Danmachi: A Mage's Journey

Chapter 281: Dual Gatekeepers

Meanwhile, on the half-ruined Northwest Street—

"Hurry, Shakti! At this rate, we'll be too late!" Gareth thundered forward, his giant axe glinting in the firelight.

A wave of evilus soldiers surged through the district, commanded by none other than Olivas.

As soon as word reached the base camp, Finn had dispatched reinforcements. Gareth broke from the Loki Familia's guerrilla unit to respond.

"I know! Damn it, why did they send so few of us?!" Shakti of the Ganesha Familia sprinted alongside him, her voice fierce but steady. Even mid-complaint, her speed was leagues beyond an ordinary adventurer.

"If they secure the northwest, the whole city's finished. All we can do now is send elites to cut them down before they regroup."

The clash of steel rang in the distance. Gareth's brow furrowed as he imagined the chaos ahead.

"Almost there. Let's crush them in one—"

But before he could finish, something dark streaked across their path. A devastating blow crashed down, forcing Gareth to halt.

"Mmgh!?"

"Gareth!?"

The ground split with a resounding boom, rubble spraying as Gareth barely caught the impact with his axe. The force shoved him back, his boots carving deep grooves into the cobblestones.

A voice followed, flat and cold. "Another tedious fight."

The dust cleared. What stood before them was a man clad head-to-toe in jet-black armor, a massive obsidian blade resting easily in his grip. His helm hid all expression, but the crimson cloak billowing behind him left no doubt.

"Zald!? You're siding with Alfia against us?!" Gareth's eyes widened.

On the night of the Great Struggle, he and Riveria had fought only Alfia. Now, before him, stood the other, the warrior spoken of only in whispers.

"It's been a long time, dwarf. Funny, the only thing I remember is drinking with you at a tavern."

"Hah! I miss those days. Want another contest? The new tavern has proper dwarven fire-wine." Gareth forced a grin, though sweat trailed down his temple.

Zald's reply came with chilling indifference. "Have you forgotten? In every match, your god lost to mine. And this time, I won't let you off with a 'beef' scrawled across your forehead."

"Beef?" Shakti blinked, utterly lost.

'Wait... Gareth lost? Was that... to drinking? This can't be real...'

Whatever absurd history the two shared, it was no laughing matter now.

"Enough talk! Get out of the way, we don't have time!"

Boom!

Zald drove his greatsword into the earth, silencing her.

"If I cross this street, dwarf... the only drink I'll take will be your blood."

The killing intent rolling off him was suffocating. Gareth and Shakti froze as chains of primal fear wound around their bodies. Zald's crimson cloak rippled ominously in the night air.

"If you still want to drink together, bring a barrel. I'll drain it once it's filled with your blood."

Zald raised his greatsword with ease, gazing down coldly upon the adventurers.

...

West Orario.

"Ugh—!!"

A tide of desperate cries erupted as countless self-sacrificing attacks rushed toward a lone woman.

"So noisy."

That was all she said.

A shockwave burst from Alfia's lips, her eyes still closed. The sound alone sent the adventurers crashing to the ground, hurling them into walls and rubble.

"Aa—!"

"Alfia, you witch!"

Riveria, who had narrowly evaded the blast, stood drenched in sweat as she watched the rescue squad crumble.

At the same time Gareth confronted Zald elsewhere, Riveria now stood face-to-face with another powerhouse.

"You again, elf? Eight years ago, and still you return. How many times must I defeat you?" Alfia's tone was casual, uninterested, as if the battle itself bored her.

Riveria gripped her staff, shouting back against the suffocating silence that pressed against her chest.

"You always stand in our way. What is your aim, being the gatekeeper here!?"

Alfia's intent was clear: to block passage, to crush anyone who sought the Seventh District with overwhelming force.

The thunder of distant explosions echoed beyond, gnashing Riveria's teeth with frustration.

Alfia said calmly, "If you want to go through, then defeat me. Isn't that obvious?"

Riveria had no time to reply. From the blind spot behind Alfia, a figure dropped silently from the ruins above. A silver blade nearly her height came crashing down with explosive force.

"Haaah!"

It was Ais, unleashing a full-force strike to end Alfia in a single blow. A slender wind spiraled around the sword, whistling sharply as it spun.

"If you seek a surprise attack, girl, conceal your killing intent." Alfia's voice cut through the moment.

Without opening her eyes, relying solely on sound sharper than sight, she deflected the attack with ease. Her hand, sharpened like a blade, met Ais' sword mid-swing. With surgical precision, she knocked the weapon aside, its trajectory shattered.

"!?"

Ais's eyes widened. In the same instant, Alfia's other hand snapped out, striking like a fan.

"Wha—!"

The blow hurled Ais to the ground despite her desperate guard.

"Ais!" Riveria shouted.

Ais groaned in pain, while Alfia loomed over her, indifferent.

"Even if you're just a child, I won't show mercy."

Her hand rose, magic gathering in her palm like the muzzle of a cannon aimed at Ais' heart.

Ais froze, bracing for the end but the blast never came. Blinking in confusion, she saw Alfia staring at her. eyes slightly open, surprise flickering for the first time.

"You... the girl from the Dungeon?"

Ais stiffened and Riveria's eyes widened in shock. Both Riveria and Ais trembled at her words.

"I see... so that's how it is."

Alfia's expression cooled again, voice even.

"It wasn't us who found her, but you, Loki Familia. No wonder Ouranos never abandoned his dream of salvation back then."

Her insight was sharp, cutting straight to the truth.

Riveria could neither deny nor conceal it, her trembling hands clutched her staff tighter.

"So then, what will you do with this 'treasure'?" Alfia pressed, almost curious.

"Use her as a sacrifice?"

"Shut up!!!" Riveria's fury exploded, silencing her doubt with rage.

Clutching her staff in both hands, she charged forward. Mage no longer, only warrior.

"Aahhh!" Ais rose again, joining her side.

Like mother and daughter, they struck in tandem. Riveria's staff thrust low, Ais' sword slashed high, their cooperation flawless. But Alfia slipped past each strike with ease, half a step here, a tilt of her head there. Neither blow so much as brushed her dress.

Seven exchanges passed in vain. Then, suddenly—

Alfia's left hand clamped onto Riveria's staff and her right seized Ais's blade.

"Sometimes, the noise holds truths." She murmured. "But in the end, it's always disappointment."

With impossible strength, she flung them both aside. Then, raising her arm diagonally, she unleashed her final gospel.

At that critical instant—

Ais roared, summoning a raging storm. The wind gathered, wrapping her sword in a roaring tempest. She swung and the storm crashed into Alfia's sonic shockwave.

Bang—!!

The air itself screamed as the forces collided. For several seconds, the two powers clashed in a deadly stalemate.

Then, Ais' storm shattered. The explosion ripped the silence apart, debris scattering. Through the haze, she saw Alfia's gray hair swayed gently in the wind.

"Damn monster... cough... cough—"

Riveria staggered, blood dripping from her ear. The toll of Alfia's sound tore at her mind like a tuning fork driven into her skull, her face twisted with pain.

"So... strong..." she rasped.

Ais pushed herself free from Riveria's embrace. Her arms trembled violently, cracked armor falling away piece by piece.

And still, she whispered through clenched teeth, "Just like... Akira..."

Faced with that overwhelming force, Ais saw through Alfia the boy who had often sparred with her but whom she had never won a match against.

Hearing the name she hadn't heard for a few days, Alfia's eyes moved slightly.