If Ais hadn't been an adventurer accustomed to the sound of explosions in the Dungeon, she probably wouldn't have been able to distinguish the noise.
It was safe to say the damage wasn't significant, but one could sense a commotion starting at the edge of the square.
"Riveria?"
Not only Ais, but the other members of the group around her subconsciously cast glances at Riveria. Under the watchful eyes of many, Riveria calmly surveyed the square before making her final judgment.
"This isn't the main attack; it is meant to stir up trouble, perhaps to lure us over there. We can leave the other side to the Astrea Familia."
She looked down the street in the opposite direction. "Let's head this way and keep watch!"
As the group ran toward their destination, Riveria looked at Ais and pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"Ais, I have a task for you. There might be someone lurking among the people later, waiting for an opportunity to act. We are all too occupied, so we need your help."
Riveria knew that even if she told Ais to leave, the girl would probably have a hard time staying obedient. In that case, it was better to give her a task and assign her to protect the civilians.
With three basic abilities that broke the conventional limits, an ordinary level 2 adventurer would probably be no stronger than a goblin to Ais.
Not to mention that magic...
"Okay! Leave it to me!"
Sure enough, Ais's eyes, which had been unfocused and bewildered in the wind, immediately lit up. Before leading her team away, Riveria thought for a moment and then looked back at Ais.
"Ais, if you encounter a strong enemy, shout my name.."
"Okay..."
Watching Riveria and the others walk away, Ais slowly murmured the lyric, which gave her a strange feeling. Unable to reach a conclusion, Ais gave up thinking and turned to walk into the crowd.
Even before the stalls were set up, the Guild had erected many towers in the square, which were now occupied by the adventurers arranged by Finn.
Although they could not directly protect everyone, the mere sight of powerful adventurers from the famous familia above them provided the people with a sense of security and slowed the spreading panic.
The most difficult part of protecting residents is not resisting attacks from evilus, but getting the people to obey orders. Compared to attacks by the enemy, the casualties caused by stampedes during a panic are often greater.
However, amidst the increasingly frequent bombings from all directions, unease spread like wildfire, threatening to breach the riverbank.
Carrying a sword as tall as herself, Ais moved nimbly through the crowd, yet seemed somewhat lost, unable to find her target.
Where are the bad guys? Which one is the bad guy?
Sensing the fear and unease emanating from the crowd, and hearing the children's cries, Ais felt a rising irritation.
The endless wailing and howling from the depths of her memory seemed to echo in her ears, causing dark flames to surge within her.
Why?
Why kill each other?
Why do people still turn against their own kind when there are already so many monsters in this world causing pain and sorrow?
I hate you all!
I hate anything that causes me pain!
Therefore, when an evilus figure in white robes appeared in her field of vision, Ais suddenly drew her sword!
"Hahaha! I, Olivas, am back!"
In front of a certain stall, a group of people who looked like vendors and customers suddenly donned white robes.
"Finn, you've been arranging for city members to guard the plaza since early this morning, but what if we sneaked in and hid under the cabinets in the middle of the night?"
"...But that doesn't seem like something to be proud of, does it?"
Olivas's smile faltered at the thought of having slept on the cold floor all night.
"Never mind! Kill them all!"
Although their surface actions were to provide cover for Valetta in the Dungeon, upon closer examination, it was actually the other officers drawing fire for Olivas!
In a sense, he was the main attacker!
"Hmph, I will definitely have to give them a good beating and boost my reputation!"
Just as Olivas was thinking this, a golden light suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
Huh?
As he recalled the names of enemies he had fought many times, a flash of light streaked across his face, piercing everyone's eyes.
After her beautiful blonde hair fluttered past, the warrior, unable to offer any resistance, fell onto the rubble. Only then did Olivas see the true form of that figure.
Blonde hair and golden eyes, with delicate features that were doll-like.
In that instant, Ais swung her sword, which was completely disproportionate to her petite frame, and stabed open the body of an Amazon. Turning to a Beastman swinging a giant axe at her from another direction, Ais cleaved the Beastman's body and weapon in two with a single blow.
When Ais defeated the fifth evilus leader, even the crowd, who should have been surging with fear, stopped in their tracks to watch the scene unfold.
"That's... a little girl?"
"From the Loki Familia?"
The sword transformed into an impenetrable attack, enveloping a white robed figure completely before adorning him with a rain of blood.
"So, are they all this powerless?"
The last remaining squad leader of Evilus stared, his eyes wide with terror.
Although she unleashed a storm of blood with her sword, Ais did not directly kill anyone. Instead, she severed their bodies, leaving not a trace of blood on her own body. The fact that she was able to accomplish this, a task far more difficult than killing someone outright, proved that the gap between them was unimaginably large.
With no chance to resist or escape, and realizing his fate, his eyes widened in fury, and he reached into his robes.
"Lord!! Please accept my life as..."
However, as the blonde shadow swept past him, his voice froze instantly, and his entire body locked in place.
"You won't get the chance."
When the emotionless voice sounded behind him, he realized he hadn't even seen the slash that ended him. After cutting down the enemy, Ais looked at Olivas, the only one left standing in front of her.
"Oh ho ho, it seems I've gained something today besides that silver haired brat! If I kill you too, that should be enough to plunge the Loki Familia into despair for a while, right?"
Silver hair...
Noah!
Their goal is Noah!
Although she didn't know exactly what Evilus's plan was, Ais keenly grasped the key point.
In an instant, black flames surged and burned behind her eyes.
"...I will defeat you!"
...
"Hahaha, as long as I kill you. I will be famous as a god!"
Olivas, envisioning himself as a top executive of Evilus, was laughing wildly when he suddenly saw a sharp light rushing toward him. He was so frightened that he rolled backward.
Standing up covered in dust, Olivas touched his cheek and felt a burning pain, realizing his face had been scratched.
"You brat!!"
Overwhelmed by intense shame, he drew his longsword and slashed at Ais, who was charging at him again.
But the moment the blades clashed, the impact pierced through his arm, numbing it. Olivas's anger vanished, replaced by surprise.
I naturally have the advantage in strength, but her speed and swordsmanship are far superior!
She's just a Level 1 brat!
Even faster than Olivas's thoughts was the sword in Ais's hand.
The swift and sharp attack had the precision of a needle, aiming for Olivas's eyes, leaving him no chance to adjust his position and forcing him into a desperate defense. However, during a brief opening, three more slashes came at once.
The sword light, invisible to the naked eye, transformed into a storm of slashes, attacking from the front and weaving endless blooms of blood on Olivas's body, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.
It was hard to imagine that such powerful strikes came from Ais's slender arms. Olivas was forced to defend himself with no room for counterattack; even his mind was beginning to buckle under the blows.
Feeling a tremor of wavering confidence within him, Olivas's face suddenly contorted.
"I'm a Level 3! How could I be driven to this point by a brat?!"
Enraged, Olivas abandoned his defense and slashed out with both hands!
Caught off guard, Ais was forced to halt her attack and raise her sword in defense.
The moment the blades clashed, the immense force sent Ais flying, tumbling backward four or five meters through the air before landing safely. Even so, the impact was so powerful that Ais's feet dug grooves into the ground.
When her body finally came to a stop, Ais looked down at her sword.
The blade was already nicked and chipped, and her slender arm trembled from numbness.
I am no match for him.
Despite possessing exceptional stats and superb swordsmanship, the two level gap was insurmountable for Ais at this moment.
Then let's stall him! Wait for Riveria and the others to arrive!
When Ais decided to change tactics, a serpentine grin suddenly appeared on Olivas's blood stained face.
He looked at Ais, then at the other adventurers rushing over from a distance, and took out several items resembling bright red rubies.
"Brat, make your choice!"
Olivas threw the magic items at the surrounding crowd, then turned and ran without looking back.
Suddenly, the items emitted a crimson light in mid air, revealing the enormous volatile energy contained within them. In an instant, Ais understood what Olivas meant by choice.
Attacking Olivas's unsuspecting back could not only hold him off but might even allow her to catch him off guard and defeat him. However, the surrounding civilians would inevitably suffer heavy casualties in the resulting explosion.
Kill the enemy or protect the people?
A choice with no room for maneuver was placed before the girl.
What came to her mind was not the image of defeating Olivas, nor the scene of countless cries and wails around her.
Instead, it was a clear, crisp, emerald morning.
Time seemed to stand still. The girl's consciousness left the scene of flying blood and, amidst the endless flashes of light moving at high speed, saw another sight.
'Ais, if one day you need to pay with our lives to complete your revenge, would you do it?'
'...People like you and me will inevitably face this choice at some point in our lives: whether to pursue our ideals or stop for the sake of those around us...'
The magic items melted and began to spray out intense light, symbolizing death, and the surrounding air began to surge like a tsunami.