"Enough! Are you trying to interrupt the sacred ritual again?"
Tione fell silent, but Argana was absolutely furious.
To the Adventurers of Kali Familia, battle was sacred, a holy ritual meant to determine the greatest warrior, and nothing was allowed to interfere with it.
Yet Loki Familia had interrupted their ritual again and again. They had finally been about to settle the fight once and for all, only to be cut off yet again.
"Let me correct you on one thing, Tione."
Finn's gaze moved away from Tione and settled on Argana, his eyes gradually turning cold.
"We didn't bring the entire Familia here just to rescue you. We're also here to vent the pain we're carrying!"
Loki Familia had only just lost their companions. Having their comrades taken away at a time like this was practically the same as poking a sleeping dragon.
"Kali Familia is one of the main culprits responsible for Line and the others' deaths. No matter what, they have to pay for it. And I'm finding it a little difficult to keep my temper under control."
Finn's expression was icy, and the air around Riveria and the others seemed to grow colder.
"So that's that, Tione-chan. Come home with us!"
Even Chief God Loki had appeared among the group, her familiar mischievous grin looking incredibly reassuring to Tione.
"This is getting bad…"
Kali stood at the edge of the training ground, trembling with fear.
"Where's Ryoji?"
The golden-haired girl looked around the training ground, still unable to find the person she was searching for. She couldn't help asking aloud.
"He's finished!" Argana answered impatiently, clearly furious. "Ishtar left him alone in a room. The result is obvious!"
What?
The girls of Loki Familia were simultaneously shocked and glared angrily at her. Almost everyone had heard the rumors about Ishtar.
Ais unconsciously tightened her grip on her rapier until her knuckles turned white. The thought of Ryoji becoming one of Ishtar's men filled her with an intense sense of discomfort.
But then...
'Vooooom!'
A massive pillar of white light shot into the sky, its sacred radiance reflected in everyone's eyes.
"Oh. Looks like he's fine."
Finn looked toward Belit Babili. His tense expression gradually relaxed, but his face soon became strangely serious.
"No way…" Riveria sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Hoho! Now that's something!" Gareth stroked his beard and let out an astonished laugh.
"…Did he kill a god?" Even Ais was stunned.
"Ishtar-sama?!"
"How could this happen?"
"Oh no! Our Blessing…!"
The Amazonesses, who had finally quieted down, erupted into chaos once again. Some mourned Ishtar's return to the Heavenly Realm, while others stared at their powerless arms with pale faces.
When a god returns to the Heavenly Realm, the Blessing and Falna they granted lose their effect. The Adventurers of that Familia become ordinary people again, forced to wait for another god to grant them a new Blessing and Falna before they can regain their power.
At this moment, the hundreds of Amazonesses gathered in the training grounds had all lost their strength.
"Wait, seriously?" Kali shrank back, her eyes darting around as she desperately searched for an escape route.
"Let's put an end to this incident."
Finn stepped forward. He walked onto the training ground and pushed Tione behind him.
"Since you said this ritual is sacred, let's continue it. But this time, you'll have a different opponent."
His short figure stood before Argana.
"Your opponent is me."
"You insignificant Pallum!"
Argana instantly exploded with rage. Pallums were widely regarded as the weakest race, possessing almost no notable advantages and even considered inferior to humans.
To Argana, Finn's actions were an enormous insult. Without a second thought, she charged straight at him.
"I'm sure you don't want to disgrace this sacred ritual either, so I'll give you everything I've got!"
A cold smile appeared on Finn's face.
"...Magic Spear, offer my blood and pierce between the brows!"
'Hell Finegas!'
Finn's berserk Magic. In exchange for losing his reason, it gave his Ability values an enormous boost.
'BOOM!'
A thunderous explosion erupted, and the entire training ground instantly shattered into ruins.
Finn dodged Argana's attack and drove his fist straight into her. A dark figure was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through several walls before finally crashing into a building.
Then came silence.
Argana had been instantly defeated.
"Haa…"
Finn quietly exhaled. The madness faded from his eyes, and his expression returned to normal.
"Captain! I knew you loved me!" Tione was crying tears of joy, her face filled with emotion.
"I don't," Finn chuckled.
"Captain is amazing!"
"Argana was already seriously injured, but I still can't believe Captain took her down with one punch!"
The members of Loki Familia laughed in relief.
"I'll go help Tiona." Ais looked toward the other training ground.
"Looks like you won't need to." Riveria smiled and gestured toward the distant sky, an impressed look on her face.
Meanwhile...
The battle between Tiona and Bache was still going on. Fists and kicks collided, each impact roaring through the air like thunder.
"Not bad. You're finally focusing properly!" Bache's fighting spirit burned even brighter.
"I'm going to beat you, Bache!" Tiona shouted and unleashed a brutal volley of punches, completely ignoring the injuries covering her body.
Heat began to rise from her skin. This was her Skill, 'Mad Heat Battle', which increased her Attack Power according to the extent of her injuries.
At the edge of their battlefield, a silver blade shimmering like rippling water was stuck in the ground. It had flown over from the sky during their earlier clash.
"Ryoji said there was no need to worry about him, so all I have to do is beat Bache!"
Tiona had completely discarded her earlier half-hearted attitude. She focused entirely on her battle with Bache, blood spraying through the air with every exchange.
She possessed an incredibly powerful Skill named 'Great Hot-Blooded Battle', which dramatically increased her Ability values when she was on the verge of death.
With both Skills working together, Tiona became stronger the longer she fought and more terrifying the more injuries she suffered. If her opponent couldn't defeat her in one decisive attack, they would eventually suffer a crushing defeat at her hands.
But there was one condition: she had to push herself to the brink of death first.
Tiona deliberately met Bache's attacks head-on, repeatedly placing herself in danger and pushing herself closer and closer to the edge.
Then, suddenly, a silhouette cut a perfect arc across the sky, targeting the center of the training ground.
Both fighters heard the rushing wind and simultaneously leaped back.
'BOOM!'
A cloud of dust erupted as the training ground was torn apart by the impact.
"Don't recklessly push yourself to the point of death."
A young man walked out through the dust. He pulled the silver blade from the ground and turned to face Bache, whose expression instantly turned sharp and alert.
"I'll take over this fight."
(End of Chapter)
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