Chapter 28
On the plains southeast of Orario stood the ruins of the old city of Shreme.
It was an ancient fortress with a long history.
Back in the era before Babel was built, this place had once served as the foremost line of defense against monsters pouring into the human world.
To resist the massive tides of monsters, the walls and other defensive facilities here had been built exceptionally sturdy.
Of course, after Babel was completed, this ancient fortress lost its former role. Over the long years, it was forgotten by people and gradually fell into ruin.
But after the War Game decision was finalized, members of the Apollo Familia took control of this place.
Using the existing structure and defensive facilities, they repaired and reinforced it once more.
Because they were all adventurers, and because there were quite a few upper-tier adventurers among them, including Lv. 2s and Lv. 3s, the work was completed quickly.
In only three days, the fortress had already been restored.
On top of that, Hyacinthus, driven by some inexplicable sense of danger, adjusted the battle plan again and again, making the entire defensive line tighter and tighter.
Calling it an ironclad fortress would not have been an exaggeration.
Faced with a castle whose defenses were so sturdy and whose forces were so properly arranged, Kiriya, who was alone, seemed to have only one option.
Infiltration and ambush.
This was not one person’s imagination, but the shared opinion of most people.
Because other than that, they truly could not imagine how a Lv. 1 adventurer could possibly break through a city like this.
Although Kiriya had defeated several adventurers of the same level and even higher levels before, the difference in strength this time was far too great.
Without knowing the truth, even the most optimistic person would find it difficult to maintain confidence in him.
"Aaahhhhh..."
An adventurer leaned against the city wall and yawned, grumbling in dissatisfaction.
"What exactly is the captain thinking? Isn’t he being way too cautious against one Lv. 1? He even made us prepare so many supplies overnight."
"Stop talking nonsense. If the captain did this, he must have his reasons."
Although the squad leader did not think much of it either, he still chose to uphold the captain’s authority.
"But Captain... how stupid would that guy have to be to attack head-on... huh?"
One of the soldiers had just started complaining, only to stop halfway through his sentence.
He stared blankly into the distance, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"What is it?" his companion beside him asked, confused.
"Look over there..."
The soldier pointed into the distance.
The others followed his finger and looked over.
Then, all of them fell silent.
Right in front of the city, a figure appeared.
There was no force behind him answering his call, no world-shaking aura that could move mountains and rivers.
He simply walked calmly, as if he were taking a casual stroll down the street on a holiday.
...
"Is that guy’s brain broken?" Loki frowned. "He’s clearly alone, and his manpower is at an absolute disadvantage, yet he’s walking straight in so openly? What is he trying to do? Turn himself into a live target?"
"Indeed, this doesn’t seem very wise," Hephaestus said, rubbing her chin.
But after noticing the smug look in Hestia’s eyes, a thought moved through her heart.
"Hestia, be honest with me. What exactly is that child of yours planning?"
"Hmph, hmph, hmph! Just wait and watch."
Hestia planted her hands on her waist.
Kiriya had already explained everything to her beforehand. She did not need to worry at all.
All she had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.
"Hahaha! Don’t tell me you still haven’t understood?"
Apollo spread his arms and laughed toward the sky.
"That child has already prepared himself to be offered up to the sun!"
That extremely narcissistic statement immediately made the three goddesses frown.
They did not even want to move their eyes toward him, afraid it would dirty their sight.
"Look! Why did that boy stop there?"
Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out in the hall. Everyone’s attention turned toward the Divine Mirror.
Then they were all stunned.
Kiriya had stopped less than fifty steps away from the city wall and was looking up at the tall structure.
...
"What the hell is wrong with that guy?" The guards on the wall found it unbelievable. "Doesn’t he know that’s one of our best attack ranges?"
"Haha, what else could it be? He knows he can’t win, so he’s just giving up."
An archer nearby hurriedly drew his bow, his face full of wild joy.
"Watch me take him down! The captain will definitely reward me heavily!"
"Hah? Not a chance!"
"That guy is mine!"
That archer’s words instantly ignited the atmosphere on top of the wall.
Every archer aimed at Kiriya, and even the mages cast aside their pride as spellcasters and began chanting.
After all, the captain had declared beforehand that whoever could kill this pretty boy would be directly rewarded with three million valis.
A heavy reward always brought out brave men.
With one move, Hyacinthus had completely ignited the enthusiasm of his subordinates.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
In the next second, arrows swarmed toward Kiriya like flying locusts.
Following close behind were a large number of fireballs and other spells.
Judging by the momentum, they intended to blast Kiriya down to the bone.
Watching from the gods’ meeting hall, Apollo was so heartbroken he immediately started cursing.
Many citizens watching the broadcast across Orario closed their eyes, unwilling to see such an outstanding young man fall here.
But what happened next made the atmosphere fall silent.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
Kiriya drew his sword, its sharp tip angled toward the ground.
It did not look as if he did anything at all, yet every attack that came near him—arrows and magic alike—suddenly scattered and vanished.
"What... was that?"
The same question rose in everyone’s mind.
Kiriya clearly had no habit of explaining his techniques.
While everyone on the city wall was still dazed, he sheathed his sword, pushed back with his right leg, and took an iaijutsu stance.
"The wall is still that far away, and the enemies are standing several meters up on top of it. Who is he planning to cut?"
An absurd thought rose in the guards’ minds.
"Don’t tell me he wants to split the city wall open with one slash?"
Naturally, Kiriya did not possess that kind of monstrous strength.
He simply wanted to give the people of this world a small shock in the form of speed!
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash — Eightfold."
Suddenly, his figure flashed and disappeared.
A streak of lightning lit up, drawing a blue-white trail through the air.
Before the guards on the wall could even understand what had happened, they collapsed one after another into pools of blood, completely losing consciousness.
"..."
Silence.
The air in Orario became terrifyingly silent.
Everyone held their breath, as if they had forgotten they were even capable of breathing.
"OOOOOHHHHH—!"
But then, thunderous cheers shot into the sky, as if they were about to overturn the entire enormous city.
"What was that? He was so fast!"
"Right, right! And it looked so cool!"
"Did he awaken some powerful magic or something?"
For a moment, many people’s opinion of Kiriya took a complete one-eighty, from "brainless idiot" to "brilliant strategist who must be planning something."
Of course, there were still people throwing cold water on the excitement.
"Hmph, what’s there to be so proud of? He only eliminated less than one-tenth of the Apollo Familia. He’s acting like he already won."
"Exactly. A magic that powerful can’t be used all the time, right? Facing this many people, he’d be drained dry before he finished fighting them all."
For a while, both sides argued fiercely, spitting words back and forth.
Meanwhile, the blond elf watched Kiriya in the Divine Mirror, her eyes gleaming sharply.
That spirit and bearing did not look like someone with poor endurance.