CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOM BOOM BOOM
Bolts of lightning lashed out in the air and flames roared along it. Two destructive forces clashed with one another, bringing ruin to the forest as waves of heat and thunder swept through the once verdant grove.
The flames danced at a young lady's tunes and incinerated everything coming her way. The bushes were turned to ashes, the trees into charcoal, and everything else into short-lived and pitiful embers.
Against her was a massive beast, reaching a few meters in height and equipped with arms thicker than tree trunks. Irs roars were ferocious, bolts of lightning created with its every growl, rampaging along the forest as they reached out to the young lady,
ROOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR
⟨⟨Fire Trident!⟩⟩ ［Amelia］
She waved her hands, her red hair fluttering all the while. A ball of flames appeared before her hands, spiraling for a while until it took the shape of a trident. The flames roared and combusted, a streaking of red and amber rushing towards its enemy.
Of course, the beast in question didn't just take it standing there. It also roared once more, sending out a torrent of lightning arcs, rampaging around like whips as they lashed everything in sight, clashing with Amelia's flames.
BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH
A loud explosion thundered across the Hunting Grounds as the two forces collided, shockwaves sweeping soon after and chaos after a while. A cloud of black smoke appeared before the young lady, a massive figure appearing before long.
The massive bear had run through the smoke and charged towards the young lady. Its fangs were wide open and its massive legs galloped on the ground, even faster than horses, the ground shaking with every step it took.
It tried to pounce towards Amelia and finish her off in one bite, however, it was all in vain. The young lady jumped away before it could even come close, the lashing of a whip resounding in the air as she extended her whip.
⟨⟨Silver Pythons!⟩⟩ ［Amelia］
It reached out like a venomous python and slithered towards the massive bear, a few more coming along as they bit down on their enemy. They coiled around their prey as serpents should, binding its movements as it came to a halt.
Amelia didn't just stop there. As soon as the massive bear was bound, she then took another step back and realized yet another sphere of flames in her hands, how much bigger and much hotter than before, roaring all the while.
⟨⟨Burning Roar!⟩⟩ ［Amelia］
The flames rocked the whole place as its roar thundered throughout the vicinity, the surviving plants feeling the heat of the flames as it rushed towards the massive bear. It was like a panther cruising along the forest, ready to devour everything.
And devour it did, painting the massive bear a scarlet color as it engulfed it in the flames of hell, groans and bellows filled with pain ringing in the air as the big bear writhed in pain, eyes filled with loathing for the young lady.
The flames were hot, but not hot enough. Even with burns all over its body, it still remained standing, its will stronger and tougher than steel. It may be dying today, however, it was ready to take Amelia along with it.
ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE
It let out another roar, now more aggressive and ferocious than before. Arcs and bolts of lightning gathered from all over its body and condensed into a single point before its maws, crackling with excitement as lights of blue and white painted the forest.
It was the bear's last efforts to take the enemy down with her, ready to blow her to bits and pieces. Yet contrary to its expectations, the young lady did not run away from danger. Rather, she charged recklessly towards it.
The lashing of her whip echoed in the air once more, several more binds coming out of the ground as she did. She used her whip like a lasso, extending towards the bear and grabbing it by the neck, much to the latter's surprise.
After which, the young lured in the whip and used it to complement her jump, soon landing on top of the bear's head. With a quick kick towards the back of its head, the bear was forced to swallow the very ball of lightning it tried to conjure.
"What a pity... But this ends here..." ［Amelia］
A chilling voice echoing in the air, Amelia then poured all her strength into her legs and stamped hard on the bear's upper jaws, making it bite the sphere of lightning and forcefully making it explode, violent as can be.
The bear's last resort exploded inside its own mouth and lightning rampaged inside its body. It may be resistant to lightning, but that doesn't mean it was immune. All the bolts and arcs lashed out inside, charring everything they could touch.
The bear's insides were destroying and a few crackles escaped its mouth. Its eyes soon turned to white, its soul crushed all the while, the battle was already over and the bear had already passed away, soon falling towards the ground with a loud thud.
With that, Amelia has hunted yet another prey and added a couple hundred more points to their Class' points. She then went down the bear's charred carcass and hopped back to the ground, eyes scrutinizing its prey.
"Haah... No... This would not do..." ［Amelia］
Unfortunately for the young lady, while the bear was a great prey, its whole body had been greatly tattered and damaged by the fight. There were wounds, burns, gashes, and its insides were also charred. It was no good for the Individual Competition.
"How tiring... It seems that I need to find yet another prey." ［Amelia］
It has been over three hours since the Hunting Competition started, and by now, a lot of Cadets have already hunted their prey. Amelia had just finished off a C-rank Devil Bear, but it wasn't the only one it hunted.
In fact, Amelia had hunted over a dozen beasts, 2 C-ranks and the others either D or E ranks. She has earned quite a lot of points, even more so than a couple of the lower classes combined, her contribution already reaching the thousands.
"Should I just settle on a D-rank beast...?" ［Amelia］
However, she has yet to find the prey she will offer to the judges. She knows she's gotten stronger, but her fire element really makes a mess out of things. Her preys were either burnt or filled with bruises from her whips.
Amelia had also tried constricting her prey using her whip, gripping tight until they could no longer breathe, however, such was only possible to lower rank beasts. Those at roughly the same level as her can resist and even break free.
"No... There is no point in thinking that..." ［Amelia］
However, Amelia was still far from giving up. There are still over 2 hours before the Hunting Competition ends, and even after she recuperates, she can still hunt a few beasts here and there. If she's careful enough, she may get another C-rank beast.
"Let's just do the best we can." ［Amelia］
She mumbled to herself, a subtle smile blooming on her face. She then grabbed the Devil Bear by one of its paws and dragged it along the forest, heading towards where she keeps all her prey, soon dumping it into a pile of carcasses.
Everyone who watched her feats on the screen could only describe her skills as that of an expert. She is not even 20 years old and she was already accomplishing such great achievements. She will be a great lady one day.
"A Ragifell, a Great Deer, an Iron Ram, and now a Devil Bear... How terrifying..."
"As expected of the Redlocke Household. They've produced yet another genius."
"How old is Lady Amelia again?"
"She shouldn't be over 20. Regardless, it's still an incredible feat."
Such comments brewed in the air as the nobles admired the young lady's skills, quite a few gossip and rumors spreading here and there, everyone talking not only about her beauty, but her refined skills and clear thinking as well,
They have already seen Amelia's fears during last year's competition, but now, she has grown even better and stronger, now able to fake down any C-rank beast without much difficulty, finishing them off with a display as gorgeous as she was.
But perhaps the ones who admired her the most were a pair of proud parents. One was a gentleman with scarlet red hair just like the young lady and the other was a beautiful woman adorned with hair white as snow and eyes pink as cherry blossoms.
"Islette, did you see that? Our daughter really has grown so much." ［Alfred］
"I can't believe our baby has become a real lady. I think I'm about to cry." ［Islette］
"Here, I brought some handkerchiefs just in case." ［Alfred］
"Thank you, Dear." ［Islette］
They were none other than the Minister of Finance and Commerce, Duke Alfred von Redlocke, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Duchess Islette von Redlocke, who also happens to be Amelia's loving parents.
There was a lot of work in the Royal Palace so they only just arrived, however, the first scene they saw was their beloved daughter hunting down a ferocious Devil Bear on the strange screen Grey had prepared for everyone to watch.
They were a bit worried at first, but it seems like it was all for naught. Amelia has far surpassed their expectations and created feats comparable to Royal Guards. They couldn't be any more proud of her as they cheered on her.
"Hahaha! As expected of my future daughter-in-law! She knows how to handle a bear or two! I'm sure she'll be a great duchess one day!" ［Ernes］
"Please keep your voice down, Your Majesty." ［Anderson］
"You worry too much, Anderson. Grey and Yuna already created a barrier. I can laugh all I want now without getting caught." ［Ernes］
"Even if you could not be heard, you still need to mind your appearance. You are the King of Alfrione and the symbol of the Kingdom, Your Majesty. Please, I beg of you." ［Anderson］
"Tsk. Fine. I'll consider your words." ［Ernes］
Or so he says, grumbling like a child at the Prime Minister's words. He couldn't really care much about how others see him, but he just doesn't want to be scolded, most especially by the Queen. She can be quite scary sometimes.
The King once again looked at the screens, seeing how everyone was performing, a completely satisfied smile blooming on his face. He was considered a good student by the usual standards during his time, but it seems like many things have changed.
Even Amelia has now far surpassed him, able to wear the honorable mantle of the Royal Guards the very moment she graduates from the Royal Academy. Unluckily, she was the only child of a Ducal Household. She will become a Duchess one day.
"Hm? Is Amelia on the move again? Did she find another prey?" ［Ernes］
"Your Majesty, shouldn't you be focusing more on Julius? Despite how much of an idiot he is, he's still your sun, you know?" ［Grey］
"What for? That brat is already strong as he is. I've seen his skills every time he spars in the training grounds with the Royal Guards. Compared to that, wouldn't it be more interesting to watch my future daughter-in-law?" ［Ernes］
"I guess you have a point... But the Royal Guards, huh..." ［Grey］
"Can a prince even join the Royal Guards?" ［Yuna］
"Good point... Maybe we can ask Sir Faust later." ［Grey］
The conversation strayed into a completely different direction, everyone soon shifted their eyes towards the screens, watching various scenes unfold and watching the Cadets hunt down their prey one after another.
It wasn't just the students of the upper classes which stood out, but also some of those whom people have never even heard before. They are not as strung, but they have great operations, going through the hunt with various plans in mind.
Of course, the hunt isn't always successful, and sometimes, the Hunters are the ones who got hunted by their prey. A handful of Cadets have already been eliminated, sent back towards the Outer Camp as soon as they were taken down.
"E-E-Eh?! I'm still alive?! Wh-What just happened?!"
"Ugh... We should have been more careful... Our prey..."
"I guess this means we're losing, huh... We really did our best..."
"It's all that damn ogres... There were so many of them...!"
Most of the ones who got eliminated were from the lower classes, and so far, there has not been a single one knocked out from the classes Grey and Yuna handled before, each one still going strong as they continued the hunt.
Not only were they all strong, but they were experienced as well, hunting their prey without ever letting their guard down and keeping the big picture in mind. Even if they get themselves in dangerous situations, they still persist.
One of those persistent pricks was none other than the Second Prince, Julius. He is now fighting against a Kartaigne, a wolf-type beast which are amongst the stronger ones within C-rank, feisty and ferocious as can be.
It belonged to the fire-attribute and looked like a wolf with wings and snake tails. Not only was it swift and agile, the snake behind it was also poisonous. One bite is more than enough to paralyze someone, leaving them open for the picking.
"You tough bastard! Take this! ⟨⟨Howling Cleaver⟩⟩!" ［Julius］
The young man grit his teeth and slashed with his trusty spear, a silver crescent carved in the air. It grew into a massive blade of mana, cruising towards its enemy and leaving deep gashes painted on the ground.
Piercing howls thundered throughout the forest and the flames rushed out with it. The flames greeted Julius' blade and a loud explosion echoed as they clashed. A cloud of dust formed in the air, the Kartsigned charging in soon after.
It planned to ambush Julius and make it pay, however, its plans were quickly foiled. Just as it entered the cloud of dust and smoke, so did Julius' lightning bolts, shrieks and bellows of pain following soon after, accompanied by light crackles.
"How'd you like my gift, you bastard?" ［Julius］
Mockingly said Julius as he taunted the Kartaigne, backing off all the while, only to be chased by already wounded Kartaigne. It continued to rush towards Julius without any regards for its wounds, only growling like a mad and feral dog.
Meanwhile, Julius continued to run away, shooting lightning bolts at the Kartaigne's face. The latter was able to dodge most, but some struck it dead on, the poor wolf clearly confused with its sense of balance.
"What's wrong? You didn't like my present?" ［Julius］
As for the reason why it was struggling, it was none other than the annoying rascal before it. He continued to taunt the Kartaigne, firing off small but irritating bolts of lightning towards it and luring it away towards him.
Normally, Kartaignes ambush their prey from above and chase them while flying, only taking their landing when their prey has no more strength to resist, then finishing the hunt in a single, powerful, bone-crushing bite.
However, the current Kartaigne can't do any such thing. Just a little while ago, Julius had ambushed it and struck one of its wings with his most powerful lightning spell, making the Kartaigne lose control and plummet helplessly towards the ground.
Julius didn't just stop there either. The very moment it crashed, he then sped up as fast as he could and with a swipe from his trusty spear, cut off one of the Kartaigne's wings, making it howl in pain and boil with anger and loathing.
"Hey, why are you mad? I thought it was very funny." ［Julius］
Now, not only has it lost the ability to fly, it has also lost its sense of balance with only a single wing remaining. No matter how agile it was, it was no use since it couldn't chase after Julius. It could run, but not just as swift before.
⟨⟨Lightning Parade!⟩⟩ ［Julius］
Julius continued his taunts and with a wave of his hands, created yet another torrent of lightning bolts rushing towards the enemy, now packed with quite a bit of power to blow away even boulders at the slightest touch.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM
The Kartaigne took a couple hits head on, its pitiful whimpers echoing in the air. Yet despite all that, it still continued on charging, carefully determined to get its revenge against Julius and maw him to death as brutally as it could.
Of course, Julius, the bastard that he was, kept on running away, never letting the distance between him and the Kartaigne shrink, slowly whittling away at the latter's sanity and resistance, or so it thought at first... Oh, how wrong it was.
It was all too sudden, Julius heavily kicking the ground out of the blue and making a complete 180 in the direction he was before, now rushing towards Kartaigne with not much thoughts in his mind, only an annoying smile plastered on his face.
⟨⟨Lightning Steps!⟩⟩ ［Julius］
He didn't just stop there either, burning through his mana and increasing his speed with lightning magic, zooming towards the enemy without hesitation and raising his beloved spear towards the sky, ready to strike his enemy down.
The Kartsigne didn't waste the opportunity and opened its jaws to greet Julius with a deadly bite. However, it was far too naive. Before it could even reach him, he plunged his spear towards the ground, and leaped upwardsー or so the Kartaigne thought.
However, rather than leaping, Julius only twisted his spear and dug up some dirt on the ground. The Kartaigne anticipated that he would jump and also leaped in response, however, it was wrong. It was soon greeted with some dirt to its eyes.
⟨⟨Howling Cleaver!⟩⟩ ［Julius］
The moment the Kartaigne's eyes were blocked, and a pained bellow echoed in the air, Julius then proceeded to dash and with a simple twist of his body, cut off the Kartaigne's snake tail from it, yet another shriek echoing wild.
"Mow, the other troublesome thing is gone!" ［Julius］
Julius didn't stop there either. The Kartaigne tried to swipe him away with its front paws, but he was able to dodge with ease. After which, he then fired a torrent of deadly spears towards the enemy, a storm or blades letting down their fury.
Left, right, center, and back. Julius' spears cruised towards the Kartaigne without any shred of mercy, wounding its limbs, its body, its already tattered wings, and its face, blood spilt time and time again with every wound he created.
The Kartaigne tried to struggle, yet however much it did, it was futile. His downpour of spears continued to flood and more wounds were opened up, the symphony of death and melancholy drifting in the air as the Kartaigne sang in pain and agony.
HOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLL FWOOSH FWOOSH BOOOOOOOMMMMM
The Kartaigne let out yet another howl, and an orchestra of flames gathered in its mouth. It soon boasted it away towards Julius' direction, burning everything in sight and turning everything into a fiery and hellish mess.
Unfortunately for the Kartaigne, it didn't hit its target, the young man simply leaping into the air dodge, landing soon after, light as a feather. The longer he stays in the air, the more opportunities he gives the jaded wolf before him.
"Oi, bastard! Looking for me?!" ［Julius］
Julius' voice echoed loud and clear, and the Kartaigne soon turned its head towards the direction where it came from. However, what greeted it was not one friendly nor something to be glad about, Julius' spear leaving a deep gash across its eyes.
The Kartaigne's pained whimpers rang all throughout the forest, and blood was spilt once more. It tried to grab Julius before it, however, it was futile. The man just did a light hop and dodged it with ease, brandishing his blade soon after.
"And... Here's my final present for you!" ［Julius］
He landed on the ground and then leaped soon after. The Kartaigne could no longer see him, but it could smell danger in the air. It soon felt a light touch on its back, a young man landing softly, his spear now coated with the grace of lightning.
⟨⟨Deep Blue Cleaver!⟩⟩ ［Julius］
Lightning roared and the winds howled, Julius brandishing down his spear soon after. Lightning coiled all over like a deadly serpent and like a lightning bolt falling from the sky, it streaked to the Kartaigne's neck, lopping it off cleanly soon after.
The final blood was spilled and the Kartaigne's head rolled over the ground. Its body swayed a couple more times before finally falling towards the ground, a small shock sweeping across the forest floor. Only a warm corpse remained.
Julius soon hopped off from the said corpse and heaved a lengthy sigh. He gasped for some breaths and once again looked at the prey he hunted. It was tattered and full of wounds. A late realization hit him soon after.
"Ah! Crap! I totally forgot! I damaged it too much!" ［Julius］
He was so excited, he had completely forgotten the rules of the Hunting Competition. He may have hunted the best prey, but with the amount of damage it sustained, there was no guarantee he would get the most points. It was all over.
Regret filled his heart and gloom reached his mind. He knew deep inside his mind that he needed to keep his strength in check, however, failed to do so because of how excited he was. He was disappointed in himself.
"Haah... Damn it all..." ［Julius］
...
A young man walked along the empty forest, subtle rustles echoing in the air as he moved his hands, all sorts of colors painted on his uniform and he messed with all sorts of dyes from the herbs and flowers he tinkered with.
He looked left and right, caution on the high, then scattering around a beautiful powder towards the bushes and the grass, their brilliant sparkles soon shying away the moment they made contact with a surface.
"Alright... That should be enough..." ［George］
The young man cleaned himself with a couple of taps and claps, clearing himself of the powder he scattered, eyes lingering all over the place once again. He then heaved a lengthy sigh, calming himself with a couple of breaths.
"Hopefully nothing goes wrong." ［George］
It has been over 4 hours since the Hunting Competition started and only a little over an hour remains on the clock. Everyone has already hunted their prey, all except one person remaining, the young man still loitering around in the forest.
However, there was not a single ounce of fear nor panic in his mind and there was only determination burning in his eyes. He steeled his resolve once more, a fierce and brilliant glimmer shining in his eyes, sharper than the sword he just unsheathed.
"Now then... Let's get this hunt started." ［George］
CHAPTER 498 END