The time for hunting has returned.
The girl raised her sword, lowered her stance, and gauged the distance between herself and that massive thing. She used not only her eyes but also her nose to search for what could be called a weakness.
No matter how large and mysterious the existence, it is ultimately just prey. This should not be a battle but a hunt. A hunt must strike the vital spot in one blow to truly savor the victory.
The problem is that she couldn’t find that vital spot. Should she aim for the gaps between its armor plates? But the gaps themselves weren’t large, and she wasn’t even sure if they could be called vital spots. At best, they were just one of many weak points, and even if she struck one, it wouldn’t be life-threatening.
‘The area near its mouth seems the weakest, though.’
Kyle’s divine power naturally enveloped his body. His capabilities were at their peak. Empowered by this, Roka managed to find what could be considered a weak spot.
The mouth of the Death Worm, which could change size freely, seemed at least more vulnerable than its armor.
The problem was the rotating, saw-like teeth just inside its mouth. If she carelessly charged in and slipped into that mouth, even her defensive techniques wouldn’t last long. Floating blue-haired high-protein minced meat was far from Roka’s future aspirations.
-That’s just how fights are.
In the end, no matter how much she looked, there was no weakness, but this was also expected. No, perhaps it was natural. No one in the world goes around announcing where their weaknesses are.
-If your opponent is so weak that you can see their weakness, you don’t even need to aim for it to win. Usually, there isn’t one, or even if there is, it’s beyond your reach. Weaknesses aren’t found; they’re created. That’s the true strategy.
It’s strange to think that there’s a strategy for fighting in the first place. Geher, the former mercenary king who had honed himself through countless battles, knew this better than anyone.
Roka tightened her grip on her sword. Ardein whispered.
“Roka, the weakness?”
“Wherever I attack.”
The light of the sunset shimmered. The magical power surging through her sword took the form of a sunset-colored wolf and let out a silent roar.
Roka wasn’t foolish enough to announce her sneak attack with a shout. Ardein and Kisea, who had been nervously watching in case the wolf howled, sighed in relief.
“Follow up with an attack right after.”
With those words, the girl charged, raising her sword and slashing down. Using the Moonlight Walking Technique, she soared into the sky and then descended rapidly, striking with her sword.
The Death Worm, caught off guard by the sudden attack, turned its gaze. But it was too late. Roka’s sword had already sliced through its armor, cutting downward.
Screech! Screech!
The sword made a harsh, discordant noise as it struggled to cut through. At some point, it got stuck completely. The Death Worm thrashed, forcing Roka to let go of her sword and retreat. Its pores began to glow red.
-Groooaaar!
The creature let out a roar befitting its massive size. However, before the sound could spread, an even louder noise drowned it out.
The Song of the Explosive Dragon raged. At least for a creature with such strong physical defense, the Dragon Form Technique was better than the Void Sword, as judged by the princess.
Ardein’s Dragon Sword, harmonized with the dragon’s roar, pierced the wound Roka had inflicted. Twisting the sword, the surrounding tissues were destroyed, and the wound began to split open.
From the gaping wound, something squirming could be seen. Kisea instinctively knew. That’s the heart. Even a centipede has a heart, so there’s no way the Death Worm wouldn’t have one.
“Got it!”
She rushed forward so hastily that her words slurred. There was no time to correct herself. The wolf, swift as the wind, performed acrobatics in the air.
The aftermath of the Dragon Form Technique created a storm around them. Riding and utilizing the storm with near-artistic movements, she reached the Death Worm’s heart in an instant and plunged her sword in.
-Croooaaar!
Creatures with shells are all like this. Their exteriors may be tough, but once you peel them away, the soft flesh inside is revealed.
The destructive power tore through the flesh, exploding the heart. The massive monster stood tall for a moment, then stiffened and fell. It was a perfect victory.
“Phew, how’s that? This is Kisea’s power!”
Kisea, retrieving her famed sword Ascalon and landing on the ground, shouted confidently. Roka sighed in relief, and Ardein looked at her achievement with awe.
To be precise, it was an achievement accomplished by all three of them. But so what? With three Masters, the pinnacle of humanity, gathered together, even such a dangerous monster could be dealt with.
“This is the power of humanity, you monster.”
So proud and elated, she clenched her fist and shouted loudly. The priest, hearing this from afar, scratched his head. It was questionable whether they could have done this well without the help of divine power.
“But, is it really dead?”
“Of course it’s dead. Our Roka is still young and doesn’t know common sense. I, your big sister, shattered its heart. What creature can survive with its heart destroyed?”
Kisea proudly tapped the ground with her tail.
“Think about it. You and I are Masters, the pinnacle of humanity. But even we can’t survive if our hearts are destroyed. This has nothing to do with skill.”
“Heron might be able to?”
“Who’s Heron?”
Kisea asked, puzzled, then replied.
“Anyway, whether it’s Heron or whoever, a being with a destroyed heart…”
-Grrrr…
“Must be dead…”
-Groooaaar!
As if mocking Kisea’s words, the Death Worm, which had been stiff for a moment, began to squirm. Using its long body as a wind instrument, it let out a loud noise that echoed through the surroundings.
The sound was so loud it felt like their eardrums would burst. Everyone hurriedly covered their ears. It wasn’t some special ability like Yanid’s Dragon’s Roar, but the sheer physical noise itself was at the level of pollution.
If they had attacked during this moment, they could have easily secured victory, but unfortunately, the Death Worm was out of strength. A destroyed heart is fatal even to a monster. Unlike humans who die instantly, it just had a little time left before death.
The rate at which its body deteriorated was faster than the rate its heart could regenerate. Death was inevitable. Eventually, its massive body fell with a thud. The roar it had let out was its last words.
“Ah…”
It took a while for the three women to recover from the deafening noise and realize the situation. How could they have finished the fight without confirming the kill?
So much for a stealth operation—they had practically announced their presence to the entire plain. If they thought the enemy wouldn’t notice, they were severely underestimating them. If the enemy acted with common sense, they needed a new strategy.
“What do we do now?”
“We’ll have to use a different method.”
The priest, who had been trudging along from afar, also sighed. Things never seemed to go smoothly.
“If we move through the remaining distance at maximum speed, faster than the plain’s surveillance system, we still have a chance.”
Stealth isn’t everything. Speed is stealth. If we march at ultra-high speed, the enemy won’t be able to pinpoint our location, causing them to misjudge.
Since true stealth is out of the question, we’ll have to switch to a speed-based approach. We need to move as quickly as possible before their defenses tighten.
“It’s better this way. Sneaking around in stealth doesn’t suit my personality.”
Everyone sighed at the thought of riding horses at breakneck speed from now on. Even the horses, who understood human speech to some extent, sighed.
They were intelligent horses who understood simple commands. They immediately realized they were in for a tough time. Only Roka was excited.
“Let’s go quickly and finish this.”
Fast and decisive action was something the young wolf loved.
*
“Ah, finally found them.”
There was a girl who had been tirelessly searching for Kyle’s party, which periodically disappeared into the Night’s Shelter. Oberta, who had thought, ‘They’ll get tired after a day,’ now changed her mind.
This girl’s determination and stubbornness were as strong as a dragon’s heart. Once she set her mind on something, there was no compromise. After searching the surface countless times, she luckily witnessed the Death Worm’s fall.
It wasn’t just luck but the result of her relentless effort. If she hadn’t searched so diligently, she wouldn’t have found them. The two women, seeing another monster, the Death Worm, being slain, locked eyes.
“What’s this?”
-An underground monster, the Death Worm. To kill this thing, they must have some skill.
Oberta pondered. That damn priest is a non-combatant, and Ardein’s strength had already been assessed. From their previous fight, she was nowhere near strong enough to take down a Death Worm.
-Are those two wolves that strong?
As Oberta roughly assessed Roka and Kisea’s strength, she suddenly sensed multiple presences. She nudged Yanid and replied.
-Anyway, let’s leave quickly. There are too many presences. If you want to get involved in troublesome matters, I won’t stop you.
The girl spread her wings and flew toward the horizon. She had seen enough of the Death Worm’s corpse; there was nothing more to see. And if she delayed any longer, she might lose track of Kyle’s trail again.
-Why not just join them? Is this really necessary? No, I’m genuinely curious.
Ignoring Oberta’s advice, Yanid flew on. Shortly after, foxes discovered the Death Worm’s corpse. First the Griffin, now the Death Worm. This was clearly not a natural occurrence.
“Intruders. Definitely. Powerful intruders from outside have invaded.”
Without delay, they reported to Epirna. The Eastern Plains, isolated even from the Magic Tower, lacked even basic magical items.
But if they were to rely on themselves, the lack of communication tools wasn’t a problem. The Eastern Plains had a solution: trained hawks. They tied a message to the hawk’s leg and sent it flying.
It was a somewhat primitive system, but its performance was reliable. The hawk soon reached Epirna’s palace.
