"VITO! Enough nonsense!" Basram snapped, slamming the butt of his staff against the ground.
"Kill them! Let these so-called righteous fools die without even a grave!"
His face twisted with fury. He had underestimated the enemy and it was already too late to regret it.
If those two damaged spirit soldiers couldn't be recovered, they would never return to full combat state again.
Akira's eyes sharpened. He looked toward Alise, Ryuu, and Kaguya.
"Go. Don't hold back." He said calmly. "This enemy won't show us any mercy, so let's return the favor in full."
As soon as the girls shouted in unison, "Understood!", Akira was already in motion.
With a flick of his hand, a whirlwind of blazing fire erupted from his palm, tearing through the battlefield like a divine meteor.
Of course, he held back. There was no need to go all out, not yet.
If he unleashed even a fraction more of his full power, especially with the magical control he possessed at higher levels, this entire battlefield could be turned into a sea of ash in seconds.
No… he didn't need that. Not now.
Akira's role wasn't to steal the spotlight, but to set the stage.
The purpose was clear: destroy Evilus' foot soldiers, reduce their numbers, and leave the rest for the girls. They needed the challenge. They needed the experience.
After all, if his assumption was correct, in a timeline where he never existed… it was likely that Alfia herself would've been the one to become the girls' final trial.
The tyrants, those monsters in human form, had let it slip.
In this city of adventurers, very few could capture their attention.
And Akira had heard it before. If an adventurer defeats someone stronger than themselves, they gain excelia many times greater than from any monster.
With that logic, these so-called spirit soldiers of Evilus?
They would serve perfectly as stepping stones.
The wheel of fire he had conjured carried a searing heat as it spun through the air, its arc painting a trail of red-gold light across the dungeon sky. Within moments, it was right before Basram.
Basram's eyes widened in panic. His gnarled hands reflexively gripped his golden staff as he attempted to rally his spirit soldiers to intercept the infernal strike. But he was too slow.
Even Vito, who stood at Level 4, only barely reacted in time. His expression twisted, and with a sudden motion, he lunged forward, grabbed Basram by the collar, and hurled them both backward with every ounce of strength.
BOOM!
The explosion roared across the 18th floor like a thunderclap. The force launched both men into the air, rolling them across the bloodstained grass and crystal rocks before finally skidding to a stop.
The two spirit soldiers stationed before them were hit head-on, blasted away like sacks of meat. Despite their monstrous construction, the damage was evident. Their bodies, though still technically functioning, were charred black and sizzling. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air.
They might still move, but now, they were little more than shields. Disposable meat walls.
Basram was quick to rise, raising his staff once more and forcing the two burnt spirit soldiers to their feet, ordering them to stand guard.
Meanwhile, Vito crouched low beside him, dagger in hand like a beast baring its fangs. The smug arrogance on his face had vanished. His eyes now darted toward Akira, scanning with caution.
But not everyone was so lucky. The Evilus grunts caught in the whirlwind flame were incinerated on the spot, no chance to scream, no time to run. All that remained were piles of charred remains.
The battlefield was painted in ash and fire.
Seeing the opening, Alise, Kaguya, and Ryuu all lowered their postures simultaneously, bodies taut like drawn bows and then sprang forward like arrows loosed from the string.
Vito snarled, twisting his mouth into a grimace as he moved alongside the spirit soldiers to meet their charge.
Damn it! Why isn't that Level 2 rookie making a move!?
He didn't have time to dwell on it. The battle had begun.
Kaguya and Ryuu faced off against two of the remaining spirit soldiers, while Alise charged straight toward Vito himself.
Ryuu's wooden sword sliced through the air, carrying a sharp pressure that belied its simple appearance. Her movements were swift, fluid, her agility nearly impossible to follow.
Though the spirit soldiers were strong, their movements were robotic, almost sluggish. Ryuu darted low and delivered a swift strike to one of the soldier's knees.
Crack!
The leg buckled, and the hulking soldier staggered, momentarily losing its balance.
On the other side, Kaguya's blade flickered like a snake, carving shallow gashes across the enemy's flesh as she danced between attacks.
The spirit soldier slashed at her with brutal strength, but she sidestepped effortlessly and retaliated with a cut to its arm.
A spray of blood erupted from the wound. The soldier's weapon slipped from its grip.
The corrupted magic core that powered the spirit soldiers groaned under the strain of battle. But they continued to fight.
Level 3 warriors, Kaguya and Ryuu, had successfully pinned them down.
Watching from the rear, Basram's face twisted with rage.
"Damn you justice-loving bitches!"
He hadn't expected this. He was just supposed to offer a few sacrifices to his god, maybe kill a few weaklings.
Now? He might end up joining the evil god in person. His day was officially ruined.
"Damn it! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!!"
His voice rose to a fever pitch as he watched the situation spiral out of control.
His bloodshot eyes scanned the battlefield, burning with hatred as he looked upon the girls of the Astraea Familia like they were insects refusing to be squashed.
"They're just bugs. Why won't they die already?!"
Magical energy surged around him, bathing his body in crimson light. He poured it into the spirit soldiers, stabilizing them even as their limbs shook and bodies cracked.
Elsewhere on the field—
Alise's rapier clashed with Vito's dagger in a storm of sparks. The two danced across the floor, blades meeting again and again, neither giving an inch.
Vito grit his teeth. His dagger parried another swift thrust from Alise. Though she was young and fairly new to Level 4, she fought with an intensity that made it hard to gain ground.
What he didn't realize, however, was the source of her strength.
Alise's rare skill, Lubrude Bequia, wasn't just for show. It allowed a second-class adventurer to rise temporarily to the strength of a first-class warrior.
It didn't stop there. In desperate situations, her endurance and dexterity received significant boosts.
When facing enemies stronger than herself, agility and magic were further enhanced.
And when all three conditions were fulfilled simultaneously?
Strength, agility, and magic received additional corrections that scaled with time.
Right now, Alise was rapidly growing stronger with every second that passed.
Vito blocked another slash aimed at his throat and jumped back, landing several paces away. Panting lightly, he looked at her and grinned with genuine admiration.
"I see now… You really are strong. The rumors weren't exaggerated at all. So this… is the Astraea Familia."
Even as the sting of death nipped at his heels, he found himself unable to suppress the swelling emotion in his chest.
How strange.
To feel awe toward enemies he'd never met before, righteous warriors who shone too brightly even in the darkness of battle.
"Are you really a member of Evilus?" Alise asked, narrowing her eyes. "I've never heard of you or your nickname."
Her blade pointed steadily at his chest.
The battlefield grew tense once more. And yet, in the eye of the storm, Alise and Vito stood still, like two actors pausing before the final act.