"I'll leave it to you."
Valletta's breath came in short bursts as she began to pull back. Yet her lips curled into a vicious smile. "For our long-cherished wish."
"Comrades! Wreak havoc! Follow Valletta-sama's orders and drag as many as possible into the grave with you!"
The evilus soldiers roared, eyes burning with suicidal madness.
They scattered, magic swords flaring to life as they struck indiscriminately, some aiming for Alise's group, others cutting down anyone in their path.
"Damn scum! Girls, save the civilians! I'll take care of these bastards!" Gareth's voice thundered as he charged, weapon in hand.
"Uncle Gareth! Please!"
The girls sprinted off. His only reply was the deep, resonating crash of a battle axe cleaving through fire. The massive weapon, nearly as tall as its wielder, swung like a fan, scattering flames with every sweep.
Fear flashed in the evilus members' eyes, but desperation kept them chanting, their magic swords glowing with unstable power.
Gareth didn't slow down. He didn't dodge. He simply plowed through, enduring burns and blows alike.
That axe… its broad blade could split boulders, its handle could smash stone, and its wielder's fists were like hammers. Every strike promised one thing, instant death. It was the kind of fight where sheer dominance crushed any hope of resistance.
Gareth drew their attention deliberately, pulling every strike toward himself, determined to shield the streets from further destruction.
"Good thing Akira's already cleared most of the people of evilus here…"
Alise and Ryuu read his intentions instantly. Without a word, they darted toward other battle zones.
"Ryuu! Find Lyra and the others! Work with the adventurers nearby!"
"Understood!"
While Gareth held the line, they ushered civilians to safety, pulling some from collapsed homes, striking down the occasional lurking minion.
They followed the crisis prediction plan they'd drilled beforehand, directing the fleeing crowd northward, toward the Twilight Manor, Loki familia's prepared refuge. That decision turned chaos into order.
Adventurers shifted from guardians to guides, cutting a path like a lighthouse beam through stormy seas.
...
"Guaaaah!"
The final evilus soldier fell, Gareth's last swing scattering embers into the air. His armor smoked, burns seared his skin, but he didn't stop.
"All enemies down! Raul! Get the Dian Cecht familia over here for support, move!"
"R-Received!"
Raul, pale but resolute despite the carnage around him, dashed off.
With the battle over, the lower-ranked Loki familia members surged into rescue operations.
Some victims lay impaled by shattered debris, others had legs crushed beneath stone, still others bore burns and wounds from stray magic. Wails filled the air. The sound was a tangled knot of pain.
The smell of smoke and scorched blood hung heavy. The Astraea familia members worked with grim faces.
"Damn it! How many have we lost?!"
"Ryuu! Help heal the injured!"
Lyra sprinkled elixir over wounds, Kaguya carved through rubble with frantic strikes. Their usual calm was gone. Even with the threat of buildings collapsing, they carried the injured toward the shelter.
Neze and the others sprinted through the chaos, unflinching.
"I know!" Ryuu shouted back at Kaguya, frustration lacing her voice. "But my magic can't heal everyone at once. Damn it, there are too few of us."
A warm, gentle green light, like the soothing embrace of a forest, spread from Ryuu's hands, healing the wounded. But the magic could only mend one person at a time. Several injured lay within Ryuu's sight, unable to move. Countless others must have been trapped beyond her view.
"Ouch! It hurts so much!"
"…!"
As Ryuu worked on the injured, her gaze caught a little girl sitting alone, crying quietly just ahead. She must have been separated from her parents. Her hands and feet were scratched raw, knees bleeding.
Overwhelmed by the panic and chaos around her, she had simply sat down, motionless, tears streaming as she cried out to the sky.
Ryuu's brow furrowed with concern. She couldn't stop casting her healing magic, but her eyes never left her.
Then, suddenly—
"Akira? Who else?"
Two figures appeared, one carrying another on his shoulders. It was Akira and Lili. They had flown over Orario for a long time, eradicating the remaining evilus soldiers.
Using his unique ability to detect life, Akira had sought out the areas hit hardest by the disaster, pulling survivors trapped beneath rubble from crumbled homes.
His blood healing technique, the same one that had saved Alfia, brought the dying back from the brink before handing them to other familia members for care.
Realizing he was no longer urgently needed, Akira returned to the Astraea familia's assigned zone. He spotted Ryuu healing others and, upon approaching, noticed the little girl suddenly bursting into tears.
That was how Akira gently set Lili down and quickly moved toward the crying child. He crouched, softly placing a hand on her head.
"Don't be afraid, little one. Brother is here."
He wiped the dust from her face with his hands, revealing a clean, tear-streaked child beneath. Then, with a flourish of magic, he conjured a crystal rose and offered it to her.
"Look, a beautiful flower."
As the girl's face brightened with joy, Akira pressed on her bleeding knee. The wound vanished in an instant. With the emergency treatment complete, the tears no longer sparkled with pain.
Akira smiled warmly. He held out his hand to help her up, and pointed toward the tall buildings of the Loki familia base camp.
"Be good now. Can you walk to the shelter by yourself? I have to help more injured children."
The girl wiped her eyes and tried to smile. "Yes, I can. Thank you, adventurer brother."
…
Akira then joined the crowd being guided by guild staff toward evacuation. He watched the little girl's retreating back until she safely joined the group heading to shelter.
Then he turned to Lili, who lingered nearby and asked, "What about you? Going to the shelter too?"
"As for me… I'll go first. I can't trouble Akira-sama." Lili tugged nervously at her clothes.
Though they'd only been together a few hours, she trusted Akira. Maybe with his help, she could finally escape the cage she was trapped in. But this was a crisis. She didn't want to burden anyone.
"Hmm… wait." Akira murmured to himself. "I think I remember who you are."
After ending his pursuit of evilus, his memories finally caught up. The 'Lili' before him, though taller and changed a bit, was unmistakably the same.
Standing aside, Lili's eyes flickered with confusion.
'What does he mean by remember who I am?'
Could she be connected to Akira somehow? But Akira wasn't a pallum, was he?
"Um, Akira-sama… Lili… do you have questions?" Lili asked timidly, raising her hand.
Akira blinked, noting her uneasy expression. He smiled and waved her off gently. "Ah, nothing important. Just go to the shelter first. We can talk tomorrow, about the Soma familia and everything else. I'll help you."
Wih Lili's sharp intelligence, she caught the meaning immediately, as if a glimmer of hope had blossomed inside her. Though she didn't understand how Akira knew, she had no choice but to believe him.
Her eyes instantly reddened. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak but was choked by tears.
After a long pause, she whispered through sobs, "Yes! Akira-sama."
She wiped her tears and smiled brightly up at him. "Okay, I'll go. I'll find you at the Astraea familia base tomorrow. You want me to take this amulet?"
Akira handed her a teleportation necklace, watching as she walked away, glancing back every few steps.
Once Ryuu finished tending the wounded, she came over to Akira.
"Akira, who was that child?"
"Hehe, just a little lamb who needed saving."
"Hey! You two!"
Lyra and Kaguya had just finished their rescues. Seeing the pair lingering, they called out sharply.
"No time for flirting! Come help us!"
"Right!" Akira responded, taking Ryuu's hand and running off.
"She's just a child needing help like everyone else."
Ryuu glanced down at their joined hands, cheeks flushing faintly, then nodded softly.
The two quickened their pace, rushing toward Lyra and Kaguya, ready to dive back into the rescue efforts.
(End of Chapter)
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