"THAT BASTARD!", The catman Allen slammed his fist down on the table, and the wooden surface snapped in half on the spot.
Not just Allen. Most of the other members of the Freya Familia reacted the same way. Rage, frenzy, humiliation.
Since the Great Strife, this was the first time the Freya Familia had been stirred up to such a degree.
"Unforgivable!"
"He's already crossed the line."
"This isn't just insulting us, it's insulting the goddess herself."
"We must wash away this disgrace with his blood."
The [Four Warriors of Burning Gold], the Gulliver brothers, spoke one after another. Their voices were similar and perfectly in sync, so their declarations sounded like the words of a single man.
"I'll kill him right now!", Allen shot to his feet in fury.
"Stop," Ottar's low voice called him back.
"What, you filthy boaz, you want to stop me from defending the goddess's honor?", Allen spun around, bloodshot eyes glaring.
Ottar replied coldly, "The goddess has already accepted the challenge. Until the [War Game] begins, no one may act."
"If you strike now, you would be the one staining the goddess's honor," Even as he said this, Ottar's hands clenched so tightly that veins bulged along his arms. It was clear that the pig warrior's own anger had already reached its peak.
But for Ottar, the goddess's honor was above all. Since Freya had already bound herself to the contract of the [War Game], then their only duty was to decide everything on the battlefield.
"Besides, Allen, do you really think you can defeat him?", Ottar asked, cold and sharp.
That question silenced Allen.
Most citizens of the city didn't know, but the Freya Familia, who had fought in the previous war, understood. In the battle of the [Artificial Labyrinth], Emiya defeated the strongest Lv.7 "Monster" among the enemy.
At that time, [Saber] Emiya Shirou had only been Lv.4.
And now, [Grand Saber] Emiya Shirou was Lv.6, the same as Allen.
The Lv.7 [White Fairy's Magic Wand] could openly admit that he wasn't Emiya's match. In the entire city, there was only one who might have a chance against that man, Lv.8 [King] Ottar.
"But... can even he really do it?", As people cooled down a little, such thoughts began to creep in.
The title [Grand Saber] came directly from the single sword strike with which Emiya slew the ancient monster Lochness.
God Hermes himself had described the power of that strike, and while this god was often unreliable, when it came to the subject of "heroic epics," he was entirely trustworthy.
And that Arabian Nights–like description, waterfalls drawn up from an entire lake, sword light cleaving mountains... to the Freya Familia, especially Ottar, it carried a sense of reality.
For he had seen such strength before. [King] had lived through the age of the Hera and Zeus familias.
Many believed that Lv.8 versus Lv.6 would be a one-sided slaughter. But Ottar's intuition told him the opposite.
Hedin's mocking voice broke the silence, "So what, because the opponent is strong, you're planning to give up? Hand over the goddess without a fight?"
Allen: "Shut your mouth, you four-eyed bastard!"
Hedin only glanced at him calmly, "If you still have loyalty to the goddess, then there is only one thing to do—"
"On the battlefield, prove it with your actions!"
———
[War Game]
A large-scale "game" between familias, applied for through the Guild, rules set by both sides, witnessed by the gods.
During their activities in the city, it was inevitable that familias would clash. The War Game was the system created to prevent conflicts from escalating too far and causing disastrous consequences.
Rules and wagers were agreed upon by both sides, minimizing casualties, under divine witness... With such safeguards in place, the War Game was a contest that most familias were willing to accept.
It was also one of the most popular forms of "entertainment."
And this time, on one side stood the city's strongest familia, the [Freya Familia]; on the other, the strongest challenger, the [Grand Saber].
For many gods and adventurers, just to witness such titans clash was worth dying for.
The Adventurer's Guild was tearing their hair out. They wanted nothing less than a conflict of this level. They tried to forbid it, but neither Freya Familia nor Emiya could be stopped by the Guild.
"If you forbid the War Game, we'll just fight in the streets of the city," Ottar needed only that one sentence to silence the Guildmaster.
Given Ottar's personality, it wasn't a threat. If denied the War Game, he truly would carry it out.
In the end, the city's greatest effort was only to stop the Loki Familia from joining. If they were dragged into this because of their ties with the [Grand Saber], things would spiral completely out of control.
For the Loki Familia, this was an unexpected blessing. Because Emiya had never planned on involving them in the first place. Finn used this leverage with the Guild to wring out benefits, such as intel on the dungeon's sixtieth to seventieth floors.
———
"This rule, are you serious?"
In a tall-ceilinged hall supported by massive stone pillars, a "Denatus" was being held.
The subject: the details of this War Game, the format, the conditions.
But in truth, Emiya had already set the rules, and the Freya Familia had raised no objections.
So much so that Freya and Hephaestus didn't even attend the Assembly. They simply sent in the finalized rulebook to notify the others.
The goddess of beauty had abandoned her privilege of residing at the very top of Babel Tower, sitting silently upon the throne of her castle, her silence chilling to the bone.
Hephaestus, meanwhile, was in her Etna Volcano, hammering Emiya's shoulder with her small fist and pinching his cheek. The goddess, usually delighted by the boy's female companions, had rarely shown jealousy. But seeing him so fixated on another goddess, she had finally lost her temper.
With the two parties absent, the rest of the gods could only accept the War Game's terms with exchanged looks.
The War Game format: legion battle.
No rules like "kill the commander" or "capture the flag" to instantly decide victory. In battle, anyone rendered unconscious or who surrendered would be out. When all members of one side were eliminated, the game ended.
One side: the entire Freya Familia.
Including Lv.8 [King] Ottar, Lv.7 [White Fairy's Magic Wand] Hedin, a total of eight first-tier adventurers, plus dozens of second-tier "mighty warriors", the adventurer group that reigned supreme over the city.
The other side: six people.
Lv.6 [Grand Saber] Emiya Shirou, Lv.7 [Gale] Ryuu Lion, Lv.5 [Chariot's Fragment] Anya, Lv.5 [Black Fist] Lunoire, Lv.5 [Black Cat] Chloe, Lv.3 [Celestial Fox] Haruhime.
Calling it a War Game was generous, Emiya didn't even have a proper familia. At best, you could call it the "Emiya Familia" or the "Hostess of Fertility Familia." One of them was even technically a cat of Freya Familia.
On paper, the disparity in numbers and levels was absurd. The rules chosen had no loopholes. It was a straightforward, head-on legion battle.
"Loki, you really aren't participating? Feels like... there's no way they can win...", one god remarked.
Everyone knew of Emiya's ties with the Loki Familia. Many gods initially thought he was declaring war on their behalf.
"This is their own matter. I won't meddle," Loki said, "Besides, it isn't necessary."
Other gods didn't know, but she did. Even if her whole familia, even if those girls all withdrew, the result would be the same.
In fact, Loki suspected Emiya wouldn't even let Haruhime take the field.
"By the way... that title [Celestial Fox] is awkward," Loki mused.
Even though it had been ages, she immediately recalled the terrifying sorceress of the Hera Familia who once bore that same title.
For some reason, Hephaestus had insisted on giving that title to Haruhime.
"So then, the War Game's terms..."
"Mm, settled as is."
———
"[War Game] betting open! Current odds: Freya Familia, 1 to 1.24. [Grand Saber], 1 to 4.5!"
The War Game between Freya Familia and Emiya was set for fifteen days later. This buffer wasn't for preparation, but to give foreign tourists time to reach Orario.
Once the Guild realized it couldn't stop the War Game, its strategy shifted completely: if the battle must happen, then maximize profit.
Notifying all nations, inviting merchants and nobles worldwide to spectate; producing support merchandise to sell; even opening betting.
Whatever his character, the Guildmaster was skilled at both management and making money. Especially the latter, which was why he'd remained in his seat so long.
The bets used dynamic odds. The Guild skimmed ten percent. At present, the odds suggested Emiya had a twenty percent chance of victory.
Analyzing only the raw numbers, this was actually quite generous to him.
To some, it looked like free money.
"Aki, I beg you! Lend me one hundred million valis, I'll pay you back triple later!", Raul went straight to his knees before his teammate.
"You think I'm an idiot? Odds are over four to one! I'll just bet myself!"
Even so, Aki lent it to him, because Finn had set limits. Adventurers Lv.5 and above could only bet up to one hundred million, lower levels even less.
Not because they feared Emiya would lose, but because they worried that if everyone made too much, they'd pick up bad habits. And that would be disastrous.
Aside from them, one pallum manager alone wagered three hundred million. A queen from the elven forests outside the city bet one hundred million. And so on.
But overall, most people still bet on the Freya Familia, especially the visiting nobles and merchants. Apart from a few wealthy ladies betting by face-value rather than numbers, almost all backed Freya.
———
Collapsed, towering stone columns rose all around. The ground was paved with countless weathered slabs.
Damaged archways leaned slightly, still standing despite the ages.
This ruin, shaped of tombs and temples, showed earth and rock laid bare, overgrown and slowly reclaimed by nature. It was grand, yet steeped in solitude.
Most striking of all: the ruin sat upon a lake.
Here, surrounded by towering mountains, a massive crater lake cradled a single island upon its emerald waters.
Shrem Old Castle Ruins.
This vast ruin lay southwest of Orario, within the caldera lake of the Beol Mountain Range. It would serve as the War Game's stage.
It was built more than two thousand years ago.
Once, it was a fortress-city that fought fiercely against monsters from the Great Hole.
Never short of water, protected by the crater lake as a natural barrier, it had withstood many invasions. Its residents built a self-sufficient city upon the island. It thrived, until one day, a powerful monster attacked from the skies.
Now in ruins, the elliptical island was ringed by crumbled walls and watchtowers. Its steep slopes and collapsed structures still gave the shape of a city, even after all this time.
After choosing Shrem Old Castle Ruins as the battlefield, the Guild immediately hired the Goibniu Familia to construct a temporary venue at its outskirts to house tourists from across the world. They also rented two luxury cruise ships from the port city, anchoring them on the lake for the wealthy nobles and merchants.
"So this is Shrem Old Castle Ruins, where the War Game will be held...", A "boy" craned his neck, staring at the crystal screen replaying its images.
The "boy" had white hair and red eyes, a somewhat androgynous cuteness, pale skin, and with that hair and those eyes, gave off a "rabbit-like" impression.
The "divine mirror" licensed at the Denatus would broadcast the War Game in real time. Not only here and on the ships, but throughout the city, everyone could watch.
On screen now was a massive temple ruin on the island's west side.
In the "ancient" age, before gods descended, people worshiped imagined deities for salvation from monsters. Shrem Old Castle was said to have old ties to "spirits," and the temple built here, called the "House of Gods," had housed many idols.
Among them, there was said to be a goddess of "beauty."
After the true gods descended, most of these "false gods" were forgotten, their images replaced by the real ones.
Like the "Moon God." In antiquity, it was a faceless, sexless, emotionless concept. Now, it had become Artemis, Tsukuyomi, and others.
The boy's eyes sparkled as he looked at the ancient ruin steeped in history.
Before he died, his grandfather had told him: you must go to Orario. It is the center of the world. Only there will you find the most wonderful encounter.
Just a few days ago, a caravan passed through his village, escorting nobles bound for Orario to see the War Game.
Because they hurried too fast, their servants collapsed. They recruited local hands, and the boy slipped in as a menial, catching a ride to Orario.
Now the nobles had boazded a cruise ship, dumping the boy ashore to walk the rest of the way.
"Hey, kid, interested in placing a bet?", Maybe because of his fresh, naive look, the white-haired boy was targeted at once.
A man oozing "thug adventurer" vibes grinned, yellowed teeth showing.
"Bet now, and it's basically a guaranteed profit," His eyes swept over the boy's face, then lingered on the pouch at his waist, his grin widening.
"Kid, you're not just here to watch, are you? You planning to enter Orario and become an adventurer?"
"Y-Yes, how did you know?"
"Anyone could tell from that dumb look. Another brat with his head in the clouds, thinking he can be a 'big shot'," The man sneered inwardly, though his face stayed pleasant.
Every day, youths from all over the world came to Orario, chasing dreams. Most either died early in the dungeon, or lived out ordinary lives. Only the tiniest few became great.
"Of course it's life experience," He answered.
"A-Are you... a great adventurer?", the boy asked with wide eyes, almost reverent.
"Haha, you could say that... Do you know what's most important to become a great adventurer?"
The white-haired boy thought seriously, "Courage, willpower, and never giving up!"
Hearing this, the man scoffed inwardly, then said aloud, "That's important, sure... but the key is money."
"With money, you can buy the best gear, top-quality medicine, and go deeper into the dungeon... Look at him," He pointed to the crystal screen, where Emiya's portrait appeared.
"That man is the world's number-one smith. He forged ten swords, each ten billion valis, and wagered them against the Freya Familia's goddess," Even speaking of another, the man's voice was fevered.
"Ten swords... ten billion each... a hundred billion?", The boy reeled at the number.
World's top smith, a sword worth ten billion... He etched the name "Emiya Shirou" in his mind.
"See? With money, you can do even that!", The man's voice rose higher, "And now, you've got a chance to get rich yourself!"
"W-What is it?"
"Betting. The [Grand Saber] is strong, but the [Freya Familia] will win in the end. Bet now, it's guaranteed profit!"
So that was the great opportunity, gambling. The boy hesitated.
"No... I think I'll pass. I don't have money to bet."
"No problem, we can lend you some. Miss this chance, and you'll regret it for life," The man pressed closer.
"I-I really don't think...", The boy waved him off.
The man's face twitched with irritation, "So much damn whining. I'm doing this for your sake. I explain all this to you, and you don't appreciate it?"
He reached to grab the boy's wrist.
"If your filthy hand touches her, kiss your arm goodbye," The chilling voice whispered right at his ear.
"Who?", The man yelped. As he turned, his cheek met the sole of an Amazon's foot, and he went flying.
"Running an illegal casino to steal from the Guild, loan-sharking, strong-arming... stacked crimes," Aisha sneered, "Better get ready to rot in a cell."
[Beauty Elite] Aisha, Lv.4 warrior, officially attached to the Ganesha Familia, serving as inspector to keep order at the ruins.
"You okay, little miss?", Aisha asked.
"Uh, I... I'm...", The "boy" flustered, trying to explain.
Aisha cut her off, "Save it. That little disguise won't fool me. Name?"
"...Bell Cranel," The "boy", in truth, a girl in disguise, answered softly. [T/N: I am ded 😇]

"Mm. Makeup's sloppy, but the instinct to protect yourself is right. If you came here to be an adventurer, get inside the city quick. Security here's worse than inside. Orario will broadcast the War Game too, don't worry," Aisha warned.
"And at your age, stay away from betting," Then, helping all the way, Aisha escorted Bell into the city.
However, after parting with Aisha, Bell passed by a betting shop and was swept inside by the surging crowd. Because the atmosphere there was so heated, Bell got carried away in the moment, pulled out some money, and bought a betting slip and lottery tickets.
But, originally intending to follow everyone else and bet on the surely victorious Freya Familia, Bell misclicked and accidentally placed the wager on Emiya's side.
In one go, her living expenses were all gone. Miss Bell was on the verge of tears, and the clerk, out of pity, gave her two lottery tickets as consolation. But winning with those things was practically impossible.
Bell's start in Orario seemed to be rather unlucky.
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