Just as everyone puzzled over the unconventional tactics of the Hestia Familia's mage, the image in one of the magic mirrors shifted.
Lili's figure appeared in the fra, accompanied by Senie, who wore a form-fitting outfit that accentuated her striking figure.
The two stood on an aerial corridor within the castle, smiles gracing their faces as they advanced toward the opposite end.
Facing them were mbers of the Apollo Familia.
Despite a massive explosion near the city wall, the guards here remained steadfast, holding their defensive positions without taking action.
This surprised Lili, but she quickly understood why.
The Apollo Familia mbers were overly confident in their own strength.
Even after hearing the violent explosion from the front, those unaware of the situation firmly believed their comrades could handle it.
Their task was simply to guard this corridor.
"Lili, Senie? I didn't expect you to break through the blockade and reach this point," said Daphne, the captain of the Apollo Familia's Level 2 adventurer team, tasked with defending this position.
Behind them lood the throne tower, where Hyakinthos resided.
Despite the chaos outside, Hyakinthos seed oblivious, sitting calmly in the tower as if detached from the events.
He appeared suprely confident in his subordinates.
And why not? The disparity in strength between the two sides was imnse.
In Hyakinthos' eyes, only Orsted, Lili, and Senie possessed notable strength within the Hestia Familia.
The other mbers had joined the Hestia Familia recently, and according to Guild intelligence, they were all Level 1.
In contrast, his side boasted over a hundred mbers, including eight Level 2 adventurers.
His forces had even ventured as a group to defeat the Monster Rex Goliath.
With such power, what was there to fear from a Familia with only three Level 2 mbers and a handful of Level 1 newcors?
Even if Orsted overca the Apollo Familia's many obstacles to reach him, Hyakinthos was unafraid.
He envisioned defeating Orsted decisively, crushing him underfoot and proclaiming that only he deserved Lord Apollo's favor.
Such were Hyakinthos' delusions.
Unbeknownst to him, the Apollo Familia had already been routed.
The only intact unit was the team led by Daphne and Cassandra on the aerial corridor.
And now, that team had engaged Lili and Senie in combat.
"Lord Orsted will arrive soon, but he won't be fighting you. Your opponents are us," Lili said with a smile, continuing to advance.
"Archers, step forward and fire at will. Mages, prepare your spells and await my signal," Daphne ordered, frowning slightly at Lili's words.
She had no interest in banter and issued her commands decisively.
This corridor was the only path to the throne tower where Hyakinthos awaited. If the enemy wished to pass, they had to cross this chokepoint—a perfect target for her forces.
Daphne didn't bother ordering the archers to form a specific formation; she simply commanded them to shoot.
As for the mages, she would wait for the optimal mont to unleash their spells.
She knew Lili's reputation: a forr supporter from the Soma Familia who joined the Hestia Familia, transitioned to an adventurer, and rapidly reached Level 2.
The archers' arrows were unlikely to harm her.
After all, Lili wouldn't stand still and let herself be shot.
But that didn't matter. Daphne's true target was the charming woman beside Lili.
Senie, a recent addition to the Hestia Familia, lacked the experience to evade the archers' volleys.
As for Lili, Daphne trusted her mages to handle her.
Once Lili began dodging, Daphne could ti her mages' spells to strike her.
She had three Level 2 mages at her command.
The magic power of Level 2 mages was formidable, and even though Lili had recently reached Level 2 and had a record of teaming up to stall Hyakinthos, she couldn't possibly withstand their combined assault.
Otherwise, mages wouldn't be so coveted by every Familia.
Even if the spells missed, Daphne and her two Level 2 lee comrades could launch a surprise attack to deal heavy damage to Lili.
That was Daphne's plan.
But while the plan was sound, reality proved harsh.
As her orders were issued, the archers and mages acted accordingly.
The archers loosed their arrows, but halfway through their flight, the arrows halted, suspended in midair as if frozen by an invisible force.
They neither continued forward nor fell to the ground.
"What is this?" Daphne and her team gasped, stunned by the sight.
They couldn't comprehend what was happening.
It wasn't magic—there were no magical fluctuations. Was it a skill?
But what kind of skill could produce such an effect?
Moreover, only Lili and Senie were present, and they were far from the arrows.
Skills weren't magic, so how could they exert such an effect from a distance?
"Surprised, aren't you?" Senie said with a laugh, observing Daphne and her team's bewildernt.
Her laughter made it clear to Daphne that Senie was responsible for the phenonon.
Daphne instantly realized Senie wasn't a re newcor but a potentially formidable foe.
"Forget Lili! Direct all your spells at Senie!" Daphne shouted to her mages.
Then, turning to her two lee companions, she ordered, "You two, follow ! We'll take down Lili quickly!"
Without hesitation, Daphne charged forward, her companions following closely behind.
Seeing this, Lili grinned, drawing the Orsted Blade—a weapon crafted for her by Orsted, as she had nad it—and rushed to et them.
Three Level 2 opponents? Lili wasn't intimidated. She was confident in her abilities and unafraid of the challenge.
If she weren't certain of her strength, why would she have co here with only Senie?
In an instant, Lili clashed with Daphne and her two companions.
As the Orsted Blade t Daphne's weapon head-on, Lili's other hand was already in motion.
A burst of fire erupted from her palm and surged forward, striking the two adventurers trailing Daphne and halting their advance.
Then, with a swift motion, Lili raised her foot and delivered a kick to Daphne's stomach at a speed the captain couldn't counter.
With a sound like rushing air, followed by a loud crash, Daphne was launched backward, slamming into the tower wall over ten ters away.
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