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Chapter 327: Convergence
BOOM—!!!
A golden arc of light—the physical manifestation of Ottar pushing his strength to its absolute limit through his blade.
A blue-violet slash—a flying wave of destructive energy born from Childe perfectly fusing the Hydro and Electro elements.
The two forces violently collided in mid-air, detonating into a blinding sphere of energy that swallowed all light. A furious, ring-shaped shockwave exploded outward, ravaging everything in every direction.
The earth was torn open, leaving bottomless fissures in the ground. The massive, mountain-sized mushroom rocks in the distance were shaved flat and pulverized like paper under the terrifying aftershocks.
Just the collateral damage from their clash had turned a radius of thousands of meters into an apocalyptic wasteland of continuous collapse and destruction.
At the edge of this chaotic battlefield, the executives of the Freya Familia were participating in their own ways.
Gripping his double-edged halberd, Iluver, Hedin observed the fight with sharp eyes behind his glasses, calmly analyzing every single one of Childe's movements.
He's fast... No, it's not just speed. Every one of his attacks perfectly merges two entirely different elemental affinities. The flexibility and fluidity of water, combined with the frenzied, piercing nature of lightning... A combat style like this is completely unheard of. Furthermore, his battle instincts are almost entirely beast-like. He neutralizes every single one of Ottar's counterattacks with minimal effort...
Hedin's brow furrowed tightly.
This was the first time he had ever seen Ottar—the immovable mountain—locked in such an arduous, grinding battle.
On another side of the battlefield, Hogni had already activated his magic, Dáinsleif.
The chuunibyou Dark Elf had been completely replaced by his far more aggressive, berserk alternate persona.
His cursed sword, Victim Abyss, swirled with an ominous black aura as he engaged in a fierce, hyper-lethal duel with "Aiden."
Although Hogni couldn't use the Lumina Slash—the pinnacle technique of swordsmen—his cursed sword could vastly expand his attack range and inflict a vicious curse that prevented wounds from healing.
Of course, against "Aiden," who possessed absolute abnormal resistance, the curse was completely useless.
But Hogni's raw power was undeniable.
As a top-tier Level 6 adventurer, all of his base stats far exceeded those of "Aiden." The only thing giving him a headache was the devastating, unmatched cutting power of the Lumina Slash.
As for Allen, the Fastest in the City, he stood quietly beside Hedin, his spear resting on his shoulder. He made no immediate move to join the fray.
"There's no need to rush."
Seemingly seeing right through the immense anxiety etched on Lefiya's face, Hedin pushed up his glasses and spoke in an even tone. "If the Braver and his party are still alive, they will naturally come to us once they notice the commotion. It's much more efficient to let them find us than to search for a needle in a haystack."
"But..." Lefiya started, her voice trailing off.
Her heart was still consumed by worry for Ais, Riveria, and the others.
Before she could finish her sentence, Hedin pointed a finger over her shoulder. "Look behind you," he said coolly.
Lefiya subconsciously turned her head.
And then, she saw them.
Finn, Gareth, Bete, Tiona, Tione... Familiar silhouettes came into view, supporting one another as they limped forward.
Though everyone was battered, covered in varying degrees of injuries, and looked thoroughly exhausted... they were all alive.
However, the joy bubbling up in Lefiya's chest was quickly eclipsed by a new wave of panic.
Her eyes frantically scanned the group, quickly realizing that two people were missing.
Riveria and Ais were nowhere to be found.
"Lefiya!"
Tiona spotted Lefiya standing in the distance. A brilliant smile broke through the grime on her exhausted face as she excitedly sprinted over and pulled the elf into a massive hug.
"Everyone... thank goodness... you're all okay..."
Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, Lefiya wept tears of joy.
"Captain, where are Lady Riveria and Miss Ais? Where... where are they?" she asked Finn anxiously, her voice thick with sobs.
"Right here."
Answering her was a gentle, deeply familiar voice.
The group turned toward the sound to see Aiden slowly stepping out from the shadows on the opposite side of the cavern.
Standing right beside him were Riveria and a somewhat pale Ais.
As for Alise, Ryuu, and the others, they chose not to reveal themselves, remaining hidden in the dark to observe the situation.
"Miss Ais! Lady Riveria!"
Seeing that the two of them were safe, Lefiya's newly dried tears immediately broke the dam again. Weeping openly, she threw herself at them.
"Thank you. Having you all see us in such a pathetic state makes me want to find a hole to crawl into," Finn said with a bitter smile as he walked up to Hedin.
"If you want to thank someone, thank Lady Freya," Hedin replied, his tone as flat as ever.
"Regardless, the Loki Familia will remember this favor." Finn shook his head, his expression turning solemn.
Further away, hidden deep within a crevice in the cavern walls.
"It seems we won't be needed after all," Fels murmured, watching the two great Familias merge their forces. Shrouded in a heavy black robe, his figure looked exceptionally mysterious in the dim light.
"Can they... actually win?" Lyd asked uncertainly beside him.
The sheer, suffocating pressure radiating from that orange-haired man was simply too terrifying.
"They will win," Fels replied with unwavering confidence. "After all, they are the two strongest Familias in the city. If an enemy exists that they cannot defeat even when joining forces... then I cannot even begin to imagine what kind of horrifying entity that would be."
"That man called 'Childe' is certainly powerful, but the Warlord is no slouch either. Add Hildr and the Braver into the mix... With so many elites surrounding him, killing him shouldn't be a problem."
"Is... is that so?"
Lyd scratched his scaly lizard head. For some reason, hearing Fels say it out loud made him feel an odd sense of unease.
With an ear-splitting clang of metal, Hogni and "Aiden" rebounded forcefully away from each other following another brutal exchange.
However, "Aiden" did not immediately press the attack like he had before.
He slid back several paces, landing steadily on a jutting rock. Slowly gripping the roaring, crimson-flamed greatsword with both hands, he settled into a quiet, heavily concentrated stance.
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