Aliki’s ears twitched on reflex.
Her vertical pupils, characteristic of cat beastkin, dilated sharply.
“…Canadea!”
Sensing danger, she called out the name of the wind spirit she had contracted with. A translucent bird immediately descended from the air and warned her.
=Multiple hostile presences detected.
“…Exact number?”
=Other wind spirits are distorting my senses. I cannot determine the precise count.
Aliki clicked her tongue.
Canadea was among the wind spirits most specialized in detection. The fact that she had failed to notice the enemy until they were completely surrounded meant this was no ordinary situation.
‘The terrain here is a rugged canyon typical of the Lilliac Magic Kingdom. If we get ambushed, it’ll be a real pain. I don’t know how they did it, but they must have known we would detour this way…’
There was no need to guess what was happening.
This was clearly an ambush targeting the Dragon Horse Cult.
“Melkina. Report the situation to Hagel immediately.”
「Understood.」
Aliki stood tall atop the mobile fortress Melkina and scanned the front with sharp eyes. The ambushers, realizing they had been detected, began emerging from every corner of the rocky mountain.
“What business do you people have with us?”
Whoooosh—
Aliki’s clear voice rode the wind raised by Canadea and echoed in every direction. Soon a representative stepped forward from among the ambushers.
“This is our first direct meeting, cat beastkin sorceress Aliki Wi Gates.”
“…Who the hell are you?”
“Clan Master of Blispiel, Aiden Stroke. Today I’ve come to propose a deal to the Dragon Horse Cult leader Hagel Vinter.”
“A deal? Sneaking up on us like rats… you look like you came fully prepared.”
“Think of it as insurance on our part.”
“……….”
It was suspicious in many ways, but both Aiden himself and the warriors and mages behind him radiated formidable auras. Reckless conflict would bring severe losses, so there was no room for choice.
“…Melkina.”
In the end, Aliki relayed Aiden’s message to the cult leader through Melkina. Soon Hagel emerged from the main gate of the mobile fortress. Aiden gave a small wave when he saw him.
“We’re acquainted, aren’t we, Cult Leader?”
His demeanor was far more relaxed than three years ago.
The presence he gave off was anything but ordinary.
Hagel narrowed his eyes and asked,
“…You want to make a deal with me?”
“Correct. I’ll get straight to the point. I already know your true identity. Arrange a meeting with the Schnifelt family as soon as you have the chance. In return, I’ll give you this.”
“…!”
Hagel’s eyes narrowed.
He was surprised not only by the sudden mention of the Schnifelt family but also by the item Aiden held up—the very Seven-Color Elixir (S-) he had been after. It was clear that every move the cult had made to disturb the Magic Kingdom with brainwashed lower members had been completely seen through.
Hagel mentally weighed his options.
After a brief pause, he spoke.
“I refuse.”
“…Reason?”
“Reason? There are so many I’d get tired just listing them.”
Hagel’s eyes gleamed as he glared at the forces beyond the rocky mountain.
“From the look of it, you already knew we would come this way, didn’t you? You wouldn’t have stationed this much force in ambush without certainty. Now that I think about it, it’s strange. Melkina has excellent stealth capabilities—she shouldn’t be detected so easily.”
And most importantly.
“There was exactly one previous occasion when we were suddenly ambushed without warning.”
Right after the ‘heavenly punishment’ had struck, a thief had infiltrated Melkina as if waiting for the moment. Whether the thief was Aiden himself or at least connected to him was obvious. Hagel instinctively realized there was a larger scheme behind the series of events.
“You predicted that if you stole the gathered elixirs, I would go after the Seven-Color Elixir (S). Then you planned to use it as bait to contact the family behind me. Since when, and with what intention, have you been guiding our actions?”
Aiden listened to his words with a calm expression and thought,
‘Calculation error.’
Hagel Vinter was the vanguard of the Schnifelt family before he was the Dragon Horse Cult leader. The moment he judged that Aiden posed a threat to his blood relatives, there was no longer any room for negotiation.
Aiden shook his head slowly.
“So you have no intention of accepting our demands.”
“………”
“Then I’ll just have to beat the answer out of you.”
The instant Aiden made his declaration—
Countless metallic clashes rang out across the canyon.
The fairy knights moved first.
“Arieldee Fairy Knight Order!”
“First strike is victory!”
Fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh!
Dozens of contracted spirits shot toward Melkina at their command. It was the signal that the battle had begun.
「Warning! Danger! Entering combat stance.」
Dozens of gun barrels protruded from Melkina’s body after it was struck by the spirits. Ratatatata! The spirits hit directly by mana bullets were all reverse-summoned at once. Taking advantage of the opening, Canadea the wind spirit sliced through the fairy knights. Fshk! Several fairy knights caught by the blade-like wings died instantly without even screaming.
“Let’s target that cat beastkin woman!”
“Understood, Kache!”
The warriors of the Dearside School charged along the path. Since they were all followers of Sword Saint Edval, they had strongly supported a rematch with the Thousand-Man Slayer despite opposing the school’s policy. That was why they had accepted Aiden’s hiring offer.
“Enemy… elimination…”
“Uoooooh…”
From inside the relentlessly firing mobile fortress, something emerged. It was a group of hooded figures in white.
“Krrk! All forces, charge!”
Frogman Pebble Pepe, a key executive of Quentaltin, gave the order. One hundred beastkin mercenaries moved in perfect coordination under his command.
“Sssip! Been a while since I tasted blood!”
At the shout of a snake beastkin, the signal was given.
Fshk! Fshk!
“Gahhh!”
“Argh… it hurts!”
Axes pierced hearts, swords severed limbs, and blunt weapons crushed skulls. The demon worshippers were slaughtered in all sorts of creative ways by the unusual weapons, and their white hoods were stained red without exception.
In the middle of the battlefield that had turned into hell in an instant,
Aiden calmly assessed the enemy’s strength.
‘Hagel’s level rose from 59 to 61 over the past three years. As for the vice-leader Aliki…!’
<Aliki Wi Gates>
[Level: 53/57]
[Health: 08][Strength: 06][Agility: 15]
[Mana: 21][Spirit: 14][Sense: 19]
[Divinity: 02]
[Traits: Communicator (S+), Blessing of Flame and Wind (A), Martial Prodigy (B), Sharp Senses (B) and 3 others]
[Skills: Mass Brainwashing (U), Advanced Spirit Arts (S), Silent Step (A), Cat Beastkin Advanced Body Techniques · Extreme (A) and 4 others]
[Description: Thirty-four years old, cat beastkin. An exceptionally skilled spirit summoner. She was driven out of Saparia for certain reasons and currently serves as vice-leader of the Dragon Horse Cult.]
Fortunately, her level was about two lower than in the original story. Although one more vice-leader had yet to appear, Aiden also had a hidden card.
“You’d better earn the expensive hiring fee, mercenary.”
“Understood. That’s my job, after all.”
Responding to Aiden’s call was a relatively slender man wearing a black robe and hood. Aiden had gone to considerable effort to hire this man. Originally his whereabouts had been unknown at this time, but by mobilizing every connection Professor had in the mercenary world, he had barely managed to track him down.
The man said to Aiden,
“But that Dragon Horse Cult leader or whatever—he’s not a pure mage, right? He uses magic martial arts. Doesn’t that mean he’s stronger than me?”
“Think of him as roughly Triple Star level and fight accordingly.”
“Oh… no wonder the commission fee was suspiciously high. Guess there really is no such thing as a free lunch.”
In contrast to his casual tone,
The man strode toward Hagel without hesitation.
“Your opponent is me, Cult Leader.”
Whoooosh—
Strangely, two different energies coiled around the curved blade the man drew. The defense-specialized ‘Steel Ki’ and ‘Immovable Ki’ merged to create an unimaginable weight.
Sensing that the opponent before him was no ordinary foe, Hagel’s expression hardened.
Quentaltin, Dearside, the fairy knights… each was a troublesome enemy, but focusing only on them would be foolish.
Hagel shifted his gaze toward the enemy’s rear. In the distance beyond the canyon, groups of unidentified mages were chanting high-level spells together.
“Tikus! Form a separate unit and take out the mages!”
“Understood, Cult Leader!”
A warrior with a booming voice matching his massive build answered. It was Tikus Pebbleforge, the third vice-leader of the Dragon Horse Cult.
He led eight warrior-class executives of the cult and charged deep into the canyon. Aiden did not simply watch either. He moved with several elite fairy knights and Dearside warriors to block the separate unit.
Tikus shouted with a flushed face,
“Don’t be scared! Break through!”
“Yes sir!”
In contrast, Aiden calmly ordered,
“Disperse!”
“Understood!”
Tikus was momentarily puzzled by Aiden’s command. With their numbers, a dense formation to block the breakthrough would have been difficult enough—why disperse?
The reason became clear immediately.
Groooow—
Using the growth-promoting power of the Proxy of the Guardian Tree (S-), a huge tree suddenly rose in the middle of the canyon.
Crack! Craaack!
The separate unit’s charge easily split the trees Aiden had created. However, the momentary slowdown left them open to the elites who had dispersed. Their charging formation collapsed in an instant, and the battlefield turned into a chaotic melee.
At that moment, Aiden’s bracelet glowed.
<Spell Boost> <Storm Ram>
Boom!
An invisible force wrapped in lightning struck Tikus. Sent flying dozens of meters by the enhanced spell, Tikus landed and suddenly let out a sneer.
“Khhahaha! You want a one-on-one? You little brat have been riding high and now your balls have grown huge. Let me warn you in advance— to face someone like me, it won’t be enough for a greenhorn like you. Your great-uncle will have to come personally!”
Surprisingly, Aiden was walking toward him alone.
<Tikus Pebbleforge>
[Level: 54/54]
[Health: 19][Strength: 17][Agility: 12]
[Mana: 15][Spirit: 08][Sense: 13]
[Divinity: 04]
[Traits: Eccentric (S+), Steel Durability (A), Weapon Resonance (A), Superhuman Tenacity (B) and 3 others]
[Skills: Toin Kingdom Modified Defense Arts · Extreme (S), Pebbleforge Tribe Heart Method (A), Pebbleforge Blunt Weapon Arts (A) and 5 others]
[Description: Forty-eight years old, toadman. Once one of the most promising warriors of the Toin Kingdom, but his hot-tempered nature caused repeated incidents and he was eventually exiled. Currently serves as vice-leader of the Dragon Horse Cult.]
A clear near-Twelve Heroes level opponent.
But he was worth fighting.
Aiden stopped his mana cultivation method and began the harmony breathing technique. Soon ‘Thunder Ki’ and ‘Explosive Ki’ filled every meridian in his body.
Tap!
He kicked off the ground and charged.
Tikus laughed ferociously.
“A scrawny kid wants to fight with raw power! I’ll give you credit for that spirit alone!”
After a short breath, Tikus predicted Aiden’s path and swung his iron mace. A dark lightning strike aimed for his side.
Kwaang!
Sword and mace clashed.
“…!”
Tikus’s expression immediately twisted in shock.
He had been unable to gain the upper hand in the contest of strength he had been so confident in.
The difference in their [Strength] stats was a full 6. Under normal circumstances, that outcome should have been impossible. However, the Over Zero Bag (S) trait allowed him to temporarily narrow the gap when pushed to the limit.
No—in terms of raw output, Aiden was actually superior.
Of course, he could not use it recklessly.
Over Zero Bag’s output boost placed a heavy burden on his muscles.
Therefore… he would use his trump card to settle this quickly.
“I’ve roughly gauged your level. Ladyroot should be enough.”
“What the hell are you babbling about?!”
Ignoring the enraged Tikus, Aiden focused his mind.
Dearside Variant Sword Art’s final secret technique—Ladyroot.
Artificial meridians created by ‘Energy Armor’ spread from his heart throughout his body. The lightning ki flowing through those meridians stimulated every nerve.
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