Chapter 169
Three Months Later…
Three months had passed in Orario, a span of time that felt both fleeting and monumental.
With the arrival of spring, the city transformed; warm breezes rustled through budding trees, and the air was filled with the melodious chirping of birds.
Flowers bloomed, and insects buzzed joyfully, heralding a season of renewal and growth.
Yet, beneath this vibrant surface, a pall of gloom hung over Orario, suffocating the joy the season typically inspired.
The Evilus, that insidious faction of chaos and destruction, had grown bolder in recent months.
Their heinous activities surged, leaving a trail of fear and devastation in their wake.
The city, often a bastion of adventure and hope, now bore witness to unprecedented violence.
It was as if the very essence of spring had been tainted by their malevolence.
On a particularly harrowing night, the city was alight with flames as a factory dedicated to processing magic stones was engulfed in chaos.
Thick plumes of smoke spiralled into the sky, darkening the stars above.
The sounds of panic filled the air as citizens fled from the inferno, their shrieks mingling with the horrifying laughter of those who sought to plunge Orario into disorder.
The air was filled with the acrid stench of burning flesh mingled with smoke, casting a shadow of dread over the city.
As the blaze threatened to spread, endangering nearby streets, the unmistakable clash of weapons pierced through the cacophony, a rallying cry for order in the face of chaos.
“Gaaaaah!!” The final scream of an Evilus thug reverberated through the night.
A bladed boomerang whirled through the air, cutting down adversaries with lethal precision, while ice spears shot forth, cleaving through the ranks of chaos.
“Lyra-san, that’s the last one!” Vasiliki called out, her breath coming in quick bursts as she surveyed the aftermath.
Lyra nodded, her gaze scanning for her captain.
“Alise, warehouse number 3 is clear!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the tumult.
“Move on to number 4!” Alise’s voice rang back, clear and commanding.
“Take Vasiliki, Iska, and Maryuu with you to clear out the next section,” she added, already directing the flow of battle.
“Sure thing,” Lyra replied, the urgency of the moment propelling her forward.
“Well, you heard her, let’s go!” she instructed her team, each of them rallying in the face of adversity.
As they sprinted toward the next target, flames continued to lick the edges of the factory, casting long shadows that danced ominously.
“Use ice to freeze the enemies and counter the flames,” Lyra commanded. Vasiliki sprang into action, conjuring a path through the chaos with her ice magic, freezing adversaries in place, while the others dealt the finishing blow as they advanced.
‘Ugh, they sure are working me to the bone. Draco-nii will have to compensate me for this,’ she thought, a hint of exasperation mingling with her resolve.
Draco had temporarily assigned her to the Astraea Familia while he and the Bahamut Familia tackled the enemies and the fire that had spilled into the streets.
Alise and the other members also advanced behind them, focusing on the stragglers as they approached the factory's core.
“Kaguya, Ryuu, go ahead and engage the main force,” Alise commanded as they arrived at the heart of everything.
Kaguya, a raven-haired woman clad in a striking scarlet kimono, and Ryuu, a blonde elf donning a cloak and mask, sprinted forward.
“Our captain really loves to keep us busy,” Kaguya remarked, her tone a mix of exasperation and determination.
Ryuu offered a subtle nod, her expression unchanging.
“Don’t fall behind!” Kaguya urged, picking up her pace, her sword glinting in the firelight.
Despite their slender physiques, the two girls surged forward with a grace that belied their size, slipping into the ranks of the Evilus with deadly precision.
The Evilus, clad in their milk-white robes, were taken aback by the ferocity of the assault.
Kaguya’s sword sliced through their defences, while Ryuu’s wooden sword cracked against bone.
One by one, the foes fell, their numbers dwindling in the face of the two skilled fighters.
Though the evilus outnumbered them by a lot, the outcome seemed inevitable.
Soon, the last of their foes fell to Ryuu’s wooden sword.
Kaguya, exhaling a despondent sigh, raised her hand to her cheek.
“How disappointing,” she muttered, a flicker of frustration in her eyes.
“It’s perplexing how these wretched weaklings can inflict such suffering.” she remarked.
Beneath her composed exterior, Kaguya grappled with a growing anger, haunted by the faces of the innocents nearby who had fallen victim to the evilus’ cruelty.
At that moment, a shadow suddenly detached itself from the chaos, a man with madness gleaming in his eyes.
He emerged from hiding, his magic crimson sword raised high.
“Dieeeee!” he screamed, a desperate frenzy driving him forward as flames erupted from the weapon's tip into a large ball, expanding ominously toward Kaguya and Ryuu.
This was definitely the instrument used to cause the recent fires.
“It’s an ambush” Ryuu cried out to warn the others.
Instinctively, Kaguya and Ryuu leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the fiery ball. The flames roared, a chaotic dance that threatened to engulf everything.
Luckily they managed to avoid it, and hoped that the others behind them did too.
“Oh no… Alise!” Lyra screamed, the colour draining from her face.
When she traced the path of the attack, it turned out to land where Alise had been standing just moments ago.
“Quick, Vasiliki, put out the flames!” Lyra instructed, but Vasiliki remained still.
She had been one of the first to react, tracing the path of the attack and offering Alise minor support with her ice magic, but Alise had seemed to manage just fine on her own.
Cecil had taken action earlier than Vasiliki as she had been closer, so Alise was mostly safe.
The evilus man watched in glee, his shoulders heaving with every breath.
However, before he could relish his success, time seemed to stop.
The fire parted, and a figure emerged from the sea of flames, unharmed.
“B-but how? Impossible!” the man stuttered, shaking with rage.
Before him stood Alise, casually combing her fingers through her long red ponytail.
“Next time you attack with fire, make sure your target isn’t the ‘Scarlet Harnell,’” she jeered, her hand on her hip and a smug grin on her face.
Vasiliki, the evilus man, and some of the Astraea familia girls were stunned into silence by her remark, while others nodded in understanding.
‘By the gods, isn’t she embarrassed to state such a thing out-loud?’ Vasiliki thought, trying her best to maintain a neutral expression.
“The flames of evildoers can leave no marks on my fake and beautiful skin,” Alise added nonchalantly.
‘Ah, I see why Draco-nii doesn’t like her,’ Vasiliki thought, stifling a laugh that threatened to escape.
“Alise, your clothes are on fire!” Lyra yelled, breaking the silence.
“Put it out, or we’re going to see a lot more than your fair skin!” she added.
Startled, Alise quickly noticed the flames licking at the hem of her clothing.
She frantically extinguished the fire, struggling to show no hint of embarrassment as she faced the evilus man again.
“These things happen; failure is the mother of success! Now, I am one step closer to perfection,” Alise declared with a straight face.
Vasiliki couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
Alise, however, paid no attention to her and continued to stare at the evilus man, waiting for him to respond.
“That’s a lot of words to avoid admitting you made a mistake…” Lyra commented.
“Hmm, it must be nice to cover all those inconvenient flaws with optimism,” Kaguya chimed in.
“I won’t hear another bad word against Alise,” Ryuu interjected, defending her.
“Try coming up with something to convince us,” Lyra retorted.
“Y-you!” the evilus man struggled to speak, raising his sword, his face flushed with anger, breaking the lighthearted atmosphere.
The Astraea familia wasn’t taking him seriously at all.
“Oh, you were listening to that!” Alise addressed the man with a bright smile.
“Shall we do our introductions then?” she asked her familia members, excitement bubbling in her voice.
She had been eager to showcase this to someone other than their goddess and the Bahamut familia; it was an act meant for the eyes of the evilus.
‘Don’t tell me they’re about to do that,’ Vasiliki thought, covering her face in shame, even though she wasn’t part of it.
“Protectors of the weak,” Alise began, and the others knew exactly what to do.
“Confounders of the strong and weak, Arbiters unfettered and unchained, weighing all atop the impartial scales of truth and law.”
Alise was immediately flanked by her familia members—elves, humans, dwarves, pallum—all young girls, yet their eyes burned with a united passion for justice.
“Our wish is order, our every dream a smile. Our backs and hearts shine with the wings and sword of justice.”
They turned their backs simultaneously, their cloaks flashing the emblem of their familia: four sets of wings and a sword resembling a set of scales.
It was a symbol of justice, synonymous with their goddess's name.
“We are the Astraea familia!” they shouted in unison.