Defiance: I Declare…

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"Ishtar! I'm here!"

/CREAK!/

"Why aren't you answering?!" Phryne exclaimed as she took a step inside the room

'She immediately understood something was very, very wrong.'

Hm?

'The room was dark, darker than it should've been.'

'She could barely make up the outline of some of the furniture despite the strong moonlight coming from the large wall window on the side.'

'During her time as a Level 3, she could see decently well in the dark as long as there was some weak light source, much less with such intense moonlight…'

'But now she couldn't even see it as a Level 6?'

"... Uh?"

Shit, I forgot…

'Her hand instinctively went to her back, grasping nothing but air…'

'She was trying to grab her War-Axe, unfortunately, she didn't bring it, the thought of doing so hadn't even passed through her mind.'

'She was about to sleep when she was woken up and summoned here, why would she bring her prized weapon?'

"Humph."

'Yet, she scoffed, her prowess as a Level 6 gave her enough confidence to move on without a shred of fear.'

'Even if the enemy was Level 5, she had confidence in evading long enough so she could retreat and grab some sort of weapon.'

'Or at least, last more than enough to cause a commotion, she wouldn't be defeated without a sound…'

'Can you imagine? A Level 6 being killed without even a snip of commotion?'

'She wasn't like a pathetic Level 4! And even if she were, her incredible status would make her confident even if she were being ambushed by a Level 5!'

'Now that she was 6…'

'On her mind, there was only one being that could do such a thing, and that being would never leave his post.'

'There was nothing to fear.'

"What in damnation is this?"

It's so dark, I can barely see.

/Clack!/

/Thud!/

'Phryne kept hitting things as she walked, her size didn't help.'

'She wasn't made to be subtle...'

'Not that she was trying to be like that in the first place...'

"##!"

It's getting on my nerves!

And that bitch…

"Ishtar! Stop with this stupid display, I need my beauty sleep!" Ishtar exclaimed in anger as she pushed aside a small table out of her way, making is contents drop on the ground and break

/Thud!/

"Urg…"

/Light…/

'As if responding to her prayers, the clouds up above parted, and the moonlight became stronger, lighting up more of the room…'

'Albeit in a very unnatural manner, as only Ishtar's bed was unraveled from the dark.'

"?!"

She's asleep…

'There in the bed she saw Ishtar together with 4 dudes, ugly hunks of low class, not her type, but she did understand their appeal…'

'However, she, as a woman of higher class, understood what true taste was… Better than this whore on the bed.'

'Even if they begged, she wouldn't give them a taste of her.'

Just what sort of…

"!"

'Phryne immediately looked around vigilantly.'

'No matter how hotheaded she was, she was still an adventurer with over 2 decades of experience.'

'The number of times people tried to assassinate her were countless, the number of times she fended off her enemies on the brink of death were numerous…'

'Long were those days though, to the point she had forgotten how it felt like.'

'But the instincts were surprisingly still there.'

"..."

No one's here…

'Or so she thought…'

/Light…/

'It was at the moment when she let her guard down, the moonlight once again lit up, and a man walked out from the shadows, having his back to the window so his features became hard to discern.'

'The only thing she could discern were his two Platinum eyes.'

'They seemed to shine stronger than the surrounding moonlight.'

"?!!"

Since when?!

'The man raised his arm, checking his wrist.'

"You're here, a bit late, but I shall pardon you for that…"

'The man smiled, or gave her such an impression.'

"After all, climbing stairs is certainly not your forte."

'A clear provocation.'

"Huh?...###!!!"

'Her face immediately became red as her veins started to surface on her forehead.'

Did he just call me…

/THUD!/

'Phryne took a step forward, making the entire room tremble.'

'Perhaps if she were with her mind focused, she would've understood that Ishtar and her 4 hunks not waking up was weird, but she didn't care about it now.'

'She merely wanted to… Squash that rude man…'

/SMASH!/

/CRASH!/

/BAM!/

'Her fist flew forward, the air pressure so intense the window immediately blew into pieces and the sound barrier… Broken.'

"Die!"

'Screaming with sharp eyes, her fist the size of a normal adult's head connected with the shadowy figure.'

/THUD!/

"!!!"

'But the man merely raised his hand, blocking it.'

'For many reasons, this was extremely vexing…'

'No matter who it was, upon receiving her fist full of her anger, even if they somehow managed to defend it, at least something would've happened.'

'The ground would shatter, they would be pushed back, their weapons or body would break…'

'But here? Nothing happened…'

'She felt as if she was punching inside a dream… And into a pillow.'

"You sure are eager… I hope you can keep this attitude." The man said in a more laid-back tone as he pushed her back

'Although, the atmosphere changed as he said his next words.'

"It would be boring otherwise."

/SNAP!/

/FLASH!/

"Urg!"

'Once he snapped his finger, the moonlight flashed, and Phryne squinted her eyes.'

'It was all so sudden, she barely had the chance to step back…'

'But once the light receded, she noticed that she could perfectly see her surroundings again!'

"This…"

'And this included… The man in front of her.'

"It's you!" She said as she gritted her teeth in anger

'But as she said that, she noticed his appearance, making her smile in scorn.'

"Ahh… It all makes sense now… You're such a trickster… And a fool."

'Silver's faint glow was impossible to not notice, someone else might scrub that off as there are one and a hundred abilities that can have such effects…'

'Silver himself would often glow due to his many abilities, so in his case, it became even less conspicuous.'

'But it was unmistakable for the people of the inner circle of the Ishtar Familia, the Berbera.'

"So you hid her all this time… I bet you used her to attain your current fame didn't you?"

"..."

'Silver only smiled, letting her talk.'

'And talk she did, she even raised her hands, smiling gleefully.'

"Isn't it sweet? That power she has… Doesn't it feel great?!"

Ishtar that idiot...

In the end, she assumed that the group that intercepted us had no deep connection with him, as prior investigations ended up revealing nothing of value.

Heh, how incopetent... The people behind this... Who were they again?

I'll have to properly punish them later.

"Sweet?... Great?..."

"Yeah... It does." Silver replied with a calm expression as he raised his hand

"To be able to see where my future efforts will lead towards… It feels me with expectation and even glee."

"The journey is long, painful, but the end result is worth it."

"Although... Don't you think it's funny?"

"Hm? What are you talking about boy?"

'Silver shook his head.'

"Well… Forget it, it is merely my own ramblings, I never expected you to understand anyway."

"With that out of the way though…" Silver said as he turned his eyes to face her for the first time

"Why are you still here?"

"Hm? Me?"

"Kekeke…"

/Thud!/

'Phryne took another step forward, smiling viciously.'

"Since you delivered yourself to me I aught finish where we left off."

"Next time, you barely escaped, you sure caused me some trouble, kidnapping her together with your escape."

"You sure hid her well..."

"Is that so… You noticed the power, who I am, yet you still stand before me like that?" Silver asked calmly

'Phryne raised her eyebrows.'

"Level 2… Raised to Level 3… Was I supposed to feel anything?" Phryne asked with a scornful gaze

"Even if you're stronger than the ordinary Level 3... How does that change anything?"

"You being here surely makes me a bit puzzled..."

'She chuckled.'

"I don't quite like desperate men you see if you wanted to see me so much..."

"The tricks you pulled just now and before still irk me though…"

And at the same time, find out who were the people that attacked us.

It couldn't have been his Familia, those bunch of trash.

So who?...

/Lick…/

"But I'm sure we'll have a lot of time to talk about this over some nice drinks don't you think so?"

"..."

/Chuckles…/

"Are you laughing with joy already?"

"Ha… HAha… HAHA!"

'Silver laughed for a few moments before saying:'

"I guess this is your limit."

"Tricks I pulled? Is that the pathetic answer you arrived at to everything I did?"

"Yes… I imagine you are right… Nothing but tricks… And I am a fool."

"To have expected anything from you."

"..."

'Phryne's smile disappeared, this situation went from amusing to a bore.'

"That's enough of that then… I don't know what you did to Ishtar… But she'll wake up to a fine surprise."

/Crack.../

'Cracking her knuckles, she prepared to move.'

"..."

'Silver smiled widely, showing his teeth as the moonlight shone on his back.'

'His smile was very unsettling...'

"Yeah… She surely will."

/FWOOSH!/

'Phryne vanished, the mask on her face being flung aside as she moved…'

'Time slowed down...'

/0.005 seconds.../

'The ground beneath her broke apart...'

/0.01 seconds…/

'Phryne, who was over 6 meters away from Silver vanished, reappearing in front of him, her fist a few inches from his face…'

"?!?!"

'But she suddenly pulled her fist away, running back!'

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Declaring War."

'With his left hand pointing forward, Silver aimed at Ishtar's bed.'

'His hand glowing red hot, several streams of steam were being released from his arm, as if a rocket was preparing to take off.'

'Phryne knew something was going on, so she retreated, blocking her body with her arms.'

'At the end of the day, if Ishtar were to disappear just like that, so would her blessing, and she would forever remain powerless.'

'And that was only the tip of the consequences.'

"That was the right choice, I'll give you that."

"Had you tried to attack me, Ishtar would've been in Heaven by now." He said slowly

"You're mad!"

"..."

"You... You ought to clench your teeth." Silver whispered

/Chuu…/

/Chuuu…/

'Steam kept building up on his arm, being released like burning geysers.'

'Something was about to happen...'

'As his arm started to glow more and more, eventually reaching all the way to his index finger... He said:'

"When she wakes up, tell her this… You fat bitch."

"Tell her that..."

"The Hestia Familia declares war on the Ishtar Familia, so get your shit together."

"YOU!"

"See ya later…"

"YOU'LL REGRET THIS YOU SON OF A..."

/FIUM!/

"NO!"

'Everything in front of her turned white.'

/BLAST!/

'Followed by a massive explosion.'

…

/A few seconds before.../

"Hm?..."

'Under the gentle moonlight, a woman with silver hair like the purest lily opened her dazzling purple eyes drowsily.'

'Her expression was one of disappointment, just what sort of dreams did this lady have to be so frustrated to have them interrupted?'

/Step.../

'Even so, she slowly moved, one move at a time...'

'Elegant, noble, she slowly pushed the sheets of her grandiose bed aside, touching the cold ground she was so familiar with.'

'And with small but sturdy steps, she made her way towards the window.'

'Something had attracted her, something made her wake up... To the point, she didn't even bother putting on some clothes.'

'Yes, this lady sleeps in the nude, as it was meant to be...'

'The moonlight even seemed to retreat a little, as if fearful of exposing her perfect body.'

'But she didn't care about that, placing her slender hands on the glass as she looked far away.'

"Ottar…"

/Thud…/

'Something moved behind her, it was only an outline, but it was there, a humongous creature stood in the dark.'

"Yes." Ottar replied sternly in an emotionless tone

"Didn't I tell you to go rest?"

'But by her tone, it made you think she already expected this.'

"... I couldn't sleep."

"That's odd, are you feeling better now?" The lady asked, slightly concerned

"Yes."

"That's good to hear."

'The conversation ended like that, neither did the woman look behind, neither did the man move out of the shadows he was hiding in.'

"What about you? Weren't you the one that complained about feeling too tired recently?" Ottar asked calmly

"I… Couldn't sleep very well." She said in a teasing tone, tilting her head slightly

'Her slight smile coupled with the faint moonlight shining on her nude body made the man known as the stone statue to budge.'

'He had no lust, but he did...'

"..."

'She soon turned to face the window, perhaps satisfied with her small tease.'

'But also because she noticed something on the horizon.'

"..."

This is…

'She wasn't the only one to feel a disturbance, as Ottar soon moved his head to look at the horizon as well.'

"Can you see it, Ottar?" She asked with an amused smile

"Level 5… No, 6… Is it the Sage? It doesn't look like her." Ottar said as he tried to determine the origin of the distant Magic power

The entertainment district? That's almost directly in opposition to the Twilight Manor.

'The woman smiled sweetly as if expecting this.'

'Her boredom was soon to be cured… Just like before… And before that as well.'

"He's such a surprise… Don't you think so?"

"He?..."

'Perhaps understand the connotation of her words, Ottar's eyes changed, even if just a little.'

/FLASH!/

"!"

'Suddenly, the skies of Orario were greeted with two bright beams of red light, crossing from one corner of the city to the other!'

'The night turned into day, if only for a moment for those that lived bellow where the beams passed…'

'One beam passed through the right of Babel, the other through the left...'

'By a hairs breath, a horrendous scenario was averted.'

'Even if Babel was made to resist the highest of beatings, as the symbol of Orario, just what would mean if it were to be damaged...'

'This was exactly what many thought as they traced their origin...'

'The entertainment district... Ishtar Familia's home...'

"That's why I can't sleep…" Freya said with an amused smile as she touched her lips with her fingers, gently

"..."

'Ottar on the other hand, merely grabbed a small robe, putting it on her shoulders to cover her body.'

'Albeit, his eyes moved to the tower one last time before he closed them.'

'On his mind, he quickly assessed their power, speed, length...'

'He easily came with several ways of countering it, even if it was released right in front of him.'

'It was a tad too slow...'

'Freya on the other hand merely enjoyed the sight.'

"Now you did Ishtar."

'But as she saw the flames disperse in the skies, she smiled.'

'She had an idea.'

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