"It was a good attempt, but unfortunately it didn't work."
As the monsters charged toward the kingdom, I whispered one word.
"Dracanis"
Four huge figures appeared out of thin air. They had dark fur that covered their whole body and a head that looked similar to that of a dragon.
As they drew a beath, a small ember ignited within their mouth.
Monsters that were near the Dracanis started to tremble uncontrollably. It was as if fear had taken root in their very souls.
Since five years ago, the Dracanis have changed a lot. First, their appearance changed after eating a lot of SS-rank monsters.
That is why they now had dark fur that covered their whole body.
But it wasn't only their appearance. Their strength had also changed drastically.
Before, they were around peak-S-rank monsters. Now they are around low- to mid-SS-rank monsters.
The reason I summoned them is because they are exceptionally good at killing a lot of monsters. Which made it perfect for a situation like this.
Usually I would use magic to kill the monsters, but I promised that I wouldn't use magic. So this was the method that I came up with.
"Before you guys complain, this isn't magic."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"It's hard to explain, since we also don't know yet. But these insignia do not use mana."
All we know about the Insignia is that it doesn't use mana. And prolonged use of the insignia leads to a toll on the body.
There were some people who could use mana to use the insignia, but that was rare. And in that case, it could be seen as magic since they use mana as a base.
"Human, we don't care about your excuses." The monster, who originally had four arms, shouted.
"I just felt that I needed to explain, but I guess it doesn't matter."
I snapped my finger, and the Dracanis rushed at the crowd of monsters.
"Well, we can continue our battle that was interrupted."
The three SS-rank monsters stood there in silence.
A small smile appeared on my face.
I already knew what they were going to do. The last 5 years that I fought the monsters have taught me a thing or two about the SS-rank monsters.
They have intelligence similar to that of humans and can make logical choices. Some monsters are smarter than others. But it's always the same result.
Even when they see overwhelming strength, they always react the same way. They will fight to the death, even if they know they will lose.
Even when I use no magic or martial arts, the monsters still can't win over me. Yet the monsters will still fight until they die. Some SS-rank monsters will flee when they see my strength. But the reason they were fleeing is because they wanted to group with the other SS-rank monsters to fight me.
So it wasn't like they were escaping the battlefield; no, it was to group up and get a better chance to defeat me.
There was one thing that always bothered me.
Why do they fight to the death?
Even when the result is so obvious that they will die, they still don't try to escape.
I looked at the monsters.
'They won't be different.'
They will also fight to the death.
The three SS-rank monsters disappeared from their spots. They came charging toward me. The monster with no eyes charged with his sword. And the two monsters followed behind.
Clang!
Our swords clashed. And at the same time, I parried in a way that forced him to move to the side.
The monster, who originally had four arms, looked shocked as he saw me charge directly at him.
The middle-aged monster dodged as soon as he noticed that I was targeting the other monster.
In an instant, I swung my sword toward the four-armed monster.
His torso was cut in half, cleaving him in two.
As I looked at the middle-aged monster, I nodded my head.
"You are pretty intuitive."
The ideal situation would have been that the middle-aged monster would try to save him.
And if he did try, I would have switched my target to him and finished the job.
But because he dodged, that plan fell out the window.
'Well, at least the four-armed monster is dead. Which makes it only two monsters left.'
The middle-aged monster and the monster with no eyes were just staring at me in silence.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to-"
I felt a chill as I created a barrier out of instinct.
Immedeatily, I felt two impacts at my side as I turned around.
I saw the monster with no eyes and the middle-aged monster.
One was trying to pierce my barrier with his sword, and the other was trying to pierce it with a small dagger.
A small smile formed on the monster, who had no eyes.
"You used magic."
My expression darkened.
When?
When did they come behind me? Did the middle-aged monster create the illusion of them standing there? But that doesn't explain how they got behind me.
I didn't feel their presence at all.
"What's wrong? Are you trying to find an excuse that the barrier is not magic?" The monster with no eyes asked with sarcasm.
I shook my head.
"I am not going to deny it. I used magic against you even though I promised not to."
I thought I was strong enough to beat them without magic.
'I guess not.'
"Congratulations." I said with a nonchalant expression.
Numerous wind blades appeared out of the thin air.
Multiple wounds started to form on their bodies. The middle-aged monster moved slightly, trying to tank the wind blades.
After some time, the middle-aged monster fell down. Blood splurged out of his wounds, and the mana I felt coming from him disappeared.
The other monster also had countless wounds. His breathing was faint as he fell to the ground, but he was still alive.
I made a small chair from the ground using magic.
As I sat on it, I looked at the crowd of monsters getting killed by my Dracanis.
"He said your name was Lamir?" I asked.
He didn't answer, but I could hear his faint breathing as he tried to recover from the wounds.
The reason I didn't kill him was because I was confused.
As I attacked them with the wind blades, I noticed that the middle-aged monster took most of the force.
It wasn't because I targeted him more. No, it was the opposite; he was deliberately trying to get hit by my wind blades. It was as if he was protecting the monster with no eyes.
I just don't understand why he did. Which is why I wanted to ask this monster.