"The recent attack resulted in 41 fatalities and 5 injuries. Ten of the victims were ordinary city residents."
"The enemy's primary targets were the Magic Stone factories and warehouses, specifically Warehouses Two through Four."
"Warehouse One was not breached, its defenses were strong."
"Other locations attacked include the Hephaestus Familia's workshops and the city's processing plants."
The Guild's report threw the room into an uproar.
"So many casualties!"
"Those evilus bastards!"
"What are they planning?"
"They vanished for so long, only to reappear and cause such a tragedy."
The Gods had little tolerance for the Evilus, and now they were clamoring for retribution.
Some of the more warlike deities demanded that the city enter a state of war.
The Guild staffer wiped sweat from his brow. Even though the Gods' fury wasn't directed at him, the pressure was immense.
"During the attack, a member of the Hephaestus Familia—er, the blacksmith Rayleigh—captured one of the enemies."
The staffer had intended to use Rayleigh's Alias, but since Rayleigh didn't have one, he could only refer to him by his name and profession.
At this, the Gods' curiosity was piqued.
A blacksmith captured an enemy?
Was the enemy that weak, or was there something special about this blacksmith?
Most assumed it was the former.
After all, blacksmiths rarely explored the Dungeon, so their levels and combat experience were likely low.
But what the Guild staffer said next left them stunned.
"We interrogated the captive and examined the bodies of the thirty-one Evils members killed by Rayleigh-sama. We discovered..."
'What?!'
'Thirty-one?!'
'He killed them all himself?'
'But isn't he a blacksmith?!'
"Ahem," the staffer cleared his throat. "We found that all of them belonged to the Thanatos Familia. Twenty-six were Level 1, and the remaining six were Level 2. Based on their Status, it seems they had only recently received their Falna."
"Wait," a God interjected. "Did you say six of them were Level 2?"
"Y-Yes."
"Then what about this Rayleigh?"
The room erupted in speculation about the young man's background.
To kill so many enemies alone, he couldn't possibly be a mere Level 1 Adventurer.
Maybe he was Level 4?
But if he were a Level 4 Adventurer, especially a blacksmith, someone would have heard of him.
Level 4 blacksmiths in the entire city could be counted on one hand.
"Ahem, Rayleigh-sama is a Level 2 Adventurer," the Guild staffer replied.
The room fell silent for several seconds.
No one spoke.
Then, an unknown God broke the silence, "Is that true?"
The murmurs grew louder, and the room became chaotic.
Shakti frowned and whispered something in her God Ganesha's ear.
Ganesha nodded, granting her permission.
The next moment, Shakti stepped forward and declared, "I can vouch for that as well."
'What?'
'That kid from the Ganesha Familia, the Ankusha, is stepping up to confirm it?'
Astraea smiled as she watched the Gods fall silent in astonishment.
She glanced at Rayleigh and said, "Hephaestus, you've found yourself an incredible child."
Meanwhile, Loki was busy bitting her nails. "That brat... he's even more eye-catching than my Ais-tan. Is this for real?"
Finn and Riveria exchanged a look, neither of them doubting the report.
After all, they had witnessed him defeat the Floor Boss, Goliath, with a single strike of his Bankai.
Even a Level 4 Adventurer would likely have been unable to withstand that attack.
Moreover, they seemed to recall hearing a faint, almost imperceptible bell toll at that moment.
Even Rayleigh himself hadn't noticed it.
"Alright," Ganesha's voice boomed, redirecting the conversation. "Let's return to the matter of the Evilus."
"Yes."
"Now, let's move on to the report on the Ganesha Familia's military police and the Astraea Familia's battle against the Evilus."
...
Thirty minutes into the meeting, all reports had been presented.
The Gods were deep in thought, their expressions solemn.
'Hmm?'
Rayleigh noticed a disturbance in the spiritual network.
In the blink of an eye, several blue threads representing Adventurers had vanished.
Then, new threads appeared, radiating malice and approaching their location.
He reached out and grasped one of the threads.
The next second, the scene from that person's perspective flooded his mind.
He saw a group of black-cloaked figures launching an armed assault inside the Tower of Babel, killing anyone they encountered.
Several of them held objects glowing with red light, which they were affixing to the walls.
This reminded Rayleigh of an old friend named Fuze.
'Damn it!'
'Could those be Flame Rock?!'
With no time to think, Rayleigh shouted, "Watch out! An explosion is coming!"
His outburst startled everyone in the room!
Alise, who knew him well enough, gripped the hilt of her sword and moved to protect Goddess Astraea.
"It's coming!"
"Quick, defend!"
The words had barely left his mouth when he drew the Zanpakuto from his waist, his spiritual pressure surging.
"Bloom in a frenzy, Ruri'iro Kujaku!"
BOOM!!!
The instant shimmering vines bloomed forth, a violent explosion erupted.
Flames, rubble, and dust flooded the meeting hall.
Dark figures poured through the breach.
All were clad in black robes, wielding short swords or daggers, with only a few carrying more substantial weapons.
But the scene inside the hall brought them to a stunned halt.
A shimmering, lapis-colored sphere dominated the room.
Inside the sphere, many of the Gods and Adventurers were frozen in shock.
They stared at the vine-woven shield enveloping them, then traced the vines back to their source: Rayleigh with his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
"What happened?!"
"An explosion!"
"Is... is that thing made from his sword?"
"He shielded us at the exact moment of the blast... He saved us."
"He sensed it ahead of time!"
"Well done, child of Hephaestus!"
Despite the Gods praise, Rayleigh's face was pale as he gripped the hilt of Ruri'iro Kujaku.
Unleashing such a massive expanse of vines at once—not to absorb enemy spiritual pressure, but purely for defense—had drained him.
Even his fingers gripping the hilt felt weak.
"The enemy is right outside," he said. "We need to switch from defense to offense."
As Rayleigh spoke, the Familia members brought by the other Gods prepared for battle.
"Damn Evilus! How dare they attack here! Are they trying to kill the Gods?!"
Rayleigh used his spiritual network to pinpoint the intruders' locations.
The next instant, Ruri'iro Kujaku unfolded from its spherical form like a pair of wings spreading wide.
Countless vines shot out like javelins!
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