A white-haired youth appeared in that cave reeking of blood-rust, looking like a stage prop placed there to draw the curtains on the battle. The air froze at his presence—the man who had become a streak of lightning, striking down nearly half of the Amazon warriors in the cave with a single blow. With a swift movement of his sword, he sent Bache crashing violently into the stone wall.
"Only a single strike... Well, I wasn't expecting much anyway."
"Al..?"
The moment he stood there, terror gripped Tiona, the raging warriors of Telskyura, and even the Goddess Kali. While everyone else held their breath before his overwhelming majesty, only Tiona called out his name in shock.
He radiated a cold, terrifying pressure unimaginable for his usual personality—a pressure akin to the breath of a dragon. It made Tiona and Kali forget the fierce battle that had just occurred, leaving them gasping for air.
If one were to describe his raging power, it would be a thunderbolt, a wildfire, or a storm. That man──who looked like a natural disaster trapped in a human body──glanced briefly at Bache, who lay motionless against the rock wall, then turned his gaze toward Tiona.
"Tiona, we're going back. Gareth went to Lefiya, so there's no need to worry about her."
"Oh, alright."
Without paying any mind to the Amazon warriors who were seething with rage, Al spoke those words. Tiona stood up, feeling confused, but she nodded obediently.
── I'm not sure, but... is Al incredibly angry?
He didn't raise his voice, nor did he scream. Yet his unusual, profound silence sent a cold shiver down Tiona's spine.
Al took Tiona's hand and turned to walk away.
"I'm not in a position to lecture you, so I'll leave that to Riveria. But I suspect you'll receive a very long scolding once we return."
".... Yes, I'm sorry."
It seemed he had finished his chant beforehand; Al activated his "Phoenix" enhancement magic. The lethal toxins and the pain gnawing at Tiona's body began to fade and heal.
Tiona surrendered to this comforting sensation as her memories drifted back to the past.
●○●○●
To me, Tiona Hiryute, Al Cranel was a boy who seemed to have stepped straight out of the pages of legend.
Four years ago, shortly after Tione and I left the "Country of Combat" and joined the Loki Familia, Goddess Loki brought Al home. She treated him like a stray cat she had found, and back then, he reminded me of how Tione used to be.
With eyes the color of blood since childhood and hair like burnt ash, he never smiled. He dove into the Dungeon constantly, seeking power with a ferocity that surpassed even Ais. It was as if he were burning his very life to grow stronger. I felt a sense of aversion toward him because he was a mirror, reminding me of my own old, blood-stained days.
Tione felt even more repulsion than I did; perhaps she even hated him. Every time he reminded her of her mentor, Argana, she would avoid Al without even speaking to him.
My impression of him changed one day during his third week in the Familia, when a report arrived of a "Little Dragon" Enhanced Species appearing on the upper floors. I headed out with Finn, Gareth, and Bete to rescue the team members who had stayed behind to secure the retreat──among them was Al, who was only Level 1 at the time.
No one said it aloud, but everyone was certain he was dead. It was obvious; members of the Loki Familia understood the horror of "Enhanced Species" that increased their power by devouring the magic stones of other monsters.
An Enhanced Species that has tasted magic stones becomes a completely different creature from the original monster. Its power cannot be measured by its usual level, much like that blood-stained Troll that claimed over fifty high-level adventurers as victims.
Since the original monster was a Little Dragon—considered a literal lord of the upper floors—its power level would certainly exceed Level 2. The fact that the team leader (a Level 2) had fled was clear proof.
No matter how great Al's talent was, this wasn't an opponent he could defeat at the very start of his career as an adventurer.
However, what we witnessed there was──a true "Heroic Tale."
His preferred weapon had been lost, so he used the weapons of those who had fled and left everything behind, fiercely attacking that dragon which far outmatched him. We saw Al, drenched in blood, refusing to surrender as he continued his suicidal assault.
There wasn't a hint of fear in his eyes, only pure fighting will. Even though he felt the massive power gap that made Level 2 adventurers flee in terror, his feet never stopped advancing, though he hadn't even completed his first month as an adventurer.
In that moment, I saw the struggle of the weak gathering courage, exactly like the hero stories I had read. From that battle onward, I began to follow Al wherever he went.
Even though he treated me bluntly, as if I were a nuisance, I wanted to see him smile—just as those hero stories had once made me smile.
But even now, I have never once seen Al smile.
●○●○●
"As I thought, things can't be left to the women."
In the city of Meren, drowned in the black of night, the roars of monsters and the clashing of steel echoed through the streets.
As if responding to those sounds, the men of the Loki Familia──the largest and strongest Familia in the Labyrinth City, Orario──gathered on Meren's main thoroughfare.
"You scum, don't let the women take all the glory. We start now!"
Bete barked, knitting his brows in anger. The Familia members responded by raising their weapons and letting out a collective war cry that shook the area.
Lights exploded like fireworks in Meren's commercial port, the result of the battle Ais and her companions had started against the Amazon warriors.
"Hahaha, Bete has finally learned how to sharpen morale."
"Aki, are you certain those over there are the Kali Familia?"
"Y-yes! And for sure, Tione and the others are there too."
In addition to Bete, there were Finn, Gareth, and Al──four first-tier adventurers──along with Raul and the rest of the second-tier elite and below. Dozens of adventurers set off in a grand procession from the port toward the main street.
"Is the count complete?"
"Yes, everyone is here!"
The group carrying the "Jester" banner gathered on the upper walkway of the city wall, watching the battle unfolding below.
The message Aki had relayed from Loki included three things: the current situation of Tione and her companions and what happened with the Telskyura Amazons; the preparation of all the gear for Ais and the others after being maintained by the Hephaestus Familia; and finally, mobilizing forces to face the Amazons who caused this chaos──and storming Meren alongside Al, who had reached new horizons of power.
"I'll carry Ais's sword."
"What? D-do I have to carry Tione and Tiona's weapons?"
Raul and the others stepped out onto the walkway, carrying the maintained weapons to deliver them to Ais, Riveria, and the rest, under the watchful eyes of the Jester's Familia.
"Alright guys, we are going now to bring back those two troublesome sisters. It's that simple, but it will be the most difficult of tasks."
Finn declared before the ready adventurers. The battle in the port was raging fiercely now, but that didn't matter to them.
Despite their laughter in response to Finn's words, their faces carried a deep-seated anger because someone had dared to touch their comrades.
It didn't matter to Finn and his companions what the nature of the old conflict between Tione and her Amazon sisters was, nor did they need to dig into the past. All that mattered was that they would not forgive anyone who laid a hand on their friends.
"──── Move out!!"
In the dark city of Meren, the moment Finn's order was given, Bete and the others launched without hesitation. That was the moment the strongest possible reinforcements set foot on the city's soil.
●○●○●
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah (A very deep sigh).
Damn it, I just want to go home..
I mean, is my presence even necessary? This Kali Familia can be crushed easily by Finn and the rest, right?
I really don't want to face Amazon women who are weaker than me.. They don't feel despair or brokenness; if they were Elves, it would have been better.. If Tiona were like my previous life, it would have been easier too..
Now, no matter their numbers, facing people at Level 3 is a waste of time. Damn it, just go ahead and all of you turn into monsters; if all your power is boosted to the level of first-tier adventurers, then maybe I'll get killed too.
.. Ah.
Oh, it's Aisha Belka. What's wrong?
Are you saying the "Level Boost" magic will be used on the two sister leaders of the Kali Familia?
......Ho?
●○●○●
"W-what is wrong with you! Stop!!"
Kali snapped out of her daze at the sight of Al trying to take Tiona with him so naturally. She screamed at the remaining half of the Amazons, who were in a state of shock and confusion.
The Amazons suppressed their internal confusion with fighting spirit. Responding to their Goddess's command, they let out a silence-shattering cry and lunged with their weapons to strike down the man who had defiled the "Duel" arena.
Even though they were below the level of the two sister leaders, they were the elite warriors of Telskyura whom Kali had allowed to accompany her. All of them were Level 3 or higher, possessing the experience of seasoned warriors equivalent to second-tier rank.
──── But unfortunately for them, their opponent was the wrong man.
"Sleep for a while."
Once again, lightning struck within the cave. Lightning──it could be described as nothing else. It was a divine speed that allowed no time for perception or reaction to work. It left behind nothing but the roar of an explosion and a fleeting brilliance that harvested the consciousness of dozens of Amazons.
The most terrifying thing wasn't the speed or the power, but the "Absolute Control." Al's techniques, which struck pressure points with staggering accuracy and incomparable speed, made even Tiona (ranked at Level 6) realize this man was in an entirely different dimension.
Despite the power of those strikes, none of the Amazons were seriously injured. Although several of them lost consciousness, not a single one could move. There was a massive gap in combat skill, a gap that only heroes could reach.
"I-impossible.."
This made no sense. The red-eyed, white-haired youth... the handsome features that matched the rumors... Kali realized this young man was the "Sword Saint" Al Cranel, one of the city's two strongest pillars. She had heard of his strength, but she never imagined it was at this level.
To neutralize dozens of elite Amazons as if brushing off dust, and to strike down Bache—whose power had been temporarily boosted to Level 7 thanks to Ishtar Familia magic—was something even a Level 7 adventurer couldn't do simply.
Or was a genuine Level 7 such a monster? Unlike Level 6, of which there are a fair number around the world, there are currently only three people who have reached the horizon of Level 7 after the fall of the previously strongest Familias.
If that was the case, the plan of that Goddess of Beauty would never work against the Freya Familia, which possessed Ottar.
The majesty of a hero.. The aura overflowing from that youth was exactly that majesty. Before that "monster" exhaling a pressure that made even monsters tremble, cold sweat rolled down Kali's cheeks.
His power was so monumental that he could face all the first-tier adventurers in Orario alone. That stormy heroic spirit almost made even Goddess Kali──a transcendent being──fall to her knees.
Everyone was stunned to see seasoned warriors crushed with a single blow; no wonder the young Amazon girls didn't dare to face him and felt their skin crawl.
It wasn't about skill as a warrior, but as a living being. They stood on two completely different levels. Between these women, who were considered high-level adventurers in Orario, and this hero, there was a gap akin to the difference between a mouse and a dragon.
Rocks crumbled, and Bache, who had been lying by the wall, stood up. Since she was originally Level 6 and currently had her foot in the realm of Level 7, Bache had not yet lost her fighting will, unlike the rest of the Amazons.
".... What, do you still wish to continue?"
As she rose, suppressing the pain coursing through her body with her fighting spirit, her eyes burning with rage, Al addressed her without turning around.
His voice was so calm it lacked any intent to fight or kill, but at the same time, it carried a pressure that words could not describe.
That casual strike that had swatted her away like a fly earlier carried terrifying power. Bache realized without needing to ask that this man was the "Sword Saint" Al Cranel, the strongest man in the rumors.
He might surpass her in strength, but as long as her body still moved, she would not admit defeat. Amazon instinct was what drove her.
But──Bache saw Al's eyes.
"Hiiie──"
Those red eyes like the color of blood.. They weren't looking at her as an equal opponent; it was a look of boredom, as if looking at an insect crawling on the ground.
Bache let out a cry of terror she hadn't even uttered before her sister. It was an entirely cold eye, unlike her sister's eyes which enjoyed combat and slaughter; that mystery was what sparked terror in her heart.
More importantly, Bache realized the vast power gap between her and Al, who didn't even attempt to take a combat stance before her. Perhaps the Level 3 and 4 Amazons whom Al crushed couldn't perceive that height because of the massive difference in level.
A master warrior can detect a foe's strength just by looking at them, without needing to exchange blows. So what of Bache, who had received a blow from him and saw his posture now? She knew with absolute certainty.
Because she specialized in fighting humans, and because she possessed Level 6 abilities and had reached Level 7 rank thanks to "Magic," she recognized that the man before her was a "Monster" that had transcended the bounds of logic.
"Didn't your goal involve finding the 'True Warrior'?"
"Then, step forward."
"Rejoice, Amazon."
"For right now, I am the closest thing to that peak on this entire earth."
°
•
°
👑 Get early access to 95+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Raven737
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!Your support really helps the series grow—thank you