Finn looked at the puppet covered with a spirit cloth, the cloth specially made to resist lightning. The instant the cloth touched the lightning, it evaporated and the puppet caught fire.
"Another failure. Can you make a better one?" Finn asked Asfi.
"That was the best I could do. If I had more time, maybe I could improve it," Asfi said, frustrated by the failure.
"That won't work — you shouldn't resist lightning," Akira said. He could sense the magic gathering in the air, but the lightning itself was natural, not magical.
"Do you have a way?" Finn asked, thinking Akira might take out a magic treasure.
Akira picked up a few spare spears that Loki Familia carried and tied five of them together, one spear in middle and four in triangle to make a pyramidal frame. Placing it over the slightly burnt puppet, he pushed it toward the wind wall. When the thunder struck, the cage kept the puppet unharmed.
"How?" Asfi asked, curious about the phenomenon.
"Well, lightning wants to reach the ground by the easiest path. The human body is easier to pass through than air, so it chooses humans. But metal is even better than humans — so it chooses metal," Akira explained briefly, promising to tell Asfi more later.
"So, with a cage like this, we can cross the wind wall," Finn said, looking at the cage.
"If you have enough spears," Akira replied, lifting the cage and placing it around himself, he held the center spear making sure all the spears base were touching the ground.
"What are you doing?" Asfi asked.
"The blacksmiths are on the other side, right? I'm sure they can make something better," Akira said. He wanted to defeat the invader as soon as possible.
"You should wait — we can come up with a plan," Finn said, intrigued by Akira's knowledge and wanting his advice.
"I'm just a newbie. You two are captains of big familias. I'm sure whatever you come up with will be fine," Akira said, pushing the cage forward. "See you on the other side."
"Wait!" Asfi shouted, trying to stop him, but he disappeared into the storm. She clenched her fists, angry. "Stupid…"
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"I'm telling you, you can't use attack it! There must be people on the other side!" Hephaestus shouted. Opposite her stood Freya with Ottar behind her.
"Then maybe you should have made a better armor," Freya replied.
"Give Tsubaki some time — she'll finish making a better one," Hephaestus argued.
"And how can you be sure it'll work this time? You can feel it, right? The magic in the air is increasing. I'm not going to wait for something bad to happen," Freya said, refusing to risk her familia. "Ottar, make a hole for us all."
Ottar readied his sword. The blacksmiths from Hephaestus Familia wanted to stop him but didn't have the confidence to. They turned to their goddess, who shook her head, signaling them to stand down.
Ottar stood before the wind wall, sword raised high for a downward strike. Sunlight from the large hole above in the sky glistened on the blade.
SCREECH!
The sound of metal grinding against ground overshadowed the storm's howls, drawing everyone's attention. Allen Fromel — the only other member of Freya Familia inside — stepped forward, spear in hand. The constant flashes of lightning illuminated the silhouette of a humanoid figure with bones jutting from its body, discharging arcs of lightning like the source of the storm itself.
From the storm wall came the iron cage. Lightning struck it, sparks flying toward Ottar. Sensing danger, he swung his sword downward, cutting the cage in two.
The shockwave ripped through the storm, expanding like a cone and barreling toward the unprepared Finn and Asfi. But Ottar's gaze stayed fixed on the cage's occupant — a man with his right eye covered by a patch and his left eye glowing red. Akira was in full battle mode.
Akira had already sensed the danger within the storm. The only way to survive was to run straight ahead — toward the threat. Seeing Ottar's piercing gaze on him sent chills down his spine. Instinctively, Akira raised his spear and thrust it toward Ottar's face.
Clang!
"Monster…" Akira muttered with a smile as Ottar bit down on the spear tip with his teeth. The path in the wind wall behind him closed.
Bang!
A backhand punch sent Akira flying, knocking him unconscious.
Ottar looked at the one-eyed rookie adventurer lying motionless on the ground. The earth around his head was cracked, blood seeping through the fissures. Yet even in that state, Akira's right hand still gripped the spear tightly. Ottar opened his mouth to release the weapon, letting it fall.
Ting!
"This…" Hephaestus knelt beside Akira, worried. She brushed aside his wet hair to see his face. "Akira-kun…"
She turned and called for her familia members to bring potions.
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Akira woke to the shining sun overhead. Turning his head, he saw flaming red hair. Recognizing the face, he asked weakly, "Hephaestus-sama, where are we?"
"We're still in Babel. You should stay still for a while," Hephaestus said, supporting him as he tried to sit up. He looked around and saw the swirling wall of wind surrounding them.
"Hey, you're still injured," Hephaestus warned, helping him stand.
"I'm feeling better, Hephaestus-sama," Akira said, slipping from her grip to stand on his own. "I think we should focus on getting out of here first."
"Hmm." Hephaestus nodded. "Do you want us to make more cages like that?"
"No. The cage might work for high-level adventurers, but anyone else would just get blown away by the wind," Akira replied.
"So what do you have in mind?" A voice as sweet as honey whispered in his ear, making his mind go blank for a second.
'Honey? Natural sugar Gross. I only like diabetes-giving white sugar.' Akira thought as he snapped out of the trance. Turning toward the speaker, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. But this time, Akira kept his composure, resisting her charm.
"Freya-sama, it's an honor to meet you. I'm Akira from Hestia Familia," he said politely, bowing to the goddess who sat at the top of Orario.
"Oh, no need for formality, Akira-kun. Please, continue with your plan," Freya said, intrigued by his resistance to her charm. With both goddesses listening, Akira began explaining.
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Ten minutes later, a fully armored Allen stood ready before the storm, carrying a large number of spears on his back.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Allen asked, glancing at Akira.
"Of course it will. Now stop being a coward and get moving. Clear a path for your goddess," Akira said, patting his armor.
"Okay, one last time — the armor might protect you from lightning, but every strike will heat it up. If it gets too hot, run like your life depends on it," Akira warned, while Tsubaki checked the armor's joints.
"It'll be fine. The Undine cloth inside should help," Tsubaki said.
"I understand," Allen replied, before charging into the storm.
Crackle!
Lightning struck his armor. Finding himself unharmed, he continued, taking two long spears from his back — one in each hand. Embedding the spear tips into the ground to form a triangle, he repeated the process step by step. Connecting the triangles at the top with another spear, he created a makeshift Faraday tunnel. He kept repeating until he ran out of spears.
Turning back, he exited the storm, steam rising from his armor. Tsubaki helped him remove his helmet, revealing a sweating, heavily breathing Allen.
"So, did it work?" Akira asked. Allen, too dehydrated to speak, simply nodded.
After three more trips, the path was complete. Under the protection of adventurers, everyone managed to evacuate safely.
"You're the last one, goddess," Akira said, looking at Hephaestus as Tsubaki returned for her.
"Aren't you coming with us, Akira-kun? The spears won't hold for long," Hephaestus asked.
"No, I still have work to do here. Don't worry, I can still use the cage." Akira said, pointing at the cage made from their remaining spears.
"Okay… but take care of yourself. You're Hestia's only child — she'll be very sad if something happens to you." Hephaestus said softly.
Seeing the empty square in front of Babel Tower, Akira could finally focus on the mission he came for. He needed the place cleared so he could fight the invader without worrying about bystanders.
Feeling a threatening presence, he turned his head to see Ottar emerging from the wind wall.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be protecting your goddess?" Akira asked.
"Allen will be enough. I'm coming with you," Ottar replied.
"Do you even know where I'm going?" Akira asked curiously.
"To the source of the storm," Ottar said firmly.
"Oh? And how do you know that?" Akira asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I have a feeling," Ottar answered.
"Instinct, huh," Akira laughed, brushing his blood-soaked hair back and unwrapping the bandage around his head that Hephaestus had tied earlier. Turning toward Babel Tower, he said, "Follow me, Freya's boar. I might need your help to put an end to this rain."
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(A/n: Now the following chapter will be more action based)
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