Chapter 681: Approaching Malice

"I really didn't expect the shopkeeper to be a Swordsman!" Itsuka Shido sat on the grass, looking at the sky with a helpless expression.

"What Swordsman?" Just at this moment, a voice came over.

Itsuka Shido was startled and hurriedly turned his head to look; it turned out that Tobiichi Origami had quietly appeared behind him at some point.

"So it's you, classmate Tobiichi." Seeing the expressionless Tobiichi Origami behind him, Itsuka Shido couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Shido, I heard you mentioning a Swordsman earlier; could it be that you know the whereabouts of the Swordsman?" Tobiichi Origami moved closer to Itsuka Shido, her face almost touching his lips.

"N-no, not at all!" Itsuka Shido's face turned red from Tobiichi Origami's actions, and he hurriedly stepped back. "It's just that Hiroto has been frantically pushing games on me lately, making me feel a bit neurotic now."

"Is that so?" Tobiichi Origami stared at Itsuka Shido for a while and then said, "Speaking of the Swordsman, I remembered something. The owner of that Mysterious Shop we visited before might just be the Spirit that appeared earlier—the Swordsman. Moreover, that shop also houses the legendary most dangerous Spirit, the Nightmare. For the sake of your safety, you must never go to that place alone again, understand?"

Watching Tobiichi Origami's rare, serious expression, Itsuka Shido couldn't help but be stunned, and he nodded subconsciously.

DEM Industries Headquarters.

Westcott looked at the pile of documents in front of him and couldn't help but frown. Ever since Nilier Island was destroyed, many of DEM Industries' research projects had suffered severe blows. In particular, the research on Spirit Crystal inversion had fallen into a state of near collapse.

Regarding the heavy losses on Nilier Island, many of the board members of DEM Industries had expressed dissatisfaction with Westcott. Looking at them now, it seemed they wanted to overthrow Westcott's leadership of DEM Industries.

"No, even if we recruit enough researchers again, without a Spirit, this kind of research cannot proceed at all," Westcott said, frowning.

Westcott didn't take the board members' frantic behavior to heart at all. To him, those people were no different from amusing clowns. However, the research on Spirit Crystal inversion was something he had always kept in mind, and now that this matter had encountered obstacles, his mood became unpleasant.

"Isaac, if there are no Spirits, we can just capture more!" Ellen, who was to the side, spoke up. "I think there is a place that can fully meet the needs of our current research."

"What place?" Westcott raised an eyebrow.

"This is news that has been passed up from below during this period; I think you will be interested." Ellen handed a document in her hand to Westcott.

"Tengu City? Spirit investigation report?" Looking at the data in his hands, an interested expression appeared on Westcott's face.

The content of the report was not very long, but after reading it, a meaningful smile appeared on Westcott's face.

"Princess? Hermit? Swordsman? I never thought that such a small Tengu City would have so many Spirits appear. It seems this place really cannot be underestimated!"

"There is one more thing, which is also the latest intelligence we received: it seems the trace of the Nightmare has appeared in Tengu City," Ellen said.

"Nightmare?" Hearing this name, a rare trace of gravity appeared on Westcott's face.

This Spirit had been opposing DEM Industries for a long time, and because of her existence, DEM Industries had suffered no small losses. This time, the Nightmare had even brought in the mysterious and unpredictable Swordsman, directly destroying Nilier Island and causing DEM Industries to suffer huge losses. Facing this enemy, DEM Industries naturally had specialized personnel to deal with her. But this Spirit seemed to possess an immortal body; even if she were killed, she would appear before them again after a period of time.

"By the way, it is said that Tengu City is also the place where the Swordsman first appeared in the world," Ellen added. "Also, our old rival, Ratatoskr, has deployed a powerful aerial battleship in Tengu City, and it is said that many staff members are stationed there!"

"Ratatoskr, it seems there must be secrets in this Tengu City that we don't know about," Westcott said. "Most importantly, our experimental materials can be replenished there. Ellen, do you have the confidence to capture another Spirit?"

"It's just a Spirit; I was able to do it before, and of course, I can do it now!" Ellen's eyes were full of confidence.

"Good, then let's prepare, and afterwards, we will head to Tengu City!" Westcott stood up and said slowly.

"Yes!"

"Tengu City, please don't let me down!" Westcott walked to the huge window, looked down at the scenery below, and said slowly.

Ellen, standing behind him, looked at his back, her eyes full of fighting spirit.

"Princess, Hermit, Nightmare, Swordsman—let me see just how much ability you all have!"

During this period, Ellen's own exclusive Realizer had undergone a comprehensive upgrade with Westcott's support, especially in terms of resistance to spiritual power, which had seen an unprecedented improvement. Now, she even had the confidence to fight that Swordsman of unknown strength with her own Realizer.

"Hmm, what is this feeling?"

Just as Westcott decided to march on Tengu City, Lingyun, who was watering flowers in the Mysterious Shop, seemed to perceive something and his figure paused.

"What's wrong, Lingyun?" Kurumi, who was to the side, sensed Lingyun's momentary abnormality and couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing, I just sensed a wave of malice seemingly approaching this place from afar," Lingyun smiled, then continued to water the flowers.

"Malice?" Hearing Lingyun say this, Kurumi couldn't help but frown. "Could it be Westcott and his DEM Industries?"

"I also think it should be them," Lingyun said with a smile, his hand not stopping the action of watering the flowers.

"If it were the old me, I would probably have to retreat three times when facing DEM Industries. But the current me—if DEM Industries really dares to come and cause us trouble, I will definitely drag them all into the City of Devouring Time!" Kurumi clenched her fist.

"By the way, how is Nia doing now?" Kurumi asked.

"Nia, her physical condition has basically stabilized now. Although there were a few signs of Spirit Crystal inversion during this process, they were all suppressed by the Purification Light," Lingyun said. "Looking at her current state, I estimate she will be able to wake up in a few days."

"As far as I know, Nia is a hardcore otaku. I wonder what kind of expression she will have when she sees Aincrad!" Kurumi said with a light laugh, not knowing what she had thought of.