The Great Familia War Part 2

The Andhrímnir…just as Mr. Finn said, they are far too dangerous!

Even though the coalition should have completely won the initial

skirmish, they—or rather a single girl—had completely erased all their

progress.

An army that didn't fear death and a healing ability that was at worst

second in all of Orario. It was a tactic that required both of those factors to

work—in other words, it was something that only Freya Familia could pull

off.

"But now we know where they are…!"

Defeating the Andhrímnir was their highest priority, up there with taking

out the enemy's first-tier adventurers.

In exchange for a board state that she desperately wanted to pretend

didn't exist, Lilly reached her hand to a silent oculus to silence Heith and

the healers at any cost.

"Mr. Luvis, Mr. Mord! Please!"

In an instant, the troops she had set as an ambush sent up a wild cry.

"All right!"

"Let's do this!"

Far to the northwest and away from the main melee, right on the flank of

where the Andhrímnir were deployed, Mord's unit cast off their robes,

becoming visible again.

Fels's reverse veils.

Lilly had distributed them to the raiders and kept them hidden. She had

set an ambush by having them circle around the main battlefield with the

express intent of sending them after the Andhrímnir.

"We were waiting for you to show up!"

They had carefully, carefully approached the enemy while avoiding

detection, and now they broke into a sprint not to let their opportunity go to

waste.

Because the coalition's line had been shattered, almost all of the enemies

were pouring into the front lines. And because they were pushed up far

from the back lines, too, there was no one protecting the Andhrímnir.

Mord licked his lips at the sight of the isolated healers as he swung his

magic sword.

"Eat this!!!!"

Mord, Gyle, and Scott each unleashed a line of flame that swallowed up

the Andhrímnir.

"Keep going!"

The fierce, rough men fired off their Crozzo magic swords over and over

to destroy the beautiful girls.

Not knowing that the deities watching the mirrors in Orario were booing

them, Mord and friends continued their barrage without letting up.

"H-hey! Aren't you overdoing it a bit?!"

"There's no such thing as overdoing it with Freya Familia! The whole

reason we're doing this is you said you couldn't use these swords! Just sit

back and watch!"

The elf Luvis spoke out against the merciless onslaught, but Mord

wasn't going to listen.

He was on fire. Not out of heroism but from a powerful desire to help

one boy.

To pay back all of his debts, the ruffian rampaged.

"We're gonna help Bell Cranell!"

Urged on by the feeling of omnipotence that Crozzo magic swords

tended to give people, they kept summoning more explosions.

Soon, their attacks created a sea of flames, scorching the Andhrímnir.

Because it had been a complete surprise attack, they hadn't had time to

avoid it. And there was no way to defend against so much firepower.

Cracks ran down the swords' blades as they reached their limit. Mord

and his friends were breathing raggedly as they finally stopped their

barrage.

"Hah…hah…no matter how much you can heal, you can't use magic

while getting scorched! Just curl up and die!"

Mord flashed a proud grin as he leaned the sword on his shoulder.

There wasn't a single person left standing in the sea of flames.

The crackling of the flames filled the air.

The einherjar fighting on the front lines were unconcerned. Naturally.

Even Hedin standing at the rear watched in silence. Because there was

no need for him to do anything.

Finally, Mord, along with Luvis and the rest of the raiders, grimaced at

the unpleasant smell of burned flesh and covered his face with his burly

arm.

"Maybe we did overdo it a little…?"

"Of course there would be some lying in wait to aim for us."

Mord froze when he heard a voice coming from the flames.

"But what of it?"

Slowly, a single girl stood up from the burning ground where she had

been lying.

"What?!"

Mord and Luvis couldn't believe their eyes.

The girl was burning.

Her armor had been completely destroyed, and her clothes had burned

away. Her snow-white skin was bright red.

Standing in the sea of flames, tormented by the hellfire, her body was

becoming covered in grotesque burns.

And she was regenerating.

"Ars Gullveig. Unfortunately, I already activated my magic."

A golden light drove away the fierce flames lapping at her skin.

A pattern of light like a compressed magic circle appeared on the

surface of her skin.

"M-Mord! She's just like…?!"

"The eighteenth floor?!"

Gyle and Scott grew pale as they remember the Black Goliath Bell and

the others had fought.

The scene before their eyes was eerily similar to the nightmare of a

monster rex whose regeneration outpaced the damage a whole mass of

mages could deal.

Auto-heal.

A regeneration that continuously healed damage for a set period of time.

Heith's magic had been cast on herself and the rest of the Andhrímnir

before they were attacked—before they had set foot on the battlefield even.

One by one, the healers and herbalists stood up after her.

"N-no way…?!"

They were like phoenixes rising anew from the ashes. It was like

watching the dead come back to life after cremation. Their scorched skin

regained its vibrant luster beneath the golden motes of light. The bands

holding Heith's hair back burned away, but even her long, singed hair soon

recovered.

The weakening flames were no match for the auto-healing, and now the

Andhrímnir were not even being burned. All the crackling inferno could do

was shame the girls by burning away their clothes.

What remaining battle gear they had slowly disappeared as shoulders,

stomachs, supple hips and thighs, and even the well-formed lower halves of

breasts were revealed.

But even so, the adventurers had no time to be embarrassed or aroused.

Holding her rod in one hand, Heith walking forward through the flames

was too divine.

"Y-you monsters!"

"Mord?! Stop!"

Faced with a rare magic that only members of Freya Familia knew

about, Mord went into a frenzy.

Not listening as Gyle tried to stop him, he slashed at Heith as she

stepped from the flames.

"If I hit you with this!"

Hefting his magic sword, he intended to hit her directly with a blazing

attack.

"Hideous."

But the rod in her hand flashed with a terrible speed.

"—Gh?!"

A vertical swing from high overhead slammed into Mord like a war

hammer.

His face dropped to the broken stones, and Mord was immediately

knocked unconscious.

"Odious. Unsightly. Far too unpleasant."

Gyle and Scot, and Luvis's elves went silent as the girl stomped down

on the magic sword at her feet.

"I cannot understand how the likes of garbage such as you could dare

bare their fangs at the goddess. How can you dare to corrupt her authority…

You cannot be sane!"

Looking up and brushing aside the curtain of hair covering her face, she

revealed her bright, crimson eyes burning with wrath.

"Have some shame, you fiends! Impure wretches who reject the

goddess's divine will!"

"I will not let your vulgar gazes or your foul stench reach her. Not one

drop of your disgusting saliva will fall in her presence!"

There wasn't a trace of her usual warmth in her voice as her face twisted

into a portrait of rage. If Bell had been there, he would have been taken

aback by such a dramatic transformation, but it wasn't anything special.

Just like her comrade and the rest of the familia, she worshiped the goddess

of beauty.

Saved by the goddess, she faithfully offered up awe and love that didn't

pale in comparison to Hörn's.

"Everything is for Lady Freya's sake—be gone adventurers!"

In a rage, she revealed her murderous intent and willingness to fight.

What began then was annihilation.

""Gaaaaaaaaaaaah?!""

"Guuuuh?!"

Gyle and Scott were swatted aside by her rod before they could use their

magic swords. And the arrow Luvis immediately loosed may have pierced

Heith's shoulder, but it did nothing else. After she pulled it out, it didn't

even leave a wound behind, and right after Luvis's face twisted, his

consciousness was stolen by the swing of a rod. The remaining members of

Modi Familia were sent to the ground with all the might that the healer

Heith could muster.

* * *

A dedicated healer had just torn through Level 2 and 3 upper-class

adventurers.

Seeing that strange scene on the mirrors in Orario, the most speechless

were not the normal people or even the adventurers.

It was other healers.

"Heith Velvet…"

Among the Dian Cecht Familia, healers who had avoided participating

in the war game, Amid Teasanare, Dea Saint, narrowed her eyes in awe.

Amid, who was famed as the greatest healer in the city, and Heith.

For a while, they had been known as Orario's two great healers: the

silver saint and the golden witch.

The main difference between the two who dominated the first and

second slots on the list of best healers was above all healing range.

Amid could use healing magic with a broad area of effect, too, but Heith

had been forged in the fires of Folkvangr and was on a completely different

level. Amid would win out in raw healing output, but Heith likely took the

flag when it came to sustained output.

And the other decisive difference was pure combat ability.

While Amid's melee ability was in the realm of normal healers, Heith

could obliterate second-tier adventurers all by herself.

"Her background as a healer is just too different…"

That was what the rumors that had reached the saint said, but they were

unmistakably steeped in the truth.

The girl had originally endured the baptism in Folkvangr as an einherjar,

but—just like a certain abandoned kitten—she recognized her limits as a

warrior and despaired. However, with unwavering devotion to the goddess,

she changed class to a healer and discovered a latent talent that eventually

bloomed.

Her current status was Level 4.

Her second name was Vana Mardel.

In consideration of the golden gleam of her magic, her unbreakable

determination, and her undying life force, the deities hailed her as a true

Valkyrie.

"A unique follower born from the harsh environment of Freya

Familia…Just like the first-tier adventurers, if the coalition can't do

something about her, they have no chance of victory…"

As the fellow healers in her own familia around her shuddered, the saint

murmured those words with absolute confidence.

"Not good! At this rate…!"

Daphne was fully aware of that, too.

"Lilliluka, are there any more raiders you can send in?!"

"I'm doing it already! But Vana Mardel's healing ability is too great!

She won't go down!"

In a gap between the onrushing einherjar, Daphne could just barely see

another unit attacking, but the Andhrímnir didn't fall. The other healers and

herbalists' work was abnormal, and as the raiders struggled to take them

down, the enemy mages in the rear shredded them.

She could feel Lilly's impatience through the oculus painfully well.

"If we don't stop them, no matter how much we fight, everything will

fall apart…"

The enemy she had just managed to put down would be revived again if

Heith and the healers started moving. With the help of a level boost, she had

finally taken down one. To have them come back would be a nightmare.

She couldn't blame Lilly for incompetence in letting the ambush fail,

though. The moment they had a hidden trump card like auto-heal, the most

effective strategy of crushing the healers before they could activate their

healing was out the window. If Daphne were in Lilly's place, she would

have flipped the board and rampaged by now.

"Can the Andhrímnir be targeted from the right wing?!"

"Don't ask the impossible…! We've got our hands full just holding the

line!"

She was in the middle of the scramble herself while commanding the

right wing, catching a spear swing with her Fencer Laureate. The level

boost particles around her body were shimmering as if groaning from the

exertion, but she somehow managed to defeat the attack. She had no time

even to catch her breath.

"Soul Light!"

But even so, they were still okay.

They were centered around Cassandra while Ouka, Chigusa, and Bors in

particular were fighting with wild desperation.

Just like Daphne, Cassandra had managed to reach Level 3 on the

expedition, and she was making full use of her healing magic, helping

adventurers on the verge of collapsing recover their footing countless times.

Even as they struggled to deal with the enemy's healers, they were being

saved by their own. But unfortunately, in a battle of healers, the coalition

had no hope of victory.

"The enemy's base! If their mages move up, it will be bad! It's over if

they get in range! We have to take out the Andhrímnir before—"

Daphne was fighting without even the chance to wipe the sweat away as

she pleaded into the oculus.

"Gh."

Lilly's breath caught like she was being strangled.

Daphne immediately realized why.

" "

Time froze for her as she saw it.

Near the back of the enemy base in the distance, there were countless

spears of lightning targeting them.

"You seem to have gotten the wrong impression…This is well within my

range."

The color drained from Daphne's face. The voice of the elf she should

not possibly have been able to hear echoed in her ears as she realized her

mistake. At the start of the fighting, it had seemed like the enemy had

decided to ignore the threat of the magic swords. That they had mistaken

their range. That was how it had looked to Daphne and the rest of the

coalition.

But they were wrong. The enemy—Hedin—had not attacked simply to

get them to cough up their Crozzo magic swords. The main battlefield, the

newly formed Folkvangr—it had been within that first-tier adventurer's

range from the very start.

"Checkmate—Caurus Hildr."

He unleashed his spell.

The bolts of lightning lit up the faces of the adventurers frozen in

disbelief, arcing downward and pouring onto the battlefield.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The countless lightning strikes landing from above hit like bombs. They

were an evil battalion of lightning soldiers raining chaos on the battlefield.

One bolt pierced a human running away in terror, while another blew away

a chunk of the ground and a beast person with it. An Amazon who tried to

cover a comrade was electrocuted. And all this happened without touching

a single member of Freya Familia.

The lightning strike had been ultra-precise. Hedin had a clear and

accurate grasp of everything happening on the battlefield, and he took extra

care to hit only enemy adventurers. He also destroyed many of the

remaining magic swords.

"Gh—Protect Cassandra!"

"Uooooooooooooo?!"

Daphne screamed as the rain of lightning fell on her.

Giving up on maintaining the line, she chose to prioritize maintaining

their party's lifeline instead. Responding immediately, Ouka raised his great

shield while Bors and the rest of the residents of Rivira rushed over with

steely resolve. Pushed to the ground by Chigusa, Cassandra watched as

countless lightning bolts crashed into dozens of shields.

Fallen pillars and rubble scattered in every direction, kicking up stone

fragments as the battlefield was miserably split in two.

"The absurd number of magic swords has been whittled down. It's

time."

As the crackle of electricity and a massive cloud of dust rose over the

battlefield, the lone white elf who had created the current situation

delivered his cold announcement.

The countdown to the true rampage had begun.

"It's time now you beasts. Go."

"That powerful a barrage, from that far away? He's crazy as ever…!"

Tione spat in irritation as she watched the battle on the mirror.

The magic attack had traveled more than five hundred meders, and it

had hit so hard that more than two hundred adventurers had gone down. His

hail of lightning that managed to blanket most of the battle line inspired

cold shivers even in the members of Loki Familia.

"Hildsleif Hedin Selrand…the range of his magic is the greatest of

anyone in Orario."

"Eh?! But, but, you're stronger, aren't you, Riveria?! You're called the

city's strongest mage, right?!"

"Depending on what exactly you mean by that, the answer changes.

Taken to an extreme, if it comes down to super-long-distance spell slinging

or hand-to-hand combat, I would lose to Hedin."

Tiona resolutely tried to argue against Riveria's cold analysis, but the

high elf fixed her hair as she calmly answered.

Nine Hell Riveria Ljos Alf was superior in raw power and in the number

of options she could call upon for offense, defense, and support. In terms of

the standard back line mage role, her power and abilities far outstripped

anyone else.

But Hedin was a magic swordsman who had also mastered close-range

combat.

Their fields of expertise were too different to really compare.

He was an expert in melee and faster spells using super-short casts. He

was the optimal build for an advance support class. But on top of that, as

demonstrated so powerfully in this war game, he also had absurd firepower

and range.

"He once defeated a massive army using only magic."

Whether it was true or not, rumors about him to that effect had spread

from the sand sea. If there was a single way to describe him, it would be an

artillery swordsman.

"But more than anything else, the total amount of his Mind…Hedin's

ability to sustain his magic is demonstrably greater than my own."

Riveria acknowledged that when it came to total amount of Mind with

which to use magic, she lost out to him.

The fact that he hadn't even broken a sweat after launching a hail of

magic that covered an entire massive force lent her statement even more

credence.

As the Amazon sisters made clear their disapproval, Riveria's eyes

narrowed.

"And the other elf of the black and white knights is coming."

Her jade eyes sternly looked deep into the mirror as the cloud of dust

started to clear.

In the center…

"Haaaaaaa!"

"Gua?!"

A sharp slash tore into Freya Familia.

While most of the coalition's adventurers were being pushed back,

Tsubaki Collbrande wiped the blood and dirt from her face as she continued

fighting a frenzied, ferocious struggle.

"Don't hesitate! If three isn't enough, swarm one of theirs with five of

ours! If five isn't enough, then make it ten! As long as you can hold out, I'll

cut them all down!"

The Level 5 master smith's encouragement raised the morale of all the

adventurers around her.

Since she couldn't really exert command, Tsubaki transformed into a

warrior who cut down enemy after enemy. Even as imposing as the

einherjar were, they still fell to their knees in the face of her first-tier

strength.

She had already cut down dozens of enemies, and countless warriors in

armor were lying all around her.

This is bad! The flow of enemies isn't slowing! I've put down dozens of

them, but they still keep coming!

Sweat dripped down her cheek.

She muttered to herself, calling them war demons—

And as long as those healers are around, the ones sleeping on the

ground will keep coming back…! This is worse than the Dungeon!

"This is why Freya Familia is so hard to deal with."

They had been holding out with the support of Hephaistos Familia's

magic swords, but Hedin's barrage earlier had taken out a lot of them. With

the cloud of dust obstructing his vision now, he wasn't going to fire another

volley yet, but once it cleared, if another round came, the coalition's morale

would collapse. And Tsubaki would probably reach her limit, too.

If it comes to that, then there's nothing left but a suicide charge against

the Andhrímnir before the cloud clears.

Just as she was about to make her decision—

"Guaaaaaa?!"

There was a sudden sound.

Not the cry of someone who had been cut down, but a hair-raising slash.

" "

Tsubaki's ears didn't deceive her.

It was a sound that could have only come from a master of the blade.

"—Hegni!"

She spun around to the west.

The dark elf was standing in the back of the fading cloud.

"H-Hegni Ragnar?!"

"A first-tier adventurer!"

"H-he actually came…!"

Tsubaki's shout primed the adventurers and their shouts and screams

started soon filled the air.

Silver, almost purplish hair and dark skin marked Hegni as a dark elf.

His pitch-black sword was drenched in blood, and his sharp gaze roved as if

searching for prey to chase down. He had a cold smile on his lips, as if he

wished to enjoy a banquet of blood.

Facing off against a first-tier adventurer. That was enough to make any

adventurer despair, and so the alliance stood on wobbly feet.

Meanwhile, Hegni…

Arghhhh…so many people I don't know are looking at meeeee…!

He was panicking.

Just complete and utter panic.

His dangerous gaze flitted this way and that to avoid meeting anyone's

gaze, and the cold smile was just a spasm that had frozen his face in a

strange way. The useless elf who was the ultimate introvert and utterly

lacking in communication ability felt his heart racing as he transformed into

a monster.

N-not good…I—I have to do this right…! I am Lady Freya's follower

and technically an amazing, first-tier adventurer in Orario…! If people

make fun of me, that would be a humiliation for the familia and Milady…!

Her forcefully twisted his lips upward, spasming cheek and all, forcing

himself to wear a sinister smirk.

"…Keh-keh-keh, coming face to face with my abyss here is your fated

end…the ruins of the ancients mean nothing and sing of crimson…my

blade lusts for sacrifice. And thus…d-d-d-d-die."

Twitching beneath the gaze of so many people, Hegni tried to convey

the idea "I will handle this division and exterminate you all. The initial

skirmish is over. Prepare yourselves."

Meanwhile, the reaction from the coalition was tragic.

"Uwah, what's with him?!"

"I thought he was going to say something, but holy crap he's weird!"

"Oy, what's with him?! What's he saying?!"

"For an elf, his face looks like a damn ogre!"

"Apologize! Apologize to all elves!"

"""How the hell is someone like him a first-tier adventurer?!"""

Argh, I want to die.

A gleaming droplet shimmered at the corner of the dark elf's eye.

Stop, please stop, don't look at me like that! I can't, I can't, I can't, I

can't! Why, why am I a first-tier adventurer. I don't need the attention, just

let me fade into the darkness and fight. Just let me become darkness, I want

to be an embodiment of shadow. I can't. Make it stop. I just want to be alone

in the forest. Argh, make it stop. I just want Lady Freya to lay her head on

my lap—no, the other way around.

Hegni tried his best.

He really tried his best, enduring the pressure of everyone's eyes and his

own imagined victimization. But the moment he realized that his silly

performance was being broadcast on the mirrors in Orario, his mental

balance collapsed, and catastrophe struck. The shame and embarrassment

seared into his mind, and he executed a pathetic retreat.

I can't…I should just use it…

In other words, he used his magic.

"Draw thine sword, King of the fiendish blades."

He held his sword up to the heavens with both hands, like a knight—or

as if trying to hide his face.

At the same time, a black magic circle unfurled around his feet.

"Ghh?! Stop his cast!"

Tsubaki screamed without concern for dignity.

She was taken aback by his comic performance that had lasted just a

brief moment, but the moment she heard him begin casting a spell, the

biggest alarm bells started ringing in her head.

She knew the reason for Hegni's second name, and she worriedly drew

the magic shortsword at her waist.

"Sacrifice reason and offer up blood. Slaughter all until the feast is

finished."

It was a short cast. Even if she slashed at him now, it would be too late.

Seeing her reaction, the other adventurers and smiths followed her lead.

Countless magic swords and dozens and dozens of arrows all flew at

Hegni as he stood there with his eyes closed.

"Dáinsleif."

There was an explosion as he said the name of the spell.

The magic circle seemed to gleam, and then it was swallowed up in a

storm of attacks.

It was a firepower that even a first-tier adventurer couldn't just take

head-on. Tsubaki and the others covered their faces and gulped. The flames

danced.

And

"Gyaaaaaaaa?!"

The sound flashed.

Tsubaki's ears shuddered at the sound of a sublime rampage bereft of all

mercy and restraint.

" "

Tsubaki was speechless as a spray of blood rose from one end of her

formation.

Three upper-class adventurers fell to the ground.

Standing beside them was a single dark elf who seemed to be wearing

the smoke like armor.

"—Rebels who refuse to heed the goddess's will. I shall accept thy

penitence in spilled blood."

His voice changed completely. The timidness from just moments earlier

was completely gone. His gaze was unyielding and cruel. He had activated

the magic that he must never be allowed to cast.

"Dáinsleif…! Hegni's personality-altering magic!"

That was the ritual and the key that allowed the dark elf who was so

scared of what other people thought to transform into a warrior.

It was different from a standard offensive magic or enchantment. It was

a rare magic that affected the mental state of the user. The effect was a

literal transformation of both his personality and his speech. This magic

was the reason why when Bell was attacked by Hegni during the Goddess

Festival, he wondered if he was really the same person.

But it didn't affect his status in any way. It only affected his personality,

so among the wide range of magics, it could even be said to be rather plain.

"He switched to the other Hegni…!"

But in specializing so completely in its mental effects, it surpassed mere

autosuggestion and transcended into self-reconstruction. What happened

could be called the realizing of his ideal form. A magic to summon the

strongest version of himself created because he hated himself so.

"I grow tired of your faces. I shall grant you mercy. Draw your swords. I

shall allow you to fall as warriors."

A bead of sweat dripped down Tsubaki's cheek.

During Orario's dark ages, Hegni had used that magic and felled over a

thousand followers of the Evils in a single battle. She knew painfully well

just how powerful it could be.

Absorbing the light of the shattering magic circle, Hegni's faintly purple

eyes glimmered bewitchingly as he made his declaration.

"Be gone, rabble. Worms who reject the goddess's love are not worthy

of life."

The dark elf's body suddenly sank slightly. And then he sprinted. So fast

that it almost looked like teleportation. The moment it seemed a black

shadow had passed, a full squadron had been cut down.

"Aaa…aaaah?!"

It was a single slash.

The curse sword he wielded extended the range of his slashes, allowing

him to cut down many adventurers in a single flash.

A rondo of destruction and despair began. There was no hesitation. No

mercy. The limiter holding back his full power had been completely

removed by his magic, and he transformed into the manifestation of a blade

that made even his ultimate rival Hedin call him "utter garbage, but the

strongest melee fighter amongst all elves."

As if wielding a magical sword that couldn't return to its sheath without

bringing countless deaths, he set off a storm of blood.

Adventurers were cut down. High smiths and their magic swords were

broken, too.

His slash didn't discriminate. Not between men and women and not

between races. Like a god, it was impartial. It merely handed down death

sentences like a tyrant.

"It is not my job to announce injustice. All who content themselves in

weakness are at fault."

Hegni's second name, Dáinsleif, came from the name of his magic.

It was the highest praise from the fanatical and passionate fans he had

among the city's deities, acknowledging his transformation from a dark

knight to a true tyrant of darkness.

Ten people, then another ten. He was laying adventurers low at a

blistering pace. Merciless and cruel, the dark elf had transformed into a

murderous, rampaging lord of war. Standing a short distance from him,

Tsubaki spoke up.

"…L'il E, I need that level boost or whatever."

"Eh?"

"Hurry!"

"R-right away!"

Borrowing Welf's name for her, she called to the prum girl through the

oculus.

It sounded like someone rushed over, and then suddenly a powerful

magic power rose up behind her, and a golden pillar of light that looked

almost like a hammer appeared overhead.

"Uchide no Kozuchi!"

Haruhime's level boost seeped into her body, and her status shifted from

Level 5 to Level 6.

However, even so, that didn't put her at ease. Every adventurer other

than her had fallen, leaving a crimson ring of blood around them.

"So you are the one with the qualification to battle me, Cyclops."

"Aye, ominous blade. I will snap your magic sword."

Hegni watched her with eyes like a sharpened blade.

She muttered to herself, "You're no elf, you're an evil spirit."

With that, her expression changed, and she readied her Benishigure.

The breeze rustled the dark elf's cloak. The central division was almost

obliterated as the lord of war and the smith faced off against each other.

"Your fate is decided. This blade shall be your gravestone."

Suddenly, the two of them disappeared, and there was a furious clash of

blades.

"Tsubaki!"

Hearing the furious clash of swords behind him, Welf raised his voice.

It was a dance of blades that a Level 2 like Welf couldn't really even

see. The pitch-black blade and long sword crashed and slid, and then sparks

flew, etching an arc letting him know there had been a slash there.

Welf gasped at the afterimages created by a battle between two Level 6s,

and then clenched his fist.

Even if it's a duel, I have to help! Li'l E told me about Dáinsleif's magic!

My Will-o-Wisp can work…!

Lilly had shared a lot of the information Finn gave her about Freya

Familia, and Hegni's magic was of course part of that. To maintain his

other self, he was constantly using Mind, and his body was flooded with

magic power. The mysterious light in his eyes and the purple gleam rising

off his body like a heat haze were effects of that.

And if there were magic particles, then there was a spark that would

ignite Welf's anti-magic fire. Dáinsleif, which had to be constantly active

like an enchantment, was a perfect target for Welf.

"Blasphemous Burn!"

Holding his magic sword in his left hand, he thrust out his right hand.

He poured in Mind, pushing the range to the limit.

That way, no matter how fast Hegni was, no matter whether he could

even see Hegni or not, the dark elf's entire area of movement would be

covered.

Targeting the entire ring where the elf was locking blades with Tsubaki,

he shouted the ultra-short cast.

"Will-o-Wi—"

But

THUD.

There was a sound like lightly tapping a wheel with a staff.

Like a light cat kicking off the ground and into a sprint.

Just before his anti-magic fire activated, the sound of instantaneous

acceleration rattled in Welf' ears.

In the blink of an eye.

A chunk of flesh went flying from Welf's right shoulder.

" "

A super-speed line cut into view, stealing away a part of his shoulder.

Time seemed to slow for Welf, and the moment he recognized he was

being attacked, blood poured from the opening and a scream erupted from

his throat.

"Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and a terrible sweat erupted on his face as his

right arm hung limply like a broken doll.

"Don't try anything strange, small fry."

There was a voice to his right.

Turning around, he saw him.

"You're…"

Vana Freya Allen Fromel.

Having easily interrupted Welf's magic, he was standing there leisurely

with silver spear in hand.

Silver armor on his right shoulder and an emerald pelisse hanging from

it. His only other armor was silver greaves below his knees. An armor that

didn't account for the possibility of stray hits, because he was the fastest in

all of Orario.

Welf's face twisted from the searing pain as a cold sweat formed. He

had no way of knowing, but Vana Freya only wore his pelisse when he

intended to fight all-out.

"Though I intended to finish you in the first hit like last time."

"Gh…?!"

"You pulled back at the last second? Learned your lesson about being

run down by me already?"

That was right.

Welf had been attacked by Allen during the Goddess Festival. The

moment he heard the chilling sound of that instantaneous acceleration, he

reflexively started moving. That split-second defensive instinct had kept

him from being instantly knocked out of the fight.

"But it doesn't make a difference. Just a waste of my time. Get lost."

"Gh…screw you!"

He erupted at those eyes, looking at him not even as an enemy, but just a

bump in the ground slowing the chariot's rush. But right when he brushed

off the searing pain and howled, the next instant, Allen suddenly bore down

on him.

What began was a tremendous barrage of spear thrusts.

"Gah, Gh, uggggh…?!"

His shout was nothing more than spirit. It was almost a miracle his limp

right arm was even still attached. All he could do was slip into a crouch and

use Shikou-Kazuki, his magic sword, as a shield. But doing that, he was

like a child unable to fully hide behind a tree trunk. Beneath the protection

of the longsword's flat blade, he endured a barrage of thrusts.

But he was gradually being carved away. His clothes, his skin, his whole

body.

He was fading. Losing blood, the strength to hold on, the will to

counterattack.

He continued yelping as his left hand holding the magic sword and his

shoulder pushing against the flat of the blade were both being pierced by

attacks that evaded his defense. His flesh was tearing, and his bones were

cracking and shattering as his entire body was broken down. The torrent of

thrusts pushed Welf to the brink in no time at all.

…It isn't breaking…

Meanwhile, Allen looked quizzically at the scene.

No matter how many times it wavered from his thrusts, Welf's magic

sword didn't break. An ordinary magic sword was fundamentally a

consumable item. In its endurance, it was an eloquent expression of its

maker's persistence.

Allen's sharp gaze shifted, acknowledging the bump in the road to be a

real, if minor, obstruction.

"What is that magic sword?"

"…Just a little something…that I made…!"

Welf didn't boast at Allen's question. He called the blade he had forged

with his pride as a blacksmith just a stepping stone to greater heights.

"If you can't even break a simple magic sword, you must not be much,

either…!"

And he maintained a false bravado.

He was bleeding, and his body was battered, but he still forced himself

to grin. It was a provocation, an arrogant blacksmith laughing off a first-tier

adventurer. But Allen was untroubled.

"I'll acknowledge your skill as a blacksmith."

Indeed, for the first time, he actually recognized Welf's capabilities.

"But only that."

" "

And then he made Welf his next victim.

Kicking against the stone pavement, he accelerated. There was no way a

mere blacksmith would be able to react in time. Welf had turtled behind his

sword, but in an instant, Allen appeared at his side, unleashing a kick.

"Gah?!"

And that was all it took to finish Welf.

The rising right leg landed straight in Welf's side, knocking him off the

ground.

For a brief moment, he experienced a floating sensation, and then a

spinning left kick slammed home. Welf's collar bone cracked, and he went

flying, rolling across the cobblestones, where he collapsed miserably.

With the last bit of his stubbornness, he managed to hold on to his

sword, which grew red with the blood dripping from his hand.

"I told you before, small fry. Run back to your workshop and go play

with your toys."

Allen had said the same contemptuous line the first time they had met.

That was the day that Ishtar Familia had been destroyed.

"Get it through your head. Smiths aren't ever going to be any use on a

battlefield, loser."

What Welf had accomplished wasn't even one minute of slowing Allen

down.

Leaving the blacksmith quietly slumped down on the ground, Allen

began to perform his mission.

"Aaah?! Uwaaaaaaaaaa?!"

"I…I can't hit him…nothing works?!"

At Hedin's direction, the chariot had joined the fight along with Hegni.

Seeing that, the coalition adventurers screamed in despair. Their formation

had been completely shredded. Even Lilly grew pale while watching from

atop the mausoleum.

On the left wing…

"Lady Aisha! The center!"

"Dammit…! Those monsters!"

As the cloud of dust finally faded, Mikoto and Aisha could see that

Hegni and Allen had obliterated the center of the battle line.

In textbook fashion, the coalition's battle line was deepest at the center.

The Level 5 Tsubaki had been sent there, and the bulk of their fighting

adventurers and smiths had been set there, too. But now it was almost

completely wiped out.

Seeing the adventurers being picked off without even being able to run

away, it was clearly no longer even a battle.

"What should we do?! Lady Lilly has her hands full directing the center

and right wing! At this rate…!"

"Gh…reinforce the center! If Cyclops goes down, that really will be the

end! We need to get Haruhime and go help that dwarf—"

That was Aisha's agonizing choice.

The left wing was currently in a massive free-for-all. They would have

to set a rear guard to move over the center, and that rear guard was sure to

be lost in the process. Aisha swallowed the guilt and was about to order the

Berbera putting up a valiant fight around her to die for them.

"Ugh?!"

"Gyaaaaaa?!"

But her resolve amounted to nothing.

"…?! Sharay! Eliza!"

The Berbera who were behind her were suddenly taken down by four

people at once.

Spinning around in shock with Mikoto, Aisha saw four figures.

"A useless plan."

"Not like you could do it."

"Obviously."

"Since we're here."

Sand-colored helmets and matching armor.

A long spear, a great hammer, a great ax, and a greatsword. Four

weapons for four prums.

"The Gulliver brothers…! Bringar!"

Mikoto shuddered as the three younger brothers' lips curled into sneers.

"Eternal Shadow and Antianeira."

"This is a rehash of the Goddess Festival."

"You're going to fall to us again?"

And finally, the eldest brother, Alfrik, announced with compassion—

"Fall here, for Lady Freya's sake."

"Ghhh! Don't look down on me!"

Aisha's furious shout broke the damn, and the bloodied Amazons around

her all raised a battle cry. With magic sword flames, with the light of level

boost, with gravity waves, they struggled against the four prums and the

einherjar with every bit of their strength.

Disadvantage piled upon disadvantage.

Looking up at the mirror above Main Street, one of the residents, an

adventurer—or maybe a deity—said it. Or maybe they all were thinking it.

"This is just a one-sided stomp."

"The strongest melee elf Hegni in the center, the cat with his extreme

mobility to crush those shooting from a distance, sealing the relatively

intact left wing with the prum brothers' coordination…a textbook response

without anything interesting to it at all."

Hedin sounded bored as he looked out at the battle's development from

his perch atop their side's temple.

If he hadn't held back the first-tier adventurers at the start and just sent

them out to begin with, it would probably have ended up basically the same.

But Hedin made absolutely sure.

As the person charged with conducting Freya Familia's operations, he

understood just how lethal it would be for a first-tier adventurer to fall. If

Hegni or Allen were to be taken down, even einherjar who didn't fear death

would still lose their composure, and it would lead to a loss of morale

unlike any other. And the opposing general was surely aiming for that.

Because of that, he had played his trump cards only after the singular

element of uncertainty—Crozzo's magic swords—had been sufficiently

dealt with. From Lilly's or Daphne's perspective, it was a despair-inducing

ruthlessness.

"The coalition's main fighting power has been fully deployed…but there

is one rabbit missing."

His elven eyes didn't miss the details of the enemy deployment.

Even in a massive melee, he noticed that the white-haired boy he had

broken in wasn't there.

"Even if he charges his blast and sets it off in the main battlefield, it

would just be a waste so long as Heith is there."

Sending in a single Level 5 now wouldn't turn things around.

After being killed so many times in Folkvangr already, even that stupid

rabbit would know that much deep in his bones.

"And more than anything…with the rules of this war game, he can't

even do that."

Indeed, the only chance the coalition had of victory was to use the main

battlefield as a decoy and aim straight for the queen.

Seeing through the coalition's plans like a mind-reading demon, the

white elf looked up.

His eyes narrowed as he looked to the ends of the island far removed

from the fighting.

"South…or north?"

I'm running northwest, taking care to avoid notice while still moving at full

speed.

My destination is Freya Familia's base, all by myself.

"Lilly, maybe I should fight with everyone else…!"

"No! Keep moving toward Lady Freya!"

Hearing the battle cries over my left shoulder and at my back—the

countless screams of my allies—I want to turn back, but Lilly's voice

coming from the oculus embedded in my left gauntlet stops me.

The same moment that the Crozzo's magic swords erupted, signaling the

start of the battle, I circled around the northwest of the island, completely

circumventing the main battlefield.

That was Lilly's order. Use the army-scale clash as a decoy to approach

the enemy's base.

"Hildsleif and Warlord are still at the base!"

"Gh…!"

"There is no winning unless we take down the strongest adventurer in

Orario!"

She's right. Anything less won't be possible against that man.

I'm painfully aware of that after he took me down in a single attack

during the Goddess Festival. So long as he stands before the throne and

protects his master, the coalition doesn't stand a chance.

There is no future for us unless we do something about the Level 7 city's

strongest!

"And your skill is the only card we have that can take him down!"

I glance down at the oculus and then at my right hand. The chime is

ringing, and the telltale glow of the charging has already started, too.

Master and the rest of Freya Familia have only seen my status during

the time I spent with their familia when their goddess's charm warped the

entire city. If I wait until I can see the enemy before activating my skill, I

won't make it in time. The einherjar would never allow that.

That means the time is now. To unleash a full power attack, I have to

start charging before I encounter the enemy.

The task I've been given is to mount a sneak attack. Stay hidden and

keep moving until I can land a blow on the enemy's strongest fighter—Mr.

Ottar—with a fully charged attack.

After the onslaught of the Crozzo magic swords failed, Lilly concluded

that this is our only chance of defeating Warlord.

"We have to sacrifice everyone so you can reach Lady Freya! If you

don't, we can't win this battle!"

I grit my teeth as Lilly explains that in a commanding voice.

Even if our allies get cut down by Mr. Hegni, run down by Mr. Allen,

destroyed by Mr. Alfrik and his brothers, shot down by Master—even if it

means ignoring Ms. Heith and the healers, I have to defeat Mr. Ottar and

reach out to Lady Fre—no, I have to reach out to her.

Even the echoing sound of the chime understood it had to be that way.

Shaking off the thoughts tearing at my heart, I continue to approach the

enemy's base.

Carefully, but quickly! I can't let them notice me!

Even in the northwest, far from the main battle, a great field of ruins

stretch in every direction.

There are crumbling buildings, a marble street, and massive colonnades

that no longer hold up ceilings. Taking advantage of these city ruins, I hide

myself, making sure there's no signs of watchful enemy before sprinting to

the next point.

I'm currently invisible. I'm using one of Fels's reverse veils and

basically invisible.

But still I'm avoiding any bold approaches. The enemy this time is

Master and Freya Familia. If they notice anything is even slightly off, that's

the end. I used an item to erase my scent to beast people's noses, but I still

can't be too safe.

And more than anything…

The sound of the charging…! It won't reach their base yet, but when I

get close, they will definitely notice!

I can feel a wave of cold sweat break out as I listen to the chime

repeating while white light gathers.

No matter how perfectly a scout erases their presence, if they make a

sound that alerts the enemy to their location, they are just a fool. And I had

to do just that sort of foolish stealth to launch my attack. Even though it is

to gather enough strength to actually take down the enemy, I have to do it

stealthily, too. The contradiction of it all makes my heart race.

The limiter…I can't let the grand bell ring…!

If the giant bell's chime rings out, I'll be immediately detected no matter

how far away I am.

And if I'm attacked by einherjar before reaching their base, I'll lose our

only chance.

I have no choice but to do a normal charge all the way to the limit while

getting close.

But…can I really evade Master's eyes?

I keep imagining Master's face watching like a hawk from the base still

far away.

He's strong. And shrewder than anyone.

He's seen through what we're trying to do, hasn't he?

I struggle against that suspicion as I keep my trembling breath down and

push forward as fast as I can.

"…This is…"

I've found a structure larger than the others.

This must've been an amphitheater once.

Part of the outer wall is broken, and inside I can see the spectator seats

and the arena. The arena is around 150 meders in diameter, and the outer

wall and spectator seats are about 30 meders tall. It wasn't hard to imagine

lots of people walking out here to see a show in ancient times when there

were fewer options for entertainment.

The faded columns lying on the ground are almost melancholic, but I

quickly look away.

I don't have time to get lost in emotion. I start to circle around the

outside of the amphitheater.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"?!"

A shadow flits across the ground, and I can sense an attack coming from

above.

Just as the battle cry and blade are about to hit me, I immediately raise

my knife.

"Gh?!"

The attacker's blades and the Hestia Knife clash.

I can't completely block it.

I avoided direct damage, but my reverse veil gets torn, dispelling my

invisibility. As I stumble from the attack, my attacker follows up with a

kick. Partly because I can't use my right hand freely due to the charge, I'm

knocked aside.

I jump at the same time to lessen the impact, which brings me into the

amphitheater's center.

Rolling through the broken-down wall, I get pushed into an arena where

I can't escape.

"Did you really think you could avoid being noticed while making that

noise! Bell!"

"…! Mr. Van!"

The half-prum einherjar, Mr. Van, followed me into the big arena,

scolding me just like before.

I did get noticed…!

The sneak attack failed. The plan won't work anymore. This is the end

of the line.

Is it just him? No others? Can I pivot? What should I do?!

While my mind starts racing, Mr. Van seems to guess what I'm thinking

and shouts.

"I'm alone! This has nothing to do with Mr. Hedin's orders! I fought you

in Folkvangr enough to figure out that you would come here!"

"Wh…?!"

"And I decided I would be the one to perform your last rites!"

He read my movements?! No, he hid himself here in the northwest,

waiting for me?!

I struggle to process what Mr. Van is saying as he glares at me like I

betrayed his trust.

"Traitor who rejected Lady Freya's divine will despite receiving her

blessing! No matter what Mr. Ottar or the rest might say, you alone will fall

by my hand!" It's an unmistakable rage, tenacity, and a clearly drawn line.

"This is my duty as the one who was charged with watching over you!"

Even though it occurred in a twisted world, we lived in the same home

and ate at the same table. We'd fought each other dozens of times during

the baptism, sometimes sharing advice, and I do feel a certain odd bond

with him.

It might just have been a trick, but for those twenty days, I was a fellow

member of Freya Familia.

The half-prum's eyes are warped as he watches me. And my eyes are,

too. But just as quickly, Mr. Van slashes at me, casting aside all trivial

emotions.

"Gh…?!"

"Fight, Bell! Fight!"

Silver twinblades threaten me over and over. I can sense his resolve in

his blades—if you won't take my hand, then I'll kill you.

I deflect the two blades arcing toward my chest with the Goddess Knife.

I can't reject him. In the middle of the amphitheater, we lock blades, just

like we once did during the baptism.

Knife meets sword, and sparks fly.

A shrill clang rings out like a painful cry.

We crash.

My doubt led me to make several misjudgments.

My feelings toward Mr. Van and Freya Familia are stronger than I

thought.

"Using just one hand?! When did you get so big for your britches that

you started thinking you could look down on me?!"

"Gh…!"

"Use your charge! On me! Your enemy right now is me!"

His bloodred rage echoes in my ears. The fact that I'm still holding on to

my charge even now, Mr. Van is genuinely trying to kill me.

As I weather his assault, what I feel isn't fear or anxiousness—it's a

shocking sense of emptiness, and a maddening sadness.

A level-up is truly cruel.

The Level 4 Mr. Van who I fought so many times during the baptism,

who I sometimes defeated and sometimes lost to…now seems so painfully

slow.

I can see his attacks so clearly.

Even though I am filled with doubt, I can handle his attacks with ease.

I sparred with first-tier adventurers to acclimate after leveling up.

There's no way I can lose here.

"Ghhhh!"

Gritting my teeth, I close the distance.

This is the end.

His eyes widen as I rush forward, sheathe the knife in my left hand, and

punch him right in the stomach.

"Gah?!"

I shout like yelling will help me burn away the pity and sentimentality

lingering in my heart.

"Firebolt!"

My fist unleashes a blast of heat. The lightning flame crackles, burning

Mr. Van's body and sending him flying up into the spectator seats.

"…Belllllll…!"

Mr. Van slips off the stone step he hit and falls forward. His mouth is

bloody as he stretches his trembling hand toward me before passing out.

"Ngh…"

I'm not even breathing hard.

The battle didn't last a minute. Level 5 and Level 4. The difference in

those two numbers is everything. And this bitter experience has shown me

the heights I've managed to climb.

"So this is where you were."

But…

" "

That short fight was more than enough to draw the strongest to me.

"Acting on your own, Van? You did save me some time."

I hear something touching down in the arena and a solemn voice.

Holding my breath, I slowly turned around.

Rust-colored hair and eyes, and an imposing, massive body. A

greatsword in each hand, and an even larger black mass of a sword on his

back.

In front of the boaz who reigns as the peak of all adventurers, a hoarse

voice falls from my lips. "…Mr. Ottar…"

The city's strongest who hasn't joined the main battle…Has he been

searching for me from the start?

I'm still far from a full charge. And sneak attacks aren't possible when

he already knows I am here. My body runs so cold it feels as if I've been

encased in ice. I can sense Lilly's heavy breaths through the oculus.

This time for sure, our plan has failed. It's been completely shattered,

and our one chance at victory is— The End. Those two words fill both of

our minds.

"…"

As I stand frozen in the center of the amphitheater, Mr. Ottar's eyes

silently move. Seemingly noticing the light converging at my right hand, he

narrows his eyes slightly. Then he throws the greatsword in his hand.

"Gh…?"

It lands in front of me with a thud. Close enough for me to reach out and

take it. Reflexively, I stare right at it.

The blade is made of mithril. The edge and sturdiness are the real deal—

undeniably a first-tier weapon.

This isn't an attack. Not even a threat. It's almost as if he was giving me

the weapon. After he notices that I'm not moving in my confusion, he

speaks.

"Take it."

"…Huh?"

"I said take it."

The greatsword.

My eyes goes wide.

"Full power," Warlord says. "Come at me with everything."

His words carry the gravitas of a true warlord.

"I will give you one attack."

He's testing me. Or trying to measure my ability.

"Stake your everything and come at me. Attack me with all of Bell

Cranell's strength."

"Gh…?!"

I'm speechless.

He's serious. He means every word.

The boaz in front of me knows exactly what we're trying to do and is

still telling me to go ahead and try!

A trap…no, it can't be! He doesn't have to do anything like that!

He is the strongest. He can easily beat me with a simple frontal attack.

There's absolutely no reason for him to resort to tricks against an inferior

adventurer he can crush in the blink of an eye.

This is just Warlord's way.

As his goddess's strongest follower, he wants to test me.

—Warrior.

That word dominated my mind.

"M-Mr. Bell…"

A trembling voice comes from the oculus. Lilly is agitated, too. But she

is also pleading. There'll never be a better chance than this. I can't let this

opportunity go. Even if it was presented to us on a platter by the enemy, I

have to take it.

And if I do nothing, all that'll happen is he'll mercilessly crush me.

But if I somehow manage to topple Mr. Ottar here, a path to victory will

open.

"…Gh!"

I take it with my right hand—the silver greatsword.

"Firebolt!"

I channel the lightning flame from my left hand into the mithril.

Immediately, the charging light in my right hand spreads to the blade.

The flame that should have faded clings to the metal, growing in

strength.

Dual charge.

By extending the effect to cover the sword, I cause the drain on my

stamina and Mind to instantly shoot up, but it's a small sacrifice.

I can't change the soft chime into a grand bell. Switching gears isn't

possible anymore.

Not unless I cancel the charge and start from scratch. But doing that

would mean losing all the stamina and Mind I've already spent.

Considering the fight waiting for me, even if I manage to take down Mr.

Ottar, I can't afford to waste any Mind.

Holding the sword in both hands, I push forward until full charge is less

than a minute away.

…Can I really do it? An enemy I could never normally beat…A fully

charged Argonaut…!

I know the full destructive power of Argonaut better than anyone. A

short charge might not be enough, but pushed to the absolute limit, it can

erase every enemy without a trace. I've overcome a difference in levels

using this skill several times before.

It's what Goddess called the strike of a hero, the strength to overturn any

hopeless situation.

Can I really hit a flesh-and-blood adventurer with such an extreme

attack…?

I stare at the boaz standing in front of me. He's only wearing light

armaments. The right side of his chest and the back of his hands, his

forehead and the like—there are only a few places where he's wearing

anything that provides any real coverage. With that sort of protection, he

can't possibly withstand a full charge. Will it kill him?

My opponent is the city's strongest adventurer.

He's not someone I can afford to hold back against. I can't let my guard

down.

But still…

The hesitation in my heart's making me wary about using a full-power

attack.

Evidently wanting to dispel my concerns, Mr. Ottar starts to chant.

"Silver moon's mercy and the golden plains. I offer this body to the lord

of battle."

My eyes shoot open.

"Charge bearing the goddess's will."

It's a short cast.

But despite the quickly completed cast, a tremendous magic power is

unleashed.

"Hildis Vini."

A golden light sears my eyes. A gleam like twilight gathers in the

warlord's sword.

"What…?!"

I study the gleam, and then I catch my breath. His weapon is clad in

light, turning into a golden sword. The furious magic light covered the

greatsword's surface, almost like a flame of the end. It's a massive light that

made the sword look like it was growing, as if the weapon had donned the

fur of a golden boar.

That impossible swell of magic…is it like Argonaut?

No—it's just a straightforward and extreme form of enhancement?!

"That is Mr. Ottar's magic…? The golden gleam Mr. Finn said defeated

another Level 7 adventurer…!"

Through the oculus, Lilly trembles at the sight of the blinding golden

gleam. His increase in strength doesn't require any charge time. I can't be

sure, but based on what I'm seeing and the information Lilly gathered,

that's my best guess.

It's a simple strength buff.

And because it's simple, it becomes an unimaginably powerful trump

card when combined with Mr. Ottar's absurd amount of strength.

Feeling the cold sweat on my skin, I cast aside all hesitation. That's just

how much power was hidden in that golden sword.

"…"

"…"

As my charging continues, like a ballista being readied to fire, I slowly

assume my stance. Gripping the greatsword with both hands, I lower my

hips.

And Mr. Ottar takes the same stance, almost like he's purposely

mirroring me.

I've been given an identical copy of his sword.

Our weapons are equal. There's no difference in equipment.

Victory will be decided by the combination of strength, magic, and raw

destructive power.

A white light and a golden light.

A roaring flame and a furious gleam.

The billowing waves of power spilling from our weapons fill the

amphitheater.

Lilly watches with bated breath.

Ms. Aiz and everyone else in town is surely watching through the

mirrors, too.

Feeling everyone's gaze on me, I grip the thick hilt of the sword.

And the time finally comes.

Five minutes.

After waiting the full time I can charge after reaching Level 5, the

ringing bell reaches a feverish pitch.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

I start running.

With all of my might.

Swinging the sword imbued with sacred flame over my right shoulder, I

advance on the strongest warrior standing in my way.

Mr. Ottar doesn't move. He is scarily still.

He watches me charge straight on, immobile as a massive boulder.

Unease, fear, worry—throwing all that away, I unleash a sacred flame.

"Argo Vesta!"

Full strength and full spirit.

Having climbed all the way to Level 5, I unleash Bell Cranell's strongest

attack.

Recognizing that, the boaz holds his greatsword at the ready and roars.

"UUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

As if trying to push me back with his voice alone, he unleashes his

impossibly superhuman strength.

His golden slash crashes into my sacred fire.

And—

" gh?!"

There's a tremendous impact, a flash of light, and then a thunderous

boom.

The contest lasts for only an instant.

The blazing sacred flame looks like it's being pushed back by the golden

light, but at almost the exact same time, both swords reach their limit and

completely shatter, blowing Mr. Ottar and me away from each other.

"Gah?!"

I'm launched through the massive arena and slam directly into the

marble wall like I was carried there by a river bursting its dam. The impact

shatters the wall and steals all the air from my lungs as the giant

amphitheater shudders. Cracks run through the remaining walls and the

spectator seating, kicking up a cloud of dust.

I'm sure I'm imagining things, but I could swear the entire island just

went silent.

It's like our attacks clashing made the adventurers and einherjar stop

their fights and catch their breath.

"Geha, gaha…aaaaaa…?!

What little remains of the greatsword's hilt slips from my hand as I

writhe from the aftermath. As my hands spasm, I look up, breathing

raggedly, half praying.

Through the clearing smoke…I see a shadow appear.

"…So it's a draw…"

That's all he says in a curt, low voice.

He's standing.

His thick legs carved two deep gouges in the stone-paved stage when he

was pushed up against the wall. Peeling his massive body from the broken

wall, Mr. Ottar slowly looks at me.

"No…considering the difference in level, your attack surpassed mine."

Pure commendation.

His rust-colored eyes narrow as he praises the Argo Vesta that matched

his Hildis Vini.

Despite that praise, though, my face grows deathly pale.

A draw? Canceled out? Argonaut?

The same Argo Vesta that defeated Juggernaut's claw?!

"It was a splendid attack…However."

Even though I poured in everything I had, my full strength wasn't

enough to defeat Warlord.

Smoke rises from places where the sacred flame scorched his body, but

the boaz warrior walks forward calmly, as if he took no damage at all.

"The promise was one attack."

Throwing away the hilt of the greatsword that became a hunk of

deformed metal, he draws the black greatsword on his back.

A shout rises from the oculus in my gauntlet. I'm sure it's to tell me I

have to run away.

But even as tremors take over my body—I know.

If I turn my back to him, I'll be killed.

I'm not allowed to run. I have to fight him until I fall.

"Now it is simply a battle."

The amphitheater has transformed into a merciless boar's hunting

ground.

Swords flashed.

Silver and black traded furiously.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Tsubaki howled like a beast.

Her clothes had been shredded, and only a single piece of cloth binding

covered her upper body, but still the half-dwarf roared. Deftly manipulating

the longsword in her hands, she parried multiple powerful slashes and hit

back.

The one-eyed smith-turned-asura was faced by Hegni.

The dark elf's cloak was in pieces, but there was no fear or contempt in

his eyes. He acknowledged that the woman clad in the light of level boost

trying to cut him down was a formidable enemy and faced her in a head-on

clash of blades with the dignity of a tyrant of war.

Silver and black. Gold and purple. Their blades and the aftereffects of

their magics clashed, intertwined, tracing a path. Their duel was on a

completely different level leaving the other einherjar and adventurers

stunned as it intensified. And— "Sei…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"

"Haaah!"

The decisive blow was struck.

One threw their sheath and unleashed a full-bodied slash diagonally

downward.

The other a high-speed upward slash as if intersecting the first's path.

Tsubaki and Hegni passed each other and lingered for a few moments.

"Ghhh!"

Blood erupted from Hegni's shoulder.

He winced at the wound to his left shoulder, the breeze on the battlefield

rustling his cloak.

" Gu…"

At the same time, Tsubaki knew she had been defeated.

Blood erupted from the diagonal cut that ran up her torso, splitting even

her sarashi as she slumped to the side.

Even her long black hair broke its bond and spread like a fan as the light

of level boost scattered.

"…You may be proud, Cyclops. Your attack threatened my life."

Hegni turned around, still holding his sword up in his right hand.

Moving just her right eye, Tsubaki looked back at him from where she

lay.

"But my Victim Abyss is a vanguard slayer…Your fate is the same as all

other warriors of the sword—prey for this demonic blade."

Hegni's beloved first-tier weapon: Victim Abyss.

It was a curse weapon created with the help of a certain hexer, and in

exchange for a certain cost, it could extend the range of its slash.

In a one-on-one fight, the better the sword master, the more it disrupted

their distance, and in battle against massed enemies, it was a murderous

ability allowing it to fell multiple opponents in a single slash. When

wielded by Hegni, who possessed top-class melee strength among first-tier

adventurers, it allowed him to become a demonic sword king capable of

dominating single combat and group battles with equal skill.

"You…"

Tsubaki had experience with countless different weapons, yet she still

hadn't been able to see through Victim Abyss's blade. Her dark skin had

been cut dozens of times. Even with her status enhanced by level boost, she

hadn't been able to surpass Hegni's blade.

"This is…why…I didn't want to fight you…"

Sorry, Goddess…Welfy.

Just before her eyes closed, she apologized to her master and to the teen

who had already fallen.

The coalition's strongest fighter, the Level 5 master smith, had been

downed, and the situation quickly began to shift.

"Cyclops…!"

Daphne grew pale as she watched Tsubaki fall.

The coalition was already in a terrible place, but now morale

plummeted. That was the consequence of losing Tsubaki in the center—to

lose a first-tier adventurer's strength.

"Hey, what do we do?!"

"We don't have any more magic swords!"

"The blacksmiths…Vana Freya got them…!"

Bors, Ouka, and Chigusa hardened their defense as a party.

Allen had rushed through freely, hunting down anyone wielding a

Crozzo magic sword. Regardless of where they were standing. Right wing,

center, left wing: none of that mattered to him. His legs allowed him to

ignore distance as he picked off the remaining Hephaistos Familia

blacksmiths and adventurers from Rivira.

And even the second-in-command Daphne couldn't come up with a plan

of action, let alone a stratagem to turn things around.

Her mind was on the verge of grinding to a halt when the tyrant of war

mercilessly appeared before them.

"So you are to be the next offerings?"

"Gh?! Dáinsleif!"

Hegni's next target after Tsubaki was them.

Because they had just barely managed to maintain a party-level

organization, Hegni judged they were the largest threat at present—even if

it was only an ant's level of uncertainty—and so he earnestly and diligently

brought himself to the right wing of the battlefield.

"D-Daph…?!"

Standing in the center of the party, Cassandra turned pale like a patient

recognizing that death had come for her.

Daphne reflexively covered their healer with her back, only to remember

that it no longer made a difference anymore.

A thick and sticky mixture of blood and sweat dripped down her cheek.

"Oy, oy! What are you doing, Laurus Fuga?! What should we do! Hurry

up and say something!"

Bors, who knew better than any of them there how hopeless it was to

face a first-tier adventurer on the battlefield, was on the verge of falling into

a panic as she shouted. The only reason he hadn't immediately run away is

because he knew as well as Daphne that it was meaningless.

"Daphne…!"

"Laurus Fuga!"

Chigusa raised her bow, and Ouka stepped out in front of the party with

his ax Kougou, seeking a decision from their commander.

Stop it. I'm not that great…

The sound of her heart racing drowned out her thoughts.

I'm not Braver…I can't figure out some perfect move to turn everything

around…!

The urge to abandon all responsibility filled her mind.

…But Lilliluka…

But at the very last moment, she remembered that girl's face and held

on.

No matter how bad the situation was, she didn't run away…

Scenes from the expedition flashed through her head. The moss huge,

amphisbaena, all of the many dilemmas they had faced.

Even though Lilly's small body trembled in those hopeless situations,

she had still kept fighting.

The girl who Daphne had acted like a master for, who she had helped

raise, would never run away.

…Then I guess I have to…

Actually, I don't wanna.

With that last complaint in her heart, the strength returned to her eyes.

To her it felt like an eternity, but to the outside world, it was a few brief

moments of inner conflict.

But Hegni's eyes narrowed sharply at those few moments, at Daphne,

who had regained the scent of a threat that he had perceived earlier.

"So you intend to resist? Very well. Then I shall acknowledge you as

enemies. I shall carefully, precisely, and without fail hunt all of you down."

The tyrant wouldn't let his guard down.

No matter how inferior they might be, his black, demonic blade would

exterminate all.

Daphne glared back at the dark elf, who refused even to show them an

opening.

His black blade, his dark cloak rustling in the breeze, his fully activated

magic…

Observing everything about their enemy, Daphne absorbed all the

information she could, and the final place she looked…was at the edge of

the sword pointed at them.

"…"

Closing her eyes, she quietly gripped the blue crystal at her waist,

entrusting everything to it.

"Everyone, please."

Finally, she opened her eyes and delivered the worst order with

tyrannical resolve.

"Get cut down."

The southeast of the main battle in the western ruins.

"Kh…?!"

"Lady Aisha!"

Following a fearful exchange of blows, the Amazon groaned, and the

human's shout rang out.

""This is the end.""

A battle hammer and battle ax closed in, filling Aisha's field of view.

A sure defeat brought about by the cooperation of the second and third

Gulliver brothers, Dvalinn and Berling.

Her retreat was sealed, and she had no chance to defend or evade. They

unleashed their attacks in perfect sync to mercilessly crush Aisha.

""—Only to be stopped again?""

But just before they could, the eldest Alfrik and youngest Grer spat in

annoyance.

As if the four brothers' vision was synchronized, Dvalinn and Grer, who

should have finished Aisha, leaped back. The next instant, a tremendous

lightning blast struck where the four of them had been.

"Lady Nahza…! I'm grateful!"

"Tch, she's saved my ass more times than I can count now!"

A saber-style Crozzo magic sword was sticking out of the center of a

crater—having been fired.

Mikoto immediately leaped to the saber and swung it at the four prums.

"We missed the kill again."

"How many times is it now?"

"Eleven."

"The other adventurers are falling in droves, but Antianeira and Eternal

Shadow are hanging on."

The four brothers were almost grumbling as they easily evaded the one

blast that could possibly take them down—the enormous firepower of that

magic sword.

The coalition's left wing had thus far avoided complete collapse. With

what even the deities watching back in the city would call a truly brave

effort, they were enduring the Bringar-led einherjar's furious attack.

The reason was the cautious, cowardly archer supporting them.

"They're too fast…! I can't hit them with my arm!"

Behind Aisha and the others, Nahza had set up atop a ten meder-tall

column, groaning as she pulled another arrow—or rather magic sword—

from her quiver and nocked it into her longbow.

A long-range attack using Crozzo magic swords.

Her sniping that checked even first-tier adventurers had extended the life

of the left wing.

"Targeting the enemy while also resupplying us with magic swords…!

To think a tactic like this was possible!"

"Sometimes coincidence goes our way, too! But those prums should be

getting used to it soon! Be careful not to let them get the magic swords from

us!"

Nahza was firing saber-style magic swords that resembled arrows.

If they didn't hit their target, they would stick into the ground with an

explosion; meanwhile, Mikoto or Aisha could rush to grab them while the

enemy had backed off to avoid the explosion.

It was both covering fire and resupply.

Thanks to that, the left wing was barely—just barely—holding the line.

Aisha recognized she would have been finished easily without that support.

With Nahza's magic swords in hand, Mikoto and the others were bravely

firing off blasts at the Gullivers.

"Chienthrope! Protect Aisha, whatever it takes!"

"We'll stop these guys! Oraaaaaah!"

Nahza was focused on supporting Aisha and Mikoto. She was their

counter to the Gulliver brothers.

The Berbera who looked up to Aisha were fighting off the rest of the

enemies—the einherjar trying to erase the troublesome archer—with a

steadfast resolve. Though it was a tenuous balancing act, thanks to them,

Nahza could focus on support.

She also continued to move between pillars, aggressively changing

position.

"They've got a nice sharpshooter."

"And cautious, too."

"A part of Hedin's plan is getting messed up. Serves him right."

"We're the ones getting held back, so don't get too happy."

Still entirely unruffled, the Gulliver brothers commended Nahza.

Freya Familia's strategy was to simply force a deathmatch once enough

of the Crozzo magic swords had been exhausted. But thanks to Nahza's

quick wit, a slight bump in the road had occurred.

While every division other than the reserves had been firing off their

magic swords in a stupendous display—just like Hedin had guided them to

do—Nahza alone hadn't given out her magic swords. Using her own

judgement, she ignored Lilly's order for a concentrated barrage to save her

own skin.

"These magic swords are our lifeline, right…? I'm not going to let go

that easily…! I've acted rashly before and lost my arm for it…!"

Retiring as an adventurer six years ago, Nahza Ersuisu had always

fought while maintaining some insurance. The trauma of having an arm

ripped off by a monster when she made a mistake while exploring the

Dungeon had robbed her of the courage to fight monsters.

But it had also made her wiser and more determined.

It's okay. I know my limits. I'm just helping Mikoto and Aisha. So stay

clam…!

Nahza was sweating as she continuously counted how many shots of

magic swords she had left, not allowing her eyes to get too big for her

stomach, sticking only to support.

She didn't think for a moment that she could take down a first-tier

adventurer herself. She had no dreams of becoming a hero. But because she

was like that, she was able to extend the left wing's life as long as she had.

Her past failures and experience were saving her comrades from danger

now.

"But there isn't any light at the end of the tunnel…the end will still

come!"

But she also understood that this was all just a vain struggle. Once she

had used up all of the magic swords, the Gulliver brothers would easily go

on the counterattack; Aisha and Mikoto, and Nahza, too, would all be taken

down as easily as snapping a baby's neck. She just waited for the balance to

eventually break, not trying to do the impossible.

There was a bitter resignation in her eyes.

80/20.

That was the current balance of the war game.

And that was only after giving the coalition every possible benefit of the

doubt.

While the deities in the city watched in silence, the residents were

blanching at the never-ending carnage. The one-sidedness of it broke any

urge to cheer for the coalition. Even though there were some instances of

resistance that could be called putting up a good fight, most of the city's

residents started averting their eyes at the impossible difference in strength.

The adventurers actually fighting experienced a despair incomparably

worse than what the viewers in the city felt, but still they fought. It was just

stubbornness at this point. The enemy was just too absurd, too far out of

their league. They were desperate to at least land one real punch in

retaliation. Even if it was just a scratch, they wanted to annoy their enemies,

to piss them off. All things considered, Freya Familia was so large that it

got on their nerves, and as much as they had been scared of fighting

beforehand, that stopped mattering, and even they became stout and brave

warriors, einherjar in the truest sense.

More than anything, they wanted to make their horrible enemies howl a

bit.

Because the coalition's trump card wasn't dead yet.

The wiser adventurers recognized that they were decoys. That Lilly was

using them as cover to send the white rabbit right up to Freya. So as slender

as the thread might be, they still had some hope of victory. They convinced

themselves that there had to be some chance still.

And so the adventurers fought. And fought. And kept fighting.

Those who knew the Little Rookie crowed.

Aisha, Mikoto, Nahza, Daphne, and Cassandra were still holding out,

and Haruhime ignored the massive amount of sweat on her brow as she

continued singing.

They fought. And fought. And kept fighting.

And at the end of it all—

There was a thundercrack that shattered their hope.

""" """

Silence reigned over the battlefield.

A rumbling destruction that gripped every heart, silenced every battle

cry.

Everyone fighting on the island paused their battles. Enemies and allies

both. Everyone looked in that direction.

The einherjar gulped. The adventurers grew pale. The first-tier

adventurers' expressions were unchanged, but their eyes narrowed.

It came from the northwest, where the sound of battle had been

resounding, the sounds that the coalition's forces had been pretending not to

hear.

"Just stop already!"

The first to cry was Eina.

"Please…just stop…already…!"

"E-Eina…"

She leaped up, sending her chair toppling as she stood before a mirror

reflecting the scene.

After her hoarse shout, droplets fell from her eyes and she covered her

face, not hearing Misha's voice.

"Ghhhh…!"

Aiz clenched her fists so hard her nails cut her skin, and blood started to

flow.

Her face was plastered with despair as she cursed and berated herself for

not standing on that battlefield.

The other first-tier adventurers watched in silence. Tiona grew pale, too,

the only one who could understand her.

"Mr. Bell?!"

The last to shout came from Lilly.

She lost all composure, and the mask of the commander cracked as she

watched the conclusion.

Her trembling hazel eyes stared into the depths of the oculus, at the

massive shadow standing in the amphitheater.

The lone warrior held the boy by the head.

"...Gah...ugh...?!"

Barely able to make a sound, his skull was audibly creaking. His body

was battered, and his armor was long ago lost or shattered. His legs hung

off the ground, dangling like the hands of a broken clock. Bell Cranell had

experienced complete defeat "…"

The boaz warrior said not a word. Holding his black greatsword in his

left hand and gripping the boy's head in his right, he didn't change his

expression. His rust-colored eyes remained focused on the battered and

broken boy.

"Don't break him, Ottar."

In the distance.

Hearing the crash from the house of the gods's ruins, the goddess of

beauty discerned the course of events. Her eyes closed, and still propping

her head up, she spoke. There was no smile on her face, no joy. Just an

acceptance of the natural result of things.

"Stand."

"Ghhh?!"

Ottar lightly swung his right arm. That one simple movement sent Bell's

body flying into a pile of rubble. As testament to the furious fighting, the

amphitheater had been transformed. Doused in lightning flame, hit by the

aftershock of attacks, the walls and spectator seats had collapsed, the stones

on the ground were carved out in multiple places. It was proof that the

incomplete hero had struggled with all his might.

But standing amid all that evidence of a furious battle, Ottar was eerily

unscratched. The warrior was the manifestation of despair for the boy.

"Ahgrgh…?! Guhhhhhhhhhhh…!"

Bell managed to draw a terrible groan from his lungs as he rose. As the

blood dripped from his wounds and formed a pool, he wrung out every bit

of his remaining strength and stood back up. His red eyes were bloodshot,

growing redder, as he held his trembling right hand out in front of him.

"—Fire…bolt!!!"

Electric flames burst forth. A quick strike magic. As the crimson

lightning spear approached him, Ottar didn't evade it.

SLAP.

He didn't even use his sword. He just swatted it with his right hand, as if

batting away an insect. That was all. Just that was enough to scatter the

boy's magic.

" "

He leaped.

Without waiting for the bloodied boy to gasp, his giant body soared

overhead. The boy kicked off the ground. He was terribly injured, but he

still performed the optimal evasion that only a first-tier adventurer could

pull off.

Right after the pile of rubble transformed into an empty space with the

landing of Ottar's thick, heavy kick, he reached out with one hand and

caught Bell's leg, swinging him in an arc over his head and then down into

the stone pavement.

"Gaah?!"

Landing on his back, Bell's body was transformed into a hammer that

shattered the ground.

It was an outrageous blow. The pain was just a meaningless spark

running up his spine. The blue sky in his eyes faded as he couldn't even

speak from the damage and pain. Just as his consciousness threatened to

actually go out this time, a merciless stomp slammed into his stomach.

" gh!"

He reawakened.

He switch on again.

Hell.

He yearned for Heith's healing compared to Ottar's resurrection through

pain and attacks.

"Stand."

It didn't end.

There was nothing left for Bell except despair, but the warrior's baptism

wouldn't end. Looking emotionlessly down at the boy's face that was a

mess of blood and tears, he spoke.

"Remember this well. This is the taste of mud."

Not heeding the boy's frail voice begging him to stop, he grabbed Bell's

chest with his right hand and threw him again at high speed. Crashes and

destruction. The boy's slender body and white hair bounced like a dead

rabbit. Bell collapsed like a doll whose strings had been cut, sharing a kiss

with the ground as a pool of blood silently formed beneath him.

Seeing that, Eina felt her legs give out, and she slumped to the ground in

tears.

"…"

Hedin, who could see the scene with his sharp elf's eyes, was

emotionless.

"Bell…"

Seeing the terrible spectacle via Lilly's oculus, Hestia froze.

"—gh!"

"…Where are you going, Asfi?"

"You should know without having to ask! I won't let you say it's

meaningless!"

Asfi leaped to her feet, turning her back on an expressionless Hermes.

She clutched a shining magic item in her hand as she rushed out.

"Bell Cranell is…"

"That brat…is Level 5 now, right?"

"Even the Record Holder can't match up…?"

In a certain bar in the city, the wise adventurers who hadn't joined the

war were dumbfounded.

Looking up at the image in the mirror, they were all in the grips of terror

as one adventurer shot back.

"Dumbasses. Who do you think he is?"

He was a veteran adventurer. A beast person who had survived the strife

seven years ago. His voice was filled with awe and fear.

"He's Ottar."

That was the answer.

The absolute solution that required no proof.

The city's strongest.

Level 7.

The summit.

Bell's body spasmed silently and fell to the side as the figure of the lone

warlord filled his reddening vision.

"If you are going to receive Milady's love, then surpass me."

Tears of blood flowing, confronted with a never-ending baptism, the boy

sensed his end approaching.