Reports flooded in from various factions to Finn Deimne, the captain of the Loki Familia and the supreme commander of this battle.
Finn's expression remained sharp and severe as he monitored the battlefield. He watched the movements like a chess master observing a board where the pieces shifted with dizzying speed.
"Report!! Allied forces in the southwest sector... the adventurers there have been annihilated!!"
Since the appearance of Zald, the Level 7 hero of the Zeus Familia known as "The Glutton," the Evilus forces had gained massive momentum. By defeating "The King"—the defenders' strongest card—Zald had shattered the adventurers' foundation. Without their primary pillar, the warriors became easy prey, and many had already lost their lives.
"───!! Annihilated?! All of them?!"
"Y-yes!! It seems a few managed to retreat, but not a single adventurer remains standing in the southwest sector!!"
Annihilation. Finn could not hide his shock at the news that so many high-level adventurers had been crushed. As additional information arrived from a Loki Familia member, his eyes widened, mirroring Loki's own disbelief.
Zald could not be everywhere at once. It was technically impossible for adventurers on multiple fronts to be wiped out simultaneously.
"L-Loki!! Commander!! There are reports... Lady Riveria and Lord Gareth have been defeated...!!"
"What?! Are they alive?"
"The 'Integrator' managed to pull them out, but their injuries are severe. They cannot return to the front immediately!!"
"That's impossible... Riveria and Gareth were defeated?"
The fall of Riveria and Gareth, Finn's longtime companions and the strongest forces in Orario currently—second only to Ottar and the Braver himself—signaled a total collapse of the defensive lines. The morale of the Loki Familia plummeted. Two of their three main pillars had fallen.
The members who heard the report turned pale. Despair etched itself clearly onto their faces.
".... What is the information on the enemy?"
No one should have been able to challenge two peak Level 5s, even within the elite ranks of Evilus, which included fighters rivaling first-tier adventurers from the Abate Familia or the Alecto Familia.
Furthermore, those two familias were currently occupied with the Freya Familia. This meant another power had intervened.
If someone existed who could defeat them, it had to be ─────.
"A gray-haired witch, a woman in her prime!! She uses ultra-short chants, and her attacks possess terrifying power. Even magical bombardment doesn't affect her at all!!"
(A gray-haired witch with the ability to "nullify" magic... it's Alfia!! Not only did they bring Zald from the Zeus Familia, but also someone from the Hera Familia!! Even if their levels haven't changed in eight years, both are Level 7!! These are opponents that current first-class adventurers simply cannot face!!)
Alfia, a Level 7 monster and the embodiment of genius, was considered an anomaly even within the Hera Familia—historically the strongest familia. This witch had clearly surpassed Riveria, the city's current strongest mage, eight years ago.
"They have seized control of the battle... Is this your 'trump card,' Valletta?!"
Two former giants had fallen, and our strongest fighter was already down. Currently, the remaining first-class powers in the city ── excluding Finn ── were the Freya Familia's executives and a few within the Ganesha Familia and the Hephaestus Familia.
But everyone was exhausted from continuous combat. The "White Elf" and "Black Elf" of the Freya Familia were busy holding off the Abate and Alecto familias. The same applied to the rest.
────── It was the end.
The word flashed through Finn's mind. If the assault continued, the final defensive line—which held only Finn and a minimal force—would be easily breached. If they could stop at least one of them, they might have formed an elite line with the likes of Shakti Varma to hold off the other. But even that was impossible.
Even if they mobilized every soul in Orario, defeating those two bordered on the impossible. In the absence of Ottar, the city's strongest man, there was no way to stop the greatest "Hero" who had now become the worst "Enemy." Even first-class adventurers could not stand before them.
(What do I do?! I can't send reinforcements from the Central Plaza. The condition for losing this battle is the fall of the plaza and the Tower of Babel. I must not deviate from this principle!!)
If only there were one more hand. If there were just one more soldier to change the game. If there were a single first-class adventurer who could move freely ──.
"R-report!! In the southern district, a clash has occurred between the 'Gray Woman' and the Astraea Familia!! .. The 'Death Spear' who was presumed dead... he is the one holding the enemy back now!!"
"───!!"
●○●○●
"──── Silentium ────. Ah, you have finally come. My beloved and sinful child."
The gray-haired woman's lament faded into the loud din of the blood-stained battlefield. A grayish-white magical light began to dance around her quietly, yet with a visible ferocity.
She had already made up her mind. Since she stood before "Evil," she had thrown herself into the forge of battle, ready to see that white hair stained with crimson.
However ─────.
"Al?..."
"Did you think I would die from something like that?"
Before the eyes of Lyuu and her companions stood the man who had protected Ardee from the self-destruction device's explosion. The man who was supposed to be buried under the collapsed ruins: the "Sword Demon" Al Cranel.
His battle gear was scorched, and his skin was cracked with burns. At first glance, he looked like a soul-less corpse, with blood still flowing heavily from various parts of his body.
Yet, a dense white magical light radiated from his limbs. It looked as if his flickering life force served as the fuel for this glowing flame. Despite everything, Al was not finished. He was alive. As if to prove it, he took a combat stance, brandishing his silver spear in his right hand and his black dagger in his left.
"──── D-damn you, you brat..!! If you're alive, show yourself quickly and don't stay gone so long!!"
Seeing this, Kaguya dropped her artificial tone and spat out curses, even though tears had gathered in her eyes. The morale of the Astraea Familia had not fully returned to face this "Monster," but with the return of their strongest, fire ignited in their eyes once more.
"──── Wait, look at yourself! Can't you see the burns covering your body?! Q-quickly, run and get treated ──"
"Captain!!" ──
"── These burns are nothing. More importantly, all of you get to Lady Astraea's side immediately. I am the one who will stop her here."
Alize, the only one sensing a mysterious danger that didn't just stem from the gray woman, tried to act with her usual cheer. But Al cut her off. Alize's smile froze. It was the first time she had heard him call her "Captain," as he usually avoided honorifics or titles despite his youth.
"What ──── there's no way we're leaving you alone!!"
"Be quiet, you clumsy Elf. You understand the situation, don't you, Captain? ───── If you stay here, that Goddess will die."
──────── In the image of the boy sacrificing himself to save his comrades, the gray woman saw the traits of a "Hero."
"Were you waiting for me? .... You're unexpectedly kind-hearted."
Al spoke these words as he stepped slowly toward the gray woman without looking back. With every step, blood splattered from his wounds, but he walked on, unconcerned.
".... Even I understand the feelings of parting. I am not so crude as to ruin a final farewell."
The gray woman replied in a monotone voice, her expression unchanged. Yet, her voice carried a hint of sorrow.
The magical vortices emanating from both of them did not calm; instead, they grew more violent. The surrounding ruins and the ground itself shattered under the weight of that pressure. Magic carrying physical destructive power was about to collide.
"Have we... met somewhere before?"
"No. I don't know a child like you."
The magical pressure increased until the air seemed to bend and the space itself shook. The escalation reached a critical point, and the brilliance of the magical light surrounding them intensified.
Finally, the two collided.
"Hero's Path ─────── Bolt"
"Silentium ────────────── Gospel"
Bells tolled, piercing the heavens and shaking the earth. Raging lightning bolts struck like divine punishment, signaling the start of the battle between two calamities of talent.
●○●○●
"After the defeat of 'The King' and the others, the familias' morale has plummeted!! We can't stop the enemy's incursion, especially in the south!!"
"C-Commander!! At least send reinforcements!!"
While Finn worked his mind through the incoming reports, one member screamed for action. He was right; if the high-level adventurers were annihilated, it would be the city's end.
"Impossible!! We must protect the Central Plaza and the Tower of Babel!! The enemy's true goal in this battle is undoubtedly this place..!!"
Finn issued his orders, his voice sounding as though he were grinding his teeth, as if trying to convince himself. Finn did not want his fellow adventurers to die; if he could, he would have gone to their aid himself.
But the "Hero" within him would not allow this "escape." Strict and harsh priorities bound him. The top priority was protecting Orario. For that reason, Finn chose to stick to his pride and principles. Even if the price was the death of his brothers-in-arms.
"Abandon the southern defensive lines!! Order all remaining forces to gather at the city center!! We will also coordinate with the Freya Familia in the north!!"
Finn's orders flew out, and members rushed to deliver the news. Finn remained, biting his lip hard.
(Even though the situation is at its worst, my thumb still aches intensely. Is all of this just the 'prologue'? .... What else is there? .... What is going to happen? .... Who is really standing over there?)
────── With wisdom approaching that of the gods, the "Hero" realized the truth.
"──── Who is it? Which God wrote this script?"
●○●○●
"A plan to destroy the city made by Evilus? Don't be a fool; things are moving with far too much precision. .... The timing, the balance, the flow—everything exceeds human limits. There must be a God planning all of this in the shadows."
So Hermes concluded. He was running through the burning city with Astraea under the protection of his followers, his eyes scanning the surroundings sharply. As he watched adventurers die, buildings collapse, and people flee in terror from Evilus believers, he spoke those words.
Everything was moving with suspicious smoothness. Hermes looked toward the sky; it wasn't just one God. There was definitely the shadow of another.
"Yes, this God is mocking us. .... It is a wicked and heinous move, and something is hiding in its depths!!"
────── The omniscient gods realized that behind the curtain lay the trace of one of their own kind.
●○●○●
"──── Be still, O light of authority, flame of the immortal saint, and echo of the funeral melody. Gather the starlight, and pierce through ── Rhea Aster"
A white phantom launched. Al, running while scattering white lightning, transformed into a beam of light to close in on the gray woman. Thanks to light-enhancement magic, his speed multiplied several times as he unleashed a thrust with his silver spear.
That ultimate strike, which exceeded the speed of sound, was met by the gray woman simply raising her arm without taking a defensive stance. With a swift movement, she dodged the thrust by tilting her body, then delivered a counter-punch.
Al was stunned by her responding with close combat when magic was supposed to be her domain. He immediately jumped back to open up distance.
"──────"
But the woman did not let him escape. She targeted his landing point with a straight right punch and a powerful lunge. Al barely dodged the blow by twisting his body in mid-air, then drove the butt of his spear into the ground to pivot, using centrifugal force to swing a horizontal strike.
However, the gray woman easily blocked the blow using the primitive weapon she held in her left hand. Simultaneously, she targeted Al's heart with a palm-strike from her right.
With a split-second decision, Al leaned back, performing a backflip to dodge, then retreated with quick steps to reset the distance again.
The attacks followed without a moment's rest, leaving Al gasping for breath.
".... Damn it."
Al was internally awestruck by the agility of this woman, who was supposed to be a back-row fighter. Her movements were sharp and heavy, unimaginable for those slender arms. Precise and polished like a monster or a machine, her movements struck fear into Al.
The woman's gaze from behind her partially closed lids was sharp and frozen, as if she were firing arrows of death at him.
Al had not expected to surpass her in a magical clash; she was a specialist. While Al's rapid magic—which required no chanting—gave him peerless power in solo combat, it did him no good here, as his opponent was also capable of unleashing magical attacks in a single step. Furthermore, her precision far exceeded his; simple tricks would not work.
While Al thought, the gray woman stood still without taking a combat stance. It might have looked like an opening, but it was an illusion. Al felt as if he were facing an impregnable fortress. He tightened his grip on the spear and charged again. As he approached at double his previous speed, the woman finally took a blocking stance.
But Al had expected that. He continued his lunge without slowing, adopting a low posture.
────── Hero's Path
────── Lionheart's Roar
He unleashed the skills he had hesitated to use. He had no time to charge before this woman, but a single moment sufficed to enhance his leg strength.
Then came the Beast Simulation. This was a skill that only demi-humans were supposed to use, but it was an exceptional ability born from the fusion of "Spirit Protection" and "Divine Blessing," transcending racial limits with a probability nearing a miracle.
This skill provided an enhancement rate comparable to a rank-up, allowing him to face Finn when he used "Hell Finegas." In addition to physical enhancement, Beast Simulation granted him superhuman senses and visual acuity.
Of course, this power—which exceeded racial limits—placed immense pressure on the user. it was a double-edged sword, but for Al now, it was the only option.
Amidst the sounds of muscles and bones popping, Al continued to accelerate. In a crawling, low stance, he shot forward like an arrow, closing the distance with the woman in the blink of an eye.
Entering her range before she could react, Al aimed a lightning-fast spear strike at her neck. It was a strike of divine speed, exceeding the limits of Level 5 thanks to his skills and magic—a blow that should have been unblockable.
──── But it was parried with a lateral strike.
"What?"
Al's voice came out stunned. The woman's reaction and the result were shocking. By merely tilting her head and raising her arm, she deflected the spear's path. Then, she delivered a counter-punch that landed squarely in Al's stomach. The force was so terrifying that it knocked all the air from his lungs. He nearly lost consciousness, but he ground his teeth and endured.
"〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜 Damn it!!"
Despite being pushed back by immense force, Al managed to adjust his posture in the air and land on his feet. But the woman had already closed in on him.
She swung down with a palm-strike; Al blocked it with his spear, but the woman's arm did not stop. The shock pierced through their arms. The parity lasted only a moment before Al was thrown to the ground along with his spear. He slid across the floor, leaving cracks in the stone until he stopped.
The difference wasn't in physical strength, but in technical skill. The woman had deflected Al's strike while simultaneously twisting her wrist and delivering an elbow strike to disable his weapon. In fact, that strike carried no killing intent; it was a simple movement of her arm that happened to find Al's weapon in its path.
The woman's incredibly calm movements resembled a dance in their grace, devoid of any wasted motion, and peak precision.
And then ──.
"Release the Bolt.. ── Gospel ── Damn it!!"
She had anticipated his magic with an ultra-short and perfectly precise chant. Before he could release his rapid magic, the "Funeral Melody" pierced his magical defenses to destroy his body from within.
Muscles exploded under the weight of that invisible sonic bombardment. Blood vessels ruptured, bones splintered, and his body flew through the air in a spray of blood. Pain and numbness settled throughout his entire frame.
He ignored the agony, relying on the auto-recovery property of his magic to pull back and open the distance again. Through his blurred vision, he saw the woman pick up a broken sword from the debris of fallen adventurers on the ground.
────── Skillful.
────── Strong.
────── Fast.
────── Unbelievably proficient.
These words cycled through his mind. Al continued his attacks, increasing his speed more and more, but the woman parried everything. It was a continuous, violent assault that left no room for a response, yet the woman showed no signs of being flustered.
With a frozen expression, she deflected, blocked, and dodged with cold indifference. Then, she would exploit the smallest opening to land a counter-punch.
In Al's life—having never known defeat since birth—he had never met an opponent who embodied "Invincibility" like this. Not footsteps, not techniques, not feints... nothing worked. She was a towering height that could not be reached.
Al, the embodiment of talent, felt despair at the power gap for the first time in his life. Despite giving it his all, it wasn't even a competition; the difference in strength was vast, and his movements began to lose their precision.
The weapon Alfia held was just a cheap sword found on the field, but in her hands, it became sharper than any legendary blade and more majestic than any holy sword. Though she was a back-row fighter, she easily surpassed Al in swordsmanship and physical grappling. Without giving him a chance to use magic, she was crushing him with her combat skills alone.
"───── Is this all you have? If so, I will end it now."
Alfia opened her partially closed eyes calmly. The gaze of her heterochromatic eyes pierced through Al's body.
She wasn't a front-liner, a back-liner, or even a magic warrior.. she was a complete and unique "Entity." The most talented woman since the Age of Gods, who had defeated the monsters of the "Three Great Quests" when she was sixteen, clearly surpassed the current "Calamity of Talent."
What separated them was not "Talent," but the "Experience" of a former hero who had fought thousands of battles and created thousands of dead. That is the true power of Heroes. It is a strength not gained overnight; it is years of accumulation and rigorous training that supports her talent.
There was a gap that could not be bridged by talent alone between these two "Calamities of Talent."
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