A few moments earlier.
"UAAAAHHH…!!!"
A deafening cheer erupted within the Coliseum, creating a wave of sound that echoed throughout the stands.
In the center of the arena, a Tamer from the Ganesha Familia had just issued a command, and the once-ferocious monster now sat quietly, subdued under their control.
Monsterphilia, the annual festival that always drew large crowds, reached its climax with the main event—a demonstration of Tamers taming various monsters.
Three girls sat in one of the stands with the best view. Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya had arrived early to ensure they didn't miss the exciting moments.
Tiona's eyes sparkled as she watched a large dragon enter the arena, its body glistening under the morning sun.
"Whoa! They actually brought a dragon?" Tiona exclaimed, bouncing slightly in her seat.
"It doesn't seem like it's from the Dungeon." Tione squinted, carefully observing the monster.
Most monsters born outside the Dungeon were much weaker, but dragons were always strong.
Around the arena, Tamers struggled to control the dragon with large chains, while some members of the Ganesha Familia appeared restless on the sidelines.
Lefiya, more sensitive to the atmosphere, asked hesitantly, "Do you guys feel like something's off?"
The Amazon twins finally noticed the same thing.
Out of the corner of their eyes, several adventurers from the Ganesha Familia were pacing around, their faces filled with anxiety. They whispered to each other before running toward the VIP stands, where the God Ganesha was likely seated.
"Why do they look so panicked?" Tione's brow furrowed.
The cheers in the stands were still loud, but the atmosphere among some adventurers and Ganesha Familia members was growing tense.
"Should we go and ask?" Tiona finally spoke, looking at her twin sister and Lefiya.
Tione paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, something's not right here."
Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya hurriedly made their way through the rows of spectators sitting in the stands. Some people protested as they blocked their view, but they ignored them.
Once they reached the aisle, they ran toward the exit.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A crowd had gathered around members of the Ganesha Familia and the Guild, who were busy organizing an evacuation.
Loki stood among them, speaking with a Guild employee named Misha.
"What are Ganesha's kids up to, Misha?" She asked casually, but her eyes were sharp as she observed the situation.
Misha, who looked anxious, quickly replied.
"Uh, um, well, they're trying to protect the citizens. We're working with them to evacuate the eastern block."
Loki smirked slightly, watching the adventurers of the Ganesha Familia attempting to form a battle formation. Unfortunately, they looked disorganized.
"Hrrm… Can't expect much from them in this situation. Well, it's best to leave this to Aiz-tan."
As Loki spoke, the roar of a monster echoed from a distance, signaling that the situation was worsening.
Suddenly—
"Loki!"
A loud voice made Loki turn her head.
Three girls—Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya—ran toward her with serious expressions.
"What's going on?!" Tione asked bluntly.
"Frankly, a few monsters managed to escape. I heard they're still nearby."
"What?!" Lefiya covered her mouth, her face pale. "That's bad, really bad!"
The three girls immediately bombarded Loki with questions, but the goddess only smirked slightly, seemingly unbothered by their panic. Calmly, she began issuing orders.
"Relax, Aiz-tan's got this."
"Is Aiz-sama already engaged in battle?" Lefiya's eyes sparkled.
"Not yet."
"Huh? Then where is she?"
Loki didn't answer Tione directly. She simply raised a finger and pointed upward.
"She's up there."
Their eyes followed the direction Loki pointed, and there she was—Aiz Wallenstein.
Standing atop the Coliseum, her golden hair dancing in the wind, her figure seemed to blend into the golden-hued sky. From her position, she had a clear view of the Main East Street, where most of the escaped monsters were roaming.
She had been granted special access to the rooftop.
This spot was the best vantage point in the area. She had a clear view of the Main East Street and could easily spot the locations where the monsters had escaped.
She could have rushed out as soon as the monsters were loose in the city, but this was a race against time.
"There."
While she could see them, Aiz had another trick up her sleeve. There was no wind in the Dungeon, but it flowed freely on the surface. Her magic, Ariel, gave her a vast spatial awareness as the gentle breeze spread across the area. She could locate the monsters in an instant.
There were eight monsters in the general vicinity. The Guild's report had mentioned nine had escaped. She couldn't sense the last one.
"Awaken, Tempest."
*WHOOSH!*
Wind swirled around her, rushing beneath her feet. In an instant, her magical power surged, creating a gust strong enough to scatter dust and small stones around her. She bent slightly, ready to dash into battle.
However—
She suddenly stopped.
Her eyes widened slightly as she saw something in the sky.
A man was floating in the air, the same man who had captured her heart, reminding Aiz of her father.
"That's… Charlie…?"
A strange feeling welled up inside her, an emotion she couldn't quite define.
The wind swirled around her body, but for the first time, her mind wasn't solely focused on the battle.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Not only were civilians fleeing, but even some adventurers were running away after seeing the monster.
A large figure with thick white fur and a silver streak along its back roared loudly in the middle of a street littered with debris.
A Silverback!
A typical monster from Floors 11 and 12 of the Dungeon.
For novice adventurers, the Silverback was a nightmare. Its defense surpassed other monsters on its floor, and its physical strength was enough to crush a Level 1 adventurer in one blow.
Keep in mind that 90% of adventurers were only Level 1. So, it was no surprise that most adventurers who saw it chose to flee immediately.
"Why is a Silverback here?!"
"What were the Tamers even doing?"
"That doesn't matter! First, we need to take down the Silverback before it kills anyone!"
Three members of the Ganesha Familia patrol stepped forward, forming a formation to hold off the Silverback as best they could.
However, before they could move—
"Leave it to me."
A calm voice rang out, and before they could react, someone had appeared right in front of the Silverback.
Charlie Avalon.
"ROARRRRR…!!!"
The monster growled furiously, raising a fist the size of a human head and slamming it down with enough force to demolish a wooden house.
*BAM!*
Yet, the fist that should have crushed its opponent—stopped dead in its tracks.
Without using Physical Enchant, without changing his stance, Charlie stopped the blow with one hand.
"Freeze."
Activating his Ice Spirit Art, a chilling aura spread from his palm. A layer of ice spread at an impossible speed, completely encasing the Silverback's body before it could react.
*KRRAAKK!*
In less than a second, the monster was frozen into an ice statue.
"Huh?"
The three Ganesha Familia adventurers could only stare at the scene with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
'Precise control of magic essence output. As a result, the casting speed of Spirit Arts drastically increased. This is all thanks to Six Eyes.' Charlie was satisfied with the result.
"Seems like there's more than one monster loose." He muttered, more to himself than to them.
He floated into the air, rising 20 meters high, freeing himself from gravity.
His bright blue Six Eyes glowed as he looked down, scanning all of Orario in less than five seconds.
Monsters and humans had vastly different magic energies.
For others, searching for monsters in a sprawling city was a daunting task. But for Charlie, with his Six Eyes—it was easier than counting fingers.
"Five… six… seven… nine. There are nine monsters in total. The Ganesha Familia has caused a big problem this time."
His expression remained calm despite the chaos around him.
"Let's finish this in one strike. I've already kept Goddess Astraea waiting too long."
If he had used Ice Spirit Arts earlier, this time he chose something he rarely used—Earth Spirit Arts.
Charlie wanted to replicate the Noble Phantasm of Vlad III in either the Berserker or Lancer class.
His hand rose, and in a near-whisper, he uttered its name—
"Kazikli Bey."
As if answering his command, the ground at nine locations where the monsters were located began to churn.
In an instant, dozens of giant stakes erupted from the earth, piercing through each monster's body with perfect precision.
*DUARR!* *DUARR!* *DUARR!*
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
The sound of exploding earth echoed throughout Orario. Each stake that emerged was ten meters tall, large enough to ensure no monster could escape and sturdy enough to give a sense of security to those nearby.
The civilians who had been running in panic now stood still, staring wide-eyed at the stakes.
The adventurers who had been trying to fight now stood frozen, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
One attack.
No long chants.
No flashy preparations.
Yet in one moment—nine monsters that should have been a major threat were annihilated.
A gentle breeze blew, carrying dust and remnants of earth into the air.
Charlie still floated in the sky, gazing at his handiwork with no expression.
"Done."
With that, his body moved again, landing near Aishia, Est, and Astraea.