Book 1 Chapter 926
925.
The campsite was in disarray by Ar, who was struck by Azonia's fist and bounced away.
Ar, who had been buried in the debris of the tent, suddenly sat up.
As Ar got up, he flinched and trembled from the excruciating pain in his left arm.
Of the arms he had crossed to block Azonia's fist, the part that was hit by the fist was shattered.
Softly-
Elena descended from the sky and sat beside Ar.
“Are you okay?”
Despite Elena's question, Ar didn't answer, merely wagging his tail and glaring at his broken arm.
At Ar's appearance, Elena muttered to herself.
‘Is he angry?’
But looking closely, she saw moisture gathered at the corners of his eyes.
‘He knows that if he groans in pain, morale will drop, so he's enduring it.’
Certainly, the previous attack was no ordinary feat.
To call it a simple punch, the destructive power contained in that single blow was truly immense.
‘Where on earth did this monster come from?’
Though still young and inexperienced, Ar is clearly a hero whose name is on the Hero Record.
He had also quickly deployed his Aura Armor before being hit by the fist.
Even if he had been off guard, it wouldn't have been easy to inflict this much injury with a single punch.
Watching Ar twist his body in pain as he tried to lick his swelling arm, Elena sighed and manifested magic.
Elena cast a pain reduction spell on herself, then deployed a healing spell.
Vwoom-!
Light flowed from Ar's body.
Ar's tail became an ‘!’.
“It doesn't hurt!”
“It's a healing spell.”
“Is there such an effective healing spell?”
“Yes, Elven magic.”
“Ohhh!”
Sacrifice.
It is a spell left behind by the Elven Saintess Menamel.
This spell, considered the strongest healing magic, can even save those on the verge of death.
However, it was a forbidden spell.
The reason was that the caster bore the cost in their stead.
‘I feel like I'm going to faint…’
Elena, sweating coldly, used her right hand to cover the injured area to hide her swollen left arm.
Magic of equivalent exchange, where the caster takes on the subject's injuries.
That was the principle of Sacrifice.
Using healing magic with her right hand, Elena maintained her composure.
If she showed signs of pain here, Ar would worry about her.
‘Because I received the leader position from Leo, even if it's temporary.’
She had to act perfectly as a leader in his stead.
Recalling Leo's composure in encouraging the party without the slightest waver in any situation, Elena smiled faintly.
“Ms. Elena, you can use various kinds of magic!”
“My family is just like that.”
Her reputation as a magic genius wasn't acquired for nothing.
If a spell was within the category of magic, Elena could learn most of them without difficulty, regardless of their specific attributes.
Perhaps in good spirits, Ar's tail once again stood up like an ‘!’.
Elena, who had been staring intently at his fluffy white tail, reached out a hand.
Swish-!
Ar's tail spitefully dodged Elena's hand.
“I even healed your injury, so let me touch it.”
“No. My tail is sensitive.”
“Leo grabs it just fine though.”
“A black rabbit is a black rabbit. A lady's tail is precious.”
“How petty.”
Elena, grumbling with a sulky face, said.
“You join the front lines. I'll prepare the magic.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ar replied vigorously and ran off.
As Ar disappeared, Elena unknowingly sank to the ground.
Thud-
“It really hurts…”
Cold sweat dripped from Elena's forehead, left alone.
Even though the healing spell was mending her wounds, the pain showed no signs of subsiding.
‘Still, I tricked him well.’
Elena, who had deceived the sensually sensitive Ar, took a deep breath.
Then, maintaining the healing spell, Elena deployed multiple incantations.
Vwoom-!
A colossal magical power writhed.
The target was the sudden assailant.
Deploying hundreds of spells, Elena narrowed her eyes.
‘What on earth is its true identity?’
***
On the front lines, Dryana and Eiran were engaging the assailant.
Runia was casting spells, having even summoned a Phoenix.
The problem was that it was difficult to use Runia's specialty, large-scale magic.
‘Bad compatibility!’
Runia bit her lip.
Most of Tartarus's high-ranking demonkind are monsters with colossal bodies.
Tartarus, the ultimate target for subjugation, was also a giant of flame.
Therefore, Runia had focused on mastering spells to defeat colossal beings.
Of course, that didn't mean her anti-personnel magic was weak at all.
It's just that their current enemy was a monster far beyond common sense.
‘If it were Lady Luna, she would have perfectly fulfilled her role, regardless of whether the opponent was big or small.’
Feeling her own inadequacy, Runia fired a spell.
Swoosh-!
Azonia, who barely dodged the spell, approached Runia.
Eiran blocked Runia's path.
Crash-!
“Kyaaah?!”
Azonia didn't hesitate and swung her fist at Eiran.
Though Eiran, armed with Animus armor, blocked the fist with her shield, she couldn't withstand the impact and was sent flying with a scream.
“Eiran!”
Dryana hastily reached out to Eiran.
She couldn't afford to be forced off the battlefield like Ar if things went wrong.
Dryana alone couldn't stop Azonia.
As a vanguard, Dryana was very strong, but she specialized in blocking giant monsters or massive armies.
Therefore, her capacity to deal with an enemy moving at such high speed was a little lacking.
She barely managed to catch the flying Eiran but was left momentarily defenseless.
“Ugh! Runia! Can you dodge it?!”
“Of course!”
Runia had already been preparing to evade since Azonia began her charge.
Flap! Whoosh-!
Crimson wings of flame erupted from Runia's back.
She had transformed the Phoenix into flames and wrapped it around her body.
Runia soared into the sky at high speed.
“…!”
“Amazing, isn't it? It's like Spirit Armored from Spirit Arts, isn't it?”
But Azonia easily overtook Runia.
Seeing Runia's Phantom Beast Arts, Azonia was purely impressed.
The talent for summoning, which converted top-tier Spirit Arts into Phantom Beast Arts, was astonishing even to Azonia.
‘They're not just a conqueror from Lady Luna's world.’
Azonia glanced down.
‘The Dwarf kid and the Elf are the same.’
Finally, Azonia turned her gaze straight ahead.
Ar was already, in the blink of an eye, swinging his leg, his blue eyes flashing.
‘Even this cat kid.’
Azonia felt a special quality in those before her eyes.
Boom-!
Ar's sharp kick and Azonia's kick clashed.
Rumble-!
The atmosphere trembled from the clash of aura and aura.
In the confrontation of strength against strength, Ar was slowly pushed back.
Finally, just before Ar was flung away.
“Grroooowl-!”
“…!”
Ar let out a howl.
Along with that, Ar began to beastify.
Azonia's eyes widened, perhaps because that was unexpected.
At that moment, the balance of power collapsed, albeit momentarily.
Azonia plummeted to the ground, overpowered by Ar's momentary burst of strength.
Crraash-!
A crater formed as if a meteor had fallen to the ground.
Sand surged up like waves.
‘Beastification… This is that damn person's ability.’
Azonia got up and brushed off the sand covering her entire body.
‘This confirms it. These children are the successors of the great heroes Rodia and Seirun spoke of.’
Azonia raised her head and looked at Ar.
‘A successor of the hero chosen by the Hero of Beginnings.’
Azonia's gaze turned skewed.
Just then.
Whoosh-!
Runia's completed spell struck the pit where Azonia was.
Simultaneously, an immense number of binding spells coiled around Azonia.
Azonia's eyes twitched.
Starting with simple gravity magic, followed by binding magic, spatial compression magic, and so on.
An immense binding force, enough to momentarily restrain Azonia, the Hero of Creation, was unleashed.
What was even more surprising was that these numerous types of magic were all different, with no overlap.
‘Yet, the spells are connected like a chain.’
Extremely delicate and powerful magic.
Azonia glanced at Runia.
‘It's not a spell cast by Lady Luna's successor. Then, was it the spell cast by that human mage earlier?’
Azonia realized who the most threatening enemy here was.
Her skill, surpassing most mage heroes by far, despite her young, almost childish age.
‘While Lady Luna's successor's magic power is superior, this one would be more troublesome to deal with.’
Crraash-!
At that moment, Runia's spell, reminiscent of the sun, exploded upon Azonia.
Whoooosh-!
Due to the immense heat, the sand in the surrounding area began to melt and flow like lava.
The spell burrowed deep into the ground as if a hot iron ball had fallen onto ice.
But that was only for a moment.
The colossal circular flame stopped burrowing into the ground.
Runia's face hardened.
Whoooosh-!
The flame magic slowly began to rise above the ground.
Soon, Azonia pushed the magic away with one hand and ascended to the surface.
Her mouth, visible beneath her hood, was curved in an arc.
“This is getting interesting, isn't it?”
At Azonia's murmur, Ar felt all the fur on his body stand on end.
‘What is this? This overwhelming pressure?’
It was a different dimension from just a moment ago.
Watching Ar lower his stance and start to sweat coldly, Azonia smiled.
“At this rate, I can get serious too.”
Before Azonia even finished speaking, Ar flew towards Elena's location at maximum speed.
Bang-!
Azonia's fist was blocked right in front of Elena's nose.
Ar's hand, which had barely blocked the fist, was trembling.
“Quite impressive, runt. To even handle supersenses.”
Flash-!
Elena deployed magic with a chilling expression.
Seeing that, Azonia smiled faintly.
“Unlike your pretty face, the spells you use are quite fierce, aren't they?”
Smiling faintly, Azonia twisted the fist still held by Ar's hand.
“Uh?!”
Ar, realizing Azonia's intention to attack Elena, emitted a golden aura.
At that moment, the killing intent that had been directed at Elena shifted towards Ar.
Thwack-!
“Cough?!”
Azonia's fist once again struck Ar's stomach.
Thud-
Looking at Ar, who had fallen to the ground clutching his stomach, Azonia said in a chilling voice.
“Let me give you a warning. I hate cat beast-kin and golden aura more than anything in the world. Remember that well.”
Ar, gritting his teeth, kicked off the ground.
“Oh? Still full of vigor, aren't you?”
Azonia, displaying chilling belligerence, reached out a hand towards the air.
Grab-!
Azonia, who had snatched Ar by the neck, threw Ar towards Runia, who had flown over without her noticing.
“Ms. Runia! Be careful!”
Eiran hastily tried to save Runia, but Azonia approaching and kicking Eiran was faster.
“Hm!”
Dryana swung her battle-axe towards Azonia's head.
Grab-!
Azonia, who blocked Dryana's attack with a single finger, smiled faintly.
“I wonder.”
Then she glanced at Elena, who was deploying magic.
“If you keep being trampled, will you break too?”
Azonia, with a cruel smile, unleashed an explosion of aura.