After leaving the top floor of the abandoned church where Hestia was, Ron proceeded along South Main Street, ultimately heading straight toward the Apollo Familia's residence.
However, the battle arrived even faster than he had anticipated.
'So fast?'
It seemed to be a prearranged deployment. Before he had gone very far, he noticed ahead of him, not too far away, a squad dressed in the Apollo Familia's uniform.
Looking over, their number was roughly around ten.
Most importantly, Ron did not find any familiar faces. They were all unfamiliar adventurers. As for the Apollo Familia's arrangement, he did not feel surprised.
When holding an absolute numerical advantage, mobilizing the entire force instead would actually place the Apollo Familia in a passive position.
The prudent solution was to have the core strength remain on guard while dispatching several adventurer squads to wage guerrilla warfare and conduct simple probing attacks.
'1 vs 10?'
"..."
Ron unfastened the greatsword strapped to his back. Although the numerical disadvantage lay plainly before him—when it came to truly clashing with adventurers, it only made his blood boil.
Why fight?
Simply because their positions were different!
And when he noticed, at the other end of the abandoned South Main Street, the solitary adventurer carrying a massive greatsword, James Sullivan, serving as the vanguard squad's leader, wore a smile that was utterly unrestrained and brazen.
Knowing the information about the Hestia Familia, without even asking, James could guess that this was precisely the ultimate target of this War Game—"Ron." At this moment, Lord Apollo was waiting for the result.
The opportunity for advancement was right before him.
No one could give up the chance to achieve merit and enter a god's line of sight.
James showed not the slightest carelessness; on the contrary, his attitude was more solemn than ever, and he decisively said, "Follow the coordination we use when exploring the Dungeon."
"Mm…"
"I'm carrying a panacea on me. Defeat him at any cost!"
Just as he was making battle arrangements, the adventurer standing in the distance removed the greatsword strapped to his back and, as if treating it like a thrown weapon, hurled it out.
It smashed toward their side at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"So he really is a newbie…"
"What kind of normal adventurer throws their weapon when fighting?"
Richard shook his head lightly. He could not understand why Lord Apollo was so fixated on such a brat. But the scene that unfolded next caused his pupils to contract.
The special arm guard covering the black-haired boy's arm operated along with the mechanism.
Click~
A grappling claw shot out.
At a speed difficult to track with the naked eye, carrying a rope, it shot toward the greatsword that had been thrown, precisely striking the scabbard of the greatsword and performing a simple entanglement.
Using the exaggerated weight of the greatsword "Great Fortune" as the grappling claw's forward anchor point.
And Ron, holding a short sword in one hand, with the pulling force generated by the rope's retraction, along with the explosive power brought by his various exaggerated stats, his agile figure resembled a cheetah charging deep into a flock of sheep.
The greatsword did not crash into the crowd of adventurers.
Carrying the grappling claw, after helping Ron complete the rapid advance, it returned once more before the boy due to the retracting rope; his left hand gripped the hilt.
He easily drew out Great Fortune, which had briefly hovered in midair.
As for the scabbard that had been flung high into the air in front of him, Ron paid it no heed. The power accumulated in his legs erupted, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the ground as he instantly dashed before James.
Noticing the horrified expressions of the Apollo Familia adventurers, Ron lowered his stance. His left hand brushed across the blade of the greatsword "Great Fortune," and the blood that cut through his skin bestowed upon the weapon an extremely sinister glow.
[Combat Art: Bloody Slash]
"..."
The crimson sword light that was swiftly slashed out, sweeping with momentum capable of tearing through everything, surged horizontally toward the tightly clustered Apollo Familia adventurers before him.
The first to be struck was the captain, James.
Even though beneath the Familia uniform he wore thick protection, at the moment his body came into contact with the slash, he felt an irresistible force.
Not only did it break through the defense, even the scene within James's vision began continuously receding!
'Is this power something a Level 2 adventurer can possess?'
Only when his body heavily smashed onto the ground and warm blood slowly flowed from his chest did the intense pain finally cause his blank thoughts to gradually return.
James wanted to prop himself up by bracing a hand against the ground, but he only felt as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart; he was utterly unable to carry out any command. What followed was Ron's one-sided crushing assault!
This guy's speed was simply too fast—even, it could be described as "inconceivable"!
By using the thrown greatsword as a weapon to rapidly close what had originally been a fifty-meter safe distance, along with that large-scale, eerie crimson slash.
As a Level 2 adventurer, James was naturally the strongest among the members to be able to become the captain. Yet even he had been unable to react—let alone the other members...
The massive loss of blood made him feel only drowsiness.
And at that moment, as the boy in the distance picked up the scabbard and passed beyond the Familia adventurers, constantly drawing closer, a sense of mortal danger surged in his heart.
Then, James saw Ron's lone figure, without any pause, continuously stepping forward in the direction where Lord Apollo was.
He had survived...
But what difference was there between his current self and a cripple?
"We... lost."
...
Choosing the bell tower on the top floor of the abandoned church as the base camp for the assault battle had a simple reason.
The extremely wide field of view allowed Hestia and Mikoto to observe all movements in the current South District, enabling them to make better judgments about the situation.
Without a commander, this was the only way they could act.
Naturally, the battle occurring not far ahead entered Hestia's line of sight. Yet when it truly came to such a moment, she instead did not dare to look.
Battle required paying a price.
She did not wish to see—even if the possibility was low, it still existed—the scenario of Ron being injured. If she were to witness such a scene with her own eyes, she was very worried... that she would be unable to resist making the decision to terminate the War Game.
Until Mikoto's reminder, containing complex emotions, reached her ears: "Lady Hestia, Ron's battle with the Apollo adventurers has ended."
"Who won?"
"..."
"Ron. It was a one-sided slaughter..."
Even having witnessed it with her own eyes, she found it difficult to connect such an "extremely creative" fighting style with the Ron who normally explored the Dungeon. Was this truly the same person?
"The combat methods he possesses..."
"Including his strength, are only more exaggerated than we imagined!" The gap would not be widened merely because of level—this was Mikoto's final conclusion.
"..."
"After all, he is Ron..."
Standing once more before the bell tower's window, the girl looked out. Within her sight, Ron's figure was no longer visible—only the adventurers lying scattered in disarray on the ground in the distance, their life or death unknown.
The first battle was victorious, dispersing the gloom that had shrouded the depths of her heart. Yet the heavy dark clouds in the sky did not clear because of it; instead, in the shifting wind, they surged even more wildly.
Black clouds pressed upon the city, hundreds of grasses danced in the north wind.
Hestia's heart was fixed upon the one advancing ahead.
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