Monster Hunting (3)
Liana volunteered to head to Leon, the nearest city to the unexplored zone, in place of the injured elf knights.
It wouldn't be easy. She had to break through thousands of monsters on horseback, all alone.
But Liana exuded strong confidence. Her injuries from the monster fights had come from protecting her comrades, she said. Punching through the beasts solo would be a breeze—just trust her.
With Kalen Dae's expert treatment patching her up, Liana donned her armor, let her sword hang low, and spurred her horse onward.
"You think she'll be okay?" Alonne asked, her voice laced with worry.
Leticia Santander spoke up in response. "Instructor Liana is one of the 12th Sword Warriors. I believe she'll make it to Leon safely."
Yushin Gilliard kept sweeping through the notorious monsters, carving his way across the unexplored zone. But how long could it last? With Sabnack now at the forefront, Bariteon Trident's defensive line was doomed to crumble. It was only a matter of time. No matter how skilled Bariteon was, facing a Demon King and her minions single-handedly was impossible.
"...Has Master made his decision?"
"He said he came to this unexplored zone to gain the power to defeat the Demon King."
"The Demon King Army won't just sit around waiting. They've already advanced right up to our throats. With Captain Ardena Valencia and the other captains fully deployed, we can breathe easy for now—but we can't let our guard down. Master needs to act as soon as possible...."
Leticia trailed off, pressing her lips tight. She couldn't bring herself to say it outright: that her master had to face the Demon King. It felt too brazen. The Demon King Army was the enemy of all races on the continent, but this war was ultimately between elves and demons. Wasn't it presumptuous to assume the Diablo Slayer would join just because? Leticia felt a wave of self-loathing for her own shameless dependence on him.
"I-I'll pay you back later!"
"Pay me back?"
"Your family's loaded!"
"Planning to dump this on me like that? Typical of a snot-nosed Valencia brat. It's true our house, the Golden Santanders, holds vast wealth—but we couldn't possibly offer a bounty fit for slaying a Demon King. That's beyond imagination."
"If you shook those slutty tits of yours, I bet Master would jump in willingly."
"H-How rude! You little Valencia pest!"
At Alonne's sexual harassment, Leticia flushed beet red and clutched her ample bosom. It was a full E-cup. Her development far outstripped her peers', which might make others envious—but for Leticia, it was a massive complex. Eyes always zeroed in on her chest. She hated the blatant stares.
"Let's go to Master for now."
"Yeah."
Leticia and Alonne headed toward Yushin's location. He was currently locked in a brutal, real-combat spar with Allen Rocksfield. Finding him was easy. Terrifying roars echoed nonstop, scattering any lurking monsters in panic.
Follow the booms, and you'd find Yushin.
"Master!"
Alonne arrived, cupping her hands to shout. But Yushin had no attention to spare. He was fully committed to clashing with Allen at peak power.
Lightning-sharp strikes and earth-shaking brute force ravaged the surroundings. Massive trees ripped free by the roots; boulders launched skyward with chunks of earth. The shockwaves rocked the entire unexplored zone like a raging typhoon.
"Th-They're fighting like they wanna kill each other...?!"
Allen exhaled hot breaths, swinging her Dragon Pursuer. Her arm muscles rippled. It was the Rocksfield family's mana breathing technique, converting mana into raw strength and stamina. A beastly roar erupted from her throat—like a monster wearing a beautiful woman's skin.
Seeing Allen cut loose for real froze Alonne and Leticia's legs like ice.
"Grrr...! Raaargh!!!"
Allen swung her bastard sword. An invisible shockwave tore across the ground, slamming into Yushin. He countered the relentless barrage—packed with ferocious power—by whipping his Lightning Sword Karus in a masterful display, perfectly nullifying the force. It was exquisitely precise, flawless. Not a single gap, shattering might that could've pulverized his body.
"What the hell are they even doing...?" Alonne muttered.
The Allen she knew was wild and scary, but obedient to Yushin. Anyone spending even a short time around them could tell she had a crush on him. (Though the object of her affection seemed obliviously unaware.) Allen showered him with unwavering devotion. So her trying to kill him like this? Totally off.
"Allen, you brute! Is that how I taught you? You're so slow, flies are landing on your shoulder!"
Yushin bellowed. With that, Allen roared and swung her Dragon Pursuer again. No one who valued their life would dare provoke her like that. Alonne and Leticia paled, peeking at the scene from hiding.
Yep, Allen lives up to her spot as the Kingdom's Seven Swords' second seat. My arms are already aching.... She could be the kingdom's second guardian knight after Master.
Yushin glanced at the brute-force-armed Allen and muttered to himself. The Rocksfield clan's exceptional physique, her Murder Star born of killer instinct and battle lust, plus innate genius talent. Armed with it all, Allen Rocksfield was the swordswoman tipped to become the kingdom's greatest after Heinkel Lineholder.
Strength to Uproot Mountains, Power to Dominate the World. If Xiang Yu or Richard I came back to life, could they match this Allen? The Valua Kingdom's heroine—who'd led every war she fought to victory—boasted superhuman strength and cruelty beyond legends.
"Allen!!"
Yushin pulled his sword back, then unleashed it. The lightning-charged blade erupted with all its energy, surging toward Allen. She met it with her full-powered slash.
The collision's shockwave engulfed everything nearby, carving a massive crater at the unexplored zone's heart.
* * *
Kalen Dae was a spirit mage who commanded nature's spirits. Yushin shrugged off her spirit arts indifferently. He knew little about them and figured all elves could use them anyway.
But Alonne and Leticia were different. The moment they saw Kalen leading a line of round, pint-sized sprites, their eyes sparkled with excitement and awe—like witnessing a living miracle.
"What's so amazing? Isn't handling spirits just basic elf stuff?"
Yushin shrugged and quipped. Leticia shook her head.
"Elves communing with spirits and borrowing their power? That's from before the Great War. It's a completely lost art now."
The war between elves and demons. In the fight for dominance over Libria Peninsula, elves were abandoned by the spirits. Corrupted elf spirit mages, who wielded even greater numbers and stronger spirits as weapons of slaughter, fell to bloodlust and madness. Gradually shunned by the spirits, they faced unilateral contract breaches—vanishing into history.
"No need to make a big deal. I just lived longer than most.... I hid away all this time, using 'protecting my kin from war' as an excuse."
Kalen gave a wry smile, brushing off Alonne and Leticia's praise as excessive. Kalen Dae—the astonishing first High Priestess, who'd fought alongside the top Sword Warrior in that war. Few remembered her now. Disgusted by the demon conflict, she'd quietly vanished with her people. The Elf Kingdom believed this dark elf had perished mid-war.
"Gotta be pretty old."
"It's rude to ask a lady her age, Yushin."
The brief ground tremor? Probably just imagination.
"Right now, I can only handle earth spirits. In this barren wasteland, no other spirits dwell. If I could return to the Elf Kingdom, maybe—but as is, I'm powerless."
The zone's residents had evaded the evil dragon for so long thanks to Kalen borrowing earth spirits' power to mislead it. Hiding for ages. Those spirits let 300 souls survive this far.
"Evil dragon?" Yushin asked.
Evil Dragon—the infamous title for dragons breaking their clan's iron rule: never interfere in the world's order or racial survival.
News of an evil dragon in the zone lit up Allen's eyes with battle lust. She wanted a piece right now.
"Gah!"
Allen ducked her head and chomped Yushin's hand. Lingering grudge from his provoking insults. It hurt plenty, but given his antics, he opted for forgiveness. He stroked her head. Her bite softened—his touch felt good, so she snuggled into his arms, acting spoiled.
"You two look like close siblings."
Kalen chuckled. Allen replied,
"We're engaged. He's mine."
"Your dad, Lord Troid Rocksfield, basically sold me into it like a shrimp fisherman."
"Best thing he ever did."
"Can't use your dad like that."
"Hmph!"
"Cheeky Allen."
As Yushin and Allen flirted sweetly, Alonne and Leticia huffed and turned away. They knew about the engagement—supposedly nominal. But this went beyond siblings; they looked like lovers. Time to stop bickering among themselves. Their biggest threat was the ex-fiancée.
"Well, I'll be off then."
Kalen stood—but wobbled after a step. Yushin shot up, wrapping her slim waist to steady her. Suddenly in a man's arms, she blushed like a schoolgirl, but urgently spoke of what the earth spirits showed her.
"Th-the evil dragon.... The evil dragon's moving...!!"
The dragon, holed up in its lair for centuries, had stirred. No direct impact on the zone before, just polymorphing human and patrolling nearby. But now, change gripped Salamanca's evil dragon.
Sensing doom in its sudden action, Kalen warned Yushin in a voice thick with shock and fear.
Yushin and Allen nodded. Valua's Kingdom's Seven Swords grabbed their weapons, rallying for a dragon hunt.