The man was in full armor, his face hidden with a helm.
"You are weak." He said, raising his sword high, bringing it down on the warlord.
Before he could finish Ottarl, I activated my magic, Astrum cordis, and sprinted forward, dragging Ottarl out of the attack range.
His sword touched the ground, forming a crater, like a meteor had just struck the very ground.
"Hm? Another pest?" Even though his face was hidden somehow, I could still feel his gaze boring through my very soul.
*Gulp* I gulped, but even then, my throat felt dry.
"Hey, old man," I said, trying to buy some time or gauge any information from him. "Don't know who you are, but can't you let us go? You already defeated Ottarl anyway."
"No. My disappointment won't allow me to do that."
"Disappointment? What the heck are you talking about?" My move was almost complete.
I just need a little more time.
Just a few seconds more.
"C'mon, old man, don't be like that."
"Arin Kael…" Ottarl called my name while struggling. "Run... you.. are not his match."
Shut up, you gorilla. You think I don't know that?
I am almost there.
"Have you completed your attack preparations?"
shit, he knew?
"Then here I come." He stepped forward. At that moment.
"Volunt ignis!" I shouted the name of my new magic, an extension of the existing Agni O magic.
The scattered flames from the battle—torch sconces, burning debris, even the small fires still smoldering from earlier explosions—all suddenly flared to life. But these weren't ordinary flames anymore. One by one, they shifted from orange to brilliant blue as my magic took hold of them.
I'd been quietly seeding them with fragments of my own fire while we talked, turning every flame in the area into an extension of my will. Now they all surged toward the armored figure like a coordinated assault of serpents.
*And all those flames moved toward him, he swung his massive sword, the wind pressure generated from the swing swatted the flames away.
His vision cleared, but his prey was no longer there.
Zald glanced down at his gauntleted hand, noting the faint scorch marks that hadn't been there before. The flames had actually managed to singe him, if only barely.
"Finally, someone promising but still disappointing," Zald said to no one but to himself.*
_____________________________________
I was running like my life depended on it, which it really did, dragging Ottarl along the ground as I ran and ran and ran some more.
The moment I felt my flames, which I'd sent his way, completely extinguish, panic truly set in.
"Who the fuck was that?!" I shouted at Ottarl while continuing to run. "And you're heavy as shit!"
"That... was Zald... Level 7 adventurer," Ottarl managed to gasp out.
Hearing that, I stopped dead in my tracks—partly from shock, partly because I saw Allen sprinting toward us from the opposite direction.
Allen skidded to a halt in front of us, his eyes immediately going to Ottarl's battered form.
Before he could even open his mouth, I cut him off. "Don't just stare at us—take him already! He's too damn heavy!"
I released Ottarl, letting his head unceremoniously thud against the ground, and pulled out my emergency communication device. My fingers fumbled with the particular sequence needed to contact Finn.
"Oi, Finn!" I barked into the device the moment the connection was established. "There's a Level 7 among the enemy ranks!"
"And Ottarl was defeated, am I correct?" He said before I could report.
"How do you know?" But the answer came in the form of shouting and yelling from the enemy side.
"""Zald!! Zald!! Zald!! Zald!!"""
"Never mind, I got it," I said, hearing the band of zealots going crazier.
"Also, there is not one level 7 but two of them," Finn informed me.
"What!" If that old man was Zald, then the other must be Alfia?
"It's Saphira Elmareth, The Duskwitch."
"Sorry, who?" I was confused; it was the first time I heard that name.
"She was a member of Hera's familia, rival of Alfia, the silence."
Yeah, that tells me nothing.
"Riveria and Gareth engaged her," Finn continued, his voice strained through the communication device. "They're both injured but stable."
I felt my chest tighten, but I tried to keep my voice steady, but ultimately failed. "How badly?"
"Gareth has some broken ribs and internal bleeding—nothing to worry about. Riveria has a broken arm and some internal injury." There was a pause. "She's fine, Arin. You know she's tougher than most of us."
I closed my eyes for a moment, processing the information. The relief was immediate, but so was the frustration of being so far away when my people were getting hurt.
"I know," I said quietly. "And I know she'd have my head if I compromised the people's safety by rushing back now."
"Exactly. She specifically told me to tell you that if you even think about abandoning your position, she'll use you for spell target practice when this is over."
Despite everything, I found myself smiling slightly. That sounded exactly like something Riveria would say.
"Understood. Keep me informed."
"Will do. Now focus on what's in front of you."
The communication cut off, I turned back to see Allen with an uncomfortable face, supporting an unconscious Ottarl. Allen gave a nod, to which I nodded back.
"I will be on my way now," I said and rushed to climb a house and jumped to another. I was trying to use as little magic as I could to preserve my mind reserve.
That Volunt Ignis magic I used against Zald drained me more than I expected. Converting existing flames and controlling them remotely was far more taxing than simply creating my own fire. No wonder I feel so exhausted now.
.
.
.
I was again running here and there, eliminating foes, rescuing people. But that bad feeling still lingered; it was getting so strong that I could feel my stomach churn.
Before long, I found Astraea and Hermes along with Alise, Ryuu, Kaguya, and Filvis. Filvis seems to have an aversion to actively participating in a battle, as she always remains by Astraea's side.
"I do not know you were that brave, Hermes, roaming around so carefreely," I called out as I landed in front of them.
Hermes flashed his trademark mischievous grin, adjusting his feathered hat with a theatrical flourish. "Brave? Me? Oh no, no, no, my dear Arin. I'm just here as Lady Astraea's personal bodyguard. Can't have anything happening to such a beautiful goddess on my watch, now can we?"
"So you do not mind if I tell that exact thing to Lydia, huh?" I tried to lighten the mood as I could see all of them were tense for some reason. And Hermes caught on to that as well.
"No, you got the wrong idea! That's—that's completely different!" Hermes protested. "This is purely professional! Strategic positioning! Divine protection protocols!"
Alise snorted with laughter. "Divine protection protocols? Really?"
"It's a legitimate thing!" Hermes insisted desperately. "Ask anyone! Ask Astraea!"
Astraea simply shook her head with an amused smile. "I think you've dug yourself deep enough, Hermes."
"You're all ganging up on me!" Hermes whined. "This is harassment! Divine harassment!"
Ryuu finally spoke up, unable to understand the intent. "Perhaps we should focus on the mission at hand?"
"Yes!" Hermes jumped on the lifeline gratefully. "The mission! Very important! Life and death situation! No time for personal conversations!"
"Don't worry, Hermes," I said with a grin. "Your secret is safe... for now."
His relieved expression immediately turned suspicious. "What do you mean by 'for now'?"
We were making banters when the ground shook.
No.. The entire city shook.
"…Huh?"
A bright light enveloped everything. The sky cried out as if in pain. The earth roiled as if alive. As above, so below.
"What's that…?" whispered Alise, looking over the buildings to the east, where a pillar of light penetrated the clouds. The light was bright enough to momentarily blind all who saw it. The noise was loud enough to deafen all who heard it.
*A divine scream.
All over the city, time seemed to come to a halt. Adventurers, Evilius, and gods alike all turned to face the pillar and froze.
True evil was beginning.
It laughed, a merciless, pitiless, unjust laugh.
.
.
.
"One."
The ground jolted beneath their feet. They could do nothing but stare at the pillar of divine light, in wonder and fear.
"No way…" In Central Park, Loki's mind stopped working as she stared at the heavenly pillar. Beside her, Raul stood silent, quivering with dread like the other civilians in the area.
"Th-that's…" he began.
"…the Pillar of Light," finished Finn, his thumb wailing as its whispered prophecy came to pass.
"The sign of a god returning to heaven!!"
No one said a word.
Only the laughter of an evil god filled the silence.
"Two."
A second count; a second pillar. A second rumbling of the earth.
"What was that?! Another one?!"
"Impossible…!!" In the north of the city, Ardee and Shakti shivered with fear as they saw it.
"Rgh…?!" Ryuu stood speechless, watching the intense rays of light flow upward into the sky.
"Three."
The victims kept coming. Over to the west, another pillar burst forth and pierced the clouds.
"No…"
"…You ain't tellin' me that…" Asfi and Lyra—the former exhausted from carrying Riveria and Gareth back to Central Park, the latter weary from battle—stood chained in fear. Both of these sharp-witted girls had already guessed what was about to happen next, and their faces went pale.
"Four."
Chaos turned to panic as adventurers across the city realized what was happening…and what it meant.
"Gods are bein' defeated?"
"But without our blessings…Oh gods, no!"
"…Somebody, heeeeeelp!!"
They paled. They screamed. They pleaded for their lives. But the forces of evil cut them down without mercy.
"Five."
More divine pillars appeared. The black knives of evil gods feasted on their helpless victims one after the other.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Haaah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!"
Valletta laughed out loud as she watched the columns of light filling the sky. It was a divine exodus unlike any before.
"The adventurers are droppin' like flies!" she chuckled.
"Six."
Order was falling apart, and through the cracks came chaos, worming its way into reality. The people lost all hope, and many were certain they were witnessing the end of the world.
"Lord Belenus of Belenus Familia has been sent back to heaven!"
"Zelus Familia have been completely wiped out!"
At Guild HQ, the receptionists screamed their reports as more waves of information came rushing in. It was the only way to stay sane given their shocking contents. Royman stood at the center of it all, as if frozen in time.
"Sent back…? Wiped out…? So without the gods' blessings, the Evils are targeting the weakened adventurers…"
"Seven."
Despair spread throughout the city, as the unstoppable march of evil racked up sin after sin.
"Gh…hah…?!" Vito's cruel blade stole the life of another brave adventurer, whose body crumpled to the ground.
"Destruction! Chaos! Slaughter! Oh, it's all so good!"
"Eight."
It was the end of days. A time when evil finally got its revenge on all those who pursued justice.
"Hee-hee. Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"
Olivas laughed alongside his soldiers. He knew the fulfillment of his dark god's wish was soon at hand, and he practically drooled with anticipation.
"It begins! The fall of Orario! Khah-hah-hah! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haha!!"
"Nine."
Nine pillars of light. Nine gods returned to the heavens. Never before had an exodus like this ever been seen. But while the city reeled, the servants of evil breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Now, it is ready," said he. There was nobody left to see the strings with which he tugged at the city's fate. He gave a sweep of his arm, like a conductor ending a musical performance.
"We've collected all the sacrifices. Now, let's go."*