Ace and Terri quickly made short work of the bandits and they were all lying on the ground, crumpled and defeated like a bunch of sandbags.

“Fuu~ I really broke a bit of sweat.” Ace wiped the seat off his forehead with his arm.

“Never thought my gymnastics and taekwondo could actually be of use here…” Terri flexed her arms.

The three Adventurers approached them with myriad of expressions. Barton and Liscia was praising them both. Alva was giving a long appraising look at Ace.

“You kids sure are full of surprises!”

“But I thought you kids didn’t know how to fight-nya?!”

“We learned a bit of combat as a sport but never actually put it to practical use.” explains Ace with a grin.

“A sport that doubles as training… That’s an effective way to learn.” nods Alva, while still not moving her gaze at Ace.

“Err…is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing. But those swords you are using…”

“Ah, these? I got permission from Kuya Barton to use them in case of emergency, so it’s okay right?”

“Those are not just his stuff but ours as well. To be specific those swords and those boots are my possessions.” Alva squints at Barton, who quickly looked away.

Was it his imagination or did Barton did have some kind bump in his forehead.

Ace and Terri broke out in cold sweat. Was Alva the type to be very possessive of her belongings?

“Since you did save us from a pinch, I’ve got nothing to complain. We were negligent on our part as well. We should’ve been more vigilant.”

It was probably Alva’s way of saying it’s okay.

“Hmm. I can see you and Terri-dear, here. But where is Anna-dear-nya?”

“Ah!”

Ace had just realized that they left Anna behind in the bush.

“Oi, Terri! Wasn’t Anna with you last?”

“She should be still over there.”

“Everyone!”

Anna called out to them. They turned to see her dragging Barton’s large bag across the ground.

“Oi…did you guys just leave her alone and to carry that huge thing?”

Ace and Terri looked shameful. They were so caught up with the action that left her behind.

She was about to approach them when suddenly…someone leapt from the bushes and grabbed her!

“KYAAAAAAA!!!”

A bandit somehow managed to escape their notice and snuck up at Anna, taking her hostage. A dagger was pushed near her neck.

“ANNA!”

“DAMN! You let her go, you bastard!”

“Don’t move!”

The bandit looked deranged and desperate. Seeing all his comrades defeated by a bunch of kids on top of having the boss they all admired beaten to a pulp the other day had really made him desperate to escape. He knew about the Tartarus Prison where he was sure they’d wind up and didn’t want to experience the living hell. Earlier, he tried to sneak away but saw her approaching her companions while struggling to bring back that huge bag.

Perhaps seized by some evil thoughts, he believed he found a perfect hostage and a leeway to force his enemies down. She didn’t even notice him but when she did it was too late.

“Now put down all your weapons or this girl here won’t have her pretty little face ruined!”

The bandit drew his dagger close to Anna’s neck.

Everyone grits their teeth in frustration. If they make one wrong move, Anna could lose more than a nice skin.

“What are you waiting for? Put down your weapons now!”

When she saw the sharp blade drawing closer, Anna was filled with panic and terror…but she also just remembered something.

She quickly reached into her pocket and drew out…a small bottle.

She pointed the nozzle at the bandit’s face and fired. The bandit had no way of knowing that she had something like that on hand. And the moment he realized she was pointing it at him he got sprayed full in the face.

“GYAAAAH?!!!!! MY FACE!!! IT BURNS!!!”

The Bandit dropped his dagger and was clutching his face. With his grip on Anna loosened she managed to break free.

Momentarily staring at the screaming bandit, Anna then swung her foot right at his nether region!

“GUHHAAAA?!”

The Bandit collapsed to ground. The combined pain of having his face sprayed with pepper spray and his manhood struck by a full-powered kick had caused him to crumple to the ground in pain. Anna quickly moved away from him at the opportunity.

““Anna!””

Ace and Terri quickly rushed towards her side but it was Liscia who reached her first. She crumpled into her arms, shaking in fright.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine…I…learned a bit of self defense…”

Anna broke down in tears.

Liscia pats her back and tried to comfort her, “It’s alright now-nya. You’re safe now and you did well in fight him-nya!”

“Anna…we’re sorry-”

“We shouldn’t have left you alone-”

Both Ace and Terri could only look down in shame while inwardly cursed themselves. They were so caught up in the fighting that they left Anna defenseless alone. They shuddered to think otherwise what would happen.

“Mordread’s Malice! Damn it aaaaaallllllll!”

The bandit yelled as he got up shaking. Though in pain, evidently he was still conscious.

“I’m not going to jail! I won’t go down without a fight!”

The bandit pulled out a pair of guns.

The kids stiffened when they saw something from their world being pulled out.

However, Alva’s eyes grew wide when she saw those guns.

“Everyone get down! And brace yourselves!”

He aimed at them and fired! A sphere of swirling wind shot out!

“Eh?! Ras*ngan?!”

Ace shouted before Terri knocked them both to the ground. Everyone else managed to throw themselves to the ground to avoid being hit by that windball but it then struck a tree.

In an instant, the windball expanded to engulf the whole tree in a sphere of winds that shredded it inward. All the while, it was releasing a torrent of winds towards the surroundings. That shredded tree branches and threw the other unconscious bandits around like ragdolls!

Some of them slammed into trees or each other in mid-air with a sickening crunch!

The Adventurers and the kids felt getting scratch in their exposed skin. It was like trying to brave a tornado!

When the winds subsided, all that’s left was devastation and a lot of injured bandits.

“Is everyone alright-nya?”

“Just barely…”

“Damn it! What the hell was that?”

“Tch! Vacuum Implosion Magic!” Alva gritted her teeth.

“What?”

“It’s dangerous form of Wind Magic that’s been outlawed due to its dangerous use. So the rumors of Magic Guns going around were true!”

The bandit was laughing creepily, “S-Serves you all right! You all always looked down on me! With these! No one can stop me!”

The bandit evidently had lost it. He was so panicked and desperate he pulled out a dangerous weapon he got simply by chance and used it. He even disregarded the safety of his own comrades in the process. But from his own words he wasn’t treated as one of his comrades at all.

The Artemis party and the kids were now face-to-face with a deranged psycho. They had to tread likely as that guy would probably shoot them indiscriminately with dangerous wide range attack.

Just as they were trying to formulate a plan to deal with him.

BOOM!!!

A loud sound caused everyone to jolt

“W-WHAT WAS THAT?!”

“Are there more of them?!”

Ace glanced at the bandit leader who also had a startled expression.

(No that’s not it otherwise that guy would not look so surprise.)

He continued to look around but then something caught his eye…from above.

“Oi! Look up!”

Ace pointed to the sky. It was night sky filled with glittering stars.

“What happened to the sky?!”

“Eh? Isn’t it supposed to be daytime-nya?!”

“Wow! It’s so pretty!”

“That’s not the point Anna!”

Anna was right on one point. This would have a beautiful sight…had it not been for the fact that it was noon.

“Oi, Alva can you feel it? This insane Magic Power?”

Alva could only nod. From all her experience as an Adventurer, she knew that this was a Magic Spell.

A very, very powerful Magic Spell.

Whoever was casting this was a formidable Magic User.

Suddenly, one by one the stars began to fall, becoming shooting stars while aiming towards a specific location.

But then one of the shooting stars had suddenly changed direction and its target?

“What in tarnation?! It’s coming right at me?!”

The bandit saw that it was flying towards him and began shooting wind bullets in panic to no avail.

“WHY?!!!!”

Was the only thing the pitiful bandit could say as the shooting star smashed at him and caused powerful explosion.

KABOOOOOMM!!!

Everyone was dumbfounded by what had just happened.

“Eh? What the hell just happened?!”

"""""“Divine Retribution?”"""""