Chapter 461: No More Surprises.

Chapter 461: No More Surprises.

My lady, dont worry about the people in the church! Tasianna shouted after we all saw those flame pillars explode. Commander Kuornig chased the sin heirs companions towards the church, and hes strong enough to have bisected that mud wave, so he should be able to take care of it, my lady. We must take care of this issue.

That reminded me of the fully-armored person I saw with the faint white light. Yet, I honestly wished he was here with us to fight this guy since he was over level l50. It would even out the battlefield. Even if Neill, Tasianna, and I had beaten Vifi, gaining experience fighting against a Warbringer, it still was a close match that involved total destruction of the surroundings due to our combined Territory usage.

There was nobody inside this section of the city, but the collateral damage would be impossible to contain if this fight turns into what I thought it would become. Yet, we had to. This sin heir was a major threat, not only to my party but also to the entirety of this city! Fleindia wanted her revenge on a mud-using Warbringer, right? Well, here he was. He was her revenge target.

Still itching for a fight? Well then how about your wolf friend? Want her to die? Just leave her to die while fighting me? Yes, yes? He once again tried to talk his way out of this fight. Why, though? No? Then, let me make you worry!

The demonkin raised his arms into the air, making the mud around him rise up and hiding him like a curtain. My [Detection Sensor] noticed him burrowing himself into the earth, letting the mud wall crash into the ground, creating a miniature mud tsunami like the one he tried to create before.

Our five-man group dealt with it with our respective abilities, saving ourselves, but we were unable to fully prevent the mud wave from destroying the surrounding empty houses. They were all swept away by the waves, destroying even more of this once peaceful city.

I used my [Mana Eyes], locking onto the sin heirs figure, only to be shocked at how fast he was swimming through the ground. He was going towards the church.

I was about to inform everybody of this, but he suddenly pivoted towards the east, only to do it again, this time moving south. West, north, east, south, he was swimming around the area, making his intentions indecipherable to me, like a shark waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Redirecting this information to everybody, Neill became impatient, wanting to jump into the hole she escaped from to pursue him. I had noticed her aggression when I helped her in the air, so it made me wonder why she was so adamant about this fight.

[The bastard nearly caught me off-guard, and would have if it wasnt for Sarasa warning me. Saori and her group got attacked by him and he was about to bury me alive as well before I got myself out of the sewer. Tried to pay him back, but got trapped when he suddenly summoned that mud tsunami.]

Right! Tasianna jerked backward. Miss Saori! She sacrificed herself to help us, my lady. Pushed us out with Uno, allowing me to break us out of the predicament. The sin heir is right, Miss Saori is still trapped with the few enemies we were engaging at that time. We have to help her.

My chest was starting to feel the same tightness I felt when I had to decide between helping the citizens or saving my friends. It was happening again, another annoying set of decisions I had to choose between. We had to apprehend the demonkin but he was deep in the earth, swimming around as if he was awaiting our decision. He had all the time in the world, but we didnt.

It was obvious at this point he would react to whatever we would do. He could escape at any time, but letting Neill chase after him with only some support was suicidal. The moment he trapped her where my songs couldnt reach, she would be at a disadvantage. Even if she had [Battle Frenzy (Major)], it was too risky. Not to mention the possibility of the demonkin just suffocating her.

We have no choice.

Priorities. I had to remind myself what my priorities were. I felt guilty of almost getting tunnel visioned into fighting him in such a situation. We had to let him off.

[That is the correct choice, my princess.] When I relayed my thoughts to my companions, Shay immediately agreed. [A prey like this is impossible to beat without loses in such a situation. We need to save Saori, first.]

[Sarasa, Uno, and Song went to help Saori, we need to find them as well,] Beth added.

I interjected. [Uno came to me. I told him and Rajah to protect the citizens I rescued. Rajah should be herding the rest of the shadow pack, so we dont need to worry about them. Saori is our target.]

[Hey, hey, I have to speak up, though,] Neill said. [I know Saori is important to you, but this demonkin is still an issue, because we have no idea what hes trying to do. Flee? Maybe, but as you said, hes unpredictable and that makes it hard to know if your decision is right or not. We need to split up to cover up our flanks.]

That would be going along with his plans, Princess Fargryneill! Tasianna protested. If we separate, that just makes it easier for him to pick us off. You heard Saintess Fleindia explain his method of operation, and it is clear he is trained in skullduggery. We are strong together, not apart.

[Its clear youre more worried about Hestia than me, Tasianna. I know you well enough by now. If you want to help Hestia, then go! Dont forget, Hestia just announced that she will protect the people here, and that means a commitment that will bite her in the tail in the future. One of us has to go protect them, so let me go by myself. You and the twins go with Hestia.]

I would never think like that, my lady! Tasianna rebuked my sister, red with anger. You are important to my lady and that means I must help you as well. If you believe you understand my thoughts, then you should know I know my lady well enough that losing people

[Enough!] I silenced everybody. [Do not make this personal, any of you! Tasianna, Neill is right in this instance. No more arguing, we need to go! Tasianna, show me where Saori is, now!]

Your will, my lady! Tasianna bowed before getting on me, allowing me to ferry her while she gave me directions.

Neill roared and moved south, where I had sent Varya with Ellaine and the students. As my group went east, my eyes snapped down as I saw the sin heir following Neill. My heart dropped, causing me to imagine what would happen if I let him off like this. I was about to turn around, but Shay roared next to me.

[Stop!] he shouted. [Commit! This is your decision, you have to commit or nothing will be done.]

I grit my teeth, squeezing my front feet. [Dammit! Thank you!]

I rushed over to where Saori was trapped, noticing the large, inactive mud geyser. With the magic circles destroyed, entering the muddy prison was completely doable. I shot a flaming breath into it, melting through all the mud while Tasianna used her [Aerokinesis] to control the steam, preventing us from taking in the terrible smell.

Once we made it into the sewer, Shay and Beth immediately froze the mud around us, allowing me to simply slash right through, shattering everything in the way of my tail. As we charged through, following a group of bunched up signals, my [Foresight] warned me to duck.

As I did just that, the mud wall in front of me was torn to pieces as a black thunderbolt pierced through it. In the next moment, a wolf burst through the wall, howling as a group of people were dragged behind it with black tendrils wrapped around their bodies.

Saori!

Her black fur was caked with mud and blood, along with some patches of burned soot discoloring her white fur. She had the look of an alarmed predator as she bared her teeth at us the moment our eyes met, with blood and saliva drenching her fangs. After a moment, she realized who we were and snapped her mouth shut, looking at us in surprise.

[Good timing. I was about to run out of oxygen,] she said before her large body began to fall to the ground. Song and Vidia appeared from her shadow and supported Saori, keeping her from face planting on the muddy floor.

The twins and I then came over, helping her up before I wrapped my head around her, embracing her. As I hugged her, I noticed the captured people from before, around twenty, all attached to Saoris back. When I questioned her on this, Tasianna answered.

Those were the people who attacked us. We couldnt confirm their identities, but they were clearly robbers and attacked us the moment we confronted them. I believe Tatsuya noted how some of them were mercenaries, overhearing them talk about how they would help out their Boss.

[Yanderu Eluseuss,] Saori answered. [They kept mumbling about some Bloodgold person, trying to beg for their lives by buying us off. One even outright mentioned the Yanderu and that their boss would pay me. I did not spare them for that reason, but I took them prisoner when we were stuck inside the mud bath.]

[How did you avoid getting trapped inside? Like a fossil, I mean,] I asked.

[[Shadow Dash],] Vidia answered for her daughter. [After we helped Tasianna and the children escape, we dived into the shadow world until everything was encased in the mud. My daughter then used [Umbral Void] to blow everything up until we discovered the small safe haven our enemy had intentionally left behind for their allies.]

[[Umbral Void]?] I wondered.

[I will show you when we get the chance. Part of the two customs spells Belzac taught me, next to [Umbral Skip].] Saori sighed, still gasping for air. [In any case, where is the sin heir? Is he dead?]

While explaining the situation to her, I dragged Saori out of the tunnel before we took to the sky, only to notice another mud tsunami had appeared inside the city. In fact, when I looked south and where the rescue group shouldve been, I noted it was completely enveloped in mud, with numerous houses crushed and consumed by the disaster.

The new mud wave was targeting the citys gates, where I saw Neill galloping through the air with the rest of the shadow pack, carrying various people to safety as quickly as they could. Meanwhile, a single person was standing on top of the wave, clapping carefreely, heralding such a devastating attack with full glee.

I knew it! Dammit, dammit! Where the hell are the knights! Anybody, reinforcements, please!

Yet, I didnt regret my decision. It was as Shay said, I had to commit, and Saori was just more important. I didnt know if she could have gotten out of her situation alone, but I knew she was exhausted after everything.

[Heal me,] she said as I was boiling with rage. [My teleportation only requires line-of-sight, which yours need fire and line-of-sight. Heal me, and I can help. I want to pay him back, not to mention Tatsuya and the others are there.]

Only? You need shadows, was what I was about to say before I remembered she had gained another teleport method with her two-spell package deal. Her [Umbral Skip].

Once I did as she asked me, she prepared two spells. She held the larger one in front of her mouth while the other appeared on her back. Once the larger was done, her smaller magic circle glowed and activated, Saori disappearing with the blink of the eye, as if somebody had snapped her out of existence. Pop. Gone.

Thankfully, this was only the starting cast for her spell, as she appeared right above the Warbringer with her large spell readied. The demonkin didnt turn around as he slowly sunk into his mud wave, understanding that doing anything but fleeing at that very moment would only mean he would be badly hit.

Regardless, it was inevitable unless he could teleport which he, thankfully, couldnt.

With a massive bang, Saori unleashed her [Hadaen Dragon Thunder], striking the demonkin point-blank and destroying the mud tsunami before the majority of the filthy wave could crash into the citys gate. As the beam continued drilling into the ground, I noticed Uno jump into the air, shooting black flames into the air.

Good boy! I wanted to pet him so much right now! That was a teleportation point for [Flash Fire].

Well go on ahead, my lady! Tasianna called out as she got on Beth. [Flash Fire] wasnt the best Hestia Air experience, after all.

[Got it, see you]

[Alphas Master, please, stop!]

However, before I could, Song jumped out of my shadow with Vidia, pulling Shoyi with them out of my shadow. Seeing the slime here and now could only mean one thing, and it made an already bad day even worse.

I looked down, noticing the [Room] runes stuck in his amorphous body being opened, with two virigress heads sticking out of them. Shere and Ajay, and they were meowing.

[Master, quick!] Both pleaded. [Inside. Help. Help. Yorshka!]

No, no, no, this isnt the time for you guys to be in trouble! Please!

We can handle the rest, my lady! Tasianna called before the twins flew away.

[Thank you!] I said before using [Humanize].

[Humanize (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Hold on, my buffs.

I told Shoyi to spit the runes out, as I had to maintain my buffs for Saori and the others before I dropped into the subspace, noticing clashing voices coming from both the virigress cubs and my maids. Svena, Lorena, Haati, and Priscilla were panicking as five armor clad knights laid on the ground of our living room, bleeding out and breathing heavily.

I recognized the armor belonging to the Knights of Aurena, especially with the Aurena amulets hanging from their necks. Priscilla and my maids were helping them drink Tasiannas health potions, but they were coughing so much they couldnt properly ingest it.

Hestia, my mother! Priscilla ran up to me the moment she saw me, grabbing me by my sleeves, begging me with pleading eyes.

Svena ran over, pulled the young dragonewt girl away from me. Pale like a ghost, she began explaining,Dame Yorshka and your master are in peril. They called for you to hurry to their side for your song. Some of the knights died while Mister Akasht was lulled into a sleep!

The sin heir of envy, my lady! Lorena cried. They said it clearly before they left these knights with us.

We managed to keep their health from dropping too much with your holy flames, but they arent drinking the potions. Haatis cat tail and ears were wriggling around like crazy, fully displaying her panic. They arent waking up, they arent drinking, we canWoah!

Akrak! One of them suddenly reached their hands out, gasping for air as their eyes shot wide open. As Haati tried to touch her, the female knight slapped her away and attempted to grab a sword from her empty scabbard.

Realizing this one was the beastman-hating knight Yorshka had been friends with, I dashed over and grabbed her arm, causing her to shriek like a banshee, almost punching me straight in the cheek. As I caught her attack, I glared into her horrified eyes. As if she had seen a nightmare so deep and terrifying that it traumatized her Maybe, a buried memory that carried that baggage?

B-beastman! L-leave me alone, leave me alone! She cried out, slinking into a nearby corner as she cradled her head. Dont eat me! Dont eat me! Dont eat my sister. Dont eat her, please! Dont eat her, dont eat her, dont eat her, dont string her up! Were humans, were humans. Why are you EATING her?

Die!

[My Darkest Thoughts] made my flames apply [The Light]s anti-dark and demon effect, [The Heir of Light] increased my potency against demonkin, and then combined with all my draconic skills Ive gathered over my life. With [Light Horizon] mixed into the batch, I pierced right into the demonkins chest but was stopped before I could fully pierce it.

He grabbed my arm with a bloodied grin. My loss. You got me good, but just missed the heart. I can live with one lung This will make the fight against Vifi actually fair, ehehe.

Youre not escaping! I shouted in my head before preparing to use my Territory, only for him to place one of his elemental arms in front of my face. I stared at it, noticing it was holding an actual catalyst.

Boom!

And it exploded, blowing me away as I chastised myself. I should have transformed back into a dragon before I landed that hit. It probably would have wounded him enough to make the escape impossible. But then again, there just wasnt any time for the transformation.

Considering I had the leeway to think like this, the bomb wasnt a real threat aside from wrecking some of my health and a good chunk of my mana, to the point I developed a mindblowing headache. [True Draconic Barrier] successfully protected me.

However, this fact felt hollow. As I opened my eyes when I crash landed on a nearby roof, I stared in horror at the ground as I saw him escape through the earth and to outside the city. When Saori and Neill came over, I told them about it, but my attention was stolen by somebody else.

[Master ]

Rajah! Tears began to well in my eyes as I saw my vircaguga cub weakly call for me as his body laid on the roof. Blood was gushing out of his chest as it was opened up by a sundering attack, probably that [Blud Handle] that hit me.

[Mistress Hestia!] Varya pleaded for me to come to him as she cradled him.

I charged over, shivering as I saw the portal laying next to Rajah. A long scar had almost cut the rune, meaning its destruction. Rajah had protected it with his body!

[Why didnt you throw it away!] I cried as I inspected his body, noticing the organs in his chest were ripped into pieces from that attack.

[For Master ] he sheepishly said, barely enough energy to think. [Rajah was useful? Useful?]

No, no, no, no!

I immediately began an emergency operation with [Miraculous Grace]. His health was only at 10%; this was enough for me to heal him with.

Princess!

Hestia!

Young scale!

This was the third time my heart dropped.

I snapped my head around as magma flowed out of the [Room] portal, letting the voices of Midirn, Master, and Krim-Slak out. With my parallel minds covering Rajah, I peered into the portals, seeing my allies crowding around somebodys fallen body. Akasht; it was Akasht.

One of his arms was ripped out of its socket while an even larger burned hole could be seen in his chest. Appraising him, I noted his health was quickly sapped despite Master healing him with my bombs and his spells.

He protected your runes! Grazlaht shouted. Quickly, he needs healing! His heart was burned into ash, but there is still enough for you to heal him with!

No.

[Midirn, get his body into the subspace, now!] I ordered.

What! Dam He turned around. Yorshka, abandon the chase, now! Let that bastard go and lick wounds! We have to save the saurian, first!

To make sure these precious seconds werent wasted, I had [Sun, Consume All] fully concentrate on keeping Akasht alive just long enough for me to handle his surgery. Rajah had lost too many organsno lungs, no heart, most of his arteries were ruptured. I could do this as long as I divided my time correctly.

Dammit, too much magma! Krim-Slak complained.

Out of the way! Master shouted before casting [Plesias Grasp], summoning a sleep tentacle to pull all the magma and mud out of my subspace, allowing them to put Akasht inside.

I reached my hand out, casting another [Miraculous Grace] to begin healing him, but almost as if it was planned, something bit my hand at the perfect time.

Argh!

I looked to the side, noticed something resembling a black orb had jumped out of his Akashts closed arm. Flesh was being formed around it, creating a creature of some sort around this orb. An aberration! Why did Akasht have it?

He grabbed that thing from him? Yorshka shouted.

Dammit, Akasht! Grazlahta yelled. When he ripped his arm out, he snatched it from the sin heir! Thats why our attacks managed to hit him at the last moment! He didnt have his catalyst on him.

Enough prattling, help my apprentice! Master ordered, but I was already ahead of him.

I used [Light Horizon], bending light to shoot out like shotgun pellets, evaporating most of the flesh of the aberration. I then reached my hand out and touched it, using my usurpation ability to make it mine.

Condition to usurp demonic object fulfilled. Object: [Aberration of Indulgence (Envy)]. Owner: ThalsYond. Usurpation process ongoing

The creepy creature shrieked out as its flesh began to twitch around, before it decided to form four large bone spikes. It then began striking its orb, creating four cracks on it. I recoiled, dragging the orb with me outside the subspace as I understood it was trying to sacrifice itself instead of landing in our possession.

Is it gonna blow up? What am I supposed to do?

My eyes snapped around to Rajah and Akasht. If this orb were to explode, it would kill both of them, but if I let go now, I wouldnt be able to usurp it. Two decisions turned into three life-or-death choices.

I couldnt think. The stress of today had finally caught up to me, not to mention the headache from all the mana usage was making it harder for me to formulate a plan. Time felt so slow while the voices of my parallel minds ringed so much louder than usual.

Can I save everybody while keeping this aberration? No, impossible. Even if I saved both of my companions, this bomb would blow everybody up. I-I have to choose.

Time ran out.

Im choosing them all!

While tightening the grip around my hand, I produced corrosive flames around my arm and had it harden into obsidian, putting a band-aid on the aberration to prevent it from destroying itself. I then pushed my hand back into the subspace and then into the portal leading to the sin heir of envy battlefield, before pulling it back to the Aureolis side.

I heard the aberration shriek causing me to grin.

You count as a living being, you asshole! Ill drain you out of all your mana to the point you cant blow up! Im killing you with fast travel!

I continued this all until the thing couldnt even raise its bone spike any longer. Sadly, this forceful method caused the aberration to still splinter apart before I could usurp it. The explosion was solved, so I fully dedicated myself to healing Rajah while reaching my hand out to cast [Miraculous Grace] on Akasht.

Yes!

Once Rajahs body was back to normal, Varya began licking him affectionately, thanking me for saving her son. I bit my lips, unable to stop smiling as I made it. I was fast enough. My reaction was fast enough.

Two of the options were down! Now it was time forEh?

1 saurian follower lost

Total follower count updated. Total followers of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 48036

Your retainer [Sarcosilian, Akasht] has passed on

Miraculous Grace?

Its magic circle suddenly disappeared. Fizzled out. I cast it again, but it didnt even cast any magic on Akashts body. It disappeared again. My eyes widened in horror.

Master and the saurians suddenly closed their eyes. Midirn and Yorshka stood up, saluting them with their tails tucked under their legs.

[Master?] I entered the portal and approached them while being followed by Saori and Neill. They stopped moving, letting out small gasps.

I ignored them and went closer until I saw Akashts face. His eyes His eyes! Empty. With no focus. Staring into the air with no goal. His mouth was agape as blood and saliva drooled out of it, creating a small puddle next to his head.

With a shivering hand I placed my hand next to his nose, noticing no breathing. I gulped. I didnt want to do it. I wanted to reject this idea. I wanted toI must appraise him.

Saurian C

I stopped reading. That wasnt his Profile. That was a description.

[Akasht Akasht? Please, answer me.]

Hestia! Master dashed over and embraced me. His body was shivering with every second. You did all you could. You did all you could. Xohulotel witnessed it all.

[Master ] I tightened my embrace, unable to stop staring at Akashts empty eyes. I activated [Soul Vision] but I saw no soul inhabiting his body. [Why am I always late?]

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