Kayle, Silvia, Sara, Latty, James, Nana, and Rolex had successfully exterminated all the Red Orcs in that section of the forest. Now, they gathered together, wiping the sticky orc blood from their armor, clothes, swords, and the miraculous gauntlets.
"Ugh, this monster blood smells like spoiled stew left in the sun. I can't stand it," Latty muttered in disgust, flicking the sticky residue from her sleeve.
"Yeah, it's clingy and reeks. Even Rolex doesn't fart this bad," James added, wrinkling his nose.
Silvia, Sara, Latty, and Nana burst into laughter, covering their faces as their shoulders trembled with suppressed amusement.
"Hey! When have I ever farted in public?" Rolex protested, scowling. "Stop ruining my image, man."
"Yeah, yeah. Deny all you want," James chuckled, completely unbothered.
Just then, Kayle stepped in, his presence a quiet but firm reminder to get back on track.
"Everyone, have some water and get ready. We don't have much time," Kayle said, his voice cutting through the playful banter.
"According to the mission details, we just have to deal with the Haligex Mantis, and then we'll be done with this mission."
"Well, that's done pretty early!" Silvia exclaimed, a triumphant smile on her face.
"We still have plenty of time left. It's all thanks to your magic engineering tools, Kayle! Because of them, we were able to complete this mission so quickly. When Headmaster Elizabeth hears about this, she's going to be over the moon."
"Yeah, you're right!" Latty agreed. "It's a four-star assignment, not some beginner field exercise. And we crushed it in just a few hours. I'm wondering what my sister will do after hearing about our great success!"
Everyone's minds drifted, imagining Professor Lucy perhaps directly proposing to Kayle and dragging him to alter. "You're my best student and a genius. Let's get married, Kayle!" they pictured her saying.
Kayle shook his head but smirked. "Alright, focus. We're now in the middle of the second layer of the forest. The mantis should be nearby—stay alert."
"Understood!" they chorused, snapping to attention.
Kayle and his group ventured deeper into the forest.
Deeper into the heart of the forest, the trees growing denser, their snow-laden branches stretching like skeletal arms overhead. The muffled crunch of boots on snow echoed faintly through the quiet gloom.
"Well, Kayle, why are these monsters coming one by one and not in a single group?" Silvia asked, a curious frown on her face.
"Territory division," Kayle explained patiently. "The first layer of the forest is the territory of smaller monsters who attack in packs or groups. The second layer is where stronger monsters reside. If we were to search this whole area, we'd find the Orcs' territory, but we don't have time for them. Red Orcs usually don't come out in the cold season, but they were lurking around in this weather, meaning either they've left the place for a new hideout, or there's a stronger monster than them which threatens them."
"So you mean those Haligex Mantis are stronger and wilder than those Orcs?" Silvia deduced.
"They are like nightmares," Kayle confirmed, his tone serious. "Like Red Orcs, Haligex Mantises are also four-star risk rating monsters, but they have six legs. Their front two legs possess rows of sharp spines, hard like Chromium, which they use to grasp their prey. They also have wings, which allow them to fly and escape with their prey. They're hard to catch. They typically emerge during the rainy season and settle down in quiet places. And this winter season is their mating time, so they will be together this time around."
"Oh, then if they're much stronger, why are they still rated as four-star risk?" Silvia questioned, puzzled.
"Because they have a fatal weakness, which is their stomach," Kayle revealed. " It's the only part of their body which is soft. If you slash it, they won't be able to open their wings and can't run away. All of you, follow the same formation to create an opening for your partner so that they can land a critical hit on the mantises. Understand?"
"Yes!" they all affirmed, their voices determined.
After a few more minutes of cautious movement, they reached a clearing where approximately twenty mantises were gathered, their forms blending deceptively with the snowy, tangled undergrowth.
Kayle signaled them to stop. Then, from his Storage Ring, he produced several small, mud-colored orbs.
"Kayle, what are these things?" Silvia whispered, her voice transmitted directly to his mind via Wind Sonar.
"You'll find out soon," he replied through the same method, a hint of a smile in his tone.
He then gestured for all of them to hide behind the surrounding trees, preparing for the impending confrontation.
Kayle, with swift, precise movements, threw the small, mud-colored orbs onto the ground near the unsuspecting mantises.
Thump. Thump.
Listening to the soft thud of the orbs, a curious mantis lumbered over to investigate. It nudged the orb with a spiny leg, rolling it around. Then, its compound eyes registered a tiny red light, blinking on and off at the orb's center. The mantis leaned in closer, intrigued.
BOOOOM!
A massive blast erupted directly in the mantis's face, instantly incinerating it to a crisp.
Silvia, Sara, Latty, James, Nana, and Rolex watched, utterly shocked. Those small orbs Kayle had casually tossed were creating enormous explosions.
BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The deafening sound of bombs echoed through the silent forest, shattering the tranquility. Kayle quickly distributed more of the orbs to his friends, gesturing for them to join the bombardment.
"Kayle, what are these orbs?! How can they make such huge blasts?" James shouted over the explosions.
"They're bombs I created!" Kayle yelled back. "Just pull the pin in the center and throw them!"
Following his instructions, they all pulled the pins and hurled the remaining bombs at the panicked mantises.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The mantises shrieked, their bodies thrown violently by the concussions. Many scattered, attempting to flee by taking to the air, but Kayle had already anticipated their move.
"Now, everyone, aim at their stomachs!" Kayle ordered, his voice cutting through the explosions.
Kayle, Silvia, Sara, and Latty, their visions enhanced by the specialized glasses, precisely targeted the mantises' vulnerable underbellies.
FIRE ARROWS!—Sara's magic erupted.
ICE SPEARS!—Silvia's chilling projectiles flew.
WIND NEEDLES!—Latty's invisible blades sliced.
LIGHTNING BLADES!—Kayle's crackling strikes tore through the air.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
CUT! CUT! CUT!
The air filled with the horrific, high-pitched shrieks of the mantises.
EEEEEEHHHHHHH!
Their stomachs slashed open, their delicate wings shredded and useless, the mantises plummeted to the ground. Half-burnt and grounded, they could only resort to one last, desperate measure: a head-on charge.
Kayle and his team maintained their formation. James, Nana, and Rolex boosted forward, their enhanced boots blurring with speed, taking the direct front. Silvia, Sara, and Latty provided devastating magical support from just behind them, a relentless assault of elemental power.
They battled fearlessly, a well-oiled machine of destruction.
Nana and Sara, moving side-by-side, fearlessly plunged into the thick of the battle.
Nana, with her incredibly high speed, darted around a mantis, slashing its back legs with precise movements.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
The mantis roared as it lost its four hind legs, unable to maintain balance. Sara seized the moment, unleashing her hybrid spell:
REAPER SLIME!
A viscous, acidic slime attacked, covering the mantis's front legs and forcibly pulling them outward, exposing its vulnerable head. Nana capitalized instantly, leaping over the thrashing creature and severing its head with a clean strike.
CUT!
"Good work, Sara!" Nana called out, a brief, sharp nod.
"Let's end this quickly!" Sara replied, already moving towards the next target.
They advanced. Two more mantises emerged ahead. Sara and Nana exchanged a quick, silent nod. The earlier bombardment of fire had already compromised the mantises' sturdy defenses, making their outer shell easier to pierce.
Nana clashed with one of the mantises. The creature blocked her initial attack with its hardened foreleg.
"Not so easy, are we?" Nana muttered, then put more force into her hands.
CUT!
She expertly severed the mantis's hard front legs.
EEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!
The mantis shrieked in excruciating pain, but Nana paid no mind. With a swift, brutal movement, she sliced its head cleanly in two.
SLASH!
Sara, meanwhile, utilized earth magic.
STONE ARMS!
Her arms swelled, transforming into massive, stone-covered limbs. She slammed them down onto the other mantis.
SLAM!
The creature was utterly flattened, glued to the ground like a piece of chewing gum.
"Hmph, disgusting," Sara muttered, looking at the pulverized monster.
On the other side of the clearing, James and Silvia—the formidable brother-and-sister duo—were wrecking absolute havoc. James was fighting like a man possessed, a maniacal grin on his face. Silvia watched her brother with a mix of awe and slight exasperation.
"Is this all you've got, you six-legged bugs?!" James roared, his voice echoing. "Entertain me more!"
"Quiet it, brother! You're making me feel gross!" Silvia chided, shaking her head.
James's sword clashed with a mantis. He was single-handedly fighting three mantises at once. James was a born fighter, a natural genius; he had adapted incredibly well to Kayle's tools, making full use of their capabilities. He moved with astonishing speed on the snowy ground, maintaining perfect balance, his center of gravity unwavering. He swung his heavy sword with one hand, effortlessly blocking mantis attacks with the other.
His reflexes were razor-sharp. He meticulously observed the mantises' movements. With a precise and swift motion, he moved close to one mantis and delivered a powerful horizontal slash.
SLASH!
The mantis was cleanly split into two parts.
"Easy peasy, baby!" James declared, flexing his blood-covered arms.
Then, Silvia ran towards James. "James!"
Silvia called out. She sprinted and leaped directly onto his sword blade. James, understanding her intent, used his sword as a launchpad, flinging her high into the sky.
Silvia looked down at Kayle, a warm smile gracing her lips. "Look here, Kayle!" she shouted.
INFERNAL SPEARS!
THET! THET! THET!
She launched several blazing infernal spears downwards, killing all the remaining mantises on the ground with devastating accuracy.
Kayle watched Silvia's brilliant display, a proud smile on his face. He began to clap, a slow, appreciative CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! For her incredible performance.
But Silvia had something else in mind. She remained suspended in the air for a moment, then began falling deliberately towards the ground.
Kayle, anticipating her move, ran forward and leaped, catching her effortlessly in his arms.
"Silvia, are you mad?! Why did you do something so dangerous? You could have seriously hurt yourself!" Kayle admonished, his voice tinged with genuine concern.
"I knew that you'd catch me, and you wouldn't hold me bridal-style that easily, so I did it!" Silvia said, wrapping her arms playfully around his neck, her face nestled against his.
"Hey, lovebirds! First, focus on the mission, then do your romance!" James yelled from below, a mischievous grin on his face.
"That brother of mine!" Silvia grumbled good-naturedly into Kayle's ear. "If I see him fooling around with Nana, I'll teach him a good lesson!"
Kayle gently set Silvia back down on her feet.
"Let's end them together," Kayle suggested, extending his hand.
"Yes!" Silvia replied, taking his hand firmly.
Kayle and Silvia stood together, holding hands. They chanted in unison.
DRAGON ROAR!
A colossal, fiery red dragon materialized, its scales shimmering with intense heat.
ROOOOAAAARRRR!
It roared, a sound that shook the very trees. All the remaining mantises, paralyzed with fear, tried to flee, but it was too late.
Kayle and Silvia launched the magnificent fire dragon towards the mantises, incinerating them all to ashes in a blinding inferno.
Other side everyone saw the dragon.
"Woah, what is that spell?! I've never heard of it!" Latty exclaimed, turning to Sara. "Sara, do you know anything about it?"
"I dunno," Sara replied, equally bewildered.
"I think Kayle again made a new spell," Latty mused. "But it doesn't look like a hybrid spell. It's something truly pure. Those flames are incredibly hot, not like your average fire magic!"
As the smoke cleared, Kayle and Silvia came into view. They stood there, still holding hands, and behind them, a majestic creature, radiating pure fire, materialized.
Everyone's eyes focused on it.
It was Phoenix, Silvia's contracted spirit.
"She summoned Phoenix?! It's really Phoenix!" Latty gasped. "I thought Professor Olivia told her not to summon Phoenix until it was a life-or-death matter!. Because she can't handle it right now."
"Yeah," Nana added, "but she did good work. With this continuous, long battle, we've all depleted our mana. And look, Kayle is holding her hand, so he must have channeled his mana so Silvia could handle Phoenix."
Everyone slowly approached them.
"Silvia, you seriously summoned Phoenix! Are you okay? It must have been exhausting for you to maintain Phoenix," Nana said, concern in her voice.
"Don't worry. I'm just a bit dizzy," Silvia replied, swaying slightly. "And Kayle shared his mana so I could maintain Phoenix."
"Silvia, sit here," Kayle instructed gently.
"Everyone, here, drink these mana potions. All of you have exhausted yourselves with this long battle." He pulled out several high-grade mana potions from his storage ring.
All of them sat down together, drinking mana potions and healing potions, allowing their bodies to recover.
Then, Bryan and his knights descended on their Falcons, landing beside them.
"Is everyone okay? It must have been exhausting for all of you," Bryan said, concern etched on his face. "Please, take some rest. Now that the extermination has been done, we'll leave after gathering all those corpses."
"Are there even any corpses left?" Rolex mumbled, looking at the scorched ground.
They all looked down. There were only burnt trees and melted ice. Not a single mantis corpse remained, as they had all been incinerated to ashes by Phoenix's flames.
"Well, we'll just gather the lizards, wolves, and orcs corpses instead," Bryan said with a sigh.
"After that, some knights and mercenaries will come to collect them."
"But Kayle, I must say," Bryan turned to him, his curiosity evident. "What are those things, and that bomb you just used to weaken the defense of the mantises?"
"Yeah, Kayle, I'm also curious about that!" Sara pressed. "How did you craft these tools?"
"Well, as you all know, after the research with the professors, my lab was left with nothing to do," Kayle began, spinning a convincing tale. "So, I just grabbed some magic engineering books and some fundamentals of basic laws of nature books, and did some research and experiments."
"Of course, it's a lie," Kayle thought. "I stole all the material from the research facility. Those Bodilocus seeds are the main ingredient in making those bombs; I used them in place of gunpowder. Those seeds can be used for this by combining them with the right material."
"So you made all of them by yourself?" Bryan asked, utterly amazed. "These boots, gauntlets, gloves, and glasses? Kayle, just how much are you going to make people envy you? Even I'm feeling a little bit jealous!"
"You flatter me, sir," Kayle said, a modest smile on his face.
"You deserve these praises, Kayle," Bryan insisted. "I'd like to have a conversation with you when we reach Umgrad City."
"Sure, sir," Kayle replied.
"All of you here, take some rest. I'll scout the area, just in case we left any monsters or they are hiding. Okay?" Kayle told his team.
"I'll come with you!" Silvia volunteered immediately.
"No, you're already exhausted. Take some rest; I'll be back," Kayle said gently.
"Don't get yourself in any kind of danger," Silvia warned him through Wind Sonar.
"Don't worry," Kayle replied through Wind Sonar, a faint smile on his face.
Kayle left the area, heading directly deeper into the forest.
In the third layer of the forest, a group of people had gathered. All of them wore black robes and cloaks, meticulously preparing a teleportation array.
A man materialized before the group.
"Sir Black, the scout has returned," one of the cloaked figures announced.
Then, a man stepped forward. His eyes were completely black, and he was bald. This was Black.
"How did it go?" Black asked, his voice chillingly calm.
"Sir, the target and his group are exhausted after the battle with monsters. They're now at the second layer of the forest; we can make our move now. They won't be able to run away," the scout reported, a cruel satisfaction in his tone.
"Good. Everyone, start the teleportation array. Place all those runestones at the array," Black commanded.
Far from them, Aeon sat perched on a tree branch, observing them from a safe distance.
"Here they are," Kayle mused. "Twenty black mages. All of them are Fifth and Sixth Circle Mages. Well, they need that many mages when they are teleporting a horde of monsters from the Larko Kingdom."
Then, Kayle used his Storage Ring, retrieving something utterly unexpected.
He pulled out a sniper gun. It was a large, imposing weapon, gleaming in colors of gold and silver.
"This is my true creation in this world," Kayle thought, a proud smirk on his face. "This is something which took me a year to make, stealing materials from the facility and merchant shops. But all my hard work has paid off. The knowledge of Star X is coming in handy in this situation. My precious sniper gun, the LRS 128."
He loaded the gun with a distinct click-clack and waited, his eyes fixed on the black mages below.
All the black mages, their faces grim under their hoods, began the meticulous preparation for the teleportation array. Runestones were precisely placed, and each mage took their designated position.
They initiated the activation process. The array hummed to life, emitting a faint violet light that steadily grew in intensity.
"All of you, start pouring your mana!" Black commanded, his voice sharp. "We're about to connect to the Larko Kingdom. Don't slack off!"
HUMMMMMMMMM.
The light intensified, pulsating, until it engulfed that entire section of the forest. With a final, powerful surge, the array successfully connected to its counterpart in the Larko Kingdom.
"It's done. Now they will send the monsters," Black announced, a chilling satisfaction in his tone. "We have ten minutes. Everyone, take your places. We just need to confirm their deaths and make sure they don't get away."
"Yes, sir!" his subordinates replied in unison.
Suddenly, one of the mages at the edge of the circle convulsed and fell to the ground with a soft thud.
They all looked at him, lying motionless.
"What happened to him suddenly? Why is he on the ground? Hey, you, check him!" Black demanded, his voice laced with suspicion.
A mage cautiously approached the fallen figure. He carefully turned the body over, and his eyes widened in horror. A perfectly circular hole marred the back of the dead mage's skull.
"Sir, he is dead. Someone..."
THUD!
That mage, too, collapsed to the ground, a fresh hole in his head.
Panic rippled through the remaining group as they witnessed two of their comrades drop dead without a sound. Their heads snapped frantically from side to side, desperately searching for the unseen killer.
"What?! Who did this?! Who is here?! Come out! Search! Where is he?!" Black roared, his composure cracking.
THUD!
Another mage crumpled to the ground.
"What the heck?! Who is doing this, and from where?!" Black shrieked, his voice filled with primal fear.
THUD!
Yet another mage fell.
Each time, a clean hole through the head.
"Fuck this! Everyone, raise your mana shield and cover yourselves!" Black screamed, a desperate order.
All the remaining mages instantly erected their mana shields, shimmering barriers of protective energy enveloping them. But it was useless.
THUD!
Another person died, collapsing within their seemingly impenetrable shield.
"Sir, the mana shield isn't working!"
"They're… they're piercing everything—"
"Shit! We're being hunted! We're all going to die!"
"We don't know where the killer is!"
"At this rate, we'll be wiped out!"
"Shit! Just where is that bastard?!" Black bellowed, a cold sweat breaking out on his bald head.
Perched silently on a high tree branch, aiming directly at their heads, Kayle pulled the trigger.
Aeon adjusted his aim, smoke curling from the barrel of his rifle
SHOT! CLICK–CLACK!
"Another headshot! I'm freaking awesome!" Aeon whispered to himself, a chilling laugh escaping him, his masked face alight with a dark amusement.
Just like that, he fired several more shots.
SHOT! SHOT! SHOT! SHOT! SHOT!
Each shot found a skull. Each body hit the ground in a muffled thump.
"Put all the mana shields you want, but they can't stop my bullets," Aeon taunted the unseen victims, his voice a low, confident murmur. "Because they're not ordinary bullets. They're imbued with the purest mana."
"Hahaha, it's all thanks to this necklace," Aeon chuckled, gently touching the blue necklace around his neck, which he had acquired from the Cronos Empire's imperial palace.
"This, like the other two necklaces, feasts on mana," Aeon explained, more to himself than anyone. "Not any ordinary or normal mana, but the purest mana. Only mages above the Sixth Circle could even hope to use it, if they knew how."
"I'm channeling the surrounding mana through my heart into these gemstones. My heart is a reactor, so I can gather as much mana as I want—the purest mana I possess," Aeon continued, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"And the necklace is transferring that pure mana directly into the bullets, coating their bodies and making them penetrate any mana shield, any defense."
Then he fired again.
SHOT! CLICK–CLACK!
On the black mage side, half of their number lay dead already. The group was consumed by absolute terror. They couldn't do anything but run.
"You bastards, stick together! Otherwise, you'll die!" Black screamed, but his voice was lost in their panic. They didn't hear him, their only instinct to flee.
Then.
SHOT! SHOT! SHOT! SHOT!
Those who ran fell, all of them dying, leaving behind only Black and three other black mages.
"Sir, what do we do? Everyone has died! Only we're left!" one of the surviving mages cried out.
"Shit! We don't have time!" Black roared, his face contorted in fear and rage.
He raised his hand and swiftly created several walls of dark magic, desperately attempting to provide cover.
"Run! We don't have time!" Black yelled, pushing his remaining mages forward.
They all ran like madmen, scrambling through the dense undergrowth.
As they tried to hide behind a thick tree, a bullet pierced clean through the trunk and THWACK!
shot one of the mages directly in the head.
Black and the other two remaining mages tried to run faster. They sprinted as fast as their legs could carry them, finally ducking behind a large boulder.
"F***! Who the hell was that?!" Black screamed, his voice hoarse with fury and terror. "I swear, I'll find out and kill his entire family with my own hands!"
"But how did he know our location?" one of the mages stammered, trembling. "This is a secret mission! Only our group and higher-ups know about it!"
"It means someone betrayed us, or our higher-ups want to get rid of us here! Damn, I won't leave them be! I'll screw every single one of them!" Black snarled, his eyes burning with vengeance.
"We first need to get out of here. Then we'll think about what to do next," the other mage urged, fear still etched on his face.
"You're right. See if anyone is behind us," Black ordered.
That mage turned to look at Black.
Then.
SHOT!
A bullet hit his head. He died instantly, his body collapsing.
Black and his last partner were shocked. Before they could react, something hit his partner's head. Blood streamed from his skull like a river.
They both tried to run, but.
SHOT!
AAAAHHHHHHH!
A bullet hit Black's leg. He screamed in agony. His partner, panicked, tried to help him get up.
SHOT!
Another bullet struck his other leg.
AAAAHHHHHHHH!
His agonizing cries echoed through the forest.
"Who the hell is here?! Show your face, you motherfucker!" Black screamed, his voice hoarse with pain and rage.
Then, a figure appeared before his and his partner's horrified eyes.
A man, holding a long, unfamiliar weapon casually resting on his shoulder. He wore a long black coat and a wide-brimmed, ten-gallon hat. His face was obscured by a black mask, leaving only his piercing violet eyes visible.
It was Aeon, disguised. He looked like a grim, supernatural cowboy.
He approached them on the snowy ground, his every step echoing ominously in the silent forest. With each deliberate step, he carried an aura of absolute, terrifying stillness.
Black began sweating profusely, his breath catching in his throat.
Slowly, steadily, the masked man drew closer, finally standing directly before them.
Black was consumed by pure, unadulterated fear. He couldn't even blink, his eyes wide open, chills crawling down his spine. In Black's terrified eyes, this figure was the Grim Reaper himself, come directly from hell.
A demon in a cowboy's skin. A reaper from the abyss
"Finally," Aeon's voice, deep and resonant, cut through the silence.
Upon hearing his voice, Black finally peed in his pants, a dark stain spreading across his trousers.
Both Aeon and Black's partner saw it.
But Aeon paid no attention to the embarrassing display.
"Finally," Aeon said again,
His hand slowly reaching out.
"I found you," Aeon stated
His voice a chilling whisper.
Aeon pulled off the cloak and hood of Black's last remaining partner.
"Itzayana," Aeon said, revealing the face of Black's companion.
It was a girl with emerald green hair and eyes.
Itzayana.