Charles had estimated Stella's strength—if she fought with her full power, she could rival Ottar at peak condition.

But even Ottar wouldn't be able to withstand a siege from all of Freya Familia's elites. And Stella also had to protect Wiene. The situation couldn't be more dire.

Yet the grave expression on Stella's face quickly melted away, replaced by a smile. Because she sensed it—the presence of the most reliable person she knew.

Allen frowned. "What's wrong with this woman? Why the hell is she smiling?"

But then Hedin suddenly said, "Something's not right. Was it this hot here before?"

The moment he said it, the others began to feel it too—the air was becoming oppressively hot.

Allen instinctively looked up toward the source of the heat. His eyes widened in horror.

"Shit! Get out of the way—now!"

Ever wonder what it's like to witness the sun crashing to the ground?

If you asked the elites of Freya Familia now, they could probably give you a very vivid answer.

A massive fireball was plummeting from the sky, targeting the center of their formation.

Thanks to Allen's warning, everyone scrambled to retreat—everyone except the Flamegold Brothers who had been surrounding Stella and Wiene. They were simply too close.

Through the erupting flames, Allen could only glimpse three figures being thrown through the air. And once the fire contracted to its center, he saw the fourth—Divalien of the Flamegold Brothers—being pinned to the ground by someone.

Though the four together could rival a higher-level opponent, they were ultimately just Level 5s.

Still, even Level 5s shouldn't go down so easily—unless their opponent was…

When Allen saw the figure engulfed in flames, he wasn't surprised anymore.

After all, it had been Ottar himself who confirmed that the man possessed power on par with his own.

Charles rose from the center of the blaze and turned around with a smile.

"Sorry I'm late."

Stella shook her head. "Nope. You're right on time."

Charles said, "Don't worry. What I promised is ready. Now take Wiene and leave the Dungeon. Someone will meet you—he's in a black cloak and looks sketchy, but he's an ally.

Leave the rest to me."

Stella didn't even ask if it would be dangerous. If Charles said it was fine, then she believed him. She had absolute faith that her partner would come back victorious—just as always.

Cradling Wiene in her arms, Stella unfolded her wings and soared into the air.

"Not so fast!" Hedin shouted, launching a barrage of lightning spheres toward the two.

But in an instant, a figure appeared in their path—Charles, swinging his arm in a winged strike of fire, vaporizing the lightning orbs with a single blast.

Stella didn't even glance back at the attack. With Charles covering them, there was no way they could be harmed.

Charles stood before the entirety of Freya Familia, his tone icy.

"Don't take your eyes off your opponent."

Everyone knew now—there was no getting past Charles to chase after Stella and Wiene. But truthfully, they'd never intended to harm those two in the first place.

Just then, Freya Familia's reinforcements arrived.

Allen looked at the unconscious Divalien and then at Charles.

"Hey, Hedin. Pull everyone back. Numbers won't help against this guy. I doubt anyone under Level 5 can even stand in front of him."

Hedin scanned the group and nodded in agreement.

Charles, driven by fury, was now fully unleashed. Though not in his dragon form, he might as well have been a dragon himself.

Allen made the wise decision not to involve lower-level members. Even among Freya Familia, where life-or-death combat was the norm, not everyone could endure the pressure of standing before a dragon.

Charles didn't even look at the retreating soldiers. Instead, he asked, "Just the two of you? Where's Ottar? He came too, didn't he?"

Allen, now composed, replied calmly, "Yeah. But we're finishing this before he arrives."

Charles suddenly burst into loud laughter—but it cut off as abruptly as it began.

"You didn't seriously think I'd show mercy after everything you've done, did you? If so, you're far too naive."

Allen's eyes widened as Charles disappeared right before them.

Then Charles' voice whispered in his ear.

"You'll die."

Allen dove to the side with a clumsy, desperate roll, landing in a heap. Charles now stood exactly where he had just been.

Allen had always prided himself on being Orario's fastest. But Charles' movement had been like teleportation. He couldn't even react in time—it shook him deeply.

For the love of their goddess, Freya Familia members fought savagely against one another on the brutal battlefield of affection. Each member was a hardened warrior.

So despite the shock, Allen quickly regained his composure—and so did the others.

Hedin launched a swarm of lightning spheres at Charles, while the rest closed in.

"Four Forms of the Divine Beast Fist—Azure Dragon Form: Flowing Water!"

Charles became a blur, a mirage, slipping effortlessly between the lightning spheres without being touched.

Coming toward him now was one of the two twin knights of Freya Familia—Hegni, the counterpart to "White Staff of Elves" Hedin. He bore the title "Black Sword of Elves."

Among the Familia, Hegni's reputation was unique. He suffered from severe communication disorder and… crippling chuunibyou syndrome. He often bemoaned the irony of being a front-line swordsman instead of an assassin.

That said, his mental issues didn't hinder his combat prowess in the slightest. He possessed a rare magic that shared its name with his title—"Black Sword of Elves."

This spell didn't boost his physical abilities. Its sole effect was to alter his personality into his ideal version.

When activated, Hegni shed his cringe-worthy persona and became a cold, calculating killer.

Paired with his fifty-meter cursed blade, Hegni was easily one of the most terrifying attackers in the Familia.

Facing Charles, Hegni struck six times in a single breath—all aimed at lethal points.

Meanwhile, Hedin spun his weapon around and joined the fray with his longsword.

It made sense—no one in Freya Familia earned their rank by magic alone. Hedin, despite his prowess as a mage, was also a highly skilled swordsman. His strikes were fast and precise—on par with even elite close-combat adventurers.

Charles extended both arms.

The hand bearing the Dragon of Malice deflected all six of Hegni's slashes.

His other hand, equipped with the Dragon Slayer, blocked Hedin's sword cleanly.

Before either could recover, Charles kicked each of them in the chest and gut respectively, sending both flying.

Hedin braced himself on his sword, vision swimming until it finally cleared—just in time to see Charles grabbing two of the Flamegold Brothers and slamming their heads together.

"You've gotta be kidding me! This is the guy Ottar said was about as strong as him?" Even the usually calm Hedin couldn't help shouting in frustration.

(End of Chapter)

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