Chapter 378

A strange glint also appeared in his ferocious eyes.

But Maria did not respond to the other party's gesture. Instead, she silently drew her sword and walked over step by step...

Maria suddenly remembered something...

A little something about my childhood.

Long ago, she was just an ordinary girl.

Hmm... that might not be the right way to put it, after all, Cainhurst himself already carries a hint of the unusual.

Of course, Maria's physical unusualness did not mean that she was particularly special in personality.

Like other children, she needed her parents' company to fall asleep when she was young.

Even so, she could still easily defeat those who tried to trespass into Cainhurst's territory.

However, such brute force is not invincible.

When faced with that massive sword that was over two meters tall, no matter how hard she tried, she could only barely lift it a little bit.

According to other members of the family, even after they reached adulthood, they found it difficult to use this weapon freely.

This puzzled Maria; why would her family keep such a weapon in their collection room?

Unfortunately, she didn't find the answers to her questions from her own family members.

It happened on that ordinary day, which seemed so abrupt.

A human has arrived in the territory of Cainhurst.

He charged in alone, without any help or support, carrying a massive hammer even larger than the greatsword Maria had seen!

Maria still remembers the solemn expressions on the faces of her family members at that time, and she also remembers the man's calm and resolute expression.

He was clad in black armor, wielding a heavy hammer, and charged toward all of Cainhurst's men.

The heavy weapons that were extremely difficult for them to handle were as light as feathers in the man's hands.

Each swing of the sword stirs up a gust of wind.

Even weapons that Maria couldn't lift were wielded with tremendous force in his hands, their momentum like a raging torrent!

Even if the entire family eventually intervened, defeated him, and executed him on the spot.

But that disdainful smile remained on the man's face until the very last moment.

This world doesn't set rules for anyone; Cainhurst was never destined to be at the top.

The man's appearance was just a simple stroke in Maria's life, but it made her realize that humanity possesses the ability to bring miracles down to earth...

In terms of ability, talent, and innate qualities, Maria's talent far surpasses that of ordinary humans. However, she never imagined that a mere human could force the entire Cainhurst family to take action.

Even in the final battle, the man was not considered a loser.

He had already killed far too many people before entering the castle, yet he still possessed the ability to fight to the very end.

He wanted to retreat, but the others still couldn't do anything about it.

However... after meeting someone, he chose to kill himself until he was exhausted and died.

Maria was unaware of any details about what had happened that she didn't know.

But she knew.

"Humans... are really amazing..."

Maria looked up at the ferocious beast kneeling before her, her face indifferent as she surveyed the surrounding city that had been plundered into flat land.

The remaining guards around them stared in astonishment.

Maria calmly placed her foot on the Great Beast's lowered head.

The bloodied Shanhai Assembly standing nearby stared in astonishment at the scene.

The deep-seated obsessions in their minds were ruthlessly crushed at this moment, and Maria looked down at everything around her with pride, her eyes slightly lowered.

Before her, the Great Beast continued to struggle, but in a corner unnoticed by anyone, flames coiled around its body, suppressing it relentlessly.

This is the price it pays for deceiving that person...

Maria looked down at her opponent and silently raised her longsword.

Then...

Fall...

"Pfft."

Humanity triumphed over the Great Beast.

The news spread as fast as a storm.

On the Imperial Court's side, the teams originally prepared to receive the refugees have now become mere background figures, especially after the central authorities confirmed the truth of the matter, and a surge of elation almost instantly overwhelmed them.

Li Zhenfang, who should have been dismissed for failing to stop the Shanhai Assembly, not only escaped unscathed but was even promoted several ranks.

However, Li Zhenfang did not accept the honor, stating that his home was in the South River and he simply couldn't spare the time. Moreover, he said that what he did was merely a belated attempt to salvage the situation, so he was not worthy of the honor.

He accepted the reward but then devoted all his efforts to the restoration of South River City.

Although Maria had been trying to restrain herself in the fight, it was, after all, a battle involving Great Beast, and the destruction was simply uncontrollable.

Half of South River City was destroyed in this battle, and it will certainly take a lot of effort to restore it.

But unexpectedly, apart from a small minority, most people did not dwell on the pain of the past. Instead, they were filled with enthusiasm and began to actively repair their homes.

Maria, meanwhile, sat quietly in a corner with Sui, watching all of this unfold.

"As per your request, we have given the soldiers a gag order; they will not reveal what you have done. We have also imprisoned all the other Shanhai Assembly on death row..."

A figure stood behind Maria, slowly reporting on the events of the past few days.

Because so few people were still conscious after that battle, Maria's actions were largely unknown to most people except for a select few.

Maria was supposed to be reported as well, but for some reason, no information about Maria was left in the final report.

This was certainly not because Li Zhenfang concealed anything.

In fact, given Li Zhenfang's personality, even if Maria told him not to mention her, Li Zhenfang would probably still secretly write a letter, then come over with his sword to apologize to Maria.

So Maria didn't let the other person hide it, but instead had them write a few more lines explaining that she didn't want any reputation and that she would go to Hundred Stoves herself later.

If the other person isn't stupid, they should be able to understand the meaning of these words.

And indeed, the facts proved that Maria's trust was not in question; Hundred Stoves showed goodwill towards Maria, who was fighting the Great Beast alone.

Following Maria's account, they did not announce what Maria had done.

But they arranged for someone to come and meet them.

Of course... while it's called a rendezvous, it's actually more about surveillance.

After all, beings of this caliber, unless they've lost their minds, would never truly allow someone to roam freely within their own country.

"Knew."

Maria turned her head and looked at the solemn-faced girl beside her, nodding slightly.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Zuo Zheng."

"That is our mission."

The woman looked at Maria.

Maria had already changed out of her usual hunting clothes and, to avoid looking too out of place, she put on a beautiful and delicate black long dress.

Her fair hair was carefully tied up, revealing her slender, white neck.

His calm and aloof demeanor appeared even more dashing and capable at this moment.

There is a sense of fragility yet resilience.

Even Zuo Zheng, who was wholeheartedly devoted to the Great Yan, couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Are there really women this beautiful in this world?

However, she only muttered a few words to herself before silently turning away.

Although her mission was to observe Maria, South River City was in dire need of reconstruction, and she also needed to help Li Zhenfang with other matters.

After the other person left, the man in the white dress slowly muttered to himself.

"I didn't lose..."

Are you still worrying about this?

Maria turned her head to look at the other person and sighed softly.

"Certainly."

The little girl pouted and showed Maria the back of her head.

She and Maria had clearly agreed that the bet was whether humanity could ultimately defeat the Great Beast.

If she wins, Maria will have to fight her with all her might.

But in the end... Maria, showing no martial virtue, actually took matters into her own hands!

"That's cheating!"

I don't think so...

Maria shook her head.

"I already said I was human when we first met, didn't I?"

"You..."

"In that case, as a human being, it's only natural for me to help other humans, right?"

Maria's voice was calm, but her words made Sui feel deceived.

But what Maria said was indeed correct.

From the very first time they met, Maria consistently emphasized that she was human. Under these circumstances, Maria's actions were indeed not problematic...

But...

"I refuse to accept this!"

The girl puffed out her cheeks, still fuming.

Maria didn't have a good solution to this, and could only watch as the other side struggled.

But soon, someone came to break the silence.

"Gentlemen, the City Lord requests your presence."

A guard found Maria and the girl, and bowed slightly...

When Maria and the others arrived at the still relatively intact city lord's mansion, the crowd had been waiting for quite some time.

Li Zhenfang also paused his conversation with the others, silently approached Maria, and bowed deeply.

"Miss Maria, the caravan is ready for you."

Li Zhenfang began to speak.

Maria blinked for a moment before she suddenly realized what the other person was saying.

When she and Sui arrived in this city, they had already told each other that their final destination was Hundred Stoves.

But since the convoy had already set off, they had no choice but to wait a while longer.

Originally, this was just something I mentioned briefly.

But to my surprise, Li Zhenfang actually remembered it all along.

"Grateful."

Maria nodded slightly, while Li Zhenfang only sighed.