The Viola crushed the shop and lunged toward the blonde girl.
Bell had already experienced this terror before—violent lashes, massive fangs, and a body as swift as a snake. Its horrifying form was identical to the Viola that had attacked him earlier. A single hit would mean instant death.
But Bell didn't hesitate for even a moment. Before him was a kind-hearted girl, kneeling and defenseless, waiting for help. That alone was enough to make him run.
Perhaps because they trusted Ais too much, none of Loki Familia noticed what was happening. Lefiya followed behind the boy, far too late to begin chanting Magic.
Under the astonished gaze of the golden-haired elf, Bell hurled himself toward Ais without a thought for his own safety. The Viola's gaping maw brushed past the two by inches. Bell shouted the blonde girl's name with everything he had.
...
When Ais finally came to her senses, she found herself held in the boy's arms. No wonder she had heard his call...
There was no time for Ais to compose herself. The Viola's second strike was already upon them.
There was no time at all. She had to protect him.
The decision came instantly. For that desperate cry, for the warmth she felt now, Ais spoke the incantation.
"Awaken (Tempest)"
The ultra-short chant summoned a surge of wind. Violent currents gathered around her body, forming a sturdy armor of air.
Ais pulled the boy behind her and took the Viola's bite head-on with her arm. Despite the monster's strength, her tender skin remained unharmed. In the next heartbeat, she drew the makeshift slender sword and stabbed backward, driving the blade through the Viola's root stem.
Just in time...
At that moment, the jewel lying on the ground let out a cry.
"?!"
The bizarre fetus inside seemed to react to Ais's wind magic. It thrashed wildly within the jewel, waving arms thin as twigs, its enormous eyes glaring as it broke through the green liquid.
With a warped shriek, the hideous creature launched itself straight toward Ais's face.
Ais had no idea how such a grotesque thing could jump so high. On reflex alone, she grabbed the boy and dodged backward.
The fetus landed on the wounded Viola impaled by her sword.
Then the mutation began.
"Roar!!!"
The endless roars shook the air. The fetus's skin melted into the Viola's yellow-green flesh. The dying monster swelled like a grotesque tumor, bulging outward.
In a matter of seconds, amid agonized screams, it grew into a massive abomination. The Violas rushing from behind were devoured as well, absorbed into its expanding body.
As if celebrating its rebirth, a humanoid figure tore its way out and stood tall. At its top was the distinct silhouette of a woman.
But not a single Adventurer could bring themselves to smile at the sight of that female form.
...
"Hey... what the hell is that?!"
"It's a giant monster! Run for your lives!!"
Panic instantly swept through the crowd.
"What... what on earth is this?"
Lulune stared at the creature in disbelief, completely unsure what she had been transporting. A fetus... capable of growing monsters?
Ais didn't understand what was happening either—only that something was terribly wrong. She hoisted the boy onto her back, grabbed Lulune by the arm, and swiftly dodged the colossal monster's crushing advance.
...
"That's... a 50th-floor monster?!"
Finn recognized the anomaly in an instant.
One by one, carnivorous Violas fused together, twisting and deforming into the hideous tentacles of the enormous creature. Above the grotesque mass stood a vividly colored female body.
During their last expedition, Loki Familia had encountered this very species. Aside from the different parasite fused to its lower half, everything else was identical.
"Tsk, what a waste..."
The red-haired woman grumbled when she saw the colossal creature. But when her gaze landed on the Sword Princess, she froze in shock.
She stared at the fierce winds swirling around Ais, as though deep in thought.
Finn didn't let the opportunity pass.
"Gareth and Riveria, you two handle that newly appeared monster!"
He shouted toward the plaza.
He issued no further commands. Though he wanted Ais to protect the boy, something about the monster's sudden appearance unsettled him. It was almost as if it had come specifically for the Sword Princess.
Loki Familia were far from full strength. Compared to their expedition, they now lacked rear support and healers. Tiona's weapon had been dissolved by a corrosive monster, forcing her to use a borrowed longsword from a street vendor. Ais was in a similar situation—her sword "Desperate" was still under repair, and she carried only a temporary rapier.
Without a solid vanguard, Lefiya's magic was difficult to use and would only attract more monsters' aggression. And above all, Loki Familia had to protect the boy at any cost.
Should he abandon command and entrust everything to them...?
Should he Hell Finegas now to quickly eliminate the red-haired brute?
As Finn hesitated, countless Viola suddenly charged at him. A suicide assault?
The monsters ignored the wounds caused by their own kind, hurling themselves at him like masses of flesh to block his path.
"These are reinforced... Never thought I'd have to use them here..."
Taking advantage of the Viola's rampage, the red-haired woman spun around and sprinted toward the blonde girl.
Finn swept his spear and obliterated the charging monsters. He himself was unharmed, but when he turned—
The red-haired woman was already at the Sword Princess's side.
...
Ais returned the boy and Lulune to the crowd, but the relentless onslaught of Violas left her no chance to thank them.
Empowered by the wind, Ais charged into the swarm of monsters, cutting down every Viola that lunged toward the gathered people.
Gareth brought down his battleaxe, severing one of the colossal monster's tentacles.
The Viola that formed the tentacles writhed and twisted across the ground, baring sharp teeth as they attacked.
Gareth raised his axe again and smashed the creature into a pile of fragments.
"This monster... doesn't seem to be taking us seriously."
"Indeed. Unlike the smaller varieties, it appears to react to Ais's Magic."
Riveria borrowed a longbow from an adventurer and fired several arrows in rapid succession, precisely shooting down the Viola clinging to the tentacles.
"Once it shifts further away from the crowd, I'll cast lethal Magic."
The boy was still among the people. Detonating this colossal creature at close range was not an option.
As a royal elf, Riveria's archery was exceptional. Under her cover, Gareth relentlessly suppressed the massive monster.
...
Bell observed the battle.
Lefiya gripped her wand, complaining, "That was far too dangerous!"
"You would have charged in too," Bell replied decisively.
"I... I'm not as brave as you think I am..."
Lefiya lowered her head.
Seeing Ais unresponsive, her mind had gone blank the moment the Viola attacked her. If not for Bell's shout, she would have been completely useless—just like now.
"Lefiya-san, everyone has weaknesses. This monster reacts to Magic, which is why you couldn't use yours."
Bell saw the guilt weighing on the golden-haired elf and gently comforted her.
"But I wanted to help..."
Lefiya's voice trembled with frustration. Everyone else was fighting with everything they had, while she had done nothing.
"Aren't I the same as you?"
Bell gave a bitter smile. "If being unable to help means I'll be blamed, then just being here… I'm probably just dead weight."
Hearing that, Lefiya's brows tightened. "I... I didn't mean it like that."
"That's the reality."
Lv1 adventurers being caught up in this incident had hindered Loki Familia's performance. Bell understood that—but he refused to sink into despair. Even if it was only a pair of eyes or a single thought, he wanted to offer whatever little strength he had.
As Bell wondered how to comfort the disheartened elf, a flash of golden hair entered his vision.
Ais was chasing a red-haired woman, sprinting toward the edge of the street.
It was the murderer who had battled Finn.
And in that fleeting glimpse, the golden-haired girl's face looked dark, as if covered in a sheet of frost.
Bell frowned. In all their brief encounters, Ais's expression had never changed so drastically.
What on earth had happened?
He grabbed a cheap longsword—likely dropped by someone—and sprinted after her.
Lefiya reacted a beat later and hurried after the youth.
"Wait... wait for me!"
Monsters wailed behind them.
The blade in Bell's hand scraped along the stone road, leaving a deep gash in its wake.
At the end of the winding trail, the red-haired woman and Ais had already clashed.
...