Chapitre 24: Goddess Apate
In one of the many dark alleys of Orario, two men in black cloaks walk, chatting among themselves.
"Hehe, did you see the face of that level 4 adventurer when we killed two members of his family right in front of him, kekeke?" one of the cloaked men chuckled with pleasure beneath the cloak covering his face.
"Tsk, who would have thought that bastard would find the strength to launch a desperate strike. We should have tortured him more before killing him," the man beneath his hood, revealing a fierce face, touched a large scar on his forehead that was still partially bleeding and complained.
"Hehe, stop whining. We're almost back to base, and they'll heal you there. Besides, what's one more scar or less, right?" the other man mocked his companion's complaints.
The hooded man continued walking with a smile, expecting curses from his companion. However, after a while, no one responded.
"Hey, don't leave me talking to myself!" Angry, the hooded man turned around, but as he did, his pupils beneath the cloak suddenly contracted.
Turning around, the hooded man saw a terrifying scene: a tall man with short green hair and a red crystal on his head had impaled his already dead companion through the chest with a spear.
"I don't think your companion can answer you now..." A raspy voice came from the man.
~WHOOSH~
Before the man could react and start running, the green-haired man pulled the spear from his companion's chest, aimed it at him, and with tremendous speed, ran towards him.
~SHARP METALLIC CLASH~
Gathering all his strength, the hooded man barely managed to block the green-haired man's spear, but the spear still pierced his side.
"GAH* hehe, you damn bastard, I managed to block it," the hooded man spat blood, putting on a grin, his teeth stained with blood.
The hooded man planned his next move, but before he could do anything, the voice of the green-haired man sounded again.
"Congratulations, you've managed to live a few seconds longer."
~WET HISS~
Before the hooded man could understand the green-haired man's words, he felt something pierce through his body. Looking towards his chest, the man saw a spear piercing through him.
"Remember for your next life, Superds never hunt alone," the green-haired man told the hooded man, who was already dying.
~THUD~
Dropping the body to the ground, another Superd with a bald head and a red crystal on his forehead said with a hint of surprise in his voice, "These were quite strong; he even managed to block your spear. If we hadn't taken them by surprise, the battle would have lasted a bit longer."
"I overheard them talking; they seemed to have killed a level 4 adventurer. Both of them should have been at that level, or at least one of them..." the short green-haired Superd said in his usual raspy voice.
Surprise appeared on another bald Superd's face, then with a big smile, he said, "Oh, then they were elite members of the dark faction... Hehe, you know what that means? It seems we'll be able to upgrade our weapons now."
The short green-haired Superd also smiled upon hearing his clan brother's words.
Two days ago, the family leaders held a large meeting where all family members attended. During that meeting, they discussed future actions to eliminate the dark faction.
In the end, orders were given to destroy any strong members of the dark faction. Of course, the family didn't make them work for free.
As a reward for anyone who managed to kill an elite member of the dark faction, they would receive a first-level weapon specially made by Talhand, the family's blacksmith.
Not that there is a shortage of weapons in their family, but first-level weapons are still rare. Unless you're a main family member, or in other words, a level 5 adventurer, the rest of the family can only have second-level weapons.
So, both of them are quite excited because by reporting the hunt of two elite members of the dark faction, they'll be able to receive a first-level weapon.
"Let's patrol a few more times and then head back home," the short green-haired adventurer told the bald adventurer.
"Understood."
...
Rozzo Family Administration Office.
Today, Elinalise, Riveria, Lilia, and Roxy are very busy with many papers showing information about the situation in Orario.
"We've eliminated one level 5, five level 4s, and twenty level 3s..." Elinalise received the papers from Roxy and reported the status of the dark faction.
Riveria, who heard the information, said seriously, "The numbers eliminated by the Loki and Freya families are smaller, but still a good amount. Soon, the dark faction won't be able to bear the loss and will start attacking with force."
Lilia, who stood stoically behind Riveria, added, "When you corner a rat, all it can do is bite."
Standing up, Riveria approached a large map hanging on a wall, and with a solemn face, she placed her hands on the map and said, "Now we need to figure out where they will attack..."
Elinalise, Roxy, and Lilia looked at the map of Orario and began to think deeply.
While everyone was deep in thought, they didn't notice the door opening, and a girl with fiery red hair and another elf with white hair and red eyes entered the room.
"Teacher!" Sylphie, who saw her teacher, greeted with a smile.
Riveria and the other girls in the room, who snapped out of their stupor upon seeing Eris and Sylphie, were briefly surprised.
"Sylphie, sorry I didn't see you. I was focused on something," Riveria greeted her dear apprentice with a smile.
"Hehe, I saw that, It seems to be something important. Can I know?" Sylphie asked curiously.
Eris, who hadn't said anything since she arrived, also perked up her ears to listen to the situation.
"Umu, don't worry; it's no secret. As you know, we've been cornering the dark faction since last week when we started the war. Now we were trying to predict where they might attack when they become desperate," Riveria had no problem telling her apprentice the situation, after all, it's her wish to cultivate her as her successor.
Sylphie understood her teacher dilemma, and she also began to think deeply to see if she could help.
On the other hand, Eris, who had been keeping silent, suddenly spoke up, "My master taught me something he called the art of war, which is about learning how to think like your enemy in a war."
Riveria, Sylphie, Elinalise, and the rest of the girls looked at Eris with interest.
"If I were their enemy and wanted to harm them without losing too much strength, then I would attack important points for adventurers, like production sites, whether it's food or weapons," Eris always pays close attention to any teachings from her master, so she understood well what he meant by thinking like your enemy.
Riveria and Elinalise's eyes lit up as if a lightbulb had turned on in their heads.
Lilia looked at Eris with satisfaction, as the daughter-in-law of her family, both Zenith and she are very proud of Eris.
Roxy, on her part, quickly took out her notebook and wrote down the so-called "Art of War" that Eris mentioned.
Meanwhile, Sylphie looked on with some envy and a hint of hostility.
Sylphie naturally noticed the relationship between Rudeus and Eris, which filled her with envy, and she also feels resentment towards Eris for taking Rudeus away. (I've thought about it and I'll leave only Sylphie and Eris with Rudeus; with Roxy, I see no reason, so I'll leave just the two, and later I'll handle their relationship well.)
Setting aside her thoughts, Sylphie shook her head. Now is not the time to think about that; the family is going through an important moment.
Eris, who noticed Sylphie's hostility, didn't say much. After all, she also feels somewhat guilty for leaving Sylphie behind.
Riveria, who didn't notice any of this because she was busy thinking about the next course of action, finally made a decision and outlined a plan of action.
"What Eris said makes a lot of sense. Elinalise, please inform the Loki and Freya families so we can make a plan to protect these important points," Riveria finally made a decision and charted a course of action.
"Immediately, Riveria-chan!" Elinalise didn't hesitate and immediately went to find the Loki and Freya families to inform them.
Riveria turned to Eris and said with a grateful look, "Thank you for your help, Eris. Kami-sama would surely be proud of you."
Eris put on a proud smile; she has come to respect her master a lot, so receiving such praise makes her happy.
Riveria chuckled at Eris's reaction, then, putting on a more serious face, she said, "Well, let's go find Kami-sama. We need to tell him the information we received."
"Yes, Riveria-sama," everyone nodded and followed Riveria.
---
Riveria's private training room.
It has been two weeks since the start of the war against the dark faction, and during this time, the alliance of the families of Orario has continued its relentless attack on the forces of the dark faction.
Today, Riveria is training her magical control in her personal training room. Riveria does this exercise every four days to ensure she doesn't rust her magic.
Suddenly, the door to her training room opened, revealing Elinalise and Arkanh.
Riveria frowned; unless it's something very important, Elinalise normally doesn't let anyone interrupt her training, which means this time there could be something significant.
"Elinalise, is something wrong?" Seeing Elinalise approaching with an anxious face, Riveria asked with concern.
Elinalise, who had sweat on her forehead, immediately responded upon hearing Riveria's question, "Riveria-chan, Arkanh and his research group found something very important."
Four days after the start of the war, Riveria asked Arkanh to take an elite group and focus on gathering enemy intelligence.
"What did they find?" Riveria asked Arkanh.
Arkanh didn't hesitate and spoke immediately, "Riveria-sama, we have found the location of the Apate family."
"What!?" Riveria, upon hearing Arkanh's report, exclaimed in surprise.
The Apate family, one of the leaders of the dark faction, of course, Riveria doesn't pay attention to them just for that. The main reason Riveria harbors great dislike towards that family is because of the information Arkanh gave her.
According to this information, the Apate family kidnapped 12 elves and experimented on them using the power of spirits. In the process of experimentation, they managed to obtain an "effective" method of using the power of spirits, thus turning these elves into level 5 beings.
Of course, the experiment didn't go well. After constant torture and brainwashing, these elves became killing machines without any feelings.
When Riveria received the information, she was very angry. The fact that not only did they kidnap her tribe, but also experimented on them and tainted them, made Riveria, as a former elf princess, feel deeply offended.
After that, she immediately asked Arkanh to investigate everything about that family to find their whereabouts to destroy them immediately.
"Is that clear, Arkanh?" Riveria asked again.
"Yes, Riveria-sama, the information was confirmed by me personally," Arkanh said with a firm look.
With the information she wanted, Riveria immediately ordered in a cold tone, "Elinalise, prepare everyone in the family. Tonight, we will have a total crusade against them."
Feeling Riveria's mood, Elinalise immediately nodded, "I will do it right away, Riveria-chan. Everyone will be ready in half an hour."
Riveria nodded, and Elinalise quickly left to give orders along with Arkanh, who went to prepare the superd.
For her part, Riveria, with a dark mood, headed to her room to pick up her equipment and cleanse those who spat on the honor of her race.
...
Daedalus Street.
Daedalus Street, an enormous place rumored to be unknown even to the people who live there.
Based on a massive labyrinth, Daedalus Street is designed to get you lost with countless alleyways and places that lead nowhere, undoubtedly a place no one wants to go.
In the deepest part of Daedalus Street is a medium-sized house covered with a small wall and a metal gate.
Inside this house, some lights can be seen, and screams can be heard from within.
In the living room of the house, a woman was sitting at a table full of alcoholic drinks.
"Damn it, can't they do anything right!?" with black hair and eyes, the woman sitting at the table cursed with a distorted face.
"The damn alliance is tearing us apart, and we haven't even been able to strike back! That damn Erebus was supposed to have Alfia and Zald moving long ago, so why haven't they shown up yet!?" The woman grabbed her hair in frustration.
The repeated victories of the Orario alliance have affected her confidence, and now the dark faction is in a precarious situation.
And she, as one of the leaders, is the most stressed.
"However, as long as you're with me, there will always be an opportunity..." The woman looked fondly at the twelve elven figures placed in a corner of the room, their eyes vacant as they stared at the ceiling.
"Soon... We'll make all those bastards pay, we'll take over Orario, Primordial!? Heh, this isn't Tenkai anymore, now we're all equals!!, kekeke" the woman laughed maniacally.
~KNOCK~ ~KNOCK~ ~KNOCK~
"Eh? Who the hell is knocking on the door so loudly?" the woman got up and opened the door with annoyance.
Upon opening it, Apate saw a woman with raccoon ears.
The raccoon-eared woman, upon seeing her Goddess, immediately spoke to her with panic, "Apate-sama, according to my informants, there has been a lot of activity in Daedalus recently, I suspect we might have been found!!"
Apate, upon hearing the information from her familiar, only grunted in response and looked at her disdainfully, "Hmph, you idiot Basram, this is Daedalus, do you really think they'll find us here? Even if they have a clue, so what? How many days will it take them to reach this place?"
"T-This, but Apate-sama, isn't it better to move just in case?" Basram continued to persuade Apate.
"I've already told you Basram!! No one will come here-!!" Apate was about to finish her words when she felt a huge amount of mana accumulating.
"What the hell!?" Walking towards her window, Apate approached to see if she could spot anything.
After looking out the window, Apate's pupils shrank abruptly upon seeing a large group of people surrounding her house.
"Quickly, elves, create a barrier!!" the desperate Apate, sensing the mana concentration from one of the people surrounding the house, immediately ordered her elves.
Like puppets pulling their strings, the elves who hadn't moved even upon feeling the huge amount of mana concentrated on their heads, after receiving the order, immediately began to create the barrier.
[OH! Spirit of earth, protect our lives with your firm shield..] x 12
A barrier of earth and mana spread out, covering the entire Apate family.
"Damn it, keep gathering mana, what kind of spell is that!?" Apate asked herself solemnly.
Suddenly, a soft voice was heard, "Destroy everything in your path until they turn into ashes once and for all! Advanced sword of victory——"
After hearing the chant, Apate saw a huge column of fire falling towards the house, hitting the barrier created by the twelve elves.
~BOOM~
A horrible explosion shook the house, sending everything flying and destroying all the walls of the residence.
Amidst the smoke and dust, a cry for help was soon heard.
"*Cough* *cough*, Basram, help me!" Apate, who had been thrown into the air and hit the table, received several wounds to her back, and upon seeing her injuries, quickly asked for help from her loyal follower.
"Basram!?" Apate, not hearing her follower, became impatient; the pain was terrible. Crawling on the floor, Apate tried to leave the house. "You damn bastard, where are you... Eh!?"
However, after crawling a few steps, the first thing she saw was Basram, who had been impaled by a column from the house.
Instead of showing any pity on her face, Apate became even more irritated. "Ah, useless, you're good for nothing!!"
"Elves, come to me!" Apate, seeing that the smoke was dissipating, sought help from her puppets.
Seeing that no elf was coming, Apate became even more impatient, and some fear began to appear on her face. Getting up with difficulty, she walked towards the door of the room.
Exiting the room to the entrance of the house, Apate was stunned by the scene in front of her.
"T-This, how!? Impossible, my elves are the strongest!!" Apate, seeing that almost all of her elves were dead, screamed in agony.
Half of her elves seemed to have died from the explosion, and from the rest, five of them seemed to have been cut with swords, and now only one of them was crawling on the floor.
This scene Apate never imagined in her head; after all, twelve level five in her opinion, even if they were to face Loki and Freya head-on, she would still win. Then, seeing all her elves dead, Apate fell into despair.
However, before she could go try to rescue her elves, a voice rang out from behind her.
"I tried to talk to them... But it seems they have become puppets completely, now I can only give them peace" A voice tinged with sadness sounded behind Apate.
Turning around, the Goddess came face to face with a beautiful elf woman who looked sadly at the dead elves.
"Riveria-chan" another elf who was following Riveria, approached with her sword drawn and blood dripping.
Ignoring Elinalise's call, Riveria walked towards the crawling elf and squatted in front of him, speaking softly and kindly, "Now I will send you back to the hands of Mother Earth; I hope you rest, and don't worry, all your sins have been washed away today."
Taking her staff, Riveria cast a spell, "Disintegration..."
A soft golden light emanated from Riveria's staff and soon enveloped all the elves; after coming into contact with them, they immediately began to disintegrate.
Riveria closed her eyes and lowered her head, remaining silent for the tragic death of her compatriots.
Elinalise, who was nearby, also remained silent and bowed her head, expressing her sorrow.
However, soon a violent and arrogant voice interrupted the silence that Riveria had kept.
"You damn elf! What did you do to my elves!? How dare you harm them!! How dare you oppose this Goddess, humble mortal who knows not her place!!" Apate, who could barely walk, pointed and cursed at Riveria.
Lifting her head, Riveria saw Apate with murderous intentions, although she would love to take her staff and kill the Goddess, she knows that cannot happen.
After all, one of the main rules of Orario is that a mortal cannot kill a God, although the dark faction disregards that rule only because they are insane and care not one bit about breaking rules.
But Riveria cannot do that; as captain of the Rozzo family, if it is known that she broke the taboo and killed a God, it will bring the hostility of many Gods, which is very bad for her family. So, for the sake of her family, she can only bear the murderous intentions in her heart.
Elinalise, who was farther away, also clenched her fists trying not to cut down the Goddess out of anger; she, like Riveria, also knew that killing a God was not a good idea.
Luckily for both of them, soon footsteps were heard approaching them.
Soon, a man with golden hair and eyes arrived on the battlefield.
"Kami-Sama!" Riveria, who saw her God, resisted the temptation to jump into her God's arms and tell him all her grievances.
"My little Riveria, it seems they have hurt you," Kaylon, seeing Riveria's face, immediately understood the state of his elf, guessing the situation, Kaylon directed his gaze towards Apate.
On the other hand, Apate, who felt Kaylon's gaze, put aside her previous arrogance, and a trace of fear appeared on her face.
Kaylon approached Apate with an indifferent face, getting close enough to stand in front of her. Kaylon looked at the trembling Goddess before him.
"It seems you've been having fun in Genkai, Apate," Kaylon said with a voice that showed no emotion.
"K-Kaylon, I know I made a mistake, and I'm willing to surrender to the guild. You have to remember the rules, the only way to judge a God is by conducting the Denatus; you can't kill me," Apate spoke haltingly out of fear, trying to gain a ray of hope for herself.
Kaylon, who heard Apate's words, put on a cold face and sneered, "Heh, you, Apate, talking about respecting the rules?... Heh, you're truly a hypocrite."
Then, bringing his hand to Apate's neck, Kaylon said with an emotionless face, "Unfortunately for you, I don't give a shit about what the Denatus says. I judge you here and now."
~CRASH~
Applying great force with his hand, with his level 3 strength, Kaylon easily broke the Goddess's neck.
Apate, who did not expect Kaylon to kill her, put on a bewildered face before dying.
~BOOM~
The huge pillar of light rose, piercing the sky, illuminating the entire dark Orario.
Riveria, who saw the pillar of light, breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that the person who had caused so much harm to her compatriots had received punishment.
Suddenly, Riveria felt arms surround hers.
"You've done a great job, Riveria, you've saved those elves... You've brought them peace." Embracing Riveria, Kaylon said softly.
Riveria, being held by her God, could no longer hold back, and small tears formed in her eyes; turning around, she buried her head in her God's chest.
"Oh, my sweet and delicate Riveria..." Stroking Riveria's head affectionately, Kaylon gently kissed her head.
Elinalise, who was nearby and saw the scene, bit her lip with envy; she too wants a love like that!
After a while, Riveria regained her composure and lifted her head with a determined look. "Kami-sama, we must restore peace to Orario; this is not the adventure city I always wanted to know. I want us to make it the city of dreams and hopes it should be!"
Kaylon, seeing the new fire in Riveria's eyes, smiled and said, "You have my full support, my little Riveria."
Looking at the dark circles of exhaustion under Riveria's eyes, Kaylon said, "But now we must go rest..."
Taking Riveria like a princess, Kaylon walked towards where the rest of the family was, with Elinalise behind them.
----_--_-------------------------_---_---------_--_------------
Well, today's chapter ends here; I hope you like it.
For those who find it strange that the family defeated the twelve level 5 elves so easily, please note that they are only pseudo-level 5 adventurers.
In the original story, the Freya family also dealt with them quite easily, so it shouldn't be difficult for the Rozzo family.
Thank you for your support!!
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