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"I'll watch."
As if she were afraid Anos might take the offer back, Ryu answered immediately.
"All right, no problem."
Anos replied just as quickly.
…
Today was the day of the Familia War.
Almost every adventurer in Orario had chosen to watch the game.
A great many of them had even started placing bets on it.
In fact, Anos himself was the biggest bookmaker handling wagers on the outcome.
He had no choice.
Since nobody was going into the Dungeon today, he was losing the usual income from map sales and firearms.
Naturally, he had to make up for it somewhere else.
If he didn't, the amount of money he'd lose today would be so absurd that even selling off the entire Apollo Familia wouldn't cover it.
"Yo! You made it."
The absolutely neutral god Hermes greeted them with a smile.
He was very much looking forward to today's battle.
If Anos lost, Hermes would lose a fortune on his bet.
Unlike most rational adventurers, who had bet on the Apollo Familia, Hermes knew just how terrifying Anos's wealth really was.
With that kind of money, Anos could simply bury the Apollo Familia under dozens or even hundreds of magic swords and buy his way to victory.
How could he lose?
That was why Hermes had bet on him without hesitation.
"Then the preparations for the Familia War may now begin!"
Hermes was acting as commentator for the event, and after receiving permission from Ouranos, he released his divine power.
In an instant, screens formed from Hermes's power appeared all across Orario, and even in many places around the wider world.
It had to be said, the gods really had descended for entertainment.
Normally they weren't allowed to use divine power, but when the whole world needed a spectacle, or when a true crisis struck, the rules loosened.
With countless girls watching from every direction, the Hestia Familia vanished into a magic circle.
Anos and the others were gone.
But one person remained behind.
Hestia.
And then something happened that made the veins in her forehead throb.
A swarm of girls rushed up around her, their eyes practically glowing.
"Lady Hestia, um, would it be possible for me to join your Familia?" asked a catgirl with a pleading expression.
"Me... Pick me, Lady Hestia, I'm amazing." a female swordswoman volunteered eagerly.
"Lady Hestia, I'm not like all of them. I just wanted to ask whether the Holy Child has any brothers or cousins." asked an archer girl taking a very different approach.
…
Hestia's face darkened, but she couldn't just lose her temper in public.
If she did, someone would definitely use it against the Hestia Familia later.
Her real thoughts were very simple.
Anos would never be with ordinary girls like you.
What she actually said was much calmer.
"That's not something I can decide. Anos is the captain of the Familia. I've entrusted that important responsibility to him. And I'm sure you've all heard what his standards are, right?"
For the moment, Hestia backed down.
In her eyes, none of these girls was a real threat.
Compared to a certain Wallen-somebody who came over every night to eat their food and steal her time with Anos, they were barely worth worrying about.
On Anos's side, he led everyone to a desolate, abandoned old city.
"It may look deserted, but it's not falling apart. More or less, the original defensive structure is still intact."
He was reasonably satisfied with the place.
At least the game had maintained the appearance of fairness.
If they had dumped him into a pile of ruins instead, it wouldn't have changed the outcome, but…
He would have been annoyed.
"All right... Let's begin our setup."
Anos snapped his fingers and tossed out a formation plate from his hand.
Pseudo Forbidden Spell: Heaven's Dominion!
It was like hearing the faint strains of some enchanting song.
Then Ryu and the others noticed the sudden transformation in the sky.
Golden light spread across the city walls, turning the barren ancient city into a city of gold.
Every part of it shimmered with countless spell arrays turning in quiet harmony, like gears and mechanisms inside some divine machine.
"Oh... What is this? The Holy Child of the Hestia Familia just threw out some tiny object, and the entire city has undergone a shocking transformation. So this is why they arrived late?"
Hermes delivered his commentary with obvious excitement.
Anos had just pulled out something huge, and Hermes was thrilled.
At this point, his victory was practically guaranteed.
Of course, even with divine power active, Hermes had noticed a few terrifying facts.
He just had no intention of saying them aloud.
For example, there were parts of Anos's formation that even Hermes couldn't understand.
And parts of Anos himself that Hermes couldn't understand either.
Still, so what?
As long as it was interesting, that was enough.
"It seems both sides are ready. Therefore, I now declare…"
"The Familia War between Apollo Familia and Hestia Familia officially begins!"
Hermes sounded like he was having the time of his life as host.
Cheers erupted from all over the world.
It was a full-blown festival.
The battle had only just begun, and Anos had already opened with a dazzling spectacle.
How could people not get excited?
Of course, if some people were thrilled, then others were miserable.
Apollo's expression had already turned hideous.
All he could do was hope the thing in front of him was just for show.
Otherwise…
He might really need to prepare to crawl back to heaven.
…
At that moment, the elite members of the Apollo Familia were preparing for the siege.
"Everyone, you heard me. Stick to the plan we discussed."
Hyacinthus had just finished his pre-battle speech in front of the gathered Familia.
Morale was soaring.
All they wanted now was to tear apart the enemies waiting ahead.
"Yeahhh!"
The Apollo Familia roared in excitement.
The male adventurers were eager to trample the famous Holy Child underfoot.
The female adventurers were hoping for a more romantic sort of encounter with him.
Of course, all of that depended on one thing.
Winning the Familia War.
"Crush them. Tear them apart."
Seeing that the atmosphere had reached its peak, Hyacinthus led the group forward.
Over a hundred strong.
Well…
That was genuinely all the Apollo Familia had.
And that group was about to challenge Anos's Heaven's Dominion.
As they approached the city, several pillars of light appeared.
It was the light from the teleportation that had brought the Hestia Familia there.
"Hahaha. Is the Holy Child an idiot? Did he just surrender on the spot?"
One short adventurer burst out laughing when he saw that Anos and the others had only just arrived.
So the so-called Holy Child was nothing but a name.
Victory was right in front of them.
"I guess my earlier worries were for nothing."
Hyacinthus smiled in relief.
Victory was within reach.
Almost in his hand.
And then…
Reality arrived.
People could dream all they wanted, but reality was never that kind.
Golden light covered the old city, and the desolate ruins transformed into a gleaming golden fortress.
Anyone looking at the light flowing through it could tell immediately.
This was not going to be an easy fortress to take.
"At this point, launch the vanguard. If the enemy hasn't finished preparing yet, we'll crush them before they can."
Hyacinthus chose bluffing.
And self-deception.
He had no idea whether the golden fortress in front of them was incomplete or not.
He just knew that if he didn't raise morale now, it might collapse entirely.
"They're not ready yet. This is our chance. Take it all at once. This is the best moment."
Once he made that decision, there was only one path left.
Push forward.
To be fair, it wasn't a stupid choice.
Sooner or later, they had to face the golden fortress anyway.
Right now, they still dared to charge.
And if Hyacinthus's guess was right, maybe they could interrupt Anos before the defenses fully activated.
Unfortunately…
Reality was cruel.
Purple light suddenly crackled across the golden fortress.
Then something unbelievable happened.
"Captain, My gun won't chamber a round."
"Captain, my bullets are being pulled away."
"Captain. The pin got yanked out of my grenade. It's going to blow."
Boom!
The grenade was thrown away in time, but because the soldier had been standing near the middle of the formation, several members of the Familia were still caught in the blast.
Among the injured…
Was their captain.
Hyacinthus.
"Captain! Captain, are you all right, Captain?"
The others hurried to secure their grenades and rushed to his side.
"I'm… fine... Keep moving."
Hyacinthus forced himself to say it.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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