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As Cedric said, an enormous number of Monsters, with no connection whatsoever, were revealing their murderous intent before their eyes, even straying from their habitats.
"T-This is absurd...! How could something like this happen?"
A breathless standoff continued, but it was clear it wouldn't last long. Ruvahn quickly turned to his party and shouted.
"R-Run!"
He turned back and shouted.
"We have to escape before the encirclement is complete! I'll put up a shield!"
It was then.
KWAANG-!
Pendrigons and various other Monsters began to rush at them. They had sensed the changed flow of Mana.
Felix and Cedric quickly drew their swords to block the attacks.
But against the claws of a Superior Magical Creature, even a thin shield was useless, and Ruvahn had to stumble back from the backlash of the broken Magic.
Felix gritted his teeth.
"Looks like we can't escape."
"Damn it, then what should we do..."
Ruvahn couldn't finish his sentence.
Because more Monsters were rushing at him.
Using Fire Magic in such a chaotic battle would be suicidal, so he hastily erected a shield.
But as before, the Magic quickly shattered. Just as Ruvahn was cowering from the approaching attack,
"Air Recel!"
The flow of air surged violently, and then an explosive wind burst forth.
Ruvahn squeezed his eyes shut and opened them.
He saw three or four Monsters that had been rushing at him being flung into an invisible darkness.
Even in this urgent situation, Ruvahn gaped in admiration.
"Wow, amazing...!"
In that gap, Ayla quickly chanted a spell.
"Storm Barrier!"
No sooner had the words left her lips than a huge flow of Mana, so intense it made his skin tingle, was felt.
Then, an incredibly thick, enormous barrier appeared before his eyes.
Ruvahn, who had only ever managed to create a shield the size of a shield, stared wide-eyed.
"What? You made this?"
Instead of answering, Ayla coldly cut him off.
"Run, Ruvahn sunbae. Cedric and Felix too, hurry!"
She added sharply.
"Right now, they're only targeting me. They won't chase after anyone else who runs."
"How do you know that...?"
Ayla ignored Ruvahn's question and gritted her teeth, staring ahead.
'Rosia must be really determined this time.'
If it were a normal person, they would have ended up without even their bones being collected in front of this many Monsters.
It literally meant that it didn't matter if something went wrong or someone died now.
If she was going to make such a big deal out of it, she would have to risk getting her tail caught, it was truly a bold choice.
Ayla looked at her party members with worried eyes.
She felt sorry and regretful for them, who had been put in this dangerous situation just because they were in the same crew as her.
'Everyone is exhausted and tired, they won't be able to hold out for long. I have to buy them time to escape.'
Ayla took out a Mana stone from her pocket and held it in her hand.
She had brought plenty of emergency Mana stones in preparation for times like these.
"It'll be safe while I'm putting up the shield, so everyone, run away! Quickly!"
Even with her request, the Crew members didn't move easily, so Ayla pleaded and added.
"I can hold out for a while, so it's okay. Instead, go and call for people in the meantime!"
At her words, Ruvahn seemed to be conflicted, then he looked back.
"You can really hold out, right?"
"Yes, the more people there are, the harder it will be to protect them, so hurry up and go!"
At Ayla's repeated urging, Ruvahn immediately turned around and started running. He seemed to be gathering even the last of his depleted stamina, at a very fast pace.
"Just wait! I'll bring reinforcements soon!"
And surprisingly, the Monsters didn't target Ruvahn as he left. It was just as Ayla had said earlier.
The Monsters' gazes were focused solely on Ayla.
Cedric looked back at his sister with an astonished face.
"Ayla, what... what is all this about?"
"There's no time to explain. Cedric-nim, please leave too."
In the meantime, the Monsters, who had recovered, rushed at the shield Ayla had created one after another.
Their eyes were filled with madness as they rushed at her, looking quite threatening.
Kyaaak!
But the shield didn't break easily. Beads of sweat formed on Ayla's forehead.
Cedric shook his head at the sight.
"Ayla, take down the shield."
"Yes?"
"I'll fight too, so support me from behind. That seems much more efficient."
"But..."
Felix, who had been watching the conversation between the two from the side, quietly agreed with Cedric's opinion.
"Do that, Ayla. From the start, I had no intention of running away and leaving you behind."
"You..."
Ayla looked back and forth between Felix and Cedric and let out a deep sigh.
Actually, she had already expected that Felix would never run away. But to think that even Cedric would ignore her words to run away.
'What... what is my second older brother thinking?'
Ayla bit her lip.
Chaang!
Even as she was worrying, the Monsters' attacks continued relentlessly.
Ayla struggled to suppress the rising emotions and quickly raised her hand.
In fact, she had been preparing a large-scale Magic since she sensed the approach of the Monster horde.
"Then both of you, step back for now."
Ayla took a step forward and continued in a monotone voice.
"Watch from there why Blanche's daughter has been praised as a great Mage for so long."
Cedric's expression hardened as if he was flustered by Ayla's words.
"Blanche's daughter...?"
At that moment, his pulse pounded greatly.
In a space where not a single breeze blew, a tingling sensation constantly rushed in through his eyes, ears, and skin, as if foreshadowing a great change.
At the same time, his vision gradually brightened. Cedric stared at Ayla's dark back, silhouetted against the light, and was lost in thought for a moment.
As she said, the daughters of the Blanche Noble house had all been revered as great Mages for generations.
But as much as that was true, they were rare. Ayla's birth was a miracle achieved after several generations.
Was that why? The fame that the daughters of Blanche had was slowly being forgotten in people's memories. Now, one could only encounter their greatness in records.
That's why Cedric didn't know.
Why his father could so coldly abandon Ayla, and why he could accept Rosia, whom he had found after more than a decade, as his own daughter so quickly.
Suddenly, he remembered Calios looking at the infant Ayla and muttering in a choked voice.
"Cedric, all the girls born in our Noble house have tremendous talent. This child... is a treasure that will illuminate our Noble house."
"How great is her talent?"
"You'll see. What talent bestowed by the heavens is."
Calios's eyes were full of affection when he said those words.
Now he knew. Calios's affection was directed not at Ayla, but at the potential she possessed.
Unlike Calios's expectations, Ayla's Magical talent was terrible.
As she grew up, she always disappointed Calios, and his affection for his daughter rapidly waned.
From some point on, Calios didn't even look at Ayla.
Occasionally, when they happened to meet, he would frown and only utter words of reproach.
"You're hopeless."
Cedric could only feel sorry for his younger sister's situation. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't gain her father's recognition, and she was pointed at by those around her.
That's why he felt even more affectionate and concerned. Perhaps Gerard felt the same way.
So when he heard the news that Ayla had taken the top spot, Cedric was truly happy.
After leaving the Noble house, she was able to recover the Magical talent she had so longed for.
But the moment he heard Ayla's words just now, he felt a sense of unease.
'Just now... she said Blanche's daughter, right?'
It was definitely a tone of voice that seemed to deeply believe it without any doubt.
'As if she really believes she's my real sister...'
At that moment, he remembered Ayla asking them a long time ago to do Paternity Test Magic one more time.
But how did they react back then? Didn't they coldly scold and ignore her?
Was that why? After that, Ayla never made such a claim again.
But at this moment, a small doubt made his heart flutter.
Perhaps really, Ayla, not Rosia, was his real sister.
"Ayla, what exactly do you mean by what you just said..."
But Cedric's words couldn't continue.
The Mana gathered at Ayla's fingertips began to flicker so brightly that he couldn't even open his eyes.
Soon, a hot heat spread out, and a strong flash covered the entire forest as if to swallow it up.
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