"That guy must be in a place where he can see our battlefield."
Her gaze suddenly paused, locking onto an abandoned church, and she narrowed her eyes.
"Alise, if you could fly, how quickly could you deal with those Wyverns?"
Alise was stunned for a moment, then revealed a confident smile.
"Ten minutes at most!"
On the other side.
Kaguya and her companions were surrounded by a dozen members of the Dark Faction.
Laila quietly pulled out a bomb, staring intently at them with a cold smile.
"I knew it. Why would someone be screaming for help and running into such an alley? It really is you guys causing trouble!"
Kaguya calmly pressed on the hilt of her sword, her eyes glinting with cold light.
"It seems some people have forgotten the fate of the last mob that attacked us."
The leading man in black chuckled and spread his hands.
"I naturally know that we are no match for the Justice Crusaders, but what about her…"
The man in black pointed at Shimomura Izumi, who was between the two.
"If I'm not mistaken, this one is an unfamiliar face, meaning she's a newcomer who just joined, right?"
"Do you have the confidence to protect her from harm while fighting us?"
Kaguya and Laila's expressions became somewhat strange upon hearing this.
The man in black thought that their change in expression meant he had seen through their thoughts.
A playful smile lifted the corners of his lips, and his eyes were filled with confidence and control over the situation.
The man in black shook the weapon in his hand and said unhurriedly:
"That's why you, who pride yourselves on your high morals, are always so easy to see through."
"If possible, I don't want a mutual loss. Just honestly stay with us for a while, otherwise…"
Before he finished speaking—
Suddenly, a gunshot pierced the air, deafening.
The man in black still maintained his usual contemptuous smile, completely unaware that his death was imminent.
A bullet hole, from which blood gushed, appeared squarely in the center of his forehead, and his smile froze on his face.
The next moment, his body went limp, and he fell to the ground weakly, dying without any warning.
The air instantly solidified. Kaguya and Laila turned their heads in astonishment to look at Shimomura Izumi.
"…"
The barrel of the gun in her hand was smoking, and she spoke faintly.
"Rod's Law One—Never listen to the enemy's nonsense; if you can act, never speak!"
What kind of incomprehensible nonsense are you babbling about?
I'm a demi-human, why would I be afraid of your threats?
Shimomura Izumi's tone was as calm as if she were stating a common life principle, but her actions were decisive and ruthless.
Kaguya and Laila momentarily had the illusion that this junior, who was so docile in front of them, instantly transformed into a cold-blooded and terrifying killer once she entered combat!
The mob behind the man in black suddenly fell into a panic.
"Wh-what's going on?"
"Everyone, be careful, the captain is down, his fate is unknown!"
"Fate unknown means he's dead! Wuwuwu, Captain!!!"
"Damn it, the Justice Crusaders actually resorted to sneak attacks, how despicable!"
"Everyone, charge together! I don't believe so many of us can't defeat the three of them!"
"Avenge the captain!"
"Everything is for our great wish!"
Shouting words to encourage themselves, the mob, with bloodshot eyes and indignant faces, charged towards Kaguya and her companions, yelling about unity and ideals.
Laila threw explosives, blowing up the mob, and couldn't help but complain.
"Hey, hey, hey, who exactly is the villain here?!"
Shimomura Izumi's decisive action somewhat surprised both of them.
They originally wanted to guide her as seniors, but Shimomura Izumi acted even more mature than them!
Should it be said that she is indeed someone Rod deliberately kept by his side…
Laila's lips curved into a joyful smile.
"I originally wanted to get some information, but I suppose these idiots wouldn't know anything useful anyway. It's better to just kill them directly, as Izumi said."
Kaguya suddenly drew Higanbana, blocking an arrow shot from the air, and looked sharply in the direction from which the attack came, but saw nothing, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Be careful, the enemy has a powerful archer sniping us from long range!"
Laila pulled out a boomerang to block a mob's slash and clicked her tongue.
"Having to deal with so many fearless guys while also being wary of arrows from the shadows is really annoying!"
Especially since Kaguya was the only one who could act as the main frontal combatant, while Laila could only temporarily defend herself against the encirclement.
Once Kaguya showed a weakness, the consequences were unimaginable!
Troublesome… the enemy had specifically deployed forces targeting their individual abilities!
In the tense and oppressive encirclement, Laila frowned vigilantly, thinking of countermeasures.
Just then, her peripheral vision suddenly caught Shimomura Izumi taking off the seemingly heavy large backpack from her back, and without warning, she violently swung it into the air in front of her.
Laila kicked another enemy away, unable to resist asking in a low voice.
"Izumi, what are you…?"
Bang—
The backpack seemed to be torn to shreds by an invisible giant hand!
As torn cloth flew everywhere, four assault rifles, gleaming with metallic cold light, suddenly appeared in mid-air.
Shimomura Izumi unhesitatingly took one in each hand, her movements clean and sharp, and expressionlessly raised her guns to lock onto the crowd and pull the triggers.
Under Laila and Kaguya's astonished gazes.
Da da da da da—
Gunshots exploded like thunder, and fire and a rain of bullets poured out almost simultaneously!
The other two rifles, still airborne, were controlled by that invisible force just as they were about to fall, accurately sweeping horizontally towards the enemies who were outflanking them from behind.
The sudden insane firepower instantly changed the expressions of the roaring enemies charging forward.
"What kind of attack is this?!"
"Ah, my arm hurts so much!"
"My leg is broken… Damn it, is that a magic item? The intel didn't mention this at all!"
Fear and chaos rapidly spread through the crowd, and the team that had just been shouting slogans and filled with righteous indignation instantly collapsed.
"I, I don't care anymore, I'm going back. This isn't delaying them at all!"
The mob scrambled to escape this slaughterhouse, only exposing themselves to an even denser storm of bullets.
Shimomura Izumi indifferently shot down any enemy who turned their back to her.
In less than a moment, the enemy's carefully laid ambush trap had already turned into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, with no one left alive.
"…"
Laila stood amidst the corpses shot dead by firearms, her throat slightly tight, swallowing, her expression complex and tinged with shock.
She gave a bitter laugh, muttering in a low voice:
"I was wrong… I used to think the power of firearms was nothing special, but now it seems…"
Kaguya, beside her, also couldn't hide her composure, having long forgotten her Yamato Nadeshiko elegance, and secretly wiped cold sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
"If all residents of Orario could master such weapons, perhaps even a monster siege could be easily defended…"
Her voice seemed to doubt life itself.
How many people who have received Grace risk danger to improve their ability values, yet they would probably find it difficult to achieve such slaughter efficiency.
Laila still maintained a rare rationality, shaking her head, taking a deep breath, and retorted:
"No, if there were a large number of guns and continuous dense firing that covered all angles, perhaps killing an Lv5 adventurer wouldn't be impossible."
"But… to kill monsters of a corresponding level, while the power of these weapons is stronger than the pistols we saw before, it's still far from enough."
Despite saying this, her gaze lingered among the corpses, still feeling lingering fear.
Just as the two were still immersed in the shock and daze of the firearms' power, a cold light suddenly cut through the air!
A dark, sharp arrow accurately struck Shimomura Izumi's arm.
Blood splattered, Shimomura Izumi grunted, and her steps faltered.
Laila and Kaguya instantly became alert, ashamed of their carelessness, and anger surged within them!
Laila used her excellent Pallum eyesight to notice a blurry black figure in the far distance, rapidly fleeing with the help of a magical tool.
"Damn it, the distance is too great!"
She immediately realized that with their agility, it was impossible to catch up!
"If it were Ryu, there might still be hope..."
Shimomura Izumi ignored her wound, calmly trying to raise her gun to retaliate, but the enemy was already far out of range.
"It's a pity I didn't bring a sniper rifle this time..."
Her wrist was stained with blood, but more noticeably, she gradually felt a dizzy spell, and her consciousness became hazy.
"There's poison on the arrow..."
Laila frantically ran over to help Shimomura Izumi up, gritting her teeth.
"That guy deliberately aimed at you to hold us back from pursuing!"
"You... how do you feel? What should I do?"
Perhaps because she had Sato's trait added, even in such a situation, Shimomura Izumi's brain could make rational judgments.
"My IBM can fly, but its speed isn't fast. Counting the time for me to revive, that guy will probably be completely gone."
After a simple calculation, Shimomura Izumi leaned into Laila's arms, looked up at Kaguya with effort, and pulled at the corner of her mouth.
"Lord Rod said that Miss Kaguya has a special move that can cut people into pieces..."
Kaguya's pupils constricted slightly, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on her sword hilt.
"You mean.....?!"
In the abandoned church.
Through a gap in the dilapidated wall, the Beast Tamer anxiously watched Alise flying freely in the high sky.
The red-haired woman shone like a fiery meteor, a look of excitement on her face. Wherever her blade reached, wyverns wailed and fell, easily shattering his carefully prepared pincer trap.
"Impossible... I didn't see any incantation, nor any movement from a magical tool... What's wrong with that guy?!"
He muttered in a low voice, biting his nails, his face distorted by unease.
"How can a human fly... My darlings should be invincible!"
Just as he was feeling completely defeated, the steady sound of leather boots crunching on gravel suddenly came from behind him.
He spun around abruptly, only to see Suzuki Jun, expressionless, holding a strange short-barreled weapon aimed at his forehead.
Damn it, did she give up on saving the civilians?
She found him so quickly?!
Although he had never seen such a weapon before, it instinctively made all the hairs on his body stand on end, and an alarm instantly blared in his mind—Danger!
"Don't be impulsive!"
He cried out in alarm, but his finger quickly pressed the button on the magical tool at his waist.
A metallic stream of light instantly spread, and a thick metal barrier sealed off the surroundings out of nowhere, protecting him completely!
The next moment, "bang, bang, bang" gunshots echoed, bullets sparking, leaving only shallow scuff marks on the metal surface.
Inside the defensive barrier, the Beast Tamer looked at the undamaged metal wall and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Hah, haha, no matter what kind of weapon that is, it's useless now!
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then feigned composure, shouting proudly and condescendingly.
"Come on, don't waste your efforts. Even a Level 3 adventurer can't break my Absolute Defense in a short time!"
"That kind of boring novelty, you should just put it away!"
Suzuki Jun outside walked up to the metal wall and tapped it a few times with her finger; the dull thud from the touch made her frown deeply.
Handgun bullets can't penetrate this thing...
The Beast Tamer noticed Suzuki Jun's actions, leaned against the sturdy inner wall, and shouted cheerfully.
"Heh heh, I told you. Just give up, you can't break this thing."
He even pinched his voice to give insincere advice, his tone full of false magnanimity and condescending pity.
"Actually—in the end, there's no need for us to fight to the death, is there?"
"Although I ambushed you, you weren't injured, were you? And you killed my carefully nurtured darlings, so if anything, I'm the one at a disadvantage."
"How about we both take a step back? I won't attack anymore, and you'll retreat. How does that sound?"
"Aren't you self-proclaimed 'justice' and 'guardians'? Shouldn't the most important thing now be to protect the people you care about?"
"Are you going to delay rescuing your companions because of an insignificant person like me?"
Alise, with her full power, combined with Ryu, and assisted by Suzuki Jun's IBM, had already dealt with all the monsters.
When Alise and Ryu ran to the dilapidated church, they happened to hear the Beast Tamer's sarcastic words coming from within the metal wall.
Ryu's face suddenly darkened, her fists clenched, furious beyond measure.
"Damn it, I really want to find Rod as soon as possible, but... just thinking about letting this guy go like this makes me furious!"
With that, Ryu almost instinctively prepared to cast magic on the metal wall, but a hand suddenly stopped her.
Alise calmly held her back; although her tone also suppressed anger, she still insisted on rationality:
"Although I also really want to drag that guy out, I have to admit, he has a point."
Alise's expression also held some reluctance, but at that moment, she still made the most rational judgment.
"We cannot waste time and magic on such a small fry. I've seen that special metal before; even if the two of us work together, it would take a lot of effort to cleave it."
Ryu bit her lip and lowered her head, her fingertips white, but she was powerless to refute.
The Beast Tamer heard the girls' argument, pulled out a smug and disgusting smile, and deliberately spoke provocative words.
"The one speaking is the captain of the Justice Familia, right? You're right, that's the judgment a smart person should make."
"Don't be penny wise and pound foolish, or are you saying that you justice-wielders would disregard others for the sake of immediate grievances?"
"If you really do that, it makes even a 'villain' like me a little disappointed~"
Alise clenched her fist; that guy's nauseating remarks also infuriated her, but she could only temporarily force down the impulse to just cut him down regardless, making up her mind:
"Let's go, let's go find Rod first—"
"Wait."
Suddenly, Suzuki Jun took off her glasses and turned around, a calm smile appearing on her face.
"Do me a favor; it won't take too much time."
Alise was stunned for a moment, then finally nodded silently.
"...What do you want me to do?"
Suzuki Jun raised her right arm, extending it frankly towards Alise.
"Cut it off."
The air instantly froze.
Alise's eyes widened in shock, and Ryu also cried out in alarm.
"Are you saying—"
"Although I appreciate your concern, don't forget what Rod bestowed upon us."
Suzuki Jun's voice was calm and resolute, interrupting her.
"Let's be decisive."
Alise's pupils suddenly constricted; she finally remembered what Rod had bestowed upon them—the grace of resurrection!
But even knowing this, having her cut off a companion's arm in public still pained her heart.
Resurrection indeed seemed to repair all physical injuries, but what was the point of deliberately cutting off an arm, other than to torment oneself?
She didn't understand the deeper meaning of this act, but seeing Suzuki Jun's determined gaze, she was persuaded.
"...This is the first time I've attacked my own companion."
Alise slowly drew her beloved sword, her voice choked yet firm.
"I will formally apologize to you later, but for now—I must offend you!"
The blade flashed like lightning, and a spray of blood splattered.
Suzuki Jun's right arm, with its determination and blood, arced through the air and fell to the shattered ground.
Her face remained as calm as ever, even showing a faint smile.
"Alise is truly gentle; I didn't even feel any pain."
Ryu turned her head away, unable to bear it, her nails digging into her palms, her self-reproach almost turning into a sob.