Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

The Chienthrope girl fought against the fear in her heart as she ran toward the back mountain of the City of Rivira, clutching the item tightly.

She didn't know if someone was chasing her, but all she could do was keep running.

Suddenly, a black shadow crashed down hard in front of her.

Through the swirling dust, a figure slowly came into view.

"What a waste of my time."

A woman's voice echoed from within the haze.

The Chienthrope girl froze, cold sweat breaking out along her spine.

She knew—it was the woman who had killed Hashana.

She immediately tensed, eyes locked onto the figure, but even then, the gap between them was painfully obvious.

"Ugh!"

The girl was seized by the throat, lifted effortlessly off the ground by an overwhelming force.

"That man actually passed the item to someone else. I was this close to letting it fall into your hands."

The grip around her throat tightened. She struggled with all her might, trying to break free, but it was hopeless.

"Ugh..."

The veins on her forehead bulged, her eyes rolled back.

Just as her life was about to be snuffed out, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. The hand around her neck abruptly let go.

She crashed to the ground.

"Ugh..."

The pain made her grimace, but the return of breath filled her with renewed life.

"Are you okay?"

A cool voice reached her ears. She opened her eyes, and at the sight of that golden-haired figure, the panic in her heart began to settle.

"Sword Princess... Cough... I'm fine."

She immediately pulled a signal flare from her waist pouch and fired it into the sky.

The flare burst with bright color, drawing the attention of the adventurers fighting in the City of Rivira.

Ais's entire focus shifted to the woman in front of her.

The woman's gaze swept past her original target but remained locked onto Ais.

If she didn't take down this obstacle, she couldn't complete her mission. This woman had to be eliminated.

With that thought, she drew her weapon and charged straight at Ais.

So fast!

Ais's pupils shrank. She hurriedly raised her weapon to meet the attack.

"Clang!"

Their weapons collided. Ais was forced back, barely holding her ground by summoning all her strength.

But the woman didn't hold back—she loosened her grip, then lashed out with a kick.

Ais blocked it with her arm, but the sheer force made her hand go numb.

The instant her stance faltered, the woman followed up with another slash.

In just a few seconds of combat, Ais was already on the defensive, while the woman's expression remained effortlessly calm.

'So strong!'

Ais could clearly feel the pressure surge—it was like facing Finn.

'This person isn't a Level 5.'

Realizing this, Ais didn't hesitate and immediately activated her magic.

"Tempest."

A gust of wind wrapped around her body, and the Desperate in her hand took on even stronger wind-attribute damage.

The woman's expression shifted slightly as she saw the swirling wind.

"So that's it… You're Aria."

That name made Ais's pupils shrink sharply.

"You… How do you know that name?!"

Aria—this name was taboo to Ais. It belonged to the one she wanted to reclaim, a name no one else should know.

"Sword Princess!"

"!?"

Ais snapped back to her senses and hastily blocked the attack with Desperate. The force behind the strike was ten times greater than anything she had faced earlier.

If she hadn't used magic, her body would never have withstood the blow.

"Not bad. I only came to retrieve the seed, but I found an unexpected gift instead."

The woman's killing intent dropped suddenly. Now that she knew the girl in front of her was 'Aria', she couldn't kill her.

'Aria is still far too valuable—I have to take her back now.'

Even though her killing intent had lessened, the force of her attacks became even more brutal.

Now was the time to suppress her with overwhelming strength.

The Violas couldn't hold off pursuers for long—if anyone caught up, it would only create more trouble.

The woman swung her weapon rapidly.

Ais poured more magic into her body to keep up with the speed.

As the clash of weapons echoed around them, Ais's hands grew numb from the constant impact.

In that instant, the woman seized her opening—she knocked aside Ais's blade and landed a fierce kick to her stomach, sending her flying.

Ais's body smashed into the "green crystal cluster" behind her like a shooting star. Pain shot through her back and abdomen, nearly forcing a scream from her throat.

But the moment she opened her eyes, the woman was already in front of her. Before she could react, a hand clamped tightly around her throat.

"Aria, stop struggling."

The woman didn't want to snap Ais's neck. She needed her alive to bring her back—killing wasn't an option.

Still, she had to take some precautions to keep Ais from waking and resisting on the way.

"Guh…"

Air was being squeezed from her lungs. Ais clutched Desperate tightly, preparing for one last struggle—but another hand grabbed her weapon.

"Crack!"

Ais's pupils contracted. Her right wrist snapped with a sickening twist, and Desperate clattered to the ground.

She was on the verge of losing consciousness.

Seeing her state, a slight smile curled on the woman's lips.

"Clang!"

A stone ricocheted off the woman's helmet.

"Let go of the Sword Princess!"

The Chienthrope girl from earlier charged at the woman from behind, short blade in hand.

"Boom!"

The woman spun around and delivered a swift kick, sending the girl crashing into a cluster of ancient crystals nearby.

"You don't know when to quit."

With a dismissive snort, she turned her attention back to Ais. She couldn't afford to use too much force—Ais had to stay alive.

By now, Ais's eyes had rolled back. She was only seconds from completely blacking out.

Just as the woman was about to claim her prize, a blade of light suddenly slashed toward her neck.

"!?"

A sharp sense of danger gripped her—the scythe of death felt like it was grazing her throat. Despite dominating her fight with Ais, she now felt death itself looming.

The blade cut through her skin in an instant. Just before it could sever half her neck, she released Ais and desperately raised her hand to block.

Even then, the blade's force didn't weaken. The white glow radiating from it matched her strength without faltering.

'Damn it!?'

With no other choice, the woman sacrificed part of her body. She threw up her right arm to intercept the blow, consequences be damned, while slamming her left fist into the blade, barely managing to pull her neck away in time.

But in the blink of an eye, before she could react, the sword-wielding figure snatched Ais and vanished like a bolt of lightning.

By the time the woman clutched her injured neck and turned around, the figure, Ais, and her target had all disappeared.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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