Bell's expression was complicated as he watched the two figures in the distance.
For some reason, his heart felt incredibly heavy.
Especially when he saw the obedient look on Ais's face—it felt like something inside him had cracked.
The Sword Princess, known as Orario's strongest female swordsman.
And the Aurora, acknowledged as Orario's strongest swordsman.
"Those two really are a perfect match..."
Bell laughed bitterly in his heart.
Unconsciously, the admiration he once held slowly faded.
They had no real connection anyway—he couldn't ask for too much.
Standing atop the broad golden light sword, Eiji slowly ascended into the sky.
His gaze fixed on the evil dragon roaring in the distance.
Her body was enormous, her tail stretching nearly thirty meters when fully extended. Compared to her, Eiji, who was less than two meters tall, looked as insignificant as a chick.
"A spirit, yet bearing the name of an evil dragon."
Eiji raised his hand.
"Meet your end here!"
"ROOOOAR—!"
The dragon had intended to kill the highly threatening Ais but was unexpectedly blocked.
In a roar filled with fury, she beat her wings, stirring the wild atmosphere as she charged forward with overwhelming pressure!
Despite her massive, bloated body, her speed was so fast that even Allen below couldn't hope to match it.
Swish!
The light sword swept through the air like a flash.
Eiji couldn't fly freely while standing midair, but the speed of the light sword was no slower than his own. A mere upward motion created a surge of wind, nearly tearing the atmosphere apart.
"At this distance, the ground might get caught in the crossfire!"
Eiji glanced at the land below, now a sea of flames, then controlled the light sword beneath his feet like a flying blade, shooting straight up hundreds of meters into the sky.
The dragon, having missed her strike, roared in frustration and pursued him, vanishing into the night clouds.
"The Divine Mirror! Someone activate the Divine Mirror!"
"How can we miss a battle like this?!"
"Not seeing this would be a regret for ten thousand years!"
The gods, gathering in small groups, began clamoring loudly.
In their mortal forms, their eyesight couldn't compare to adventurers—they couldn't see the battle happening hundreds of meters above.
"I'll do it."
Freya stepped forward, her eyes shimmering with fascination as she gazed at the starry sky.
"Uranus, grant me permission to use the Divine Mirror!"
With a snap of her fingers—
Ripples like water spread outward, and in taverns, inns, casinos, and the headquarters of various Familia... countless mirrors of light appeared throughout Orario.
The gods were permitted to use one special divine power during the Familia War—the Divine Mirror, a spell that could broadcast the frontline situation live to every household in Orario.
According to the gods, the Familia War had to be witnessed by all to truly live up to its reputation as Orario's greatest entertainment spectacle.
As long as someone, like Freya just now, made a request to the Great God Uranus, even if they used the Divine Mirror, they wouldn't be sent back to the heavens.
"Adventurers, don't stop moving! Search and rescue the others!"
Finn's commanding voice rang out, and the adventurers immediately sprang into action, rushing into the sea of flames to search for survivors.
"At this point, what can one man alone possibly accomplish?"
Dionysus also had a divine mirror before him.
"Even with updated status and level-up magic, how far can a single Level 7 really go?"
Could he possibly overturn the heavens?
"You say that, but your expression looks quite serious!"
Loki shot him a mocking glance.
"You must have heard the legends of [Aurora] the adventurer. As a mere mortal, he defeated upper-tier Level 2 adventurers. At Level 2, he slew the Level 4 Formor. At Level 4, he killed first-class Level 5 adventurers. By Level 6, he'd already slain monsters surpassing Level 7—back then, he was already Orario's undisputed strongest!"
And he'd accomplished all this in just over four months.
"And now that he's reached Level 7—"
Loki declared with absolute certainty.
"Level 8 won't even be worth mentioning!"
The surrounding Loki Familia members guarding Dionysus swelled with pride at her words.
Bell, Haruhime, and the recently arrived Welf, Lili, and other Hestia Familia members watched the enlarged divine mirror alongside them.
But they weren't the only ones.
Across all of Orario at this moment, countless humans and gods stared tensely at the water mirrors—even Finn, Aaron, and Ottar, who'd just picked himself up from the ground.
The final battle had begun!
"Victory or defeat hinges on this moment!"
"Orario's fate rests with you now!"
"Aurora!"
...
BOOM!
Deafening explosions rang out continuously.
Golden flashes streaked across the night sky, parting shockwaves like Moses dividing the sea, massive impact forces radiating outward.
"So fast!"
Eiji stood atop his light sword, laughing exhilaratedly.
The light sword's charge speed far exceeded Mach!
Each movement triggered a series of sonic booms.
Even while carrying him, such velocity defied belief!
Standing firmly on the blade, Eiji experienced no lag in reaction time.
Moreover, his magic energy consumption wasn't as rapid as expected—he could likely maintain this speed for several minutes without issue!
"Is this me at Level 7?"
For ordinary adventurers, each level increased their power severalfold.
But for Eiji, who maxed out every status at SSS-rank before leveling up, each promotion enhanced his physique exponentially beyond mere multiples!
His strength and endurance might rank at the peak of Level 7 now, but his agility could rival Level 8—and as for his signature speed...
The evil dragon desperately pursued him from behind.
Yet the distance between them barely closed, indicating negligible difference in their velocities!
"I'm so strong, hahaha!"
Having adapted to his explosive acceleration, Eiji laughed heartily.
Instantly he manipulated the light sword, carving a brilliant golden arc through the air.
"—Portray!"
The brief incantation vanished into the wind.
Particles of light converged as identical golden blades materialized around him in perfect formation.
Whirling about, he charged headlong toward the evil dragon!
With a series of deafening sonic booms, several golden light swords shot forth like lightning, charging ahead to strike the evil dragon's body!
The evil dragon's eyes gleamed with malice.
She opened her blood-red maw, large enough to swallow a person whole, and spewed a barrage of crimson fireballs from her throat.
Flames erupted violently across the sky, blooming like enormous fireworks.
Like needles piercing through balloons, the golden light swords swiftly penetrated the fireballs. Though their radiance dimmed slightly, they still pressed forward stubbornly toward the evil dragon.
Clang—!
Shhhk!
Suddenly, the fierce clashing of blades rang out.
Under the horrified gazes of countless onlookers, most of the golden light swords shattered upon contact with the dragon's body. Only a mere two or three gleaming blades managed to leave bloody gashes on her scales.