Inside the Colosseum.
Thunderous applause and deafening cheers rolled through the arena as the audience roared with excitement. On the spectator stands, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya clapped and shouted along with the crowd, genuinely impressed by the Ganesha Familia's monster-taming performance.
Their admiration was sincere.
However, it didn't last long.
Very quickly, the three noticed something off.
A large Dragon-type monster-normally reserved for the grand finale-was being brought out far too early. At the same time, members of the Ganesha Familia were moving around the arena far more frequently than before.
The coordination was tight.
Too tight.
These subtle irregularities immediately put the three on alert.
"...Something's wrong," Tiona muttered.
"I think so too," Tione replied.
"...Let's go check," Lefiya said quietly.
Reaching a silent agreement, the three stood up from their seats, slipped through the still-excited crowd, and headed up the stairs.
"Loki."
Hearing the familiar voice, Shirou and Riveria both turned their heads.
"Oh?" Loki grinned. "Isn't that Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya? Why are you running around instead of enjoying such a wonderful festival?"
"Eh?!"
Tiona froze.
"No way-why is Riveria here?!"
Ignoring Shirou's amused glance, the three stared at Riveria in shock. Her presence here was completely unexpected.
"...Is it really that surprising that I'm here?" Riveria asked, lightly rubbing her forehead.
This was already the second group today to react this way.
"Mm-hmm!"
All three nodded heavily, without hesitation.
"Haha," Loki laughed. "See, Riveria? I told you-you're usually way too strict. In their eyes, you're probably already a stubborn old woman."
At Shirou's perfectly timed comment, the three instinctively began nodding.
Years of conditioning kicked in a second too late.
Realizing what they were doing, they snapped their heads back and started shaking them instead.
Unfortunately.
Riveria knew them far too well.
She had already read everything from their expressions.
Her face darkened slightly.
Even she cared about being talked about like that.
"It seems," Riveria said calmly, "that after we return today, I'll need to properly educate the three of you."
"Nooo!"
The three immediately cried out in despair.
"Alright," Shirou interjected, waving his hand, "let's leave discipline for later. The current situation matters more."
"...Don't worry," Riveria replied coolly. "I know my priorities. Their lesson can wait."
Seeing the shift in tone, Shirou stopped joking around and looked at the three seriously.
"Do you know what happened?"
"We can tell something's wrong," Tiona said. "But we don't know the details."
"In short," Tione added, "monsters escaped. They're roaming nearby."
"...What?" Shirou frowned. "That's dangerous."
As seasoned adventurers, the three understood the implications immediately. Monsters loose above ground was no small matter. If things escalated, the consequences would be severe.
"Exactly," Shirou said. "That's why we're handling it carefully."
He pointed upward.
"Ais is already out there. She's using the wind to search."
Following his gaze, the three spotted Ais standing on the edge of the arena, eyes closed, wind swirling faintly around her body. Ariel spread outward, sensing disturbances across the surrounding area.
Then-
"Awaken."
Ais stepped forward.
Wrapped in wind, she kicked off lightly.
And vanished.
"Micro-Gust."
Her body turned into a golden streak. In an instant, a monster was obliterated by a precise long-range slash. Without stopping, she redirected midair and leapt toward the next target.
"As expected," Shirou said with a small smile. "Her movements are sharp."
He clapped lightly, offering sincere praise.
Shirou himself could have eliminated the escaped monsters with even higher efficiency.
But he had no intention of stepping in.
There were no casualties so far.
And whatever Freya was doing, she still had a line she hadn't crossed. No innocent people had been harmed.
More importantly-
With his eyesight, he would almost certainly spot the monster chasing Bell.
And then what?
Would he intervene?
Or would he not?
That would be an uncomfortable decision.
So it was better to leave this part to Ais.
He would remain here.
Waiting.
"...Looks like it's really not our turn."
Tiona clicked her tongue as she and the others stopped atop the rooftops.
Despite Shirou saying they weren't needed, the three had followed anyway, using the excuse of helping Ais-and escaping Riveria's reach.
But now, it truly seemed unnecessary.
Still.
Their trip wouldn't be for nothing.
A sudden tremor rippled through the ground.
Then-
A violent cracking sound erupted.
Screams rang out from nearby streets.
The ground burst open.
From beneath the earth, a long, snake-like monster surged upward.
A chill ran straight down their spines.
"Tione," Tiona said grimly, "this one's bad news."
"...Indeed."
The monster's body was slender and smooth, its skin glistening unnaturally. At the front of its body was a head devoid of eyes-or any visible organs at all.
Yellow-green in color.
Unsettlingly familiar.
"...Faceless Serpent," Tiona muttered.
The name fit too well.
"Tiona," Tione said immediately, "move."
"Got it."
"Lefiya," Tione continued, "observe and start chanting."
"Yes!"
The Amazon sisters burst forward without hesitation.
There was no feint.
No retreat.
They charged straight in.
Sensing their presence, the serpent's body lashed out like a whip.
The air boomed.
Both sisters dodged in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding the strike. The shockwave alone shattered nearby storefronts, debris scattering in all directions.
"Take this!"
Using the opening, Tiona and Tione struck simultaneously, their fists slamming into the monster's body.
The result-
Nothing.
Their attacks barely dented the surface.
Instead, the recoil sent a jolt through their arms.
"Tch-what kind of hardness is that?!"
"I should've brought weapons."
Forced on the defensive, the two continued evading and striking, but every blow was ineffective.
At the edge of the battlefield, Lefiya began her chant.
Her voice was steady.
Focused.
Light arrows of liberation,
Bowstring of the sacred tree,
I am the master archer.
Intercept! Elf Archer!
Pierce! Inescapable Arrow!
As the final syllable left her lips, her magic power converged.
Just as release was imminent-
The serpent moved.
Until now, it had completely ignored her.
But in that instant, it lunged.
Its reaction speed was abnormal.
With a violent whoosh, its massive body crossed the distance in a blink, appearing right in front of Lefiya.
Too fast.
By the time she registered the threat, the attack was already upon her.
Past memories surged forward.
Fear.
Helplessness.
The inability to move.
But-
Her body reacted.
Lefiya dropped low, rolling hard to the side.
The serpent's strike tore past her, slamming into the ground where she had been standing.
The impact cracked the earth.
Still rolling, Lefiya pushed off the ground with one hand.
She twisted.
Stabilized.
Her other hand snapped forward, aimed directly at the monster's exposed body.
"Arc Ray."
Golden light erupted.
The beam pierced straight through the serpent, erasing it completely.
There was no scream.
No struggle.
The monster disintegrated into ash.
Lefiya slowly stood up.
She stared at the fading remains.
Then at her own hands.
Quietly-
She realized it.
She had grown.
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Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter