Now, it was up to Belle.
Sensing her chance, Belle didn't hesitate.
The mont Leon left, she lunged forward and launched a fierce flurry of attacks against Hyakinthos.
Caught in a daze, Hyakinthos failed to react in ti and was struck several tis in quick succession.
It wasn't until Belle had delivered multiple clean hits that he finally snapped out of it and began counterattacking.
For so reason, once the battle restarted… Hyakinthos seed to find his rhythm.
The fear in his eyes faded.
From being completely overpowered, he slowly clawed his way back to even footing, matching Belle's attacks with steady precision.
This war ga is already lost…
But I can't—I won't—disgrace Lord Apollo…
With that thought burning in his chest, Hyakinthos's expression hardened, and a dangerous aura settled over him.
The air around him shifted.
A silent, desperate ferocity surged from within as he began fighting with everything he had.
Originally, he had believed the magic sword would ensure their victory.
After all, it was a first-class magic sword—nearly unstoppable.
But now, it was gone. Taken from his hands like a toy by soone impossibly stronger.
However, just as despair began to cloud Hyakinthos' heart, the image of Apollo's face flashed vividly in his mind.
In that very instant, the crushing weight of despair was dispelled.
This war cannot be won… but I cannot—will not—let Lord Apollo down.
Even if the tides of battle turned hopelessly against them, he would not allow himself to fall to the white-haired girl standing before him.
The rules of this war ga were simple—defeat the enemy general to achieve victory.
Lucien didn't seem to have any intention of interfering in his duel with Belle Cranel. No—perhaps outwardly he gave that impression. But deep down, Hyakinthos knew Lucien was likely watching closely, silently observing every move.
Yet… even so, this was an opportunity. A narrow, flickering glimr of hope.
If he could move quickly enough… if he could defeat Belle before he had a chance to respond…
Then, this war ga—this battle—could still end in victory for Apollo Familia.
That was the belief Hyakinthos clung to.
Unfortunately… ideals were beautiful, but reality was rciless.
He was only able to maintain an evenly matched front for a brief ti—before rapidly slipping into disadvantage.
Hyakinthos' faith was unwavering, and he pushed himself beyond his limits, drawing out even more power.
But Belle's belief was firr than his. Unshakable.
Compared to Belle, Hyakinthos' resolve was paper-thin.
Hyakinthos was fighting desperately.
But was Belle not doing the sa?
No. Belle was already laying everything on the line. She was fighting with everything she had—heart, soul, and body.
Even if it cost her life, she didn't want to let down those who had placed their trust in her.
Because both combatants were throwing themselves into the fight with reckless abandon, the battle was overwhelmingly intense. Blades clashed, magic power surged, and the watching crowd was swept up in the sheer ferocity of it.
The people watching were stunned and exhilarated.
"So powerful…"
High above, in the sky corridor, Daphne had long since accepted her role as a bystander. There was nothing she could do now. She had relaxed, allowing herself to watch the battle play out.
Yet at the sight before her eyes, she couldn't help but exclaim.
She never would have imagined that Belle could reach such heights with her own strength alone.
Daphne had thought Belle would rely on so powerful external aid to bring down Hyakinthos. Perhaps a magic sword, or so divine favor.
But what she saw now was Belle, relying solely on her own strength to overwhelm Hyakinthos.
That raw, unfiltered might reminded her of soone.
Leon.
Leon was that kind of existence—soone who transcended levels and crushed opponents thought to be stronger.
And now, another adventurer like that had appeared in Orario.
If Daphne had known about what was happening with Lili, she wouldn't have thought Belle was the only one.
Because Lili… was also defying every expectation.
Lili was tying up most of Apollo Familia's forces—alone.
At that mont, Leon's attention had shifted to Lili's side.
Even though Lili's inherent barrier had eroded the real world and ford a battlefield born of her own thoughts, Leon's Veins of Light could still observe it.
As long as there was light and the target was within his detection range, nothing escaped his gaze.
And what he saw from Lili…
Was clever. Strategic.
Surprising, even to him.
Lili had used her illusionary power to manipulate the last two small squads of Apollo Familia into fighting each other.
Each side viewed the other as enemies. Chaos erupted between them, and fierce battle ensued.
anwhile, Lili and Mikoto were fighting their own separate targets.
Within the barrier—battle had broken out across every front.
Everyone was fighting.
But Leon could tell at a glance—Lili was approaching her limit.
At first, she was able to suppress her own opponent with relative ease. But using illusions to manipulate the other two groups had fragnted her focus.
Her mind was spread thin, and now she could only barely maintain a stalemate.
Neither side could gain the upper hand.
Even so, Lili's brilliance had already etched itself into the hearts of the spectators.
"Incredible… how in the world did Leon manage this?"
In the Twilight Manor, within the Loki Familia's assembly chamber, Finn was watching the scene unfold through the mirror Loki had summoned.
His sharp eyes were fixed on the inherent barrier shown on the screen, and his heart was stirred deeply by what he witnessed.
He wasn't surprised at all that Belle was overpowering Hyakinthos.
Anakitty, the one training Belle, had already inford him that Belle had broken through level limits.
To Finn, Belle's strength made perfect sense.
But Lili…
Lili was another story entirely.
According to all known information, Lili had always been a weak supporter—a backliner with little to no combat capability.
Until just days ago, she had still been a mber of the Soma Familia. She had only recently transferred to the Hestia Familia.
And yet, in just those few days…
Lili had transford into soone unrecognizable.
Ordinary adventurers might not understand what they were seeing. But soone at Finn's level?
He could clearly tell.
The one who created and maintained the barrier… was Lili.
And the fact that she had evolved to this point in such a short ti…
It shocked him.
How? How could Lili have beco this powerful in just a matter of days?
There was only one answer.
Leon.
Not far from Finn, in the shadows of the hall, Tione and Tiona were crouching secretly, whispering between themselves.
"Do you think Lili and Haruhi were also reincarnated as angels like us?" Tiona murmured, curiosity dancing in her voice.
"Hmm… Not necessarily." Tione whispered back, furrowing her brow. "It could just be that Leon's trying to help Hestia's Familia. That would explain it."
"Not all the won who reincarnate are Leon's won."
"Leon said before that Ais would also be reincarnated as an angel. Once she gathers enough magic stones, he'll do it."
Tione didn't sound jealous in the slightest.
She was calm—analytical.
She wasn't guessing from emotion, but thinking logically.
Just as Tione finished speaking—
A quiet voice suddenly startled them both.
"Reincarnation?"
They turned sharply and saw Ais standing behind them, tilting her head, her golden eyes full of confusion.
"Could it be… that the changes in those two were because of the reincarnation Leon spoke of?" She asked softly, peering at the two Amazon sisters.
"Ah—yeah. It's reincarnation," Tione admitted with a sheepish smile. "After reincarnation, your strength is raised by a full level. And the speed at which you grow gets faster, too."
They hadn't intended for Ais to overhear, but since she had, there was no point hiding it.
Leon had said there was no need to keep it secret from her.
"So… Tione, Tiona… you two have already been reincarnated?"
"Yep!" Tiona grinned. "We've been through it. Right now, we're both at Level 7. Ais, you'll be the sa as us before long."
"No wonder…" Ais murmured, her expression clearing.
"I felt a faint tremor from you both."
"Huh?! You could feel that?" Tiona scratched her head awkwardly. "We've been trying really hard to suppress it!"
"I could feel it." Ais nodded thoughtfully. "But it seems like Finn and the others didn't."
Then her gaze shifted back to the mirror.
There, within the barrier—Lili stood tall, wings of light stretching from her back.
Ais's eyes locked onto her figure.
In those golden eyes burned a yearning fla. Determination. Desire.
Reincarnation… a full level upgrade… Level 7 power…
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