Eliz's eyes shone as she watched the fight from her hiding place between the houses. Haidi crouched beside her, also watching with stars in her eyes.
Behind them stood Miel and Holm, with Holm carrying the bound Grash over his shoulder. Grash had also earned his gag and lay limp on Holm's shoulder. Miel and Holm wore bland expressions as they watched Alarr, Raiana, and Duke artfully fight the Dark Ones.
Miel clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He hadn't fought at all today! He glanced at Eliz, who seemed excited about the fight. Of course, she must have been impressed by the power! A man should be able to protect a woman.
Holm, on the other hand, was depressed because even though he fought, the result of his fight was pretty miserable. And Lady Elizabeth almost came to her death. Although, she might not have escaped it anyway. He was worried about what she said. She must be regularly exposed to the Dark Mana to keep from dying. Isn't that basically a curse? Holm's expression grew even worse. This wouldn't have happened if he could take care of that damn cat.
"Look. Mother uses that chain as if it were her extended arm. She's giving the bastard a good beating," Eliz said softly to Haidi, smiling. Haidi nodded her head. "And the Duke isn't bad either!" Haidi whispered in return, gesturing with her hand to Eliz's father as he grabbed his mana whale by the tail with both hands and used it as a club. "So brutal! Hiiii!" Haidi squealed softly in delight.
Miel and Holm looked at the two with concern. Women really do have strange tastes sometimes. "Should we go help them?" Holm asked, annoyed that they were doing nothing but watching the whole fight. They had arrived a while ago after they had already fought, but when Holm wanted to drink, Eliz stopped him.
Eliz waved her hand without looking at him. "Same problem. You can't just defeat the Dark Ones." Eliz naturally would like to take the opportunity to gain more Dark mana. The one she got from the cat only contained 80% of the 100 liters. She suspected it would be like that. Density was the problem. Eliz wondered if it was standard or if the System wanted to restrict her from being too OP too quickly. Honestly, Eliz wouldn't mind at all!
The irony was that she, herself in the stories, didn't like it when characters were OP too quickly. But honestly... wasn't Eliz too pathetic? She couldn't fight, her mana was uncooperative, and she had to be carried throughout the conflict. The ability she had now gained was great, but there was still the problem of the wrong people finding out.
Eliz nodded in the direction they originally came from as they fled the square. "I saw flashes of golden energy there. The Power of Light warriors are close by. It's too risky for me to go do anything," she explained so they wouldn't feel like she was lounging around. She was rather tempted. She watched the monster covered in Dark Mana, greed glittering in her eyes. If she had thrown it into Synthesis, she would definitely have already reached the first enhancement.
Naturally, in addition to the Power of Light warriors, her parents were also a problem. How they would react to her condition, she couldn't imagine. It worried her that they would suddenly turn around and force her to stay or be even more strict about protecting her.
Eliz took another look at the fight going on. This was actually the first time she had seen a real fight. The fight with Tyler's gang didn't quite count as a real fight since her team had the upper hand right from the start, and Tyler didn't exactly fight in a typical fashion.
So, Dad had the Whale, and Mom had the Queen Cobra. Alarr had the electric eel. He didn't take advantage of it in the fight with Tyler, so Eliz hadn't seen it yet. Only with Raiana did she know she had Swallows.
Eliz was curious about how she would turn out when she found out. The author explained this depiction of the mana animals as a material representation of a part of the personality and aspect. He didn't go into this in-depth, as if he didn't know exactly how it worked. However, Eliz had read about it in the library while researching mana-related information.
Enhanced Rank 1 Warriors can't do such attacks yet. Rank 1 is more of a period of exploration and formation. Rank 2 is the time when your Guardian Spirit is formed. However, Eliz was under the impression from the explanation that these were not Guardian Spirits but more like a material representation of the warrior's psyche.
However, she understood that the local people hadn't fully explored the human mind to the extent of modern man, so they called them Guardian Spirits.
Eliz didn't know much about the symbolism of animals, elements, and things like that. She only remembered a few things because she looked up spiritual symbolism online when she read the novel.
For example, Donovan's mana took on the form of a Crane, which had many meanings in spiritualism. But one of them fit Donovan the most, and that's 'Keen Mindedness.' In terms of the affinity a Warrior gains, it really doesn't depend on the basic elements, although those are the most common.
It can also be Gracefulness, Protection, Fighting Spirit; in Donovan's case, he had gained Mind. As described in the book, his attack didn't only fuel the attack; once it hit the enemy, it affected his mind. Naturally, the weapon caused damage, but the enemy also gained a debuff in confusion, for example.
This whole combat system the author had created offered various possibilities. Eliz, however, was more interested in how a warrior would create his spirit and element in the first place. The books mentioned training and meditation to get the warrior attuned to his Guardian Spirit. Eliz, however, believed it was simply a state of mind.
Just look at her father. The form of his attack is a Whale, and the element he seems to have is water. Her father was a warrior in heart and body, and though he was smart, he had a fiery temper. That really didn't suit him. And Eliz didn't even know the spiritual significance of the whale.
But she did know that whales only have one mate in their lives and are rather caring parents. That was already something that suited her father. On the other hand, he hardly knew these things at a young age, yet he had a Whale. So Eliz guessed it was something in his subconscious.
As for the element of water, that had many meanings as well, but given her father's fighting style, it was probably Endurance or Strength. It was something that already suited her father.
Eliz shifted her gaze to Alarr, who owned an electric eel. She wondered what that said about him and regretted not having access to the internet to find out.
Eliz sighed and shook her head. She still had a long way to go. Now she needed to think of something else. Her gaze again lingered on the amount of Dark Mana she could see.
"How do I get it?" she muttered, rubbing her chin. If only those damned Church of Light warriors weren't so close!
"What do you want to get?" Haidi asked from beside her, hearing her mutter.
Eliz stared at her momentarily before looking back in front of her. "I could take care of that Dark Mana, but showing what I can do is too risky in front of the Church of Light. And I'd rather not even reveal it to my parents." Not to mention the Dark Ones. The beasts are probably fine, but the ones like the cat man could be a problem, just like the Church of Light.
Eliz considered it but saw no possibility. The most she could do was still suck the Dark Mana out of those who still hadn't turned if no one was around, but there wouldn't be much.
"Lady Elizabeth."
They all jerked in surprise at the sound of the new voice, and Eliz looked back into the alley, where a man dressed all in black, looking like a ninja, was walking towards them. The only thing exposed was his eyes, but they were closed.
Eliz relaxed as the familiar voice and closed eyes gave her a certain impression. Holm immediately dropped his load on the ground and stood before them, and Miel, too, became wary. Eliz shook her head before speaking.
"Mr. Fraril. Lovely to meet you here. How are you enjoying the festivities?" Eliz replied.
Fraril stopped in front of Holm, who, after a moment's hesitation, stepped to the side and let him pass. Eliz stood and walked out to meet him.
"No, not as I had hoped. The presence of the Dark Mages was beyond our expectations," Fraril said.
Eliz nodded. "You're not the only one. I didn't expect it either." Eliz had no problem admitting that she knew nothing.
"It seems both of our sources have failed in this case. Never mind. What's done is done. Fortunately, the resulting chaos did not interfere with our work. So I'm not so concerned," Fraril said, momentarily turning his head from side to side.
Eliz looked him over. Thanks to the tight-fitting clothes, it was evident that Fraril was quite fit. It wasn't surprising if he was still active and not just commanding from headquarters.
"What brings you here?" Eliz asked.
"I picked up your scent, so I thought I'd see how you're doing in this situation," Fraril replied icily before turning his head towards the bound Grash. "And you are doing better than I expected. Curious." He turned his head towards Eliz again. "You don't want to sell him?"
Eliz blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Sell him. Capturing a living Dark Mage is quite rare. I won't ask about your techniques, but such experimental material will cost a lot of money," Fraril explained.
Eliz had to grin inwardly. So going to check on Eliz and her good health was just an excuse. He was interested in the cat.
Eliz looked at the chained cat, who was looking at them with blazing eyes, his ears twitching.
"I have other plans for him. So I'm not selling," Eliz replied. She wouldn't mind selling him at all, but she planned to use him as a self-replenishing iron supply of Dark Mana. She couldn't sell it.
Fraril nodded. "I see. If you change your mind, you know who to turn to." With that, he turned and walked away.
Eliz blinked. "Are you going already?" "I already have why I came. I have other things to do," Fraril replied. Eliz was stunned for a moment. She had thought this was one of those times when unexpected help appeared. But at least it wasn't so unexpected when it was Fraril.
Of course, if Eliz wanted to reveal her new ability to Fraril, she could get his help, but she didn't trust him that much yet. Their connection was still too tenuous for her to trust that he wouldn't try to kidnap and sell her.
"Ah. Good. Goodbye then," she just replied and let him leave. She looked at the others. "We should move too," she said to the others. Eliz couldn't think of what to do to get the Dark Mana, and if she let Holm get involved in the fight, she would be almost unprotected. Eliz might be able to suck Dark Mana out, but the sharp claw would still make a hole in her stomach just as easily as before.
She had no idea that Fraril was speechless from her reaction. He had assumed she would ask him for help and negotiate. He didn't think she would just let him walk away as if nothing had happened. Weren't her parents and guardians fighting for their lives now? Didn't she want to help them? What a cold-blooded woman...
Fraril felt embarrassed now. He gathered some of his men who were stationed around, ready to go to the aid of the fighting group as soon as they could come to a deal.
Fraril was increasingly surprised by Lady Elizabeth. When he caught her scent, he expected to find her defenseless, frightened, or at least worried. She was neither, and she had a captive Dark Mage to boot. How she did, it was beyond his imagination.
He figured he could pressure her as she watched her family and guardians fight for their lives with the Dark Ones. Instead, she acted as if she didn't care. So why was she hiding here, staring at them? Couldn't she have hoped her parents would perish?
Fraril had to consider that thought. As the eldest child, everything would belong to Lady Elizabeth if that happened. However, he didn't feel that Lady Elizabeth was that type of person. And Fraril had a pretty good sense of people over the years. But he couldn't deny that he could be wrong—all the more reason to be more wary of her.
Fraril paused. "Would you like me to help your parents?" he asked without turning around.
Eliz looked up in surprise. "Yes? Of course. Would you do that? Can you do anything against the Dark Ones?" she asked.
"The Church of Light aren't the only ones who have Power of Light users among their members. Not everyone wants to be under their control," Fraril replied, turning and moving his head toward the bound Dark Mage.
Eliz gasped. "I said I wouldn't sell him," she insisted.
Fraril opened his eyes for a moment before closing them again. "All right. In a different way. What are you going to offer to help me?"
Eliz had to consider that. What could she offer him? "You said the Dark Mage was good research material. How about I share some Dark Mana?" she finally suggested. If they didn't want to dissect the cat, then Dark Mana was the only other thing that should be worthwhile.
"Fifty percent of what you get out of him," Fraril said, and Eliz frowned. No way! That was too much!
"Twenty," Eliz countered.
"Forty," Fraril lowered it, but Eliz shook her head.
"Thirty, and that's all I'll give."
Fraril was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "All right. It's a deal." With that, he left.
A moment later, a noise came from the main street. Eliz and the others looked up, only to see four more people, dressed in the same attire as Fraril, jump out from somewhere.
*****
Alarr was starting to get quite sweaty. The dark monsters were relentless; they could push away and wound briefly, but they quickly recovered and attacked repeatedly. Thanks to the Duchess' chain, they occasionally gained a moment of respite, but that didn't last long.
Not to mention that their leader, the Dark Beast, could recover and join the fight at any moment. Alarr could see the intelligent beast taking his time, probably trying to let them exhaust first before attacking them.
Duke had remarked earlier that he had seen flashes of golden energy, so the Pacifists shouldn't be far away, but would they come before everyone was exhausted enough?
The dark monster before him raised his hand in a prepared attack as an arrow suddenly shot through his head. The monster spun around, only to have more arrows flying in, making his face look like a pincushion.
Alarr didn't look to see who did it and instead swung his two-handed sword wide and slashed across the monster's waist. The upper body slumped to the ground, but the beast didn't stop being active, and immediately the black liquid tried to rejoin the monster.
Only now did Alarr lower his sword for a moment and look in the direction where the arrows had come from. There stood a cloaked figure in black robes, a longbow in his hands. The figure took aim again, but the arrowhead glowed golden before releasing it at the monster.
With which it pierced into the monster's collapsed torso and flew through. This time, however, it gladly did not rejoin and instead crumbled at the edges. The monster let out a groan of pain before another arrow flew through its open mouth, silencing the monster.
Alarr noted the arrival of more people. There were four in total, and Alarr narrowed his eyes suspiciously. They didn't look like followers of the Church of Light.
Alarr watched the monster he was battling for a moment, but when he saw that it had stopped moving and the dark liquid began to spill around, revealing the bleached remains, he immediately rushed to Raiana's aid. She was exhausted to the extent of saving her mana and only used it when she had no choice.
He blocked the monster's incoming attack with his sword, but that was all he could do before a golden glowing dagger flew towards the monster, slamming into the side of its head.
"Who the hell are you!" Alarr heard the angry voice of the lead beast and looked back at it.
The dark one still hadn't formed its entire body, but it had already stepped out of the hollow, though not willingly. Another black-clad figure with two sabers attacked him, and he was forced to dodge as this one also wielded the Power of Light.
"You are not Pacifists," Dark Beast growled. No one answered him; the black-clothed figure attacked with the golden saber while the others focused on the remaining Dark Beasts.
The Duchess withdrew her chain and gripped it tightly as she cautiously observed the scene. Duke stood at her side, scratching the back of his neck and even looking a little annoyed. "That didn't last very long. I didn't even have time to warm up," he complained. Alarr didn't even mentally comment on that statement. He would have lasted longer with his mana but would be exhausted within half an hour.
Instead, he stood before the Raiana and watched the black-clothed warriors appear out of nowhere.
Alarr felt rather frustrated as he observed how easily these warriors dispatched the monsters. All it took was one or two well-placed shots, and the creatures wouldn't rise again.
He couldn't help but feel like a kid on a hunting trip again, where he wasn't allowed to raise his weapon, and everything was brought to his feet for him.
Alarr started contemplating how he might confront the Dark Ones in the future. He was discontent with the current state of things.
The mindless dark monsters were swiftly dealt with, and they surrounded the Dark Beast, which was now observing them. It was evident that the beast took them seriously. Until this point, no one had managed to kill it, and suddenly, four warriors appeared capable of doing so.
One of the black-clothed warriors wielded two sabers, two others had daggers, one switched his bow for daggers, and the last carried a short sword. Their weapons emitted a faint golden light, indicating they were utilizing the Power of Light.
The dark beast swiftly turned its head and, in a flash, stretched its neck to an incredible length, attempting to bite off the head of one of the warriors. Simultaneously, its body moved in a different direction, slashing at another warrior with its extended claws.
The warrior targeted by the dark beast's lethal attack reacted with remarkable agility. She managed to evade the creature's bite just in the nick of time, rolling to the side with a quick and calculated movement. Her evasion was so swift that the beast's massive jaws clamped shut with a resounding snap, narrowly missing their intended target.
Meanwhile, the warrior who was attacked by the dark beast's claws was not as fortunate. The razor-sharp claws left deep gashes on his armor, causing him to stagger backward in pain.
The remaining two warriors were not idle during this chaos. The one-wielding two sabers swiftly advanced toward the dark beast, exploiting the opening created by its failed attempt to attack. With precision and grace, she launched a series of rapid strikes, aiming for vulnerable spots on the creature's body.
The last warrior, armed with a short sword, circled around the dark beast, searching for an opportunity to strike from behind. He kept a keen eye on the beast's movements, looking for any hint of weakness or vulnerability.
Suddenly, the Dark Beast made a swift and unexpected move, lunging toward the warrior with the short sword. Its claws extended with lethal intent, aiming to take him down before he could counterattack. But before the Dark Beast's claws could reach their target, the warrior with two sabers leaped into action. With astonishing speed, he intercepted the beast's attack, deflecting its claws with his twin blades. The force of the impact sent him sliding back, but he held her ground.
The beast attacked again, but at the exact moment, something unexpected happened. Something, or someone, flew out of the dark mass that composed the beast's body.
Alarr and his group immediately tensed but then stared in surprise at a boy of about fifteen with tousled green hair and dark orange eyes.
The boy, however, did not have the expression one would expect to see on such a young face. His countenance was full of anger and seriousness. Alarr knew that look. The boy was someone with murder in his heart.
Although the boy had emerged from the dark beast's body, it still moved as if it were still under the boy's control, encroaching on the four warriors.
A faint glow of mana covered the boy before he turned and ran. It all happened so fast that no one had a chance to react.
Except for the Duchess, who immediately threw her chain at the boy. However, the boy's hand was instantly covered by the dark mana, which formed a hard armor on his arm. With a flick of his hand, the chain bounced off before he continued to run.
He probably would have escaped if another cloaked figure hadn't suddenly jumped at him from the roof. "Fuck! You're like cockroaches!" The boy shouted angrily as the new masked figure blocked his path.
The boy wrapped his other hand in dark mana and was about to attack when a golden glowing arrow pierced his back.
Alarr looked at the group fighting the dark beast. The one who had originally used the bow had withdrawn from the fight and changed weapons again. He shot another arrow at the boy, which embedded itself in the flesh next to the other.
The boy spat out blood before collapsing forward. The dark mass he left behind stopped taking shape and slowly dissolved into a dirty puddle.
All four black-clad warriors immediately rushed towards the boy with the clear intention of ending him quickly. "Haha... you're idiots if you think... you won with this." Alarr heard the boy taunt them. He didn't look like someone who was going to die soon.
The saber-wielding warrior raised his weapon and decapitated the boy with a swift motion. Alarr heard Raiana sigh of relief, but he didn't feel good about it.
The body immediately began to blacken and melt, leaving only skeletal remains. Alarr averted his gaze and stared at the warriors in black, who hadn't uttered a single word the entire time.
They watched the slain Dark Mage for a moment before four of them turned to the fifth, who had arrived last.
Duke made his way over to them. "Thank you for coming to our aid. It would have been hard to defeat that beast," he said, looking them over.
The Duchess stepped forward as well, but her gaze was fixed on the remains of the Dark Mage. "He was quite young for how strong he was," she commented, fiddling with the chain in her hands.
The group of black-clad men stared at them for a moment before a blue glow surrounded them, and they dashed away in a flash, disappearing between the buildings.
Duke opened his mouth in surprise. "What... why... hey!"