The Journey Begins in DanMachi

By the time Valetta reacted and tried to pull back, it was already too late.

Noah's "third hand" dropped down, caught the dagger from his left hand, and drove the gleaming, razor-sharp blade through the swirling cotton fluff, piercing straight into Valetta's lower abdomen!

A wet "squelch" echoed out, the sound of flesh being churned, mingled with Valetta's sharp, ragged intake of breath!

The excruciating pain from her vital point made her pupils dilate; she jerked her head up and let out a deafening, miserable roar.

"My kidney!"

On the north side of the city, in front of the charity food stall.

"Ah! Don't pull me! Don't pull me! I still have so much to talk about with Riveria! Maryu! Setier! You guys say something too!"

"You idiot Alise! What do you think we're doing right now? Is this a party? Get back to work, now!"

"But I'm the captain! The captain!! Riveria! Let's chat again next time!!"

Watching Alise being dragged away by the white-haired werewolf and the black-haired Amazon, Riveria braced herself and forced a smile onto her face.

"Uh, right, sure, let's talk again when there's a chance!"

Once the Astraea Familia had moved far away, the Elven royalty let out a long sigh and couldn't help but rub her temples.

Although Orario was currently shrouded in a tense atmosphere where everyone feared for their own safety, and Riveria was genuinely happy to see a cheerful girl who could lighten everyone's mood, having to bear that level of enthusiasm herself was a bit much.

After all, within her own Familia, she had always maintained a strict demeanor when managing the other members.

She was just like an overly cheerful puppy—no, a giant dog!

Next time, she should just call Gareth; he was probably better at chatting with juniors without standing on ceremony, and he'd likely be able to drink until they were both dancing like madmen.

Muttering these thoughts to herself, Riveria composed her expression, picked up her staff, and turned around.

She hadn't walked more than two steps when she saw the golden-haired girl standing at the edge of the crowd, staring blankly at her surroundings.

The way she looked around, at times surprised and at others disappointed, reminded Riveria of a lost child searching for their parents.

Walking up behind Ais, Riveria saw that the girl hadn't even noticed her presence. She couldn't help but sigh, the emotions in her eyes becoming even more complex than before.

While a life-saving debt certainly deserved to be repaid, the fact that the little girl she had painstakingly raised for a year was now so preoccupied with someone she had only met once left Riveria feeling conflicted.

"Ais, are you looking for that person again?"

The sudden question made Ais's body jolt. She instinctively hunched her shoulders and gripped her sword hilt, only relaxing after turning to see Riveria.

But as she recalled the question the Elven royalty had just posed, the girl's expression grew complicated once more.

"Riveria, I..."

Bewilderment, confusion, hesitation, loss... these emotions were written all over her small face, perfectly embodying the meaning of being at a loss.

Clearly, she wasn't resisting the answer; she truly didn't understand her own thoughts.

Even though she had only caught a faint glimpse of that figure through eyes blurred by blood at the very last second, falling unconscious before she could even see his face, Ais's mind had been involuntarily replaying that scene for days.

When awake, in her dreams, while practicing, while resting, while eating, while sleeping... always, always thinking about it.

In the repeated tracing of her thoughts, the image became increasingly blurred, yet simultaneously more profound.

She could no longer remember the details, but the sensation of being held in his arms still lingered on her skin.

As time passed, it didn't fade; instead, it became clearer, even burning, as if it had seeped deep into her muscles and fused with her bones.

Whenever Ais hugged herself, she could feel that warmth all over again.

But that didn't change the confusion in Ais's heart—she wanted to see that person, yet she didn't know why.

What were the ripples left in her heart at that moment?

Was it the gratitude of being saved at the brink of death?

Was it a desire to learn from him after sensing his strength?

Was it because she felt something like a fatherly presence from him?

It seemed like all of those, yet it felt like none of them.

Otherwise, Ais wouldn't be at a loss for words if she were to meet him.

It was just that a sour, fiery sensation was churning in her chest, stirring up the bitterness, melancholy, and grievances that had long been dammed up inside her.

That sword light, a sword light like moonlight piercing through the pitch-black darkness...

Ais felt like a child who had been stumbling along a dark road for who knows how long; having seen a light that could illuminate the path ahead, she couldn't help but want to pursue it, touch it, and feel it.

This sense of anticipation had been building up, almost to the point of overflowing, to the extent that it even made Ais afraid—what if the person was actually just an ordinary man, someone who couldn't answer her questions or respond to her expectations at all?

Then, Ais felt selfish for only knowing how to demand things from her savior.

"Riveria, will I be able to see him again?"

Riveria couldn't guarantee an answer to that question, as the Loki Familia had been using every channel available to inquire about the person in question over the past few days, yet they had received no concrete information.

"That... it's hard to say. Perhaps you'll see him in a while, or perhaps it could be the very next second—"

The next second, a scream rang out across the city skyline.

"Noah Cipher! You despicable, shameless villain!"

Ais instinctively drew her sword, but the moment she looked toward the source of the voice, she froze in place, a faint smile blooming on her small face.

"Riveria, you're amazing!"

Watching the silver-haired figure entangled with Valetta in the distance, Riveria was also stunned.

When did I ever learn high-level incantation magic?

14 Battle!

"Go to hell!"

Accompanied by a roar, a longsword tore through the air, striking with a piercing shriek.

Facing this strike, Noah narrowed his eyes, planted his feet firmly, gripped the hilt with one hand, and steadied the blade with the other.

Then, he met it head-on!

"Clang--!"

As the blades collided, sparks flew, and a jarring screech of metal on metal echoed out, making one's teeth ache and lungs vibrate.

Although Noah had been prepared, a massive, overwhelming force surged through the sword, forcing his body to slide backward uncontrollably.

His heels left long, scorched marks on the stone pavement, and he only managed to stabilize himself when he was nearly pressed against the wall at the end of the alley.

"Is this the strength of a Level 5 adventurer?"

Flicking his longsword, Noah shook his wrist to dispel the lingering numbness.

Judging by strength alone, the gap seemed a bit large.

No, it should be said that it was extremely large.

Never mind that he hadn't fully recovered from the decisive battle against the Demon King and the subsequent limit-breaking fights; Noah was certain that even in his prime, his strength wouldn't match Valetta's.

What's more, Valetta was clearly not a strength-based warrior.

But, that was merely a gap in raw power.

Noah had almost never fought a battle where he held the advantage; in fact, it could be said that he had always fought from a position of weakness.

Losing to an opponent in strength alone was already a battle with a very small gap.

Combat was never a simple contest of strength, nor was it a contest of any single numerical value. Otherwise, everyone would just display their stats, and the one with the lower numbers would concede—what would be the point of fighting?

If it really came down to it, humanity had never overwhelmed monsters through sheer numbers.

"Hmph! Since you've seen the gap, stop struggling! Die obediently! I'll make it quick for you!"

Having failed to kill Noah instantly with a strike fueled by rage, Valetta was surprised and suddenly grew anxious.

In particular, although the wound piercing through her lower abdomen was merely a "mortal wound" to her, the constant, intense pain radiating throughout her body was shaking her remaining sanity.

Damn it! How hateful! Must kill!

If Valetta had wanted to recruit Noah just moments ago, she hated him all the more now that she realized she had been deceived!

Within this murderous intent, only a small part was humiliation; the rest was wariness!

Whether Noah had planned this in advance or improvised on the spot, the fact that he could deceive her was proof enough of his intellect!

This guy was definitely a more dangerous figure than Finn!

Not to mention, he was still so young, yet he already possessed the strength to contend with her! What would happen if he waited a few more years?

By then, if she had to deal with two people whose hearts were as black as his, wouldn't she be worrying until she went bald?

Although Valetta didn't care about her appearance, seeing the miserable state of Thanatos after he went bald, she still felt that dying in battle was more merciful!

Therefore, for the sake of her hair, she had to kill him!

That was the only thought in Valetta's mind right now!

Facing that gaze filled with violent murderous intent, Nolan—no, Noah—remained expressionless, merely swinging his longsword.

"So what if there's a gap? The thing I've done most in my life is defeat the strong while being weak!"

Under Valetta's astonished gaze, Noah didn't retreat but advanced, taking the initiative to attack!

With a stomp of his feet, he shattered the ground, kicking up a roar and dust like an explosion, and his figure vanished from where he stood.

The silver blade cut through the air, transforming into a scattering of brilliance under the sunlight, striking with the speed of wind and lightning.

Just as Valetta reacted, the blade was already upon her, and her pupils constricted sharply.

She instinctively retreated while raising her sword to parry.

But unexpectedly, the sword light, which had radiated such a violent aura, dissipated like mist upon the slightest contact; she felt no resistance at all.

At the same time, Valetta felt a sharp, stinging pain on her face and instinctively tilted her head.

The next instant, although the tip of the sword missed, the sword qi still sliced her cheek, drawing several droplets of blood that scattered into the air.

"You!"

The injured Valetta tried to roar, but she was forced back by Noah's even swifter sword momentum, and all the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.

She instinctively retreated, but the slash pursued her relentlessly.

The dissipating sword energy shattered the walls, and a gale blew away the swirling dust, immediately followed by the silver-haired boy launching a thunderous assault.

The two chased out of the alley, leaped onto the rooftops, and then jumped down onto the main street.

The sharp blade left countless afterimages, and wherever the hissing whistle of the sword swept, everything was sliced into fragments.

Valetta swung her sword to parry, but the moment the blade light made contact, it seemed to turn into flowing water, bypassing her defense and leaving wounds all over her body, rendering her unable to exert any strength!

Technique!

It was a gap in technique!

Although she completely overwhelmed him in strength and speed, the disparity in their swordsmanship was even greater!

She had actually lost in technique to this brat!!

Realizing this, Valetta's lips twisted in fury.

Finally, as the chase reached the top of a large bungalow, she simply abandoned her defense and swung her greatsword at Noah with the ferocious intensity of a wild beast.

Facing the horizontal slash that made the air hiss and wail, Noah bent backward, dodging by a hair's breadth, and then thrust his sword out without even looking.

Like an antelope hanging by its horns, there was nowhere to hide.

The blade grazed Valetta's arm, instantly slicing through flesh and bone, and blood sprayed into the air!