Chapter 30: I Will Take Action
"The award ceremony is about to begin!"
"Please welcome the winner of the World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament, Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, to the stage!!"
Ren, still in his Yoriichi Take Over, stood on the central podium, his red haori unblemished. The roar of the crowd was a physical force, chanting the name the commentator had given him.
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
He let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. "It's finally over." He also felt a bit excited; he was finally going to get his money. 20 million Jewel. He had spent 3 million on his house, and this prize would not only replenish his funds but set him up for a very long time.
Arthur, who had taken the runner-up position, walked onto the podium and approached him, not with an air of defeat, but with one of profound, almost religious, adoration.
"Mr. Yoriichi," Arthur said, bowing deeply. "It was only after meeting you that I truly understood the meaning of 'there's always someone better, there's always a higher mountain.' Your swordsmanship... it is divine. Thank you. You've given me a new direction to strive for."
After Ren's final, reality-defying strike that had cut his magical attack, Arthur had completely become Ren's fan.
Ren, channeling Yoriichi's serene and humble nature, simply nodded. "Your talent is excellent, both in magic power and swordsmanship. You have not been led astray by your power. As long as you continue to train diligently, I believe your strength will advance further."
Just as the King was about to step forward with the trophy, a person with a somewhat panicked expression rushed through the guards, scrambling up to the commentary desk. He whispered urgently into the commentator's ear.
The commentator's face went white. "What?! Such a thing has actually happened!"
He immediately picked up the microphone, his voice cracking with panic, silencing the cheering crowd.
"I apologize! Citizens! The award ceremony may have to be postponed!"
"According to the latest intelligence from the King's scouts... a massive, unprecedented demon beast tide... at least 100,000 demon beasts from the Demon Beast Great Forest are surging towards us!"
"What?!"
"100,000 demon beasts?!"
"That number is too high!"
Many citizens were startled to hear such a number. This was already close to one-tenth of all the demon beasts in the entire Great Forest, wasn't it? They had never encountered so many demon beasts attacking the city before.
The commentator continued, his voice shaking. "His Majesty the King has ordered the army to enter a state of first-level alert!"
"All citizens are now requested to evacuate to the arena! Those who are here should not leave! Besides being an arena, this place also serves as the city's primary shelter! A barrier can be activated to defend against the demon beasts' attacks! At the same time, His Majesty the King has also summoned all swordsmen in the city to participate in confronting this demon beast tide!"
The announcement was met with a moment of stunned silence, followed by mass panic. People began to scream and scramble.
But in the contestant area, a different sound arose.
"Those demon beasts aren't staying quietly in the Demon Beast Great Forest; they actually dare to rush out! Then we'll make sure they never return!"
"Brothers! The time has come for us to advance to higher-ranking swordsmen!!"
"That's right! That's right!!"
Many swordsmen, upon hearing of the demon beast attack, all shouted indignantly. These swordsmen inherently exist to kill demon beasts. Demon beasts themselves hold high value, and from the moment they become swordsmen, they engage in battles with demon beasts. This wasn't just a disaster; it was an opportunity.
Ren's expression suddenly froze.
'No. I'm literally on the podium about to collect my money, and suddenly there's a monster attack? Can't they wait a few more minutes? Just let me get the check first!'
Arthur, his face now a mask of grim determination, turned to Ren. "Mr. Yoriichi, this is a crisis for my kingdom. You'll definitely participate, won't you?"
Ren, still in his Yoriichi persona, looked towards the forest with a cold, distant expression. He nodded once.
Arthur rejoiced. "That's wonderful! With your help, we can repel this tide! I... I'll get to see Mr. Yoriichi display his true swordsmanship again!"
"I will act," Ren said, his voice calm, "but it also depends on the situation. I am not a resident of this kingdom. If you encounter any demon beasts that you truly cannot deal with, I will step in then."
"Of course! Thank you!" Arthur said, bowing again before running off to join the other 9-Star Swordsmen.
Ren nodded and then walked away, moving against the tide of panicking civilians and eager swordsmen.
After confirming that no one was following him, Ren found an empty corner in the contestant tunnels, dispelled his transformation, and returned to his original appearance. The long red hair, the haori, and the god-like presence vanished, leaving just Ren.
He immediately felt as if he had gone from a peerless genius back to an idiot. The disparity in talent and perception was simply too obvious.
"Sigh! How unlucky," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his now-short black hair. "I didn't expect a demon beast tide to appear at this exact moment. I can only wait until the demon beast tide passes before collecting the award."
"CITIZENS! THE DEMON BEAST TIDE IS HERE! PLEASE PROCEED IMMEDIATELY TO THE ARENA FOR SHELTER! I REPEAT…"
"CITIZENS! THE DEMON BEAST TIDE IS HERE! PLEASE PROCEED IMMEDIATELY TO THE ARENA FOR SHELTER!"
Piercing alarm sounds echoed throughout the entire city. Many citizens who had not gone to the arena to watch the competition all quickly headed to the arena, creating a flood of people in the streets.
A short while later, Ren, pushing through the crowd, returned to the inn. He found Erza already there, but she wasn't packing. She was strapping her standard Heart Kreuz armor on tighter.
"Ren! The demon beast tide is here," she said, her voice serious, all business. "Let's go participate in the battle too!"
"Okay!" Ren nodded.
Logically, this wasn't their fight. They were Mages from another country, here for a specific quest. But Ren knew Erza's sense of justice wouldn't allow her to stand by and do nothing while thousands of civilians were in danger.
Furthermore, they had already accepted the original commission, which had now been upgraded to an SS-Class quest. If something happened to their client, the King, it would be their responsibility.
And for Ren, the reason was even simpler: he hadn't collected his 20 million J yet, and his two ten-pulls from the system were still pending. The mission wasn't complete.
The two quickly headed towards the city wall.
At this moment, the hundred-meter-high city walls were already packed with people. Soldiers were manning massive ballistas and magical cannons, while thousands upon thousands of swordsmen, from 1-Star apprentices to 8-Star veterans, stood shoulder-to-shoulder, their blades drawn.
"As expected of a nation of swordsmen, there are so many of them," Erza said, very surprised. 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!" Ren was also seeing such a grand spectacle for the first time and was truly somewhat shocked. This was an army.
Soon, Ren and Erza arrived beside the King, who was standing on the main battlement, staring out at the forest.
"You two, you've come as well."
The King was very pleased to see Ren and Erza. Although Erza had lost to Arthur, she had lost to the strongest swordsman in their Kingdom of Sobelia. Erza's strength was undoubtedly at the 9-Star Swordsman level.
He was unsure of Ren's strength, but according to the intelligence he'd just received about the Phantom Bandit quest, the terrifying destruction marks in the newspaper indicated that this person's strength was also undoubtedly 9-Star level.
The entire Kingdom of Sobelia, including those in seclusion, had no more than ten 9-Star Swordsmen in total. Having these two powerful helpers from Fairy Tail would undoubtedly increase his chances of success for his plan.
Erza asked, "Your Majesty, what's happening with this demon beast tide?"
The King explained, his eyes never leaving the horizon, "The appearance of demon beast tides is uncertain. There are one or two every year, more or less. The main reason is powerful demon beasts in the Great Forest driving away weaker ones. The weaker demon beasts flee, gradually forming a demon beast tide."
"Small demon beast tides have numbers ranging from dozens to hundreds, while large demon beast tides can number in the thousands. But a demon beast tide with over 100,000 demon beasts... this is the first time I've encountered one in my life."
"So I suspect it might be related to the Magic Dragon, Alazam!" The King said with a serious expression.
"Magic Dragon Alazam…" Ren and Erza's expressions both became solemn.
"That's right! The Magic Dragon's power is very terrifying. I suspect it's controlling powerful demon beasts to drive away these lesser beasts, thereby triggering this tide to test our defenses."
The King then turned to Erza, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Miss Erza, have you seen Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"
Ren's heart skipped a beat. 'Crap.'
Erza, however, shook her head. "No, Your Majesty. I was in the contestant lounge. He won his match and returned to his own lounge. I believe he is still in the arena, evacuating with the civilians."
"A pity," the King grumbled. "I wonder if Mr. Yoriichi would be willing to join us in subduing the Magic Dragon. He is undoubtedly the best candidate to wield the sword."
Ren's mouth twitched. 'If the King knew that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was me, he wondered if his jaw would drop.'
Just then, rumble————!
A low roar sounded, not from one beast, but from 100,000. The entire ground began to shake violently.
Everyone's nerves immediately tensed, and all eyes turned towards the distant forest.
"They're here!!"
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