Chariot and Ottarl, Clan Crisis

The streets of the Labyrinth City.

The warm glow of the lamps should have gradually dimmed as time passed.

The usually bustling streets would fall into a quiet atmosphere between the transition of late night and dawn.

Yet tonight, the lights across every street were suddenly ignited, and the clamor grew even more intense.

Looking down from the top of Babel, the radiance spread throughout the entire city like a flowing river.

The light and noise roused the sleeping citizens from their dreams; people pushed open their windows to see the fully armed Ganesha Familia branching out toward every intersection, stationing themselves on both sides of the streets.

Seeing this defensive posture, the people fearfully shut their doors and windows tight.

Before the gates of Twilight Manor.

"Bang."

The silver-haired youth slammed into the wall outside the manor, creating a human-shaped crater and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Before the smoke could settle, a figure darted out from within, piercing through the dust as fragments of brick and stone were swept up in his wake, scattering across the ground.

The youth sprinted forward, lowering his body mid-stride to deliver a flying knee strike to the short figure ahead of him.

Metal boots collided with a spear, and sparks flashed in an instant.

The beast ears atop the silver-haired youth's head twitched, shaking off the small pebbles clinging to them, as he glared viciously at the cat person holding the spear before him.

"You damn cat!"

The cat person looked at the werewolf facing him with contempt, saying disdainfully, "A stray dog that only knows how to bark."

"What did you say! You bastard!"

Hearing this, veins bulged on the werewolf youth, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Get lost!"

The cat person used his spear to block the incoming knee strike, then exerted sudden force to smash the werewolf away.

Watching the werewolf being sent flying once again, Loki, who was being protected behind her Familia members at the main gate, shouted loudly.

"Bete, don't let him show you up!"

"Shut up, I won't lose to him!"

Having been knocked back, Bete repeatedly tapped his feet against the ground to stabilize his stance, responding to Loki with an annoyed expression.

Bete stood upright, staring solemnly at the cat person youth carrying the spear before him.

The cat person youth leaned on his spear with his right hand, his left hand on his hip, dressed in tight-fitting athletic gear, with a cape hanging from the half-pauldron on his left shoulder down to his ankles.

The wide cape fell along his left shoulder, blowing in the wind before slowly settling back to cover half his body.

"Allen, you guy, one day I'm going to trample that stinking face of yours into a pulp!"

Seeing the cat person youth ignore him and turn his head to stare at other battles, the rage in Bete's heart burned even more fiercely.

Allen Fromel heard this, glanced at him sideways, and without turning his head, said coldly, "The words of a loser."

Allen Fromel, a Level 6 adventurer, alias [Vana Freya].

As a member of the cat person race, he was short in stature, yet his strength was exceptionally formidable. He was a top-tier powerhouse even among the strong in the Freya Familia, serving as the vice-captain.

He looked down on any adventurer weaker than himself and always maintained an arrogant demeanor. Anyone who had interacted or spoken with him could not stand his biting sarcasm.

In Orario, anyone with knowledge of the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia knew that each had a First-Class adventurer with a sharp tongue and a vicious attitude.

The Level 5 adventurer belonging to the Loki Familia, [Vana Gandr]—Bete Loga.

The vice-captain of the Freya Familia, the Level 6 adventurer [Vana Freya]—Allen Fromel.

The two had extremely similar combat styles, and both were adventurers known for their speed.

Since their respective Familias were in a competitive relationship, the two were often discussed privately by gossiping adventurers.

Bete of the werewolf race and Allen of the cat person race were both ill-tempered by nature, and hearing the rumors in the city only made them more dissatisfied with how similar they were.

Gods would often privately joke about the scene of the two starting a fight whenever they met, calling it the "Cat-Dog Strife."

However, as a Level 6, Allen was a tier above Bete in strength and had earned the nickname {Fastest in the City}.

Bete, who lagged behind in speed, was even more resentful of him, and the relationship between the two was notoriously hostile.

Watching Allen ignore him, Bete sprinted toward him once again, launching a new wave of attacks.

After trading a few blows with Bete, an impatient Allen took advantage of Bete dodging an attack to fly into a kick, sending him flying toward another battlefield.

On the other side, The burly Boarman stood his ground, swinging his Greatsword to deal with the two short figures constantly attacking him.

When he sensed an object approaching from behind, he used the Greatsword in his hand to parry the attack in front of him, Then shifted his body to the right, and as Bete flew past him, he casually delivered an elbow strike to his body.

Bete, who was adjusting his posture in mid-air, lost his momentum after being struck, his body going limp as he flew past the dwarf and the pallum, crashing onto the ground.

After rolling a few times, he clutched his stomach, his body arching and twitching.

Watching Bete fly past them, Finn and Gareth, who were engaged with the Boarman, looked startled, their grip on their weapons momentarily slackening.

Sensing the resistance weaken, the Boarman immediately seized the opportunity to strike them both away.

Gareth braced his Greatshield against the ground, quickly halting his momentum, while Finn took a few steps back to steady himself behind Gareth.

Glancing at the fallen Bete, Finn spoke calmly to the Boarman before him.

"I have already told you, we have not seen your deity. Why must you continue to pester us, Ottarl the Valiant!"

The Boarman drove his Greatsword into the ground and looked at the wary Loki Familia, replying calmly, "Then let us enter and conduct a search."

"As if I'd let you run wild on our turf!"

Loki, shielded by the other members of her Familia, shrieked and gestured wildly.

"Then there is nothing left to discuss. We have already searched many places. Only the interiors of the various Familias remain unsearched. Move aside."

Ottarl responded coldly to Loki's words.

Ottarl the Valiant, Captain of the Freya Familia, the strongest adventurer in the Labyrinth City, Level 7.

Deeply trusted by the goddess Freya, he would stop at nothing to carry out her orders.

"What kind of nonsense are you blathering about?"

Bete, having been helped up by his companions, shook off their arms. Clutching his stomach, he leaned on one knee and sneered at Ottarl.

"Hey, Bete, if you can't handle it, take a break."

Loki watched the wobbling Bete, her voice filled with concern.

"Shut up, a minor scratch like this will be fine in a second."

Swallowing the blood rising in his throat, he wiped the stain from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, slowly stood up, and responded to Loki coldly.

Watching Bete straighten his posture, Loki muttered unhappily, "Stubborn idiot."

Finn and Gareth, who were standing off against Ottarl, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Bete stand tall.

When Finn heard Ottarl's reply, his expression grew increasingly grave, and he followed up on Bete's words with a question.

"Are you trying to plunge Orario into chaos once again?"

"It matters not, so long as our goddess remains unharmed."

Ottarl replied calmly.

"In the end, it's going to be a fight."

With that, Bete slowly walked to Finn's side and assumed a combat stance.

He lowered his voice and asked Finn beside him, "Finn, why are there so few Familia members left on guard?"