"Gaaaahhh!!!"
A beast’s roar echoed, as if it would engulf all of Blue Island.
That voice was as sharp as a blade.
As eerie as a vengeful spirit.
And filled with intense rage.
"W-what the hell is that monster!?"
"Oh, come on, give me a break..."
"Damn it, we're already overwhelmed dealing with the rioters, and now this!?"
"What the hell is going on today!?"
There was no other way to describe the beast—a catastrophe.
Its enormous body shook the earth with every step.
Its razor-sharp claws pierced through stone and steel with ease.
Its jet-black fur was as hard as armor, impervious to blades.
Adventurers, knights, and guards alike fell into despair.
How in the world were they supposed to deal with this...?
――――――――――
"Caught up!"
After running for a short while…
I finally caught up with Snow, who was rampaging in the center of town.
The battle had already begun.
Adventurers and knights launched attacks with weapons and magic.
Swords, axes, spears, bows, hammers…
Fire, water, earth, wind, lightning…
Every possible attack was unleashed, yet Snow remained unscathed.
Nothing was able to deal any damage.
"Gaaah!!!"
Snow roared in fury and charged forward.
It was just a simple charge—
But with that massive body, even something so basic became a deadly weapon, capable of instant death.
The adventurers and knights scattered in a panic.
Boom!!!
Snow crashed headfirst into a two-story building, bringing it down.
Maybe because she had only just grown to this enormous size, she couldn’t fully control her own body.
Thanks to that—if I could call it luck—there didn’t seem to be any fatalities yet.
But there were plenty of injuries.
Some barely escaped being crushed by the collapsing building…
Others were struck by flying debris, their wounds dripping with blood…
One after another, people were being taken out of the fight.
And that wasn’t the only problem.
Even though their numbers had been reduced somewhat, the rioters were still going strong.
The guards were leading the evacuation of civilians, but Snow’s presence was making it nearly impossible.
…The situation was dire.
"Fate, what are we going to do!?"
"…Daddy…"
"…"
It might have been the first time I’d ever seen Licorice looking this anxious.
Aisha was on the verge of tears, staring at me as if clinging to hope.
I took a moment to think—then came to a decision.
"Licorice, take care of Aisha. You can protect her for a little while, right?"
"Well, yeah… But what about you, Fate? Don’t tell me you're going to… Snow…"
"Ugh…"
Licorice's expression grew awkward, and she couldn’t finish her sentence.
But Aisha seemed to understand immediately, and her face twisted with distress.
I gently patted her head.
Then, I smiled—trying to reassure her.
"It’ll be okay."
"Daddy…?"
"I won’t kill Snow. But I can’t leave things as they are, so I’ll stop her—no matter what."
We had only just met…
But Snow was family.
I would never abandon her.
I would never cut her down.
I would save her—no matter what!
"That said…"
Right now, Snow was probably as powerful as an SSS-rank threat.
Sofia might be able to handle her, but I wasn’t strong enough.
If I fought head-on, I’d probably be killed.
"Even so…"
I was a man.
To stop my daughter’s tears.
To bring my family back.
If I didn’t stand up now—
Then why did I even pick up a sword?
Why did I become an adventurer in the first place?
"Alright… Here I go!"
Gripping my Snow Crystal Sword tightly—
I charged straight at the rampaging Snow.
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