V3 Chapter 12
“Elder Sister,”
Asceius furrowed his brows and muttered, though there seemed to be a relief appearing in his eyes.
Elder Sister?
Cian’s keen hearing heard his call and concluded that the one who came in was not an enemy… or at least, has a high chance of it not being one. And if this woman was really an enemy, though… he could only grab Asceius and run away as fast as he can.
Even without the ten Werebeasts, Cian felt from the aura alone that this woman is someone they could never defeat despite working together. This Land is truly incredible and mysterious. There are so many crouching tigers, and hidden dragons waiting to make their appearance.
"Thank you for your patience, my dear little brother. I, Iris Reidheld Grimward, had come to save you—be happy and greet me with a passionate embrace, my dear Asceius!”
Drifting through the air and landing upon the ground like a feather, this person was no other but Princess Iris Reidheld Grimward. The First Princess of the Godstone Kingdom, and also the well-known first Genius in the entire Black Lands.
“Shit! It’s Princess Iris!”
“A bad timing! What do we do?!”
The Werebeasts displayed a panic expression the moment Princess Iris appeared. Even Barrak turned pale. “This is impossible! I obtained information that Princess Iris didn’t enter the Ruins because of the Alliance Council! How is this possible?! Why are you here?!”
“Hmm, I see mere werebeasts tried to hurt my precious little brother, it seems like you thought yourself already infallible with the Alliance backing you—pitiful!”
Princess Iris snorted in disdain, and with a blur, her figure vanished. Then, boom! Boom! a series of explosions occurred, and three Werebeasts that were surrounding Asceius were blasted away, crashing into enormous trees that had broken by their impact.
The rest of the Werebeasts hurriedly jumped away, but the speed of Princess Iris was too fast, she had immediately caught on her next target. One of the Bearmen roared in anguish, and his body tortured and seemingly pained by the sudden transformative process he was making.
His body grown taller, and bigger almost reaching the three-meter mark. His long muscular arms growing hairy as his neck thickened and his face morphed into that of a dark, brown bear. Long fangs glistened with saliva as the bearman--not exactly a bear, with his torso still have a humanoid shape, just his head and arms turning to that of a bear, roared towards the pursuing Princess Iris and swung his massive, muscular arms that seemed almost the size of her dainty, and curvy figure.
Boooom!!
The sharp and massive paw slammed on the ground, and an exaggerated grenade-like explosion took place, spreading dust and dirt around the entire place. However, it was certainly not easy to end. When the bearman jumped away from the clouds of dust, a lithe figure, like a fairy dancing in the wind appeared beside him. Before the bearman could even react, it was already too late.
A small, child-like fist, if compared to the Bearman’s paw which is an adult struck his side, and unbelievable as it seems, the small fist burrowed to the muscled abdomen of the bearman, eliciting a painful cry and the bearman was sent flying.
“Werebeasts are nothing but brutes,”
Princess Iris snorted. Then, she swayed her arms and swiped it in the air, like a hand blade. Dozen wind blades whistled in the air, towards the rushing weredogs and werebears.
“This is not what we expected, Barrak!”
One of the Bearmen appeared right beside Barrak and roared in anger. The appearance of Princess Iris was beyond their expectation. They had agreed to this plan, only because Barrak had affirmed that Princess Iris was not in the Ruins of the Gods and that they were not together when they entered the ruins. And now, they found out that it was not what they had expected, and the infamous Princess came out of nowhere.
Even if they worked together, they would not be able to defeat Princess Iris. That’s just mere stupidity, even for a fool’s imagination!
“I didn’t know man! Do you think I would go on with this plan if I know that damn whore is here?! That would be like courting death!!” Barrak cried out in anxiousness. It seems like the appearance of the infamous Princess had truly rattled his heart out, and he was obviously panicking.
“Damn it! If we can’t silence them, then this plan is a grand failure! And you know we wouldn’t be able to do that with just the ten of us. We just created a war, man!”
Another bearman cried out in panic as he watched Princess Iris fighting his brothers. Although it’s seven against one, no, two exactly with Asceius joining the fray, the seven Werebeasts were slowly being pushed back, causing them to suffer more injuries, some even fatal even with their incredible physique.
It’s only just a matter of time for them to die if they continue this.
“Do you think I don’t know that?!!”
Barrak roared in anxiety.
“We need to retreat! We will seek the elders and ask for help! And also, we can pull the other Monster Tribes with us as well! I heard that there are many experts and powerhouses that had come among the Monster Tribe. With them together, we will be able to finish them once and for all! They would not be able to leave these ruins alive!”
“But will they do it? I heard that some of the Elders of the Monster Tribe had found some ruins, and now they are busy exploring it! Why would they spent some people for us?”
“But that doesn’t mean they will explore the ruins until the Ruins closed. In any case, with these sluts inside the ruins, our share will be halves. They will agree to this as long as we spare some benefits!”
“…hm, I see, I learned something new,”
Slash!
“What?!”
As Barrak and the three Bearmen were talking, suddenly one of the Bearmen, swung a black sword towards the former's neck. However, with the Bearman’s animalistic instinct, he was able to dodge and his neck was safe and intact. But his right arm couldn’t.
The slender black sword that seemed too thin, and fragile cut through Barrak’s arm like a knife through a piece of bread—though, some obstruction occurred due to their hardened bones, still with added force, it was severed completely.
Barrak stared aghast, shock filled his widened eyes as he looks at the arm that had fallen in the ground, severed from the elbow—that…! That was his arm!!
“Aaaaahhhhh!!!”
Barrak cried out in shock, fear and as well as pain…the excruciating pain that suddenly assaulted him the moment realization struck him.
“Janus! What have you done?!”
The Bearman beside Barrak stared at the one who had cut off Barrak’s hand and was about to pounce on him. But suddenly, as he was about to attack him, a golden figure pounce on him first. It was a Manticore with a fierce and crazed expression with its sharp fangs and claws directed at him.
Barrak’s sudden tragedy caused not only him and the Bearman caught off-guard, but also the entire surrounding. The people halted their battle and stared at the bearman named Janus holding his black sword while wearing a smile. Even Asceius was shock and surprise at the sudden betrayal of his enemies—eh, wait, no—Asceius suddenly turned around only to see someone missing.
A sudden realization struck him and his gaze turned towards the Bearman Janus, then to the Manticore fighting against a Bearman courageously. Despite realizing what was occurring, his surprise didn’t lessen.
This idiot really…
However, he wasn’t that surprised about the strange, and almost perfect transformation that had fooled even their enemies. He was already aware of a certain someone’s strength, and also knew that he had innumerable strange abilities.
Moreover, being together with him these past few days, he would always do many things that seemed unbelievable at first. And most of all, the Fox Tribe had always been infamous for their illusion and shapeshifting abilities that could rival even the infamous tricksters: The Raccoon tribe.
For him to possess an incredible shapeshifting ability was not impossible.
“Janus, what the hell have you done!! You traitor—you scum pig!! How dare you!! I treated you well; I even gave you women in my harem to enjoy. And you repay my generosity with betrayal?! Why?! You!!”
“Ah, first of all… I didn’t accept any of your damn women,”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The bearman named Janus replied, and with his keen ears he heard someone chuckling and he knows who it was. He rolled his eyes, “And second… I ain’t Janus… poor man, right there sleeping, soundly for all eternity,”
Janus, or should be placed his hand against his face. Then, suddenly under Barrak’s dumbfounded expression, he heard a crackling sound as if bones snapping resounded, and then when the hand went down, a face he could recognize but never had imagined appeared in front of him.
It was the damn Foxman that he had thought was a foolish coward a while ago, smiling in front of him. But the cowardly expression he had seen before was now been replaced by a smug expression, of looking down at him, grasping his severed elbow which was leaking out blood.
“Yo, you!! Who are you?!”
“Buonasera, amigo. My name is Cian Cahlo, came to give out invitation cards from hell for a massive welcoming celebration.”
Cian rested a hand against his chest and smiled.
“As for your friend, Janus was it. He was quite excited about the party, so I can only send him first. You will follow, however, along with your friends. Hence no need to be sad for long,”
“You, you damn Foxman!!!”
Barrak, his eyes dyed red from rage pounce, slowly turned into a bearman and pounce at Cian. However, when he thought that he had grasped Cian with his claws and bites his neck with his fangs, which happened in an instant, hence even a startled cry rang out from somewhere, Cian before him suddenly pop like a bubble and vanished. Barrak fell on the ground, confused and bewildered.
“Aww, you poor thing,”
A cold voice called out from behind. And before Barrak could react, a sharp pointed tip of a black sword pierced came out from his chest, and he stilled.
“Rage is one of the moments when the guard of your mind let down. And did I tell you before, never to stare at me in the eye? Or, I did not? Whatever,”
“You BASTARRRRD!!!”
Swiiish.
Blood splattered, like a fountain.
His body split into two, from waist to head as he tumbled, creating a large puddle of blood.
Looking down at the blood-splattered in his shoes, Cian snorted. He might be strong, but he let his guard down too easily. Carelessness is the biggest mistake a great warrior could do.
With a smile, he turned towards the other remaining Werebeasts, only nine, no rather six Werebeasts left. One died already, while two were already incapacitated. As expected of Asceius, his ice magic is quite incredible to behold—the dead one cased in ice, while one of the incapacitated, has his legs imprisoned in ice. Though, they seemed to look at him as if he was a ghost, which somehow embarrassed him.
“How dare you Foxman!!”
One of the Kobolds charged towards him with incredible speed and raging fury. In an instant, he was already in front of Cian, wolverine-like claws, sadly not made of adamantium--it would have been cool, swung towards his face. Its appearance looks like that of a jackal. However, it's not cute.
Cian easily side-stepped, his vision tinted pink as he could hear his heartbeat and the other heartbeats around him. Everything seemed so slow, the Kobold’s speed turned into a normal fast which, was completely caught by his right eye.
A shock registered across the eyes of the Kobold upon seeing Cian dodging his blow, but he was able to snap out of it, and his leg swept over Cian’s chest.
Cian leaned back, and his arm blocked the incoming leg sweep, turned around and a roundhouse kick followed. The kobold was caught off-guard and Cian’s leg burrowed on the Kobold’s neck, pressing him down heavily. But give it to a Werebeast’s body, it didn’t do much damage.
Cian pulled back his leg only to once again deliver a full-powered kick with all his strength. The kobold let out a painful groan and stepped back, then jumped away and once again pounce at him.
"You beastmen are really sturdy~"
Cian made an iai-stance and wooosh, pulled the blade as fast he could.
Like a lightning flash, the sword swung down above the kobold’s head, but it only slashed air—the kobold managed to jump back in time in fear. However, as if predicting his evasion, a zooming sound echoed, and Cian’s figure charged towards the running kobold, chasing him.
His speed was much faster than before and Cian and the kobold seemed to have disappeared, only appearing when blows clashed for a moment before disappearing again.
"Armament!"
Cian felt his skin opened, and bleed. Immediately, he clad his arms along with his sword with his warrior's aura, causing the skin to have a shade of metallic sheen. This was one of the few abilities he had created personally.
The Kobold howled in rage and slashed his sharp claws to the side to hit Cian, which in the process made the latter bent even more down dodging the rushing claws, while doing so he swung his sword horizontally to cut down his opponent. The Kobold seeing this used the momentum from the swing, to rotate his body and block the attack of the sword.
Baaaang!!
The air seemed to crack, and both of them were forced back from the impact.
The Kobold was forced back by two steps, while Cian five. Even his left arm felt numbed from that attack.
I'm inferior in strength... Cian grunted. So this is an Elite Werebeast?
Cian was feeling pressure from the fight. But so was the Kobold. Its eyes were opened in shock and disbelief. The strength of Cian, a Foxman that he and everyone in the Black Lands look down upon was actually able to rival him in strength and speed. How is this possible?! Who is this Foxman?!
"This is not possible!" the Kobold howled in rage. "How can you be so strong?!"
Cian grinned hearing his words.
"You have seen nothing yet," he said as he made a stance. His sword is almost perpendicular to the ground. "I'll devour you!" then, his figure flickered, and then disappeared.
The Kobold stared wide-eyed at the speed that he can't believe coming from a foxman. But the Werebeast's animalistic instinct kicked in, and he immediately dived in the ground. The blade passed through where his neck has been, cutting the air. There, Cian was seen behind him with a cold smile, but eyes that seemed lifeless.
"You bastard!!"
The Kobold rolled on the ground before leaping, and then dashed right at his opponent.
Cian only smiled coldly and also charged. His figure flickering, appearing and disappearing like a phantom- [Flash Step]. The speedy footwork he had created upon coming into this world after various trials and errors. Basing solely on speed and agility. Using this technique, his speed skyrocketed, that he seemed to become a ghost, rivaling the speed of the Kobold Warrior.
Blows after blows- their fight becomes the contest of speed. They became invisible to naked eyes, only appearing when they exchange their attacks. However, it was only for a moment, as they immediately disappeared a moment after. Everything around them, trees and plants became casualties, being cut into two, or diced into many pieces. Sword and claws clashing each other, along with roars and howls.
Looking at their fight, Asceius continued his attack, while Princess Iris, stunned and confused by Cian’s appearance and power, but still able to confront two werebeasts from two directions. It seems like unlike Asceius who used Ice Magic, Princess Iris was a wind mage who also possess quite a very powerful combat arts.
“Little brother, you know that foxman?”
Princess Iris asked as she jumped back, two raging beastmen crashing on her former position.
Asceius turned towards her, swaying his hand and a flower made out of ice, blossoming beneath his feet, the ice petals turning into sharp blades cutting anything that came close.
“Ah… a friend,”
He’s not much of a fighter compared to his elder sister but in magic, he can hold his head high. Like a conductor on an orchestra, he waved his hands around, and ice spikes chased around the Kobold that was extremely fast, it almost seemed flying around. But they know that they're edging back slowly, they were thinking of retreating.
Awwooooohhh—!!
A kobold howled in the air, and his body expanded, and he turned into a werewolf—his eyes red as blood. His strength and speed were even faster and stronger than expected. Even Ascieus was getting annoyed that his magic seemed to have a hard time following it.
“A Werebeast?”
“Believe me, he’s different,”
Asceius muttered when he heard his elder sister’s doubtful voice and sent another wave of magic towards the three Werebeasts ganging up on her.
“Although he’s a bit of a liar, he’s reliable…and dependable nonetheless,”
“Being a bit of a liar, is the catch, isn’t it?”
With the sudden rise of wind, a loud and clear voice reverberated in the surroundings.
“You bugs are annoying!! I’m trying to have a conversation here!!”
Booom!
An explosion occurred, and a massive tornado swept over the entire area.
There it is…
Asceius smiled wryly. The Champion of the Wind, the Princess of Destruction—that was what his sister was called, and feared by many people.
Crashing through the canopy of leaves, two Werebeasts flew up into the sky.
Princess Iris shook the sleeves of her robe and flew in the air, chasing after the Werebeast she had thrown far away in anger. This was not a metaphor, she was literally flying. Asceius too levitated in the air. Although not as gifted as his elder sister in the power of wind, he shared some of her powers for sharing the same blood. He’s a rare dual elemental affinity, focusing on one, and that’s the Ice Element.
He conjured weapons made of ice in the air, like a halberd, swords, spears, and many, raining down from above to stop the two Werebeast from running away, or chasing towards his sister or… Cian. While fighting, his eyes couldn’t help but turned towards the latter's fight and couldn’t help but relish in astonishment.
This guy really didn’t conform to any common sense—his speed was already beyond what he had seen all this time, and it was actually able to rival a Werebeast of that caliber. Even Asceius admits a Sage-level ordinary mage would have a difficult time fighting against these Werebeasts due to their enhanced physical prowess. And to think he had thought Cian’s power was only at the intermediate stage.
Perhaps, his focus was, like any other Werebeast at the physical system?
But…to think that all this time I’ve never felt anything strange about him, nor realized he has this much power. If we fought seriously at that time, perhaps I would be the one defeated, caught off-guard? That speed is truly insane!
Asceius and Princess Iris were already feeling the ending of their battles getting closer, and they were already pushing their enemies backward. With Asceius on the ground, trying to kill his enemies, while at the same time, stopping them from retreating. Princess Iris was in the air, chasing down the fleeing Werebeasts like some areal predator swooping in for her prey.
At the same time, the Manticore was, well, wherever it is, but with roars echoing in the surrounding, it must have been fighting elsewhere.
Along with his self-created technique- [Armament] and [Flash Step], he had also used [Body Enhancement] [Magic Enhancement] [Rapid Recovery] [Omnidirectional Movement] [Herculean Strength] [Diabolical Grizzly’s Hunger] [Venom] [Iron Skin] [Snake Eyes] [Venomous Fangs] and many more, and yet, Cian has still unable to gain the upper hand. The Kobold's strength was becoming stronger, along with his speed. Furthermore, the wild beast-like instinct that almost appeared as if it was predicting his movements, made the fight even harder.
He was used to getting short fights, and as an assassin, he values quick work. And yet, against extremely powerful opponents, he was having a hard time keeping up.
Without [Blood Release] or a [Vector’s Body], his current strength is far from being enough to rival these monsters. If not for his experience and mastery over different martial arts, he would have an, even more, harder time against the Kobold. Fortunately, though they were strong, they were inferior in terms of martial arts and skills, and just more inclined in brute force.
...but sadly, it would have been a different outcome if its opponent was a normal warrior. But Cian unfortunately for it, is not. He was a killer versed in all types of fighting techniques and combat arts. For someone living in the 21st century of Modern Earth, there are so many techniques that specialized in dealing with opponents that only use brute force.
Skills Vs Strength.
The fight continues, and their exchange is an impossible blur, fists, and feet used with the bolt action speed of a machine gun. Then, the duo collided in the air with a 'bang', then they flew up like a firework towards the sky. They fought with their sword and claws, fists and feet as they sped up even more. In no time, they seemed to form a whirlwind in the area.
Cian at first seems to have the upper hand with his martial art knowledge and experience, and he delivers a vicious right cross. But—
The Kobold turned Weredog managed to catch it easily.