When it came to analyzing the so-called good-for-nothing fairy—ahem, that is to say, the "Luminous Wind" magic wielded by Ryuu—its essence was actually very similar to a certain Marine Admiral's move: the one famous for the saying "as long as the pay is right, even the Four Zhonglis can be taken down."
Both were wide-area attacks capable of forming an overwhelming barrage, much like the Natural-type Glint-Glint Fruit technique known as Yasakani no Magatama.
And then…
Although this kind of move was practically impossible to kill a peer-level powerhouse—let alone defeat someone stronger—it was exceptionally suited for clearing mobs.
Mm. It was also pretty effective at tearing down houses.
Just look—
"My basement! The first cozy love nest for me and my future children… oh no—damn you, you Eastern so-and-so!"
Well, serve him right.Maybe he'd blown Ais's mindset one too many times before, and now karma had finally come knocking.
The nickname that the Blue-Ribbon Goddess was originally supposed to bestow upon someone else now took a sharp turn midair and landed squarely on Renjiro's head instead.
At that moment…
"Hestia, could you stop freaking out every two seconds?"
Artemis reminded her helplessly. "That attack just now didn't affect the abandoned church."
"Eh?"
The petite goddess—whose chest size was anything but petite—hurriedly looked toward the Divine Mirror in front of her.
Sure enough, the bombing zone designated by Luminous Wind had perfectly avoided the abandoned church.
"Huu~"
Hestia patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
However…
[Proud warrior, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers]
Renjiro's second wide-area annihilation spell had already begun its chant.
In an instant, the heart Hestia had just set down was yanked right back up again.
It felt exactly like riding a roller coaster.
West District, battlefield—
After dispelling the brief aerial suspension granted by Luminous Wind, Renjiro hit the ground and immediately broke into a rapid sprint once more.
At his feet, a magic circle shaped like a Celtic Trinity Knot appeared.
At the same time—
[Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows….]
[Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies….]
As the second, exceedingly long chant neared its conclusion, numerous crimson magic circles began to manifest around Renjiro, floating in midair one after another.
They looked like fully loaded cannon barrels…
[Falling like rain, burn away the savages—]
[Fusillade Fallarica!!!]
"Dut-dut-dut-dut-dut~"
Streams of flame-shaped light shot out in all directions, spraying nonstop like a high-pressure showerhead.
Watching this scene through the Divine Mirror, Hestia had completely entered zen mode.
Then—
Artemis watched as her close friend suddenly leaned backward—looking as though her soul had nearly popped out.
"Hestia? Pull yourself together, Hestia!"
The Moon Goddess grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her repeatedly.
"This is bad…"
She had been fine just moments ago, but after such violent emotional whiplash…
At this rate, she might get forcibly sent back to the Heavenly Realm.
At the same time—
"Ah! That's my magic!"
The location was the interior of the Twilight Manor, inside the grand hall on the first floor.
At this very moment, a certain golden-yellow lily fairy happened to see the battle footage displayed in the Divine Mirror—especially the sight of Renjiro turning himself into a mobile artillery platform, outputting continuous firepower while sprinting at full speed…
Such an advanced level of parallel chanting, Lefiya thought to herself.⁵ If I could reach that height too, I'd definitely be able to help Miss Lumine and Miss Ais a lot more.
"And then… ah~"
At this moment, the elf girl unconsciously cupped her cheeks and swayed side to side, apparently imagining some peach-colored scenes complete with sparkly, eye-searing visual effects.
Elsewhere—
"Meow? That was Ryuu and Chloe's magic just now, meow~"
Inside the Hostess of Fertility tavern, today's business was unusually booming thanks to Xiangling and Guoba being present. Even so, the so-called Tavern F4 managed to steal a bit of downtime amid the chaos.
Taking advantage of the Stove God's many avatars running around with trays balanced on their heads, hopping between tables to serve dishes, Ryuu, Chloe, Lunoire, and Anya all turned their attention to the Divine Mirror mounted along the wall.
"Oho~ that kid's really good at using my magic, meow~"
Chloe narrowed her eyes slightly. "Though he's not my favorite type of shota, I wonder how warm his butt—pff~"
Lunoire elbowed her hard, finally stopping the notorious butt connoisseur from continuing her dangerously explicit remarks.
"Strange…"
Ryuu ignored Chloe's antics entirely and focused on analyzing the situation. They're only dealing with some low-level adventurers from the Soma Familia. Why go out of the way to use an ultra-long chant at maximum output?
At that moment—
"That's not even the kid's maximum power."
Mia, standing behind the counter with her arms crossed, spoke sharply. "He hasn't even used his skills to amplify it yet."
"And another thing—"
The former Freya Familia captain, nicknamed Demi Ymir by the gods and a genuine top-tier Level 6 combatant, suddenly raised her voice and roared,
"How long are you lot planning to stand around watching? Get back to work, now!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Well… when Mama Mia got angry, it was truly terrifying.
========
Babel – 30th Floor
After leaving the Hostess of Fertility earlier that morning, Syr (Frigg), as one of the two chief gods involved in this War Game, naturally had to attend the gathering of gods here—just like Soma—no matter how unwilling she might be.
In other words: Freya wasn't here today.
And under such circumstances…
"Yo~ Frigg."
Loki casually plopped down beside her. "From the looks of it, Soma's guaranteed to lose today."
"Running into that little monster of yours—man, he's really unlucky."
In response to Loki's remarks, Syr merely shrugged and smiled without saying a word.
In truth…
Although the War Game had the word game tacked onto its name, its essence was nothing less than a proxy war between two gods.⁶
The reason Orario—or rather, the Guild—so enthusiastically publicized War Games was precisely to seize the opportunity to showcase military might.
At the same time, both participating sides could use the event to promote their Familias to the entire Lower World.
In the past, many small Familias had risen meteorically after becoming dark horses in a War Game, transforming overnight into major powers.
And now, the Frigg Familia—currently with only three members—was clearly showing signs of following that very path.
Fortunately, on Loki's side… she had already heard from Finn that the Loki Familia had formed an alliance with the Frigg Familia, which was also allied with the Freya Familia.
In other words, among Orario's current Top 3—the Freya Familia, Loki Familia, and Ganesha Familia—the first two had effectively ended up on the same side thanks to the bridge known as the Frigg Familia.
In the past, such a situation would have been utterly unthinkable.
So—
"Finn and the others are about to go on another expedition."
Loki lowered her voice and suggested, "This time, how about letting your kid tag along and try their luck in the Deep Floors?"