Chapter 29: Brutally Beaten

The divine power and essence of Erebus far exceeded those of Apata, and even after a prolonged absorption, Sol showed no signs of reaching its limits.

Erebus stared blankly at Vex, seemingly indifferent to the rapid drain of his own divine power. He looked almost like a disconsolate dog that had just lost its favorite toy.

"What could you possibly need so much divine power for?" Erebus asked weakly, once Sol finally ceased his absorption.

"For something... interesting," Sol replied. "Too bad you won't be around to see it."

"That's fine," Erebus answered. "I'll be watching from above. Let me at least witness how far that child can go."

"Stop fixating on my kid, you pest, and just return to heaven quietly," Sol growled.

Erebus attempted to make a dramatic exit, but Sol swiftly incapacitated him with a single strike. 

"I have more important matters to attend to, and I've wasted far too much time with you." 

With a final beam of light, Erebus was sent back to the heavens, drawing the attention of everyone in Orario.

---

 Alfia's Battlefield

A blazing pillar of fire shot into the sky, yet Alfia remained unmoved, as if she'd anticipated it. Her expression was calm.

"Soul's Peace."

Her cold incantation was all it took for the towering flames to flicker as if snuffed by a strong wind and extinguish completely. Riveria had entered and exited the battlefield in mere moments; her long-prepared magic had barely made an impact.

Alfia, ever calm and seemingly untouched by emotion, regarded Riveria's magic with a rare hint of approval.

"Impressive magic," Alfia murmured, her tone subdued.

This was the first time Riveria had heard praise from an opponent after so many years of battle. But she held her serious expression, unfazed by Alfia's words. Known as the "incarnation of talent" in Orario, Riveria was unused to seeing her magic so utterly neutralized.

Alfia's 'Sound of Silence' magic was potent, canceling out all spells—a bane for mages. Though Riveria possessed the blessings of runes, these weren't enough to penetrate Alfia's control. 

"Magic nullification… an incredibly troublesome ability," Riveria muttered, frowning. A mage without magic is simply a well-trained warrior, even at level 6.

Her god had truly given her a challenging task.

"Riveria! please go support Ottar and the others; we'll handle things here!" Finn commanded, hurling his spear forward.

After overcoming the fierce resistance of the Diss sisters from the Alecto Familia—two seasoned adventurers who had obstructed their path for what seemed like an eternity—the Loki Familia finally reached the battlefield. Without hesitation, they joined forces with Astoria.

The dwarves Gareth wasted no time, immediately taking the vanguard position.

Yet even the hulking warriors felt uneasy in the face of Alfia—the very monster who had just defeated Ottar in mere seconds.

[Spoiler: This happened in the novel.]

"Then I'll leave it to you here," Riveria said, withdrawing swiftly with her companions. 

There was no time for complaints or hesitation, and the magic mage was more of a hindrance in this situation. 

Riveria swiftly led her companions away from the battlefield. Meanwhile, the conflict on the other side had grown even more intense. 

In other words, it had reached a fever pitch.

Another level-7 adversary, Zald, was engaging the Freya Familia, and Ottar, their ace, was struggling. Even with Zald in a weakened physical state, Ottar was barely holding his own.

Facing an opponent far stronger than himself, Ottar donned his armor, but even that didn't bridge the vast gap between them.

Ottar had once delivered the final blow against the 'King of the Land,' Behemoth, a monster from one of the three great quests. But here, Zald—who had consumed Behemoth's flesh and blood to protect his comrades and was now dying from the poison coursing through him—was pushing Ottar back with terrifying ease.

In his dying state, Zald remained restrained, and his level capped at the threshold of LV7. But even in this weakened condition, he held the upper hand.

"You're just plain unlucky, kid," Zald taunted after knocking Ottar down once more. "Looks like I'll have you flat on your back again soon."

Ottar clenched his fists, the bitter memories of past defeats flashing through his mind. A man from the days of Hera and Zeus, he was no stranger to loss, to mountains he could never climb.

"Come at me!" Ottar roared. "Unless you're afraid I'll swallow you whole!"

Seeing Ottar rise once more, Zald lifted his black longsword with a smirk. Ottar, teeth gritted, swung his weapon with all his strength, battling against the fear within.

"It's over…" Zald sneered.

With skill and brute force, Zald deflected Ottar's weapon, exposing his chest. His next blow sent Ottar flying, smashing through several walls, bones shattering, his body reduced to a broken, near-death state.

Slowly, Zald approached the debris where Ottar lay buried, his arm raised for the final strike.

"You've got to be kidding me, you bastard! We're also your opponents!" a voice roared from a distance.

Hearing the shout, Zald paused his assault, watching as powerful members of the Freya Familia rushed forward.

_________

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