CHAPTER 135: LAST DAY
Inside a ship, in the operations room, a map was projected in the middle of a table surrounded by the combat team.
“Our target is the ‘Ogasawara Islands’, to be specific one of the small islands within that archipelago,” Akira reported and while everyone was paying attention, she selected the holographic map on the operations table, pointed to a small island, and commented. “In this area, a temporary Rank-A dungeon appeared and overflowed. The island is not very large, but we must clean it up.”
Those present nodded in compression.
“According to satellites and scans, some Rank-A creatures are on the island, but most are B-Ranks. They are amphibious Anuran type creatures also known colloquially as frogs, so beware of water magic and, in extreme case, their poison.” Akira reminded with a serious expression, projecting different images for the group to see.
Previous scans had already been conducted, and they had identified the information needed to carry out the mission, as well as the common enemies present.
Different anuran-like creatures appeared in the projections.
Some seemed to can cast magic, others to spit poison, and there were even some whose tongues were sharp.
Medium to large, they were quite varied, with those of A-Ranks being the largest.
“With the addition of Cithrel and Venali, we have three S-Ranks officially, and it’s a great attack force,” Akira added, and looking at a captain of her guild, she added. “In case we need reinforcements, Julius and his group will come to support us.”
Julius just nodded calmly.
The students knew him well, as they had trained during the morning with him.
They were now on a Japanese destroyer ship patrolling this region of the ocean.
They had arrived thanks to the fact that this ship had a portal in its facilities and allowed reinforcements from land.
The Japanese army had a close relationship with Akira’s guild and provided this extra help that, for them, was something secondary.
This ship was passing by the island, so there wasn’t too much effort in helping them.
“We will divide into teams. Clémentine and her group will head for the B-ranked enemy zone, my group at my command we’ll go to the middle zone, leaving Aurora, Alice, Cithrel, and Venali in charge of the high-ranked creatures,” explained Akira the battle plan.
The students’ group had an A-Rank, which reduced the pressure if they were in charge of the B-Rank creatures.
Akira was considerate of her group and left them the area with less troublesome A-Rank enemies and even if it didn’t have as much danger, it didn’t mean it was easy.
The B-Rank enemies were many.
As for their group, they were all A-ranks, with Akira and Oscar, who was a shapeshifter, being S-ranks.
They all nodded, as they were only confirming orders at this point and had already arranged how they would handle themselves.
The island surely must have had many enemies because of the overflow that brought the creatures, but they had three S-Ranks under their group and if you counted Oscar along with Alice who had fought individuals of that level, then their numbers increased.
At the academy, Alice could play a weakling, but Akira had seen her take on powerful foes while sometimes eating chips with complete peace of mind.
“Take care of your lives and those of your companions, don’t take any chances, and act wisely. Clearing the island is important, but only our lives depend on our mission.” Akira warned using a serious tone.
No innocent lives depended on this mission and it was only carried out so that in the future, those creatures would not become a problem.
In the sea, there were already some aquatic creatures to be feared, and they represented a greater danger than frogs on an island.
To take a risk and act recklessly on this mission would only be foolishly senseless.
“Alright, let’s go,” Akira ordered as everyone present nodded.
The ship would sail around waiting for them, so they had all afternoon to finish the mission.
When they reached the surface of the ship, some soldiers saluted, and Cithrel approached Aurora.
“Shall we do as we agreed?” Cithrel asked with curiosity and a slight hint of excitement about the upcoming battle.
They had arranged to split into two groups to execute a pincer attack on both sides and reduce the time they completed the mission.
Aurora knew that what Cithrel wanted was some time alone so she could let loose a bit, so she nodded.
“Let me know if anything happens. Urfin will be mad at me if anything happens to you.” Aurora said, showing a strict expression that made Cithrel smile.
“Don’t worry, if he gets mad, I’ll scold him for you,” Cithrel replied in a flirtatious tone.
Urfin hired Aurora, but since Cithrel was technically the boss of Urfin’s boss... She was at the top of the chain of command and, some would say, on par with the emperor.
That she could act so freely made clear her control over her vassals, even though some of them were very loyal and prioritized the life of the empire’s only heir.
Aurora could only give a smile as she prepared to finish the mission.
******
The group of students flew towards a part of the island.
They were using an artifact, so it wasn’t strenuous, but everyone was cautiously looking around.
Leslie was employing her new exoskeleton combat armor to test it out and had her new sniper rifle equipped.
She couldn’t deny that she was excited to try out her new toys.
“By the way, Andrés, why did you decide to come today?” Érica asked her teammate curiously.
Andrés was flying beside her as two drones followed behind him.
He had been given the opportunity to stay on the ship and aft with the support team and report on the situation, but he had joined unexpectedly.
“Well...” Andrés mumbled, hesitating for a few seconds and with a touch of embarrassment, he revealed. “I didn’t want to leave you guys at a disadvantage.”
It wasn’t that he thought he was stronger or anything like that.
Andrés knew that any of them could beat him up, but they were his group and he did not wish to leave them at a disadvantage on this mission.
Even though this mission was not dangerous, facing enemies always was.
They were taking the job as if it was not too much, however; they had forgotten that this was an official mission and there was no one guaranteeing their safety.
That was why Andrés came instead of staying on the ship, believing that an extra member would be helpful.
“Oh, how gentlemanly!” Érica joked in an amused tone that got Nicole to let out an amused laugh.
Clémentine gave a smile and interrupted, “We’re getting close. Be ready.”
At those words, the group gazed at the island as the speed at which they flew slowed.
It was an island of several square kilometers and while it was small on the map and even when compared to other islands, when one saw it up close, it turned out to be large.
“You may begin.”
Aurora’s voice echoed over the communication system and in the distance, it sounded as if someone had landed like a meteorite.
Clémentine signaled for her group to get ready, and they approached with increased speed.
The enemies on the beach of the island were the most common.
Giant Anurans, also known as giant frogs, these creatures were about two meters tall and their advantage was their strength and weight.
Because of their physical qualities, they were classified as B-Rank, as were their companions next to them.
At one meter tall, the Sword Toad, as he was known, could harden and sharpen his tongue like a sword, allowing him to engage his enemies from a distance.
Their surprise attacks and speedy attacks were always a problem, which is why they were considered B-Rank.
Even though they didn’t see any A-Rank enemies, just the number of ten of those creatures was already eye-catching.
“The battle will draw the attention of other enemies. Don’t waste energy. This maybe a battle of endurance.” Clémentine warned her group.
In the forest, behind the beach, were other enemies; Clémentine could feel it.
When her entire group nodded, Clémentine was the first to move.
Moving away from the group, she descended and, using her telekinesis, she pressed all the frogs against the sand, burying them and prevent them from jumping.
That move was perfect for Érica who sent flying two ice spears at a fast speed, piercing two toads.
The next to move was Nicole, who dropped on top of a giant frog, burying it even further.
These giant frogs had a look that would disgust anyone, and the only advantage for Nicole was that she had already become accustomed to facing this type of enemy.
Leading to her using the lightning bolts in her fists at this point not caring about getting dirty.
In the end, Leslie fell to the ground and, raising her rifle, she aimed in an instant and pulled the trigger.
*Bang*
The rifle shot sent the birds in the small forest flying and her bullet was so powerful that it destroyed a part of a sword toad, spreading its organs on the ground.
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At the end, Andrés blinked as the battle began, with an overwhelming advantage for them.
“I guess I wasn’t necessary...” Andrés muttered, as he saw how his companions were eager to show off their best skills.
******
Levitating in the air as the frogs watched her, Cithrel launched a spatial slash by waving her hand.
That spatial slash was even stronger than a sword slash and split the frogs in half, leaving a bloody sight.
The frogs croaked and came closer at the sight.
The number of frogs was high and among them were some A-Ranks.
A considerable number that did not faze Cithrel, who watched as the poison and attacks of those frogs hit her barrier.
“That’s interesting. If I slay these creatures, I can get experience and level up. Just like the reports say.” Cithrel muttered, revealing a slight smile.
The Falion Empire was considered a magical empire that gave emphasis to the development of magic and Cithrel as the heiress of such an empire, not only had the talent of her family, but she had that deep desire to learn.
The people who had come to Terra nova before had reported that by killing creatures and living beings of this world, they could gain experience just like in their world.
Even though the humans of this world could not do this kind of thing.
“Perhaps it is as the other archmages say. Thanks to our history and ‘genetics’ we have that ability.” Venali replied with a frown.
She wasn’t a researcher or someone dedicated to magic, so she could only give her opinion going by what she had heard.
Other Archmages had had the same doubts and after some research had worked out that it was because of the difference in the two worlds.
Not only were their physical and magical laws different, but it was something at the ‘essence’ level.
The races of Terra nova were ‘created’ by some primordial gods, while the earthlings of Earth were an evolutionary process, which gave a similar result.
Cithrel as an archmage and someone who had access to more information knew that creation was not a myth or a hoax, it was the truth.
It happened hundreds of thousands of years ago and the deities of that time were present today.
The God of Time and Space and the Goddess of Order were an example of primordial gods who existed at the beginning of everything and who saw the birth of the various races.
That was the dominant theory, and while it was difficult to know the full, exact truth and mortals could only give their guesses, creation was a sure thing.
“It is intriguing,” Cithrel muttered, and swinging her hand, the wind swirled around her and cut through the enemies in front of her.
It was intriguing, though, how a world that was connected to different worlds and planes, the individuals of Terra nova, had seen it before.
She was letting out the curiosity of a researcher, but that was all.
The frogs were cruelly cut up, and their insides were scattered around.
“Your Highness, the corpses of these creatures will be used as materials,” Venali interjected in a respectful tone.
“Oh, my bad,” Cithrel said as she realized she was getting carried away.
She was taking part for free, as she didn’t need money.
The Falion Empire also traded with this world and she had great personal wealth in this world’s currency.
For such a reason, she refused the payment money Akira wanted to give her and only agreed to not have to pay for this vacation.
She had to admit that she had fun by the time they went clothes shopping.
Landing softly while using earth magic to manipulate the ground and gather the corpses in a corner, Cithrel watched the frogs approaching from the surrounding area in anger.
They were on a plain, and the number of enemies was a large amount for a normal group.
Neither she nor Venali was normal.
As someone from Terra nova, she was stronger than mages of her own rank on her world, and that difference was greater on Earth.
“Taste my gift, Venali,” Cithrel asked, smiling at her companion.
Venali nodded, and with her hand on her Katana, took a step in front of Cithrel.
Drawing it out at a high speed, her sword aura created a line of red color and divided her surroundings.
“...”
The frogs couldn’t even croak one last time before their bodies split in two, leaving a grotesque scene.
Cithrel watched her companion with a strange look and in the end sighed and, using a space ring, put the corpses away.
As a mission conducted in the middle of the ocean, they couldn’t bring a cleanup crew to take care of everything because of the high costs and, for such a reason, Akira gave several space rings to store the corpses.
“I guess they’re in better shape than the ones I murdered,” Cithrel muttered, looking sideways at Venali, who shivered slightly.
Chuckling amused, she waved away the smell of the dead creatures so that it would spread around and attract other enemies.
Then she approached Venali and, looking at the sword, she asked. “What is it like?”
“Excellent craftsmanship. Let my sword aura permeate its blade, allowing it to deliver powerful cuts from a distance.” Venali replied, and when Cithrel kept looking at her, she muttered. “But it gives me a strange feeling...”
Cithrel chuckled in amusement as she watched other frogs approach.
It wasn’t that long ago that these creatures had left the temporary dungeon, and that was why they were still aggressive to attack anyone they found in their path.
Among these creatures were some poisonous frogs that could expel poisonous gas from their protrusions when inflated, and other frogs that could use water magic.
Each one was of Rank-A.
“Your Highness...” Venali hesitated and, looking at Cithrel, asked. “When will you begin with your aim?”
It was a question that carried curiosity and was said in a low voice, wanting not to hide the curiosity.
“You had to convince too many people to come to this world, and mainly your parents,” Venali added without finishing her words.
It wasn’t every day they let the princess travel to another world, where the influence of the Falion Empire wasn’t as powerful as in Terra nova.
Cithrel erected a water barrier, preventing the frogs from being able to get any closer.
“Do you think father is a bad emperor?” Cithrel hesitated and, smiling, asked. “Are you afraid he will ruin the empire while I am not present?”
Instead of answering, Venali lowered her head in apology for having such ideas.
Smiling, Cithrel approached her companion and, lifting her chin with her finger, looked her straight in the eyes.
“Father is indeed a bad emperor for his constant desire to leave the throne, but he will endure for a while,” Cithrel replied with an amused tone as he smiled at Venali.
He was a bad emperor because he paid no attention to administrative matters and from a young age, he never desired the imperial throne.
Unfortunately, for her father, since the Old Empress disappeared without leaving an heir, he was the only one who could occupy the throne even though he did not like it.
Now that she was there, he wanted to abdicate in her favor.
He was not a puppet or a tyrant; he was just irresponsible.
Cithrel always liked to take care of such matters of great importance and had no problem taking responsibility, but that didn’t mean she would do it now.
“As for the other matter...” Cithrel said and, with a faint smile, added. “We have to go carefully. We won’t find anything if we rush. Adapting is the first thing before we take on our task.”
Watching Cithrel’s eyes as she moved her hand caressing the cheek of that elf, who could not look away, she smiled.
“Don’t you find it entertaining to be here?” whispered Cithrel, smiling amused.
Venali’s cheeks turned red with shyness as she looked into Cithrel’s bright eyes and without looking away, she nodded while her breathing was unsteady.
Cithrel smiled flirtatiously and turned away, turning her attention back to the frogs still attacking the barrier.
“Come on, we need to finish this quickly.”
With those words, Cithrel gathered her magical energy to prepare a spell.
The frogs had gathered around her and more and more were coming closer, making it a crowd of dozens, but her expression didn’t change from start to finish.
There were some that might present a slight danger to normal S-ranks, though not to her, who could use various magics.
Performing a large-scale earth magic spell, Cithrel waved her hand forcefully and dozens of spikes rose from the earth, impaling the creatures that were surrounding her.
Poison frogs and those releasing toxic gases let out their venom as they slowly died, writhing in pain.
Cithrel, in response, used air magic to contain the poison.
This situation not only showed the difference of an S-Rank but also the difference of someone from Terra nova to a normal Earthling.
******
Levitating, Akira watched in the distance where spikes were rising and water snakes were floating around.
She was using a binocular to watch as Cithrel used magic to slaughter her enemies.
It was literally a massacre, as her strength was tremendous.
Without a doubt, Cithrel was very strong, even among those of her same rank.
The spikes that rose from the ground had tremendous penetrating power, while the water snakes transformed into spears and struck down some enemies.
Only destruction could be seen on that side.
*Boom*
On the other side, Akira could see black tentacles waving frogs across the sky while explosive sounds echoed from time to time.
On that side were Aurora and Alice, taking down all their opponents at a high speed.
The guild had supplied antidotes for poisons and toxic gases, so even if they faced the toxic frogs, it would not be too dangerous.
Just had to watch out for a few attacks, though nothing out of the ordinary.
Preparation was a priority for any mission and she, as the boss, had seen to it that everything went correctly.
“If this keeps going this way Julius won’t need to take part,” Akira muttered, sighing.
The mission was selected after considering the difficulty of counting Aurora, Alice, and the group of students.
Julius technically should have taken part and would not stay as a support group, but Cithrel and Venali’s voluntary participation led to it not being necessary.
If it was a normal difficult mission before, it now became a very low difficult mission.
“Captain! The battlefield needs your attention!”
A shout came from the ground and Akira descended while looking at Aeko, who was the one who shouted.
She was moving at a high speed, generating platforms at her feet to dodge the poison spitters while firing her arrows with unparalleled accuracy.
Santiago was protecting Shao Ya, who was casting support spells to increase his defender’s ability.
The legs of the giant frogs were to be feared and Santiago was taking the blows, not backing away while using his sword to slash at his enemies.
He also did not need to dodge the sharp tongues of the sword toads, since using his shield, he could protect his own body and Shao Ya.
Like a knight, he protected his beloved...
“Grrr...”
On the other side, fighting against a four-meter tall giant frog was Oscar in his bear form, tearing into that giant frog.
The frog was an A-ranked creature, but its size and strength were superior to that of its companions.
Surely that was the boss of the temporary dungeon that had overflowed.
The way Oscar fought in his bear's form was that of a veritable beast.
He was using his claws and jaws to fight without holding back with that giant toad.
He was winning, even though his opponent was not letting him have it easy with his jumps and his moves.
Akira, who looked at the situation in an instant, shifted her gaze to those foul creatures releasing toxic gas.
“This will end faster than I expected,” Akira muttered as she took it upon herself to freeze those opponents together around her, preventing the gas from spreading.
******
On the beach, away from the corpses, some students lay on the ground.
“I’m exhausted...” Clémentine muttered, letting herself fall on the sand.
Aurora looked at the other students, who were just as exhausted from their battle.
While it wasn’t a dangerous confrontation, it was tiring because of the high number of enemies.
Even though they weren’t that strong, the sheer numbers made the battle tiring for anyone who had to move around a lot to fight.
“But it was fun,” Leslie commented with a smile as he cleaned his rifle.
They gave a few smiles at those words.
Only Clémentine was an A-Rank in the group of students and the others had to try pretty hard to fight and win against B-Rank creatures.
However, the battle did not have other heavier responsibilities such as protecting innocents or no lives depended on it, made it ‘fun’.
For they could free themselves from a burden and give their best to face their enemies.
A mistake could cause injury to them or their team members, but with a coordinated team like theirs, this battle posed no great danger.
Aurora let it be.
It was one matter to be serious when innocents had to be protected, and another situation was like now when they could take it more calmly.
Caution was fine, but it didn’t have to be to the extreme and sometimes it was good to relax, like now.
“Thank you...” Aurora said as her friend brought her a bottle of water.
She had to admit that after a cleanup, staying resting for a while on an island was certainly a nice thing to do.
That Cithrel could disperse the smell and bring in fresh air only made it even better.
Truly heavenly.
“You guys did a great job!” Akira exclaimed, looking around at those present.
Each of them gave their best to face their opponents and cleared the entire island of enemies.
“When I finish selling the materials, I will send you the bonus,” Akira reported and before they could intervene, she revealed. “This is the way the guild is run.”
Sometimes their guild performed tasks and missions receiving payment from the Japanese government.
Those jobs were to take care of places where they did not have high profit, but this mission was different.
While it was true that the Japanese government wanted the island clean, the place was not so important as to prioritize its cleanliness.
For this reason, the government hired Akira’s guild, for a minimal fee, to take care of the area.
Cleaning all the islands before the abyssal portals appeared was a priority for the Japanese government, who did not want to have double problems when one of those portals appeared.
The profits made from the cleanup went directly to the guild in charge of the job.
So dividing the profits equally according to their share was a guild rule to maintain the unity between the groups.
Akira’s guild was getting extra profit from being the middleman in selling the materials.
“Thank you,” Nicole said and before the others could start thanking, Akira waved her hand, stopping the group.
“Don’t thank for your hard work,” replied Akira, giving a simple and hearty smile.
If they did a job, they deserved a paycheck and since this place was full of enemies, the pay would be quite juicy.
Getting a few hundred thousand dollars would not be a problem.
“Being a mercenary or adventurer, it’s quite profitable,” Cithrel muttered.
“No, it isn’t,” Aurora interjected, and when Cithrel looked at her curiously, she explained. “Now you get big profits because Akira could get an easy mission with big profits. Normal adventurers or mercenaries, they have their own difficulties.”
This mission was beneficial compared to others, and the problem was that a group of normal adventurers could not have gotten it.
Even a small guild would have difficulty taking this job and it was not because of ability, but because of contacts and influence.
Normal adventurers and those without guilds had the hardest time financially and in getting priority for dungeons.
“So, it’s the same as in my world then,” Cithrel murmured, nodding in understanding.
Little-known groups always had a hard time and more so when they didn’t have enough influence.
“Well, let’s get back. We need to rest and party before they can leave.” Akira interrupted, livening up the mood.
Tonight at night they were to return, as the next day they had to go back to the academy to take part in the tournament that was entering its last stage.
They had to enjoy their last day.