BOOM BOOM FWOOOOSSSHHHHH
The sky rumbled and the winds roared, a mighty platinum figure soared throughout the vast blue sky, piercing through the clouds and leaving a trail of white. Thunder roared like hunting lions as she darted at lightning speed.
Not a single bird nor beast dared to get in her way, humbling themselves in her great presence. Every time she flapped her wings, bursts of winds ran rampant throughout the whole place like a storm passing by, her silver eyes shimmering like the moon.
"Grey, are we there yet?" ［Yuna］
"Yuna, you already asked that just a few seconds ago... We still have a few minutes left before arrival, you know?" ［Grey］
"Mmn! Okay! I'm just getting pumped up!" ［Yuna］
There was only excitement in Yuna's eyes as she stretched her arms, her pointy ears flapping up and down. And he might not look at it, but Grey was just as excited, his eyes peering towards the horizon as he scanned them thoroughly.
Why might they be flying, one might ask? The answer is pretty simple, actually, and for that, we'll have to turn back time into a couple hours ago...
More than a week has passed since the thief incident at Grey and Yuna's house, and it was just like any other normal day, everyone going about their usual routines. The same could also be said for Grey and Yuna.
Since it's been some time, they wanted to stretch and warm their bodies a bit. They are now heading towards the Adventurers' Guild to take a few quests. It's perfect to breathe in some fresh air as well after being cooped up in Galderia for quite a while.
"Yuna, what kind of quests would you like to take for today? Should we go herb gathering again?" ［Grey］
"Herb gathering, hmm... No, I'd like monster extermination! It woー" ［Yuna］
"Ah! You scared the living dayー Ah! No! That's not it! Grey! Yuna! You arrived just in time! Hurry inside, quick!" ［Tilda］
They couldn't even make sense of what just happened. Before they realized it, Tilda already got ahold of their hands and dragged them inside the guild. They couldn't even tilt their heads in confusion, everything feeling like a blur.
There were traces of urgency and panic, and not just her. The same emotions could be seen painted on the faces of the adventurers and the guild staff, and surprisingly, even the Guildmaster was also at the lobby, face looking more menacing than usual.
"You arrived just in time..." ［Gaston］
They were the same words as Tilda said, but it was much more menacing, a tinge of pressure mixed within. His eyes glowed sharp with seriousness, looking at the two youths before him. They don't even need to ask... It was trouble.
"Grey, Yuna, we need your help... A horde of monsters have appeared in the plains of the Lindhart Kingdom, led by an Apex Werebeast." ［Gaston］
It was just as they had guessed. To make things worse, it was a horde full of rabid Werebeasts whom, even the lowest variants are at E-rank. Even if the knights were to be involved, it would still be a difficult battle.
To top things off, it would be led by an Apex Werebeast, an S-rank monster who could effortlessly destroy towns on its own. Marching along it would be hundreds, if not thousands of Alpha Werebeasts, Greater Werebeasts and Werebeasts, a force which could bring about havoc if not handled properly.
It was no wonder why Tilda had such a hurried look on her face. Apparently, she was tasked to head towards their house and ask for their help. Conveniently enough, the two appeared just as she slammed the door open.
"The Lindhart Kingdom has already requested to the Adventurers' Guild, and it has been evaluated as an S-rank quest." ［Gaston］
"Grey, Yuna, take this with you. This is a map of the Lindhart Kingdom, and the plains are near the city of Farlyle located in the southwest." ［Tilda］
"G-Good luck, Grey, Yuna!" ［Nonna］
"You can do it, Your Highnesses! Show us what you've got!"
"Oohh! Show them what the heroes are made of!"
They couldn't even speak a single word, everything already decided as if it was the most natural thing to do. The quests were even processed when they didn't even hand over their guild cards to them.
Even now, they were still a little baffled about what just happened, feeling like things elapsed like a blur. Well, along with it, Yuna's wish for a monster extermination quest has been fulfilled, even wilder than she ever imagined.
"Ohh～! I'm getting fired up!" ［Yuna］
Of course, Yuna, being somewhat of battle-junky that she was, was super excited to face such a horde. They had already agreed that she'll be facing the boss while Grey and the familiars would eliminate the others.
"Looks like we've arrived..." ［Grey］
"Waah～! There sure are a lot of them!" ［Yuna］
Such words were an understatement. There weren't just a lot of them, their numbers were overwhelming, thousands of monsters marching like an army of destruction, ready to lay ruin to everything in their path.
The earth rumbled and the winds howled with every step they took, clouds of dust brewing all over the field as they trampled upon the green grass and colorful flowers. Countless red eyes glowed with danger and lust for blood.
...
Countless knights, soldiers, and adventurers rallied on the fields, all wearing heavy armor and all sorts of equipment. They were lined up neatly, all looking forward to the rumbling cloud of dust and roars before them.
There were warriors and mages, there were humans, elves, and therianthropes, there were men and women, and there were all sorts of people, yet all had one thing in common... Their hearts were racing madly. Hearts pumping with dread and anxiety.
"How many people do we have in total?" ［Lt. Commander］
"Including the adventurers and the supports, we have roughly more than 13,000 troops, Lt. Commander."
"And the C-rankers?" ［Lt. Commander］
"That's... Including you, we only have six..."
The eyes of the Lt. Commander once again looked at the horde of monsters before them, eyes indifferent as one can be. He soon pulled out his trusty sword from its scabbard, feeling the weight of all the lives before him.
Even when they outnumbered the enemies, there was not a shred of confidence on his face. After all, a single Alpha Werebeast would be more than enough to decimate their ranks, and yet there were multiple of them. How could he bear to smile?
'Looks like this is the day I'llー' ［Lt. Commander］
"Looks like this'll be our graves, huh, Old Fart?" ［Guildmaster］
She took the words straight out of his mouth. Beside him was a fierce-looking lady bearing a greatsword with her, one even larger than her body. She was the current Guildmaster of the Guild, smiling even though she was clearly nervous.
"Please, dying with you would be the last thing on my list." ［Lt. Commander］
"Wahaha! Cold as ever, I see!"［Guilmaster］
"Please stop making a racket, Guildmaster." ［Lt. Commander］
The situation was already dire yet she could still joke around like that, but it was also thanks to it that the Lt. Commander felt his chest become much lighter, a subtle smile blooming on his face as he faced his demise.
No matter how much he'll complain, it would be futile in such a situation. All he could do was steel his heart and greet death with a never-bending will. He gripped his sword even tighter, soon raising it towards the enemies.
"Everyone! This might very well be our last days here in this world! But our sacrifices will never be in vain! We will be dying with honor to protect our loved ones! Let's hold out until the reinforcements arrive!" ［Lt. Commander］
"""Ooohhhh!!!"""
Everyone knew such was a lie, yet they still let their war cries out. It would probably take the reinforcements several hours at least, but such didn't matter. They would all be giving their best, laying their lives on the line.
"Now! Raise your weapons! And chaargー" ［Lt. Commander］
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM
The Lt. Commander couldn't even finish raising his words, when suddenly, loud booms thundered all over the fields, light and flames devouring the enemies as they shrieked in pain, turned into charcoal as they dropped like flies towards the ground.
No one understood what just happened, eyes staring blankly as the flames continued to engulf the once verdant plains. Though they should be delighted that their enemies were being eliminated, they were simply too shocked to react.
"L-Look! Above!"
One of the adventurers pointed out and all heads looked towards the sky. There, they saw a platinum figure hovering about, continuing to rain down a merciless barrage of stars which exploded upon impact, destroying everything there is to destroy.
They don't know whether it was an angel or a demon who was reigning over the sky. All they knew was a scene which could only be described as the end of the world, the shrieks and flames which resembled the fiery depths of hell.
But perhaps more shocking was that two dots suddenly dropped from the sky. Dots, which when looked at closely, were actually people descending towards the ground in breakneck speeds, faces unfazed as one can be.
⟨⟨Gale Waltz⟩⟩ ［Grey］
⟨⟨Blizzard!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
From scorching flames to freeIng winds, such extremities devoured the fields one after another, wiping out the enemies without leaving a single one behind. All were either turned into popsicles or diced by blades of wind.
They also weren't fazed by the far drop they just made, safely using the winds as cushion as it was the most natural thing to do. As for the dragon hovering above them, she also descended, keeping the monsters at bay as she roared.
All were in awe and shock from such a sudden scene unfolding without any warnings. Especially the Lt. Commander and the Guildmaster. They could only stare in silence as Grey and Yuna walked towards them.
"We're the S-rank party, 'Aster', from Galderia. We've received your request for assistance against the horde. We'll be taking over from now on." ［Grey］
"Please make everyone withdraw. Things might get dangerous." ［Yuna］
"A-Ah, yes... Understood..." ［Lt. Commander］
He was a lot older than the two youths before him, yet he could only nod and comply in the presence of such authority. It was their first time meeting them, yet they could already tell they weren't anyone ordinary. All they knew was that there was hope.
Grey and Yuna are also different from their usually carefree selves, now getting a little bit more serious, a dangerous glint glowing in their eyes. Their blood boiled in excitement as they watched the horde draw near.
『Yuna, let's get this started!』 ［Grey］
『Un!』 ［Yuna］
There was no time to waste. As soon as Grey gave the signal, Yuna immediately vanished into thin air. The moment she appeared, she was already in the rear end of the horde, sparks flying left and right as her daggers clashed with the Boss' claws.
That wasn't all there was. As soon as Yuna disappeared, Grey's shadow quaked and soon enough, eight more platinum figures appeared out of the blue, laying waste on the enemy as they fired such destructive shots on after another.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM
Such bellowing explosions ruptured the air, turning the once peaceful fields into a complete hellscape, scarlet flames dancing around rather than the verdant blades of grass, screams of pain and agony ringing towards the vast blue sky.
Of course, Grey wasn't just standing by. He was helping the troops fall back and created a barrier over the city. And no, it wasn't protection from the beasts, but from themselves. They might go overboard, after allー
⟨⟨Winter Gale's Parade!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
No, one of them was already going overboard, sending countless frozen knights charging towards the boss, turning everything in its path into deep, blue ice. The surrounding air suddenly got colder, temperatures dropping everywhere.
The Boss tried to dodge Yuna's barrage of spears, but it was futile. It was able to defend against most, but one of it passed through, leafing a large gashing wound on its body, blood freezing as soon as they spilled out,
One, two, three, and many more. With its guards now broken, Yuna's merciless spell bombarded the Apex Werebeast, creating countless wounds after countless frosty explosions, screams of pain echoing all over the place.
"I should her started as weー" ［Grey］
GRAAARRRRー BANGG
One of the Alpha Werebeasts tried to pounce towards Grey, but before it even saw it coming, Grey's fist already zoomed towards its face. A loud bang rang in the air as his punch connected, crushing the enemy's skull and blasting it several meters away.
"At least let me finish, dammit." ［Grey］
There were no signs of remorse on Grey's face as he watched the Alpha Werebeast disintegrate into mana. The moment he turned around, hundreds upon hundreds of eyes peered towards him, all fueled with hostility.
"Let's have some fun, shall we? ⟨⟨Tornado⟩⟩ !" ［Grey］
At Grey's words, the winds started to howl creating a voracious vortex which only drew more and more wind, spinning ever so violently as it gained more power and momentum, wreaking havoc throughout the fields as it danced.
Everything which was on its path was sucked in, twirled and twirled around as if they were just toys. But it wasn't very fun. The more the twirled and twisted, the more blood trickled down as their bodies were ripped to shreds.
They have already retreated far away yet they could still see such a terrifying yet magnificent sight unfold. Their hair stood from both awe and fear, feeling the winds getting more and more chilly as the battle went on.
GAAAARRRR ROOOAAAARRRR GRAAAAARR
It struck and it struck, yet no matter how many strikes it launched, not a single one had it. The young elf simply dodged its attacks with ease, counterattacking every time she got a chance as she danced a deadly dance.
GGRRROOOAAAARRRR
Seeing how its attacks were ineffective, the werebeast tried to use dark magic and manipulated the shadows, turning them into whips which chased Yuna around, lashing ever so violently, snapping sounds filling the air.
Yet despite its change in tactics, it still couldn't land a hit. Rather, its futile attempts only served to make Yuna even more excited, narrowly dodging the lashing whips as she closed the distance between the two of them.
⟨⟨Bloody River!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
Like a blue butterfly fluttering in the wind, Yuna danced around as she brandished her daggers, glowing sharper and sharper as she drew closer towards the Boss. Her cold eyes now gleaming like diamonds under the starlight.
Soon, blood was spilled once more, dyeing the razed grounds red, and Yuna only got stronger. The more she danced, the more wounds appeared on the Apex Werebeast. Its screams continued to echo throughout the lonely plains.
They may both be in S-rank, but the Yuna had already reached the pinnacle. The gap between them was simply too big, like heaven and earth. Before the battle had even started, the outcome was already decided.
GRROOOAAARRRRR
The Apex Werebeast struck Yuna's heart, but its hands simply passed through. Yuna had used "Phaseless" once again, blurring the lines between existence and illusions, soon turning back, then raising one of her daggers.
⟨⟨Swift Guillotine!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
There was no use playing around anymore. With the opportunity before her, Yuna immediately slashed down one of the enemy's arms, cutting it off clean without any sort of difficulty. Blood gushed like a fountain soon after.
She didn't just end it there. Whilst the enemy was still dwelling on its pain, she then used her other hand and also cut off another one of its arms. Noe, only two more of them were left, claws already battered from their countless clashes.
Yet despite all the limbs and blood it lost, its fighting spirit was still strong as ever. It didn't even take a break. As soon as it was able to get away from Yuna, it then kicked up some dust and pounced towards her with all the strength it could master.
"Quite the persistent one, aren't you?" ［Yuna］
Though, such determination was wasted against Yuna. With two of its arms now gone, she could easily dodge the barrage of hits heading her way. The Boss tried to compensate using its legs, but all it did was give Yuna an opportunity to attack.
⟨⟨Swift Guillotine!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
Another slash and another arm was cut off. The only difference this time was that the Boss didn't flinch any more, simply continuing its rampage without a single care about the fountains of blood gushing out from its injuries.
It slashed, it kicked, and it lashed. It used all methods of attacking it could, and tried to drive Yuna into a corner... Keyword, "tried"... However, rather than Yuna, it was the on being pushed back, looking more and more pitiful by the second.
Yuna let an opportunity slip, acting out of balance whilst she continued to observe the Boss. And as simple-minded as it is, the Boss took the bait, charging towards Yuna at full speed. However, that was its biggest mistake...
⟨⟨Icicle Lance!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
GASHAAKK SPLASSHHH
The sound of blood spilling ruptured to the air as Yuna's frozen lance pierced through the chest of the Apex Werebeast. It was able to avoid getting hit in the heart but it was still a fatal hit nonetheless, an icicle on his chest.
It couldn't even stand properly anymore, staggering as it pushed its nearly decimated to its very limits, its eyes still growing red from hostility. It flexed its remaining arms once more, the shadows lashing more violently as it charged towards Yuna.
GRRAAAARRRRRRRR
There was no need to hesitate, with its life barely intact, the Apex Werebeast rushed like a starving cheetah towards its target, growling ever so viciously and charging just as recklessly. Unfortunately, such efforts were never enough...
"Let's end your misery..." ［Yuna］
Yuna brandished her daggers and the darkness swallowed her. As the Boss swung its remaining arm, it reaped through where she was standing. However, at the same moment, Yuna also vanished into thin air.
Surprised as one can be, the Boss looked left and right searching for Yuna, and soon enough, it did. The very same Yuna who was now bearing a gift in her hands... The gift of death, that is.
⟨⟨Death's Grasp!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
The shadows quaked below its feet and a silver figure appeared with it, rushing past it like the fleeing winds, her daggers charging towards it like the bony claws of death extending its invitation towards hell.
Yuna's figure easily passed through the boss, countless blades lashing like a violent tempest, each one gnawing away at the Boss, dicing and cutting its body, dyeing the charred grounds red with its blood.
Silence soon fell all over the plains, only a subtle thud to be heard as the Boss fell on its knees and soon towards the ground. Its body soon started to glow, vanishing into thin air like a mirage in the scorching deserts, never to be seen again.
"I wonder how everyone is doing..." ［Yuna］
Putting away her daggers, Yuna then turned around to see what was going on with everyone. However, there was no trace of worry on her face, a smile even blooming the moment she saw the sight of ruin before her.
"Die! You pieces of trash!" ［Procyon］
"Gahahaha! That makes you the 458th!" ［Kentaurus］
"Begone..." ［Rigel］
It was just as she expected. The familiars have triumphed over the horde of enemies without breaking a single sweat. It couldn't even be called a battle. It was a one-sided massacre which charred the ground black, leaving countless craters behind.
As for Grey, there was even less need to worry. He wasn't even using his gauntlets, opting for the chains to hunt down and bind enemies in place, countless werebeasts ensnared by his grasp, struggling to no avail.
⟨⟨Southern Wind: Notos⟩⟩ ［Grey］
At Grey's command, the winds gathered at his palm, creating a vicious vortex which devoured everything without any mercy. The winds condensed into a massive spear, floating midair, getting bigger and sharper by the moment.
Grey released the spear, darting towards the sky as it left violent gales in its wake. Each and every single thing which stood on its path was ripped to shreds and bits, sending everything to oblivion, even piercing the heavens above.
The winds soon calmed down and countless drops rained from the sky as the monsters turned back to mana, silver light twinkling everywhere. Silence soon returned to the once verdant plains... The catastrophe was overー
"Ah... Did we go too far...?" ［Grey］
ー Or at least, the monsters were exterminated.
S-rank quest done and dusted!
CHAPTER 298 END