Chapter 4 - Teaching Lessons!
Zanis was worried that if Mahiro said so, and he really agreed, Mahiro might explode in the next moment and kill him outright.
By then, he'd truly have nowhere to cry.
After all, there had been one near-death experience not long ago.
"Do you think if I'm going to deal with you, it makes much difference whether you're standing in front of me or not?"
Glancing at Zanis, Mahiro said indifferently.
Mahiro naturally saw through what Zanis was fretting over.
The seemingly comforting words allowed Zanis to breathe a sigh of relief, but it was this dismissive attitude that made him nearly explode with anger.
If it weren't utterly impossible, he'd have loved to take matters into his own hands and blow Mahiro's head off.
After all, he was the captain of a familia.
Even if the reputation of the Soma Familia was somewhat tarnished, he was still treated with courtesy wherever he went.
But in Mahiro's eyes, not only was there no respect, but he was outright looked down upon.
Worse still, Mahiro wanted him to submit and play the role of a lapdog.
"In that case, I'll do as you say." Zanis forced a reluctant smile.
Then, seeing that Mahiro didn't move, he hurriedly dashed out.
Only after confirming Mahiro wasn't pursuing him did he finally relax.
There was no helping it—the earlier spike at the gate had left too deep a shadow on Zanis.
"Well, let them handle it," Zanis muttered darkly after putting some distance between himself and Mahiro.
His expression turned fierce as he ordered a nearby familia member, "Don't hold back. If we can take him down, I'll request Soma-sama to increase the potency of divine wine."
"The one who contributes the most will get an extra share."
Zanis raised his voice for all to hear.
At his words, their misty eyes lit up as if injected with a stimulant.
"Just these people?"
Mahiro calmly watched the adventurers pouring out from every direction.
Clearly, while he and Zanis had been talking, these Soma Familia adventurers had already readied their weapons.
"These people are more than enough to deal with you!"
Zanis snarled, now surrounded and protected by his familia's adventurers, giving him the confidence to speak boldly.
"If you can defeat them, I'll honor the conditions I promised you." Zanis adjusted his glasses and spoke with apparent sincerity, though his expression dripped with mockery.
"You're quite amusing," Mahiro said with a chuckle.
Was Zanis a man who could read the room, or was he simply a scheming opportunist?
Either way, he'd make a fine dog—someone you could kick aside without a second thought when no longer needed.
Mahiro summoned Hyōrinmaru once more and whispered softly.
"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyōrinmaru."
In an instant, the once-bright room plunged into darkness.
A biting chill seeped into the air, as if a harsh winter had descended.
"What are you waiting for? Get him!" Zanis shouted.
Hundreds of frenzied adventurers charged forward, some rushing head-on like berserkers, others supporting from the rear with arrows.
Then, Mahiro raised the zanpakuto.
Snowflakes began to drift down one by one.
The falling snow enveloped every adventurer in its range.
"Is this magic?" Lili reacted instantly, staring in shock at the snowflakes materializing from thin air.
As if to confirm Lili's suspicion, the area where the snow fell froze solid in an instant.
Even a High class Devil could be flash-frozen by Hyōrinmaru, let alone a Level 1 adventurer.
To resist it, one would need the strength of an Ultimate Class—someone at least Level 5 with exceptional resistance.
Zanis, at Level 2 himself, stood no chance.
"How can magic of this caliber exist?!"
Zanis cried out in terror as he watched the adventurers turn into ice sculptures one after another.
Judging by the scale, it was undeniably a top-tier magic.
In Danmachi, the more powerful the spell, the greater its limitations.
Stronger magic typically required lengthy chants.
Yet Mahiro had cast it with mere words.
The siege of hundreds crumbled under this magic without even grazing the hem of his clothes.
"Where's that bastard Canoe?!"
Zanis roared, his heart icing over as he glared at the frozen statues.
He turned furiously to the few unfrozen members around him.
"They haven't returned to the familia. They're probably off drinking," someone replied.
"Drinking?! They've landed me in this mess, and they're out there enjoying themselves?!"
He wanted to tear Canoe and the others to pieces.
If not for them, how could he have drawn the attention of a monster like Mahiro?
He finally understood why Mahiro had been so confident about waging a familia war.
Against a magic like this, unleashed with a few words, how could the Soma Familia's adventurers possibly stand a chance?
"Can you give me an answer now?"
Mahiro asked, gently waving the zanpakuto as he looked at Zanis.
"I-I agree to your terms."
"Very good." Mahiro stepped forward.
Whether it was Zanis or the adventurers shielding him, they all instinctively retreated a few steps.
"Argh!"
A scream pierced the air.
Mahiro swung the zanpakuto, severing one of Zanis's arms.
"This is your punishment for wasting my time."
Cold sweat beaded on Zanis's forehead.
Though his arm was gone, the wound was sealed with frost, stemming the blood flow.
"Anyways, Give him a recovery potion," Mahiro ordered.
At his words, Lili hurriedly took a potion from one of the people nearby.