Bell woke up. He was currently facing a wall. He knew why, it was because he was too embarrassed and scared to face the other way, in case of spotting the naked grey-haired girl lying next to him. But wait, the bed felt lighter.

Bell slowly got up and with a nervousness only a 14-year-old boy could have when lying next to someone of the opposite sex for the first time, he turned around. He saw no one.

He was alone in the empty room of the hotel they had quickly booked last night after escaping from the pouring rain. Their clothes were already soaked through though after jumping in the river after escaping from the Freya Familia with the help of Nathan.

'Nathan?'

Bell thought of his half-elven friend who had intercepted Vana Freya's attack directed at Goddess Hestia. He wondered if he was ok. He hadn't seen his friend in weeks and then he just appears. He supposes he must've been watching his and Syr's date, along with the others.

The thought made Bell smile, knowing that his friend, even when hiding and being hunted down, still cared enough about him to keep an eye on him. Though, he knew it couldn't go back to how it was.

He knew with the Loki and Ganesha Familia, if they accepted Nathan back they would be on their watchlist. And now with Nathan attacking a high-ranking member of the Freya Familia, it seems Nathan had made enemies with the three strongest Familia's in Orario.

Bell slid off the bed and slowly got dressed into dry clothes that had been placed over a chair to dry. He lingered on the thought. It frustrated him how the Loki and Ganesha Familia treated Nathan. Yes, he might've done bad things in the past but from what Bell had gathered, Nathan had little to no control over his actions, being used by evil people. Bell thought he was a good judge of character and he believed Nathan to be a good person at heart. He was proved right when Nathan offered Braver his assistance, knowing it would expose him and risk him being arrested on the spot. Even then, he got injured and hurt helping them. Only to then risk his life coming to save him on the 37th floor.

After all that heroics, something Bell knew the half-elf would refute but Bell stood by it, he was immediately hunted down without even a fair trial. Finn Deimne had come to their house and claimed Nathan would be treated fairly but they could all tell it wasn't true, not really. They would be biased against him, do their best to get what they believed to be justice.

Bell tightened the laces on his boots with a clenched fist. Even if Nathan had made enemies of all three Familia's, he would still stand by his friend no matter what. Nathan has saved him and the others countless times and Bell couldn't imagine his life going forward without any of them, including Nathan.

Bell stepped out of the inn. He had to go look for Syr, make sure she was alright. But then, he would do everything he could to help his brother, even if it meant facing the rest of the city. It wouldn't be like that would be a first anyway.

The white-haired boy began making his way through the city. He felt a thick tension nestle over the streets. He was confused by how shaken and scared people were. He knew that the news of the Freya Familia hijacking the boat would be known and the single clash between Nathan and Allen would be mentioned as it was pretty spectacular. But then Bell turned down a street and his eyes widened.

"It was just a single attack... wasn't it?"

Bell just stayed still, frozen in place as he soaked in the image. Bits of cobble strewn everywhere as panes of glass shattered, tiles from rooftops lay scattered on the ground. Buildings crumbled to dust as families picked through the rubble, hoping to salvage anything they could.

Bell ran up to one of them, wanting to help.

"Oh, Rabbit foot?"

"I'm sorry but what happened?" Bell asked shakily.

"What, did you not see or hear it?"

"N-no, sorry."

"It was Vana Freya and some kind of... thing."

"Thing?" Bell did not like the description. If it was Allen Frommel fighting someone, that could only be one person. He didn't want to believe his friend contributed to this.

"Yes, it was horrible. The feeling that thing was radiating. It made your blood run cold. I hope Vana Freya dealt with it after all the destruction it caused." The man said solemnly.

'You're wrong!' Bell wanted to say. 'It was Vana Freya that started it, Nathan was just protecting me.'

But Bell watched as a little girl pulled out a small toy from the rubble. Did her house need to be demolished in order to protect him? Was all of this really because of him?

Bell quickly helped the family, who thanked him as he went on his way. He had to find Syr fast. The faster he found her and knew she was ok, the faster he could find Nathan and clear everything up. But Bell only got more distracted by each crying child, every injured woman, every struggling man hoping to scavenge any remains of his life taken from him by a simple fight.

Bell gritted his teeth as he pushed forward. How could he let something like this happen? The more he helped, the more he came to the conclusion it was all his fault. If he had done things properly, then Nathan wouldn't have had to confront the Freya Familia for him. If he was stronger, he wouldn't have had to have Nathan protect.

And what was worse, somehow all of the victims blamed Nathan for this. Word had spread that Vana Freya was dealing with something akin to a wild creature, that he was a hero protecting them from a monster.

Nathan had enough going on, to be called a monster by those he had saved from utter destruction at the hands of Evilus, it made Bell's stomach churn. He wanted to run to Hestia, tell her everything. He knew she would know what to do, she always did. But if he did that, he'd be no better than a child running to their mom. He needed to sort this out as captain of the Hestia Familia.

As Bell Cranel ran through the destruction, searching for the missing waitress, the rest of the city was waking up in fear. Buildings lay in ruin, the riverbed stretching around the eastern section had been all but drained as the bridge of heroes lay shattered in the riverbed. The large boat that had once been a luxurious cruise, was now splintered and broken at the bottom of the new valley.

There were those who had escaped and lay collapsed on the riverside, with nurses, doctors and healers with them. There were also those who were not as fortunate, those the healers were too late to help. This had gone from a small-scale thing to a city problem overnight. This action by the Freya Familia could not be overlooked any longer.

The Guild was uproar. Workers were scrambling around at the complaints, the damage and the injured. They had already dispatched both the Ganesha Familia and the Dian Cecht Familia to aid the people.

Even the Ganesha himself came down but weirdly he brought his Vice-captain, Ilta with him. Most had expected the Ankusha to front line such destruction to the city but the blue-haired warrior was nowhere to be seen.

It was not questioned or even brought up in the presence of the God of the masses though. He held a solemn and emotionless look in his eyes. He gave direct orders, gave help and information whenever necessary and did not boast or even smiling. It was unnerving to those who knew what the God was usually like.

Ganesha Familia members flew overhead, patrolling the city as they helped with the clear-up. In an alley somewhere in the city, a woman in a cloak was sat on a box. Behind her, in the shadows hid figures all sworn to follow her exact orders at a second's notice.

"Today, Bell shall be mine. Whether that be by his own volition or I have to take him by force, it does not matter."

"What of his family?" A dark elf asked.

"See to it they are watched around the clock." The Goddess ordered.

"And of the brat?" The cat man asked through gnashing fangs. He hoped his lady would give the order to kill on-site. He had not taken the threat to his lady's life very well, his bloodlust spiking just at the thought of the half-elf.

"..."

Freya thought for a minute. After Allen and Ottar returned to her without Nathan, she just grew anxious. Ottar had never failed her and for someone to escape not only him but Allen as well was not sitting well with her. And to make things worse, they reveal that the half-elf knows about Syr.

The boy had gone from a passing interest, to a concern, to now her biggest threat. She was not going to take him lightly.

"Ottar, you are to stay by me at all times in case he tries to fulfil his threat."

She felt the spike in wrath from all her children. They were furious at such a comment being made towards her. They all vied for his blood almost as much as she was sure he wanted theirs... and hers.

She had never felt like this before towards a mortal. She had felt all kinds of emotions. Love, kindness, apologetic, sorrow, grief, dislike and hatred. But never this... never fear. She did not like it at all.

"The rest of you, be on your guard. I'm assigning you to watch Hestia's other children. When I tell Hedin to give the signal, you shall deal with them. That could draw 'him' out. I'd prefer 'him' alive but if he proves too much of a challenge..."

She left the last part of her sentence to hang in the air, leaving it up to interpretation. They all took it the same way, making Allen grin slightly at the opportunity to murder the bastard.

"What of the boy's Goddess?" Hedin asked. Freya stood up and took off her cloak, revealing the grey-haired girl for possibly the last time.

"I shall deal with Hestia. If need be, she too could be used as bait to draw 'him' out also."

And so Freya went, her heart crying as she knew at the end of the day, she would have her Odr and no one... no one, was going to get in her way.

Welf was the first one out of the Hearthstone manor's gates. Haruhime, Lili and Hestia followed the red-headed smith, with Mikoto bringing up the rear as she locked the mansion.

They began wandering the streets, trying to enjoy the last day of the harvest festival. They quickly noticed the scared looks on some faces as they made their way through the western area of Orario.

Then they heard it. Tales of mass destruction. Buildings being demolished with people still trapped inside. A fight between two individuals that fit the description of Vana Freya and their lost friend. They saw Ganesha Familia hurry about.

"-bastards," Welf whispered as Hestia touched his arm, trying to calm him down. She too was irritated about what the populace was saying about her child but getting loud would do Nathan no good. From what she gathered, they hadn't identified him as Nathan of Hestia Familia, only some random stranger. That was something at the very least.

"Should we split up?" Haruhime suggested as she looked up from a stall selling freshly picked fruit. Her red kimono shining in the morning sun, her beautiful complexion and body drawing the eye of many passing men. She did her best to ignore it, though Mikoto's stern gaze helped. To her, they had more pressing concerns.

"Perhaps, it would allow us to cover more ground but I'm worried about the Freya Familia," Lili remarked with caution. After hearing what Hestia had seen last night alongside the carnage they had heard about, they could possibly be on their watchlist. Both Bell and Nathan had made the Familia as a whole a target.

"It's sad to say but if the Freya Familia wished to do something, without Sir Bell and Nathan beside us, we would stand little chance," Mikoto said with a sad smile, frustrated at her weakness.

Hestia listened to this. She wanted to see both of her children, not knowing who she should prioritise more. While Nathan was a specialist in hiding, he wasn't in a stable mindset. If provoked, he could start something that could not be stopped. However, Bell was clearly the subject of the Freya Familia attention yesterday.

The little Goddess did not know what to do. It seemed the rest of the Familia was with her on this.

"Lady Hestia, if I may suggest something."

"Yes, Lili?" Hestia asked back to the Prum.

"How about you go looking for Master Bell. We should be fine on our own but if something were to happen, then it would be best if you were not near us."

"But what if one of them tried attacking Lady Hestia?" Welf interjected.

"She is a Goddess and besides, if she is on her own, that could draw out both Nathan and Bell who will instantly jump to her aid without a second thought."

"That's really risky, like stupid risky," Wellf stated while folding his arms. "I don't like it. We shouldn't leave our deity alone in the streets knowing she is a possible target."

"I'll be fine."

They all turned to Hestia. She stood, resolute, with determination in her azure blue eyes. She did not like the situation they were in, not one bit. But if she could do something, even if it meant abusing her role as a being from Heaven, she would happily play that card.

"I'll go looking for Bell and if I see Nathan, I promise I won't let him go, even if it means getting into danger."

"Not like he would let that happen if he was with you," Mikoto said with a smile.

Welf sighed, still not liking what he was hearing. But it makes sense, in some messed up way. It just showed how shit their situation was if it meant coming to this.

"Don't worry Goddess Hestia, if I see either of them, I ain't planning on letting either of them get away for all the crap they've put us through."

Hestia smiled at Welf, the big brother of the Familia. She beamed with pride at his protectiveness towards his younger brothers, believing every word he uttered.

"Alright, so it's decided. We should meet up back at home before sunset though."

With a hum of agreement, Hestia diverted off the main street and into the back alleys, searching for her missing children. Meanwhile, the rest of the Hestia Familia continued on their way, hoping to draw out their missing friends.

"Tione could you find Riveria for me please?"

"Of course captain!" The amazon said, happily accepting any command from her beloved. Finn and Gareth heard the young woman skip down the corridor of the Twilight Manor. Gareth huffed on his pipe as he turned his attention to the desk where Finn sat, with Loki on top of the wooden surface.

"Before she arrives, best tell me your proper thoughts," Loki suggested to her two friends, her eyes narrowed to slights as she puffed a piece of vermillion hair out of her sight.

"... I think we should give the boy a chance."

Loki's eyes opened slightly. She looked back at her captain, squaring up his body posture with what he said. It was not a lie.

"And why's that?" she asked. It was not out of anger or disagreement, simple curiosity.

"I have taken into account everything after a week of thinking. While yes he did commit many atrocities and murder innocents, he was young, too young. And from what you've explained about that Goddess Hel,"

The name sent shivers up the trickster Goddess' spine just at the mention.

"He was most likely not given much of a choice. However, that doesn't excuse his actions. But over the past couple of months, he has shown good intentions, especially with Knossos."

"Where he personally sent a God back to heaven."

Loki's reminder was met with silence. She eyed both the Prum and the dwarf. Gareth just puffed his pipe before he replied.

"Sorry, but that's above our jurisdiction I'm 'fraid."

Finn agreed. Matters around deities should be judged by deities.

"Though I do agree, without his help, Knossos would've been a lot 'arder than it already was," Loki stated.

"If we use Riveria as a bridge between him and us, we could hopefully make some progress."

"Ya mean control him?"

Finn went silent at that. Loki knew what he truly meant. Just because he declared he would give the boy a chance didn't mean he trusted him. Finn still remembered that intense feeling of dread and how weak he felt in Knossos. There were six first-class adventurers and that boy somehow held the advantage. It was terrifying.

"He should be grateful for that to be honest," The Goddess continued. "Personally, if it was up to me, I'd have him stripped of his falna and imprisoned. I don't know how many deaths of my children he was involved in but one is too many in my books. But... I'll leave it to you, Finn."

With that, the Goddess hopped off the desk before turning around.

"Oh and a quick warning, don't go abusing Riveria on this. She ain't thinking clearly and it won't do her any good to be your pawn in this."

"I stand by that. The lass ain't doin' so well, make sure you have good intentions behind it."

Finn just sat behind his desk; his chin nestled into his knuckles. He glanced at his Goddess and his close friend, taking in what they said.

"All I can do is do what I can."

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

"Come in," Finn said. The three were expecting a tired-looking high-elf but to their confusement stood a slightly embarrassed amazon.

"Errm, sorry captain, but I couldn't find her."

This sparked red flags in the minds of those who knew both Riveria and Tione closely. For the amazon to fail Finn was almost unheard of and for Riveria to not be in the Twilight Manor could only mean one thing.

"I guess the first move is being made," Finn mumbled. He saw two outcomes, two paths that this go. He prayed it went down the one that didn't result in Orario being turned into ash.

Ottar watched on, his eyes were unblinking.

He watched as the young boy, Bell Cranel, stood there in the deserted area of the city. The only other person who was there was a young woman running down an alleyway.

Ottar almost thought for a second the boy would chase after the girl but he must've reconsidered. He had just rejected her confession after all. The warlord wasted no more time observing the boy, chasing after his lady. He knew what would happen next, his instincts were kicking into gear. War was long past the horizon now.

He followed Syr Flover down the streets, waiting for her to call for him. Whenever she needed something important, it was him she always called for, a privilege he humbly accepted.

His other associates were waiting for an order too. Having been instructed to follow the Hestia Familia, waiting to strike after the signal. To force the Goddess Hestia's hand to give the boy over to his lady. But also as a trap, and diversion, to bring the half-elf out of the shadows.

Ottar wasn't sure about the half-elf. The way he vanishes without a trace, how he held Allen to a draw. It was uncomforting knowing he was directing his blade towards his lady. Though he would never allow any blade to come anywhere near her skin. That would be blasphemy of the highest degree.

Ottar wasn't scared of the half-elf, very little scared the Boaz Warrior. However, that was because he was confident in his own strength. He would be able to fight and overpower whatever the half-elf throws his way. He couldn't say the same for the others, especially those below level 6.

"Ottar."

That was their concern now, Ottar had more pressing matters to attend to than worrying about other people. He silently dropped down next to his lady's side, ignoring the single tear that rolled down Syr's cheek before Freya appeared.

"Send out the signal."

"Lady Haruhime, come look at this," Mikoto said, gesturing for the Renard to come over to her. The blonde-haired girl trotted to her childhood friend's side and peered down. She smiled as glittering Jewellery reflected in her eyes.

"They're beautiful but I thought you didn't like sparkly stuff Mikoto?" Haruhime questioned the far-eastern warrior.

"Not really but I spotted them and thought you'd like them," Mikoto said, earning another smile from Haruhime.

Behind them, Welf and Lili were finishing up the order of Jagamarakun's, paying the store owner.

"Guess there are some benefits with your Goddess being the mascot for a food store," Welf said as he bit into his fried snack.

"It should be a higher discount if you ask me," Lili said as she blew on her food, not wanting to burn her tongue. Welf rolled his eyes at his stingy comrade, walking over to the two girls. He handed both of them their order and the four Hestia Familia members continued their walk through the streets. Banners, posters and bunting lined the streets. Various colours brought the roads to life as flowers, food and other goods flourished on the final day of the festival.

The group were enjoying their day, they were really trying to. They didn't try and speak about the clouds that hung over their Familia or their two missing members as it would only bring the mood down.

"Where to next?" Welf mumbled, his mouth half-full of potato. Lili unravelled the map and gave a quick examination.

"We should be able to make it to the west street before the sun starts setting, I say we head that way and by the time we finish some sight-seeing, we can stop off at the Hostess."

Lili regretted mentioning that. The horrors of last night emerged. The work, the shouting, the lecherous looks. It was really unpleasant and she wished never to do it again.

"As customers, of course," the prum girl quickly added before folding the map up again and started leading the way. The three behind her exchanged a quick look and smile, having enjoyed working there, even though it was exhausting after the waitresses left them on their own.

Welf did a quick jog to catch up to Lili as Mikoto kept walking. Haruhime tried to start walking but her Kimono got hitched under one of her sandal. As she went to release it she heard a shout.

"Look out!"

Haruhime was tackled to the floor, crashing into a nearby stall. She looked up, seeing Bronze skin and purple cloth on top of her.

"A-Aisha?" She mumbled.

The Berbera stood up quickly, readying her Padoa. Haruhime looked in between her sister's legs and a couple metres from where she had been standing was a person. They were small, wore sand-coloured armour with light blue accents. In his hand was a spear and on his armour was a crest. A crest that belonged to the city's strongest Familia.

The street stood still for a second. Only a second before chaos erupted.

Welf, Lili and Mikoto fought against the wave of fleeing people to get to Haruhime but they were halted in their paths as 4 other figures dropped down. Three of them stood at the same height as the first one that appeared. All wearing similar armour with different coloured accents and all wielding large weapons. In front of them stood a black-furred cat man, who held a silver spear and wore a devil's smile.

The street had finally cleared off all those not involved and it was now clear. Lili's eyes went wide in fear as she realised what was happening. In front of her stood Vana Freya and Bringar, executives of the Freya Familia.

Lili stood the furthest back, Mikoto and Welf just a bit ahead. Then all of a sudden, Mikoto vanished. Lili heard a crash behind her and in the place Mikoto stood, Grer Gulliver stood. He had moved at a speed her eyes couldn't comprehend.

"You bastard!" Welf shouted as he raised his greatsword but just like Mikoto, he stood no chance. His weapon was already flying through the air as Allen Frommel slashed his spear upwards, slicing through Welf's grip and drawing blood from his chest.

"Asfi help us now!" Aisha cried out.

At that moment, the Hermes Familia appeared. Had they been following them, if so why? But it wasn't like it helped.

Asfi threw a smoke bomb, trying to cause a smoke screen in which to escape. Alfrigg quickly dealt with her, sending her flying into a building. A level 4, dealt with in a mere second. The were-tiger, Falgar, didn't last as long either. Dvallin almost shrugged his attack away with his hammer. Then with another hit that looked lax, he sent the large beast man hurtling down a back alley.

"Raugh!"

Lili saw Aisha trying to fight one of the brothers, desperate to defend Haruhime. It was no use. Her Padao was shattered as soon as it came into contact with Berling's axe. The Prum then hit the Amazoness with the side of his axe and like that, the strongest members of the Hermes Familia were dealt with.

The others were now rooted to the spot, not daring to move. However, it seemed the Gulliver brothers weren't in a merciful mood as in 2 seconds, they dealt with the rest of the Hermes Familia that had come out in defence of the Hestia Familia were now collapsed on the cobbled pavement.

Lili stood there, frozen and alone. Her friends lay unconscious in rubble and their blood. Her allies that had come to her help had been dealt with like toddlers trying to fight a floor boss. It was remarkable. It was terrifying.

"A-Aisha!" Haruhime called out at watching her sister be hurt. For her cry, Dvallin walked over to her and knocked her out with the bottom end of his Hammer, wearing a sadistic smile as he did so.

Lili turned away in terror, attempting to run. She felt a breeze rush past her and in an instant, Alfrigg Gulliver stood ahead of her. She instinctively reached for her knife and went for an attack but he caught it with ease.

"So you have levelled up? I will admit, that does please me seeing other Prum's get stronger."

He then went to break her arm, Lili grimacing as she anticipated the pain. But the pain never came. All that came was more silence. She opened her eyes and could just about see Alfrigg's eyes look past her. She hesitantly turned her head and then her eyes widened too.

Everyone conscious was looking towards Dvallin and Haruhime. Then their eyes went to the person standing behind the prum, then to his sword dripping with blood and then finally to the head that was rolling along the stone street, the sand-coloured helmet falling away, showing dead, yellow eyes. The hammer fell to the floor with a clang.

"DVAAALLLLLLLIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNN!" Alfrigg cried in rage as he increased his pressure on Lili's arm, breaking it. The pain made her fall unconscious as she crumpled to the floor.

Nathan had just arrived to see the Hermes Familia be dealt with and see the prum hurt Haruhime. He wasted no time in dropping down and slicing the bastard's head off.

"DVAAALLLLLLIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNN!"

The cry from another Prum grabbed his attention as he saw Lili crumple to the ground, her arm clearly broken. He then saw Welf and Mikoto and his eyes narrowed to slits.

His eyes met Allen's for a second, a clear indication that their battle from yesterday was far from over but he was quickly dragged away from the stare down as he narrowly dodged a spear thrusted at his neck.

"YOU BASTARD I'LL KILL YOU!" Alfrigg shouted at him. At that the boy smirked, only enraging the first-class adventurer even more. The other two brothers were still in shock at their brother's apparent death.

Nathan wanted to make quick work of the Prum brothers so he could murder Allen as well for what he and Bringar had done to his friends. They had now attacked people he cared about. In Nathan's mind, they were as good as dead, it was his duty to execute them.

With a swift motion, Nathan combined his swords together as he swivelled away and then swung his double-bladed weapon at Alfrigg's head. The Prum's eyes widened, not expecting the speed the attack held.

*CRRSSHHH*

Nathan was stopped by Allen, the cat-man's spear crashing into his swords, earning a click of the tongue from the half-elf. He then broke away and emersed into a shadow behind the unconscious Renard, her unmoving body only increasing the boy's anger. And he made sure they knew it. He poured all his wrath out at his enemies, making their blood turn to ice.

"Oi, you idiots. Stay away, this ain't a fight you can win!" Allen shouted at the Prums. Having fought the boy before, he knew that the level system was bollocks when it came to the half-elf. Allen was on the same thought process as Ottar. Any of those below level 6 didn't stand a chance.

"YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO STAND BACK AFTER WHAT HE DID!" Alfrigg roared. He was the older brother of Bringar, the one who tried to keep his brothers in line. But he was also known for his outbursts of anger. Of smashing skulls of already dead people belonging to those that had angered him past a point. He became so volatile, his brothers made sure to not push him past a point through fear of making him angry at them. But this time, his brothers didn't fear his anger, Berling and Grer had shaken themselves from their stupor and shared in their brother's rage.

"YOU FUCKER!"

"I'LL FUCKING GUT YOU, YOU HEAR ME!"

For a response, Berling narrowly dodged a brick thrown at his face.

"Wait!" Allen ordered but it was ignored as Grer, still clouded by rage, flung himself in the direction in which the brick came from, baring his axe ready to cut the half-elf open. It was such an obvious trap, that even Alfrigg in his blind rage saw it. However, Grer didn't and for his anger-induced attack, he was punished.

""GRER!"" The two brothers shouted as they saw a sword pierce their brother from the side. Grer cried out in pain as he was sent hurtling into a nearby building.

Berling began to run over to him, to check if his brother was still alive but he was quickly stopped by a silver spear.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU BASTARD!"

"FUCKING THINK. DID YOU NOT SEE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!" Allen retorted. "IT'S ANOTHER TRAP! Now, like I said. Stay back, this ain't a fight you can win!"

Berling bit his tongue. He hated what was happening but he could see Allen was right. With the whole Bringar, the four brothers could take on a level 6 together with relative ease, but now one was dead and another seriously injured.

"I know how I can win," Alfrigg muttered coldly as he began walking back to where he had come from. Liliruca's body was in the middle of the street, away from any shadows. With little care, he shoved the prum girl's body up and placed his spear tip on her neck.

"Come out now, or I slice her throat open," Alfrigg said, ice in his voice. All morales had been thrown out the window now and Alfrigg would gladly live up to his ruthless reputation if he got what he wanted. He would murder every single person in Orario now if it meant he could kill the Skias Alf.

Knowing the threat was genuine, a piece of darkness broke away. Stood in the middle of the street, in the middle of the Freya Familia executives stood the half-elf. His swords were disconnected again, his right sword still dripping with Dvallin's blood.

Before any of the Freya members could say anything they became rooted to the spot. A violent wave of bloodlust overshadowed anything they had previously thought of doing. The immense pressure and weight from the wrath made their veins pop as their muscles tensed.

"Touch her, or any of them again and I will burn this city to the ground."

They wanted to argue this, to call his bluff but with one look from those jade eyes encircled by black, they could tell it was not a threat but a promise.

"Y-you killed my brother!" Alfrigg managed to say, still pressing his spear into Lili's neck, earning him a death stare that could kill a floor boss.

"Do it then!"

"W-what?"

"Do it! See what happens. They are my everything, take that away, then what."

The others didn't want to answer, still reeling from the intense bloodlust. Allen and Berling were just getting pissed off. Berling was infuriated that he couldn't move and take advantage of the half-elf being out in the open. While Allen, even though he could move under the pressure, decided to hang back and let the boy lose more control. When he attacked, he had to stay on top throughout the fight. One mistake, one slow move and that creature in front of him would punish him for it.

Berling was also worried his final brother would be attacked too and he would be on his own. That thought terrified him more than anything.

"Once everything is gone, then I'll have nothing to lose."

*CRRRSSHHHH*

The cobblestone erupted as the street erupted into pieces as lightning crackled down where the half-elf was. Bits of stone were thrown everywhere as a small dust cloud formed. Then a dark figure dashed through the dust splitting it apart with an expert swordsman's precision.

Allen felt a release from the intense bloodlust. He knew what had just happened and it pissed him off. He had wanted to take the half-elf on by himself, getting ready to attack, and he would've been able to do it sooner if the stupid prums hadn't got in his way. With everyone here, there would be no fun in it. Stood on opposing rooftops, Hedin and Hogni had an overview of the street. Their gaze looking upwards.

That confused Allen. Shouldn't they be looking down? But as the dust settled, the only thing in front of him was Alfrigg holding Hestia's prum. He then followed the elves gaze and it only served to piss him off even more.

Stood above them all, on blackish green wind, the half-elf was perched.

"Why are you here?" Allen asked.

"After feeling one of her blessings go away, she sent us to deal with the problem," Hedin calmly stated.

"I could've dealt with it!" Allen retorted.

"Clearly," Hedin said as his golden eyes moved towards the beheaded Dvallin and the wounded Grer. He could still see the second prum breathing at the very least. His gaze then went back to the half-elf above them.

Hedin was about to announce that the boy should surrender. That he had no chance of winning and that their lady would have Bell Cranel by the end of the day. That he should accept it and die quickly to save his friend's lives. But he was stopped, they all were. Not by an overwhelming pressure of bloodlust or wrath. No, this time, they were stopped by a simple thing. A smile.

It was the most sadistic, evil, corrupt smile any of them had seen. It was disturbing and held only malice that promised to deliver untold pain and horror to them all. Then the words that followed only cemented their thoughts.

"If you're here, then that only leaves..."

The creature's voice trailed off as he looked off towards a direction. All their eyes went wide. They wasted no time. Hedin and Hogni threw magic towards the floating half-elf while Allen leapt with such fury and speed that he left after-images. But it was too late.

Nathan batted the magic away with his swords then dropped under Allen's attack before pushing off his wind platform. Alfrigg watched as the half-elf darted away across the sky. He had left his friends behind, Liliruca was still in his grasp. Allen, Hedin and Hogni raced off after the half-elf, hoping to beat him to their lady. Alfrigg wanted to follow, he knew he should... but he couldn't.

He shuffled over to the corpse of his deceased brother and fell to his knees. He heard Berling go over to Grer and for some relief, his brother groaned as Berling picked him up. That meant he was alive. But that didn't fix this. It didn't bring Dvallin back as well.

Alfrigg grabbed at a brick next to his brother's dead body, crushing it into dust as he struggled to control himself. His first-class aura radiated pain and anger.

"Alfrigg, what now?"

Alfrigg didn't turn to face Berling, his brow furrowing in anger. He simply stood, up picked up his deceased brother's weapon and began walking.

"We follow our lady's orders... to the very end."

A Freya Familia executive has been killed. How will this affect the city and the upcoming war. How will Freya view and treat Nathan from now on. Only time will tell.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you expected a death on this level so soon. It seemed effortless to Nathan, wonder how he will "deal" with the others in the upcoming war, tell me your thoughts and how you think it'll play out.

The reviews:

NinjaFang1331 - Cheers my guy, appreciated.

Guest - Thanks and yh, Shakti was out of her depth there but she is still the captain of the largest Familia in the city, don't count her out just yet.

Sora Stream - That is Nathan's plan, didn't you see his smile at the end. I ain't planning the same conclusion in the books with Freya getting let off, not with what she will do in this story. The diverson from Canon has begun now, look forward to it. And thanks for the support.

As always, thanks for reading and I'll see ya next time, Peace!