Every time they suffered an attack from Evilus, a meeting would be held.
This time was no exception.
What made it different was that the lineup for this meeting was a bit too extravagant.
It included the Loki Familia and the Three Executives.
From the Freya Familia, there was Allen Fromel and Ottar.
From the Hermes Familia, there was Asfi Al Andromeda.
From the Ganesha Familia, there was the Captain, Shakti Varma.
Representing the Astraea Familia were the Captain, Alise Lovell, and Gojonou Kaguya.
And finally, there was Rayleigh.
He did not know why he had been called here.
After arriving, he glanced around the room at everyone.
Even Finn and Ottar nodded to him when their eyes met.
It was exactly this kind of respectful treatment that made everyone else present curious about him.
'The blacksmith of the Hephaestus Familia, Rayleigh.'
Aside from him, there were also representatives from the Guild.
Finn started by sharing all the intelligence gathered by each Familia. Afterwards, the other Familias supplemented his points with their own information.
Ottar also added, "Among the opponents, there should be a very powerful adventurer capable of destroying adamantite walls with pure physical force. Their level is at least Level 6, not below that."
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone gasped in astonishment.
Level 6!
Was that not on par with the strongest in the city, Ottar? Evilus actually had such a strong force on their side?
This was truly terrible news!
But the bad news was not over yet.
At this moment, Shakti also provided some intelligence.
She said, "We also encountered an enemy, suspected to be a Mage or a Magic Swordsman. Thirty members of our Ganesha Familia were completely powerless against them."
Finn was shocked.
A single Mage suppressing the entire Ganesha Familia alone?
Even Riveria could not remain calm upon hearing this news. "What kind of Mage is that? That's just too absurd."
Shakti sighed. "We could not gather any more information about them."
The Three Executives began to speculate.
They even suspected a Familia that had long since disappeared—the Osiris Familia.
That was a powerful faction that had once boldly challenged the Zeus and Hera Familias.
Unsurprisingly, they had been completely defeated.
If the enemy was a Level 6 powerhouse, for the moment, it seemed they could only think of members from that specific Familia.
Only Rayleigh present knew the true identities of those two.
They were not Level 6 at all, but two extraordinary Level 7!
Specifically, they were former members of the Zeus Familia and the Hera Familia.
After the brief analysis, Finn said, "Next is the key to our operation."
He called Asfi over and asked her to speak.
The still somewhat unsteady Asfi felt intimidated facing these top-tier powerhouses of the city.
However, as a former princess of a nation, she knew how to overcome her nervousness.
She took a deep breath and said, "Our Hermes Familia has been responsible for intelligence gathering in this war, and we have just obtained solid information on three enemy strongholds."
Asfi quickly got into the groove, completely forgetting her nervousness. "The enemy is hiding within the city using abandoned facilities, and their numbers are substantial."
After she said this, Finn, acting as the overall commander, stood up. "The enemy has three strongholds, and their forces are numerous. Moreover, based on the intelligence provided by Rayleigh, I suspect they have used the stolen trigger devices to create dangerous bombs. Therefore, we need to mobilize more people."
Under Finn's clear instructions, the Familias present and even those not present were all mobilized.
Those present would be led directly by their own Familia's high-ranking members.
Those not present would be officially commissioned by the Guild. This included powerful groups like the Ishtar Familia and the Dionysus Familia.
After all, they needed to attack three separate strongholds all at once.
As the old saying goes, attacking a fortified city requires ten times the military strength.
For the number of people present in the room, it was far from enough.
Fortunately, the wide gap in numbers could be compensated for by high quality.
"Ottar, can you handle one of the strongholds?" Finn said.
Ottar nodded his head. Allen, standing beside him, curled his lip. To be honest, he felt this monster alone was more than enough.
But the intelligence stated the enemy might have Level 6 fighters, so it was much better for the Familia to act together.
This was to prevent Ottar from being surrounded.
Otherwise, Lady Freya would be very sad!
"Leave one of them to our Astraea Familia!" Alise proactively volunteered at this exact moment.
This caused Rayleigh to glance up.
A trace of genuine worry flashed in his eyes.
This battle was the opening act of the Great Feud.
If he remembered correctly, it was during this very battle that Ardi was killed by the little girl strapped with the Flame Rock.
Although he had informed Finn in advance about the Flame Rock being modified into high-explosive bombs, and had shared this crucial information with everyone, Evilus's cruel methods would not change.
They would still brainwash and manipulate innocent civilians, strapping deadly bombs all over their bodies.
When facing those civilians, if an Adventurer showed even the slightest bit of mercy, they would immediately be exploited and killed.
Moreover, that hidden traitor might very well be standing in this very room right now.
Rayleigh swept his careful gaze over each person, mainly observing those representing the Guild.
After all, he knew almost all the Adventurers here!
Many of them were even his own trusted people.
...
After fully finalizing the operation plan, Finn dismissed the meeting.
Once everyone else had left the room, Rayleigh stopped and quietly closed the door.
Seeing him stay behind, Finn was not surprised in the slightest.
Rayleigh first sensed the spiritual networks around him, confirming no one was hiding in the shadows to listen.
Then he spoke.
"Finn, there is a spy hiding among us."
Finn's face turned grim. "Is that so? So you think so too?"
"You've already noticed?"
"It's just a guess for now," Finn said, his expression looking somewhat troubled.
But the planned operation could not be stopped.
This was an excellent opportunity to launch a strong counterattack against Evilus.
If they missed this chance, Orario would be slowly dragged to its death.
"I want to be solely responsible for attacking one entire stronghold."
Rayleigh's sudden statement completely stunned Finn.
'What? All alone?'
"Can you tell me the reason?" Finn asked, his brows furrowing.
Rayleigh touched the hilt of the new Zanpakuto resting at his right waist and said, "Because if there are other people present, they will be dragged into the blast radius by this guy."
It was a matter of its raw ability.
"This is... a Zanpakuto?"
Rayleigh nodded his head, then revealed the true name of this specific sword.
After hearing it, Finn's eyes widened sharply.
His mouth hung open for a long time, completely unable to speak.
If what Rayleigh said was true, then he alone would be more than enough to annihilate all the enemies inside one stronghold.
'To think there was such a terrifying and destructive sword in existence.'
Hesitating for less than ten seconds, Finn finally agreed.
He would let Rayleigh attack one stronghold all by himself. And this shocking news would only be announced right before the operation began.
If Rayleigh could really handle one stronghold entirely alone, their remaining forces would instantly become abundant for the other two locations.
This way, the vast difference in military numbers between the enemy and their allies would not be a problem either.
"Now, you have become the true key to this operation. We're all counting on you, Rayleigh," Finn said with a grave expression.
Speed is always crucial in warfare.
The operational deployment was completed within just a few hours.
The grand assault was about to begin!
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