บท 11: 11: Attack on the Village
Rowan's heart almost skipped a beat when he couldn't see her in her spot.
"Kalliste! Where are you?" He quickly looked around, ignoring the old man's yell and shouts.
"Come on, kid! We need to go!" The old man grabbed his arms and attempted to pull him away.
"Get your hands off of me!" Rowan now had a serious look on his face. His powerful mana surged around his body as he stared at the old man with a menacing look.
This made the old man take a few steps back, realising that he messed with someone whom he was not supposed to mess with. However, his face also turned ugly.
"Suit yourself then, crazy brat!" The old man retorted before running in the opposite direction.
"Kally! Could you hear me? Please show yourself!" Rowan's heart pounded nonstop as he screamed out her name. A lot of what-ifs entered his mind as he searched for her whereabouts all over the area, but to no avail.
"Growl!"
"Ah!"
Soon, the pained screams of the beastmen throughout the area overpowered his shout. Rowan stopped on his track when he saw how an ugly, giant troll ate an adult beastman in one gulp.
"Not good!" Rowan cursed his rotten luck when the troll suddenly sniffed the air. Its eyes, the literal size of plates, widened even more as it crazily looked around.
When it finally spotted him, it let out a dangerous and deafening growl. Rowan had to cover his nose and mouth because of the repugnant smell of decay and rotten flesh. His eyes widened when he saw the troll suddenly run in his direction. He attempted to run, but the troll's speedwas too swift despite its massive size. With a blink of an eye, he found himself surrounded by two trolls.
The first troll quickly stretched out its arms with the intention of grabbing him. However, before it could reach him, Rowan jumped upwards and backflipped in the air. He landed a few meters away from the two creatures. In doing so, he did not anticipate the unexpected appearance of the third troll. Before he could react, it grabbed his small body and, with its sharp nails, sank into his arms, leaving it with warm blood flowing nonstop.
"Arg!" If he hadn't managed to dodge at the last minute, his entire arm would have become detached from his body.
"No!" His eyes widened when he saw three more trolls heading their way. He tried to cover his wound; however, it was already too late. The smell of his blood was like freshly baked bread for all the monsters. It was akin to a magical elixir, capable of providing them with immense power and strength upon consumption. Unbestknown to anyone, this was the ultimate secret of his birth. The only thing that he inherited from his birth mother, the third concubine.
"Hmm. This wonderful scent. No doubt about it. You are a descendant of Emperor Mallus of Credia."
Rowan froze when he heard a thunderous voice. He also observed the sudden calmness of all the trolls surrounding them as the largest one entered the scene. Unlike the others, this one had a white colour.
'It's dangerous! I still need to find Kalliste!' Only monsters who reached a certain amount of power could gain human intelligence. This would make him the strongest of their kind.
'Does this imply that I am currently facing one?'
"Boy. It had been a long time since I had tasted the blood of a Credia, a race thought to be extinct. Who would have thought that I would find someone with his blood in such a shabby?"
Rowan saw the monster smirk, if that was even possible. It took a few steps forward until they were face-to-face. Rowan could feel the revolting breath. He wanted to puke, but he held himself.
"What kind of luck!" The troll suddenly lets out a loud laugh. Its laughter echoed in the area.
"Not only did you carry the blood of a Credia, but yours was a pure one. A pure blooded Credia! It makes me want to swallow you at once!"
Rowan was even more disgusted when he saw the yellowish saliva that came out of the monster's mouth.
"Here's the deal, descendant of Credia. If you want to live, then you have to sit still and let us do our work. Maybe then will I spare your life once I am finished with you."
Rowan immediately gritted his teeth upon hearing what it said. He would rather die fighting than to be killed without doing anything.
"Over my dead body!" Left with no other choice, Rowan spread his arms up in the sky. "Come to me, Oblivion!" As soon as the words escaped his lips, a terrifying vortex suddenly formed on the horizon. In a blink of an eye, the troll who held him instantly fell to the ground, dead with a simple looking sword stuck on its body.
The sudden turn of events called the attention of all of the other trolls. They quickly assembled at his location. Soon, sixteen trolls, each wielding a massive axe, surrounded him. Seeing this, Rowan cursed his luck. He could handle at least six or seven of them, but definitely not sixteen! He would be too tired and would surely run out of energy and strength before he could even kill the seventh. Not to mention the leader of the trolls.
'I could not let that happen. I still have to find Kally!'
"Boy! I tried to warn you. Do not blame me for being merciless! Go. Capture him!"
With the leader's command, all the trolls immediately gave out an earsplitting growl before attacking.
Seeing this, Rowan readied himself. He had no other choice. It will be now or never! He immediately concentrated all of his power into his sword. When he struck his sword on the ground, the monsters were already within reach. A massive crater formed upon impact.
"Sword art, level three. Massacre!" As soon as the words escaped his lips, a horrifying flash of black, red, and white suddenly entombed the whole area. When it dissipated, Rowan vanished from sight. He used this chance to run away.
Meanwhile, eleven out of sixteen trolls crumbled into dust. The trolls' leader became furious upon witnessing this.
"Find him!" He roared loudly, letting the forest know of his wrath. With his command, the remaining trolls quickly separated and ran in different directions.
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Meanwhile, Rowan rushed into the forest. He needed to get out of there, fast. However, he stopped when he suddenly coughed up a lot of blood. His consciousness was already leaving his body, while his visions darkened.
"This is bad! I needed to get out of here fast." Rowan knew that the remaining trolls would be looking everywhere for him. He did not have enough strength to confront all of them once.
"I needed to find a safe location first." Though he was huffing so hard while catching his breath, the only thing that helped him stay conscious was his will to find the girl.
"Argh!" After some time, he screamed in pain as he lost his balance and fell to the ground. He felt his insides twisted as his three mana rings rapidly circulated, attempting to replenish his nearly depleted mana pool.
"Cough!" With a loud cough, he finally noticed the crimson colour that came out of his mouth.
'What a shame. After all my gruesome training, my body still couldn't handle Sword Art level three.' Rowan sighed as he tried to calm himself down. He needed to think about his next steps carefully.
"Well, well, well. Look who I found."
Rowan's body went stiff, and his eyes widened as soon as he heard the deep and familiar voice. Despite his weak body, he quickly turned around and came face-to-face with the now humanoid form of the leader of the trolls. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing him.
"You know, I actually enjoyed our little hide and seek game. However, I changed my mind about sparing your life. Killing twelve of my kind was sufficient justification for me to murder and torture you once I've finished your blood."
'I actually forgot about my wound!' Rowan cursed himself. The scent of his dripping blood on the ground probably led to his discovery. However, it was already in the past. He could only fight to death now.
"Come to me, Oblivion!" Even in a weakened state, Rowan still managed to call his weapon.
Upon witnessing this, the troll bursts into raucous laughter. He actually enjoyed every moment.
"The fabled Oblivion. The beloved weapon of Emperor Mallus renowned for its strength and ability to eliminate all monsters and demons with one swing. Who would have thought that I would live to see this day! However, a child like you still had a very long way to go before wielding it to its full power. It does not matter anyway." As soon as the words escaped his lips, he also stretched his two arms.
"Greet your master, Polymor!" There was a loud bang that was followed by something shattering before two double-edged swords suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They were now in the hands of the leader.
"Come! Come at me with all you've got! It was about time that I tested how powerful Emperor Mallus' sword really was." There was a murderous and excited grin on his face as he eyed Oblivion. Drips of viscous saliva flew out of his gaping mouth.
'That mythical blade would finally become mine when I kill the boy.' He grinned madly like a demon. Just the thoughts of acquiring that blade made his adrenaline rush to the highest level.
"If you don't attack first, then I would!" With that, he suddenly disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Rowan was startled, but he managed to block the attack when he sensed its presence on his side. The impact made him take a few steps back and, at the same time, create a medium-sized crater to where he stood.
"Not bad! How about this?"
"Argh!" Rowan let out a low hiss when he felt the sharp object hit his waist. Though he managed to back away before it deepened, the pain made him fall to the ground.
"Is that all you've got, descendant of Credia? How disappointing!"
Rowan gritted his teeth. He could endure anything, but definitely not mockery against him. With all the strength that he could muster, he slowly got up. His opponent was now a few meters away in front of him.
"Yes! That's more like it. Could you feel it? The burning flames in your eyes that screamed 'I want to live' made me even more excited, descendant of Credia." As soon as the words escaped his lips, he attacked once again.
Rowan narrowed his eyes, and with a deep breath, he also disappeared from where he stood. The two met at the centre , with their swords clashing, making an ear-shattering sound. The mere shockwaves from their clash destroyed a huge part of the forest.
The two fought for dominance. However, Rowan's smaller physique clearly put him at a disadvantage against the troll's muscular humanoid form.
When Rowan was pushed back, he immediately counterattacked. "Sword art style, level one! A Thousand Slaughter!" With a speed unseen by the naked eye, he swung his sword forward, encircling his opponent with thousands of swords, leaving him stunned by the sheer number of blades.
"Go!" With his command, all the swords suddenly attacked the troll at the same time.
"Sword art style, level two! Elimination!" Rowan was not contented. To be sure of his victory, he sped up to the second level.
With that, all of the thousand swords merged into one to form a massive sword, about six feet tall. With a simple gesture of his fingers, the massive sword launched an attack. It was like a meteor that fell from the sky. The impact made a gigantic hole in the ground.
Cough!" Rowan coughed even more blood. The sensation of crucifying his entire body was overwhelming. He finally collapsed to the ground, exhaling deeply. With his tiny amount of mana left, he knew that he was already at death's door. However, a faint smile appeared on his face.
'I suppose this would be my final destination? Such a shame. If only I could see Kally for the last time.'
"Whew! That was close! Oblivion was truly a powerful sword. If only you still had enough power left, then I would surely be dead right now."
Rowan's body was almost frozen as soon as he heard that voice. He could not even move his body, let alone a finger. From the corner of his eye, he saw the leader, who was once again in his troll form. There was green blood on his chest, indicating that his attack at least reached the monster.
"I would love to play with you more, but I have to kill you right now. Don't worry, the boy with brunet hair who was with you will be next. I wonder what he would taste like?"
Rowan's ears perked up when he heard what he said. His eyes widened, and his expression immediately darkened.
He hung his head low and slowly got up. "What did you say you would do to him?" His body was now numb from the pain.
"How dare you mention him with that filthy mouth of yours!" Rowan's eyes were now shining with uncontrollable fury as he looked at his opponent with a menacing gaze. His jaws rooted. The final mento had been added, and he finally exploded in wrath. With no control, his primaeval instinct took over. His mana suddenly skyrocketed. Just the invincible force behind him was enough to create a gigantic crater from where he stood.
"What is happening!" Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, the troll trembled, and his eyes widened in fear.
"Sword Art Style, level 4! Destruction!"
With that, a dark flash suddenly entombed an expansive part of the area. It was followed by a deafening, pained screech that came from the troll.
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Meanwhile, Kalliste was once again lost. As soon as Rowan fell asleep, she once again saw her new slave, Porteur. She quickly followed him to the forest, only to lose her way within five minutes upon entering.
"Where the hell was that man?" Kalliste whispered in the air while also trying to remember the way back.
"My lady. I am here."
To her relief, he finally showed himself after almost ten minutes of walking in circles.
"This brat! Why did you not show yourself earlier?" Kalliste yelled in exasperation, her face flushing with anger and embarrassment. She hated it when things like this happened.
Instead of answering, Porteur only cackled. This elicited Kalliste's ire.
"Why are you laughing!" Her grew comically larger as she yelled at him.
In contrast, Porteur only covered his ears.
"I apologise, my lady. But I just thought that you are too adorable when you are embarrassed."
"Hmp! What about the things that I asked you to do? You better have good news for me."
"Unfortunately, no. The first concubine, Luana, was promoted to be queen after the execution of the third concubine, Princess Ophelia, the prince's mother. In addition, she appeared dissatisfied with her title. Last night, she secretly sent out two of her spirit animals in search for the prince. She seemed determined to find and kill the boy."
Kalliste's face hardened upon hearing this. She knew it was going to happen. This was only the background of the story. Rowan must face a great deal of hardships, both physical and emotional pain. Ups and downs, as well as the experience to mould him into the person that he would become in the future. A nonexistent character like her would only be a hindrance.
"Go. Continue to monitor that concubine, Luana. Report to me when you notice something dangerous."
"Yes. My liege." With that, Porteur suddenly disappeared in sight, leaving Kalliste to her thoughts.
'Should I leave him now? What should I do?' She was in that state when an earth-shattering explosion suddenly engulfed the whole forest.
Kalliste's eyes widened, and only one person immediately crossed her mind.
"Rowan!"
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