"The award ceremony is about to begin!"
"Please welcome the winner, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, to the stage!!"
Qi Yan stood on the podium, letting out a long sigh of relief: "It's finally over." He was also a bit excited, as he was finally going to get paid. 20 million J, which was equivalent to 1 million RMB. He never even dreamed he could earn so much money at once.
"Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi, it was only after meeting you that I understood what it means for there to always be someone better. Thanks to you, I've found a new direction forward."
Arthur said, looking at Qi Yan with an expression of admiration. After Qi Yan unleashed that one sword strike, he had completely become Qi Yan's fan.
Qi Yan nodded: "Your talent is excellent, both in magic and swordsmanship. As long as you cultivate diligently, I believe your strength will advance further in just a few years."
Just then, a person with a panicked expression rushed to the commentary booth and whispered something to the commentator.
The commentator was greatly surprised: "What?! Something like that actually happened!"
He then immediately picked up the microphone and announced:
"I apologize! Citizens! The award ceremony may be postponed!"
"According to the latest intelligence, at least one hundred thousand Demon Beasts are swarming towards us from the Demon Beast Great Forest!"
"His Majesty the King has already ordered the army to go into Level One alert!"
"All citizens are now requested to evacuate to the arena. Those already here should not leave. The arena is not only an arena but also the city's shelter. It can activate a barrier to defend against the Demon Beast attack. At the same time, His Majesty the King has summoned all swordsmen in the city to participate in resisting this Demon Beast tide!"
"What?!"
"One hundred thousand Demon Beasts?!"
"That's too many!"... Many citizens were startled to hear such a large number of Demon Beasts. This number was close to one-tenth of the Demon Beasts in the Demon Beast Great Forest, wasn't it? They had never had so many Demon Beasts attack the city before.
"Those Demon Beasts aren't staying put in the Demon Beast Great Forest; they actually dare to charge out! Then we'll make sure they never return!"
"Brothers! Our time to advance to higher swordsmen has come!!"
"That's right! That's right!!"... Many swordsmen, hearing of the Demon Beast attack, all shouted indignantly.
These swordsmen existed to kill Demon Beasts. Demon Beasts themselves had high value, and from the moment they became swordsmen, they would fight Demon Beasts.
Qi Yan's expression suddenly froze.
No, I'm about to get paid, and suddenly there's a monster attack? Couldn't it have waited a few more minutes until I got my money?
Arthur looked at Qi Yan: "Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi, you'll definitely participate, right?"
Qi Yan nodded with a cold expression.
Arthur said joyfully: "That's great! I'll get to see Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi display his swordsmanship again!"
"I will take action, but it depends on the situation. If you encounter any Demon Beasts that you truly cannot deal with, I will step in at that time."
"Of course!"
Qi Yan nodded and then walked away. At this time, many swordsmen were also rushing towards the city's outskirts.
After confirming that no one was following him, Qi Yan found an empty corner, dispelled his transformation, and returned to his original appearance.
Qi Yan immediately felt himself go from a peerless genius back to an idiot.
The disparity in talent was simply too obvious.
"Sigh! How unlucky. I didn't expect a Demon Beast tide at this moment. I can only wait for the Demon Beast tide to pass before going to claim my prize."
"Citizens! The Demon Beast tide has arrived! Please proceed immediately to the arena for shelter! Repeating..."
"Citizens! The Demon Beast tide has arrived! Please proceed immediately to the arena for shelter!"
Piercing alarm sounds echoed throughout the entire city, and many citizens who had not gone to the arena to watch the battle quickly headed there.
Soon after, Erza returned to the inn: "Qi Yan! The Demon Beast tide has arrived, let's join the battle too!"
"Okay!"
Qi Yan nodded. Logically, they didn't necessarily have to participate in this battle, but Erza's sense of justice wouldn't allow her to stand by and do nothing.
Furthermore, they had already accepted a commission, and if something happened to the client, it would be their responsibility.
For Qi Yan, the reason was even simpler: he hadn't collected his money yet, and the mission wasn't complete.
The two quickly made their way to the city wall.
At this moment, the city wall was already packed with people.
"As expected of the Kingdom of Swordsmen, there are so many swordsmen."
Erza was very surprised to see so many swordsmen. The Fairy Tail Guild only had a little over a hundred people in total, while the number of swordsmen present had already exceeded ten thousand.
"Indeed!"
Qi Yan was also seeing such a grand display for the first time and was truly a bit shaken.
Soon, Qi Yan and Erza arrived next to the King.
"You two have also come."
The King was very pleased to see Qi Yan and Erza. Although Erza had lost to Arthur, she had lost to the strongest swordsman in their Sobeya Kingdom.
Erza's strength was undoubtedly at the Nine-Star Swordsman level.
He wasn't clear about Qi Yan's strength, but according to intelligence, the terrifying destruction marks on the newspaper indicated that this person's strength was also at the Nine-Star level.
The entire Sobeya Kingdom had no more than ten Nine-Star Swordsmen, even counting those in seclusion.
Having these two powerful helpers would undoubtedly increase his chances of success for his plan.
Erza asked: "Your Majesty, what's going on with this Demon Beast tide?"
The King explained: "The appearance of Demon Beast tides is unpredictable. There are usually one or two occurrences each year, more or less. The main reason is powerful Demon Beasts in the Demon Beast Great Forest driving out weaker ones, causing the weaker Demon Beasts to flee, gradually forming a Demon Beast tide."
"Small Demon Beast tides have dozens to hundreds of Demon Beasts, while large ones can have thousands. But a Demon Beast tide with over one hundred thousand Demon Beasts, I've lived this long and it's the first time I've encountered one."
"So I suspect it's very likely related to the Magic Dragon Alazam!"
The King said with a serious expression.
"Magic Dragon Alazam..."
Qi Yan and Erza's expressions both became solemn. Dragons, no matter which world they were in, were creatures at the top of the food chain, and this was even more true in the Fairy Tail world. Even the weakest dragons were not something humans could contend with.
"That's right! The Magic Dragon's power is very terrifying. I suspect it's controlling powerful Demon Beasts to drive out these Demon Beasts, thereby triggering the Demon Beast tide."
"Miss Erza, have you seen Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"
The King looked at Erza and asked. Qi Yan's heart skipped a beat, wondering if his cover was about to be blown. Erza, however, shook her head. She had wanted to speak with Tsugikuni Yoriichi earlier but hadn't had the chance before this incident occurred.
"I really don't know if Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi is willing to join us in subduing the Magic Dragon. He is undoubtedly the best person to wield a sword."
Qi Yan's mouth twitched. If the King knew that Tsugikuni Yoriichi was him, he wondered if his jaw would drop.
Just then, rumble----!
A roaring sound erupted, followed by the entire ground beginning to shake violently.
Everyone's nerves immediately tensed, and all eyes turned towards the distant forest.
"They're here!!"