Multiverse: Library

"Boom——"

It was an extremely intense tremor.

The tremor came primarily from the ground, but also from a certain space.

Right in the central area of Cagliari, a gigantic creature suddenly rose from the earth, like a mountain bursting out from underground, shaking both the ground and the atmosphere as it emerged, knocking down the surrounding buildings one after another and causing them to collapse in succession.

"Roar!!!"

A roar that shook heaven and earth spread out as sound waves, causing even greater destruction, turning everything within several kilometers around the giant creature into a shattered ruin.

People had long been stunned by this terrifying supernatural phenomenon, unable to react for a while. Once they did, they immediately let out hysterical screams and began to flee in a panic.

"Th-That is…?!"

Erica, who had originally been facing off against Kaiser, had a drastic change of expression on the spot.

Under her gaze, the giant creature gradually revealed its full form and true appearance.

It was actually an extremely enormous wild boar.

The wild boar was at least fifty meters in length, and its height also exceeded ten meters, looking like a small mountain in itself.

It had sharp claws, pitch-black fur, and the bristles on its back glowed with a golden hue. Combined with two sharp tusks and crimson eyes, the whole image appeared extremely ferocious, like the embodiment of destruction, terrifying to behold.

"Roar!!!"

The massive wild boar roared, its voice turning into shockwaves that destroyed everything nearby. Each time its massive legs struck the ground, it triggered earthquakes of magnitude five or higher, creating an overwhelming force and immense destructive power.

"It's a Divine Beast!"

Erica cried out in panic.

"After the 'Bull,' the 'Sheep,' and the 'Camel,' the fourth Divine Beast—the 'Wild Boar' has appeared!"

What appeared before everyone was, just like a Heretic God, a mythical beast that should only exist in legends, not in the modern world—a Divine Beast.

And the moment this Divine Beast manifested, it went completely berserk.

"Boom!"

It roared while charging forward, smashing through a pile of rubble.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—"

Wherever the wild boar passed, all ruins, debris, stone piles, buildings, and even broken walls were sent flying. The ground shook violently under its feet, shattering and cracking open, as shockwaves and dust storms swept outward like tsunamis.

"This is bad!"

Erica had completely lost her previous composure and confidence, as if she finally realized the situation had turned dire, her face growing pale.

"We've been targeted!"

That's right—Erica had been targeted by the massive wild boar.

Or rather, the one being targeted wasn't Erica, but Kaiser who stood opposite her.

As if provoked by the aura of an enemy, or perhaps sensing a threat, the massive wild boar charged forward, trampling everything in its path, rushing straight toward Kaiser's location.

"Fly…"

Erica tried to chant the spell for a jump-type magic, but she had only uttered one syllable when her nape was grabbed by a hand.

"Swish!"

With one hand holding Erica, Kaiser's figure suddenly vanished from the spot, reappearing in mid-air.

"Boom!"

At the exact moment Kaiser vanished, the massive wild boar arrived at that location, bringing with it terrifying momentum and a turbulent blast of air, trampling through that spot with tremendous force.

Just like that, the massive wild boar continued to rampage as if still unsatisfied, roaring and charging in all directions, smashing through building after building.

"That thing really doesn't hold back."

Floating in mid-air by manipulating gravity, Kaiser looked down at the scene of destruction and remarked with no sense of urgency.

This finally snapped Erica out of her daze.

"You—what are you still doing just watching?! Hurry up and stop it!" Erica struggled and shouted loudly, as if humiliated. "To actually carry a lady in your hand like this… is there something wrong with your brain?!"

"The one who suddenly jumped out and attacked a stranger on the street has no right to say that, don't you think?" Kaiser glanced at the struggling Erica in his hand and said, "If I hadn't helped you, you might've already been stomped into the dirt like those rubble pieces and turned into a smear of sludge, you know?"

"I don't need your help!" Erica was no longer the elegant noble lady, nor the gallant knight, but a petulant girl, shouting noisily, "Even without you, I could've easily dodged that level of charge!"

Naturally, that was just bluster.

Even for a Great Knight, facing a Divine Beast was a challenge beyond reach.

While Divine Beasts weren't as overwhelmingly powerful as gods, dealing with such beings wasn't something just anyone could do. Unless a human at the Paladin level took action, it was virtually impossible to defeat one.

Unless Erica could immediately summon a hundred-strong knight squad, with every member proficient in powerful magic, there might be a chance to initiate a siege against the Divine Beast and attempt to subdue it. Otherwise, relying on her alone, she couldn't possibly deal with a Divine Beast.

"I'll just take that as truth." Kaiser replied noncommittally. "Also, stop moving. If you keep squirming, your clothes will get torn."

Erica froze completely and indeed didn't dare move anymore.

Although she felt deeply ashamed—one might even say she'd suffered utter humiliation—seeing the massive wild boar still rampaging through Cagliari, Erica suppressed the irrelevant details.

"Put me down quickly! I must stop it!"

Erica gripped the Cuore di Leone.

She wasn't posturing—she truly had to act.

Because she was a Great Knight of the Copper Black Cross, and the daughter of the Blandelli family, tasked with protecting ordinary civilians.

To just stand by and watch civilians suffer, to let a crazed Divine Beast destroy a town—she couldn't possibly allow it.

Even if she wasn't a match for that Divine Beast, she still had to act to stop it from moving forward.

Just as Erica made that resolute decision, Kaiser's voice entered her ears.

"Even if you're putting on a determined face, there's no place for you to act here." Kaiser said indifferently, "That belongs to someone else. It's someone else's prey."

"Watch closely."

"The owner is coming to retrieve it."

Just as Kaiser's words fell, beneath the massive wild boar rampaging through Cagliari, a breeze began to rise.

At first, it was only a light breeze, but as time passed, it gradually became a gale, then a storm, wrapping around the massive wild boar with intense force.

Soon, the storm turned into a tornado, lifting rubble and stones into the sky while also sweeping the massive wild boar upward.

"Roar!!!"

The wild boar let out a roar, its huge body struggling desperately within the tornado, yet it couldn't escape.

The spiraling storm held the wild boar suspended in mid-air, turning it into meat on a chopping block.

In that case, there was only one end for the wild boar—

To be slaughtered.

"Shing——"

Around the tornado, a golden flash suddenly appeared, transforming into a golden arc, sharp and swift, slicing through the wild boar's body.

"Roar!!!"

The massive wild boar's roar instantly turned into a wail, its huge body seemingly drained of all strength, slowly turning into sand and dissipating on the spot.

The tornado that had enveloped the sand turned into a strong wind, carrying the sand remnants of the wild boar away.

Before long, the wind disappeared into the horizon, making everything seem as if nothing had ever happened—calm and peaceful once more.

"...What on earth just happened?"

Erica was already dumbfounded.

Kaiser, on the other hand, stared in the direction where the strong wind had dissipated. After a while, he turned his gaze back downward.

Down below lay the severely damaged streets.

What was once a scenic countryside had turned into a disaster zone, and what used to be a clean and elegant part of the city had become a ruin, chaotic and devastated.

Fires burned in many places, and panic gripped the crowd.

Some people were still fleeing in a panic, some stood in shock, some cried, some prayed, and others shouted out in anger, fear, sorrow—making the scene all the more chaotic.

The sight resembled hell.

...

Unknowingly, the sun had already begun to set.

As the glow of dusk fell upon the Mediterranean, the blue waves became shimmering waters tinged with twilight—a different kind of beauty marking the end of the day.

Inside a restaurant in Cagliari, Kaiser sat there, eating pasta while watching television.

"Looks like the incident during the day didn't make it to the news."

Kaiser casually brought up the topic.

The television was broadcasting local news from southern Sardinia, centered around Cagliari.

There was no mention of Cagliari being attacked by a mysterious giant beast or suffering damage from it in the news report.

The news only covered the post-disaster recovery efforts and on-site clean-up in Cagliari. As for the cause of the incident, not a word was said. Or rather, they brushed it off with excuses like "a sudden earthquake," downplaying it and shifting attention, thus significantly reducing public concern.

"...It was probably handled by the local magic society, right?"

Erica was sitting across from Kaiser. She also had a plate of pasta in front of her but didn't touch it—instead, she sipped red wine with a sulky expression.

"Concealing and covering up miracles, allowing modern society to develop normally, is a consensus among the mystic-side forces of nearly every country."

"Whether it's today's incident or the recent Divine Beast appearances across Sardinia, they're always handled the same way in the end."

"Any problem with that?"

Erica spoke gloomily, only to receive Kaiser's even more indifferent reply.

"No. It has nothing to do with me anyway."

Those words made Erica even more frustrated.