The moment Finn and the others appeared, the Loki Familia began bulldozing the hostile Amazons throughout Melen.
"The guys are here!"
Under Finn's command, the men were strategically split into groups and dispatched to the various battlefields.
"Bete, go help Ais."
Finn ordered. Bete nodded, his silhouette instantly dissolving into a high-speed blur.
The Pallum captain then turned to face Loki, who came sprinting toward him with a sharp smirk.
"Took you long enough, Finn."
"Apologies for the delay. What's the situation?"
Finn asked, prompting Loki to quickly explain everything that had happened before they arrived.
"I see... Lefiya has been kidnapped, Tiona and Tione have gone off somewhere, and Alicia is unconscious."
"There was also the unexpected appearance of the Dis Sisters."
As soon as he finished speaking, a massive explosion erupted nearby, causing the ground beneath them to tremble from the collision of powerful magic.
"It looks like Judas and Riveria have that area covered."
The pallum muttered before turning toward Gareth.
"Gareth, take Raul and the others to the west side of town... I'm entrusting Lefiya's rescue to you."
Gareth grunted in agreement.
He turned his head, resting a heavy, calloused palm over his brow to shield his eyes and looked toward the distant explosions.
"That prim and proper elf looks like she's having quite the time over there. Alright... and what about you?"
Gareth asked.
"As for me..."
Finn narrowed his eyes toward a lone boat drifting farther and farther away from the shore.
...
Meanwhile...
Ais, who had been fighting Phryne from the very beginning was abruptly cut off when a silver-furred werewolf blindsided the giant toad with a brutal, crushing kick straight to the skull.
"Out of the way, you ugly bitch!"
Bete roared.
The impact launched Phryne backward like a cannonball, sending her crashing into a nearby storage shed that shattered into pieces.
"Bete..."
Ais blinked as Bete landed in front of her, radiating an intimidating aura that even made her instinctively tense.
'His fur... he's already beastified?'
The moment she noticed his transformed state and looked up at the full moon hanging overhead, she immediately understood why Bete had managed to overpower Phryne so effortlessly.
"Ais, stand back. The captain told me to have you go help that smiling idiot, Tiona."
"I'll handle things here. In my current state, I'm stronger than you... at least without your wind."
Bete said as he stepped forward without waiting for a reply.
Ais simply nodded before immediately sprinting in another direction.
Phryne dragged herself out of the wreckage, her face covered in blood and her expression twisted in rage.
"Hey! Sword Princess! Get back here! We aren't finished!"
She shouted after seeing Ais leave.
"You're not going anywhere, frog."
Bete's voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"Vanargand! I know you can't resist my beauty and want my attention, but I don't have time for you! So get lo—!"
Phryne turned around with an enraged expression.
Only for her face to pale.
Bete grabbed her by the face and slammed her head straight into the ground.
Boom!
"Shut up! Just hearing your voice makes me want to vomit."
Watching from a distant rooftop, Aisha visibly winced as Phryne began to squeal in agonizing pain like a pig in a slaughterhouse.
"That useless toad... after bragging so much, she still couldn't accomplish anything."
Even with Haruhime's Level Boost, now that Bete had entered his beastified state, the captain of the Ishtar Familia was clearly no match for him.
Aisha then turned toward the shoreline, where deafening explosions continued to erupt.
Even from this distance, witnessing the scale of the battle between Judas, Riveria, and the Dis sisters made her skin crawl.
"The Loki Familia is full of monsters. We never should have taken this job."
Aisha muttered, a cold bead of sweat running down her face.
She grabbed Haruhime firmly by the wrist.
"This whole operation is a disaster. Let's move."
While they were running, Haruhime couldn't help but look back over her shoulder toward the battlefield where Judas was fighting.
Out of every battle taking place throughout Melen, theirs was by far the most eye-catching as spell after spell lit up the night sky.
'Amazing...'
Looking at his back, she couldn't help but picture him as one of the heroes from the storybooks she had once read.
...
Meanwhile, in an underground chamber...
Lefiya sat with her wrists bound in chains, surrounded by hostile Amazons keeping a close watch over her.
'Those tremors... and that healing magic from earlier... Judas and the others must be fighting outside.'
Lefiya thought as hope slowly returned to her expression.
She lowered her gaze toward the chains restraining her.
'I can't just sit here and do nothing.'
'I have to find a way to escape... or at least let them know where I am.'
Kali's chilling warning from earlier echoed in her mind.
"Don't forget... if you start chanting or try anything funny, we'll slit your throat."
Kali had said as she crouched in front of Lefiya and slowly ran a finger across her own neck.
Although the goddess spoke casually, the overwhelming bloodlust radiating from the Amazons standing behind her made the entire room feel suffocating.
Lefiya shivered.
Even so, she swallowed her fear.
'I have no choice but to act like a reckless idiot.'
'Otherwise... they might use me as a bargaining chip.'
Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve and began chanting.
"Unleashed streak of light, bough limbs of the holy tree..."
A radiant magic circle bloomed beneath her feet, illuminating the dim underground chamber.
The Amazons immediately turned toward her in alarm.
Ignoring them, Lefiya glanced at the numerous cracks lining the ceiling and continued chanting.
'This cave is filled with cracks... the light from my magic circle should leak outside.'
'And even if it doesn't... someone might sense the magic power I'm releasing and track my location.'
She shifted her gaze toward the approaching Amazons as they drew their weapons.
Gritting her teeth, she watched as one Amazon rushed forward and thrust a dagger toward her throat.
Lefiya kicked upward desperately, using her legs to stall the blade.
But the Amazon pressed down with her force, forcing the edge of the dagger inch by inch toward Lefiya's neck.
Seeing the cold steel closing in, Lefiya shut her eyes tight and turned her head away.
'Judas... Ais... help me.'
She silently cried out, believing death was only moments away.
At that exact moment...
BOOM!!
The ceiling suddenly exploded.
Chunks of rock and clouds of dust rained down throughout the chamber.
The Amazons scattered, their attention instantly snapping to the silhouette emerging from the smoke.
'Judas? Ais? They came to save me!'
Lefiya coughed several times as hope filled her eyes.
But when the dust finally settled...
The one standing there wasn't Judas.
Nor was it Ais.
It was Gareth.
"You alright, lass?"
The dwarf asked as he turned toward Lefiya.
Her eyes visibly dimmed.
She looked... slightly disappointed.
Gareth noticed immediately.
His shoulders slumped ever so slightly.
"Not quite as easy on the eyes as the folks you were wishing for, am I?"
He sighed, sounding a little dejected.
"N-no! I-it's not what you think, Sir Gareth! You must be imagining things!"
Lefiya hurriedly stammered, waving her hands as much as the chains allowed while trying to explain herself.
While the two spoke, the surrounding Amazons raised their weapons and slowly encircled them, murderous intent pouring from every direction.
"You lot seem awfully confident in yourselves."
"You remind me of Tiona and Tione when I first met them."
Gareth didn't look the slightest bit threatened.
Instead, he casually rolled his shoulders as though preparing for some light exercise.
Then he raised one hand and beckoned them forward with a single finger.
The meaning was obvious.
'Bring it on.'
The Amazons' faces twisted with fury at the blatant provocation.
They charged together.
A second later...
"Argh!"
"Gwah!"
One after another, Amazons were sent flying in every direction.
"This won't take long."
Gareth grunted, scanning the room for the next target.
...
Meanwhile...
On the drifting boat where Tione and Argana continued their duel, blood splattered across the deck.
"I'm going to fucking kill you, Argana!"
Tione screamed, her face twisted with rage.
"The look in your eyes..."
Argana grinned as she slowly licked the blood from her fingers.
"It's like you've returned to your old self, Tione."
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