"?"
Zephyr was genuinely a bit confused.
How on earth did this guy, in their brief contact, conclude that he wanted to become the captain of the Soma Familia?
He concentrated a spiral horn on his right fist and said, "But the problem is... From the very beginning, I never thought about taking your position as captain. I just wanted to leave this pile of rotting Familia."
Zanis looked at Zephyr's eyes, and only anger remained in his heart.
Damn it! Then why didn't you just say so?!
If he had known in advance that his strength was so unreasonable, he absolutely would have let him leave as soon as Zephyr made the request.
Who would allow an Adventurer who affects their power and status to exist in their Familia?
"I can help you, I know I was wrong! I can help you and Lili leave the Familia! I will go talk to Soma, and absolutely no one will stop you! I really know I was wrong!"
Since the conflict had completely erupted, Zephyr didn't intend to leave Zanis any possibility of retaliation.
He shook his head. "You don't know you were wrong, you just realize that you are about to die."
Zanis's body collapsed onto the gravel road and his rapier fell beside him. In the center of his chest, the wound left by [Unicorn] was still oozing blood, staining his pure white suit dark red.
Zephyr looked at the middle-aged man on the ground who was no longer breathing. He didn't feel much burden in his heart. After all, this wasn't modern society.
If things had developed to this point, and he lacked strength—the one dying here would be him.
Most importantly, Zanis had never given him any way out from the very beginning. From the initial tracking in the Dungeon, to imprisoning Lili as a bargaining chip, and blocking the channels for updating his status, it was already clear. Therefore, the ending was destined long ago.
"The farce is over." Zephyr deactivated [Unicorn].
Turning around, he saw Charles, Kate, and the others still being besieged by members of the Soma Familia.
"I'm here to help you!"
Kate and Lefiya were coordinating in the back. The former was responsible for cover, while the latter was chanting, but she controlled the magic effects very well.
Charles stood in the center of the crowd carrying an axe, his eyes filled with battle intent. Seven Adventurers lay around him but they dared not approach, nor were they willing to leave.
When he heard Zephyr's shout, he turned his head and saw Zanis lying on the ground ahead, having completely lost all signs of life.
Holy crap! It ended this fast?
Charles knew about Zanis. He had had contact with Lefiya that night, but at the time, they were able to easily subdue him mainly by relying on a sneak attack.
What kind of speed is this?!
The fact that Zephyr could easily defeat Zanis meant one thing.
He could already rival a Level 2 Adventurer!
Charles remembered Zephyr's completely unreasonable monster abilities and felt fortunate in his heart. Thankfully, they were friends.
Just as Charles was distracted, the surrounding Soma Familia Adventurers seized the opportunity, preparing to teach him a lesson.
But before they could get close, Zephyr noticed this situation and used [Dragon Roar]. The Adventurers on the scene froze in place.
Following that, dealing with this group of rabble, Zephyr didn't hold back at all.
He didn't forget to remind Charles, "Don't get distracted during battle."
Charles felt a bit ashamed, but soon used his axe to sweep the Adventurers away in droves, coordinating with Zephyr and constantly weaving through the crowd.
Shoulders, abdomen, thighs—all locations that would make people lose their combat ability. He couldn't just completely slaughter the Soma Familia.
In less than twenty seconds, all of them fell to the ground.
Looking at the group of Adventurers who had thrown away their armor and weapons, lying on the ground, Zephyr let out a long sigh of relief.
Angry?
That was certainly true but when he remembered that Soma had suddenly intervened tonight, he stopped.
Zanis was dead.
All debts were settled!
Zephyr looked at Charles, Lefiya, and the others, and after confirming they weren't injured, said, "Thank you all for tonight."
"I hate it most when you're this polite." Charles waved his hand.
"If a friend needs help, then I am duty-bound."
He looked at the adventurers lying on the ground, unable to resist, and scratched his head.
To be honest, he didn't really feel much pressure from the siege just now. The so-called siege was more like a performance for Zanis to watch. These guys rushed up waving their weapons, looking quite intimidating, but the attacks that actually landed didn't exist at all. Most people were circling on the periphery, making attacking postures, but in reality, they had no intention of risking their lives.
Charles couldn't figure it out and said, "Let's go find Lili first. Was she imprisoned by members of the Soma Familia?"
"Not exactly." Zephyr shook his head,
Recalling what Zanis had said, he smiled. "But I know where she is now."
—
After expressing his gratitude to Lefiya and Charles, Zephyr didn't intend to linger here, but while heading towards the Familia base, he saw Canoe, who was crawling up from the ground and trying to sneak away.
He was currently hunched over, clutching his chest and struggling to move towards the direction next to the residence.
Zephyr had a deep impression of this guy. Back in the Dungeon, it was Canoe who had been monitoring him.
When Zephyr's footsteps sounded, Canoe's body stiffened. He turned his head and looked at the boy walking towards him.
Facing Zephyr's indifferent gaze,he instantly collapsed onto the ground.
He kept backing away, his hands pressed against the ground as he scuttled backward, only stopping when his back hit the wall. At this moment, there was nothing left in his eyes but fear.
"Don't... Don't come over..."
Canoe couldn't fathom it—why a low-level Supporter, whom anyone could bully in the past, had now managed to kill Zanis, the strongest member of the Familia.
It had to be fake!
He even suspected whether he had drunk too much bootleg alcohol, causing hallucinations in his brain, but the pain in his body was not fake.
When he felt that warmth in his crotch, Canoe reached out to touch it. He brought his hand to his nose, and sniffed.
It had a heavy, fishy stench.
Zephyr, who was approaching, had no intention of even looking at him. He walked past, his gaze fixed toward the direction of the Familia headquarters.
And so, after the string in his heart snapped completely, Canoe suddenly laughed out loud, whispering softly, "So it was just pee. I thought so, how could an Adventurer of this level make me break a sweat?"
Bang!
Immediately after, Canoe was kicked several meters away. Before his consciousness faded, he heard the other party's puzzled voice.
"Where did this stray dog come from, blocking the road here?"
—
The Brewing Room on the second floor of the Familia headquarters.
Soma stood at the second-floor window. Just moments ago, he had witnessed the beginning and end of this internal Familia dispute.
As a god, he certainly could have intervened, but he did not do so. He wanted change, he had to break it before he could build it anew.
Zanis had been running the Familia for so many years, and Soma was clear—the root cause was not him, but the rules that had been set.
Zephyr's existence was like a catalyst to break these decaying rules, and Soma was very much looking forward to seeing how far the other could go.
But now, Zanis was dead.
Every member of the Familia had seen it with their own eyes—the Captain had been unilaterally crushed by this Level 1 Supporter, with no room to fight back.
This was the best outcome.
Soma looked at the girl beside him, who was standing on tiptoes, trying hard to look out the window.
He understood that Lili, who was at the bottom, was a victim of the chaotic environment of the Familia.
He said, "It's over."
Lili did not respond, she was just watching the figure walking into the headquarters downstairs, her lips trembling.
Soma had not forgotten the conversation with Zephyr that evening. But precisely because of that, he could feel that Zephyr's soul was different from the members of this decaying Familia.
Lili had confessed how they met when asked in the Brewing Room tonight.
Even though she was a stranger who he had just met by chance and didn't need to take any action because of it, Zephyr had actually managed to do this much.
Helping Lili, whom he had just met, daring to break into the Familia headquarters alone, daring to confront the Familia head-on, and killing the Level 2 Captain.
Zephyr...