Revis did not waste any more words.
The moment she declared their deaths, she raised two fingers to her mouth and let out a sharp, piercing whistle.
Fweeeee—!
'Come out.'
The shrill, kettle-like sound echoed unnaturally through the air, lingering far longer than it should have.
Almost instantly, the atmosphere around the 18th floor shifted.
A deep boom thundered in the distance.
When Judas and the others turned their heads, their expressions hardened.
They saw the town of Rivira suddenly become surrounded by a swarm of plant monsters, bursting up from beneath the ground.
Stone cracked and soil exploded outward as thick roots tore through the surface, splitting the earth apart.
Twisted vines and thorn-covered limbs dragged grotesque bodies into the open, their movements accompanied by wet, grinding sounds.
Some emerged from alleyways, others from beneath buildings and walkways, their massive forms forcing cobblestone streets to buckle and collapse.
"What is those things...?"
Lulune whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at the overwhelming sight.
...
Meanwhile, inside Rivira, chaos erupted.
Adventurers shouted.
The sudden appearance of monsters within the town... caught everyone completely off guard.
"I will not forgive whoever let these monsters through!"
Bors roared, sweat streaming down his face as he drew his weapon.
"How the hell did these freaks even get here?!"
His voice barely carried over the din of panic and destruction.
'This has gotten out of hand.'
Riveria stood amidst the turmoil, her sharp eyes scanning the battlefield with grim focus.
'Aren't these the same plant monsters Ais, Judas, and the others fought a few days ago...?'
'Judas... you were right. Thank goodness I listened.'
...
Just minutes earlier... right after Judas had pinpointed Revis' location—
"Riveria... I sensed something dangerous hiding underground," Judas had said urgently.
"Can you stay here, just in case?"
Before she could even question him, he and Ais had already taken off, their figures vanishing into the distance as they pursued the murderer.
There hadn't been time for him to explain the clusters of faint life force buried beneath the town.
He didn't need to.
Judas had said those words trusting she would understand.
And she did.
Though they had known each other for only a short time, Riveria had learned one thing: Judas never spoke lightly.
If he labeled something dangerous, it meant exactly that.
So she stayed behind.
She chose to trust him.
'Although... this is the first time someone other than Finn or Gareth has given me an order like that.'
A faint, almost amused thought crossed her mind.
Thankfully, Riveria was not so prideful as to dismiss his warning simply because he was younger... or a junior member.
ROOOAAAR—!
A shrill screech pierced her sharp elven ears.
Riveria snapped back to reality just in time to see a plant monster charging straight at her, its jagged maw opening wide, vines coiling as it lunged.
She didn't hesitate.
With a sharp twist of her body, Riveria swung her staff and struck the creature squarely on the side of its head.
CRACK—!
The monster was sent flying, smashing into another of its kind and crushing it beneath its bulk—incidentally saving an adventurer who had been frozen in fear.
'At the very least... level 3. Possibly level 4.'
Despite her poor physical stats as a mage, Riveria was still a level 6 with tons of accumulated experience.
Her close-combat ability was nothing to scoff at.
'This can't be a coincidence...'
Her mind raced as she observed the battlefield.
'The timing of the murderer's appearance... and these plant monsters surfacing simultaneously...'
The conclusion was unavoidable.
Though she wasn't as meticulous and astute as Finn, her intellect was no less sharp.
"The killer is a tamer," Riveria said firmly, already moving to engage the next threat.
"Or at the very least... someone capable of controlling these monsters."
With that realization, the High Elf Princess surged back into battle... her staff glowing faintly as magic gathered around her.
...
Back to Judas and the others...
Seeing the destruction unfold in the distance, Judas let out a deep frown.
From where they stood, the chaos in Rivira was impossible to miss... explosions of earth, flashes of magic, and panicked shouts echoing faintly through the air.
It had all happened far too fast, so fast that there hadn't been time to properly respond before the situation spiraled out of control.
'Thankfully, I was cautious enough and left Riveria there... but even then, the situation is still dire.'
Judas turned his head.
It wasn't just Rivira.
All around them, the ground churned and split open as plant monsters emerged one after another, their grotesque forms crawling out from beneath the soil.
'We're surrounded.'
His pupils flicked from left to right, scanning their surroundings.
No matter where he looked, there was no clear path left.
They were completely encircled by the same plant monsters that had attacked the city a few days ago.
"Now..."
Revis' voice cut cleanly through the tension.
All preparations had been completed.
She stepped forward, her movements unhurried, and reached down to grasp the sword that had been embedded into the ground.
The moment her fingers wrapped around the hilt, she pulled it free with ease.
"I will take that jewel, even if I have to take it from your corpses."
The instant those words left her lips, her figure vanished.
She became nothing more than a blur.
"Sh-She's so fast!"
Lulune exclaimed, her eyes failing to track the enemy's movement at all.
'Above!'
Ais, who had remained perfectly composed in her stance, tilted her head upward.
There...
Revis was already in the air.
With her sword raised high, she swung it downward with terrifying force, the air itself screaming under the weight of her strike.
Ais grit her teeth as she braced herself.
The force behind Revis' downward strike was monstrous... far heavier than anything a normal first-class adventurer should be capable of.
KRAAAACK—!
The ground beneath Ais' feet shattered completely, spiderweb cracks racing outward as chunks of stone were blasted into the air.
Ais was nearly forced down onto one knee, her arms trembling as she barely managed to hold the blow back.
"So heavy...!"
Before she could recover, Revis twisted her wrist mid-swing, her blade changing trajectory in an instant as she followed up with a sharp kick aimed straight for Ais' head.
Ais reacted on pure instinct.
She shifted her head to the side just in time, the kick slicing through the air where her face had been a split second earlier.
"Looks like you are strong."
Revis' voice was cold and flat, devoid of surprise or admiration... only acknowledgment.
Ais didn't respond.
She stepped in and swung her sword toward her enemy, her expression as calm and focused as ever.
What followed was a relentless exchange.
Steel met steel again and again, the sound of metal clashing ringing sharply through the air as their blades collided.
Sparks flew with each impact, their movements so fast that they blurred together, neither side willing to give an inch.
For several seconds, the two traded strikes without pause... slashes, parries, feints... each attack flowing seamlessly into the next.
Watching from the sidelines, Lulune felt her head spin, her eyes struggling to keep up with their movements.
While Ais thrust her sword forward, Revis suddenly slipped inside her range, abandoning her blade entirely as she drove a punch straight toward Ais' head.
Ais reacted instantly, shifting her stance and raising her arm to block.
The blow landed.
Even through the guard, the sheer force behind it sent Ais flying backward.
'She's strong... very strong.'
Using the recoil, Ais flipped backward through the air, twisting her body to regain balance.
She landed several meters away, boots digging into the dirt as she slid to a stop.
'How can there be an adventurer this strong... and I've never heard of her?'
A dull ache throbbed through her arms, making it painfully clear... this opponent was far stronger than she had first assumed.
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