I'll Step In

"The award ceremony will now begin!"

"Please welcome the champion, Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, to the stage!!"

Standing on the podium, Qi Yan let out a long breath of relief. "It's finally over." He was also a little excited. He was finally going to get paid—20 million J. That was equivalent to one million yuan. He would not have dared dream that he could earn so much money all at once.

"Mr. Yoriichi, only after meeting you did I understand what it means that there is always someone greater beyond you, and a sky beyond the sky. Thanks to you, I have found the direction I need to move toward."

Arthur looked at Qi Yan with a face full of admiration. After Qi Yan had swung that sword, he had completely become Qi Yan's fan.

Qi Yan nodded. "Your talent is very good, both in magic power and swordsmanship. As long as you train diligently, I believe your strength will rise to another level within a few years."

At that moment, someone with a panicked expression hurried to the commentator's booth and whispered something to the announcer.

The announcer was stunned. "What?! Something like this actually happened?!"

He immediately picked up the microphone and announced:

"Sorry, citizens! The award ceremony may have to be postponed!"

"According to the latest information, at least one hundred thousand monsters from the Great Monster Forest are surging this way!"

"His Majesty has already placed the army on the highest alert!"

"All citizens are now requested to take shelter in the arena. Those already here must not leave. Besides serving as an arena, this place is also the city's shelter. A barrier can be activated to withstand the monsters' attacks. At the same time, His Majesty has summoned every swordfighter in the city to resist this Monster Tide!"

"What?!"

"One hundred thousand monsters?!"

"That number is way too high!"...

Many citizens were startled upon hearing the number. That was nearly one-tenth of all the monsters in the Great Monster Forest, wasn't it? They had never seen so many monsters come to attack the city.

"Those monsters should have stayed obediently in the Great Monster Forest, yet they dared charge out! Then we'll make sure they never return!"

"Brothers! The time has come for us to advance to higher ranks as swordfighters!!"

"That's right! That's right!!"...

Upon hearing that monsters were attacking, many swordfighters shouted indignantly.

Swordfighters like them existed to kill monsters. Monsters themselves were highly valuable, and from the moment they became swordfighters, they had fought monsters.

Qi Yan's expression suddenly froze.

No, I was about to collect my money, and suddenly there was a monster siege? Couldn't they have waited a few more minutes until after I got paid?

Arthur turned his gaze to Qi Yan. "Mr. Yoriichi, you'll definitely join the battle, right?"

Qi Yan nodded coldly.

Arthur said happily, "That's great! I'll get to see Mr. Yoriichi use his swordsmanship again!"

"I'll step in, but it depends on the situation. If you encounter any monsters you truly cannot handle, I'll act then."

"Of course!"

Qi Yan nodded and walked away. At the same time, countless swordfighters were rushing toward the city gates.

After confirming that no one was following him, Qi Yan found an empty corner and canceled his transformation, returning to his original appearance.

Qi Yan immediately felt as if he had gone from an unparalleled genius back to an idiot.

The gap in talent was simply far too obvious.

"Ugh, what rotten luck. I never expected a Monster Tide to come at a time like this. I can only wait until it passes before collecting my prize."

"Citizens! The Monster Tide has arrived! Please proceed to the arena immediately to take shelter! I repeat..."

"Citizens! The Monster Tide has arrived! Please proceed to the arena immediately to take shelter!"

Piercing alarms rang out over the entire city. Many citizens who had not gone to the arena to watch the matches swiftly headed there.

Before long, Erza returned to the inn. "Qi Yan! The Monster Tide is here. Let's join the battle too!"

"Alright!"

Qi Yan nodded. Logically, there was no need for them to take part in this battle, but Erza's sense of justice would not allow her to stand by and do nothing.

Besides, they had already accepted the commission. If something happened to the client, it would be their responsibility.

Qi Yan's reason was even simpler. He had not received his money yet, and the job was not complete.

The two quickly headed for the city wall.

At that moment, the area atop and below the walls was already packed with people.

"As expected of the Swordfighter Nation. There are actually so many swordfighters."

Erza was deeply shocked as she looked at the vast number of swordfighters. The Fairy Tail Guild had only a little over a hundred members in total, while the number of swordfighters here had already surpassed ten thousand.

"Yeah."

It was also Qi Yan's first time seeing such a huge scene, and he was truly stunned.

Soon, Qi Yan and Erza arrived beside the king.

"You two came as well."

The king was very pleased to see Qi Yan and Erza. Although Erza had lost to Arthur, she had lost to the strongest swordfighter in their Sobeia Kingdom.

There was no doubt that Erza possessed the strength of a Nine-Star Swordsman.

He did not know Qi Yan's strength, but according to the intelligence reports, the terrifying traces of destruction shown in the newspapers proved without doubt that this man was also at the Nine-Star level.

Even including those living in seclusion, there were fewer than ten Nine-Star Swordsmen in the entire Sobeia Kingdom.

With two such powerful helpers, his plan would undoubtedly have a greater chance of success.

Erza asked, "Your Majesty, what is this Monster Tide?"

The king explained, "The appearance of Monster Tides is unpredictable. There are usually one or two of them every year, more or less. The primary cause is powerful monsters in the Great Monster Forest driving out weaker ones. The weaker monsters flee, gradually forming a Monster Tide."

"A small Monster Tide may consist of dozens to hundreds of monsters. A large one may contain thousands or tens of thousands. But in all my years, this is the first time I have encountered a Monster Tide with over one hundred thousand monsters."

"So I suspect it is very likely connected to Demon Dragon Alazam!"

The king spoke with a grave expression.

"Demon Dragon Alazam..."

Qi Yan and Erza's expressions both darkened. No matter what world they were in, dragons stood at the top of the food chain. This was especially true in the world of Fairy Tail—even the weakest dragons were not something humans could contend with.

"That's right! The Demon Dragon's power is terrifying. I suspect it controlled powerful monsters to drive out these weaker ones, triggering this Monster Tide."

"Miss Erza, have you seen Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"

The king looked at Erza and asked.

Qi Yan's heart skipped a beat. Could my disguise have been exposed? Erza merely shook her head. She had wanted to speak with Yoriichi Tsugikuni earlier, but before she had the chance, this incident had occurred.

"I truly wonder whether Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni would be willing to join us in subjugating the Demon Dragon. He is undoubtedly the best candidate to wield the sword."

Qi Yan's mouth twitched. If the king learned that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was Qi Yan himself, he wondered whether the man's jaw would drop.

Just then, Rumble—!

A deafening roar rang out, followed by the violent shaking of the entire ground.

Everyone's nerves immediately tightened as all eyes turned toward the distant forest.

"They're here!!"