Erebus's expression stiffened.
"Rayleigh."
He still remembered that this human boy was a child from Hephaestus's Familia.
The strength of the Hephaestus Familia was absolutely crucial to the city's survival. Therefore, his grand plan didn't include sending the Goddess of Forging back to Tenkai.
After all, the true purpose of his design was to forcefully increase Orario's overall strength.
In the process, some people would inevitably be sacrificed, this was simply unavoidable.
This was the heavy, burdened love of a God.
In the end, Gods and humans were completely different beings with vastly different moral concepts and ways of existence.
At first, he only wanted to pressure powerful factions like the Loki, Freya, Ganesha, and Ishtar Familias to become stronger.
The rest of the city could simply be used as a bloody fertilizer.
However, he had encountered an unexpected gain.
Blooming right in the middle of this dark swamp was a dazzlingly brilliant flower: the Astraea Familia.
It was a Familia composed entirely of eleven young maidens in the prime of their youth, guided by the Goddess of Justice, Astraea.
If they could somehow endure the cruel trial he had given them, they would grow rapidly and become Orario's firm new pillars.
He deliberately picked fights with the girls to stimulate their growth in combat power.
At the same time, he wanted to foster their mental maturity, forcing them to achieve a perfect unity of mind and body.
But this elegant plan had been thwarted multiple times!
All because, right at the center of these young women, there stood a very special existence.
A human boy constantly surrounded by romance.
He was an interesting boy, too. A fierce protector of the flowers no doubt.
Because of his interference, the trial's progress was a complete mess.
Although Rayleigh was an interesting child, if the trial couldn't be completed without overcoming him, Erebus didn't mind eliminating the boy entirely.
He would feel a little sorry for Hephaestus, but he had stopped caring about such trivial sentiments the moment he formulated this dark plan.
"You killed Olivas..." Erebus noted softly.
"That's right," Rayleigh admitted generously.
He spoke without a single hint of concealment, nor any sign of guilt.
"Was it also for the sake of justice?" Erebus coaxed, trying his best to steer Rayleigh into the verbal trap he had laid.
However, Rayleigh understood the deity quite well and had already seen right through the trick.
This God was a master sophist.
Rayleigh knew he couldn't let himself be led by the nose.
"He was a part of Evilus," Rayleigh stated plainly.
"Evilus, you say? So that means you can just strike a killing blow to him?" Erebus countered. "Do the members of Evilus truly deserve to die? I don't think so. In reality, you're just looking for a justifiable reason to excuse your own killing. Am I wrong?"
Once Erebus started talking, the twisted words flowed endlessly.
"Olivas wasn't a part of Evilus from the very beginning. It was Orario itself—it was you people who proudly call yourselves righteous—who forced him into a desperate dead end," Erebus lectured.
"If you are truly righteous, why couldn't you save Olivas as well?"
Hearing those heavy words, Kaguya frowned deeply, and Ryuu looked visibly bewildered.
Even Alise felt intensely conflicted.
As the Captain of the Astraea Familia, her personal interpretation of justice couldn't perfectly convince everyone, so she always went with her gut and did what she felt was right.
That was exactly why she strongly agreed with Rayleigh's earlier statement: My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror, all that I do is for justice.
But faced directly with this clever moral blackmail, a seed of self-doubt still sprouted in her mind.
But Rayleigh wouldn't succumb to it.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Rayleigh asked, his face blank. "That's complete nonsense. If Evilus doesn't die, should I just lie down and wait them to kill me instead?"
Rayleigh bluntly refuted Erebus's profound words.
With that simple, grounded logic, he easily managed to stuff the tens of thousands of philosophical words Erebus had been brewing right back down the God's throat.
Erebus fell completely silent, looking visibly stunned.
"Blah, blah, blah, you really never stop talking. What right do you have to judge anyone?" Rayleigh scoffed.
"Don't forget, you're a part of Evilus too! As for Oli... what's-his-name... Forget it, I can't even be bothered to debate with you. In short, once Evilus, always Evilus!"
It was a massive waste of breath to even listen.
Once a villain, always a villain.
Relying on this blunt, unshakeable logic, he left even the silver-tongued evil God Erebus totally dumbfounded.
Shouldn't a mortal's normal reaction to his speech be confusion, helplessness, and deep self-reflection?
Looking at the resolute boy standing before him, Erebus's brows furrowed tightly together.
"If you have something else to say, you can say it from a prison cell. When the time comes, you won't have a choice but to talk." Rayleigh judged that Alfia wouldn't intervene.
However, that guy Vito was also hiding around here.
Rayleigh decided he would force the man out into the open first.
"Bakudō Sixty-One: Rikujōkōrō."
Rayleigh brought his index and middle fingers together, aiming them squarely at Erebus.
Six massive golden slabs of light instantly appeared around the God, rapidly converging on his body and forcefully pinning him in place.
Clang!
Completely immobilized by the high-level Bakudō, Erebus's composed expression finally shattered.
He didn't expect Rayleigh to be so fiercely decisive in attacking a literal God!
"Vito!" Erebus called out his Familia member's name.
Swoosh!
A dark figure immediately appeared right in front of the trapped Erebus.
"Were you calling for me?" the faceless man asked with a wide, mocking grin.
Erebus let out a wry, strained smile. "I didn't expect him to be a guy who completely refuses to listen to reason. It was rather unexpected."
"Ah, you mean him. Indeed, he has absolutely no martial virtue," Vito agreed.
He briefly glanced at the golden slabs of Rikujōkōrō binding Erebus, quickly judged that he couldn't break the magic immediately, and casually turned to face Rayleigh and the girls.
The moment he turned his head, the arrogant smile on his face shifted to pure terror.
A massive, roaring fireball was already flying straight for his head!
"Hadō Thirty-One: Shakkahō."
The speed of Rayleigh's incantation-less Kidō was absolutely astonishing.
Vito hastily dove out of the way, but a large patch of his hair was still badly singed by the intense heat.
The blazing Shakkahō he barely avoided struck the stone ground not far away!
Boom!
A powerful blaze shot high into the sky, filling the air with thick smoke and flying dust.
Seeing the destructive power of the spell, Vito couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
If he didn't dodged in time just now, his head would have definitely been blown to bits.
'Unleashing such a deadly magic without a single word of warning?'
'Was this guy really not from Evilus? He was far too decisive when it came to killing!'
'Furthermore, the raw power and casting speed of this magic... This guy, could it be...?'
"You leveled up?" Vito asked, his eyes narrowing.
"You noticed? Not that I was planning to hide it. That's right, I'm Level 3 now," Rayleigh confirmed casually.
"Of course, my level is still lower than yours."
Seeing a suitable opponent finally step onto the stage, Rayleigh revealed a sharp smile.
He kept his eyes locked on Vito and said, "Everyone, don't make a move. Let me handle this man alone."
Hearing his bold words, Alise, Kaguya, and the others didn't have an overly dramatic reaction, but they were certainly a little anxious.
"Are you serious, Rayleigh? That guy is Level 4," Alise warned him.
Rayleigh turned and nodded gently at the Elven girl. "I know, but I won't lose. Trust me, Ryuu."
"Mmph." Ryuu hummed softly, still looking quite worried for his safety.
But Alise gently held her arm back at that moment.
"Don't worry about him, Ryuu. Look at that expression on Rayleigh's face... we've fought alongside him for so long, you understand what it means, right? It's the expression of someone with absolute confidence."
Kaguya sighed heavily and rested her hand on her hip.
"I knew there would eventually be a day he surpassed us, but isn't this happening a bit too fast?"
Seeing their relaxed reactions, Ryuu asked in deep confusion, "What are you all talking about?"
"Well, well, you'll understand if you just keep watching him," Alise said with a bright grin.
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