187 Defiance: War game Part 2

Before we start, its important to say not everyone is aware of Silver's and Aisha's Level up.

The news have yet to properly spread, and the Guild wasn't exactly doing a good job at that either.

So depending on who is talking or being referenced to, they'll keep jumping between his true and previous Levels, same for the others.

I just thought this had to be said.

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/CLANG!/

/CLANG!/

'Silver and Aisha clashed their weapons continuously in a grand display of elegance, brutality, and control.'

/SWOOSH!/

'Aisha's cloth armor flew in the wind like beautiful birds... Until they got ripped apart by Silver's halberd.'

/SWOOSH!/

'While Silver's own clothes were torn apart under Aisha's ferocious attacks.'

'It was a deadly show, one that at any minute, fingers could fly…'

/CLANG!/

'Yet only sparks did.'

'However… For those that knew Silver closely, and really closely at that, they would quickly realize that something was wrong…'

'He didn't quite seem to be putting in his all.'

'First, for a Level 3, Aisha was really strong… Stronger than she should've been.'

'Those that had connections with the Ishtar Familia, either diplomatic or through a past clash knew she had already leveled...'

'But for the rest of the populace, taking the fact Silver himself was fighting above his Level, they just kind of glossed over this fact, and this was what the Guild wanted.'

'Second of all, no matter what, Silver shouldn't be "struggling" like this.'

'Exchanging blows… Magic… Getting hurt…'

'This fight was predictable… What many expected because they believed it to be a fight between two close opponents.'

'And that was exactly what made those close to him frown.'

'How come, someone that hunted down so many monsters… Some that would make most Level 4s struggle, fight in such an equal ground with her?'

'Not to undermine her efforts, she was fighting in a magnificent way, from her coordinated movements to her concurrent chanting, it made everyone realize just how great she actually was.'

'Aisha was indeed a top Class adventurer… Someone worthy of becoming Level 4, and possibly even 6…'

'But at the end of the day, Aisha was far from that.'

'Regardless, they were confused, why was he like that?'

'It felt slow… Contained… Weak even.'

'The enemies he fought before, the people he trained with, they all observed this fight, yet they all felt similar feelings…'

'It was bitter.'

'This was the case from the start... Some even thought Silver was undermining his opponents!'

'He came into the battlefield wearing clothes that could barely pass as decent light armor, and their only purpose was to make him look good.'

'Different from Aisha's, that not only did her make look good, they were also made from incredible materials.'

'They thought he had given up already, instead, trying to achieve something else... And they wondered what was it.'

...

"..."

What is he planning?

'Atop Babel, Asfi stared at the floating screen together with another mortal, their expressions very much the same.'

'Someone that had joined their Familia not so long ago… A Level 4 at that…'

'It was a strong man, and someone Silver had already clashed with before…'

'It was Vultus, Ex-Captain of the now disbanded Tityos Familia!'

'He stared at the screen, his eyes squinted, and he realized right away that Silver was holding himself back.'

'That glint in his eyes wasn't there, the sharpness of someone putting their life and honor at stake…'

'The power hidden in his body, it wasn't being let out.'

'The creativity of his Magic was being standardized…'

'His Halberd seemed "calm".'

'Why would he limit himself like this?'

"..."

Who are you trying to fool here?

'He turned his head to look at Hermes, but the man's expression was dark as he looked at the fight, and it didn't seem he would stop anytime soon.'

'Perhaps he was focused, or just thinking deeply.'

'So he turned to Asfi, and coincidentally, she also looked at him.'

'For an instant, it seemed they thought the same thing…'

/Smile…/

'And he smiled, perhaps realizing something.'

'So he tuned in to watch the fight again, interested in knowing how it would play out…'

…

/Back at the Hearth Manor…/

"URG! WHY?!"

"Why is Captain like that?!" One of the triplets complained as he looked at the fight

'It was clear that the atmosphere wasn't the best...'

'If he struggled with the first opponent... Then there was close to no chance of victory.'

"Firo…" Mumbled Biro, the youngest

'The brothers always had each other's back, but this time, their looks seemed distant, yet close.'

'Frustration at its peak, they needed to let out some steam...'

"Look! The Captain slew many creatures on the Lower floors, and their drop items were used to make many incredible pieces of equipment that we now store in the vault!"

'Firo looked behind him.'

"How could he struggle with this… Dancer?!"

'His words seemed to be full of contempt, and that was no good.'

"Firo!"

'The eldest of the triplets, Piro, had heard enough.'

'Before his brother embarrassed himself, he had to step in.'

'One thing was to be frustrated, the other was to start dumping it on people that didn't deserve it.'

'His words had no value apart from putting everyone on a further edge and turning him into a clown.'

"As you said, I'm also a bit confused, though, this doesn't change anything."

"If he's doing something like this, it means he has a plan…"

Or so I would like to believe.

'It was the only possible explanation.'

'Their Captain, his ventures to the Dungeon weren't exactly kept a secret from them.'

'During dinner or the rare moments they managed to sit down and talk with him, they would often ask what he did in the Dungeon since that was the thing they were the most curious about.'

'The Captain always grew at a very fast rate, and his efforts were known to all...'

'So amidst the many questions, they would often have, the Dungeon always came as a priority... To the point, most of them knew more about Silver, the adventurer, than Silver, the Human.'

'Regardless, Silver would be more than happy in sharing his experiences and adventures while in the depts… Perhaps with some censoring and editing here and there.'

'A story can easily change thanks to a few words or phrases, and it's all to the people to who it is being told.'

'One of the reasons why Heroic fairy tales have no gore in them despite it being an intrinsic part of it.'

'A child has no need to know what the Hero did to the poor Dragon upon unsheathing his sword, only that it fell in the end under his mighty power.'

'Amidst his stories, Silver would also let them gaze at the drop items he acquired, and even show them some of the rare materials he collected, sometimes even showing them the gear he commissioned from said items.'

'Of course, they weren't good enough to use those, but they would remain at their Vault warehouse, waiting for the day they grew strong enough to be worthy of them.'

'A few of those items were already passed down, like a pair of boots and gauntlets he gave to Igva, one of the top Executives of the Familia.'

'She often fights with her fists and legs, so having a pair of decent items to protect those areas was a great addition to her combat style…'

'Not that it made it any more viable, everyone still wanted her to pick up a decent weapon to use…'

'Most importantly, one of the girls, someone who always studied at the library was quick to point out that the boots and gloves were made with the scales of a Green Dragon… A Level 4 monster.'

'It just came to show that Silver was more than strong enough of dealing with Aisha, a Level 3 adventurer.'

"…"

Come on...

'Hestia however, was not confused.'

'Because she knew what was going on.'

'Silver had already told her almost everything… And his plans as well.'

'Not exactly on good terms… She had to use a bit of coercion to have him talk.'

'Though, upon hearing his words, she came to understand why he kept quiet… Why he needed to...'

'A mix of anger and helplessness washed over her because there was no point in getting frustrated over it.'

'When someone hides something to make you feel better, especially when it's something like that... It gets hard to one-sidely accuse them of such crimes.'

'Because when she heard that story...'

'Darkness unlike any other she had experienced so far, it made her both scared and strangely glad…'

'Because out there, people with extremely twisted and corrupted hearts lived, and she was lucky to not have met any such being so far.'

'People too far gone to even be called human anymore.'

'She hoped his plan would work because that would mean the end of her worries and troubles…'

'Though, even if it failed, she was confident in him, that he would be able to persevere amidst this challenge.'

'As he had done every single time he dived into the Dungeon.'

…

/CLANG!/

'Aisha cut the ground as she lifted her giant sword, aiming at his arm.'

/Slice!/

'But Silver moved his Halberd a tad too late, blocking only a small part of it as he was cut on the shoulder.'

/Bam!/

'Aisha kicked him in the chest, sending him flying a couple dozen meters as he slid on the ground, rolling back onto position after some time.'

"..."

'Her eyes narrowed, she had already realized something was wrong.'

'Though, she wondered, was he underestimating her? Belittling her ability?'

'Or did he have something else in mind?'

I'll just have to find it myself and force you to spit out your abilities.

'Right now, nothing else mattered to her, she only wished to have a fight that could make her body steam in heat.'

'And she would force him to step up his game too!'

/CRACK!/

'She jumped into the air, her cleaver cutting through the air in a downward motion.'

/CLANG!/

'Silver intercepted her strike, the ground cracking beneath his feet.'

"So you're going to undermine me like that?"

"..."

'Aisha's eyes widened as a euphoric grin took over her face.'

"~Come, champion of the savages.~"

/CLANG!/

'Silver pushed her aside, creating some distance between them.'

'His hand cracked as ice covered it, binding her foot in an instant.'

"~Manly warrior, strong hero, greedy and unjust hero.~"

/CRACK!/

'But Aisha's offense was neverending, and she did all of it while chanting, smiling maniacally as she slashed her overside sword at the ground, breaking the ice, and then at Silver.'

/CLANG!/

"~Show your worth if you desire the girdle of the empress.~"

"!"

'Silver pushed her aside once more with a force blast, but Aisha spun in the air, flying in the air with elegance.'

'Her mouth open as she sang in the skies:'

"~Satisfy my body, penetrate my body, kill my body, and prove your worth.~"

'Her blade held high, she swung it with the intent of parting the very earth, red Magical power surged into her, her body faintly flashing...'

"~My starving blade is Hippolyta!~"

"Hell Kaios!"

'Her cleaver glowed fiercely, and as she swung it, a large wavelike projectile cut its way through space!'

'This was bigger, stronger, faster than any she had cast before!'

"..."

'Silver stared at it and smiled.'

'Instead of stopping her from chanting, instead of knocking her out, instead of moving away…'

'He decided to raise his Halberd, taking a step forward.'

'For the first time, his eyes seemed to burn with some determination.'

"THAT'S IT! TAKE IT IF YOU DARE!" Aisha exclaimed as she fell onto the ground

'Silver did not answer her provocation.'

'He clenched his teeth, swinging his halberd sideways.'

"Hup!"

/CRACK!/

'His feet dug onto the ground as he spun his waist, transferring massive momentum to his next strike.'

/BAM!/

'His blade and her magic clashed, and a shockwave raved the earth around it.'

'But with a quick breath, Silver lifted his Halberd, deflecting her strike and sending the shockwave up.'

"Haa…"

'He seemed a bit exhausted as if he had spent a large deal of energy.'

'But he still stood tall, looking at Aisha with a ferocious grin.'

"Ahh… This is… A bit too much for me…~" Aisha said with a flushed expression

'She took a step forward, but her body gave in, falling onto the ground with a small dust cloud.'

'It seemed the many cuts in her body and her uncontrolled use of her Magic had finally taken its toll on her, and even with her Amazon determination, she eventually fell to exhaustion.'

'No one made fun of her, however, her skin was already red, painted with her own blood.'

'Despite so, she fell with a smile, satisfied… Or did she?'

'She had much more left to taste… And that was proven how she fell here, on the ground, and not in bed.'

'It would've been so perfect had it ended there and not here…'

…

'Outside, the people of Orario reacted in many ways to this victory.'

'Some cried in pain, having lost their bets, some laughed fiercely, having thought ahead.'

'After the Ishtar Familia had been brought into the limelight, a lot of people started to know how their chain of power worked.'

'Their strongest was Level 5, the second strongest was Level 4, and finally, their third strongest was 3.'

'Because of this, many wagered that in his fight against her, he had an equal chance of losing than he had of winning because compared to the people he fought before, Aisha was on another Level.'

'And indeed she was.'

'Overall, the bets were 40 to 60, with 40 being the percentage of people that bet on his loss, and 60 being the people that believed in his victory.'

'But that was all, for now, these numbers were about to change completely with the next fight…'

'No one knew exactly who the Ishtar Familia would send and in what order…'

'It didn't matter much if they knew the truth or not, perhaps the bet regarding this round would've changed... But in the end, the result would be the same.'

'Some pushed their luck, putting their bets on the possibility that she would end it all by sending Phryne first, but most disagreed, saying that it would be too much of a waste and overkill, especially after his last fight.'

'So they ended up being between Tammuz and her strongest Berbera… Those that bet on Aisha, and also bet on her losing had been, so far, the ones with the largest wins.'

'In some places, the degree of how much she would lose was also taken into account, like, would it be an easy win from Silver's part, an equal fight? Or a hard-fought battle?'

'Taking into account everything, Silver was clearly superior, he looked tired and was wounded, but he looked like he could recover with at most one or two potions.'

'Looking at the battered Aisha, Silver turned his gaze to the wooden platform, wasn't it time for the announcer to scream the results?...'

'And of course…'

/CHEERS!/

'He soon did.'

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Notes

This was more of a prelude, the fight between him and Aisha was kind of underwhelming because Silver was... Planning for something.

I hope it didn't turn some of you down, as in the first place, there wasn't exactly anything surprising about this result, Aisha was merely too weak, albeit I tried to properly convey her abilities and also the opinion of others.

As we go on in this arc, such reactions will be left aside as we focus fully on combat.

Peace.