7 Disaster

She didn't spare a single glance to anyone. In her mind, only Ryuu existed at this moment. When he punched Bete, she felt it. An aura similar to what she swore to kill with her own hands.

That was enough. Her eyes lost their deep golden color.

Unleashing terrifying killing intent that could make even Gods tremble, Ais Wallenstein unsheathed her sword, her mind singing a single note, a note of death.

[Avenger]

Ais's sword, Desperate, was known for being unbreakable, but it almost cracked under the force of her attack. However, Ais didn't let this deter her. She pushed herself to her limits, breaking through the speed of level 6 and touching level 7. She even imbued herself and her sword with [Ariel] to ensure that this would be a single strike that no mortal could hope to match.

"Die." she commanded, her sword swinging towards Ryuu's neck as he barely registered her actions. Left with no other choice, Ryuu instantly concentrated all the Dragon Energy he had, causing a single scale to grow on his neck that shattered before the impact threw him kilometers away at a speed that broke the sound barrier many times over...

Loki was in shock for the first time in thousands of years as she watched the events unfold. She could see exactly what had happened, but she was unable to intervene. To stop Ais at that point, she would have had to call upon her [Arcanum], which would have instantly forced her to return to Heaven. As a result, Loki was unable to save Ryuu.

"Still alive."

Ais's barely audible whisper echoed throughout the once lively pub, causing everyone present to fall silent. They watched as the terrifying Princess of Death called for the life she still had to take. However, before she could take another step towards Ryuu, every single level 6 member of the Loki Familia blocked her on all sides.

They knew that if Ais killed someone in broad daylight and no member of the Loki Familia spoke up, their reputation would be irreparably damaged. The other Gods would believe the Loki Familia thought they could do whatever they wanted, which could inevitably lead to the Familia's disbandment. They were determined to prevent this from happening. No matter what, none of them would allow it.

The level 6s of the Loki Familia were not the only ones trying to stop Ais. Tiona also stepped forward, snapping.

"What the fuck are you doing...?"

If she wasn't sure Ais had a reason for her actions, she would have already attacked her with the intent to kill. Ryuu was a valiant warrior that Tiona respected, and it was clear that Ais had just met him for the first time today. Tiona couldn't understand how Ais could raise her sword so lightly against someone she had just met.

Tiona would have loved to hear Ais's response, but she knew the other members of her Familia would handle the situation. Without hesitation, she rushed to where Ryuu had been thrown…

As a group of level 1 and 2 adventurers gathered at a small restaurant on the other side of the city, they drunkenly reminisced about their exciting adventures and close calls in the dungeon.

However, their decision to come to the unremarkable restaurant at this particular time and place proved to be a grave mistake.

None of the adventurers were able to accurately see what was approaching them at such high speeds, but the few level 3 and most level 4 adventurers could sense the impending danger. Some of the weaker level 3 adventurers even felt death approaching rapidly, causing panic among the group.

"Everyone evacuate now!" shouted the boss of the small restaurant, a retired level 4 with sharp and refined senses. He didn't dare to question anything, as his own life was the only thing that mattered to him. In a rare show of concern for others, he even warned the others before fleeing, a rare occurrence.

Seeing the strongest of them fleeing for dear life, the adventurers with the highest speed directly used their techniques to escape hundreds of meters in seconds, while the slowest ones crushed any obstacle in their path as money could be paid to repair this place, but would someone repay them their life...?

It was worth noting that the sharp-sensed level 4 saved everyone indirectly. An instant later, the slowest of them all, a novice level 1, left the restaurant. Most of them only felt something blur in their vision, while the most experienced ones saw a human-shaped blur crushing the restaurant with such force that the building collapsed in on itself, sending marbles flying everywhere and easily injuring the level 1 and 2 adventurers.

"...W-What happened?"

The adventurers were understandably confused, with too many questions filling their minds. As the most experienced, the boss of the restaurant was the first to search the remains of his poor restaurant. He wasn't even feeling anger; his heart was crying, as this place was nothing much in a city as wealthy as Orario, so why had such a fate befallen him...?

If Ryuu could hear the thoughts of this old man, he would beat him down with so much strength to make his face cave in. If he was the unfortunate one, then what was he...?

However, Ryuu would never know this.

'...Mmh? Is he still alive?'

As the boss removed some of the marbles, he sensed a strong will to live that was fighting against death with all its might. This made him realize that the person who had caused the destruction was still alive. However, he had no intention of doing anything about it. The poor man did not even do it on purpose...

Such thoughts swirled in his mind as he sighed.

'I'll try to save you, at least you'll owe me some debt.'

Of course, such an old fox never had pure intentions from the start.

Before the old man could even touch the 'body' of the being, he felt a faint pressure that was many times greater than what he could hope to match.

"L-Level 5," he thought to himself in shock.

Although his actions could still be considered "good", the old man didn't dare risk anything. He immediately stepped aside and left the scene, which was how he managed to survive more than 30 years as an adventurer and become a 'veteran' without dying.

Tiona, the level 5 adventurer, searched frantically for the person who had caused the destruction until she felt the same stubborn will to live that the old man had recognized.

"You're still alive!" she exclaimed in joy, knowing that if he was alive, there was still a chance to save him.

Though she may not be the smartest person, it didn't matter to her. She had several valuable potions and medicines with her and was determined to use them to save Ryuu's life, no matter what. Without hesitation, Tiona further destroyed the already ruined restaurant and 'excavated' Ryuu from the rubble.

With her strength, Tiona was able to quickly 'excavate' Ryuu from the rubble. In a matter of seconds, she scanned his body, her expression grave. He had a deep, jagged cut running across the side of his neck, and while his other injuries were not as severe, the wound on his neck was life-threatening.

'I swear, if that bitch does not have a proper explanation...'

Tiona thought to herself, anger and frustration clearly shown on her face. Tiona usually stood by her Familia, and she would never go out of her way for someone she didn't even know. However, her respect for Ryuu and the possibility of an interesting future battle, in more ways than one, made her care for him deeply.

Seeing her twin with a huge frown on her face while multiple potions were opened without a care in the world and soaking Ryuu whole, Tione shook her head, her gaze holding many meanings as she took out a few potions for deep cuts and helped Tiona with whatever she wanted to do...