After Hermes announced that the match had begun.
Eiji hadn't even drawn his weapon yet; he simply slipped both hands into his pants pockets before speaking to Ais.
"Ais, you don't need to worry about fighting thousands of adventurers, including Ottar, all by yourself. Just defeat whoever is in front of you, and the rest?"
"Leave them to me and my troops."
"!!!" Everyone.
Before Ais could ask what exactly Eiji's army was, she and all the members of the Freya Familia felt a terrifying sense of oppression emanating from him.
The sky over the mountains turned overcast at a speed visible to the naked eye. A purple aura enveloped Eiji's body, and the shadow beneath his feet spread to cover half the area of the ruins.
He could certainly expand his range further, but that was more than enough. Thousands of shadow soldiers emerged from within his shadow, shocking everyone who witnessed the scene.
They all looked horrified because those figures were clearly not human—they all looked like monsters!
Eiji summoned all sorts of monsters shrouded in darkness. Their appearances were terrifying, and each of them radiated an oppressive aura no less than that of first-class adventurers, or even more.
Especially a few of them: Beru, Igris, and Bellion.
Ottar even broke out in a cold sweat when he felt the monsters' gazes fixed on him.
Seeing them all lined up in front of Eiji as if they were obeying him, he almost cursed.
"M-Monsters!?"
"Why did so many monsters suddenly appear here!? This isn't a dungeon!"
"From what Eiji said, those monsters seem to be his troops. But how is that possible!? A god who can summon thousands of monsters!?"
"The monsters are all the same color, and even though they're different types, they all seem incredibly strong."
"I... Is it too late to give up? There's no way we can defeat that many monsters!"
The members of the Freya Familia were intimidated just by sensing the oppressive presence of the shadow soldiers.
Many of them even wanted to flee the battlefield. However, Hogni persuaded them to keep fighting by shouting, "Everyone, don't be afraid! Even though there are many of them, there are plenty of us too! There's also Ottar, me, and several other first-class adventurers. For Freya-sama's sake! We must fight!"
What the dark elf said reignited the courage of those men.
Each of them imagined the figure of Freya smiling at them, and their blood immediately boiled!
It must be said, the simp often have no fear.
Eiji smiled cynically, "I'm a bit impressed by your determination to fight. But these monsters—specifically my shadow soldiers—are not weak."
Ais stared at the thousands of black monsters glowing with a purple light with a hint of dread, and glanced at the man beside her.
"Eiji, these monsters..."
"They're all under my control; you don't need to worry that they'll attack you, Ais. Even though they're monsters, they're troublesome enough to possess the intellect and intelligence that allows them to fight alongside humans—or anyone who's my ally." Eiji deliberately gave a rather lengthy explanation, not only so that Ais wouldn't be afraid of his shadow soldiers, but so that everyone watching the livestream would be convinced by his words.
He could have defeated all the members of the Freya Familia in an instant, but he didn't do that and went to the trouble of summoning his shadow soldiers instead.
There was a reason for that.
It was because of the Xenos. He thought he could use this opportunity to tell everyone in Orario that there were monsters capable of cooperating with humans and gods, and even living alongside them.
In the gods' meeting hall, Denatus.
"Monsters that can fight alongside humans? That's amazing! Hahaha! Eiji is the first god to make monsters his own troops!"
Hermes laughed and praised Eiji. Actually, he almost looked like he was sucking up to him.
How could he not?
Eiji had helped his familia on a previous mission, significantly strengthening its members, and even brought Lidith back to life.
He was deeply grateful to him, and he didn't hesitate to use his social skills to make him look favorable in the eyes of the gods and goddesses.
Ouranos was pleased with what Eiji and Hermes had said, as it would certainly lessen the shock when the people of Orario learned of the Xenos' existence.
"That many monsters actually obey him?"
"Why do they all look the same? I have to admit, they look cool."
"Hahaha! I'm Ganesha! My brother, Eiji, seems to be better at taming monsters than the Tamers in my familia!"
Some gods, including Ganesha, said.
However, there were also some gods who were jealous of Eiji and spoke ill of him.
"Those monsters look dangerous. It would be bad if Eiji let them loose in the city."
"With that kind of power, I'm worried Eiji might be an Evil God. If he wanted to, he could destroy Orario."
"Why is he even allowed to use his power freely? Isn't this unfair to the other gods?"
"We all agreed that we had to seal our divine power in the lower world!"
"Ouranos, Eiji is cheating!"
"Aren't you going to do something about him, Ouranos?!"
Before Ouranos could answer—and, of course, side with Eiji.
"Ufufufu." A stunningly beautiful, busty goddess with orange hair, Demeter, suddenly laughed. But her eyes weren't laughing at all; she glared coldly at the gods who were speaking ill of her husband. "Just out of jealousy, you seem to have forgotten that Eiji saved your lives by thwarting Dionysus's plan not long ago, yet you slander him by calling him an Evil God. It seems I'll have to add a few families to my blacklist."
Hearing this, the gods who had been speaking ill of Eiji fell silent immediately. They all glanced at the Goddess of Harvest in fear and retracted their words.
Without the supply of rice, vegetables, and fruits from the Demeter Familia, it would be difficult for their familias to eat well in Orario.
They begged Demeter not to put their families on her blacklist!
Hermes shook his head, thinking that the gods kneeling around Demeter had poor memories.
They seemed to have forgotten that Demeter was one of Eiji's women!
You're speaking ill of her husband right in front of her—isn't that the same as looking for a way to starve when winter comes?
Back to the battlefield.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The shadow soldiers and members of the Freya Familia have clashed with one another.
Thousands of Level 2 and 3 adventurers attacked the monsters in front of them with their respective weapons, but the damage they dealt wasn't significant. Or more accurately, none of them managed to kill the monsters in just a few attacks.
"I-It can't be! My second-class sword broke!"
"These monsters' skin is too hard!"
"Their wounds heal instantly! They have regenerative abilities!"
"Help me! Ahhh!"
The shadow soldiers—composed of various monsters such as High Orcs, Ogres, Titans, Giant Boars, Giant Wolves, and Giant Ants—easily overpowered the adventurers.
They brutally beat the people to a pulp and severed their arms or legs. Those who were lucky enough only suffered broken bones and immediately fainted.
However, more of them were killed in a matter of seconds. Heith, a skilled Healer, was almost useless. She was able to heal the adventurers on the brink of death, but too many of them died in a short time; she was quickly overwhelmed and her magic ran low.
She herself tried to dodge the monsters' attacks and had taken several hits.
"Ugh! Where did these monsters come from!? Many of them are at least as strong as Level 4 and 5 adventurers—they can even regenerate!"
Heith analyzed how powerful the monsters she had fought were as she knelt, clutching her bleeding stomach.
A green light shone from her hand; she tried to heal herself while dodging the staff swung by a High Orc.
Every second sent a signal to her body that she was in danger, and she had to survive.
"Die, you damn ant! Burn Dain!" Meanwhile, Hogni was facing off against Beru. He managed to drive back the monsters around him, but the monster in front of him...
Even after he unleashed a super-short burst spell that sent a jet of fire from his right arm, the monster didn't flinch, and once the smoke from the explosion cleared, it didn't appear to be injured in the slightest.
King of the Dark Elves, Level 6, Hogni swallowed hard and wondered just how strong the monster in front of him was!?
"Is that all you've got? My Lord must just want us to play around with all of you." Beru said indifferently.
Hogni was shocked to hear that it could speak, but before he could say anything, he felt a searing pain in his stomach and the scenery around him began to spin.
From the spectators' perspective, it looked as though Beru had just punched Hogni in the stomach, causing him to vomit up the contents of his stomach. The dark elf was flung at supersonic speed, his body crashing into numerous building ruins in the process, and embedding itself in one of the surrounding mountains.
They didn't know if he was still alive or not after that blow.
"Ah, he died instantly. That proves that Beru's physical strength is far higher than Level 6." Behind the crowd, Eiji stroked his chin and commented while glancing at the lifeless Hogni in the distance.
He was still standing in the same position as before; not a single member of the Freya Familia was able to approach him.
He was like a king observing his soldiers fighting the enemy troops.
Explosions and various spells flashed before his eyes. He could even see Ais clearly.
With her magic, Ariel, Ais easily defeated hundreds to thousands of Level 2 and 3 adventurers. Her figure was shrouded in a wind that deflected every offensive spell cast at her, and her sword sliced through human bodies with precision.
It must be said that Ais's appearance was the most striking on the battlefield. Not just because of her beauty, but because her power had undoubtedly reached Level 7!
[My Falna System seems to have allowed Ais to level up faster than in the original work. The sword skills Artoria taught her have also made her stronger.]
[Right now, Ais isn't just a monster-killing machine—she's a human-killing machine too!]
[Wow, I'm proud of her.]
Eiji's inner voice reached Ais, and she was pleased by his praise. As she slaughtered the members of the Freya Familia, a rare, small smile unconsciously appeared on her beautiful face.
That scene left the men watching the live stream spellbound.
Bell was one of them; even though he now had Apollo in his heart, he still wanted to stand by Ais's side and confess to her!
Unfortunately, he didn't know why she was smiling on the battlefield. If he knew, he might have cried.
"Eiji!! Stop this slaughter! From the very beginning, this has been my battle with you! Fight me one-on-one! Gugh!"
That scream, mixed with pain, came from Ottar; he was battered, his muscular body covered in cuts, and he appeared to be locked in a sword fight with Igris.
As a Level 7, his speed was incredibly fast, and every swing of his sword looked like a shadow. However, Igris was able to outmaneuver him with speed and skill that surpassed his own.
That Dark Knight, who towered over Ottar, was incredibly powerful!
The spectators and even the gods wondered if he was a monster or a human?
What did the face beneath his helmet look like?
As if offended that Ottar dared to challenge his lord to a duel when he couldn't even defeat him, Igris unleashed an even more terrifying onslaught. The purple flames enveloping his body blazed more intensely, and he swung his long sword horizontally.
The slash flew toward Ottar's neck.
Ottar panicked; he desperately tried to dodge the attack by tilting his head to the side.
But he was still too slow; although he managed to save his head from being severed, one of his ears had been cut off.
However, what surprised Ottar and the spectators was—
*Boom!*
Igris's slash unleashed a purple magical energy that shot into the distance, slicing through the peaks of several mountains.
In the process, the slash also expanded, covering the sky above the battlefield.
Seeing that scene, hundreds of Freya's members and the remaining soldiers knelt down, losing their will to fight.
They couldn't help but think they would all die if that slash were directed at them.
There was no way they could win!
Setting Igris aside, Beru was even capable of slaughtering hundreds of first-class adventurers in just a few seconds while flying at supersonic speeds. There was also Bellion, a monster that looked like a general with a majestic appearance and wings on its back; its speed was faster than Beru's, and its strength was no less than Igris's.
The aura it radiated was the most terrifying among the other shadow soldiers.
So far, it has only moved a few times, but a single swing of its massive sword has killed thousands of people and sliced through the surrounding buildings at the same time.
Who among them could possibly defeat that monster!?
Even the strongest among them, Ottar, unashamedly challenged Eiji to a duel, realizing they were no match for his forces.
Just as Igris was about to unleash another attack of the same caliber as before to kill Ottar, (For the record, it can do this endlessly). Eiji suddenly teleported between them with a glow surrounding his body.
Actually, he was just moving at the speed of light.
"Igris, that's enough."
"...." Igris fell silent immediately, a question mark appearing above its head.
"All of you… stop."
Bellion, Berus, and the other shadow soldiers also stopped their slaughter.
Ais, who was about to slash a silver-haired woman whose face resembled Syr's, also stopped as Eiji's voice echoed across the battlefield.
Syr—no, Horn, who was Freya's alter ego and a member of the Freya Familia, dropped her weapon and breathed a sigh of relief.
She had nearly been killed while wondering if Eiji would let her die?
Even though he might have known she was the woman he had had sex with, when Freya was pretending to be Syr!
What Horn didn't know was that Eiji hadn't forgotten her—or even Heith. If Ottar hadn't challenged him to a duel, he would have simply revived them both later.
It wasn't a big deal.
[Um… Host, Horn is understandable. But the woman named Heith too?]
'Miss System, have you forgotten what that woman was thinking before? She supported me and Freya. I'm not cruel enough not to save her.'
[Really? You're not thinking that just because you're lusting after her body?]
'I'm busy right now. Don't try to talk to me, Miss System.'
Miss System rolled her eyes; her host clearly didn't want to answer and was pretending to be busy!
Eiji glanced at Ottar, who was standing not far from him, before saying, "Getting back to what you were saying earlier. Ottar, you want a one-on-one fight with me? You think you can at least hurt me, right? Alright, I'll give you a chance."
[I'm being very generous.]
The heroines: "...."
What are you planning, Eiji?
Miss System: My host just wants to show off.
In the front yard of Hearth Manor.
"What is Eiji doing!? Why did he have to take that risk? He was clearly on the verge of winning the war and defeating the Freya Familia."
Hestia scowled, her large breasts heaving as she stomped her foot on the ground; she was worried her man might get hurt.
Lili felt the same way. As a strategist, she didn't understand why Eiji was giving Ottar the chance to hurt him.
On the other side, Aphrodite snorted and thought Eiji would lose because of his arrogance!
"Eiji... It might not be a good idea to give Ottar a chance like that. He'll definitely use that magic."
On top of a temple not far from the battlefield, where Eiji had teleported her and from where she could also watch the live feed from the divine mirror.
Freya should be happy because if Eiji loses, she won't have to get rid of the members of her familia—who are essentially her harem. But now, just like Hestia, Artemis, and Demeter, she's just worried he'll get hurt.
If the male gods knew what Freya was thinking, they'd wonder what kind of drug Eiji had given her!?
"Eiji, you can't take your words back. I'll use my full power—Hildis Vini!"
Ottar used his ultimate magic, Hildis Vini, a short yet potent spell to strengthen his weapon, enveloping it in golden light and greatly boosting its attack power. Although it looks simple, this spell gathers a massive amount of magical power which, when combined with Ottar's extraordinary strength as a Level 7, becomes an unimaginably deadly move on par with a Level 8 magic attack.
This spell also has side effects, such as an extremely high mental energy consumption rate. However, Ottar didn't care about that because as long as he could injure the man in front of him or even kill him, he didn't mind going mad.
"HAAAAAA!"
A man known by the alias 'King' and the strongest member of the Freya Familia roared like a wild beast.
The ground beneath his feet shattered into pieces as his body shot forward like an arrow.
His speed was faster than before, and with eyes glowing red, he locked onto Eiji as his sole target.
"Not bad, the current protagonist is definitely going to be killed by you, Ottar. But me?"
Under the gaze of everyone else, who were also confused as to who the protagonist was, Eiji blocked Ottar's attack with just one hand.
Or more accurately, he pinched the massive sword glowing with golden light that was about to slash his neck, halting its momentum instantly.
*Clang!!*
Strangely, there was also a clanging sound as if Ottar's sword had collided with another weapon.
That was natural because at that moment, the hand Eiji used to block Ottar's attack was covered in a jet-black, glossy layer.
From that hand, a red aura or flash could also be seen.
Ottar was shocked, of course; he wanted to pull his sword back, but no matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't pry his sword from Eiji's fingers!
"AAAAAGHHH!"
He roared like a wild beast once again, the veins in his hands bulging as he gritted his teeth.
Even so, his sword didn't budge an inch from Eiji's fingers.
Eiji sighed and said, "Yare-yare. You're still not strong enough, Ottar. Train harder before you challenge a god to a fight in your next life."
Ottar's rationality had been eroded by the side effects of his magic, but his instincts warned him of mortal danger.
*Crack!*
His massive sword, still shrouded in golden light, shattered into pieces under the overwhelming pressure from Eiji's finger.
Before Ottar could react, Eiji clenched his fist, enveloped in Armament Haki, and aimed it at his chest. His fist blew apart every part of his Level 7 body, which was harder than steel.
*BOOOOM!!*
The space in front of the punch was also shattered into pieces, and a gust of wind mixed with flashes of red lightning blew far ahead.
In a straight line, the battlefield was obliterated. The corpses of the unfortunate members of the Freya Familia were torn to shreds by kinetic energy, buildings turned to ash, and distant mountains vanished.
The dark clouds in the sky parted, revealing a beautiful blue sky. Hundreds of thousands of spectators, including gods and goddesses, gaped in astonishment.
Is this the power of a god?
Ahem, sorry to disappoint you. But not a single god in the Danmachi universe is capable of punching as hard as Eiji.
To create a scene of destruction on that scale, they would at least have to use their Arcanum.