Starting a fight out on the streets would definitely earn you a punishment from the Guild.
And it'd be the patron deity of the adventurer's familia who'd get penalized.
But since most adventurers are hot-blooded by nature, clashes breaking out in public are pretty common. As long as things don't get out of hand, the Guild usually stays out of it.
In other words, since Hyakinthos's sneak attack didn't actually harm Alice, he wouldn't face any real punishment—just a half-hearted warning from the Guild directed at him personally.
But now, after that ambush, Hyakinthos was still pressing on, intent on finishing Alice off for good.
That was a clear violation of the Guild's rules.
If Hyakinthos failed to kill Alice and she survived, the Guild would absolutely punish Apollo for this.
However...
If Hyakinthos actually cared about the Guild's penalties, he wouldn't have launched a public sneak attack on Alice in the first place.
Though Orario is a remarkable city, when it all comes down to it, what matters most here is personal strength.
Power is everything.
The Guild's authority rests mainly with the patron deity Ouranos, and all its members are just administrative staff with little combat ability.
So, even though no familia can openly defy the Guild's punishments, and the penalties are harsh for smaller familias…
For the Apollo Familia, they're perfectly manageable.
Even if killing Alice was purely Hyakinthos's own idea, and not something Apollo wanted—
In fact, if Apollo knew what Hyakinthos was planning, he might even be furious.
But on the other hand, if Hyakinthos actually succeeded in killing Alice, Apollo wouldn't punish him over someone already dead.
He might even be pleased that Hyakinthos was so concerned about him—worried that he might be swayed by the 'witch'—and take it as a sign of loyalty.
So for Hyakinthos, now that he'd made his move, he had to make sure Alice was eliminated. Otherwise, he would definitely lose Apollo's favor.
"Have you joined a familia?" Hyakinthos settled into a combat stance, his voice low and focused as he faced Alice.
"No, I haven't joined any familia. So if you kill me, the Loki Familia won't interfere."
Alice's tone had turned cold.
From the moment she'd fought Bete outside the Loki Familia's home, she'd known this day would come—that sooner or later, she'd end up in a public fight.
She was a treasure.
Inevitably, someone would come pursuing her.
And since she had no intention of becoming anyone's plaything, the only one who could protect her was herself.
The kindness she'd later received from Loki and Hestia had made her think that maybe gods weren't so bad after all.
But now, even though the opponent wasn't the Loki Familia as she'd initially expected, the situation was unfolding just as she'd imagined.
All her efforts up to this point had been for this moment—to demonstrate her power and deter any gods like Apollo from making a move on her.
"Apollo Familia… I wonder how strong you really are. If you're just a second-rate group, I'll be very disappointed."
A faint smile touched Alice's lips, her eyes curving slightly, their depths growing intense.
"But judging from the reactions of everyone around, you seem quite well-known. So maybe taking on your entire familia as my first enemy isn't such a bad thing after all."
At that moment, Alice's mana erupted outward.
The overwhelming surge of magical energy stunned every adventurer nearby—including Hyakinthos.
Sensing the immense power radiating from her, Hyakinthos's pupils contracted sharply. His expression turned grave. "As I thought… I was right to make this move. Even if I hadn't attacked you, you would never have accepted Lord Apollo's invitation."
"So it would've come to this eventually—you turning against the Apollo Familia. Even without a familia, your strength is nothing to scoff at."
"Leaving you unchecked would only bring trouble to us later."
"But right now—you're still not enough!"
No sooner had he spoken than Hyakinthos vanished from where he stood, reappearing right in front of Alice in an instant. His fist shot straight toward her lovely face.
But his punch stopped about thirty centimeters away from her, blocked by an invisible barrier.
Alice was startled by Hyakinthos's sudden movement, but she kept her composure.
She knew her weaknesses well—close-quarters combat and lack of experience.
But she also knew her strengths: a mana pool so vast it could astonish even the gods, knowledge from Gensokyo, and a wide array of abilities.
Alice was special.
Compared to fighting in the Dungeon, facing Hyakinthos now was the first time she'd felt real pressure.
His speed was beyond what she could fully perceive.
And his raw power was formidable.
Even though her defensive barrier had blocked his attack, it had cost her a significant amount of mana. Still, she now had a clear measure of a Level 3 adventurer's offensive capability.
Alice raised her hand slightly.
A captivating smile graced her lips as she spoke softly.
'Fire Sign [Light of Vulcan]'
It wasn't a Spell Card.
After all, Spell Cards were just vessels for sealing magic—the danmaku inside followed set patterns, part of the game-like rules of Gensokyo. In real combat, they had clear weaknesses.
As for the instant-casting effect that Spell Cards provided, Alice could achieve the same effortlessly.
The moment her voice faded, Hyakinthos's Level 3 instincts screamed a warning. He immediately leaped away from his position—just as a massive vortex of flames erupted on the ground where he'd been standing.
The surrounding adventurers stared in shock at Alice's magic.
There had been no long incantation.
Before anyone could even process what happened, Alice calmly watched Hyakinthos and raised her hand again.
'Seal [High-Efficiency Magic Barrier]'
A pale golden barrier instantly materialized, separating the other adventurers and enclosing both Alice and Hyakinthos within.
Alice spoke once more.
'Sign One [St. Elmo's Explosion]'
A crimson magic circle rapidly expanded around her.
And then—
A tremendous explosion rocked the barrier.
The blast was so loud it deafened every adventurer nearby.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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