33 Welcome!

"Riveria-chan!" A cry echoed through the ruins left behind by Riveria's spell.

Elinalise, desperately searching for Riveria, moved rocks here and there, constantly shouting Riveria's name.

"Elinalise, your wound," Ghislaine, carrying a weary Eris on her back, said to Elinalise with concern.

The cut Alfia had inflicted on Elinalise continued to bleed, and Elinalise's complexion was growing pale.

"That's not important now! First, help me find Riveria," Elinalise said firmly, deflecting Ghislaine's concerns.

Although helpless, Ghislaine still followed Elinalise orders and began searching within the vast ruins.

After a while of searching and finding nothing, Elinalise's expression grew increasingly heavy.

Biting her lips, Elinalise continued searching despite her wounds and dwindling energy.

~CRACK~

Suddenly, the sound of a stone fragmenting resonated through the ruins.

With her sharp ears, Elinalise managed to hear the noise, her expression hopeful as she ran toward its source.

~PAM~

With a strong blow, Elinalise broke the stone that had made the noise.

Lifting the stone with difficulty, Elinalise soon spotted an injured elf beneath.

"RIVERIA-CHAN!" With a mix of happiness and concern, Elinalise leaped into the hole where Riveria was.

"Elinalise..." With a somewhat weak voice, Riveria attempted to rise from the spot.

"Don't move, Riveria-chan! Let me help you," Elinalise gently took Riveria out of the hole.

Leaning on Elinalise, Riveria, now suffering from mind down effects, tried to recover some of her falna.

"Elinalise, you're injured," feeling Elinalise's wet back, Riveria looked at her with concern.

"Everything's fine, Riveria-chan. I can still manage," Elinalise reassured Riveria with a pale face.

Ignoring Elinalise's lies, Riveria condensed some of her mana and used healing magic on Elinalise.

"Riveria-chan, don't expend your Mana!" With a worried expression, Elinalise tried to persuade Riveria.

With a firm face, Riveria continued healing Elinalise's wounds, her complexion, which had previously regained some color, immediately paling again.

"Riveria-chan!" With an anxious face, Elinalise tried to stop Riveria's mana expenditure.

Interrupted, Riveria looked slightly annoyed, took Elinalise's hand, and pinched her hip.

~PINCH~

"Ouch!" Riveria's pinch made Elinalise wince in pain.

"That hurts, Riveria-chan. Why are you so cruel to me?" With a pitiful face, Elinalise looked at Riveria with puppy eyes.

"Hmph, stubborn elf," Riveria complained about Elinalise with a snort.

"What, me, stubborn elf!?" With an incredulous look, Elinalise stared at Riveria.

Elinalise couldn't comprehend how the most stubborn elf in the family could call her stubborn.

"This is simply the pot calling the kettle black..." With a pout, Elinalise murmured to herself.

"What did you say?" With dangerous eyes, Riveria looked at Elinalise.

Riveria's small hands returned to her waist, her fingers seeming eager to pinch a bit more flesh.

"Nothing! I was just reflecting on my mistakes," Elinalise, feeling Riveria's hands, immediately tried to explain herself.

Seeing Riveria's face, which seemed to not believe her at all, Elinalise quickly changed the subject. "Riveria-chan, we have to inform Eris and Ghislaine. They must still be searching for you."

Fortunately for Elinalise, Riveria managed to distract herself from the previous topic.

"Then let's go tell them," Leaning on Elinalise, Riveria walked toward where she sensed both of their faint presences.

"Umu," Nodding, Elinalise delicately carried her captain.

A pair of badly injured elves walked through the ruins of what was once a thriving street.

"Riveria-sama, they won't charge us for the damages here, will they?" Looking around, Elinalise asked Riveria.

"Why should they? These are collateral damages from the war against the dark faction," Riveria washed her hands of any accusations with a stoic face.

Looking at Riveria in amazement, Elinalise thought that indeed, no one can stay around their Goddess without being influenced over time.

The honest and rigid Riveria can now utter such shameless words without changing her expression.

Walking for a while, Eris and Ghislaine soon came into view.

Eris seemed to have recovered somewhat as she now seemed able to walk, although there were still several wounds on her body.

"Riveria-sama!" Eris and Ghislaine's faces lit up with joy at the sight of Riveria.

All members of the family deeply respect and care for this lovely and sweet captain who genuinely cares for everyone in the family.

"Girls, are you okay?" Seeing Eris and Ghislaine's conditions, Riveria asked with concern.

Quickly nodding, Eris said, "Don't worry, Riveria-sama, my wounds aren't too severe, I'm just exhausted."

Ghislaine also nodded and said, "I'm fine too, Riveria-sama, I don't have any fatal wounds."

In fact, none of the four have truly fatal wounds, just that they have all exhausted their energy.

"By the way, Riveria-sama, that woman must be dead, right?" Eris, who had been silent, suddenly asked with a solemn face.

Remaining silent for a moment, Riveria seemed to hesitate a bit.

If it were anyone else, she wouldn't hesitate in the least; after all, her disintegration magic is almost a sure hit.

However, thinking of all her God's warnings, Riveria had to doubt.

"She should be dead..." Although Riveria tried to affirm it, even she could hear the doubt in her voice.

Upon hearing Riveria's response, they all understood that even Riveria couldn't be sure.

~CRASH~

Suddenly, the sound of a rock breaking sounded nearby.

Opening her eyes, Elinalise said, "No freaking way!?"

The other girls also had the feeling that their battle was not over yet.

Looking toward the sound, they soon all saw a rock shattering.

~CRACK~

A bloodied hand emerged behind the rock, and shortly afterward, Alfia emerged. However, unlike the normally unscathed and noble Alfia, this time her condition was lamentable.

Covered in burns, with blood running down her body, Alfia's wounds were so severe that you didn't even need to look closely to know they were fatal.

Staggering briefly, Alfia looked at Riveria. However, unlike the previous indifferent look, there was respect in Alfia's eyes this time.

"Your magic is amazing, elf. Even my ability only managed to block a small part," Alfia said weakly to Riveria.

"Alfia..." Looking at Alfia, who was half-dead but still standing, a look of respect shone in Riveria's eyes.

"It's a shame we're not from the same era. Otherwise, maybe we would have had some chance," bitter memories coming to mind, an ironic smile formed on Alfia's mouth.

Silence filled the surroundings; neither side spoke, and they only looked at each other.

Suddenly, Riveria, who had been silent, asked Alfia, "Why...?"

She had always been curious: what was Alfia's reason for reaching this point? Why did she never have murderous intentions?

There were many questions in Riveria's mind, but in the end, it all boiled down to one: why?

Looking at Riveria, Alfia remained silent for a while before speaking, "I seek hope..."

"Hope?" With confusion, Riveria looked at Alfia, expecting more answers.

"Orario needs heroes; heroes are born in dark times... At least that's the nonsense Erebus said," with a self-deprecating smile, Alfia laughed, thinking that in the end, she had become a God's entertainment.

"I don't believe in heroes because I never saw one, but... if only this dying adventurer can still use her remaining life to bring hope to Orario, then I'm willing," with a weak and tired tone, Alfia said.

Sighing self-deprecatingly, Alfia thought about her reasons for continuing to fight.

Maybe it's the little boy she left behind, or it could be the love-hate relationship she has with this city, or perhaps she simply seeks to give meaning to her death.

Looking at the four warriors who looked at her with some admiration, Alfia shook her head.

"Well, the time is coming; my time is running out. Originally, I planned to die by throwing my body into some volcano, but I changed my mind. Dying in battle sounds better," leaving behind her thoughts, Alfia's gaze changed, becoming extremely sharp.

Knowing that the fight was approaching, Riveria, Elinalise, Ghislaine, and Eris tensed their bodies.

~VOSSSH~

Without hesitation, Alfia launched herself toward the group; her extraordinary speed and strength exploded with everything.

~METALLIC CLASH~

~BAM~

Blocking the attack with her sword, Eris gritted her teeth before being sent flying by Alfia's force.

Crashing into a wall, Eris struggled to maintain consciousness.

"Mana Burst!" With another burst of mana, Elinalise's thrust aimed toward Alfia.

~METALLIC CLASH~

Blocking Elinalise's thrust, Alfia immediately turned to see the sword coming toward her face; with a few words from Alfia, one of her spells was cast.

"Satan's Veil!" A sound wave headed toward the defenseless Ghislaine.

Contracting her pupils, Ghislaine prepared for the impact.

However, before the sound wave could hit Ghislaine, a magical barrier formed in front of the attack.

[Via Shilheim]

~BAM~

A large explosion sent Ghislaine back several steps, but thanks to the barrier, the damage was minimal.

Turning her head, Alfia faced Riveria, who had launched herself toward her with her staff in hand.

Raising her eyebrows slightly, Alfia said, "Heh, a mage who fights in close combat."

Soon, with Riveria in front of her, although she was still a bit slower than the other three girls, she was still quite fast.

~CLICK~

With a sound of opening, a dagger emerged from the bottom of Riveria's staff.

Then, the next second, Riveria wielded it toward Alfia's head.

Taking her dagger, Alfia quickly blocked the attack.

~METALLIC CLASH~

~CRASH~

Alfia's eyes widened as she saw her first-rate weapon shattered by Riveria's staff.

"This is a gift from my Kami-sama; as long as I'm alive, it will never break," with a proud face, Riveria boasted of her precious staff.

"Hehe, I admit I'm a little envious," with a smile, Alfia launched a barrage of punches at Riveria.

~BANG~ ~BANG~

Skillfully using her staff, Riveria blocked the attacks coming from Alfia.

Gritting her teeth, Riveria did everything she could to withstand Alfia's monstrous strength.

~BANG~

~METALLIC CLASH~

As Riveria tried her best to fight hand-to-hand against Alfia, the other three girls gathered all their strength for an attack.

"Fire of Wrath!"

"Fang!"

"Mana Burst!"

Three desperate attacks aimed at Alfia while she was held in combat by Riveria.

With a solemn face, Alfia quickly chanted, depleting a large part of her mana.

"Silentium Eden!"

A layer of mana covered Alfia, just a second before the attacks hit.

~BOOM~

A massive explosion erupted at Alfia's position.

Pulling back, Riveria and the rest watched Alfia closely.

As the smoke dispersed, Alfia's figure, with a few more wounds, appeared before them.

Frowning, the four knew that the damage to Alfia had not been enough.

Breathing heavily, Alfia, who was running out of energy, looked at the four girls from the Rozzo family, who also seemed to be nearly drained.

"It seems we have to end this," with a determined look, Alfia knew she couldn't prolong the battle any longer.

Staring at the four, Alfia said, "This will be my final strike. If you can withstand it, you'll be the winners."

Gathering all her mana around her, Alfia began to chant.

Silently chanting, all of Alfia's mana poured into the spell.

Seeing the power of the spell, Alfia frowned. "This is all I can gather. Well, I guess I'm more exhausted than I thought."

The magic she was about to unleash at its peak was capable of wiping out the entire 18th floor of Orario. However, with her low mana and tired body, she couldn't endure any longer.

Feeling the threat of Alfia's magic, Riveria quickly cast a defensive spell, pouring all her mana into it, waiting for the impact.

Having finished gathering her mana, Alfia prepared to cast the enchantment.

"Genos..."

Feeling the strong threat, Elinalise looked at Riveria. "Riveria-chan..."

"Don't worry, I'll endure it!" With a firm gaze, Riveria refused to yield.

Looking at the four, Alfia chanted the last part.

"Angelus..."

The mana formed ready to burst out, and the four prepared for the impact.

However, the next moment, before Alfia's magic could be unleashed, a strong voice was heard.

[Ran Ma - Disturb Magic]

The magic that was already coming out of Alfia suddenly became affected, losing control, the mana dissipated, and the spell broke.

Wide-eyed, Alfia looked at her magic that had been canceled.

Turning her head to where the voice came from, Alfia saw a man with brown hair and green eyes wearing a gray robe.

The man had his hand pointed toward her, and blood was running down his nose.

Alfia could feel that the magic that blocked hers came from that mage.

"Magic blocking? No... Although the spell stopped, it wasn't completely blocked," Alfia shook her head at the idea of it being magic blocking.

After all, although she felt her magic lose control, she didn't feel her magic being fully blocked.

"Distortion magic..." Coming to a conclusion, Alfia understood the man's magic.

Just as Alfia was pondering the effect of Rudeus's magic, a sense of crisis came from very close.

"Earthquake!"

Soon, Alfia saw a dwarf crashing to the ground, then as if a bomb exploded on the ground, Alfia was sent flying.

Being thrown into the sky, Alfia was momentarily defenseless, and soon Alfia, descending, felt a sense of crisis again.

"Storm!"

"Killing Blizzard!"

A large number of lightning bolts and several wind blades headed toward Alfia.

Seeing it impossible to cover herself in the air, Alfia quickly used her magic to defend herself.

"Silentium Eden!"

~BOOM~

Sent flying to the ground, Alfia hit the ground with great force, feeling her consciousness blur, Alfia gritted her teeth.

Struggling to get up, Alfia soon fell to the ground again, directing her gaze to her feet, she noticed that one of her legs was broken.

She also noticed several burns and deep cuts on her body.

"I see, my magic failed to block the two spells," looking at her pitiful state, Alfia knew that her spell had not taken effect.

Bleeding violently from all the cuts, Alfia knew she had lost.

Briefly lifting her head, Alfia looked at the new people who had arrived on the battlefield.

The man with brown hair and green eyes who has that strange distortion magic, also there was the dwarf who sent her flying.

And atop the rooftops, Alfia saw two girls, a blue-haired and blue-eyed Pallum. (Roxy: I'm not a Pallum!)

On the other rooftop was an elf with white hair and red eyes, she must have been the woman who cast the other spell.

"They're really a strong family..." Shaking her head, Alfia thought that this family's talents even surpassed those of the Hera family.

On the other hand, Rudeus and Talhand, who had arrived, rushed to help Riveria and the rest.

"Riveria-sama!" With heavy steps, Talhand approached Riveria, who was bleeding from her nose and ears, with concern.

"Talhand, it's good to see you here," looking at the dwarf with a smile, Riveria knew they had won.

"Sorry for the delay, Riveria-sama. We encountered some obstacles on the way. Here, everyone, take a potion." Taking out several potions, Talhand gave them to Elinalise, Ghislaine, and Riveria.

As for Eris? She's now in Rudeus's arms, complaining.

"Ah, Rudeus, that bastard Alfia is really tough. You can hit her hundreds of times and nothing will happen to her." Lying on Rudeus's chest, Eris began to complain.

"Yeah, it was a really tough battle," looking at Eris affectionately, Rudeus carefully gave her a potion.

Roxy and Sylphie, on the other hand, hadn't taken their eyes off Alfia. If the woman moved, they were ready to give her another dose.

Having recovered, Riveria got up and walked towards Alfia.

Walking slowly, Riveria, upon seeing Alfia's condition, knew she probably wouldn't make it.

For her part, Alfia, feeling the elf approaching, without raising her head, said, "You... Tell me your name."

"I'm Riveria Ljos Alf, captain of the Rozzo family," Riveria replied with a firm voice.

"Riveria, huh? You and your family are strong. You won this battle," with her vision blurred, Alfia told Riveria.

Giving Alfia a somewhat complicated look, Riveria didn't know how to feel, even though Alfia was supposed to be an enemy.

Actually, Alfia never killed anyone in the war against the dark faction, even when she fought against them, there was no murderous intent.

And upon hearing her previous words, Riveria felt that this woman was really tough, and a great respect arose in her heart.

"In the future, a boy named Bell will come to Orario. Do whatever you want with him..." With an indifferent face, Alfia told Riveria. (Hehe, that sounded very Toji, however, I feel like it's something Alfia would say.)

Looking at Alfia, who was running out of vitality, Riveria didn't know what to do or say.

Suddenly, a firm voice reached Alfia's ears as she lay dying.

"If you had another chance? One without your illness and without being hunted, would you take it?"

Riveria widened her eyes upon seeing her Kami-sama, who had arrived at her side at some point.

She wanted to greet him and hug him, but seeing that something important was about to happen, she decided to wait.

Opening her eyes slightly, Alfia looked at the man with golden hair and golden eyes, who was now looking at her with a gaze as deep as an abyss.

"I'd say it sounds too good to be true..." With a weak voice, Alfia gave her honest answer.

Kaylon fell silent and said no more, the decision rests in Alfia's hands, her fate lies in her own hands.

"However, if there is a chance, even if it's just one, I'd be a fool not to take it," staring at Kaylon intently, Alfia replied.

In her eyes, which had previously lost hope, a small flame ignited.

Looking into Alfia's eyes, which seemed to have revived hope, Kaylon had to admire the woman's will.

Without saying more, a small scroll appeared in Kaylon's hand, the scroll exuding a sacred aura.

Looking at the scroll in Kaylon's hands, Alfia's previously almost dead heart began to beat strongly again.

She felt it, the pure desire of her body to take that scroll, as if her body knew that with this, she would not only survive but even her curse could be broken.

With a stoic face, but a huge internal commotion, Alfia looked closely at the scroll.

"There's only one in the family. This little scroll in my hand has the ability to revive someone; it will cure your illness," seeing Alfia, Kaylon said.

Although Alfia wanted to lunge and grab it right now, she suppressed the urge and said, "What do I have to do in return?"

She didn't want to be a slave, so if what he asked for was too big, she would reject it.

"Simple, join my family," with a smiling voice, Kaylon told Alfia.

"Just that?" With surprise on her face, Alfia looked at Kaylon, as if she wanted to see through his deception.

"Just that? Hehe, Alfia, you're probably one of the greatest talents born in Genkai, with a will of steel and an unbreakable determination, you're simply the strongest mortal warrior I've ever known," Kaylon shook his head at Alfia who didn't recognize her own worth.

Staring at Kaylon intently, Alfia said, "Is that all you promise?"

"I promise, in the name of my family," with firm eyes, Kaylon told Alfia.

Thinking for a moment, Alfia soon gave her answer, "Then I'm willing!"

With a big smile, Kaylon tossed the scroll to Alfia.

Alfia, taking the scroll with difficulty, looked with somewhat grateful eyes at Kaylon.

"Welcome to my family, Alfia!" With a happy smile, Kaylon told the woman.

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Well, we've almost reached the end of the Dark Age, just a few final touches and we're done.

And well, gentlemen, our family has officially added a monster, now we are simply invincible.

I already have some ideas for worlds to visit soon.

In the next chapter, I'll leave the options for you to decide.

Thank you for the support!!