To D3lph0xL0v3r: Thank you for your kind words. And Yes, I will eventually write the Blind Airbending Master. I hope you continue to enjoy my work despite all the mistakes and inconsistencies that I make. Free and Saika will only become temporary party members instead of full time allies. They are far too free spirited be tied down and officially join Eugeo's party.
To Guest Squire Ann: Thank you so much for your kind words and really happy to see that you enjoyed the tender moments that Eugeo and Alice shared at the Inn. As for the idea of giving Eugeo a male member, I'm actually not sure if I can grant your request. I will give it a shot if I can fit him in, but don't get your hopes up too high.
To BlazeBlade: Happy to see that you enjoyed my latest work. As for Free, try looking him up in YouTube as it will show you why I chose the Dragonewts to be his race. As for the idea of giving Eugeo that new party member, I'm actually not sure if I can grant your request. I will give it a shot if I can fit him in, but don't get your hopes up too high.
To SentinalSlice: Thank you so much for your suggestion regarding Shirou's future appearance in my future fanfic Black Lotus Blade Works. I hope you continue to enjoy my work despite its imperfections.
When will Nasir Alsaqur, the bird Demi-Human and part time Shadow of Siltvelt, officially join Eugeo's party?
After Eugeo's first battle with Glass - 1
After the Trial - 2
At the Cal Mira Archipelago - 3
Season 2 - 1
SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS AND THE VOTE RESULT:
1.) A bit sad that very few gave votes, but I guess I have no choice but to make do with what I have. As a result of the poll, Nasir will officially join Eugeo's party when they travel to the Cal Mira Archipelago. Acting as some kind of political representative from the Demi-Human nations.
2.) I made a few changes in the power levels of some of the Sword forms and Shield forms that have already been unlocked in the story.
510 Reviews, 621 Favorites, 764 Follows
PLEASE READ NEW VOTING POLLS AT THE BOTTOM AND VOTE IN A REVIEW!!!!
Eugeo and Kirin will still be referred to as Kirito and Yuuki until deemed otherwise.
'This isn't good. This isn't good at all.' Anna couldn't help but groan in frustration at the situation that she now found herself in.
Not only is she literally having a dangerous dance with death by facing the Wave Boss on her own, barely managing to dodge and deflect its countless attempts to catch her with its enormous pincers...
But she now has to bear the agonizing pain of the poison that's now flowing through her veins!
CLANG!!!
CRINK!!! CRACK!!!
BREAK!!!
"Dammit!" Anna cursed as she just lost one of her daggers and almost costing her arm.
The reptilian woman performed an impressive midair somersault to avoid getting snapped like a twig before leaping away to get some distance. Gasping for breath as she tightened her grip on her remaining dagger.
Looking at her now, Anna Fidi had definitely seen better days...
Her hair now badly ruffled and disorganized with some dirt clinging to her once flawless locks...
Her enchanted robes now littered with numerous cuts and tears that is partially revealing some of the skin underneath...
Her body now covered with small bruises and scratches. Some of her miniscule blood dripping from her wounds...
Even the remaining dagger that she is holding isn't any better. Looking like it would join its partner in the scrap heap after receiving a few more powerful impacts from the adversary in front of her.
'Then again', the serpentine seductress muttered to herself before taking on a more evasive stance. 'it's kinda my own fault that things led to this point.'
Taking a deep breath, Anna prepared herself to resume the dangerous game of cat and mouse that she was having with the Wave Boss.
For the passed hour, Anna has done all she could to slow down the Boss Monster's march. Which is actually not that hard to accomplish at first, as the Wave Boss is really not that fast. This is largely due to the countless dog-sized passengers that were hitching a ride on top of its back.
Why is the Wave Boss allowing those passengers to ride on his back you may ask?
The answer is quite simple... it's because the passengers are the Boss Monster's babies!!!
Yes! You heard it right!
By chance and misfortune, the insect that was chosen to become the Boss Monster for this Wave is a scorpion... a scorpion with the size of a house!
Easily standing about 20 feet tall with its enormous tail going even higher. Its hideous black body being 30 feet in length with purple crystal-like protrusions growing at its leg joints and pincers. (just for reference's sake, a bit smaller than a tyrannosaurus rex)
When Anna first discovered the Wave Boss, the scorpion hatchlings were still eggs that were securely clumped together while firmly attached to their parent's back. The weight of all those yet to be born offsprings is the reason why the Wave Boss is so slow. Taking advantage of this fact, Anna made a multitude of obstacles and traps to slow the Boss Monster down even further.
For the most part, her objective of impeding the Wave Boss went smoothly.
Things only started to go wrong when the scorpion eggs started hatching one after the other. The Boss Monster's movements became faster as more of the juvenile Scorpions hatched and decided to jump off their parent's back so they can go on their own.
This new development may not have been so bad. Anna's heritage as a Snake Demi-Human has given her near unparalleled speed and flexibility. So keeping up with the Boss Monster's increasing speed while maintaining a safe distance should have been an easy task for her.
It was during these brief lapses of her judgment and carelessness is what costed her this advantage. Accidentally allowing one of the newly hatched Scorpions to successfully sting her from behind at her tail! Normally, this wouldn't worry Anna by much as her body has a much higher resistance against various poisons compared to many Demi-Human races.
But this particular poison is from the offspring of a Wave Boss! It doesn't matter if the one who did the stinging is still a newborn, it's venom is just as deadly as the venom of the adult! Causing her to feel the agonizing pain of the Boss Monster's venom in full!
This is the reason why Anna is now littered with multiple wounds throughout her body and is now in quite the pinch. The spread of the venom in her veins is only being accelerated by the blood pumping dodges and leaps that she had to do just to keep herself from getting caught by the Boss Monster's pincers.
Her movements becoming slower and more sluggish as time went on, allowing the Boss to break through her defense. Inflicting many glancing blows and shallow grazes throughout her entire body. Anna pretty much lost track of just how much time has already passed as all her focus is on keeping up with the Boss Monster's attacks.
Unfortunately, the negative effects of the Scorpion's poison soon became too much for the snake woman's body to handle. Her vision started to blurr and her legs eventually seized up for the overexertion that they had to endure after all this time. The Wave Boss didn't waste any time as it finally succeeded in catching the elusive annoyance that kept getting in its way from reaching the nearest village to feed.
"NNNGGHH!!!" Anna groaned in exhaustion as she tried her hardest to free herself from the Boss Monster's firm grip. Her already overworked arms jus managing to keep the giant pincer from fully closing with her still in it!
If she was in her tip top condition, she wouldn't have as much trouble of breaking free from its hold. But as she is now, its just plain out impossible!
The Wave Boss raised its tail up high in the air with a very clear intention of what it plans to do with it. Anna could do nothing but brace herself for the immense pain that's about follow.
"Master... Eugeo..." Anna whimpered in plea as she watched the coming attack.
"ICICLE SLANT BARRAGE!"
The last thing Anna remembered seeing before she finally lost consciousness is the warm embrace of her beloved Master's arms as he carried her to safety.
A few minutes earlier...
[Weapon Copy: Pyrodragon Claws Unlocked]
[Quality: Rare - Base Attack: 80 x 2]
[Mastery: 0/190 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Volcanic Reaver - Lv. 0]
Level 55 Required
[Weapon Copy: Adamantine Katana Unlocked]
[Quality: Rare - Base Attack: 150]
[Mastery: 0/200 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Azure Pulsing Dash - Lv. 0]
[Extra Equip Bonus: 25 AGI, Holy Damage Up (Medium), Unsheathing Damage Up(Medium)]
Level 56 Required
Kirito and Alice silently cheered as they managed to successfully acquire two top-grade weapons from Free and Saika while en route towards Anna's location.
With Kirito's claim of being a part time blacksmith, a half-truth at the very least, the two dragonewts agreed to let him check the condition of their respective weapons. Giving the disguised Sword Hero the perfect opportunity to Weapon Copy both weapons and add them to his ever growing arsenal of sword forms. All the while genuinely giving the two weapons a thorough examination so he can give the owners an accurate appraisal report.
While Kirito is busy doing weapon inspection, Rifana and Yuuki took turns in informing the two newcomers a bit about themselves. Giving the fake backstory that they had agreed upon with a few half-truths mixed in when presented with a situation like what they are in now. Especially when it concerned about their origins and the purpose of their arrival in the Siltvelt capital.
"So you guys seriously have no interest in regaining some of your clan's authority over Siltvelt." Free asked in slight astonishment at the female Hakuko's claim.
"With the combined strength you two displayed earlier back in that remote village, I would say your group have a pretty solid chance in forcing that to happen." Saika added as she shared with Free's surprise.
"Nope."
"None whatsoever."
Yuuki and Kirito replied respectively with a nonchalant tone as they both shook their heads at the troublesome thought.
Finishing up with his weapon analysis, the disguised Sword Hero closed the Stacia Windows that only he can see.
"Both of these are really top notch weapons. Powerful in their own right yet were designed to be as durable and long-lasting as possible." Kirito complemented with a smile. Handing the two weapons over to their wielders before adding, "Whoever forged your blades must be a famous and skilled blacksmith."
The two dragon half-bloods couldn't help but chuckle when they heard Kirito's statement. The chuckle shortly evolving into laughter as they re-equipped their weapons. Their reaction greatly confused the other occupants of the moving carriage. Even the invisible Alice felt curious about their behavior.
"Sorry, sorry... we just couldn't resist." Saika said while waving her hands before she explained, "What you just said is half correct. The one who forged our weapons is very skilled and masterful of his craft. And believe it or not, he considers these two high-class weapons as 'just above acceptable'!"
"The only reason why he isn't as famous as you would've expected him to be, is because he chose to be anonymous." Free added with a smirk, "Only certain circles of people know about his work. And he only agrees to forge you a weapon if he deems you trustworthy enough to not abuse his creations."
' " " "I see..." " " ' Everyone else said in chorus at the blacksmith's unusual way of thinking.
'In a purely business standpoint, that's actually a really bad mentality for a renowned blacksmith to have.' Alice commented to Kirito before adding, 'although I can honestly admit that I approve with his decision. Only bestowing his finest creations to people that won't abuse them.'
Kirito could wholeheartedly agree with that with a firm nod as two perfectly bad examples came to mind. Just imagine if people like Raios or Humbert were given weapons with the same quality as Free and Saika's weapons. The mere thought made Kirito's skin crawl, the possible repercussions of such an action will undoubtedly be dire.
Kirito was about to ask about the mystery blacksmith's identity when Arthur let out a warning screech (once again, Arthur is instructed to not speak in front of strangers. so he resorts to animal sounds).
"Kirito! More hoards of Wave Monsters are up ahead!" Rifana yelped in alarm as Arthur quickly leaned a little to the left. Evading a few incoming spider silk nets that were fired at them by a much, much bigger [Dimensional Arachnid]. "They are a lot bigger than the ones we fought back in the village!"
Kirito quickly stood up to take a look, and sure enough, he saw a large hoard of much bigger insect monsters at the far distance that are steadily coming closer. To make things worse, some of them, like the [Dimensional Praying Mantis] monsters, have grown tired of their slow progress and have started to unfold their wings now that they've reached an unobstructed area.
"How good are you two in fighting in the air?" Kirito quickly asked the dragonewt pair as they, along with Yuuki, joined him at the front to look at the opposition that they are about to face.
"I think I could say with confidence that Saika and I are proficient in aerial combat." Free answered with an eager glimmer in his eyes. The prospect of literally taking the battle to the sky is actually very appealing for him.
"We can only fly in the air for approximately 10 minutes before we start to slow down because of fatigue." Saika hastily added before looking at Free disapprovingly for purposely not mentioning that little detail.
"10 minutes is more than enough time. There aren't that many giant flying insects anyway." Kirito muttered before giving out instructions to everyone.
First, Free and Saika were told to focus more on bringing the larger threats back down to the ground instead of outright killing them in the air. Cutting off or puncturing the wings is more than enough for the airborne monstrosities to come crashing back down hard to the earth.
Next, Yuuki and Rifana were instructed to finish the fallen monsters off before they get the chance to recover their senses from the painful impact.
Kirito was about to assign Arthur with his own task when something happened that made his blood run cold.
Kirito, along with his entire party, froze in fear and worry as they all looked closer at their respective Stacia Huds. Or to be more precise, the party slot where Anna's name and current status is being inscribed.
"*GASP*!!!" The party all cried in alarm and distress.
Not only did Anna's HP took a sharp nosedive, but whatever the attack that hit her had also inflicted her some severely fatal Poisoning Debuffs!
"What's the matter?" Saika asked as she and Free are understandably confused on the groups' sudden unusual behavior.
"It's our friend Anna. She's in danger." Kirito decided to be the one to answer.
Kirito may not be familiar with these so called 'status debuffs' since none of them existed in Underworld. But the cartoonish images of not one...! not two...! but three human skulls with the color of red, yellow and purple for each is a clear indicator that Anna is in very grave danger!
Kirito roughly rubbed his forehead in frustration at the messed up conundrum that they found themselves in. As much as they all wanted to go, they couldn't just drop everything here to aid their endangered snake comrade. There's no telling what kind of damage these bigger and meaner insect monsters can do if they were allowed to escape unimpeded. Especially now that some of those bigger monsters have shown to have the ability of flight.
The disguised Sword Hero eventually steeled himself as he knew fully well that the girls are not going to like his next few words in the least!
"You two stay here and help Free and Saika take down these monsters. Arthur and I will go on ahead to help Anna."
' " "WHAT?!" " '
Unsurprisingly, Yuuki, Rifana, Alice and even Saika are absolutely livid at Kirito for even thinking about facing the Wave Boss on his own (although Free is also worried for Kirito, it's being mostly overshadowed by admiration). And let's face it, even if his only objective is to save Anna and take her to safety, doing so without getting into a fight with the Wave Boss is a struggle against futility.
"I know it's crazy and I know it's dangerous, but we don't have much of a choice." Kirito spoke up before anyone else could say their words of protest, "We can't just leave and let these beast to go rampant. There's no telling how many would get hurt or killed if all us leave now."
That was enough to keep the others from saying anything. As much as the girls don't want to accept it, Kirito is right. They simply don't have much of a choice in the matter. So with great reluctance, they all agreed with his plan. Prompting Kirito to detach Arthur from the carriage so that he can ride him at his top speed.
Just as Kirito was about climb aboard Arthur's back however, Yuuki called for his name to make one final remark...
"Kirito!"
"Yes?"
The disguised Sword Hero paused to turn around and face his approaching party member when she suddenly grabbed him at the cloth by his neck and pulled him in.
"Ehh... "
Yuuki's lips pecked Kirito's cheek.
Rifana couldn't help but bristle, feeling slightly urked for being one upped by her fellow party member. The two dragonewts on the other hand, snickered in amusement at witnessing such a mildly intimate moment like this. The kiss only lasted for a 3 seconds before the two fake Hakuko's seperated. Yuuki quickly turned around to hide her crimson red face as she whispered softly to Kirito...
"Be careful."
Not wanting to waste anymore time, Kirito fought down his equally blushing face before answering...
"I will."
Kirito immediately climbed aboard Arthur's back and rode away in a great burst of speed. A few seconds of silence ensued before Yuuki broke it with an embarrassed fluster.
"What are you guys staring at?! We have monsters that needs to be slain. If we're fast enough, we just might be able to catch up with him once we finish up here."
This coerced the others to get a move on with their respective duties for the task at hand. The larger and more powerful insect monsters have already nearing their current position.
"Can I please go all out now?" Free asked in such an imploring manner. Sounding more like a child eagerly awaiting to receive the parent's permission to go out and play.
Saika couldn't help but make an exasperated sigh before finally giving him her nod of approval with a smile.
"I suppose it's safe for you to let loose for a little while. But once you start showing signs of going overboard, I will be pulling you out."
Yuuki and Rifana felt a little confused at the cryptic conversation the two had. But their questions were soon answered though as they both witnessed how Free's body went through an astonishing transformation.
Free's eyes glowed a bright gold color and veins bulge out of his skin as his muscles grew bigger. The small patches of golden scales throughout his body increased in coverage and became much more noticeable. His dragon wings expanded by several inches, his tail extended for a good 2 feet and his fangs became much more pronounced! The size difference of his hands even caused his [Pyrodragon Claws] to resize itself to accommodate its now much larger wielder.
The now partially transformed Free leaps towards the sky, making a beeline towards the nearest airborne [Dimensional Long-horned Beetle]. Prompting the three girls to quickly follow and aid the wayward dragonewt.
Now free from the need for secrecy, Kirito finally sheds the invisibility that the [Illusionary Sword] provided for the Legendary Sword. Morphing it into the [Ram Horn Sword] , a sword form that looks more like a blunt weapon instead of a sharpened blade with a pale boney brown color.
Holding the blade parallel to the ground and taking a piercing stance, the club like sword glowed a pale brown light before being intermixed with a vexing blue color.
"Raging Horn Spike!"
Kirito stabs the super charged sword skill straight forward.
BAAAMM!
With the fusion of the {Weapon Skill: Horn Smash} and the {Sword Skill: Rage Spike}, along with the speed and momentum that Arthur is passively providing... the father and son pair easily broke through the countless insect monsters that tried to get in their way.
Normally, the {Rage Spike} is a relatively weak Sword Skill that only deals an insignificant amount of damage in exchange for its speed of execution. But unlike its more powerful counterpart {Vorpal Strike}, it has a much longer attack range. Making it the perfect Sword Skill to be used in conjunction with {Horn Smash} to pierce through enemy lines with a more devastating attack power.
'Are you sure about this Eugeo?' Alice couldn't help but ask once the attacking insects have thinned out. Giving them a few minutes of semi-peacefull traveling.
The Sword Spirit purposely used the disguised Sword Hero's real name to signify just how worried she is for his and their adopted son's safety.
'I am sure Alice. I'm really sorry for worrying you like this, but we're really short on options right now.' Eugeo somberly replied before deciding to add a little more optimism to lessen her anxiety, 'But look at the bright side at least, with Free and Saika out of the way, we don't have to hold ourselves back anymore.'
Feeling slightly better, Alice conceded to Eugeo's point. Seeing that some advantages were gained despite the greater risks that the Wave Boss poses.
Thinking back during the Wave in Lute Village, the Wave Boss that arrived have been defeated easily enough. But because Eugeo came at the very last minute, Motoyasu and Itsuki have already dwindled the Boss Monster's life down to a quarter. Preventing them from getting a clear depiction on how well a single Cardinal Hero can handle a Wave Boss. Hence why Alice is understandably concerned for her beloved's course of action.
"Father, we have more bug monsters in coming!" Arthur, clueless about the mental conversation that his parents were having, broke the silence when he began to sense the approaching enemies, "But... they feel much deadlier and more ominous than all the previous bug monsters put together!"
Understandably alarmed at their son's instinctual judgement, Kirito quickly activates his {Appraisal Skill} just as the unknown Wave Monsters came into view.
Giving one of the numerous infant scorpions a scan, Kirito managed to discover that they are, quite literally, the offspring of the Wave Boss. The little horrors being appropriately named as [Scorpion King Hatchlings]. According to the analysis, each of these juvenile beasts are around Level 14 - 15 despite being newly born and are apparently weak against ice element attacks.
With this newly acquired information, Alice took upon herself to transform the legendary blade into the [Snow Wyvern Head Sword]. Taking on a fang shaped two-handed great sword with an icicle blue color and a dragon head emblazoned on the pummel with the signature blue gem embedded at the dragon's forehead.
Unfortunately, it isn't the most ideal sword form for Kirito though. Because of the additional length, bulk and weight, it isn't very compatible with his Aincrad or Balto sword styles. The most basic Sword Skill {Slant} is by far the only skill in his repertoire that is compatible enough to be used with a two-handed sword.
This is the reason why Kirito preferred to not use this sword. Despite its somewhat similar abilities to his favored blade, it simply can't match up against his beloved [Blue Rose Sword]. However, to achieve maximum damage efficiency against the Wave Boss, he has no choice but to rely on what they have.
"Icicle Barrage!"
With a mighty full circular swing, albeit a little awkward in its execution, a large bombardment of icicle spears were formed in the air and launched in all directions. Countless squeaking screams were soon heard as the wide area attack relentlessly slaughtered every single [Scorpion King Hatchling] that happens to be in range.
Taking advantage of the short lull of battle, Kirito made a split second stop to collect a few monster parts and placing them into his [Item Storage] to be absorbed later (along with all the other materials that he managed to scavenge throughout the Wave when no one was looking). Kirito and Arthur quickly went on their way as soon as he was done.
Their pacing became much more frantic and panic induced however, when they saw how Anna's life took another huge hit. Her HP bar having already reached into the red zone!
So with a few minor directions from Alice (who was observing the Holographic Map while in the mindscape) and some rapid extermination of any [Scorpion King Hatchling] that they happen to come across, it didn't take long for the father-son duo to stumble upon the Wave Boss. It's apparently named the [Obsidian Scorpion King] and is labeled as Level 45.
Frantically looking around for their trusted Snake comrade, Kirito and Arthur were more more than just horrified to find her being painfully squeezed to death by one of the Boss Monster's pincers. Her life dipping down dangerously low to the red zone! And to make matters worse, the Wave Boss is raising its venomous tail high in the air with a very obvious target!
"Let's go Arthur!"
"Right!"
With a fierce determination, Arthur charged full speed and successfully managed to make a long-distance high jump to reach just above Anna. Right in the way of the Boss Monster's lethal sting.
"ICICLE SLANT BARRAGE!"
CLAAAAAAAANG!!! SLINK!!!
The difference this particular attack has to the normal version, is that the icicle spears are being launched in a much more controlled manner. The ice and frost enveloping the sword itself with rigidly frozen spikes before being fired at an intended target instead of an unpredictable icicle shower towards a specific area.
Fortunately, while the skill enhanced [Icicle Barrage] wasn't powerful enough to fully deflect the Boss Monster's enormous stinger, it was still enough to divert it from its intended path. Sliding against the legendary blade with ice crystals flying everywhere. He successfully swerved it a little to the right, causing the stinger to miss its mark.
And as luck would have it, the sharp appendage just happens to pierce through a nearby full grown platinum oak tree! Accidentally getting its tail stuck deep into the tree's tough bark!
Not wasting any time to stare at the gift in the horses mouth, Kirito briefly leaves Arthur's back to retrieve Anna from the Boss Monster's now less firm grip. Holding on to Anna in a bridal carry before quickly returning to his mount's back. Arthur immediately jumps off the now trashing giant scorpion.
With the Wave Boss severely distracted in its effort of freeing its tail from the unexpectedly tough tree, Kirito quickly orders Arthur to take them a short distance away so he can heal the worst of Anna's wouds. In fact, she has so many of them that Anna's entire body is a frighteningly bloody mess!
Lowering the snake lady ever so gently on the ground, the disguised Sword Hero quickly started chanting with both of his hands hovering over Anna's chest. Deciding to use a much more advanced Healing Sacred Art. Feeling more confident in his attempt as his magic parameters are now several times more powerful than what they used to be back in Underworld.
[System call - Generate Luminous Element -
Balls of brilliant yellow light manifested themselves in all ten of Kirito's fingertips...
- Form Element Liquid Shape-
The balls of light then turned into slightly glowing water before...
- Discharge]
splashing the precious Healing water all over Anna's wounded body.
Almost instantly, nearly all of Anna's more serious injuries were completely healed. Leaving behind only faint scratches and bruises that can easily be treated by a Healing Potion. And much to Kirito's pleasant surprise and great relief, the Sacred Art that he just used also managed to get rid of the venom that was coursing through Anna's veins.
"Uhhh..." Anna groaning as she slowly regained consciousness, opening her eyes to see her savior.
"That's amazing father!" Arthur exclaimed in admiration at his father's amazing feat as said Hero released the breath that he now realized that he was holding.
"I'm so sorry master." Anna said as she tried, and failed, to get up as a few of her remaining injuries flared-up in pain, "I failed to achieve the task that you've entrusted to me."
"Don't apologize. You didn't fail me at all, you did great and bought us plenty of time to evacuate the civilians. Just as I told you to do." Kirito replied with a comforting smile before frowning at himself, lamenting at his own lack of foresight. A mistake that almost costed his trusted party member's life!
"It's my fault that you ended up in such a horrible state in the first place." Kirito growled to himself. Opening his [Item Storage] to get a HP Potion to heal the rest of Anna's wounds.
'Oh Eugeo.' Alice whispers to her beloved Hero in concern for his brewing self doubt.
Not wanting her master and savior to blame himself over something that wasn't even his or anybody's fault, Anna decided to disperse the ridiculous idea before it could get any worse.
"Stop that." Anna said with a stern expression and tone. Slightly startling Kirito just as he materialized the potion that he was looking for.
"Huh?"
"What happened, and could have happened to me, is not your or anyone's fault. So don't blame yourself over something you have no control over." Anna said with a firm conviction.
"But..."
"One favor!" Anna said with her pointy finger being an inch away from Kirito's nose.
"Ehh...?"
"If you really want to make up for this unexpected blunder, then let's simply agree that you owe me a favor. One favor that you cannot refuse. Agreed?!"
"A-agreed..." Kirito just barely managed to reply. Feeling quite confused and even a bit nervous about this unofficial agreement that he inadvertently just made.
Unknown to Kirito though, Alice is laughing her head off in glee and amusement while inside the mindscape (making sure to cut her mental connection with Kirito while doing so)! She can already tell where the Snake woman plans to use this favor regarding their beloved Sword Hero. It's just a matter of when it will happen, not if.
Kirito shook his head to clear his mind and placing this so-called deal aside for now. Returning his focus to much more important matters...
Anna is still not fully healed...
The rest of his party is still fighting the larger insect hoards just beyond this forest that they are in...
And finally, the Wave Boss is still very much alive and is most likely now free from the tree that confined its tail.
Kirito quickly helped Anna in drinking the HP Potion. Restoring her life bar back to full capacity before ordering her to regroup with the others.
Anna tried to protest, saying that she can still help him fight the Wave Boss, but she was immediately shot down. Not only is Anna now weaponless, but her body is still too sore and weak for any kind of intense combat despite being fully healed. So the Snake woman was given strict instructions to only use long range offensive spells to fight and avoiding anymore close quarter combat for the rest of the Wave.
She was also told to guide the others to the Boss Monster's location if they are finished with the extermination of the giant sized insect monsters. Anna wasn't happy about it, but she reluctantly obeyed nonetheless.
However, just before the two seperated, Anna pulls Kirito into a warm and tender hug. In normal circumstances, this action wouldn't be much of a big deal. But because of the harsh trashing that Anna received from the Wave Boss, her [Black Mamba Robes] were also badly damaged. Therefore exposing a sizable amount of Anna's smooth and nearly flawless skin for Kirito to see and accidentally touch during their one-sided embrace. Not to mention the extremely arousing caresses of the two large boobs that are squishing against Kirito's chest.
"Thanks a lot for saving me, my Master." Anna seductively whispers into his ear before releasing the hug and leaping away.
The disguised Sword Hero was left blushing pretty badly for being aroused in such a way. Especially now that he's fully aware of Anna's intentions of becoming one of his wives in the distant future. He was snapped out of his daze however when Arthur broke his silence with a surprisingly upset question...
"Father, are you cheating on mother?!"
"Eh?!"
"First, Auntie Kirin... Now, Auntie Anna. You shouldn't be flirting with any other girl aside from Mother Alice, father!" the young filolial king screeched in indignation for his mother's honor.
"Well... that's... actually a little hard to explain. Especially right now." Kirito said in slight panic before adding, "This really isn't the best time. So why don't you go ahead and talk with your mother about this later once the Wave Boss is dead."
'Huh?!' Alice protested in surprise at the sudden and rather embarrassing subject to explain to their child, 'Why me?!'
'I had to endure the embarrassment of explaining to our adopted son what a date even means! So I think it's only ppropriate that you... as his mother... explain about the complicated situation I'm in as a Cardinal Hero.'
'I... guess you have a point there.'
"Hmm..." Arthur's filolial cheeks puffed up in a displeased pout. As mature and obedient as he can be for the most part, Arthur is still a child at heart and is technically less than a month old. With a grumpy nod, Arthur later obeys to drop the current issue for the time being.
Focusing on their fight against the Wave once more, Kirito quickly reclaims his spot on Arthur's back before the noble steed dashes away. They found and battled against the Wave Boss in earnest shortly afterwards.
SLINK!!! SQUEAL!!!
CRASH!!! CRUMBLE!!!
Another [Giant Praying Mantis] bites the dust as a partially transformed Dragonewt stabs himself right through its back. Severely mutilating its more delicate internal organs before destroying the muscles that were supporting its wings. Not too far away, a normally sized Dragonewt is doing the same thing but in a much less gruesome manner. Simply littering the fragile wings of the giant insects full of holes and slashes with her katana before allowing gravity to do the rest of the work.
Down below the intense aerial skirmishes, a Demi-Weasel and a fake Hakuko were also being kept busy by their own battles. Making sure to finish off any insect monster that somehow managed to survive their harsh plummeting to the ground. Which is actually a pretty easy task to do as most of them were still far to dazed and injured to properly defend themselves against sudden attackers.
With all this constant fighting happening both in land and in the air, it's no surprise that everyone has lost track of time. And thanks to the surplus potions that were left behind inside Arthur's carriage, they are easily able to replenish themselves whenever they get hurt or start to run out of mana.
They were just over halfway done in eradicating the giant insect infestation when an unexpected ally came out from the forest.
"Zwiet Lighting Slash!"
A spinning blade made completely out of electricity sliced through the air like a boomerang disk. Paralyzing the larger monsters that got nicked by it while straight out killing the smaller ones that happen to be on the receiving end of its electrifying edge. The attack spell continued to cause a considerable amount of damage and havoc all over the battlefield. Firmly lodging itself right at the forehead of a nearby [Dimensional Giant Arachnid] before it fully fizzled out.
"Anna!" Rifana and Yuuki both exclaimed in elation as they ran towards her.
Rifana gave Anna the biggest hug that she could muster as soon as she reached her elder-sister figure.
"Thank goodness that you're alright!" Rifana cried as the more mature woman laughed and happily returned the affectionate gesture with her own.
Although the Demi-Weasel trusted the Sword Hero with her life and had complete fate in him in keeping his words, that didn't stop her from worrying. Especially when she saw how dangerously low Anna's HP bar has reached in the red zone. Only managing to breath easier when the dreadful Poisoning Debuff got cured and Anna's life started to replenish itself thanks to her Master's timely intervention. Speaking of...
"Wait... where's Kirito and Arthur?" Yuuki asked in concern once she realized that no one else was following behind Anna.
"They stayed behind to fight the Wave Boss." the Snake woman replied as she released the hug she was sharing with Rifana.
"What?!" the two younger woman screamed in understandable anger at their Hero's such reckless actions.
"Because of my recently healed fatal injuries, I still can't fight as well as I could. So he deemed it too dangerous for me to stay there to help him fight with just magic spells alone." Anna replied before explaining further, "Instead, he ordered me to regroup with you guys and possibly catch up with him once the insect monsters here are taken care of."
No more words needed to be said as the three, slightly upset ladies, wasted no time in causing as much death and destruction against the remaining Wave Monsters that were recently 'grounded'. All of them displaying a rigorous determination to finish this battle as quickly as they could possibly can.
"What got them so riled?" Saika voiced out her confusion as she and Free landed on the ground. Having succeeded in their task of taking down all airborne giant insects.
"Don't know." the still transformed Free replied with a lackadaisical shrug of his much broader shoulders before grinning, "Though if I had to take a wild guess... seeing that the woman who I assume to be Anna is here, Kirito and Arthur are probably out there fighting the Wave Boss by themselves. Thereby upsetting his girls greatly."
Saika couldn't help but facepalm. Not knowing which upsets her more, the fact that a powerful acquaintance like Kirito would do something so reckless and borderline stupid... or that Free seemed to support the Hakuko's decision and is itching to join him so he can fight the Wave Boss as well.
"What is it with you men being addicted to combat." Saika sighed before she and Free joined in to the fight.
Kirito knew what he was getting into when he decided to face the [Obsidian Scorpion King].
He fully expected that it would be a hard fight, especially with almost all of his favored Sword Skills voluntarily sealed away in favor of using the more damage effective two-handed sword.
And he has no trouble in admitting of the simple fact that he still have much to learn about this world. Especially when it involves the unusual creatures that inhabited this world along with those that come from the Waves. But despite all of these facts, that still didn't stop Kirito from feeling a tiny bit irritated on how his battle against the Wave Boss has been going so far.
Because even though he's wielding the most advantageous sword form, the [Snow Wyvern Head Sword]...
and has been repeatedly using the {Icicle Barrage} attack, which is supposed to be super effective against it...
The Wave Boss seems to be having little to no trouble in shrugging off almost all of his and Arthur's attacks! Kirito's normal slashes were doing little to no damage and Arthur's rapid kicks weren't doing much better. Targeting its face is also a fruitless endeavor as the giant scorpion's pincers were quick enough to block his sword strikes. Arthur's own attempts to get a hit in its face only resulted to a very near miss as the young filolial was forced to morph into his human form just to narrowly escape getting stung by the Boss Monster's extremely potent tail.
Even their ranged Weapon Skills, Sacred Arts and Magic Spells were met with very small results. Only managing to reduce its life down to 80% from the 94% it previously had when he first encountered it.
'This isn't going so well.' Kirito thought to himself as he and Arthur dodged another onslaught of venomous goo that the Boss can spit from his mouth and tail. Temporarily blinding the Wave Boss with a well timed {Flash Sword} Weapon Skill before taking refuge behind a medium sized platinum oak tree that stood nearby.
Both of them catching their breaths and drinking a few potions to restore some of their lost energy and HP. The only bright side so far in this entire fight is the fact that they haven't received any injuries that are life threatening. Not yet at least.
'Hey Eugeo, I think I just figured something out!' Alice said through their link as the disguised Sword Hero just finished helping Arthur drink his potion.
'Really?! What is it?' Kirito replied in pleasant surprise.
'I took a look at some of those [Scorpion King Hatchlings] that you stored in your inventory.' Alice explained as she materialized a several Stacia Windows for her to use in the mindscape, 'They may be babies, but they still have attributes that are similar to their Wave Boss parent. From what I can tell, they have extremely boney skin that acts as an impressive defense against physical and magical attacks. That's the reason why your ice attacks are barely doing any damage despite being the Boss Monster's weak element.'
Kirito listened intently and simply nodded in understanding as Alice finished her analysis.
'Go for its underbelly! The only area in their bodies that have the least amount of defense is the underbelly!'
Needless to say, the Sword Hero is ecstatic to hear this as he can now formulate a better plan of attack.
'Alice, I owe you another date night.' Kirito said with a wide grin, causing the Sword Spirit to blush and squeal at the thought of having another amazing evening with her beloved Hero.
Kirito quickly turns his attention to Arthur, informing him about his mother's discovery. Laying down the plan that he came up with on how they're going to expose the Boss Monster's glaring weak spot.
The father and son duo quickly puts their plan to action as they made their assault from the Boss Monster's more vulnerable behind.
"Now Arthur! Hit me!" Kirito commanded as he stood a few feet away while holding the [Snow Wyvern Head Sword] high above his head.
"Ok father, here it goes! Faust Tornado!"
By his father's command, Arthur obeyed and flapped his wings to cast the powerful wind spell directly at Kirito. Or to be more precise, aiming at the legendary blade that was being extended skyward to receive the attack. Instead of blowing the sword away from Kirito's grip like you would normally expect, the whirlwind instead wrapped itself around the Legendary Sword. Creating an even more powerful twister of ice and wind spinning above Kirito's head.
"Combo Skill: Ice Blizzard Barrage!"
With a heavy forward slash, the pillar that was containing the unstoppable force of nature gets unleashed upon the entire body of the [Obsidian Scorpion King]. Freezing a large portion of the surrounding area in the process.
The attack fully living up to its name as it looked as if multiple blizzards were forcibly combined to strike on one specific target. And unlike before, the Wave Boss wasn't able to tank this assault and howled in pain. Especially after a few stray icicles, that were flying wildly within the blizzard, coincidentally pierced its much softer underbelly and stabbed one of its eyes. It even managed to inflict a Freezing Debuff, a snowflake symbol appearing right beside the Boss Monster's HP bar.
The combined might of the Combo Skill managed to reduce the Boss Monster's life from 80% down to 58% in that one strike alone!
Despite all of this however, the ultimate payoff arrived when the attack also succeeded in flipping the Wave Boss completely upside-down. With the ground now frozen over, the force of the combined attack was enough to cause the Boss Monster to slip. Forcing it to flip over and lie flat on its back, thereby exposing its greatest weak spot.
Kirito, Arthur and Alice couldn't help but laugh at just how ridiculous the so-called fearsome Wave Boss now looked. Watching how it tried and failed to flip itself over back on its legs was just plain out hilarious!
Just as Kirito and Arthur were about to do another Combo Skill at the now defenseless Boss Monster, Alice sensed that the others are now closing in on their location. Forcing Alice to change the Legendary Sword back to the invisible [Illusionary Sword] so Kirito can keep his true identity a secret.
"Kirito?! Arthur?! Are you guys alright?!" three female voices simultaneously called out from behind the two individuals that they were searching for. Prompting the father and son duo to face the ladies to show that they are both fine.
Saika and the still transformed Free floated towards the group from above after giving them a few moments for themselves.
"So where's the... Wave... Boss..." Saika worriedly asked with her voice faltering as she and everyone else turned their heads to see the completely defenseless Boss Monster. Still trying to flip itself back on its feet as it furiously swings it legs, pincers and tail to get some sort of leverage with one of the nearby trees.
And just like Kirito and Arthur before them, everyone else couldn't help but laugh at the Boss Monster's hilarious plight. Anna in particular, cackled in quite the villainous manner as she fully relished the sight of the beast who very nearly killed her, suffering such a humiliating defeat.
So once everyone recovered their composure and were informed of the Wave Boss' glaring weak spot, they all agreed to dish out their most powerful attacks. Not wanting to give this beast a chance to make a comeback now that it's at their mercy.
"Hey Saika, would you please give me a boost?" Free politely asked as he purposely gestures towards his now enlarged [Pyrodragon Claws].
"You always did love to use Combo Skills as finishing moves." Saika sighed in amusement before she started her chant, "As source of thy power, I order thee-"
"If they're going for that, then we might as well do the same." Kirito remarked with a surprisingly competitive smile as he looked at each of his companions. Each of them returning it with similar smirks of agreement before they all began their respective chants. (Except for Arthur of course as he was told to keep his true nature a secret from others)
"As source of thy power, we order thee-" Yuuki started the chant...
"decipher the laws of nature, generate a twisting blade of wind-" Rifana came next and chained her own chant...
"bring forth a surging blade of lightning-" Anna added the final link to the spell before all three girls finished the synchronized incantation with a loud chorus, "Create a raging thunderstorm to obliterate our target..."
" "Zweit Wind Cutter/Lightning Tempest!"!"
The two parties finished their respective incantations at roughly the same time, although Saika did purposely paused at at the end of her chant so she can finish alongside the other girls.
On Free's side, Saika fired a rather large windcythe directly at his extended claws. Causing ghost like extentions to grow out way beyond the actual claw blades of the weapon before bursting into flaming talons.
While on Kirito's side, Yuuki, Rifana and Anna fired a crackling twister of wind and lightning blades towards the invisible [Illusionary Sword]. Enveloping the legendary blade in a hazy mobile lightningstorm.
" "Combo Skill- " "
"Dual Flare Reaper!/Wind Edge Lightning Blade!"
As one, the two males fired their respective attacks at the Boss Monster's most critical weak spot. Free making a synchronized double X-slash while Kirito swung the charged up legendary sword forward and to the ground.
Free's attack is a large X-shaped projectile made out of burning lava while Kirito's attack looked like a gigantic collection of electrified vacuum blades spinning around to form a lightning tornado.
Thanks to the awesome power of, not one, but two Combo Skills hitting its soft underbelly, it came to nobody's surprise that the Wave Boss dies almost immediately. Its screams of pain slightly drowned by the explosion that the two attacks caused. The underbelly literally getting blown up in quite the bloody fashion with its internal organs and numerous body parts being scattered all over the place because of the blast.
With the Wave Boss now most definitely dead, the Dimensional Portals quickly closed up and the sky returns to its normal blue color.
With the Wave of Catastrophe finally over, Free finally reverts back to his normal dragonewt form and stumbles to the ground while catching his breath. Lying flat on his back across the ground while clutching his rapidly beating chest. Working on calming down his adrenaline rush. A sensation that he normally experiences whenever he uses his incomplete transformation ability.
Saika joins her friend on the ground as she also felt completely exhausted. All that flying around that she had to do while in the midst of intense life or death combat have really taken a toll on her stamina.
Unfortunately for Kirito and the others, as much as they wanted to rest after such a hard fought battle, they simply didn't have the luxury to relax just yet. Especially when Alice telepathically announced to him and the rest of their party...
'Everyone, I can sense the Siltvelt Soldiers! They have now just entered this region!'
'How long before they manage to get here.' Kirito asked in alarm. Not wanting to deal with the political waves that he might accidentally cause thanks to his Hakuko identity. Not to mention the fact that they would most likely demand answers on how his party arrived to the Wave's location before they did.
'If the Siltvelt Soldiers all stop to help the evacuated villagers, we'll have roughly half an hour before they can catch up with us. If not and they decide to split their numbers, then the other half will be here in 10 minutes.' Alice diligently answered as she calculated in her head the running speed that the soldiers were going.
Nodding in understanding, Kirito quickly orders Arthur and the girls to grab as much Wave Boss fragments as they can carry because they will be leaving immediately. Much to the two dragonewt's confusion.
"Whoa. What's the rush?" Free finally asked in a slightly surprised tone now that he can properly hold a conversation with his adrenaline levels back in control.
"I know that those monster parts will fetch a pretty hefty price if you sell them properly. But aren't you guys being a little too greedy there? Hehehe..." Saika mused with a light chuckle as she and Free stood up and watched the other group hastily chopping away various parts from the Boss Monster's corpse.
Turning to their newfound comrade in arms, Kirito felt that they at least have the right to receive a somewhat truthful answer.
"I was able to sense the Siltvelt Military's arrival." Much to the dragonewt pair's surprise and shock that the Hakuko's senses were that great. Kirito then continued, "As we already mentioned before, we have no interest whatsoever to get involved in the foolish politics back in the capital. So we wish to disappear before the soldiers get the chance to get a hold of us. If its not too much to ask, when the soldiers do arrive... can you two misdirect them a bit so my friends and I can escape without much issue?"
The two dragonewts glanced at each, exchanging smiles of agreement before nodding to Kirito with warms smiles.
"It should be a simple enough request for us to do." Saika answered.
"Hmm Hmm." Free simply hummed in agreement.
"Thank you." Kirito replied with a bow to show his appreciation before going back in helping his companions with the work.
Because they left their carriage behind at the outskirts of the forest, they were forced to simply make do with foraging the Boss Monster's more iconic components. Loading their collected lute on the filolial king's shoulders so they can bring them back to their carriage.
After waving their goodbyes to the two dragonewt's, Kirito's group quickly made their way back to their carriage. Shedding their disguises as they gained distance, the two fake Hakukos were soon replaced by Eugeo and Kirin. Both of them back in their original knightly armor with the Legendary Sword back in its default form.
"All together now everyone." Eugeo announced, prompting Arthur and the girls to huddle up while holding on to their carriage. Although, much to Eugeo's embarrassment and to Arthur's chagrin, Anna had the bright idea to turn the huddle into a really seductive hug. Inserting his left arm right in between the two sizable mounds of flesh attached to her chest.
Eugeo shook the embarrassment away. Knowing fully well that he needs to get used to these kinds of gesture. And by this coming evening, he will have to face his girls and properly talk about this. Especially on how they're going to move forward with each of their respective relationship towards him.
"Transport Sword! Melromarc Castle Town!"
With his verbal command, the blue gem of the Legendary Sword shines brightly as a familiar golden light envelopes Eugeo and the rest of his party. All of them disappearing in a flash of light as they get transported back to Castle Town.
Completely unaware of all the messes and troubles that two of his fellow Cardinal Heroes are causing at this very moment.
For my readers who are disappointed with the fighting scenes, I am truly very sorry for not meeting your expectations. I myself am not fully satisfied with my work, but this is the best that I got for now. Hopefully, I can improve myself on this prospect as I write more stories.
The next 1 or 2 chapters will be flashbacks that are again focused on Naofumi. I hope all of you look forward to them.
PLEASE VOTE IN A REVIEW FOR THE NEW POLLS AND ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWER:
1.) I just got this idea in my head of Naofumi, by Mash-senpai's suggestion, will name his future filolial queen as Guinevere instead of Filo. To match the King and Queen of Camelot from the Arthurian Legends. What do you readers prefer?
- Name her Filo and stay true to the source material
- Name her Guinevere by Mash-senpai's insistence
2.) Although it's completely obvious that Eugeo will never ever be as skilled as Kirito, do you want Eugeo to unlock a Dual-Wielding Skill in the far future?
- Yes
- No
3.) I'm already picking up bits and pieces of information that I would use for my next project "Black Lotus Blade Works". So I just had to ask, what name do you readers want loli Shirou to have?
- Emilya Von Einzbern
- Shirouko Emiya
4.) For those who knows the answer, in the Danmachi universe, aside from the extremely obvious Low, Medium and High Quality Healing Potions and Mana Potions, are there other types of potions that are available for adventurers to use? If so, please list them in a review.
WHEW!!! This chapter was really exhausting to write! My brain really needs a rest, so the update of the next chapter would be a little uncertain. But I promise to keep on writing.
As always, thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I'm open for compatible suggestions and any advice that you readers could give. As for those nasty Reviewers who loves to Insult us authors, please just leave us alone.
Stay safe from the Coronovirus and stay indoors as much as possible!