When Akira received word, Loki Familia had already dispatched reinforcements.
This crisis wasn't just serious, it was existential. Even the Guild, normally strict about adventurers leaving the city, was in a frenzy.
The guild hall buzzed with commands and hurried footsteps. Staff members barked orders, scribbled notes, and scrambled to coordinate a city-wide response.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the farmland like war drums pounding against the chest. Fields that had once promised bountiful harvests were now a hellish nightmare. Flames devoured barns and storehouses. Black smoke blotted out the sky. It was a scene straight from the underworld.
"Why the hell are there so many Loup Garou?!"
Adventurers on the frontlines could barely believe their eyes.
Those vicious, wolf-headed humanoid monsters surged like a tidal wave. Bloodshot eyes gleamed with killing intent in the reflection of the flames.
"There's even Bloodsaurus… and Skull Sheep!?"
"Evilus brought deep-floor monsters to the surface?! Are they out of their minds!?"
The sight was enough to make even the hardened warriors of Loki Familia flinch.
Loup Garous were bad enough, packs of brutal monsters that had wreaked havoc on the surface before. But Bloodsaurus? Skull Sheep? These were monsters native to the deepest, most dangerous parts of the Dungeon.
To bring them to the surface meant this was no ordinary raid.
"This is ridiculous! Are we sure this isn't an expedition!?" One adventurer cried out, voice cracking.
Holding the defensive line, a golden-haired elf wiped sweat from her brow and clenched her staff.
This was Alicia, a Level 3 adventurer from Loki Familia.
She wasn't just any elf, she was a top student of Riveria, the High Elf of noble lineage, nicknamed the "Disciplinary Officer" of the Familia.
Alicia's voluptuous figure and dignified bearing had once made her a standout even among the Loki familia girls.
But now?
Now, she was gasping for breath, her golden curls plastered to her face with sweat.
In front of her, standing firm like a steel wall, was a petite figure with a sword, Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess.
Behind them, a green-haired woman began to chant.
Riveria.
The royal-born magic user, eyes narrowed in calculation, said, "Alicia. Calm down. Don't panic and don't cast just yet."
She could wipe out the entire wave with her second-stage magic in a heartbeat.
But they were surrounded by crops. Destroying the farmland would mean more than just property damage. It would mean famine. Ruin. This wasn't something they could brute force their way through.
Riveria thought to herself, 'Finn should be handling this. But at least I've called for support.'
"Understood, Riveria-sama!"
Even so, Alicia looked far from okay.
Her body was trembling from exhaustion. Her heavy breaths came in gasps. Her elegant image, polished like a noble lady's silverware, was gone.
As one of the earliest to arrive at the battlefield, Alicia had fought desperately to keep the defensive line from collapsing.
Though only Level 3, her body bore countless cuts and bruises, and she had nearly hit mind zero. All her arrows were long gone, fired during the initial chaos. Now, with only a dagger and a wand, she weaved through the battlefield, casting support magic while slashing at monsters to protect her allies. And still, the tide showed no sign of slowing.
Up ahead, Riveria raised her voice sharply. "Don't push the frontline too far!"
Her eyes scanned the field, calculating every movement like a chessmaster on the brink of checkmate.
Anakitty, the tall black-haired catgirl, spun in response to the order. With practiced grace, she struck down a lunging Loup Garou, then sidestepped and herded several monsters into Ais' range with a feint.
Boom!
Ais tapped the ground lightly with her toe and launched herself into a spin. Her slender body twirled like a top, and a whirlwind erupted around her, blades of wind cutting through the horde. In a blink, monsters were diced into nothingness, reduced to blood and silence.
The two retreated swiftly behind the line, the stench of monster blood clinging to their clothes.
"Riveria-sama! Isn't there any other Familia coming to help?" Anakitty asked, her voice tight with frustration. "What the hell is the guild doing, letting things get this bad?!"
She stopped herself before cursing aloud but her eyes were fierce.
Riveria didn't flinch. Her expression was calm, too calm. "Don't worry. I've already sent word. He'll be here soon."
Every second lost meant another field scorched, another barn turned to ash.
And high above the battlefield—
"Haha. The royal elf's familia struggling this badly? What a letdown, onee-sama." came a mocking voice, syrupy and sweet.
"Oh? Sister's contempt for me is showing again. How cruel." The speaker pouted playfully.
"I suppose I should be disappointed... but how adorable you are when you're flustered."
Perched atop the rooftop of a burning farmhouse were two eerily beautiful girls, one draped against the other like shadows entwined.
They were twins.
One had golden hair and porcelain skin, Dina Dis, a white elf.
The other had silver hair and bronze skin, Vena Dis, a black elf.
Their clothes were scandalously revealing. Their long hair, one tied in a single thick braid, the other in twin tails, fluttered lazily in the smoke-filled breeze. The tears at the corners of their eyes glistened crimson like blood. But their smiles were innocent and childlike.
Anyone who didn't know them would mistake them for harmless girls. But to Orario, they were murderers.
Level 5 monsters in the form of fairies.
The leaders of the infamous Alecto Familia, top-ranked among evilus.
Known for seduction, deception, and destruction, the sisters lured their prey with charm and laughter before delivering a slow, cruel end.
Alecto familia specialized in charm and assassination. The Apate Familia worked in body modification. The Rudra Familia, the ones behind this scene, were experts in taming monsters.
The bloodthirsty beasts now flooding the field? All assets of Rudra. Expendable pawns in a grand distraction.
"Really now. Has that 'adult' not succeeded yet?" Vena yawned, bored. "This is getting tedious."
Dina laughed, twirling her braid. "Alecto-sama's just being overly cautious. That old man's already long dead. What's to worry about?"
"Hmm?" Vena tilted her head. "Sister… what is that?"
She pointed toward the darkened sky, where a streak of light tore across the heavens. A figure, small, but fast, descended like a meteor.
Dina's gaze followed her sister's finger.
"…A shooting star?"
No.
A comet of divine wrath.
"Damn… that's way too many monsters." Akira narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the scene below, wind howling around him as he flew.
Even from above, the farmland looked like hell.
"How did they even get this many monsters up here? Did the Guild mess up the intel again? Or is there still a rat feeding false reports?"
He clicked his tongue, but then his gaze landed on the battlefield. He spotted familiar silhouettes fighting desperately, Riveria, Ais, Alicia and then his gaze softened.
"You've held out long enough."
He raised both hands, palms open wide in front of him.
A massive, dark-blue magic circle bloomed in the sky like a celestial flower. At its center, a snowflake sigil shimmered ominously.
Crack—crack—crack!
Countless diamond-shaped ice spears emerged from the circle. Each one glinted with cold, murderous intent, their tips honed to perfection.
Then, Akira clenched his hands. A second magic circle appeared, overlapping the first.
Silver-white gales coiled around the icicles, wind and frost fusing together in a spiral of elemental force.
"Go."
With a word, the barrage launched. The icicles shot downward like divine arrows, slicing through the air with shrill whistles.
Zzzzzzhhhh—shhhhhkkk!
The monsters sensed it. They howled and tried to scatter, but it was far too late. The ice lances rained down with terrifying speed. The wind twisted their paths, making them impossible to predict.
SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK!
Monster after monster was skewered mid-sprint, Loup Garous, skull sheep, even the bloodsaurus. They fell like puppets with their strings cut.
Blood splashed. Bodies collapsed. Screams filled the burning air. Yet, the crops remained untouched.
The deadly magic curved precisely around the farmland, as if guided by an invisible mind.
Riveria's eyes widened. Ais blinked. Alicia stopped breathing.
They had seen many kinds of magic, powerful chants, tiered spells, even grand rituals but this was different.
This was… clean.
Akira's spell didn't just kill, it butchered. One flick of the finger, and entire swathes of the battlefield were cleared.
It was clearly a very short spell that didn't seem to require chanting, but in his hands, it unleashed a terrifying power comparable to that of a medium-level spell.