"Since everyone is here, let's begin."
As the host, Ryou took the position of the meeting leader without hesitation.
Faced with his assertiveness, Freya seemed distracted. Although Loki was somewhat dissatisfied, her wisdom told her to prioritize the bigger picture.
"The enemy is powerful, cunning, and deceitful. Therefore, I believe we should temporarily cooperate, at least to share basic intelligence. Additionally, we must establish a concealed emergency communication channel to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack and defeating us individually..."
Seeing no objections, Ryou immediately began to elaborate on his suggestions. Of course, these were basic and would not touch on their respective interests.
"Well, facing such an enemy, this level of cooperation is necessary. I agree."
Loki was the first to express her stance.
Freya seemed delayed as if suddenly awakened by Ottar's reminder.
"I agree as well."
Seeing Freya so out of it, Ryou couldn't help but frown slightly. After all, Freya had helped him before. Now that she was in trouble, he wanted to help her within his capabilities.
Freya's mental block was twofold: her alter ego had been abducted, and her confidence had been shattered by Athena. The solution was simple: if they won this time, and won beautifully, both of Freya's mental blocks would be resolved.
However, now was not the time to focus on just Freya. he steadied his mind and spoke up.
"To show sincerity, I will first disclose the information we have."
At his signal, detailed information about the four invaders—Libra, Virgo, and Gemini—was recorded and shared with Loki and Freya. This included their abilities and estimated levels.
The information was collated by Mia and others, leaving almost nothing out. Of course, it didn't rule out the possibility that the enemy was deliberately hiding their true strength, given their almost playful attitude during the fight.
Loki carefully reviewed the information, while Freya directly handed it to Ottar. After about ten minutes, after summarizing the intelligence from the three groups, everyone reached a terrifying conclusion.
"The enemy has at least two known Lv. 8s and a large number of Lv. 7s. Considering they refer to themselves as the twelve zodiac signs, we can boldly speculate that they have at least thirteen adventurers with an average level of Lv. 7 or higher," Ryou summarized, but his expression did not change much.
The enemy's strength was terrifying, capable of crushing the combined forces of Loki and Freya's familias. This level of strength, if encountered when Ryou first entered the DanMachi world, would have been unbeatable, and he would have run as far as possible.
But after several strengthening and honing, he and his incredibly reliable Servant would crush the enemy. The enemy's mistake was underestimating the speed of his power growth.
Ryou's confidence was built on the solid foundation of his and his Servant's strength. Similarly, the strength that the Athena faction showed upon them also shocked Loki and Freya's familias. With their strength, they could completely launch a frontal assault.
The reason for using schemes and plots was likely more to show off, to flaunt that they were unbeatable in both strength and intelligence—a simple and crude psychological attack. But it was undeniably effective.
Ryou felt that when Athena's familia's strength was revealed, the morale of Loki and Freya's familia members dropped significantly. A formidable enemy, fueled by hatred, could make people fight at 200% of their capacity. But there was a limit. When the formidable enemy became an unbeatable one, fear and the desire to flee naturally arose.
If not for the irreconcilable hatred due to the death of their predecessor and Loki and Freya's excellent leadership, some might have defected. Seeing that his members might turn into ineffective allies before the battle even began, Ryou spoke up.
"Leave those thirteen zodiac signs to us. You just worry about the rest."
"What's that? Suggesting we can't handle the zodiac!?"
Freya, lost in thought, kept her cool, but Loki, already annoyed with him, burst out in anger. She stood up, slammed the table, leaned forward, and gave him a fierce glare.
The three executives with Loki said nothing, but their displeasure was evident.
In Orario, adventurers who reached Lv. 6 were elite and took great pride in their achievements. Ryou's arrangement didn't sit well with them.
"You didn't save Bell and lost many comrades. It proves you're not cut out for Lv. 7 battles."
Ryou acted like he was doing them a favor, which only angered Loki. But what he said was true—they weren't strong enough for Lv. 7 or 8 enemies. Rushing in would get them killed or get in the way.
"If we find these enemies challenging, what makes you confident you can handle them?"
Riveria, usually stern, now exuded an even colder aura.
"Watch!"
Ryou suddenly unleashed his aura and activated his 'Reversal War God' Noble Phantasm. A month had turned him into a humanoid beast, his EX-rank powers putting unbearable pressure on those below Lv. 7.
It felt like facing an Lv. 8, if not worse.
"And in my team, I'm one of the weakest," Ryou added, smirking.
Loki and the executives, stunned by his newfound strength, gasped.
"How is that possible? Just a month ago, you were barely Lv. 5," Finn said, unable to stay quiet.
Compared to a month ago, his attributes had changed drastically, and the EX-rank Noble Phantasm exerted a terrifying pressure, turning Ryou into a humanoid beast.
Everyone below Lv. 7 felt an overwhelming sense of crisis, as if they would be torn to pieces the next second.
Such a terrifying, mountain-like aura was close to that of an Lv. 8, if not already there.
"By the way, in my team, my strength is considered among the lowest."
Ryou added with a smile.
Loki and the others, already shocked by his increased strength, gasped at this statement.
"A month is a long time. Not only me, but even Ais can easily defeat you now, Finn."
"!?"
Finn instinctively looked at Ais.
Ais, an honest child, nodded sincerely in response to the respectful gaze of her former mentor.
Sometimes, being straightforward can be more hurtful than lying...
Receiving Ais's definite answer, the usually cunning and ambitious expression on the little hero's face turned into one of desolation. It was the complex emotion of a senior watching their junior grow and completely surpass them—both gratified and inferior.
Riveria and Gareth showed similar expressions; however, Gareth's was more nostalgic, while Riveria, being half a foster mother to Ais, was more gratified.
Seeing the expression on Finn's face, Ryou felt waves of amusement. No wonder the behind-the-scenes bosses always liked to talk more in front of the protagonists. Besides wanting to share the joy of success, it was also immensely satisfying to see others' worldviews crumble.
"Alright, if you don't have better suggestions, this matter is decided. We'll handle the enemy's Top fighter, and you guys deal with the lower level enemy."
Ryou declared forcefully, and this time, no one objected. After all, in a world that revered individual strength, might often made right.
He was never a good-tempered person, and because of Ais, he was naturally at odds with the Loki Familia. Originally, there was some camaraderie between them, but Loki's possessiveness made her constantly look down on him. Since that was the case, he didn't hold back and took the opportunity to retaliate.
"Hmph!"
Faced with Ryou's forcefulness, Loki gritted her teeth in anger, but for the bigger picture, she didn't dare flip the table and could only snort coldly to vent her dissatisfaction.
With Loki settled, Freya, as usual, looked indifferent, and Ryou's proposal passed without surprise. However, in Loki's eyes, who was waiting to see him fail, Ryou was simply overconfident due to his rapid growth in strength.
Even their combined forces of two major familias couldn't handle part of the enemy, and Ryou taking on all the Zodiac was simply seeking death. But Loki wouldn't warn him now. Ryou's growth rate was too terrifying, making Loki wary.
Since teaming up with Freya to drive Zeus and Hera out of Orario, she had weakened her opponents step by step to reach the peak. Unfortunately, her ally was too unreliable.
Loki glanced at Freya, who still looked half-dead. This lovestruck fool was indeed unreliable; everything still depended on her methods. It was just as well—Freya already had an interest in Ryou. If she were brought in, she might defect to Ryou's side in the heat of the battle. Everything still depended on herself.
Faced with Ryou's numerous arrangements, the preoccupied Loki had no interest in listening any longer. Her mind was now filled with how to calculate Ryou—yes, Ryou. Loki's intuition told her that this mortal might be a more troublesome opponent than the goddess of wisdom and war.
Ryou was unaware of Loki's schemes. After finishing his arrangements, he raised one last question.
"Now, the final question—where is the enemy?"
Indeed, this question was critical. No matter how strong one was, it was useless if they couldn't find the enemy.
For a moment, the meeting hall fell silent. The people from the Loki Familia, with Loki sulking and giving off a 'don't bother me' vibe, Gareth comforting the somewhat lost Finn, and Riveria occasionally casting concerned, reluctant glances at Ais beside Ryou, looked like someone watching a daughter who had just gotten married.
Ryou, who asked the question, didn't seem anxious at all and leaned back in his seat calmly. As for Freya, she was staring blankly at the teacup in front of her, as if trying to find a flower in it.
Ottar, beside Freya, looked around, found that no one intended to speak, and took the initiative to break the silence after a moment.
"Based on the observations of our dispatched personnel, the enemy doesn't seem to have withdrawn from the Shreme Old Castle Ruins. Moreover, large numbers of troops arrive daily to help fortify the defenses of the ruins..."
Ottar paused for a moment, then continued in a deep voice, "Those troops are all flying the flag of the Rakia Kingdom..."
Ottar hadn't finished speaking when Loki, filled with resentment, shouted out.
"I knew that damned old stallion Zeus hadn't given up!"
Ottar pretended not to hear anything and continued his report.
"Currently, from our estimates, the enemy has amassed no less than five thousand troops in those ruins."
"It looks like they are determined to turn that ruin into a fortress," Ryou pondered.
However, in this world, individual strength surpasses group strength. No matter how many armies there are, they only serve as fodder for high-level adventurers to rack up achievements.
The real threat from the enemy is likely the powerful Zodiac Twelve Constellations of the Athena Familia. These cannon fodder are probably just meant to act as an early warning system and to drain the enemy's stamina.
The enemy has laid out their defenses, firmly guarding that ruin.
"Then, as we discussed earlier, the army of the Rakia Kingdom is yours to handle. The high-level adventurers of the Athena Familia will be our responsibility. Before that, we need to destroy the walls..."
A gleam flashed in Ryou's eyes.
To prevent the enemy from launching another sneak attack, Ryou left Medea Lily and Semiramis, who were not good at sieging, behind. With their magical prowess, even if the enemy tried another diversionary tactic and launched a sneak attack, Ryou would show them what true fortress defense meant.
With the skills of top-tier magus from the Age of Gods, Ryou believed that just the two of them could ensure any enemy raiders would never return.
In the world of"DanMachi, adventurers at levels 7 and 8 are already considered the top powerhouse, aside from unsealed gods and ancient heroes. But in the vast multiverse of fantasies, they are just average. According to his calculations, adventurers of this level are only equivalent to Heroic Spirits with average attributes at level C. If Noble Phantasms were included, they might even be crushed by Heroic Spirits.
If the enemy hadn't despicably kidnapped Syr, Ryou swore he would have used Noble Phantasms to wipe out their base without hesitation.
After the meeting concluded, Ais was immediately taken away by members of the Loki Familia.
Seeing the goddess Freya about to leave with her cloak pulled up, Ryou hurriedly blocked her path.
Ottar, who stood like an iron pillar, immediately positioned himself in front of Freya.
"Goddess Freya, I have something to say to you. May I?"
Although Ryou's words were polite, his attitude was somewhat forceful. Ottar didn't speak, but Ryou keenly noticed his muscles tensing and his hand casually resting on the serrated greatsword behind him.