[TL/N: New Book -
Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!]
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The remaining batch of materials was successfully delivered to the Ares Familia. However, before Ares could make full use of them, Sol personally ensured he was sent packing back to his kingdom.
As long as Ares was forced to retreat swiftly, the families in Orario that had stockpiled supplies in anticipation of war would suddenly find themselves without a buyer.
At that point, not only would the Dian Cecht Familia suffer losses, but all those who had invested heavily in hoarding materials would be left dumbfounded.
Renata had already made a profit from her plan. Even if this maneuver caused some collateral damage and resulted in a minor loss, it was insignificant compared to what others would endure.
Besides, with Orario's other familias entering the market and intensifying competition, her own family's advantage would diminish over time.
If her profits couldn't be guaranteed, she might as well flip the table entirely!
Why waste time engaging in an endless struggle for dominance when she could simply disrupt the game?
As the Sol Familia cracked down on the troublemakers outside the Pleasure District, some opportunists lurking in the shadows decided to test their luck.
Kayle personally stepped in to discipline a few of the more reckless agitators, which temporarily alleviated the situation.
However, while their actions became less blatant, the resistance didn't completely disappear.
Instead of open defiance, these instigators switched to guerrilla tactics—striking when least expected, disrupting supply lines, and making it difficult for Renata and her team to operate smoothly.
Though the situation was annoying, Morgana and the others remained unshaken.
Renata, on the other hand, responded by accelerating the production of medicines within her familia, increasing both output and the frequency of supply deliveries to their warehouses.
A few days later, as the Janna Familia's raw material reserves dwindled to near depletion, Renata made another move.
The supplies she had secretly stashed away at the farm were once again delivered to Ares.
However, this time, only a fraction of the shipment contained medicine. The bulk of it consisted of explosives crafted by Jinx.
This was the maximum amount the familia could provide for now—if Renata wanted to sell more, she would need to procure additional raw materials.
That said, this batch alone was more than enough for Ares to initiate small-scale skirmishes.
After all, he was one of her most significant clients. With so much money already invested, it was only natural for Ares to experience the firepower of his newly acquired equipment firsthand.
And if the results impressed him?
He'd be back to purchase even more.
As for the destruction and chaos this war might cause?
That was none of Renata's concern.
As long as I'm not the one losing, that's all that matters.
On a vast plain outside Orario, the Ares Familia's troops stood in disciplined formation.
Several officers on horseback rode up and down the ranks, issuing last-minute orders and ensuring their soldiers were prepared for battle.
Opposite them, a contingent of adventurers from Orario had assembled.
Unlike the structured military formation of Ares' forces, the adventurers' ranks were noticeably looser, less organized.
The gods often mocked Ares for his endless defeats, but there was no denying that, after years of warfare, his army knew how to establish a proper battle formation.
In contrast, Orario's hastily assembled force of adventurers lacked the same cohesion.
However, organization wasn't their strong suit—raw power was.
When the battle began, the first-tier adventurers would spearhead the assault, tearing through Ares' disciplined ranks with sheer force.
And once the formation collapsed, the regular soldiers would stand no chance against the adventurers.
It was a strategy as old as time—brutal, direct, and highly effective.
But did Ares truly not know how to counter this strategy?
Of course not.
After years of repeated clashes with Orario, even if he were a brainless musclehead, he would have figured it out by now.
But understanding the problem and having the means to solve it were two entirely different things.
No matter how much he studied their tactics, the simple truth remained—his familia lacked the high-level adventurers necessary to stand against Orario's elites.
This time, however, things were different.
This time, he had Renata's explosives.
Among his new arsenal was a massive, elongated missile—apparently a bonus from his supplier.
Rumor had it that this was an experimental prototype developed by a researcher in the Janna Familia. Just looking at its sheer size was enough to tell that, once launched, its destructive power would be devastating.
The confrontation between the two sides didn't last long, mainly because the adventurers on Orario's side didn't take the Ares family's army seriously.
These adventurers had vastly underestimated the Ares Familia's army.
While they were all powerful in their own right, they weren't united. Each belonged to a different familia, each with their own agenda.
The Guild had assigned a temporary commander, but his authority meant little in front of the various high-ranking adventurers.
Every familia essentially followed its own orders, with few willing to adhere to any kind of unified strategy.
In a battle where sheer power vastly outmatched the enemy, tactics usually didn't matter.
After all, any random adventurer in this force was likely stronger than the average soldier in the Ares Familia's army.
And yet—despite this overwhelming advantage—things were not playing out as expected.
The Ares Familia army had fought Orario's adventurers too many times.
They knew their patterns.
They understood their overconfidence.
They had been trampled time and time again by brute force.
But today was different.
They were prepared.
The soldiers standing in the front row moved in perfect synchronization.
Each one reached for their belt, grasped a grenade, and silently placed a finger on the pin.
Ares had already demonstrated the destructive power of these explosives back in their homeland.
Now, these warriors—who had endured defeat after defeat—were filled with pent-up frustration, just waiting to unleash it upon Orario's adventurers.
"Prepare—bombs!"
The commanders barked the order with unsettling calm, their voices unwavering.
The soldiers immediately pulled the pins, just as they had drilled, and hurled the grenades toward the unsuspecting adventurers.
A storm of small, black dots arced through the sky.
By the time the adventurers even noticed them, it was already too late.