[TL/N: New Book -
Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!]
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Unlike the Ares Familia's army, the adventurers of Orario were no strangers to explosives.
"Bombs! Watch out!"
The desperate warning tore through the battlefield as the first adventurers spotted the incoming grenades.
But it was already too late.
Even if they wanted to stop or turn and flee, the sheer mass of bodies behind them made escape impossible.
Turning around meant being trampled underfoot, swallowed by the surging wave of panicked adventurers.
With no other option, they could only charge forward, hoping—praying—for a way out.
Yet, the momentary chaos had at least alerted many to the danger. A few quick-witted adventurers immediately dove for cover, their experience guiding them to safer positions.
However, a much bigger problem quickly emerged—disunity.
In a true crisis, each familia looked after its own.
Before the grenades had even landed, the battlefield dissolved into chaos, with commanders barking frantic orders—not to unite their forces, but to save their own people.
Adventurers on the outer edges of the formation still had a chance to escape, but those in the middle?
Trapped.
Desperate and unwilling to become easy targets, some adventurers took matters into their own hands.
Rather than dodge, they attacked—hurling magic and weapons skyward in an attempt to detonate the grenades mid-air.
They knew the risks.
Shrapnel would rain down on them, but that was still better than letting the bombs explode at their feet.
Especially for the unfortunate souls stuck in the heart of the formation, where escape was impossible.
Among them, a burly adventurer clenched his teeth, his heart aching as he pulled out a magic sword he had been saving for emergencies.
With a single devastating swing, flames roared through the sky—igniting every grenade at once.
The chain reaction was instant.
The initial blast triggered a cascade of explosions, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
The sheer force accelerated the remaining grenades, causing them to scatter erratically before erupting in deadly bursts on either side of the battlefield.
The creations of Jinx and Ziggs—two of Orario's infamous "great artists" of destruction—unleashed their masterpiece.
A massive section of land was blown apart, leaving only scorched earth where adventurers once stood.
Blood filled the air.
The momentum of the charge—completely shattered in an instant.
Adventurers on both flanks were caught in the devastation, those who survived staggering back with curses spilling from their lips.
"What the hell was that?!"
"We were almost out—why did the idiots in the middle have to interfere?!"
Meanwhile, the adventurers in the center of the formation had only one thing to say in response:
"Who said we were on the same side?"
Amidst the wreckage, the Ares Familia's commander watched with sharp eyes.
The adventurers of Orario—so confident, so untouchable—were now nothing more than a broken rabble, scrambling to recover.
There was no formation left.
No coordination.
Just a horde of disoriented survivors running with their heads down, trying to escape the carnage.
"NOW!"
Without hesitation, the Ares Familia seized their moment.
"TAKE THE POTION!"
At the commander's order, countless soldiers moved in unison, retrieving several vials of brightly colored potions from the pouches on their chests.
These were all diluted mixtures, but to ensure their effectiveness wasn't weakened too much, Ares had reserved them exclusively for his most seasoned veterans.
The moment the soldiers downed the potions, a surge of power coursed through their bodies. Their breathing quickened, their eyes sharpened, and their grips tightened around their weapons.
"CHARGE!"
With a deafening roar, the commanders led their forces forward, launching themselves toward the adventurers of Orario.
These were not mere foot soldiers—they were Ares' battle-hardened elites, his most valuable warriors.
Determined to break through Orario's defenses in one decisive strike, Ares had gathered every veteran under his banner for this attack.
After suffering loss after loss against Orario, the army's morale had been at an all-time low.
But this time? This time was different!
By sending in his strongest fighters first, Ares aimed to set an example—to reignite the fire of war within his troops.
To achieve this, he had spared no expense.
More than half of the potions Renata had provided had already been consumed in a single push.
And now, the results were undeniable.
The soldiers, empowered by the potions, tore through Orario's defensive line.
The first adventurers they encountered were not the elite forces of Orario—just a handful of second-level adventurers leading small familia squads.
They barely had time to react before the Ares Familia veterans slammed into them like a battering ram.
"HAHAHA—THIS IS WHAT I CALL A WAR!"
On a small hill overlooking the battlefield, Ares watched his forces overpower the adventurers of Orario. His booming laughter echoed across the plains, his eyes alight with unrestrained ecstasy.
For the first time, he was winning.
After so many humiliating defeats, after so many failed invasions—he had the upper hand!
Renata's weapons had been expensive, but their quality was undeniable.
For the first time in his long war with Orario, Ares felt that his money had been well spent!
Even those so-called "powerful adventurers" were nothing in the face of pure destruction.
Bombs—simple, efficient, and utterly devastating.
They had closed the insurmountable gap in strength between his army and Orario's adventurers.
"Order the entire army—press the attack! Take advantage of our momentum and drive them back! Also, contact Renata—tell her to prepare more supplies immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Even the battle-hardened officers of the Ares Familia couldn't deny it—this was their moment.
If they pushed forward now, they could shift the tide of war in their favor before Orario had time to mount a proper response.
But the true battle was yet to come.
Ares knew this victory wouldn't last forever.
Orario had yet to send its strongest forces.
The battlefield had yet to see the likes of Ottar, the level 7 'King', or the elite first-tier adventurers at level 6.
The moment they arrived, everything would change.
And Renata had made one thing very clear from the beginning—the bombs had limits.
As powerful as they were, they could only do so much against truly elite adventurers.
Worse still, if Orario decided to deploy its own explosives, the battlefield could quickly turn into a massacre.
And it wouldn't be Ares' enemies suffering the most—it would be his own soldiers.
If they weren't careful, a single bombardment could turn his great victory into absolute ruin.