Chapter 310 - 306: An Earthquake Rips Through The City

"Haap!"

Belle's fist blurred, landing on a man's stomach and causing him to writhe on the ground.

'Behind me!'

Without missing a beat, Belle spun on her heel and unleashed a sharp roundhouse kick.

"Argh!"

One of the members of the Apollo Familia who had tried to sneak up on her took the blow across the jaw and collapsed, out cold.

Looking around, there were at least ten unconscious adventurers lying around her, but Belle didn't pay them much attention before turning to check on Lili and Hestia.

"Lili, are you alright? Are you badly hurt?"

Belle asked worriedly as she saw Lili panting for breath, a trail of blood running down the right side of her face.

"I am fine, Miss Belle. We should keep going, or else they might catch up to us."

Lili urged weakly.

But as she tried to take a step forward, her knees buckled.

"Miss Supporter… you don't look good."

Hestia said, her eyes filled with concern.

"Belle, carry her instead. I can keep up on my own."

Hearing this, Belle nodded before gently lifting Lili onto her back.

"There they are! I found them!"

A voice shouted from above.

Belle snapped her head up to see a scout perched on a nearby roof, pointing directly at them.

"Hurry!" Hestia urged.

Belle nodded and surged forward, weaving through narrow alleys and forgotten side streets in an effort to shake off their pursuers.

'With Miss Belle's strength, if it weren't for me, she and Lady Hestia would've escaped by now.'

Lili clenched her fists tightly, silently cursing her own weakness.

"I'm sorry for slowing you down."

She whispered, her voice trembling.

"Don't say that, Miss Supporter! If anyone should apologize, it's me."

Hestia interjected as they ran.

"If only I had accepted Apollo's proposal for a War Game last night, none of us would be in this mess…"

Suddenly, Belle skidded to a sharp halt, the soles of her boots scraping against the stone street.

Her eyes narrowed as a tall figure dropped from the rooftops, landing heavily in front of them to block their path.

"You really caused us a lot of trouble, taking down over twenty of my companions."

Hyakinthos sneered, rolling his shoulder.

"How stubborn. But dragging those extra deadweight burdens around made tracking you remarkably easy."

He drew his weapon, a cruel smirk spreading across his face.

"A piece of trash like you, hogging all of Lord Apollo's attention… I'm going to make sure I break a few of your bones before dragging you to his feet."

"Hyakinthos… you and your Familia won't escape punishment from the Guild for attacking us in the middle of the city. You know that, right?"

Belle warned, drawing the Hestia Knife and shifting into a defensive stance.

"Hmph… punishment? Heh… at most, the Guild will just make us pay a heavy fine for the damages."

"As long as no citizens are hurt… coughing up a couple million valis isn't a problem."

"But instead of worrying about us… you should worry about yourself first, rabbit whore."

'Oh no.'

Belle looked around and saw more members of the Apollo Familia gathering around, forming a tight perimeter.

She knew that if she wanted to escape, she would have to fight her way out.

'There are at least thirty here… with dozens more probably on the way.'

'Can I do it?'

She looked back at Lili, who was bleeding and exhausted, and then at Hestia, who couldn't fight.

'No… this isn't a matter of whether I can do it… I HAVE to do it.'

Belle gripped the hilt of her knife until her knuckles turned white.

"Looks like you still have some fight left in you."

Hyakinthos smirked, raising his blade.

"I won't kill you, but I'm certainly going to enjoy hacking you to pieces until you scream for mercy!"

Just as he was about to launch himself forward...

"Stop right there! You've caused quite enough trouble for one day!"

A vibrant feminine voice rang out from the rooftops above.

A flash of flowing red hair caught their eyes, followed by the appearance of a woman in a deep wine-colored kimono and a small, pink-haired figure beside her.

Before anyone could react, three blurred shapes dropped from the sky, landing squarely between Belle and Hyakinthos.

'So fast! I couldn't even track their movement! '

Belle's eyes widened in shock as she instinctively raised her guard even higher.

However, when she saw who they were, her eyes flashed with recognition.

'They are…'

As for Hyakinthos, he had barely taken one step forward before freezing in place.

'Damn it… these bitches are here already?'

He gritted his teeth as he glared at the three women standing in his way.

The surrounding Apollo Familia members stiffened, panic visibly spreading through their ranks as cold sweat broke out across their foreheads.

First-class adventurers were no different from walking natural disasters to a mid-tier faction like theirs.

A single one was enough to instill absolute terror... and now three of them stood side-by-side.

"Looks like everyone here is completely struck speechless by my arrival! As expected of me... the beautiful Captain of the Familia of Justice!"

Alise declared, tossing her red hair back with a broad, radiant smile.

"Apollo Familia, you've caused quite a commotion. I think it's time to wrap this up now, don't you think?"

Lyra spoke with her arms folded, looking at Hyakinthos with a grin.

"Astraea Familia… you would oppose the Apollo Familia?"

Hyakinthos spat, his voice dripping with venom.

Being interrupted yet again while trying to crush the Little Rookie was pushing his patience to the limit.

Kaguya let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, resting her hand on the hilt of her katana as her cold gaze locked onto him.

"I believe you misunderstand."

Kaguya said softly, her voice razor-sharp.

"That was not a request. It was a demand. Disobey, and I will personally cut you where you stand."

Faced with Kaguya's oppressive aura, an involuntary shiver ran down Hyakinthos's spine.

He subconsciously took a half-step back.

His earlier bravado crumbled in an instant.

He had acted fearless earlier out of pride, but now that he grasped the gravity of the situation, he realized how foolish his actions had been.

"Everyone… fall back to base!"

Hyakinthos commanded reluctantly, grinding his teeth.

Pressing the issue now would only end badly for them.

'Your luck won't last forever, Belle Cranel. When the War Game begins, no one will be there to save you.'

He looked toward Belle and the Astraea Familia one last time.

With a bitter scowl, Hyakinthos turned into a blur, leaping onto the rooftops.

The rest of the Apollo Familia quickly followed their captain, scattering in disgrace.

"As expected of our vice-captain. One glare from that terrifying face of yours and they ran away like frightened little kittens."

Lyra chuckled, nudging Kaguya with an elbow.

"And what, precisely, is that supposed to mean, Lyra?"

A sharp tick mark popped onto Kaguya's forehead.

"You look like you've been through the wringer."

Alise said warmly, stepping over to Belle's group. She pulled a glass vial from her pouch and handed it over.

"Here, take this... a high-grade healing potion. It'll fix you right up."

"Ah, thank you."

Lili said with a grateful smile before opening the potion and drinking it.

Alise then turned toward Belle and, with her usual cheerful demeanor, raised her hand in greeting.

"Hey, I believe this is our first time meeting. My name is Alise Lovell, also known as Scarlet Harnel."

"Ah… Hello! I'm Belle Cranel."

Belle replied, snapping out of her daze as her mind finally caught up with the situation.

"This is my Goddess, Hestia, and our supporter, Lili. Thank you so much for saving us!"

She bowed her head deeply.

"Alise! I'm so glad you girls showed up!"

Hestia chimed in, stepping forward with relief in her voice.

"How is Astraea doing lately? I haven't had a chance to visit her in a while!"

"Our goddess is doing well, Lady Hestia. Thank you for asking."

Alise replied with a smile.

"Eh? Goddess? You know the famous Astraea Familia?"

Belle blinked, looking back and forth between them.

"Heh, of course. Astraea and I were friends back in heaven, after all."

"Whenever you guys go into the Dungeon, I sometimes visit her place for a cup of tea."

Hestia said as she puffed out her chest.

Just as she finished speaking...

RUMBLE!

"Kyaa!"

The ground shook violently beneath them, sending Hestia stumbling onto her backside.

"W-What was that?!"

It wasn't just here.

Throughout every corner of Orario, the earth trembled beneath everyone's feet.

Buildings quivered, windows rattled, and startled cries echoed through the streets as countless residents instinctively tried to steady themselves.

It felt as though a catastrophic earthquake had suddenly ripped through the core of the city.

'...No. This isn't a natural earthquake.'

Back at the Twilight Manor, Judas' expression turned serious as his gaze shifted toward a distant part of the city.

He had sensed it.

An immense presence had suddenly erupted, its aura so overwhelming that even from this distance, it sent ripples through the air.

His eyes glowed faintly as he expanded his senses, tracing the source of the disturbance.

Moments later, his brows furrowed.

'Isn't that... the Apollo Familia's home?'

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