EFB Chapter 409 The Battle of the Strongest Familias Begins!
Chapter 409 The Battle of the Strongest Familias Begins!
Chapter 409 The Battle of the Strongest Familias Begins!
"Those idiots whose brains must have been kicked by wild boars!"
When the Freya Familia members learned about the rules of the War Game and the Astrea Familia Alliance's immense wealth, they were nearly driven mad with rage.
Increase assets, reduce combat personnel!
This was all orchestrated by those simp male gods. The Freya Familia was completely unaware of it and caught off guard.
Now, let alone whether the Astrea Familia's super cheating fox can be banned from the field, Freya Familia is actually going to have its participating members reduced!
Hedin said in a deep voice, "Idiot, calm down!"
Hearing Hedin's reprimand, the initially flustered Freya Spring Clan members gradually calmed down, demonstrating Hedin's prestige within the Clan.
Although Otto and Eren are the captain and vice-captain, they are obsessed with improving their abilities and rarely manage their families. Daily affairs and wartime command are almost entirely Hedin's job, and he is the backbone of everyone.
Otto and Allen, both at LV.7, used their immense strength to maintain the lower limit of their Familia's strength, while Hedin's wisdom perfectly guided everyone to raise the upper limit of their Familia's strength.
"It's just gold and silver stuff; Orario has plenty of that!" Hedin immediately came up with a solution.
Freya's Familia launched attacks in various places, heading to casinos, merchant guilds, and mercenary groups—all of which would "voluntarily" contribute their assets.
The entire Orario was in complete chaos.
Freya Alliance's total assets continued to rise.
This behavior is no different from robbery and has a huge impact on the reputation of the Freya Familia, equivalent to planting countless landmines in the dark.
But Hedin didn't care.
If we can't win the war game, Freya's Familia may not have a future, so there's no need to worry about it too much.
Conversely, if they win, the assets plundered from the Astrea Familia can be used to compensate those people, which would greatly alleviate the conflict.
Only by becoming strong can one establish oneself!
As long as Freya's Familia remains at the pinnacle of Orario, no one will dare to cause trouble.
In this respect, Hedin and Roy are of the same mind. Roy will uphold the righteous name of the Astrea Familia, but he will not place his hopes on it. Instead, he will insist on developing his own strength.
Through ruthless plundering, the Freya Alliance's assets are rapidly catching up with the Astrea Alliance's.
In addition, Hedin was also trying to recruit more people.
It would be extremely difficult to contend with the Astrea Familia using only the current fighting strength of the Freya Familia!
Hedin arrived at a street-side tavern called "The Abundant Mistress" on West Street and called out, "Miya, you're here too! We need your fighting power—"
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing whistling sound rang out, and a kitchen knife transformed into a sharp, cold light, shooting straight at Hedin's face.
Hedin seemed to have anticipated this, and with a calm and composed movement, he dodged to the side, the cleaver containing terrifying force whistling past the hem of his clothes.
Clang!
A piercing clang of metal clashing rang out!
The cleaver landed on the hard stone floor, the blade deeply embedded in it, its momentum still lingering, humming and vibrating there, the handle standing tall.
The Freya Familia members who followed seemed thoughtful, while many others' expressions suddenly changed, their shock and horror undisguised. The kitchen knife that had just attacked was so fast that they couldn't even see it.
The person who threw the kitchen knife was no ordinary person!
In the midst of this deathly silence, a thunderous roar erupted, a voice so loud it seemed capable of lifting the roof, filled with impatience, "You brats, what trouble have you caused now?"
A tall and strong figure walked out.
Mia Grando, the shopkeeper of "The Abundant Mistress", former leader of the Freya Familia, a top-tier LV.6 adventurer, and the title bestowed upon her by the gods: "Little Giant".
Despite being a dwarf, Mia has a physique of 1.8 meters, which is both ridiculed and envied by many dwarves.
About eight years ago, Mia, with the permission of the goddess Freya, opened a tavern in Orario, semi-detached from her clan, in exchange for Freya working in her tavern under the alias "Seele".
"This battle absolutely requires your strength, Mia!" Hedin didn't use the power of the Supreme God to intimidate her, but instead pleaded with her. He knew this was the best strategy, as this former clan leader was more responsive to gentle persuasion than force.
As expected, after Hedin kept pestering and pleading with her, Mia reluctantly agreed to go into battle.
The deeper reason is that Mia can't let go of her love-struck, silly daughter, Yixi'er. Whenever Yixi'er is in trouble, she will definitely lend a helping hand.
Mia's entry into the battle triggered a chain reaction.
"The Abundant Mistress," the entire staff of the tavern is joining the battle.
Over the past eight years, Mia has taken in a large number of female adventurers to work as waitresses in her shop. The number is quite large, reaching double digits, and there are many adventurers at the LV.3 and LV.4 levels.
"We're not fighting for the goddess Freya, but to help you, Mother Mia!"
"What a bunch of silly daughters!"
Before the war game begins, everyone is making desperate preparations, adjusting their own state, winning over more gods, buying equipment, and increasing their own advantages.
While Roy was helping his girls improve their stats, he was also upgrading everyone's equipment.
Although the Astrea Familia had already put a considerable distance between itself and the Freya Familia, Roy would not underestimate them. His earlier rampage on the battlefield was only due to the flexibility of his spatial magic and his ability to catch the Freya Familia off guard.
Facing the Freya Familia, who are well-prepared and on high alert, no amount of caution is excessive.
Roy understood the principle that pride comes before a fall.
However, Roy also had the idea of training. Crisis is accompanied by opportunity, and both he and the girls of his clan need to build more great achievements and complete the upgrade.
"Lily, you're in charge of this war game!" Roy's voice was calm and decisive.
"what?"
The little girl, Lily, stared in astonishment, momentarily wondering if she had misheard.
The other girls around them were also visibly shocked, looking at Roy with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
"Captain!" Tiony couldn't help but exclaim, "The opponent is that Hedin Serland! Sending little Lily—isn't that a bit too much of a stretch?"
The girls' eyes were filled with worry and doubt.
It wasn't that they didn't trust Lily's abilities, but rather that Hedin Selland was a top-tier commander on par with Roy and Finn, and was renowned for his abilities.
After years of training, Lily is also a first-class commander, but she still cannot compare with the three of them.
"Don't be nervous, just do your best."
Roy's tone remained calm, carrying a reassuring strength. He was going to fight Ota alone, so the task of commanding the Familia could only be entrusted to Lily, which would also serve as a test of her years of learning.
"yes----"
Lily nodded slightly, but a surge of tension welled up inside her. She took a deep breath. "Lord Roy, do you have any suggestions?"
Roy smiled slightly. "You've mastered the basics and knowledge a commander should have. No matter how harsh the environment, you can give the right instructions and lead the team out of trouble."
"Thanks to Lord Roy's help."
Hearing Roy's praise, Lily felt a warm current surge through her heart. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fair face was instantly covered with a blush like the sunset, as if she had secretly tasted a sip of mellow mead. Sweetness and a slight buzz mingled on her cheeks. Meeting this magical boy was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to her.
Roy said, "Lily, you're only missing one thing compared to the top commanders—"
Lily breathed heavily in the room, her expression becoming even more serious.
"Composure!"
Roy continued, "No matter what unexpected situation arises, you must remain calm, especially when fighting against people. Trust your clan members and command them freely!"
Lily was jolted awake; the world seemed to fall silent in that instant, leaving only Roy's steady voice in her ears. A clear inspiration pierced through the fog, bringing sudden enlightenment. It was an unprecedented sense of understanding that made her eyes involuntarily light up.
"Lily understands, and will definitely not let Lord Roy down!" Lily nodded emphatically.
Little Bell, standing next to him, looked shocked, which reminded him of the school district's graduation defense.
Lily's "exam room" is a real battlefield, a battlefield of blood and fire, not a safe classroom.
Before we knew it, the day of the war game had arrived.
The Astrea Familia Alliance's assets reached hundreds of billions of Fali. The Freya Familia plundered them desperately, but ultimately failed to catch up with them.
The difference is about 6%.
Roy didn't bother with all that, and Hedin still used "upholding the goddess's reputation and defeating the opponent fairly" as the reason to kick out 6% of his own participants. Of course, the high-end combat power was still there, so it didn't really matter.
However, the Freya Alliance has hundreds of gods, and they need to be eliminated one by one in order to win.
The Astrea Alliance has only twenty or thirty members.
"Osa City Ruins".
This is the stage prepared by the guild for this war game. This magnificent ruin is located in the northwest of Orario, nestled in the crater lake of the "Bio Mountains".
Located on a lake, this relic is an isolated island in a giant depression surrounded by rugged mountains, nestled on the beautiful emerald green surface of the lake.
There are still many traces left by our predecessors here.
Built more than two thousand years ago, this site was originally a fortified city that fiercely fought against monsters that escaped from the underground city.
Due to its geographical location, it never lacks water, and the crater lake acts as a natural barrier, repeatedly preventing monsters from invading.
Through the efforts of the local inhabitants, half-elves, and half-dwarves, the island was transformed into a self-sufficient city, which was later destroyed by flying monsters.
It has now become a ruin.
The island, which is irregularly elliptical in shape, has the remains of city walls and watchtowers on its perimeter.
On this island with its dramatic topography, steep slopes and various collapsed buildings are everywhere, yet it still retains the appearance of an urban area despite the passage of time.
On the west side of the island, the massive ruins are the "Temple". In ancient times, before the gods descended, people who were threatened by monsters worshipped various fictional gods. The temple built here enshrined countless statues of gods.
The towering, collapsed stone pillars stand tall, the ground is paved with mottled stone slabs, and the damaged archway is slightly tilted. Despite the long passage of time, it still stands firm, creating a magnificent scene that is also filled with a sense of loneliness.
With Uranus's permission, Hermes used his divine power, and the mirrors appeared throughout the city.
"They're here!"
Unlike previous war games, the city of Orario is now quiet and deserted.
Whether it was the adventurers inside the bar, the people watching the "Mirror of Gods" broadcast on the street, or even the gods gathered in the Tower of Babel, everyone wore solemn expressions before the war began.
The only particularly noisy people were the announcer and commentator—Ibri. In the front courtyard of the Ganesha Guild headquarters, Ibri, responsible for the broadcast, gripped a magic stone megaphone and roared, "The wind is chilly, the clouds are drifting, but as you can see, the weather is clear and blue! In this unpredictable mountain battlefield, today is also a good day to begin the war! Hello everyone! I am the broadcaster for this war game! I am Ibri Achar, a talking fire mage belonging to the Ganesha Familia! My title is 'Fire Burst Fire'!"
"This time, we've also invited Ganesha as our commentator!"
"I am Ganesha!"
"This war game is unprecedented in Orario's history! The Freya Familia, hailed as the strongest in the city, clash head-on with the Astrea Familia!"
"As for the theme of this competition—or rather, the event itself—it's called 'The Search for the Gods'!!"
"Regarding the rules of this competition! Simply put, the side that finds the opposing god first wins! Different numbers of gods from each side will be hiding within the ruins of the city of Osa, and the children are responsible for finding them! It's like playing hide-and-seek!"
"but!"
"The Freya Alliance has more than five times the number of gods as the Astrea Alliance. This alone is extremely disadvantageous to the Astrea Familia. What are your thoughts on this, God Ganesha?!"
"To be honest, I think this advantage is still far too little for Freya's Familia!"
"Ganesha, unusually, answered seriously!"
The atmosphere in the city was quite the opposite of the lively broadcasts; the expressions on the faces of the people in various parts of Orario varied from person to person.
Resort hotel.
Eina, Chloe, Lunova, and the others stared silently at the divine mirror above, their expressions tense.
Despite the Astrea Familia's complete fighting force and apparent advantage, no one knows what will happen until the final result is revealed.
They were facing the strongest force in the city—the Freya Familia! The Astrea Familia were more like nouveau riche.
"Roy————"
Gazing at the handsome young man's face in the mirror, Eina's delicate and pretty face tensed up, her small hands clenched nervously, her palms sweating.
The Hall of Twilight.
Almost the entire Loki Familia was present, silent and intently watching the image in the Divine Mirror—two powerful Familias no weaker than themselves!
"What a feast! It's such a waste that Aistan and Mama are training in the dungeon!" Loki said, a wide grin spreading across his face as he held his beloved divine wine.
Finn and Grace were filled with emotion.
The Astrea Familia, which once employed them to help fight against the dark faction, has grown into a behemoth capable of directly confronting the Freya Familia and even subtly gaining the upper hand.
It's all because of that boy!
Roy, leader of the Astrea Familia!
The Tower of Babel has thirty stories.
Unlike previous war games where gods gathered in great numbers, this time, a large number of gods rushed to the front lines and personally joined the two camps.
This once bustling hall was now sparsely populated, with only a few neutral gods remaining, such as Hermes.
"Tsk tsk!"
Hermes' eyes burned with fervor. "Roy, defeat the fierce Freya Familia and ascend to the throne of Orario's strongest. That position belongs to you!"
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