Episode 281.
Screech!
Crash!
Inside the Librey Kingdom.
Evil monsters scattered everywhere destroyed the streets, searching for targets to kill.
However, their attempts were quickly thwarted.
Swaaa!
Pure white ice surged across the ground and engulfed the monsters at high speed.
It was a difference in power that would normally be completely ineffective.
But the spirit's ability was different.
Crunch!
The intense cold froze their movements.
It wasn't a fatal wound, but that was enough.
Ta-!
Luna, appearing by kicking off the pure white ice, leaped gracefully and charged toward the monster.
She let out a shout at those pure white, black creatures radiating a blue aura.
Thud!
Crunch!
The cold ejected from the blade embedded in the tough skin burrowed deep into the monster's body.
It reached precisely to its heart, freezing it.
Crunch!
With the sound of something shattering, the monster collapsed instantly.
Her stiffened body quickly turned into black smoke and scattered.
Whoosh!
Crunch!
Luna, undeterred, cleared the surroundings while killing other monsters.
However, her expression was not particularly bright.
'This is the best I can do.'
Accompanied by a high-level ice spirit, Luna naturally felt her limits.
If the density of monsters increased further or a stronger individual appeared, there was a high probability that her power would not be effective.
Swoosh!
Crash!
Standing atop a tall building, Luna watched Rafina, who was dealing with monsters from a different direction.
An attack that pierces the enemy's body with a sharp water spear.
Although she was accompanied by a supreme-level water spirit, the situation was still not ideal.
It was difficult to draw out her full power while her main body was battling a demon.
Interfering unnecessarily could lead to an irreversible situation.
Crunch!
Having dealt with the monsters in the area, Luna kicked off and headed toward Rafina.
She, too, had just finished taking care of the last remaining enemy nearby.
“How is it?”
Luna, standing beside her, asked as she watched the monster begin to vanish into smoke.
The hole in its pierced skin was so small it was barely visible.
“I don’t think we can finish this quickly. This is my limit right now.”
Water droplets swirled around beside Rafina.
It was a method to create a water spear with minimal force.
While the power itself was sufficient, it was clearly at a limit for quickly killing a large number of monsters.
“Me too. I thought I had grown quite a bit, but things like this keep popping up.”
Luna sighed and turned her gaze away.
Thanks to the power of the World Tree created by the Black Dragon, the battlefield was largely cleared.
They just needed to deal with the remaining monsters, but even for that, they lacked the strength.
“Let’s focus on where the people are for now. It seemed like the Black Dragon was prioritizing evacuation as well.”
“Yeah. There are places the soldiers and adventurers haven’t been able to enter yet. Let’s head there.”
Having agreed, the two moved quickly toward the north.
Grrr—!
Squeak—
Quite wide spaces between the vines.
The place was swarming with monsters that had avoided the influence of the World Tree.
A crowd hiding not far away caught sight.
If they delayed, there was a high probability of facing them head-on.
“I’ll stop the movement. Just clear out the crowd.”
“Understood.”
Luna, who ran ahead, scattered a powerful blast of cold air across the surrounding area.
Crunch—!
Ice flowers bloomed along the instantly frozen ground.
They sucked in the surrounding air, creating a slowing zone.
Whoosh—!
Spits—!
Raffina’s water droplets, rushing in with the flow, passed through the gaps in the vines and pierced the monster’s body.
Meanwhile, Luna headed toward where the people were.
Grrr—!
A monster resembling a wild boar buried its face into the corner.
Screams were coming from inside.
“Aaaargh!”
“Damn it!”
Young daughters screaming from within the vines and a father resisting with a broken spear.
It was a situation on the brink of disaster.
Ta-da—!
Rushing forward swiftly while stepping on the vines, Luna thrust her sword into the monster's nape.
Crunch!
The thick hide remained unpierced, despite aiming for the precise weak point.
Whoosh!
Leaping high into the air without releasing her sword, Luna stomped her foot down on the hilt.
Snap!
With the sound of something snapping, the blade dug inward.
Grasping the sword again, she unleashed a blast of cold air.
Crunch!
Frozen from the inside, the wild boar staggered and tilted.
The creature lying face down on the vines did not move anymore.
“There will be soldiers over there. Hurry up.”
“Th-thank you!”
The father, expressing his gratitude with wide, surprised eyes, picked up his daughters and started running for his life.
Watching their retreating figures, Luna turned her head to look for her next target.
It was then.
“Luna! Up!”
A shadow loomed over her head along with Rafina’s sudden voice.
Luna looked up and faced a giant bat with its mouth gaping open.
There was no escaping it.
Just as she thought that.
BANG!
With a strange sound, the bat vanished from above her head.
BANG!
The creature, having crashed into the building, was hidden behind the debris and out of sight.
“……?”
Witnessing this, Luna’s eyes widened.
Then, the figure of a man descending from above came into view.
“Mr. Black Dragon?”
“You’ve cleaned up quite a bit.”
Standing beside her, he looked around and spoke.
Then, who was it that had just sent the bat flying?
“I can’t control my power.”
At the sound of a voice, Luna turned her gaze toward the collapsed building.
A woman approached, shaking her hair. Her
white skin, dark red wings, and ruby-shining eyes resembled those of a demon.
“Princess Elencia?”
“You were surprised, weren’t you? Getting stronger isn’t entirely a good thing.”
Elencia, who had come closer, gave an awkward smile.
Watching this, Luna looked at the Black Dragon and asked,
“What happened?”
***
“To think you awakened as a demon…”
“I didn’t know that was possible.”
Luna and Rafina looked at Elencia in amazement upon hearing the situation.
Such a sudden change was indeed surprising.
“Well, isn’t it a relief that it’s not fake blood? I actually like that I’ve become stronger in my own way.”
Elencia looked in the direction where the monster had crashed.
The creature, sent flying by the punch, had turned into smoke with its body blown apart.
“It doesn’t seem quite right, though. What do you think about that?”
Luna turned her gaze toward the sky.
There, the battle between spirits and demons continued unabated.
It looked more like the upheaval of heaven and earth than a mere war of attrition.
“Well, I don’t know. I don’t know just how strong they’ve gotten yet. Still, I don’t think they’ll die.”
Elencia shrugged her shoulders.
Her face showed no trace of fear.
'It won’t be easy.'
A high-ranking demon versus a newly awakened hybrid demon.
In terms of growth potential, the latter was overwhelming, but the current gap was inevitable.
At least, if it were a one-on-one fight.
“Ivela is holding off the monsters coming out of the rift, but she won’t be able to hold out for long. Let’s send that demon out quickly and try to seal the rift.”
Grrr!
Just then, a Celestial Fox appeared from the air.
It had been sent to search for survivors, and it seemed everyone had successfully evacuated.
“Good job. Go over to where the survivors are.”
Swoosh—
At that command, Cheonho rubbed his face and turned toward the shelter.
It was to prevent any potential monsters from approaching.
“I will join the Princess on the battlefield over there. You two, please go to where Ibella is and prepare. Once the magic sealing the gap is released, the monsters will leak out.”
“I will.”
“Understood.”
Luna and Rafina immediately headed toward the gap in the castle wall.
Elencia and the remaining Hanbit looked up.
Crackle—!
Whoosh—!
Nerion attempted to eliminate the spirits by mixing in magic unique to demons.
However, the primordial beings elegantly combined their respective powers to block it and counterattack.
“As I mentioned earlier, we will lure Nerion into spreading his wings. Princess, please hide and wait for that moment to tear them off.”
“Yes. I will succeed no matter what, even if it means giving up an arm.”
Elencia displayed strong determination, stating that she was willing to sacrifice a part of her body.
However, her body was currently in a state where it could not be easily injured.
Especially in this state, with one foot in the human realm, the efficiency of her abilities was even higher than Neron's.
"Then I will go."
"Yes. You must be careful."
After exchanging brief greetings, Hanbit immediately kicked off and headed upwards.
Ariel's wind, having already sensed it, approached this place.
Whoosh!
A whirlwind guiding the body as if guided.
The multicolored sword in his hand was still devoid of any power.
Crack!
Just then, a dark red bolt of lightning struck directly in front of Hanbit as he advanced.
However, its power was blocked by a curtain of water.
Whoosh!
Hiss! The
lightning vanished, mixed in with the waves of water rushing in.
The demon Nerion, who had reached out his hand, frowned and said,
"You are quite protective of humans. You will only be a hindrance to yourselves."
"That is why you demons are no good. You live stuck underground, so your field of vision is too narrow."
"There is a reason you were driven underground in the beginning. Did the goddesses read the future?"
The two supreme spirits took turns hurling accusations.
However, given the harsh conditions of the battlefield, neither of them was in good shape.
“We came down to the underground ourselves to avoid associating with such pathetic creatures. The Goddess’s coercion had not a shred of influence.”
Neron made excuses in a voice full of dissatisfaction.
He looked as though he had been scratched in many ways.
“Judging by the atmosphere, it seems you are hiding something…”
The demon, having changed the subject, slowly turned his gaze downward.
Then, raising the corners of his mouth, he said,
“Ellencia isn’t here.”
He searched carefully for Ellencia’s whereabouts.
However, he could not detect her, as she had hidden away, concealing even her very presence.
This was because the evil energy spread across the domain had been disrupted by the power of the spirits.
“She is inside the city. I’ve hidden her well, though.”
Hanbit shrugged his shoulders.
Neron, meeting his gaze with grotesque eyes, clicked his tongue and said,
“Did you smuggle her out of the city? What a waste of time…”
Mistaking it for a lie, he searched for Ellencia in a different place.
Although Neron pretended to see through everything, he was a demon easier to handle than expected.
“Anyway, sending you back is the top priority. Let’s not drag this out any longer.”
“That’s not for someone like you to decide…?”
Neron’s eyes widened slightly as he continued speaking.
His gaze fell upon the multicolored sword in Hanbit’s hand.
Intense flames and ruthless cold were clashing against each other at the blades.
“Is this… the power of the Spirit Kings?”
Neron discerned the true nature of a power whose very presence was different.
The traces of Sallion, the King of Fire, and Glacier, the King of Ice.
It was a power that Aerial had forcibly drawn out at Hanbit’s request.
It was a considerably dangerous, fleeting miracle, but at this moment, there was no more meaningful method.
Shrugging his shoulders, he aimed the tip of his sword and said,
“You’ll see once you get hit.”
