BOOM-!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"!!"
"An Ignis Fatuus!?"
A massive crimson eruption bloomed, incinerating the air and blasting Samira along with the surrounding Amazons. They were scattered like chaff in a violent, pyre-like explosion.
Staggering—
"K-ugh....!!"
Swaying—
"Mikoto-chan!!!!!!"
Mikoto, having triggered the self-detonating magic attack, was far from unharmed. As the price for pouring out every ounce of her energy, her body gave way, and she began to plummet from the garden heights.
In that instant, her resolve was felt deeply by Bell and Haruhime.
Whish-!!!!!!
"Bell-dono.... please.... please, save Haruhime-dono....."
"Bell-dono!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Hyaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!"
Simultaneous with Mikoto's cry, Bell leaped from his hiding spot, sprinting toward Haruhime with every ounce of speed he possessed.
"""!!"""
"Shari! Finish off Haruhime!!!!"
Whish-!!!!
"Haah!"
"Haruhime-san!!!!!!!!"
CLANG-!!!!!
The desperate prayers of Mikoto and Bell finally reached her. Under the cold light of the crescent moon, driven by the singular obsession to rescue the Fox Spirit, they finally made contact.
SHATTER-!!!!
"Found it. As expected, the Key of Knossos."
'With this, plus the one I seized from Valetta... that makes two....'
Step, step—
BOOM-!!!!!!!
'An explosion!?'
"Could it be...!!"
As the building shuddered from the tremor, Akumo heard the blast echoing from outside. He peered through the window to see the Freya Familia advancing, cutting down Ishtar's Amazons like tall grass while shielding their goddess.
SHATTER-!!!!
"Oh?"
Thump!
"Why on earth have you come here in person?"
Pressing a hand to his forehead at the sight, Akumo smashed through the glass and leaped out, landing directly in front of the Goddess of Beauty.
"I simply came to have a chat between deities—or rather, a conversation between women."
".....You surely knew I was already here with Bell."
"Even so, I thought it best to settle things face-to-face."
'You've got to be joking....'
Akumo felt a surge of exasperation at her sheer audacity. But before he could retort, the core executives standing behind her leveled their weapons at him.
Shing—!
"Akumo, show some respect in the presence of the Goddess!"
"The Ishtar Familia is a faction that cannot be allowed to remain, regardless."
"We simply act according to the Goddess's will."
""""Try anything foolish, and we will kill you.""""
".....Step aside."
The voices of Allen, Hedin, Ottar, the Gulliver brothers, and Hogni rang out in sequence. Akumo could feel the concentrated animosity they radiated, realizing that Freya had no intention of backing down.
"In any case...."
Slide—
"This look is quite fetching on you, isn't it?"
"Freya-sama...."
"Yes?"
Creeeeeak—!
Grip—!
"If you keep this up, we'll be late. Move, quickly."
"Fufu...."
Freya stroked Akumo's cheek, eyeing his disguise with deep curiosity. Hearing the grinding of teeth and the white-knuckled gripping of weapons from the men behind her, Akumo decided to send them on their way before things became even more tiresome.
"Ishtar should be in that building over there."
"Oh? There are very few gods you don't address with honorifics."
"She was running rampant without understanding why you are the pinnacle, Freya-sama."
"Ahaha! True.... Ishtar did cross a line, didn't she?"
"She crossed it many times over."
"So, tell me. Why is it that I am the pinnacle?"
"Character."
"Correct."
With those words, Freya headed toward Ishtar's location, and Akumo began to walk with the executives toward the ritual site.
"K-ugh....."
'My body... it won't move....'
Step, step—
'Footsteps...?'
Nearby, Mikoto, whose consciousness was fading after falling into the thicket, focused on the sound of approaching footsteps. When she finally managed to lift her head, she saw a man with white hair standing there.
"Bell... dono...?"
"It's me, Mikoto."
"Akumo-dono....!"
Splash—!
"I've applied a potion. Do you want to follow, or stay here and rest?"
"I will... follow you!"
'As I thought. The fire in her eyes hasn't gone out.'
Grab—!
"Ah!?"
After dousing the fallen Mikoto in potion, Akumo scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder before resuming his stride.
Flail, flail!
"W-wait!? Akumo-dono...!!"
"You're in no state to move on your own right now, are you?"
"B-but still...!"
Mikoto flushed with embarrassment, squirming to escape his hold, but Akumo marched forward without a tremor, following Ottar and the others.
"Sigh....."
"What is it, Hedin?"
"Must you look after such trivial things even in this situation?"
"It's fine, isn't it? I'm not hindering you, and I'm saving her because I want to."
Step, step—
Already thinned out by the raid conducted by Akumo and Bell, the Ishtar Familia was collapsing. They could barely muster a defense against the Freya Familia, let alone the Hestia Familia members who were charging in to rescue Bell, Mikoto, and Haruhime.
"The ritual of the Killing Stone, is it...."
"Is that mere prostitute really worth all this?"
"A Level Boost is not something to be taken lightly."
"We only need to cut off Ishtar's escape route as the Goddess commanded."
Allen had already surged ahead at high speed to deal with the stragglers alone. The remaining executives, left with little to do, engaged in idle conversation.
"Why did you guys really come?"
""""....""""
Naturally, no one answered Akumo's question.
RUMBLE-!!!
"What is that?"
"Did something fall from above?"
"I'd prefer if it were a combatant."
Just then, something massive crashed through the ceiling directly in front of them. Recognizing the entity, Akumo's face twisted into a scowl. He set Mikoto down gently and tightened his fist.
As Ottar and the Freya Familia moved forward, a hulking, massive woman stood before them.
"T-the district is...!"
'What the hell is happening!?'
The woman was, of course, Phryne Jamil. She had been sent plummeting from the floor above after being caught off guard by Bell, who had reached Level 4 potential through Haruhime's Level Boost.
Step, step—
"O-Ottar!?"
'Not just Ottar, but the Freya Familia executives too..!'
"Phryne Jamil?"
"....!! I see...."
'These bastards knew everything from the start....!'
"YOU DARE MOCK US!!!!!!!!"
WHOOSH-!!!
Realizing the chaos in the district was their doing, Phryne's eyes filled with rage. She swung her massive axe at the group.
CRACK-!
"You were the ones who crossed the line."
"GYAAAK!!!??"
THUD-! CRASH-!
With a single hand, Ottar effortlessly snapped Phryne's wrist. The axe clattered to the ground, and Phryne recoiled in terror.
Whish-!
BOOM-!!
"You threw that at me on purpose, didn't you?"
".....Must be your imagination."
'Some friend you are, seriously....'
Perhaps as payback for earlier, Ottar had kicked the fallen axe toward Akumo. Akumo, with bored precision, pulverized the flying weapon into scrap.
"I-I'm sorry! Forgive me! I'll do anything!"
'Even the [Pioneer] is here...!'
"T-that's it! I'll give you this body! I'll let you hold me in your arms~"
"You can have your way with me~ Doesn't that sound appetizing!?"
As the Toad's delusional drivel reached their ears, the expressions of everyone present, including Akumo, began to rot with disgust.
Unaware of the chilling atmosphere, she continued her deranged rambling, and a genuine, scorching rage began to fill the air.
Creeeeeak—!
"Come! With this body, this beauty~ Even the goddesses will give up and run away~"
Cr-cr-crack—!
"That wretched Elf from the Loki Familia, and even your own Patron Deity, Freya, aren't much compared to—"
THWACK-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Akumo's fist, fueled by absolute fury, slammed into her face. The force was so immense it crushed her into the floor, shattering the very foundation beneath her.
"Listen here, you piece of shit."
CRUNCH-!!!!!!
"Ignoring your own repulsive face and your even more hideous character,"
BOOM-!!!!!!!!!
"Rampaging according to your own base desires!!"
CRACK-!!!!!!
"A creature that has broken countless lives for your own amusement, what?"
THUD-!!!!!!
"You dare speak the names of Riveria and Freya-sama?"
With clinical precision designed to maximize agony, Akumo's fists systematically broke the bones in her face, arms, legs, and torso. His countenance was a mask of cold, infinite rage—the wrath of a man whose loved ones had been insulted by a stain on existence.
Grind—!
"You have defiled our sublime Goddess!! There is only one end for you!!"
""""Execution! Execution! Execution!!!""""
Seeing him in such a state of pure fury for the first time in an age, the Freya Familia executives roared in total affirmation. Simultaneously with Ottar's shout, Allen, Hogni, the Gulliver brothers, and Hedin all balled their fists. Bound by a single purpose, they delivered brutal, absolute retribution to the creature that had insulted their mother.
SMASH-!!!
CRUNCH-!!!
CRACK-!!!
"A-Akumo-dono...."
'Could he truly be this terrifying...!?'
Mikoto, seeing his enraged side for the first time—a stark contrast to the bright smile he'd shown her earlier—trembled in fear. Yet, she had no choice but to follow in his wake, steering clear of the executives' gruesome 'retribution.'
In that moment.
BOOM-!!!!!!!!!!!
"What!?"
'An earthquake? A tremor this large is impossible unless it's Riveria's grand magic...!'
And then, Akumo saw it. A presence with the lower body of a monstrous beast and the upper torso of a woman.
—Let's PLAAAAAY!!!!!!!!
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