In every street throughout the town of Melen, the sounds of battle echoed relentlessly.
Some citizens peeked through their windows to witness the ongoing war between the female members of the Loki Familia and the combined forces of the Kali and Ishtar Familia.
"Today will be the day I crush you to pieces, Sword Princess!"
Phryne Jamil roared, her massive frame hurtling forward as she swung her heavy dual battleaxes.
Ais reacted with fluid precision, parrying the crushing blow with her silver sword.
The screeching impact of steel clashing against steel sent a shower of brilliant sparks flying into the air, leaving a high-pitched ring vibrating in their ears.
'That clash just now... I can now confirm that the strength she displayed definitely wasn't that of a Level 5.'
As Ais regained her footing, she narrowed her eyes at the captain of the Ishtar Familia, who stared back with the hatred of someone facing her most despised enemy.
If there was anyone from an enemy Familia outside the Freya Familia whom Ais considered her greatest rival, it would be Phryne Jamil.
The two shared a bitter history.
'Three times... in my entire career as an adventurer, we've fought three times.'
She remembered every encounter vividly.
'In our first duel... I had just become Level 2, and she beat me until Finn and Riveria came to save me.'
'In our second... we fought to a draw after a chance encounter in the Dungeon.'
'And in our third duel... I had become Level 5 and finally defeated her.'
As those memories flashed through her mind, Ais raised her sword and unleashed a series of consecutive slashes.
'This is our fourth encounter... and I still don't know why the Ishtar Familia is attacking us...'
Although she was confused and had no idea what was happening, Ais knew there was only one thing she needed to do.
Defeat the enemy standing before her.
Across from her, Phryne's grotesque face scrunched in a sneer as she tried to split Ais in half.
Yet, behind her arrogance, a trace of caution lingered.
'Even with all these preparations, taking down the Sword Princess is still going to be difficult.'
'Especially if she summons that troublesome wind...'
As prideful as Phryne was, her last humiliating defeat had left a permanent scar on her ego, and Ais' wind magic had made a terrifying impression on her.
Phryne charged forward aggressively, her ugly face twisted with effort as she tried to overpower Ais after their weapons collided once more.
She subtly turned her head toward an Amazon standing atop a nearby rooftop, a staff gripped tightly in her hands.
"Sharay! Do it now!"
The moment her words rang out, Ais suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over her body.
"!?"
It felt as though something had abruptly blocked her connection to her magic.
'What was that just now...? Don't tell me...'
She kicked backward, creating distance between herself and Phryne.
"Tempest."
Ais chanted with trembling lips.
Unexpectedly… nothing happened.
The air remained completely still.
"Gegege... Gyahahaha!"
"It worked! It worked!"
Seeing this, Phryne burst into triumphant laughter, celebrating as though victory was already hers.
"That magic just now... a magic-sealing curse?"
Ais muttered as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.
"I prepared all these strategies for my fight against Ottar... Gegegeh... and you're proving to be a fine guinea pig."
"Without your wind, you're nothing but a pile of trash."
Phryne monologued, her mocking grin stretching wide across her face.
"I am strong, tough, and beautiful."
"In stark contrast, you're weak, fragile, and ugly."
Phryne bragged on and on, utterly drunk on Ais' sudden vulnerability.
With a massive heave, she leaped forward through the air.
"As you are now... you are no match for me!"
She couldn't stop herself from grinning at the thought of finally beating down the person she hated the most.
...
Meanwhile, in another part of Melen, Riveria's situation was far worse.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Riveria took ragged breaths, using her staff as a crutch to keep herself upright.
Parts of her elegant green robes were torn to shreds, soaked through with fresh crimson, and a steady trail of blood ran down her forehead, completely blinding her left eye.
As powerful as Riveria was, even she couldn't overcome a two-against-one battle against two Level 6 opponents, especially when the Dis Sisters' flawless teamwork allowed them to bring out the full extent of their combat potential.
Not to mention, she was a rear-guard mage whose physical abilities were naturally inferior to most adventurers of the same level.
The Dis sisters, by contrast, were a flawless, symbiotic unit... with one executing devastating frontline pressure while the other provided seamless magical support.
"Hahahaha! Look at this! The high and mighty Princess Riveria has ended up in such a pitiful state!"
Vena laughed hysterically, tears of sadistic joy practically pricking the corners of her eyes.
"Hehe... so even a revered and dignified High Elf like yourself can become this unsightly... As I thought, High Elves aren't that different from the rest of us."
Dina commented, casually twirling her dual short swords with a wide grin.
"..."
Riveria remained silent, watching the Dis Sisters warily while desperately trying to think of a way out of her predicament.
"Hey... Big Sister Dina, we might become the first elves in history to personally kill a High Elf."
Vena remarked with a sadistic grin, her eyes overflowing with killing intent.
"Ahaha... what a wonderful idea, Vena."
"While we're at it, let's decapitate her and mount her head on a stake. We'll show the rest of the elves that High Elves aren't anything special."
Hidden inside a nearby building, Loki cautiously peeked through a window, cold sweat trickling down her face.
'Shit... Riveria... just hold on a little longer. Backup is on the way.'
The trickster goddess anxiously bit her nails.
"Don't you dare lay your hands on Riveria-sama!"
A feminine voice suddenly rang out across the battlefield.
'Alicia...'
Riveria thought as her trusted aide stepped in front of her.
She glared at the Dis sisters with absolute defiance, even as blood dripped steadily from her own lips.
"Tsk... tsk... looks like the Amazon assigned to deal with her got defeated."
Vena snorted dismissively.
"Heh... look at her limping. She can barely stand properly. What exactly does she think she's going to accomplish?"
Dina sneered.
"Ahaha! You're right, Big Sister! She looks hilarious hopping around on one leg."
The Dis Sisters laughed among themselves, completely dismissing Alicia as a threat.
But Alicia didn't care about their mockery.
She subtly looked over her shoulder, her voice urgent and strained.
"Miss Riveria, please retreat immediately! I will hold them off for as long as my body allows!"
"If you can reunite with Miss Ais, we can definitely turn the tables and defeat these two!"
The moment those words left her mouth...
"Hoh? That's a nice plan you've got there... but did you really think we'd just stand around and let that happen?"
Dina burst forward.
Her silhouette turned into a seamless, terrifying blur before she instantly materialized directly in front of Alicia.
Before the injured elf could even register the movement to raise her guard, Dina's short sword flashed through the air, carving a horrific, deep diagonal laceration across Alicia's midsection.
'Huh...?'
Alicia looked down.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
An overwhelming sense of dizziness struck her almost immediately.
Her vision blurred as her body collapsed into the pool of blood rapidly spreading beneath her.
"Hahahaha."
A melodic, devilish laugh escaped Dina's lips as the light slowly began to fade from Alicia's eyes, leaving her hovering on the very brink of death.
"Noooo!"
Riveria screamed, an uncharacteristic rage overtaking her as she brought her heavy staff around in a desperate, wild swing aimed directly at Dina's head.
But Dina merely grinned.
Vena instantly appeared from the side and blocked the attack.
"Nope... denied."
She raised her index finger and slowly waved it from side to side.
At the same time, Dina counterattacked.
A deep gash opened across Riveria's shoulder.
They didn't stop there.
The two sisters continued their relentless assault, refusing to give Riveria even a moment to breathe.
"Struggle... struggle some more... keep struggling... Your Highness."
Dina mocked with a sadistic grin.
Riveria gritted her teeth and desperately parried every strike with her staff.
But she had already sustained too many injuries from the earlier battle.
Her movements had slowed considerably.
Eventually, Dina landed the definitive blow.
A deep slash tore across Riveria's thigh, staining her green robes an even darker shade of crimson.
Riveria dropped to one knee.
She could no longer move properly.
When she looked up...
The Dis Sisters were staring down at her with triumphant smirks.
"It was truly a fun game… Your Majesty. Now, burn in hell."
Dina swung her sword.
A silver arc raced toward Riveria's neck.
"Not happening."
A familiar, sharp voice shattered the air, and Dina's sword stopped dead in its tracks, freezing mere millimeters away from slicing Riveria's throat.
The Dis Sisters froze.
Slowly...
The two sisters turned their heads in unison.
Standing there was a boy with pitch-black hair and piercing purple eyes.
For a brief moment, Riveria simply stared silently at his back.
Even amidst the chaos...
Even with blood flowing from her wounds...
Even with death having been a fraction of a second away....
The instant he appeared, an indescribable sense of relief washed over her.
The tension she had been desperately holding onto finally melted away.
"You..."
Riveria's lips parted slightly, her voice a soft, trembling whisper.
She hadn't even realized she was smiling until she felt the corners of her lips lift on their own.
"Thank goodness..."
She whispered softly, her usually composed, stoic eyes trembling with a mixture of relief and profound emotion as she looked up at him.
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