"Papa! Papa!"
Still having tears run down her face, I take Alea into my hold, her little arms immediately latching onto my neck as she buries her face into my chest.
"It's alright~ It's alright~ I know it was scary, but Papa's always gonna protect you, okay?"
Her laboured breathing calming down, I crouch to meet Leo's eyes, who's still lost in thought while holding Haru's hand.
"Leo, are you alright?"
Breaking out of his stupor, he then meets my eyes.
"Yeah... Papa's very strong, huh? Can you teach me?"
Looking deep into his eyes, I see that he's feeling genuine excitement, without a hint of fear.
Good.
Rustling his hair, I stand back up while answering him.
"Of course. Maybe once you're a little older though. Now, let's go see how your Mamas are doing."
Moving away from the two corpses, we walk through the destroyed street until we see a clearing with three familiar faces watching over a cage.
"Alise! Ryuu!"
The three then turn their heads toward me, and once my two wives notice who had addressed them, they rush over and engulf us in a hug.
"Husband! What are you doing here!?"
"Did you run into any monsters!?"
"Calm down, we're all fine."
Patting their heads, they soon even their breathing.
Ryuu then takes Alea in her hands while Alise scoops up Leo, both giving me a glare.
"Explain. What are they doing here."
Yes ma'am.
"We were just walking along, I heard a monster and decided to deal with it as it was heading our way."
"So you dealt with those ones... good. Did these two see?"
"Umm, unfortunately, they did. But Leo seemed to take it well and Alea was better after I killed them all."
Narrowing her eyes, Ryuu then separates Alea from her firm hold and looks into her eyes.
"Are you alright, Alea?"
"Mmm? Y-Yeah! Papa did a big slash and they all turned into grey snow!"
"It's called ash, sweetie. But if you're certain you're okay..."
Looking around, I notice the other objects in the clearing.
Numerous scattered dead bodies, all robed in black yet with no blood seeping from their wounds.
And a covered carriage, one that Celty was guarding very strictly.
"So... what happened?"
Alise clicks her tongue before explaining.
"Haa, they released monsters to distract us and sent out these guys with that carriage, which has Xenos by the way."
"Oh, did you girls..."
"No, once they realized they couldn't escape, they killed themselves with poison. I guess they underestimated our strength."
"Mmm, even for new level 6's you two are quite strong. So? Did you find that 'key' that was mentioned?"
"No, and they said they didn't have it before they, well... you know."
Damn, so this was a dud.
"But-"
Oh?
"-we were able to see where they came from."
"Oh? And where was that?"
"Underground in the sewers. It blends in with the wall, but we can point it out."
Without even meaning to, a wide smile spreads across my face.
"Good."
I'm one step closer to you, Ikelos.
One step closer to ending you and your entire Familia.
"Anyways, what will we do with the Xenos?"
"I can deal with that."
While I was not surprised by the sudden appearance, as I had already sensed them, I was surprised that they would show themselves like this.
"Fels. Are you sure you should be here right now? Aren't you a secret agent of Ouranos or something?"
"You are correct Celestial Sword, I was thinking of using the distraction they had so gracefully provided."
"Hmm? Well, we'll leave it to you. Tell Ouranos that we have their location but not the 'key', but I might be able to get us in."
Even Ryuu and Alise's eyes widen at this.
Oh yeah, I hadn't told them the science behind antimatter, or rather, my space element.
"Oh? How so?"
"Secret~ C'mon girls, let's leave the Ganesha Familia to clean up. I think Alea and Leo deserve a treat after all that."
"Yes! Papa, give me ice cream!"
Haa, note to self, be careful when showing off desserts from Earth to children.
"Of course, sweetie."
----- 2 Hours Later -----
Stepping into the office, I see the entire Familia turn their heads toward me.
Damn, being last sucks.
"Uhh, sorry for being late."
"It's fine. Are the kids in bed?"
"No, they're reading... again. It seems Leo's bookworm-ness has spread to little Alea."
"Reading at their age... you're kids are quite insane, you three. Whatever, let's make the plan. Tonight, the Ikelos Familia will be no more."
Cracking my neck, I lean against the wall next to Alise and listen closely to Lyra.
Haa, after this, I don't want any other crazy shit happening.
I'll play around with my wives, explore the dungeon, train with Ais and the newbies again, and all that fun stuff.
Maybe even take that vacation outside Orario we've been talking about.
I mean, I haven't even seen the ocean here yet.
Yeah, thoughts for later.
"Sirius, this plan relies solely on your ability to open the entrance. How confident are you in this space element attack?"
Standing up, I answer Lyra.
"I'm confident that it can break through. The only thing I'm not certain about is how fast it will be."
"Hmm, so the element of surprise may not be a certainty... no matter. We'll have our strongest members infiltrating Knossos while the others will guard the dungeon for any escapees and defend the city in case they release another distraction."
Nodding our heads, Ryuu then raises her hand.
"Who will be part of the Knossos team?"
"It will be you, Sirius, Alise, Kaguya, and Celty. My team will defend the dungeon, while Kaguya's team, minus Kaguya, will defend the city. The newbies will be staying here to defend the house."
My eyes meet with the four that will be in my group as we all share a nod.
Good, with a group like this, the Ikelos Familia will stand no chance.
"The Ganesha Familia are currently blockading Daedelus Street, but they're weaker than who we had patrolling there. So gather your equipment and move to your positions as soon as possible. Dismissed."
----- 10 Minutes Later -----
"So this is the spot?"
Getting a nod, I start to chant Elemental Orb.
We were under the sewers of Orario, specifically, under Daedelus Street.
And down here, I was in front of a portion of the wall that didn't have the usual dust and dirt like the rest of it.
Found you~
Now, the element of surprise was key here, so it was time to test 'that'.
With my training, I was now able to send out two attacks at once with my Elemental Orb, even with the space element.
But even with the doubled pace, it still wouldn't be fast enough for an efficient surprise attack.
So it got me thinking...
My space 'balls'... which I should think of a better name for... use spin to function.
What would happen if I shot two balls of opposite spin at each other?
One of two things is likely to occur.
Either it would act like waves, cancelling out both attacks and leaving me with nothing, which wouldn't ruin our element of surprise.
Or... something really cool will happen.
And it's this second circumstance that I'm hoping for.
"-Spatium."
The whispy space orb floating above me, I close my eyes and concentrate.
While being able to fire two attacks at once is great and all, it's still unusable in combat due to the focus it requires.
Hopefully, with some more training, I'll be able to do this easily.
Taking control of a portion of the orb and rotating forwards, while simultaneously rotating another portion backwards.
Gah, I can feel a slight headache coming on just with this.
Feeling the orb budding with the two attacks, I open my eyes and release the two balls, ensuring that they collide with each other right in front of me.
"Well... let's see how this goes."
----- Alise POV -----
Looking over to Sirius, his eyes closed in concentration, I can't help but look back on everything I've learned about the love of my life.
Well, one of them.
A perfect father, a perfect husband...
Just like in a fairytale.
With him and Ryuu, as well as our children, we made the perfect family.
Days of happiness and joy, if I hadn't already found the answer to justice, I would have surely thought protecting what we have is the ultimate form of it.
But now, seeing him so deep in focus and looking so... delectable, I remember what made me interested in him in the first place.
He's the perfect adventurer.
"Well... let's see how this goes."
Umm... a good adventurer.
His two black orbs met in front of his outstretched hand, collapsing into an extremely small ball.
...Is that it?
As I was about to raise my voice, the small ball expanded and shot forward, obliterating the door to Knossos.
No destruction, no explosion, the door was simply... gone.
The giant ball continued its way down the corridor, carving into the walls, before fizzling out into nothing.
What. The. Fuck.
D-Did Sirius have a technique like that?
That's adamantine you just cut through, you know!
That's supposed to be unbreakable by anyone lower than level 6!
Looking over to Sirius, I see his mouth wide open in a similar state of shock to the rest of us.
"H-Hollow purple..."
"U-Umm, S-Sirius... It was black, not purple."
"Oh... Of course Celty. Thank you..."
Combing his hand through his hair, my husband then faces us.
"U-Uhh, I didn't think it'd work this well, haha! Umm, shall we go in?"
A beat of silence, then broken by Ryuu's raised voice and a sharp smack.
"You dolt of a husband! You tried an attack like that for the first time in the middle of a mission!"
"I-I'm sorry, Ryuu! I'll make it up to you tonight."
"Hmph! Good, we'll be doing whatever I want then."
Wait, I want in too!
"Sirius~ I better get the same treatment!"
"Of course, Alise-"
"Enough with your damn ero-chatter! Let's start this thing!"
Ah, right, mission.
Following Kaguya's lead, we run into the open cavern, walls lined with stone, marred with cracks from old age.
Yet, with all the deterioration, even an amateur like me can tell the structure is still sound.
Hmm~ Seems that the builder is, or was, quite the architect.
Maybe an ancient Familia's old project?
Who knows.
Well, let's find these assholes.
"Kaguya! Activate your Shikai !"
"Got it!"
Continuing through the corridor, we stop at an intersection just as Kaguya finishes her chant, kneeling at the overload of information.
"I-I found them. They have noticed a disturbance, but haven't begun to flee. There are many trapped Xenos, let's hurry before they can use them as hostages."
"Alright, lead the way!"
Speeding down the left passage, with Ryuu carrying Celty, our group continues navigating our way through the artificial dungeon.
Thank god their operations are based on the first floor.
While I did not hold as much hate for the Ikelos Familia as Sirius did, I was still royally pissed off at their actions.
And that was before they made Alea cry.
Even if we're biologically unrelated, Leo and Alea are my kids, dammit!
And I won't forgive them for scaring my sweet babies.
----- Sirius POV -----
"Wait!"
Stopping at Kaguya's words, we all look at her in confusion.
"Are we nearly there?"
"Yes, just straight up ahead. But I can feel someone... a child, down that corridor to the right."
A child? Here?
Only three things come to mind.
It's either a distraction, a trap, or both.
Well, from our information, the Ikelos Familias captain, the strongest fighter, is a level 5.
Anyone of us except Celty could take him on one-on-one.
So, realistically, those four should be fine.
"I'll go."
All their eyes turn to me in surprise as Alise is the one to speak out.
"Sirius, you know-"
"It's probably a trap, I know. But we're the Familia of justice, are we not? What kind of justice is leaving behind a child, bait or not."
They all frown at my words, knowing I'm right.
"Fine. But husband, be safe, got it? You still have to make it up to me tonight."
"I'll be careful. I should be saying the same to you girls."
Moving towards them, I give both of my wives a kiss, making Celty blush as she was still being held by Ryuu.
"Love you."
"As do we. Now go!"
Nodding to her, I rocket down the side corridor that Kaguya pointed me to.
Hoping that there wasn't another maze, I soon discover my worries were for naught as I find myself in a large room.
Keeping my senses sharp, I look toward the center of the room, where a cage held a small girl, no older than 6.
How the hell did they get her here?
"Hic! Hic! M-Mama! I-I want Mama!"
Stepping towards her, I see her flinch in fear.
"Hey~ It's alright, I'm here to save you, okay?"
Seeing her eyes still filled with fear and suspicion, I crouch down in front of her while holding my hand out, chanting Aqua Corona.
"-awaken their strength."
Letting the stream of water shoot from my fingertips, I let it dance around the girl, her eyes following it in wonder as I clean up the dirt on her body.
"Whoa~"
Hee~ She sounds just like Alea did when I first showed her my magic.
How could they do this to such a cutie?
Sending the stream into her body, it slowly heals all her accumulated damage, the small bruise on her cheek fading away to radiant skin.
"Now, do you want to tell me your name?"
"A-Anna. My name is Anna."
"That's a nice name, Anna. How about I get you out of here- Grk!"
Just as I'm about to reach for my short sword to cut the cage, a small light shines under my feet as I feel my strength leave my body.
W-What the hell?
This feeling of weakness... what happened-
"Haha! To think such a trap would work! As expected of the goody-goody justice Familia!"
Turning my head, I see a man exit from the shadows.
Going by my instincts, he was a level 5.
Dix Perdix, captain of the Ikelos Familia.
"I still can't believe those Evilus guys ditched right before the fun began, but at least they gave me something good!"
What the hell is he talking about?
And why do I feel so... weak?
"Ah, you look confused! Let me enlighten you! See, by standing right there, I was able to activate a little something. Seriously, I can't believe they could make something like that..."
What is this bastard saying?
"Celestial Sword, you messed up our plans quite a bit you know? As expected of a genius level 5. But guess what? Right now, you're just a measly level 4, at least for a while. But that's all the time I need."
Ah, so that was his plan.
Bait out one of our members, then capture them in their reduced level state and use them as a hostage.
That would be the only way out of the mess they were in right now.
But still, to think there was a magic item that reduces levels...
I guess if a magic like Haru's exists, there was bound to be its opposite.
"Well~ what're you gonna do now~"
Hearing his mocking tone, a smile forms on my lips.
What an idiot, his funny little monologue gave me all the time I needed to remember this level of strength.
And besides-
"Huh? What's with that smug grin, eh?"
-with all the techniques I'd honed, the magic I'd practiced, the skills I'd gained-
"Think you'll run your way out of this!?"
"-my level was never my source of strength."
Standing up, I slowly unsheathe Infinite Eclipse while keeping my back to Anna.
"Don't worry Anna, I'm going to end this nightmare."
"You're actually thinking of fighting me?"
"Just make sure to keep your eyes closed, alright?"
Because I didn't feel like keeping this guy alive.
"Papa! Papa!"
Still having tears run down her face, I take Alea into my hold, her little arms immediately latching onto my neck as she buries her face into my chest.
"It's alright~ It's alright~ I know it was scary, but Papa's always gonna protect you, okay?"
Her laboured breathing calming down, I crouch to meet Leo's eyes, who's still lost in thought while holding Haru's hand.
"Leo, are you alright?"
Breaking out of his stupor, he then meets my eyes.
"Yeah... Papa's very strong, huh? Can you teach me?"
Looking deep into his eyes, I see that he's feeling genuine excitement, without a hint of fear.
Good.
Rustling his hair, I stand back up while answering him.
"Of course. Maybe once you're a little older though. Now, let's go see how your Mamas are doing."
Moving away from the two corpses, we walk through the destroyed street until we see a clearing with three familiar faces watching over a cage.
"Alise! Ryuu!"
The three then turn their heads toward me, and once my two wives notice who had addressed them, they rush over and engulf us in a hug.
"Husband! What are you doing here!?"
"Did you run into any monsters!?"
"Calm down, we're all fine."
Patting their heads, they soon even their breathing.
Ryuu then takes Alea in her hands while Alise scoops up Leo, both giving me a glare.
"Explain. What are they doing here."
Yes ma'am.
"We were just walking along, I heard a monster and decided to deal with it as it was heading our way."
"So you dealt with those ones... good. Did these two see?"
"Umm, unfortunately, they did. But Leo seemed to take it well and Alea was better after I killed them all."
Narrowing her eyes, Ryuu then separates Alea from her firm hold and looks into her eyes.
"Are you alright, Alea?"
"Mmm? Y-Yeah! Papa did a big slash and they all turned into grey snow!"
"It's called ash, sweetie. But if you're certain you're okay..."
Looking around, I notice the other objects in the clearing.
Numerous scattered dead bodies, all robed in black yet with no blood seeping from their wounds.
And a covered carriage, one that Celty was guarding very strictly.
"So... what happened?"
Alise clicks her tongue before explaining.
"Haa, they released monsters to distract us and sent out these guys with that carriage, which has Xenos by the way."
"Oh, did you girls..."
"No, once they realized they couldn't escape, they killed themselves with poison. I guess they underestimated our strength."
"Mmm, even for new level 6's you two are quite strong. So? Did you find that 'key' that was mentioned?"
"No, and they said they didn't have it before they, well... you know."
Damn, so this was a dud.
"But-"
Oh?
"-we were able to see where they came from."
"Oh? And where was that?"
"Underground in the sewers. It blends in with the wall, but we can point it out."
Without even meaning to, a wide smile spreads across my face.
"Good."
I'm one step closer to you, Ikelos.
One step closer to ending you and your entire Familia.
"Anyways, what will we do with the Xenos?"
"I can deal with that."
While I was not surprised by the sudden appearance, as I had already sensed them, I was surprised that they would show themselves like this.
"Fels. Are you sure you should be here right now? Aren't you a secret agent of Ouranos or something?"
"You are correct Celestial Sword, I was thinking of using the distraction they had so gracefully provided."
"Hmm? Well, we'll leave it to you. Tell Ouranos that we have their location but not the 'key', but I might be able to get us in."
Even Ryuu and Alise's eyes widen at this.
Oh yeah, I hadn't told them the science behind antimatter, or rather, my space element.
"Oh? How so?"
"Secret~ C'mon girls, let's leave the Ganesha Familia to clean up. I think Alea and Leo deserve a treat after all that."
"Yes! Papa, give me ice cream!"
Haa, note to self, be careful when showing off desserts from Earth to children.
"Of course, sweetie."
----- 2 Hours Later -----
Stepping into the office, I see the entire Familia turn their heads toward me.
Damn, being last sucks.
"Uhh, sorry for being late."
"It's fine. Are the kids in bed?"
"No, they're reading... again. It seems Leo's bookworm-ness has spread to little Alea."
"Reading at their age... you're kids are quite insane, you three. Whatever, let's make the plan. Tonight, the Ikelos Familia will be no more."
Cracking my neck, I lean against the wall next to Alise and listen closely to Lyra.
Haa, after this, I don't want any other crazy shit happening.
I'll play around with my wives, explore the dungeon, train with Ais and the newbies again, and all that fun stuff.
Maybe even take that vacation outside Orario we've been talking about.
I mean, I haven't even seen the ocean here yet.
Yeah, thoughts for later.
"Sirius, this plan relies solely on your ability to open the entrance. How confident are you in this space element attack?"
Standing up, I answer Lyra.
"I'm confident that it can break through. The only thing I'm not certain about is how fast it will be."
"Hmm, so the element of surprise may not be a certainty... no matter. We'll have our strongest members infiltrating Knossos while the others will guard the dungeon for any escapees and defend the city in case they release another distraction."
Nodding our heads, Ryuu then raises her hand.
"Who will be part of the Knossos team?"
"It will be you, Sirius, Alise, Kaguya, and Celty. My team will defend the dungeon, while Kaguya's team, minus Kaguya, will defend the city. The newbies will be staying here to defend the house."
My eyes meet with the four that will be in my group as we all share a nod.
Good, with a group like this, the Ikelos Familia will stand no chance.
"The Ganesha Familia are currently blockading Daedelus Street, but they're weaker than who we had patrolling there. So gather your equipment and move to your positions as soon as possible. Dismissed."
----- 10 Minutes Later -----
"So this is the spot?"
Getting a nod, I start to chant Elemental Orb.
We were under the sewers of Orario, specifically, under Daedelus Street.
And down here, I was in front of a portion of the wall that didn't have the usual dust and dirt like the rest of it.
Found you~
Now, the element of surprise was key here, so it was time to test 'that'.
With my training, I was now able to send out two attacks at once with my Elemental Orb, even with the space element.
But even with the doubled pace, it still wouldn't be fast enough for an efficient surprise attack.
So it got me thinking...
My space 'balls'... which I should think of a better name for... use spin to function.
What would happen if I shot two balls of opposite spin at each other?
One of two things is likely to occur.
Either it would act like waves, cancelling out both attacks and leaving me with nothing, which wouldn't ruin our element of surprise.
Or... something really cool will happen.
And it's this second circumstance that I'm hoping for.
"-Spatium."
The whispy space orb floating above me, I close my eyes and concentrate.
While being able to fire two attacks at once is great and all, it's still unusable in combat due to the focus it requires.
Hopefully, with some more training, I'll be able to do this easily.
Taking control of a portion of the orb and rotating forwards, while simultaneously rotating another portion backwards.
Gah, I can feel a slight headache coming on just with this.
Feeling the orb budding with the two attacks, I open my eyes and release the two balls, ensuring that they collide with each other right in front of me.
"Well... let's see how this goes."
----- Alise POV -----
Looking over to Sirius, his eyes closed in concentration, I can't help but look back on everything I've learned about the love of my life.
Well, one of them.
A perfect father, a perfect husband...
Just like in a fairytale.
With him and Ryuu, as well as our children, we made the perfect family.
Days of happiness and joy, if I hadn't already found the answer to justice, I would have surely thought protecting what we have is the ultimate form of it.
But now, seeing him so deep in focus and looking so... delectable, I remember what made me interested in him in the first place.
He's the perfect adventurer.
"Well... let's see how this goes."
Umm... a good adventurer.
His two black orbs met in front of his outstretched hand, collapsing into an extremely small ball.
...Is that it?
As I was about to raise my voice, the small ball expanded and shot forward, obliterating the door to Knossos.
No destruction, no explosion, the door was simply... gone.
The giant ball continued its way down the corridor, carving into the walls, before fizzling out into nothing.
What. The. Fuck.
D-Did Sirius have a technique like that?
That's adamantine you just cut through, you know!
That's supposed to be unbreakable by anyone lower than level 6!
Looking over to Sirius, I see his mouth wide open in a similar state of shock to the rest of us.
"H-Hollow purple..."
"U-Umm, S-Sirius... It was black, not purple."
"Oh... Of course Celty. Thank you..."
Combing his hand through his hair, my husband then faces us.
"U-Uhh, I didn't think it'd work this well, haha! Umm, shall we go in?"
A beat of silence, then broken by Ryuu's raised voice and a sharp smack.
"You dolt of a husband! You tried an attack like that for the first time in the middle of a mission!"
"I-I'm sorry, Ryuu! I'll make it up to you tonight."
"Hmph! Good, we'll be doing whatever I want then."
Wait, I want in too!
"Sirius~ I better get the same treatment!"
"Of course, Alise-"
"Enough with your damn ero-chatter! Let's start this thing!"
Ah, right, mission.
Following Kaguya's lead, we run into the open cavern, walls lined with stone, marred with cracks from old age.
Yet, with all the deterioration, even an amateur like me can tell the structure is still sound.
Hmm~ Seems that the builder is, or was, quite the architect.
Maybe an ancient Familia's old project?
Who knows.
Well, let's find these assholes.
"Kaguya! Activate your Shikai !"
"Got it!"
Continuing through the corridor, we stop at an intersection just as Kaguya finishes her chant, kneeling at the overload of information.
"I-I found them. They have noticed a disturbance, but haven't begun to flee. There are many trapped Xenos, let's hurry before they can use them as hostages."
"Alright, lead the way!"
Speeding down the left passage, with Ryuu carrying Celty, our group continues navigating our way through the artificial dungeon.
Thank god their operations are based on the first floor.
While I did not hold as much hate for the Ikelos Familia as Sirius did, I was still royally pissed off at their actions.
And that was before they made Alea cry.
Even if we're biologically unrelated, Leo and Alea are my kids, dammit!
And I won't forgive them for scaring my sweet babies.
----- Sirius POV -----
"Wait!"
Stopping at Kaguya's words, we all look at her in confusion.
"Are we nearly there?"
"Yes, just straight up ahead. But I can feel someone... a child, down that corridor to the right."
A child? Here?
Only three things come to mind.
It's either a distraction, a trap, or both.
Well, from our information, the Ikelos Familias captain, the strongest fighter, is a level 5.
Anyone of us except Celty could take him on one-on-one.
So, realistically, those four should be fine.
"I'll go."
All their eyes turn to me in surprise as Alise is the one to speak out.
"Sirius, you know-"
"It's probably a trap, I know. But we're the Familia of justice, are we not? What kind of justice is leaving behind a child, bait or not."
They all frown at my words, knowing I'm right.
"Fine. But husband, be safe, got it? You still have to make it up to me tonight."
"I'll be careful. I should be saying the same to you girls."
Moving towards them, I give both of my wives a kiss, making Celty blush as she was still being held by Ryuu.
"Love you."
"As do we. Now go!"
Nodding to her, I rocket down the side corridor that Kaguya pointed me to.
Hoping that there wasn't another maze, I soon discover my worries were for naught as I find myself in a large room.
Keeping my senses sharp, I look toward the center of the room, where a cage held a small girl, no older than 6.
How the hell did they get her here?
"Hic! Hic! M-Mama! I-I want Mama!"
Stepping towards her, I see her flinch in fear.
"Hey~ It's alright, I'm here to save you, okay?"
Seeing her eyes still filled with fear and suspicion, I crouch down in front of her while holding my hand out, chanting Aqua Corona.
"-awaken their strength."
Letting the stream of water shoot from my fingertips, I let it dance around the girl, her eyes following it in wonder as I clean up the dirt on her body.
"Whoa~"
Hee~ She sounds just like Alea did when I first showed her my magic.
How could they do this to such a cutie?
Sending the stream into her body, it slowly heals all her accumulated damage, the small bruise on her cheek fading away to radiant skin.
"Now, do you want to tell me your name?"
"A-Anna. My name is Anna."
"That's a nice name, Anna. How about I get you out of here- Grk!"
Just as I'm about to reach for my short sword to cut the cage, a small light shines under my feet as I feel my strength leave my body.
W-What the hell?
This feeling of weakness... what happened-
"Haha! To think such a trap would work! As expected of the goody-goody justice Familia!"
Turning my head, I see a man exit from the shadows.
Going by my instincts, he was a level 5.
Dix Perdix, captain of the Ikelos Familia.
"I still can't believe those Evilus guys ditched right before the fun began, but at least they gave me something good!"
What the hell is he talking about?
And why do I feel so... weak?
"Ah, you look confused! Let me enlighten you! See, by standing right there, I was able to activate a little something. Seriously, I can't believe they could make something like that..."
What is this bastard saying?
"Celestial Sword, you messed up our plans quite a bit you know? As expected of a genius level 5. But guess what? Right now, you're just a measly level 4, at least for a while. But that's all the time I need."
Ah, so that was his plan.
Bait out one of our members, then capture them in their reduced level state and use them as a hostage.
That would be the only way out of the mess they were in right now.
But still, to think there was a magic item that reduces levels...
I guess if a magic like Haru's exists, there was bound to be its opposite.
"Well~ what're you gonna do now~"
Hearing his mocking tone, a smile forms on my lips.
What an idiot, his funny little monologue gave me all the time I needed to remember this level of strength.
And besides-
"Huh? What's with that smug grin, eh?"
-with all the techniques I'd honed, the magic I'd practiced, the skills I'd gained-
"Think you'll run your way out of this!?"
"-my level was never my source of strength."
Standing up, I slowly unsheathe Infinite Eclipse while keeping my back to Anna.
"Don't worry Anna, I'm going to end this nightmare."
"You're actually thinking of fighting me?"
"Just make sure to keep your eyes closed, alright?"
Because I didn't feel like keeping this guy alive.
