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Chapter 81: Confused
The War Game had finally begun.
Almost simultaneously, a deafening roar echoed across the Ruins of Shreme Castle. The Apollo Familia members stationed inside panicked at the sudden noise, scrambling to figure out what had just happened. They rushed outside, only to be met with an unbelievable sight: the massive outer wall protecting their stronghold had been violently gouged out.
"I don't believe it! They're already attacking!"
A Pallum boy who had been standing guard sprinted frantically back to his comrades. This was Luan Espel, a Level 1 adventurer of the Apollo Familia and the very same person who had caused the initial commotion by provoking Bell and his friends at the pub. His dream was to become a great Pallum like Finn Deimne, but in reality, he was nothing but talk. Having accomplished nothing of note, he was treated as an errand boy and openly mocked within his own Familia.
"I-It's—No, there's no mistake! It's Crozzo's Magic Sword! They brought out the legendary magic sword to tear this castle down!"
Upon hearing the name of the legendary weapon from Luan's frantic report, the members immediately understood how the attackers had managed to obliterate their reinforced walls. Their realization, however, was cut short.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
A second blast from the magic sword struck the upper section of the wall, instantly destroying it and blowing away the guards stationed on top. Screaming in terror, Luan fled back into the castle.
"Give us a situation report! What the hell is going on out there!?"
"It's an order from Hyakinthos! Fifty of you need to sortie and take them down right now!" Luan shouted to the confused and panicking crowd inside the hall.
"Fifty!?"
The number sent a shockwave through the room. There were only one hundred and ten Apollo Familia members present in total. Deploying fifty meant sending out nearly half their entire force. It was only natural for them to be stunned by the sheer scale of the order.
"If we send a small group, that magic sword will just blow them away before they can even get close! There are less than ten enemies out there! Just crush them quickly and get back here! Hurry up and go!"
"...We don't have a choice! Move out!"
Unable to argue with the logic of Luan's report, the fifty chosen members drew their weapons and charged out to intercept the wielder of the magic sword. Once the large group had departed, Luan ran off after them, following their trail.
As he ran, a crumpled piece of parchment slipped from his pocket and fluttered to the ground, completely unnoticed. Luan disappeared down the hall without looking back. Once the corridor was empty, a single bird that had been perched near the castle entrance fluttered down and landed in front of the dropped parchment. It grabbed the paper with its talons and flew back toward the front gates.
Infiltration successful, Tsuna thought. The bird was none other than Tsuna, transformed using his Mist Flames. Once he was safely inside the entrance, he seamlessly shifted his illusion, taking on the appearance of a standard Apollo Familia member.
There were only two ways to infiltrate this castle: breach the front gates or scale the outer walls. Naturally, the Apollo Familia had posted heavy guards at both points to prevent any intruders. But Tsuna could bypass all of that from the sky. However, flying in his normal form would have immediately exposed his presence and identity. To circumvent this, he had transformed into a bird the moment the War Game began, infiltrating from above. A simple bird flying overhead wouldn't raise any alarms, and as long as no one saw through the illusion, he could move completely ignored.
"I see."
Tsuna unrolled the parchment. It contained a highly detailed, easy-to-understand map of the castle's layout, pinpointing the exact locations of the armory, the potion storage, and the current guard deployments.
"You really did your homework... You're amazing, Lili."
Tsuna murmured the name of his ally with a faint smile. The Luan who had just issued those frantic orders wasn't the real Luan at all. It was Lili, perfectly disguised using her transformation magic, Cinder Ella.
Before the Apollo Familia had left Orario, Lili had secretly kidnapped Luan, allowing her to take his place and slip into their ranks. Magic that allowed for physical transformation was incredibly rare, even with strict conditions. Combined with Lili's flawless acting—mimicking Luan's tone, speech patterns, and mannerisms—and the fact that the real Luan was a heavily dismissed and ignored member, absolutely no one suspected a thing. The real Luan was currently tied up in an empty warehouse back in Orario, under the strict watch of Miach.
Lili's impersonation and Tsuna's aerial infiltration had been decided long beforehand during their strategy meetings, which was why they instantly recognized each other's moves.
"Alright, what's next..."
Tsuna checked the parchment and headed straight for the storage rooms holding their spare weapons and potions. The Hestia Familia was already at an overwhelming numerical disadvantage. If the enemy could freely heal their wounds or replace broken weapons, it would make the battle endlessly difficult. Destroying their supply lines while Lili sowed chaos on the front lines was one of Tsuna's primary objectives.
.....
Meanwhile, the fifty members who had marched outside had successfully cornered Ryuu Lion.
"You bastard! Have you no shame, wielding that cursed magic sword despite being a fellow Elf!?"
"Did you forget that our brethren's village was burned to the ground by those very weapons!?"
The Elven members of the Apollo Familia hurled venomous accusations at her, trying to ensure she couldn't escape their encirclement.
"The ones who should know shame are you." Ryuu replied, her voice cold and unyielding. "You are nothing but barbarians, wildly wielding your power to satisfy your own desires, exactly like your God, Apollo."
"You dare insult Lord Apollo!?"
"Don't think you're making it out of here alive!"
"A shameless disgrace like you has no right to speak Lord Apollo's name!"
Just as Mr. Sawada predicted... Though it will be difficult to keep all fifty of them occupied here. Ryuu listened to their fanatical ravings with calm detachment. Her eyes darted around the battlefield, carefully measuring their numbers and formations.
Still, I need to buy as much time as possible until Mr. Sawada completes his mission......
At that exact moment, on a different section of the battlefield.
Mr. Sawada is much faster than this! Mikoto was currently weathering a relentless storm of arrows fired by the guards stationed atop the castle walls. Yet, she weaved through the lethal rain with breathtaking grace, her blade flashing to strike down any arrow that dared come too close. The intensive, brutal training she had endured against Tsuna—who moved far faster than any arrow—was paying off. To Mikoto's eyes, the rain of projectiles looked as though it were moving in slow motion.
"Guh!?"
"Gah!?"
The moment she closed the distance to the wall, she kicked off the stone surface and launched herself into the air. With a swift, sweeping strike using the flat of her blade, she knocked the archers unconscious, landing smoothly on the ramparts.
"Take this!"
"Wait! You'll hit our own men!"
An archer on the opposite side tried to aim at her, but a female guard quickly forced his bow down, terrified of friendly fire.
"Hah!"
"Gof—!?"
Mikoto sheathed her katana in a flash and drove a brutal elbow into a male guard's stomach. Before he could crumple, she grabbed his right wrist with both hands.
"Ooooooooooooh!"
Using her Level 2 strength, she spun on her heel, swinging the grown man around like a ragdoll to build momentum, before launching him directly into the group of guards standing opposite her.
"Guhah!?"
The human projectile slammed into the crowd with devastating force. The guards tumbled backward, collapsing into each other like dominos. Because they had formed a tight horizontal line to prevent anyone from scaling the wall, they were now completely bottlenecked. They couldn't use ranged attacks without hitting their allies, and their tight formation made dodging impossible. Mikoto had perfectly exploited their defensive setup.
Without missing a beat, she leapt down into the inner courtyard and sprinted directly toward the main castle.
Lili—still disguised as Luan—chose that exact moment to raise another panic, causing a fresh wave of guards to pour out of the castle doors, charging straight toward Mikoto.
"O guiding light from the noble heavens. Grant thy majestic divine power to this humble vessel. Save the light of purification, the blade that shatters evil. Sweep away the sword of suppression, the spiritual sword of conquest."
Mikoto began her chant, weaving and dodging through the incoming guards' frantic attacks by a hair's breadth, never letting her concentration break.
"I summon thee by my true name. Descend from the heavens and rule the earth. Divine Martial Conquest!"
As her chant concluded, a massive, ethereal sword materialized in the sky above her, while multiple glowing concentric circles expanded across the ground. The spectral blade plummeted, slamming into the exact center of the magic circle with earth-shattering force.
"[Futsunomitama]!"
Instantly, the gravity in the courtyard multiplied. Every single enemy within a fifty-meter radius was slammed into the dirt, forced onto their stomachs or knees, completely paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure. This was Mikoto's unique magic, capable of suppressing even a Floor Boss.
"Are you insane...!?"
"You will be keeping me company for a little while...!!"
The spell did not discriminate. Mikoto herself was caught within the gravity field, bearing the exact same crushing weight as her enemies. One of the pinned guards glared up at her in shock, unable to comprehend her suicidal tactic.
.....
Meanwhile, back with Lili.
Taking full advantage of the chaos Ryuu and Mikoto were causing, the front gates had been left completely unguarded. Lili slipped over to the heavy mechanism and released the locking lever, slowly pulling the massive doors open.
"Looks like your disguise worked perfectly, Lilisuke."
"This is about the only thing Lili is good for, after all."
Welf and Bell stepped through the opened gates, their weapons ready.
"Where's Tsuna right now?" Bell asked, looking around.
"He's already infiltrated the castle and is currently dismantling their supplies."
"Incredible as always."
"Let's move. We've got a job to do." Welf grinned, hefting his greatsword.
"Yeah."
"Understood."
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