Chapter 413: Blood (3)

“Is that... the First Tarak?”

The people who had broken through the horde of Tarak stood in front of the cave, staring at the monster beyond it with uneasy expressions.

Karyl turned back slightly, glancing at Aidan, Suan, Miliana, Gordon, Kuwell, and Alteman.

“Ahem...” Kuwell MacGovern cleared his throat as he looked down at Malek’s shattered corpse lying at Karyl’s feet.

“I guess you really are among the continent’s strongest ten. I can’t believe you’ve made it this far.” Miliana turned to Gordon and Kuwell.

Aside from herself, none of Karyl’s people had ever reached the front lines by their own strength before.

“It’s been a long time since that classification meant anything. Miliana, you and the others under my command are all Sword Masters now.”

“That may be true...” Miliana gave the other two a doubtful look.

“Don’t worry. No one here is weak, certainly not you,” Karyl reassured.

At that, Miliana’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Hey, don’t lump me with your subordinates. I’ve been strong since before you were even born, you know?”

Clang

—

Miliana knocked her twin blades together with a sharp ring as she continued, “And Digon is even stronger.”

At that moment, a massive explosion rang out from the Tarak’s left flank, and a wave of soldiers came rushing forward.

Miliana pointed toward them with a pleased smile.

“The Ranion Alliance has arrived.”

At the front of the charge, Viola and Greys called out to Karyl from horseback. Surprised, Miliana quickly turned her head and frowned.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Why? Are we not supposed to be here?”

“It’s not that, but...”

Her flustered reaction prompted a faint smirk from Karyl.

“What about the others?”

“Digon, who was advancing through the center, is currently dealing with another Malek that just emerged. The Immortal Council and Free Army forces on the right are drawing the attention of the spreading Tarak, using themselves as bait to divert the monsters away from this area.”

“Huh, that Nain Darhon is finally doing the dirty work for once.”

“He asked us to pass along a message. He’s borrowing Mikhail and Serica Lauren. Kinu Mukari and Beikan have gone to support Digon.”

“And the left flank? Don’t tell me you made it through all of that by yourselves.”

Miliana found it hard to believe that her own Digon tribe had been delayed at the center while Viola’s had arrived first.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“Haha. The Queen of Digon hasn’t changed one bit since we first met. She’s still as proud as ever,” Allen chimed in, seemingly to ease the tension.

“That’s exactly why she’s strong,” Karyl said as though it was obvious.

“So pride runs in her blood,” Ramine mumbled as he looked at her, but his words were drowned out by Miliana’s voice.

“So Hwarin’s army is covering the left flank? That’s odd. I thought your alliance was supposed to take that position. While the others were buying time, you found the easy route and pushed straight through. How convenient.”

She seemed to be rather offended that her own forces hadn’t arrived first.

“It’s not about convenience. We are simply the force that is most needed in this location.”

“You? And what can you possibly do?”

With a heavy thud, the knights lowered the massive shields they had carried on their backs.

“We have tactics,” Viola said calmly.

Miliana snorted, then glanced past Viola at Greys.

“Hey, you rookie from Fenria. You remember who greeted you when you came to attack the Istan Kingdom, right? Do you remember me using tactics back then?”

Greys gave a bitter smile. His encounter with Miliana had been unforgettable. Indeed, Istan had been a minor kingdom, but the fact that it had fallen entirely because of one person was nothing short of incredible.

“Just don’t drag us down. Only monsters can take on monsters. You’d be better off sitting pretty in the back, waiting for the cheers of victory.”

“So are you admitting you’re a monster?” Viola’s face twisted in response.

“Of course. There’s not even half a drop of human blood left in a Digon’s body,” Miliana replied with a vicious grin, brushing off Viola’s jab like it was nothing.

Crack...

“Stand down, all of you. Since Digon didn’t get to move first, the Queen of Digon will be the one to tear out the enemy’s throat.”

She stepped forward with overwhelming confidence, red scales spreading across her body.

“...Will she be alright?” Aidan watched her, clearly nervous.

The entity up ahead, Blood, felt far stronger than Malek, who had been fast enough to outmatch Aidan himself.

“We’ll watch for now. It’s worth seeing at least once.”

But for some reason, Karyl looked strangely calm.

Even in my past life, she preferred to fight the Tarak alone. Miliana has fully awakened her Dragonization. She should fight even better than before, but still.

He shifted his gaze from Miliana to Viola, who stood nearby. Facing Blood changed everything—but sending Miliana ahead without stepping in himself wasn’t carelessness. Karyl knew exactly what they were about to face.

The flames of Tarak that will spread from here are going to be fast and uncontrollable. If we want to stand a real chance, experience is what matters most.

From that perspective, Miliana’s fight would serve as a good model for the other powerful warriors present.

Still, the real issue was the reinforcements. Depending on what happened next, they could become a decisive factor in how the battle unfolded. Even as he kept his attention on Miliana, Karyl couldn’t ignore the troops Viola had brought with her.

“Anthem’s perspective on the battlefield has broadened quite a bit since before.”

“Sorry?” Aidan asked, unable to grasp what Karyl meant, or why it was Viola’s Ranion Alliance troops that had arrived here, of all people.

“We’re pulling back.”

As Karyl raised his hand in a simple signal, Miliana moved without hesitation, heading straight toward Blood.

“Viola, I won’t stop you,” said Karyl. “Go ahead and act according to Anthem’s plan.”

“Did you know about the plan?”

“It’s a bit presumptuous of you not to give me a heads-up, but... not a bad move.”

At his comment, she let out a quiet sigh, as if she knew there was no winning against him.

“Just don’t let me down. You’ve still got work to finish,” he went on.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Viola gave a slow, resolute nod.

BOOOOOOM...!

A sharp blast echoed through the battlefield.

Karyl subtly adjusted his grip on Polsetia’s blade, ready to draw it at any moment.

Noticing that, Aidan smirked to himself.

Of course. Even if we needed a backup plan, only Lord Karyl could execute it here.

“Hraaaaaah...!!”

Like a raging storm, Miliana charged forward and thrust her sword at Blood.

Digon Twin Blade Technique - Second Form: Moonlit Gem.

Her twin swords traced a crescent arc above her head, aiming straight for Blood’s throat. At the same time, her leg swept in low, slamming into the creature’s ribs.

Crack!

Her kick landed, snapping its ribs with a harsh cracking sound. But despite Miliana’s powerful strike, the creature showed no reaction, as if it felt no pain.

Blood immediately retaliated by swinging its arm into her blind spot. Sharp spines extended from its fingers, clawing toward Miliana like talons.

“Hmph...!”

She scoffed at the incoming attack, raising her hands to shield her face as more scales spread across her skin like armor. Instead of retreating, she lunged even closer to the creature.

Whirrrrr!

Blocking Blood’s strike, she used the opening to drive her sword straight through its chest, the blade bursting out through the creature’s back.

“Ghrkk!” Blood let out a guttural snarl and tried to retreat, but Miliana didn’t give it the chance. She pressed even harder.

Voosh!

The air ripped apart as her blade carved into the monster’s flesh. But even with its body mangled, Blood still lashed out, trying to pummel Miliana with its fists.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each hit against her dragon scales reverberated like a hammer striking metal.

“Hraaaaah!”

Miliana wrapped her arms around Blood’s waist and squeezed as hard as she could.

“Grr... Grrk!!”

Blood struggled in her grip, staggering under the pressure. The others could only stare in awe.

“I was worried for nothing. Guess I forgot just how far above us the Queen of Digon really is,” Aidan remarked, shaking his head as he watched Miliana mercilessly overwhelm Blood.

But Karyl remained silent.

Thud!

Miliana thrust her fist into Blood’s chest, forcing the creature to stumble back.

“Not particularly impressive, this so-called First Tarak,” she scoffed, brushing her clawed hand over her scaled face as she walked toward the reeling creature with a calm, confident expression.

“Die.”

With that single word, she reached to pull her sword out of Blood’s back. And then—

Rrrrrumble...!!

Blood’s body suddenly swelled, becoming grotesquely bloated.

“Get back!!” Karyl shouted.

Miliana tried to move, but it was already too late. Blood’s body erupted in a massive explosion, and true to its name, it sprayed blood everywhere.

“Ugh?!”

Realizing there was no time to dodge, Miliana quickly shielded her face with her arms.

Just then, knights rushed in front of her, pulling the shields from their backs and forming a wall between her and the splatter.

Hiss...!! Sssss...!!!

The moment the blood touched the shields, hot steam hissed into the air with the stench of metal being corroded.

Tactical Wall – Iron Fortress.

Fwooooosh...!

From behind the solid barricade of shields came Viola’s voice.

“These are anti-Tarak shields, forged by Lord Calypson himself. They’re enchanted not only with intricate spellcraft, but also with protective magic cast by Nain Darhon of the Immortal Council. They should be able to withstand a few more attacks.”

Miliana glanced at Viola’s back.

“I told you not to interfere. That thing isn’t someone your lot can handle.”

“We know. But my people are all Sword Experts. They might not be able to unleash devastating attacks like you, Your Majesty, but if they give it their all, they can at least match your speed.”

It was Greys, standing beside Viola, who replied cautiously in her stead. Through the layered shields, Viola met Miliana’s gaze.

“They say the Tarak will spread far beyond what we can contain.”

“...”

“No matter how exceptional you are, Your Majesty, if it reaches that point, you won’t be able to handle it all alone. Sooner or later, we’ll have to fight too.”

Just then, a drop of blood made it past the shields and struck Viola on the shoulder. Black smoke hissed up as crimson liquid scarred her pale skin, but she didn’t flinch. She simply raised her sword.

“We can’t join the monsters in their battle... but we’ll fight in our own way.”

The heirloom of House Fenria, the Silver Wrath, gleamed with a flash of frost in her hand.

“You’re right. We can’t take that thing down. So please, be our sword, and in return, we’ll be your shield. We’ll hold the line so you can fight without looking back.”

“...Hmph.”

Miliana was about to say something more but stopped herself. Instead, she bit her lip and raised her blade.

“So the delicate flower finally stopped waiting in the back and learned how to survive like a weed in the wild.”

Dushala looked at Viola through the magical projection, a faint smile on her lips.

“Guess spending time in the gutter will do that to you. Maybe now we can finally have a proper conversation.”

Back when they had first met, Viola had been nothing more than a sheltered princess, someone who didn’t seem capable of standing on her own amidst the chaos of battle.

Viola lacked the swordsmanship of a Sword Master, and she didn’t possess the overwhelming power of a Great Sorcerer who had reached the pinnacle of mana. Aidan Hamil had grown stronger through his insecurity toward his comrades, but it was his raw talent that had made it possible.

Viola, on the other hand, had none of that. And yet, that was precisely why her presence ignited something in the hearts of the knights. Ironically, it was her weakness that made her stand out.

In Karyl’s Free Nation, where the strongest of the strong gathered, Viola wasn’t anyone particularly exceptional. In fact, she was the kind of person who could easily become dead weight.

But she refused to let that happen. She had fought desperately to prove she belonged with Karyl and his people. And that struggle, rather than dragging her down, had become the very thing that rallied the knights behind her and allowed her to shine as a queen.

Funny thing was, the knights themselves, when compared to Sword Masters, were weak too. But their convictions were strong, and that was enough for Viola’s struggle to resonate with them.

“I told you before. Don’t butt in and drag us down.” Miliana’s voice still had that sharp, prickly edge to it.

“Of course. I never intended to meddle in a monster’s fight,” Viola replied calmly. “We’ll simply be the stage for you to shine on.”

Hearing that, the corner of Karyl’s mouth curled into a faint, approving smile.