I saw a girl who was extremely tense and in a combat stance.
Following the energy I had been chasing moments ago, a girl emerged from the shadows.
She seemed to be using a peculiar skill that allowed her to move across shadows.
Just a little while ago, while returning to the accommodation with Kyle and Duberv, I felt as if someone was watching us. However, the source of that gaze appeared to merely be one of the large shadows that proliferated as the sun began to set.
Moreover, the energy coalesced in a way that seemed eerily familiar and ominous. While there are natural places like dragon veins where energy naturally gathers, such a concentration within the shadow of a building located along a bustling city street seemed highly irregular.
What’s more, this energy bore a resemblance to the dubious force I had sensed emanating from the east—a factor that contributed to my departure from the forest.
Finding this peculiar, I directed my focus towards where the energy gathered, contemplating my next move, when suddenly the energy began rapidly moving away at an incredible speed.
“Truly, this world has every kind of phenomenon.”
Speaking of wonders, there existed beings measured in ri units, alongside the absurdly large tree, Mother El Phracion, which had itself created the species known as elves.
Creatures like the enormous wolves standing at eight eltes (eight meters) tall and twenty eltes (twenty meters) long, as well as various other wild beasts.
In the rivers, there were massive lizards resembling crocodiles that could swallow even a great stag such as Rudolf in one bite.
There were eight elte (eight meter) giants too.
While everything mentioned so far were living beings, now I seemed to be witnessing shadows come alive right before my eyes.
Furthermore, the shadows moved so swiftly between each other that by the time I briefly warned Kyle, the energy had already moved so far away that it was barely perceptible.
With no way to visually discern the entity, I immediately employed a technique for high-speed movement, chasing after it.
At the end of my pursuit, I discovered a girl arising from the shadows.
She was likely about fourteen or fifteen years old in human terms.
Black hair, red eyes, pale skin… despite her youth, the skimpy cloth covering her provocative figure seemed inappropriate.
Indeed, compared to the modesty of the central plains, this city’s style of dress was quite relaxed, but this girl’s outfit was particularly daring.
Furthermore, while her aura had been concealed while in the shadows, she now emitted a dark and subtly seductive energy that would likely earn her the label of ” temptress ” if she were back in the central plains.
“First, let me ask—are you human?”
“In fact, I was going to ask you the same thing. Who are you?”
“Answering a question with another question isn’t particularly wise, but… if briefly introducing myself, my name is Araya, an elf from the west.”
“Elf…? And you’re from the west, not the east?”
“I’m asking because the energy within your body resembles something that occasionally flies towards us from the east. To us elves, it’s not a particularly friendly or welcoming energy. We’ve come to investigate its source.”
“Then…”
“If I’ve answered your question, it’s only fair you return the favor, right?”
“From the eastern continent… Lamia, who crossed the sea.”
“The answer is lacking somewhat.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t I also ask if you were human?”
“…And what if I’m not?”
“I suspect that will lead to many more questions.”
Throughout her response, Lamia appeared hostile, her demeanor suggesting she was examining me.
While curiosity could be resolved through conversation, I didn’t object if she decided to attack.
After concluding my dialogue, when I stopped speaking, the tension between the two of us—more accurately on Lamia’s side—intensified.
“La-Zhin!”
Unable to withstand this tension, Lamia took the first offensive.
With a shout, a sharp spear of shadow emerged from her shadow, lunging toward me.
Araya Technique
Rushing Heaven Whirlpool
Dodging the spears aimed at various parts of my body, I swiftly moved within a single step right before Lamia’s eyes.
Startled by my sudden appearance, Lamia’s shadow attempted once more to rise up like smoke and envelop me.
Judging that there was no need for unnecessary risk in dealing with this unidentified entity, I leapt into the air to create distance.
“Kyaaak!”
“The forms of sorcery that require verbal invocation, it seems… the caster seemed unable to respond.”
Reflecting on the delayed reaction of Lamia compared to the shadow that sprang out, I wondered if it operated differently: identifying and intercepting independently of its caster.
“Oh…oh Great Spirit… how could this be so terrible!”
The shadowy entity that emerged from Lamia’s shadow dispersed into smoke after its failed attack, but then coalesced repeatedly while emitting an eerie and sorrowful sound.
“Incredible… do you possess a mind?”
“La-Zhin… what is this horrifying existence? How can there be so much spiritual residue…”
“Of spirits? I’m not aware—it just appeared suddenly, acting disruptively.”
“Perhaps not something one should inquire about from entities exuding such ominous energy.”
I pointed towards the smoke that periodically dispersed and reformed around Lamia while suppressing a defeated laugh.
“And what is that?”
“The dark spirit, La-Zhin. Is it your first time encountering spirits?”
“I have no memory of seeing a spirit before.”
“Stop lying, Mass Murderer. The traces of elemental spirits remain all over your body.”
“What you’re saying makes no sense to me—I’ve seen nothing like you.”
The elf who acts as a mediator must be giving me some absurd evaluation, judging by the outward appearance of these shadowy beings.
Assessing this as meaningless dialogue, I concluded that subduing her and then questioning her would be more efficient.
“He’s coming!”
The instant I moved, the spirit La-Zhin puffed up its smoky form like a pufferfish and dispersed it around in a wide radius.
Though I attempted to use a vision-enhancing technique, this fog created by the dark spirit La-Zhin appeared unnatural and resisted clear perception.
Araya Technique
Rushing Heaven Whirlpool
I rapidly spun my body like a top, creating centrifugal force that resulted in a small storm of internal energy, which surged upward, completely dispersing La-Zhin’s fog.
“Urgh! What is this?”
Despite my assumption that formless entities like La-Zhin wouldn’t be affected by physical impact, it seemed to have been startled.
As I processed this newfound information and turned around, simultaneously detecting an approaching presence behind me, Lamia had stopped mid-attack, appearing surprised upon my quick return.
“La-Zhin!”
At the same time the spirit called out, despite appearing diffused, numerous shadows shot out from the surroundings, rushing toward me like cage bars trying to enclose me.
In sync with this maneuver, Lamia’s eyes gleamed with a crimson light as she swung her hands towards me.
Claw techniques usually involve channeling internal energies through trained fingers to lash out violently, but somehow Lamia’s fingers had physically transformed into sharp and elongated claws akin to a beast’s.
Instantaneously, I mobilized internal energy from my dantian to surge through my body.
“…Ah!”
Had she sensed the sudden expansion of my energy?
Lamia’s attack was interjected with a sound of surprise.
Maintaining the same speed I used to dodge the shadowy bars from the “heat mirage” technique, I hurled myself directly at her.
Before Lamia’s claws could strike, I delivered a palm strike at her chest with a shoulder thrust, sending her flying back.
“Cough…!”
As Lamia’s body flew back, spurting blood, her descent gradually slowed and she hovered in mid-air.
“Bat wings on a human body… and you have horns and a tail too.”
“Huff…huff… dammit!”
Lamia’s body was adorned with a pair of wings that spanned as large as her own torso, rhythmically flapping behind her. On each side of her head were small goat horns, and from her back emerged a sleek black tail like that of a cow.
Additionally, her aura grew more intensely alluring, almost making it feel as though a sweet smell wafted through the air.
Under the moonlight, Lamia’s eyes began to emit a bewitching red hue.
“Soul Entrapment?”
The moment I caught her gaze, my consciousness faltered, but given its lack of potency against me, countering it proved simple.
“My allure hasn’t acted this quickly?”
Upon the failure of her soul entrapment, Lamia was flustered, and La-Zhin urgently advised her.
“Let’s escape, Lamia! This monster is beyond your ability to handle!”
“Urgh…yes!”
Observing her attempt to make an escape through flight, I clicked my tongue in disapproval.
Flying around is a hassle, and maintaining levitation generally consumes a large amount of internal energy while airborne.
However, her wings seemed to function aerodynamically without any depletion of energy, allowing the bat girl to ascend into the skies without much difficulty.
It was a racial advantage.
Though I might pursue her, there didn’t seem to be much need for unnecessary waste chasing after an unknown enemy.
Scanning my surroundings, I noticed a single object that caught my attention. It was a broom left there to clean the roof.
As I reached for it mentally, the broom came into my grasp.
Aiming at Lamia, who had now soared hundreds of eltes (hundreds of meters) high, I powerfully hurled the broom.
Simultaneously, I propelled myself into the air by launching off from the ground, landing atop the flying broom, managing to maintain my balance despite the strong air resistance.
“Ah!”
Realizing the new presence above, Lamia turned, startled to see me riding the broom towards her.
“Fall away!”
Though appearing diminished due to the absence of a suitable surface, La-Zhin rushed to intercept me in midair, but the broom became surrounded by a greenish energy that deflected the oncoming attack as if performing a trick.
It was akin to the flying sword technique (御劍飛行), though executed on a broom instead of a sword, it lacked a certain elegance.
The moment it faced Lamia, I lightly leapt off the broom, which promptly transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards her.
The broom sliced through her right shoulder and one wing, causing her to crash down.
“Kyaaah!”
As she plummeted hundreds of eltes (hundreds of meters) down, I recovered the broom using a lightness technique after dismissing the broom and began to follow her descent.
