Chapter 329 - 325: The One-Man Wargame, Orario's Reaction

A wild buzz fell over the City of Heroes.

Word of the previous night's events spread like wildfire from mouth to mouth, with citizens feverishly discussing the mysterious pillar of light that had pierced the sky above the Pleasure District.

At first, because of how similar it looked, many assumed a deity had been slain and sent back to the heaven.

But the gods and goddesses in the city quickly denied those rumors.

As various speculations spread among the curious people wondering what had happened, several ambitious factions attempted to investigate the matter themselves.

However... the Ishtar Familia made the shocking declaration to seal off entire sectors of the Pleasure District.

Berbera guards were stationed throughout the Ishtar Familia's territory, closing off every possible point of entry and even beating up anyone who tried to sneak in.

It was as if the Ishtar Familia had declared martial law, leaving the public utterly bewildered.

There were two distinct reasons why Ishtar had resorted to such drastic measures.

One was to hide the fact that Judas had stormed into their home base, wreaked havoc, and that her Familia had been completely unable to stop him.

It was basically an attempt to save her Familia's reputation and spare themselves from the humiliation.

And for anyone who happened to witness the incident, Ishtar personally cast her charm on them to erase their memories.

Thus, the news on Judas's assault remained hidden, known only to a selective few.

Another reason was to hide the fact that Ishtar was making preparations for the Killing Stone ritual, making sure that not a single piece of information about what they were doing could leak out.

And so, the city of Orario was left completely in the dark.

Just as the rumors began to settle...

An explosive announcement from the Guild sent shockwaves through the populace.

A War Game had been declared!

In an instant, frantic conversations erupted across every corner of Orario.

Aside from the grand annual festivals, a War Game was the ultimate spectacle for the city's entertainment-starved residents... the equivalent of a Super Bowl back on Earth.

Word of the event quickly spilled beyond the city walls.

…

At the top floor of the Tower of Babel...

Freya sat gracefully upon her throne, an amused expression gracing her striking features as she gazed down at the Pleasure District through her giant glass window.

"Ishtar, oh, poor Ishtar. To think you've gone and angered my Odr... how pitiful."

She murmured, swirling her wine glass before taking a slow sip.

Her eyes then drifted toward Twilight Manor, a faint flush coloring her cheeks.

"Goddess, here is the information we have gathered thus far."

A respectful voice spoke from her side.

Freya turned to see a woman bowing low... her silver hair matching her own, one eye concealed beneath her bangs.

She held out a tray holding a neatly sealed, elegant envelope.

"Thank you, Horn."

Freya said with a graceful smile as she opened the envelope and began reading the contents written inside.

From her position in Babel, she could observe people all around Orario.

She had been indulging in her routine sightseeing when she happened to catch sight of Judas flying toward the Pleasure District the night before.

So she was somewhat aware of what had happened, but the details of it still remained unknown to her.

"Goddess, your gratitude is wasted on me. As your dedicated and loyal attendant, this is something that I am expected to do."

Hearing her Goddess' compliment, Horn replied with utmost reverence in her voice, trying to suppress the sense of joy she felt from showing on her face.

Although most people had failed to investigate what happened last night, Horn had used her unique ability to mimic her goddess's charm, extracting the truth from an unsuspecting Berbera without leaving a trace.

'I am glad I am able to be of use to my goddess.'

Horn thought, a faint smile gracing her lips.

She glanced out the window, her exposed eye fixing onto Twilight Manor in the distance.

'Tsk... that bastard... of course it's him making a scene again... ever since he appeared, there hasn't been a single week where an incident hasn't happened.'

Thinking of Judas, Horn's gaze turned hostile as she instinctively grabbed the knife on her waist.

'Though... that domineering style... Taking on an entire familia just to avenge his advisor... I suppose he can be quite cool... sometimes...'

Then a blush appeared on her face as her emotions suddenly took a 180-degree turn.

"!?"

Horn's eyes widened when she felt an ominous aura coming from her Goddess.

"L-Lady Freya...?"

She squeaked nervously.

Freya remained motionless, staring down at the letter in her hand with a distant, hollow expression.

"So... it was all for another woman... Rose Fannett, was it?"

Freya muttered, a rigid, unnatural smile forming on her lips as the paper slowly crumpled into a ball within her grip.

…

In the central plaza, Belle and her party had gathered in the morning for another round of exploring the dungeon.

However, their plans came to a sudden halt when they caught wind of the latest news.

"A War Game?! Between the Loki Familia and the Ishtar Familia?!"

Welf exclaimed, blinking in surprise when he overheard the conversations going around them.

"Is the Ishtar Familia out of their mind? I know they're a top-tier faction as well, but the gap between them and Loki is night and day!"

He frowned, feeling something was deeply off.

It was then that Lili came running towards them, waving a newspaper in her hand.

"Guys! Take a look at this! You won't believe it!"

She panted, thrusting the paper toward them.

"Lil' Lili, we already kno-"

Welf waved his hand, but before he could finish, Belle snatched the paper from Lili, her eyes scanning the front page frantically as her head snapped left and right.

"Hey guys, you guys have seen a Wargame before, right? Isn't a Wargame usually held between two Familias or two factions?"

Belle questioned, her eyes never leaving the newspaper in her hand.

"Yeah! That's how a Wargame works from what I understood. Did the people who wrote this happen to make a mistake?"

Lili replied, her voice filled with confusion.

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?"

Welf raised a brow.

Belle and Lili exchanged a glance before Belle handed him the paper.

"Here, take a look at this."

Puzzled, Welf took the paper and looked down.

A few second later, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"What the...?"

In the thousand-year history since Orario's founding, a War Game was traditionally used to settle disputes between two or more rival factions.

Yet, for the very first time in history, a single adventurer was challenging an entire top-tier familia all by himself.

Printed in massive, bold capitals on the front page:

BREAKING NEWS! ISHTAR FAMILIA DECLARES WAR GAME AGAINST VENERATUS EST!

Not against the Loki Familia. But against Veneratus Est... a single adventurer.

"Are you serious?"

Welf had a look of utter disbelief after understanding what he had just read.

It wasn't just Welf.

Those who had believed that a faction war between Loki and Ishtar was going to take place had now realized what kind of Wargame was about to occur.

"You're kidding me."

Inside an inn, Lante couldn't help but mutter as she read the newspaper in her hands while Rethusa and members of the Artemis Familia huddled up together next to her.

They instinctively glanced toward their Goddess, who stood silently by the window, gazing off into the distance.

"Meow~! Look! That black-haired boy Syr likes made the news again!"

At the Hostess of Fertility, Anya burst through the front door just as Mama Mia and the waitresses were setting up the tavern for the day.

'Mr. Spade…'

Ryuu felt her eye twitch when she caught sight of the front page, featuring a prominent, high-detail illustration of Judas's face right in the center.

Inside the Stardust Garden, Alise and Kaguya halted their training, looking at the paper that Lyra was holding.

"That commotion last night must've been caused by him, right? A Wargame doesn't happen out of nowhere."

Kaguya commented as she sheathed her katana.

"I am inclined to think so. Someone as bold as him can definitely pull off something like this."

Alise chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"I wonder what the Ishtar Familia did to get into a conflict with Judas?"

Lyra pondered, tapping her chin.

Everywhere in Orario, people were reacting to the news of the Wargame.

From disbelief, surprise, and awe... all kinds of emotions were shown on people's faces that day.

The ones who were looking forward to it the most were naturally the entertainment-loving deities.

"Haha! This Veneratus Est… what a guy!"

"This mortal is really something else."

"This is the first time that something like this is happening!"

"A one versus all Wargame! It makes me look forward to it even more!"

"Hehe… I know, right? If it was between Loki and Ishtar, then it would just be a massacre… no sense of tension at all. It would be boring."

"I am so excited."

"Finally! A Wargame after so long."

…

In the Twilight Manor, inside Finn's office.

Judas was seen sitting down in the middle of the room, scratching the back of his head as Finn, Gareth, Riveria, and Loki all stood in front of him, all staring down at him like he was an exotic specimen at a zoo.

After letting out a sigh, Judas opened his mouth and explained everything.

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