Chapter 132: Life Has Dreams, Each Is Wonderful
Although feeling a sense of hopelessness, Asfi found a few ice bombs in her palm.
These bombs were inspired by the designs of Ziggs.
As one of the finest alchemists in Orario, Asfi had imitated Ziggs's creations and added her own innovative twists.
The ice blast bombs were designed to freeze life forms within their range, immobilizing them. However, she wasn't confident they would work against a dragon.
Having no prior experience battling dragons, she could only rely on what she had heard—dragons possessed high resistance to abnormal conditions and often used dragon breath attacks. Freezing them might prove ineffective.
With no other options, Asfi threw several ice bombs at Shyvana.
In response, Shyvana exhaled a stream of fiery dragon flames.
The ice bombs detonated instantly upon contact with the flames, creating a sharp contrast of extreme temperatures that left the surrounding air frosty.
But the attack had no effect on Shyvana.
Instead, the resulting explosion of steam obscured her vision temporarily.
As Shyvana flapped her wings and pushed through the blinding vapor, she realized that Asfi had vanished.
The one who had been flying right in front of her moments ago had seemingly retreated.
No... she hasn't retreated.
Shyvana sniffed the air twice, her nose twitching slightly. Recognizing the familiar scent, she immediately pinpointed Asfi's position.
Even though there was nothing visible in the sky, Shyvana launched her attack.
A ripple of distortion appeared in the air, followed by a cry of pain.
Asfi's form was revealed—her invisibility had been compromised. The device responsible for concealing her, Hades Head, was rendered ineffective.
Though her combat skills were not extraordinary, Asfi's arsenal of unconventional gadgets often gave her an edge.
Unfortunately, many of these tools were rare prototypes that couldn't be mass-produced. She only had a limited supply.
"You actually managed to find me," Asfi said, her tone tinged with frustration.
Burn marks marred her face, and her leather armor bore charred, blackened streaks from Shyvana's earlier attack.
Despite her confidence in her devices, they seemed ineffective against Shyvana.
"I can smell your fear," Shyvana taunted, pointing to her nose. "It's as clear as a beacon in the dark."
Though rarely mentioned in texts, a dragon's sense of smell was on par with the sharpest senses in existence.
Dragons were so lauded for their strength, intelligence, and might that their extraordinary olfactory abilities often went unremarked.
Asfi, holding her throbbing head, glanced at Shyvana, who seemed immensely pleased with herself.
This was becoming an unwinnable situation. Breaking free of Shyvana's relentless pursuit seemed nearly impossible.
While Asfi still had other powerful tools in her possession, this wasn't the time or place to use them.
Deploying such devices would escalate the battle beyond repair.
The Hermes Familia had plenty of skilled members, but none of them were a match for the Sol Familia.
If just one Level 4 like Shyvana was this overwhelming, it was clear that the Sol Familia's collective strength—boasting the highest number of Level 4s in Orario—was far superior.
Hermes-sama, you're an adult. Adults need to take responsibility for their messes. I can't save you from this one...
Resigning herself to the situation, Asfi stopped resisting and swung into motion, engaging Shyvana in an evasive, defensive manner.
Meanwhile, Sol climbed the tower steps leisurely, as though on a casual stroll.
This was the only entrance, so he wasn't worried about anyone escaping from above.
At the top of the tower, Hermes stood, having arrived earlier.
He was so focused on the activity in the square that he hadn't noticed the sounds from below.
Beside Hermes stood Apollo, equally absorbed.
How did these two end up together?
Hermes really is something else. After betraying Apollo to me earlier, he's now cozying up to him again.
"What are you two sneaking around doing here, something so shameless—"
Sol's voice cut through the tension, interrupting the moment that had been building between the two gods.
Both male gods turned their heads, clearly annoyed, their expressions showing their displeasure at Sol's sudden and uninvited intrusion.
"Still, Hermes, didn't you say you weren't into 'dual-wielding'? So, is Apollo your type after all?"
Sol's playful tone only added fuel to the fire as he looked at the two gods with mock amusement, casually tossing a metaphorical bucket of mud onto Hermes's reputation.
It was common knowledge in the Divine Realm that Apollo had an insatiable interest in both men and women.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.
Who one chooses to associate with speaks volumes.
Here was Hermes, alone with Apollo atop a tall tower, with Hermes's Familia captain stationed below to guard the entrance.
If this scenario were spun just a little differently, the gods of Orario could easily concoct a detailed and dramatic love story all on their own.
And no doubt, it would make headlines throughout Orario.
"I was just discussing some business with Apollo!" Hermes protested, attempting to salvage his dignity.
"If you say so," Sol replied, his tone dripping with disbelief. "But there's no need to get so defensive."
Hermes could feel his blood pressure rising. Sol's shameless attitude was aggravating, and it was clear Hermes wasn't going to win this verbal sparring match.
"And what exactly are you doing here?" Hermes demanded.
"Oh, I just happened to wander by," Sol said with a shrug. "Then I noticed Asfi and decided to come up and see what was going on. My apologies if I accidentally interrupted... whatever it was you two were doing."
"I've already explained—" Hermes began, then stopped mid-sentence with a resigned sigh. "Never mind. Where's Asfi?"
Hermes gave up on defending himself. There was no use arguing. His reputation wasn't exactly pristine to begin with, and Sol would twist the narrative however he wanted.
And besides, it wasn't Asfi's fault for letting Sol through—it was Hermes himself who had been too absorbed in his discussion with Apollo to notice the commotion below.
"You two didn't have anything to do with what's happening, right?" Sol asked, his tone sharp. "Aren't you worried Ganesha might come after you if he finds out?"
"Don't spout nonsense," Hermes retorted. "I don't have the ability to pull off something like this."
If Ganesha—a straightforward and hot-headed god—got wind of such accusations, he might very well storm Hermes's home to demand answers.
"Then who's responsible? Or are you two prophets who just happened to be here, waiting to enjoy the show?"
"There's no need for me to explain myself to you," Apollo interjected, his voice curt.
His irritation was evident. No matter what they said now, the situation looked incriminating, and Sol had caught them red-handed. Any explanation would seem weak at best.
Besides, getting on Ganesha's bad side wasn't an option.
Even so, Apollo didn't know who the true culprit was, and offering a vague explanation would only make matters worse.
Hermes, on the other hand, knew exactly who was behind the chaos.
But he didn't dare reveal that information.
The real culprit was an entity far more dangerous than the Ganesha Familia.