Ren Isana moved, his actions mirroring Yor Forger's previous demonstration perfectly. Every strike was aimed directly at the vitals. After completing the entire sequence of moves, Ren paused to assess his physical condition.
*The energy drain is terrifying...* If Asuna and the others tried using this, they probably wouldn't even make it through a single rotation. He was only able to pull it off because his energy reserves were exceptionally massive.
Yor Forger was absolutely stunned watching Ren's flawless execution. A moment later, she stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, sending a trace of True Qi into his body to inspect his condition.
"Amazing, you actually still have energy left to spare? This True Qi... wait, no. Ren Isana, did you fuse your Magic Power and True Qi together?" As she spoke, Yor realized something was entirely out of the ordinary.
She discovered that his Magic Power and True Qi were perfectly integrated into a single entity. Yor was completely flabbergasted. He had started attempting something this dangerous so early on? And he actually succeeded!
Ren was momentarily startled. *She found out?* However, he quickly regained his composure. Given Yor's naturally airheaded personality, it probably wouldn't be a huge issue. With that in mind, Ren spoke up. "Please keep this a secret for me, Miss Yor."
He looked at her with an incredibly sincere gaze. Seeing his earnest expression, Yor nodded and offered a warm smile. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret! I won't breathe a word of it to anyone."
Although she was shocked, Yor didn't pry. Fusing two different types of energy together wasn't entirely unheard of—she had seen a fair number of people accomplish it—but successfully pulling off such a method was notoriously difficult.
However, those who did manage to achieve it invariably grew into overwhelmingly powerful existences. Ren was undoubtedly destined to become a supreme powerhouse in the future. Yor was absolutely certain of it!
Reaching a silent understanding, she didn't dwell on the topic any further. Instead, she shifted the conversation back to the martial arts techniques she had just taught him. Ren had already mastered the forms exceptionally well.
His focus, energy, and spirit were all in peak condition. At this point, the only thing left for Yor to teach him were the finer practical nuances of applying the moves in real combat. This particular technique drained a massive amount of stamina and True Qi, relying entirely on an indomitable, forward-charging momentum. It was pure, unadulterated offense with absolutely zero defense.
Yor shared her personal combat experiences with Ren, who meticulously committed every word to memory. These firsthand insights were incredibly valuable, so he naturally made sure to absorb them all.
Once the instruction came to a close, Ren and Yor finally headed back to the Familia headquarters. By this time, the other students had already retired to their rooms to rest. Ren didn't linger on the ground floor; after bidding Yor goodnight, he headed straight back to his own room.
Just as Ren finished washing up and was about to climb into bed to practice his [Meditation], a knock echoed from his door. Pausing, he extended his senses to check who was outside, only to blink in surprise.
Ren walked over and opened the door. Standing outside in their pajamas were Asuna, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Megumi Kato. Seeing the trio, Ren asked in confusion, "What brings you three here?"
As he spoke, he stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in. Stepping into his room, Asuna immediately got straight to the point. "We came to ask you for some advice regarding magic."
Hearing this, Ren nodded. He hopped onto his bed and sat cross-legged. "Come on up. Just ask whatever questions you have."
His room didn't exactly have much seating—just a single chair—so it was much easier for everyone to just sit on the bed.
The three girls were well aware of this and didn't stand on ceremony. Once they settled in, Ren's room was quickly filled with a pleasant, fragrant scent, as all of them had come over fresh from the bath.
The four of them sat on the bed and began their discussion. The girls explained the various bottlenecks they had encountered, and Ren patiently provided the solutions. Professor Ren's little study session was officially in session.
*Although this feels like a private tutoring setup, there aren't any special romantic developments happening... what a shame,* Ren thought to himself.
After he finished clearing up their magical inquiries, Asuna couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Ren, is something about to happen?"
She finally voiced the question that had been weighing on her mind. She had been suspicious for a while now and wanted to know exactly what the situation was so they could prepare in advance if trouble was brewing.
"Nothing is going to happen. Why do you ask?" Ren knew exactly what she was getting at, but he had absolutely no intention of giving her a straight answer.
"It's just a gut feeling. You were discussing something with Miss Natsuki this afternoon, and then Miss Yor was teaching you something tonight. It really feels like you're making preparations for something." Asuna stared directly into Ren's eyes, laying out her suspicions.
She tried to read his gaze to glean some sort of clue, but unfortunately for her, she found nothing. Ren's expression remained perfectly placid, his eyes completely devoid of any shifting emotions.
Hearing Asuna's reasoning, Ren chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, you mean that? Actually, I was just suggesting to Miss Natsuki that we should run a little emergency drill. You'll see what I mean when the time comes."
Pausing for a brief moment, Ren continued, "As for what Miss Yor was teaching me, it was just an experiment to see if I could learn high-tier martial arts techniques. And as it turns out, I succeeded."
Asuna was momentarily taken aback. *Is that really it? What kind of drill?* This explanation only deepened the doubts in her heart, but realizing she wasn't going to pry any more information out of Ren, she simply dropped the subject.
Having successfully bluffed his way through, Ren asked, "Any other questions? If you have more, spit them out. Otherwise, you should all head back and get some rest. Though, if you three want to stay the night together, I wouldn't mind. I suppose I could take one for the team and suffer a little loss!"
Looking at the three beautiful girls, Ren couldn't resist cracking a joke. His teasing immediately earned him three synchronized, withering glares. *Suffer a little loss?! How could he even say that with a straight face? Just how shameless can one guy be?*
The trio promptly scrambled off the bed and slipped their shoes back on. Asuna huffed, "As if we'd stay! Thanks for the lecture tonight. We're leaving."
"Good night, Ren-kun," Megumi Kato chimed in, waving goodbye before heading out the door. Yukino Yukinoshita offered a brief farewell of her own before following the others out of his room.
After seeing the three of them off, Ren locked the door and chuckled to himself. Asuna really was incredibly sharp. Still, it was for the best that they remained in the dark about his actual plans.
Ren climbed back into bed and entered a state of [Meditation]. Over the next few days, Ren didn't sit idle; he spent his time rigorously learning various offensive combat techniques from Yor.
Yor held nothing back, teaching him everything she possibly could. Time flew by, and soon enough, the day of the banquet arrived. That afternoon, Hestia tracked Ren down carrying a large bag. She pulled out a set of formal clothes and shoved them into his hands. "You're wearing this tonight!"
Her voice was brimming with eager anticipation. This was a suit she had painstakingly picked out just for him. She was absolutely certain that Ren would look devastatingly handsome and steal the show tonight.
Ren took the clothes from Hestia, but his brow immediately furrowed in disapproval. "No way. These clothes restrict movement way too much, and they're too flashy. If something goes down, it'll be a nightmare trying to fight in this."
It only took a single glance for Ren to reject the outfit. This kind of formal wear was completely unsuited for combat, which meant he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.
"Huh? What could possibly go down?" Hestia asked, waving a hand dismissively. "Are you worried someone's going to cause a scene at the banquet? Don't sweat it! If anyone actually tries to start trouble, they'll get ganged up on and beaten to a pulp by everyone else!"
These banquets had been held countless times, and no one had ever dared to cause genuine chaos. At most, it was just the gods bickering and roughhousing with one another—nothing that could be considered a real threat.
"Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't happen now. You said it yourself—a guy you absolutely despise has returned to Orario. If something really does happen, being unprepared is just asking for trouble." Ren looked at Hestia with an incredibly calm gaze.
Hearing Ren put it that way, Hestia suddenly realized he had a very valid point. That despicable Apollo might actually try to pull some kind of stunt. With that thought in mind, Hestia decided not to push the issue any further.
Looking a bit disappointed, she packed the suit back into the bag. "Fine, fine. But you still have to dress nicely tonight! You can't embarrass our Familia!"
Ren raised an eyebrow at her words. "Is there anything I wear that doesn't look good? I look handsome in literally everything. So what exactly are you worried about?"
Hestia blinked, then a bright smile broke across her face as realization dawned on her. "You're totally right! You look incredibly handsome no matter what you wear! Hehe, then you can just wear whatever you want!"
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him. Ren was honestly better-looking than many of the male gods up in Heaven. If Ren were a deity himself, he would undoubtedly be worshipped as the God of Handsomeness, right?
"Still, it'd be a shame to let this outfit go to waste. I'll hold onto it," Ren said, taking the clothes back from her and storing them inside his Spatial Ring. She had already bought it, so it would be a crime to just throw it away.
"Mhm!" Seeing Ren accept the gift, Hestia's smile grew even more radiant. She had spent a long time picking out that suit and had been worried he would outright reject it.
Now that he had accepted it, she was absolutely thrilled. After chattering excitedly with Ren for a few more minutes, Hestia skipped off to get herself ready for the banquet. Ren, meanwhile, headed back to his room to freshen up.
While the two of them were busy preparing, Natsuki Minamiya and Yor gathered the rest of the students. "Tonight, I want all of you to go back to your rooms and pack up every single one of your belongings. We are going to run an emergency drill," Natsuki announced.
The sudden announcement left the students completely bewildered. *What kind of drill?* Before anyone could voice their confusion, Natsuki Minamiya continued, "Sometime later tonight, we will launch a surprise attack on you at an unspecified time. Your objective is simple: grab all of your belongings and evacuate the Familia headquarters as quickly as possible."
Natsuki Minamiya laid out the parameters of the drill, but her explanation only left the students with even more question marks floating above their heads. *What kind of bizarre training exercise is this?* None of them could make sense of it.
"Um, Miss Natsuki, when exactly does this drill start?" Sora raised her hand, unable to hold back her curiosity. If they were supposed to evacuate, shouldn't they at least be given a timeframe to prepare?
"Who knows? It could be an hour from now, it could be two hours from now... or we might not even attack at all." Shizuka Hiratsuka chimed in, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint smirk.
She already knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes, and she was still reeling from the sheer audacity of Ren's plan. *Good lord, the kid is actually planning to assassinate a god? Talk about unhinged.* Granted, the gods in this world had their Divine Power sealed away, making them physically no different from ordinary mortals.
But actually killing a deity was far easier said than done. After all, the moment their life was genuinely threatened, a god would instantly break their seal and unleash their full power. If that happened, dealing with the fallout would be an absolute nightmare.
Hearing Shizuka Hiratsuka's vague answer left the students utterly speechless. Asuna, however, felt a deep sense of unease. *Was this the 'drill' Ren was talking about earlier? I knew it... something big is definitely going down.*
*This isn't just some random training exercise.* Asuna's chest tightened as she connected the dots. Ren was supposed to be attending some grand banquet with Hestia tonight. Could this sudden evacuation order be related to that?
"Go back to your rooms and start preparing," Natsuki Minamiya ordered calmly. The very next moment, a glowing Magic Circle enveloped her, Shizuka Hiratsuka, and Yor, teleporting the three teachers away and leaving the students standing there in a daze.
The students exchanged bewildered glances, completely at a loss for words. Instinctively, their first thought was to go find Ren and ask him what was going on.
But they quickly realized that Ren was nowhere to be found!
With their usual leader missing, the group's collective gaze shifted toward Asuna, Yukino, and Megumi. Sora couldn't help but ask, "Asuna, what should we do? How should we handle this?"
With Ren absent, Asuna and the other two naturally became the group's pillars of support. Feeling the weight of everyone's expectant stares, Asuna fell into deep thought for a moment before making a decision. "Everyone, go pack your things. Pack up absolutely everything you own—even your bedsheets and daily necessities."
She didn't waste time with pointless speculation and immediately took charge. If Miss Natsuki ordered them to pack, then they would pack. They would pack as if they were permanently moving out and heading back home, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
Hearing her decisive tone, the rest of the students hurriedly nodded in agreement. They immediately scattered, rushing back to their respective rooms to begin frantically packing up all of their belongings.
While the students were busy turning the headquarters upside down, Ren and Hestia were finally heading out. Ren had merely taken a quick shower and thrown on his usual everyday clothes, showing absolutely zero intention of dressing up for the occasion.
Hestia looked at his casual attire and felt a twinge of disappointment, but she didn't complain. After all, Ren truly did look incredibly handsome no matter what he wore. *As expected of the man I set my sights on!* she thought proudly.
"Let's go! I've already hailed a carriage, it's waiting for us outside." Seeing Ren ready, Hestia eagerly grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the exit. Since they were attending a grand banquet, they obviously couldn't just walk there like commoners.
She had made all the necessary transportation arrangements in advance. Under her lead, Ren climbed into the waiting carriage. The driver quickly snapped the reins, and the carriage set off toward the venue where the banquet was being held.
"Later, I'll introduce you to some of the other gods! Oh, and one more thing—if a guy who looks incredibly sleazy tries to invite you to anything, you have to reject him immediately! He's a total pervert god!" Hestia chattered away, giving Ren a rapid-fire list of warnings as they rode.
She sounded genuinely terrified that some other deity might try to kidnap him. Listening to Hestia's endless nagging, Ren could only smile helplessly and nod along, signaling that he was taking her advice to heart.
The carriage swiftly made its way through the bustling streets of Orario. The Labyrinth City was incredibly lively at night. Countless adventurers who had just returned from the Dungeon were out drinking and indulging themselves, making Orario feel like a true city that never slept.
Gazing out the window at the brightly lit shops and rowdy taverns, Ren felt a strange sense of detachment. If everything went according to plan tonight, he and his classmates would likely be leaving this world very soon.
Ren quietly watched the passing scenery until the carriage finally rolled to a halt. Looking out, he saw that they had arrived in front of a magnificent, brilliantly illuminated manor that was already bustling with activity.
Hestia eagerly pushed open the carriage door and hopped down, turning back to wave at him. "We're here! Hurry up, Ren, let's go in together!"
Hearing her call, Ren stepped out of the carriage. The moment his boots hit the cobblestone, Hestia happily linked her arm through his, leading him toward the grand entrance.
They walked up the sweeping stone steps and passed through the towering double doors. Before long, a resplendent, gold-trimmed banquet hall opened up before them. The hall was already packed with guests, every single one of them dressed in stunning, extravagant formal wear.
Scanning the crowd, Ren immediately spotted a few familiar faces. Loki and Hephaestus were standing together chatting, with Ais Wallenstein and Riveria standing quietly by their side.
Hestia's grand entrance quickly drew the attention of the surrounding gods. Seeing her arrive, Loki and Hephaestus paused their conversation and walked over. As soon as they were in earshot, Loki flashed a mocking grin and fired the first shot. "Well, well, if it isn't the Shorty! You finally showed up!"
"Hmph!" Hearing her bitter rival's taunt, Hestia let out a disdainful snort. Refusing to even acknowledge the provocation, she walked right past Loki and began happily chatting with her good friend Hephaestus, treating the goddess of mischief like empty air.
This blatant disrespect instantly infuriated Loki. Scowling, the flat-chested goddess immediately marched up and started bickering with her. Hephaestus could only sigh helplessly at the familiar scene, while Ais and Riveria took the opportunity to walk over and greet Ren.
"Would you like something to eat? The culinary spread here is actually quite excellent," Riveria offered politely. Hearing her suggestion, Ren simply shook his head, tactfully declining the offer.
"Ren, I've run into a few bottlenecks recently. Could I ask you for some advice?" Seeing that Ren wasn't interested in the food, Ais immediately seized the chance to ask for guidance.
Hearing her request, Ren looked at the blonde swordswoman with a helpless expression. "You've already broken through to Tier 6. There's really no need to push yourself so frantically, you know? What kind of problem have you run into this time?"
Before, she had been desperately anxious to break through her level barrier. Now that she had succeeded, what was she rushing for? *She really has absolutely zero interest in anything other than getting stronger, doesn't she?*
"It's regarding my magic," Ais replied earnestly, beginning to explain the specific issues she was facing. The two of them fell into a deep, highly technical discussion about magical theory, completely ignoring the bustling banquet around them. Standing beside them, Riveria would also chime in from time to time with her own insights.
As they chatted, more and more deities began to filter into the banquet hall. However, since Ren didn't recognize the vast majority of them, he didn't bother going out of his way to socialize. The only other god he actually took the time to greet was Miach, who arrived a bit later in the evening.
Time slowly ticked by. About half an hour later, a man with short peach-colored hair and an incredibly effeminate demeanor strolled through the grand entrance. The moment he stepped into the hall, his gaze locked directly onto Ren.
The instant he laid eyes on Ren, a visible thrill of excitement washed over him. *What a breathtakingly beautiful soul! It shines even more brilliantly than that of a god!* But as that thought crossed his mind, a dark, twisting sense of jealousy began to bubble up within him.
*Why does a mere mortal possess such a dazzling soul and such overflowing talent? It's practically spilling out of him!* The very same reason the gods harbored such deep-seated jealousy toward Nanami-san could now be seen perfectly reflected in Ren Isana.