"Mikoto, I need to fully support Lili. I can't use magic to assist you… I'm really sorry."
At this moment, Haruhime turned toward Mikoto, her expression tinged with guilt as she offered an earnest apology.
Mikoto blinked in surprise, but quickly shook her head with a warm smile. "It's fine. Don't worry about me."
In this current operation, there had been no plan to have Haruhime cast her enhancement on Mikoto.
That was because Haruhime's entire focus needed to be on Lili—her magic was crucial to sustaining Lili's ability and keeping the current battlefield stable.
Without Haruhime's constant magical reinforcement, Lili wouldn't be able to contain so many members of the Apollo Familia inside this dimension.
Even more so, due to the need to maintain the inherent barrier, Lili herself couldn't fully utilize the amplified strength given by Haruhime. At best, she could only fight with her original power.
In truth, the boost from Haruhime was being used to fuel the world Lili had constructed—her personal battlefield.
This wasn't a shortcoming of Lili's own strength, but rather a testament to how immense her magical and mental strain had become. If her endurance were greater, such a compromise wouldn't have been necessary.
But of course, the root reason for holding back wasn't just that.
This war game was also an opportunity. Leon intended it as a test, a trial to temper and train each member of the familia.
If it were purely for victory, Haruhime could've simply empowered Belle instead. With both Uchide no Kozuchi and Hero's Power, Belle alone could have demolished the Apollo Familia and even defeated their strongest member, Hyakinthos.
Mikoto fully understood the intent behind the plan. An opportunity like this—to engage in a real battle with proper adventurers, was rare and precious.
She had no complaints.
"Mikoto, let's go!"
With a grin, Lili drew a dagger from her waist and gave Mikoto a nod.
"Right." Mikoto nodded back, her expression steady and resolute.
In the next moment, the two burst into motion, sprinting toward the nearest group of Apollo Familia members in the distance.
Had Mikoto been paying attention, she might've noticed something off about Lili's expression.
Too excited.
That's right. This was the first time Lili was stepping onto the battlefield as a true combatant, rather than hiding in the shadows as a support.
All this time, she had always viewed herself as a rear-line strategist.
But now, after receiving guidance from Leon over the past few days and being taught essential combat skills, Lili wanted to test how far she had come.
It wasn't long before they reached the scattered Apollo Familia members.
The inherent barrier Lili had created resembled a vast valley with erratic terrain. When she brought the Apollo adventurers into it, she deliberately disoriented and scattered their formation.
She wasn't foolish enough to think she and Mikoto could fight them all at once.
Instead, Lili planned a guerrilla war—ambushes, flanking, and takedowns. One by one.
They had already studied the Apollo Familia roster in advance. They knew which of them were Level 2 adventurers, and which weren't.
So they deliberately avoided the Level 2s and began by targeting isolated Level 1 adventurers.
With both Lili and Mikoto now possessing the strength of Level 2s, dispatching Level 1s—especially scattered and confused ones, wasn't difficult at all.
In just two minutes, the two of them had severely injured over a dozen Apollo adventurers, rendering them unconscious and unable to fight.
But the Apollo Familia weren't defenseless.
After realizing their comrades were being picked off, many of them regrouped, forming small squads.
Several Level 2 adventurers took command, combining with Level 1s to form tighter, more dangerous units.
Still, Lili and Mikoto ignored the groups that included Level 2s. They focused solely on eliminating those that didn't have any high-level members.
This was Lili'sworld. She had eroded the real world to create this isolated dimension, and inside this domain, her perception was absolute.
She could monitor everything—enemy movements, terrain shifts, and even coordinate with Mikoto and Haruhime telepathically.
Because of that, Mikoto could easily avoid the squads with Level 2 adventurers and focus on wiping out the easier targets.
In just five minutes, all that remained of the Apollo Familia were a few remaining groups containing their stronger members.
With the rest cleared out, Lili and Mikoto regrouped to catch their breath and recover their strength.
All of this—every movement, every tactic—was clearly seen by the people of Orario.
Themirror showed both the inside and outside of the inherent barrier.
And everyone watching was stunned by what unfolded inside.
Gods and mortals alike were thoroughly impressed by the coordination between Lili and Mikoto.
They hadn't expected the battle to unfold like this.
Yet, after their surprise faded, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd—gods, adventurers, residents, and merchants all shouting in joy.
This… this was exactly the kind of spectacle they wanted to see.
The unexpected. The impossible. The miracles born from the unknown.
Neither Lili nor Haruhime had been in the spotlight before.
No gods or adventurers paid them much mind. To them, Belle was the only notable figure from the Hestia Familia—the fastest leveling adventurer under Leon's wing.
Initially, the gods in the assembly hall only had eyes for Belle. They had little hope for Lili or the others.
But it was the confident attitudes of Hestia and Leon that had raised their expectations.
And Lili, Haruhime, and Mikoto had not let them down.
They had turned the stage into a feast—an unexpected performance that completely overturned assumptions.
Of course, the gods inside the assembly hall had some inkling of this from the start.
But those outside the Tower of Babel had no such forewarning.
So to them, the sheer domination shown by Lili and Mikoto was a shocking twist—an overwhelming surprise.
No one expected members of the Apollo Familia to be taken down so easily by these seemingly unknown girls.
Now, all of Orario was burning with excitement.
Everyone was eager to see how Lili and Mikoto would face the remaining Apollo adventurers—especially the powerful Level 2s.
They hoped that Lili and her allies would bring even more surprises, sweeping away the rest of Apollo's forces.
Even Belle and Leon, who had been the focus until now, were momentarily forgotten.
But not for long.
The next development immediately pulled everyone's attention back—specifically to Belle.
Outside the inherent barrier, something new was unfolding.
The ruins of the fortress were vast. Even with guidance from Leon, it took Belle several minutes of sprinting to reach the corridor that led to the tower where Hyakinthos waited.
At that spot, Daphne, Cassandra, and another Level 2 adventurer were stationed.
Seeing them, Belle instinctively drew her weapon and prepared for combat.
But before she could charge, she suddenly felt weightless and then, in an instant, was soaring through the air, carried directly to the opposing tower.
Lucien's voice echoed in her ears.
"You don't need to waste time here. Go. Deal with the captain of the Apollo Familia."
And just like that, everyone's attention returned to Belle.
This was it—the moment they had all been waiting for.
A head-on clash between Belle and Hyakinthos, Apollo's top adventurer.
This confrontation was what the crowd had anticipated most from the beginning.
Now that Lili and the others had delivered a stunning performance, it was Belle's turn to show them what kind of surprise she would bring.
And as for Lucien—Leon's manifested thought projection? Though he had acted briefly, the true extent of his power was still shrouded in mystery.