26 Hero?

Night in dungeon floor 18

Far away from the adventurer city of Rivira, a small cabin sits in the northern part of floor 18.

Inside the dimly lit cabin, except for a small candle casting faint shadows, a figure could be seen.

"Hehe, it seems the dark faction can't hold out much longer. Well, trash will always be trash even if they band together," a man with dark hair, a green streak, and eyes as black as night mocked the dark faction.

"Isn't that right, Alfia, Zald?" The man smiled towards the darkness in the back of the cabin where two figures rested.

"Erebus, stop beating around the bush and tell us what you want," a weak voice came from the darkness, presumably Alfia.

Erebus, hearing Alfia's words, clutched his chest as if wounded, then said with a sad voice, "Oh, my dear Alfia, we've spent so much time together, yet your words remain as hostile as ever."

Alfia, unimpressed by Erebus' theatrics, walked towards him and emerged from the darkness, saying, "Stop saying unpleasant things, Erebus. Speak quickly and tell us when the final attack will be. You've already delayed it for two weeks."

Erebus put on an uncomfortable smile and said, "Hey, hey, it's not my fault. Who would have thought my dear friend Kaylon would suddenly arrive in Orario?"

Erebus smirked, remembering how Kaylon had disrupted his plans with the arrival of the Rozzo family.

"Tsk, stop wasting time," Alfia complained with a pale face and a weary demeanor.

"Don't worry, dear Alfia, the plans are complete. It's time for the final act, the appearance of the main villains!" Erebus exclaimed, spreading his arms in excitement.

"About time," a deep voice came from the darkness, revealing a man with dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a large scar on his face.

"Oh, my dear Zald, you don't look well... The poison seems to be killing you faster than I thought. Oh, how cruel fate is, the most talented individuals die in such a mundane way," Erebus sighed with regret, looking up at the sky.

"Cut the drama, Erebus, and tell us who we're attacking," Zald said bluntly, not buying Erebus' nonsense.

"Hey, you guys are so cruel... Fine, originally I planned for Zald to attack the Freya family and Alfia to attack the Loki family. But now, the plans have changed. My dear Zald, you will now have to attack the Loki and Freya families simultaneously, while my dear Alfia, you will attack our dear friend's family," Erebus said, pointing out the new targets.

"The Rozzo family is quite strong for you to pit Alfia alone against them," Zald remarked with some surprise.

"Oh! Let's just say, as expected of the talents gathered by my favorite Kaylon. The captain of the family is a level 6 elf, and with her magic, she can display combat prowess equivalent to level 7. You also have several level 5 elites who can perform like level 6... Such beautiful treasures," Erebus said with a lascivious smile, thinking of their great talents.

Ignoring Erebus' nonsense, Alfia looked closely at the information gathered by Erebus.

Zald also examined the information on the Rozzo family.

"They're really strong... A few more years, and they might rival the ancient Zeus and Hera families," Zald nodded with satisfaction.

"Barely enough," Alfia only said those few words, acknowledging their strength.

Erebus, still lost in his daydreams, suddenly snapped back to reality, looking at Alfia with a smile. "By the way, I recommend you don't accidentally kill anyone from the Rozzo family..."

"Hmm?" Alfia looked at Erebus with her usual stoic expression, but this time with some interest.

"Hehe well, you see... It's bad for you to kill any of them, especially Riveria the elf. It would be bad for you if they die. It probably would be bad for all of Genkai if they die," Erebus chuckled, thinking of the disaster Kaylon would unleash if they killed that elf.

Alfia stared deeply into Erebus' eyes and then said indifferently, "I wasn't planning on killing anyone. I'm not like you, Erebus. I only seek a future for Orario."

"Haha, of course. Well then, we can begin. Let's go, the group of adventurers with terminal illnesses will usher in a new era for Orario!" Erebus raised his fist to the sky enthusiastically.

"Don't call the group that, you fool."

"Hahaha."

...

Night

Southern Orario

Now, a woman and a girl walk through the desolate streets of Orario.

"The dark faction is unusually quiet tonight," the half-human woman remarked, observing everything attentively.

"Ghislaine, do you think they retreated after so many losses?" the red-haired girl asked the woman.

Ghislaine remained silent for a moment, then said, "I doubt it. A group like them will only become more aggressive with more losses. For them, retreat is not an option."

"I see... so are they planning something big then?" the red-haired girl said solemnly.

Ghislaine also considered this seriously. "I don't know. We'll have to inform the others about the situation once we get back home."

The red-haired girl nodded, continuing to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings.

"Eris, I heard you've reached the maximum level 5. It seems you're ready to advance to level 6," Ghislaine asked Eris with some interest.

Upon hearing the question, Eris put on a proud face and said, "Yes, according to my master, I've reached the limit of my level 5. Now I just need a sufficiently grand feat, and I'll be ready."

"It's truly incredible. Although I used to surpass you in stats, you ended up becoming stronger than me much sooner than I expected," Ghislaine praised sincerely.

Eris blushed slightly at the praise. Ghislaine was her first master and friend, so her words meant a lot to her.

"But Ghislaine, shouldn't you be at the limit of level 5 by now too?" Eris asked curiously.

Ghislaine shook her head and said, "I only recently touched the limit. I still have a bit to go to maximize my stats. It's a pity we haven't been able to return to the dungeon since the war with the dark faction started. Most of us have had our stats stagnate."

Upon hearing Ghislaine's slight tone of disappointment, Eris comforted her. "Don't worry, Ghislaine. Once we're done eliminating those rats from the dark faction, we can return to the dungeon. I heard Riveria-sama already has an expedition planned."

Ghislaine nodded. "That's right. Riveria-sama has planned a major expedition to floor 60. We'll do it after we deal with the dark faction."

Eris's eyes lit up. She was truly eager for new challenges. Nowadays, there was no one in the family who could spar with her seriously.

Before, she could still fight with Elinalise, but when her stats reached their maximum, Elinalise was no longer her opponent.

Regarding Riveria, it's difficult because she's not a warrior but a mage, if Riveria uses magic she'll lose immediately, but in close combat she would still dominate Riveria.

The only one who can still endure sparring with her is Ghislaine, however, even so, Eris doesn't feel the pressure from Ghislaine.

~PSHHHH~

"Oh?, it seems to be the communicator," Ghislaine took out a small crystal from her bosom, which was shining.

"Oh what information did they send?" Eris asked with interest.

The family's communication crystal not only functions as an intercom, but it's also capable of transmitting messages.

Frowning, Ghislaine said, "It seems the Superds sent a distress signal in the West area of Orario."

"Help!? The Superds?" Eris was bewildered, most of the Superds patrolling Orario are level 3, also very experienced warriors, so far the Superds have never asked for help.

"It seems we need to hurry, something serious could have happened," Ghislaine said solemnly and dashed towards the West area of Orario.

Eris also quickly followed Ghislaine.

...

Two figures moved at enormous speed through the streets of Orario.

Eris and Ghislaine, who were close to the location, began to slow down and their bodies began to prepare for combat.

"The signal was sent on the next street," after saying that, Ghislaine approached the place where the last signal was sent.

Following closely, Eris drew her sword from its sheath and held it tightly, prepared to attack any enemy.

Entering a house in the courtyard of a ruined building, they soon saw an unconscious Superd on the hard floor.

"Ghislaine!" Eris called out to Ghislaine in a low voice.

Understanding the call, Ghislaine drew her sword and, walking cautiously, they both approached the Superd.

Being close enough, they realized that the Superd was still breathing.

"The breathing is stable," Eris said, listening closely to the Superd's breath. "Ghislaine, check him, I'll cover you."

Ghislaine nodded and began to check the Superd for serious injuries.

After examining him for a while and not finding any life-threatening wounds, Ghislaine said somewhat relieved, "His injuries consist of superficial cuts and broken bones, there's nothing life-threatening, he must have been knocked unconscious by a strong blow."

Eris nodded and then, inspecting the Superd's wounds more closely, added, "Those cuts look recent, the person who did this must be nearby. Ghislaine, do you sense anyone nearby?"

Between the two, Ghislaine has the greater perception.

Ghislaine shook her head and said, "I don't sense anyone nearby."

"I'll give the Superd an elixir and then we'll continue searching," Ghislaine said as she took out an elixir and applied it to the Superd.

After the elixir took effect, the Superd's wounds healed, but he still didn't wake up.

"Let's keep searching," Ghislaine said, leaving the house with her sword in hand.

After they both left, they continued searching in the surroundings, but found nothing.

~CLASH OF METAL ~

Suddenly, noises of a battle were heard in the distance.

"There!" Pointing in the direction, Eris ran towards it.

Ghislaine also followed closely, prepared for combat.

Approaching the source of the noise, they arrived at a church.

When Ghislaine and Eris saw the scene around the church, their pupils contracted sharply.

Outside the church, several unconscious girls from the Astrea family lay on the ground, all seemed injured, with many broken weapons scattered around them.

"The Astrea family..." Eris, seeing all the injured women, frowned at their state and asked Ghislaine, "Ghislaine, can you hear their breathing?"

Ghislaine, upon hearing Eris's question, quickly focused her hearing on the breathing of all the Astrea family girls.

"Their breathing is stable... I don't think anyone is seriously injured," Ghislaine said after listening to each one's breath.

"I see... Where are the people who did this?" Eris looked around but didn't notice anyone.

The destruction of the place wasn't much, indicating that the fight was quick.

So, the people or person the Astrea family faced were much stronger.

Eris and Ghislaine approached all the women of the Astrea family, checking their wounds, gave elixirs to the women with the most severe injuries, and after seeing that all were stable, began to survey their surroundings.

~CREEK~

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from the church.

Upon opening, a woman emerged from it.

Eris and Ghislaine, hearing the noise, didn't hesitate to move several meters away from the church door.

"Oh...? It seems this time experienced warriors have come," the woman who emerged from the church said with a weak and indifferent voice.

Now that the woman had stepped out of the church, Eris and Ghislaine could see her better. Ashen hair, a beautiful face that even rivaled that of their Captain Riveria, her eyes couldn't be seen as she had her eyelids closed, a diabolical figure, undoubtedly a beautiful woman.

Of course, neither Eris nor Ghislaine were interested in the woman's beauty at the moment. They were both sweating coldly due to the immense pressure emanating from the woman.

Eris, her whole body tense and her senses constantly warning her of danger, thought to herself, 'The pressure from this woman is as great as Orsted's.'

Eris remembered a certain Dragon God, and thinking that this woman might be close to the strength of that being, her face became increasingly serious.

Ghislaine, who was also extremely tense, said to Eris in a low voice, "Eris, run back to the mansion, inform Riveria that Alfia "The Silence" has appeared. Go, Eris, I'll buy you time."

Eris frowned deeply, and her body trembled when Ghislaine mentioned the woman's name in front of them. However, she wasn't willing to leave Ghislaine yet. Before she could refuse, Alfia's voice was heard for the second time.

"I don't recommend you separate. Together, you might still have a chance. Once you separate, then... you will die," Alfia said in her usual apathetic voice.

"Ghislaine... I'm not going to escape. We'll fight with all we have, and if we die, then we'll do it together," Eris said firmly.

Ghislaine clenched her teeth but ultimately said nothing after hearing Eris's words. She knew it would be impossible to convince her.

Eris and Ghislaine tightened their grip on their swords and prepared to fight.

"Very well... Then prepare yourselves. Let me see if you will be the next heroes of Orario," Alfia opened one of her eyes, revealing a beautiful green eye. Then, without warning, she moved.

~VOSSHHH~

Eris and Ghislaine, seeing Alfia disappear, quickly took up defensive positions.

Ghislaine, who had all her senses active, suddenly felt her neck go numb. Without a second thought, Ghislaine turned around and used her sword to block the incoming blow.

Alfia, who appeared behind Ghislaine, kicked directly at Ghislaine's head.

However, before it could connect, Ghislaine turned around and blocked it with a sword.

~PAMM~

Even though Alfia's tremendous force sent her flying towards one of the nearby houses, Ghislaine managed to block the blow.

"You managed to block that kick? It seems my initial assessment wasn't wrong; you are true warriors," Alfia had a slight surprise seeing Ghislaine block her strike.

~VOSSHHH~

Saying that, Alfia disappeared again, leaving Eris, who had launched a large cut at her, bewildered.

"It's a very interesting sword technique... I can feel the edge from here," Alfia looked at Eris's sword, which exuded an extremely sharp aura, and praised it.

"I suppose since you both use swords, I'll use one to fight today," Taking one of the swords from the Astrea family girls, the aura of Alfia changed.

Eris's eyes widened seeing the razor-sharp aura Alfia had.

"I think your previous move was something like this..." Alfia brandished the sword for a moment, then assuming a stance, she launched a powerful cut at Eris.

~VOSSSSH~

Eris's eyes widened in shock as a cut exactly like hers shot out from Alfia.

Snapping out of her stupor, Eris quickly dodged the cut by rolling on the ground.

*BAMMMM*

"What!?" Eris, who had dodged the previous strike, was still in shock at how Alfia copied a move that took her years to learn in just seconds.

"Eris, focus!" Ghislaine, who had emerged from the house where she crashed and saw Eris distracted, shouted.

Regaining her senses quickly, Eris shook her head violently, pushing aside futile thoughts.

Turning her attention back to Alfia, who hadn't moved from her previous spot, Eris remembered Alfia's previous cut.

Recalling the way Alfia executed the cut, Eris smiled arrogantly and said, "Embodiment of talent." Eh? However, your talent seems to have failed you this time, your imitation wasn't perfect, compared to my cut yours can only be a mere imitation."

Alfia, hearing Eris's words, raised her eyebrows slightly and said indifferently, "Oh, you mean I didn't copy your cut perfectly?"

Shaking her head, Eris said, "The master said, no matter how similar two things are, in all of existence, there is absolutely nothing identical. Your court... still has a long way to go to be like mine."

With a small, imperceptible smile, Alfia said, "Oh...? Then we'll see which cut is better."

*VOSSSSH*

Without giving them time to react, Alfia lunged with her sword towards Eris, making the same swing as Eris. Alfia cut.

Eris, seeing the movement, didn't falter. Taking her sword, she launched the same cut towards Alfia.

*CLASH*

Recoiling backward from the great force of Alfia, Eris, who managed to stabilize herself, smiled proudly and said, "See, I told you, your imitation of my cut can't compare to the original."

Alfia, opening her second eye, looked at her broken sword with a slight confusion.

When the two weapons collided, although Alfia's force was much greater, Eris's sword still prevailed, and with a cut, her sword broke.

In conclusion, the edge of her sword was weaker than Eris's.

"The master said... You don't have to fear a man who has wielded thousands of swords, fear the man who has wielded one sword thousands of times," Eris said with a proud face (Kaylon expert in stealing phrases).

With a serious expression, Eris said firmly, "Your cut can't match mine, you can't imitate my relentless effort to become strong."

Alfia stared fixedly at Eris, and after a while, a slight laugh escaped her lips. "Fufu, I see, I suppose talent isn't omnipotent."

Dropping the sword from her hand, Alfia looked at the two women who had assumed fighting stances again.

"You are truly strong, so I will treat you as such, now I will begin to fight seriously."

Circulating (mana) through her body, Alfia smiled fiercely. "Let me also show you my great efforts! So try not to die too quickly, hero..."

Parting her lips slightly, Alfia uttered a short chant, "Satanas Verion."

---

That's it for today's chapter!

By the way, this fight against Alfia was just a prelude, the real battle is approaching and for her probably one chapter will not be enough.

Thank you for the support!

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