From a close distance, Toki's long incantation spell tore a gaping hole right through the thick castle wall. Dust swirled, and the bricks crumbled noisily.
A surprise attack at the start of the battle. The destroyed wall caused the nearby members of the Apollo Familia to freeze for a moment.
Through the dust, Toki emerged. The adventurers were caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Without hesitation, Toki swung his Kerykeion staff, striking their solar plexus, chin, and neck in quick succession, knocking them unconscious.
Spotting a nearby staircase, he sprinted up it and appeared atop the wall.
"Take this!"
Two archers waiting there loosed their arrows. At such close range, even amateurs wouldn't miss. But still, none of the arrows hit Toki.
"No way!?"
Confused, the two archers froze. Toki swung his staff, and their consciousness faded away. Then he scanned the area and dashed toward the east gate.
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"Haaโฆ"
Lili, disguised as the dwarf Luan, who had been watching the whole fight, sighed.
Why was Lili already inside the castle in enemy form? Four days ago, she had captured the real Luan heading toward the ruins of the old castle and used her magic, Cinder Ella, to swap places with him.
She'd been gathering intel inside enemy lines and had met up with Verf and the others during yesterday's supply delivery. She'd passed on information, but that night, Toki had suddenly broken into the castle and contacted her. Startled, Lili was calmed by Toki, who then proposed a small change to their plan.
"The mission stays the same. But when I act as bait, I want to do it inside the castle, not outside."
At first, Lili didn't understand. But she agreed for now, and now she saw why. Toki planned to be the bait while taking out the rest of the enemy himself. For that, it was easier to operate inside, where stairs gave access to the wall, rather than outside where climbing was impossible.
It was reckless, but somehow Lili felt he could really pull it off.
Right now, Lili's figure was obscured by the dust kicked up from Toki's destruction of the wall. Even the spectators watching in Orario wouldn't know she had betrayed the enemy yet. That was why she sighed.
Composing herself, she resumed her act. Understanding Toki's aim, she moved to support him.
๐โโโโโโโโโโโโโ๐
The archers on the wall shot arrows again, but none even grazed Toki. Surprised, he knocked one out with a counterattack.
Why didn't the arrows hit? The secret lay in the earrings he wore, adventurer's accessories, but not ordinary ones.
They were imbued with the Arrow Dodge Blessing, created by Asfi Al Andromeda, the master of the Almighty Perseus. This blessing made him immune to arrows from any distance. Only Asfi's mystical ability could create such a charm.
Incidentally, the battle outfit Toki wore, the Battle Cross, was also handmade by Asfi. It was a gift to celebrate Toki reaching level 3. Now, competing as a member of the Hermes Familia, Toki wore it for this mission.
From behind the fallen archer, a mage cast a spell, but Toki grabbed the archer's collar as a shield to block the attack.
"Is that even allowed!?"
Stunned, the mage was swiftly dispatched as Toki mimicked the spell just cast. He exhausted the charges of Kerykeion but immediately began chanting again and gripped his staff.
"There they are! Over there!"
Members of the Apollo Familia gathered below the wall, heading toward a nearby staircase. Seeing this, Toki leapt down, landing on a surprised beastman, using him as a cushion. Without hesitation, he swung his staff at the stunned enemy group.
He took down four in moments. One group ascending the stairs noticed and hurried back. Toki grabbed the beastman underfoot and hurled him at the incoming enemies, breaking their balance and knocking them out with a swift staff strike.
Confirming all were unconscious, Toki exhaled.
"The Apollo Familia has roughly 110 members... excluding General Hyakinthos and the throne guard, that's about 100โฆ"
A smile crept onto Toki's face as he muttered.
"Less than 90 left!"
He dashed off again, hunting for more foes.
๐โโโโโโโโโโโโโ๐
Back atop the wall, Toki headed toward the east gate, the spot where Lili had told him most enemies gathered.
About 30 adventurers appeared ahead.
Toki cast a short incantation spell that stopped the lead adventurer's feet. The others collided with him. Confused by Lili's deception, the adventurers were lured onto the narrow wall, perfect for a trap.
Weaving between them, Toki dashed through and seized the consciousness of mages at the rear, casting another short incantation to strike the group.
"Whatโ? From behind!?"
"Did someone betray us!?"
Chanting Kerykeion, Toki plunged back into the group, this time attacking from their blind spots with quick jabs. Instantly, confusion erupted among the adventurers.
"Hey! Did you just hit me?!"
"What? No way, I didn't!"
"Who cut me then?!"
Voices rose in anger, and before long, they were brawling amongst themselves. Seizing the opportunity, Toki broke free and unleashed a long incantation spell mid-run, sending the entire group flying.
๐โโโโโโโโโโโโโ๐
"This is amazing! Could the Hestia Familia really be aiming for a swift victory!?"
The crowd in Orario erupted with cheers, the commentator gripping the megaphone, their excitement palpable.
"And that backup, the Shadow Devil, is unstoppable! He's knocking down the Apollo Familia members one after another! His presence roaming the castle is like a demon wandering in search of sacrifice! Ganesha, any words?"
"I am Ganesha!"
"Thank you very much!"
Meanwhile, in Babel, the gods watched in stunned disbelief.
"He's way too strong, isn't he?"
"That can't be just Lv. 2, right, Hermes?"
"No, no, you've got it all wrong. He's not strong, he's just incredibly skilled, taking advantage of their confusion."
"Wait, how many spells does he have?! He's definitely using at least three!"
"Hahaha, that's a secret."
"Ugh, annoying!"
While the gods bantered, Apollo, Hestia, and Lili, who had helped plan the operation, showed shocked expressions. Reflected in the 'mirror', Toki instantly approached any enemies he spotted, knocking them down without hesitation and racing through the castle.
Maybe he can do this aloneโฆ?
Hestia found herself thinking just that.
๐โโโโโโโโโโโโโ๐
After defeating the elven squad leader ahead, Toki sprinted toward the throne tower where the enemy commander awaited. Having already taken down over fifty foes, he moved on to the next phase.
A deep purple energy sword suddenly appeared, thrust into the ground. It was the gravity prison spell Futsunomitama, a life magic trap.
Stopping just at the edge of its effect, Toki pulled out a magic potion to restore his mental stamina, raised Kerykeion, and began chanting.
"[The flame will soon be released.]"
In his mind flashbacks from the 24th floor, a scene of senior comrades fighting desperately against man-eating plants, a girl singing while casting a jade-colored magic circle, and those who had guided him watching over. To show his growth to the gods who raised him and the girl who believed in him, Toki was about to challenge the strongest mage.
"[Creeping war, unavoidable destruction. The horn of battle sounds aloud, the cruelty of conflict will envelop all. Come, crimson flames, the ruthless inferno.]"
The power of Kerykeion depends on how closely the caster can imitate the original spell; the closer, the greater the strength and range. Toki had only seen this magic once, but the image was burned vividly into his mind.
"[You are the avatar of hellfire. Sweep completely, bring a close to the great war.]"
The adventurers trapped in the gravity prison gasped in surprise as magical energy surged.
"[Burn them through, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf.]"
Suddenly, they realized their prison was lifted. Standing beside the chanting boy was the girl who had imprisoned them in the first place.
"[Rea Laevateinn]!!"
Columns of flame shot up one after another. The Apollo Familia members screamed at the sight of the strongest mage's ultra-long incantation spell.
By the time the flames died down, all enemies were down and unconscious. Toki lowered his staff and exhaled.
"Are they going to be okay...?"
The girl next to him, Mikoto, spoke up. Before them lay a battlefield of charred corpses; the ground scorched, the fallen twitching faintly.
"If this continues, some will die."
"What?!"
"Well, without any magic ability, using an ultra-long incantation like that will kill anyone with low status. But don't worry, I prepared high-grade healing potions just for this."
With that, Toki administered high potions only to those truly on the brink of death, leaving the rest as they were.
"That should do it. I've taken down... one, two, three... thirteen. Let's meet up with Lili now."
"Y-Yes!"
"...Why do you look so stiff-faced?"
Mikoto was a little unsettled by Toki's ruthless efficiency. Receiving her gaze, Toki turned and headed deeper into the castle.
==========
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