Kellevos Subjugation Battle (1)
As Kellevos began to stir, a horde burst out as if they'd been lying in wait.
These creatures, covered head to toe in dirt and resembling small golems, fixed their glares on us.
Monsters? I figured they were just one of the beasts native to this island—no, more precisely, to its shell.
But something felt off about their vibe. Hard to say if it was the atmosphere or their appearance exactly.
They stared us down with murderous intent, like we'd invaded their home. It was different from any monster we'd faced before.
Thud!
"Aren!"
One slammed the ground with a body at least twice my size, and the young miss cried out urgently.
Shing!
I whipped my sword from its sheath at my waist, sliced the thing down, and glanced back at her.
Chunks of shattered earth tumbled across the ground.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me, miss. But where the hell did these guys pop out from?"
"No idea. They just... sprang up from the ground like a fountain."
"From the ground?"
The ground, huh. Not moles, but monsters sprouting from the earth? First time for everything.
They didn't seem all that strong, though, so dealing with them shouldn't be—
Gurgle!
"...Huh?"
Thud!
The moment I turned from the one I'd just felled, the dirt pile reformed into its original shape in an instant.
It lunged at me with its massive bulk. My reaction slowed a beat, thinking I'd already taken it down.
"Ngh—!"
Still, I reflexively raised my sword to block its arm.
Bam!
A metallic clang rang out as its heavy weight bore down on me. I braced against the pushback, then poured strength into my blade and swung with all I had.
Slash!
The mana-infused sword cleaved its body in half again. But for some bizarre reason, just like before, the crumbling form began regenerating.
Dirt clumps slithered into the fissures, piecing it back into a perfect shape. I gritted my teeth.
It's closer to regeneration than simple recovery.
At this rate, I'd never finish them no matter how many times I cut them down. And their numbers kept growing—who knew where they were coming from.
Well then, how about this?
"Miss, heads up. Might get messy."
"What?!"
I shaped the mana at my sword tip thin and narrow this time. The blue aura cloaking the blade took form, overlaying a second sword upon it.
Not something I could spam wildly yet, and a bit heavy for scouting, but against this many, no choice.
Shiiiing!
I slowly swept the sword horizontally, mana beaming from the tip to slice through their bodies one by one.
At least twenty had gathered; their torsos neatly separated from their legs.
Squelch. Crumble.
Even sword beam couldn't overcome that regen, though—their forms started reforming once more.
Won't be easy to break through without figuring out their weakness.
I bit my lip in growing frustration—
"Selphin!"
Kyaaah!
The young miss shouted, and the light-green spirit floating in the air exhaled a mighty gust forward.
Invisible blades rained down on them. But the subtle refractions aimed oddly—not at vitals like necks or torsos.
Instead, straight for their heels, right behind the Achilles tendon.
Slash!
The unseen blades grazed the monsters' heels. Something snapped free from the back of their feet.
"...What's that?"
I narrowed my eyes. It wasn't just dirt.
A grotesque, writhing black cord like an animal's umbilical cord stretched into the ground.
Ground, sure—but knowing what this "ground" really was changed everything.
Yeah, we weren't on ordinary soil. This was a massive monster's back, part of its body.
Which meant...
"Miss, don't tell me—"
"Right. When they regenerated earlier, it started from their feet. They're probably drawing power from Kellevos."
She figured that out in that split second? Damn, our miss is sharp.
So that's why they could regen endlessly.
"So these are like Kellevos's summons?"
"Dunno. But maybe symbiotic? Like crocodiles and plovers. Can't maintain a body this huge alone."
"Makes sense."
Even as the owner, it couldn't control every inch solo. So it hosts these symbiotic beasts, lends them power, and gets help in return.
"Aren, I'll finish them! Just pin 'em down!"
"Got it."
At her call, I focused mana into my sword. No more sword beams, so I wrapped it in sword aura and dove into the reforming horde, slashing forward relentlessly.
Whoosh!
Each time, their bodies crumbled to dirt, writhing to reform—but
"Not today!"
Snap!
The young miss and Selphin's combo severed all those umbilical cords. No chance for regen.
"Nice... This is it."
A path clear at last—I smirked and swung even harder.
One down, then the next beside it, then the one charging head-on.
I flowed past attacks lightly, focusing solely on severing torsos. She handled cleanup, so I just swung away like a kid in a candy store.
Thud!
The last one hit the dirt, and the forest fell silent. Only twitching black remnants fading on the ground remained.
I exhaled deeply, lowering my sword tip.
One left now.
A lone turtle in the distance, raising its massive head with a roar.
Having lost its crew, it flashed huge eyes like the pests were finally out of the way.
＊
"Hah... hah..."
Neriel glared at the foe before her, panting raggedly.
The lofty, ever-composed Scale's Prodigy was gone. Her clothes were blackened as if devoured by shadow, her signature witch hat riddled with holes and discarded on the ground.
"...Cocky at first, but not so easy, huh?"
Still, Neriel hadn't lost her cool. If anything, she was riding high.
Her opponent—body scorched, mask still affixed, staring her down—showed no trace of its initial leisure.
"Impressive, Scale's Prodigy. Bridging that combat experience gap with raw power."
"Praise from trash like you sours in my mouth. More to the point, you done? Why not call it?"
Neriel smirked, purple eyes locked on him.
Her own state was rough, but his was worse. He feigned calm, but her mana sight—praised by even her master Amelia as superior—saw through it.
His mana was tapped out; not enough to take her down.
Whirr— Pop!
A faint magic circle layered on his hand, then fizzled like a dud firework.
Insufficient mana for the spell.
Just as I thought.
Her eyes gleamed. He shook his mask side to side, acknowledging the end.
"Whew... Tougher than expected. Regrettable, Neriel Marit. We'll end it here."
"...What?"
She blinked at the unexpected retreat. They both knew his limits, but this clean withdrawal? A ploy to drop her guard?
She gathered mana in her right hand discreetly, prepping for tricks.
But he sheathed his blade equivalent, adjusted his mask, and stepped back.
"Failed to sway you, but second goal achieved."
"...Goal?"
"Can't have a powerhouse like you guarding. Drained you dry—my job's done."
Guarding? Like she was protecting someone?
Her brows furrowed. Only Aren and Tiabel had been with her.
No way?
As suspicions swirled, he pulled something from his pocket—a talisman-like scrap of paper, oddly shaped.
Teleport amulet!
A high-grade magic tool for instant jumps to set coordinates.
He was bailing. She whipped her hand reflexively.
Streams of galaxy-like mana poured from her back, starlight twinkling as they swarmed him from all sides.
Boom!
By the time the starburst faded, so had he. Only battle scars and a heavy ominous aura lingered.
Neriel glared at the charred earth, then turned away.
Roooar!
There stood Kellevos, bellowing ferociously.
Curious about his true aim, but no time now. Had to decapitate that turtle to escape or whatever.
Especially since beside the monster...
"Tch, still not down? Useless ape."
Grumbling complaints, she steadied her wrecked body and stepped forward.
It ached everywhere, but... not a bad feeling.