Two weeks later.

"He’s over there!" shouted Kaguya.

"I’m on him!" shouted Ai.

Running along the rooftop of Orario, Ai jumps down with a weapon and lands on the criminal with the pommel on the guy's back.

"Gah!!" he was knocked to the ground.

"You're under arrest!" she said, tying his hands behind his back.

"Good work, Ai-chan!" Kaguya said.

"Thanks! Are the Ganesha Familia nearby?"

"They sure are!" said a young girl with short blue hair and eyes, with a sword on her hip.

Behind her were some members of her Familia in armor and spears.

"Ah Ardi, is your sister busy?" said Kaguya.

"Hm, she’s off dealing with some guys with Alise and Finn. So, is this the guy who stole some stuff?" She walked over to the man.

"Hm, we also have reports that he made contact with Evilus," said Ai.

"I see…" she knelt to the man with the end of a spear on his back. "Why are you making deals with Evilus?"

"S-shut up! I’ll never talk!"

"Don’t you have people that you're—"

"Shut up!! I’ll never talk!!" He bit down something in his mouth and his body convulsed.

"Dammit, he had a poisonous tooth!" said Kaguya. "Ai!!"

Ai quickly got up and turned him over. She then took out an antidote and forced it down his throat. Once the man was safe, Ai checked his mouth and checked to see if there were any more.

"He’s clear, Kaguya-san!"

"Haa… this makes the 4th person," said Kaguya. "Ardi can you take him to jail?"

"Hm, men, take him."

The guards went and picked up the man and left.

"I’m amazed you have your own men." Kaguya looked at Ardi.

"Well, I’m a level 2 after all! What about you, Ai?"

"Hmm, I plan ongoing down to the dungeon, but—"

"She’s far too young, and it's dangerous," said Kaguya in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

"But aren’t you a year older than she? Plus, I’m a level 2."

"No matter, Ai, we are still on patrol. Let's get a move on."

"R-right!"

Kaguya then went off ahead.

"Are we still up for today?" asked Ardi.

"Hm! I have some people helping as well!"

Ai then left, following Kaguya.

 

Later at night, while waiting in front of Babel.

"So are you sure you are up for this?" said Eupheme.

"Hm! I wanted to go to level up so I could do more to help! And I wanted to impress Cirrus!"

"Impressing him… I have only seen him impressed a few times, but very well."

They waited a bit when Ardi and Shakti arrived.

"I didn’t think you would bring Ankusha?" Eupheme said.

"Sorry! But my sister caught me!" Ardi said.

"It’s a good thing that I did because the times are dangerous," said Shakti, level 4 captain of the Ganesha Familia. "But seeing as it's for your friend to level up and she’s part of the alliance to help stop Evilus, it would benefit us to have another level 2."

"It would seem we have gotten an even better bodyguard," said Eupheme.

"Hm? Aren’t you Karaoke? The Masked Prince's smith?" Shakti said.

"I am. It's an honor that someone of your reputation knows of me."

"Hard not to when you made a new weapon that managed to cut the Warlord!"

"Are you sure it wasn’t the several hundred people wanting a weapon like that?"

"A bit of both, but shall we head down? The faster we get this done, the more we will be well rested."

 

They then began their descent into the dungeon. They quickly made it to the middle floors.

"So that’s a minotaur?" said Ai.

"Yup," said Shakti. "Are you sure you wanna fight it? Its strength is that of a level 2?"

"I’m sure!" said Ai.

‘If Cirrus could fight these minotaur's like they were nothing, then the least I could do is beat one!’

Shakti, Ardi, and Eupheme keep a close watch as Ai faces the sole minotaur.

"Mrooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The minotaur roared.

"Come at me, cow!!" shouted Ai as she lowered her stance with a spear in hand.

The Minotaur went in for a right hook aimed at her small frame, but she quickly dodged it by a margin. She quickly cut its forearm before getting a bit more distance.

The Minotaur, not caring for the slight cut, continued with its assault.

Ai did the same, cutting it into various parts, but the beast caught on, and then, with a faint, it struck Ai, breaking her left arm and sending her into the wall.

"Gah!" she coughed up blood.

"Ai!" said Ardi.

"Wait," said Eupheme. "She still hasn’t used her potions yet."

"…" Shakti continued to watch on with keen eyes.

"Guh…" She reached to her side and pulled out a potion and placed it in her mouth. She grabbed her arm and drank it. She quickly set her arm to punch downward in a straight line, and the bones were all in place but still a bit fractured.

The minotaur wanted to finish this and got into a charging stance.

"Mrooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It charged ahead.

Ai took a deep breath and swung her spear and held it like a sword.

Shakti noticed this and even heard a clicking sound.

‘A trick weapon!!’ She gave a glance at Eupheme, who had a big smile on her face and her hand on her weapon, ready to spring into action.

As the minotaur approaches, Ai tightly grips her handle with her right hand and remembers when she sparred with Cirrus.

‘Faster!! I need to draw faster and stronger!!!’

Ai lowers her body even more than the Minotaur and chants.

"(When the bell tolls 108 times, gather the eight serpents.

No offerings of sacrifice to the earth, wind, fire, water, thunder, poison, light, and darkness.

I offer you steel and the clear sky.) [Murakumogiri]!"

Her weapon is covered in a white mist as the minotaur lunges at her.

Shiing!

In an instant, Shakti watched as Ai drew her blade from the spear at such a speed that she had thought Ai was at least at a higher level. The minotaurs were cut down right down the middle; their bodies burst into ash before they could spill any blood.

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Phew!" She took a deep breath. "So how was that?"

"Amazing!" Eupheme said with a smile.

"Very, but I feel like that wasn’t enough," Shakti said. "How about two more? How do you feel—"

"Bring them! I’ll cut them down!"

Shakti would bring two more and have Ai fight them. It wasn’t until she had to fight three that she struggled the most and finally came out the victor with gashes, bruises, a few broken bones, and fractures.

 

When they got back to the surface, they went their separate ways. Eupheme took her home and gave her a potion to help with the injuries. When she snuck her way back into her room, she found Lord Susanoo waiting for her.

"L-lord Susan—"

He put his finger to her lips.

"So… did you do something to level you up?" He said with a proud smirk.

"…!!" with a smile Ai nodded.

 

---

Shirakusa Ai

Lv. 1

Strength: A867→878   Endurance: H199→G230

Dexterity: B710→728   Agility: C684→690

Magic: D531→548

<Magic>

[Murakumogiri]

• Enchant Magic

<Skills>

[Isshin]

• When focusing intensely Strength, Dexterity, and Agility will increase drastically.

---

Shirakusa Ai

Lv. 2

Strength: I0   Endurance: I0

Dexterity: I0  Agility: I0

Magic: I0        Hunter: I

---

 

Currently right now on a ship.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Swoosh! Swoosh!

They were currently in a storm.

"♪ Oh, we'd be alright if the wind was in our sails.

We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails.

We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails.

And we'll all hang on behind...

And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along!

We'll ro-o-oll the golden chariot along!

We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along!

And we'll all hang on behind ♪!"

They were all singing a shanty when Cirrus started, as they were all working to get through the storm.