'The air around the two was suffocating, the intensity of the situation continued to rise.'

"... AIS!..." Screamed someone from behind Ais

'The atmosphere was suddenly broken by the loud shout.'

'Ais turned around and saw Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, Gareth, and Finn running towards her at high speeds.'

"Tsk. How annoying." Said the spearman as he jumped back into the rooftop

'He didn't even look back as he walked away.'

'This action was not missed by Ais, who quickly turned her head to the side, looking at the man as he disappeared.'

"Hum? Who was that Ais?" Asked Tiona as she looked at the now, empty rooftop

'Ais shook her head.'

"I don't know." She replied as she shook her head

'But Finn frowned, he recognized the silver spear at a glance. The rest confirmed it.'

"We can think about that later, first, let's find out what is happening." Said Finn as he pointed toward the end of the road

'Everyone nodded.'

…

/A few minutes ago…/

"Is this the place?" Asked Lington as he looked around

"Not yet, but we are close." Replied Saphos as he looked around

/tremble…/

'The two could feel faint vibrations on the ground, whatever was happening was getting more intense.'

"This situation is getting more and more complex." Said Lington

"How so?" Asked Saphos

"Didn't you realize? There are too few people around the place." Said Lington as he looked around

'To this Saphos thought a bit and indeed, the last time he saw someone was over 3 minutes ago, and this doesn't make sense considering he is on a relatively busy road.'

"Were they evacuated in secret?" Asked Saphos

"It's the most likely solution, but I find it hard for them to have evacuated so many people so fast. They would need to be from a big organization to do so." Replied Lington

Even if they only evacuated the people in a 50M radius, that's still a lot.

"What is important to note is that they did it without was noticing it..."

/Fwush!/

'Suddenly, 4 people jumped from the rooftops of the houses around them.'

'Saphos and Lington immediately went into a combat-ready stance.'

"I didn't expect our first guests to be two old men." Said one of the newcomers

'They all looked alike, being a little small just about 120Cm.'

'The two immediately thought of Pallums.'

'They also wore heavy armor, each decorated with similar patterns, but each had its own unique color.'

'Blue, Green, red, and Yellow.'

'One of them held a spear, another held a great ax, another held a large sword, and the final one was holding a giant hammer respectively.'

"Now that I think about it…" Said the one with the spear

"It's clear." Said the one with the hammer

"It's those guys." Replied the one with the large sword

"They are not just any old man." Said the one with the great ax

'The 4 talked in unison, one after the other, as if they had trained for this.'

'Saphos and Lington got confused, did those 4 recognize them? How?'

'They certainly weren't famous…'

"You two have been sniffing around a bit too much recently, for your safety, I request that you leave." Said the one with the spear as he warned the two

"Our lady plans cannot be interfered with." Replied the one with the ax

"You two did enough, now, take your leave…" Said the one with the great sword

"Before we force you to." Said the last one of the 4

"..."

"..."

'It was clear those 4 weren't weak, in fact, they seemed to be stronger than Saphos himself.'

'It's normal when you consider the fact Saphos is old, being barely able to display the strength of a Level 5 for a short period of time.'

'Through their words, they came to understand these 4 were likely the people they were looking for all along!'

'It made sense, how they recognized them in the first place.'

'It seemed that from the beginning, the ones they were looking for had already found out about them… Just like the Amazons.'

'But if that's the case, there is a big chance that the source of all of this is…'

'Their great son.'

"... Heh, it's a shame, but we can't leave like this. We just arrived." Said Saphos after he looked at Lington

"Come on, youngsters shouldn't make it hard for us old folks." Said Lington as he looked at the four Pallum warriors

'One side seemed relaxed and confident while the other was tense and focused.'

'Holding their weapons, they stared at each other, waiting for the other side's reaction.'

/FIIIIU!/

'When the situation seemed to have reached a critical point, they heard a whistle coming from the sky.'

'The 4 Pallums looked at the sky and turned around. Leaving the alley without a word.'

"What happened?" Asked Saphos, stunned

'Lington thought hard, but he eventually said:'

"We… We can think about that later, first, let's confirm if whatever is happening has something to do with Silver." Said Lington as he frowned

'The two nodded at each other and hastily ran towards the center of this mess.'

…

"Satisfied now?" Asked Aetos as he looked at Silver's broken arm

'Aetos condition was not any different from a few minutes ago while Silver was filled with injuries including a broken arm.'

'Honestly, Silver already expected this outcome.'

'From their clash, he came to realize this Elf was stronger than Tiona and Tione, even if he never felt their true strength, just the way he reacted to his power was vastly different from theirs.'

'Meaning, he was Level 6, and strong at that.'

'From the start, he knew there was no way for him to win this... No, he didn't want to win, nor to prove a point.'

'But if he left, what would be stopping this guy from targeting his friends and family?'

'Of course, there is no guarantee he won't mess with his life even if he gets what he wishes.'

'He just wanted to try his best and not wield to his enemy just because he is stronger... Perhaps that wasn't it either.'

'Something deeper, a desire to challenge the strong...'

'If things got bad, Silver was more than ready to teleport away and pop out as many potions as needed before contacting the Loki Familia for help.'

'Considering the level of power his enemy has shown, his only way of dealing with him would be by utilizing the Loki Familia debt to him.'

'But it leaves a bitter feeling in his mouth to have to resort to other people's strength to deal with his own personal problems.'

'Of course, if Silver were to know that this man is the one behind the events one month ago, perhaps he might've thought differently…'

"Satisfied?" Mumbled Silver to himself

'Green light shone on his body, healing most of his superficial wounds and his broken arm recovered significantly.'

"Even healing magic?" Asked Aetos

Truly a box filled with surprises...

But can you keep up until…

'Aetos suddenly felt a presence near him.'

'He looked at the side but saw no one, however, he was sure there was someone there, hidden behind the wall.'

It seems it's time to end this… Too many eyes have already gathered.

'Aetos suddenly vanished, his speed was so great that it seemed as if he teleported.'

"?!"

'When Silver realized what happened, Aetos was already swinging his rapier at his shoulder.'

"ARG!" Exclaimed Silver in pain

'Silver barely managed to teleport, but he was late as Aetos sword cut deep into his shoulder, staining his white scarf red.'

'Aetos put out his Magic catalyst and slowly walked towards Silver.'

'Any more words are unnecessary.'

"..."

All of the conditions are in place.

It's a bit of a risk, but there is no better time than now.

'He stopped in front of the tired boy and took out a small red vial, dropping its contents on top of the scarf, surprising Silver.'

'The scarf glowed faintly, and after a few seconds, it became fully red.'

'The wind blew, washing away the dirt from the scarf…'

"It is done now." Said Aetos emotionally

"What did you do?" Asked Silver with a bit of difficulty due to the pain

'But Aetos ignored him and asked one last time:'

"Kid, do you still wish to continue?" He asked

"..."

'But Silver just smiled, getting up slowly as he looked at the Elf's eyes.'

"I thought as much, only someone who smiles at the face of death would manage to accomplish everything you did." Chuckled Aetos

"But with that deep of an injury, your right arm is as good as useless, even if you heal it."

"I won't take you lightly just because you lost an arm." He said seriously

"... Thank you." Said Silver

'Aetos was confused.'

"That's exactly what I wish for." Said Silver with a smile

'Silver's body started to glow as his injuries rapidly healed. And in the end, Silver's face was a bit paler. However, he did not drink a potion.'

"..."

Is he using all of his magic power to heal himself?

"As you said, the difference between us is way too big, my tactics and abilities were all nullified under your power."

"So I will just use everything I have at once."

I will leave a bit of energy to flee if necessary, if I can that is...

This man's motives are still not fully clear, I can't just trust his words.

My pride is irrelevant compared to everything that is at stake.

At worse, I can just gather everyone that is important to me and hide them until the Loki Familia crosses this guy out...

'Silver's left hand started to disintegrate into white strings as a grayish strand of energy condensed on the tip of his Halberd.'

'Noticing the strange change made him remember the move he used against Vultus during the War game, so without looking down on him, Aetos took out his sword again and got into a stance.'

/Inhale…/

'Silver took a deep breath as his concentration peaked, nothing mattered anymore, only the Elf and his weapon.'

'The runes on his Halberd flickered with their blue light while the scarf swayed in the wind, glowing slightly.'

'As the magic energy continued to condense around Silver, Aetos thought about how fearless the boy was.'

'To gather all of his remaining energy and use it all at once would cause just as big of an aftereffect…'

'But it made him respect his decision.'

"Well kid, I don't have all day." Said Aetos as he looked at Silver

Bring it on, descendant of my friends.

…

/At the same time on top of a clock tower near the position…/

'Two people could be seen, one of them was clearly a woman since even under a cloak, her womanly features could be seen as clearly as the sun during the day.'

'The other person was a massive guy over 2M tall with even more massive muscles and two large swords on his back.'

"Get ready Ottar, it's almost time." Said Freya as she watched Silver's fight

The beginning of the end…

'Noticing the slightly worried expression on his lady's face, Ottar said:'

"There is no need to worry."

"Ara? Do you think I am worried?" Chuckled Freya, denying Ottar and going back to normal

"... The time we interacted was brief, but it was enough to understand his determination."

After all… He is exactly like me a few years ago…

'Ottar remembered his earlier days before the fall of the Zeus and Hera Familia, how he fought until his body bled every day in the Dungeon, constantly challenging creatures and adventurers stronger than him.'

'The reason why he wants to grow stronger, he never once grew conceited of his strength as he knew that there were once people stronger than him.'

'He fully understands how strong he is, and he acts appropriately so as to not shame his Goddess prestige.'

"It seems you have a lot of faith in him." Said Freya as she smiled

'Her smile was pure yet seductive, but Ottar did not react at all.'

"I hope you are right." She said as she turned her head

'Ottar and Freya continued to watch the situation from the high point.'

…

'Ais and her group finally arrived at the center of this confusion.'

'They were now all looking at an alley, and they could already see many scratches and broken pieces of stone and wood scattered around the place.'

'Finn and Gareth looked up to see a group of people gazing at them from above.'

'It didn't take long for the others to also realize their presence.'

"Who are those guys?" Asked Tiona as she scratched her head

"If you can't recognize the members of the Freya Familia then I will have Riveria give you some extra classes about Orario High-Class adventurers." Said Finn

'Tione also sweated a bit since she didn't recognize them at first.'

'Lefiya's eyes opened in surprise, she saw the silver spear for a brief moment and she knew she had seen it somewhere, unfortunately, it was a bit too far for her to make out its features...'

"AH?! Haha… Of course, I knew them… Please, anything but that." Said Tiona as sweat fell on her forehead

"Freya Familia? Why would they be here all the way in the North of Orario?" Asked Tione

"It's not like they are prohibited from being here, but I understand your point." Replied Finn

And that's exactly the problem, what are they doing here?

"We are assuming some things, couldn't they... be alone? And not under Freya-Sama's orders?" Asked Lefiya

"That's certainly a possibility, but not that likely." Replied Gareth with a serious expression

'Finn noticed Ais stunned expression, seeing this expression he hadn't seen in a long while, Finn also gazed at the alley…'

/BOOOOOOM!/

'The moment he did so, a massive explosion shook the ground around them…'

…

/Sometime later in Ouranos dark room…/

'Ouranos was like a statue as he waited...'

'But his eyes slowly opened as he felt the presence of a figure…'

'It was the mysterious figure clad in black.'

"Fells, it's earlier than I imagined." Said Ouranos

"There were… Some unforeseeable circumstances that led me here ahead of time." Replied Fells

"Good or bad circumstances?" Asked Ouranos

'Fells had to think for a moment before it replied:'

"We could say they were good for the most part."

"First things first, 'he' will not be a problem for us anymore." Said Fells

"Oh? What happened? Does this have anything to do with the earthquakes I felt a while ago?" Asked Ouranos

"Unfortunately yes, in fact, they were caused by his clash against the Loki Familia." Said Fell

"Tell me what happened." Said Ouranos

"To explain that I will have to go from the beginning." Said Fells

"It all started when Freya charmed the citizens near Loki's Manor."

"She used her charm? Why?" Asked Ouranos as he frowned a little

"I can't properly say why, but I think this was the most probable sequence of events." Said Fells

"She had her best scout, adventurer Hogni, observe the target, and through him, she found out about his plan to intercept adventurer Silver."

"She must've predicted that this would be the perfect opportunity to get rid of him, so she used her charm to minimize possible casualties. However, she made sure to be really discreet about it and there is no possible clue that led me to this, it's all my speculation." Said Fells

"That's indeed her personality, to help others in her own strange way..." Said Ouranos

"But what do you mean? Can you be more precise with what happened?" Asked Ouranos

"We need to go further back to when adventurer Silver came in contact with the Amazons of the Loki Familia in the Guild, earlier this day."

"Because of this, adventurer Silver went on his way to Loki's Manor in order to spar with their members. At the time, I was doing what you asked of me so I don't have a clear picture of what else he did there."

"This information came from our own workers so there might be a certain degree of inaccuracy." Said Fells

"That's within the acceptable margin, continue." Said Ouranos

"Later that day, as he made his way back to his own Manor, he was approached by the target. They discussed something, but by the time I arrived they had already stopped talking and were ready to fight."

"Hence I have no idea of the contents of their conversation."

"They fought?" Asked Ouranos

'Fells nodded.'

"Despite trying his best, adventurer Silver did not manage to injure the target at all, even when he used everything he had at the very end."

"Their clash resulted in medium structural damages across the street, but the Loki Familia already agreed with paying for it."

"And that's when his part in this story ends." Said Fells

"..."

"Tell me everything you saw." Said Ouranos

…

/A few hours earlier…/

/BOOOOOOM!/

'With a sudden flash of light, Ais group jumped to the side as something flew at high speeds across the street, crashing against a house.'

'Ais turned to the side once more, looking at the alley.'

"..."

'She caught sight of Silver, with his Halberd pointed forward, his body was bleeding and he seemed to be unconscious.'

'But that wasn't what drew her attention, rather, it was the feeling she had when she saw him.'

'His red scarf fluttering in the wind, his will to fight despite all odds.'

'But it was that scarf, that despite it being red she knew, it was the same scarf he wore from time to time.'

'Her memories started to play on her head, memories of a more carefree time.'

'She shook her head, quickly making her way towards him.'

"!"

'Suddenly, two strangers appeared, they grabbed Silver and disappeared from the place.'

'Ais wanted to go after them, but Finn interrupted her.'

"Tiona, Tione, go with Lefiya after the boy! As for everyone else…" Said Finn as he looked at the rubble of the house

"We have someone to talk with." He said as he saw a figure rising from the dust

"Yes sir!" Said Tiona as she grabbed the confused Lefiya

"..."

'Tione pouted a little, but she accepted her captain's order and ran after Silver without protest.'

'Ais looked at the rubble, she trusted her friends, so she put Silver at the back of her mind and focused on whoever was in the mist.'

'How will they react once they find out his identity?'

…

.

.

.