Chapter 203
The next morning, Kiriya woke nestled against Hestia, cleaned himself up, and made breakfast.
After eating his fill, he left Hearthfire Manor.
As he walked down the broad streets of Orario, however, he quickly noticed that the atmosphere felt strange.
Normally, the neighbors greeted him warmly whenever they saw him.
The younger women in particular often watched him with shy smiles and open admiration.
Today, all of that had vanished.
Everyone stared at him with expressions ranging from worry and mockery to outright grief.
Anyone who did not know better might have assumed they were already preparing for his funeral.
The moment Kiriya passed, the previously silent street erupted into conversation.
"What a fine young man. Why did he have to be so reckless?"
"Exactly! That’s the Freya Familia—the strongest in Orario!"
"How can Kiriya possibly win against that many people?"
"No...Kiriya-sama..."
One girl burst into tears at the thought of the heroic young adventurer she adored falling into Freya’s hands.
"I don’t want the Goddess of Beauty to take him!"
At first, several male adventurers had also felt sorry for Kiriya.
Then they heard the girls crying and reconsidered the situation.
If he won, Freya would become his subordinate and have to obey him.
If he lost, he would become Freya’s subordinate and fall entirely under the Goddess of Beauty’s control.
Wait a minute.
No matter how the War Game ended, Kiriya still take the W.
Why were they wasting sympathy on him?
They would be better off earning a few more valis instead.
Once that interpretation spread through Orario, it caused a rather dramatic shift in public opinion.
The adventurers who had originally hoped to enjoy Kiriya’s humiliation suddenly found that they could no longer laugh.
Now they could not decide whether they wanted him to win or lose.
It was deeply frustrating!
...
Kiriya naturally knew nothing about the city’s increasingly ridiculous debate.
He entered a secluded alley and created a Wood Clone.
"For the next three days, I’ll leave the Dungeon to you."
"No problem."
The clone confidently raised a thumb.
"Leave it to me."
At Kiriya’s current strength, even a Wood Clone possessed physical abilities close to those of the original.
It could use his Wood Release techniques, martial arts, and swordsmanship, giving it roughly half his overall combat power.
It could also replenish itself by absorbing energy, making it ideal for prolonged monster hunting and accumulating excelia.
After watching the clone depart, Kiriya used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the lakeside where he had once trained with Ais.
The area was broad, open, and rarely visited.
It was the perfect place to test his new idea.
"Good. The objective is to enter Sage Mode while the Eight Gates are open and combine the effects of both."
Kiriya created a shadow clone and assigned it the task of gathering natural energy.
Meanwhile, his original body began warming up with a series of martial arts exercises.
A little over ten minutes later, the warm-up was complete, and the shadow clone had accumulated a substantial amount of senjutsu chakra.
Kiriya released it and the gathered chakra returned to his original body.
Sage Mode—activated!
"Let’s start with something manageable."
He clenched both fists and opened his eyes wide.
"Third Gate, the Gate of Life—open!"
BOOM!
Violent chakra erupted from his body.
The surrounding air churned, and powerful winds swept across the lake.
A moment later, a continuous series of enormous explosions began shaking the entire area.
...
For the next three days, Kiriya maintained an extremely demanding schedule.
His Wood Clone hunted monsters in the Dungeon to gather excelia.
His original body trained beside the lake, attempting to combine Sage Mode with the Eight Gates.
He also devoted part of each day to mastering his Mangekyō abilities and strengthening his ocular power.
The three days passed in a flash.
After getting a full night’s sleep and eating a substantial breakfast, Kiriya visited the Hephaistos Familia and collected the custom sword Tsubaki Collbrande had forged for him.
Then he returned to say goodbye to Hestia.
"I know you have plenty of abilities and plans, but... please be careful."
Hestia held both his hands tightly, repeating the warning several times.
"Don’t worry. I understand."
Kiriya gave her a supremely confident smile.
"You stay in Babel and enjoy watching me win."
"Then promise me."
Hestia raised her little finger.
"You’re not allowed to break your word."
"Of course."
Kiriya linked his little finger with hers.
After sealing the promise, he boarded the waiting carriage and set off for the War Game’s venue.
The carriage had barely traveled any distance when something landed on the roof with a dull thump.
A figure swung down and entered through the door.
Short green hair.
A beautiful, refined face.
A practical outfit suited for combat.
It was Ryu Lion.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
Kiriya stared at her in surprise.
"I came to help."
Ryu’s answer was characteristically concise.
"You’re facing the Freya Familia. You need allies."
"You know it’s the Freya Familia, and you still came?"
Kiriya grinned.
"Aren’t you worried they’ll beat your face swollen?"
"You helped me. It’s only right that I help you."
Ryu met his gaze with unwavering determination.
"I’m Level 5 now. I should be useful."
The moment Ryu learned that Kiriya had challenged the Freya Familia, she had rushed without rest to Zolingen, the City of Swordsmiths, to find Astrea.
For years, Ryu had avoided contacting her goddess.
She had misunderstood Astrea’s instruction to "abandon justice," and guilt and hatred had convinced her that she no longer deserved to stand before the goddess she loved.
Kiriya’s words had finally pulled her out of that darkness.
Once the misunderstanding was gone, Ryu’s longing for Astrea became impossible to suppress.
The approaching War Game gave her another reason to make the journey.
She asked Astrea to update her Status, and years of accumulated excelia allowed her to advance directly to Level 5.
With her newfound strength and naturally heroic appearance, Ryu carried herself with even greater confidence than before.
Smack!
Kiriya seized her hand with both of his, looking deeply moved.
"Miss Ryu, you truly are a wonderful person!"
His eyes glistened theatrically.
"I can never repay such kindness. The only thing I can offer is myself."
"You..."
Ryu’s face reddened with embarrassment and irritation.
"This is hardly the time for such nonsense."
"Nonsense? I’m completely serious."
Kiriya looked offended.
"If we win this battle, then every last bit of me belongs to you. You don’t need to hold back—ow, ow, ow!"
His expression twisted.
Ryu had pulled her hand free and pinched his arm, twisting the flesh through a full circle.
"If you keep saying things like that, I’ll beat your face swollen myself."
"Hmph! A true warrior faces bloodshed without fear and confronts the cruelty of life head-on. Do you really think a little pain can silence—ow! That hurts!"
Ryu’s fingers moved to the softer flesh at his waist.
The pain immediately became much worse.
After teasing and arguing for a while, they finally turned to the matter at hand.
"What is your plan for the War Game?"
Ryu’s expression became serious.
"How do you need me to support you?"
"I have a plan."
Kiriya nodded.
Under Ryu’s curious gaze, he swept one hand forward dramatically.
"We charge through the front, defeat everyone, and go home for dinner!"
"You..."
Ryu raised one threatening finger.
"Give me a serious answer."
Kiriya pretended to shrink back in fear.
"That was my serious answer."
Ryu’s eyebrow twitched.