No matter what the onlookers thought of the incident, as the one directly involved, Fron didn't panic in the slightest. In fact, he even felt like laughing.
His sharp senses had already detected the situation the moment he unleashed the first wave of large-scale annihilation magic. Those first fifty Violas were nothing more than an appetizer. The real large-scale assault began with the second wave.
Seriously? The so-called "Adventure City" Orario dared to boast of its defenses, even building that massive white tower in the center to suppress the Dungeon below.
But no one, not even the gods, could have imagined that the Evilus would go so far as to secretly stockpile monsters right under their noses.
If they were only releasing Level 1 monsters, that would have been one thing. Most adventurers could have handled that.
But look at what they actually unleashed, Violas with potential power equivalent to Level 5! Their skin alone was so tough that even the Amazonian sisters or Ais herself, barehanded, couldn't break through it. You could imagine just how hard that was.
And those terrifying, multifaceted attack patterns. If that same attack landed on a Level 1 adventurer, the outcome was obvious, death was inevitable.
And that was just their normal attack. Let's not forget that Violas react violently to magic and can even burrow underground.
If Fron hadn't coincidentally used a massive area-annihilation spell with his abundant magic as bait, these monsters hiding in the sewer system would never have been lured out and destroyed all at once.
If the Evilus drove these things to spread throughout the city, even the Loki Familia, Freya Familia, or Ganesha Familia wouldn't be able to contain the disaster.
Orario would drown in blood, and it might even destroy the very seal that holds the Dungeon beneath the city. After all, the Evilus ultimate goal was to bring the Dungeon's monsters to the surface and return the world to chaos.
Leaning on his staff and facing the crimson blaze, Fron's usual carefree expression turned dark.
"Not bad... just how many monsters did these bastards transport up from the deep levels? When does it end!?"
His senses picked up another mad convergence of monsters surging from the sewers, and it made him irritable.
The situation was getting a bit beyond his expectations.
"This must be that bastard Enyo's doing, right? My growth exceeded his predictions, so after reevaluating me... he decided to adjust the battlefield accordingly."
He pointed the staff forward, signaling his Familia to maintain formation and engage the enemy.
While commanding the fight, Fron continued thinking.
"From the results so far, their goal is to pin me down, keep me from supporting the other teams. From a strategic point of view, they've already succeeded halfway."
Thinking about what further plans the enemy might be setting up next only made him bored.At that moment, Fron's eyes gleamed with disdain.
In the face of overwhelming power, all conspiracies and schemes were nothing but paper tigers.
With a mocking smile, he flicked his staff and charged into battle.
"Pshhh, pshhh, pshhh––!"
Rushing straight through, every Violas that blocked his path was turned to ash in an instant, leaving behind only glittering green magic stones.
"Advance! Suppress the monsters within the sewer entrance perimeter! Don't let them spread to the surface!"
"Yes, sir!"
….
Fron was being stalled, and with monsters continuously replenishing from the enemy's side, he couldn't spare time to deal with the "Xenos."
Meanwhile, under Fels's guidance, with help from the Hestia Familia and Hermes Familia, the Xenos were being led through the chaos, struggling to adapt and follow orders.
For now, they couldn't catch the enemy; they were constantly being led by the nose.
But Bell Cranel and the others didn't feel triumphant, even after managing to fend off part of the Loki Familia's overwhelming strength.
In a narrow alley, the Hestia Familia gathered together, cloaked in invisibility, whispering among themselves.
"Can't deny it, Fels' magic items really saved us this time."
"Don't you think... something about this whole situation feels off?"
Compared to Welf, whose mind was full of smithing, Lili's sharper intellect quickly sensed something strange.
"What's strange about it? Sure, things got a little messy, and we lost a few of my precious magic swords, but in the end, we managed, right?"
Lili rolled her eyes and explained, annoyed.
"Do you really think you made it through just because of your Level 2 rank and your Crozzo swords? That was a Level 6 Dwarf we faced. Even with Tsubaki's help, there's no way you could have held him off for even half a minute."
"Uh…" Welf and Mikoto exchanged awkward looks, not quite getting it yet.
Lili's expression turned serious.
"My guess? We were never their real target. They must have had another goal entirely, or, put another way, even if we hadn't shown up at all, they still would've made their move. I just don't know… what exactly they're after."
As a naturally gifted strategist, Lili had picked up on the hidden layer of the Loki Familia's operations, their connection to the Knossos.
It was something even Finn hadn't foreseen.
Of course, the chaos caused by the Evilus also played a part.
The monster assault had stretched every defense thin, no one had the spare strength to pay attention to them. That was probably why everything had gone "so smoothly."
….
"That little pallum girl seems to have noticed something. Asfi , it's time to begin."
Asfi, long since returned from Knossos, looked at her god with a mix of disdain and irritation.
"Hey, hey, Asfi. Help me out, would you? Last time, I promise."
"You've said that 'last time' more times than I can count, Lord Hermes."
….
Following the Hermes Familia's next move, the Xenos, were quietly guided through twists and turns under the cover of invisibility, finally arriving at one of the hidden exits of the underground tunnels.
But they didn't know, that exit was a dead end.
They were being lured there to keep them from getting involved with Bell Cranel and his group, to make them take another, safer path.
As for accidents?
No, Hermes didn't believe anything could break the boundaries of his divine plan.
...
Zzzzt––
Charred remains smoldered as thick black smoke rose into the air.
Not even the rain could wash away the stench of burning flesh.
The ground was scorched pitch-black. Amid the collapsed ruins, shards of glittering magic stones were scattered.
The battered adventurers wiped rainwater and grime from their faces , exhausted, yet strangely exhilarated.
Some simply sat down where they stood, laughing weakly in relief through the exhaustion.
Fron watched the scene and allowed himself a faint smile.
Feeling the fatigue draining most of his stamina, yet also the mental strength rapidly recovering under the night's amplification, he let a small grin curl at the corner of his mouth.