Dix Perdix, currently at Level 5, was leading a ragtag group of Ikelos Familia lackeys, hauling several massive cages out of the artificial labyrinth.
Inside the cages were numerous "monsters," chained, scarred all over, and utterly drained of energy.
Honestly, Renjiro felt little inner stir at the sight of these so-called heretics.
His standard for friend or foe had never been based on race.
It wasn't some narrow-minded "those not of my kind are enemies" thinking. After all, in this fantasy world under the reign of gods, strictly speaking, Renjiro had no "kindred."
Thus, as an outsider, his core standard for judging people was simple: what someone had done in the past, what they were doing now, and what they aimed to do in the future.
These three points perfectly corresponded to a sentient being's life experiences, character, and dreams—truly revealing a person's essence.
For example, within the "heretics," Renjiro favored a lizardman warrior named Lyd. He seemed like a trustworthy comrade.
Why? Because in the original timeline, Lyd had swallowed a magic stone in front of a certain bunny boy to warn him not to pity monsters.
"Never pity a monster. We [heretics] can also attack you. If you hesitate because of our existence, it could be you—and everyone around you—who dies."
Those words helped the pure-hearted bunny boy more than he could imagine.
Now, however…
"Hey, hey, hey~ what are Barca and the others thinking? They really let some random idiot slip in!"
Dix, brandishing a red-bladed halberd, glared at Renjiro blocking his path.
"Eh?"
Clearly, thanks to a high-profile "war game" discussion that had just ended, Dix immediately recognized Renjiro's face.
"You're a celebrity too? Damn it."
The goggle-wearing man banged his halberd against his shoulder.
"But only Lv.3, anyway."
"Hey~ you…"
Renjiro didn't waste words on such trash. He activated lightning magic.
With a brief incantation…
[Caelus Hildr!!!]
Dix' eyes widened. He had never seen someone so absurdly reckless.
Golden lightning arrows filled the air like a battalion of soldiers, buffed by multiple skills.
The barrage of Lv.5-level magic surged toward the Ikelos Familia.
Renjiro hadn't expected it, but since the war game ended, Hedin's affinity for him had mysteriously climbed to Level 4.
This spell, obtained through Lumine's introduction, was a wide-area annihilation attack, "approved" by Hedin.
Parsing difficulty: 4, equivalent to Bell.
Though Hedin's magic wasn't instantaneous, Renjiro could freely control the trajectory of each lightning arrow—essentially an upgraded version of Lefiya's Arcs Ray and Fairy Cannon.
More arrows than Lefiya, faster casting than the Fairy Cannon, slightly weaker in raw power but with shorter casting time.
"BOOM~ BOOM~ BOOM~"
Under Renjiro's will, every lightning arrow struck a member of the Ikelos Familia precisely.
Lv.5-level magic wasn't easy to withstand. Coupled with lightning speed…
"Damn it."
After just one carpet-bombing round, only Renjiro and Dix remained standing.
everyone hit was paralyzed, arcs of electricity crawling across their bodies.
Dix braced himself with the halberd, barely staying upright.
"Ah, this hurts~ you damn…"
[Strike eternally, immortal general of lightning—]
[Varian Hildr!!!]
You think you can tank this? Here's the "big version."
Hedin's magic converged the earlier lightning arrows into a colossal lightning cannon, firing directly at Dix' position.
"BOOM~"
Dix grabbed a thick-skinned subordinate as a human shield. Lightning cannon or not, he couldn't dodge—the lightning curved as it pleased. Speed couldn't outrun lightning; he had no choice but to endure.
"Dix, YOU BASTARD~!"
The unlucky subordinate was struck, scorched, and utterly obliterated.
As for Dix…
"Cough~"
Even augmented single-target magic couldn't be blocked by a mere human body.
The lightning cannon pierced through the subordinate and into Dix' abdomen. A huge wound appeared, organs partially exposed.
"You… cough~ can you let me finish speaking?!"
Coughing blood, Dix' face twisted in madness.
"You're just Lv.3?"
"No… that's irrelevant."
Dix smashed a vial of Panacea over his wound. The flesh writhed, but he smirked confidently.
[Become lost in an endless nightmare—]
[Phobetor Daedalus!!!]
This was clearly the berserk curse Lumine had warned them to watch for in strategy meetings.
Truly, a nightmare of a spell…
But Renjiro countered immediately.
[Strike eternally, immortal general of lightning—]
[Will-o'-Wisp!!!]
A shorter incantation stole the initiative. As Dix raised his right hand, spreading a blood-red ripple…
BOOM~
"Ugh!"
His right hand exploded, severed by his own spell.
Seeing this…
"You dare use magic in front of me?"
Renjiro's tone was cold.
"Don't you know who I am?"