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Chapter 116: The Apollo Familia, Confident in Victory
That's right. Aiden had done it on purpose.
While it was true that their filthy insults had angered him, he hadn't let the rage cloud his judgment.
He wasn't some reckless brute.
The moment he struck, a plan had already taken shape in his mind.
Since Apollo had set his sights on him, there was no hiding from it.
Rather than passively enduring an endless stream of harassment and schemes, it was better to seize the initiative and find a way to obliterate the entire Apollo Familia.
If he were the one to propose a War Game, Apollo might not accept. The sun god wasn't an idiot; if the Focalors Familia actively initiated a War Game, Apollo would undoubtedly suspect a trap.
However, if Apollo believed he held an absolute advantage and proposed the War Game himself, the situation would be entirely different.
Seeing that Aiden didn't seem to realize the gravity of the situation, Eina Tulle grew even more anxious. "Mr. Aiden, you can't afford to be careless! If push comes to shove... just take your Familia and leave Orario for a while. As long as you're alive, you can always start over."
In her eyes, the Apollo Familia's target was most likely the exceptionally beautiful girls in the Focalors Familia. They were using their tried-and-true, despicable method of forcing weaker Familias to surrender their members.
"Don't worry, Eina." Aiden met her worried gaze, his tone gentle but brimming with confidence. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
Seeing Aiden looking so certain of victory, his calm confidence seemed to rub off on Eina. The anxiety in her heart subsided a fraction, though the worry still lingered.
After bidding Eina farewell, Aiden returned to the Familia's headquarters.
When Furina learned from him that the Apollo Familia had already made their move and tried to frame him with such a clumsy setup, the Goddess of Justice stomped her foot in outrage, her delicate face flushing bright red.
"Outrageous! That pervert Apollo—I'm going to teach him a lesson right now!" Furina waved her small fists, clamoring to uphold her Familia's justice.
Aiden couldn't help but laugh at her righteous indignation. "By all means, be my guest. Go crush Apollo, and everything will be over."
"Eh?" Furina stiffened instantly. Her waving fists halted in mid-air, and her beautiful heterochromatic eyes blinked in confusion.
"I... I'm supposed to fight Apollo?" She pointed at herself, her voice immediately losing its momentum.
Who was she kidding? After sealing her divine power, her combat strength was basically zero. Fighting Apollo would just be throwing her life away.
Despite Apollo being a total creep, his archery skills were no joke. Even if he couldn't quite match Artemis, he wasn't far behind.
Aiden chuckled at Furina's silly, deflated expression.
"You're teasing me again! You make me so mad!" Furina finally realized that Aiden was just poking fun at her. Pouting angrily, she charged forward and unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of completely harmless little punches against his chest.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing." Aiden easily caught her flailing hands. Taking the opportunity, he ruffled the energetic white ahoge on top of her head and smiled. "The headquarters you've been dreaming of, the Palais Mermonia, will be ours very soon."
"Really? You'd better not be lying to me. I'm gullible, you know." Furina stopped struggling and looked up at him, her face painted with suspicion.
"Of course I'm not lying." Aiden leaned down and whispered into her ear, laying out his entire plan. "So we do this, and then this... Got it?"
As Aiden explained, Furina's eyes widened. Her suspicion was gradually replaced by excitement and anticipation. She nodded repeatedly, a radiant smile blooming on her face.
.....
Meanwhile, in a gloomy back alley in the Sixth District...
Bathed in the dim light spilling from the mouth of the alley, several metallic sun insignias glinted faintly. A group of men from various races—Human, Beast Person, and Prum—had gathered there.
They were the very same group that had provoked Aiden at the pub.
"Please spare me, Lord Hyakinthos... Why does this kind of miserable job always fall on me..." Luan the Prum complained, clutching his chest with lingering fear. "That guy was way too brutal! He practically scared me to death! I'm the real victim here!"
"Don't say that, Luan," a short human man grimaced, clutching his abdomen. "You're not the one who took the beating. The rest of us are actually seriously injured. It still hurts!"
They had deliberately left their wounds untreated, making no move to heal them immediately.
"Hmph." Hyakinthos leaned elegantly against the wall, a smirk playing on his lips.
Although there had been a slight hiccup in the process, they had ultimately achieved their goal. "Lord Apollo will reward you," he stated casually.
"But, Lord Hyakinthos, there was something off about that guy," Luan said, feeling an instinctual sense of unease. "How could he fight like that? Even you couldn't take him down instantly."
"Hmph. Our intel was just flawed," Hyakinthos scoffed, a flash of disdain in his eyes. "That guy is a Level 2, not some rookie. However... what can a mere Level 2 do anyway? It's his honor that Lord Apollo has taken a liking to him."
"With this, Lord Apollo will surely be pleased." Hyakinthos's earrings swayed gently. He narrowed his deep, ocean-blue eyes and gazed up at the sun overhead, a confident smile of impending victory curving his lips.
.....
On the other side of the city, Robin, Tifa, and Hyacine had returned from their Dungeon exploration and learned of the pub incident from Aiden.
"It seems Lord Apollo is growing impatient," Robin analyzed calmly, elegantly holding a cup of black tea.
"Oh my, our precious Aiden is certainly popular. And with a deity, no less! Even if... it's a male god." Hyacine covered her mouth to hide a giggle. Her pink twin-tails bounced playfully, and her eyes danced with mischievous teasing.
Aiden's face instantly darkened.
In a flash, he appeared right in front of Hyacine just as she was trying to slip away. Exasperated, he reached out, precisely pinched her slightly chubby cheeks, and gently stretched them outward.
"Hyacine, are you itching for a beating? Do you know what happens to people with loose lips?" he threatened playfully, though a smile was hidden in his eyes.
"Uuu... Aiden, I'm shorry... I wash jush praising your charm..." With her cheeks stretched out, Hyacine's words slurred into a soft, adorable mumble.
She put up a token struggle, pushing her small hands against his chest, though it looked more like she was whining for affection.
"That's not the kind of praise I want," Aiden snorted, maintaining his grip.
"Outrageous! How dare you bully Hyacine!" Furina, who had been watching from the sidelines, immediately saw the perfect opportunity to intervene.
Striking a pose to defend justice, she let out a delicate shout and pounced on Aiden. "Unhand her at once!"
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