In the face of the Loki Familia's combined pressure...
Even the skull-masked man flinched, instinctively taking a step back as his bravado cracked for the briefest moment.
'What am I doing?'
The thought struck him sharply.
Only then did he realize what he had just done.
'Was I... intimidated just now?'
His fingers curled into a tight fist, nails digging into his palm as his teeth ground together beneath the mask.
'Me? The one chosen by "her"?'
The very idea made his blood boil.
'Impossible!'
He forcefully crushed that fleeting sense of unease, refusing to acknowledge it as anything more than a momentary lapse.
Straightening his posture, he threw his head back and opened his mouth.
"Fine! Loki Familia... you are going to regret this!"
He shouted as he raised both arms high.
"Viscum! Violas! Hear my command! Come forth!"
His voice echoed unnaturally across the area.
The very next second, the earth trembled violently, the stone beneath their feet shuddering as if something massive had begun to stir below.
"Something is coming..."
Tione muttered as her gaze snapped downward, her instincts screaming in warning.
"No... it's coming from the sewers!"
Finn said sharply, his eyes widening as realization hit him.
ROAR—
High-pitched, shrill roars erupted from all directions, overlapping and screeching against the night air.
Then the ground burst open.
Stone and dirt exploded outward as plant-like monsters surged up from below, thick vines tearing through pavement as one grotesque form after another emerged into the open.
"Hey! These are the monsters we fought during the Monster Feria!"
Tiona exclaimed as she recognized the familiar shapes now surrounding them.
"Which basically confirms these guys were the ones behind that attack, right?"
Tione added, her eyes narrowing as she assessed their movements.
But it didn't end there.
"Another new species..."
Riveria spoke quietly, her sharp green eyes lifting toward the towering monsters rising above the rest.
Massive flower-shaped monsters, their grotesque petals slowly opening and closing as a rotten stench poured from their cores.
"Yeah... he called them Viscum."
Finn said as he studied them with his gaze.
"They resemble the Violas, but their size... they're about as big as the Goliath. And there are three of them."
The monsters finished emerging, spreading out until they formed a loose circle around the Loki Familia, effectively boxing them in.
"Safe to assume they're as strong as a Monster Rex?"
Riveria asked with narrowed eyes.
"Size doesn't usually mean much, but judging from the pressure they're giving off... they're likely around level 5."
Finn replied.
'A level 7 fighter... and an army of monsters of this caliber that they can control.'
'Who are these people? Evilus? or a group that is trying to succeed them?'
Finn frowned slightly, the weight of the situation pressing down on him, yet his posture never wavered.
His grip on his spear remained steady, eyes sharp as he continued to observe every movement.
"Haha... I like your tense expressions, do you finally realize your foolishness?"
The skull-masked man said, spreading his arms as if welcoming their fear.
"Beings such as you... who allow yourselves to be toyed with by the Gods... are inferior to a Supreme Being like me!"
He threw his head back and laughed again, voice tinged with manic fervor.
While the skull-masked man indulged in his grandiose monologue like a typical villain, Finn moved.
Subtle hand gestures... barely noticeable to anyone not trained to watch for them... passed through the ranks of the Loki Familia.
Adventurers shifted their footing, spread out just enough to avoid clustering, weapons subtly repositioned.
At the same time, Finn signaled the lower-level members to move toward the armory, quietly instructing them to arm themselves while they still had the chance.
Whether the enemy's arrogance had blinded him to these preparations... or whether he simply didn't care... was irrelevant.
Finn would take every opening he was given.
"But that's enough talk... my army is hungry for blood."
The skull-masked man sneered, spreading his arms wide once more.
"Viscum! Violas! Attack!"
He barked the command, and the monsters reacted immediately.
However...
Instead of charging straight at the Loki Familia, the three Viscum turned and thundered off in different directions, accompanied by a large army of Violas.
Their massive bodies smashed through streets and buildings alike.
"Huh?"
The realization hit a split second too late.
"Oh no! He's releasing those monsters into the city!"
Finn clicked his tongue and bit down on his thumb.
"So that's your game plan, huh?"
"Haha! That's right, Braver! What will you do now?" the skull-masked man replied with a smug grin.
The answer came instantly.
"Tione, Raul, Alicia," Finn called out, his voice firm and decisive.
"Take command of the others. Intercept those monsters, protect the city, and evacuate the civilians. Effective immediately."
There was no hesitation.
They nodded sharply and sprang into motion, rallying their groups as they raced after the rampaging monsters.
The enemy made no attempt to stop them.
Splitting the Loki Familia's forces was exactly what they wanted.
"Riveria, Ais, Bete, Tiona."
Finn continued, shifting his stance.
"You stay here with me. We'll handle these guys."
He turned his head briefly toward Loki.
"Loki, get to safety. We don't know if they have a God or Goddess on their side who might try to send you back to Heaven."
"Ren," he added without pause.
"Protect her at all costs."
"At your command, Captain!"
Ren replied, snapping a crisp salute.
Finn issued orders rapidly.
He spared Loki one last glance before his focus snapped back to the battlefield.
Because at that moment...
The armored figure took a single step forward.
And the pressure in the air changed instantly.
"Shit has hit the fan, huh?"
Loki muttered as she watched the chaos unfold before her.
Her gaze lingered on Finn and the others for a brief moment, something unreadable flickering across her eyes.
"Everyone... win!"
She shouted the words with uncharacteristic force before turning on her heel and sprinted towards safety with Ren close behind, Judas' unconscious body slung carefully over his shoulder.
"That lousy goddess..."
Bete clicked his tongue, rolling his shoulders as he drew his dual short swords.
"She didn't need to say that. Of course we'll win."
He bared his fangs in something halfway between a grin and a snarl.
"Alright then... let's do this, Loki Familia."
The skull-masked man chuckled—and in the same breath, the armored figure standing beside him vanished.
Ais' instincts screamed.
Her body reacted before her thoughts could catch up as she twisted her torso and raised her sword...
CLANG!
A deafening metallic impact tore through the air as a black blade collided with her own, sparks exploding outward in a violent spray.
The shockwave ripped across the courtyard, cracking stone and forcing everyone nearby to brace themselves.
Ais was hurled backward, her boots carving deep grooves into the ground as she struggled to keep her balance...
Only for Riveria to appear behind her and catch her by the shoulders, halting her momentum before she could be sent flying any farther.
Before the armored figure could press further...
Finn struck.
He lunged in from the side, spear flashing as he unleashed a series of precise, lightning-fast thrusts aimed for vital points.
Each strike was calculated, refined through years of combat.
The armored man didn't retreat.
He simply raised his sword and deflected every attack with minimal movement, steel meeting steel again and again as their arms moved so fast they blurred together.
To an untrained eye, it would've looked like nothing more than flickering afterimages colliding in midair.
"Tempest!"
A feminine voice rang out.
Ais surged forward once more, green wind roaring around her as she accelerated to terrifying speed.
Her blade slashed forward, wrapped in compressed gales meant to tear through flesh and armor alike.
The armored figure raised his free hand.
And stopped it.
Barehanded.
One slash.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
One Hundred.
It didn't matter how many times Ais struck... every single attack was blocked, deflected, or redirected with unnerving ease.
The sharp clang of metal echoed repeatedly through the courtyard, each impact ringing like a warning bell.
The armored figure hadn't taken a single step back.
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