Capítulo 13: Chapter 12: Archmonsters
It had been a few days since Eterna had freaked out over her misunderstanding. Nothing of note had happened since then, and I was enjoying my new student life in my own way.
While Verner had been a loner during his first few weeks at the academy, he now hung out with Eterna—as well as Fiora and random dude—most of the time. The only issue was that he still spent every free moment he could get on muscle training. What is he even trying to achieve?
As for me, I was having a blast getting treated like royalty and seeing everyone fuss over me. It felt incredibly good to have everyone look at me with envy or admiration or to hear my praises being sung from the crowds. Yeah, to be honest, I was a bit of an attention whore.
Look at me all you want, peasants! Lose yourselves in my beauty! Oh, wait not you, shitty Four-eyed Pervert. You don't count. I wanna puke whenever I feel your eyes on me, you disgusting idiot.
You know what would improve my mood, though? Gazing at beautiful girls—like Eterna, for instance!
Double standards? What double standards?! Shut up!
Anyway, I had recently seen the light. I now knew my decision to come to the academy had been the right one...hye he he.
After I'd moved to the academy, I'd been given a stupidly large room that came with its own private bath. But I looked like a woman, if you catch my drift. No? Well, it meant that I was free to enter the women's bath! From the front door and everything, fair and square!
I just had to blurt out some random excuse about wanting to understand the students better or build bonds with my future knights—you know, that kind of bullshit—and I was free to get into the women's bath once a week without getting suspected of having questionable intentions! The best part was, for whatever reason, girls would swarm the bathhouse whenever I went! I could get my fill of eye candy! It was my greatest joy these days.
That stuff makes me too frisky.
The bathhouse was like heaven on earth, a pink paradise as far as the eye could see. If I could somehow record what I saw, and make a movie out of it, it'd most definitely be rated X.
My time had finally come!
"Hey! You! Stop looking at Lady Ellize like that! And you too! Your impure thoughts are written all over your face. I'll kill you! Argh... These girls aren't ever proper knights yet. Why are they blessed by getting to see Lady Ellize's fair skin...?"
There was just one tiny problem. If I had to complain, it was that Scotterbrain spent her time chasing away any girls who dared approach me. Because of her, I only got to look! I hadn't had the chance to cop even a teensy little feel yet! If only she weren't in my way... I could've just gone all, "Wow! Yours are so big!" and grabbed boobs, butts, and thighs to my heart's content.
To make matters worse, Scotterbrain had tried to force me to wrap a towel around myself in the bathhouse. I'd seen enough anime to know that wasn't polite, though. You should never touch the water with your towel, kids!
Image here:
I'd told Scotterbrain I'd much rather drop the towel to respect customs, but she'd fought me tooth and nail over it. In the end, we ended up settling on a deal—I'd use light magic to hide the important bits. With Enigma Light—the strongest defensive spell in the light magic repertory—no one could see my lady bits or my boobs, regardless of the angle.
I didn't really see the point of kicking up a fuss, since the women's and men's baths were separated anyway, but I had to play by Scotterbrain's rules. She wouldn't let me go to the communal bath otherwise, so I had no choice.
Anyway, I was enjoying my life here so much that, before I even knew it, it was already time for the first midterm examination.
I didn't have to take any exams, by the way. This school existed to nurture knights who'd protect the saint. There was really no reason for the saint herself—well, a fake one, but let's not sweat the details—to be tested.
I hated exams anyway, so I wasn't about to complain.
After the tests, it'd be time for the summer holiday. I was planning to have a good time. The other students would have homework to worry about, but I'd be free!
Verner would probably be out and about going on dates and flirting with the heroine.
I'm bored...so bored.
I needed a new pastime. I still trained, but I'd found a workaround that let me do it on semi-autopilot.
Usually, when people trained to increase their mana, they tried to accumulate as much mana as possible before circulating it inside their bodies. It was pretty similar to training to increase lung capacity. You had to breathe in and out several times, right? It was the same sort of deal.
Anyway, my point was that I'd created a magic spell that let me go through that process automatically. I'd been inspired by those things they used in hospitals... Uh, what were they called again? Oh, right! Artificial respirators!
Others couldn't see it, but I'd create a large magic aura around me that would accumulate, circulate, and then dissipate mana. I just had to activate it whenever I wanted to train, then disable it when I was done. It was kinda like a cheat code that allowed me to get stronger with zero effort.
Working hard was a waste of time anyway. I was all about finding efficient workarounds that would allow me to take it easy. Hey, I wasn't ashamed to admit that I was a lazy bum!
But anyway, in a nutshell: I was bored to death.
To kill time, I snuck out to play a little prank on the large pack of monsters I knew the witch was trying to discreetly send over to the academy.
Light magic... BAM! And...dead!
I was sure the witch thought she was being subtle by making them take the long way around, but I couldn't be fooled that easily.
Do you know how many times I've played this game? I can see right through you!
If you left the army of monsters alone, they'd trudge along toward the school, destroying everything in their wake—including a whole country. They'd finally arrive at the academy in time for the final arc. The students would be waiting for them, ready to fight, but a lot of them would die. In most routes, Eterna would finally awaken her powers at that point and rid the school of the monsters after a long, tedious fight.
But yeah, I wasn't too keen on letting that happen. It was obviously much better to deal with annoying events like that preemptively!
Which brings me back to... BAAAAAM! Eat my magic blast! Light magic...BOOM! Fire magic...BOOM! Here, you guys can also have a taste of my water and thunder magic! BAM BAM BAM!
A little occasional exercise was good for the body, so I materialized a blade out of light magic and swung it around masterfully.
YEAAAAH! HA HA HA HA HA!!! COWER! FEAR ME! DIE DESPERATE AND HELPLESS!
One monster pretended to plead for its life to catch me off guard, but I beat it at its own game. Its face when it understood I never had any intention to spare it... Ha ha ha! Priceless!
Aaaah, boy! Talk about refreshing! Truly, nothing beat slaughtering monsters in this world!
Well then, dear citizens of the random country that stood in the monster army's way...good luck with the cleanup!
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The Lutein Kingdom, located in the east, was composed of a royal capital, seven cities, fifteen regions, and over a hundred villages. It had access to the sea, plenty of mountains, and a good amount of tourists who came looking to buy marine products and wild plants found in the mountains.
On most days, the royal capital of the Lutein Kingdom was bustling with activity, but on that fateful day, everything was different.
The people were scrambling to flee, carrying as many of their belongings as they possibly could. Why? Because a large army of monsters was approaching the city at an astonishing speed.
A battle that could've very well decided the fate of the kingdom had already started on the outskirts of the capital. Soldiers put their lives on the line, doing everything they could to protect their friends and families.
Every single soldier under the crown's command—including the mage division—had been mobilized, and reinforcements were hurrying over from every noble's domain. Volunteers had also assembled to help the troops. Every ruffian in the area had decided to join, declaring themselves heroes.
The citizens of Lutein were ready to put their disagreements past them and fight together for the survival of their homeland. They encouraged each other, trusted their previous enemies with their backs, mourned their deaths like family, and turned that pain into a newfound strength to stand up to the invaders.
Even the royal family rushed to the battlefield in an attempt to raise the morale of the troops. It was time for everyone to rise together against a common enemy.
"How surprising. These lowly humans sure are holding out quite well," a huge demon mounted on a gigantic three-headed dog sneered.
The demon was over three meters tall and covered in jet-black fur. On top of his head rested a pair of sharp horns. If you were to take a closer look, you'd notice he resembled a monkey somewhat. His horrifically sinister aura stopped anyone from ever thinking of making such a comparison, though.
At any rate, it was clear that this beast was commanding the entire monster army. What in the world was he? He couldn't be a regular monster, that much was clear to everyone.
By nature, monsters were wild beasts that had been turned evil by the witch's powers. There weren't any wild animals that looked like this demon, though. When monkeys were turned into monsters, they never grew so big, nor did they become so strong.
So what was this fearsome creature, if not a normal monster?
It was an archmonster—a much-feared super-monster that had been handcrafted by the witch.
In order to create them, the witch turned dozens of animals into monsters and trapped them in a small area, forcing them to fight one another. The monster that managed to survive and devour all the others would gain tremendous powers.
In most cases, the victorious monster would simply turn into a powerful beast. That had been the case for dragons and other such monsters Ellize had killed up until now, at least.
In fairy tales, dragons were often described as incredibly intelligent creatures that could communicate with humans, but there were no such records in this world. Naturally, dragons and the like were not archmonsters. They were almost as strong as them when it came to combat, but that was it. Archmonsters, on the other hand, had both brains and brawn.
More often than not, the monsters that successfully evolved into archmonsters came from species that were relatively similar to humans, like monkeys or goblins. Sometimes dogs, dolphins, or crows would also turn into archmonsters. Either way, only intelligent species had a chance.
Naturally, humans could not be turned into archmonsters...or any sort of monsters for that matter. They were much too weak. If the witch were to try such a thing, her target would simply die on the spot.
While the process of creating an archmonster was technically quite straightforward, it was in fact incredibly difficult to pull off. There was a ninety-nine percent chance of failure. The reason was very simple—monsters that stood a chance, such as monkeys, were fairly weak and were usually killed off early by other creatures.
A few lucky ones would manage to hide or escape the claws and fangs of other beasts long enough to grow their powers. They'd profit off the others' kills by absorbing some energy wherever they could and bide their time.
However, even when that happened, there was no guarantee their body would be able to bear their newfound powers. The majority of them ended up dying regardless, unable to withstand such tremendous powers—just like humans.
As a result, archmonsters were few and far between. Despite the incredible difficulty it took to make them, the efforts were well worth it—the witch would gain trustworthy allies that could even command armies efficiently.
"Don't lose to fear! Face the monsters! Don't let them rule over your hearts!"
"We can do it! Don't give up!"
"If we die here, our homeland is gone! We need to stand firm!"
Even in the face of great peril, the people of Lutein didn't give up hope. Alas, they were outnumbered and far too weak... No matter how valiantly they fought, the outcome was crystal clear—they would eventually fall.
"We'll make it! We need to buy enough time for the people to flee!"
The archmonster (we'll call him the demon monkey for the time being) suddenly burst into laughter; the commanding officer's words of encouragement were just too funny. Was that guy an idiot? He'd managed to contradict himself in two little sentences. How could he tell his men they'd make it, then say they needed to hold on long enough for the people to flee in the same breath? He had to know they wouldn't make it.
The demon monkey wanted to point out how ridiculous the human's words were. They were stalling for time, that was all it was. They'd already given up on surviving, on winning the fight to protect their country. Now that victory had escaped their grasp, the best they could do was to strive to save as many lives as possible. How sad. How pitiful!
The words of a loser trying to cheer his troops were truly pathetic.
"Now, now... I should take my time and have some fun with all of you," the demon monkey said, getting off the three-headed dog.
He landed right in the middle of the group of soldiers, crushing quite a few of them under him. He clutched his cudgel tightly and swung, scattering the men around him like leaves. They flew, the armor meant to protect them smashed as easily as biscuits.
Screams resounded.
"Don't falter! That one's the leader! Kill it!"
"If we defeat it, their formation will crumble!"
Soldiers rushed at the lone demon monkey. He laughed heartily at their desperate attempts, flinging the poor men that attacked him away with his cudgel. The sound of their armor getting crushed echoed through the battlefield as men—or what remained of them, at least—were hurled into the sky.
Archmonsters were as strong as dragons. They could easily destroy any ramparts, and no sword or spear was sharp enough to pierce their thick hide...to say nothing of their absurd endurance and magical defense.
Even the most elite of the elite, the magic knights that served in the saint's guard, couldn't hope to defeat an archmonster in one-on-one combat. A single magic knight was known to be stronger than an entire platoon, but only by banding together could they face the demon monkey with a real shot at victory.
As for regular soldiers...even hundreds of them wouldn't stand a chance without meticulous planning and arming themselves with the strongest weapons beforehand. Fighting an archmonster head-on was a losing battle for regular soldiers otherwise—it'd be like throwing a hundred babies at a ravenous beast. A baby could whale on a bear all it wanted with its chubby little arms, but it wouldn't deal any damage. On the other hand, one hit from the archmonster was enough to kill them.
That was just how it was.
It would only be a matter of time before the last soldier fell and their country was free for the taking.
And yet, thanks to the time the soldiers had won in exchange for their lives—having realized they'd never achieve victory and return home—a miracle happened. Their efforts were rewarded.
"Fortune favors the bold," a clear, soft voice said in a foreign language.
Those who heard it felt their hearts flutter. At the same time, thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of blades of light fell from the sky. The sparkling blades impaled monsters on their way down before they made their way to the soldiers. Wield me, they seemed to say.
Strangely enough, when the soldiers touched them, their wounds healed on the spot. They felt invigorated, their bodies light as feathers. Suddenly, they felt like anything was possible, like they could win this fight.
We can do this!
The brave men armed with blades of light lunged at the monsters, ready to show them that humans were not done yet.
An aurora filled the sky above them, and a young girl with blond hair finally descended.
"C-Could it be...? Is she...?"
"It's her! It's definitely her!"
The soldiers grew excited as they realized who had appeared. Some even forgot they were standing in the middle of a battlefield and stared at her, entranced.
She didn't seem to mind the attention at all; she simply looked down on the demon monkey.
"I see... So there was an archmonster here," she said softly. "I understand why the witch has been so quiet recently. To think she managed to assemble such an army."
"You... I get it now. You're the saint, aren't you?!"
The demon monkey had immediately understood that the girl looking down at him was the saint—the only hope of humanity—and clutched his cudgel.
If he could get rid of the saint here, the witch's victory would be assured. Her appearance here was completely unexpected, but it was a golden opportunity nonetheless.
"How brazen of you to show up here, foolish saint. I wonder how much despair your kind will show me if I drag your lifeless body across the land."
"I wonder... I must say I hadn't put much thought into this. The only thing I can tell you is that no one will lose hope just because I die. Humans do not abandon hope, not ever. And..." Ellize trailed off, gathering light into her palms as she spoke. She brought both hands to her chest before spreading her arms. "Even if I were to fall, I can assure you it wouldn't be now. Cut your coat according to your cloth," she concluded, reciting the final sentence in English.
The light that was escaping from her palms turned into countless blades. They flew outward, slicing the monsters apart one after the other. In the blink of an eye, most of them had been eradicated.
The demon monkey seemed to panic a little and hurriedly yelled out orders. "Kill her! Destroy her!"
The three-headed dog breathed out fire. Any remaining monsters that were able to attack from afar soon joined in. The flying monsters followed a little later, rushing at Ellize as fast as they could. The fire hit Ellize first. Sadly for them, though, she deflected it with one hand and used it to counterattack.
It was, in fact, the same barrier she'd used at the academy. The reflected fire was now three times as powerful.
She didn't give the monsters any time to reorganize themselves; she raised her index in front of her lips.
"Out of the mouth comes evil," she said in English.
Her spell activated. The monsters braced themselves for what was to come, but...nothing happened. Had she messed up her spell?
One of the monsters started laughing at her mistake. The chuckle had barely left its lips when a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, killing it on the spot.
"GIIIII?! GAAAH!!!"
Another monster, who had opened its mouth to scream, suffered the same fate. Then another, and another...
"Wh-What's happening?!" one of the soldiers couldn't help but ask.
Fortunately, lightning didn't strike him. The saint's allies would not be attacked by the heavens.
The monsters had no idea what was happening to them, and they continued to be decimated one after the other.
The answer was very simple—whenever a monster made a sound, it'd be silenced by thunder.
Every time a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, another monster would scream in horror. Yet another bolt of lightning would soon follow, and the vicious cycle would continue until only charred corpses remained in the witch's army.
Ellize didn't wait for the thunder to finish the job, though. She grabbed a blade of light and started mowing down monsters herself. With a swing of her blade, the first row of monsters were sliced into halves, even reaching the ones which were far away.
She continued with a second blow, then a third, a fourth, a fifth... Her speed was supernatural, and there was nothing the monsters could do to guard against her.
Eventually, only the demon monkey was left. He gritted his teeth and glared at Ellize, mad with rage, but didn't say a thing. He was only still alive because he'd understood quickly enough that any noise would've sent him right to the afterlife.
The problem had been that, although he had understood Ellize's ploy, he'd had no way to warn his allies. As badly as he'd wanted to warn them not to make a sound, he would've been struck by lightning the moment he opened his mouth.
The archmonster couldn't command his troops. Even the greatest officer couldn't win a battle if he couldn't communicate with his men. When speaking became a death sentence, there was no way to lead. What a fearsome tactic.
Writing could've been an option in different circumstances, but in the midst of a battle, it was completely impossible.
The demon monkey lunged at Ellize, still completely silent. Before he could get to her, though, he was stopped by dozens of soldiers stabbing at him with their blades of light.
Ellize remained perfectly still, her trademark smile plastered on her lips.
The demon fell to the ground and kneeled in front of Ellize. He clasped his hands in front of him as if to pray. He looked just as if he was begging for forgiveness. In fact, that's most likely what he was trying to do—beg for his life.
Ellize walked up to the demon, her pace unhurried.
"Saint! It's dangerous! Please step back!"
"He's right! You shouldn't show that monster any pity!"
"It must be a ploy to make you lower your guard! Don't get too close!"
The soldiers pleaded with Ellize to be careful, but she didn't heed their warnings. When she finally reached the beast, she leaned forward and extended her hand.
The saint was still the saint, regardless of the circumstances. No one was as compassionate as she was. She couldn't bring herself to turn her back on anyone, or anything—even the worst of fiends.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake.
Even with the best intentions in the world, there were beings that were hopelessly evil, beyond saving. They'd trample on people's sympathy; they'd do anything for the sake of victory. They were even dirtier than feces.
The demon monkey was one such being, and once Ellize was close enough, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Saint!" one of the soldiers yelled, readying an arrow.
"Wait! Don't shoot! You may hurt the saint!"
The demon monkey clenched Ellize's small, frail body in his large palm. He was trying to crush her in his hand.
An ominous cracking noise resounded, and the monster's mouth twisted into a warped smile. His happiness was short-lived, however. The next moment, he felt a sharp pang of pain from his hand, and his face contorted instead. His fingers were broken.
Ellize had protected herself with defensive magic and used her usual barrier. Anything that tried to hurt her would suffer three times the damage instead. As a result, the demon monkey hadn't hurt Ellize, he'd broken his own fingers.
He groaned and shivered in pain, releasing Ellize in the process.
"You! You tricked me... You only pretended to..."
Ellize seemed troubled, as if she didn't know how to react. For just a split second, however, she smiled. It was fleeting enough that anyone who hadn't been paying close attention to her expression would've missed it.
She then turned her back to the monster.
Why had she smiled? Was she laughing at the foolish demon for believing it had succeeded in tricking her, only to be deceived instead?
Impossible.
The knights were all convinced the expression she'd shown was a sad smile. She'd wanted to believe in the monster, but he had broken her trust... Or maybe she had laughed at herself for failing to believe in the monster completely.
Either way, she'd acted out of the kindness of her heart.
Behind Ellize, the demon monkey was struck by lightning, and the curtain finally fell on the gruesome fight for survival for the people of Lutein.
(4k words)
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