The most prosperous dungeon city hailed as the center of the world, Orario, had now become a living hell.
Fires raged throughout the city.
Safe places grew fewer by the minute as people could only flee toward the central plaza.
Because the central plaza surrounding the Babel Tower was vast, at least here they didn't have to worry about the fires.
Yet the attacks by Evilus remained relentless.
"Everyone, gather at the central plaza! Send the wounded into Riveria's Magic Circle! Hurry!" Finn promptly took emergency measures.
He turned the central plaza into a temporary stronghold and initiated a defensive stance.
Rayleigh walked through the ruined streets, his expression grim as he surveyed the chaos.
"Tch, Erebus really did a number on us. Even Finn lost to him tactically, huh."
What one person could accomplish was, after all, severely limited.
At this moment, perhaps he was the only one in all of Orario who could actually remain calm.
Everyone else had already been led by the nose by Erebus.
Unfortunately, if the incident hadn't occurred first, he couldn't explain exactly how he knew of Evilus's plans.
Speaking out too early would only raise deep suspicions about his own connection to Evilus.
The other side was about to play their trump card.
Those two monsters had already made their appearance. Not only that, but Erebus had likely already begun the 'God Hunt'.
That's right.
Evilus's true plan, just like during the previous attack on the Babel Tower conference, was to send Orario's Gods back to the heavens.
Everything else—including voluntarily revealing their base locations, attacking the city, slaughtering civilians, and even the appearances of Zald and Alfia—were all elaborate traps meant to divert the Adventurers' attention.
The true objective had always been the God Hunt.
In other words—to "slay the Gods"!
It was no wonder Finn lost to them.
While moving quickly, Rayleigh drank a mental recovery potion. He quickly located Alise and the others through his spiritual networks.
Upon his arrival, he found the girls right in the midst of battle.
"Alise!" Rayleigh called out to her.
The red-haired girl turned around, and upon seeing Rayleigh, her face completely lit up.
"Rayleigh, you're safe! That's great!"
Attacking an entire base alone—just hearing about it sounded far too reckless.
But since Rayleigh had safely returned, it meant he must have succeeded!
'As expected, he's really amazing!'
Rayleigh wasted no time and speak directly, "Spread the word: the enemy's objective is to slay the Gods. All the current chaos is just to divert our attention and scatter the forces protecting the Gods. Goddess Astraea is also in danger!"
Hearing his words, Alise's expression changed drastically.
Even in painful battles and despairing atmospheres, Alise could always manage to keep a smile.
But in this moment, only pure fear showed on her face.
'Lady Astraea is in danger? The enemy's goal is to slay the Gods?'
Lyra, hearing his words, also exclaimed in shock, "Really?! That's terrible!"
Rayleigh nodded.
He turned to the Pallum and said, "Get this message to Finn, and be quick about it!"
"Right! Understood!" Lyra immediately sprang into action.
Afterward, Rayleigh conveyed different map coordinates to Kaguya and the others one by one, instructing them to rush there with all their might.
As for Rayleigh himself, he headed straight for the most dangerous place.
He fully intended to speak with Alfia one more time.
...
Under the dim glow of a magic stone lamp, a figure cloaked in a dark hood stood quietly.
One of her hands gripped her own arm, and her slender shoulders were trembling slightly.
Suddenly, the sound of steady footsteps approached the area.
The woman beneath the hood sighed heavily.
"It's you again."
Rayleigh's figure smoothly appeared in Alfia's line of sight.
"Alfia, there's still time. You and Zald can survive. I'll do everything in my power to heal you, Orario's strength will naturally grow by it self. You don't need to carry out such an evil plan."
The woman's cool eyes gazed at the young boy standing before her.
She asked, "Do you honestly believe your vision surpasses that of the Gods?"
Toward this boy who somehow knew all about the Plan of Necessary Evil, Alfia saw absolutely no need for pretense.
Instead, she questioned Rayleigh directly.
"Orario today is far too weak. Precisely because of that, I accepted that God's invitation. I've said it before: i already severed my last worldly ties, I have no reason to continue living."
Seeing her act so pessimistic, Rayleigh waved his hand and said, "How can you so easily declare you have no regrets left? You're barely over twenty, you're still just a girl! You'll surely experience all sorts of wonderful things in the future.... your life has only just begun!"
'Helpless.'
'No way out.'
'No choice?'
"Don't give up," Rayleigh said, clenching his fists tightly.
Hearing this, a powerful aura suddenly erupted outward from Alfia.
Rayleigh felt a heavy, tangible pressure physically push him back several meters.
"Boy, how can you be so sure you actually have the ability to heal me? Perhaps all of that is just your own wild speculation. I've already given up, yet you try to offer me false hope. Isn't that itself a cruel form of torture?" Alfia asked coldly.
"I've lost friendship and family ties. I no longer yearn for love. I only seek eternal stillness, so don't disturb me anymore."
With that, Alfia raised her delicate hand.
Just that single simple motion made Rayleigh feel an unparalleled amount of pressure!
In an instant, he understood clearly.
Sakanade wouldn't work on Alfia at all.
With her massive range of attack, as long as you were within the physical reach of sound, there was absolutely no escape from it.
Disrupting her sense of direction was entirely meaningless.
The entire surrounding area would simply be blown sky-high equally!
'Am i going to fail again?' Rayleigh gritted his teeth, staring hard at the trembling Alfia.
'She was trembling? Why? Was her terminal illness suddenly worsening? Or was it a deep, hidden fear of death?'
There was still time right now.
Her hands hadn't yet been stained with the blood of the innocent.
But if he fell here now, then he couldn't stop anything.
Perhaps by the time he opened his eyes again, everything would be far too late.
'Endure it,' Rayleigh's gaze sharpened instantly.
The very moment the magical reverberations reached him, he quickly brought his hands together.
"Bakudō Thirty-Nine: Enkosen!"
Relying on the mental recovery potions he had consumed along the way, Rayleigh used his remaining Reiatsu to unleash a strong defensive Bakudo.
A bright, circular shield appeared right before him.
When the heavy reverberations made contact, a deafening sonic boom erupted.
Enkosen held firm for one solid second before violently splitting into four pieces, but it hadn't completely dissipated yet.
Rayleigh forcibly injected reiatsu directly into his own blood vessels.
Glowing patterns formed by the spirit particles appeared clearly on the surface of his skin.
Then something wondrous occurred.
Amidst that terrifying sonic boom, Rayleigh's body was blasted away, but he didn't lose consciousness.
Instead, he remained fully awake, his mind completely clear. Even mid-air, he smoothly adjusted his posture and landed steadily on the ground.
His feet dragged long trails across the dirt.
"Cough."
Rayleigh's skin turned crimson from the seeping blood.
Blood trickled slowly from the gaps in his fingernails.
Yet, his expression was filled with pure excitement.
He succeeded!
Though it wasn't perfect, he had indeed just used a powerful technique that didn't belong to a Shinigami.
Blut Vene.
It's a technique that drastically increases physical defense by injecting spirit particles directly into the blood vessels.
This was... the unique ability of a Quincy!