False duel
Hi, how are you? Long time no see. Have you had a tour of my temple? I know it's small and not very luxurious, but I like it. Anyway, since it's been a while since we last saw each other let me give you a little summary of what's happened since the last time you were here until now.
It's been a couple of months since the battle against the bisso-galeto and the priestess hasn't been seen again although she has continued to dictate the eight heroes' routine with that sort of magic loudspeaker that allows her to be heard in every corner of the residential space. The days repeat the same: Wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, training, lunch, free time, training, dinner and the start of curfew, go to sleep.
One thing that is actually changing is the attitude that the blessed by the elementals have towards their peers. Initially, the blessed by the seasons were not discriminated against for having a lower level, rather there were days when training sessions were devised especially for them to diminish the difference between levels. However, it was not long before this type of training stopped being done and a division between the two groups was created, with the blessed by the major gods starting to completely ignore the other four. All in all, this situation was not so bad. Granted, the gap in levels was only widening and the lack of communication between the members of the group was greatly affecting the teamwork, but at the end of the day, it didn't bother Alberich and his comrades that much.
Lately, however, the four blessed by the major gods have been duelling the blessed by the seasons under the pretext of training. The only problem is that these duels are anything but fair. For instance, Alberich's group has reached level 10 while the other four are already at level 30. I guess you've already realised that there hasn't yet been a duel won by a blessed by a season; on the contrary, all the times have turned out to be one-sided massacres where the strongest used the weakest as a punching bag. Having said that, it is not that the blessed by the seasons have to accept the duel, and there would be no repercussions if they did not since the priestess had expressly forbidden attacking one of their comrades without the latter's consent, but strangely enough they continue to accept every time.
Today is a day like any other and Alberich seems to be in a good mood, I guess because the beating he took in the last duel has finally healed. Recently they've been mainly targeting Usire, from what I gather it has something to do with the fact that in the battle against the bisso-galeto, he dared to proclaim himself leader even though he was clearly inferior to them (although I seemed to remember him being elected). However, now the position of leader of the group has been taken by Ambesa who has also become the most active promoter of aggression against the blessed by the lesser gods.
Right now Alberich is practising as usual, but I see that the very bullies I mentioned a while ago are approaching him. "Oi, scum! Duel with me!" This polite request to duel comes from Ambesa himself, the strongest of heroes. Of course, Alberich accepts and takes up a guard stance. I'm not going to describe the duel to you also because it will be, as it always is, the strongest punching the opponent until he gets bored. And here's another strange thing! To end the duel, it would be enough to surrender, and yet even if slumped on the ground helpless they never surrender, and it is precisely this detail that confirmed a theory of mine (but it is not yet time to reveal it to you).
"Garbage like you has no right to be a hero chosen by the Goddess. You must thank the priestess who gave you the antidote that day, in her place I would not have done so." The duel is finally over and Ambesa is leaving, followed by his small group. Alberich is lying on the ground in pain and I think he won't be able to get up for a while. Since there won't be any important events today, why don't we explore around a bit? For example, don't you want to see what's going on in the third ring? Well, I do, so let's go and see.
As you know, the third ring is very different from the first ring. The sky is perpetually black and the ground overflows with monsters. The most important structure in that ring is the Anti-Sol, a gigantic palace that served as a base of operations against the Great Rebellion (the one Miss Tutorial mentioned). That palace has been uninhabited for a few centuries now, so I don't think we'll find anyone there. Nope, I was wrong. Sitting on a table in the central hall are 7 high-ranking demons who seem intent on discussing something. "We must act quickly." "We cannot allow that damned goddess to take absolute control." They seem to be discussing some sort of weapon possessed by the Goddess of Light, although she doesn't seem to have full ownership of it yet. "Let me deal with it," a tall, skinny demon spoke up. "Are you sure about this Mammon? You cannot afford to fail." "Trust me, within a week I will have them with me, all eight of them."