Liber looked over his shoulder at the hand inches from his face and instinctively tried to dodge backward.
Before he could twist around and duck, the hand shot toward his face.
Just as the catman was about to grab him, ripples began to shimmer around Liber. He was about to force his assailant back with his weapon when—
A whoosh sounded behind him.
Liber, on guard against a sudden attack from the catman in front of him, felt a sharp pain in his waist. His own attack was interrupted.
He was sent flying toward the edge of the street.
"Tch."
Watching his prey slip out of his grasp, the catman, Allen, clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He turned his open hand into a fist. He had held back before, intending to restrain Liber, but now he unleashed his full strength without reservation.
Bete was still in the middle of a kick and had no time to defend himself. All he could do was watch as Allen's fist came at him even faster.
Allen's punch slammed into the tattooed right side of Bete's face, sending him flying helplessly to the ground.
Liber landed on one knee, bracing himself with one hand to stop his momentum. He rubbed his injured waist.
The moment he looked up, he saw Bete get sent flying again.
Allen slowly lowered his fist and straightened up. Then he turned to face Liber, who was crouched nearby, his expression feverish.
Liber saw Bete trembling as he tried to get back up, then turned his gaze to the catman slowly approaching him.
He stared grimly at Allen and asked,
"Vana Freya?"
"Don't call people whatever you want, you brat."
Allen's expression darkened at Liber's question.
He sized Liber up and sneered.
"You look like you couldn't even beat the Familia's gatekeeper.
Hey, kid. Why do you smell like that lady?"
"Smell? Lady? What are you talking about?"
Liber stared at the arrogant catman questioning him, utterly confused.
"Quit playing dumb! Anyone who's seen that lady would have her beauty etched into their mind forever. The goddess who stands at the pinnacle of this world—Freya."
Allen was displeased by Liber's words and replied with a hint of obsession.
Liber had just gotten to his feet. At Allen's words, the confusion on his face gave way to dawning realization as he recalled their strange encounter earlier.
Seeing Liber's expression, Allen's feverish face broke into a smile.
"Looks like you know where you saw her. In that case..."
As he spoke, Allen halted mid-stride. His body blurred, and he charged toward Liber at full speed.
"I'll knock you flat first, then interrogate you about where you met her!"
Allen hurtled toward Liber with a savage look.
Liber had barely heard him finish speaking when Allen appeared right in front of him.
Fixing his eyes on the incoming fist, he hurriedly raised an arm to shield his face.
Allen's lips curled into a smirk. He drove his arm down and suddenly punched Liber in the stomach.
Liber's expression changed sharply as the blow sent him flying toward the wall behind him.
Pain seared through his stomach. Wind roared in his ears, and the wall drew closer. He forced himself to ignore the pain and focus.
Allen stood where he was, watching Liber hurtle toward the wall with a cruel expression.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed. Liber's speed steadily slowed, and he traced an arc through the air before landing on the ground.
The moment his feet touched down, Liber stumbled forward and sprawled onto the street.
"Ugh..."
He propped himself up with one hand, clutching his stomach with the other. After retching dryly a few times, he wiped the drool from his mouth and slowly rose to his feet.
Seeing that Liber could still fight, Allen raised an eyebrow. He glanced at his fist, then looked at Liber with interest.
His expression grew even more vicious as he lowered his stance, preparing to charge again.
A gust of wind swept in. Allen abruptly halted his first step and ducked to avoid a kick aimed at his head.
Crouching low, Allen swept a leg toward Bete behind him.
Before he could knock Bete down, his expression changed. A long sword suddenly sprouted from Bete's ankle.
Allen immediately stopped his attack. Bete paid no attention to the sword that had appeared from his foot. Seeing Allen's opening, he glared at him and seized the chance to bring his leg down.
The catman rolled sideways to avoid the blow, then leaped away several times to put distance between them.
"Bang!"
Bete's boot hit the ground, sinking deep into it and crushing the paving stones beneath.
"Tch, what a shame."
Watching Allen nimbly evade his attack, Bete lamented.
He pulled his leg from the ground, scattering little chunks of stone, and looked toward the catman who had dodged aside.
Allen stared at the werewolf's ankle, and Bete followed his gaze.
As the two watched, the long sword that had suddenly sprouted there slowly shrank and disappeared into his ankle. Apart from a few scratches, the metal boot showed no other signs of damage.
"Never thought a stray mutt had a trick like that. Disgusting."
Allen looked at Bete with contempt and mocked him.
"Hah, I don't have any trick like that. Maybe someone couldn't stand watching and stepped in, you rotten cat!"
Bete didn't understand the sudden appearance of the sword either, but he still fired back at Allen.
The three of them stood at separate points, forming a triangle.
In the distance, several high-level adventurers were still fighting near the entrance to the Loki Familia.
Finn and Gareth had held Ottar back from advancing into the Familia's grounds. The members behind them occasionally supported their efforts in their own ways, interfering with Ottar's movements.
Liber glanced at the increasingly tense battle in the distance, then looked at the two men in front of him. He addressed the catman on the other side.
"If you're looking for Freya, I might have seen her in the shopping district. Go there if you want to find her."
"You spineless coward! What are you talking about? Who cares about some goddess? Knock the other guy flat first!"
At Liber's words, Bete turned to him and snarled.
Liber didn't respond to Bete. He simply watched Allen, waiting for his reply.
The catman met the boy's gaze, then laughed, his eyes full of scorn.
"You might have seen her in the shopping district? You think we haven't sent people to look?"
"The other members have already searched there! Besides, you said 'might'? Once you've seen the goddess's peerless beauty, you could never forget it! That vague answer proves we should beat the truth out of you before asking questions."
At the taunts, Liber took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Feeling the lingering pain of his injuries, he thought of the chaos in the streets on his way here. He looked toward the distant homes of other Familias, where flashes of light kept appearing.
Keeping his eyes fixed on Allen's mocking expression, Liber lowered his stance and said,
"Today was supposed to be a happy day for me.
But you've caused such a mess that you ruined my mood."
"So?"
The catman folded his arms and looked down at him.
Liber stared coldly at him and slowly raised his right hand.
"Die!"
Before you continue