254. Garden Cleanup (3)
254. Garden Cleanup (3)
- 1 -
It was the last day of winter.
On February 29th, snow was falling unusually from the sky over Hinness Duchy.
Perhaps because the territory lay on high ground despite being a southern province.
But that white snow didn't last long.
Because it was already stained red.
"Ha..."
Under the dark blue sky, Shue's footsteps left crimson prints on the snow.
A snowfield dyed in blood.
Snowflakes drifted from the sky, settling and melting on Shue's white hair.
A droplet of blood that had been clinging to her hair mingled with melted snow and trickled down.
Kurrreung...!
On her left side, the keep of Hinness Duchy came into view, on the verge of collapse.
A keep pouring out crimson flames and black fateful energy.
These cowards had held out in their keep for a week without emerging; a large section of its wall had crumbled, but it had held out nonetheless.
"They're still like that."
She yawned languidly and looked at the army standing far away on a hill.
The flags of Kakia and Elieniesi stood side by side.
It was the army of the two kingdoms that had rushed here under the pretext of being Duke Hinness's 'allied forces.'
Though they hadn't taken a single step from that position.
'I wonder if it's because of me.'
The sight of a single berserker charging head-on against thousands of soldiers and annihilating them must have been unbelievable.
She had done it because Elena had done it, and while it wasn't as clean as Elena's, it was possible. It was closer to 'blasting' them away rather than piercing through.
She could exert this level of power with pure mana alone, not demonic mana.
She raised her hand.
Kwaaaaang - !!!
With a thunderous roar splitting the heavens, a gigantic blood-red lightning bolt tore through the earth.
The lightning burrowed into the ground as if alive and surged toward the advancing army.
"Kuaaaak!!"
"S-save...!"
Screams filled with terror echoed, but Shue's crimson eyes remained cold.
The five-forked lightning that shot from her claws mercilessly pierced through the clustered army.
Neither heavily armored knights nor soldiers with sturdy shields could avoid it.
Only ashes remained where the lightning had passed.
'I guess I don't need to kill any more here.'
Shue's power was the power of blood.
A power that grew based on the sacrifice of enemies...
She had already 'eaten' enough.
Shue gestured toward the enemies as if annoyed.
"Get lost."
"Hi, hiiik...!"
After watching them flee, she beckoned to those who were watching her from behind with fear and awe.
The lower-level demon beasts and humans of the Twilight Mercenaries, now part of the Haisen Kingdom's army, gathered together and rushed forward to loot everything in the village.
"Good."
A predatory smile played on Shue's lips.
Thanks to the Master having strengthened her before the expedition, she was now the first among her comrades to reach the high rank.
That fact alone made her heart swell.
The sensation of the 「Blood Heaven Magic Arts」' power flowing through her entire body felt just like returning to her prime.
"That should be about enough now."
Her footsteps halted.
Hinness showed no signs of leaving the keep, and Kakia and Elieniesi were also just observing.
Their alliance was, for all intents and purposes, over, and the plunder was plentiful.
It was time to go back.
They hadn't intended to occupy this land in the first place; it was just a show of force.
"Daniel! Let's head back."
"Yes! Lady Shue!"
Saying that to Daniel, the nominal commander of this army, Shue turned her body and yawned deeply.
"...I need to go back and sleep."
She missed the Master's embrace.
- 2 -
In the center of the underground prison of Haisen Royal Castle, a giant cavity had been prepared.
It was a space I had secured for magic experiments and such.
Currently, two large arrays and two small arrays were drawn in that space.
"P-p-please spare me... I beg you!"
On one of the large altars, four sacrifices were placed.
Two elite-grade demon beasts, and two elite-grade martial artists.
The former were a Satyr and a Medusa that Libertas's beast hunters had caught, and the latter were the martial artists with criminal backgrounds who had come alongside the Han nation's Prince Yi Jeong.
In front of that altar, on a small magic circle, stood Yuran.
Just as it had been with me, a sacrificial ritual was needed to rise from advanced to elite.
"Ran."
At my call, her golden eyes sparkled alluringly at me.
I smiled and spoke.
"Now it is time for you to become an elite Dungeon Lord as well."
Since she was a Dungeon Lord herself, she could perform her own evolution, but...
It was always much better to have someone else by her side to adjust the magic.
"Yes. My husband."
On Ran's face, which had answered obediently, joy bloomed.
A face flushed peach-pink, slightly parted lips, and her black tails wagging quickly without her realizing it.
Her appearance was cute, but what would happen from now on wouldn't be.
From my hand, which I slowly raised, darkness bloomed.
"Aah, aaagh... aaaaagh...!!!"
The living sacrifices screamed.
Their life force and soul, mana and skills. Everything flowed into Yuran's body.
"Save, save, save me...!"
"Please have mercy...!"
The Satyr and Medusa, representative demon beasts known for enchanting people, also let out screams and shrieks.
The ritual could be performed even with a dead sacrifice, but a ritual performed with a living sacrifice made the target's abilities even more powerful.
This was originally a ritual of the demon race.
It was only natural that the pain and resentment of the sacrifice would strengthen the magic.
"Ahh..."
Yuran's face was tinged with ecstasy.
Behind her back, darkness swirled and gathered.
Whooruk -
The moment the fourth tail formed, the mana around her began to burn like a black flame.
And finally, the fifth tail.
Kwadeuk!
With a sound like flesh tearing, the final silhouette was completed.
Above the three tails, two silhouettes swayed gently like an aurora, creating a beautiful ripple.
The mana in the atmosphere swirled around her body as the center.
Foxfire mixed with gold and violet wrapped around her.
It was a sight that seemed to celebrate the birth of a new life.
"You're almost done."
Ran's capability was immense.
Therefore, her ability to digest the sacrifice was incomparable to that of other demon beasts.
My hand pointed at her, and Yuran's body floated up.
The surrounding air was dyed with darkness and gold and violet foxfire.
"You're beautiful, Ran."
"I am grateful. My husband."
Swaying her five tails, Ran walked out from within the power and bowed deeply.
Her five tails spread out like black flowers.
Her power, having become a five-tailed fox, was in a state far stronger than before.
This was because the mana that had been restricted while she was below the elite level was now released, and had begun to correct and enhance all her abilities.
I checked her condition, confirmed there were no abnormalities, then turned my head.
"Now it is the turn to make these into shikigami."
Ran's gaze followed mine.
There lay the corpse of the dead Prince Yi Jeong, and Seolhwa, whose white tails had all been torn to shreds, leaving not a single tail intact.
"Just wait a little. You filthy things. I'll clean you up nicely and present you as a gift to Saya."
Whooruk...!
The one executing the ritual this time was Ran.
Even though her power had only just been strengthened moments ago, her spiritual power control was both unimpeded and precise.
"No...!"
Seolhwa's desperate scream echoed.
But the ritual had already begun.
Her empty blue eyes were dyed gold like Yuran's, and her white fox tail grew back.
Now it would never have multiple strands again, but at least it would be 'fox-like.'
The threads of sorcery spun from Ran's long fingertips emptied Seolhwa's mind and filled it with new memories.
"Fufu."
A smile tugged at Ran's lips.
The moment her first work was born.
"I should do this one."
I laid my hands on the dead Yi Jeong.
Since his head had already been cleanly cut off, all I had to do was extract the mana.
The process was over quickly.
"Arise."
And so, what was summoned was a Dullahan.
An undead with the shape of a headless person, dressed in Western continental attire, stood in its place.
Yi Jeong's head, tucked under his arm, still had its eyes closed.
"Manwol."
His living name was Jeong (正), so I took the moon (Saya) that belongs to the night, and thus Manwol (Full Moon).
At my call, he opened his eyes. A flash of blue light burst out and then vanished.
"Saya. Come here."
When I called, she appeared from the shadows.
My shadow was a passageway they could always use.
"It is a gift. I hope you like it."
"Thank you. Master."
As Saya knelt, Seolhwa and Manwol prostrated themselves around her.
A small chuckle escaped me at the sight of Manwol's head sitting separately beside him.
Now their intelligence would grow again from zero.
As loyal confidants to Saya.
It was compensation for her past years.
"Ran."
"Yes. My husband."
At my voice, Ran approached me and linked arms.
"Well done."
"My husband's joy is my everything."
Saying something so admirable, Ran's bewitching narrowed eyes sparkled with joy.
- 3 -
The final sacrifices were prepared.
What was prepared for Evangeline herself were two high-ranking humans: the Slaughterer who had beheaded Regina and the Assassin.
And the remaining six elite-grade sacrifices were also criminals or adventurers personally chosen by the Master.
While Prince Yi Jeong himself may not have had a remarkably high level, the quality of the sacrifices he had brought was high.
"Eve. Come here."
In response to Libertas's call, Evangeline stepped forward and knelt.
The black noble formal attire prepared under her Master's orders shimmered in the light.
"You are the last."
"Yes. Master."
In front of her lay an altar made of crystal.
"Mmmmph...!"
"Aaah..."
The sacrifices on the altar were all alive, either paralyzed with fear or in a mindless state.
It was understandable.
They had just witnessed Yuran's ritual, seen how the demon beasts and humans used in it had all melted and been absorbed into her.
Evangeline examined them indifferently, then fixed her gaze on her Master.
"Let's begin. Prepare yourself."
"You may begin at any time."
Libertas drew an arc with her small lips, then tapped the empty air with a finger.
From her fingertip, a small magic circle was created, and as it spread into the air, it grew larger, enveloping the altar.
Ssssss...!
"Mmmmph -!!!"
"Hihihik...!"
As the magic circle on the ground and the magic circle in the sky resonated, mana and soul began to drain from the sacrifices.
Screaming groans began to fill the surroundings.
Evangeline felt them flowing into her body.
"Hoo..."
It wasn't without pain. But not a single groan escaped her lips.
Libertas cared for and loved each and every one of them.
Knowing that, there was no way a groan of pain would leak from the lips of Evangeline or Yuran.
Above all, a groan of pain in the face of the blessing of the Master's direct touch was wholly inappropriate.
'Now I have regained the Laurel Crown.'
With her eyes closed, Evangeline looked at the dark violet Laurel Crown that hung on her inner scales.
If the Absolute Scales symbolized absolute superiority over an adversary, the Laurel Crown was the ability to share that superiority.
A trait that further strengthened the power she originally possessed as a 'commander.'
The ability of a commander to boost the strength of allies and lead an army to victory.
She would never lose on a true 'battlefield.'
"You have obtained a magnificent power."
Her Master had already recognized her ability and was smiling with satisfaction.
Evangeline bloomed flowers of various elements above her hand.
The 'power to possess superiority' she had held before was also strengthened further.
Now she could simultaneously use multiple powers to suppress a target's elements and gain superiority.
"How beautiful."
"This is also by your grace, Master."
Listening to her Master's words, Evangeline smiled.
All three of them had completed their transformations.
Shue's Bloodlust Feast had transformed into Blood Heaven Magic Arts, Ran had become an elite Dungeon Lord and gained five tails, and she, too, had regained the Laurel Crown.
The power to assist her Master had grown even stronger, so now it was time to use that power against her Master's enemies.
"Come here."
Now Libertas's gaze was directed southward.
Evangeline approached her side, kissed the back of her hand, and knelt.
"Now let us consider the direction we must advance."
Libertas's eyes shone in the darkness.
Her people were gathering.
To open their new era and to establish the strategy for it.