Chương 21: "Chapter 21 War Game or Total Destruction"
After Alex's group left the Dungeon, they decided to go out for a meal to celebrate Lili's first successful raid. She had achieved what she never dreamed of before. However, there was one detail Alex had forgotten—what Lili had said when she was lying on the dungeon floor, exhausted.
— Do you remember what I told you? That when I regained my strength, I would strangle you for what you put me through, — Lili said, narrowing her eyes at Alex.
— I don't know what you're talking about. Shouldn't you be proud of yourself for what you've accomplished? — Alex asked, having completely forgotten about Lili's threat.
— She said she would strangle you when she regained her strength, — Ais replied in a flat tone on behalf of Lili, causing Alex's eye to twitch.
— That's right, now come here and take your deserved punishment for your jokes, — Lili said, jumping on Alex's back and attempting a chokehold.
— Mmmm, the hugs of a cute girl are always pleasant, even if they are extreme when she's hugging you this way, — Alex said, paying no mind to Lili's attempts to strangle him.
— Do you even care that I'm trying to strangle you? — Lili asked, hanging on Alex's back.
— No, I do care. I'm just enjoying the hug, — Alex said, spreading his arms.
— YOU! I'll get you back for this, or better yet, I'll tell Hestia-sama everything you did to me, — Lili said, still trying to strangle Alex and threatening to tell Hestia everything.
— Lili, you're forcing me to do this, — Alex said in a tone that made Lili panic.
— Do what? — Lili asked nervously.
— Do this. Another silly fact for you, my friends: "Our eyes always see our nose, but just ignore it." And now that you've heard this, you started noticing your nose. You can no longer ignore it, — Alex said, employing his silly fact tactic, causing a short circuit in the minds of Lili, Tiona, and Ais, who started looking at their noses.
— What did you do? How do I stop seeing it? — Tiona panicked.
— It's just a joke. Over time, you'll start ignoring it again. It's like a habit that makes you overlook small things in your life. The simplest example is when you're in your room, you don't notice things, but the moment something is out of place, it feels like something's wrong. And when you put it back in place, you start ignoring it again because everything is in its place, — Alex said, sharing his little wisdom.
— It's that simple? — Tiona asked, eliciting nods from Lili and Ais.
— Yes, it's that simple. Now let's stop wasting time, we still need to go celebrate Lili's first raid, — Alex said, deciding to move forward.
Tiona, Ais, and Lili shook their heads at his carelessness and decided to move ahead. As Alex's group left the Babylon area, heading for lunch, a pair of beautiful eyes watched them from the upper floors of Babylon. These eyes, fixated on Alex's silhouette, belonged to the goddess Freya. She continued trying to discern his soul, but each time, she was met with failure. All she saw when attempting to observe his soul was a mist that enveloped him, shielding him from prying eyes. Yet, each time Freya saw this mist, her interest in Alex only grew. She became increasingly convinced that he could dispel her boredom.
"My lady, you continue to observe this newcomer. Have you been able to see anything?" asked the man standing behind Freya, her loyal bodyguard.
"No, Ottar. I still cannot discern his soul, which only makes me more curious about him," Freya said, not taking her eyes off Alex's silhouette.
"I understand, my lady. Would you like me to investigate him?" Ottar asked. He was a boar-type zoanmorph with a body like a rock, standing over two meters tall. He had brown hair, eyes the color of rust, and a pair of boar ears.
"No need, as it would only push him further away from us. Besides, I believe he will show something interesting during the War Game against the Apollo family. I'm still curious how someone like him ended up in Hestia's family," Freya replied, anticipation evident as she absentmindedly bit her thumbnail.
"I understand, my lady," Ottar replied, never questioning Freya's words, always following her directives.
"I look forward to the moment when this game begins, to see what Alex will demonstrate during the battle against the Apollo family," Freya said with a slight smile, taking a sip of wine from her glass.
Meanwhile...
In the Apollo family, another girl woke up from a nightmare, plagued ever since Apollo declared war on the Hestia family. She had been unable to sleep properly as nightmares tormented her, yet each time she woke, she couldn't remember what she had dreamt. This girl was Cassandra Ilion. Cassandra was a beautiful young woman with long blue hair and light-green eyes, now tired from lack of sleep and constant nightmares. The reason for her nightmares was simple—Cassandra possessed a special gift that allowed her to foresee the future. But today, everything changed: she finally saw the reason behind her nightmares. In her visions, she saw the battle with the Hestia family and realized that her family awaited total destruction.
Cassandra decided to summon her only friend, who believed in her power. Her friend's name was Daphne. Finally recalling her dream, Cassandra rushed to Daphne's room to tell her what she had seen.
"Daphne, wake up! I have something urgent to tell you!" Cassandra cried, knocking on her friend's door.
"What's wrong, Cassandra? Why are you bursting into my room in the middle of the night?" asked a sleepy Daphne, opening the door. Daphne was a beautiful young woman radiating a strong aura. She had medium-length dark-red hair and sharp light-yellow eyes, her voice strong and assertive, which complemented her appearance and character.
"Daphne, I finally remembered my dream," Cassandra replied, entering Daphne's room and sitting on her couch. She was still shaking from what she had seen.
"Are you talking about your visions again? You said you couldn't remember anything since the nightmares started," Daphne said, sitting down next to Cassandra.
"That vision was my nightmare. And most likely, I couldn't remember it because of what awaits us," Cassandra replied, continuing to tremble from what she had witnessed.
"And what did you see that's shaking you up so much?" asked Daphne, trying to calm her friend.
"I saw total destruction and the Demon King who will destroy our family," Cassandra replied, remembering everything that was supposed to happen.
"Is this Valdigoad really that powerful to destroy our entire family?" Daphne asked skeptically.
"He's not just powerful, he's terrifyingly powerful. There's nothing we can do against him," Cassandra replied, resigned to what lay ahead.
"Then we need to tell the family so we can devise a plan to resist him," Daphne suggested.
"Do you not remember how the family reacts to my visions? Even if we come up with a plan, we still won't be able to do anything against him. This battle is already lost, and it will depend on our team members how bad things will turn out for us," Cassandra said with a wry smile, recalling the strength she had seen in her dream.
"So what do we do then?" Daphne asked, clearly unsure where her friend was leading.
"When the battle begins, we simply won't interfere. Maybe the Demon King won't notice us," Cassandra suggested, unaware that the Demon King had long ago taken notice of this duo while gathering information on the Apollo family.
"So, when the game starts, we'll just stand aside and watch, hoping not to be noticed?" Daphne asked doubtfully.
"That's right. It's the most optimal option in our situation," Cassandra said, getting up from the couch.
"If that's our plan, where are you going?" Daphne asked, seeing her friend stand up and head for the door.
"I'm going back to sleep because the nightmares won't haunt me anymore. Good night," Cassandra said, leaving the room before Daphne could finish.
The day of the War Game arrived, marking the passage of time. In Hephaestus' estate, a group consisting of Alex, Hestia, and Lily prepared to set out to confront the Apollo family. Hestia was nervous and couldn't find peace within herself. Despite Alex's confidence in their abilities, she remained anxious. Her unease transferred to Lily, who had been calm up until then but started to worry upon seeing Hestia's state. Meanwhile, Alex sat calmly on a chair, pondering how best to deal with the "mutts" from the Apollo family. He had spent the past few days lost in these thoughts and had yet to reach a final decision.
Seeing her friend's state, Hephaestus attempted to reassure her. "Hestia, there's no need to worry. Alex will handle it," Hephaestus said, trying to comfort her.
"I'm not nervous!" Hestia retorted, insisting everything was fine.
"I can see how shaken you are. You call this not being nervous?" Hephaestus continued, pointing out Hestia's condition.
"I'm just warming up," Hestia continued to deny.
"Whatever you say, Hestia. Don't forget, I'll be watching Alex and Lily's battle in the arena too. I'll support you if needed," Hephaestus said, soothing Hestia's back to calm her.
"I'm not worried. I believe Alex will handle all the problems," Hestia said, finally calming down.
While Alex observed the nervous Hestia and Lily lost in their thoughts, he didn't notice Tsubaki approaching him.
"How can I help you, Tsubaki?" Alex asked, pulling out of his thoughts.
"I don't need anything. I just came to give you a gift. During the time your family lived here, we became good friends, so I decided to give you this," Tsubaki replied, handing Alex a haori. It was a black haori with a red spider lily pattern, perfectly matching the black color.
"Oh, thank you. I've always wanted one but couldn't find the right style. How does it look?" Alex asked, putting on the haori and turning to show it to Tsubaki.
"It suits you very well," Tsubaki said, watching Alex spin around, demonstrating the haori.
"But how did you know what colors I like?" Alex asked, not taking off the haori, deciding he would participate in it.
"It wasn't difficult. You always wear the same clothes: either black or red. It was easy to guess what colors you like," Tsubaki replied, spreading her arms.
"Well, I guess I need to expand my wardrobe choices," Alex said, sitting back in his chair.
"You're quite arrogant, you know," Tsubaki said, watching Alex.
"It's not arrogance, it's confidence in my abilities. Arrogance is when you have no strength or influence, and all you can do is loudly proclaim your wonder," Alex replied.
"Well, as you say. You know better," Tsubaki said and fell silent, enjoying Alex's company. Alex nodded and continued to enjoy the taste of cigarette smoke, which he remembered from his old world. He really missed these "cancer sticks" in this world.
While Alex and Tsubaki sat in silence, Hestia noticed Alex and noticed the new haori on him. After looking at him for some time, she raised her index finger, indicating that he was wearing it well. Alex just smiled, seeing that Hestia was no longer worried. Lily, who gradually came to herself, remembered that Alex had never shown all his strength, and she, too, calmed down.
Upon arriving at the venue for the game, Hestias' family was greeted and escorted to the main hall where the rules of the game would be explained. The hall was already filled with many gods and their companions who had come to observe the game. Hestia spotted Apollo, who looked arrogant and already certain of his victory. Alex surveyed the hall, nodding to acquaintances in greeting. Casting his gaze towards the Apollo family, he noticed two girls whom he planned to invite into his family: Daphne and Cassandra.
Cassandra felt someone's intense gaze and locked eyes with Alex. Startled, she quickly looked away. Daphne noticed her friend's strange behavior and asked what was wrong, but Cassandra only shook her head, indicating there was nothing to worry about. She still remembered the cold eyes from her dreams.
"I see you have a new member in your family, Hestia. Do you think this changes anything? Your defeat is already predetermined," Apollo said arrogantly.
"We'll see who loses, Apollo," Hestia replied, ending the conversation and ignoring him.
"I'm Ganesha! And I will be the judge in this game! Now, let me explain the rules," said the god Ganesha, assuming a peculiar pose. The gods who had seen him before were accustomed to his behavior.
Ganesha was a muscular man with long, shaggy, ash-brown hair and wore a red-yellow elephant mask on his face. An orange ribbon crossed his right shoulder and wrapped around his waist. A golden frame around his neck served as decoration, and a leather plate sat on his abdomen. He wore sporty white pants and dark-brown knee-high boots. His entire appearance screamed "showman."
"The rules of the game are as follows: The attacking team must capture the city by defeating the enemy captain or capturing the crystal hidden within the city," Ganesha announced loudly.
"The defending team must protect their crystal until all enemies are defeated, or defeat the enemy captain themselves, which will signify their victory," Ganesha continued.
"And now, let the war game begin!" Ganesha exclaimed, striking his peculiar pose once more.
On the battlefield, Alex first summoned a strange stone throne and sat upon it. The throne appeared as though it were cast from gold, with a sword hilt protruding from its top. Seated on the throne, Alex leaned on his fist, cigarette in hand, and began to tap the floor slowly and rhythmically.
"Lily, remember when I mentioned you'd have a task during the war game?" Alex asked, turning his gaze to Lily.
"Yeah, you said I'd have some task, but you kept silent about it," Lily replied, nodding.
"Your task is to incapacitate those two and get them out of the danger zone. You'll need to signal when you've done it," Alex said, handing Lily photos of the targets and a signaling rocket.
"So, you want me to save two beautiful girls so you don't harm them?" Lily asked irritably.
"These two girls are potential future members of our family. After Apollo's family is defeated, they'll likely leave their current family. It's better to recruit potential participants," Alex explained, handing Lily the photos and signaling rocket despite her annoyance.
"Fine, I'll do as you say. But how do I find them in this fortress? They could be hiding to set a trap," Lily said.
"Look at this, and you won't have to search for them," Alex replied, showing a projection of the fortress and everyone inside.
"These two girls are hiding in this location. One is a healer, and the other protects her, so they'll be near each other, making it easier for you to find them," Alex explained, pointing at the projection.
"Got it. But how do I get into the city? There are huge walls and massive gates I can't climb over," Lily asked skeptically.
"It's quite simple. I'll throw you in," Alex calmly replied, rising from the throne.
"YOU'RE WHAT?" Lily shouted, backing away from Alex and not letting him get closer.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'll cushion your fall with magic, and to keep you from being noticed, wear this invisibility cloak," Alex said, catching Lily and handing her an invisibility cloak.
"Let me go! I'm not going on a flight, it's dangerous," Lily screamed, trying to break free from his grip.
"Don't worry, Lily, everything will be fine. If anything, you can incapacitate them with your stun gun; they're quite resilient. Signal me once you knock them out," Alex said, not allowing her to break free.
"Now, shut your mouth so you don't bite your tongue, and let's go. YEEET!" Alex yelled, launching Lily towards the fortress. All he heard after he sent her flying was her shouting that she hated him.
Chuckling to himself, he returned to his throne and awaited Lily's signal.
The broadcast venue...
In the hall where gods and their companions had gathered to watch the game, all eyes were focused on the massive screen displaying both teams. Initially, the spectators observed the defending team as they strategized and deployed their warriors for battle and crystal protection. When the viewers' attention shifted to another screen, they noticed Alex sitting on his throne, casually smoking a cigarette. They were surprised by the absence of the hobbit girl and saw only Alex, in a relaxed pose, enjoying the view of the fortress from his throne.
"Why is he just sitting there doing nothing? And where's his companion?" asked one of the male gods.
"I don't know where his companion is. I'm more concerned about why he's just sitting there doing nothing," replied another.
"I wonder where that throne came from," mused a third.
"If you're so curious, go ask Hestia what her family members are up to," suggested the first god.
"No, thanks. I don't want to have my family jewels stolen," retorted the third.
"Tsk, you're a coward afraid to approach," sneered the second.
"If I'm such a coward, why don't you approach yourself?" shot back the first god, looking disdainfully at his friend, who simply looked away.
While the male gods argued and tried to understand why Alex was lounging instead of taking action or devising a plan, the goddesses enjoyed his disheveled appearance on the throne.
"He looks like a true king on that throne. It suits him so well," remarked one goddess, resting her chin on her hand dreamily gazing at Alex.
"Tsk. Hestia lucked out with this one. I'm envious," sighed another goddess.
"No need to envy. You could approach Hestia and ask her to introduce you," suggested a third.
"I don't want to approach her yet. Sure, he looks cool sitting on the throne, but what's he waiting for?" pondered the second goddess.
"He's waiting for the signal," elegantly stated Freya, who had been observing Alex from the start and saw everything he did.
"What signal is he waiting for, Freya?" inquired another goddess.
"This one," Freya replied, pointing to the screen where a red flash appeared over the fortress. "And now he's starting to make his move," she continued, her eyes full of anticipation. She was curious to see what Alex would show in this battle.
Returning to Alex...
After launching Lily towards the fortress, Alex settled back onto his throne, awaiting the signal from Lily indicating she had retrieved the two girls. Time passed swiftly, and soon Lily fired a signal rocket into the sky, signaling her mission accomplished.
"The time has come," said Alex, rising from his throne and stowing it away into his subspace.
Gathering his strength, Alex made a powerful leap towards the fortress, leaving a trail of destruction behind him. Landing at the center of the fortress, his impact demolished nearby structures, creating a shockwave. Surveying the wreckage caused by his fall, Alex decided to give Apollo's family a chance to regroup and come to him for battle.
After waiting for a while, Alex saw the remaining members of Apollo's family beginning to arrive, preparing to confront him.
"I see you've finally decided to come out instead of hiding like rats," Alex remarked, lighting another cigarette. "And why so silent now? You were so arrogant when you met my family. What's changed?"
"You shouldn't have come here alone," said Hyacinth Clio, a member of Apollo's family, wondering where Daphne and Cassandra were.
"Arrogant or not, we'll find out soon enough. And you'll understand that Apollo's family is strong. After we win, your goddess will become a plaything for my god," arrogantly shouted Hyacinth Clio.
"Why did you even need to say that? I just wanted to beat you up a bit and let you go, but now you'll suffer," said Alex, whose eyes became empty, releasing some of his power. "And you'll pay for your words. You'd better start running because nothing will save you—neither your god nor anyone else in this world will be able to protect you."
A powerful surge of mana burst from Alex, creating another shockwave that threw Apollo's family members further back.
"Now, you mongrels, start running because this is your last chance in life," Alex said as mana began to erupt from his body like a powerful flame.
After Alex released some of his power, throwing Apollo's family members further back, mana's surge created more destruction. Alex stopped waiting for them to regain their composure and began attacking to destroy their bodies to cause maximum pain and make them lose their desire to become adventurers. He wanted to destroy them not only physically but also morally.
First, he attacked the elf who was the squad commander. Alex struck with such force that all the bones in the elf's body shattered, sending him flying like a rag doll in the wind. The next target was a hobbit, a member of Apollo's family. Alex couldn't care less about their names, histories, or anything related to them. He simply wanted to destroy them to set an example of what happens to those who cross his family.
After dealing with all the members of Apollo's family, only Hyacinth remained, the one who had been shouting the loudest before the battle began, now standing there, sweating profusely.
"Do you have anything to say before I start beating you until you lose the will to live?" said Alex, his eyes remaining empty as he stared at Hyacinth.
"Even if you beat me to death, I won't admit defeat. The Apollo family does not admit defeat even in death!" shouted Hyacinth, holding onto the last shreds of his dignity.
"So you say you won't admit defeat even when you're dead?" asked Alex. Hyacinth nodded, indicating he would fight to the bitter end.
"I can respect your determination, but here's the catch: who said you'll be able to die in this situation?" said Alex. Hyacinth didn't understand where Alex was going until he saw the approaching fist, and then everything went dark. Until the very last moment, he didn't realize that Alex had simply smashed his head with a fist.
"Now, Ingall," said Alex, using a resurrection spell on Hyacinth.
"What just happened?" said Hyacinth, looking around bewildered, not understanding what had occurred. He clearly remembered the fist, and then darkness.
"I resurrected you, and now you will experience countless deaths for your words," said Alex, approaching Hyacinth.
"That's impossible! There's no such spell!" screamed Hyacinth, trying to crawl away from Alex, who advanced step by step.
"I can resurrect anyone within three seconds of their death. I call it the 'three-second rule'," said Alex, snapping his fingers in front of Hyacinth's face, triggering yet another death for this fool.
This continued until Hyacinth could no longer bear the constant deaths. He knelt there, praying for mercy. His words were difficult to make out. Hyacinth wanted the suffering to end. He was no longer so arrogant, even forgetting about his god Apollo. All he wanted was for it to stop. He feared this cycle of constant death and resurrection.
In the broadcasting hall, everyone watched as Alex landed in the center of the fortress and waited for the members of the Apollo family to arrive and attack. Everyone held their breath, anticipating Alex's next move. But what they saw exceeded all expectations. Alex stood there with a faint smile, silently observing the members of the Apollo family. After the conversation began, everyone thought a battle would ensue, but what they witnessed next shook them to the core.
Alex's face, once smiling, turned grim, and his eyes, once kind, became empty. Those who knew Alex couldn't believe it was him. Then, a powerful mana burst forth from him, creating a shockwave that stunned everyone. But what they saw next frightened them even more. The brutality with which Alex dealt with the members of the Apollo family terrified everyone in the hall. Only a few spectators continued to watch, unable to look away, until Alex was left alone with Hyacinth. What followed next was even more terrifying. The cruelty with which he killed Hyacinth frightened even the staunchest gods. Some feared this Alex, while others watched with keen interest, eager to uncover more of his secrets.
To be continued...
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
GreedHunter
GreedHunter I spent quite a bit of time on this chapter, constantly changing its ending. I kept debating whether Alex should continue hiding his powers or reveal a small part of them to others, and all these questions made me revise the ending many times until this chapter came together. Enjoy reading! Mwah^^
(Now singin', bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born (now singin')
Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born (now singin')
Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born)
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