The deepest part of Jura Forest reminded him of the Sacred Grove of Sylvaris Kingdom.
The magicules in the area were so thick it rolled into fog, the wood of the trees were hard they could even use it as a weapon if sharpened correctly, moreover, beyond the peaceful sounds of cricket and the rustling leaves, sounds of roar filled with anger and hostility could be heard.
The natural resistance embedded in his clothes due to its base material also creaked, the coldness of the area was assaulting, not just pricking.
All of those reminded him of the Sacred Grove of the Elven Kingdom in Eldara.
However, the one difference this part of Jura Forest had that the Sacred Grove didn't have was the spatial ripple all around the forest, they were inviting his spatial mana to come to them for whatever the reason.
"This place feels weird…" Kushina murmured beside him, the sound of her clothes rustling could be heard.
However, Shuna just smiled warmly at them, her body language told him that she was at the furthest condition from being uncomfortable. "This part of the forest is the closest to the cave where Chaos Dragon Veldora used to be sealed."
Ludwig's brows raised a little as a hummed escapade through his closed lips. Now that made sense. That True Dragon currently inside Rimuru was a dragon skilled in Wind, Water, and Space if he remembered correctly. The state of this area of the forest mirrored just how great the influence of his Magicule in the area was.
To think his magicules still affect the area this much even after he was sealed… Ludwig sighed. It's either the seal was faulty—which shouldn't be possible—since it held the True Chaos Dragon for so many years, or the being called True Dragon was just that strong that just a miniscule of the magicule created this kind of effect.
That point made Ludwig think. If the True Dragon was already this powerful, what about those angels in the later part of the story?
"True Dragon?" Kushina's voice cut through the sound of the forest. "Is it different from Raon?"
A warm smile appeared on Shuna's face. Understandable since she was one of if not the only Kijin Raon willing to play with. "Chaos Dragon Veldora is very different from Raon. He's just a juvenile, maybe even younger than Latina in terms of Dragon's age. On the contrary, Veldora is old… very old. No one knows just how old he is. But records say he has been sealed in the cave for more than 200 years."
"T-two hundred years? Just how old is it, I wonder?" Kushina said in astonishment.
Ludwig just looked at the two girls chatting about Veldora with a smirk. After all, he knew just how old that True Dragon was. 2,000 years. That time he spent in the seal might as well be a cycle of hibernation for it.
They continued their journey around the deepest part of the forest. Of course, they always stopped every time Ludwig's eyes fell on something interesting to Kushina's chagrin. But after he told her it would make the food he cooked even better, she started to actively look for more ingredients.
As they traversed more and more, Ludwig couldn't help but to stop. His mana was telling him that something big was approaching them. And it didn't take Kurama's sense to know that whatever coming to them was not without malice.
"Get ready, something is coming." Ludwig whispered.
The two girls stopped at once. But rather than preparing themselves for whatever was coming, they just walked behind him and stood there.
"What are you guys doing?" Ludwig furrowed his brows as he looked at a pair of girls which stood with gleaming eyes like they were in front of an attraction.
Kushina smiled and looked at him with mischief. "Of course we are hiding behind you."
Ludwig's mouth fell. Of course he knew that. Who couldn't see it when they walked and placed themselves between him and the incoming monster. "My question is why you guys stand here rather than preparing to fight?"
Shuna covered her mouth with the loose hem of her sleeves, covering her smile which he could still see from her eyes. "I am not really a front line fighter, Ludwig-sama."
That explanation made sense. She was more a support type than a fighter. But when he tried to think about her ability, he came up blank. It seemed like he didn't pay enough attention to her back when she was still a mere character of a story or he just couldn't remember.
But the redhead beside Shuna was a different story altogether. She was strong. Not as strong as him or Rimuru, but she was someone with quite an experience in fighting. So it was only natural for him to expect her to stand by her side.
When Ludwig's eyes landed on her, Kushina answered with an amused tone. "I don't bring my Kunai pouch with me."
She shrugged before turning ever so slightly to show Ludwig that her usual pouch strapped into her waist was not there.
"Aren't you a shinobi?" Ludwig squinted his eyes at her. "Can't you fight without them? Ninjutsu and all that?"
Moreover, didn't she bring that ginormous back with her to Tempest? That very bag couldn't be seen in her back unlike yesterday. Which meant, she left it in Rimuru's house. Why did she bring it in the first place, then?
"Lud, don't pretend you are weak." Kushina laughed. "I know without my help you can take care of any danger. Worst case scenario, you brought us back to Tempest with your ability. Wasn't that what you said before?"
Ludwig sighed and shook his head. What Kushina said was completely correct. He didn't think he would be beaten by whatever monster coming their way. No matter how its steps were rumbling the forest, and no matter how big its mana was, It's still weak in Ludwig's eyes.
And if the worst case really came, he could just displaced the girls back to Tempest.
But that's beside the point. Wasn't it common sense to be ready to fight when a monster's presence was felt?
The forest went silent. Pebbles floated, then bounced as a heavy, rhythmic thud rolled toward them, each step dragging earth mana behind it like a muddy tide.
"So it finally shows up…" He muttered.
The trees ahead burst apart as something enormous crashed through the undergrowth. A boar—no, a hog so massive it dwarfed any bear he had ever seen—stormed into view, orange fur bristling and crackling with brownish light. Stone plates formed and broke across its flanks like armor trying to grow out of its body.
It threw back its head and roared. The ground answered. Spikes of rock heaved up in a jagged line straight toward them.
"Behind me." Ludwig's voice was flat, calm.
Kushina and Shuna obeyed without protest this time, stepping fully into his shadow.
Ludwig lifted his right hand.
Space in front of him bent, just slightly, like heat over a flame. The incoming stone spikes froze mid-rush, their momentum cut away as if time had skipped a beat. Cracks ran up their sides, age and erosion forced into a single instant. A heartbeat later they collapsed into harmless gravel, pattering to a stop at his feet.
The hog snorted, confused, then furious. Its hooves glowed with earthen light as it slammed them down. A wave of earth mana surged forward, the soil liquefying into a churning landslide meant to swallow them whole.
"Too slow."
Time around the beast dragged. The roaring torrent of dirt and stone slowed to a crawl, every grain drifting forward like it was swimming through jelly. Only Ludwig and the two girls moved freely within that distorted bubble, the colors of the world dulled and stretched.
Ludwig stepped forward, boots untouched by the creeping wave. As he walked, he traced his left hand through the air. Space peeled open where his fingers passed, thin black lines etching themselves into the air like cracks in glass.
The lines snapped taut and shot outward, reappearing around the hog's massive neck. For a moment they simply hovered there, a loose string of impossible angles wrapped around its neck like a butcher knife.
Then Ludwig released his hold on time.
Sound slammed back all at once—the roar of the beast, the grind of stone, the hiss of shifting dirt—only to be cut short. The black lines flickered.
Then, reality caught up.
The black line cut through its neck, clean through. The hog's charge stopped dead. Its body crashed into the ground while its head was rolling because its body was ramming it.
"Told you." Kushina said from behind him, half impressed, half smug. "You don't need us for something like this."
Shuna stepped forward, sleeves tucked together, eyes bright as she studied the fallen monster. "Even so, that was amazing, Ludwig-sama." she said quietly. "To twist time and space so precisely in a place like this…"
Ludwig ignored the praise and crouched beside the corpse, pressing his palm against the still-warm hide. The remnants of earth mana pulsed sluggishly under his touch.
"High-tier earth control." he murmured. "Good instinct, bad matchup."
Then, he dived deep into himself. Mana reserves and his body gets scrutiny.
Everything was fine, his Mana Reserve which now also housed magicules wasn't even dented by his action.
But in the first place, it was not a proper fight to know just how much he had grown after the Voice of The World acknowledged his presence and aligned him with the power of Tenshura World.
Maybe he had to ask Rimuru for a spar later. But maybe, he had to first tackle the problem of his attribute points before sparring with him. It would make it even simpler. Just one spar should be enough for all his growth.
"Hey Lud, do you think the meat will be delicious?" Kushina's voice brought Ludwig back to reality.
Ludwig looked at the untouched part of the ginormous hog, head tilted thoughts churning. "Wild hogs like this will have a gamey smell. At least that's what happened in my world. So yes, as long as I prepare it correctly, it will be delicious."
Ludwig waved his hand, and in the next instance all the hog body disappeared, even the head. Preserving it was one of the reasons he put it in the Storage Dimension. But the other reason was to not let its blood start tainting the meat.
"Now that we are talking about cooking." Ludwig moved his eyes towards Shuna. "What's the progress of the seasonings I gave you?"
Shuna stepped forward, now smiling even brighter. "I thought you would never ask, Ludwig-sama. Most of them are now ready to be manufactured. We just need to build the structure and the contraptions."
Ludwig's mouth couldn't help but curl up. "Is that so? Do you have some of it ready?"
"Yes." Shuna nodded. "Do you want to go to our kitchen next?"
"Please.' Ludwig answered. "After all, we have this hog to be cooked, don't we?"
With that, the trio started to walk through the same path they used to enter the forest.
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Just to let you know, Pokemon World is finally joining in the latest chapter of the Highest Tier.
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