"The award ceremony is about to begin!"
"Please welcome the champion, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, to the stage!"
Kaien stood on the podium and let out a long sigh of relief. "It's finally over."
He was a little emotional too. He was finally about to get paid—20 million J. That was nearly 1 million yuan, an amount he never dreamed of earning in one go.
"Mr. Yoriichi, after meeting you, I finally understand what it means to always have someone stronger out there. Thanks to you, I've found a new direction to pursue."
Arthur looked at Kaien with admiration. After witnessing that sword strike, he had become a die-hard fan.
Kaien nodded. "You have great talent. Whether in magic or swordsmanship, as long as you train diligently, I'm sure your strength will reach new heights in a few years."
At that moment, someone rushed to the commentator's booth with a flustered expression and whispered urgently.
The announcer's eyes widened. "What?! That really happened?!"
Then he immediately grabbed the mic and declared:
"Apologies, citizens! The award ceremony will be delayed!"
"According to the latest intel, at least one hundred thousand monsters are pouring out of the Forest of Monsters toward this city!"
"His Majesty the King has placed the army on Level One alert!"
"We ask all citizens to evacuate to the arena. Do not leave this area! The arena doubles as the city's emergency shelter and can activate barriers to repel the monster invasion. Additionally, His Majesty has summoned all swordsmen in the city to assist in the defense!"
"What?!"
"One hundred thousand monsters?!"
"That's insane!"...
The sheer number left the crowd in shock. This was nearly a tenth of the Forest of Monsters' entire population—no one had ever seen such a massive siege attempt.
"Those monsters dare charge out of their forest? They should've stayed put! Let's send them back in pieces!"
"Brothers, it's time for us to rise up as higher-ranking swordsmen!"
"Yeah! Let's go!!"...
The swordsmen erupted in righteous fury. After all, their very existence centered around killing monsters, and monsters held great value. Since the moment they became swordsmen, fighting monsters was part of the job.
Kaien's face froze.
Seriously? I was just about to get my money, and now a monster siege? Couldn't they have waited five minutes for me to collect my reward?
Arthur turned to him. "Mr. Yoriichi, you'll be joining the fight too, right?"
Kaien gave a cold nod.
Arthur beamed. "Fantastic! I get to see your swordsmanship in action again!"
"I will step in—but only if necessary. If monsters appear that you truly can't handle, I'll intervene."
"Of course!"
Kaien nodded and walked away. The rest of the swordsmen had already begun heading out of the city.
Once he confirmed no one was following, Kaien ducked into a quiet alley and canceled his transformation, reverting to his original appearance.
Suddenly, he went from a peerless genius to just a regular guy. The contrast in talent hit hard.
"Ugh, just my luck. A monster tide now of all times? I guess I'll have to wait until it's over to claim my prize."
"Citizens, the monster tide is here! Please evacuate to the arena immediately! I repeat—"
"Citizens, the monster tide is here! Please evacuate to the arena immediately!"
Harsh sirens rang across the city. Those who hadn't been watching the tournament quickly made their way to the arena.
Before long, Erza returned to the inn. "Kaien! A monster tide is coming. Let's join the fight!"
"Alright."
Kaien nodded. Technically, they didn't have to get involved, but Erza's strong sense of justice wouldn't let her just sit back and watch.
Besides, they had accepted a commission. If something happened to the client, it would be their responsibility.
Kaien's motivation was even simpler—he hadn't gotten paid yet. The mission wasn't complete.
The two of them hurried to the city walls.
By the time they arrived, the walls were already packed with people.
"No wonder it's called the Kingdom of Sobea—so many swordsmen."
Erza was amazed. The Fairy Tail guild only had a little over a hundred members, but here, there were easily over ten thousand swordsmen.
"Yeah."
It was Kaien's first time seeing such a large-scale deployment too. It left quite the impression.
Soon, they reached the king's side.
"You've come as well?"
The king was pleased to see Kaien and Erza. Although Erza had lost to Arthur, that was a loss to the kingdom's strongest swordsman.
There was no doubt in the king's mind—Erza was at Nine-Star Swordsman level.
As for Kaien, he didn't know the full extent of his power, but from the intel and the terrifying destruction featured in the papers, Kaien was clearly Nine-Star level as well.
There were barely ten Nine-Star Swordsmen across the entire kingdom—even counting the reclusive ones.
Having two of them on his side was a massive boost to the king's chances.
Erza stepped forward. "Your Majesty, what's going on with this monster tide?"
The king explained, "The appearance of a monster tide is always unpredictable. They usually happen once or twice a year. The main reason is the larger, stronger monsters in the forest driving out the weaker ones. The weaker ones flee, and eventually form a tide."
"A small monster tide might include dozens to hundreds of beasts. A large one could have thousands. But one over 100,000? I've never seen anything like it in my life."
"That's why I suspect… it may be related to the Dragon Alazham."
His expression turned grim.
"Dragon Alazham…"
Both Kaien and Erza grew serious. In any world, dragons sat at the top of the food chain. Especially in the world of Fairy Tail—even the weakest dragons weren't something humans could trifle with.
"Indeed. The power of a dragon is terrifying. I suspect it's controlling stronger monsters to drive the weaker ones into a tide."
"Miss Erza, have you seen Yoriichi Tsugikuni anywhere?"
The king turned to her.
Kaien's heart skipped a beat. Is my cover about to be blown?
Erza shook her head. She had wanted to speak to Yoriichi earlier, but before she could, the monster tide had erupted.
"I wonder if Mr. Yoriichi would be willing to join us in slaying the dragon. Without a doubt, he's the best candidate to wield the sword against such a foe."
Kaien's lips twitched. If he finds out I'm Yoriichi, he might just drop dead from shock.
At that moment—BOOM!
A thunderous rumble echoed across the land.
The ground shook violently.
Everyone tensed, turning their eyes toward the distant forest.
"They're here!!"