An extremely heavy rain appeared in the sky. The sound of thunder and the angry gusts of wind blew away layer after layer of the flies that covered Leon's body.
"Rumble" A powerful kick accompanied by small flashes of lightning temporarily stunned the snake. The scaly layer over the top of the head was scorched in a fairly large patch.
The weight of the sudden attack made the snake roar, its hateful eyes fixed on the large tree where Leon had lost consciousness. It lunged at him, opening its huge mouth to swallow everything, including a skeletal creature that had just appeared.
It was none other than Gabul.
"Hmm, come here," Gabul said arrogantly, looking at the rain and laughing silently. The two legs kicked up to gain momentum, preparing for a frontal blow.
"Boom"
"Rumble"
"Réeee," the snake screamed in pain. Its body staggered, unbalanced as its head was sliced into small pieces of flesh, blood and a poisonous liquid splattered everywhere.
"What the hell just happened?" asked Gabul. His legs suddenly trembled as he felt a blow with terrible pressure from behind.
[Dimension Move] Gabul sped up and ran towards where the snake lay, luckily avoiding the blow.
"ANGEL OF JUDGEMENT"
"What is that?" Gabul had no time to calm down as he was immediately attacked by swords coming from eight directions. Each layer, each layer of his defences was easily penetrated. Through the last layer of the shield, [Apolo's Protection] emitted a bright source of light when it was destroyed, creating a very brief moment that helped Gabul escape.
Gabul quickly hid his body in the darkness on the ground, but he didn't expect to find his head trapped. A white, soft hand held a holy sword at his throat.
The surrounding rain suddenly stopped, and each drop of water condensed to form the shape of a silver being.
"You are..." Gabul was surprised. In front of him stood a beautiful white-haired girl. Her eyes were ruby-colored with sparkling streaks of light around them. Her angelic face was illuminated by the sunlight in a circle pierced in the middle of the black cloud, but she looked very cold.
But before Gabul could finish her words, Her rosy lips were tightly puckered and the sword also touched his bones, splitting he in two.
"An Angel..." Gabul muttered.
As his head touched the ground, he saw a raging sea of flames, burning through every layer of flies and creatures no longer pure. As for the girl, she spread her wings and flew towards Leon.
◇
In a damp room with green moss and mould growing in patches, Leti sat in a corner, breathing heavily. Though she wanted to rush out to support Leon, she was helpless when there was still a little girl in her arms to protect. Outside the rotten wooden door, the flapping of the flies' wings echoed incessantly until they were crushed by a loud crash.
"Knight-san..." Leti cried out in anxiously, clutching her sword tightly.
The continuous rumbling that followed made it impossible for the elven warrior to remain calm. She pushed the little girl back against the wall, stood up quickly and cautiously approached the door.
As soon as he touched the door handle, an eerie feeling made Leti jump back. On the other side, I don't know when, the loud buzzing of flies stopped, replaced by a slimy liquid slowly seeping in and eating away at the door.
By the time Leti realised it was too late, the lower part of the door had broken off, leaving a large gap through which a disgusting clown face crept in and smiled at her.
A feeling of insecurity made Leti draw her sword and slash at the face. But it didn't seem to hurt that it was still mocking Leti's efforts. It wasn't until the red liquid had soaked the floor that the face was motionless, but in its place was a stinking, headless body with a large pair of scissors tied to its back.
The severed head was picked up by two thin hands and replaced in its neck.
"Who are you?" Leti shuddered. She stepped back and asked, the sword raised to her chest.
"Who am I? Haha!" the clown's eyes bulged. He began to laugh again, his red nose crumpling into a bunch of black roses.
"Geister" he disappeared, appearing behind Leti. In his hand was a bouquet of flowers, neatly wrapped in red foil.
"What the hell !" Leti panicked, trying to turn around but she couldn't. She didn't know when, but the sword in her hand had turned into a bouquet of black roses that smelled of death.
The clown hugged her from behind, his thin hands touching her body, inhaling the scent from her pale pink hair.
[Flame Barrier]
A barrier of fire appeared around Leti, causing the clown to jump away. The old shirt looked as if it had been patched together from various burnt pieces of cloth, revealing a long stitch in the middle of his chest.
"You are indeed a High Elf. Your skills and body are perfect !" he licked his lips and looked at Leti with interest, "An elf's skin is amazing. It's soft and white, not as dry as the skin of those stupid humans."
"Hmm. I've changed my mind. I'm going to skin you and turn you into a real slave. As for those beastman children, they will be Argon's" he slowly pulled out the large scissors behind his back.
"It won't hurt much" he stretched out the rusty scissors and lunged at Leti.
[Accelerate]
Leti quickly ran over and retrieved the sword that was stuck in the floor. She raised her sword to block the blow.
(Keeng) an aftershock that separated them.
[Slice and Dice] He threw the scissors into the air, making countless cuts and pointing them at Leti.
Leti erected a fire shield in front of him, burning away the incoming attacks. [She disappeared and appeared behind him.
[Fire Slash]
"Buzz"
"Huh"
A huge swarm of flies was sliced in half and burned into charcoal as they fell to the ground. As for the clown, he disappeared with the scissors.
"Where is he?" Leti landed, looking around carefully.
"I'll gouge ... your eyes out" He came out of the ground and rushed up like a drill with the sharp end of the scissors pointing at Leti. When it was only a few centimetres away from her left eye, he had been knocked back by a powerful blow. Blood from the gash on his head had spilled into his eyes, causing him to see everything around him with a terrifying red. He looked furiously at Leti, where the temperature was rising rapidly due to the appearance of a giant firefox with a striking orange-red coat. It gritted his fangs angrily.
"This is..." Leti was surprised, curled up in the fox's soft fur. Red flames appeared and covered her whole body.
"Trash Elf !" He pulled the scissors to the ground. Although the wound caused by the fox was still burning, he still laughed, he laughed so terribly.
"Playtime is over"
The clown took the scissors and cut the threads from the stitches in his chest. From inside, a black hand and foul-smelling liquid poured out like rain.
They boil and evaporate instantly when exposed to air.
The space around her caused Leti to suffocate. She soon realised that she was covered in a white mist, the same one that had poisoned her, but luckily she was protected by Leon's cloak and remained unharmed.
"Little girl" Leti remembered the little girl lying against the wall, running for her life.
"You..." Leti calmed herself when she saw that the little girl was covered in the firefox's fur, and that there was a halo around her that could repel the fog.
"Where do you come from, after all?" Leti asked curiously. But she didn't slow down, picking up the little girl and quickly finding the door to get out with the fox.
In this small room with four stone walls, a warm light spread with the footsteps of the two people. Leti knew she couldn't stay here for long, for the clown, the dangerous psychopath, was still hiding in a corner.
"Ru.rrr" The ground suddenly shook slightly. A small cracking sound could be heard clearly beneath her feet.
"Flame Slash"
Leti swung her sword and sliced through something very hard and viscous. This kind of colour translation shot onto her hand. Its foul smell made Leti nauseous.
"Ahhh" Leti was startled as she noticed the source of the sound. It was a black figure, staggering and hiding behind the opaque white steam. The fox growled, its fur rising as if it sensed danger.
A black hand dropped to touch her leg.
When the mist cleared, Leti knew she had just sliced the clown. In fact, he was no longer the clown he had been, but a black creature with red eyes.
The broken scissors shattered into small fragments, the largest of which cut through his throat, making a large hole, and the rest shot around, shattering like sharp pieces of glass.
He clutched his face and knelt down, his mouth screaming with pain. Two rows of tears streamed down his face.
Obviously he wasn't crying because of the wound on his neck when he held a snake skin in his hand. His body was shaking and foaming at the mouth as he lay on the floor.
"Baby, you can't die like this."
"Baby"
Ignoring Leti's gaze, he burrowed into the ground and quickly disappeared with the mist, leaving only a bunch of keys, an old leather notebook and a map with red dots of strange places.
◇
"Knight-san"
"Knight-san…"
"This is..." Leon opened his eyes slowly.
The sky was a clear blue, with ripples of cloud drifting peacefully across it. The golden sunlight shone through the green foliage above, and every breeze blew gently through her pale pink hair, revealing a pair of Leti's long ears. Not only that, "It's too soft!" Leon felt very comfortable when his whole body was wrapped in something very soft, it was like the feeling he had when he was buried in high quality pillows and cushions in the old world.
Although he didn't want to sit up, the sounds of laughter and the silhouettes of some children who had just passed by, combined with Leti's calls and worried eyes, made him a little strained.
To Leti's surprise, Leon slowly sat up.
"Knight-san, you're awake. Finally... you're awake"
"Leti-san, don't cry" he gently wiped the tears of joy from the corners of her eyes and smiled.
. . . . . .
Leon looked around quietly.
In the distance, a shabby little town, its walls covered with green moss, stood out clearly in the yellow sunlight. The great old trees were hollowed out, and the dry branches and leaves were scattered across the large empty spaces, as if a great brawl had just taken place.
"Leti, this place is..."
"Mist Town" Leti continued, "it used to be a very busy resting place for adventurers. There was even a time when the Arthen Guild wanted to open a branch there"
"But it's a pity that it never came to pass"
"Knight-sama" a small hand wrapped around Leon's neck from behind, a weight that quickly increased, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his back.
"Stop" Leti stood up quickly, "I told you to go over there and play..."
"No, we're tired of playing there"
"That's right, didn't you say that when the knight wakes up, he will play with us?"
"Right, right" The sounds rang out in unison"
"Or can you lend us Pon-chan?" The adorable little girl with cat ears ran over and hugged a huge orange cotton ball. From inside, a cute face came out and licked the little girl's face.
"Pon...Stop... It's too ticklish"
"Don't lick it anymore... don't lick it anymore, Pon-chan," the happy little girl laughed. The nearby children saw this and also "left" Leon and ran to the fox.
"Hey. Don't..."
"Pon-chan is mine" Leti blushed enviously. She looked at the fox playing and hugging the children, his fur looking as soft as cotton and she wanted to jump into it. But when she saw Leon's eyes and his incomprehensible open mouth, she calmed down a lot.
"Knight-san, these are the beast children I told you about earlier. It's fortunate that we were able to meet them here and save them" Leti said, her face as red as a plump tomato.
She took a deep breath to hold on to some of her remaining image, but still couldn't stand the fox's overly adorable actions.
Leti couldn't hold back any longer and ran over and buried herself in Pon-chan's fur.
"What's going on? Am I still dreaming" Leon reached out to pinch his cheek, but he couldn't. He suddenly remembered that a skeleton had no cheeks, and the fact that he was still wearing armour, so it was ridiculous.
"Knight-sama"
"Leti-san told me to make you some honey tea, please use it right away"
"Ah yes" Leon turned around and was stunned to see a small girl holding a teacup made of fragrant wood.
"Wasn't you that girl?"
"Yes…" she politely handed Leon a cup of tea, "My name is Noir !"
"Thanks..." "Thanks so much for healing me"
A greasy scent, with a faint hint of the sweet aftertaste of honey, was blown by the gentle breeze and spread around.
"Thank you" Leon pursed his lips, closing his eyes to savour the bitter taste of the tea leaves mixed with a hint of honey. As soon as they touched his mouth, they melted, bringing a feeling of great pleasure and enjoyment.
"Knight-sama, is it delicious?" the little girl looked at Leon with expectant eyes, her hands clenched nervously.
"Well, this honey tea is great !"
"Really?" she jumped up and down happily and ran over to where Pon-chan was curled up in a huge ball of cotton wool, showing it off to everyone.
◇
By the time the sun had set, a group of strong, grim-faced men had gathered near the foggy village.
"Huh, there is no fog today."
"Without fog, it's even more comfortable, isn't it?"
" A tall bald man roared, holding the pipe tightly and hissing.
"More importantly, have you found any trace of them, the five Forch brothers?"
"I told them to come here and wait for us the night before"
"That's it..." The man seemed to shake, "The magic map just..."
"Just what? Useless..." He angrily threw the pipe, which still had a few remnants of fire, to the ground, turned and grabbed his subordinate by the neck.
"If they run off with the slaves, you fools" he shouted, "Do you think the Count of Verbre will spare us if we lose this bargain?"
"Hurry up and look for them. They left this carriage behind, which means they haven't gone far"
"Yes, big brother"
The men lit torches and, in groups of two or three, fanned out across the town, searching but still smashed, trying to see if there was anything of value left.
"Big brother, I found this"
"Huh ?"
The bald man walked over to a very deep pit that reeked of decay, where a few men had gathered with their hands over their noses.
"Why did you call me to this rotten place?" (Nauseated)
"Big brother, there seems to be something hidden under the hole, or..."
"Get down, hurry!" he pushed the man he had just said into the pit and landed a torch down there.
"Pull out that black cloth for me" he ordered.
"But..." The subordinate trembled, "Big Brother, it seems like something is moving underneath"
"Shut up. Hurry up and peel off the black tarp and drag those 5 bastards up here"
The subordinate held the dagger tightly and carefully flipped the canvas over, bit by bit, bit by bit.
"Ahhh"
A terrible scream echoed through the forest, followed by the panicked runs of the men.
They split up as if trying to avoid some kind of monster, swinging their weapons and slashing wildly into the air, grimacing and vomiting.
At the bottom of the hole, the subordinate's body was filled with what looked like some kind of larvae. They slipped through his eyes, pierced his head, and emerged, transforming into a giant fly.
Beside him, under the black tarpaulin, were gnawed, incomplete body parts, dark cloths that looked like clothing, and a pile of bloody weapons. There were also shards of glass and a few strange black oval stones scattered about.
"Drea-sama, Will we destroy them all"
"Hera-chan, you're so cutely and innocent" a man with glasses smiled.
"This black lump is an extremely rare type of devil snake egg, and these maggots are the larvae of mutated flies"
"They are very valuable to study."
"Do you want to take them back to the demon world?"
"Not really" The man put on the gloves and walked over to the corpse, he picked up an egg and put it in the jar, "We'll just take a little of each, and the rest should be destroyed immediately"
"What about the humans, how do we deal with them?"
"Ignore them. This Hiller Forest has been under the watchful eye of the Holy Kingdom since that event. If we go too far and let them find the traces, it will be troublesome"
"Yes" A warrior girl in black armour walked over to the man.
[Incinerate] A huge heat immediately flared up, covering the hole with huge blue flames.
"Speaking of traces, have you noticed that there are some remnants of..."
"You mean high-level holy magic power?"
"Hmm. Indeed to be the most powerful Dark Knight in history, you are really sharp"
"This source of magic power is indeed very different from the holy horsemen you and I have met before, right ?"
"You said I just noticed"
"I think the Holy Kingdom still has a trump card, how could it be so strong?"
"Drea-sama, what do you really mean?"
The man stood up, crossed his arms and looked at the flames.
"You see, the Diablos Congregation is back in action. Do you remember the mở sát ê we met the other day?"
"Is it the mutated basilisk you burned down with a few blows?"
"Yes. You could see that they were very weak compared to yourself, but they were still considered those high-class monsters. One is enough to destroy a small castle..."
"Because of their unusual appearance and the flies just now, the Demon King has expressed his desire to cooperate with humanity. She has consulted me, but I have not responded"
"I would like to hear your opinion, Hera"
"In my opinion, this is very complicated, it is unlikely that humanity will meet us, let alone shake our hands. After all, both races are still in a cold war"
"So you're still worried about that war?"
"Yes. A war that has been going on for thousands of years and shows no signs of stopping..."
"You make sense" the man took off his glasses, "But what if we can convince the Holy Knight and 'him'?"
"Maybe, you mean...."
"You guessed right" the man removed the vest from his body, clutching the ring that emitted blackened characters.
"But how do we get to them?"
"Blend in" The man smiled, snapped his finger and appeared in the form of a bodyguard, and the girl, she transformed into a beautiful young woman.
"Drea-sama, why does a knight like me have to wear this sloppy silk dress?"
"Shh..."
"You will play the role of a young lady from a prestigious Grand Family who greatly admires the image of the female knight Sora Flame Roseblade"
"Why is it her?"
"Then you'll know" the man pulled the girl's hand, and the two walked towards the path Leon's group had taken earlier, leaving behind a pile of ashes, still red and smelling badly.
The screams in the forest gradually faded, replaced by a terrible silence. Occasionally a few dry leaves would be blown by the wind, making a rustling sound. A thick layer of fog also began to form, covering every corner of the space, including the men lying flat on the ground with their bodies full of holes.
Near the bald leader's place, a puddle of slimy liquid had formed.
On the surface of the liquid was the grimacing face of a creature that looked like a clown, with a feather attached that emitted a silver light.
"Stupid angels, you will pay the price.."
The cursed murmur of the clown stopped completely as the feather disappeared. Now, in the silent darkness, the bone-chilling cold was only dimmed by the faint moonlight.
◇