179 Defiance: I Declare…

I liked this chapter.

In fact, I even made some massive changes as I wrote it.

More on that at the end.

Enjoy.

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"Ishtar! I'm here!"

/CREAK!/

"Why aren't you answering?!" Phryne exclaimed as she took a step inside the room

'She immediately understood something was very, very wrong.'

Hm?

'The room was dark, darker than it should've been.'

'She could barely make up the outline of some of the furniture despite the strong moonlight coming from the large wall window on the side.'

'During her time as a Level 3, she could see decently well in the dark as long as there was some weak light source, much less with such intense moonlight…'

'But now she couldn't even see it as a Level 6?'

/Grab.../

"... Uh?"

Shit, I forgot…

'Her hand instinctively went to her back, grasping nothing but air…'

'She was trying to grab her War-Axe, unfortunately, she didn't bring it, the thought of doing so hadn't even passed through her mind.'

'She was about to sleep when she was woken up and summoned here, why would she bring her prized weapon just to meet with her goddess in her own home?'

"Humph."

'Yet, she scoffed, her prowess as a Level 6 gave her enough confidence to move on without a shred of fear.'

'Even if the enemy was Level 5, she had confidence in evading long enough so she could retreat and grab some sort of weapon.'

'Or at least, last more than enough to cause a commotion, she wouldn't be defeated without a sound…'

'Can you imagine? A Level 6 being killed without even a snip of commotion?'

'She wasn't like a pathetic Level 4! And even if she were, her incredible status would make her confident even if she were being ambushed by a Level 5!'

'Now that she was 6…'

'On her mind, there was only one being that could do such a thing, and that being would never leave his post.'

'There was nothing to fear.'

"What in damnation is this?"

It's so dark, I can barely see.

'She looked around in search for a light source...'

/Clack!/

/Thud!/

'Phryne kept hitting things as she walked, her size didn't help.'

'She wasn't made to be subtle...'

'Not that she was trying to be like that in the first place...'

"Ishtar!"

/Silence.../

"##!"

It's getting on my nerves!

And that bitch…

"Ishtar! Stop with this stupid display, I need my beauty sleep!" Phryne exclaimed in anger as she pushed aside a small table out of her way, making its contents drop on the ground and break

/Thud!/

"Urg…"

If only this damn darkness vanished!

/Light…/

'As if responding to her prayers, the clouds up above parted, and the moonlight became stronger, lighting up more of the room…'

'Albeit in a very unnatural manner, as only Ishtar's bed was unraveled from the dark.'

"?!"

She's asleep…

'There in the bed she saw Ishtar together with 4 dudes, ugly hunks of low class, not her type, but she did understand their appeal…'

'However, she, as a woman of higher class, understood what true taste was… Better than this whore on the bed.'

'Even if they begged, she wouldn't give them a taste of her.'

Just what sort of…

"!"

'Phryne immediately looked around vigilantly.'

'No matter how hotheaded she was, she was still an adventurer with over 2 decades of experience.'

'The number of times people tried to assassinate her were countless, the number of times she fended off her enemies on the brink of death were numerous…'

'Long were those days though, to the point she had forgotten how it felt like.'

'But the instincts were surprisingly still there.'

"..."

No one's here…

'Or so she thought…'

/Light…/

'It was at the moment when she let her guard down, the moonlight once again lit up, and a man walked out from the shadows, having his back to the window so his features became hard to discern.'

'The only thing she could discern were his two Platinum eyes.'

'They seemed to shine stronger than the surrounding moonlight.'

"?!!"

Since when?!

'The man raised his arm, checking his wrist.'

"You're here, a bit late, but I shall pardon you for that…"

'The man smiled, or gave her such an impression.'

"After all, climbing stairs is certainly not your forte."

'A clear provocation.'

"Huh?...###!!!"

'Her face immediately became red as her veins started to surface on her forehead.'

Did he just call me…

/THUD!/

"Say that again!"

'Phryne took a step forward, making the entire room tremble.'

'Perhaps if she were with her mind focused, she would've understood that Ishtar and her 4 hunks not waking up was weird, but she didn't care about it now.'

'She merely wanted to… Squash that rude man…'

/SMASH!/

/CRASH!/

/BAM!/

'Her fist flew forward, the air pressure so intense the window immediately blew into pieces and the sound barrier… Broken.'

"Die!"

'Screaming with sharp eyes, her fist the size of a normal adult's head connected with the shadowy figure.'

/THUD!/

"!!!"

"Heh."

'But the man merely raised his hand, blocking it, bellow his shining eyes, his mouth opened curled up, revealing his white teeth.'

'Yet, to Phryne, for many reasons, this was extremely vexing…'

'No matter who it was, upon receiving her fist full of her anger, even if they somehow managed to defend it, at least something would've happened.'

'The ground would shatter, they would be pushed back, their weapons or body would break…'

'But here? Nothing happened…'

'She felt as if she was punching inside a dream… And into a pillow.'

"You sure are eager… I hope you can keep this attitude." The man said in a more laid-back tone as he pushed her back

'His words seemed oddly nostalgic to her.'

'Although, the atmosphere changed as he said his next words.'

"It would be boring otherwise."

/SNAP!/

/FLASH!/

"Urg!"

'Once he snapped his finger, the moonlight flashed, and Phryne squinted her eyes.'

'It was all so sudden, she barely had the chance to step back…'

'But once the light receded, she noticed that she could perfectly see her surroundings again!'

"This…"

'And this included… The man in front of her.'

"It's you!" She said as she gritted her teeth in anger

'But as she said that, she noticed his appearance, making her smile in scorn.'

"Ahh… It all makes sense now… You're such a trickster… And a fool."

'Silver's faint glow was impossible to not notice, someone else might scrub that off as there are one and a hundred abilities that can have such effects…'

'Or due to the intense light coming from the window...'

'Silver himself would often glow due to his many abilities, so in his case, it became even less conspicuous.'

'But it was unmistakable for the people of the inner circle of the Ishtar Familia, the Berbera.'

"So you hid her all this time… I bet you used her to attain your current fame didn't you?"

"..."

'Silver only smiled, letting her talk.'

'And talk she did, she even raised her hands, smiling gleefully.'

"Isn't it sweet? That power she has… Doesn't it feel great?!"

Ishtar that idiot...

In the end, she assumed that the group that intercepted us had no deep connection with him, as prior investigations ended up revealing nothing of value.

Heh, how incompetent... The people behind this... Who were they again?

I'll have to properly punish them later.

"Sweet?... Great?..."

"Yeah... It does." Silver replied with a calm expression as he raised his hand

"To be able to see where my future efforts will lead towards… It fills me with expectation and even glee."

"The journey is long, painful, but the end result is worth it."

"Although... Don't you think it's funny?"

"Hm? What are you talking about boy?"

'Silver shook his head, dropping his arm as he shook his head.'

"Well… Forget it, it is merely my own ramblings, I never expected you to understand anyway."

"With that out of the way though…" Silver said as he turned his eyes to face her for the first time

"Why are you still here?"

"Hm? Me?"

"Kekeke…"

/Thud!/

'Phryne took another step forward, smiling viciously.'

"Since you delivered yourself to me I aught finish where we left off."

"Last time, you barely escaped, you sure caused me some trouble, kidnapping her together with your escape."

"You sure hid her well..."

"Is that so… You noticed the power, who I am, yet you still stand before me like that?" Silver asked calmly

'Phryne raised her eyebrows.'

"Level 2… Raised to Level 3… Was I supposed to feel anything?" Phryne asked with a scornful gaze

"Even if you're stronger than the ordinary Level 3... How does that change anything?"

"You being here surely makes me a bit puzzled..."

'She chuckled.'

"I don't quite like desperate men you see if you wanted to see me so much..."

"The tricks you pulled just now and before still irk me though…"

And at the same time, find out who were the people that attacked us.

It couldn't have been his Familia, those bunch of trash.

So who?...

/Lick…/

"But I'm sure we'll have a lot of time to talk about this over some nice drinks don't you think so?"

"..."

/Chuckles…/

"Are you laughing with joy already?"

"Ha… HAha… HAHA!"

'Silver laughed for a few moments before saying:'

"I guess this is your limit."

"Tricks I pulled? Is that the pathetic answer you arrived at to everything I did?"

'He looked to the moonlight shining behind him.'

"Yes… I imagine you are right… Nothing but tricks."

"I am a fool..."

"To have expected anything from you."

"..."

'Phryne's smile disappeared, this situation went from amusing to a bore.'

"That's enough of that then… I don't know what you did to Ishtar… But she'll wake up to a fine surprise."

/Crack.../

'Cracking her knuckles, she prepared to move.'

"..."

'Silver smiled widely, showing his teeth as the moonlight shone on his back.'

'His smile was very unsettling...'

"Yeah… She surely will."

/FWOOSH!/

'Phryne vanished, the mask on her face being flung aside as she moved…'

'Time slowed down...'

/0.0001 seconds.../

'The ground beneath her broke apart...'

/0.0005 seconds…/

'Phryne, who was over 6 meters away from Silver vanished, reappearing in front of him, her fist a few inches from his face…'

/0.0011 seconds.../

"?!?!"

'But she suddenly pulled her fist away, running back!'

'She felt an incredibly insane magical pressure flaring!'

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Something I should've done quite some time ago."

"Declaring War."

'With his left hand pointing forward, Silver aimed at Ishtar's bed.'

'His hand glowing red hot, several streams of steam were being released from his arm, as if a rocket was preparing to take off.'

'Phryne knew something was going on, so she retreated, blocking her body with her arms.'

'At the end of the day, if Ishtar were to disappear just like that, so would her blessing, and she would forever remain powerless.'

'And that was only the tip of the consequences.'

'She wouldn't bet on common sense, right now, the man in front of her was insane...'

'For raising his hand against a God.'

"That was the right choice, I'll give you that."

"Had you tried to attack me, Ishtar would've been in Heaven by now." He said slowly

"You're mad!"

"..."

"You... You ought to clench your teeth." Silver whispered

/Chuu…/

/Chuuu…/

'Steam kept building up on his arm, being released like burning geysers.'

'Something was about to happen...'

'As his arm started to glow more and more, eventually reaching all the way to his index finger... He said:'

"When she wakes up, tell her this… You fat bitch."

"Tell her that..."

"The Hestia Familia declares war on the Ishtar Familia, so get your shit together."

"YOU!"

"See ya later…"

"YOU'LL REGRET THIS YOU SON OF A..."

/FIUM!/

"NO!"

'Everything in front of her turned white.'

/BLAST!/

'Followed by a massive explosion.'

…

/A few seconds before.../

"Hm?..."

'Under the gentle moonlight, a woman with silver hair like the purest lily opened her dazzling silver eyes drowsily.'

/Flash.../

'Depending on the angle, her eyes seemed to flash purple, changing colors...'

'Her expression was one of disappointment, just what sort of dreams did this lady have to be so frustrated to have them interrupted?'

/Step.../

'Even so, she slowly moved, one move at a time...'

'Elegant, noble, she slowly pushed the sheets of her grandiose bed aside, touching the cold ground she was so familiar with.'

'And with small but sturdy steps, she made her way towards the window.'

'Something had attracted her, something made her wake up... To the point, she didn't even bother putting on some clothes.'

'Yes, this lady sleeps in the nude, as it was meant to be...'

'The moonlight even seemed to retreat a little, as if fearful of exposing her perfect body.'

'But she didn't care about that, placing her slender hands on the glass and pressing her voluptuous body against the window as she looked far away.'

"Ottar…"

/Thud…/

'Something moved behind her, it was only an outline, but it was there, a humongous creature stood in the dark.'

"Yes." Ottar replied sternly in an emotionless tone

"Didn't I tell you to go rest?"

'But by her tone, it made you think she already expected this.'

"... I couldn't sleep."

"That's odd, are you feeling better now?" The lady asked, slightly concerned

"Yes."

"That's good to hear."

'The conversation ended like that, neither did the woman look behind, neither did the man move out of the shadows he was hiding in.'

"What about you? Weren't you the one that complained about feeling too tired recently?" Ottar asked calmly

"I… Couldn't sleep very well." She said in a teasing tone, tilting her head slightly

"There was... Something on my mind."

'Her slight smile coupled with the faint moonlight shining on her nude body made the man known as the stone statue to budge.'

'He had no lust, but he did...'

"..."

'She soon turned to face the window, perhaps satisfied with her small tease.'

'But also because she noticed something on the horizon.'

'A weak white light, shining brightly.'

'Yet... The white light continued to flare more and more... Until it became a massive lighthouse in the distance.'

'Ottar didn't see that, instead, he saw the top of Ishtar's tower shine in white.'

'He could more then perfectly see from this distance.'

"..."

This is… Him.

How brilliant.

'She wasn't the only one to feel a disturbance, as Ottar soon moved his head to look at the horizon as well.'

"Can you see it, Ottar?" She asked with an amused smile

"Level 5…? No, 6…"

"Is it the Sage? It doesn't look like her, it doesn't make sense for her to be there either, as that's almost directly in opposition to the Twilight Manor.." Ottar said as he tried to determine the origin of the distant Magic power

Even then, she's stronger than that...

But why, the entertainment district?

'The woman smiled sweetly as if expecting this.'

'Her boredom was soon to be cured… Just like before… And before that as well.'

'It seemed heaven was always on her side, always there to give her the thing she needed.'

'Perhaps it was.'

"He's such a surprise… Don't you think so?" She suddenly asked

"He?..."

'Perhaps understanding the connotation of her words, Ottar's eyes changed, even if just a little.'

/FLASH!/

'The white light on the horizon flared, turning from a soothing white to a violent red.'

"!"

/BLAST!/

'Suddenly, the skies of Orario were greeted with two bright beams of red light, crossing from one corner of the city to the other!'

'A loud boom echoed in the ears of everyone near the beam of fire's path!'

'And for those same people, the night turned into day, if only for a moment…'

'One beam passed through the right side of Babel, the other through the left...'

'By a hairs breath, a horrendous scenario was averted... If danger was ever on the table, given the people inside it.'

'Even if Babel was made to resist the highest of beatings, as the symbol of Orario, just what would mean if it were to be damaged in the slightest...'

'This was exactly what many thought as they traced their origin...'

'The entertainment district... Ishtar Familia's home...'

"That's why I can't sleep…" Freya said with an amused smile as she touched her lips with her fingers, gently

"..."

'Ottar on the other hand, merely grabbed a small robe, putting it on her shoulders to cover her body.'

'Albeit, his eyes moved to the tower one last time before he closed them.'

'On his mind, he quickly assessed their power, speed, length...'

'He easily came with several ways of countering it, even if it was released right in front of him.'

'It was a tad too slow... But hot enough to burn his arms hairs.'

'That was all.'

'Freya on the other hand merely enjoyed the sight.'

"Now you did it Ishtar, you crossed the line."

'Ottar's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the tower.'

"M'lady, should I..."

'But as she saw the flames disperse in the skies, she smiled.'

"No Ottar, and make sure the others don't as well."

'She had an idea.'

"As per your will." The giant replied without wavering

'The light slowly disappeared, but the glimmer in the gorgeous goddess eyes remained.'

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Notes

It's a shame, but I have no AI images this week.

Recently on P@treon, we passed many goals, and one of the rewards for those goals were more chapters for all Tiers, so I have been writing like a machine.

In case you are interested, last week, it was 1 chapter of Zero Fate to all Tiers, and now it's 3. from 6K to 18K.

Same to Danmachi, the lost Tier used to be 2 chapters, but now it's 4.

Go take a look if you're interested, we are close to another Goal, and that one is a bit bigger, so more free chapters to all Tiers.

And that is likely to remain happening, the values of each Tier will continue to increase.

Enough self promotion, here is my opinion on the chapter:

Originally, this chapter would lead immediately to the final fight.

Silver would just come, remove all Amazons from the Manor, and then blast it all apart, having a fight with Phyrne right then and there.

I wrote a portion of this fight, it was supposed to be pretty cool.

But as I wrote more and more, I ended up adding Freya at the end and any sort of development was pushed to the next few chapters.

Anyway, bye!

Also, while you're here!

IMPORTANT!

Make sure to drop by your Aliases' names!

The next one has to be pretty cool, it'll likely remain for a while.

It can be anything, and the more logic you put behind it the better.

So yeah, see ya.