Chapter 145: Drive Away From Apollo

"Filthy woman! How dare you look down on me! Witness the power of the Apollo Familia!" 

"My name is Love, Beloved of the Light. I give this body to my Sun! My name is Sin, Envy of the Winds. Let a fearful wind be called upon this body! Cast a wheel of fire! Aro Zephyros!"

Realizing his strength and swordsmanship were no match for his opponent, Hyakinthos quickly abandoned close combat, turning instead to his magic in hopes of turning the tide.

However, even this desperate effort proved futile.

A circular wheel of light spun rapidly, its jagged edges emanating a powerful airflow as it surged toward Fiora, standing leisurely at the doorway.

The wooden door was obliterated the instant the light wheel touched it, splintering into fragments. For the first time, Fiora's expression shifted to seriousness.

Stepping forward slightly, she gripped her sword with both hands, assuming the defensive stance of Laurent Family's "Mind and Zero" technique.

The light wheel collided with the blade a moment later, its force causing the slender western sword to tremble under the relentless rotation.

Despite the ferocity of Hyakinthos' magic, it ultimately failed to breach Fiora's defense.

After a brief stalemate, Fiora's sharp eyes gleamed as she found an opening. Her blade cut cleanly through the magical assault. 

"Your guard is wide open," she remarked with a soft sneer, countering with a slash imbued with sword energy.

The strike landed squarely on Hyakinthos' shoulder, piercing through his body and leaving a bloodied wound the size of a finger.

"Is this where it ends?" 

Hyakinthos panted heavily, blood seeping uncontrollably from the wound. 

Clutching at the injury with his hand in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding, he found himself powerless. 

His arm had gone numb. 

But for his Lord God's sake, he couldn't afford to fall here! 

Fueled by his unwavering devotion to Apollo, Hyakinthos forced himself to stand, relying on sheer willpower to support his failing body.

Yet, no heroic resurgence awaited him. Fiora, unimpressed by his resolve, darted behind him with a piercing slash. The hilt of her sword struck his back with brutal precision, rendering him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Sylas and Vayne swiftly cleared out the remaining defenders in the last stronghold of the Apollo Familia. 

Working from opposite sides, they coordinated seamlessly, meeting in the center in no time.

Inside the stronghold, they found Fiora standing over Hyakinthos, who lay defeated on the ground.

With Hyakinthos' collapse, the war game came to an end. 

As though it had been preordained, all of Orario erupted into cheers at the sight of Hyakinthos' downfall.

Atop the Tower of Babel, Apollo's thunderous cries of anguish echoed deafeningly across the venue.

"This woman—no matter how you look at it, she isn't LV3! Morgana, you've schemed against me!" 

"Huh? When did I ever say my child is LV3? More importantly, since when am I required to report my familia's strength to you?" 

Morgana mocked Apollo's horrified expression, her tone dripping with derision. 

With the Apollo Familia's loss in the war game, all of their assets and members now legally belonged to her, as per the rules. 

There was no longer any reason to conceal anything. 

Suppressing her irritation while watching a fool perform had been taxing enough. 

Morgana rose abruptly from her seat, drawing the attention of every god present. 

In that moment, she became the center of focus in the entire venue. 

"I hereby declare the disbandment of the Apollo Familia! From this moment, all property and members of the Apollo Familia are under the Morgana Familia. Apollo, you are banished from Orario—never to return!" 

Morgana delivered Apollo's sentence without the slightest hesitation. 

For a god, being cast out of Orario permanently was not much different from death. 

"Now then, thank you all for coming to witness the debut of the Morgana Familia today. If anyone else has objections, feel free to step forward!" 

Morgana's commanding presence cowed the gods who had previously entertained thoughts of challenging her. 

The failure of Apollo served as a stark warning to them: had he not been the first to make his move, any one of them might have suffered the same fate. 

Inwardly, some couldn't help but thank Apollo for his misstep. 

The rumors that the Morgana Familia and it's ally, the Kyle Familia, were weaklings had proven disastrously false. 

This so-called "soft persimmon" had crushed the Apollo Familia—one of the mid-tier familias of Orario. 

That swordswoman, along with Vayne and Sylas, were undoubtedly at least LV3. 

How could anyone have thought they were weak? 

And if Morgana's children's strength was this overwhelming, what about Kyle, who was known to be her equal? 

The two were practically inseparable, so Kyle's power was likely comparable to that of Morgana's familia. 

"I refuse to accept this! Morgana must have cheated! This is unacceptable! AAAAAAHHHHH!" 

Apollo's anguished screams faded into the distance as he was dragged away. 

The other gods, cold and indifferent, paid him no mind. 

Instead, they focused on currying favor with Morgana—the victor. 

After all, the spoils of the Apollo Familia were ripe for the taking, and Morgana would soon be overwhelmed by the task of managing them all. 

——

A few days later, Apollo was officially exiled from Orario, mere hours after the conclusion of the war game. 

The Guild took inventory of the Apollo Familia's assets and promptly transferred them to Morgana's possession. 

It was only then that Orario's gods realized the true strength of the Morgana Familia. 

One LV5, three LV4s, and numerous adventurers of LV3 and below. 

The LV5 was none other than Vex, the "Messenger of Sorrow" and a former high-ranking member of the Sol Familia. 

As it turned out, Vex had originally belonged to the Morgana Familia but had temporarily joined the Sol Familia due to her dislike of a nomadic lifestyle. 

Now that Morgana had established her base in Orario, Vex had simply returned to her original familia. 

Surprisingly, Vex hadn't even participated in the war game. 

Although she rarely appeared in public, her reputation as a formidable adventurer was well-established. 

Morgana's victory against Apollo, it seemed, hadn't required her full strength. 

"This place isn't bad at all," Morgana mused. "Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered buying that other plot of land in the first place." 

"It's spacious, sure," Kyle replied as they walked through what was once the Apollo Familia's estate. "But it's full of junk and doesn't compare to what we have." 

The two surveyed the area, now their territory, though the term "former Apollo Familia estate" seemed more fitting.