Chapter 78 New target, Ais becomes bait?
The blonde girl, wreathed in a gentle breeze, darted and leaped above the bustling Northeast Avenue, never stopping for a moment.
Her gaze, sharp as a sword, searched repeatedly, yet she failed to catch the trace of the last white ape monster.
Despite the brief encounter, Ais still sensed something was amiss.
These monsters, having escaped from the arena, were different from ordinary monsters.
They weren't intent on harming people or destroying property; instead, they seemed to be anxiously searching for something, their movements erratic.
A strange sense of unease gripped Ais; she channeled her magic, and the azure aura around her became even more solid, lifting the girl higher into the air.
'No, I still can't find it.'
Just as Ais felt her efforts were futile, the ground beneath her feet suddenly heaved!
Amidst a roar, three grotesque man-eating plant monsters burst from the earth, opening their gaping maws to bite upwards!
"What's this!?"
Ais instinctively blocked with her sword, but she forgot that it wasn't her usual beloved blade; this spare weapon simply couldn't withstand such a powerful blow.
Bang!
The slender, silvery sword snapped with a sound, fragments scattering, then swept around by her protective azure aura.
Ais used the impact of the man-eating plant monsters to swiftly spin her body, narrowly dodging the giant maws spewing corrosive liquid.
She backhanded the remaining hilt towards the nearest man-eating plant, used it as a stepping stone to its head, and lightly landed back on the ground, her expression more serious than ever before.
"More new monsters escaped from the arena?"
"I wouldn't be so sure; these guys crawled out from the underground waterway."
"Hmm? Arthur?"
The girl's soft exclamation was almost swallowed by the sudden rush of wind; Arthur descended from the sky, tilting his head to gesture to the unarmed Sword Princess.
"Dispel your magic, step back, leave this to me."
Ais looked at the three man-eating plant monsters lurking nearby, retreating as she warned, "Be careful, these monsters' hides are exceptionally tough."
Arthur nodded slightly, his gaze firmly fixed on every move of the man-eating plants.
Indeed.
The moment Ais dispelled her magic, the previously frantic monsters quieted down, their huge floral heads swaying blankly.
'It seems their target isn't just high-quality magic, but they also react to specific magic fluctuations.'
'Ais also harbors a secret.'
Arthur's lips curved into a knowing smile, and the invisible wind pressure above the holy sword gathered even more terrifyingly!
The man-eating plant monsters, swaying indecisively, sensed the familiar magic fluctuations and let out a series of low roars!
They all turned, choosing to twist their bodies and crawl away, showing no intention of attacking?
Arthur frowned at this, swinging his longsword from bottom to top, carving out a fierce circular storm!
The tornado violently devoured the three man-eating plant monsters, and wherever it passed, bricks and stones flew, and the street was brutally plowed into dark trenches!
Deafening roars echoed above Northeast Avenue, and the tourists and adventurers who had sought refuge following the Guild's guidance all looked in horror at the terrifying pillar of wind connecting heaven and earth!
"What is that thing?"
"Someone is using wide-area annihilation magic on the street?"
"Is it really necessary to be so exaggerated to deal with a few escaped monsters?"
"For a moment, it's hard to tell whether the adventurers or the monsters caused more destruction."
...
After a long while, the storm subsided.
Fine gravel rustled down from mid-air, striking the broken walls and ruins with a crackling sound.
Arthur stood in the center of the empty street, looking down at the pockmarked ground.
Such a massive magic explosion, yet it didn't trigger any other anomalies?
It seems there were only three man-eating plant monsters in this vicinity.
Before long, Loki and her group arrived, drawn by the commotion.
The goddess, who favored beauty, immediately spotted Ais, eagerly rushing forward to offer comfort and warmth, her hands playfully attempting to grope her.
Ais was in a foul mood at the moment, not wanting to joke around with Loki, she simply took out her spare weapon, which now only consisted of a sheath, and said softly, "This... is broken."
Loki chuckled, waving her hand dismissively, "As long as you're alright, just remember to apologize to that old man Gubniu later."
With that, Loki strolled over to Arthur, standing on her tiptoes.
Looking at the street before her, which truly appeared to have been ravaged by a hurricane, the deity's face showed undisguised schadenfreude.
"You're playing big this time? Let me tell you now, if the Guild imposes a fine, you're paying it yourself!"
Misha, the Guild receptionist who had come along, quickly waved her hands, hastily explaining, "No, no! Mr. Arthur is assisting the Guild in handling an emergency, why would the Guild fine him for that?"
Eina, also a receptionist, blinked, her expression complex, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start, only a look of helplessness remained on her face.
Even if it was assisting the Guild with cleanup, the extent of the damage was a bit... excessive, wasn't it?
Arthur had no time to consider the feelings of the two receptionist ladies; he looked at Loki, subtly giving her a meaningful glance.
Loki understood, clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, and said with a chuckle, "Alright, alright, there's a lot of cleanup work to do, don't just stand around here being lazy!"
Following that, the casual deity began issuing commands, directing Tiona and others to assist the two receptionist ladies with search and rescue and clearing the area.
...
Once everyone had dispersed, Loki found a protruding broken wall and sat down casually, observing the pensive Arthur with interest.
"Alright, the little girls are all busy, what do you, young man, want to tell me?"
Arthur calmly nodded: "I suspect you know who caused trouble at the Guild-sponsored Monster Festival."
Loki grinned: "Of course, the other party didn't even bother to hide it; the modus operandi was so obvious, it would be hard not to know."
Arthur continued to press: "Are you aware that there were two groups of people disrupting the Monster Festival?"
Loki clicked her tongue, the look of schadenfreude on her face deepening a bit.
"At first, I really didn't know, but after meeting up with Tiona and the others, I figured it out, and now—"
"The Guild and that idiot Ganesha Familia are going to have a headache."
The original intention of the Monster Festival was to ease the tension between the public and adventurers.
The Guild hoped to change the public's ingrained violent perception of adventurers through non-bloody taming demonstrations.
To make them realize that adventurers are heroes capable of protecting the city and fighting monsters.
Now, due to the Ganesha Familia's negligence, the escape of monsters has resulted in numerous injured tourists and heavy losses for merchants.
It's likely that for some time to come, the Guild and the Ganesha Familia will have to walk on eggshells.
Arthur glanced at the spirited Loki, who was clearly enjoying the chaos, and added a calm jab, "Don't laugh; I don't know what the group who released the arena monsters is plotting, but the other group is after Ais."
Loki's smile froze, a cold glint flashing in her narrow eyes, her tone instantly deepening, "Are you sure?"
Arthur shrugged: "Those man-eating plant monsters actively sense Ais, or more precisely, they sense Ais's magic."
Upon hearing this, Loki's body imperceptibly trembled, her eyelids lowered, and she fell silent.
Arthur's eyebrow slightly raised, having already anticipated Loki's reaction.
He no longer beat around the bush, asking directly, "Loki, that girl Ais... is she really human?"
Loki suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief, she opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.
No, buddy!
I haven't said anything yet, how did you guess?