Chapter 134: Who Demolished My House??

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A rocket streaked through the air, flames trailing behind it as it aimed for the masked figure's escape path.

The intruder tried to launch itself into the sky. As soon as it jumped, the rocket turned sharply, following it as if it could see.

'No way.' The figure hadn't expected the weapon to follow. There was no time to block it.

The rocket quickly closed the gap and exploded just before hitting.

"BOOOOOOOOMM!!"

The thunderous sound of artillery resounded throughout the district. The automated weapons stayed in place and returned to standby mode. The heavy drone kept hovering above.

People noticed the huge explosion right away. Adventurers all over Orario heard the blast.

"What was that?" Gods at the Hostess of Fertility paused. The sound reached across the bustling city.

Orario was a noisy city, so sound usually didn't travel far. Still, people quickly figured out where the blast came from.

Members of the Artemis, Ganesha, and Loki Familias converged on the perimeter of the ruined church—no one had the courage to get closer after seeing the strange hovering weapons guarding the area. Everyone felt the tension.

The Gods soon arrived at the scene.

"What's the situation?" Loki asked as she walked up to the frontline.

"August's weapons have started moving," Finn Deimne reported, analyzing the perimeter.

"Is the Shrimp not here?" Loki blinked. She figured Hestia would be on-site managing her own turf.

"She isn't." Hephaestus rolled her eyes. "What did you expect?"

"Hestia has been staying in August's world lately. That's their actual headquarters."

The weapons seemed to be in self-defense mode. Getting close without a plan would be dangerous.

"Dammit, the Shrimp really left a whole arsenal lying around?" Loki swore. "And some idiot actually went and triggered it."

It was clear someone had attacked the church. Now the hidden defenses were active and dangerous. Loki's frustration made sense.

"The real question is, who wants to go in first?" Ganesha sighed nearby.

Those weapons were deadly. No one knew if more traps were hidden nearby.

"Rushing in without knowing the situation is just throwing our children's lives away," Ganesha added.

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Inside the church walls, the massive Xenos lay motionless on the ground. The bleeding had stopped, but the damage was severe.

Without proper healing, it wouldn't survive.

"What do we do? We're out of potions," a smaller Xenos panicked.

They had run out of potions days ago. They believed they were safe from humans in this place. Humans hadn't attacked them, but whatever that masked figure was, the surface was as dangerous as the Dungeon.

"I'll go." A tiger-like Xenos with zebra stripes struggled to its feet. It had been injured just by the shockwaves of the fight. It was one of the few who could speak human language.

"I can sense humans gathered just outside Lord August's perimeter. I will talk to them."

The group needed help. The humans were holding back because of the weapons, but talking to them might help.

"Be careful..." The Siren nodded.

The tiger Xenos limped toward the exit. The automated weapons scanned it for a second but didn't fire, maintaining their overwatch.

It moved faster, wincing as pain shot through its wounds. The beatings from the Artificial Labyrinth had made it tougher.

The tiger Xenos stepped out of the ruins and approached the gathered Adventurers.

"A monster from the Hestia base is approaching!" a scout shouted.

People drew their weapons, and the crowd grew tense.

"Do not fear! I am Ganesha!" Ganesha, who secretly looked after the Xenos, stepped forward and took charge.

Artemis, Loki, Hephaestus, and Miach followed close behind.

"You're injured. I think we've met before," Ganesha said, observing the beast as the Adventurers remained watchful.

The tiger Xenos nodded in acknowledgment.

"What happened in there?" Ganesha asked.

"We were attacked. Everyone is hurt. We only survived because of Lord August's weapons," the tiger Xenos explained, bowing its head slightly.

"Attacked?"

Ganesha frowned beneath his elephant mask, surprised to see the Xenos attacked above ground. He then pointed at the hovering weapons while the tiger Xenos looked toward Miach, Artemis, and Hephaestus.

"Lord August's weapons are careful. Because you know him—they shouldn't attack you," the Xenos explained. The systems probably recognized friendly signals.

"I see. Let's head inside and take a look. Tsubaki," Hephaestus said, catching on. With facial recognition in place, there was nothing to fear. She motioned for her Captain to go ahead.

"Right behind you, Boss." Tsubaki stepped up.

"Tch. I'm coming too!!" Loki announced. She then paused and said, "I'll go in alone. The rest of you stay here for now."

Loki knew August might have whitelisted her, but her Familia members were probably still classified as unknown targets.

"Finn, keep everyone in line and hold the perimeter."

"Understood." Finn watched the Xenos, knowing it was smarter not to rush in.

Ganesha, Miach, Hephaestus, Artemis, and Loki followed Tsubaki and Naaza Erisuis into the church grounds. Upon entering, the mechanical turrets turned towards them, briefly scanned, then resumed their normal positions.

"At least the kid has some decency," Loki muttered.

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Inside the main hall, they saw the mid-tier Xenos badly hurt. Only the weakest had managed to get away from the first attack.

"They're all hurt..."

Miach took out his potions and started treating the bleeding monsters. Naaza stayed behind, still frightened of Dungeon creatures, offering aid from a safe distance.

"What exactly happened here?" the Gods asked.

They suspected Evilus would attack, but specifically target the Xenos??

"It was very strong. We couldn't even fight back. We were almost wiped out," the Siren explained, pouring a potion over her wounds.

The enemy's blade stopped their usual monster healing. Only high-grade potions could help.

Tsubaki inspected the cuts. "These were made by specialized anti-monster weaponry. Forged to suppress regeneration."

She knew the work. Only the Goibniu or Hephaestus Familias could make weapons like these, and they were uncommon.

"Did you see its face?" Tsubaki asked.

"It wore a mask." The Siren shook her head.

"Its scent—it smelled like you, but also like us," a smaller Xenos added.

"An artificial monster..." Loki realized.

This was an assassination attempt. Evilus wanted to stop the Xenos from revealing more about the Knossos and the Ikelos Familia's activities.

"Silencing witnesses, huh," Ganesha agreed.

Just how many of those things were hiding down there?

"How strong was it?" Loki asked.

"Very. Much stronger than her." The small Xenos pointed a claw at Tsubaki.

"Oho. Stronger than me? That makes it at least a Level 7. Was it the anomaly from the Artificial Labyrinth, Knossos?" Tsubaki mused.

Tsubaki wanted to complain. How many Level 7s were hiding in the city? Her Level 5 rank suddenly seemed not good enough.

"I don't know. But Lord August's weapon shot it through the chest from behind," the Siren explained, pointing to her own torso. The attacker was definitely wounded.

"Wow. The kid's weapons are ridiculous," Tsubaki said with a grin. A weapon strong enough to hit a Level 7 hybrid was a relief.

"It was injured? That means it left behind blood or tissue samples." Miach looked highly interested.

"Miach, reel it in. That sounds dangerous," Loki warned him, noticing his mad-scientist gaze.

Ganesha and the others looked at him. Miach cleared his throat and quickly switched topics.

"But when Hestia gets back..." Miach looked around.

The church, recently fixed by the Goibniu Familia, was now a bloody wreck again. The door was missing, and the walls were damaged.

"She is probably going to kill someone over this," Ganesha said solemnly.

Even without thinking about repair costs, having your home destroyed twice in one week was a huge insult. Hestia would definitely want revenge.

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Speak of the devil.

After dinner, August, Hestia, and Lili stepped through the portal back into the church. As soon as they landed, they heard the commotion outside.

They pushed past the threshold.

"WHAT THE HELL?? WHERE IS MY FRONT DOOR??"

The wooden doors she had just paid to have fixed were lying in splinters on the ground.

Inside, the Xenos were battered and bloody, receiving medical treatment.

"WHO DEMOLISHED MY HOUSE??" Hestia screamed, stamping her foot.

She had just brought in new Familia members and was feeling great. Seeing her home destroyed ruined her mood.

August looked over the scene. Most injuries were not life-threatening.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked the Xenos.

"We'll live," the Siren said, glancing at the massive Xenos that had lost its legs defending them.

"I've got this." August moved forward.

He didn't need to chant—he just channeled his magic. The miraculous flames enveloped the severed stumps. Flesh, bone, and muscle rapidly regenerated.

"HIS MAGIC HEALS MONSTERS TOO?" Loki said in amazement. The magic worked on everyone, no matter their race or species.

"Dammit! Tell me exactly who wrecked my house!" Hestia demanded.

The Xenos quickly described the masked attacker.

"Unbelievable. A Level 7 came here just to bully us?" Hestia knew exactly which faction was responsible. She was stunned that the Xenos were the target. Attempting to silence witnesses by assaulting her territory was a blatant insult.

Lili frowned. She wasn't fond of monsters, but attacking their home meant attacking the Familia. You couldn't let something like that go without fighting back.

"So, what's the plan?" Lili asked, drawing a finger across her throat.

"Do we go wipe out their base tonight?"

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