At that moment, Akira knew that his magic alone might not deal enough damage to Valletta, not when she stood at Level 5.
If magic couldn't break her, then close combat was the only answer. But there was no time to get drawn into a prolonged fight here. Several familiar presences were already racing toward his position.
So—
Akira pressed his middle and index fingers together, pointing straight at her.
A brilliant magic circle flared into existence above him. In the next instant, dozens of crystalline ice swords, each wreathed in biting frost, erupted forth like a torrential storm.
The air froze in an instant, a white mist snaking outward along the paths the blades carved.
Valletta's pupils contracted sharply. This was the first time she had seen magic this fast, instantaneous, without even the shadow of a chant. She had no choice but to stop in her tracks and draw her dagger.
"How is this possible?!" Valletta roared, her long sword in one hand, dagger in the other, moving with desperate precision to deflect the incoming blades.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ice swords smashed against her steel, shards of frost exploding with every impact and scattering into a sparkling mist. But there were too many. No matter how she parried, a few slipped through, carving bloody lines into her arms and shoulders.
"Hmph… you're not bad." Akira muttered under his breath.
Ising her distraction, he pivoted sharply and vanished, teleporting toward another section of the city under siege by Evilus.
As for Valletta—
"Evildoer!"
Two voices rang out in unison.
"!?"
A wooden sword struck from behind, and a rapier thrust from above in a perfect pincer attack.
Faced with a high-speed assault that rivaled a Level 4's killing intent, Valletta instantly abandoned dodging, crossing her long sword and dagger in a tight defense.
"Hah? Astraea Familia again? This isn't your business, brat." She snarled.
"Shut up! How dare you do this in a place meant for laughter and joy?!"
Ryuu's voice was cold as her strike flowed seamlessly into another. Her wooden blade came from behind like a vengeful shadow.
Meanwhile, Alise landed, her crimson hair flying as she slashed forward with blazing fury.
"I will never forgive you. I'll put an end to you here and now."
Steel clashed violently, the short sword locking against the wooden blade, the long sword intercepting the rapier. Sparks flew as the three women clashed in close quarters.
Valletta smirked through the crossed weapons. "Idiots. You think Level 4s and Level 3s can beat me, a Level 5?"
Her arrogance was answered not with words, but with a fist.
"Then fight me instead, I'm also Level 5."
BAM!
Valletta's smirk vanished as Gareth's iron fist crashed into her front, sending her flying.
Both were Level 5, but Gareth was a dwarf, and dwarves were a different breed. Even as a Level 1, Gareth could wrestle large monsters to the ground with his sheer physique.
"Guh!?"
She barely managed to deflect Ryuu's follow-up strike, but still scraped hard against the stone tiles, the impact jolting through her bones.
"Uncle?!"
"Girls, you alright? Tch, I was guarding the wrong spot. If Akira hadn't been here, I wouldn't be able to face Finn."
Gareth's voice was laced with shame, though the moment he saw the surrounding damage was minimal, his gaze hardened toward Valletta.
"Tch… brute force, huh? Fine! But get out of my way, Loki Familia's guard dog!"
Valletta dug her sword into the ground to stabilize herself, the metal screeching against stone as she pushed upright, eyes glinting with irritation.
"Long time no see, old dwarf. Where's Finn?"
Her tone dripped with venom. She had a grudge against the Loki Familia, specifically, against Finn, their commander.
Eight years ago, during the onset of the Dark Age, she and Finn had clashed countless times. Sometimes she lost, sometimes she struck back, but in every instance, her schemes had been foiled. To Valletta, Finn was a hateful enemy etched deep into her heart.
"It's a pity he's not here." Gareth replied coldly. "But he's already seen through your little distraction. He's setting a trap elsewhere."
As if on cue, an Evilus subordinate rushed to Valletta's side.
"Valletta-sama! There's smoke from our ambush sites, they were attacked before we could strike."
She turned sharply. From the city's east and west, black plumes rose into the night sky. A mage would have sensed lingering traces of magic in that smoke.
The news wiped her smirk clean, replacing it with fury. "Tch! Damn it. If this keeps up, there's no point in staying here."
Gareth's earlier words were true. This attack, slaughtering citizens gathered for a charity feast, was just a feint to divert the Guild's attention. The real blow was meant to come elsewhere, where Loki and Ganesha Familia lay in wait.
"Boring." Valletta spat. "You lot, hold them off. I'm leaving."
"V-Valletta-sama?!"
"If the main attack fails, this whole thing's pointless. I'm not wasting my time here. Stay behind and keep the arrows off me."
She was a bloodthirsty spider, yes, but beneath the madness, she possessed a dangerous calm. Even after such a blunder, she simply turned to leave.
Her subordinates, however, looked uneasy at being left behind.
"Think we'll let you escape?"
Step.
Alise slid in front of her, blade raised, eyes burning with resentment. Ryuu and Gareth closed in from the flanks, wooden sword and battle axe at the ready.
Valletta laughed darkly. "Relax. You're all so soft-hearted, you won't have time to stop me."
She snapped her fingers mockingly.
A few seconds passed.
"Huh? Why isn't anything happening?"
The signal she'd given should have triggered her hidden ambushers by now.
"Valletta-sama." One of her men said hesitantly, "Many of them… were killed by that magic earlier."
"Ha…! That damned Morning Star!"
Realization struck like ice water.
Akira's ice swords hadn't just been aimed at her, they had silently eliminated the ambushers hidden in the shadows.
With a flash of blinding white light, Akira's figure materialized atop the roof of Maria's Orphanage.
The evening air was thick with tension, but as his sharp gaze swept across the surrounding streets, he found no trace of evilus.
It seemed the orphanage's location, hemmed in by the bases of three powerful familias and nestled deep within the confusing labyrinth of Daedalus Street, had worked in its favor. Even the most ruthless pursuers hesitated to charge recklessly into this maze. For now, at least, the darkness had not yet crept this far.
Closing his eyes, Akira murmured an incantation. Threads of magic radiated from him in invisible waves, probing every corner of the building. He quickly located every life signature within. Judging from the auras, the children and caretakers were huddled safely inside, their heartbeats rapid but unharmed.
"Fortunately, there's no one here." Akira exhaled softly, a small breath of relief escaping him.
Living here did have its advantages. The twisting alleys and countless dead ends were a nightmare for outsiders, but the children knew them like the back of their hands. If danger came, they could vanish into the shadows before anyone found them.
"Let's go. There are others who need help."
In the next instant, Akira's figure blurred, vanishing from the rooftop. He reappeared high above East Street, where the deep rumble of destruction shook the air.
The moment he arrived, a choking wave of acrid smoke rushed toward him, carrying the stench of burning wood and oil. Below, the scene was chaos, bricks and shattered masonry rained from above, people screamed as they ran for their lives, desperate voices cried for help, and adventurers barked urgent commands.
Through the haze, Akira's eyes blazed like twin torches. With pinpoint precision, he picked out several pockets of mayhem where evilus members were tearing through the district.