In the alleys of the slums, fire and smoke intertwined into a scene of utter chaos.
“Fear us! Lord Demon King will soon rule the entire world!”
Several black-robed Demon King Cultists were brandishing their weapons, wantonly destroying everything in their path.
They used wind magic to overturn all the stalls along the street and earth magic to tear up the ground, turning the once-smooth road into a pitted mess. They even hurled a fireball at one of the wooden shacks, instantly igniting a raging fire.
“Stop right there, you bastards!”
A gray figure rushed into the alley like a gust of wind.
It was Victoria.
Upon hearing the explosions echoing through the streets of the Imperial Capital while at the square, she immediately realized this area might be in danger and rushed over without delay.
Although explosions had also resounded from the direction of the square shortly after she left, making her somewhat worried about whether Greg and Silvia would run into trouble, she figured that since Greg was even stronger than her and Silvia had Veronica by her side, both of them should be perfectly fine.
Therefore, she ultimately chose to prioritize protecting the children in the slums.
To her relief, it seemed she had arrived just in time.
Victoria pushed her hands forward, expanding an aqua-blue magic barrier in front of her to intercept another fireball flying toward a wooden shack in midair.
Water and fire collided with a sharp hiss, sending steam billowing into the air.
Immediately after, an earth spike shot out, precisely piercing the shoulder of the leading cultist and pinning him to the wall behind him as he let out a series of agonizing screams.
“Damn it, attack her together!”
Seeing this, the remaining cultists immediately swarmed her, but after her training in the dungeon, Victoria's movements were far more agile than before.
She dodged and weaved through the narrow alley, leaving the enemies unable to land a single blow, while every strike she made hit its mark with pinpoint precision.
In less than two minutes, the Cultists were all sprawled on the ground.
“It's Sister Victoria! Are you okay?”
A few children poked their heads out of the wooden shack whose roof had recently been repaired by Greg, their faces filled with worry and panic.
Only when they saw Victoria standing among the fallen cultists, looking largely unharmed despite a bit of dust on her clothes, did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Victoria turned around, quickly walked over to the shack, and knelt down to check on the children. “I'm fine. What about you all? Is anyone hurt?”
The children shook their heads one after another.
A little girl tugged at Victoria's sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Sister Victoria, what's happening outside? Why are there scary-looking people everywhere...?”
Victoria reached out and gently ruffled her hair, comforting her, “It's okay. I'm very strong, so don't worry. I'll protect you.”
Just then, a chaotic flurry of footsteps echoed from the entrance of the alley again.
Victoria's expression shifted. She quickly stood up and told the children, “Quick, hide inside and lock the door! Don't come out no matter what!”
The children obediently ran back inside and shut the wooden door that Greg had recently repaired.
Victoria turned to face the entrance of the alley, mana already gathering in her hands.
This time, the number of arriving Demon King Cultists was slightly larger than before.
Even so, Victoria still didn't take them seriously.
In her eyes, no matter how many there were of these cowards who only knew how to bully the weak, they weren't worth her concern.
“It's time for you to pay the price!”
Victoria gritted her teeth and proactively lunged forward to meet them.
However, the leading cultist didn't seem to have any intention of fighting Victoria head-on from the start. While she was focused on the front, he quickly circled around to her flank and conjured a ball of blazing fire, aiming it straight at the wooden shack behind her.
“Oh no!”
Victoria wanted to turn back and intercept it, but she was too far away and there was simply no time.
Watching the scorching trail fly straight toward the fragile wooden shack, Victoria was suddenly reminded of her hometown being burned to ashes, and a sense of despair welled up in her heart.
Yet, a split second before the flames could strike the shack, a thick wall of ice suddenly rose from the ground, firmly blocking the path.
The fire crashed into the ice wall with a dull boom, sending shards of ice flying everywhere, but the wall remained perfectly intact, completely stopping the flames.
Immediately after, a massive fireball crackling with explosive mana descended from the sky, crashing precisely into the gathering of Demon King Cultists.
With a deafening blast, flames and shockwaves swept through the entire alley. Before those cultists could even scream, they were reduced to ashes in the explosive blaze.
“This is...”
Victoria froze for a moment and turned her head, only to see two familiar figures standing at the entrance of the alley.
Vivian stood in front, her long, ice-blue hair fluttering gently in the rushing wind. Her expression was cold as frost, and a chilling mist from her ice magic still lingered around her hands.
Beside her, Lilith stood with her hands on her hips, her vibrant red hair swaying behind her as a smug grin played on her lips.
“How... did you two get here?”
Victoria asked in surprise.
Vivian stepped forward and explained in a calm tone, “Because of the Demon King Cult, the combat-capable students in the Magic Tower have all come out to help. We ran into a few cultists on the way, took care of them, and then heard some noise over here, so we came to check it out.”
Rumble!!!
Just as Vivian finished speaking, massive tremors resounded from several other directions, causing the ground beneath their feet to vibrate slightly.
Vivian listened closely for a moment before adding, “It seems the headmasters have also mobilized. In that case, this chaos will surely be quelled soon.”
“I see,” Victoria nodded.
Lilith walked over, crossing her arms as a tsundere smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Hmph, I didn't expect you of all people to rush over to protect commoners. You certainly have a strong sense of justice. Still, if we hadn't arrived just now, someone would have been in big trouble~”
Victoria raised an eyebrow, but quickly relaxed. “Yeah, I really have you to thank this time. Thanks.”
Confronted with Victoria's sincere gratitude, Lilith suddenly felt a bit awkward. “Hey, who said I wanted your thanks? Dear Sister and I only—”
Right then, a glob of searing lava shot out from the side, cutting her off.
The three of them instantly leaped aside as the lava left a scorched black mark on the ground where they had just been standing.
Immediately after, even more footsteps echoed from the surrounding alleys. It seemed the Demon King Cultists in the vicinity had been drawn by the previous commotion and were now converging on their location.
Victoria, Vivian, and Lilith quickly stood back-to-back, forming a triangular defensive formation as they warily watched the enemies flooding in from all directions.
Just as they braced themselves for another round of combat, a rapid patter of footsteps suddenly sounded from another alley behind them.
Then, a figure dashed out, cradling a honey-haired girl in his arms.
When the masked individual saw the three girls standing back-to-back ahead, he froze.
Victoria's gaze naturally fell upon him. Even though he wore a mask, she deduced his identity almost instantly by the sight of Wendy in his arms.
You bastard... You actually went and did something so outrageous after all!
Victoria cursed inwardly, though for some reason, she found herself not particularly surprised.
Vivian recognized Wendy as well, since Wendy had been sitting nearby when Allie caught Vivian red-handed last time.
In that case...
Her gaze shifted to the masked man, finally understanding why he had always given her such a familiar feeling.
Meanwhile, Lilith was completely in the dark.
Staring at the sudden masked intruder and then at the solemn expressions on Vivian's and Victoria's faces, she asked with a look of utter confusion, “Huh? Who is he? Do you both know him?”
Rate on N.U.
