And then… the canine-eared girl nodded rapidly, looking aggrieved like a child.
-----------------------------
"Originally, I wanted to return to the surface as soon as I got the item, but... before I even left the town, that guy was killed."
Fron gave a playful smile, "Just made a fortune, then ran into a fine woman, relaxing a little is only natural."
The icy gaze pierced through Fron's body, making him shiver uncontrollably.
"Ahem, Ais. Your eyes are kind of wrong!"
Lulune raised her head to watch the interaction between the two, her expression slightly puzzled.
'Is this still... that [Sword Princess]? What's the relationship between these two!'
Here, Fron quickly tried to soothe the slightly embarrassed and angry Ais, hurriedly changing the subject: "How about this, we take her back to find Finn. He's smart, and we'll have enough manpower to protect her. What do you think?"
"Mm." Both of them understood that returning was the best choice.
"This time it's not just me and Ais. Finn and Riveria are also in the squad. With two Lv.6s, you can't still be afraid, right?"
"No, it won't work! I'm certain, the one who killed Hashana is looking for me. If I show myself, I'll die instantly!"
As expected, the kind-hearted Ais hesitated again.
"I'll hold onto this luggage for now. That way, you'll be safe. If the target is what's inside, then the enemy will only come after me."
"By the way, can I take a look at what's inside?"
To be honest, Fron was quite curious about the contents. The unknown always piqued his interest.
"Although the client emphasized that no one should see it, but now..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but both Ais and Fron understood.
They opened the bag and took out a spherical object wrapped in white cloth.
Fron hesitated whether to open it or not...
As its "guardian," once it appeared, it would create a spiritual resonance, meaning it could be located.
But it didn't matter. Even if they couldn't defeat the enemy, with him and Ais, escaping alive was no problem.
--!
The white cloth was lifted, revealing the object inside.
"Wha... what is this!" Lulune whispered in astonishment.
Then Ais took it from her hands and examined it carefully.
'So this is the fetus? What a monstrous appearance. A fallen spirit reduced to this form... how tragic.'
Fron furrowed his brows, staring intently at the fetal jewel.
It was a green orb, like a crystal ball, encased in a transparent membrane, floating in a liquid that made people feel inexplicably repulsed.
At that moment, it suddenly opened its eyes. The oversized eyeball, completely disproportionate to its curled-up body, locked directly onto the golden-haired swordswoman.
'This feeling...'
Ais' heart thumped faster and faster. A strange resonance welled up from deep within her blood, shaking her spirit. She locked eyes with the monstrous fetal creature's huge orb.
'What... is this!'
Suddenly, from the depths of her mind, violent resonance blasted into her eardrums. Ais's consciousness wavered, her muscles convulsing, cramps, nausea, dizziness, disorientation, all kinds of negative effects assaulted her at once.
In that instant, the girl known as [Sword Princess] went limp, loosened her grip, and collapsed backward!
"... "
Fron had expected this. Quick-eyed and quick-handed, he caught the suffering girl, holding her close and soothing her continuously.
"You alright, Ais?"
"... So... uncomfortable."
The girl panted heavily, her head dizzy and muddled.
'Is this resonance from her spirit bloodline? The spiritual wavelength of the corrupted spirit... polluted her spirit?'
While comforting the girl, Fron pondered deeply.
Meanwhile, Lulune had long been scared stiff, trembling nonstop.
Once Ais seemed to recover a little, Fron bent down, picked up the orb from the ground, and covered it back with the white cloth.
This time, the thing's aura was completely suppressed.
"... "
"... "
Under the faint glow of the portable magic stone lamp, silence fell over the dim warehouse, broken only by the few people's ragged breathing.
...
In the shadows on the street wall where the whole body could be concealed, a pair of pupils gazed downward from above.
In the direction directly ahead lay the cluttered corner of the warehouse stacked with all sorts of goods.
And the scene of Ais collapsing was completely reflected in those eyes.
The hidden figure's gaze lingered on each of the three, finally settling on the golden-haired girl.
'Strong. Looks troublesome. Damn, what a mess... and I have to come clean it up. Such a pain.'
'So, what now?'
'Oh? She collapsed? Heh...'
With narrowed eyes, it took out a reed flute.
"Come out!"
A clear, sharp tune rang out, echoing over the town like some kind of signal.
...
Fron suddenly turned his head, his expression darkening, eyes fixed in that direction.
"Wh-what's wrong all of a sudden?"
Startled by Fron's action, the canine girl stammered.
The young man adjusted the girl in his arms, squinting toward the massive rock walls of the 18th floor, muttering softly: "Something's happened."
"?"
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM, "
At first, Lulune and Ais didn't understand what Fron meant by "something happened."
But in the next second!
A thunderous quake, the sound of distant collapses, followed by cries of despair and the roars of countless monsters came rushing from all directions!
--!?
"A monster invasion? Impossible! This is the 18th-floor safe zone!"
The scene before her shattered Lulune's long-held beliefs.
Almost endlessly, man-eating Violas burst out from the ground, walls, and springs, revealing their towering forms, destroying everything they sensed, people and objects alike.
Houses were crushed, flammable goods ignited, flames roared upward, and the panicking crowd fell into chaos without end.
Almost instinctively, Ais dashed out! Like the wind, she left behind the warehouse, crystals, rocks, everything.
Through narrow alleys, she arrived at a wide, protruding high platform.
Then... smoke rose in all directions, and the full view of the riotous Rivira town spread out before her eyes.
....
In the Twin Crystal Plaza, chaos and shouting collided violently.
"Finn, what do we do?" The pallum leader bit his finger and smiled.
"What else? Of course, repel the monsters. I'm just... a little puzzled, is all."
"Is that so. I also feel puzzled, but let's leave that for later."
"Tione, Tiona, protect Lefiya while she chants, and drive back the monsters!"
"Yeah! Been waiting for you to say that, Riveria!"
The brutal double-bladed weapon [Orga] whistled through the air in Tiona's hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Your skin is tough, huh? Heh! Here I come!!"
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[T / N: A bonus chapter~ Reached the 50 power stones mark!]