He didn't give the Apollo Familia members a single second to recover from their shock.
The instant the magical glow of [Silentium Eden] faded, Aiden spoke again, chanting yet another ultra-short magic.
"—Gospel."
A ring of invisible, violently warped sonic bombardment expanded outward from him like a ripple in an instant.
The mages in the distance—who had just finished casting their spells and were in a window of mental vulnerability—didn't even have time to process what was happening before they were caught dead-on by the invisible, raging shockwave.
"Gah—!"
Unlike the vanguard warriors, the mages, whose physical bodies were relatively frail, were blown backward, screaming and spewing blood under the sonic blast capable of pulverizing solid rock. The staffs in their hands snapped inch by inch.
In the blink of an eye, the Apollo Familia's mage division was completely wiped out.
"He has another one!? Demon Lord Valion! That's that monster of talent's magic too!"
"No way... You don't think he knows that one too, do you? That taboo..."
The gods and those in the know watching through the Divine Mirrors widened their eyes, a profound sense of sheer absurdity washing over them.
"Bastard... BASTARD!! Kill him for me!!"
Watching his rear-guard support troops evaporate in an instant, Hyakinthos let out a hysterical roar, his handsome face contorted in absolute rage.
Upon hearing their Captain's order, the surviving Apollo Familia members let out an earth-shattering roar and swarmed forward. Over sixty people, clutching all sorts of weapons and sporting bloodshot eyes, charged at that lone figure. Their momentum was like a rainbow, as if trying to trample the very earth to dust.
"Daphne, run! The bell... the bell is about to ring!"
In the ruins, because Daphne had preemptively activated her defensive magic, [Lamour], and was a Level 2 adventurer herself, she hadn't suffered critical damage from Aiden's initial meteor strike. Cassandra, whom she had shielded tightly beneath her, had only sustained minor injuries.
Hearing Hyakinthos's command, Daphne's first instinct was to grab her sword and join the charge. But her arm was grabbed in a death grip by Cassandra.
No matter how hard she pulled, the normally frail girl clung to her with every ounce of strength she had, like a drowning victim clutching driftwood. She refused to let her go, desperately trying to drag her away from the battlefield instead.
"What are you doing, Cassandra!? Let go!"
"No! You can't go, you'll die! The bell is going to ring!" Cassandra sobbed, her voice laced with an indescribable terror.
Meanwhile, facing the tidal wave of over sixty enemies swarming toward him, Aiden slowly raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
This blood wasn't from an Apollo Familia attack. It was from himself.
That sun-falling-from-the-sky move might have been cool as hell, but the price he had to pay for it was enormous. He let out a breath of stale air mixed with bloody foam, smiling bitterly to himself.
The price of showing off really is a bit much, huh...
Diving down from that high up in the sky, the sheer recoil the moment he landed... If he hadn't maxed out his Endurance to SSS when he was Level 1, coupled with his current A-rank Level 2 Endurance, the stat buffs from his Artifacts, and the protective cushioning provided by the [Everlasting Flames] enchantment magic, he'd be dealing with far more than just internal injuries. He'd probably be a puddle of meat paste that Focalors would have to scrape off the ground with a shovel.
After all, even a Level 2 adventurer would be flattened into a pancake falling from that height. The fact that Aiden had only sustained internal injuries was already a terrifying feat that would make anyone's scalp go numb.
And it was exactly because of this that the gods and adventurers of Orario were screaming in a frenzy over his absurdly extreme tactics.
Because he had accomplished a grand feat that everyone deemed "impossible."
Facing the black tide of over sixty enemies surging toward him, Aiden didn't retreat. He advanced.
The flames on his body surged once again, turning him back into a human torch. Clutching his burning flaming sword, he charged forward like an ascending crimson comet, fearlessly crashing straight into the wave of enemies that outnumbered him by dozens to one.
One against a multitude!
This wildly lopsided, tragic, yet undeniably arrogant charge caused the adrenaline of everyone watching through the Divine Mirrors to skyrocket.
"Ohhhhhh! He charged in! He charged in all by himself!"
"Now THAT is an adventurer!!"
Whether it was the drunks in the taverns or the citizens on the streets, at this moment, they all erupted into a tsunami of cheers and ecstasy.
"This is so hype! So incredibly hype, everyone! Aiden of the Focalors Familia has chosen the most hardcore combat style! Let us cheer for his courage!" Announcer Ibri roared until his voice grew hoarse, doing everything he could to amp up the atmosphere.
Beside him, Ganesha struck a bodybuilding pose and bellowed in his signature booming voice: "I—AM—GANESHA!!"
And then, under the shocked, almost maddened gazes of everyone in the know, Aiden initiated Concurrent Chanting as he charged forward at high speed.
"Bane of blessing, hatred of birth..."
It was a taboo incantation that didn't belong to this era.
As he chanted, he swung his flaming sword, unleashing a flurry of crimson slashes that tore through the air and severed the weapons of the first few Apollo Familia members to draw near. He sidestepped a thrusting spear, ducked under a sweeping slash, and carved deadly arcs through the crowd with his blazing blade.
However, there were simply too many Apollo Familia members.
What's more, Aiden was suffering from internal injuries and wasn't at his peak condition. Heavily outnumbered, he inevitably began to take damage.
A sharp dagger sliced a bloody gash across his back, and a heavy battleaxe slammed into his pauldron, making him stumble.
Although the light-distorting, superheated flames around his body severely burned any enemy that got close, the Apollo Familia members—already consumed by rage and hatred—now fought with a fearless, suicidal ferocity. Being pushed this far by a single person was an unprecedented humiliation for them.
Just then, a gentle pink radiance descended from the sky like a miracle, landing perfectly on Aiden.
His wounds healed at a visible rate, and even the internal shock to his organs was rapidly soothed.
Hyacine's support had arrived at the most critical moment.
With absolutely no one guarding the castle walls, Hyacine and the others had entered the fortress with flawless ease.
"Shine!"
Tifa let out a soft shout, activating her enchantment magic. She transformed into a brilliant streak of starlight and ruthlessly smashed into the Apollo Familia's formation from behind.
With a vicious high kick, she sent a dwarf attempting to sneak-attack Aiden flying backward. Immediately dropping her hands to the ground, her long legs blurred into a lethal whirlwind, sweeping every enemy in her vicinity to the floor.
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