"Where do you get such confidence?"
Natsuki Subaru slowly walked forward, the shadows beneath his feet churning like boiling asphalt, darkness spreading across the ground with every step.
"If it's purely a matter of numbers… I won't lose."
"What big talk are you spouting?" Meili slightly furrowed her brows.
She admitted that Natsuki Subaru's method of instantly killing the Magic Beast Rockboar earlier was indeed astonishing, but so what? Behind her, there were hundreds of Magic Beasts.
The Magic Beast Girttilau had a lion-like head, a horse or goat-like torso, and a long serpentine tail, its massive size enough to block a wide passage.
The Magic Beast Wolgarm resembled a gigantic wolf-dog, with reddish vertical pupils hidden beneath its brown-black fur, sharp fangs protruding, spikes growing along its spine, and a unicorn-like protrusion on its nose.
Blackwing Rats were rat-shaped Magic Beasts with black wings, their red eyes and wing membranes making them resemble eerie bats.
Speckled King Hounds were spotted giant dogs, like mastiffs, twice the size of a human, with sharp claws on all four legs and thick fur.
These Magic Beasts, acting in concert, were enough to flatten a village; how could they not deal with Natsuki Subaru, who was all alone?
After all, Magic Beasts were incomparable to ordinary wild animals; each was formidable.
Just like the Rockboar from earlier, it possessed immense strength and tough hide.
In short, when Magic Beast numbers reached their peak, even the strongest individual would be crushed to pieces.
Yet, looking at Natsuki Subaru's calm and profound gaze, an inexplicable unease inexplicably welled up in Meili's heart.
"Don't think you can be arrogant just because you defeated the Rockboar earlier." Meili raised her voice, trying to overpower that inexplicable unease in her heart with sheer presence.
"My naughty little animals aren't just for show! No matter how strong you are, can you really tear apart dozens of mouths and dozens of claws simultaneously?"
"Oh?" Natsuki Subaru seemed to see through Meili's thoughts and said indifferently, "It seems you still don't understand the situation."
Although the number of Magic Beasts Meili controlled was considerable, for him, it would only take a little more time.
Since the opponent had actively revealed their trump card, he no longer needed to hold back his strength.
"Stop bluffing!" Meili waved her hand, and the surrounding Magic Beasts immediately bared their fangs, closing in.
"I'd like to see how you, alone, will deal with my Magic Beast Army!"
"Then use your own eyes to properly confirm what true numerical superiority is."
Saying this, Natsuki Subaru's shadow suddenly exploded in a fan shape.
The shadows on the ground surged and boiled like ink dropped into a raging fire, black waves instantly sweeping over the courtyard's flagstone path, seemingly swallowing most of the sunlight.
Countless pitch-black Shadow Soldiers rose from the shadows, the clanging of colliding armor and the sharp ringing of unsheathed blades merging into a deafening torrent.
Shadow Soldiers wore armor flowing with dark light, held shadow blades imbued with cold, and their crimson eyes were uniformly locked forward.
Three thousand Shadow Soldiers against hundreds of Magic Beasts.
The overwhelming numerical disparity instantly reversed the battlefield situation.
"You? This… impossible…" Looking at the dense ranks of Shadow Soldiers before her, Meili's amber pupils contracted violently, her delicate face slightly distorted by shock.
"These… are all summoned creatures? How can one person control so many beings?"
"Are you surprised?" Natsuki Subaru stood at the center of the Shadow Legion, his black cloak gently billowing in the faint currents of dark aura emanating from the soldiers. He glanced indifferently at Meili, his tone devoid of any ripple.
"As the first person to witness the Shadow Legion firsthand, you should feel honored."
"The Shadow Legion?" Meili's lips trembled, but no sound escaped them.
She had never seen such a terrifying sight. Three thousand Shadow Soldiers stood in formation, their movements so uniform they seemed as one. Their crimson eyes glowed in the shadows, and their cold killing intent almost solidified.
Her proudly boasted Magic Beast horde now seemed so utterly vulnerable; even the most ferocious Speckled King Hounds tucked their tails and let out fearful whimpers.
Just moments ago, Meili had been absolutely confident that her hundreds of Magic Beasts were enough to crush Natsuki Subaru.
But now, facing this black torrent formed by three thousand Shadow Soldiers, her numerical advantage was nothing short of a colossal joke.
"Is this… his true power?" The lone head of Elsa in her arms suddenly spoke, her voice even carrying a hint of imperceptible shock.
"This kind of summoning… it's utterly beyond the realm of human reach…"
At this moment, Natsuki Subaru's aura had completely transformed. Calmness had settled into majesty, like a Monarch holding absolute power over life and death, gazing down upon enemies about to turn to dust.
"Let your defeat celebrate the Shadow Legion's first battle."
Natsuki Subaru snapped his fingers, and with a thought, the Shadow Legion instantly formed a charging formation, surging forward like a black tide.
"Kill—!"
A silent roar exploded within the consciousness of every Shadow Soldier.
The previously orderly square formation instantly shifted. The knights in the front row raised their shields, while the mages in the back condensed dark energy. The entire legion, like a black tide, charged towards the Magic Beast horde with an aura of world-shattering destruction.
The next second.
An exceptionally tall black figure beside Natsuki Subaru was the first to step forward.
That was Igris.
The former Crimson Knight Captain, now transformed into the sharpest blade under his command.
"Hiss—!"
The Shadow Longsword in Igris's hand hissed as it cut through the air. Wherever its light reached, the Blackwing Rats blocking its path were instantly cleaved in half.
The leading Speckled King Hound couldn't even let out a scream before it was snapped in half at the waist, its hot blood mixing with viscera splattering onto the flagstone path.
Igris's movements were swift and precise, each sword strike carrying immense force, cutting through Magic Beasts like slicing vegetables, without the slightest hesitation.
"This Igris, he's truly formidable." Natsuki Subaru watched Igris's rampaging battle stance within the Magic Beast horde, and the thrilling scenes from his Class Change Quest involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Back then, Igris was still an enemy BOSS, and Natsuki Subaru was far from his match in either speed or strength.
At the last moment, Igris's cold-glowing longsword almost pierced his heart.
Had he not used his Status Recovery ability at the eleventh hour, reviving with full health to counter-kill Igris, he would likely have long since become a soul lost to Igris's blade.
Now, it seemed, this former Knight Captain, who had become the sharpest blade under his command, truly hadn't disappointed him.
Natsuki Subaru's gaze swept across the entire battlefield.
The Shadow Soldiers were charging forward, fearless of death.
Knights used their shields to ram aside Magic Beasts' fangs, never stopping even when giant claws tore open their armor.
Mages stood in the back, still focused on condensing magic even when scratched by pouncing Blackwing Rats.
"These Shadow Soldiers are truly the most loyal subordinates." Looking at the Shadow Soldiers fearlessly fighting before him, Natsuki Subaru, as the Shadow Monarch, felt a slight stirring in his heart.
With just a single command from him, they would charge into a mountain of blades or a sea of fire without the slightest hesitation, never fearing death.
After all, even if Shadow Soldiers died in battle, he could simply expend a small amount of Mana to resummon them.
Shadow Soldiers could be said to be truly undying and indestructible existences.
Facing such a group of Shadow Soldiers, who knew no fear and fought to the death without retreat, their enemies must have long since been trembling in their boots, right?
Looking at the Shadow Soldiers fighting with all their might, Natsuki Subaru curved his lips into a slight smile and muttered softly:
"But this is good too; the harder the subordinates work, the easier it is for the boss…"
[Notification: +223 Experience points]
[Notification: +342 Experience points]
[Notification: +258 Experience points]
[Notification: +311 Experience points]
......
System notifications continuously chimed in his mind, green numbers incessantly flickering before his eyes.
Natsuki Subaru raised an eyebrow, watching the green experience values constantly jumping on the System Interface, a flicker of surprise in his eyes:
"So, Shadow Soldiers killing Magic Beasts can also grant me experience points?"
However, upon reflection, he felt relieved. These Shadow Soldiers were inherently an extension of his power as the Shadow Monarch, materialized by his Shadow power, intimately connected to his soul, like extensions of his arms. It was thus perfectly reasonable for them to share kill experience.
It was worth noting that the Shadow Soldiers under Natsuki Subaru's command were not a chaotic horde, but carefully selected troop types.
The front line consisted of knights clad in dark-patterned heavy armor, wielding man-sized greatshields and broadswords.
A faint, dark sheen flowed through the seams of their armor, each plate capable of withstanding the sharp claws of Magic Beasts.
The rear line consisted of mages cloaked in black, holding staves, their fingertips condensing eerie blue fireballs and ice cones radiating a biting chill.
This was the configuration Natsuki Subaru had specifically settled on during his last Class Change Quest.
As for troop types like assassins and archers, he had not temporarily incorporated them into his Shadow Legion.
After all, in a direct confrontation battlefield like this, the combination of knights and mages was the most reliable, capable of both withstanding impacts and providing widespread firepower.
"It seems I won't even need to intervene personally; this can be smoothly resolved." Natsuki Subaru stood in place, casually swiping his fingertip across the virtual panel, feeling the steady consumption of Mana within him.
Maintaining these three thousand Shadow Soldiers only consumed a little over a hundred Mana points per second, which was a drop in the ocean compared to his current total Mana of two hundred thousand.
Nearly half was still available.
Even if his Mana ran out, it wouldn't matter; Mana Potions from the System Shop could replenish it at any time.
This level of consumption was entirely manageable for him.
"Truly a magnificent sight." Natsuki Subaru's gaze swept across the battlefield. The Shadow Knights advanced like moving steel fortresses, the clanging of colliding greatshields forming an impregnable defensive line.
A Wolgarm barked furiously and pounced, its sharp fangs biting hard into a knight's shield, yet leaving only a few white marks. The knight swung his broadsword in a backhand strike, the sharp whistling of it cutting through the air as it descended, directly cleaving the half-human-sized Magic Beast in half, its blood mixing with viscera splattering onto the flagstone path.
Another Girttilau lashed out with its serpentine tail. The knights immediately formed a shield wall, dozens of greatshields pressing together in unison, firmly blocking the heavy blow capable of overturning a carriage. The knights behind the shield wall seized the opportunity to swing their swords, several longswords simultaneously piercing the Magic Beast Girttilau's abdomen, causing the colossal creature to let out a deafening groan of pain.
"Screech! Roar! Hiss!"
The mages in the rear, meanwhile, acted like precise artillery turrets.
Fireballs rained down like a meteor shower, each one accurately striking into the Blackwing Rat horde, instantly erupting into a sea of flames, their pained shrieks rising and falling.
In a blink of an eye, hundreds of Blackwing Rats turned into charred ashes.
Ice cones, on the other hand, shot towards the Speckled King Hounds like a dense barrage of arrows, carrying sharp whistling sounds as they cut through the air. The sharp ice spikes easily pierced their thick fur, pinning them to the ground.
"These Shadow Soldiers are truly efficient…" Natsuki Subaru murmured softly, his lips curling into a slight smile. He hadn't even moved a finger; merely by transmitting simple commands like "advance" and "focus fire" through thought, the Shadow Legion perfectly executed his will as if it were an extension of his own body.
These Shadow Soldiers were tireless and fearless of death. Even if torn apart into Shadow Particles by Magic Beasts, they could simply be resummoned by expending a small amount of Mana.
Speaking of which, in this kind of group combat, the Shadow Soldiers' advantages were infinitely magnified, making them an overwhelmingly dominant force.
Not long after.
The battle gradually subsided.
The screams of the Magic Beasts faded from dense to sparse, finally falling completely silent.
The courtyard was strewn with the remains of Magic Beasts: broken fangs, charred wings, cleaved torsos, mixed with blood soaking into the flagstones, gleaming with a dark crimson luster under the sun. A heavy, coppery scent permeated the air.
The Shadow Soldiers stood silently, their dark glow intermingling with the splattered bloodstains, like an army of the dead returned from hell, radiating a chilling oppressive aura.
Although nearly a hundred Shadow Soldiers were killed in the fierce battle, the remaining Shadow Legion still maintained a perfectly orderly formation.
"Hm?"
Just then, Natsuki Subaru suddenly noticed a strong wave of shadow fluctuation emanating from Igris at the very front.
The figure of this Crimson Knight Captain had solidified slightly more than before, the dark patterns on his armor were clearer, and the cold gleam of the longsword in his hand was even more intense.
[Notification: Shadow Knight Igris has met the kill count requirement for Magic Beasts and has been promoted from Level 7 to Level 9]
[Notification: 127 Shadow Soldiers have completed their upgrades]
"So that's it, they leveled up." A hint of understanding flashed in Natsuki Subaru's eyes.
It seemed that killing monsters not only granted him experience points but also boosted the strength of his subordinates; this was a pleasant surprise.
He then looked at his own experience bar; the progress bar for Level 60 had already filled by one-third.
"Hmm, not bad." Natsuki Subaru nodded contentedly.
One must know that the experience required to level up at Level 60 was truly immense.
The experience required for each subsequent level grew exponentially, so gaining this much in a single battle was quite considerable.
Just then.
All the Shadow Soldiers simultaneously turned towards Natsuki Subaru, their crimson eyes, like countless cold stars, all fixed on their Monarch, awaiting the next command.
"Now, only the two of you remain." Natsuki Subaru's gaze slowly shifted, finally settling on Meili and Elsa in the courtyard, he said in a calm tone.
______
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