“Bang.”
Two arrows whistled through the air and hit the oil barrels and before the Brutes could react,
BOOOOOOOOOOM
The barrels exploded, all at the same time.
A fiery shockwave erupted, sending a wall of heat and force outward. Flames gushed into the sky, and the battlefield turned red and orange. The very ground trembled, and the air was filled with the sharp crackle of burning oil.
The Brutes’ bodies flew back like ragdolls. Fire clung to their thick hides, and their roars of pain echoed across the battlefield. Their skin was scorched, with deep burn marks all over the place. The sight was extremely gory.
Kael stood still.
He thought he would have thrown up when he saw the scene, but for some reason… he felt perfectly fine…
Maybe it was because he had seen literal humans being torn into two pieces and his own head being severed in the vision before, but all of this felt… much tamer than he expected.
Kael continued to observe the Brutes. These monsters had taken literal cannon shots and survived. So obviously, although the explosion caused a lot of damage, none of them had died yet.
Slowly, the Brutes stood up. It was a scene that might have horrified any normal person. To survive despite everything that happened, these Monsters seemed unkillable.
Kael, however, just grinned.
“Marshmallow or Kebab?”
He questioned.
“RRROOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!”
The Brutes, however, didn’t seem to like his joke as they roared in rage. Their eyes glimmered menacingly as they charged toward Kael, targeting the one who had harmed them. This time, their speed was much faster than before, they had turned even crazier.
Kael, who realized what was happening, blinked a few times. Then he…
Ran away.
“What!? I thought everyone liked barbecue!?”
He complained as he continued to run as if his life depended on it.
“RRRAOOOOOOOAARRR!!!!”
And it did.
The soldiers had never seen Brutes look so enraged before.
Kael continued to run.
These Brutes were faster than him, so despite him having a 300-meter lead, they were slowly catching up.
“I won’t make that joke again, I promise!”
Kael cried as he continued to run, and the Brutes replied to his words with,
“ROORRROAAAAARRRRRR!!”
“Yes, I accept your surrender.”
Kael nodded. Of course, he didn’t stop running.
“ROOAAAAARRRRR!!!”
As the chase continued, Kael soon entered the narrow alleys. The Brutes, in a frenzy, followed without thinking, their massive bodies barely fitting through the tight streets.
Kael continued to run through the streets. The Brutes, despite having to slow down, continued to follow him, but then—
“NOW!!”
He screamed, and suddenly, the ground beneath Kael turned into a marsh as he jumped into the air.
The Brutes tried to follow, but before they could jump, 20 Estwyn Tamers, who were hiding on the rooftops of the houses on either side of the narrow streets, jumped on top of the Brutes with their weapons in their hands.
“Aim at their burnt hide!”
Kael shouted as he himself climbed on top of Echo, who took him to the sky, away from the Brutes.
“FOR ESTWYN!”
“KILL!!!”
The soldiers shouted, aiming at the Brutes’ weak points that Kael had created.
They weren’t alone. Their Magic Beasts attacked the Brutes together with them.
As for Kael…
Well, he was having his own problems.
“Aaaahhhhh!!!! I am flying! I am flying!!!”
The Hero screamed like a little bitch, his hand tightly gripping Echo’s saddle straps as if his life depended on it.
‘Just hold the reins, leave everything to Echo, and you will be just fine~’
This was what Sarah had told him before, but…
“I am not fine at all!!!!”
Kael complained. Just looking at the ground beneath made his body tremble.
“Kuuu!”
Echo called out.
“I do not understand you!!”
Kael shouted, his voice nearly lost in the howling wind.
“Kuuu!!”
Echo screeched again as it moved even higher.
“What are you doing!?”
Kael shouted again as his heart shuddered. Echo was literally flying vertically to the ground, and Kael could see his death right in front of his eyes.
“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!! Echo!! My Brother!! What did I do to you!?”
Kael complained as he continued to shout.
**”Aaaahhhh— eh?”**
But then, he noticed something.
By now, he should have already fallen to the ground. Even if he was holding the reins, he highly doubted he was holding them tight enough to avoid the fall. Heck, he didn’t even feel like he was holding something.
‘Is it because I am stronger now…?’
Kael thought inwardly. Soon, however, he shook his head. This made no sense. Something was wrong.
“Kuuu!!”
Echo screeched again, his voice joyful, as if he was trying to tell something.
Kael then remembered Sarah’s words again,
‘Just hold the reins, leave everything to Echo, and you will be just fine~’
“You are telling me to… trust you?”
He questioned, and—
“Kuu!”
Echo nodded as he raised his speed even further. This time, although Kael instinctively closed his eyes, he didn’t shout.
And just as he expected…
He was fine…
“Kuuu!”
Echo called out again as he shook his head.
“Huh? What do you want?”
“Kuu!”
He shook his head again, this time even more aggressively, and Kael finally realized what he was trying to say.
“You want me to…
Leave the reins?”
“Kuu!”
Echo nodded, and Kael just stared at him with a deadpan look on his face.
“Do you see any wings coming out of my back by any chance?”
Of course, he wouldn’t be leaving the reins!
He would never leave them!
“Kuu!!”
Echo, however, screeched again as he changed the direction he was flying in. Now, he was parallel to the ground again. The only difference was…
That it was upside down…
“Ah! Sorry if I was rude!! Turn around!! Turn around!!”
Kael shouted, but Echo didn’t listen.
It was then that Kael realized it…
He…
He still hadn’t fallen.
Slowly… he decided to trust his friend. First, he let go with one hand.
Feeling no pressure on the other hand, he steeled his heart and…
He let go.
And again,
Nothing changed.
*What…? How is this possible…?’
He questioned inwardly, and Echo just screeched in joy.
‘Leave everything on Echo~’
Sarah’s words echoed in his mind again, and he finally realized what she meant.
He could not fall as long as he trusted Echo…
“Now that’s true magic!”
Kael shouted out loud, then,
“Echo! Faster!!”
He ordered.
“Kuuu!!!”
Echo followed.
“Hahahaha!”
And Kael’s laughter echoed throughout the skies, and once he was comfortable enough, he passed the orders.
“Echo, Down!”
It was time to finish it.
Echo descended, and soon, Kael saw the soldiers bravely attacking the Brutes.
Aria’s Bond, a Swamp Drake, had turned the ground into a swamp and had started targeting the Brutes with vines that grew from the swamp. These vines grabbed the Brutes and pulled them in, hindering their movements even further.
The soldiers also continuously targeted the burnt areas in the Brutes’ bodies, making their attacks even more lethal.
“As they say, it is easier to cut the cooked chicken~”
Kael commented with a smile on his face, then, as he prepared his heart,
“Alright, fuck this,
Let’s do it!”
He jumped down.
Yes, he had gotten braver.
But not for long.
“Aaaaahhhhhh!!!”
He screamed. He was nearly 30 feet above; even if he was the Hero, he was still scared.
“Noo!! Don’t fuck it!!
I take my words back!!”
Of course, no one was coming for help.
“Agghh! Fuck!”
Kael cursed again, and then, his face contorted, his eyes turned draconic golden, red veins pulsed beneath his skin, his jagged teeth gleamed, and,
He roared.
“RRROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!!!”
The Brutes looked above, their bodies enveloped by the most primordial sense of fear, petrifying them in an instant.
Kael, however, wasn’t done yet.
Shimmering red scales started appearing on his right arm, and Kael quickly directed himself toward the strongest Brute and the moment he appeared above him,
He punched.
BOOOOOOOOM
Its entire body was blown into pieces.
Blood and gore spread all over, covering everyone present, especially Kael. He controlled the urge to vomit and strengthened his mind—he only had 5 seconds.
His golden eyes glared at all the Brutes, who were still frozen in fear, then he found the one nearest to him and punched again,
And then again.
Within five seconds, he unleashed two more punches, killing a total of three Brutes, all while the Brutes stood petrified by what they had just witnessed.
“Focus on the ones on the left, swarm them.”
Kael ordered.
All of this, from the start to right now, had already been predicted by Kael, and the soldiers had already positioned themselves to take on the Brutes on the left, while Kael himself rushed toward the three on the right.
Then, once he had created enough distance between himself and the soldiers, he activated his third ability as he jumped toward the Brutes with a sword in his hand.
[Skill: Ember Cloak]
[Description:]
[Allows the Host to surround himself with draconic flames. Enemies who attack him in melee range take significant fire damage, and the flames provide enhanced resistance to elemental attacks.]
[Effect:]
[Surrounds the Host with dragon-like flames that extend 1 meter around him.]
[Enemies that are burned by flames take 20% of the Host’s magic power as fire damage.]
[The affected suffer a burning effect that deals 5% of the Host’s magic power as fire damage per second for 5 seconds (Stackable).]
[Provides a 25% resistance to elemental attacks, with a 50% resistance to fire-based attacks.]
[Duration: 10 seconds.]
[Cooldown: 1 minute.]
It was supposed to be a defensive ability. Kael, however, used it aggressively as he moved closer to the enemies himself. He also made sure to use the stacking effect to its fullest extent.
He would burn these things till they were roasted!
“Kill them all.”
He ordered as he himself took on three Brutes.
With three already dead, three busy with Kael, the twenty tamers and their Beasts now swarmed the four remaining ones.
The Brutes, who were already heavily injured and with the swamp and the vines slowing them down, were overwhelmed very quickly,
And with that,
All ten Brutes perished.
…
A/N:
Sarah
Aria
Lyra