Chapter 92: [Absolute Evil]'s Counterattack (Patreon)

The makeshift fortress at Central Plaza was still expanding.

Behind the barricades, another wave of refugees was being guided in.

Some carried injured children in their arms; some supported family members too weakened to walk; others were covered head to toe in soot, too exhausted even to cry.

"Wait! I'm not an enemy!"

A woman in a tattered cloak stood tensely at the entrance, both hands raised high.

"I'm Selenia of the Vidar Familia! The eastern line collapsed—we brought the residents around the fires to get here!"

The Loki Familia member handling entrance checks didn't wave her through right away.

"Take off the cloak. Arms out. We need to check your chest, waist, and boots."

After several suicide-bomb attacks, no one could afford to take chances anymore. Selenia gritted her teeth and undid the cloak as told. Only after the guard confirmed she carried no Flame Stone device did she wave the refugees behind her through.

An Evilus spy hidden among the crowd kept his head down, fighting to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

More and more people were gathering at Central Plaza.

The wounded, refugees, escorts, Guild staff, and low-level adventurers pressed into the line, all of them crowded around Babel. No matter how thorough the checks, something would slip through.

And he was that something.

The man huddled by the wall, arms wrapped around his knees, shoulders trembling now and then, playing the part of an ordinary citizen numbed with fear. Layers of cloth hid the Flame Stone device strapped to his chest; the activation cord was tucked inside his sleeve.

He just had to wait for the signal.

Wait for his comrades assigned to strike Babel to move.

Then he'd detonate the Flame Stone right where the refugees were thickest.

The screams of the crowd would drown out every order, healers would be pinned down by the blast, and gaps would open in the outer line. His comrades hidden inside the plaza would strike in the chaos, going straight for members of the Freya Familia and the gods of every Familia.

As the man pictured the scene, his heartbeat quickened.

"Excuse me." A soft voice spoke beside him.

"Is this seat taken?"

The man looked up.

The girl who sat down beside him had pale gray hair. She wore an ordinary refugee's cloak and had smeared some ash on her cheeks on purpose, but her eyes—the same silvery gray as her hair—were still strikingly beautiful.

The man quickly looked away.

"P-please, sit."

"Thank you."

The girl folded her hands in front of her and looked out at the crowd still bustling across the plaza.

"It's terrifying, isn't it. To think Orario would end up like this."

"Yeah."

The man lowered his voice, forcing out a hoarse reply.

"Who knows what'll happen next."

"I'm worried too."

The girl turned her face toward him, her gray eyes settling on him. Her voice stayed just as soft.

"So—where are the other spies, the ones like you?"

The man's breath caught.

He should have lunged immediately, should have grabbed the cord in his sleeve, should have dragged this girl who'd suddenly spoken the truth into the blast along with him.

But the moment he met that silver-gray gaze, the strength drained from his fingers.

His mind felt dropped into the deep sea.

The chaos of screams, battle, and alarms around him receded rapidly, leaving only a single command he couldn't disobey.

"East... three people."

The man's pupils lost focus; his lips moved mechanically.

"North... five. West has two disguised as adventurers. And there's a god, hidden among the group carrying the wounded..."

The girl listened quietly.

"What's your signal?"

"Three bell tolls. We all detonate at once when the bells ring."

"Who else is assigned to approach Babel?"

"Crossbowmen on the high ground... a suicide squad in the underground passages..."

The man spilled everything he knew.

The girl listened patiently to the end, then gave a small nod.

"Now, forget this conversation. Go rest behind the third barricade on the east side. Don't touch the Flame Stone, and don't look at Babel again."

"Yes."

The man rose slowly and walked away, moving like a truly exhausted refugee.

The girl watched him vanish into the crowd before walking toward two people waiting nearby.

Heith stood holding her staff, her pale red twin-tails slightly mussed from the constant work. She glanced once at the departing spy, then at the slip of paper in the girl's hand, covered in information.

"Charm followed by suggestion—your technique keeps improving, Lady Syr Flova."

"Thanks to Lady Freya's guidance."

Syr Flova answered softly.

She lifted her gaze to the top of Babel. Across the great distance, her silver-gray eyes seemed to meet those of the goddess of beauty within the tower.

A moment later, Heith tapped her lightly on the shoulder with her staff.

"This isn't the time to space out."

"I wasn't spacing out."

"Then please share the information quickly."

Syr Flova puffed her cheeks, then handed over the slip of paper.

"Three on the east, five on the north, two disguised bombers with Flame Stones on the west. And a god mixed in with the wounded-transport group."

Heith's expression turned serious.

"I'll go inform Lord Hedin's reserve unit."

"What about the god?"

"Leave that to Goddess Loki and Lord Hermes. We can't charm a god, and we can't let ordinary members get close."

Heith turned and hurried off.

Several Freya Familia members disguised as refugees also slipped away from the crowd, closing in unobtrusively on the targets on the list, waiting for the right moment to move.

What the Freya Familia excelled at was never head-on defense.

They were the blade in the goddess of beauty's hand.

And every malicious hand that reached toward Freya would be silently severed by that blade.

Outside Central Plaza, Finn still stood at the makeshift command post.

Messengers ran back and forth without pause, and the communication lights of the magic stones flickered again and again in the night. Each light marked a battlefield; each report meant new casualties, a new gap in the line, or reinforcements finally arriving.

"The offensive in the south of the city is intensifying!"

"The Ishtar Familia's battle courtesans have reached the outskirts of the Pleasure Quarter, and the Hephaestus Familia's magic sword squad is pushing southwest!"

"The Vidar Familia's werewolf unit has taken over the eastern barricades!"

"The northern industrial district is holding for now—Lord Hedin is leading the Freya Familia to push the enemy back!"

Finn closed his eyes as he listened, his fingertip skimming quickly across the map.

The north was held by the Freya Familia.

Central Plaza's line was manned by the Loki Familia and Guild forces.

The Ganesha Familia handled civilian evacuation and public order.

The Hephaestus Familia's magic sword squad supported the worst-hit fire zones.

The Astraea Familia rescued the trapped along multiple evacuation routes.

The battlefield the Evilus had split apart was being stitched back together, Familia by Familia, at top speed.

"Tell the battle courtesans in the south not to press their pursuit too deep."

Finn looked up.

"The enemy is trying to lure high-level adventurers away from the residential districts. Their job is to hold the Pleasure Quarter and the evacuation corridors—if they spot enemy forces massing, notify Gareth immediately."

"Understood!"

"What about Tsubaki?"

"Lady Tsubaki has linked up with Gareth and Lord Hedin—they're escorting the Astraea Familia's evacuation group—"

Something flickered in Finn's eyes.

Tsubaki, Gareth, Hedin.

Three high-level adventurers together should handle most sudden developments. Adi and Artorias were there too—at least for now, there was no need to worry about the Dis Sisters landing a surprise attack.

Yet the sting in his thumb hadn't faded.

If anything, it was growing stronger.

(The enemy's main force still hasn't fully shown itself.)

Finn stared at the markers representing Evilus on the map.

At first glance, Evilus seemed to hold the advantage after launching its assault—Flame Stones, suicide bombers, infiltrators, and arson squads had thrown the entire city into chaos.

But Orario's response had come faster than they'd anticipated.

The information Artorias had provided let every Familia know the Flame Stone devices existed.

Astrea had shared word of Alfia's appearance ahead of time, keeping Finn, Ottar, Shakti, and the others from lowering their guard against top-tier threats even amid the chaos in front of them.

Evilus still had plenty of soldiers.

But it was losing ground to push forward in district after district.

If this kept up, the advantage would gradually tip toward Orario.

"What are they even waiting for..."

Finn muttered under his breath.

Loki, standing beside him, had been watching for suspicious figures among the refugees; at his words, she frowned slightly.

"I've got the same feeling."

She looked toward the burning southern part of the city.

"That Valletta woman likes to stir things into the biggest mess possible. But this whole setup is too big—that madwoman alone couldn't have pulled it off."

"Someone's behind her."

Finn let out a slow breath.

"Someone who knows Orario well enough—and knows us well enough too."

Just then, a massive tremor rolled in from the distance.

BOOM!

The ground heaved violently.

A corner of the barricades piled at the edge of Central Plaza collapsed, and refugees cried out. The magic stone lights on Babel's outer wall swayed with the tremor; several fell straight down, shattering into glowing fragments on the paving stones.

Finn spun sharply toward the southwest.

A second tremor followed close behind.

Closer this time.

Heavier.

As if some ancient beast were pounding the earth with its fists.

"What is that?"

For once, Loki's expression turned grim.

Finn didn't answer right away.

He saw dust rising above the distant streets—not the fiery glow of a Flame Stone blast, but a wave of gray dust thrown up by raw force crushing buildings.

A messenger came stumbling toward them.

The boy's face was covered in sweat, his voice cracking with fear.

"C-captain!"

"The Familia on the southwest line... they've been wiped out!"

The plaza fell into a brief, dead silence.

Finn's gaze sharpened instantly.

"Valletta?"

The messenger shook his head.

His neck kept trembling with terror.

"It's not the Killing Emperor. The survivors who made it back said there were two people... a warrior with a greatsword, and a female mage."

"Just two?"

"It only took them a short time to crush three high-level adventurer squads."

The sting in Finn's thumb flared sharply.

He raised his head, staring toward the roiling dust in the southwest.

The answer had already surfaced.

"Zald."

His voice dropped very low.

"And Alfia."

"So the intelligence from the Astraea Familia was correct after all."

"But you two—once members of a great Familia, once the hope of Orario—how did you fall this far?"

The hero's confusion reached no one; it only poured itself into the vital strength gathering ever tighter in the hand gripping his spear.

Elsewhere, on the street where the Dis Sisters made their stand.

Vena lay sprawled on the cracked ground, blood seeping steadily from the wound at her shoulder. The elf in the white robe stood in front of her, twin blades trembling faintly, still refusing to lower her weapons.

Gareth's battleaxe kept them pinned down.

Hedin's lightning had already finished its final incantation.

Tsubaki guarded their flank, while Kaguya and Ryuu sealed off the last of their retreat. Riveria stood behind them, emerald wind swirling around her staff—if the two sisters made another move, the spell would fall on them at once.

Adi stood with Artorias, shielding the residents.

She hadn't let her guard down.

The Dis Sisters had been driven into a dead end, but two Level 5 enemies were still dangerous. A single moment's carelessness could let a curse slip through the line and strike down civilians unable to fight.

Hedin raised his staff.

Lightning lit Vena's grim face.

"It's over."

Vena suddenly laughed.

It started low, then rose into something shriller, laced with an almost manic delight.

The white-robed elf's lips slowly curled up too.

"It's here."

Vena raised the back of her bloodied hand and wiped it across her lips.

"It's here, it's here."

She looked at Gareth and Hedin.

"Your former heroes."

The white-robed elf picked up where she left off.

"Now your enemies."

Malice glinted in Vena's eyes.

"The most dangerous, most terrifying, the natural enemies you could never defeat."

"Alfia and Zald."

After a brief silence, Gareth tightened his grip on his battleaxe.

"Don't try scaring us with dead men."

Hedin showed no wavering at the two names.

If anything, the lightning on his staff grew even denser.

Whoever had shown up in the distance, the Dis Sisters in front of them were still a major Evilus asset. Taking them down for good would mean two fewer Level 5 enemies for Orario to face.

"Finish them first."

Hedin said coldly.

Gareth didn't object.

Tsubaki grinned.

"Suits me fine."

The smile froze on Vena's face for an instant.

She hadn't expected that even after hearing the names Alfia and Zald, they'd still choose to kill her and her sister first.

"Are you insane!"

She shrieked.

"They'll be here any moment! And you want to waste time here!"

Hedin didn't respond.

His final incantation was almost complete.

The lightning at the tip of his staff swelled into a blinding sphere, casting a cold white glare over every fragment of rubble in the street.

Just then.

A sound of wind came.

At first it was only the faintest thread of a breeze.

It swept through the distant fires, over collapsed buildings, and scattered the ash drifting in the street.

Hedin's pupils contracted sharply.

This wind shouldn't have been here.

No mage nearby was chanting.

No one had released a spell.

And there had been no explosion capable of moving the air like this.

The next instant, the wind pressure surged violently.

Whoosh!

The flames burning on both sides of the street were flattened at once.

Roof tiles tore free one after another, and the crumbling ruins groaned under the strain. The wind had come from very far away, crossing several blocks, yet it still carried magic sharp enough to tear through armor.

Hedin couldn't even hear a complete incantation.

The enemy's spell had arrived from a distance that defied common sense.

"Fall back!"

Hedin retreated on pure reflex.

He abandoned the attack spell he'd already prepared and raised a barrier of lightning instead. Gareth swung his axe to shield Tsubaki and Kaguya, while Riveria lifted her staff, forming an emerald wall between the wind and the direction the residents were fleeing.

Adi heard Artorias's urgent voice.

"Adi, get out of here!"

She didn't hesitate.

Riveria had already rushed to her side, one hand seizing Adi's arm while the other conjured a gale of wind. Artorias was swept along with Adi to the side of the street, out of the path of the oncoming pressure.

BOOM!

The storm hit.

The middle of the street was plowed open.

Hedin's lightning barrier held for only an instant before countless blades of wind carved cracks across its surface. He was flung back more than ten meters, his boot heels dragging two deep grooves into the paving stones.

Gareth's battleaxe blocked most of the impact, though the shock still numbed both his arms.

The wall beside Tsubaki simply crumbled apart.

Kaguya drove her katana into the ground to keep from being swept away. Ryuu shielded nearby residents who hadn't managed to flee in time; her green gale collided with the storm sweeping in from the distance and was crushed apart in an instant.

Vena and the white-robed elf were caught in the blast too.

But there was no fear on their faces.

The white-robed elf grabbed her sister's wrist and, using the dust the storm had kicked up for cover, pulled back swiftly into the shadow of the eaves.

"Sister, go!"

Vena glanced back once at Artorias.

Her striking eyes were full of venomous malice.

In the end, she didn't lunge at him again.

The wind roaring in from the distance already made it clear: staying any longer would only drag her into an even deadlier battlefield.

The two sisters vaulted over the rooftops and vanished into the far end of the dust.

Hedin didn't give chase.

He raised his head, his long platinum hair whipping wildly in the last of the wind.

That spell had come from an extreme distance.

Farther than any ordinary mage's effective range.

Strong enough to force him to give up the chance to kill the Dis Sisters.

Hedin gripped his staff tightly, brow furrowing hard.

"What in the world is that..."

Before he could finish—

Further off, a third tremor rolled through with a thunderous roar.