At that moment, the light screens floating over Orario abruptly zoomed in, as if responding to some divine command.
The light screens above the city trembled like a galaxy in motion, finally locking onto the frontlines of Loki Familia's formation.
Everyone expected that in the next second, the battle would explode into action—chants flying, fire blasting, sudden assaults kicking off.
But instead, Riveria Ljos Alf, the Nine Hells, took a step forward, raised her staff, and began to chant:
"—Assemble, breath of the land - my name is Alf."
"—Dance around spirit of the atmosphere, lord of light…"
As her chant rang out, the air around them seemed to freeze.
Magic surged across the ground like a rushing tide, expanding from Loki Familia's front line, spreading outward.
The next instant, a barrier shot up—click, click, click—linking together piece by piece to form a solid wall, protecting the entire Loki Familia force.
Clearly, this wasn't an attack.
It was defense.
Loki Familia, the attacking side, opened the siege battle with… a defensive magic formation?
In the crowd, Bete Loga tilted his head slightly, lowering his voice to the girl beside him.
"Ais, you're sure that kid Ryota told us to hold position first?"
The blonde girl said nothing. She just stared silently at the massive fortress wrapped in magical defenses in the distance.
Her silence was the answer.
"…"
Bete frowned, about to say more, but was cut off by the elven girl in robes standing behind them.
"No need to get so worked up~"
Lefiya tilted her head, smiling.
"Lord Bete, just wait a little longer."
"You'll understand soon~"
Bete shot her a look, then let out a cold snort, saying nothing else.
Something felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
And it wasn't just Loki Familia feeling weird—Freya Familia was completely baffled too.
Atop the towering city walls, three figures stood side by side.
Allen Fromel, the vice-captain, scanned the Loki Familia formation—lined up perfectly, yet making no move to attack. He couldn't help but whisper:
"…What the hell are they doing?"
"They're wasting precious attack time. What's their game?"
He was obviously directing the question at Hedin Selland, the white-robed strategist beside him, a commander with tactical acumen rivaling Finn's.
"No worries. Time is on our side."
"A siege battle always favors the defenders. The more time they waste, the better for us."
Hedin paused, then added calmly:
"The barrier's up. The traps are set. All we have to do is wait."
"Every second they delay burns more of their own stamina."
Allen nodded slightly, but he still couldn't shake a bad feeling. He glanced to the left.
"Too bad we can't send someone to scout the flanks… Something feels off."
Meanwhile, Hogni Ragnar tapped his fingers impatiently on the hilt of his sword Victim Abyss, face twisted with frustration.
"Quit dawdling!"
"Where the hell is that Ryota guy?!"
"Isn't he supposed to be the strongest?"
"Then get out here already and fight me!!"
Hedin didn't even look back.
"…Can you calm down?"
"Calm down my ass!"
Hogni grinned wide, his sharp teeth on full display.
"I've been hyped since last night!"
At the same time, the spectators in Orario buzzed with confusion.
"...???"
"What's Loki Familia doing? Shouldn't the attacking side be blasting through by now?"
"Who teaches tactics like this? Attackers starting with defense magic???"
"C'mon, isn't it obvious? They're stalling! Ryota's not here, and Loki Familia can't exactly surrender outright. So they're just tossing out some magic to save face and waiting for the timer to run out."
In the Guild's secret chamber, Hephaestus frowned and turned to Loki.
"…What's going on?"
Loki shrugged.
"Don't look at me like that, I've got no clue!"
"Finn and the others spent three whole days running simulations, rehearsals, all sorts of strategies."
"Then last night, Ryota came in and overturned everything with just two sentences."
She scratched her head.
"Don't ask me what exactly he said. I wasn't paying attention."
"But Miss Ais and Lefiya actually backed him up, which, you know, I can't say no to Miss Ais."
"And Ryota's always pulling off miracles, so of course I trust them unconditionally~"
Hearing this, Hephaestus's face twitched, black lines creeping across her forehead.
"You… You do realize the attackers are on a time limit, right? Freya's side would love to just sit here and stall."
"If you run out of time and Ryota's out of play, you're screwed."
Loki was about to explain, but before she could get a word out—
Hestia exploded.
The little goddess literally sprang out of her chair, shouting:
"What kind of garbage god are you, huh?!"
"And Ryota still hasn't shown up, and you don't know why either?!"
"We should just recruit Ryota into the Hestia Familia already!"
Loki's ears were ringing from her yelling, and she frantically waved her hands.
"Tch! Like you could handle someone like Ryota in your tiny Familia!"
"Who are you calling tiny, you flat-chested twig—!!"
As the two of them bickered and shouted—
The corner of the light screen suddenly flickered.
At the edge of the battlefield, unnoticed by most, Ryota was casually strolling toward Loki Familia's formation.
Flanking him on either side were the Third Kazekage and Ajisai, the Animal Path.
He wasn't coming from the frontlines, nor from the battle tunnels, nor making some flashy entrance with ninjutsu.
He was walking in like a student who'd overslept and was sneaking in through the back door of the exam hall.
The light screen, as if with a will of its own, zoomed in on him.
And finally, his figure appeared clearly over all of Orario.
On the ramparts, Hogni's eyes went wide.
"There he is!!"
In the Guild chamber, Hestia leapt up, eyes shining.
"Ryota!!"
But Ryota himself wasn't influenced by the tension in the air at all.
He strolled along, casually glancing toward Freya Familia in the distance.
That fortress was massive, practically a miniature military city.
Ryota smacked his lips and muttered to himself:
"…Damn, Freya Familia really is loaded."
"The cost of building something like that could fund a small Familia."
"All for a War Game, huh? They're really willing to burn Valis."
"…Unlike us in Loki Familia."
"Oh wait—"
"More like unlike me, the broke one."
Ryota chuckled softly, his eyes briefly lighting up.
"If any of this survives the battle intact, maybe I can flip it for some cash later?"
With that thought, he refocused, leading the Third Kazekage and Ajisai toward the front lines.
As he reached the vanguard, everyone turned to look at him, the long-overdue main character finally arriving.
Finn was the first to speak, chuckling as he teased:
"Thought you weren't coming, Ryota."
His gaze shifted to the figures flanking Ryota.
"So these are the… 'items' Ais and Lefiya mentioned you forged?"
Ryota gave a soft hum.
"Yeah. Third Kazekage and Ajisai."
Finn nodded, half-understanding, and continued:
"Riveria's barrier is up, and we're almost set."
"Next, we'll unleash some ranged magic to probe their defenses, try to open a breach."
"Then you go in."
But before he could finish, Ryota smiled and shook his head.
"No need."
"Forget the ranged magic for now."
"You guys just stay inside Lady Riveria's barrier and hold formation."
"I'll handle the rest."
His words stunned Finn.
Everyone in Loki Familia was frozen in place.
"…Wait, you mean—you're going to attack the fortress alone?"
"Well, not exactly alone."
Ryota tilted his head toward the Third Kazekage and Ajisai, who stood silently at his sides.
"I've got two assistants."
"That's enough."
With that, Ryota casually strode forward.
Finn opened his mouth to stop him, but before he could even get a word out, Ryota had already vanished, like he'd teleported, appearing dozens of meters ahead—right near the front lines.
"…!?"
Finn's heart clenched. He quickly turned to Riveria, ready to tell her to expand the defensive barrier to cover Ryota.
But just then, he saw the Third Kazekage move.
Clack—
A mechanical sound clicked from within his body, and his blue-green eyes lit up.
The next moment—
The Third Kazekage's hands formed a rapid sequence of hand signs.
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
He suddenly dropped to one knee, pressing his hands to the ground.
BOOM!!
The earth trembled, the entire battlefield shuddering.
Then—
Clatterclatterclatter!
Countless grains of black iron sand surged out of the ground, from cracks, even from the air itself, flooding like a tide.
But he wasn't done.
The Third Kazekage kept weaving hand signs.
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand Spear!"
The iron sand spun wildly in the air, twisting, intertwining, stacking layer by layer.
Before everyone's eyes, it condensed at visible speed into a massive triangular shaped weapon.
It hovered midair like a colossal obsidian spike, rotating silently, the air around it hissing and crackling.
On the city walls, Allen's cat ears twitched. He glanced at the giant iron construct in the sky and chuckled.
"…What is that? Some new magic?"
"Looks flashy, but… one of those isn't gonna cut it."
"You think our defenses are made of paper?"
His tone was relaxed, dismissive, clearly not taking it seriously.
But Hedin didn't respond.
The elven tactician frowned, a chill crawling up his spine.
That sixth sense unique to battlefield commanders screamed in warning.
He stared hard at the still-spinning iron spear, his voice low and grave.
"…Something's wrong."
Allen tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
Hedin's voice dropped further, his tone tense.
"I don't know…"
"But I feel like we shouldn't let that thing drop."
Allen didn't press further. He just tilted his chin toward the right flank.
That tiny gesture triggered a pre-set tactical response.
The next second, dozens of Freya Familia Adventurers surged with magical energy.
The fortress's defenders were already on high alert.
Now, like parts of a machine, they began chanting in unison.
Streams of light gathered in the sky, transforming into a barrage of magic artillery—dozens of spells arcing toward the iron spear like shooting stars.
Allen stood atop the wall and smirked.
"Well, since you're worried—"
"Let's just blow it up first."
But just as the Freya Familia's combined magical assault closed within ten meters of the iron spear—
The Third Kazekage formed hand seals again.
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand Wall!"
With his jutsu complete, countless iron sands surged from the ground and air, rolling like black waves.
In the blink of an eye, a towering black wall rose up in front of Ryota.
BOOM—!!
BOOM—!!
The first wave of magical blasts smashed into the iron sand wall, exploding in bursts of light.
But the wall didn't budge—not a scratch, not a dent.
The second wave, the third wave—
All of it swallowed like stones into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
"H-How…?"
Allen's pupils shrank to pinpoints. He froze in place.
Hedin stared at the Third Kazekage, silent for a long moment, then finally squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth.
"This thing…"
"…Why does it feel even scarier than that skeletal giant?"
His voice carried an unmistakable weight.
But before the words had fully landed—
Ryota moved.
No, just his finger moved.
His hand, hanging loosely at his side, twitched—index finger curling slightly.
And in that instant, the massive iron triangular spear hanging in the sky accelerated.
Like a meteor, it crashed straight toward Freya Familia's main gate.
Where it passed, the air itself split apart, leaving streaks of black.
Hedin's expression changed drastically. He whipped his arm up.
"DEFENSE!! ALL UNITS—!!"
But it was too late.
BOOOOOM—!!!
A thunderous crash shook the heavens.
The iron spear smashed into the fortress gate.
CRACK—
CRACK—
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the battlefield.
The first defensive barrier over the main gate shattered instantly, like it wasn't even there.
And the massive iron prism?
It kept going.
Now—
It was just inches away from the gate.