Caught off guard by the eruption of vines, many Evilus members were bound before they could react.
"What is this?!"
"I can't break free!"
"Damn it, this is disgusting!"
Seeing their comrades trapped, the unbound members raised their weapons and hacked at Ruri'iro Kujaku's vines.
But when their weapons struck, they failed to sever them.
They were repelled by the incredible resilience, nearly knocking the weapons from their hands.
"How is that possible?!"
Swish!
A petite, golden figure capitalized on the chaos, charging into the enemy ranks.
Her eyes narrowed, lightning seeming to crackle within her pupils.
She assumed a rapier-thrusting stance as her aura surged.
"Pierce them, Gonryomaru," Ais intoned, reciting the release command.
Lightning coiled around the slender blade in her hand!
As she thrust her sword forward, the golden lightning shot out like a nimble water snake.
After piercing one enemy, it twisted through the air, weaving and darting, skewering four more foes and linking them together.
"Thunder Roar."
BOOM!
Four bolts of lightning materialized above the enemies' heads and struck down, charring them black.
Smoke billowed from their mouths as they collapsed.
"What was that?!"
"Magic?"
"No, that's not it. I can't sense any magical fluctuations... Could it be a Magic Sword?"
The onlookers were stunned, yet captivated by Ais's performance.
Even in such a perilous situation, these Gods prioritized their amusement.
They adored this kind of drama..
Otherwise, why would immortal beings descend from Heaven and seal their Divine Power just to experience something interesting?
"Way to go, Ais-tan! Woohoo!" Loki cheered.
Finn and Riveria stood beside her, shaking their heads in exasperation.
Clang!
Shakti joined the fray.
After instructing Ardi to protect Ganesha, she leaped forward and took down several Evilus attackers.
"Daring to attack this place... How foolish of you, Evilus!"
None of the Adventurers present were weak.
After all, those brought to the meeting were either the pillars of their Familias or promising elites.
As they sprang into action, they cut down a third of the Evilus' members.
The numerical disadvantage meant nothing since the gap in strength was simply too vast.
"Charge!"
Among the Evilus, a few of their leaders issued orders.
The Evilus members ignored the Adventurers and charged toward the Gods.
'They're insane!'
'These scum actually intend to commit deicide!'
Or rather, their goal was to strip the Adventurers of their Falna by sending the Gods back to Heaven!
The Falna required a constant connection with a God.
If a God died and was sent back, the members of their Familia would lose their Falna and revert to ordinary people with no stats!
At that point, they would be defenseless against the Evilus.
At first glance, the plan seemed sound.
If it succeeded, Orario would be effectively crippled.
After all, almost every God was gathered here.
But there was one fatal flaw.
This place was filled with top-tier adventurers. It was impossible for the Evilus to succeed easily, they should have known that.
"It won't break! It's that guy! Take him down!"
Someone in the Evilus realized that to free their comrades, they had to eliminate Rayleigh.
Rayleigh surveyed the invading enemies. There were over a hundred of them, and behind them, four figures stood observing from the sidelines.
'Those must be the Evilus' leaders. Definitely not Level 2 cannon fodder like the rest.'
"DIEEEE!"
Facing the charging Evilus enemies, Rayleigh couldn't generate more vines to deal with them.
But it didn't matter since he had allies too.
"Rayleigh, please protect Lady Astraea," Alise said before drawing her weapon and charging forward.
As an upper-tier Level 3 Adventurer, she could fell these enemies with a single strike.
She plunged into the enemy ranks, scattering them like a boulder plowing through a crowd.
"Is this woman a monster?!" one of them exclaimed.
Hearing this, Alise locked onto him, dashed in front of him, and shouted.
"Calling a pure and innocent girl like me a monster? You need to be punished!"
BAM!
The man struck by a full-force punch from a Level 3 Adventurer flew twenty meters, smashed through a table, and landed headfirst, motionless.
"Finn."
Riveria signaled that the Pallum hero could join the fray.
Finn smiled and nodded. Forgoing his weapon, he charged into the fray, his fists flying.
His speed was too fast for the naked eye to follow, and each punch packed enough power to fell an enemy, driving their heads straight into the ground.
"It's the Loki Familia's Level 5! Damn it!"
Terrified by Finn's assault, the Evilus members redoubled their efforts, aiming their attacks at the protected Gods.
Seeing two enemies charge toward her, Riveria frowned. She swung her staff like a club, swatting a Level 2 Adventurer into the air.
He spin five times before crashing to the ground in a heap.
"Whoa, that was so cool, Mama!"
The next second, Loki was on the ground with a large bump on her head, tearfully apologizing for her mistake.
Rayleigh noticed the commotion, then turned to the two Goddesses beside him.
"Please move closer to the Nine Hell."
"We're counting on you, Sir Knight~" Astraea teased.
Rayleigh's heart skipped a beat at that.
He escorted Hephaestus and Astraea to Riveria's side.
By now, at least ten Gods had gathered here. Apparently, everyone believed the safest place was beside the city's strongest mage.
Crackle—
Without resorting to Magic, Ais cut down enemies with her Shikai, Gonryomaru.
Alise noticed her prowess and smiled. "Is that a lightning-type Zanpakuto? Impressive. We can't afford to lose to her either, right, Engetsu?"
With her own Shikai released, Alise wielded her flaming sword.
The enemies didn't even have the courage to face her.
"Let me show you a new move Engetsu taught me."
Alise's excitement was palpable.
She stroked the blade, creating a small cut on her hand and then she smeared the blood on her lips and inhaled deeply.
BOOM!
As Alise exhaled, she unleashed a torrent of fire!
It was like a wall of flames surging forward.
The Evilus members screamed and tried to flee, but the sea of fire still engulfed them.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Their agonizing screams echoed endlessly!