Liberatus Secures the Emperor
Liberatus Ahad was the first to appear at the inauguration ceremony, immediately checking on the emperor's safety.
"Your Majesty!"
"I'm fine. I'm not so frail that I'd lose to mere erosion beasts."
True to his word, the emperor was slicing through the erosion beasts falling from the sky with his sword. His technique was astonishingly clean. It proved he hadn't become emperor solely by virtue of his bloodline—his skill outshone most knights.
"Knight Order!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
In that instant, dozens of voices merged into one.
"Protect Fermora faster than I can!"
The method didn't matter. Protect. That single command made it clear to the knights what they had to do. About a third of the knight order stayed to guard the palace, while the rest swiftly headed outside. They were clearly moving to protect the civilians.
Moreover, Liberatus's heightened senses picked up sounds from beyond the palace walls.
"It's the imperial army! Hurry to the shelters!"
"Protect the people all the way to the shelters! Hey! Move it!"
"The knights are here too! We're saved!"
An astonishingly swift response. Faster than during the Garundel incident. It seemed Fermora had shelters like Garundel's as well.
Watching the scene, Ludenberg Lavante gained one certainty. The people of Fermora had completely mastered their response protocols for erosion beast invasions. Frequent erosions had naturally honed their crisis-handling abilities.
Then, a voice called out to Ludenberg.
"Liberatus!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Do you see those massive highest-grade erosion beasts? You take them on!"
As Ludenberg cleaved through the charging erosion beasts, the emperor similarly cut down those lunging at him and issued the order.
"Understood!"
Liberatus shouted that, then turned to gaze at a highest-grade erosion beast that had just plummeted from the sky and landed on the ground. Another one. He'd already handled more than ten with Liberatus's body. At this point, highest-grade erosion beasts were no match for Ludenberg, who had adapted to Liberatus's form. More precisely, ever since he could infuse Liberatus's convictions into his sword.
He still couldn't embody his own convictions... but for some reason, Liberatus's body made it possible.
"Kyle, Orpina, Hidea!"
"Yes, Liber!"
"Clear the erosion beasts around the knights. With the other knights there, as long as you handle your share, there won't be any danger."
"Got it!"
The three followed Liberatus's instructions. Then, he turned to Istradim Seta.
"Istradim."
"Yes."
"I'll trust your words. Stay near the knights too—that'll be safer. Ah, if you foresee anything ominous, tell the other Kyle, Orpina, and Hidea. Those kids will find a way."
"...Yes. Don't worry."
Istradim nodded with her characteristic blank expression. Seeing that, Liberatus kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The earth exploded as Ludenberg reclaimed control of the body. He charged. Toward the building-sized highest-grade erosion beast.
The beast, spotting him racing to harm it, felt threatened and swung its massive arm. Primitive and simple, but the overwhelming power and speed from its gigantic frame made it plenty dangerous.
Scraaaape!
Its size meant a wide reach too. In an instant, the knight order's training grounds were demolished, and its arm barreled toward Ludenberg.
But Ludenberg once more wrapped Liberatus's convictions around his sword. The beliefs Liberatus had spoken of before. No enemy could withstand his blade, and his flesh would never yield. Those convictions dwelled in Liberatus's body and sword. At the same time, Ludenberg began to feel an omnipotence—like he could do anything.
Remember this sensation. I don't know what it'll feel like when I forge my own convictions... but it'll probably be something like this.
Ludenberg soon leaped onto the beast's incoming arm sweeping the training grounds. From battling countless erosion beasts, he'd learned one thing: chopping off limbs or legs did little. Better to go straight for the heart and smash it. Especially in a situation like this. No reason not to use the arm as a bridge.
He dashed up the arm, heading for the creature's torso. Before, he'd have severed a leg and closed in during that brief gap—but that was risky and stamina-draining. A last-resort tactic.
The erosion beast thrashed its arm to shake him off, morphing it to attack. But such simple assaults no longer fazed Ludenberg. Tentacles launched? Slashed away. Chains flung? Batted aside. Spikes shot? Dodged. Repeating that sequence, he finally reached the beast's shoulder and activated his senses.
His enhanced perception sifted through the pulsing sounds inside the erosion beast, isolating them one by one. Not a beast-type but humanoid, so locating the heart was easy.
Finding it, Ludenberg moved without hesitation. The heart was in its head. But the head was so enormous that smashing the hidden heart inside without severing the relatively thin neck would be tough. Jumping from the head was hard too, and if it moved freely, it'd be a headache.
What to do? Yeah. That's the way.
Ludenberg decided to decapitate it, separate the head, and destroy the heart. He swung his sword. His now-familiar technique unfolded through Liberatus's body. The blade traced a brilliant arc, smoothly severing the neck.
Shhhwick—
No harsh cutting sound—just the head tumbling to the ground.
Thud.
Ludenberg immediately kicked off the shoulder, running perpendicular down the body. Liberatus's conviction-infused form enabled the impossible for a human. Then, he pierced the center of the severed head. A hole bored through the massive cranium, destroying the heart before it could react.
One down... but there are still so many.
Ludenberg hurried onward, of course keeping an eye on Kyle's group. Fortunately, they were safely protected by knights near the emperor, taking down erosion beasts within their capability.
No worries there for now. Prioritize the highest-grade ones. And stay alert—Devourers might show up.
Recalling Raha's warning about a Devourer, Ludenberg moved to tackle the highest-grade erosion beasts flaunting their massive bodies.
* * *
A human threatens us.
Among the erosion beasts invading Fermora, the strongest highest-grade ones eyed Ludenberg in Liberatus's body with wariness. Sensing it could grow even stronger soon, one that had set out to devour humans felt a massive threat from the one slaughtering erosion beasts.
I need to get stronger. Or I won't survive it.
So it judged... and instead of the people who had fled to shelters, it turned to the erosion beasts around it.
Devour. To grow stronger. For survival.
Its craving for survival drove it to consume the nearby highest-grade erosion beast. It extended tentacles, snatching them up. Low- and mid-grade erosion beasts struggled futilely.
Crunch.
Their bodies crumbled, their inherent life force flowing into the highest-grade beast. But it wasn't enough. It didn't stop at those around it—it headed for one currently battling Ludenberg.
Devour that one.
It shot a tentacle at the heart of the fighting highest-grade erosion beast.
Kraaack!
The heart pierced, vast life force from within flooded into it. Thump. Its own heart pounded fiercely. Reaching a critical point, the life force surged wildly. All life in the highest-grade body converged on its heart. Its movements slowed, limbs, tentacles, and chains withered and stilled.
After a brief moment, when the power fully gathered in the heart, a massive energy flow formed, tearing the heart and rotting flesh apart.
Boom!
A horrific roar echoed as the grotesque remains soiled Fermora's buildings... and from the giant heart emerged a being the size of a human, slowly stepping out.
It resembled a human closely. Perhaps taking the form of the strongest thing it had devoured. Its glossy exoskeleton differed, but the overall shape mimicked humanity well enough.
With each step, its power amplified. The unstable flows stabilized; though small, its near-perfect body brimmed with immense strength.
The evolution complete, it stood before Ludenberg.
Beings called erosion beasts for invading this world had now hungered for its life, devoured it, and birthed this. Otherwise known as a Devourer.
Ludenberg couldn't comprehend why one highest-grade erosion beast had devoured its kin, but now he understood. To survive, it had broken its power limits. By evolving into a Devourer.
A Devourer...!
Facing it, Ludenberg couldn't help shuddering at its otherworldly strength. A highest-grade erosion beast? It wasn't even comparable.
And in that moment... Ludenberg felt something surging from Liberatus's body. Fierce, viscous rage so overwhelming it inspired dread just facing it.
Ah.
Finally, he realized. This Devourer was what had taken the most precious person from the indomitable Liberatus.
As boiling fury confused Ludenberg, the Devourer swung its hand toward him.