As unrest and a certain excitement took hold, the city's focus was on the central square.
Adventurers, ordinary people, gods, and the crowd forming a human wall along the outside of the square looked at the powerful adventurers gathered here from a distance.
——[Ganesha Familia] Crusade Team.
Among them, a piece of news caused a commotion among the expedition team.
"Tame the object of subjugation?!"
"What's going on? Isn't it an emergency?"
"This, this, the Lord God only gave the guild's secret letter to Xiao Xiao to instruct us on our actions, and doesn't know anything else."
"What do you mean by this? Explain it to me clearly!"
After hearing the guild's incomprehensible and unreasonable instructions, they quarreled around the adventurer who sent the message.
No explanation is needed to understand that taming a monster requires making it submit, which is more time-consuming and labor-intensive than simply attacking it, not to mention that the target is a ferocious monster that has conquered the safe zone.
At this time, the group leader Shakti said: "Everyone, calm down!"
"Captain?"
"We have to tame the monsters and capture them alive."
"...Is this really good?!"
"He is our God and we must believe in Him and follow Him."
The leader awakened his followers' trust and loyalty to the Lord God, and the other members also became serious again.
"It's time to go, get ready!"
"Oh!"xN
The leader gave the order and everyone shouted a war cry.
"O-so awesome...!"
Hearing the shouts that shook the central square, Bell couldn't help blurting out and quickly covered his mouth with his hands.
At this moment, Bell was wearing a robe that hid his whole body and carrying a pretentious backpack, pretending to be a supporter just like Lily.
He has blended into the expedition team.
"Hey you!"
"Um?"
"The Lord God Ganesha said that you would be helpful in clarifying the reasons, so we have no choice but to let you follow. However, you should be calm, little rookie. Although I told them that you are a temporarily hired supporter, please do your best. Maybe you don’t want to attract attention, if you are caught by the group leader, you will be in trouble.”
"I-I understand, I'm sorry."
Hearing the instructions from a member of the [Ganesha Familia] who sneaked over, Bell apologized sincerely, while his pale face was slightly worried and nervous.
I wonder what happened to the [heretics]?
Was Winnie injured?
And Xiao Lin, does he know about this and where is he now?
Probably because he was too dependent on the other party's relationship, Bell really wanted to talk to Xiaolin.
"It seems that Lord Ganesha has handled the matter well."
"Fels?"
A murmur sounded in the supposedly empty space and reached Bell's ears.
It was Fels who spoke, but no one could be seen.
Similar to the helmet that Bell had seen before, Asphie also wore a magic tool that could make her invisible.
Then, Fels instructed: "The expedition team has acquiesced to your existence, so let's go to the 18th floor ahead."
"I understand." Bell nodded, and couldn't help but ask: "Um, does Xiao Lin... know about this? Where is he now?"
"...I don't know, but I'm probably already in the safe zone."
"Eh?"
"You don't need to worry about him, just follow the expedition team with peace of mind."
"I-I know."
Bell nodded.
The subjugation team, the ghost magician, the uninvited intruders, and the man and boy who became the center of the whirlpool all entered the gate with different ideas.
With everyone watching, they rushed out in one breath and rushed into the underground city.
————
the other side.
Xiaolin used Liu Zi's [Imaginary Number Switch] to reach the safe layer early.
But at this time, the town of Rivera was completely in a state of destruction.
Hotels, shops, etc. were all destroyed, and there were also fires caused by items made from magic stones.
The town lost its former bustle, and billows of black smoke rose from the dust.
Starting from the north gate, the crystal and rock walls surrounding the town are carved with huge broken marks, telling the power of the massive attack.
Remains of blue and white crystals growing on the ground were scattered everywhere, along with broken sword blades and splashes of blood. It was evident everywhere how intense the attack and defense of the town residents and adventurers was.
The house, which was obviously stronger than before (the giant flower attack), was now turned into a ruin by dust everywhere.
In the middle of a town street that has lost its original shape.
There was a gargoyle with huge gray stone wings, and a male adventurer who had his legs broken and collapsed on the ground.
The monster lowered its huge head and shouted at him: "Tell me where you have taken your compatriots, humans!"
"Ha, ha... I don't know what you are talking about... Ahem!"
The man struggled to say these words.
He was one of the few adventurers who was unable to escape the monster attack in time, but his true identity was a member of the [Ikelos Familia]. It was they who found the lair of the [Heretics] by tracking Bell and others, and hunted them down.
However, when he wanted to do something dirty, he was strongly resisted by the [Heretics], causing him and two other companions to be injured and had to go to the 18th floor for treatment.
"Don't act stupid! You have the unique scent of human-spider venom coming from you!"
"...?!"
"The legacy left by our compatriots says that you are filthy beasts!"
Hearing Guros's yelling, the human man's face twitched.
When the "heretics" whose compatriots were tortured were looking for targets, they used the scent of venom left by the human spider, which stretched like a thread, and this was a pungent odor that only monsters with a sensitive sense of smell could smell.
Destroying the town is the process of finding the members of the "Ikelos Familia", and it is also a symbol of the anger of the "Heretics".
Originally there were three people captured, but they were so angry that they cut the other two people into pieces with their fangs and claws.
"Answer my question! Where are our compatriots?!"
Guros roared hoarsely. The man who was frightened by the huge volume looked dominated by fear and despair, but soon showed a mocking expression.
"Even if I say it, you still go...Ahhhhhhh!!!"
This mockery was his desperate bluff, but when Guros ruthlessly raised his claws, it instantly turned into a scream that reached the sky.
"... If you continue to torture like this, he will probably never be able to speak again."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted.
It seemed to be persuading, but also seemed to sneer at its crude torture techniques.
Turned.
A man and a woman appeared behind them.
Not to mention the man, the girl following him was dressed in gorgeous and elegant clothes, which did not match the ruins of the town at all.
"Xiao Lin..."
Guros glared at him.
Not taking action directly was already showing restraint. If it dared to tell it to stop, it would probably be unable to suppress its anger and attack the man in front of it.
The same goes for Rey and other [Heretics]. They have a very high impression of Xiao Lin, a human who never resisted and even took the initiative to shake hands with them. In addition, Gu Ross did not express his position, so he just watched silently.
The tortured man's face was filled with joy.
Injured humans and hurtful monsters, everyone knows which one to save.
However--
"I advise you not to ask me for help. After all, I won't save you."
"Gah——?!"
Xiaolin's words made the man stunned.
Then he saw Xiaolin ignoring Gu Ross, walking quickly in front of him, and asked: "Okay, okay, where is your lair?"
At the same time, a strange pattern appeared on Xiao Lin's forehead.
"Hmm, in the forest to the east, inside the door, Daedalus? Need a specific key? Hmm, that's a pretty good hiding spot."
"How, how could...!"
The man looked at Xiao Lin in disbelief.
Obviously he hasn't said anything yet, but his inner thoughts have been completely spied on.
Why? !
Obviously, Xiao Lin had no intention of explaining to him.
After turning around, the man collapsed and shouted: "Why...why! Save me, save me! You are a human being! How can you turn a blind eye!"
"Because you did something wrong."
Xiao Lin's eyes were extremely cold.
Under the man's incomprehensible gaze, Xiaolin said: "I am tolerant, whether it is with Asians or [heretics], but the prerequisite is that both parties agree. And you, or you guys , you are just an unprovoked perpetrator and a brutal perpetrator. You vent your desires on others, so you are not qualified to be saved."
"Varied……?!!!"
The man's eyes widened.
As if he didn't want to admit it, he stretched out his hand, but he was far out of reach of Xiao Lin's clothes. Xiao Lin turned around and no longer looked at the man's limp hand.
Then, he came to Gu Ruosi.
Jump lightly and step on its back.
"Gurus, you heard it too. Let's go to the forest to the east."
"…………"
The gargoyle had a ferocious face.
It really wanted to tell itself that it should no longer trust humans. It was they who had harmed their fellow humans and they should take revenge and go back.
But with Xiaolin's actions, it wavered again. In other words, just as some [heretics] do not want to see humans, humans are not willing to accept [heretics].
Unlike Fels.
If it were the [Fool], she would not punish them even if they were evil people who had harmed her compatriots.
Xiao Lin has expressed his attitude - not to divide by race, but by good and evil. So, at least it wants to accept Xiaolin who once accepted him.
"Roar--!!!"
(Go to the east forest)
Following its roar, the [Heretics] followed it and flew towards the forest to the east.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
On the east side of the forest, at the end of the floor, a rocky cliff towered up to the sky. The lizardmen who heard the roar caught up with the [heretics] led by the gargoyles.
"Guros!"
"Why so slow, Reed!"
"I was just talking to Bell...eh, Xiaolin?!"
Reed's yellow eyes widened when he saw the human standing out among his compatriots.
"Why is Xiaolin dear here?!"
It couldn't understand why Xiaolin was with them when Guros was so angry that he couldn't listen to anyone else's words.
The most important thing is that being with the monsters is a very bad thing for Kobayashi.
"None of this matters!"
Guros roared angrily, and it was looking for something with bloodshot eyes everywhere.
"Where's the door! Did you find it?!"
"...No, I can't find it!"
"You can't get a response even if you call out!"
"Damn it, where is it?"
At the junction of the forest, the [Heretics] only saw the same scenery stretching for five miles, and couldn't find anything unnatural at all.
Have you been cheated? !
Gu Ross looked at Xiao Lin with increasingly suspicious eyes. It is almost on the verge of reaching the edge, and any abnormality will trigger its questioning and suspicion.
At this moment, Xiao Lin pointed at a certain cave entrance.
"Look, they're welcoming us."
"What?"
Guros turned his head and looked in the direction of his finger.
that is……
————
"Dix, the monsters are approaching here."
"Those idiots leaked the secret? Although I really want to beat them to death, I guess they have already done it."
Dix said happily after hearing the report from his subordinates. Then, he threw something over and told his subordinates:
"Go open the door and let them in."
"Is this okay? If the monster comes in..."
"It doesn't matter. Besides, aren't the people from the [Ganesha Familia] also coming nearby? It would be troublesome if they saw a group of monsters wandering around and became suspicious. Well, just treat those monsters as guests."
The man wearing goggles smiled.
The smile was extremely vicious.
Come on, watch me catch you all!
————
This is a room covered with land or sea maps. In addition, there are various items, such as desert-style woven fabrics, embellished with pearls or bells, and several travel hats with feathers that are also eye-catching.
In a room reminiscent of a traveler's home, a man and a woman face each other across the table.
"It failed. This is nerve-wracking."
The playboy god said with a grimace.
The beautiful woman standing in front of him with a stiff expression was Yasifei, the leader of his clan.
"I'm very sorry. After the other party retreated, we continued to look for clues, but still... let the other party escape. The responsibility belongs to me."
"Don't say that, I'm not blaming you."
The leader apologized, and Hermes waved his hand.
Originally, their family's mission was to monitor [Ikelos Familia], but the other party not only bypassed the surveillance but also caused such a big mess. It was a bit disgraceful to say the least.
"So, how do you feel about your opponent?"
"No one is a small player."
Yasi Fei gave her opponent affirmation. Not only can she be rendered useless, but she can also counterattack an entire army. She is an opponent that cannot be underestimated.
Especially the man in goggles who leads the gang.
Even if he has the combat power to defeat them, he can see through their true colors and make a decisive decision to retreat. His intuition is extremely sharp and he is quite smart.
"Dix...?"
"Yes, he is the leader of the [Ikelos Familia]. He was a strong man of LV4 ten years ago, nicknamed [The Barbarian]."
This person is famous for his extraordinary ability to kill monsters. If he has accumulated more combat experience since then, he may have the strength equivalent to a first-level adventurer.
"I have an ominous premonition..."
Hermes whispered like a monologue.
————
And in the [Daedalus] Labyrinth.
In the central cave room, there is a step that symbolizes the center. The man wearing goggles was being strangled by someone's neck and held up in the air.
The spear was broken, the body was hit hard, and even the goggles were cracked.
Those lying around were his subordinates.
The flushed face and the eyes that could not be covered by the goggles seemed to be stained red by the backflow of blood, revealing an expression of disbelief.
"W-why...?"
With difficulty breathing, he struggled to squeeze out these words.
too fast!
Just a face to face!
Until now, Dix still couldn't believe why he was defeated so easily when he was clearly a strong man at LV5.
"Why? Because of the difference in strength?"
"Stop joking...! I'm LV5...!"
"Haha, unfortunately, I am too."
Kobayashi's words caused Deeks to stop breathing.
Just kidding!
In just a few months, he was promoted from LV2 to LV5, and he defeated himself so cleanly? !
Dix's first reaction was disbelief.
But with the facts before him, he couldn't help but not believe it.
He obviously wanted to lure them in and catch them all, but now it seems that he is not luring wolves into the house? It was all because of my carelessness and arrogance that I failed!
Deeks was filled with remorse.
But he still didn't understand something, so he asked with difficulty: "Why... help the monster?"
"There is no reason, it's just that you hurt them. I sympathize with the curse in your blood, but I can't turn a blind eye to the evil you did to them for no reason."
"You think monsters...are human beings?!"
"At least in my eyes, there is no difference between them and you."
"Haha...hahaha...!!!"
Dix couldn't help but laugh, but after laughing a few times, his eyes became blurred and he lost his breath.
Xiaolin threw him aside.
At this time, Reed and Guros had rescued the captured compatriots.
Although some disappeared, they were still more happy than sad to have saved most of them.
At this time, Reed looked at Xiao Lin above and asked: "Why... dear Xiao Lin, why do you want to help us? If you do this, you will bring trouble to yourself!"
The same thing was said to Bell.
When he encounters the expedition team in the safe zone and Bell hiding among them, he reluctantly separates from them in order to prevent him from being implicated. However, the man in front of them still helped them regardless.
"It doesn't matter, because I'm from another world."
"……Eh?"
Xiaolin's answer made them open their mouths.
At this time, he suddenly said: "Hey, Gros, Reed, Rey, and you guys, do you want to join my Familia - the Aqua Familia?"
"Aqua Familia?"
"That's right! If the gods don't allow you to exist, I will. If the gods don't accept you, I will accept you! In short, I have to take care of things that the gods can't take care of, and I have to take care of things that the gods can take care of! The divine will of Aqua Familia , it means tolerance! No matter who you are, as long as you love and don’t break the law, you can all be forgiven! It’s the world’s fault that you don’t want to work hard, it’s the environment’s fault that you have a bad nature, and it’s the fault of your genes that you’re ugly. How about joining me? Familia?!"
"…………"
The [heretics] were frightened by Xiaolin's explosive declaration. They had worked hard to survive in the cracks and had never heard such crude words.
What does it mean that not wanting to work hard is the fault of the world? What does bad nature have to do with the environment? What the hell does it mean that being ugly is the fault of genetic genes? And what's the point of being able to get pardon if you love someone and don't break the law?
But how to say...
"Yes, we are at the end of our rope now and have no chance to choose."
"I don't care, as long as I can save my compatriots..."
"That's it."
"If it's Xiao Lin's kiss, I'm willing to believe it."
"So……"
The [Heretics] looked at Xiao Lin above with burning eyes. They are willing to believe in this human being who has saved them, who has not resisted them, who is tolerant and willing to accept them.
"So--!"
Xiao Lin looked around, looking at the strange [heretics], and loudly announced:
"Aqua Familia is established at this moment!"
Later, in the center of the [Daedalus] maze.
The original symbol depicting Daedalus himself on the wall was erased and replaced with the symbol of [Aqua Familia].
Even if Xiao Lin didn't explain it, the [Heretics] understood that this was a sign of a goddess who was willing to accept them, and they deeply imprinted it on their minds.
"Then! The first task of the Familia is to take back our companions!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh!!!" xN
Following the declaration, [Aqua Familia] began to fight back!
(End of chapter)
