Chapter 494

Chapter 501: A War Game Without Ryu (Please Subscribe!)

The morning Orario, nearly everyone was eagerly awaiting the start of the war game.

This time, the war game format was a siege battle.

It was largely a gameplay that relied on numerical superiority.

And in terms of situation, Hestia Familia was overwhelmingly disadvantaged.

According to statistics, Apollo Familia had over a hundred members.

Hestia Familia only had five people.

Originally, Hestia only had four members.

This fifth person was the result of the gods granting her permission to find an external ally.

The external ally was stipulated not to be an adventurer from Orario, meaning Hestia had to find help outside of Orario.

This ally was a demi-human, probably Hermes’ idea for Hestia, not Ryu’s.

Izay, who was forcibly dragged by Tiona to “watch the live broadcast,” felt a little sentimental upon seeing this scene.

After all, it was the butterfly effect he brought about~

The so-called live broadcast was a technique belonging to the gods.

It was the only “divine power” the deities could wield in the lower realm—the “Divine Mirror.”

It possessed千里eye abilities, allowing one to see everything despite being separated by distance. It was an exception approved for the gods to enjoy the activities of the lower realm’s plans.

The gods would use these “mirrors” to watch the war games unfolding far beyond Orario with their children.

“The game is about to start. Who do you think will win this time?”

Gathered in the living room, Tiona eagerly asked.

“I think Apollo Familia will win. The numerical disparity is just too large.”

“I’ll reserve my opinion. I don’t really want to participate in the guessing game~”

“Same here.”

The first ones to respond were Raul, Anqi, and Alisia.

As core members of Loki Familia, they naturally gathered with Izay and the others to watch the live broadcast.

“Hehe, looks like my view differs from Raul’s. I think our little hero Argo will win!”

“Ah, I’ll side with Tiona. Hestia Familia almost certainly won’t lose.”

“I agree with Izay.”

“That… then I’ll side with Master Izay as well…”

If opinions were tallied, including the three bigwigs at home, all the officers would vote for Hestia Familia.

For no other reason than these people have witnessed Bell Cranel’s “adventures.”

That girl has potential second only to Izay according to Finn and others’ judgment.

In war games, one way to win is by defeating the enemy leader.

Just discussing the leaders alone, the gap between Apollo’s side and Hestia’s side might be quite large~

Of course, the actual outcome still depends on how things play out in the war game.

All current discussions are speculation, not conclusions.

Then… under the commentary of Ganesha Familia’s supporter in the Divine Mirror footage, the war game began…

…

“Using the immense power of the Magic Sword to attack the city, creating chaos and gaps, while the main general quietly infiltrates through a mole within the enemy ranks? Not bad tactics.”

As time progressed, Finn praised after immediately analyzing Hestia Familia’s strategy.

“Leader is correct…! But why did the Halfling Tribe of Apollo Familia suddenly betray them? Wasn’t it planned beforehand?”

“It’s probably a disguise. Hestia Familia should have five people, but there are only four now. The missing person likely infiltrated through disguise.”

Just as Tione voiced her doubts, Gress gave his opinion.

Izay yawned, “The rabbit’s already charging towards the main tower. No need to watch further; the victory is decided.”

In the footage relayed by the Divine Mirror, exactly as Izay said.

The infiltrating Beier delivered a single blow that shattered the entire main tower, then defeated Apollo Familia’s leader in a one-on-one duel with superior strength.

The whole game was over incredibly fast, finishing in less than half an hour.

“Hmm… isn’t this supposed to be a siege battle? Why did it end so quickly!? Aren’t siege battles supposed to take days sometimes?”

When the war game ended, Tiona hadn’t fully processed what happened.

Wasn’t a siege battle supposed to be the most time-consuming type of game? Sometimes taking a day or two wouldn’t be strange at all.

What kind of abnormal fighting pace was this!?

“A quick finish is right. With such a large numerical disparity, if you can’t execute swift decapitation tactics all at once, letting the opponent recover and regroup would be troublesome. If it turned into a war of attrition, Hestia Familia might lose.”

Since the officers were studying command-related matters recently, Finn took the opportunity to educate them.

Even if your strength surpasses the enemy leader, it doesn’t mean Bell can handle dozens of adventurers alone.

There’s always a point of exhaustion, and that’s when Apollo Familia would win.

Among the many possible winning scenarios, Hestia Familia undoubtedly chose the one with the highest chance of success.

“Looks like they have a pretty good commander on their side.” The Halfling Tribe Leader smiled and gave his evaluation.

Next, as the Divine Mirror slowly faded away, Finn somehow pulled out a piece of parchment from somewhere and laid it flat on the table.

“Since we’ve watched the war game, let me say something while everyone’s still here.”

Just as everyone was about to leave, hearing this, they squashed their thoughts and focused their attention on Finn and the parchment.

What was written on it?

As if knowing their confusion and answering it, Finn announced a new decision.

“Regarding the investigation of the dungeon’s alternate exits, you can all stop your work. Because Izay has already found the ‘door’ connecting those tunnels and recorded it on this map.”

The previous task has come to an end, though it was all thanks to Izay’s efforts.

“Wow, you found it already? Truly worthy of Mr. Izay!”

“Too strong, Raul! Despite us searching for so long, we didn’t find anything.”

“—Yay!”

Upon hearing Finn’s announcement, the living room erupted into noise.

The feeling was akin to the year-end rush in a company, only to find someone had already reached the top quota.

The employees who weren’t involved expressed their admiration.

“Don’t just celebrate yet. I’m telling you this to prepare you. Since the location has been found, we will inevitably clash with the Dark Faction next. Everyone must be on high alert! When Loki returns, I’ll consult her.”

“Understood—!” xN

At the same time, Finn also informed everyone of the locations of those ‘doors.’

Daedalus Road.

It was located in the southeast fourth district, which was not within Loki Familia’s jurisdiction.

Everyone became enlightened upon hearing this.

No wonder they couldn’t find even a trace after searching the northern part of Orario for days.

They admired Izay even more because it was Daedalus Road!

Designed by the legendary “Genius” Daedalus himself, the area underwent several zoning reorganizations, leaving behind a vast residential district forgotten by order.

Stone buildings, staircases, and narrow alleys crisscrossed intricately, forming a majestic multi-layered structure. It was famously called the labyrinth above ground!

Being able to find the entrance in such a place, aside from being strong, Raul and the others had nothing else to say.