The fortress wall was… shattered.
By the strike of clear blue mana that came out of Yorichii's sword.
Everyone was stunned.
Dead silence enveloped the place as gods sitting inside the Tower of Babel watched with shocked eyes.
But it was only for a moment.
As the very next second, they all erupted in a frenzy.
"Damn, what a powerful strike!"
"Is he really a level 2?"
"I don't think even level 4 adventurers can do that..."
"Just what kind of monster is Hestia keeping?!"
Freya lightly clenched her hand as an enchanting smile appeared on her face, her eyes completely fixed on the screen as if unwilling to look away even for a second.
Apart from Yorichii, most of her attention was fixed on Lioro, who she was unable to see through.
'Who exactly are you…?'
Loki sat straight; her leisure posture was gone, replaced by a serious one.
Hephaestus said nothing, but she didn't take her eyes off Yorichii either.
Apollo, sitting smugly just moments before, was now twitching in his seat.
"This… this is a violation! That kind of power—it's not fair! H-He must be cheating!"
Hestia didn't even respond. She was too busy giggling to herself, eyes fixed on the screen like a proud mother.
"Hehe… I told you, didn't I?"
Meanwhile, on the Hestia Familia's side, the rest were stunned.
Bell dropped his jaw. "He just—he just cut a whole wall!"
Isobel added, her voice reverent. "Brother Yorichii is so strong..."
"I told you he can do it," Levi said in a calm voice.
"...Should we follow?" Farlan asked in a confused voice.
"Path's open, let's go," Levi replied as he tightly held his weapon and rushed straight towards the fortress.
Bell, Isobel, and Farlan quickly followed him.
Chaos took over inside the fortress.
"Enemy attack! They're breaching the gate!"
"What the hell was that?!"
"Who is this guy?!"
The Apollo Familia members scrambled, some rushing to reinforce the hole, others frozen in terror. Archers abandoned their posts. Mages fumbled incantations. Foot soldiers hesitated, unsure whether to rush out or stay behind.
Their chain of command shattered in seconds.
Just as they were panicking, a tall figure stepped through the opening in the wall.
All of their gazes instantly fixed on him.
Yorichii looked calmly at the members of the Apollo Familia, his long hair flowing freely with the wind, his crimson-coloured samurai armour glowing under the sun, appearing sacred.
Seeing his figure up close, the low-level members gulped unconsciously.
Just then, someone at the back shouted in a loud voice.
"Attack him together!"
The shout woke everyone up from their reverie. Instantly, several swords and spears were drawn, rushing straight towards Yorichii.
Yorichii silently released a breath of condensed air from his mouth before saying in a small voice:
"Sun Breathing: Dancing Flash."
With a single step, his figure blurred and appeared behind all the attackers.
"What?..."
Before they could understand what was happening, a sharp pain rushed through their minds, instantly making them fall unconscious on the ground.
The ones who saw it couldn't believe their eyes.
"In a single move... he downed 10 of them... in a single move..." a level 2 elf muttered in a dry voice.
Seeing Yorichii coming towards him, his legs couldn't help but tremble.
F*ck, what kind of monster were they fighting!!?
Just as the elf complained in his mind, several mages finished chanting their spells and sent magic attacks at Yorichii.
Seeing the scene, Yorichii was about to move when he heard footsteps behind him.
Carrying a big shield in his hands, Farlan came in front of Yorichii and covered him from the upcoming spells.
Tightly holding his shield, Farlan endured the force of the magic attacks and gave Yorichii a wry smile.
"Yorichii-san... you probably didn't need my help, but let me play my role as a shield, alright?"
Seeing Farlan's stiff expression, Yorichii nodded before giving him a hand in supporting the shield.
The force of the attack instantly diminished, making Farlan's stiff expression visibly relax.
"Hehe, it seems I'm a little weak—"
"You're not weak..."
Yorichii interrupted Farlan and said in a calm voice.
"And thank you."
After a moment, the spells from the mages suddenly stopped, followed by several painful cries.
Argh
Yorichii raised his gaze and saw a familiar black figure wielding a sword in each hand, cutting through the group of magicians and their guards with ease.
Behind Levi was Bell. The two of them were working together, beating opponents using their high speed and dexterous movements.
"You guys are so mean! All of you left me behind!"
Isobel complained in a loud voice as she came behind Yorichii and drew her bow, attacking an adventurer in the distance using her arrow.
Yorichii nodded at Isobel, then stepped out from behind the shield and rushed towards the enemies before him.
"F*ck, he's coming!"
"A-Attack him together!"
They attacked him from all directions, hoping to catch him off guard.
Alas.
It was all useless.
Yorichii's sword moved like the sun—domineering, unstoppable, and resolute.
His every move shattered his opponent's attack.
His every swing knocked his opponent unconscious.
His every step was calculated to the extreme, almost akin to magic.
"W-What the hell is this monster!!!"
An elf adventurer shouted in a hysteric voice as he slashed at Yorichii's back using his sword.
Just before his strike could land, Yorichii calmly took a step to his right and avoided the strike.
"H-How the hell is he doing this?!?!?!"
The elf continued slashing in a crazy manner.
Just then…
A calm voice entered his ears.
"Your attacks lack purpose."
Then before the elf could react, like a mirage, the tall figure before him seemed to blur for a moment and appear right before him.
A pair of calm, still eyes seemed to fill his vision, as if seeing straight through him.
And then...
A powerful punch landed on the elf's abdomen, accurately hitting his weak spot.
There was no feeling of pain or anything else. With a clean strike, he was knocked unconscious by a single, terrifyingly accurate blow.
"Lissos lost..."
"In a single blow..."
"Hehe, this is crazy. We can't win against him..."
Several adventurers fell down on their backs, while others weakly dropped their weapons.
Yorichii walked past those who laid down their arms and made his way towards the heart of the castle.
Inside the Tower of Babel—
"How could they give up like that?! Pick up your weapons and fight!" God Apollo gnashed his teeth and shouted at the screen in an angry voice.
"D-Don't just give up! Fight, you idiots!"
Several nearby gods tried to calm him down.
Hestia, on the other hand, was grinning like crazy.
"Hehehe, that's what that idiot Apollo gets for challenging my Familia!"
Just as Hestia was enjoying herself, a pair of silver strands appeared in the corner of her vision.
Hestia blinked in confusion and looked to her side.
It was a goddess she knew all too well.
"W-What? Freya! What do you want? Don't just approach me so suddenly!"
Hestia said as she quickly distanced herself from the goddess of beauty.
Hephaestus at the side gave Freya an enquiring look.
Freya ignored her and said to Hestia with a smile on her face:
"Hestia, there's something I want to ask you..."
Hestia tilted her head in confusion.
"What is it? Just so you know—"
"Hestia!" Suddenly, Hephaestus shouted from the side, attracting both Freya and Hestia's attention.
Seeing Hephaestus pointing at the screen, Hestia quickly turned her head.
And what she saw...
Made her cheerful expression instantly vanish into thin air.
Inside the castle.
Levi confusedly held an unmoving figure in his arms.
It was Bell.
He was lying powerlessly, not showing any sign of movement.
It all happened so suddenly.
A moment ago, he was one-sidedly beating the adventurers of the Apollo Familia.
And just as he was about to finish the remaining few, a golden glow flashed past his vision.
It was fast—way too fast.
It was impossible to react in time.
Just as Levi was preparing himself for impact, the golden light rushed past him.
But instead of being happy, Levi's pupils contracted.
Why?
Because there was only one person behind him.
Bell.
At extreme speed, Levi turned his head, ignoring the enemies in front of him.
And as soon as he did, a familiar cry filled with pain entered his ears.
It was a lightning-like spell.
And it had struck Bell, enveloping him in golden, violent mana.
Levi's foot crushed the marble underneath it, launching back, instantly appearing beside the falling Bell and catching him.
"Kid?... Oi?" Levi called out.
But Bell didn't respond.
Levi quickly checked his condition.
'He's breathing... it seems he was knocked out due to the sudden pain...'
Levi narrowed his eyes and looked at the man who had just arrived with several other adventurers.
It was a tall man, with neatly combed hair, wearing Apollo Familia's dress.
And in his hand was a torn scroll emitting faint blue light.
That scroll seemed to be the source of the lightning magic.
'A magic item—'
Seeing them approaching, Levi grabbed Bell and was just about to move away when he stopped.
Why did he stop?
It was because he noticed something.
His gaze landed on his hands.
They were shaking.
For a reason unknown, his hands—which stayed firm no matter what challenge he faced in the slums—were now trembling.
It was a warning.
His body was warning him.
The experience of all the past Ackermans, instilled within his blood, was roaring at him.
Tightly clenching his palm, Levi followed the instinct in his blood and slowly turned his head to his right.
There, he saw a tall figure.
'Yorichii?...'
He looked familiar, yet so unfamiliar...
His usually calm eyes now exuded a hint of terrifying, inexplicable silence.
A drop of sweat unconsciously slid down Levi's cheek.
He noticed something strange.
'Is the mark on his face... moving?'
The flame-like mark which extended from his forehead was now squirming like a raging fire.
Ignoring Levi's confused gaze, Yorichii turned his head away from Bell and looked at the leader of the Apollo Familia.
"Prepare to attack! Don't let them get away!" Hyakinthos Clio commanded as he took out another magic scroll.
"Be careful! That thing injured Bell!" Levi quickly informed Yorichii.
Yorichii ignored his shout and silently took a step forward, steadily walking towards the Apollo Familia.
Seeing the scene, Hyakinthos narrowed his eyes and quickly tore the magic scroll in his hands, making a spear of flame burst out, heading straight towards Yorichii.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the spear made of flame arrived before Yorichii.
Just as it was about to hit, Yorichii opened his mouth, releasing a breath of condensed air.
"Sun Breathing... Burning Self."
A fire, akin to the burning sun itself, burst out from Yorichii, covering his entire being.
The flame spear collided with the flame.
Then vanished without a trace.