It still baffled him how it was possible for a man to move that fast.

Wind brushed Finn's hair, but he wasn't fooled by the light breeze and quickly shielded his face with his arms before the gale force of a shockwave hit.

The air was literally rippling in Rider's wake as he pushed onward on his chariot, leaving conical cloud-shaped formation in the sky.

The green blur of Rider's spear was all that could be seen; its swiftness and precision akin to a lightning storm that raised the ground to powder and mottled it full of holes.

The charging beasts that headed in their direction were decimated, and greatly discouraged other beasts from running in the same direction.

With a single act alone, one man was able to change the course of a battlefield.

It wasn't as if this result was unexpected given Rider's performance in Orario, but the result did not fail to take people's breaths away.

Finn subtly noted the silence pervading through the raid party, primarily from the newcomers who stood gawking or pensive.

The Amazon Queen looked lost for words, having been staring at every party member like trash seconds before trying to mobilize her forces to aid Rider. However, the effort was evidently moot.

Meanwhile, Finn focused on the people that Ares sent to help in the raid, specifically, the Crozzos who'd been hounding the Hephaestus Familia throughout the journey. Most of the blacksmith's appeared put off and irate, but the Crozzos were insistent due to certain political maneuverings.

Finn had half a mind to believe this demonstration was for them. They likely did not have a proper grasp of what it meant to be classified as a 'Demi-God.'

Rumors had already spread to the recent additions of the raid about the miracle of Gods bearing offspring, but that reality just hadn't hit home quite yet until now.

Using Rider as a reference, it could be inferred the level of skill Shirou and Archer possessed.

Then for the Crozzos to realize they'd been badgering someone on that level throughout the journey, and their pale expressions and awkward stances were understandable.

Rider's initiative and skill was one thing, but it was another entirely to realize that Rider had moved on Shirou's request. That fact was also dawning on the Crozzos.

Serves them right.

The Hephaestus Familia were gloating over the Crozzo's sudden meekness, but Finn wouldn't allow himself to get caught up in the pettiness.

He focused on Rider instead, marveling at his figure riding through the skies on mighty horses, his lance a blur of motion that seemed to effortlessly cleave through opposition.

Finn shuddered just thinking about Rider's level in a war as a certain army's Finest Warrior, of that Finn had no doubts.

That kind of power and skill still eluded Finn.

From the very beginning, Finn's life had never been easy. His very name was one he took only after the tragedy and betrayal of the mountain village he grew up in.

Attacked and ravaged by monsters, the other Pallums in Finn's village fled, leaving Finn and his parents behind.

Due to Finn's skill and drive for knowledge and skill, he'd once been seen as the village's sage, but people revealed their true colors in crisis. While Finn tried to save others, except for his parents, those very same people abandoned him to die in the village.

On that day, he learned of despair as he buried his parents and laid them to rest, but through them, determination was born.

Through his parents' sacrifice, Finn learned courage, resolving himself to be the light of the Pallums.

Finn thought he'd already come a long way from the weak child he once was, but recent events had humbled him beyond his wildest imagination.

The moment Finn had raised his arms to shield his face, the shockwave came and nearly threw him off of his feat.

Finn grunted.

As a Pallum, he retained a child-like appearance and stature which wasn't the most suitable on the battlefield. If there were divisions in certain fighting competitions, then Finn didn't even qualify to participate in the lightest weight category.

Holding fast to his spear, Finn firmly dug the tip deep into the ground, and used the spear's sturdy metal as leverage to maintain his position. However, a hand patted his shoulder, and no sooner did the effects of the wind and its force diminish completely.

"Thanks," Finn nodded at Riveria who cast stabilization magic on him.

Releasing his grip on his spear, Finn holstered it back over his back.

"No need for thanks," Riveria replied calmly, but Finn could see a certain agitation within her that wasn't directed at him.

Following Riveria's gaze to the sky, it was clear that her attention was on Rider alone.

"It's just ridiculous, isn't it?" Riveria finally said with a heavy tone. "That level of power and ability? What's worse is that I have no confidence in winning even if Rider had never trained a day in his life."

Birthright had never been a baseline comparison for how well a mortal could progress in power in this world, but this was just a little too much. No, it was far too much.

One could be born into royalty, both elven or human alike, and could attain status and resources to gain power, but in the end, potential and hard work was what mattered.

People were born the same, and the difference stemmed from opportunity. That much was intuitive, but in the surreal case of a Demi-God, it was a matter of blood and authority.

"Confidence?" Finn shuddered in good faith and humor. "Even if Rider didn't train a day in his life, it wouldn't be just him I'd worry about."

"What do you-oh." Riveria scowled while Finn grinned, gesturing to the only voice in the silence of Rider's performance.

("What a warrior! Look at him go! None of you can even touch him! Peleus hurry, r-recording magic, keep the grip steady!")

Thetis's performance was no less stunning than her son's but in a far different manner that attracted just as much attention.

Poor Peleus.

Don't get her wrong though, but Thetis's affection was evidently the sort that would force her to act in grief and concern for her child.

What Finn was hinting at was whether Riveria would have confidence in dealing with the fall out should they manage to defeat or harm Rider.

To which Riveria's answer was a scrunched expression that bordered on helplessness.

"Imagine what Loki would do if she had a child and someone harmed him or her?" Finn further proposed.

"..." Riveria's mouth locked shut as her thoughts began to drift in realization.

"Right. That's what I mean."

Finn shrugged and shared his long-thought out insights.

"When going against a Demi-God, it's not just them one should consider, but the actions of their parents as well," Finn spoke with wisdom, having struck a blow right to the heart of the matter. "There's nothing a parent won't do for their child."

Finn knew that best from his own past.

But there was also something else that perked Finn's interest the most.

"On another point, did you know what Archer said? He said we may reach Rider and his strength the more we can channel our God's divinity through our bodies, namely through Levels."

Both Demi-Gods and Familia run on a system of augmented Divinity.

The only thing that separates a Demi-God from a regular Familia member was the compatibility and use of Divinity.

If Demi-Gods were born with unabated access to their parent's blood and Authority, then a Familia member had to let their bodies adapt to their patron God's divinity to reach the same level.

In essence, same power, different conduits.

"We have nothing to be discouraged over," Finn said boldly. "What we should do is stare at them as a benchmark for what we hope to become."

Finn's muscles still ache from Archer's training, but the trade off in skill and ability was glaringly noticeable.

Riveria was the same. Often associated as a scholarly type, Finn would never forget the morning he saw Riveria staring blankly at herself. Having worn a tank top and shorts for the day's stamina training, Riveria was flustered in wonderment as she stared at a burgeoning set of abs showing on her stomach.

It was an expression only a thin-bodied recluse could have or understand when seeing the first effects of 'bulking' up with actual muscle definition.

"Ahem, yes, well, he's a good teacher," Riveria coughed and puffed her chest up. "Though, he can be a bit too much at times."

"You mean Spartan?" Finn felt a shiver travel down his back. "Even Ares would not push his warriors to such limits, nor encourage a fighting style like Pankration and its focus on lethal blows. Makes you realize how much he was holding back before…"

Riveria did not comment, her lips pursing as she shook her head and refocused on the present circumstances.

Rider was all but finished clearing the way of charging beasts while letting the rest scatter in random directions. All that would be left from here was the path to the One-Eyed Black Dragon.

"Finn," Riveria whispered solemnly, dismissing the magic protecting her and Finn as Rider's shockwaves abated.

"Yes?" Finn quirked a brow.

"What do you think we can even do on this raid as we are now?"

Finn opened his mouth, then closed it.

'Right. What could they do?'

"When you think about it, it would take a majority of us just to stall or hope to take Rider down, and there's no telling the One-Black Dragon's true strength. If it's able to overpower Rider and the others, do you think it would even flinch at our attacks?"

The answer was a definite no.

Then what was the point of them coming, publicity?

It made the most logical sense to Finn if Rider and his group could take down the One-Eyed Black Dragon on their own, but Finn still had his doubts.

The One-Eyed Black Dragon was no pushover. Just from the overwhelming aura and force permeating the surroundings, Finn could gauge the strength of their adversary.

It was like no other monster Finn had ever faced. One would feel fear when faced against something that could threaten their life, but this was closer to resignation.

Whereas one could fight and strive for the chance to live or achieve victory, the feeling now was different. To fight it would guarantee death.

Finn could only imagine the feeling the former Zeus and Hera Familias felt when their warriors and adventurers fared off against the Black Dragon.

"Regardless of what we can achieve or not, do you think our time here has been wasted?" Finn asked Riveria.

At the very least, the trip was not without merit or gain. The increase in their strength to reach the next level was not small. Even Riveria could not find fault in this.

Riveria hummed in thought, acknowledging the point.

"Where's Loki?" Riveria glanced around for their patron God.

Finn grunted and pointed to a particular wagon. Loki was sitting with the wagon driver at the front with her arms crossed and expression flat. "Keeping an eye on Ais so she doesn't get any ideas."

Now more than ever as everyone had heard the Dragon's roar in the distance.

"Don't die again, or at least try to leave a corpse for Caster," Riveria said sternly. "I will do the same."

"Avoid any breath attacks. Won't be much left if you're ashes," Finn cautioned before falling silent again.

A disturbance was causing speculation in the raid party, causing both Riveria and Finn to glance over.

One of Goddess Iris's Mist Gates opened with the exhausted and bespectacled Goddess herself falling through before others began emerging through the mist behind her.

The distance Iris had been forced to use her Authority had all but drained her dry of power.

There was a reason the raid party had to march all the way here instead of being transported, and it was due to the toll on Iris.

She would not have dared to do this ordinarily, as the strain increased in proportion to the number of people passing through the mist, but this was an outlying case from an old boss's pushiness.

Besides, the overall size of the group was far smaller than the entire raid party.

An old man stepped through with the hood he kept over his face pulled down to reveal solemn Greek features and a white beard. His complexion was far paler than what most remembered, as if he were suffering from a severe bout of anemia, but there was conviction in his aged eyes.

Murmurs instantly rippled through the crowd from Orario.

The piercing exclamation of 'Gramps!' was entirely drowned out by the cacophony of startled noises at those who recognized the old man.

Zeus, Greek God of the Sky and Ruler of the Mountaintops and Clouds. He was the former leader of one of Orario's foremost Familias.

Regardless of the noise, Zeus only had eyes for one individual present, Heracles.

The two made eye-contact, something everyone was taking note of, but Archer remained silent. Zeus opened his mouth but couldn't find the words he wished to speak and ultimately closed it in resigned silence. He turned his gaze away while Archer remained firm, his valiance shining through.

Familial tension?

Many like Finn and Riveria could see it clear as day, but there wasn't much time to dwell over the issue as Zeus had not come alone.

One by one, top members from Zeus's Familia appeared, having been brought back from the grave. Of course, it wasn't all of them, but Zeus had had to give up much life blood to rouse a few of his former elites.

The same was true of the next Goddess to pass through the mist:

Goddess Astraea, accompanied by Ryuu Lion, and two other women both carrying swords. One dressed in an eastern attire kimono and the other a western light-leather armor.

Just like the Zeus Familia, the women Astraea brought were looking at everyone and everything as if they'd time-traveled from an earlier age.

For the most part, the two women, Alise Lovell and Gojouno Kaguya, were relying on Ryuu despite Ryuu having left the Astraea Familia. It was all that they could do since Astraea herself had left Orario behind and knew little more than the standard knowledge.

And then there were the last two to pass through the mist.

"Hmph." Caster snorted as all the attention fell on him. He was accompanied by none other than Alfia and a posing sheep Apollo on his head.

Little did Caster know that the majority of attention wasn't on him, but on Alfia whose notoriety in Orario was well known to those that had been directly or indirectly affected by her prior actions.

However, there was little time to address former grievances.

A gale force of wind passed by as an armored charioteer leapt out of the sky and landed on with a heavy thump on the ground.

"Brace yourselves." Rider said to everyone upon landing and staring into the distance. "It's coming."

By 'it,' everyone understood who Rider was alluding to. A raid party of their current size was unprecedented, and there was no way the Black Dragon's senses could be so weak.

"How much time do we have?" Shirou pushed through the crowd and asked.

Finn perked his ears while waiting for the answer, much like everyone else.

"At most, twenty minutes." Rider specified, having taken precaution to avoid an immediate battle that could sweep up the weaker members of the Raid team. "It can feel the presence of our group, but it doesn't have a specific location. I've sent out my chariot to distract it in order to give us a couple more minutes."

Nodding his head at the expected news, Shirou called out to Ortlinde who gently descended down from where she was floating in the air. As a remote unit, the Valkyrie was communing with her fellow sisters.

"Ortlinde, how far away are the others?" Shirou asked.

"Saber and my other counterparts are on their way," Ortlinde replied mechanically, pausing as a new bit of information entered her data space. "But Berserker was suddenly flooded by a horde of beasts and will be delayed."

"Sorry," Rider sheepishly scratched the back of his head, knowing he was likely the reason behind that.

It was just that Rider had no need to kill off all the beasts that weren't running in the group's direction. The effort was much better suited for surveying the Black Dragon and conserving his strength.

Besides, with Karna protecting a city and Berserker reducing the numbers further, it balances out.

Of course, that leaves them down both Lancer and Berserker, but the current party composition should be more than enough to contend with the Dragon.

Coming to a firm conclusion, a single order was issued that mobilized the entire raid party.

"Ready yourselves for battle!"

Tension rose as the advent of battle was drawing to a head.

This was a battle Alfia could not afford to miss, for her mental sake if nothing else. And yet, standing here amid distrustful gazes and barely held contempt, Alfia could say with certainty that she never could have had imagined experiencing this.

Helping Caster set up a medical base, Alfia found it woefully ironic that someone as formerly strong as her was reduced to a backline nurse position in a raid.

Everyone was gearing up for battle, regardless of weak or strong as they rallied behind those who carried the torch of their confidence.

Admittedly, this was a first for Alfia. Back in the day, it was her carrying the torch, not gazing upon it.

The difference was jarring, such that Alfia couldn't even laugh.

No, she actually did. A flicker of a giggle escaped her lips at the absurdity. The difference in mental state between then and now was the direct cause.

Though strong back then, she was impaired by ailment, constantly moody. In contrast, she was weak now, but cured of her illness with hopes of curing even her bedridden sister. Her spirits were in happier places.

A pessimist nihilist, Alfia had always resented the world she and her sister were born into. It was a curse. A potential to be the best, but a sickness that would always prevent it.

Then what was all this?

She'd been saved, and it practically cracked any former sentiments she'd used to have over the life the world dealt her.

"You're wasting time," Caster's gruff tone interrupted Alfia's melancholy. "Set up the beds before the battle happens. I will erect a divine magic ward."

Brow twitching, Alfia glanced at Caster and sent the blockhead a meaningful stare. Well, the best she could muster as she had never been an expressive person. A smile would suffice, but unknowingly, it appeared all too sinister in the eyes of the others who formerly knew her.

"Patient is experiencing facial paralysis."

The smile on Alfia's face froze as Caster took out Alfia's patient notebook and began jotting down his flawed observations.

"Locked jaw? Her lips are twisted at an odd angle, and she may be hard of hearing? Testing, can you hear me?"

"…"

"Patient appears deaf. May need more blood dosage to cure further ailments. Is the divine blood of others Gods too diluted to prove fully effective?"

"Can you hear me?" Caster repeated again.

Alfia's response was to glance between her hand and a sterile hacksaw used for amputations.

"Mental impairment? I said set the beds, not grab the saw. Tch, that's what happens when you work with subpar material-"

"You're not winning son." Apollo interrupted Caster's note taking with sweat forming on its beady face.

"Shut up," Caster closed his patient notebook and growled irritably at the sheep on his head.

"No really, you need more pizazz and delicacy- why do you keep throwing me?!"

Alfia suppressed herself and forcibly began setting the beds as Caster had directed. She owed too much to Caster to be resentful of him now especially when she knew her own personality hadn't been the most endearing.

Though, this humiliation did ignite the drive within Alfia.

She would need to hunt down Hera to have any chance of that psychopathic woman offering her blood to help her and her deceased Familia members recover.

As Caster threw a fit at Apollo, Alfia reminisced while observing the Raid party preparing for battle.

Rider, Archer, Shirou, and Ortlinde stood together at the front of formation led by the Zeus and Loki Familia members, while the other participants gained distance so as not to affect the stronger members.

Alfia blinked, and for a moment, her mind drifted back to the past.

Rider, Archer, Shirou, and Ortlinde were replaced with herself, and her fellow Captain and Vice Captains of the Zeus and Hera Familias all those years ago. Behind them, were the bulk of each Familia's elite forces.

They too had been just as confident, just as eager to put an end to the Grand Quest, and yet that Dragon was far beyond the other two. Behemoth was manageable, Leviathan had been difficult, but the One-Eyed Black Dragon…it was a despair inducing nightmare.

Alfia blinked again, and the memory of herself surviving in a field of her Familias charred corpses appeared, ashes blowing in the breeze as blood dripped from numerous injuries across her body.

Once more, that feeling was coming back. The dread, the horror, the unspeakable feeling of helplessness at the future.

If the One-Eyed Black Dragon was this strong after coming out of Orario's Dungeon, then just how strong were those still at the bottom?

Regardless, now was not the time.

Soon.

"Ten minutes." Rider's voice echoed out in warning for all those still preparing themselves.

"Eight."

"Six."

"Five."

Fierce winds were beginning to create storms in the distance, revealing the frightening accuracy of Rider's battle sense.

As the time drew shorter and shorter, the raid party grew quieter and quieter.

Alfia had already moved away from setting up beds with Caster, and walked to the edge of the Divine boundary Caster had created through Territory Creation. Swallowing, she stared into the horizon where everyone else was looking towards.

Just like that day, she could feel it coming.

Thunder echoed with the sound of a roar causing reverberations in the air.

A primal terror was welling up from deep within.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

-!

Only seconds remained, and the sky in the horizon had been ripped asunder in wake of the wing-beats of black reptilian scales. Blue highlights formed flame-like patterns throughout a sleek yet massive body.

One eye was blinded from a scar that ran perpendicular to the destroyed iris, but the remaining eye possessed a madness that permeated all across the soaring body.

'We meet again.'

A shudder travelled down Alfia's back at the sight, as Caster clicked his tongue and pulled her deeper into his protection ward.

"BRACE!" Rider yelled, eyes widening as he lifted his shield up in front of him.

An overwhelming magic force quickly pressed down over the entire area.

There was no time wasted in sizing up the enemy. It was already attacking even without fully closing the distance.

The Black Dragon was attacking from the moment it appeared, its maw stretched wide as it swooped through the clouds.

A swell of magic energy illuminated the area in an azure glow, as an orb of burgeoning hellfire flickered to life in the Dragon's exposed throat, gouts of flame leaking through its teeth.

An incandescent Dragon Breath shot outward, washing the sky with unrelenting blue flame.

"Ákafiloga All-gríð!"

A torrential fire encompassed everyone's sight.

Thanks for reading! And Thanks to my newest patron: Becky and Zurgthegreat!

Free web novel :[The Apostate in Grim Fantasy] (For those that asked, the web novel is available on webnovel and the patron main page, leave a review if you'd like! New goal is 20 reviews)

Next update: Huntsman V2

P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious

Book links:

Fatedlegacydark

New Book: Out on Amazon (Remove dash on link)

Survivor's Log Reflection: Amazon.c-om/dp/B08VDDGN7Z?