Chapter 140 - Ominous presence?

At the same time, as Haruto was pursuing the fleeing devil in a distant corner of the sky. Standing a few hundred meters away from their battle.

An alluring young woman clad in a backless red dress stood there in silence, her body hovering so high that the ground beneath her had became indiscernible from her current altitude.

Her long, flowing red hair fluttered behind her small, slender back in the wind could be considered nothing less than utter perfection.

Her beauty was truly remarkable, she was like a work of art, the finest masterpiece.

Her crimson eyes hidden behind her red translucent veil stared directly at the boy. Her lovely eyes seem gentle, yet there was a sense of distance from them.

It was none other than the Flame Spirit Monarch—Livia. At her side is the former Elven Empress and the current leader of the White Moon Organization—Vaerisse.

Her slightly long, elven ears peaking out from her silvery green hair swaying gracefully behind her. Sporting a beauty equal to Livia.

They were both in the middle of a discussion at the outermost point of the forest, where the seal of the demon god lay.

But after sensing Alya's nihilistic orb exploded, they had hurried over, only to find a young boy locked in battle against a mid tier devil.

"Oh, my. First a lesser devil, and now a mid devil, is it? At this point should I assume a demon king will also make their grand appearance?"

Vaerisse placed a hand against her glossy lips as she chuckled cutely. Her voice so sweet it could melt the hearts of the listener.

There was a mysterious power surrounding her body, keeping her afloat as she hovered in the air, her legs crossed as casually as if she were sitting down.

"Humph. Even a demon king would be of little importance. I'd snuff them out all the same."

Livia replied, her voice oozed indifference. Seeing her like that only made Vaerisse smiled wryly.

"I suppose for a monarch, a demon king would be a trivial existence. But for this nation… No, for me, they'd be a huge threat."

"Hmmm… You are a child of that woman's avatar, no? I'm sure a demon king would pose little concern to you. It would be a different story if it were the Demon God Lucifer, with that guys troublesome authority, but…"

"Hehe. Perhaps, if I was at my peak, then yes. As long as I'm not facing multiple of those demon kings at once I'm confident, I'd be the victor… At the very least, I'd be able to escape with my life if I was in an unfavourable position."

Vaerisse placed her hand against her chest, as she seriously considered it for a moment.

"… As for my chances of defeating that scoundrel Lucifer, well… I'm in this weakened condition now because of him so I'm sure you already know the answer to that."

Vaerisse said with a bitter frown. Honestly, she was more so worried about the consequences of the battle rather than the overall battle itself.

"… I see. So, you've inherited some of that woman's authority, have you? No wonder that demon god place such a nasty curse on you."

Livia glanced at Vaerisse side profile and narrowed her crimson eyes. The authority of the world tree was entrusted to the guardian of the world tree, the Dryad.

But Vaerisse had inherited a small fraction of that power. Though it was nothing compared to the full authority it was still a formidable power, the power of the world tree, the root, the heart, the core of the planet.

"Sigh… As much as I'd like to, I can't afford to use this power. Not when I'm near this nation, at least."

Vaerisse responded, glancing down at the vast city beneath her. Her visual ability allowed her to see the current situation down below clearly.

She pursed her lips with a bitter frown. Then, with a gloomy air, she touched the markings on her fair skin.

(This curse that marred my skin also restricted the use of my power… That annoying demon seemed to have some caution against the power of the world tree.)

Vaerisse's rosy lips parted as she exhaled a faint breath. Her bitter feelings churning her mood.

Livia paid no heed to the air around her as she questioned her with the same aloofness as before.

"You seem to have develop quite the attachment to this country, haven't you? Empress of Umelia."

"… Former Empress. I would most appreciate it if you'd remember that, Monarch of Flame."

As if the gloomy air around her was a lie, Vaerisse's lips curved playfully as she requested. There was a hit of gloom to her voice.

Her fingers gently playing with strands of her long, lustrous silvery green hair dancing in the wind. Each strands seem to glisten in the light of the silver moon.

Livia placed a finger beneath her chin and sent a puzzled look at Vaerisse beside her, as if she was curious about something. But she wasn't sure how to ask.

"Hm. What is it? It might not be polite of me, but being glared at by a monarch is rather unnerving on the mind, you know?"

"… I was wondering… What exactly is a high elf like yourself doing in this country? A place of humans."

Livia inquired, her gleaming crimson eyes narrowing. Vaerisse averted her gaze as if running away.

Aside from Vaerisse herself there was no other elves in this territory.

"You won't tell me? I mean… I knew you abandoned your title because you feared getting the elves into the crossfire of your ploy against Lucifer, but why did you choose the human territory as your base of operation?"

"… Hehe, I can't say. You'll find out soon enough."

Vaerisse said, shrugging her shoulders. Her soft, rosy lips twisting into a gleeful, sly grin. But Livia's brow only furrowed slightly in displeasure.

"You abandoned those elf's simply to fulfil your own wish, yes? Honestly, I can understand your feelings of desiring to accomplish something you desperately wished…. But I can't say I approve of it."

As a monarch entrusted with her own duty, Livia loathed those who abandoned their own obligational responsibilities.

Livia was someone who even when given the opportunity to pursue her own interests over her duties, would choose the latter every time without even a need for consideration.

Her crimson eyes became increasingly devoid of warmth, as if she was looking at something lesser. But Vaerisse paid her cold stare no mind and only smiled coolly with the same causal air around her.

"Let's not dwell onto the complicated matters of right and wrong. Such moral debates can be rather tedious and subjective, don't you think?"

Vaerisse queried, sending Livia a sidelong glance. But Livia simply creased her brow in discontent.

Seeing that Vaerisse covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she giggled in amusement.

"Or are you also one of those rigid people who believe their own views and beliefs are objectively correct?"

"Nothing of the sort. I am not so arrogant as to think my own opinions are the right ones. If I were, I'd be in constant conflict with the monarch of wind and the monarch of water."

Livia explained, pulling out a folding fan from her bosom to cool herself. As she uttered the names of her own sisters, Livia's brow furrowed into a stern frown that did not hide her displeasure. Vaerisse stared at that sight in amusement.

"Hehe. I can see why. The Wind Monarch Alya, is already a handful to deal with, with her lack of interest in her duty as a monarch."

Vaerisse said, her finger resting beneath her chin. She had only met the wind monarch a few times in the past.

But she could more or less guess her personality quite well from only those few interactions.

To put it short, Alya was a spirit who had cared little about the responsibilities she was given and only cared for her own interests.

She was always cheerful, but could also be cunningly deceptive whenever she wants to be.

(As for the water monarch… That woman is more difficult to read.)

Unlike the Wind Monarch—Alya, who wore her heart on her sleeve. The water monarch was more stoic and indifferent.

The water monarch had not participated in the war three hundred years ago.

While the demons that were slain by her hands were not few in number, those were only the demons that had tried to interfere with the sea.

Had they not put her home in jeopardy she most likely would not have dirtied her hands.

She was generally very quiet and peaceful, but even she had her limits, and contaminating her home was one way to earn her ire. The destruction of the fifth kingdom was prove of that.

"In any case. I'm glad to have received the opportunity to hear those words directly from you, Lady Livia."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. There are many things I need to accomplish before the seal imprisoning the demon god breaks. And there are some things I have not yet resolve myself for, but with your words, I can now gain the courage to reach for that ideal."

"… I have no idea what you have resolved yourself for. And frankly speaking, my lack of knowledge is making me more sceptical."

Livia's usual calm voice was laden with undisguised bewilderment. Just what had she just offered words of endorsement to? Such doubt filled her head.

"Really? Don't you think I'm an incompetent ruler as the empress who had forsaken my own race?"

"Indeed. From my own perspective, abandoning obligations are the same as abandoning one's honour, their purpose. Even if it's subjective, it's still coming from a place of duty."

"Hehe…. Hehe. You might be one of the four monarch, but you are also a spirit, right? Obligations, pacts, contracts, I suppose it makes sense that you'd loathe those who abandoned their responsibilities."

Vaerisse smiled in mild amusement. Spirits all tend to take pacts and contracts very seriously.

For a spirit serving their contractors are their own duty, their greatest responsibility. Abandonment means their purpose is lost.

"There is no such thing as fair share, correct? To achieve one goal, sometimes you must have the resolve to give up another to obtain the most optimal outcome."

Vaerisse explained simply. Her voice, though steady, the words that left her lips were laden with hidden meaning.

Meaning that Livia understood all too well. In short, she weighed the option between her duty with the elves, and what other agenda she may have and chose to abandon the elves in pursuit of the other.

"In other words, you were force to vacate your position due to certain circumstances, is that correct?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"Why does it feel like you're purposefully trying to avoid giving a straightforward answer?"

"Am I, I wonder? Hehe."

"As expected of a cunning fox."

Livia quipped, dispassionately. The cold night wind swept, caressing her skin as it sent threaded strands of her long, crimson hair swaying.

"How rude, calling me a fox. But well, there are many complications in revealing certain information at this time, you know?"

"So I won't be getting an answer out of you, is that it?"

Livia questioned, her red-tinted lips glistening as they seem to catch the moonlight.

"Oh that's not what I mean, you know? I had been planning this for over three centuries… I'm sure you are aware how undesirable It'd be for a plan you had painstakingly put all your effort into for so long go to waste, no?"

"…."

Livia remained silent, unable to find words to refute her. It was indeed undesirable to see a plan you've dedicated yourself to go to waste.

She pursed red lips as she frowned. That sight of her was so cute that it would've triggered the protective instincts in any onlooker.

But despite that, Livia herself was looking more annoyed as they continued their exchange of words. Honestly, she was starting to get fed up with the lack of favourable response to her questions.

As if noticing that, Vaerisse could do nothing more than shrug her shoulders, feigning cold indifference.

"Hehe, this clash of philosophy has been rather entertaining. It's not often that I get to hear things from someone else's perspective. My followers in the White Moon rarely question my intentions after all."

"You're such an irksome woman."

Livia remarked, her tone laced with undisguised displeasure. Her perfectly manicured red nails glistened as she closed her folding fan with a loud click.

"Your impression of me might not be far off, but I've already long since decided this is the path I'd take. If not, then…"

Vaerisse trailed off, hesitant to finish her last sentence. Livia sent her another sidelong glance and exhaled a deep sigh.

"I see… Well I have no reason to pry any further if you don't wish to discuss that. I suppose, but.."

"But?"

"You seem to have taken an interest in this nation, I'm curious why you aren't contributing to vanquishing these filthy demonic beasts. You have the power to do, don't you? And considering your hatred of demons, I would've expected you to happily slay them all yourself."

"Hehe… Is that so? Well you're not wrong. If it were up to me I'd gladly torture these vermin and slaughter them all in the most cruel manner imaginable."

Vaerisse consented, her playful expression twisted with cold malice. Livia's expression was unchanged, but she was slightly taken aback by the sudden malicious intent.

But Vaerisse ignored her reaction as she continued.

"Since they can regenerate due to the effects of the miasma I get to let out a lot of the resentment I've been holding back all these years. However…"

"Yes?"

"Now isn't the time for that. If anything stronger than a pure devil had spawned I would've been forced to personally taken action myself. Still, this will only last until sunrise, the city can hold out until then."

Vaerisse explained, glancing up at the silver moon in the night sky.

(Though… Sunrise is several hours away from now. Will they be able to hold out?)

Vaerisse's brow contorted into a slight frown as she considered it for a moment, but then sighed as if resigning.

"So you're going to leave everything to those on the ground despite knowing there will be more casualties? How harsh of you."

Vaerisse giggle sweetly at the sharp jab. But the gleam in her eyes didn't lessen. If anything, she seems to like Livia's perspective on the matter. Which was why—

"Perhaps from an outsiders perspective I would have sounded heartless, but I do believe they'd be fine even without my intervention. The fact that you're so calm about it means that you understood that yourself, no?"

"…"

Livia didn't respond to that and only shrug her shoulders nonchalantly. But Vaerisse only chuckled to herself.

"And as for your earlier question about my reasoning for abandoning my position. All I can say for now is that I didn't abandon them out of hate, but rather, out of love."

"Love, is it?"

Livia tilted her head, seemingly unsure how to respond to this open confession.

"Even if I set aside my past grudge against that demon god, I had other reasons to relinquish my position. But I'd rather not say."

"Hm. Other reasons?"

Livia directed a sharp, suspicious gaze towards Vaerisse. She had a feeling there was a lot of information this elf was intentionally hiding.

(I know your goal is the demon god, but what else could you be after?)

Livia pondered, her lips pursing in doubt. She had a feeling it wasn't because of stress or that she was no longer interested in her position.

Vaerisse maintained an unreasonable expression, her playful smile never faltering.

"Besides, the Empire of Umelia no longer exists in this era. I'd rather not hold onto old sentiment."

"Old sentiment, huh? Aren't you a terrible Empress–Former Empress. Your own people pave the way for you, yet you chose to forget them through the passage of time? I didn't expect such cowardice from you, daughter of Syl Thalyra."

"Fufu… Are you going to tell my mommy that I've been a bad girl?"

Vaerisse chuckled as if she found it funny. But Livia simply furrowed her brow and scoffed at the assumption.

"Nothing of the sort. I'd rather not sully my hand in such affairs."

Livia uttered indifferently, as if she found the whole thing bothersome.

"Circumstances of others aren't ones we are compelled to stick our nose into, correct? Well, having a reason to can affect the overall feeling of wanting to help. But I've already dirtied my own hands like that already."

Vaerisse said, looking forlornly into the distance. Seeing her from the side, Livia raised an eyebrow from under her veil.

"… Are you referring to your past relationship with that champion who descended to this world from the stars all those years ago?"

Livia queried, her attention still on the ongoing battle taking place in the distance.

"I see… So you remember, huh? Well I suppose that magic cast by that witch wouldn't have work on you, or rather it wouldn't have worked on anyone with divinity."

Vaerisse's eyebrows fluttered as she averted her eyes from the battle in the distance, and stared up at the vast, endless array of stars in the night sky above.

"The laws of the world imposed restrictions onto those with divinity once they have entered the inner zone of this planet. But he was an unusual exception. I simply found it interesting."

Livia replied, her voice as indifferent as ever, making it difficult to discern her true feelings.

"He was a hero, wasn't he? His fate was obscured by the stars. Not even that woman had predicted his arrival."

Vaerisse said, for a moment she seems to have become solemn as distant memories resurfaced.

"Indeed, he was an extraordinary existence, with what he had accomplished while he was here."

"Yes… He was an existence that had prickled my curiosity many times, but he…"

Vaerisse tried to voice her thoughts but her lips trembled as the words got stuck in her throat. A multitude of emotions burst from her voice, but she swallowed them down as if stifling her feelings.

Livia guessed at what she was thinking and exhaled a faint sigh.

"It can't be helped. Heroes are beings burden by fate. While the rise of one can be a sign of prosperity for an entire world, that fortune, however, does not extend to the heroes themselves."

Just how many heroes who had a bright, glorious future ahead of them had their lives suddenly snuffed out?

There was too many to count. Beings burden by fate are not always favoured equally by fate.

Only the chosen were the strong, while the weak were forsaken, slain and crushed beneath someone else's heels.

It was harsh, but it was also the will of the world, no one was born equal, in that sense, one's fate was nothing more than one's own delusion.

"In any case. It's not like I particularly care for heroes in the first place."

Although Livia had put on a guise of indifference, her expression clearly conveyed how conflicted she was about the topic of heroes as she tried to steer the conversation away.

Vaerisse didn't pursue the matter of that particular topic any further either. Or rather, it didn't seem as if she wanted to talk about the heroes at all.

"That aside, things sure have gotten interesting here. And you, Lady Livia. You seem to have taken an interest with that boy there. Is something about him bothering you?"

Vaerisse queried, sending a sidelong glance at Livia who was staring so intently at the ongoing battle for some time.

The explosive sound of the sound barrier being tore apart repeatedly echoed through the air.

Occasionally, the violent blast of the shockwaves was fierce enough to reach them from their position in the sky, but Livia would always neutralize them with a casual wave of her hand as if it were a light breeze.

The battle in the distance had turned into a high-speed aerial battle. Both sides were giving it their all.

A flash of emerald as green as viridescent and a flash of black as dark as the abyss streaked across the night sky, tracing geometric arcs as they flew.

Explosions and shockwaves wreaked havoc occasionally as their trajectories intersected and collided at a single point, faster than sound.

Even a regular human's visual ability enhanced with magic would struggle to keep up with that speed, yet Livia and Vaerisse were able to observe every movement as if they were stilled.

(For someone who's usually so composed, it's hard to believe she'd show such an expression... Could it be because of that boy?)

Vaerisse narrowed her eyes. Those emerald gemstones gleamed with a light of deduction.

But Livia only kept her focused on the battle taking place in the distance, or rather, the black-haired boy facing the devil.

She bit her bold, red lips as her hands clutching the fabric of her attire clenched tightly into a fist. It was hard to tell what kind of expression she was making with the obstruction of her translucent red veil, but Vaerisse could sense there was various changes in her emotions.

It fluctuates between confusion, surprise, joy, sadness, uncertainty.

While she was conversing with the high elf, Vaerisse. Livia had been trying to distract herself from the beating of her heart—Nay, her core.

She could feel something inside her yearning so desperately. It was as if something it needed was within arms reach, yet it was so far away.

"… This presence."

Livia's bold, red-tainted lips parted slightly as she murmured those words. Her expression becoming more tense by the moment.

(Why…? Why is it so familiar?)

She didn't understand, but she felt something special about his aura that she had felt only from one person.

But that person no longer exists. By all logic, he should no longer be of this world, so why?

Her reasoning was telling her that it was impossible, and yet, somewhere in her heart, her core, she knew it was him. No, it could be no one other than him.

"Th-The Primordial Light? That exalted being who… No, it couldn't be…"

Livia let out a breath of wonder, her red-tinted, lips parting beneath her translucent veil.

Her eyes became increasingly blanked, as if she was stricken by a bolt out of the blue.

…

Meanwhile, as the tides of battle in the sky began to turn. Another battle was raging on the ground.

ROOOAAR!

The demonic goblins howled as holes were blown through their bodies, vanquishing them in an instant.

They were produced by the thunder enchantment card in Triska's possession, Thunderbolt.

"Hey, Triska, at least be mindful of the buildings in the area. Was there really a need to destroy that stall?"

Ezekiel bluntly pointed out as he shot an arrow through the head of a demonic cyclops, the arrow exploding, sending pieces of flesh and brain matter everywhere.

"Humph. The guy who own that stall owed me money. He'd been avoiding his dues."

She said simply as if it was obvious. There was no sense of shame or guilt in her voice at all. It was as if what she had just done was justice.

"Aren't you acting way too petty?"

"If he had paid me already his stall wouldn't have been destroyed, isn't it his own fault? He should have discipline."

"What you just did can be considered war crime, you know?"

"Hehe… It's not a crime if no one found out, right? And this city is being attacked by demonic beasts, so it's fine."

Triska explained her logical, convenient reasoning. She held up a piece of card. The card shine in a dark, hazy light as she tossed it towards a demonic wolf.

As if it had no substance at all, it easily slid its way into the demonic wolfs head, and the demonic wolf eyes instantly grew vacant, then narrowed.

In an instant, it turned and bit into the flesh of another demonic wolf nearby, ripping out chunks of flesh as it chew aggressively.

Similar sights started happening around them. It was a card enchanted with confusion magic—Hazy daze. An application of dark elemental magic.

"Hehe… Magic tricks are my specialty, you know? How about I make another one of you disappear from sight?"

She giggled, hurling another card, the air became as sharp as blade, slicing up another demonic wolf in a mist of blood.

"This situation seemed rather hopeless, isn't it? These guys keep coming back no matter how much we destroy their physical body."

Ezekiel complained, nocking another arrow from his enchanted bow, Rainveil. The arrow flew at a tremendous speed, piercing smoothly into a demonic goblins head.

He didn't stop there, nocking another arrow, he aimed his bow upwards, firing a single arrow into the sky.

The single arrow split into multiple arrows, raining down on the demonic beasts from a wide area, and reducing their numbers.

Explosions thundered as some carriages became wreckage from the barrage of fire and were destroyed. Pieces of broken wood and debris filled the air along with a plume of dust.

"Fufu, either way, I have enough cards to last until morning. But they seem awfully weak to light attack, don't they?"

"Well they are demons. But practitioners of the holy attribute are so rare and far between. I doubt there are many in this nation. Unless, we get the church to make a move."

But that was unlikely, those words were on the tip of his tongue. As the organization meant to represent the elemental goddesses, even the king did not have the right to order the Church to move personally.

The church was it's own independent institution. It took no part in the political affairs of the nation, remaining neutral from all outside governing.

Even the king only has political authority over the country, while he lacked religious authority.

In other words, his authority extended over the kingdom's administration and military, but he had no power to impose laws upon the religious side or dictate how the Church conducted its affairs.

That was only natural, the Churches that worship the four elemental goddesses weren't an institution that was established merely by humans, but an organization that was created with the backing of the goddesses themselves after the war three centuries ago.

"I suppose so. But those involved with the church aren't fighters, right? They don't usually participate in any conflict."

Triska pointed out, shrugging her shoulders. There were adventurers, mercenaries, royal knights and even royal scorers scattered across the city. All available forces were hard at work, vanquishing the demonic beasts.

Although they had not escaped casualties and had lost a significant proportion of their combat force, there were still a vast majority of brave soldiers still on the battlefield.

The church was providing shelter and food for the citizens and even providing healing magic for those who were wounded and rendered incapable of rejoining the battle.

"Still… We should make use of every available sorcerer who excels in the light attributes as we can."

"Indeed. That would be most preferable. In fact, using light magic would render their healing useless. To reduce casualties that is best possible strategy."

"Scatter, holy bullets!"

Triska hurled another card, which exploded in a barrage of light bullets. Gouging holes into the body of the demonic beasts.

Ezekiel also followed up by unleashing a volley of arrows imbued with the light element.

Though he had only a small amount of arrows imbued with light, he wasn't stingy about using them in the current situation.

A barrage of arrows stabbed into the torso of the demonic wolves, leaving them skewered.

ROOOAR!

The beasts howled in agony. But Triska smiled faintly as if enjoying the sight of their suffering.

"Haha… It's like the finest tune."

"Can you take this seriously?"

"Relax. No need to spoil the fun. Just watch."

Triska said, winking playfully as she placed a finger at her lips. Ezekiel's expression became increasingly annoyed at her carefree attitude, but Triska ignored Ezekiel's stare.

The demonic beasts that had holes gouging into their body's all shriek as their body began to convulsed.

Then they exploded in a massive spray of blood.

Triska had actually used two different enchanted cards simultaneously. One was a barrage of light bullets, and the other was explosive magic—A application of fire magic.

With their bodies completely destroyed, there was no longer anyway for the miasma to repair their flesh.

"I figured it was like that."

Triska's lips curled with a knowing smile. But at that moment, the claws of a demonic wolf approach her neck.

But Triska seem to have anticipated that, she easily evaded its claw, then she took out another card, gouging up the body of the demonic wolf with blades of wind.

But as soon as she had dealt the finishing blow, a shadow loomed over her face.

A fist had came zooming in on her head, and Triska reflexively lowered her upper body. The fist passing above her with tremendous force.

If she had been a second late, her head would've been completely blown off. However, her lips twisted into a grin.

"Hehe… I see. So that demonic wolf was just a distraction, huh? You figured getting rid of me would give your side the advantage, hm? I guess you guys aren't as dumb as I thought."

She said, applauding at the cyclops as if she was a teacher happy about her students performance. No, she seemed genuinely pleased.

It was generally known that monsters were unintelligent and mainly rely on their instincts. As such, weaker monsters would naturally cuddle up to the most powerful ones.

Perhaps it was simply the laws of nature. The strong were the natural rulers, while the weak could only submit to their dominance.

"Though, I may look defenceless. I'm not as powerless as you think."

Triska's hand reached behind her waistline, pulling out a one handed knife from a sheath, and stabbing it into the torso of the cyclops.

"Got ya."

She said, smiling maliciously. But…

GAAA…. GUFFF!

The cyclops's face twisted hideously as its cackled. Upon seeing that, a bad premonition filled her head.

"Hm… My hand is stuck?"

Triska furrowed her brow as she found it difficult to withdraw her hand.

It had bore too deep into the cyclops body, and it was taking advantage of its thick muscles.

"Tch… Triska!"

Ezekiel quickly pulled back his bowstring, preparing to fire another arrow, but the cyclops grabbed Triska's body as a shield.

"Guh…"

Upon seeing that, Ezekiel hesitated as his face twisted. He was confident he could aim a killing blow to the enemy even in this situation, but Triska would inevitably be caught up in the exploding arrow. 

"Hey, don't go thinking you've won. I'm a bit of a sore loser, you know?"

Triska's cold voice echoed as she pulled out another card, flames erupted, engulfing the body of the Cyclops along with Triska's.

"Y-You idiot!"

A light arrow in the form of a canon was unleashed, boring through the torso of the cyclops burning body.

Triska's body continued to burn as she fell to the ground.

Using water magic, he conjured up a bubble of water, splashing it onto her body. Seeing that she wasn't badly burnt he let out a sigh of relief.

"Just what were you thinking, dumbass?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Hehe… My bad, I had underestimated the intellect of these demon beasts."

Triska, chuckling to herself stared up at her arm that was slightly burnt. In truth, before setting off her flame enchanted card she had use an enchantment to grant herself some protection against heat.

If not for that, her body would have been burnt beyond recognition.

"Even I'm not so gullible that I'd set myself alight without thinking, you know?"

"Your recklessness never ceases to amaze me."

Ezekiel sighed as he rubbed his temple. He couldn't fathom her intentions in doing something so risky at all.

Even if one had made ample amounts of preparations, the physiological feeling that they'd be burnt to a crisp would have made anyone hesitate.

"Hehe. I can't help it. This raging fire, this scent of blood, the loom of death in the air. The destruction of the land… It reminded me of that day."

That place, that day, that memory was anything but good. In fact, it was the moment where Triska lost everything dear to her in a fiery sea.

And yet, she was smiling sardonically.

No, was it a trick of the eye? Her smile had a bit of gloom to it, as if she was revisiting a moment of her past that she couldn't let go of.

"At this point I'm starting to regret not joining Mira instead."

Ezekiel lamented as he sighed tiredly. Though he said that, it was obvious he'd rather not be near Mira, especially when she was in her guise as the Heartless Enchantress.

On that note Triska was actually way easier to handle. A fact that greatly irritated him.

"Ufufufu. As if our assassin princess is any easier to deal with. If you had assisted her with an arrow while she was in danger rather than showing gratitude, she would simply see you as nothing more than a nuisance interfering with her battle."

Though she was giggling in amusement, cold sweat poured down her back as if a certain trauma had just resurfaced.

It was Mira's motto to either fight bravely, or die foolishly in battle. She hated when allies assisted her and would rather die valiantly in battle, as true to her dictum.

"… I suppose I can't deny that."

He agreed with a cold laugh. The thought of having the Heartless Enchantress directing her murderous aura at him made Ezekiel shiver.

(Seriously, why are all these women so troublesome?)

He could help but wonder where his master had found them. They were all so eccentric and dangerous even having them as allies was scary, imagining them all as enemies was nightmarish.

"Hehe… Cheer up, Kiel. How about I buy you a drink once this stampede is all taken care of? Sounds good, right?"

"I keep telling you stop calling me Kiel. And why should I go along with your offer to drinks?"

"That name is so cute. And besides, life is short. What's better than spending your time besides drinking it away?"

"This is why you always end up drunk all night in taverns."

"Fufu, what's better than getting wasted all night. Trust me, little Kiel, you'll enjoy it once you experience it."

"It's Ezekiel, not Kiel."

"Whatever…"

While exchanging such frivolous banter, the two kept up their vigilance. Even while immersed in conversation their attacks never cease for even a moment.

Their enemies were abundant, surrendering them in their vast numbers.

But Triska and Ezekiel made up for that vast difference with their sheer offensive power. Triska's enchantment magic and Ezekiel's exploding arrow mowed down the vast quantity of demonic beast. But the tension they felt never lessened.

Although they had been overwhelming the sheer numerical advantage of demonic beasts on the battlefield, battle was as unpredictable as human emotion.

One slip up could turn the tide into the favour of the enemy.

It was the height of recklessness to let down one's guard while being surrounded.

Triska flashed another card, and multiple jets of water flew out.

The water moved so fast that it became projectiles, tearing through the bodies of the demonic beasts, and spraying blood.

"Heheh… Come on! Let's make this more entertaining! Let's dye the streets red, oh, what a wonderful night this is, fufu."

Triska toss her dark brown hair streak with navy blue back as she flashed a smile. Her chuckle sounding so soft, so sweet that it sent chills through Ezekiel's skin. But…

"Huh?!"

Swish!

Suddenly, a huge mass fell over their heads. Both Triska and Ezekiel evaded the attack by leaping backwards, narrowly evading the fate of being crushed to death under the looming mass.

The ground bore open as the heavy mass fell onto it, a crater forming on the point of impact as a shockwaves spread with its massive body in the centre.

All the demonic beasts in the area froze. For the first time they all seemed to be frightened, and they scurried as if running away from a predator.

"Hm? It seems we've caught the attention of a rather odd fellow here. Even these demonic beasts are fleeing."

A huge dust cloud was raised before them, obscuring their vision. But the two felt chills as a gleaming crimson eyes glared at them from behind the dust.

"Hehe. Such murderous intent. How fascinating."

"There is nothing fascinating about this!"

While Triska stared at their new enemy with deep interest, Ezekiel stared at it with some trepidation.

A huge monster with blue skin towered above them. It's four arms bulging with huge, rugged muscles.

"What kind of monster is that?"

Ezekiel uttered subconsciously, his eyes widening in shock. There was no record of a monster with this appearance in his memory.

But Triska smiled fearlessly, stepping forward while glaring up at the four armed monster's huge body that was easily three times the size of the cyclops.

When looked at it from afar, the sight would've made anyone's heart sank in fright while doubting their eyes. The visual difference between their stature was simply too striking, it was almost comical.

If an analogy were to be use to describe this scene it was like an adult looking down at a small child.

That was indeed, the honest comparison.

But Triska wasn't at all intimidated by the size difference. In fact, she welcomed it. Purposefully grinning in a pompous manner.

The sheer audacity of the small insects courage must've been unexpected as the four armed monster let out a noise of confusion.

"Hehe… What? You expected me to run? Hide? Cower? Aha haha… You'll have to do more than just show off how big you are, hm. I've face orc kings who are way bulkier than you."

Triska scoffed, laughing maniacally as if she found it ridiculous. Her tone was so haughty and provocative, it almost seemed dismissive.

Ezekiel's brow was convulsing as he witnessed this unconventional sight.

But ignoring the laughs of his colleague, he aimed three perfectly timed arrows toward the four armed monster's unguarded body.

One was aimed to snipe it cleanly in the head, another its heart and foot. The head and heart were the most vulnerable parts of the body, and having it's leg injured would dull its movement.

ROOOOAR!

But it merely swung its massive log like arms, generating a tremendous gust of wind to disrupt the kinetic energy of the arrows.

As if it were a mere twig before the might of a hurricane, the arrows were easily swatted away.

"As I thought. This thing won't go down easily."

Ezekiel analysed the enemy before them, preparing to nock another arrow. But…

"Who cares? It's an enemy, right? Then let's just rip it apart like all the others. Isn't it that simple?"

Triska said indifferently, her intent to kill as clear as day. As if responding to that intent, the four armed monster narrowed its gleaming red eyes and roared in challenge.

…

At the same time, in the eastern province of the capital city Alveria. 

The sky Pegasus core units and griffin units were using attack magic to vanquish the demonic beasts in the sky.

The strongest one was the demonic greater dragons—sky dragon that Alya had fought earlier and only the demonic wyvern and demonic eagle had remained.

Wyverns were categorized as Lesser Dragons—Or Demi-Dragons, as humans often referred to them. They were among the lowest rank as they had inherited a minuscule amount of the dragon goddess—Lyra's essence.

Despite that, they were still among the most vicious and savage of dragons.

While they typically lacked the destructive power of a pure blood dragon, some could expectorate corrosive acid.

They can attack with their sharp claws and had tails as thick as steel.

Their sales had moderate resistance to magical attacks and even swords, spears, and bow and arrows struggled to shatter their skin.

Furthermore, their mobility was not at all inferior to that of a high ranked dragon.

Every beat of their wings can conjure up tremendous gust of wind, hindering the flight of their opponents. And their instinct was not to be underestimated.

As far apart as they were to pure blood dragons, their supremacy was unmistakable.

The demonic eagle was also a huge threat. They had far more speed and agility compared to the wyvern, allowing them to easily make swift and sudden turns to evade long range attack magic once fired.

Their size, which easily exceeding ten meters could effortlessly snatched a fully grown adult human.

They attacked with their vast numbers, making use of their agile abilities, striking with their talons and attacking the wings of the Pegasus and griffins, hindering their flight.

They would even attack the royal knights and royal sorcerer mounted on their backs. It was a fierce struggle for aerial supremacy.

"Tch… Griffin squadron, fire your long range attack, Pegasus squadron, release your bows!"

A young man with light brown hair who was the active commander for the Pegasus unit gave his orders.

At his command, a barrage of fireballs were fired while a volley of arrows were released.

The night sky was briefly set alight as the fireballs streaked through the air.

SKEEEIE!

The demonic eagle let out a loud cry as they flapped their wings, manoeuvring their massive body to weave through the gaps in their barrage of fire.

The demonic wyvern did not move from their positions in the sky. A single beat of their wings easily extinguished the flames as if they were mere torches.

"Tch… True Dragons are revered as natural disasters. But I refuse to believe we can't take down mere Demi-Dragons."

The commander of the griffin unit mumbled bitterly to himself. They had already launched countless intermediate attack magic, but those attacks also failed to leave a mark on the skin of the wyverns.

Those skins could be considered impenetrable. The knights could only watch on, helpless. No matter what magical attack was used, they failed to bypass the toughness of its skin.

Furthermore, the demonic eagle would take advantage of their blind spots, attacking the wings of their flying beasts and hindering their aerial mobility.

Whenever one of their comrades fell from the sky, they would have to divert manpower to lend their assistance. This only weakened their forces and spread out aerial units, making it easier for them to be picked off.

The situation was clearly hopeless, until… Was it their imagination? The sky was dyed crimson—No, it resembled a Red Sea.

from the red sky, a thin beam of crimson light shot past them, piercing the toughness of the wyvern's skin as it were paper thin.

ROOOOAAAR!

The wyvern roared but its body was engulfed in flames, burning so fiercely that its recovery could not keep up. At a critical moment, a change had occurred.

…

Going back in time, before the crimson beam was shot. On the outside of the entrance gate to the Albanian Kingdom…

The Hero of Water—Katsumi—was currently observing a battle that felt almost unreal.

The silver-haired girl—Nikita—was unilaterally slaughtering the demonic beasts as though they were nothing more than toys.

Even the knights had been reduced to mere spectators. They could only watch the one-sided slaughter in awe.

Ice swords and lances danced through the air, their crystalline surfaces reflecting the moonlight and sparkling around her graceful, dancing figure.

"B… Beautiful."

Katsumi muttered the words unconsciously, completely entranced by the beautiful dance unfolding before her.

A surge of demonic beast approach, but they were instantly cut down the moment they came within reach.

Their bodies froze over from the point of contact and shattered as her tails struck out at blinding speed like a whip.

"Heh, without their ability to heal they are actually quite feeble."

Nikita commented, twisting her body as her ice dagger cut open another throat of the demonic cyclops.

The battle so far had been heavily one sided in her favour. Aside from the healing ability, the beasts themselves weren't threatening.

(But still… It's best not to lower my guard. Anything can happen to alter the outcome on the battlefield.)

Nikita mused to herself. Ice lances lay suspended in the air around her, it created a spherical three dimensional space around her.

(Master seems to be struggling a lot against that thing.)

While she had been slaughtering the demonic beasts on the ground, she was also paying attention to the battle happening in the sky.

The boom of the sound barrier breaking and the shockwaves of their clash could be perceived clearly from their position on the ground. In fact, Katsumi and the knights had been painfully aware of the situation in the sky as well.

Nikita could tell how dangerous of an opponent the devil was even without facing it herself.

Honestly, she wanted to go assist him, but there was still a large quality of monster on the ground. If she leaves, there is no telling how many more casualties would occur.

"And that boy… Knowing him, that's the last thing he'd want."

Nikita hadn't known Haruto for very long, but she was observant enough to know his character.

"Right. I got to do this for his sake. At least later I can brag to that spirit about my amazing victory, hehe~"

Despite how dire the situation was Nikita couldn't help finding herself giggling in gleeful laughter. As if she was imagining that very moment.

Katsumi's face twitch, those weren't the laughter of an innocent young girl, but something sinister. But then, perhaps something even more sinister appeared.

ROOOOOAAAAR!

(Wh-What's that?!)

Katsumi's eyes widened, her lips parting without uttering a single word. Her body stiffened as her gorgeous face became paled. What stood before her was a massive beast—Demon.

Its massive frame towered high above their heads, making even the demonic cyclops look small in comparison. The demonic beasts in the surroundings all scattered in fright upon its arrival.

They were corroded by the miasma and their minds were eaten away, yet they chose to flee.

It was strange, they had bravely chosen to invade a nation and fought the knights without an inch of fear even after suffering so much, yet at this crucial time, they had chosen self-preservation.

It had nothing to do with logic, it was instinctual fear. The fear the weak had towards the strong.

"Oh oh. Now this is interesting."

Nikita's eyes narrowed. She could feel an evil presence from the giant monster. It sent shivers down her spine.

This aura was unlike the demonic beasts she had face until now. This one had a much darker and heavier presence. Its muscles bulge and swell.

With only a single glance, she could tell that its four arms contained enormous strength within them.

But even then, Nikita's glossy, pink lips could not help but curved upwards into a faint grin.

"I can sense it. Your desire to kill. I don't know what kind of beasts you are, but I accept!"

She declared, charging towards her foe. The ground beneath her shattered as she took a big leap, easily reaching its head in a single jump.

Nikita's grin widened as her fist clenched tightly and her arm pulled backwards. The four armed beasts narrowed its eyes at the audacity of its challenger.

And in a similar fashion, it clenched its fist to unleash a huge blow. At that moment, the world seemed to hold its breath as silence fell upon the battlefield—Or so it seemed.

Both fist struck, producing a deafening sound as a shockwave rang out with both of them in the centre. The force generated a dust cloud around them.

Both Nikita and the giant stayed in their initial position, the force pushed against them, but they were able to endure it. The ground sink inwards from the four armed giant feet.

But Nikita clenched her teeth, exerting more force into her fist and striking with her left arm this time. But the four armed beasts countered with its own arm. The strength of their fist was enough shatter boulders, but they took the attack without flinching.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. I don't normally see someone who can trade blows with me."

Nikita murmured, seemingly happy. Then, without missing a beat, her fist pounced towards the four armed beasts without stopping, her fists moved so fast that they effortlessly broke the sound barrier.

The wind pressure of each blows could level the ground, each strike was packed with lethal intensity, but the four armed beasts also struck with a flurry of punches that was not less deadlier in return.

Since it had four arms it naturally had an advantage in their close quarters combat.

If any onlooker where capable of visually keeping track of their movements, they would undoubtedly pale in fright as those fists approach Nikita's small, seemingly delicate body.

But Nikita stood her ground without flinching. Her long silver hair sway messily, and her dress was buffeted by the wind.

Those beautiful ruby gem-like eyes of hers shone dazzlingly. She matched its fist with her own, and also struck with her nine tails.

The force of each blow reverberated deafeningly, and the ground beneath their feet rumbled like an earthquake. It a was a brutal battle where the slightest lapse in judgment would result in death.

ROOOAAR!

With a wailing howl, it punched out with tremendous force. But Nikita lowered her upper body and spun midway. Then, she raised her hand, a massive hammer of ice was conjured as she swung with the force of her spin.

The head of the hammer slammed into the giant, but it merely shattered on impact. Fortunately, her attack seemed to have had a huge effect on its body, the force of the blow send it tumbling backwards.

And using that moment, Nikita leapt into the air, clenching her fist and slamming it downward mercilessly. But the beasts easily blocked the blow with two of its four arms, shielding its head, then with the remaining two arms, it punched Nikita was she was still midair, and unable to move out of the way.

Nikita clenched her teeth as her chest caved inwards, blood spurted from her glossy lips.

Before her body could be sent flying away from the force, it grabbed her with its right hand with tremendous force, squeezing her.

"Tch… D-Don't think you can beat me that easily."

Although her face twisted in pain, Nikita's eyes showed not the slightest weakness.

ROOOOAR!

Thunder roared, and lightning flesh. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, striking both of them.

ROOOAAAAAR!

The beast roared out in a cry of agony. The bolt was enough to leave its blue skin charred. But Nikita was unharmed. Her chest heaved heavily and the corner of her lips were bloodied.

(Ngh… Most of my internal organs were squeezed tightly. But these injuries shouldn't be life threatening.)

Nikita took a moment to examine the state of her body while the four armed beast regenerating. She had completely underestimated its physical strength.

Swish!

Two of her tails coated in ice blade lash out, severing its head and an arm. But it attacked back with its unharmed arm, Nikita blocked the incoming fist and delivered a heavy blow to its stomach. Then with the force of her punch, she made a huge dent in its body.

Blood splattered from the beasts mouth. It glared at Nikita with clear killing intent and cold hostility in its crimson eyes, but the killing intent from Nikita's own crimson eyes was no less weaker. Both side kept attacking without faltering.

Each time their fist struck, a deafening roar thundered, and the force of their collision could rupture bones. No the blows of their attack could easily cause fatal damage to anyone unprotected.

(A-Amazing.)

Katsumi watched the brutal battle in a daze. Although the knights around her was unable to see the exchange of blows happening between them, they could at least guess it from the fierce shockwave wreaking havoc with each blow.

Katsumi was a hero, and wielded a divine weapon—Mizukiri no Kami. As such her divine katana endowed her with perception far superior than that of standard magic.

Despite her lack of experience she could clearly see how they moved their bodies, and how each blow connected.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the attack of each side would end lives simply from the wind pressure alone. As someone who born and raised on Earth, in Japan, she was naturally fearful.

"… If I can see their movements, could I also be able to join that kind of battle?"

She wondered doubtfully. Her long, black hair tied in a single ponytail was billowing and whipping in the wind as her eyes flash with a mixture of emotion.

It would be a lie if she said she didn't desire that kind of power. The heroes were summoned to defeat the demon god and his demonic army, if she couldn't face this beasts, how will she have the courage to fact the demonic army, much less the demon god and his demon kings?

(I can see them… So with my body strengthening, perhaps I could…)

Though whether or not she could also match their movements herself was a different matter. But…

"I'll definitely reach it. The right to stand on that stage."

She whispered to herself, as if making a vow. It was her declaration not to remain weak in the face of the strong. Mizukiri no Kami shone with a faint light as if acknowledging her spirit.

Meanwhile, the battle between Nikita and the four armed beast was becoming even fiercer. It was to the point that no third party could intervene in their battle.

They were both countering, parrying, and attacking with every means in their arsenal. Nikita's fist met the four armed beast head-on, the force of their collision made them grunted, as shockwaves whipped their bodies. But they did not move backward from the recoil, instead they struck again, again, and again.

Each strikes more deafening than the last. The speed of their fist moved so fast that they gave the false impression that they had multiple fist, with the exception of the beasts extra added limbs.

Nikita grunted as a fist struck her in the abdomen. The force spread through her body, making her eyes widened as she cough out a mouthful of blood, but one of her tails lashed out, severing an arm of the giant.

"Cough, that was a good blow."

Nikita backed away as she commented. Blood trickling down her lips. her hand pressed against her abdomen as she applied her healing.

It wasn't just her abdomen, while they were exchanging blows, she had been force to take a hit more than a few times.

While the damage she had received from just a single blow was nothing significant, all those injuries were beginning to take their toll.

"Hehehe… This is the best!"

But rather than seeming displeased or wary, Nikita showed a beautiful smile that bared her cute fangs. Her nine tails wagging as if expressing her happiness.

"I…. irregular!"

The four armed beasts glanced at its severed right arm and glared down menacingly at Nikita. Miasma gathered around its arm, regenerating its missing limb.

"Hm, irregular? You mean me? Wait… You can communicate?"

Nikita widened her eye momentarily when she heard the four armed beast spoke somewhat articulated words.

The demonic wolves and cyclops were not capable of communicating their thoughts aloud. Demonic or not, they were still merely beast. It was unclear if they were even conscious of their actions at all.

(But this thing can? Wait… What even is this thing in the first place?)

It was shrouded in an extremely evil and ominous aura. And could regenerate from the miasma like the demonic beasts could.

But aside from that, Nikita naturally had no idea what it was.

(A demon? But it had no horns and wings characteristic to that race. So then, what is it?)

"Hey you, what exactly are you? A beast, a demon, or some kind of monster?"

Since it showed signs of intelligence she had hoped she would be able to learn something from it, but…

ROOOOAAAAAR!

The four armed beast merely roared out in fury. It showed no intention of having a dialogue with her. The beasts threw a deadly punch.

"Whoa!"

But Nikita folded her armed and leapt backwards to stifle the force of the blow. She had also coated her arms in layers of ice for extra added protection.

"Tch, such force."

But the ice cracked as she flew backwards from the punch, but the damage she had sustained wasn't anything serious.

(If I hadn't covered my arms in layers of ice just now my arms would have been broken from that blow.)

Nikita mused. There was a numbing pain in her arm, but she ignored it. She raised her leg to deliver a high kick to its face, but the beasts moved with nimbleness unbefitting its massive body, avoiding her kick.

But Nikita sneered at that. Where her feet past a chilly air drifted past, filling the air with mist. It only took it a moment to notice, but by then it was already too late.

A hazy mist had completely enshrouded them, obscuring Nikita's figure. However, a single punch of the beasts four arms was enough to disperse the mist

However, even when a section of the mist was blown away, it would immediately repair itself, dispersing it was as useless as trying to stop a the tides, it immediately came rushing back.

"What's wrong, can't find me?"

Nikita's playful voice resounded from all around. With its vision blinded by the thick mist, it could not rely on its eyes.

Similarly, it also could not rely on its hearing as her voice echoed in different sections of the space. Sometimes it even sounded as if she was right behind it, but when it swung its fist and disperse the mist from its back, there was no trace of her.

(Ice art—shrouding tied.)

This was one of Nikita's technique used for hiding her presence. The mist had the effect of not only obscuring vision but also masking her location as well.

Such a thing would be useless against Alya who was connected to the wind, but against anyone else it was a dangerous technique.

ROOOAAAR!

The beasts roared out in fury as it kept swinging its fist in a frenzy to disperse the mist with the wind pressure of its punches, but the mist kept filling back up as fast as it could clear it, rendering its efforts useless.

"Heheh… I'll admire your efforts, but your fate has already been sealed."

Her voice sounded directly at its ear. But before it could react its head was severed from its shoulder, twirling midair.

But Nikita didn't stop there, she stabbed her ice swords into its back, thick layers of ice rapidly covered its body in layers, trapping it in ice.

"You cause me more trouble than those pesky beast, but at least you get to die knowing you put up a better fight."

She said indifferently, the mist gradually clearing out. The visibility of the surrounding bared itself again.

Katsumi and the knight were left stunned, speechless. They had no idea what had happened moments ago, but judging from the sight of the fallen monster, they immediately realize Nikita had won.

"Wow! She really did it."

Katsumi murmured in awed. The evil presence of the monster was waning. Just being near it made Katsumi felt despair. She immediately approach Nikita while raising her vigilance against the beasts enclosed within the ice.

"H-Hey, are you okay?"

Nikita's lips were stained with blood that had already long since dried up. And her face and oddly pale, even her breathing was rather rough.

But Nikita herself was seemingly indifferent to the state of her body.

"Worry not, I am perfectly fine. A proud fox kin like myself would not be defeated so easily."

Nikita said smugly. Just smiling was painful to her, but she merely relished the pain.

"Are you sure?"

Katsumi frowned. She was doubtful, but that only lasted for a moment.

"Wh-What!"

That evil presence suddenly grew abruptly. Both Nikita's and Katsumi's expressions changed as they looked down, gasping.

The ice that enclosed the monster became to make soft, subtle sounds as small cracks spread across it. In the next instance, it shattered with a booming sound.

"Tch, this thing isn't dead?!"

Nikita was naturally stunned. She had reduce the pressure and temperature to a level where any living thing inside her ice would instantly freeze to death.

(Oh, I see… Maybe this creature does not exactly count as a living creature?)

That thought flash through her head and made her frown. She had no idea what species the monster before her belong to, but it was her own lapse in judgment that led to this situation.

She shouldn't have thought of it as something similar to any creature she had known. Nikita's magical energy circulated as she enhanced her physical body.

In an instant she had arrived before Katsumi and held her tightly as she leapt into the air, easily clearing the monsters head.

"Whoa!"

Katsumi was naturally bewildered by the change in scenery. When she realize how far the ground was to them her face immediately paled.

Katsumi was from a very wealthy family back in Japan, but she had never been on a plane before, or rather she had an innate fear of heights.

Nikita had leapt roughly thirty feet above ground in a single jump, falling from such a height would be devastating for a regular human, even if you survived, they would certainly not walk away unscathed, but…

(Huh, w-we're not falling?)

When Katsumi meekly open her eyes she notice they were so high she could see the entire surrounding from their vantage position above ground.

(… Why?)

But no matter how much seconds past, gravity did not seem to be doing its work.

"… Oh?"

She belatedly notice Nikita was standing on a circler ice foothold. It kept them suspended midair and prevent them from falling.

It was doubtful why that ice platform itself wasn't falling as there were no extra added pillars that connected it to the ground.

It was as if the laws of physics was merely a suggestion. Katsumi could only swallow her complaints. Common sense was no good here.

"Humph. What a stubborn thing. I showed you the mercy of being killed quickly, and yet you ignored my act of compassion and chose to resist? As expected, the ugly should only die an ugly death."

Katsumi's face twitch at the venom in Nikita's voice. Her face was so beautifully gorgeous that anyone would have mistaken her for a sweet, gentle princess, yet her crud words were completely contradictory to her appearance.

"Wh-What should we do?"

Katsumi questioned. Despite her lack of experience she could tell how dangerous this monster was. In fact, her instincts were screaming at her to flee. An impossible task for her current self.

"Hehe, fear not, I shall bestow it with a death deserving of a persistent cockroach."

As she stayed still in the sky, icy mist gathered around, converging as six ice lances several meters in length orbited her body.

"Be skewered by my frozen judgment."

Each ice lance shot off faster than the speed of sound, stabbing into the body of the regenerating beasts. One ice lance stabbed into each of its four limbs, and two stabbed into its head.

The coldness of the ice lance permeated the inside of its body, freezing it over. Even its brain was not spared, it was reduce to a block of ice.

(Since you can recover from having your body trapped in ice, how do you deal with having the ice freezing you directly from the inside instead?)

Even if she did not know the nature of the monster, if it had blood and organs naturally it would also be susceptible to having them frozen in ice.

It was a brutal way to die, but Nikita's eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth whatsoever.

Katsumi was making a complicated expression as she lay in her arms, but she kept her silence nonetheless.

GRUFFA!

The four armed beasts groaned. It moved its impaled hand, tearing off pieces of flesh and pointed its fingers at Nikita and Katsumi in the sky.

"Huh?!"

"What?!"

In that instance, the fingers stretched and elongated grotesquely like a snake, it shot towards them as a bullet. With its velocity it was no different from a deadly spear, shooting upwards.

Nikita gritted her teeth and leapt with Katsumi in her arms. One of the five fingers landed where they had stood a second ago, shattering the ice foothold. Had they been a nanosecond late the finger would have skewered them.

But that wasn't the end of it. All five fingers were shooting towards them from different angle. Furthermore, the beasts could alter their trajectories with its control.

Those fingers approach them from all side like a cage, closing all off escape routes.

The temperature suddenly plunged. Moisture gathered around Nikita, crystallizing into countless tiny shards of ice. With a flick of her fingers, she accelerated them toward the pursuing appendages, each projectile tearing through the air like a bullet.

But the pursuing fingers were relentless in their chase. They altered their trajectories, avoiding the projectiles as they closed in.

"Girl… Make sure you don't scream, otherwise you'll bite your tongue!"

Nikita advised, she held Katsumi in her arms in a bridal style and moved nimbly through the air. Ice foothold appeared all over as she leaped about, clearing tremendous distances with each jump.

Three fingers closed in on her from the front, and her sides. Two were aimed for her heart, and one her head. But Nikita easily managed to slipped through their gaps with her small frame.

(Hmph. Don't think you can catch me that easily!)

She exclaimed inwardly. All five fingers curved through the air and locked onto her from the sky. They were unwilling to let her escape.

(Take this!)

She lashed out with a tail strike, but…

"Guh…"

Blood spurted as the finger coils its way around her tail and pierced her shoulder. Nikita's face twisted in pain as a small finger size hole marred her fair skin.

But Nikita exhaled an icy breath at the finger to freeze it in place. Unfortunately, her breath did not seem to affect its momentum as it lashed out again like a whip. With its speed it was closer to a blade. It headed directly for Katsumi's neck.

"Tch…"

But Nikita blocked its approach with a barrier of ice. But the force of the finger still managed to crack the ice. A little more force and it would be shattered which would endanger Katsumi's life.

With no other choice, Nikita's nine tails spread outward like a blooming flower, then promptly wrapped around them like a cocoon.

But even this defence wasn't perfect.

In order to protect Katsumi Nikita was force to take another deadly blow. A finger slipped through the gap in the soft, silver fur of her tail, stabbing into her flesh.

Nikita groaned and grabbed into the elongated finger, freezing it over in thick layers of ice as her grip tightened.

But she was force to let go as pointed protrusions rose from the skin, cutting her hand.

Blood tricked down her arm as she created another ice foothold beneath her and leapt higher into the sky so get away from the remaining four finger.

But four of the fingers were already pursuing her. They formed a cage as two approach from her left and right.

"How very irritating…"

Nikita fumed in displeasure. She was doing her best to keep them away from her by unleashing wave after wave of icy air.

"… Maybe you should let me go."

Katsumi suddenly said. Her words completely took Nikita by surprise. At this altitude it was no longer a matter of receiving broken bones, they were now several hundreds of meters above ground.

If Katsumi were to fall at this height the fate that awaited her was not a pleasant one. 

"I'm the one weighing you down, aren't I? You'd be able to fight at your peak if you didn't have baggage like me holding you back."

Katsumi said, somewhat dejectedly. It was the same when she was helpless to do anything to assist Alya against the demonic greater dragon before.

Katsumi's voice clearly conveyed how dispirited and gloomy she was about her lack of power. She was despondent. She had suddenly gain power out of nowhere and the knowledge to use it.

But her body had not yet ingrained those movements into her. She could not use them at their full potential.

Gaining power, and actually mastering it was fundamentally different. One cannot wield power without first gaining the ability to use it.

It was one thing to desperately desire power in order to protect those important to you. But the feeling was even more prominent when you have power, but cannot make use of it.

(Even though the Goddess Aqua had allowed me to inherit the techniques and experience of the hero Haruka… I'm still no good.)

"…"

Nikita kept her silent and frowned. But her lack of response only made Katsumi more dubious. It was clear the only fate that awaited them was death if this situation continued without any solution.

"Wh-What are you waiting for? You have to—"

"Hmph. Why should I do something as disgraceful as tossing aside someone who should be protected?"

Nikita's voice was clear and steady. She wanted her to abandon her to save herself? What was she saying? Nikita's eyes narrowed dangerously.

She was a fox kin who had pride that wouldn't lose to Alya.

Even the mere thought of that suggestion was blasphemous. The mere thought angered her.

Nikita naturally had no idea Katsumi was a hero, and even if she did, she had no obligation to protect her.

But even so, demanding that she should be cast aside because Nikita was on the losing end did not sit well with her at all.

"Don't screw with me!"

A terrible blizzard erupted around her body. Strands of her long silver hair danced and sparkled in the wind. With the rays of moonlight from her back illuminating her figure, anyone would have their breath taken away at the fantastical sight.

But the air around Nikita was anything but pleasant. The sudden drop in temperature affected the finger and their speed waned ever so slightly. Even the water molecules in the air were frozen.

Nikita turned the ambient moisture around her into a deadly projectiles and hurled them at the five fingers like bullets.

Chucks of skin was gnawed away as the ice bullets which were moving several times the speed of sound obliterated the fingers, but at the same time, its regeneration had already began though it was noticeable slower than before.

"What are you saying?"

The bewildered Katsumi asked, she peered into Nikita's cold eyes in doubt.

"That's my line! What face would I have to show for if I cast you aside in this situation? Or rather, why should I do something like that?! I'd be at a disadvantage? Who gets to decide that? Humph. I've merely been observing these insects movements until now."

Nikita spoke with such overbearing confidence that even Katsumi was left momentarily speechless. She was at a loss.

However, contrary to her words, Nikita's face was deathly pale, and blood oozed from the corner of her lips. She had already took considerable damage.

But she ignored the state of her body with mild indifference.

"Wh-What?! You were only observing?"

"Of course… Did you think I was dancing on the edge of my ropes? Aren't you looking down on me too much?"

"I… I'm not. Why didn't you tell me you were only observing?"

"Why don't you have the observational skills to notice that yourself?"

"Huh? Do you think of me as some kind of psychic?! How would I have known?"

"Weren't you paying attention? I've been testing them as I froze them this entire time."

"Eh? It just seemed to me that you were struggling to maintain distance. Was there really anything elaborate going on?"

Katsumi's beautiful night, black eyes narrowed in confusion. Her long black hair tied in a ponytail billowed as Nikita kept leaping and evading the five pursuing fingers.

The beasts had actually freed its second arm at some point, and an additional five fingers were also closing in on them.

"Humph. Don't you know one must experience the attacks of their enemies with their own bodies to gage their strength?"

"… Really? That seemed incredibly reckless…"

"Says the girl who's being carried? Do you really want me to toss you aside?"

"Eh… Doesn't that go against what you said earlier?"

"Maybe I was mistaken."

"Ugh… Wait? Y-Your not actually going to throw me, are you?"

Katsumi stuttered as she gazed fearfully at the ground that was so distant that it was impossible to see.

"Hm. What, are you scared of heights?"

"Obviously I'm scared! I've never been this far up before!"

"Weren't you suggesting to be cast aside before?"

Nikita said, her voice sounding somewhat mockingly. At that moment she had raised her leg and twisted her body horizontally, using one of the fingers as a stepping stone and freezing it beneath her heel.

"I… I know what I said, but, you said we're observing them, right? I won't fall right?"

"Who knows, maybe if you experience it yourself you will be able to overcome your fears. You never know."

"That's not how one overcomes their fears, you know?! Please don't drop me! There is no way I can overcome my fears before I die!"

"If you can still breathe then you can overcome it. Just think of yourself as a cloud."

"Ugh… What kind of logic is that?!"

Katsumi wanted to scream. She found her indifference and selfishness to be similar to Alya. Though, Alya herself would probably complain with being compared with Nikita.

Nikita had no idea how unreasonable her expectations were. This was probably one of the bad aspect of her prideful personality.

She was the same fox who summoned a snowy tsunami that covered the sky and expected Haruto to be able to outrun it after all. But such matters were pointless at this moment.

The five finger kept pursuing them relentlessly. Furthermore, another five fingers were also closing in on them further behind as Nikita leapt away.

(Don't tell me this thing can still operate normally without its brain?)

Nikita furrowed her brow. She was certain she had froze its brain and organs with her earlier attacks, but such a method didn't seem to be working.

In fact, it was attacking even more relentlessly than before. Wasn't it a living creature?

"Doesn't this mean it doesn't need its heart and blood to survive either?"

Such doubts filled her head. If the brain, the core of a living organism was not needed, then she assumed it most likely didn't need its heart as well. But such things should have been impossible.

All living life form regardless of how strong, or unique they were should still need their brain, heart and organs to survive. This was a universal rule for all living organisms.

They were exceptions, of course. Spirits were one such examples. But they were spiritual existences who were above the laws of the material world. 

The creature before was clearly not spiritual in nature. It was a physical life form. And yet, it did not follow the standard rules of other living creatures.

It was an unusual monster. Something she had not encountered or even heard of before.

But the more they kept running away, the more time it had to recover. Its main body was already almost completely healed.

"Fine then…"

Nikita held Katsumi with one arm and slash with her ice sword with the other, slicing the approaching finger to pieces. Though, they instantly regenerated as they were cut to pieces.

(I don't like being chase, I'd rather do the chasing myself.)

She thought, turning around. A massive pillar of ice rose up vertically from the ground. And Nikita kicked off it, approaching the five fingers from the front herself.

(H-Huh, wh-what is she doing?)

Katsumi was naturally bewildered. She was confused why they were closing the distance instead of running away. But Nikita simply grin fearlessly.

"Ice empress armour!"

At that moment, Nikita's magical energy erupted violently. It created a powerful storm of energy that exploded outward like a shockwaves, even the ten fingers moving at such tremendous speeds were thrown off by the force.

"Eh…?"

Katsumi was unable to hold in her voice as she stared at her surroundings, and more importantly, Nikita. Around them was a blue spherical lightning cage that crackled loudly. It had blown away all the fingers with the shockwaves.

Nikita herself now donned a beautiful armour made entirely of ice.

From her back were two long, flickering blue wings made of pure lightning. It was something she had manifest using her lightning elemental arts.

"I've had enough of you. Go die!"

She exclaimed. Her soft, beautiful voice was frigid and devoid of warmth. And as if responding to that merciless proclamation.

ROOOOAR!

The sky blacked as thunderclouds appeared. Thunder roared loudly, and the world was dyed blue in a flash of lightning.

It was an unnatural phenomenon. Dark clouds shrouded the light of the moon and filled the sky for several hundred kilometres. The clouds had covered such a vast distance that even the area where Haruto was currently facing the devil was affected.

In the next moment, a massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky. However, it did not fall onto the main body.

The dazzling bolt of crackling lightning stayed suspended in the sky. Its form was altering and shifting, with each change in its form, the bolt seems to grew stronger as if condensing its power.

Once its power of the lightning bolt had reached a critical point it took the form of a blue scythe.

The scythe was over thirty meters in length and was made out of pure lightning on the verge of exploding.

Considering the tremendous power contained within it the destruction that it would bring once its swung down would be unimaginable.

(… Th-This… This is plasma, isn't it?)

Lightning was technically already plasma. But this time it had been condensed to the point that it became plasma on the verge of collapsing.

Katsumi's face darkened with dread as she observed the scythe. It was scary to think of the aftermath once the battle ends—Or rather, would they survive the initial explosion?

(I can't tell which is more threatening, that monster or this fox? She seemed so cute and delicate, and yet…)

Her face twitched with trepidation. Nikita naturally had no idea what Katsumi was thinking as she lay limply in her arms. Well, even if she did, she probably wouldn't have cared.

Nikita reached out and grab the scythe that was more than several times larger than her own body.

Lightning was concentrated to the point that the blue vivid crackling lightning had taken a slightly darker hue.

"T-T-Touching it with your bare hands!"

Katsumi's eyes widened even further in disbelief. It would be normal to see someone's hands directly turned to ash the moment their skin came into contact with such heat, but…

"Hmph. This is nothing."

Nikita's hands were perfectly fine. Looking closely, she had covered her hands in an ice gauntlet.

The gauntlet slowly began to melt, but Nikita simply poured in more mana to sustain it.

Although her face twisted in pain for a moment, she got use to the heat in practically no time at all. Her hand that held the scythe hissed.

"This time. I will completely erase you from this world."

As expected, there was no mercy. Like the Grim Reaper declaring a sentence, the fate of the four armed beasts was decided at that moment.

Swish!

But, before Nikita could unleashed her strike, a red beam of crimson light that was as thin as a thread shot over. A small portion of the dark clouds dispersed from the residual heat alone.

The beam was thin that it was impossible to see if not for the red flash, but it also contained unfathomable power. Space was burnt away where it travel—Or was it a trick of the eye?

Either way, It moved at a speed that was incomprehensible to the eye. It was so instantaneous that even Nikita could not react to it at all.

In less than a nanosecond, it crossed a vast distance, and arrived at the target as if the concept of distance was negligible.

ROOOOOOAAAR!

The beasts main body howled out in pain. The beam pierced its flesh in a flash of crimson. More specifically the centre of its forehead and left it charred black.

"… Wh-What?!"

It wasn't just Katsumi, but also Nikita was left speechless. They were stunned. The beasts wreathed in pain as the flames burnt not only its brain, but its body.

But no matter how much it fought, it could not extinguish the searing hot flames.

These were not ordinary flames conjured up by mere magic power—But world-incinerating flames, In fact, the more it tried to quell the flames the more the flames burnt intensely.

The flames were like a maggot, digging into its flesh and burning it from both the inside and outside.

Even the miasma was not sparred, it sizzled and dispersed as the flames burnt it away.

Without the miasma to regenerate its body, the four armed beasts was reduce to ash that got swept away in the wind in no time.

(What… What just happened?)

Nikita was naturally confused. And her eyes were filled with doubt. It all happened so quickly that she had no time to assess the situation at all.

"Hm… I never expected one of those to spawn from the miasma so quickly. Thanks goodness it was merely in its initial stage otherwise this nation would really be done for."

"Huh?!"

Nikita and Katsumi belatedly notice, there was a beautiful young woman completely clad in a red dress hovering a few meters away from them.

She had long, blazing crimson hair floating next to them. It was unclear how long she been there, or where she had came from.

The area where she floated above ground was also turned into a screeching cold blizzard by Nikita.

But at this moment it was scorching hot, like a fiery sea of crimson flames.

The water vapor inside the dark thunderous clouds were evaporating simply by her existing there. The dark clouds crackling with lightning began to thin out around her, dissipating in wisps. 

The young woman radiated so much heat simply by floating there that the cold temperatures had completely dispersed, replace by a heat so intense that the sun would be lukewarm in comparison.

Yet strangely enough, despite being subjected to such heat neither Katsumi nor Nikita were being affected by the searing heat wave.

The space around them was distorting and twisting, as if they occupied an entire different region of space.

The young woman in red crimson eyes were concealed by a translucent red veil that partially hide the upper portion of her gorgeous face.

Her long, flowing red hair billowed in the raging wind, its lustrous strands unfurling behind her like ribbons of crimson silk.

On her soft, delicate exposed shoulder, there was a red sun tattoo on her unblemished fair skin. In her hand was a seemingly ordinary looking fan that covered her lips.

The woman gave off no presence, nor was there any overwhelming pressure one would feel from a strong opponent.

Aside from the sudden rise in temperature that had accompanied her arrival, she seemed as ordinary as any other young woman that could be found anywhere.

But Nikita narrowed her eyes warily. Despite seeming so ordinary Nikita felt a threat so strong that it made even the four armed beasts looked puny in comparison.

They were more than several thousand meters above ground, but without exception, no one could see the current conditions in the sky. It was as if the sky was dyed pure crimson.

"How curious… They crawl across this world as though its ruler will never return."

Her red glossy lips parted as the red-haired woman—The Flame Spirit Monarch—Livia, uttered those words coldly under her breath.

"That was close, you know? What were you thinking suddenly unleashing such heat?"

Vaerisse said, somewhat exasperatedly. She had erected a barrier that encompassed several hundred thousand kilometres away in a space isolation barrier.

Had she been a second slow the entire kingdom—No, several thousand kilometres of the surrounding forest and mountains would be reduced to a desert simply from the heatwave alone.

But Vaerisse's space isolation barrier had trapped the heat in a separated space. At this moment, it was as if the sky and the ground existed in completely different worlds.

"Hm… This is concept magic… Such considerable mastery over space. Not bad."

Livia praised, impressed. Influencing space was one of the most difficult techniques out there. She conveniently ignored Vaerisse's complaints as she commented on her mastery of spatial magic.

Very few were capable of such feat. Unless one was a god who had the authority over space or held an artifact with limited influence over space it was beyond the reaches of ordinary magicians.

Although there were techniques that can alter spatial coordinates like the origin gates, but those were the minority.

Space magic fell into the category of concept magic, which was a unique form of magic only possessed by beings with divinity, but Vaerisse was the daughter of the Dryad of the world tree.

"It's quite rare to receive words of admiration from you so I'll accept it gladly."

Vaerisse said with a casual shrug of her shoulders. She was still annoyed but she seemed content with being praised for her efforts.

She causally played with the long strands of her hair draped over her delicate shoulder. She then sent a curious glance at Livia.

"What is it?"

"Weren't you originally intending on staying neutral, why have you suddenly decided to lend this kingdom your assistance now?"

Vaerisse inquired curiously. A mysterious power swirling around her, protecting her from the turbulent of the sky.

"… I wish to speak with that boy as soon as possible. As such this demonic beast's invasion is nothing but a nuisance."

Livia replied without even glancing at her. Her soft, delicate brows furrowed slightly as a chilling gleam flash through her crimson eyes.

"Heh. As self-centred as always, eh?"

Vaerisse chuckled as if she found it amusing.

"Hmph. I have no patience anymore. I must talk to him."

"I can understand your decision to help, but… I'm curious, what is so special about that kid that he can rouse the attention of a monarch."

"I'm also curious about that…"

"Hm. You don't know?"

Vaerisse raised an eyebrow in confusion. She directed her attention toward the battle between Haruto and the devil still ongoing in the distance.

(He's not someone I know…)

Her brow furrowed slightly in doubt. The White Moon was an organization with a vast amount of influence and information. But he wasn't in her information network.

(Black hair… is he from the continent of Azuria?)

She wondered curiously. It wasn't strange for travellers of other continents that are divided by the sea to migrate to other regions, but it was still a rare occurrence.

Most would normally never travel to different continents partly because of how dangerous the journey could be by sea. Yet by air a safe flight also wasn't guaranteed either.

Livia's red hair billowed messily in the wind, she gently closed her fan with a click, placing it at her crimson lips.

"Well, whatever the case. I'll exterminate all these filths before then."

Livia snorted indifferently. And with a seemingly casual movement, she pointed her finger at the sky. At the tip of her index finger crimson light gathered as a small sphere the size of a small bead.

"Begone from this world, radiant flare."

The sky was dyed crimson. No, perhaps that wasn't the right description. It was as if the sky had been replaced by a sea of blood.

Thin beams of crimson light shot downward like a torrential rain, piercing the body of all demonic beasts with unmatched precision.

Many demonic beasts instinctively tried evading, but their efforts were all pointless. Compressing into a thin laser.

The beams moved faster than sound, no faster than lightning itself. 

Not only were their bodies destroyed, but the miasma was also engulfed and snuffed out along with their bodies.

No human vision could perceive the crimson beams as they flash past them consistently, relentlessly pursuing and annihilating the demonic beasts. It was an apocalyptic scene.

Vaerisse was slightly worried there would be casualties, but Livia had used her exceptional ability to sense presences as a spirit, ensuring that only those with demonic auras were annihilated.

(Well, it's not like she would make any mistakes. At least now we can clean up these beasts before sunrise.)

Vaerisse thought. She was tempted to use her magic to help reduce their numbers, but when she thought of the curse, she could only purse her lips slightly in discontent.

(Hm. This aura…)

Suddenly, Livia averted her eyes from the city below and stared at the battle between Haruto and the devil in the distance.

It was only for a brief moment, but she had sensed a dreadful presence. Her gaze sharpened, for a moment it was as if all the secrets in the world were transparent to those lovely ruby eyes. Nothing could be hidden.

"Sure, enough Alya is over there… It seems she had used the spirit resonance technique."

Livia murmured to herself as she observed them. But no matter how much she searched she still could not find the source of that ominous presence. It left as fast as it came.