The constant sounds of battle continued to ring throughout Melen.
This time, however, the fighting had grown even more intense.
With Judas' intervention, even before Finn and the others arrived, the rejuvenated female members of the Loki Familia were now going toe-to-toe against the enemy Amazons, clashing with absolute, fierce confidence.
When Judas dispelled his magic, the emerald hue that blanketed the town instantly vanished.
Using his telekinesis magic, he carried the unconscious Alicia to a safe location where he sensed Loki was hiding before turning his gaze toward a particular direction.
'Haruhime… it looks like she's here as well, positioned fairly close to Ais.'
Judas noted the distinct presence of the young Renard standing on a high rooftop some distance away.
She was overlooking the duel between Ais and Phryne, with Aisha standing guard right beside her.
But Judas couldn't afford to focus on them right now.
Shifting his gaze back toward the shoreline, the calm sea suddenly exploded outward.
The next instant, the seawater exploded outward.
In the blink of an eye, the Dis sisters burst out of the water, landing heavily on the docks, soaked from head to toe.
"Urgh! Yuck!"
Vena blurted as she plucked a strand of seaweed from her hair.
"Judas Spade… I am going to tear you limb from limb!"
Dina growled through gritted teeth, glaring in Judas' direction.
Judas narrowed his eyes as he noticed the thin crimson aura coating both sisters' bodies.
His sharp senses immediately detected their threat levels spiking beyond the boundary of Level 6.
'Pseudo Level 7...'
Judas frowned.
'That curse magic again… looks like they activated it while submerged under the sea. A status exchange, wasn't it?'
'Although it doesn't actually increase their stats, that curse greatly enhances their combat effectiveness...'
From their previous encounter, he already knew that fighting the Dis Sisters in this state would be troublesome, even for his current self without the skill [Penitent Executioner] activated.
Because Loki had been away in Melen, he hadn't been able to update his Falna.
His status remained the same as it had been two weeks ago, just before he set out to defeat Antares.
"I have displayed a level of incompetence that has disgraced my position as vice-captain."
Riveria stepped forward, glaring at the Dis Sisters.
While she had been fighting at a strict two-on-one disadvantage and was statistically expected to lose, the royal elf couldn't help but scold herself for showing such vulnerability.
'How disgraceful.'
She tightened her grip on her staff and began gathering her Mind.
"Allow me to make up for my failure."
As those words left her lips, an overwhelming surge of magic power erupted from her body, causing Judas to raise an eyebrow while even the Dis Sisters instinctively flinched.
"I will show you why I am called Nine Hell."
A magic circle spread beneath her feet.
Judas smiled faintly.
'Yeah… I'm not alone in this.'
He dropped into a balanced combat stance, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the High Elf.
"Alright... I'm counting on you to watch my back, Miss Riveria."
Riveria's slender elven ears twitched faintly at his words.
For some reason, hearing Judas explicitly state that he was relying on her ignited a strange, inexplicable surge of joy deep in her chest.
She had to actively suppress a small smile from breaking out on her lips.
Opposite them, the Dis sisters felt their brows twitch.
The sheer combined magical pressure radiating from the duo actually forced them to take a half-step back.
Suppressing their sudden apprehension, they bared their teeth.
"So what if you two are working together?! We swear we'll slice both of you into fish bait today!"
The sisters shouted in unison.
A thunderous explosion erupted as both sides collided.
...
Meanwhile...
The battle between Ais and Phryne had taken a different turn.
'How can this be?!'
Phryne gritted her teeth as she was forced to raise her heavy axes merely to defend against Ais' relentless, fluid assault.
Her feet scraped across the ground as she was steadily pushed backward.
She had already realized she was losing.
It was simply a reality she refused to accept.
'With her wind magic sealed, we should be on equal footing!'
Phryne raged mentally.
She saw a brief opening, hauled her right arm back, and brought her massive battleaxe down in a brutal arc.
But her weapon cut through nothing but empty air.
Her eyes widened as she turned around.
Ais was already behind her, her sword poised to strike.
Before Phryne could even react, a sharp pain exploded across her shoulder.
Bang!
Her armor dented inward as Ais brought her dull blade crashing down, deliberately using it as a blunt weapon.
"Arggh!"
The giant toad tried to swallow the pathetic grunt of pain rising in her throat.
'Why can't I hit her?!'
Her bloodshot eyes frantically tried to follow Ais' movements.
Even before Judas had cast his city-wide healing spell, Ais had already held the advantage.
Now that she had fully recovered, that advantage had only widened.
'There's no way! I refuse to believe this!'
Ever since their previous encounter, Phryne had convinced herself that she had lost only because of Ais' wind.
When it came to pure physical ability, technique, and combat skill...
She had believed she was superior.
Yet reality proved otherwise.
"Damn it... damn it... DAMN IT ALL!"
Phryne screamed hysterically, wildly swinging her axes in frantic, uncoordinated patterns that failed to touch a single strand of Ais' blonde hair.
Consumed by rage, she began attacking anything that moved.
Even the Amazons from her own Familia weren't spared.
"Kyaa!"
"That frog has completely lost it!"
"Get out of the way! That bitch is crazy!"
As everyone scrambled away from the rampaging Phryne, Aisha stepped in front of Haruhime while looking down at the battlefield below.
"Dammit... the Sword Princess is too strong... and that damn ugly frog has completely lost it."
She clicked her tongue before glancing toward Haruhime.
"Your safety comes first. If things get any more dangerous, I'll get you out of here and we'll retreat."
Hearing Aisha's words, Haruhime silently nodded.
"Lena! Go around and signal the rest of our girls to prepare to fall back at a moment's notice."
Aisha ordered as she turned toward Lena, another Amazon from the Ishtar Familia.
...
Down on the street, Ais created distance with an effortless backflip, her golden eyes narrowing as she assessed her opponent.
She looked down at her worn, battered sword.
'Without my wind... I can't finish her quickly enough.'
Although she held absolute advantage over the fight, Ais couldn't land a definitive, battle-ending blow.
Turning this into a battle of attrition was the last thing she wanted, and she was already beginning to lose patience.
She hadn't forgotten that her true mission was to locate and rescue Tiona and Tione.
...
Meanwhile...
The sound of countless footsteps echoed from the distance.
Raised proudly above the advancing force was a banner bearing the emblem of a jester...
The symbol of the Loki Familia.
"Looks like we've arrived."
Finn said as he surveyed the battles raging throughout Melen.
"Captain, it looks like the fighting has already started."
Raul reported with a salute.
Behind him stood an army of adventurers.
The male members of the Loki Familia were fully equipped and ready for battle.
"It certainly has."
Gareth muttered as he rested his axe over his shoulder.
"Let's crush these bitches!"
Bete snarled, baring his fangs.
Seeing the eager expressions of his companions, Finn smiled faintly.
"Men... march forward!"
He shouted as he broke into a sprint.
"YEAH!"
A collective, deafening battle cry shook the streets as the army surged forward.
...
Inside a nearby sheltered building, while carefully tending to the resting Alicia, Loki felt the sudden, massive influx of her children's divine blessings.
"Oh?"
She stood up and looked toward their direction before breaking into a wide grin.
"Finally... you guys sure took your sweet time!"
The entire Loki Familia had arrived.
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