Free Web NovelChapter 23: Saga 23— Trouble Be Brewing At the Edge Of The Highlands
The ogre leader watched closely as his subordinates dropped like flies. He was faced with Sylvia. He thought, ’No matter. I can rebuild my gang. This one doesn’t look all that strong.’
Monsters and beasts were gauged by two things: mana intensity and evolution tier. These two together gave rise to their threat level, though threat levels could sometimes be inaccurate due to unique talents.
In this case, the semi-ancient ogre was the fifth evolution tier for ogres, and they possessed a unique talent that made them even more devastating—Berserk—by completely losing their sanity and burning away their lifespan. Semi-ancient ogres could greatly increase their overall destructive power.
"Coming before me, Rakan, will be your death, child!" Rakan punctured a hole in his thumb with his jagged black claw.
Red-coloured mana erupted violently from his large, husky body. The massive flow of mana came with a terrorising gust that swept across the bandits’ camp.
The ground cracked violently beneath Rakan’s feet. "Rahhhhhhhhh!" He had completely lost it and gone insane. His mouth hung wide open, with two front teeth curving above his lips as he repeatedly pounded his chest.
Rakan then moved astonishingly fast for someone as large as him; the speed he displayed was surreal. He appeared behind Sylvia in a blur, directing a huge fist toward her curvy hips. The attack raised an enormous cloud of dust—he didn’t care what or whom he was attacking. Rakan simply kept smashing and smashing.
When the dust finally settled, he had been striking nothing but air the entire time. Sylvia was nowhere to be found within his line of sight.
"You don’t even pass as a training doll."
Sylvia’s voice rang out from above. Crystal-blue eyes filled with disdain. She stood elegantly atop a floating white sword.
Translucent yet alluring mana exuded from her beautiful figure. She slowly raised her pristine arm, showcasing her finely sculpted physique.
"Unique Ability: Array of Swords."
Hundreds of white celestial swords spread across the cloudless sky. The tips of the blades shifted toward Rakan. Before the thought that ’He was doomed’ could even register in his head, the blades descended like divine judgment, not only piercing the earth and causing an eruption of dense magicules,
but also shredding Rakan down to the very last atom of his being. Not a sliver of skin remained.
Claire healed the abducted travellers. They left the bandits’ camp in a state worse than terrible or horrible—it was a complete hot mess.
Soon, word of Azure Blake’s tremendous feats quickly spread throughout the capital and, in time, across the entire kingdom and beyond.
When they entered Renodin Regal Academy, it was officially a fresh start for them, so they vowed never to reveal their true capabilities in public and to live their student lives as completely average individuals. Unfortunately, they still found themselves becoming the student council leaders.
"I believe that should answer your question fully and wholesomely."
Yuki took about thirty minutes to tell Kael the tale of how Azure Blake came to be.
Kael was indeed deeply touched and intrigued by their story. At least now, he felt that he knew Sylvia better, even if only by a little.
They had no choice but to accept the guild master’s impromptu and annoying mission. They were one of the very few S-rank parties in Renodin. Most S-ranks preferred to lead mixed parties of A-ranks, B-ranks, and C-ranks. In doing so, they built something much larger than the average party, which usually didn’t have more than seven members.
’A Company,’ to be exact, which consisted of a large number of hunters working together under the command of one leader—something akin to a mini-organization.
Being an S-rank hunter, to be precise, was no small feat. Even an S-rank healer would rather lead their own company than join forces with another S-rank. Bottom line—they were all rather prideful. Hence the reason why most parties or companies consisted of a maximum of two or three S-rank hunters.
"So who’s going to cover for us when we’re gone? Surely the other students are going to notice?" Kael asked, concerned about drawing attention or even getting caught.
"That’s where I come in!" Adian banged the door open, as though he had been waiting for this very opportunity just so he could make an entrance. Or had he?
’Don’t tell me—’
"Yes! Kael, it’s exactly what you’re thinking—"
In a blur, Adian appeared behind the thoroughly repulsed Sylvia. "Me and Sylvia are sweet hea—" Sylvia slammed him into the wall with the back of her fist. Frighteningly, she still maintained a calm expression.
"As usual, your way of showing your love to me is so intoxicating... Syvy-chan."
Adian swooned in his delusion of something that would never happen, even as blood trickled from his skull.
"Tsk! What a pervert. I can’t believe he is our... proxy." Claire clicked her tongue, yelping in frustration over Adian’s consistently perverted antics toward Sylvia.
"Proxy?" Kael furrowed a brow.
"Yes... I’m Azure Blaze’s esteemed proxy!" Adian wasn’t ready to give up; he leapt at Sylvia.
"Give it a rest... Brother." Harriden sprinted out of Sylvia’s shadow and smashed a fist into Adian’s handsome face. Adian’s body slammed into the wall for the second time. This time around, a vivid CRACK echoed through the room.
"Yep! I broke a bone." He bounced back onto his feet before immediately doubling over in excruciating pain.
Claire chose to heal Adian out of her own goodwill—or perhaps tedious ulterior motives. After a short while, Adian had fully recovered, ready to continue his earlier explanation.
"Woohoo, I feel brand new..." He threw both hands into the air.
"Thanks, Claire."
"Not welcome." Claire pursed her lips.
"Kael LongHeart... I am the proxy assigned to watch over Azure Blake by the High Elven Supreme Queen Lefiya."
Adian placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head slightly.
"More like forcefully assigned," Yuki chuckled.
While they were discussing how to proceed with the mission, deep within the highlands of Sumbiya, dark-purple rot was killing the plants and animals around it, mutating them into something else—monsters.
Within the thick, dark-purple miasma, crimson eyes shone. Their gaze wasn’t violent but calculating.
"Soon all will know of the ’Becoming’ in the name of the Black Ring."
An eerie and unsettling metallic voice rasped like a broken radio.
— End of Chapter —
