"Huff, huff, huff—!"
"Hah, hah, hah—!"
The labored breathing of a man and woman rose and fell alternately as they erged into the dim alley, desperately trying to keep quiet.
Just from the sounds alone, one might get the wrong idea — but don't misunderstand. They weren't doing anything inappropriate.
They were fleeing from pursuers.
"Hah, hah... Just as Adam warned us, Apollo had the nerve to send people after us even though we agreed to the War Ga. That despicable Sun God!" Hestia leaned against the alley wall, cursing under her breath while gasping for air.
"Lady Goddess, what... what should we do?" Bell crouched at the corner, scanning for enemies while awaiting her response.
It was now the third day since Apollo's divine banquet.
Since then, news of the upcoming War Ga between the Hestia Familia and Apollo Familia had spread throughout Orario.
Originally, they only needed to wait for the other deities to gather, hold the Denatus to decide the ga's format, and then make their final preparations.
But Apollo, for reasons unknown, kept sending people to harass them — not just in the Dungeon, but even on the surface, where people deliberately picked fights with them.
Bell rembered Adam's warning and tried his best to avoid conflicts. But the harassnt grew more frequent and increasingly blatant.
Their goal was clear: injure Bell so he couldn't participate in the War Ga.
Their malicious intent was obvious to all!
The Apollo Familia had strength in numbers. Even with help from others, Bell and his companions could only flee through the alleys, unable to fight back.
Today was the day of the Denatus, and Apollo, desperate now, had sent all his Familia mbers to hunt them down. Even with the ga about to begin, he still resorted to such underhanded tactics.
"Damn that Apollo!" Hestia cursed again.
She felt helpless now. She wished she had brought Adam along instead of leaving him at their base.
Why was she still trying to hide his existence at such a critical mont?
She was such an idiot! Hestia deeply regretted her decision.
Though she couldn't be blad — after all, hiding their strongest fighter and revealing their trump card at the last mont was sound strategy.
But the cold mockery and cryptic words from Loki and Freya had made Apollo wary. Though foolish, he still had people investigate.
Yet Adam rarely appeared in public, living a very private life. With so little ti, they could only discover that he had joined and registered as an Adventurer one month ago.
There's only one Bell with such rapid growth!
The arrogant Apollo naturally thought this way. He refused to believe another mber of Hestia's Familia could have reached Level 2 in just one month.
Besides, even if they reached Level 2, his Familia captain was Level 3! He could defeat ten Level 2s with ease! What was there to worry about?
Yet despite his bravado, true to his devious nature, Apollo still wanted to eliminate any possible risks.
His solution? Harass them relentlessly!
By giving Bell and the others no chance to rest, he hoped to wear down their spirits before the War Ga. Better still, if they got injured, it would hinder their performance. This was Apollo's sche — a contemptible tactic he had used before to steal Familia mbers.
"Hah... hah... Lady Goddess, can you still run?" Bell looked at Hestia, who had collapsed against the ground, "Are you alright? Should I carry you?"
"I'm sorry, Bell. I can't... run anymore."
Though Hestia was a Goddess, her sealed divine powers left her stamina weaker than an average human's. After nearly an hour of running, she had no energy left.
"Then, please excuse my rudeness, Lady Goddess."
Hearing footsteps drawing closer, Bell scooped up the exhausted Hestia in his arms and rushed toward the eting place.
Now at Level 2, Hestia's weight barely hindered him, especially with his high agility.
Yet despite his enhanced speed, they found themselves surrounded by Apollo Familia mbers.
"Well, well, brat, where do you think you're going?" The Apollo Familia captain, Hyakinthos Clio, blocked their path.
Their eyes t with burning hatred. Bell's crimson eyes grew fiercer at the sight of this man — 『Phoebus Apollo』 — who had insulted him at the tavern.
"You piece of trash! I can't fathom why Lord Apollo wants you so badly. How could a worthless fish like you earn that great one's love? Damn it! Bastard! Shit!"
The usually composed and elegant captain had lost all self-control.
His pride couldn't bear it — learning that Apollo had taken interest in Bell had made him, who considered himself peerless, completely lose his composure.
He even dared hurl such vulgar words before a deity like Hestia!
"What are you planning to do?" Bell drew his short knife, staying alert while searching for an escape route.
"What am I planning? Hahaha! Lord Apollo said as long as you can participate in the ga, your condition doesn't matter... So, are you scared?" Hyakinthos wore the sa villainous expression as his God, eyeing the cornered rabbit like a hungry wolf.
Violence simred in his heart, barely contained.
"Hyaaah—!"
With no escape possible, Bell charged forward bravely, thrusting his short knife at Hyakinthos's waist.
But his attack was too straightforward, the opening obvious. Worse still, the speed he relied on for survival ant nothing against a higher-level opponent.
"Hmph." Hyakinthos snorted coldly, stepping back to dodge the incoming knife before landing a punch squarely on Bell's nose, drawing blood.
The gap between them was too wide!
The difference between levels wasn't rely combat experience — it was raw strength and speed. This single exchange made it crystal clear that Bell stood no chance.
"Damn it."
Bell wiped the blood from his nose and charged forward again, moving even faster than before!
However...
"Still haven't learned your lesson, trash?" Hyakinthos looked at him with contempt.
This ti, he didn't even bother dodging. He simply grabbed Bell's wrist, holding it firm no matter how hard Bell struggled to break free.
"Now you understand, right? The difference between us is like heaven and earth."
"..." The undisguised mockery left Bell montarily silent.
But Adam's encouragent had kindled sothing in him — a burning passion and determination. He had to catch up to that person... to Ais's back!
He absolutely couldn't lose!
But...
"Alright, that's enough!"
Just as Bell was about to unleash〚Argonaut〛, Adam arrived. Having followed them from a distance out of concern, he descended from above, landing at the heart of the battlefield.
"You must be that other mber, Adam Carter?"
"Congratulations, you're correct. But there's no prize."
Adam's smile only served to irritate Hyakinthos further.
Despite days spent investigating this mysterious man, his reports had yielded nothing but useless scraps of information.
Unknown entities always bred unease.
Still, Adam was just a Low Class Adventurer — surely his strength couldn't match a Level 3 High Class Adventurer like himself. There was nothing to fear.
Perfect. He could injure them both just enough to ensure they'd barely manage in the War Ga. He'd avoid punishnt, and Lord Apollo would face no criticism from the other Gods.
But his calculations had fatally underestimated Adam's true strength.
How foolish! Did anyone truly believe there was a single Adventurer in Orario who could defeat Adam one-on-one?
Where so hearts sank, others soared. At the sight of their unexpected savior, both Hestia and Bell broke into relieved smiles.
"Adam, you ca!"
"Mr. Adam."
His tily rescue brought sighs of relief from them both. The powerful Adam's presence always instilled a deep sense of security.
Even Welf, Lily, Mikoto, and Haruhi, who were providing cover from a distance, felt reassured. Though they didn't know the full extent of Adam's abilities, having another ally in the fight was invaluable.
"Lady Hestia, Bell, run to the eting point. Leave this to ." Right in front of Hyakinthos, Adam spoke these words casually, completely dismissing the Level 3 adventurer's presence.
This dismissal ignited Hyakinthos's fury.
"You can't seriously think you'll escape our encirclent unscathed. Know your place, you small fry."
"I despise foul mouths." Adam stepped forward with a smile, "The last person who spoke to that way, I used him as a hamr and swung him around until he learned his lesson... Would you like the sa education?"
"What did you say—?!" Hyakinthos glared at him with wide eyes, yet maintained a cautious distance.
Seeing the encirclent loosen, Adam seized the opportunity and called out to Bell.
"Now's your chance, Bell!"
"Right!" Following his instructions, Bell grabbed Hestia and charged toward the enemies' weak point.
Being Level 2 with all abilities at S-rank or higher, his strength far exceeded the norm.
He broke through the encirclent in an instant.
"Don't think you can escape!"
"Where do you think you're going?" Just as Hyakinthos moved to block Bell's path, Adam intercepted him.
"You bastard—!"
"My, are you angry?"
Watching Bell breach their lines, Hyakinthos could no longer contain his fury and threw a straight punch at Adam's chest.
Adam blocked it effortlessly. His composed manner filled Hyakinthos's heart with dread.
"If you stand down now, I won't use lethal force... What do you say?"
"Do you think I'd agree to that, you piece of shit!"
Obviously, Adam's show of goodwill wasn't accepted, and instead t with even cruder insults.
"Sigh, I wanted to have a friendly chat, but your unpleasant and crude attitude makes communication impossible." As he spoke, Adam vanished instantly.
Before Hyakinthos could even react, a knife-hand strike landed on the back of his neck.
Bang!
A muffled sound, and the man promptly lost consciousness.
"Really now, if there weren't so many eyes around, I would have finished you off." Adam kicked the fallen human.
Under his 〔Perception〕 skill, he could tell many people were lying in ambush — all main mbers of the Apollo Familia. If he wasn't worried about being frad, he definitely wouldn't leave any survivors.
"Hey, is anyone there? Co clean this up."
"Y-Yes!" Soone actually responded to Adam's taunt.
It was a female mber. She hunched her shoulders like a quail, her small fra trembling as she approached Adam. She looked terrified.
However, Adam found her familiar.
"Oh, you're..."
"Y-Yes! I'm Cassandra Ilion... that's right." Her trembling appearance made her look like a frightened kitten.
"Oh! It's you, the prophetic drear!" Adam finally rembered her.
If he hadn't intervened, her prophetic dream would have concerned Bell.
[When cornered, the rabbit will leap over the moon and devour the sun.]
"Um, you know ?"
"Ah, I've heard of you." Adam asked curiously, "Hey, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
"Y-Yes! Please ask!"
"Ah, don't be nervous, don't be nervous. Actually, I want to know if you have anything to say about your recent prophetic dream?"
"Well, um..." She looked conflicted, unsure whether to speak or not.
Was it because of her position? Or perhaps these words weren't friendly toward Adam?
"Please tell , I'm very curious."
"Y-Yes... if you want to hear it."
After so hesitation, Cassandra decided to tell him.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
After telling Adam her prophetic dream, Cassandra carried her unconscious captain away, disappearing into the alley with the other mbers.
Adam regrouped with Bell's supporters, all gazing thoughtfully toward where the rabbit had fled — toward the Denatus, where the gods would gather to decide their upcoming ga.
"I hope you get the ga I'm expecting, Lady Hestia." Adam murmured, watching the distance.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
"Help , Daphne."
"Cassandra, you fool! Why did you confront that brutal monster?"
"Eh? Brutal?"
"Of course! He took down Hyakinthos with a single strike."
"How is that brutal?"
"Never mind that... What did you tell him?"
"About the prophetic dream."
"What was it?"
"It was... 'The entrusted hope will shine brilliantly, eventually replacing the sun in the sky'."
✧✧✧
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