Chapter 108: Chapter 108
"Oh? Let’s hear it."
Kiriya looked at Aisha and the Berbera behind her, an interested smile appearing on his face.
Aisha stood tall beneath Kiriya’s assessing gaze.
"With your current strength, sending only a few people at a time probably won’t satisfy you. How about this? You fight me and everyone behind me alone. If we lose, you can do whatever you want with us. Anything at all."
"Whoa—!"
The moment she said that, the whole street erupted.
Most of the adventurers were stunned by the Ishtar Familia’s shamelessness.
How did she even have the nerve to make that kind of demand?
Kiriya might not be familiar with the people standing behind Aisha, but how could the old hands who had spent years in Orario fail to recognize them?
There were a full twenty adventurers there, all of them Level 3, and most had been at that level for quite some time.
With that lineup, they were openly talking about ganging up on Kiriya alone.
For a moment, no one knew how to even judge them.
"I have never seen anyone so shameless in my life," one adventurer muttered after smacking his lips.
"Exactly. Aisha is the Antianeira, a capable fighter. She shouldn’t be making such a stupid mistake."
"Has she lost her mind over wanting that man?"
"Damn it, I don’t even know which side to support anymore!"
One adventurer shed tears filled with complicated emotions.
If he supported Aisha’s side, he would be accepting that Kiriya was about to be devoured.
But if he supported Kiriya, it meant cheering for his class enemy.
He was truly trapped between two impossible choices.
Hearing the mocking voices around them, the other Familia members were already red with shame and anger, nearly ready to explode.
Aisha, who stood at the front, remained calm on the surface, but inside, her emotions were surging wildly.
She had already cursed her willful goddess from head to toe.
That’s right.
The great Antianeira making such a shameless demand was not her own intention.
It was simply an order from her goddess.
...
The situation was simple.
When Kiriya set up an arena in the Pleasure Quarter, Goddess Ishtar received the news immediately.
After a brief moment of shock, Ishtar became ecstatic.
She had already coveted Kiriya for a long time.
For the past two days, she had been racking her brain for a perfect plan to snatch him away. She never expected that before she could take proper action, Kiriya would deliver himself to her doorstep.
"This is an opportunity. No matter what, we must seize it."
Ishtar’s voice had been firm and decisive.
"But Goddess-sama, Phryne still hasn’t returned from the Dungeon. I... We aren’t that boy’s match."
Aisha lowered her head as she spoke.
"Hmph. If one or two of you can’t beat him, then go together. More than twenty Level 3s should be able to wear him down even if nothing else."
Ishtar snorted coldly, and her words made Aisha’s mouth fall open.
The entire Familia’s upper combat force ganging up on one Level 2?
That was beyond ridiculous.
If they really did that, by tomorrow—no, by tonight—it would spread across all of Orario.
Their Familia would be nailed to the pillar of shame.
Aisha still had pride.
She absolutely could not bring herself to do something like that.
"Mockery? Heh. Only losers are mocked."
When she heard Aisha’s concerns, Ishtar laughed disdainfully.
"Once I fully tame Kiriya, they’ll have nothing but envy and jealousy left. What right will they have to laugh at me?"
"Remember, call every Level 3 fighter. When the battle starts, go all out."
Ishtar had another plan as well.
Even if they could not defeat Kiriya, they only needed to stall until Phryne and Haruhime arrived.
And so, everything that had just happened came to pass.
Aisha had already thought it through.
If she did it, the worst outcome was getting beaten up.
But if she refused and angered her goddess, the consequences were not something she could bear.
...
"This is the first time in my life I’ve heard such a ridiculous demand."
Tiona rested both hands behind her head, her posture relaxed.
"Yeah, Kiriya definitely won’t agree to this," Tione added. "Who willingly jumps into a fire pit?"
"That may be Aisha’s intention," Riveria said thoughtfully, fingers resting against her chin. "She is using this to make her stance clear. If he keeps pushing, then she’ll mobilize the full force of her Familia against him."
"That’s possible. With the strength Kiriya has shown so far, they probably can’t win unless Phryne appears."
Finn nodded in agreement with Riveria.
"Speaking of which... where’s that toad woman?"
Bete looked around.
"With this big of a show going on, that shameless idiot actually hold herself back?"
Everyone smiled at that, and Finn gave the answer.
"She’s still in the Dungeon, but she should be back soon."
"Hehe, the Ishtar Familia really can’t take a loss, huh?"
Tiona sighed.
"Ahhh, looks like the show’s over."
Her words resonated with everyone.
Just as they were about to turn around and leave, Kiriya’s clear voice came from far away.
"Fine."
"Whoaaaaaaa—!"
The whole area first fell silent.
Then a roar of cheers burst out like a tidal wave.
Everyone looked toward the boy standing in the middle of the arena, their eyes full of disbelief.
"He actually... agreed?"
A flicker of emotion passed through Ais’s eyes.
"You idiot, Kiriya!"
Tiona stomped her foot in frustration, looking as if she wanted to scold him for being too reckless.
"No matter how confident you are, there should be a limit!"
"That guy... has some balls i admit that."
Bete sneered.
"He’s only Level 2, yet he really thinks he’s Ottar?"
Finn and Riveria fell silent as well. Even as mature and steady as they were, they did not know what to say for a moment.
"Ohhh, brother, you’ve got guts! I’m backing you!"
"That’s so damn manly! From now on, I’m your fan!"
"Take down those Amazons! I’ve hated them for ages!"
Unlike the worry shown by the Loki Familia members who knew him, the surrounding adventurers and gods were all here to watch the chaos.
Once they heard that Kiriya had actually agreed, they immediately started cheering and fanning the flames, practically lifting him into the sky.
One man challenging an entire Familia.
And not just any Familia, but a first-class Familia like the Ishtar Familia.
There was no way they could miss a show like this!
"..."
Aisha blinked, then even dug at her ear as she turned to ask the companion beside her.
"He agreed?"
"Uh... seems like it."
The companion beside her was also dazed, unable to believe happiness had arrived so quickly.
"Hahaha, this boy really is too arrogant!"
Aisha tried her best to keep her face calm, but inside, she was overjoyed.
She had already stopped hoping, but the prey had actually jumped into the fire pit by himself.
Heaven was helping her!
"Sylvan, once spoken, words cannot be taken back!"
Aisha called out loudly.
"Relax. I always keep my word. I never go back on what I say!"
Kiriya answered.
He was a man, after all, and his word was his bond.
"Good."
Aisha made her decision at once.
She led everyone onto the arena and surrounded Kiriya completely. From how eager they looked, they were clearly afraid he might change his mind on the spot.
These Berbera all had fierce auras and carried all kinds of weapons.
From bold, heavy weapons like greatswords, giant axes, and meteor hammers to sharper, more precise weapons like rapiers and daggers, they had practically everything.
"Boy, twenty against one is a little unfair."
Aisha smiled.
"But don’t complain. You chose this yourself."
"Unfair?"
Kiriya’s smile turned strange.
He just happened to have an idea worth testing.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu."
He formed hand seals, and under everyone’s shocked gaze, forty wood clones rose from the ground!
Whoosh—
The clones flashed in front of the Ishtar Familia members and surrounded them instead.
"This... is what you call unfair numbers."
Kiriya crossed his arms, wearing that iconic cold smirk of a certain legendary dance king!
"Don’t call me shameless, all right?"
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