A lovely {insert time of the day} to you lot! I'm sorry it took a bit but here's the next chapter where the previous arc closes and another one begins. This arc will be a little bit on the shorter side as compared to the first arc, with this one being mostly composed of action and fighting, and with a little bit of storytelling at the side just to give some perspective as to what's happening behind the scenes with Evilus and its associations, I'll probably take as much time as I did this chapter to release the next one as I'm busy juggling schoolwork, studies, hobbies, and other responsibilities. Also, I just noticed that it's been one year since the story first came out, we honestly should be much further into the story, probably around the middle of it by now had I not had the story put on a bit of a hiatus first... as well as having had to start over due to a lack of planning on my part, so that's a bummer, not to worry though as I've got it all mostly figured out by now and just polishing around the edges a bit now. Anyways, I'll keep it short and sweet for now, happy reading!
I do not own Danmachi
Chapter XIV: Incursion
Third Person POV:
In the blink of an eye, an uneventful month had gone by. It was just as any other day in Orario, with people going about their usual modus vivendi, from regular civilians busying themselves in their day-to-day work and responsibilities to the adventurer population of the walled city that went dungeon-diving and labored to earn their bread for themselves and their Familias in the way they knew how.
Such monotony would be of no concern to some if it weren't for the higher-than-usual reported cases of Rakian spies being identified and detained by the Ganesha Familia, which were easily two to three times higher than the previous five to six reported cases per month or so. Rakia was a kingdom, or more accurately, an entire Familia consisting of around six hundred thousand members, with the God of War Ares as its figurehead, situated a respectable distance to the West of Orario, they were a belligerent kingdom that was constantly at war with its surrounding sovereigns. Now, a citizen of Orario would be forgiven for brushing the situation lightly; though with a bit of unease and anxiety, for they were familiar with the might of the Rakian Nation, or more specifically, its shortcomings in that department.
With sieges and invasions attempted again and again in the past, which usually resulted in laughable failure time and time again, resulting from the appalling discrepancy of strength the adventurers of Orario possessed as compared to those of the Rakian ranks, who have an overall average level of two and a half compared to Orario's four and a half, it was simply too large of a margin to be closed. Orario had simply, over time, grown numb and nonchalant about the threat of the Rakian Lion to them, or its lack thereof.
In one of the few less-than-accommodating interrogation chambers that the Ganesha Familia owned, a table was situated in the middle of the windowless room, with two wooden chairs on opposing ends of it. A bald man with a beard sat silently on one side, clutching his hands together as he avoided meeting the gaze of the woman in front of him; Shakti Varma, the Ankusha and Captain of the Ganesha Familia, nor those of the two guards standing behind her.
Sighing to herself while nursing an incoming headache, she was really starting to find the antics of the God of War ridiculous. Even though Orario doesn't suffer any damage from the repeated failed attempts of the Rakian nation to claim the labyrinth city as their own, it was still a massive inconvenience, which she did not need more of in her already very busy and hectic life.
'Well, might as well get this over with...'
She thought to herself as she audibly cleared her throat to get the man's attention, she did but the man didn't react
"So, do you have a name?"
"..."
She asked as the man simply remained silent, indicating he'd rather not identify himself
She clicked her tongue at the uncooperative and apathetic attitude the man displayed but bit her tongue back before she could say something that could potentially worsen his attitude, she needed him to cooperate so she'll begrudgingly hold back any retorts or insults she might deliver.
"Are you from here or did you come all the way from Rakia?"
She tried asking him again, but once again, she was met with silence, which made her sigh and shake her head
"How many more of you are there?"
She didn't expect an answer, as with the previous two, but if he did decide to bite this time, she'll see what she can get out of him
"..."
Once again, silence overcame the room as the man refused to answer her question
Shakti, seeing this, shook her head and promptly stood up from her chair
"Well, let's just hope we're ready for the Rakian Army's war machine this time"
She couldn't help but say those words in a sarcastic manner, poking fun at the capabilities of the man's allegiance
Before she could exit the room though, they heard the man chuckling to himself, the baritone oscillation of notes in his throat overpowering the awkward silence earlier
"Oh? Are we in a talking mood now?"
Shakti raised an eyebrow as she stopped by the front of the door to the door, a hand outstretched intending to grab the knob
"Hehehe, you best pray to all the gods tonight Miss... not that it'll matter"
His eyes met hers and she felt a chill go up her spine
Normally, spies that were caught and being interrogated would be reduced to nervous wrecks after realizing how much of a discrepancy in power between Orario and their own nation, but strangely enough, this man seemed unperturbed, disappointed even as he continued chuckling to himself, which unnerved the blue-haired woman.
'He seems awfully confident... does Rakia have so-'
Before she could finish that thought, a frantic set of knocks on the door was heard, each knock on the metal door producing heart-dropping sounds as they reverberated throughout the four walls of the confinement.
One of the guards took the liberty of opening the door, as an Amazoness with fiery red hair burst into the room, breathless and panicked
"Ilta? What's the ma-"
"Rakia's here! Orario's under attack!"
Her sharp interjection rudely cut off her Captain's words as Shakti and the two other guards raised an eyebrow at her
"Is it really that big of a deal? The Loki Familia can take care of the situation with their second-rate adventurers"
One of the two guards joked as both snickered, but Shakti felt like something was very much wrong if the man's behavior earlier was anything to go by
"No! This time it's different! Even our level four adventurers are getting beaten back!"
She finally caught her breath as she briefed them about the situation in full
"What?! That's impossible!"
One of the guards exclaimed in disbelief at her words, that the Rakian Army, which consisted of soldiers that were level three at the very best, to be able to push back even level four adventurers, the thought was simply ludicrous
Shakti furrowed her eyebrows before turning to take a look at the man, whose earlier chuckling had graduated into full-blown laughter
Clicking her tongue, she issued orders to mobilize as they escorted the detainee back to his cell
...
Finn was sorting through some paperwork, finishing up his quota for the day when his stomach grumbled
'Just a bit more and then I'll go grab something to eat...'
Sighing to himself whilst his stomach audibly protested his deliberate act of withholding sustenance.
He was beginning to feel the slightest of throbs of his thumb, which got his attention, but before he could think about it, he was interrupted
Cutting through the monotonous silence, hurried knocks were heard from the door to his office
He raised an eyebrow as he put down the pen he was using to write, then called out for them to enter
Opening the door, Riveria, Gareth, Loki, as well as Raul entered the room, all were wearing troubled expressions on their faces
The throbbing felt on his thumb began easing into a more intense one, concerning him
"What's this about?"
Finn commented about their visit and their demeanor
"There's... a bit of a situation..."
Riveria started as Finn raised an eyebrow
"Captain! The second-rate adventurers we sent to deal with the Rakian Invasion force earlier were reported to have been defeated and are now currently receiving medical treatment for serious injuries!"
Raul filled in, the urgency of his voice and the pressing news effectively made Finn stand up from the shock
He needn't look at Loki for confirmation to tell that Raul was completely serious, he wasn't the type of person to joke about such a situation
"Who's keeping the invasion force at bay if that's the case?"
The Prum asked as he swiftly kept the documents he had been doing earlier
"Adventurers from various other Familias, Thor, Dellingr, Magni, Modi, Serket, and various other Familias are keeping them at bay, it's only a matter of time before they cave too!"
Raul urged them to act quickly, which they were all too obliged to do
"Alright! Rally all of ours leveled four and above and have them ready in ten minutes, we move out at once!"
Riveria, Gareth, and Raul nodded as they all rushed to rally the rest
"Loki, what's your take on this?"
He finally addressed the redhead alcoholic God, who stood silently since entering the room, having her arms crossed the entire time
"Dunno, Ares probably has a trick up his sleeve this time. Either way, you kids be careful out there, he might throw you some curveballs nothing like before"
The Trickster Goddess warned the Prum as he nodded in acknowledgment and went out to get ready himself
...
Outside the protective walls of Orario, on the vast meadows surrounding the city, a chaotic battle was taking place. Torchlights illuminating the battlefield, driving away the darkness of the night and providing the ability to see for both friend and foe alike, the Rakian invasion force clashed with the adventurers of Orario, all of whom were struggling to keep their adversaries at bay
The cacophonous clanging of metal was ubiquitous, as the numerous combatants connected weapons again and again
"HAAH!!"
An adventurer leaped a few meters into the air and brought down his sword on a Rakian soldier clad in body armor, which would have dealt critical damage if it weren't for the fact that it was blocked by the soldier, leaving him vulnerable to a devastating blow to the abdomen as he was sent shooting off into the distance, down for the count
The soldier smirked to himself before two more adventurers rushed him, their weapons in hand
"That's right! Keep 'em coming!"
The soldier mocked as he took them both on as well
Elsewhere, there was some more success on the part of Orario's defenders this time
"Urk!!!"
A Rakian soldier doubled over from the nasty blow inflicted on his poor abdomen, the air was forced out of his lungs as he dropped unconscious
"Woah there girl, take it easy!"
Three more Rakian soldiers approached the bare-handed Amazoness, expecting to overwhelm her with their numbers, but were unpleasantly surprised to find her overwhelming them instead
Before they could rush her, she closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and walloped their unfortunate bottoms to next week
"Hah, that's a good workout!"
She commented as she wiped off a bit of blood from her cheek that came from a soldier after getting slugged in the face
"Goodness Lia, don't kill the poor bastards"
A dwarf adventurer approached and reprimanded her, to which she simply chuckled
"Oh calm down will you Grumpy Pete? I'm just giving them a few love taps, 's all!"
She said cheerfully as she rushed toward a few more unfortunate souls that bore witness to her mania
The dwarf named Peter simply shook his head in resignation as he muttered to himself
"Love taps she says..."
His eyes fell onto the disfigured, unrecognizable faces of the barely alive Rakian soldiers who were unlucky enough to be her victims
.
"Get some!"
A Chienthrope adventurer yelled out as he unleashed a barrage of attacks with his spear, holding two Rakian soldiers at bay as they focused on defending themselves
Unrelenting and indefatigable, he maintained the ferocity of his attacks as it seemed that nothing could stop it, save for a wound to the back inflicted by a third soldier
"Ack!"
Staggering from the pain as his onslaught was forcibly dispelled, he turned to glare at his assailant
"Don't get too full of yerself now kid!"
A large Rakian soldier chuckled as he raised his bloodied sword and brought it down once more to get rid of the blood dripping on the sharp piece of metal
"Gh! You've gone and done it!"
He rushed him, only to be beaten back by all three of the soldiers who ganged up on him, dealing multiple blows of varying severity to him as he was left a crumpled, bloody, and pathetic mess on the ground in front of the three soldiers' feet
"Heh, not so confident now are ya?"
One of them mocked as the two joined in the laughter
"Kh!"
His senses were overwhelmed with pain, yet he refused to die in such a pathetic manner. Clenching his jaw hard, he forced himself to get to one knee and then got up on both his wobbly legs as the soldiers' laughs intensified
"Ya' sure kid? How about you go home now and cry to Mama while we're still feeling generous"
One of the soldiers mocked, even lowering his weapon to add insult to injury
"Fuck you!"
He cursed as he pointed his sword at them, which immediately turned their snickers into deep frowns
The man then raised his sword above his head, fully intending to end the Chienthrope's life
"It's your funeral, kid"
But before he could bring it down, a whirlwind of green aura zipped toward them and took care of all three soldiers at once
"W-Wha-?"
The young adventurer exclaimed in surprise as the source of the whirlwind stopped in front of his eyes
"S-Sword Princess!"
He cried out jubilantly, now they could finally turn the tide of the battle in their favor
Ais temporarily disabled her magic before nodding
"Here"
With one swift and efficient motion, she took out a health potion from her leg strap and offered it to him, which the boy gratefully took
"Thank you so much! Now let's bite back and send them away with their tails tucked behind their legs!"
He enthusiastically exclaimed, which confused the blonde swordswoman
'Tails? But they don't have...'
She disregarded the thought and nodded at the boy, it was probably a figure of speech, she figured
"Mm, don't bite off more Jagamarukun than what you can chew... or whatever Riveria said..."
Before the adventurer could respond to her peculiar statement, she reactivated her Temptest and rushed the enemy ranks
.
"Loki Familia's here!"
An adventurer jovially cried out to the rest of the weary adventurers, who all breathed a sigh of relief. It was about time backup showed up as any longer and their defenses would've crumbled and fallen to the enemy
"Fight on everybody! Follow the Sword Princess' lead!"
One of the adventurers of Orario; a cat-person, motioned as the rest renewed their attacks with newfound vigor, fighting harder than before against the Rakian soldiers who started getting pushed back from the collective effort of Orario's adventurers
.
"ORAAA!!!"
The Hiryute sisters were currently busy facing down against a large group of Rakian soldiers, easily a dozen or so
The cheerier sister crushed all those in her way with a mighty swing of her Urga, dealing great damage to those bold enough to face her
"Come on!"
With an almost bloodthirsty smile on her face kudos to her Amazoness blood, she tore through the enemy and took them down one by one
Tiona was more raw and unrestrained in her attacks while Tione only took care of the ones that were getting a little bit too cheeky for their own good; trying to flank her from behind and take her out
""""HAA!!!""""
Four Rakian soldiers rushed the Jörmungandr of the Loki Familia as she stood unperturbed
"You know, I hate it when guys are persistent!"
With one clean and efficient motion, she took out her Kukri knives and struck down all four
'I'm easily two levels higher than them...'
She thought to herself, troubling her a bit
If the foot soldiers were about as strong as a level four adventurer, how much more would the generals be?
"Yahoo Tione! You finished up over here?"
Tiona cheerfully approached her twin with a spring in her step and her Urga in hand
"Yeah, let's go and help the others"
In agreement, they went to help out their other fellow adventurers who struggled against the enemy
.
Riveria stood next to Finn and Gareth as the three executives simply observed the unfolding battle from afar to try and get a hold of the situation
They didn't immediately feel the need to jump in for it appears that the defense force of Orario bolstered by the Loki Familia's first-rate adventurers were adequately forcing back the enemy
"Any signs of the Freya Familia yet?"
Finn asked Riveria as she scrutinized the battlefield for any identifiable member of the strongest Familia in Orario
Furrowing her eyebrows, Riveria found nobody notable
"Either Freya Familia sent out their second or even third-rate members or they're not here at all..."
She admitted, earning a huff from Gareth, and a sigh from Finn as he shook his head
"Typical of Freya to do whatever she wants no matter the situation..."
The Prum muttered under his breath
"Well, guess that means we'll just have to handle this ourselves, eh Finn?"
Gareth pointed out the silver lining as Riveria found herself agreeing with the dwarf
"Indeed, while their strength could definitely help us finish things up a lot sooner, we can handle this without them"
Riveria added with a small smile on her face
After that, the conversation died down as silence once more enveloped the three, which would be broken by Riveria voicing out her observations
Hmm... it seems the foot soldiers aren't too much for them, but they seem to be much stronger than usual..."
Riveria stroked her chin, preoccupied by the worrying thought
"Well, however theys did it, it can't be natural, there's no way theys would strengthen their ranks that much in such a short time"
Gareth mused out loud as well, sharing his own thoughts on the matter
"So we're all in agreement that something's not right here?"
Finn asked as the two nodded
Biting his throbbing thumb, he continued to watch the distant scene unfolding
'Just what do you have up your sleeve this time? Lord Ares'
He bit at his aching thumb
.
"Piss off!!!"
A powerful kick sent two Rakian soldiers shooting off toward their comrades as they all collided and were rendered FUBAR
"Tch! Weakling punks!"
The chronically irritable werewolf of the Loki Familia was also having his share of the fun handing the enemy's behinds to them
Twelve more Rakian soldiers circled the werewolf and were fast approaching, more than eager to acquaint their weapons with him
"As if!"
Rushing to meet them head-on, his fist connected with the face of one, profoundly denting the helmet he had on as he was catapulted toward his comrades, taking them with him
"Get him!"
The rest that was nearby all rushed him at once, which wouldn't make a difference as Bete made sure to only engage one enemy at a time, two or maybe even three at once at most, for even he knew that if he couldn't afford to get careless lest they overwhelm him
"Take this!"
Slugging another soldier straight in the face, drawing blood through the slits of his helmet as his nose was likely broken, the soldier was sent flying away and crashing on one of the big torchlight posts, collapsing it as its contents of ash and cinders spilled onto the ground
Face-to-face with another, he fiercely contorted his body to generate momentum for a devastating kick aimed toward the enemy's side
Unable to evade due to the speed, he raised his left arm to try and cushion the blow somewhat, but it was in vain as his left arm was fractured and the kick transferred the force toward the poor soldier's body, sending him rag dolling away, rendered a crumpled mess
"YAH!!"
Four more soldiers seized the opportunity to attack and rushed him, he had little time to react despite his superior level, due to them being very well within striking range
'Crap!'
Fortunately for him, a few stray arrows saved him from his predicament, embedding themselves in the vulnerable points of the enemy soldiers' armor, which where their joints with cutthroat precision, rendering them immobile for the remainder of the fight
"Wha-?"
Bete turned around and saw an elegant looking honey color-haired elf with one arm with her bow outstretched and another cocked back after having released a barrage of sniper shots
"Don't get reckless now, Bete!"
The elf scolded with a sigh as she bashed in the head an opportunistic soldier who tried to attack her while she was distracted, knocking them out
"Hmph, I could have handled them, Alicia!"
Agitated, the werewolf grabbed the face of a large man who swung his sword at him and promptly smashed his noggin on the ground, generating a sizable crater and immediately rendering the man unconscious
"Uh-huh, sure you could"
She sarcastically replied, whacking two more soldiers in the face with her bow, with as much grace and elegance as she had
.
"EYAAAH!!!"
Raul Nord let out a battle cry as he swung his sword with all of his might, which connected with an enemy soldier's own, they were evenly matched so their battle quickly became a battle of attrition and grit
"Heh, looks like we're evenly matched!"
The Rakian soldier let out a bloodthirsty smile, revealing his rotten, yellow teeth
"Kh!"
Raul struggled to keep the strength in his arms as his stamina was being rapidly depleted by their clash of swords
"But it seems, you're a bit tired now are ya, kid?"
The man's smile widened as he applied as much pressure as he could, gradually wearing out and overwhelmed Raul as he screamed through the exhaustion and strain
"How's about I tucker you out?!"
He mocked before he kneed Raul in the gut, leaving him winded and wide open to a barrage of attacks from the enemy, which showed him little mercy
A barrage of stabs drew blood as they perforated the non-critical spots on Raul's body, furthering his suffering as well as the delight of his enemy's
"Ack...!"
Raul struggled to get up as the enemy approached him in a deliberately slow manner
"Keh!"
Attempting to defend himself in any way, Raulbotht for a swipe of his sword, which connected with the enemy's leg, stopping about a quarter of the way through as the man groaned in pain
"Aurgh! You little shit!"
Tearing off the sword from both his leg and his arm, the man threw it away, out of reach
Kicking Raul in the ribs, he groaned in agony as he rolled over and now lay in a supine position
"Nighty night, buddy"
The man mocked as he raised his sword, about to end the High Novice's life, but not until a powerful kick connected with his face, the force of which caused him to be lifted a few feet into the air as his body spun around and then crashed limply onto the ground
"What the hell are you doing getting your behind handed to you Raul?"
A familiar feminine voice made him look up as he witnessed the sight of her savior
Anakitty Autumn had a deep frown on her face, sighing as she fumbled around for a health potion
Pouring its contents onto the battered and bloodied Raul, he sighed in relief as his wounds began to heal
"Hah... I'm sorry Aki, I got a bit too into the fight..."
He hung his head low in shame as Aki simply shook her head in disbelief
"Goodness, you have to play smarter next time, what if I'm not there to save your skin?"
She scolded further as Raul nodded solemnly
Feeling like the boy learned his lesson by now, she offered her hand to him
"Well, don't just sit there and sulk, we got us a city to defend"
Raul gratefully took it as they rushed to aid the others
.
In the middle of the fray, Tiona, Tione, Ais, and Lefiya regrouped and were now currently working together to fend off a constant streaming in of hordes of Rakian soldiers. Tiona, Tione, and Ais; specializing in melee combat, kept the influx of enemies back while Lefiya provided assistance in any way she could, whether it be through healing or firepower
The trio formed a circle around the elf, which maximized each member's effectiveness
"Cheeky!"
Tiona smirked as she threw back a few soldiers who tried to break through their formation to take out their ranged unit
"Keep your distance, you oafs!"
Tione screeched as she sent a devastating kick to an approaching soldier's chest plate, denting it and sending the man crashing toward his comrades behind him
Ais was simply silent as she cut the hand of a man who raised his sword to attack, wounding it badly and forcing him to drop his sword as it fell to the ground with a soft thud, leaving him vulnerable to a knee to the gut, courtesy of the Sword Princess
"Arcs Ray!!!"
Lefiya had been able to gather her spirit and focus, trusting her comrades to defend her as she chanted the words to her offensive spell, which paid off as she successfully completed the chant and unleashed a large torrent of pure energy at the incoming mass of soldiers
"Alio"
Not intending to kill them, Lefiya induced the blast to prematurely detonate at a distance where it would still deal serious damage to take the Rakian soldiers out of the fight
The explosion attested to her judgment, for it was incredibly large and produced much heat, which would definitely been a killer shot had it actually hit its intended target
The fireball also burnt off the surrounding grass, leaving only a crater of respectable depth with ash and smoke billowing out of it and into the air
"Nice going Lefiya!"
Tiona cheered as the two other women nodded in agreement
"It was thanks to you guys for protecting me"
She nodded back with a smile
She was elated that all the time she spent training on her focus and nerves paid off and now she could fully place her trust in her allies to defend her while she did her job as a mage
"Well, it seems we're finished here, let's go-"
"I applaud you four for the magnificent display of teamwork"
A masculine voice that carried a heavy weight with it spoke as they all felt their bodies tense up at the person in front of them
A lone, muscular man with a warrior's beard, clad in fully-body armor save for a helmet, stood some meters away, but despite the distance, they felt as if they were being suffocated by the pressure he exerted
"You four are actually worth your salt unlike those useless, incompetent, and unruly buffoons in the ranks"
He admitted with a tired sigh, thoroughly disappointed at how easily the soldiers were being beaten back
'He's nothing compared to the foot soldiers!'
'He's far stronger, I can tell...'
'Crap... I don't know if we can actually beat this guy...'
'What do we do now...?'
All four Loki Familia adventurers had differing thoughts about him, but they all revolved around the same idea... that this was an enemy that completely outclassed them
The four immediately readied themselves lest he make any sudden moves
"Who are you?"
Tione dared speak out and asked the lone person to identify himself
"I'll keep it short and sweet as women like men like that, I am the Rakian General Walther Anwalt, also known as the harbinger of your death and despair!"
Wasting no time at all, he vanished and then quickly reappeared right in front of the others
Ais being right in front of him, widened her eyes in surprise at the man's speed despite his build
He sent out a powerful right hook toward the blond woman, who activated her Tempest to boost her speed, enabling her to barely dodge a direct hit, which grazed her cheek and drew blood
"Tch!"
Ais leaped back to put some distance between them as the man raised an eyebrow, surprised that she had been able to dodge what he deemed was a sure hit
"No matter, I like it when they play hard to get too!"
Before he could rush toward her, he was forced to intercept the attacks of both Tiona and Tione as they both brought down their weapons at him at once, pushing him back a bit
"Lefiya! Get away, now!!!"
Tiona commanded the timid elf as she did just that, running away to a safe distance where she wouldn't get caught in the fight
"Oh come on! I'm not that hideous am I?"
The man teased as the sisters grimaced at his words
""RAGH!!!""
The Hiryute sisters let out a battle cry as they put all the strength they had into their attack, which had little effect
"Kekeke, I love it when the women are feisty!"
Pushing back with his own strength, he parried their attacks as the two were left wide open, which he capitalized on
Grabbing both of them by the face, he promptly smashed them onto the ground, rendering them unconscious and down for the count
"ARCS RAY!!!"
He looked up to find a torrent of pure destructive energy heading toward him, it was similar to earlier, but this time it was much stronger
"Heh, nice try girlie!"
He swiped at the barreling beam of destruction with his arm, deflecting it away as it exploded in the distance
Lefiya clicked her teeth at her attack being flicked away as if it were a mere pest
With that attack, she promptly secured herself as the man's next target, so he began walking toward her when he heard a voice call out
"Heed my call, Tempest!"
Ais' magic manifested in the form of violent gusts of green wind encircling her body and pushing her abilities to greater heights, she then jumped in to face off against the enemy once again
Closing the distance between them in less than a second, she went for a stab, which was deftly evaded by the man as he pivoted around and used the momentum to swing at the Sword Princess with his weapon
Ais felt her instincts warn her of an incoming attack, so she fiercely contorted her body to avoid the blood, but not unscathed as her shoulder sustained a minor cut
Irritated that she'd taken damage again, she swung her right leg at the man, who was unable to block nor evade at such a close distance, and promptly received the blow in full force on his jaw
Staggering a few steps back, he wiped away a trail of blood from his lip, he smiled maniacally as he laughed
"HAHAHA, I better be careful... she bites"
Sighing contently to himself, as if he were relieved of something, he looked back at her with a dead-focused stare
"Fine, I'll dance with you"
Disappearing from her sight at speeds even greater than what he had showcased earlier, he rushed and unleashed a powerful knee right into the Sword Princess' abdomen
The air was violently forced out of her lungs as she was sent crashing away, crumpled in pain, in a coughing fit, and barely holding onto her consciousness
"Ais-san!!!"
Lefiya shrieked in worry as she rushed toward her, chanting a healing spell along the way
Before the man could follow up on his attack though, he deflected a spear that was shooting toward him
"Seems like you're in a different caliber than the rest"
Finn finally decided to step in and join the fight, with Gareth accompanying him as Riveria retrieved and looked after the unconscious Hiryute sisters
"Heh, I can say the same for you and the dwarf, the green-haired elf too... I can tell you're all at least a level higher than those kids!"
His bloodthirsty side was beginning to show as he pointed his sword at him
"Finn, what's yer guess on this guy?"
Gareth asked the Prum as he eyed the enemy carefully, wary of even the slightest of movements
"I'm guessing around that of a level eight at least"
The Captain of the Loki Familia admitted
'Phew... good thing there's three of us here, otherwise this would've been very bad...'
He thought as a bead of sweat slid down from his forehead to his chin
The wind picked up as the three top executives of the Loki Familia took on the Rakian General
I know I know, the fights were a bit sluggish and awkwardly paced, and a bit rushed, that's because I just wanted to focus on setting things up for now, the exciting part will be in the next few chapters. This time, I won't be pulling some DBS bullshit where the attacks don't even so much as draw the smallest bit of blood, I'll switch to make the attacks and injuries sustained actually meaningful, where they actually bleed and get genuinely hurt. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say for now, please leave your thoughts down in the comment section if you have suggestions about the story and how I write it, or my writing style in general, every single comment is gratefully accepted by me. I appreciate you guys for taking the time to read this and helping me become a better fanfiction writer. Toodles, and see you in the next one!