『Barrier』
Judas raised his arm and summoned a barrier that protected Hestia and Hermes, the two non-fighters, from the chaos.
"A level 5 would have to exert their full strength if they want to destroy this barrier."
Judas said as Hestia placed her palm against it, feeling that it was as solid as rock.
"Judas… those two are the Dis Sisters from the Alecto Familia, one of the dark factions that used to support Evilus. Seven years ago, just like Olivas Act, they wreaked havoc in Orario."
Hermes informed him.
"Asfi and the others won't be able to handle this by themselves. We can only rely on you to take care of them."
Judas nodded.
"I am on it."
The moment those words left his lips...
『Accelerate』
His figure flickered and reappeared right in front of the Dis Sisters.
Before the two could even react, Judas grabbed both of their faces with his palms and sent them hurtling into the distance like cannonballs.
"So strong…"
Belle spoke quietly as she witnessed the scene, her eyes widening.
She had seen him in action while training with her aunt, but even this small display far surpassed anything she had seen from him before.
"I couldn't even track his movement… it was like he just appeared out of thin air."
Welf said, disbelief evident in his voice.
"You guys take care of the monsters. I'll handle those two."
With that, Judas lifted off the ground and flew away.
"Orion…"
Artemis murmured, her eyes following him for a moment, something quiet and unreadable in her expression.
'The Dis Sisters… they seem strong.'
She shook the thought away and turned her attention back to the monsters closing in, drawing her bow and firing in one smooth motion.
'But Orion… he is stronger.'
…
"Kyaa!"
Twin, girlish screams tore through the air as the Dis Sisters were violently sent flying, their bodies catapulted uncontrollably through the forest.
CRASH!
They slammed into the first tree with bone-rattling force, destroying it and leaving behind a shattered stump before crashing into another, and then another.
At the last second, they repositioned themselves mid-air and landed on their feet, skidding across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
"Oh wow, we got thrown really far."
Dina chirped, casually brushing dust off her clothes.
Despite their small, petite frames, their bodies were as tough as oxen.
Being tossed like ragdolls didn't faze them in the slightest.
"Big sister Dina… look!"
Vena pointed ahead as Judas appeared a few meters in front of them.
"Judas Spade… so it's him."
Their gazes sharpened the moment he entered their line of sight.
"My, my… what a handsome face. I can't wait to love(kill) you."
Dina said, resting her cheek on her palm as she blushed.
"Big sister Dina… I want to cut off his head and use it to practice my smooches for the boss."
Vena said, puffing her lips while rubbing her cheeks.
"Oh my… Vena, what a great idea! Let's also use his headless body as our personal coat rack. He would make a great decoration."
Dina said cheerfully. It would have sounded cute if not for what they were actually saying.
'Yeah… these two are just as messed up as I heard.'
Judas had studied Evilus after repeatedly clashing with them.
'The Dis Sisters… a pair of psychopaths said to have killed the greatest number of adventurers and innocent civilians during the Dark Age.'
The three stood in silence for a brief moment, their gazes locked as they measured one another.
"Vena, support me!"
Dina said as she made the first move, brandishing a pair of short swords.
"Yes, big sister Dina."
Vena replied, raising her staff.
From their stance alone, Judas could tell Vena was a mage while Dina was a frontline fighter.
'I'll take the dark elf out first.'
As Dina closed the distance, Judas flew past her and appeared directly in front of Vena, who had just begun chanting.
In a normal scenario, a mage would lose composure when targeted first.
However, Judas caught the grin forming on Vena's lips.
She looked at him as if he had walked straight into a trap.
She abruptly stopped chanting and put her staff down.
Grabbing the magic sword at her waist, she pointed it toward him as flames gathered at its tip.
'She stopped chanting without suffering Ignis Fatuus? No… that was a fake chant. They were baiting me.'
A wave of flames shot toward him.
Judas snapped his hand forward, a magic circle manifesting instantly.
He discharged a freezing blast to meet the heat head-on.
The two spells collided with a deafening clash, filling the clearing with thick, white steam.
"Haha! Nice reaction! We really thought that would get you!"
Dina materialized behind him through the mist, her short swords whistling toward his neck.
Judas ducked the twin blades, but Vena lunged from his flank, her face twisted in a sadistic grin as she swung her heavy staff like a club.
Judas raised his gauntlets to block.
CLANG—!
The metallic impact vibrated through his bones as he was launched backward, his boots carving furrows into the earth.
His arms throbbed with a dull ache, but he didn't let his focus waver.
"Big sister… he's so strong! It makes me want to chop him up even more! Chop him into a nice, sturdy coat rack!"
Vena squealed gleefully.
"Yeah, I get you, Vena… but first, I want to see that handsome, calm face twist into despair and anguish…"
"I want to hear what kind of screams he makes when he suffers excruciating pain… and force him to watch as we kill everyone back at that camp before skinning him alive."
Dina said, blushing profusely like a pervert.
Judas ignored them.
'These two are from Finn and Ottar's generation. Even individually, they're on par with the Level 6 veterans I've seen.'
He analyzed them calmly.
'But their real strength lies in how they fight together, perfectly complementing each other.'
'Like the Gulliver brothers… they can push their combined combat ability beyond their level and fight opponents above them on even footing. That makes them extremely dangerous.'
He had defeated level 7 opponents before, but that was with the help of his [Penitent Executioner] skill.
'Out of all the level 6 adventurers I've encountered, these two are probably the closest to reaching level 7 in terms of combat potential.'
With that in mind, Judas adjusted his stance.
Then he stepped forward.
And the battle resumed.
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