185 Defiance: The Start of the War game

Here it is, chappy.

3.5 words.

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/Silence…/

'Everyone kept their mouths shut...'

'If they wanted to or not, Freya deserved it.'

'Loki looked at her, suspicion written on her face, she had her doubts about her for a long time, and now, she was almost sure.'

'Freya had her fame for collecting "pretty" boys and girls, regardless of the Familia they were tied to, never by force, though who could resist her if she wanted to?'

'In fact, her methods were borderline that, but few had the courage to say that out loud, especially in her presence.'

'Still, unsure as to her reasons, it was clear that she hadn't opened her mouth for naught, so she just stayed in her seat, listening to what she had to say.'

"Ishtar, I understand your worries… But there is no need to think about it that much."

'Her voice was gentle and seductive, her gaze was cold yet warm...'

'She ignored the others in the room, gazing at the goddess below with her serene eyes.'

"This isn't a Siege, much less Capture the Flag, there is no need to go over any extensive preparations."

'Freya smiled gently, letting her hair flow in the wind.'

"We only need a place…"

"An arena where you can fight it out without endangering others…"

'She raised her index finger to her mouth, her expression changing into a thinking one, as if she was coming up with an answer on the spot…'

'Some may be swayed by her and think that was the case, others may think the contrary…'

'Honestly, the truth would forever remain a mystery.'

'Freya may have predicted this all beforehand to some extent, but she may also be improvising on the spot.'

'Such was Freya, a woman whose intentions can't really be read.'

"Fufu…"

'She smiled.'

"Isn't there plenty of space outside? Setting a large enough section for this War game would take only a few hours."

"Isn't that right?"

/CHATTER!/

'The Gods exploded into excitement, Freya was right.'

'There was no need to wait many boring days in expectation for the game, they could have it way sooner!'

'Of course, not all were excited to see her voicing her opinion...'

"Haaa… There she goes…" Hermes mumbled to himself as he pulled his hat down

Freya is bad for bunissess...

Besides, how can it be so simple?

'His expression was a bit helpless, there wasn't much he could do now that Freya had voiced her opinion and position on this matter.'

'And it didn't take long for someone to try and cur favor with her...'

"Leave it to me!" Someone exclaimed

"Huh? You? Can your Familia even do it?"

"..."

"You guys?! Pay attention to where you are!... It should obviously be me!"

"..."

/CHATTER!/

…

'Soon enough, some of the male Gods started discussing with each other over who would be the best at making an Arena, for obvious reasons of course…'

'Who wouldn't want Freya's favor and attention?'

"Look at them go..."

"Now they speak huh?"

'This, of course, made the Goddesses frown.'

'Not that they hated or envied Freya, some may, others may not...'

'They just felt that it was shameless of these guys... Some of which had tried to woo them in the past to suddenly speak...'

...

'Overtime, they rebutted each other and agreed on other ends, and somehow, the specifics of the Arena slowly unraveled amidst the chaos.'

"..."

'Once they started speaking, Freya went into silence, perhaps achieving what she wanted from the start, to rile up the Gods and have them resolve this issue on their own.'

'Hermes looked at her for a moment, but he didn't dare stare for long, instead, going back onto his thoughts...'

'Hestia moved her chair, now having her back against Ishtar, she talked with Silver about a myriad of things, trying to understand what was going on in greater detail.'

'And he was glad to explain, though this wasn't exactly the proper place for it... So he kept some things simple...'

'Ishtar looked at them, but in the end, she closed her eyes, waiting for those muscle heads to stop talking.'

...

'They came to agree that the Arena had to be made until 6 Am of tomorrow as the War game would be conducted around 8, tight schedule, but not impossible to be achieved.'

'The problem was, if they failed, then they would be in for a bad time...'

'Hestia's request of having the game happen tonight was too much though, so they had to go with the closest time on the next day…'

'And this was exactly what Silver wanted, he knew they wouldn't accept it, after all, if it were to happen in the middle of the night, the Guild and the Gods couldn't have the normal populace worry about two Familias fighting while their children went to bed…'

'Worse, it would be terrible to broadcast it as it would take a ton of work to make it presentable.'

'So giving everyone more time as they waited for the sun to rise was ideal... Not for the poor workers that would be forced with skipping sleep to work.'

'Setting such a short timeframe for the War game was also because he didn't want Ishtar to have the time to think.'

'He was willing to give her at most 2 days, any more than that and she might start to realize her own recklessness and prepare for any sort of unforeseen circumstances.'

'Even if she didn't, someone else might point it out for her.'

'It also played in his favor as both Phryne and Tammuz had yet to get used to their Leveled up bodies, mostly due to laziness and the fact Tammuz had to stay at Ishtar's side all the time.'

'As for him, he was already ready from the beginning, the only thing he regretted was not having Leveled up, but from Phryne's Status sheet, he already understood he could take her on regardless.'

'Though there was a big difference between doing it now as a Level 3, and after as a Level 4...'

'But he made his choice the moment he took a step into Haruhime's room.'

'So right now, the sooner this War game happened, the better.'

...

"What about..."

'They continued in their fervent discussion...'

'The Arena only needed 3 requirements:'

'The ground had to be resilient, hopefully, made of stone so it wouldn't crumble easily.'

'The area had to be fenced so travelers and unwanted visitors didn't wander too close during the heated fights, for both their own protection and the fighters'.'

'And there was a need for a grandstand so people could watch it without interrupting the fighters, mostly the Gods of each respective Familia, as there was no need to have that many people in there in the first place...'

'Though for this last choice, the Gods were still greatly divided, as stepping out of Orario was not only a great bother, but it was also a risk.'

'This entire situation was pretty similar to how most duels between Familias were handled, albeit, they usually happened within the city's Colosseums.'

'Ganesha would be very happy and glad to allow others to use his Amphitheatron for those events, it was pretty much free advertising.'

'However, he understood that this time, things may be a bit over the scope of his 'humble' colosseum.'

'Though in the back of his mind, he thought that it would easily be able to handle a fight between a new Level 5 and a high Level 3… No matter how intense it was.'

'Ganesha never thought that Ishtar would send her newest Level 6 into the field, no matter how angry or desperate she was to see his downfall.'

'It would be too unsightly of her to do so, but if she did, it wouldn't be completely out of the expectations either, albeit such actions would leave even him disappointed in her.'

'Still, he would do it as he was told and observe.'

'He didn't know what Ouranos had in mind, but he knew everything would eventually be explained to him.'

…

/A few minutes of chatter later…/

"It is decided, the Goibniu Familia will be in charge of the Arena's construction." Hermes said loudly

Phew, they finally stopped talking.

"Sigh."

'On the stony seats, a buffed old man scratched his chin as he looked below.'

(Image)

"How did I get involved in this mess? I'm full of work already…" Goibniu complained

"You better pay me for this, I don't care who, and don't come running to me later if it looks sloppy."

'Even if he was a God, there was only so much he could do on his own, he could make the greatest of sword, but transforming an entire environment to make it suitable for a fight?'

'If he used his entire Familia then it was possible, but he had barely had a day to prepare.'

'The least he could do was make it usable, as for presentable?...'

'It left a bad taste on his mouth, to purposedly make a sloppy work.'

'He wasn't one to view looks as necessary, but he wouldn't compromise the aesthetics of a weapon for capability, unless requested.'

"I'll do it." Ishtar said as she looked at him

'Goibniu shook his hands, shooing her away.'

"Humph, whatever."

"Then… Shall we continue Hestia?" Ishtar asked with a smile

"We have the date, we have the location, and we have the type… Only one thing remains."

'She licked her lips slightly.'

"The spoils and conditions!"

/CHEERS!/

'The most important part of the War game is how would the Gods humiliate each other.'

'So what would it be? What would they demand? What would they take?!'

'Everything can be at stake here, and it doesn't matter the difference between both sides as long as it isn't incredibly ridiculous… Which is exactly the case right now.'

'It was a very confusing War-game after all...'

"Fine, let's end this already." Hestia said lightly

I need to breathe in and out... Otherwise, I'll lose it.

'She listened to Silver's words and nodded, though, for a moment, she hesitated.'

'She felt it was a bit too light for what she had done!'

"I've thought about the conditions."

"If we win, the Ishtar Familia will take all of the blame for this situation, and they'll reimburse everyone in whatever way they wish!"

'She then smiled haughtily:'

"This includes me of course."

'Like this, once everything was over, the blame would officially go to the loser, and the other Gods wouldn't feel wronged since they would be paid...'

'It was a diversion tactic, because in all honestly, the Gods weren't angry per se, they just felt wronged, so someone needed to bear the consequences.'

'There wasn't really a reason, just that it would be interesting and fun...'

"Hm…Those are some pretty simple conditions…"

"I'll agree, but I say the same." Ishtar said in a calmer tone

"If I win, the Hestia Familia takes the blame and shall reimburse everyone… If you can that is." She said with a smirk

"! Grr…!"

'Hestia's expression was already tense and Silver had to massage her shoulders a little to calm her down.'

'Before she could continue, she was interrupted...'

"Let me say my own conditions first." Ishtar proclaimed

'She took a side glance at Freya, saying as she looked at Hestia:'

"If I win, I want him."

/CHATTER!/

"E-Everyone…" Hermes said as he tried to have the Gods stop talking

My man, you're surely a very strange magnet to attract all of these Gods...

Can't say that I envy you, having the beauties after me is the dream of every man, but there are some beauties I would prefer to stay away...

"You can keep your other children, they have nothing to do with this." She said dismissively

"I'll allow the Hestia Familia to stay in Orario as well since I'm not that petty, neither will I ask of you to pay for this War game, I shall do all of that…"

"If I win, I only need you to apologize and give me the boy and we'll take this conflict as resolved, what do you think?"

"As for the reimbursement, of course, that was something you raised on your own accords, after all."

It's a bit light for someone that caused me so much trouble, but I need to recover my reputation while also keeping tabs on Freya.

Acting generous should be enough to make others look away for now.

I need time to recover Haruhime after I've dealt with Hestia as well… By whatever means necessary, so I can't have her leave yet.

From there…

"You-sure-are-kind-Ishtar…" Hestia said, grinding her teeth

'She smiled "brightly".'

"Fine, I'll be generous as well!"

"?"

'Silver frowned, this wasn't in the script…'

/Thud!/

'She slapped the table.'

"Don't forget, you were the one that attacked us! Multiple times at that!"

"I need compensation for your previous 'misconduct'!"

"And how much do you w…"

'Hestia raised her left hand, all of her fingers spread out.'

"Since you are so generous, willing to pay off for everything, why don't you fork a few extra bucks for me?!"

"Fou-Fi-Five! Five hundred Million Valis! Isn't that a small amount? A dozen Million for each person you sent after him!"

/Crack!/

/SILENCE!/

'Only the sound of Ishtar's mask breaking apart could be heard…'

'Together with the stiffening of her face.'

'Silently, she started to add up the values…'

'If she were to lose, not only would she pay for the War game, she would also have to reimburse the people with whatever price they demanded while also paying Hestia a flat 500 Million.'

'The total price… Might go beyond the Billions!'

"Heh? Don't you think I'm being generous?... How about I go and let you stay in Orario as well? Don't you think that's very doable?"

"Though… I'll have to set up some limitations, can't have you ordering your people like before…"

"So for four… Five years, you'll only be allowed to move your troops within the confines of the entertainment district unless it's for an Expedition or Guild mission."

"YOU! HOW…!... Haaa…"

'She then recovered her calm, before she did anything unsightly.'

"Five years is a tad much… But not unmanageable."

"Fine, I accept… But I extend this branch of kindness for the Hestia Familia as well." She said with a small chuckle

"I won't ask for more compensation, but the Hestia Familia will be confined to their own Familia home as well for a year unless it's for the same reasons stated."

Take this is a lesson Hestia, do not provoke what you can't handle.

This should be enough to destabilize your Familia, learn from this, and next time, try to think ahead more.

"Oh yeah?! Sure! Thank you very much!" Hestia replied with a red face

'Silver calmly massaged her back, letting Hestia do as she pleased.'

'He was fine with this, in the first case, he only wished to deal a massive blow to Ishtar, but sending her out of Orario or back to Heaven might do more worse than good.'

'Despite it all, Ishtar is a ruler of a District, a very important one at that since that is the place with the largest influence from outside forces gather.'

'If she were to leave, it would destabilize the region and many would suffer, together with many international problems...'

'He surely didn't want the Guild to knock on his door and force him to take some level of responsibility.'

'So by greatly weakening her, he would force her down just enough so she couldn't come back up… And even if she did, it wouldn't be too late to kick her down… Or up depending on your perspective.'

'After all, once he becomes stronger, if he decides to do something, who'll stop him?'

'Though such a future was far, he still held great strength and had to act like it…'

'Even if others didn't know yet.'

'But they would, soon enough, just like Hermes...'

'He would show them… Even if he had to spill some blood.'

…

'The Denatus ended just like that and Silver had no intention of lingering any longer, he had a lot to talk with his Goddess and a lot to prepare.'

'Ishtar on the other hand was relaxed, though it was a shame she wouldn't be able to thoroughly prepare, though it's not like she needed.'

'Her regret was mostly on outsider things, such as repairing her home and whatnot.'

'She did consider making counter-plans to be sure no problems would arise during the fights… But considering her reputation was on the line, she didn't want to make it fall any lower by pulling unnecessary tricks.'

'Now that it was revealed that her Captain was Level 6 if she were to join the fight, much less use a cursed item as well… Or any kind of supportive item...'

'Regardless, she can't use it because the Guild had their eyes on the market for any such items, and it would be foolish to reveal anything…'

'In the end, she left feeling a bit surprised that Silver hadn't revealed her true strength, it would've collapsed her reputation even further and made things complicated on her end…'

'If he had gathered such pieces of information from trespassing onto her home then he must've known a lot more...'

'But oh well, perhaps she should be impressed a mortal did all of this on his own already.'

'Still, she kept her eyes open, just in case he had a backer.'

…

/One day later.../

'And as such, the day passed, and tomorrow came.'

'The Guild made an official statement to all of Orario regarding what happened the night before, telling that it was a result of a conflict between two Familias and not some sort of enemy attack.'

'Most already expected this outcome conspiring how silent everyone was, as such events weren't exactly rare...'

'Amidst this chaos, they also eagerly displayed Silver's Level up! Though that ended up being pushed aside by the other consequential news...'

'Not only that, the Guild left the culprit of the conflict in the open, so no one truly knew who was it... Making them speculate.'

'The result of the War game, the loser would assume all responsibilities and the winner would take all of the glory... If there was any to take.'

'It already became evident that most were betting on Ishtar, Hestia had no chance to win in their eyes.'

'A Familia that was on the rise versus one that was in power for decades... The results were clear merely by looking at the quality of their adventures and resources.'

'One thing many noticed as well was that the Guild didn't quite reveal Ishtar's true strength to the public, opting to leave it vague.'

'But for those with the right connections, they came to learn of the truth in no time at all... And in this rhythm, news traveled fast...'

'Within an hour of this announcement, many people already started betting on the winner... Though it became quite the spectacle when everyone betted on the same result...'

'Yet! All around Orario, people betting large sums of money kept appearing, balancing the odds!'

'Most took these people as fools, but if there were to win...'

'The brokers didn't want to believe in this opportunity at all.'

'But just as there were many that were many hopeful for the War game, there were those worried.'

'Many came to visit him, from all ages and levels...'

'But Silver avoided all of them throughout the rest of the day and the night, opting to remain alone, or with Hestia.'

'He only met with the Executives of his own Familia, together with a few others.'

'The Hestia Familia was silent and on a lockdown, while the world outside was boiling over with curiosity...'

'Gods gazed at the sun, and at the moon, waiting...'

'Mortals did the same, not being able to focus on their work, not going to the Dungeon...'

'Everyone waited patiently for the start of what may be yet another explosive War game... Or just the fall of another Familia.'

'It was clear to all that, were the Hestia Familia to lose, they wouldn't last long, and instead, they would likely disband on their own in no time.'

'The time period Ishtar set up was just enough for the newcomers to eventually leave on their own...'

'But were they to win... Well, almost no one believed in that outcome.'

'Because in their eyes, the strongest member of their Familia was a Level 2, and on the other side was a Level 5...'

'This truth, however, slowly changed as everyone started to learn about their true powers!'

'But how did anything change? Can a Level 3 win against a Level 6?'

'The future was grim for the Hestia Familia.'

...

/The next day.../

'In front of a large, cleared-out patch of terrain, in the middle of a rocky valley, Silver awaited, holding his Halberd, a banner with the Symbol of the Hestia Familia strapped to it.'

'Next to him was a tall wooden arch bench, several people sitting on it, waiting...'

'He went to his pocket, checking the time...'

"..."

7:40 Am...

Just 20 more minutes.

'He smiled.'

I wonder if she'll take the bait?

'Closing his eyes and letting the soft wind brush against his face, Silver stopped thinking.'

'It was time to D-D-Duel!'

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Notes

Finally, its time.

Expect a few fights!

A lot of reactions!

This time, Silver won't hold back, people will know his name, and his powers.

It's time.

PS:

I made a few images, lets take a look at them.

Before that though, if you have any images you're interested in having, I'll try and make them.

Recently, I have been on a run trying to make an image for each Zone of the Dungeon.

What other ideas you have in mind? I'll read them all.

Peace, yo boy, me.

(If the images aren't there by the time you started reading, its because you opened the chapter too quickly, just update the page and it should be there)

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