This year's Monster Feria would likely be seared into Orario's memory for years to come.
Chaos reigned throughout the city now.
In every district, vine-like monsters had erupted from the ground, wreaking indiscriminate destruction.
Adventurers struggled to hold back the onslaught of these twisted plants, hurrying civilians to safety. The normally lively festival had devolved into utter bedlam in an instant.
With monsters running rampant everywhere, it had truly become the quintessential 'Monster Festival.'
Hestia stayed close to her familia. Daphne and Cassandra shielded Bell and Lili, but against these suddenly-appearing vine creatures, even their strength as Level 2 adventurers offered few answers.
"Bell! Lili! Get Lady Hestia out of here, now!" Daphne's voice was grim. "I just spotted the Sword Princess of Loki Familia. Go find her! Cassandra and I will hold them off here."
For an adventurer, keeping your weapon close was second nature. Even during the festival, Daphne and Cassandra had come armed.
The green plant-monster's hide was tough as a serpent's scales.
Its head-flower yawned open, much like a snake unhinging its jaws, and lunged straight for Daphne.
CLANG!!!
Daphne brought her longsword up horizontally, bracing it before her. The monster's flower-head snapped shut on the steel.
Her sword wasn't some masterwork, but it was decent enough—reliable against most Level 2 or even Level 3 monsters.
Yet this single strike from the plant-beast chipped a piece clean off the blade, leaving a web of cracks spreading across the metal.
Seeing her sword damaged, Daphne's heart lurched. "Get out of here! NOW!! I can't hold it for long!!"
"Understood, Miss Daphne! Please be careful!" Bell responded quickly. Without hesitation, he scooped up both Lili and Hestia and broke into a sprint.
The sudden turn of events had stunned both Bell and Lili. But Bell, though a rookie, managed to clamp down on his panic, remembering Daphne's past training.
Hestia wasn't fast, and Lili couldn't match Bell's speed either. So him carrying them both was the best option for escape.
Watching Bell flee with Hestia and Lili in tow, Daphne yelled to her companion, "Cassandra! Is your magic ready yet?! I'm about to break!"
Another sickening CRACK sounded from her beleaguered sword.
Daphne was pouring all her strength into holding the monster back, but its force was overwhelming. She was on the verge of being overpowered.
At that moment, Cassandra raised her staff. A milky white light blossomed from her, washing outwards over the area.
Cassandra was a mage, but her magic wasn't meant for attack. She was a healer, wielding two spells: an area-of-effect recovery magic, and another that cured poisons and lifted curses.
Against this type of plant monster, besides the universal method of shattering its magic stone core, the most effective approach was fire-based magic.
But Cassandra knew no fire spells.
Even so, her healing magic was enough for now.
Bolstered by Cassandra's spell, Daphne felt her rapidly draining stamina begin to replenish quickly.
But her sword was on the brink of shattering.
Gritting her teeth, Daphne made a desperate choice. She abandoned her defensive stance, letting the monster surge forward.
With resistance gone, the plant monster bulldozed into her, smashing Daphne through the wall of a nearby building.
"Daphne!" Cassandra cried out, startled, and moved to rush over.
"Stay back! Keep that recovery magic coming!" Daphne's voice rang out from the rubble, sharp and fierce.
Cassandra immediately halted and began channeling her spell once more.
Then Daphne's voice roared again.
"You bastard! That was my practice sword, but it still cost me a fortune! You're gonna pay for it with your life!!"
As her shout faded, a tremendous explosion suddenly erupted.
The already damaged building was blown apart completely.
Cassandra finished her chant.
"O light of healing, shine upon all beings — Thor's Light."
Raising her staff, she focused the magic deliberately on the spot where Daphne lay buried.
A short while later, a battered and bruised Daphne clawed her way out from under the rubble, wounds covering her body.
She sat down heavily on the ruins, gasping for breath. "Thanks, Cassandra. Thank the gods Lady Hestia managed to get a few of those self-destruct puppets from Lady Alice. Otherwise, we'd both be finished today. Where did those monsters even come from? Gotta be at least Level 3 strength."
Listening to her, Cassandra spoke in her usual, haunting murmur.
"The green zephyr, in the end, is but a breeze. Though it may bring change, it is a trivial thing beneath the black calamity."
Cassandra lifted her head, gazing melancholically at the sky beyond Orario's walls.
"No idea what you're on about." Cassandra's words, as always, left Daphne baffled. After a brief rest, Daphne pushed herself to her feet. "Let's go. We need to find Lady Hestia and the others. With Loki Familia around, we shouldn't have to worry anymore."
--+--
The monster riots had engulfed the entire city.
Ais's location was no exception.
However, compared to Daphne's desperate tactic of using Alice's puppet as a bomb, Ais's handling of the plant monsters was far more straightforward.
That said, the number of plant monsters here was immense.
They seemed to be appearing endlessly, and every single vine creature relentlessly targeted Ais.
Wind swirling around her, Ais evaded the attacks of at least six or seven vine monsters simultaneously with calm, fluid movements.
Her usual weapon, the 'Desperate' sword, possessed an 'unbreakable' property, but its sharpness had degraded significantly after slaying the moth larvae in their recent expedition. It was recently sent to Goibinu Familia for maintenance.
The sword Ais wielded now was merely a temporary loaner from the Goibinu Familia.
Tione and Tiona's attacks, being bare-handed, weren't particularly effective against the vine monsters.
Thus, the main firepower among their group right now was Lefiya.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.