Due to the aerial advantage of the skeleton dragon and the Attack Titan having no resistance to magic—especially death attribute magic—it was only a matter of time before the titan was defeated.
With a heavy claw pressed against the fallen titan, the skeleton dragon's eyes glowed faintly as it opened its mouth, preparing to finish the job.
The Attack Titan could only watch, its body blackened and decaying from the death energy.
In that moment of helplessness, its gaze turned toward Eren, who was hiding behind a tree.
"...run... Eren..."
Hearing his father's voice come from the titan's mouth, Eren's pupils shrank.
Just when the dragon was about to bite down, it suddenly stopped and quietly closed its mouth.
Before Grisha could understand what was happening, a hand tore through the titan's skin and grabbed his shoulder.
In the next second, he was pulled out of the titan's body and brought face to face with a young man with white hair and blue eyes.
Lioro looked at Grisha with interest. He could sense a dense amount of cursed energy within him—more than any other titan he had encountered.
Curious, Lioro began absorbing the cursed energy.
Grisha, who was about to speak, suddenly felt strangely light, as if some unseen weight had been lifted from his body.
Then an uncomfortable sensation began rising from his stomach.
His expression twisted.
Something was moving inside him.
Lioro let go of Grisha and took a step back.
Grisha dropped to his knees and vomited heavily.
Lioro watched, unsure of what was happening. Amid the mess, a strange centipede-like creature wriggled, clearly in pain.
Its bluish, transparent body caught Lioro's attention. A memory from an anime surfaced in his mind.
It couldn't be... the life of all matter...?
As his thoughts wandered, the centipede turned toward him. Despite its weak condition, it began crawling his way, only to be blocked by infinity.
It struggled but didn't stop.
Lioro knelt down and gathered a small wave of cursed energy, tossing it toward the creature.
The moment the energy touched it, the centipede absorbed it eagerly.
Its dull body regained a soft blue glow, and it stopped moving forward. Instead, it curled up and remained still.
Lioro rubbed his chin. It was definitely strange.
Too bad it was biological. Without an identification spell, he couldn't check its details like he could with the black dragon's heart.
For now, he decided to store it.
With a wave of his hand, the centipede vanished into his inventory.
At the same time, he glanced at the small Eren who was struggling to pull the unconscious Grisha away.
Their eyes met.
Eren stumbled and fell onto his back, but even while shaking, he covered his father with his body protectively.
Lioro stayed silent.
If he didn't know what kind of conspiracy the older Eren would create, he might've been fooled into thinking this kid was just a concerned son.
Now that the cursed energy and the centipede were gone, could Grisha even transform into the Attack Titan anymore?
Probably not.
That alone had already shifted the entire plot of this world.
Maybe 80% of humanity would survive now.
Hopefully.
Lioro turned away from the scene and climbed onto the skeleton dragon's back.
Eren watched in silence as the dragon rose into the night sky and disappeared.
Moments later, Grisha stirred.
Eren grabbed his hand in panic.
"Father! Are you alright?!"
Grisha blinked, then nodded slowly.
"I'm okay... in fact... I've never felt better."
Without the curse, Grisha no longer had the titan power—but he also wouldn't die in thirteen years.
Sitting atop the skeleton dragon, Lioro muttered to himself.
"The other titan shifters... might be worth checking out."
The centipede he got from Grisha was much smaller than the one shown in the anime.
Which probably meant the original had been divided when Ymir was eaten by her daughters.
Interesting.
He hadn't expected a world with barely any mana to hold something like this.
He definitely needed to get his hands on an identification spell soon.
Back at the cottage, Lioro jumped off the skeleton dragon and looked at the four people waiting for him.
Seeing their ready expressions, he stepped forward and said calmly,
"Let's go."
As his voice fell, the space around them trembled, and they vanished from the spot.
The skeleton dragon looked around, then lowered its head in disappointment.
It seemed its master had forgotten about it.
It would fade away soon in this low mana world, but even so... being left behind stung a little.
----
Danmachi World
Hestia Familia Residence
The space in the entry hall shimmered faintly before five figures appeared out of thin air.
Levi, Farlan, Isobel, and Mikasa instinctively looked around, their eyes sweeping across the unfamiliar surroundings. Though none of them voiced it, they were all quietly evaluating the place.
Lioro nodded, stepping forward a little before calling out, "Is anyone here?"
His voice echoed through the hall, but no response came.
Just as he was about to call again, hurried footsteps echoed from the stairs, and a small figure with twin black ponytails came racing down from the upper floor.
There was only one person it could be.
"Goddess Hestia," Lioro muttered with a soft smile.
His eyes briefly dipped to her chest—which was, as always, bouncing far too energetically with her movements—before shifting back up respectfully.
"I've brought new members," he announced as she reached the ground floor.
Hestia didn't respond. Instead, she stopped a few steps away, crossing her arms and staring intently at Lioro.
"Stare~~," she even said aloud, her face unblinking.
The four newcomers glanced at each other, unsure what to make of the situation.
Levi especially was perplexed. He studied Hestia closely, his sharp gaze narrowing.
'A god?' he thought.
This was his first time seeing a deity. He had imagined something... more powerful.
Her posture was completely unguarded. In fact, her relaxed, carefree manner was almost identical to Lioro's.
'Is this some kind of pattern?' he wondered. 'Are all strong beings this casual?'
Lioro, meanwhile, was trying not to let his mouth twitch in amusement. He cleared his throat and tried to redirect the goddess's attention.
"Ahem... Goddess, have you seen the others?"
"Stare~~."
"Look, we've got new members. Why don't you give them your blessing, and then we—"
"STARE~~."
Well, that escalated.
Lioro sighed. Clearly, dodging wasn't going to work.
"What is it, Goddess?" he finally asked.
Hestia puffed her cheeks and pointed at him accusingly. "You fought the Black Dragon! Why didn't you tell me?!"
Lioro blinked. 'Did she see Elsa's status?' he wondered.
"I did tell you," he said, maintaining his innocent tone.
Technically, that was true. He had told aversion of her... in a different timeline.
"I even got your approval—"
"That's not what I meant!" Hestia yelled, her voice rising with emotion. Her ponytails floated slightly, charged with divine frustration.
"You could've been hurt! You could've died!"
"But I didn't," Lioro replied calmly.
"That's not the point!"
"I won."
"You can't just risk your life like that!"
"I didn't. It was a calculated risk, for the most part."
"You...! Why do you always have to contradict me?! Bad child!"
With that, she jumped up and smacked Lioro on the head.
A sharp smack! rang out.
She winced.
"Tsss—! That hurts!"
Lioro glanced at her red palm and sighed. He raised a hand and cast a minor healing spell. The redness faded instantly.
But just as he thought it was over, Hestia glared at him again—and smacked him a second time.
Then a third.
After a few more hits (all ineffective), she finally stopped, holding her reddened hand toward him with a dramatic expression.
Lioro gave her a flat look and healed her again.
She sniffled once and finally calmed down, crossing her arms again. "It was for your own good," she said righteously.
Lioro rolled his eyes.
Hestia turned her attention to the newcomers. "So, are these the new children?"
"Yes."
She walked up to them and began observing each face one by one. Her expression slowly turned thoughtful.
Over time, Hestia had learned that Lioro never brought back ordinary people. Each person he introduced seemed to carry some hidden depth.
Her gaze moved from Farlan to Isobel, then to Levi—and finally settled on the smallest one.
Mikasa.
The girl looked up at her, then immediately lowered her gaze and stepped behind Isobel, grabbing the hem of her dress.
"Don't be scared! Don't be scared!" Hestia said, eyes sparkling at the display of shyness.
The goddess crouched to Mikasa's level with a smile that could melt glaciers. "What's your name, child?"
Mikasa peeked from behind Isobel and mumbled something quietly.
And somehow, just like that, Hestia's warm and energetic aura chipped away at Mikasa's walls. Whether it was her divine charm or simply the kindness she radiated, Mikasa gradually came out of hiding.
Isobel and Farlan also relaxed after seeing Hestia's genuine friendliness. They introduced themselves properly.
Only Levi remained impassive.
Hestia extended a hand to him.
"And you?"
Levi looked at the hand, then at her face.
"…Levi," he said plainly, not reaching out.
Her hand hovered in the air awkwardly.
The silence grew.
Most people would've awkwardly withdrawn, but not Hestia.
"Hey, why didn't you shake my hand?" she asked with a confused frown.
"I don't like it," Levi replied, his tone quiet but firm.
"What?"
"I don't like people touching me."
Hestia blinked. Her smile faltered for a moment.
'He reminded me of Yoriichi...' she thought. She glanced at Lioro suspiciously. Where does he keep finding these broken people?
Still, she didn't push further. "Alright, alright," she said with a shrug. "Let's go to my room and get your statuses set up."
As they climbed the stairs, Lioro asked, "Where's Yoriichi and the rest?"
"They went out to get supplies and show the new girls—Tsuare and Ninya—around the city."
Lioro raised an eyebrow. "So they left you behind?"
"I was going to meet Hephaestus when you appeared, you jerk!" she said quickly.
Lioro gave her a suspicious look. "Didn't she ban you from her workshop?"
"You dare bring up the ban!?" Hestia exploded.
The group behind them stared blankly. It was painfully clear that Lioro's relationship with the goddess was unusual.
Once inside Hestia's room, Lioro, Levi, and Farlan waited outside while the girls went in to receive their statuses.
Lioro had warned Hestia to check Mikasa's status separately.
She didn't listen.
A few minutes later, a loud wail came from within.
"Beasts! MONSTERS!" Hestia screamed, her voice filled with righteous fury.
Farlan and Levi turned toward Lioro.
He waved a hand. "She's fine. Probably saw Mikasa's past."
Also... the girls were likely topless at the moment, so it wouldn't be right to enter.
Eventually, the door creaked open. Isobel peeked out, looking awkward. She handed Mikasa's status sheet to Lioro.
He walked in.
On the bed, Hestia was hugging Mikasa tightly, her cheeks damp with tears.
"Don't worry, child," she said as she petted the girl's head. "This Goddess will take care of you from now on."
Mikasa nodded silently, a little confused but clearly comforted.
Lioro looked at the status sheet in his hand.
----
[Status]
Level- 1
Name- Mikasa Ackerman.
Age- 9.
Race- Human.
Basic stats-:
Strength- I(0)
Endurance- I(0)
Dexterity- I(0)
Agility- I(0)
Magic- I(0)
Skills:-
Development Abilities:-
----
It seems she has not yet awakened her inherent blood ability.
Lioro handed the attribute sheet back to Isobel.
After some time, Isobel and Farlan also got their status reports, nothing was out of the ordinary; they both started at I(0), Farlan had a Swordmen(I) ability and Isobel was a clean slate.
Finally, it was Levi's turn.
With clear expectations in his eyes, Lioro waited as Hestia dropped a drop of her blood on Levi's back.
Looking at the status in front of her, Hestia's eyes widened for a moment, she couldn't help but turn to Lioro and gave him a 'I knew it!' look.
"Let me see the status.", Lioro said.
"Here."
Hestia handed him the piece of paper.
Lioro looked at it.
----
[Status]
Level- 1
Name- Levi Ackerman.
Age- 24.
Race- Human.
Basic stats-:
Strength- I(0)
Endurance- I(0)
Dexterity- I(0)
Agility- I(0)
Magic- I(0)
Skills:-
Ackerman Bloodline(S), Cold Intuition(A).
Development Abilities:-
Assassin's Step, Short Weapon Mastery, Strong Body, Battle Calm.
----
Ackerman Bloodline(S):-
A mysterious power hidden within the bloodline, supported by your ancestor's will.
Effects: 1) Increases stats growth rate. 2) Temporarily boosts all physical abilities to their peak when in a critical state. 3) Resistant to mind-altering effects and memory tampering. 4) It becomes easier to gain Development Abilities due to predecessors' experience.
----
Cold Intuition(A):-
An instinctive sixth sense that provides reactionary defense and near premonition-level foresight in life-threatening moments.
----
As expected of his fourth general!
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If you're interested: patreon.com/nkc_reaper
I was wondering if you're interested in seeing the adventures of the new Hestia familia in the dungeon, or focusing solely on Lioro, or a combination of both?