Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

"There's no time to deal with this now. This is an eyeglass that can be used to communicate with Lid and the others, so that Marie can let them know she's safe. As for the aftermath, there's no time for that right now, so I'll leave it to you to take care of her."

After leaving those words, Fels hurriedly departed.

Ciel emerged from Belle's body, perched on her head, and asked:

"Let's wait for the sage's key first, and now what?"

Belle pondered, "Let's go back first. I was thinking of going to the village to find Alfia's mother, but it seems impossible now. Let's go back to the base to rest and recuperate. I want to conserve my strength and stay here as long as possible."

"I feel that as long as I fall asleep, I will return to my original world."

Charles said quietly, "Perhaps finding Alphia doesn't require leaving Orario."

"Ok?"

"Don't worry, it won't be long before that person comes to us on their own."

Ciel recalled Chardo's attitude and figured he would probably pass on Belle's message to her.

……

A man-made maze.

The room was lit only by eight campfires.

The shadows of evil, stretched by the warm light, gathered here, along with several evil gods and their subordinates, their expressions cruel and arrogant.

"It failed...it failed, it failed, it failed."

"Can't even take down a mere magic stone workshop? Useless! Useless!?"

"Hehe, my dear sister, you really do reveal your contempt."

"Oh dear, this is terrible, Mr. [Gluttony], please don't be angry. Ahahaha, if you accidentally die, don't forget to bring your head back to us!"

The speakers were two seemingly innocent twin elven sisters, whose ugly laughter echoed through the room.

Their clothing was very revealing, with one side sticking to the other, and their long hair, one gold and one silver, was tied into one and two strands respectively. Their fair and dark brown skin contrasted sharply with the tears in their eyes.

The one referred to as Sister Tina Dis is a blonde white fairy.

The one referred to as Sister Vina Dis is a silver-haired dark elf.

Both are the leader and vice-leader of the strongest clan of the Dark Faction – the [Alecto Clan], level 5.

Without a doubt, despite her cute and youthful appearance, she is a genuine ruthless villain. All adventurers in Orario know that her specialty is manipulating men before cruelly killing them; she is a carnivorous plant corrupted by desire.

The ferocity that shouldn't have appeared in such a pure race as elves proved that the two had indeed "gone bad."

In Ciel's vocabulary, it would probably be "yandere little devil".

Valeta, with her arms crossed on the other side, also expressed her doubts:

"We've already tied up most of Loki's forces, and Ganesha's Familia is equally unable to participate. Hey, if we still can't take down our target under these circumstances, Conqueror, are you really on our side?"

Chardo remained silent, his eyes closed just like Alfia's.

Only the white-haired ghost, Olivas, trembled with fear.

"I never expected that there would be such a terrifying hidden force in the city, an anomaly that doesn't belong to any side, that white-haired, red-eyed demon."

"As expected of the city of heroes, you can't kill it no matter how you step on it, it's as disgusting as a cockroach."

On the other side, a priest tapped his blood-stained staff.

"Alright. Stop being so silly, Olivas."

The speaker was a robust orc dressed in a black and purple priest's robe. He stroked his beard, and displeasure flashed across his aged face.

This is Basram, a cadre of the Apate clan.

This once formidable force, comparable to the Alecto Familia, is now reduced to a lone individual after being annihilated by the Freya Familia.

Completely oblivious to the decline of his clan, he arrogantly declared, "How can you so easily bow down to those righteous people?"

Olivas tore at his face, revealing his red eyelids: "Ah, you should see that scene for yourself, a picture of heroism that makes you want to vomit."

Basram scoffed: "Hmph? A hero? Perfect. I just had a few [artificial heroes] die recently. I'll capture him and use him as experimental material. Hehe—"

The officials laughed arrogantly, seemingly pleased to see the once invincible overlord suffer a setback.

But the gods sitting on their thrones had different expressions.

Their gazes fell upon the male god with short, dark hair like that of the underworld, who in turn looked down at Chardo with a puzzled expression.

"Chardo, could you briefly describe the battle situation at the time? Who was your opponent?"

Chardo opened his eyes, hesitated, and finally looked at Alfia next door...

Seemingly sensing the gaze, Alfia turned her head and frowned...

No, why are you looking at me? It's not like I lost!

Chapter 95 Alfia: You're asking for it!

"My fellow countrymen, why won't you speak! Is it so hard for you to admit defeat to a rising star?" the orc priest Basram shouted.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Chardo's scarred face: "Correction: I did not lose to her. Instead, I chose to conserve my strength for the day of final battle."

"Then why won't you even mention the name of the loser to us!" Vareta sneered.

"It's noisy."

Noticing Chardo's frequent glances, Alfia finally opened her eyes, and an eerie death knell tolled. Shocks and tremors swept across the room, leaving a trail of powder on the floor.

On the wall, Basram's body slowly fell, collapsing to the ground.

"One strike and..." The Dis sisters instantly dropped their playful and teasing expressions, their faces showing a rare hint of fear.

Vareta scoffed: "Hey, with such a huge advantage, you're still dragging your team down and causing internal strife. A teammate like you should just die already."

As a cunning strategist of the Dark Faction recognized by Finn, Vareta wouldn't be foolish enough to force his biggest trump card to backfire. His previous remarks were merely to confirm the two overlords' resolve.

The gods, however, did not care about these things. They gestured to the absolutely evil "behind-the-scenes manipulator" with their eyes: "Erebus, if the key trump card goes wrong, we cannot afford the consequences."

The dark-haired god raised an eyebrow: "Chardo, explain the reason simply. Does Orario really possess such combat power?"

Chardo said in a deep voice, "It's just that I've been eating too much lately and haven't had enough room in my stomach to swallow a giant whale. And now I'm a bit sleepy... I'm too lazy to waste my breath on these bugs."

Alfia added, "We will be used quietly, so please keep your mouths shut and be used by us in return."

"Enough. Enough," Erebus, sitting at the head of the table, interrupted the farce.

"It wouldn't be good if they started fighting amongst themselves before it even began. At least, Chardor forced Orario to reveal one of their trump cards, which can be considered a perfect test before the first phase begins. Isn't that right?"

"If you're dissatisfied, then you can go and kill that ace... It doesn't matter how many ants die anyway."

Rather, it's more accurate to say that... a few sacrifices are just needed to light the salute of light in preparation for the "End" feast.

Basram, coughing up blood, sat up clutching his chest. Compared to Valetta, who was all bluster and no substance but knew the power of [Gluttony], this orc priest was full of resentment.

"I will personally retrieve her head. Hmph, a tyrant? Under the trampling of us 'soldiers,' a mere hero is nothing more than rotten flesh to be kneaded at will."

Even Valetta couldn't stand it anymore: "Hey, is this all the Apat Familia has left with? These brainless idiots whose brains are filled with rotten flesh! They're wasting precious combat power, and I'm going to have a headache."

The gods ignored the official's determination: "Let him go. In the face of these two, you are nothing more than lackeys who can be killed with a single stroke."

……

After the gods had all retreated from the room and returned to their respective factions, Erebus approached Bhachard with interest and patted his broad shoulder:

"This isn't like you..."

"Cough—"

A horrifyingly foul-smelling liquid stained the ground black, and Erebus and Alfia froze in shock.

Is Chardo injured?

No, it's because my body has reached its limit?

Erebus's lips curled up involuntarily: "Hey, hey, are you kidding me? Are the enemies really that strong? They can even handle you... Does Orario still have this kind of strength?"

Alfia was slightly surprised: "Someone actually managed to push you to this point?"

As a longtime friend, Alfia knew more about Chardo's condition. In fact, Chardo's body was in much better shape than hers. If it weren't for prolonged high-intensity battles, his old ailment wouldn't have been triggered.

Seeing Chardo coughing up blood incessantly, Erebus gradually frowned:

"The 'Never-Withering Grass' from the 'Dedine' Desert, which was entrusted to the believers for collection, hasn't arrived yet. Will your body give out first?"

Chardo waved his hand: "It's alright."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket, pulled out an orange, and took a bite.

The abundant life force instantly replenishes the missing blood and purifies toxins.

“What a wonderful crop! Where did you get it?” Erebus exclaimed in astonishment.

Not long after, Chardo spat out the last drop of scarlet blood and laughed heartily: "Haha, all thanks to that kid."

As he spoke, he handed one to Alfia: "Would you like to try one?"

Alfia hesitated for a moment, then took the orange and took a bite, experiencing a brief moment of relief from her chronically numb body.

"Effective, but not much."

“Then eat more.” Chardo said with a cheerful expression.

“No need. It’s more important to you. For me, it’s just a temporary silence.” Alfia said reluctantly, slowly munching on an orange.

Her skill caused her to experience pain constantly, and although the orange was magical, it could not change her skill.

Erebus returned to the main point: "So, who exactly is your opponent? Can you tell me? I'm curious too."

Chardo once again cast a strange glance at Alfia.