For a change, Ilyana teleported Leon directly to the planet where he would find the individuals he had to kill. Much to his surprise, Leon didn't even have to chance to check his surroundings. He didn't know if Ilyana did that on purpose, but he appeared in the middle of a swarm of monsters. To make matters worse, the enemies were gremlins.
"Efreet, come and absorb their attacks," Leon said.
"Bahahaha! Now we are talking!" Efreet said, visibly excited.
Gremlins used Fire Tornado and Flamethrower, but as if he was a magnet to those, Efreet absorbed all the flames. Meanwhile, the monsters that tried to pierce Leon with their weapons got killed by a single Plasma Bullet in the head.
Congratulations! The skill Summon Efreet's Fragment has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Summon Efreet's Fragment has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Summon Efreet's Fragment has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
...
"Their numbers are even higher than on that planet I first saw them... I guess it is because the dominant species of this world is on the verge of extinction... and I'm going to be the one who will deliver the finishing blow."
Leon couldn't help but wonder if he was weak by having second thoughts or if he was reasonable. He didn't ask Ilyana if he could talk with them, but since she didn't say anything about it, most likely, it would be a waste of time.
"Efreet, absorb their attacks and use half of the fire to recover my mana," Leon said.
"You got it!" Efreet said.
Unfortunately, Leon didn't have time to waste. Although that world was only on the third stage of assimilation and it was crowded with monsters, there was a chance that the ones Leon was looking for would escape. Ilyana probably could track them, but letting them escape would deteriorate their partnership. Until now, despite everything, Ilyana showed herself to be lenient and patient, but she clearly disapproved of several of Leon's actions. She didn't need him, but Leon needed her to keep track of his friends and also to grow strong at a decent pace. In case he doesn't obtain the strength necessary to protect Earth, he more or less could count on her since her goal was to kill the harvesters... Leon had no choice but to keep himself on her good side.
After dealing with that massive number of gremlins, Leon finally could analyze his surroundings or what was left of it since the gremlins were little devils that liked to destroy everything. It wasn't surprising that Leon could see several forests burned, but he didn't find any real building. In all directions, he could only find scorched mountains and burned down forests.
"She could have told at least tell me how the targets look like..."
Ilyana only said to Leon head north, but only that wasn't enough for someone curious like Leon. Besides, he couldn't let his presence be noticed, so every piece of information could help him.
"I guess I will leave this spears on the ground for the time being... those will help me to find the way back."
In order not to be noticed, Leon killed every single Gremlin as soon as he spotted them. His targets were on the north, so he couldn't let those little bastards reveal his position. After flying for a while, Leon also found chimeras, centaurs, and minotaurs. Their numbers as expected it was immense, but since the monsters were killing each other. Leon didn't have much trouble attacking them by surprise.
After flying toward North for a few hours, Leon found only mountains and more mountains. All of them had caves, and those caves looked pretty well-made. It was clear that the previously dominant species of that world created them, and Leon finally understood why he didn't find a single building or destroyed city so far. The species of that world lived inside the mountains.
"I guess they are a race like the demi-minotaurs, closely resembling humans and another type of creature... I don't know how that is possible, but given that mana can change everything in many ways, it isn't that surprising."
Regardless, if they lived inside the mountains, they probably would notice Leon's approach if he tries to use an underground route. Leon would have to approach by foot while keeping Anti-Mana Field active that way, he will cancel all spells that may reveal his position, and when his mana starts to decrease, he will have to find his targets.
"Well, until then... I will have to check every single cave while hoping that those aren't dungeons."
After making Efreet return, Leon started to explore those caves one after another. It didn't take long before he could find something... since there was a limit of how someone could build inside a mountain, Leon only found small destroyed villages. Their houses were quite rustic. It looked like those had been carved out of the rocks and stones of the mountain.
Also, it didn't take long before Leon could find some corpses. Although most of them had been burned down to a crisp, some of them had only be stabbed by the gremlins spears. The once-dominant species of that world had long and hairy ears and nose. Most of their bodies were covered by black fur. Although the overall shape of their bodies closely resembled humans, the fingers of both hands and feet were a bit longer.
"Those were... a Rat-men species?"
Leon didn't see many animals after he fell from that airplane, but now that he thought about it, it wouldn't be weird if animals also could evolve thanks to mana. He didn't find any sign of other dominant species, but the chances of the rat-men being only animals that evolved were relatively high.