Demeter, Persephone, and everyone else stared at him in speechless disbelief.
Leon crouched on the ground, casually wiping the blood off his staff with the assassin's clothes before rising unhurriedly to his feet. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his flashy tie and coat, tugged his hat brim down, and twisted his mouth into a smirk.
"You assassins again. Last time your hit failed, and now you're back for round two? Hmm... seems like this isn't just about a contract. There's some personal grudge mixed in too, am I right?"
Remembering the so-called "elites" he'd dispatched offhand last time, Leon paid it no mind and slipped an arm around Persephone's slender waist, turning to walk toward Demeter, Jeanne, and the others. As for the one-sided grudge this assassin group had nursed? He didn't give it a second thought.
Everyone knew that the international server and the Orario server weren't even playing the same game.
A high-level adventurer who'd be a rare sight anywhere else was nothing special in Orario. Unless you were a First-Class Adventurer at Lv.5, Lv.6, or Lv.7, nobody could even be bothered to spare you a glance.
As the two of them turned and walked off, the twitching "Leon" corpse still lying on the ground gradually lost its color and solidity in full view of the crowd, resolving into a block of ice.
"Holy shit! Clone magic!"
"Ice clone, no less!"
"That's the Shadow of Sorcery, right? Demeter Familia's..."
"Damn, I thought that rumor was a bit exaggerated, but looking at this now... this guy seems even more ridiculous than the rumors made him out to be."
The adventurers who'd noticed the assassination attempt over here stared at Leon's display, sucked in sharp breaths, and broke out in a buzz of talk.
"Tch, so what if he's strong? His reputation's still in the gutter."
"What, you jealous he's hooked up with that Priestess of Desolation again? Tsk tsk tsk... her beauty and bearing rival any goddess."
"Tch... what's there to be jealous of."
"Heh..."
"Quit the damn chit-chat, the Evilus lunatics are coming!"
"Watch out! These maniacs will blow themselves up, fight them at a distance!"
"Hey, what are you spacing out for? Keep up!"
"Weapons, I need lots of weapons!"
"Who the hell brings weapons to a festival?"
"Here, all I've got is a shortsword!"
A string of choice Orarioan curses followed.
...
Persephone, her face flushed and her steps stiff, let Leon guide her toward the others as if pulled along by invisible strings, her heels clicking against the ground.
It wasn't until her heels crunched over the shattered ice that she snapped out of it.
"...That was an ice clone?"
Leon's fingers gave her waist a light pinch, his smile deepening.
"When you're out and about, a boy's got to protect himself, of course. Besides, you know how much I value my own skin."
"As careful as I am, how could I possibly get killed by a third-rate assassin like that?"
"And his work was sloppy on top of it. Looking at it this way... this assassin group's professional capabilities aren't up to much."
The crowd fell silent. So did Persephone.
Demeter watched Leon with amusement. She hadn't expected that even at a moment this tense, he'd still have the leisure to critique the rival organization's level of professionalism.
"Alright, everyone. We should head over and link up with the others. Astraea, Freya, Loki, and Artemis are all already there. If I don't show up, it'll look like I'm being antisocial."
When has this veteran shut-in goddess ever cared about being "antisocial"?
Of course, that retort existed only in everyone's hearts, and no one dared say it out loud.
The group started moving. Jeanne and Rose took the lead to clear the way, the rest guarded Demeter closely, and Leon brought up the rear as they wove quickly through the chaotic crowd toward the center of the venue.
"Frost Nova!"
A low hum spread along with a white mist, freezing everything that tried to approach.
Leon didn't even bother to glance back at these "threats." With a flick and a hook of the "stick" in his hand, he traced out a small crimson magic circle.
A volley of small fireballs screamed out, precisely reducing every target to ash as the detonations chained into one continuous roar.
Killed Evilus member, Excelia +11
Killed Evilus member, Excelia +18
Killed Evilus member, Excelia +19
Killed Evilus member, Excelia +19
Running rearguard while pouring firepower in every direction, Leon glanced at the feedback on his panel and scoffed.
"This little Excelia isn't even worth mentioning."
Then he reconsidered and gave a shrug.
"Well, whatever. At least these Evilus Lv.1s still offer up some Excelia, which is something..."
"Better than nothing."
Before the words had even left his mouth, his wand swept up again, and a fireball screamed out, blasting away an ambusher who'd darted in from the side. He shook his head and quickened his pace to catch up with the group.
As the Demeter Familia closed in on the center of the Order Faction's camp, the intensity of the whole battlefield shot up.
"Kill!"
"Kill them, and don't hold back!"
"A Blood-Red Christmas, now that's not a bad idea at all!"
"Hehehe! Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
"Aaaah~~~~~~"
"Such pure emotion, how utterly intoxicating~~!"
"Chaos! Violence! Plunder! Slaughter! Yes, that's right, this is exactly what we crave! Hahahahaha!"
"Look, Finn! What a magnificent sight! Don't you find it soul-stirring?!"
"Come, dance with me!"
Atop the roof of a multistory building, the purple-haired woman's coat snapped in the howling wind. She spread her arms wide and threw back her head in a manic laugh, facing a sky stained red with flame.
Across from her.
At some point a golden-haired figure had appeared, standing with spear in hand.
"Valletta Grede, I've got you now. Once that's done, all of this ends."
"Heh, long time no see, Finn. Has it gone to your head? You've 'got' me? Hahahaha... that's the funniest joke I've heard all day!"
"You won't be laughing for long..."
A smile played at Finn's lips, but there wasn't a trace of one in his eyes.
"Magic spear, pierce through my own skull and drink deep of blood!"
"...Hell Finegas!"
Valletta's grin froze, and she stared at Finn in utter disbelief as he opened the fight by going straight for his ultimate, her whole face blank with confusion.
Bro, seriously? What's the deal with unloading all your skills right out of the gate? The fight's only just started.
Valletta's eyes went wide as her temper boiled over.
"You despicable Pallum!"
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