The Dark Faction and Orario, in terms of ordinary fighting strength, were actually evenly matched.
The only places that could truly decide the outcome were two battlefields—
The locations where Zald and Alfia stood.
At this moment, the first-class adventurers responsible for stopping the two Overlords hadn't been defeated yet.
They were simply… stuck in thought.
Because they couldn't understand the Overlords' answer.
Because of disappointment… you'd destroy an entire city?
"Alfia… are you serious?" Riveria asked, thinking hard and still failing to find any logic in it.
"Zald… is it really necessary to go this far?" Ottar, a pure warrior at heart, couldn't make sense of it either.
Different times, different places—
The two Overlords gave the exact same reply:
"With the Orario of today… how are you supposed to defeat the world-ending Black Dragon?"
Once, the Zeus Familia had two Level 8 adventurers.
Once, the Hera Familia had a Level 9 adventurer.
The era when those two great Familias ruled Orario was the most glorious period humanity's Familias had ever known since the gods descended.
Even the first two of the Three Great Quests—those legendary calamities—had been claimed by Zald and Alfia, each as Level 7s.
Zald devoured Behemoth's flesh… then slew the King of the Land with a single blow.
Alfia used her only super-long incantation spell… and annihilated the King of the Sea with one strike.
And yet—even with such a luxurious lineup—when the two great Familias challenged the world-ending Black Dragon, the result was a catastrophic total wipeout.
Their main forces nearly collapsed.
And the rising stars of the time seized the chance to drive them out of Orario.
Those "rising stars" were the very two great Familias ruling Orario now.
Whether it was Loki Familia's three top executives, or Ottar, the leader of the Freya Familia—
Back then, they all lived in the shadow of Zeus and Hera.
"You replaced us. Fine. That's just survival of the fittest. Orario belongs to the strong." Zald stared at Ottar, unable to understand. "But why are you this weak?"
This pig-man had talent that even the old captains of the two great Familias once admired.
He wasn't young anymore.
So why was he still only Level 6?
If Zald's own body hadn't broken down, he would've already reached Level 8 long ago.
To be fair—Ottar's pace wasn't slow.
In that old era, he could've been a backbone member of Zeus Familia.
But today, Ottar was Orario's strongest.
If the strongest was only at this level, then those below him were even more laughably fragile.
How could anyone still place hope in the Orario of today?
Not even close to the might of the old two great Familias—
So what "surpassing the Black Dragon" are we even talking about?
Zald knew something crucial:
The time until the Black Dragon's seal breaks… wasn't far.
Within a hundred years.
Dozens of years.
Maybe even within ten.
There was no time left to wait.
"The Orario of today is comfortable and peaceful—full of weaklings and noise," Alfia opened her eyes. "If you have the ability to protect that peace… then prove it to me."
Destroying Orario—
Both she and Zald were serious.
There was hidden context…
But the truth was, both of them were already beyond saving—terminal, deep into the illness.
If Orario couldn't surpass even the current versions of them, then it didn't deserve to keep existing.
"If even the strongest Familias can't do it, and the successors can't surpass the strongest of the past…" Zald swung with full force, swearing to kill Ottar in a single strike. "Then abandon the Familia system—return to the darkest era."
"A thousand years ago. Two thousand years ago," Alfia said. "Humans had no divine Falna, only their own strength to fight monsters… and yet even stronger heroes still appeared."
A hero—
That was Alfia's only remaining hope.
If sacrificing eighty percent of the people on the surface—or more—could create an environment harsh enough to forge the one true hero…
Then every sacrifice would be worth it.
"You are not that one true hero," she declared. "So you have no need to exist."
In front of her, Riveria and Gareth had already fallen.
During the gap in her explanation, she only uttered two lines of "Gospel"—
And both of them dropped into sleep, without even the slightest resistance.
Even with time to react, they still couldn't stop it.
Her magic was practically instantaneous, shapeless, invisible—and monstrously powerful.
And they couldn't endure even that.
"Talent and strength at this level… isn't worthy of carrying a hero's mission."
Once a hero—now an unmatched Overlord—Alfia delivered her verdict on the two of them.
"Little piglet," Zald sheathed his sword and looked down at Ottar collapsed on the ground. "You're still far too green."
He was a hulking brute; people's first impression was always that his strength was bottomless.
Paired with that giant sword, anyone would assume his style was crude—heavy blade, no finesse.
But in terms of technique, he was also a top-tier powerhouse.
Just now, he'd changed his swing's direction in an instant—
And the little piglet hadn't even been able to respond.
That redirected slash was finished in the blink of an eye.
Ottar couldn't react at all—only watch helplessly as the blade landed.
This Level 6 piglet's only real difference from the others…
Was that he didn't die immediately after taking one hit.
"Savor that sword strike," Zald said coldly.
Disappointment settled even deeper into his chest.
The Freya Familia's vice-captain Allen flashed in to rescue Ottar—
But Zald knocked his weapon away with a single blow.
Still, Allen managed to pull Ottar out.
"One last time," Zald said. "Your chances… only have one last time left."
At the same time, cheers erupted from the rooftops around him—
"Ottar, Orario's strongest adventurer, has been defeated!"
"It's Overlord Zald's victory!"
...
News of Ottar's defeat spread across Orario almost instantly.
With Orario's command system already shattered, it traveled that fast only because the Dark Faction "helpfully" broadcast it everywhere.
In theory, a single duel shouldn't decide a war.
But if you can't defeat Lü Bu before the lines, where does the coalition get its morale?
"The pig-man… lost?!"
"You're joking! Loki Familia's executives lost too?!"
"How does the Dark Faction have monsters like that?!"
"It's over. Orario is finished."
The adventurers fighting for order were terrified—the whole board was tipping.
If Orario fell, then all their struggle would become meaningless.
Others cared less about the big picture and more about the lives of their friends.
"Alise—Cid and Ahti are near Ottar right now! We have to go save them!"
Ryu's mind was a mess. Ignoring the warnings from her own body, she squeezed out the last of her stamina and magic.
"Cid…" Alise paused for a heartbeat—then kept fighting as if nothing happened.
"No," she said. "We can't go."
"Why?! Even if Cid left, he's still our comrade! And Ahti—she's also—"
Kaguya slapped Ryu hard across the face.
"Are you awake now?"
....
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