ASCC-Chapter 144 Reinforcements from the Familia

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The hundreds of Adventurers gathered in the plaza all stared at Ryoji, dumbfounded.

A few of them secretly gave him a thumbs-up, thinking he was bold and seriously badass.

But more of them shook their heads in silence, thinking such a move was just plain foolish.

Even if what he said was true, for the sake of your own life, couldn't you have phrased it a little more tactfully?

Even Line and Lefiya, standing behind him, were startled by Ryoji's completely unfiltered words. They immediately grew tense, afraid that the other side might just start rampaging.

It was like a sword had pierced straight through her heart.

A raging fire of fury began to well up inside Phryne. In an instant, the last string of rationality in her mind snapped. The obsessed look on her face twisted into something wicked and violent.

"Hmph... hum hum HAHAHAHA! A beauty like me, being called disgusting?! I get it. You must be blind!"

Phryne let out a furious and deranged laugh. Her flabby chest heaved violently, and her already hideous features contorted further, turning her into something resembling a demonic spirit.

"I'll gouge your eyes out, then lock you up, and make you worship my beauty for the rest of your life! You should feel honored, gwa gwa gwa gwa gwa!"

"The sun's still up. Save your dreams for night."

Ryoji's gaze shifted past Phryne, looking toward something behind her.

From that direction, a great cloud of dust was rapidly approaching.

"Also... your mom's dead!"

He flashed a warm smile as he dropped a crude insult that made Phryne's face flush purple with fury.

"Name's Ryoji. Charming and refined."

"DIIIIEEE, YOU BASTARD!!"

Phryne raised her hand axe, ready to throw it in rage.

"You can kill me if you want, but before that, maybe check what's behind you first."

Even when being directly threatened by a Level 5, Ryoji remained completely unfazed.

In fact, he thought this was the kind of dramatic moment where he should be smoking a cigarette, though he didn't actually smoke. But hey, it's about the vibe.

"PH, RY, NE!! YOU DAMNED BITCH!!"

A shout like a thunderclap tore through the air.

A tanned-skinned Amazoness girl came hurtling in from the distance like a berserker warrior. Her bare feet shattered the ground with each step like falling leaves under a storm. In an instant, she was behind Phryne.

Her slim fists clenched tight, but the power they unleashed was like a cannon blast. With a wild punch, she slammed it directly at Phryne's back.

BOOOOM!!!

Still raging and distracted, Phryne hadn't even noticed the ambush behind her. By the time she turned her head, her cheek had practically flown into the punch on its own. She was completely unprepared, and the furious strike landed squarely on the side of her face.

She was blasted away like a rubber ball, bounced across the ground a dozen times, and finally crashed into a building, completely collapsing part of the wooden structure.

"Ooooh!"

"Serves her right!"

"It's Crusher! The Level 5 from Loki Familia!"

Cheers erupted throughout the entire plaza.

"Huff... huff...!"

A short-haired, black-haired Amazoness younger sister stood in the center of the plaza, panting heavily. Her eyes were burning with relentless fury, her expression as savage as ever.

"You bastard! Who dares punch this beautiful face of mine?! Are you looking to die?!"

From within the wreckage of the collapsed building, Phryne stood up clutching her face, screaming with rage.

"Shwaa!"

The next moment, 

A golden figure leapt into the air, sword in hand. With her cherished Durandal rapier, the slender girl descended from above, her blade scattering countless arcs of light as it sliced through the air.

In just a single breath, it was as if dozens of sword strikes had been unleashed. The sheer speed of the slashes blurred the eye, leaving countless afterimages in the air.

It was like a raging storm.

"Shraaak!"

"Shraaak!"

Shocked, Phryne hastily raised her hand axes to defend herself.

She managed to block the fatal thrusts aimed at her vital points, but the razor-sharp blade still left numerous wounds on her body.

"Sword Princess?! You're just a defeated opponent of mine!"

BOOM!

Ais delivered a powerful spinning kick, leveraging the torque of her body, and sent Phryne flying dozens of meters away. She crashed once again into the surrounding buildings.

"That was in the past."

Ais landed lightly on the ground, her cool voice ringing out like a declaration of judgment.

"Sisters, charge!!"

"Teach those arrogant Amazoness a lesson!"

"How dare they try to get their hands on our Prince-sama!"

The ground itself began to tremble.

As if a mighty army was advancing.

The Adventurers in the plaza all began shouting in shock.

"What's going on?!"

"Did Loki Familia mobilize their entire force?!"

Southern Street, Main Gate

A massive force of warrior women charged in from the front gates, instantly knocking out the Amazoness guards. With expressions full of righteous fury, they stormed into the plaza and began swinging at every Amazoness in sight.

"Holy crap! At least twenty babes, all Level 3 or 4!"

"Damn, this feels like an expedition or something!"

The gathered Adventurers were dumbfounded. They felt like they might never witness such a grand spectacle again in their entire lives.

"Everyone finally came!"

Line burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion.

Only when facing danger outside do you truly realize the warmth of home.

And only when your family mobilizes everything to protect you do you know that this is what it means to belong.

"Honestly, I've always been a bit against flashy nicknames like that."

Ryoji pressed his still-shaking hands against his side, trying to act nonchalant as he raised an eyebrow at Lefiya beside him.

Just barely held it together!

That was terrifying!

"Un un un!"

Lefiya, too overwhelmed to process what he was saying, simply nodded over and over, eyes shining with emotion.

"You bastards!!"

Phryne roared in fury.

With both Crusher and the Sword Princess glaring her down, their combined assault was overwhelming.

The situation was clearly against her.

She had to retreat, she could always come back for that beautiful boy later!

Without a second's hesitation, Phryne abandoned her fellow Amazoness warriors, harnessed the monstrous strength of Tiona, and launched herself toward the northern gate of the city.

But she didn't notice the mocking, ridiculing glare Tiona shot her way from behind.

Northern Gate

"Turn back!!"

BOOM!!

With a thunderous roar, two hand axes came crashing down from above, embedding themselves deep into the rocky ground, and blasting Phryne clean off her feet.

The two Amazoness guards stationed there had already been defeated and lay sprawled on the ground.

"Sorry, this road's closed!"

Standing in front of the gate was a short but solidly built Dwarven warrior, wielding two massive axes, bellowing with satisfaction.

"Level 6, Elgarm Gareth!!"

Phryne's face went pale, her heart racing as terror surged through her.

Why...?

Why did Loki Familia respond so fast?

Why would they dispatch multiple first-class Adventurers, all for a mere Level 1 rookie?

"Hah!!"

The Dwarven warrior raised his axes and let out a booming laugh.

BOOM!

Tiona caught up from behind. Without saying a word, she threw a punch straight at Phryne the moment they locked eyes.

WHUMM!

A sharp sword light followed closely behind as the Sword Princess, her golden hair fluttering in mid-air, descended upon the scene.

(End of Chapter)