Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Lure Hunt (2)
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Humans instinctively feel fear when confronted with something beyond their understanding.
Though not human, the Sixth possessed equally advanced mental faculties, and the sight of Lilia plunged her into panic.
Even allies would have recoiled in horror—let alone an enemy.
"T-Turn around! Speed up!"
"Kiiit!"
The Sixth barked the order urgently, and the wyvern responded with a sharp cry. Twisting its body, the wyvern executed a graceful U-turn.
Considering the wyvern's massive bulk, it was impressively agile, but against her, it felt sluggish.
Was she just psyching herself out, making it seem faster than it was? Clinging to that faint hope, the Sixth whipped her head back.
And immediately spat a curse.
"That crazy bitch!"
The distance had closed even more than she'd feared. Lilia was just that fast.
Desperation clawed at the Sixth.
The wyvern's dominance in the skies boiled down to one simple fact: aerial magical beasts were exceedingly rare.
Even on the ground, a wyvern ranked among the upper echelons of beasts, capable of tangling with trolls.
But whether she was flying or running—and gods knew how—any human moving at that speed could smash a wyvern without breaking a sweat.
As for herself, her combat prowess was negligible, a mere tradeoff for her ability to control beasts. She was dead weight.
"Faster! If you don't want to die!"
"Kiiiii!"
The wyvern practically snapped back, I know, so quit nagging! It was already flapping for all it was worth.
Yet even as it poured on the speed, the gap wasn't widening—it was shrinking in real time.
A wyvern, faster than a full gallop on horseback, slower than a human in the sky? Absurd.
"What the hell kind of freak is she...!"
Among the ant-like swarms of humans, true fliers were vanishingly rare.
Wind mages, in human terms. Even then, only a fraction could manage it, and free flight was a pipe dream. Human bodies were too frail for the accelerations, decelerations, and sharp turns required.
This woman—judging by her outfit and that brutish sprint—was clearly some overbuilt, uselessly healthy priestess. If only she weren't skimming the clouds.
Wasn't that guy earlier a wind mage? But he'd fallen way behind during the chase; he was out of sight now. Holding a spell at this range?
It defied everything the Sixth knew. Thinking harder would only give her a headache, so she stopped.
One small mercy: her legion wasn't far off, held in reserve.
Spotting the teeming mass of fiends on the ground ahead, the Sixth shouted.
"Everyone up! Stop her!"
Her siren's voice, eerie as a haunting melody, carried far and wide. Infused with mana, it reached the earth below.
A dozen wyverns, lounging on the ground as her usual mounts, reacted instantly.
"Kiiik!"
"Kiik!"
Sensing their master's position, they spread their wings and launched skyward.
Relief finally softened the Sixth's expression.
If they could buy just a little time, she could land safely. No matter how insane this woman was, she wouldn't charge a whole legion solo.
"Whew."
"...?"
As that thought crossed her mind, an unfamiliar voice sounded right beside her. The Sixth glanced over reflexively.
Lilia had landed on the wyvern's back.
"Phew, finally caught you."
She said it so casually, like she'd been riding along from the start, that it took the Sixth's brain a moment to process.
"Wh-Wh-What the—?!"
"No need to know, right?"
Grinning, Lilia stepped forward.
The panicked Sixth stumbled back, but there was nowhere to go on a wyvern's back.
Her bronze-rank specs—stronger than a commoner, but nowhere near silver—made any resistance look like a cute tantrum to Lilia.
"We won't be chatting much anyway."
"Gurk!"
Lilia effortlessly caught the Sixth's clumsy swing, snapped her arm like a twig, and flowed inside to seize her throat.
With blood flow to the brain severed, the Sixth's vision blurred in seconds. No time for struggle or scream—blackness swallowed her.
Lilia scooped up the collapsing siren's body.
Slinging the limp form over her shoulder like luggage, she hopped off the wyvern.
Ignoring the terrifying plunge, she glanced sideways.
"Kiiiiiik!"
The wyverns that had just taken off were still barreling toward her, fangs bared.
"Aha."
Smiling brightly, Lilia bent her knees slightly.
Her accelerating fall slowed dramatically.
Wind spirits, wrapping her legs like sleek boots up to the knees, formed a sturdy platform beneath her.
Lilia kicked off the air again.
This time, the wyverns chased her back the way she'd come.
Galen had sent the carriage ahead and was resting alone by the roadside.
He lay sprawled in the grass, seemingly asleep—but he wasn't. Just focusing his senses inward.
After a while, his eyes snapped open.
Rising, he turned toward the pull of his senses.
A tiny dot, chased by a cluster of larger ones.
As they drew nearer, outlines sharpened. The small dot was Lilia, of course; the big ones, wyverns.
She wasn't fleeing in earnest—her movements were leisurely.
Close enough for Galen to make out her cheerful smile, Lilia suddenly accelerated.
Putting some distance between her and the wyverns, she landed before him.
"I'm back, brother!"
"Brought a bunch of weird friends."
"Tried to lure them if possible, but they followed on their own anyway?"
"Well done. Makes this easier. So many, I was wondering which to pick."
Galen spoke calmly as he gathered his mana.
A gloomy mist slithered toward the wyverns, now nearly upon them.
A powerful debuff—bordering on a curse—that sapped the strength from anything it touched.
"Kyeak?!"
Not sure if the analogy fit, but they dropped limply like flies or mosquitoes hit with bug spray.
Thud!Thud!Thud!
Wyverns plunged into the mist one after another, crashing powerlessly. They'd lowered speed and altitude to attack Lilia on the ground, barely avoiding fatal impact.
"Great spell and all."
Galen smacked his lips.
"But no friend-or-foe recognition. Shame."
"Can't you control the mist?"
"I can. Just not precisely. More like herding it in clumps."
To the point it even weakened Galen's other mana.
Chaining it into combos—like debuffing with Mortal Mist then blasting with Phantom Explosion—was tricky. Enemies weakened, sure, but so did his own spells.
Without something specialized like that orc mage's poison, linking them wasn't straightforward.
"Still usable if I try. But set it aside for now."
"Okay!"
Galen headed for the nearest crashed wyvern. Lilia tossed the siren aside and walked beside him.
The mist parted along their path. Not "precise" control, but bulldozing it aside was effortless.
Around the wyverns, it receded too—not fully, leaving about half coverage.
The wyverns, regaining a sliver of strength, growled faintly.
"Good boy."
Galen's mana surged into it via sound waves.
[Life : Mind : Obey]
[Demonic Resonance Domain]
The wyvern jerked like a malfunctioning robot, then thrashed in seizure. Siren mana clashing with Galen's.
"Kiaaat!"
"Hey now, behave."
Winner: Galen, naturally.
If it could subdue the spell's own caster, a mere wyvern was no contest.
Its frantic struggles ceased; big, sparkling eyes gazed up at Galen meekly.
"There. Done."
"Handle the rest?"
"Appreciate it. Follow the mist."
"Got it!"
Galen shifted the mist to clear a path. Lilia could move through it, but resisting the weakening meant burning holy power—why waste her strength?
Wyverns dotted the trail. As each stirred from exhaustion, Lilia's mace silenced it.
She could've crushed them fresh, but weakened? Effortless.
Meanwhile, Galen mounted his tamed wyvern. Unlike forcing it, the beast crouched low obligingly—easy climb.
With cleanup done, he recalled the mist. Returning Lilia tilted her head.
"Huh? No interrogation?"
"Experiments first, then wake her."
"Ooh. Want me to fetch her?"
"Please."
Lilia slung the siren aboard.
The wyvern took flight, toward the fiend legion.
Finally, time to talk. Galen asked,
"How were the spirits?"
"Super fun!"
Lilia beamed, eyes sparkling.
"Some movement limits, but way more versatile overall!"
"Glad to hear. Was worried, honestly. You're out of my reach if trouble hits. Platform stable?"
"Perfect!"
After Spirit Creation evolved to summon temporary spirits on the fly,
Galen's first thought: assist Lilia.
He could handle anything, but she couldn't. Extra elemental damage? Handy.
Her first test spirit was wind—naturally supportive.
They'd already used Spiral Eddy to hurl her to Myra fast. Refine it?
Post-breakfast from the first village, en route, they'd brainstormed in the carriage. By lunch break, testing prototypes.
That was the wind spirit hugging her legs now.
"Wish spirits followed commands freely. So much more potential."
As non-owner, Lilia couldn't direct them.
Galen babysitting? Not assistance.
So he preset behaviors:
Knee bend = wind platform underfoot.
(Kicking triggered it too—unavoidable glitch.)
"Nah, this is plenty!"
Lilia said brightly.
"Stepping midair when needed? Huge. More functions mean more mana drain for you."
"True."
"So this works fine. Really! Tweak details later."
"Fair enough. On to the next..."
Wyvern speed covered the "distant" legion quickly.
Gazing down at the ground horde, Galen said,
"Little test before cleanup. See if it's useful elsewhere."
"Sure! What kind?"
"How fiends react if I hold a ghostkin hostage?"
"...Pardon?"