The composition of the forces brought by Banshee and Ein was no mere gaggle of street thugs. Among the thirty cloaked figures were seventeen Level 2 individuals, seven Level 3s, and two Level 4s. However, the true threat lay in the four figures standing silently with an aura far more dangerous: Creatures.
Creatures were horrific hybrid entities, the result of dark experiments involving Corrupted Spirits from the Deep Floors of the Dungeon.
They were created by implanting monster magic stones into the bodies of adventurers who were already dead or on the verge of dying. The result was a killing machine possessing physical strength, speed, and defense that transcended the limits of ordinary humans, supplemented by an instant regeneration ability derived from the monster nature within their bodies. Simply put, each of these four Creatures possessed strength equivalent to a Level 5 adventurer.
This scale of power was enough to level most Familias in Orario. Enyo had deployed this much resource just to kill a single sleeping man, proving exactly how great a threat Charlie was in his eyes.
*CRUSH—BANG!*
The indiscriminate combined assault from Banshee, Ein, dozens of adventurers, and the acid rain from the Virga finally reached its saturation point. The exceptionally sturdy magic barrier could only hold for ten seconds before it shattered into pieces like glass struck by a sledgehammer.
"Yahooo! That rotten barrier is finally broken! I'll be the first to take Solo Leveling's head!"
A scrawny Evilus, driven by a greedy desire for reputation, bolted ahead of his comrades. However, the moment his foot touched the expanse of green grass in the courtyard, a magic circle glowing red appeared directly above his head. A fraction of a second later, a fireball reaching thousands of degrees Celsius plummeted down.
"ARHHHHH—"
Caught completely off guard, he had no time to react. His body was instantly engulfed by the raging flames. Within seconds, his death scream vanished, leaving behind only a pile of smoking black charcoal upon the ground that had once been beautiful.
"...!!!"
The tragic death of their comrade made the other invaders slam on the brakes. Their faces turned grim; not out of grief, but because they realized that the residence before them was a deadly magical minefield!
"Fuck! What the hell is this! Is this a house or a fortress? Even the Dungeon doesn't have this many traps!" the Evilus wielding the greataxe cursed, cold sweat beginning to soak his forehead.
"Tsk. This Solo Leveling is far too cautious. Not only did he set up an outer barrier, he also arranged layered hidden traps." Ein felt irritated and frustrated.
"This is no time for complaining. Finish the task quickly before the Ganesha Familia arrives!" Banshee urged in a sharp tone. "Let the Virga lead the way!"
At her command, the remaining Virga were forced into the courtyard. The heavy footsteps of the flower monsters triggered a symphony of destruction: exploding fireballs, lightning striking from an imaginary ceiling, ice spears thrusting from behind bushes, and wind blades slicing through the air.
The sight was spectacular yet horrific. Although the Evilus members were now on high alert and wouldn't be instantly incinerated like their comrade earlier, the relentless elemental magic attacks still left them with wounds and mental exhaustion.
"Oi, oi... just how paranoid is he? Putting all this in his own home—isn't he afraid of slipping and triggering his own traps?" one of the Evilus whispered in horror.
Thirty seconds later, the thundering of magic finally subsided. The minefield of traps had been exhausted, leaving only two Virga still standing in a charred, dying state.
"Now is the time! Attack!"
"Don't act so bossy!"
Ein mocked Banshee before dashing forward, followed by the rest of the bloodthirsty Evilus forces.
However, just as they approached the main building, the door to the house swung wide open. Aishia and Ais stepped out calmly. Surrounding them were four exotic animals that looked harmless to anyone.
"Motherfucker! Why is the Sword Princess here? I wasn't told about this!" Another Evilus cursed in foul language.
After all, Ais was a Level 6; she was a formidable woman and no ordinary opponent.
"Stop being cowards! She's all alone!" Ein tried to restore morale. "The Creatures and I will hold her off! The rest of you, just focus on breaking in and finishing off Solo Leveling!"
The four Level 5-equivalent Creatures immediately moved forward, locking their gazes onto the Sword Princess.
"You are not permitted to pass." Ais said flatly.
She drew her legendary rapier, Desperate. Lacking armor, she wore only a short white dress that allowed for maximum range of motion.
Ais stood tall as the final bastion for the man she loved. Without hesitation, she lunged forward, charging into the storm of enemies that outnumbered her many times over.
Aishia glanced at the four small animals that had been standing quietly by her side. Her beautiful eyes didn't betray a hint of fear, only the resolve to protect Charlie.
"Stop those who wish to harm Charlie."
*BUZZ!*
Instantly, the atmosphere in the Empyrean Citadel courtyard condensed. A Mana pressure so holy and massive exploded from the bodies of the small animals, forcing the Evilus members to shield their eyes from the blinding light. In a matter of seconds, their tiny forms vanished, replaced by giant entities that filled the heavens and the earth.
In the east, a magnificent dragon with shimmering sapphire scales soared into the sky. With a serpentine body thirty meters long winding through the clouds, the Azure Dragon radiated lightning that crackled from its majestic stag-like horns.
In the south, heavenly fire blazed fiercely to form the figure of a legendary bird. The Vermilion Bird spread its wide wings of fire, dripping tongues of burning red flame that did not scorch the plants, yet incinerated all evil intent. Its feathers shimmered like burning rubies.
In the north, the earth trembled as the Black Tortoise stepped forth. This hybrid creature—a giant tortoise with a serpent coiled around its shell—stood firm like an unshakeable mountain.
And in their midst appeared the Qilin, a sacred creature with a body covered in gold scales, the head of a dragon, and the nimble legs of a horse. The single horn on its head radiated a holy light capable of neutralizing all forms of black magic.
The emergence of the four Divine Beast Spirits in their massive sizes could not be ignored. All of Orario trembled; the aura of sanctity they carried drew every eye, from civilians to the gods who immediately halted their activities.
Atop the Tower of Babel, the gods rushed to balconies or descended directly into the streets, drawn by a display of power they had never seen before.
"What kind of creatures are those?! Those aren't Dungeon monsters!" screamed an Evilus who now looked like an ant beneath the shadow of the Azure Dragon.
The battle broke out.
"ROARRRR—!"
The Azure Dragon opened its mouth, releasing a soul-shaking roar before firing a beam of blue lightning from the heavens. The lightning struck the front lines of Evilus, turning the Level 2 adventurers into dust in an instant.
Ein and the four Creatures tried to surge forward, but the Qilin dashed with supersonic speed. With a single stomp of its foot in the air, a holy shockwave radiated outward, sending two Level 5 Creatures flying until they slammed hard against the outer wall.
Meanwhile, the Vermilion Bird dove sharply from the sky. The flap of its wings released a firestorm that devoured the remaining Virga, turning the flower monsters to ash without leaving behind a single drop of corrosive fluid. The Evilus members who tried to use protective magic found their defenses melting like butter under the heat of that divine fire.
The Black Tortoise acted as a moving fortress. When the Evilus Mages tried to fire dark spells toward the house, the serpent coiled around the shell spat out an icy mist that froze the spells in mid-air before they shattered into pieces.
The battlefield, which had previously been filled with the confidence of Enyo's followers, now turned into a one-sided slaughter. Those who had come to hunt the "Sleeping Prince" now realized they were not facing humans, but the wrath of sacred guardians who knew no mercy for anyone who dared defile the residence of their master.
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