Bustling Metropolis, Rising Sun

Suddenly, two spinning scimitars hurtled toward Ottar.

"Clang!"

He stopped in his tracks, swinging his Greatsword to deflect the incoming blades.

Finn, his expression twisted in a manic grin, faltered in his chant upon seeing the weapons fly in.

"[Awaken]"

A cold voice rang out, followed by a petite figure appearing before Finn like a gale, launching an attack against the towering Ottar.

Finn ceased his incantation, staring in surprise at the two familiar figures behind Ottar, then back at the girl currently engaging him.

Loki, who had been pulling the other members toward the shelter of a doorway, saw the three girls return and cried out in delight.

"Ais, and Tiona and Tione!"

"Stay away from the Captain!"

Tione, rushing toward the Loki Familia, shouted fiercely before leaping forward to catch the two deflected scimitars—her signature weapons, Soruas.

She darted left and right, unleashing a flurry of fierce strikes against Ottar.

Tiona followed close behind, joining the fray.

Beside himself under the assault of the three, Ottar parried their attacks with steady composure, eventually forcing them back with a few wide, sweeping strikes.

The group landed in front of Finn, standing their ground against Ottar.

Seeing the ranks of the Loki Familia swell, Ottar halted, a look of annoyance crossing his stoic face.

Finn's manic expression gradually smoothed into calm. He glanced at his companions, brow furrowed, and asked Tiona, "Why have you returned? Where are Riveria and Lefiya?"

"Those two stayed behind."

Tiona didn't look back, her eyes locked on Ottar as she answered Finn.

"Riveria is there commanding the others to subdue the Four Flame Gold Warriors. She sent us back first; Lefiya and Riveria will follow shortly."

"The others?"

Finn asked, puzzled by Tiona's words.

"That is—"

"We arrived at the scene and clashed with the Four Flame Gold Warriors, but it wasn't long before elves from other familias heard the news of Riveria's injury and rushed to the site."

Tione cut in, explaining to Finn before her sister could.

Tiona glanced at her sister, who was beginning to slip into a dazed state, then shifted her gaze back to Ottar, marveling at the earlier scene.

"I always knew Riveria held a high status among the elves, but this is the first time I've seen her protected by so many of them."

Earlier, the three had followed Lefiya's trail to reach Riveria.

Facing the four brothers, who refused to listen to reason, the two sides had quickly come to blows.

Since all parties were Level 5 adventurers, and the four brothers possessed seamless coordination and superior numbers, the girls had quickly fallen onto the defensive.

Lefiya raised her Staff, watching her companions trade positions with the brothers, but she failed to find an opening to cast her magic.

Beside her, Riveria, having received emergency treatment, sat weakly on the ground, watching the battle ahead with growing anxiety.

"Lady Riveria, we've arrived!"

"Hurry, we must make it in time!"

"Damn the Freya Familia! Lady Riveria, please, hold on!"

A thundering sound of footsteps echoed from the street corner, accompanied by a dense chorus of voices.

The combatants felt the ground tremble with increasing intensity and ceased their movements, looking toward the source of the noise.

The two on the sidelines also turned to gaze at the corner.

Dust billowed as a multitude of elven figures appeared, leaving everyone stunned by the rushing crowd.

"I see Lady Riveria! Over there, hurry!"

Hearing the clear, feminine voices calling out honorifics for Riveria, the four brothers felt a sense of dread.

They broke away from Ais and the others, watching as the arriving elves swarmed around Riveria, pushing even Lefiya to the edge of the crowd.

Riveria looked at her kin surrounding her, hesitating as she spoke, "You all..."

Her voice was cut off. Within the circle of elves, a young girl grabbed Riveria's hand, eyes brimming with tears as she looked at her blood-stained form.

"I am so sorry, Lady Riveria! We are late!"

Riveria looked at the weeping girl in surprise. "You... you were the one who sent for help earlier."

"Yes, I am so sorry!! I wanted to come and help you after you were so severely injured, but my power is truly too weak, and I was afraid of becoming a burden.

I went to find other kin to assist you first.

When I heard on the way that you had sustained such heavy injuries, I felt absolutely ashamed of myself!!"

The elf girl wiped away her tears as she spoke, her expression turning resolute.

"Please rest assured, leave the rest to us! We will definitely make the Four Flame Gold Warriors on the other side pay the price."

"Yes, leave this to us."

"Those four bastards, we'll make them pay for sure!"

Following the girl's words, the people around them chimed in, expressing their opinions and anger.

"That... you don't need to get involved in this conflict because of me."

Riveria listened to their words and tried her best to persuade them otherwise.

The elves present looked at Riveria, who was still trying to protect everyone, with moved expressions.

Then, their expressions turned to rage as they collectively turned to look at the four brothers opposite them.

"So many elves, the numbers are a bit frightening."

"Quite a few of them are well-known adventurers."

"Besides, most elves can use magic, right?"

"What a pain, let's just kill them all."

""Shut up!""

The four brothers looked at the elves gathered before them, who were glaring with fury, and as a sense of crisis welled up in their hearts, they voiced their thoughts one after another.

Hearing their eldest brother's provocation, the other three brothers hurriedly spoke up to refute him.

A portion of the elves surrounding Riveria began to charge toward the four brothers, while those who remained began to chant various incantations.

Watching the colorful magical radiance lighting up before them and the figures charging their way, the four brothers spoke in unison.

""Bad luck!""

The four figures instantly lunged toward the elves, their weapons flashing with cold light, moving with incredible speed.

The elves fired off the magic they had been chanting.

Magic and sharp blades crossed, tearing through the air and emitting ear-piercing sounds. The quadruplets were agile, either swinging their swords to deflect the attacks or dodging them entirely.

The elves chanted in unison, the magic in their hands shimmering with light. In an instant, the four figures were once again enveloped in magical radiance, and faint, massive explosions could be heard.

A short while later, Riveria, supported by Lefiya, arrived before the subdued four brothers and watched as they lay on the ground, completely unconscious.

Riveria frowned and said to Ais and the others nearby, "You are faster, return to the Familia first. I have a bad feeling about Finn."

"Then you..."

Ais heard this and looked at the supported Riveria with concern.

"Rest assured, the danger here has been resolved, and I have these children to accompany me.

Lefiya and I will return as quickly as possible."

Seeing Ais's worried expression, Riveria smiled to soothe her.

"Don't worry, we will protect Lady Riveria."

"That's right, we will never let Lady Riveria be harmed again."

Listening to her kin's pledges of protection, Riveria offered a wry smile and nodded at Ais.

Seeing this, Ais set aside her inner worries, turned around, and headed back toward the Familia with the Amazon Sisters.

In front of the Loki Familia gate.

Ottar watched the crowd before him in silence, gripping his Greatsword tightly with both hands as he slowly lowered his stance, preparing to charge.

Seeing his movements, the crowd braced themselves for the confrontation with Ottar.

Accompanied by the sounds of battle in the distance, the atmosphere in front of the gate grew increasingly tense.

The two sides clashed once more, the sound of blades colliding ringing out incessantly.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from afar.

"Goddess Freya has been found!"

""Huh?""

The two battlefields on the street suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at the Ganesha Familia member who was running over while shouting.

This farce, which had affected all of Orario, finally drew to a close as the sun rose after an entire night of chaos.