Aiden looked like a burning meteor summoned from beyond the heavens, plummeting from the sky with a devastating, terrifying shockwave.
"The sun... falling from the sky..." Cassandra stared blankly at the blazing sun rapidly magnifying in her vision, her entire body shaking like a leaf as inescapable terror completely dominated her.
"Cassandra!!" Daphne let out a furious roar. In this life-or-death moment, she erupted with astonishing strength, lunging forward like a cheetah to pin Cassandra firmly beneath her. At the same time, she chanted rapidly, activating her defensive magic.
"Relentless sun of the sky, all to escape thy body, bloom, Armor of the Laurel Tree—Lamour!"
Because that sun falling from the sky was aiming directly at their cluster of totally unprepared Apollo Familia members.
The next moment.
The world seemed to have been put on mute.
The crimson sun smashed silently, yet unbelievably brutally, into the hard stone plaza inside the ancient castle.
Extreme light and heat exploded in all directions the instant it landed.
Then, the devastating shockwave finally arrived!
BOOM!!!!
The terrifyingly hot shockwave expanded outward in a perfect ring, tearing through everything like wet paper. The Apollo Familia members who bore the brunt of the impact didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly vaporized in the crimson-gold flames that could melt steel. Not even ashes remained.
Hot on its heels was a physical blast wave like a tsunami. The solid stone ground was ripped up, shredded, and pulverized layer by layer like a thin pancake.
Spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered the walls of the surrounding buildings before they collapsed with a deafening roar. Countless pieces of rubble were swept up by the shockwave, turning into the deadliest shrapnel as they whistled toward the Apollo Familia members further away.
The explosion kicked up a pillar of fire that shot into the sky, painting the heavens in a doomsday hue of fiery orange.
Screams, wails, the thunder of collapsing buildings, the crackling of roaring flames... In that moment, they all harmonized into a symphony of destruction.
Some were struck directly by the superheated flames, rolling in agony on the ground, only to watch helplessly as their bodies caught fire. Some were pinned firmly under collapsed walls, burning alive in sheer despair. Most were simply blown away by the raging shockwave the instant it hit, slamming into the distant castle walls with ruptured organs and shattered bones.
With just this single strike—this meteor assault less than a minute into the battle—over thirty members of the Apollo Familia were severely injured or completely erased from the world. But no one cared about that anymore.
Because in the center of the explosion, within that purgatory of fire and ruin, a figure was slowly standing up. The longsword in his hand, wreathed in inextinguishable flames, announced the true beginning of this "game."
.....
Rewinding time just a bit.
At the exact same moment the bell signaling the start of the War Game echoed across Orario, the Focalors Familia had also made their move on the plains.
"Listen to the whispers where dawn and dusk intertwine—" Hyacine closed her eyes, clasped her hands over her chest, and began her unique chant. "Spirit still gentle in the cracks of memory, please descend once more for me, for us, to cast down a cleansing rain and hold up that clear sky!"
As the final syllable fell, a soft pink light gathered in front of her. A small, pink-and-white Pegasus that could easily be held in one's arms appeared out of thin air and affectionately nuzzled Hyacine's cheek.
However, the very next second, under Tifa and Robin's surprised gazes, Little Ica's form rapidly expanded within the light, transforming from an adorable mascot into a majestic, robust Pegasus fully capable of carrying a person.
Aiden gave Hyacine a nod, then swiftly vaulted onto Little Ica's back. He turned around, flashing a confident smile at his four companions, and waved.
"Watch closely. The show is starting."
Hyacine, Jeanne d'Arc, Robin, and Tifa stood on the plains, watching as Aiden rode Little Ica into the sky, quickly disappearing into the high clouds like an arrow loosed from a bow, speeding toward the distant ancient castle.
This was their tactic.
A direct siege? The efficiency was too low. They only had five people. Attempting a traditional siege was no different than smashing an egg against a rock; it was pure child's play.
So from the very beginning, Aiden only had one goal—an aerial assault.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can play it like that!? You've really outdone yourself, Focalors!" Inside Babel Tower, Loki was the first to screech, her face plastered with the excitement of someone who loved watching the world burn.
The gods present all showed looks of shock. No one had expected the Focalors Familia to have a trick like this up their sleeves.
"That's incredible... but can he do it alone? An aerial assault by himself is way too reckless. The enemy has over a hundred people."
"It's too crazy. It's basically suicide."
Surprise, excitement, and doubt had already spread through the crowds in every corner of Orario.
The Divine Mirrors floating in the air clearly displayed the silhouette of the Pegasus soaring through the sky.
"Say, what's with that flying horse? Summoning magic? What do you make of this, Lord Ganesha!?" Announcer Ibri shouted at the top of his lungs.
"That is—I AM GANESHA!!"
"If you're not going to provide commentary, then hurry up and go home, Lord Ganesha!!" Ibri retorted, pulling at his hair.
The live broadcast and commentary from the Guild's front courtyard fired on all cylinders, echoing throughout the entire city via amplification and filling the air with a jubilant atmosphere.
And then, they saw it.
They saw the blinding sun falling from the sky, capable of burning their retinas.
They saw the devastating shockwave that destroyed everything, distorting even the images in the Divine Mirrors.
And they saw the Apollo Familia members screaming as they were torn apart, burned, and reduced to ashes by the flames and impact.
In that instant, all of Orario plunged into a deathly silence.
The adventurers in the taverns who had raised their glasses to cheer froze mid-action. The gamblers on the streets, faces flushed red, had their expressions freeze in place. Even Ibri, who had just been screaming his lungs out, stood there with his mouth hanging open, entirely speechless.
Up in Babel Tower.
The crystal wine glass slipped limply from Apollo's grasp, shattering into pieces on the polished floor. The dark red wine splashed onto his gorgeous robes, but he couldn't care less.
He stared dead at the Divine Mirror, his handsome face contorted beyond recognition by extreme rage and disbelief.
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