTLEFIELD AND STAY IN THEIR SAFE HOUSES! I'M TIRED OF WATCHING THEM CRY! I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO SEE THEIR BODIES BURIED! IS IT SO WRONG TO WANT THEM TO LIVE A LONG LIFE?!"

'heavy breathing.'

After his outburst, Bete began to breathe heavily. The anger and sadness he had accumulated over time came out all at once.

"...Sorry."

"Hah?"

Lifting his face at Aiz's unexpected apology, he realized shortly afterward what she was referring to.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"YES!"(all)

At Loki's words, the various members of the Familia emerged from the roof of a building, smiling happily.

"W-What?" -Still in shock, he was struggling to understand what was going on.

"We heard you loud and clear Bete!"

"You moved us!"

"To believe that you did all this for us sniff."

"Look, Raul is crying."

"Surprise! Aiz wanted you to come back but considering the tension there I thought, 'Why don't we let them hear what you really feel?' So you like it?"

Looking at Loki's smirk and the others as they were enjoying themselves, several veins appeared on his face, ready to burst.

"YOUUUU!"

"HA! The gentle-hearted wolf is about to attack us!"

"W-Wait, forgive us!"

He began to go wild and make whoever was laughing fly, but the scene made them laugh more and more, irritating him.

"Too bad Mark and Tiona are not here."

"Now that you say that, I don't see amazon idiot number two."

After he get tired of going wild, Riveria approached him.

"With the fact of Mark, Tiona preferred to stay with him."

"Yeah, my sister doesn't let go of him for a second." -Tione said, struggling to hold back her smile as she thought of her.

"..."

Seeing Bete's strange expression, Riveria added something else.

"Don't worry. By now, Mark is almost healed and in a few days he should regain consciousness."

"Hah! Like I was worried about that weak cockroach."

Rolling her eyes at his behavior, Riveria got to the main point.

"We have a surprise for you."

"Which one?"

"Ta-da! Lena comes back healthier than ever!"

Lena the amazon who was supposed to be dead was alive and smiling in her usual stupid way.

"Wha-"

Were it not for a physical factor, Bete was sure that his jaw would have hit the ground for how speechless he was.

Seeing Bete's disbelief, Riveria explained what had happened. On the day Lena was chased by the murderers, Ruuni, the only survivor of the massacre carried out by Valletta in Knossos, saw her in passing and hurriedly came to warn Riveria; from there, it was a succession of fortunate events.

That day, Airmid managed to create potions infused with her blood that could erase the curse, and thanks to Ruuni's warning, Riveria arrived just in time to save the amazon from the curse and once at the hospital, her life was finally saved.

"I honestly didn't think she would survive, but considering the situation, it was better to fake her death for more than one reason and wait for the waters to calm down. I apologize Bete, although I knew you were hurt I concealed the truth." -Riveria made a small bow.

"This time Riveria tricked me too, only a little while ago I found out the whole thing. Besides, I'll let you imagine the scolding she gave me for leaving you to resolve everything." -Finn said with a laugh.

"Hehe I'm sorry if I made you sad, but I can't deny the fact that my heart fluttered knowing that my death made you sad, you know?"

Approaching him, she began to make circles with her finger on his arm in an intimate way.

"Huh?"

While she was in her fantasies, Bete grabbed her shoulders, causing her to flinch, but when she saw him approaching, she began to get her hopes up.

"W-w-wait, I'm not ready yet! Will it be a kiss? A hug? or se-GHUA!"

What awaited her was a knee that sent her away. The others were speechless as they watched, but when they saw the amazon holding her stomach with an excited look on her face as she babbled something about being pregnant, they decided it was best to ignore it.

"What a shitty day."

Even as he said this, his lips were raised in a small arc.