Chapter 142: War Game: The Duel!!

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Three days passed.

The abandoned city had become a battlefield. The Apollo Familia entered through the West Gate and took over the northwest area.

The Hestia Familia settled at the East Gate.

Lili led the three newcomers directly to the southern residential district, rather than guarding the perimeter. This low-lying area, surrounded by water, was the safest place on the map.

Once both sides finished setting up camp, the War Game officially began.

For Orario, this event was a big festival. The Apollo Familia was up against the Hestia Familia, led by the famous monster rookie. Everyone in the city was watching.

August was more popular than ever.

Finn Deimne and Ottar were known as the strongest in Orario—but August was like a supernova, so bright that no one could ignore him.

Most people supported Apollo. Everyone knew August couldn't use his heavy weapons. With only a sword and magic, many believed he was much weaker.

Without his artillery, he was just another Level 2 Adventurer. It was a hundred experienced fighters against a rookie team with strict rules.

All the bets were on Apollo.

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Inside Babel's divine viewing room, the Gods gathered to watch the event. Hestia sat quietly in her seat, arms crossed, looking remarkably calm.

"Hestia, are you sure it was okay not to let me train August?" Takemikazuchi asked, looking a little guilty.

He saw that Hestia had been away for two days.

When she returned yesterday, she spent her time shopping for expensive jewelry in the North District. Seeing her sit so calmly now, he wondered if letting August enter a sword fight without proper training was a mistake.

"I'd trust your swordplay any day, Take. It's just..." Hestia smiled apologetically.

He meant well, and she didn't want to brush him off. But this was a fight in the city, and she needed experts for such a tough battle.

"Take, urban combat is chaotic," Miach reasoned from the side. "More importantly, Apollo is confident for a reason. He wouldn't pick this format without an edge. Don't forget, he specifically targeted August's weakness. He drafted these rules to neutralize him."

Miach sighed and glanced at Ishtar's seat. She had pushed for this during the last assembly, putting Hestia in a difficult position to get back at her for an earlier embarrassment.

"Is that so?" Takemikazuchi rubbed his chin.

That made sense. If Apollo was changing the rules, he had likely considered the possibility that a fighting God like Takemikazuchi could train August.

Apollo entered the viewing room with confident steps and a smug smile. He waved to the other Gods.

"Oho. I didn't expect you to be this resilient, Hestia. You didn't even beg Takemikazuchi for help?" Apollo mocked, noticing the War God standing nearby.

He was surprised that Hestia hadn't asked a fighting God for help. But it didn't matter. He had prepared for everything, and his Familia was ready.

"Tch."

Miach and Takemikazuchi exchanged glances. Apollo had set the trap perfectly. If August wanted to get better at close-range fighting, asking a combat God for help was the obvious choice in Orario.

"Looks like he read us like a book," Takemikazuchi muttered.

"Apollo is sharp. He found August's blind spot and hammered it," Miach said, sounding helpless.

Hestia did not answer. When Apollo came in, she scoffed and looked away.

Oddly, she wore thick clothes today, making her look almost like a padded dumpling.

"Speaking of which, Hestia, why are you wearing all those clothes?" Apollo raised an eyebrow. "It isn't winter."

Her outfit was unusual and nothing like her usual style.

"Hmph." Hestia ignored him. She had zero interest in talking to this guy.

Hermes watched the argument from his seat and enjoyed the drama, but time was running out.

"Lord Ouranos, requesting permission to utilize divine power," Hermes called toward the ceiling.

"Granted," Ouranos's voice echoed through the room.

This time, Hermes wasn't watching the match from the ground. He watched from above. He snapped his fingers, and the Divine Mirror turned on, showing the event on huge screens in Orario's public squares.

Ibri Achaa, a member of the Ganesha Familia, grabbed the microphone to provide live commentary.

The screens came to life.

The first image showed the Apollo Familia advancing. They had seized the North and West districts, and their hundred fighters, split into squads, moved cautiously, testing the East Gate.

This classic pincer maneuver cornered the Hestia Familia with no escape routes.

"Oho! Look at that coordination! The Apollo Familia is systematically eating up the Hestia Familia's operational zone!" Ibri Achaa commentated. "At this pace, the East District will be fully overrun in less than an hour. They came in with a flawless tactical plan!"

He praised their tight formation. They were putting a lot of pressure on their opponents.

"But what about the Hestia Familia?"

Hermes switched the camera feed.

The screen now showed the southern residential district, where four young women stood. Lili stood next to Nodoka Manabe—looking over a freshly drawn map of the city defenses.

"Incredible. To think a new recruit could draft an accurate topographical and defensive map of the city in such a short time," Ganesha noted, watching the screen. "She has a sharp eye for environments and logistics. A very good child."

He noticed that the handwriting and layout belonged to the new girl, Nodoka Manabe. She was very skilled at organizing things.

"High praise from Lord Ganesha!" Ibri Achaa hyped the moment. "It seems the Hestia Familia's new blood brings some serious tactical utility to the table! But..."

The commentary paused.

Hermes moved the camera, and both the Gods in the viewing room and the crowds outside noticed the same obvious problem.

August wasn't there.

"Wait, where is the Captain of the Hestia Familia?? Did he disappear? Didn't they enter the city together?" Ibri Achaa shouted into the mic.

Hermes moved the camera around, looking confused. Where did he go? A grown man had just vanished.

"Uh, Hestia?" Hermes looked over at her. "Where is your child?"

Only the four girls showed up on screen. Even Miach and Takemikazuchi looked surprised. Did he run away? No, that wasn't like August.

He never avoided a fight. He was always direct and never backed down.

"HAHAHA! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Apollo burst into laughter. "HESTIA, IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR PRIZED CHILD ABANDONED YOU."

He once saw August as a big threat, but now he just looked like a coward. Without his favorite weapons, it seemed like he chose to run instead of fight.

"This won't do, Hestia. Those soft little girls are going to get trampled by my Familia. If you surrender right now, I'll be merciful and spare them the pain. The only condition is that you leave Orario immediately," Apollo offered with a smug grin.

"Hmph." Hestia just snorted.

Loki, sitting nearby, watched the screen closely.

"Shrimp, where is he?" she frowned. "He isn't the type to run."

August had given her Familia a lot of trouble lately, so the thought of him running away didn't feel right to her.

"He's on his way." Hestia lifted her chin proudly, addressing Loki directly.

Then she gave the order. "Bring it up."

Hermes used his divine power, and the image changed. It moved away from the empty city and showed a forest almost five kilometers from the battle area.

A pristine white Unicorn Xenos with a beautiful flowing mane trotted leisurely down a dirt path.

August sat in the saddle.

While the Apollo Familia searched the city in a tense, organized way, August rode calmly through the woods.

He wasn't just riding—he played a slow, sad tune on a wooden flute.

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The sad music came through the broadcast. It spoke of distant sorrow and made August seem like a man with a buried past. His eyes showed a quiet sadness that drew everyone's attention.

"..."

"He's... so handsome."

Ibri Achaa fumbled with his magic-stone microphone. The sudden change was shocking. The Apollo Familia was working hard in the city, but August looked as if he were in a peaceful movie scene.

He stood out...

He didn't wear normal Adventurer clothes. Instead, he wore a fitted athletic shirt, dark joggers, black boots, and a longsword at his side.

His days of hard training made him look calm but dangerous.

He was handsome in a different way from the Apollo Familia's Captain, Hyakinthos Clio, who looked refined and proud. August seemed like a wandering swordsman from another time.

The difference between them was striking.

...

"I don't recognize those clothes..."

"But why does he look so cool with that sword?"

"A wandering swordsman!"

"Stop calling him that, it sounds cheesy!"

The women in the Orario crowds were charmed. His sad expression and sharp outfit made him instantly popular.

"?" Apollo couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"Hestia! Weren't both teams supposed to deploy inside the city? What is he doing all the way out there??"

If he remembered the rules right, both sides were supposed to enter the set combat area.

Hestia rolled her eyes at him.

"When did I ever agree to that? The rules say we deploy at our own gates and fight for the city. My Familia is in the city. Besides, the rules never said horses were banned, did they? You just didn't bring any mounts. My child entered the city, realized he wanted a horse, and left to find one. That's perfectly within the rules." She crossed her arms like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She was correct. No one had set a strict time for when the gates would close, and leaving the area to get resources wasn't against the rules.

Apollo didn't expect Hestia to use a loophole so well. No one had even seen August leave.

"Dammit, Hestia, this is cheating!" Apollo yelled. "If I'm not mistaken, that Unicorn is a deep-floor monster! It's not a normal Level 3! That counts as reinforcements! It violates the rules!"

A Xenos-class Unicorn was an anomaly.

Hestia glared right back at him.

"Who told you the Unicorn was fighting? It's functioning strictly as a mount. It won't participate in any combat whatsoever—aside from running, it won't throw a single attack. What, are you saying my Familia isn't allowed to hitch a ride on our own tamed Xenos?" she argued fiercely.

Her answer made the other Gods nod, even if they didn't like it. Everyone knew the Hestia Familia protected the Xenos.

Using only one as a mount was a big compromise for August, since he could have used it to attack.

Apollo opened his mouth to argue further.

But Ibri Achaa's voice boomed through the Divine Mirror.

"HE'S MOVING!"

The final notes of the mournful melody faded, and the moment August lowered the flute and gripped the reins—Ibri Achaa yelled in excitement.

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