As for her Foxfire and Charm skills, the battlefield was currently too chaotic for them. They were clearly less efficient than direct Spirit Bullets, so she set them aside for the moment.
Misaki was not to be outdone. She aimed her rifle at the densest part of the crowd and pulled the trigger.
A bullet whistled through the air, striking a soldier precisely between the eyebrows and dropping him instantly. Then, she swiftly swapped weapons, pulling out a "Greater Truth"—a rocket launcher. She aimed it at a cluster of soldiers and fired.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted, sending flames soaring into the sky. Shrapnel and flesh flew through the air as several soldiers were instantly tossed aside by the shockwave, their bodies torn asunder in a gruesome display.
Misaki's eyes flickered slightly as she watched, but she didn't stop. Kindness to an enemy was cruelty to oneself. To protect those by her side, she had to become stronger and more decisive.
"So... so strong! Lilia, let's go too! We can't let anyone else snatch away the reward Brother Su Mu gave me!"
Alice watched the intense battle with eyes full of excitement, showing no trace of fear. She pulled a spiked long whip from her system space and was about to rush forward when Lilia caught her.
"Ali... Alice, be careful."
Lilia's voice was respectful and steady. Holding a short dagger, she stayed close to Alice, her eyes warily scanning the surroundings as she picked off any stray soldiers they encountered.
She no longer called Alice "Young Lady," solely because Su Mu had ordered it. If she disobeyed, she would be punished. Yet, a strange emotion flickered in the depths of her heart—if punishment was what it took to earn her Master's attention, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing... The moment the thought surfaced, she forcefully suppressed it. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she once again scolded herself for her "wicked" heart.
Anna, meanwhile, remained where she was. Her gaze was calm and focused; she did not rush in blindly. She raised her hand and drew a bronze-colored card from her system space.
The card depicted a lifelike bear surrounded by faint wind patterns. This was a trophy she had obtained while hunting with Misaki and her daughter—a drop from a giant bear they had killed. Its name was: Permanent Summon Card: Gale Bear of the Temple.
Though the card could only summon F-rank Gale Bears—the lowest tier—its advantage lay in the fact that it was permanent. As long as she had enough mana, she could summon them indefinitely.
With the mana pool provided by her current Intelligence stat, she could summon a maximum of forty-five Gale Bears at once. However, draining her mana completely would cause her to fall unconscious. Therefore, she chose to keep 10% of her mana in reserve and summoned forty bears for safety.
Before joining the Goddess Apartment, they could only see their own levels. They didn't have convenient functions like attribute distribution or system spaces. It was only after Mr. Su Mu officially became a Hero that they gained these abilities. According to Misaki, this was the standard setup for a normal Hero in their world.
They weren't born Heroes; everything they had now was given to them by him.
Anna had also heard from Misaki about the conditions for becoming an apartment employee. She wasn't unmoved, but she never dared to bring it up. She felt her background was ordinary and her strength wasn't particularly great; she didn't feel worthy of being a staff member for the Administrator. All she could do was silently repay his kindness through her actions.
Misaki felt similarly, though she secretly hoped to facilitate a relationship between Yui and Su Mu—she just hadn't found the right opportunity yet.
Shaking off these stray thoughts, Anna channeled her mana into the card.
The next moment, the card erupted in a brilliant light. Forty brown bears, each several meters tall, appeared out of thin air in front of her. These Gale Bears were covered in thick brown fur, with faint ripples of wind swirling around them. Their limbs were thick and powerful, and they let out deafening roars.
"Roar—!"
At Anna's command, the forty bears charged toward the soldiers. Despite their bulky appearance, their speed was not slow at all. The surrounding wind provided a boost, allowing them to sweep through the area like a hurricane.
Seeing such massive beasts, the soldiers instinctively tried to scramble away. Their once-orderly formation was instantly shattered, falling into utter chaos.
Anna was well aware of the Gale Bears' characteristics: their attack power was extremely low, inferior even to an ordinary goblin. Their strikes were like tickling to the soldiers. However, their defensive power was staggering. Even against an E-rank monster, they could withstand several hits.
Here, their weakness was perfectly covered, while their strength was utilized to the limit. They acted as mobile meat-shields, intercepting the scattered soldiers one by one. The soldiers' swords and spears struck the bears with dull thuds, unable to even pierce their hide.
With the soldiers blocked by the bears and trapped in a state of panic, March 7th and the others took the opportunity to strike, picking them off one by one.
Under the cover of the forty Gale Bears and the combined assault of the group, the hundreds of soldiers were soon routed. In less than half an hour, every single one of them lay in a pool of blood.
"Well then, it looks like it's time for this Director to wrap things up!"
A lively, spirited voice rang out. Hu Tao stepped out from the apartment and appeared on the hilltop, her signature smile on her face. She brandished the Staff of Homa—a weapon that had dropped during a previous hunt.
"It's not exactly a 'good' client order, but even bad orders have their own way of being handled~"
She waved her hand and began to chant an incantation: "Souls, return to the beyond! Rise!"
As the words fell, countless pale blue wisps of light drifted out from the soldiers' corpses. They gathered like fireflies before latching onto their respective bodies, slowly lifting them into the sky.
"Next, this Director shall treat everyone to a free firework show!"
The corners of Hu Tao's mouth curled up, a hint of mischief flashing in her eyes.
The moment she spoke, the corpses gathered high in the air used the spirits as fuel and instantly ignited into a raging inferno. A massive sheet of flame surged above the hill, blooming like a magnificent firework. It dyed the evening sky crimson—brilliant and dazzling, yet possessed of a haunting, eerie beauty.
As the flames gradually faded, only scattered ashes drifted down from the sky.
Hu Tao clapped her hands together, saying with satisfaction, "Done and done! Another pro bono job. This Director is truly way too kind~"
Inside the apartment, Su Mu watched the scene and couldn't help but complain inwardly—Yeah, you're real kind. It's just that your 'clients' have had their souls scattered to the winds.
He looked down at Sylphie in his arms. She had long since stopped crying and was now staring out the window with wide eyes, her face a mask of shock and bewilderment.
Su Mu gently ruffled her hair and said softly, "Let's go. Come with me to meet your sisters."
"...Okay."
Sylphie snapped back to reality and nodded weakly. Her eyes were filled with a complex swirl of emotions—the joy of reunion, the grief of losing her companions, and an overwhelming uncertainty about the future.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Crossover World: Why Are All My Clones Beautiful Girls?
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────