CHAPTER 6
INVASION
Imperial Standard Time 14:00 hours—at the Eighth Assault Garden.
“Captain, um…”
It was just when an elite unit of hand-picked Holy Swordsmen moved to investigate the tear that appeared near the capital. One of them, who had his scanner Holy Sword deployed, pointed to the sky suspiciously.
“What’s wrong?” The captain asked.
“I’m not sure, maybe I just imagined it…”
“What? Tell me, no matter what you think it is.”
The captain, a seasoned knight who had much experience attacking Void Hives, knew not to doubt the intuition of Holy Swordsmen with scanner type Swords.
“Y-yes, well, you see… That tear…,” he whispered, looking up. “I think I just saw it…expand a little.”
“What?”
Crack… Crack…!
The sound of shards of glass rubbing against each other filled the area. Everyone else heard it clearly.
“…Report this to the intelligence bureau at once. Tell them we noticed a change in the tear above the capital.”
“Yes…”
But just as the knight nodded—
Crack, crack, crack…!
Countless cracks appeared around them.
Morning dawned over the Void world, and the sky once again became red as blood. The battle vehicle, fused with the Deus Machina, drove through the wasteland, kicking up a cloud of dust. They ran into Voids a few times along the way, but they were all small groups Regina and Sakuya were capable of handling on their own.
For the time being, Schwertleite’s upper half was attached to the driver’s seat with industrial tape.
“Hmm… Are you okay, Leite? You’re not tired?” Riselia asked in concern, resting a hand on Schwertleite’s shoulder.
…Leonis marveled at his minion. She just shortened a Dark Lord’s name into a nickname…
“I am fine, master. This is only consuming a negligible amount of mana.”
“…That’s good. But don’t overexert yourself.”
“Ah, Lady Selia, the tear is coming into view!” Regina called out, holding on to the ceiling’s railing.
“At this speed, we should return to the Seventh Assault Garden in a few hours,” Riselia said, checking the vehicle’s telescopic camera.
She sounded a bit more encouraged than earlier. Being in the world on the other side of the Void tear was making her anxious.
“I’d love to take a shower once we get back to the dorm.”
“I’m gonna go to Le Parfait and have their all-you-can-eat fruit-cakes. ”
“I think I’ll go visit the mansion over at Old Town. I’m sure Raiou and the others are worried about me.”
“Query.” Schwertleite’s horn flickered rapidly. “What is a fruit-cake?”
“It’s a dessert, a cake that uses seasonal fruit. It’s tasty.”
“Fascinating, master.”
“…Aren’t you a machine?” Leonis asked in a whisper.
Maybe she had a feature that allowed her to convert food into mana?
Either way, Schwertleite seemed very attached to Riselia, who seemed to like her in return and gladly interacted with the Deus Machina.
This is a Dark Lord, after all…
Not that Leonis was one to talk, because he was a Dark Lord, too, and Riselia fussed over and spoiled him.
“Once we get back to the Academy, we’ll have them give you prosthetic limbs. And we’ll need to get you clothes… For now, I’ll let you wear my old uniform. I think it’ll suit you.”
“Matching outfits with master.” Schwertleite remained expressionless, but her horn flickered with what looked like glee.
As he looked over the two bonding with mixed feelings, Leonis contemplated the situation. He came up with a theory as to why Schwertleite treated Riselia as her master.
…It’s because of the black crystal fragment Nefakess planted in Riselia’s heart back then.
It was the same kind of fragment Zemein had when he tried to awaken the Undead King in Necrozoa, and seemed to be made from the same material as the black pyramid in the bottom of the Eisen Fort. It clearly had some relation to Roselia.
Leonis had destroyed the fragment laid in Riselia’s heart, but maybe some traces of its influence still lingered in her body.
I suppose that will be cleared up once we repair her memories.
But then, the battle vehicle’s communication terminal let out a shrill alarm.
“…Wh-what’s the matter?”
“Is this…” Riselia’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is this a distress call from the Seventh Assault Garden?!”
Imperial Standard Time 14:10—Seventh Assault Garden, Excalibur Academy.
“All sectors are to shift to first combat form. Evacuate the civilians into shelters.”
As the high-pitched alarm blared nonstop, the instructors shouted orders in the tactical meeting room.
“The scale of this attack is unlike last time.”
Diglassê Alto glared at the central large monitor. The tear appeared during the Holy Sword Dance Festival, and spawned several large Voids, but it didn’t cause a Stampede.
“We never expected a Stampede to start so soon.”
“The most concerning part is that the Voids’ actions seem organized,” said a young man with a visor over his face. It was Oberth Baldanders, who was there representing the student body. “It’s like they’re obeying a leader.”
“A Void Lord with superior commanding abilities?”
“It’s possible. Some Void specimens have been observed to have high intelligence.”
“And looking at the movements of their group, it seems they have multiple commanders.”
“—Hurry up and detect the Void Lord.”
The commander of the bureau nodded. As the officers continued their meeting, Oberth turned to the girl standing at his back.
“Fenris, have we found Miss Elfiné’s whereabouts?”
“We still can’t get in touch with her. We can’t contact anyone from the eighteenth platoon, for that matter…” Fenris shook her head.
“A pity. I was hoping we could rely on her Eye of the Witch to identify the Void Lord…”
At this point, the eighteenth platoon was considered a top-class platoon in the academy, but their whereabouts were unknown at the moment. It could be they were busy fighting the Voids in the city, but…
“Hurry up and get ahold of Miss Elfiné. We need her power.”
Imperial Standard Time, 14:30—Camelot, Imperial Knight Order Headquarters.
“Large Void attack detected on Float VI—”
“The unit on Float II seems to have been wiped out!”
“Seventh platoon, no good, they’re breaking through our ranks—”
Reports from many units reached Alexios, the Emperor’s younger brother.
“Send reinforcements to Float IV, make sure they hang on. Abandon Float II at once and fall back to second defensive line to intercept the enemy. Seventh platoon, come on, seventh platoon…!” Alexios gave orders to each unit as he rapidly walked down the hall.
The situation was terrible. The Imperial Knights were putting up a good fight, but the enemies were simply too many.
…This isn’t just a Stampede. This is like what happened sixty-four years ago…
This was the worst attack possibly since the invasion, when mankind’s habitable territory was reduced to less than 7% of its size.
And commanding a military operation isn’t in my nature…
Alexios was a research officer, valued for his data analysis abilities, and was only used as a commander in headquarters during emergencies. This was mostly because his Holy Sword was useless for combat against the Voids, and yet…
If I make the wrong call, Holy Swordsmen on the front could end up dying…
But as he made way to the headquarters, his stomach aching from stress, he heard a familiar voice.
“All units from Elysion, follow my orders. Assuming you want to survive.”
Turning his gaze, his eyes settled on a beautiful blond girl clad in a knight’s military uniform. Chatres Ray O’ltriese. Third Princess of the O’ltriese royal family, and Alexios’s niece.
After being caught up in the Elysion Academy disappearance, she was secured by a search party on the other side of the Void tear and returned to the capital.
She turned in Alexios’s direction, her eyes meeting his.
“…Oh, it’s you, Uncle.”
Chatres rustled her kempt brow. Alexios cracked a sardonic smile—he was used to his niece’s attitude.
“I’m glad you’re fine. I was worried.”
“My apologies for causing you trouble.”
“No, you did well to return. By the way…”
Alexios paused, looking around the gathered Elysion students. They were all involved in the disappearance, just like Chatres was.
“Were you ordered to sortie as well?”
“Yes, just a short while ago.”
“…I see.”
They had only just returned to safety this morning, after having to march through the night, meaning they were likely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. The performance of Holy Swords was greatly affected by one’s mental state, so ordering students to fight in this condition would normally be unthinkable.
…But the situation is simply that harsh.
Chatres was famous for her Holy Sword’s power, and had plenty of live combat experience against the Voids. And, most importantly of all, she had that which Alexios lacked—overwhelming charisma. Just having her on the battlefield would embolden those around her.
“The fact we returned in time to handle this situation was the guidance of the planet.”
“Yes, indeed.”
Alexios wished her good luck in battle, to which Chatres bobbed her head in a short bow. He envied the girl, for the great Holy Sword she possessed, along with the strength and fortitude needed to fight. He could only hope she would defend the people in battle, much like his sworn friend, the late Duke Edward, had.
…I must do what I can.
Alexios reached into his coat’s inner pocket. Sitting inside it was the eerie statue the Dark Lord had given him. He was told that if he were to focus on that statue in his time of need, he would be able to communicate with the Dark Lord, but he hadn’t responded yet.
“…!”
He gripped the statue hard. Just recalling his audience with Zol Vadis made him shudder in terror all over again.
Relying on that Dark Lord’s power would be dangerous, but…
This Stampede put mankind’s continued existence in danger.
…Please save us, Dark Lord.
Gripping the terrifying statue in his hand, Alexios prayed to mankind’s enemy for salvation.
“…Aaah, why does all this trouble happen when my lord is away?!” Shary gripped her head.
She was in the Dark Lord’s castle underground study. Leonis’s domain, the Seventh Assault Garden, was being overrun by a large army of Void monsters. Shary didn’t know how much she could expect from mankind’s military, but it was clear that against an army that large, they would fall within the day.
“For now, we must defend our key positions with all the forces of the Dark Lords’ Armies!”
Said key positions were armories, warehouses, and facilities controlled by the Dark Lords’ Armies; the school Leonis attended, Excalibur Academy; the Hræsvelgr dorm; and Phrenia’s orphanage.
Of those places, the skilled Three Champions of Rognas were stationed in Excalibur Academy, so they wouldn’t need any reinforcements.
Shary hastily scribbled a letter and threw it into the shadow corridors. The beasts living in the shadows would carry the letters to each group leader in the army. At the same time, she gave the Septentrion sisters orders to support each unit.
“…This should do for the time being.” Shary wiped the sweat from her brow.
Leonis had left her in full command of his army during his absence. This was a heavy responsibility.
…I will protect my lord’s domain. She clenched her fist resolutely in the empty office.,
“…ry… Lady Shary…”
But just then, the Undead King statue sitting on the table started trembling. It was the voice of Lena, the Dark Elf commanding the Demon Wolf Pack.
“What is it?”
“May I have a word with you about the beastman guest general?”
Shary’s expression stiffened nervously. Hearing that gave her a bad feeling.
“…Is there a problem with Lord Gazoth?”
“Yes, you see…” Lena trailed off hesitantly. “He threw a violent tantrum and then left the castle with the Demon Wolf Pack. They were armed.”
“…”
Shary was aghast. Just as she’d feared, the Demon Wolf Pack was made up of mostly beastmen that were drawn to the Lord of Beasts Gazoth’s charisma, and they easily became his subordinates. He likely decided to take the beastmen with him to defeat the Voids.
“…That’s very troubling.”
…Having the Lord of Beasts fight the Voids attacking Leonis’s kingdom was actually a stroke of luck, but Gazoth was destruction incarnate, and if he fought seriously…
We should probably be prepared for an area or two to be destroyed beyond repair… Shary thought to herself, feeling a migraine coming on.
“Lady Shary, maybe we should try to stop them…?”
“There’s no point in trying to stop him. Let’s just leave Lord Gazoth to his devices.” Shary shook her head weakly. “Lena, I leave the place in your hands.”
Shary got to her feet.
“Lady Shary, where are you going?”
“I’ll take to the battlefield, too.” Shary replied and sank into the shadows with a huff.
“—This is a special signal that’s only used during Stampedes.”
According to Riselia, this distress signal was issued to all surrounding Assault Gardens in the ocean area.
“So there’s a Stampede in the Seventh Assault Garden and the capital…?”
“…It seems probable.” Riselia nodded, biting her lip. “But it’s not likely the other Assault Gardens will be able to send aid in time.”
The only Assault Garden near the capital right now was the Sixth. The Sixth Assault Garden’s primary role was to serve as an anti-Void research facility, and its garrison was small.
Riselia looked terribly concerned. And Leonis couldn’t fault her, since she’d seen her homeland destroyed by a Stampede once before.
“…Any chance we can go any faster, Leite?”
“It is possible. However, should we go faster, the fuselage will be at a risk of falling apart.”
“Then please go as fast as you can without that happening.”
“Understood, master.”
The Thunderbolt suddenly sped up.
“Wh-whoa?! Wh-what’s going on?!” Leonis heard Regina squeal from outside.
The battle vehicle’s speed rose, as it kicked up a cloud of dust in its wake.
…Still, even at this speed, it’s unlikely we’ll make it in time, Leonis thought, his eyes fixed on the tear looming ahead in the horizon.
—If a Stampede really broke out, it was questionable if mankind’s forces alone could handle it. And the forces of the Dark Lords’ Armies currently in the capital were made up of Shary, the Three Champions of Rognas, the Septentrion Assassins freed by the Queen of Shadows’ control, and other low- and medium-class undead. They could handle weak Voids, but…
…I can’t see them beating a Void Lord.
Unleashing Rakshasa Nightmare, who was sealed in Shary’s body, was a final measure, and at worst, she could prove even more dangerous than a Void Lord.
“…”
After a moment’s thought, Leonis raised his head and tugged on Riselia’s sleeve.
“Miss Selia, I’ll return to the Seventh Assault Garden ahead of everyone else.”
“…Eh?” Riselia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I’ll defeat the Void Lord and stop the Stampede.”
“But Leo…”
Riselia looked at Leonis with concern.
“…”
She bit her lip. The distress call alarm continued to blare. If they did nothing, the Seventh Assault Garden and the capital could be overrun by the Stampede, resulting in many deaths.
Just like what happened at the Third Assault Garden six years ago.
“…All right.” Riselia placed her hands on Leonis’s shoulders. “Please. Protect everyone.”
She was anxious to let him go alone… But at the same time, she did trust him.
“Yes, let me handle it.”
As Leonis nodded, Riselia wrapped her arms around his back and hugged him tightly.
“Do you need to suck some blood?” he asked teasingly.
“…N-no, I’m good. I got plenty last night.” Riselia went red in the face.
Leonis opened the door and looked at the shadow under the vehicle. A shadow wolf emerged from the shadow of the caterpillar tread.
“Get on, Lord Magnus.”
Having split from his shadow, Blackas ran parallel to the vehicle.
“You’re quick to act, old friend…”
Leonis smiled wryly and hopped on Blackas’s back.
“Leo, be careful…!”
Riselia called out, and Leonis nodded back wordlessly.
Imperial Standard Time, 14:35. Seventh Assault Garden Area VI, the special demi-human ward. The beastman warriors gathered in the vast biotope’s forest. There was a total of thirty-eight of them, all armed, their eyes glinting savagely.
“Ancient warrior people, let your instincts guide you and do battle!”
The Lord of Beasts, Gazoth Hell Beast, let out a loud roar, to which the beastman warriors all howled in response, their battle cries shaking the trees of the forest.
This was the Lord of Beasts’s unique ability, Beast Howl. The sound of his roar, charged with mana, awakened ancient bloodlust in his minions, rousing their latent instincts. This made their already robust bodies bulk up, turning each of them into fearsome warriors.
This was the power of the Great Demon Beast Corps, which terrorized the world a millennia ago as the vanguards of the Dark Lords’ Armies.
“Ooh, and worthy prey just so happened to come by.”
Gazoth looked up, his fangs bared. All of a sudden, a swarm of Voids appeared in the sky, likely drawn to the surge of mana filling the woods.
“Intrepid creatures, eh? Or maybe they just know no fear.”
His steel-like fur stood on end, glowing silver. A gale of wind brewed in his outspread hands.
“Nnngh… Lord of Beasts Rumbling Fist!”
Brrrrr!
The Area VI Float trembled. The shot of compressed, swirling air single-handedly blew away a few hundred Voids. The beastmen warriors stared in blank amazement. However—
“Tsk. Weaklings.”
Just as the Lord of Beasts clicked his tongue—
■■■■■■■■■■■■…!
A massive winged shadow streaked through the sky.
“…? Is that a dragon?” Gazoth smirked, his golden eyes glinting.
He could tell from its aura—this creature was on another level.
“I might actually have fun with that one…” He turned to look at the beastmen. “I’ll go after that thing. You guys let loose around here.”
He kicked against the ground, producing a powerful thud as he leaped away. Covering hundreds of meltes in a single bound, he landed on a rooftop.
“Now then…” He looked around for the dragon monster. “Huh?”
But instead, he spotted a human figure standing atop the rooftop’s fenced edge. A white-haired young man dressed in a priest’s garb.
“Well, if it isn’t the Lord of Beasts himself. Fancy running into you at a place like this…”
“…The hell are you?”
As Gazoth glared at him with his lone eye, the young man bowed his head courteously.
“An apostle of the goddess, Nefakess Void Lord.”
“I know that name. You’re one of Azra-Ael’s people.”
“Yes, I did serve him a thousand years ago.”
“Hmm…” Gazoth cocked an eyebrow. “Everyone’s rising from the dead around here, aren’t they? What, are you looking to join my side now?”
“Not at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
“…The opposite?”
“You will become ours, Lord of Beasts,” Nefakess said, and snapped his fingers.
Tree roots appeared out of thin air and tightened around Gazoth’s limbs.
“…What kind of trick is this?”
“This would be the Archsage of the Six Heroes, Arakael Degradios…”
“…What?”
“I was able to retrieve part of the hero’s soul, after he fused with the Holy Tree. Mankind’s cutting-edge technology was able to revive him.”
“…!”
The roots holding Gazoth in place glowed with pale mana.
“I’ll be using you for an experiment for a new weapon of ours, Lord of Beasts.”
“Hah. You’re one funny man.” Gazoth smiled indomitably, baring his large fangs. “But if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t underestimate a Dark Lord.”
“…Tessera.”
“Don’t worry. Leo will come save us…”
As their orphanage was surrounded by Voids, Tessera did her best to keep the children’s spirits up. The monsters attacked while Phrenia, the owner of the orphanage, was out shopping. Children who didn’t evacuate in time were hiding inside the building, cowering under their blankets.
Tessera was only eight years old and just as scared as anyone else. But she wasn’t allowed to cry.
I’m the oldest one here…
Getting to her feet, she peeked out the window. The stone statue set at the gate was reduced to pieces. That statue had been there for as long as Tessera could remember, but when the monsters the grown-ups call Voids showed up, it suddenly came to life and started moving, fighting to defend the children.
But now, the statue was shattered to bits.
“…?!” Tessera let out a screech despite herself.
A large, snakelike creature appeared on the orphanage’s front lawn. Its eyes swerved, meeting her gaze.
“Aah…”
The monster’s large tongue slipped out, licking its lips. It slowly crept closer, opening its jaws.
“…L-Leo and his friends are going to beat you!” Tessera said firmly, despite the tremble in her voice.
But then—
“Child though you may be, I applaud your faith in my lord.”
Whoosh!
“…Eh?”
A whistling—the sound of the wind being cut—could be heard, and the serpent monster’s head went flying.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The head was then cut into three in mid-air, then into six, and fell to the ground.
“…Wh-what?” Tessera froze up in shock.
“I made it in time, thankfully.”
Shary stood atop the orphanage’s rooftop and looked down on the courtyard. The snake’s severed, chopped-up head let out disgusting miasma as it vanished into thin air.
This place is dear to my lord.
She landed in the courtyard and gathered the gargoyle’s remains. With some glue, it could be restored to its rightful shape.
“What is the meaning of this? What is a shadow dweller assassin doing here?”
“…?!” Shary wheeled around, noticing a terrible presence surface behind her.
Crack, crack, crack…!
Countless cracks formed in the air, only to fully shatter—and from within it, a monster that looked like a giant frog emerged.
“…?!”
It was covered in a sleek film of mucus and let off a stench of decay. An air of death hung over it, spreading through the courtyard.
…An undead? Shary narrowed her eyes and swung her shadow whip.
“…Who are you?” she asked, lashing at the ground in intimidation.
If this figure could tell on sight that Shary was a shadow dweller, then they must be some demon from one thousand years ago.
“If you do not know my name, then I shall introduce myself…” The monster smiled in amusement, drops of saliva thick with decay dripping from its lips. “I am known as the Monster Duke, Ishrag Bolzaaza.”
“…The Monster Duke?!”
Shary had heard that name before—he was a general under one of the Dark Lords, Dizolf Zoa, the Lord of Rage. If this was actually Bolzaaza, then he was a high-ranking officer of the Dark Lords’ Armies who far outranked Shary.
However…
Just like the Six Heroes, he was made into a minion of the Voids.
Shary tightened her grip on her whip’s handle. Whenever the Voids launched a large-scale attack, they were led by a commanding specimen called a Void Lord.
So if I defeat the Monster Duke, this invasion might be stopped?
Even if the invasion itself didn’t end right here, defeating the commander would allow the situation to swing in mankind’s favor. Shary threw a glance at the orphanage behind her and shouted at the girl looking out the window.
“…Child, remain quiet and hide!”
“Y-yes!” The girl squeaked back and retreated into the window.
“The Monster Duke Bolzaaza…” Shary faced the frog-shaped monster and bowed respectfully. “This is my master’s domain. I ask that you leave.”
“Oh. For a maid, you have nerve…” Bolzaaza cackled and extended his prolonged tongue.
“…?!”
With the sound of a crack, he swung down his tongue.
Whooosh!
Shary hopped away, landing on the gate’s iron railing. She swung her whip, slashing at Bolzaaza’s head. However…
“Mm? That did nothing.” Bolzaaza calmly raised his head and glared at Shary.
“…!”
He swung his tongue again, tearing down the fence. As she jumped away, Shary flung shadow daggers in midair. The seven daggers gouged into Bolzaaza’s flabby stomach, sinking into his skin. Bits of decaying flesh splattered into the air, unleashing a rotting stench.
“Did that achieve anything?”
His rotten flesh bubbled up disgustingly, regenerating before long.
“…You’re undead, after all,” Shary whispered to herself, fixing her grip on her whip.
The Monster Duke wasn’t undead when he had been in the Lord of Rage’s service. Someone must have resurrected him as an Undead…
“Yes, indeed.” Bolzaaza approached her, his rotund form jiggling with each step. “I have transcended death, becoming an undead minion at the hand of the mighty Undead King, Leonis Death Magnus.”
“What…did you just say?” Shary raised her eyebrows, confused. “Perhaps I misheard you. I thought you just said the Undead King raised you…”
“Ho-ho, so you do know the names of the Dark Lords from a thousand years ago, shadow dweller.” Bolzaaza regarded her with a sticky smirk. “It was at the hand of that great one, the Undead King, that I was granted the power of undeath.”
“You’re lying…” Shary’s dusk-colored eyes glared at Bolzaaza. “It couldn’t have been my lord…the Undead King!”
“What?” Bolzaaza’s golden eyes widened.
“Assuming my lord’s name is a sin I cannot overlook!”
Shary bolted ahead.
“Haaaaaaaaaa!”
With all the might she could muster, she lashed the shadow whip at him repeatedly. Anyone who assumed her precious master’s name, whoever they may be, had to be punished.
“It doesn’t work, it’ll never work!” Bolzaaza laughed, even as the whip cut into his flesh.
“…!”
Whoever it was that had assumed her master’s name, controlled the power of death. And the fact remained that the Monster Duke was indeed undead, with all the benefits that came of it.
…This is tricky.
Shary was an assassin, and her methods were to hide in the shadows and slay her targets with one blow to the vitals. This made her an exceptionally poor choice against the undead, who could regenerate even if all their vitals were destroyed.
Lord Blackas could crush such an opponent with overwhelming strength, though…
Shary discarded her shadow whip and swooped into Bolzaaza’s flank. “In that case, I’ll just slice you up until you stay dead.”
She took two shadow daggers out of the sleeve of her maid’s uniform.
“Septentrion Assassination Technique—Phantasmal Shadow Blade!”
The shadow daggers danced through the air, carving into Bolzaaza’s corpulent flesh.
“Ku-ha-ha-ha! Didn’t I already tell you it’s pointless?!”
Bolzaaza extended his elongated tongue, sweeping it and mowing down trees. The trees crumbled to the ground with a thud, and a crack ran through the ground. However, Shary was nowhere to be seen. She traveled through Bolzaaza’s shadow, instantly emerging behind him.
“Haaaa!”
With shadow blades in both hands, she stabbed at his blind spot. But the next moment, eyeballs appeared in Bolzaaza’s back.
“…What?!”
And it wasn’t just eyeballs. Arms bubbled from his back, grabbing onto Shary’s petite figure.
“Kuh, nngh…!”
“You put up an amusing fight, shadow dweller!”
Saying this, he slammed her with full force into the ground.
“Kah, haa…!”
Shary got to her feet and prepared to plunge into the shadows, but Bolzaaza spewed out intense flames that extinguished all the surrounding shadows, cutting off her avenue of escape. He then swung his tongue down like a whip.
“Gah…!”
Shary’s body bounced against the ground.
“Come on, where’s all that outrage and pluck from earlier?!” Bolzaaza laughed, continually lashing down on her with his tongue.
…He’s…too strong…!
Even after being reduced to a Void, he was still a general under the Lord of Rage and was a major officer of the Dark Lords’ Armies that greatly outranked her. And now that he was undead, his power was even greater.
Bolzaaza coiled his long, extended tongue around Shary’s body.
“I won’t swallow you whole. I’ll take my time tasting and dissolving you.”
“My…lord…” Shary whispered.
But then—
Bwooosh!
Something came falling from the sky, shooting through the Monster Duke’s head. Shary was thrown to the ground, rolling in the soil for a moment.
“…Huh?” She looked up in shock, her eyes settling on crimson hair flowing in the wind.
Standing there was a girl, her hands on her waist and her golden eyes fixed on Shary.
“You there, Maid.”
“H-huh…?”
“Where’s Leo?” Veira Dragon Lord asked Shary, her voice casual and unconcerned.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login