The Unidentified Expert
Below the sheer cliffs where Rivira Town is located, the lake ripples gently, as if a breeze is blowing across it, creating a breathtaking scene.
However, the moment the sharp sound of a grass flute rang out from the town, the ripples on the lake suddenly began to expand, shattering the tacit peace.
"Bang!"
A splash of water erupted, and a colossal figure burst forth from beneath the surface.
--"Heng,,"iHeng, iWei,"iHeng,, Heng, As if it triggered a chain reaction, one after another, water droplets exploded on the surface of the water, revealing countless enormous figures one after another.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!!!"
A roar like a broken gong emanated from the mouths of these figures, rumbling and vibrating through the air.
Before long, the water droplets fell, revealing the full form of the enormous figure, illuminated by the radiance emitted from the crystals on the dome.
It was a monster with a slender body and smooth skin. The front of its body had no eyes or other organs, only a slightly swollen shape like a sunflower seed. Its whole body was a pale yellowish-green, giving people an uncomfortable feeling.
The monster resembled a faceless snake, its long body writhing on the water's surface, with bizarre tentacles sprouting from its sides and wriggling along with its body.
As they emitted a distorted gong-like sound, they raised the front part of their bodies, from which several lines split open, like countless petals blooming, slowly revealing a head with vibrant colors, seemingly concealing deadly poison, and in the center a huge mouth filled with teeth and dripping with mucus.
It didn't look like a faceless snake at all, but rather like a ferocious flower.
Man-Eating Flower that is both ferocious and ugly.
One after another, the Man-Eating Flower plants emerged from the water, their tentacles branching out from their bodies and dancing around them. Their main bodies swam on the surface of the water like snakes, heading towards the precipice.
Soon, they climbed up the cliff one by one, arrived in front of Rivira Town, and then crossed the towering city walls, charging into the town where adventurers gathered.
"Monster!"
"Monsters are attacking!"
"Help! Someone, come quick!"
The townspeople only realized then that a monster had invaded their town. They turned pale and fled in panic, shouting as they went.
"Bang!"
The Man-Eating Flower monster then displayed an unusual ferocity and aggression, destroying buildings in the town, crushing tents and huts, and then surging towards the fleeing people like a tide, plunging the entire town into panic instantly.
"What... what is this?!"
Because they lost sight of Leo and his companions as they suddenly accelerated into the dark alleyway, Lefiya Viridis and the others, who were forced to wander the streets, were dumbfounded as they watched the unexpected monster attack.
"Miss Tiona! Miss Tione!"
Lefiya Viridis finally came to her senses and spoke in a flustered manner, but before she could speak, Tiona and Tione had already drawn their weapons and rushed towards the approaching Man-Eating Flower.
"Take this!"
Tiona's movements remained wide and sweeping. She raised her large double blades high and brought them down heavily, cleanly slicing a Man-Eating Flower monster in two with a "thud," causing green blood to splatter everywhere.
"These monsters—"
Tione stared at the colorful bodies of the Man-Eating Flower, his brows furrowing as if he had made a connection to something. But his hands moved swiftly, his two recurve blades flashing like lightning, easily severing a tentacle that one of the Man-Eating Flower was swinging, causing it to let out a painful howl.
The sight of the two men fighting bravely seemed to give the routed, unscrupulous merchants in the small town some confidence.
Hey! You guys! Stop running around like that!
"We're going up too!"
This town is our property!
"How can we allow the Loki Familia to swagger around on our territory?"
A group of fierce-looking adventurers roared and brandished their weapons as they charged towards the Man-Eating Flower.
The Man-Eating Flower monster, which could be easily dealt with by Tiona and Tione, displayed terrifying strength when facing these adventurers.
Some of the adventurers who rushed forward were whipped away by countless outstretched tentacles before they even touched them, or were knocked away by the carnivorous Man-Eating Flower that crawled like snakes, their bodies thrown into the air. Some were even bitten by the ugly mouths full of sharp teeth, unable to even let out a howl, only able to flap their legs and struggle desperately.
Of course, some adventurers did manage to hit these man- Man-Eating Flower, but their attacks were deflected as if they were hitting steel, failing to inflict any effective damage on these Man-Eating Flower monsters.
"No, no! I have to run away!"
"What kind of monster is this? We can't beat it at all!"
"Run!"
"Help!"
Seeing the vanguard who rushed forward become cannon fodder one after another, the remaining adventurers screamed and fled in all directions without any regard for consequences.
Tiona and Tione could only watch dumbfounded as these shameless adventurers, like helpless civilians, panicked and ran to every corner of the town, pursued by numerous Man-Eating Flower. For a moment, they couldn't believe these people were their fellow adventurers.
"----Although I already knew that the people in this town were all unscrupulous and only knew how to cheat people, wasn't their escape a bit too fast?"
"A bunch of spineless cowards! You deserve your bad luck!"
Tiona looked speechless, while Tione was furious.
There was nothing they could do; there were simply too many Man-Eating Flower monsters that had invaded the town. Although the two of them were trying to clear them out, they were eventually surrounded and were now unable to break through the encirclement.
They had been hoping these guys would lend a hand and provide assistance, but who would have thought that these bastards would run away without a second thought, making their fight seem particularly clownish.
"[The arrow of liberation, the bow of sacred wood, I am a master archer.]"
"[Snipe them, fairy archers!]"
"[Pierce through! The arrow will surely hit its mark.]"
Finally, Lefiya Viridis raised her wand towards Tiona and Tione and loudly chanted a spell.
"[Arcs Ray]!"
This is Lefiya Viridis's first spell, a single-target spell with an automatic tracking effect, and it's a short, chanted spell.
Although it was just a short, single-target spell, in Lefiya Viridis's hands, it wasn't a beam of light at all, but rather a massive pillar of light.
"Boom!"
The beam of light swept across the street, ripped through the soil, blew away layers of rock, and struck the Man-Eating Flower monsters, blasting a large number of them away on the spot.
This attack rescued the Amazon twins from their encirclement, but it also provoked a strong reaction from the Man-Eating Flower monsters.
Immediately, the Man-Eating Flower monsters in the surrounding area abandoned their pursuit of the remaining soldiers and their destruction of buildings, and all surged towards Lefiya Viridis.
W-what?
Lefiya Viridis never expected that she would become the target of everyone's attacks simply by casting a spell. She froze, unable to move, as the roaring, Man-Eating Flower monsters charged towards her.
"Lefiya Viridis!"
Tiona kicked through the ground and swept in like a whirlwind, slaying several Man-Eating Flower with a single strike before landing in front of Lefiya Viridis and protecting her.
"These monsters, just like those disgusting things, all react abnormally strongly to Demonic Power!"
Tione charged forward, brandishing his recurve blade. With one stroke, he severed the body of a Man-Eating Flower, and with another, he decapitated it. His face was terrifyingly grim.
She had already guessed the origin of these Man-Eating Flower monsters.
Or perhaps she made some connection to these Man-Eating Flower monsters.
The Amazon twins raised their weapons and confronted a large group of attacking Man-Eating Flower monsters.
Protected by the two behind her, Lefiya Viridis dared not use magic recklessly at this moment, and could only watch the twins fighting with their backs against the wall and the town being destroyed by monsters step by step.
The long, large Man-Eating Flower rampaged through the town, crashing around like a snake. With a casual swipe of its tentacles, it sent tents and huts flying. Its colorful petals floated in the chaos as it ravaged rocks, crystals, people, and everything else, leaving behind a continuous, mournful wail that lingered for a long time.
On the other side of the cliff, a large group of Man-Eating Flower monsters continued to climb up, like a school of fish leaping over a waterfall, rushing into the town one after another to join this destructive feast. Half of the town turned into the yellowish-green color of the monsters, showing that the number of monsters was gradually increasing.
Danger was approaching, and her companions were fighting valiantly, causing the elven girl's azure eyes to tremble slightly.
"Miss Ais ----Mr Leo ----!"
The girl could only helplessly call out the names of the two who had disappeared.
Little did they know, at that very moment, Leo and Ais were also in danger.
"Clang!!!"
Amidst a metallic clang like the striking of bells, the silver saber and the heterochromatic longsword clashed for what seemed like the umpteenth time, scattering intense sparks.
The fierce battle between Ais and the mysterious woman continues, and is even escalating.
--
The two figures were moving so fast that even Leo couldn't see them clearly anymore. All he could see was a flash of swords and the damage caused by the fierce sword fight, leaving marks on the ground, walls, and buildings of the alley.
The longsword, raised high and swung wildly, and the saber, flashing at lightning speed, both danced wildly, making the wind whistle, striking and ringing against each other.
The collision created a rapid and intense symphony, leaving onlookers deeply moved.
"The wind, oh one"
Ais had already unleashed her prized wind magic, her body enveloped in invisible currents of energy, and slashed wildly at the mysterious woman.
However, facing Ais, whose strength had increased dramatically, the mysterious woman not only kept up with her movements and displayed astonishing strength that was no less than Ais's, but also seemed to have discovered some great surprise. Her cold expression had vanished, replaced by a sudden change in surprise and excitement.
"So you were here! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
That tone was completely different from before.
Ais frowned slightly, but was not disturbed by the other party's inexplicable attitude. Surrounded by surging air currents, she raised her hand and slashed, cutting a wooden house in two with a single stroke.
The mysterious woman leaped into the air before being struck, dodging the sword. Therefore, all the damage was absorbed by the wooden house. Only the world around the wooden house—no, the places Ais and the mysterious woman passed through during their fight—was inevitably injured.
Without a second thought, Ais gave chase and engaged the mysterious woman in another fierce battle.
The two were equally matched in every aspect—ability, skill, experience, combat prowess, and so on—so strong that even Lulune, who was hiding to the side with her head in her hands, couldn't help but shout.
"Who is that woman? How can she be so strong?!"
Lulune can completely understand Ais so strong.
After all, the name of [Sword Princess] had already resounded throughout the entire Lower World, and the title of the strongest female swordswoman in the city was known to everyone. Even though Lulune had never seen Ais fight and was frightened by the amazing strength Ais displayed, she still did not feel surprised.
But that mysterious woman was different.
To fight Ais to a draw when she uses her full power, including magic, means that Ais must be at least a level one adventurer.
Lv.5----or even Lv.6, otherwise it would be impossible for him to be a match for [Sword Princess].
How many Level 1 adventurers are there in the entire Orario?
Less than forty!
At level 6, there are fewer than ten!
Among these fewer than ten Lv.6 individuals, there wasn't a single woman who wielded a longsword, possessed exceptional skills, and appeared to be human.
The Hermes Familia has always been involved in intelligence gathering. Lulune may not know a lot of secrets, but she shouldn't be so ignorant as to not recognize such a powerful adventurer. Logically speaking, such an adventurer should have become famous long ago, or even be known throughout the world. It's illogical that she couldn't recognize him.
Was that person's face actually a human skin mask, and not their real face at all?
But that voluptuous, alluring body must be real, right?
There's simply no female swordsman with such a great figure at level 6!
Or is the other person from outside the city?
Even if those Dungeon the city receive Blessing of the Gods, the lack of dungeons and endless monsters to hunt, challenge, and gain experience makes leveling up much more difficult than for adventurers within the city. Only a handful can reach Lv.2, let alone Lv.6; you could probably find very few even if you searched the entire Lower World.
To reiterate, it's illogical that someone of this caliber couldn't be recognized.
Compared to Lulune, who was filled with doubt, Leo didn't think about it that complicatedly.
Even setting aside the fact that he already knew the other party's identity, given his current situation, it's not appropriate for him to overthink things.
"Bang!!!"
With a deafening roar, numerous Man-Eating Flower monsters crashed through buildings and charged in from the outside, attacking Leo.
"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh----!"
The roar of the broken gong rose and fell, causing Leo to narrow his eyes and his expression to turn icy cold.