A powerful breeze sweeps across a desolate valley, disturbing dead shrubs and bare trees.
The once-tall grass in the area has wilted and become brown after death–wiped out, along with most other natural signs of life across the land.
Among a pile of dirt and branches created from a recent landslide, a hand shoots out, then another, then a head of hair as white as snow.
“Ptoo! Bleh! Where the hell am I?!”
Ryuu digs himself out of the dirt and topples down the pile, landing hard on his ass as he reaches the ground.
After standing and patting himself down, he takes a quick look around while reaching into his memory.
The last thing I remember is the Staff of Muvolgyin shattering, then everything went dark… I don’t see anyone else nearby, but hopefully they landed as safely as I did.
A winding path to his right leads him out of the barren valley, moving up a hillside before spotting the remains of a small village below.
This is..?
Hmm.
I need to find a map as soon as possible, but I doubt I’ll be able to ask anyone here for much.
Ryuu slides down the hill and jogs toward the gathering of torn-up streets and damaged houses, with some of them missing entire walls.
He would expect a village of this size to have a population near two hundred, but he has yet to spot anyone after roaming for several minutes.
The few intact buildings he’s passed have all been workshops or restaurants, offering no sign of whether or not people still live here.
Once he comes out on the other side of the settlement, Ryuu concludes that this place has been abandoned.
There was nobody on the streets, no noise from inside the standing buildings–nothing.
It makes sense, considering the coating of death covering this region.
Even the grass under his feet has lost its lush green color.
Using the position of the sun in the sky, he then heads west, unable to spot any familiar landmarks.
The path ahead is full of similar scenery, making it hard to tell how much time has passed without glancing at the sun every once in a while.
Dead trees and mountains of leaves dot his way forward as the Blade trudges through what used to be a heavily-wooded area.
It’s here that he has his first encounter since waking up: a Fallen.
The feral, mana-born creature crouches within a small orchard, keeping its head low to the ground while it watches Ryuu from afar.
It hasn’t realized that I’ve noticed it.
I’ll keep moving forward, then turn as soon as it senses an opening.
He calmly executes his plan, continuing ahead until he passes the Fallen.
The moment he loses sight of the creature out of the corner of his eye, a sharp bloodlust slams into him from behind.
Ryuu turns just in time to defend with {Charge Point} as a heavy paw crashes into his arms and sends him back through a brittle tree.
The Blade rolls across the ground before coming up on one knee, analyzing the opponent before him.
A bear-type with speed like that?
It’s not like bears are slow, but it must’ve cleared a few hundred feet in a second!
The mutated beast stands ten-foot tall on all fours, and its fur is packed with rippling muscles as hard as steel.
Steaming drool drips from its jaws and sizzles into the ground, adding unnecessary lethality to the already deadly creature.
The Fallen tenses, then pounces at Ryuu with another swipe of its heavy paws.
He rolls to the side and puts distance between them, then pours some aura into his right arm.
His rugged muscles glow with a white light as his power condenses, then the bear charges at him straight on.
It lets out a guttural roar while saliva coats its sharp fangs, aiming straight for Ryuu’s chest, yet he watches in place with his fist clenched behind him.
As soon as the Fallen gets in range, the Blade slings his fist forward and ejects a {Charge Burst} directly down its throat.
He rolls under the bear as it sails over him with a frozen expression, then it falls to the ground and weakly twitches its legs.
After watching for a moment longer, Ryuu uses [Magic Cannon] to blow its head off and reduce the beast to dust.
I was aiming for whatever I could hit, but it seems like my technique connected with its heart.
I won’t complain about a little good luck in the middle of all of this.
Ryuu continues his way through the dead woods, keeping himself on a path west as much as possible.
Eventually, a vast clearing opens up in front of him as the ground gently slopes down.
A wooded area can be seen miles away–on the other side of the wide clearing–past a second village that seems to be doing better than the one he’d passed through before.
He enthusiastically sprints across the dying plains, his feet leaving clear marks in the dry grass, until he enters the east side of the village.
This settlement is three times the size of the first one, making it similar in population to Bexter, and its buildings are in much better condition.
As Ryuu moves toward the center, he takes note of the strange architecture around him.
Most of the buildings are constructed from a mirror-like material, casting warped reflections of their surroundings from every angle.
A few larger, important-looking ones have writing he’s never seen before inscribed over their doors.
It’s clear that this place is home to a unique culture, but he still doesn’t see anybody outside.
The desperate Blade taps his foot as he thinks things over for a while, then he crouches low and chants, “[Emperor Wing]” before sprouting large golden wings from his back and soaring high into the sky.
From his view five hundred feet in the air, Ryuu can see the entirety of the plains around him, including an isolated region further north-west that seems to be green with life despite the death surrounding it.
Before he can start toward it, a high-pitched scream from the opposite direction catches his attention.
Outside of the village below, many people-shaped dots can be seen with shields and glinting metal as they confront a small army of Fallen.
Their appearance is unlike any of the few Fallen species Ryuu has seen before, but his Mana Sense art tells him that their strength is relative to other C-Ranks he’s encountered in the past.
Another scream rings out through the air as one of the Fallen leaps forward, then the people and the monsters engage in all-out war.
As he watches from above, Ryuu determines that it’s surprisingly a fairly even fight–thanks to the efforts of a few skilled villagers–but the people are steadily being pushed back.
It’s only a matter of time before they’re overwhelmed by the bloodthirsty mana-born.
I can’t exactly make a crash-landing appearance again.
Everyone would get blown away.
That said, I still have no idea how to properly land.
I wanna help, but I’ll be too late…
As he finishes that thought, a deafening howl sounds out from a hilltop in the distance.
A massive, twenty-foot tall mutation bounds across the clearing, its body an amalgamation of animal parts.
It moves on six pairs of legs from three different land animals, while having a humanoid torso and eight tendril-like appendages made of pure muscle.
The head of the beast most closely resembles a horse, but its sharp teeth and slit eyeballs make it appear much more disturbing than any horse the Blade’s seen before.
The enormous creature rapidly approaches the villagers, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake as it closes in.
There’s no doubt that if it gets much closer, it will mow the people down and level their homes to the ground.
Perfect!
Ryuu dives through the sky, folding his wings close to his body as he picks up speed.
The villagers clasp their hands in prayer while the Blade hurtles down from the sky above.
They offer their lives up to whatever god they follow, holding back their despair at the inescapable doom charging toward them.
BOOM!
A powerful shock wave travels through the clearing, shaking each of the villagers to their core.
After reaching his top speed, Ryuu had coated himself in aura and used the mutation as a cushion for his landing.
He slams his shoulder between the beast’s eyes and, using its long snout, springs backward, landing lightly on his toes between it and the people as his wings fade away.
“GROAHHHH!”
The Fallen roars as it stumbles, barely managing to maintain balance with its six legs.
It shakes its head before glaring at Ryuu, shifting its attention to the tan warrior.
“That’s right, bring it on! I’m your opponent!”
Ryuu goads the beast into attacking, then easily dodges as it brings down all eight tendrils in a hammer fist.
They hit with the force of a bomb, blowing up chunks of dirt and a massive plume of dust, then the Fallen whips around in search of its target.
The Blade in question has already leapt through the air using a road of barriers, his arms coated in dense, golden gauntlets.
He maneuvers directly in front of the creature’s torso, then uses another barrier to explode upward, crashing his clawed gauntlets into its chin.
Dark liquid pours over Ryuu’s body as he carves a hole into the underside of his enemy’s head, but it doesn’t slow his progress.
He soon pushes an arm elbow-deep, then uses his other arm to brace himself.
“[Magic Cannon]!”
Golden light bursts out from the mutation’s eyes and mouth as smoke billows upward.
Its mouth hangs open silently as Ryuu kicks off from it, pulling his arm free, and lands on the ground once again.
He wipes the blood off of himself while his suit naturally sheds it like a raincoat, then waits for the creature to collapse.
Any second now… That blast fried its brain.
Soon enough, the Fallen’s front legs bend down, then the rest of them.
The twenty-foot tall beast falls on its side, spasming as it loses control of its bodily functions.
Ryuu sighs and raises a hand to finish the job, then is bombarded by a sudden wave of voices from behind.
“Thank you, mysterious warrior!”
“You’ve saved us! You’re our hero!”
“Please, tell us your name! We wish to properly thank you for what you’ve done!”
The Blade turns and falters upon receiving the gratitude of dozens of villagers.
They all speak enthusiastically and stare at him with wide eyes full of amazement, but that hadn’t been his intention behind saving them.
“Oh, no, it’s not a big deal. Now stand back, I need to make sure there’s no last second plot twist.”
Ryuu raises his palm again and lets loose another [Magic Cannon], turning the Fallen’s head into dust, then the rest of its body along with it.
“That’s better… Are the rest of the Fallen taken care of?”
A man in purple linens with a long gray beard steps out of the crowd to answer Ryuu.
“Hello, Savior. My name is Gonta, and I’m the chief of this humble village named Lichta. It’s thanks to you and your amazing strength that we were able to fend off this wave of beasts. Please, allow us to properly thank you for your help. We don’t have much money, but I’m sure we can work something out.”
“Ah, no. I couldn’t ask that of you guys when it’s obvious things are rough around here right now. If you don’t mind, I would like to know where I can get a map though. And maybe a bite to eat.”
“Of course! Come with us. We’ll get you everything we can.”
They’re certainly trusting, though, I suppose they did just resign themselves to death.
He follows Gonta and the villagers back to their home, away from the dusty remains of the Fallen, and can’t help but notice a few of the people limping or holding their sides.
“I’m sorry, some of you were injured. If only I was able to help sooner…”
“Nonsense! Nobody died this time, thanks to you!”
“This time? This isn’t the first attack?”
“No, unfortunately not. It all started a few days ago, when a bright light suddenly shone down on us from the heavens. An unbelievable amount of energy washed over the lands, turning them into the Fallen-infested wastelands you see now, but we haven’t exactly been able to receive news from other settlements to figure out the full extent.”
I was out for multiple days?!
I guess I was right in front of the source of the blast when it went off, but what about the others?
Chief Gonta leads him into the paved streets of the village, where most of the citizens split off along the way and return to their daily lives for now.
Ryuu, along with two villagers, follows Gonta deeper into the settlement, until they reach one of the buildings with the unique writing he’d seen before.
“This is our Village Hall.
You’ll find any supplies you need in here, and I’ll have our kitchen whip you up something nice and filling.
Marty, Penelope, take our guest to the study and help him with whatever he needs.
“”Yes, Chief!””
A man and woman move up and open the doors for Ryuu and Gonta, slightly bowing their heads as they pass.
Marty, the man, seems to be a laid-back pretty boy type, though Ryuu remembers him holding his own in the battle earlier.
The woman, Penelope, seems flashy in her own way, but maintains an even expression as he glances at her.
They wear matching outfits: light leather armor, brown pants, and green button-ups with their sleeves rolled back–clearly setting them apart from everyone else.
The pair leads Ryuu through the tall building, immediately climbing a sleek, metal staircase before turning left down a short hallway.
At the end is a singular wooden door, marked “Study” with a steel plate.
“As you can see, down there is the study,” Marty explains.
“It’s not much compared to what a big city will have, but it’s the best we can offer you.”
“Right, thanks. By the way, what’s with all of the weird metal covering everything in the village?”
Marty opens his mouth to answer Ryuu’s question, but is cut off by Penelope jumping in.
“That metal is our village’s pride: resenium. It’s a super rare substance that’s only found in a deposit near here, so it’s basically the entire reason this village was created.”
“Resenium… I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. Do you guys sell it to other places?”
“Of course. If we didn’t, we’d run out of money in no time. Resenium is always in high demand due to its special properties. Depending on the quality of metal used, objects created from it can reflect magical energy.”
“Really?! That seems like a dream for blacksmiths and soldiers alike. Even if it’s pricey, I feel like I should have seen some of that around by now.”
Marty cuts back in after covering Penelope’s mouth with his hand.
She furrows her brows and swings her fists at him, but he holds her back with one arm.
“That’s because resenium is fragile when made into something as thin as a weapon or armor. Its true value is brought out in large quantities, like the plating on our buildings, which adds to the cost. Most people that use it in battle keep it as a last resort solely for that reason. I probably shouldn’t share this with an outsider, but because of this recent blight on the land, we’ve been unable to continue our business. Although, it seems like that may be the least of our problems if this nightmare is affecting other places as well.”
Marty’s gaze turns downcast for a moment, then he’s knocked awake by Penelope’s fist in his face.
“Hurry up and bring our guest into the study! I doubt he wants to listen to your rambling all afternoon!”
He rubs his face before turning back to Ryuu and Penelope.
“Right this way…”
The door swings open to reveal a quaint collection of neatly-stacked bookshelves.
There are easily a couple hundred options to choose from, but Ryuu isn’t here for history just yet.
His eyes scan the room until he spots a map of the region on the wall and pulls it down, spreading it across a large desk in the center of the room.
Penelope strolls up behind him and jabs her finger onto the map, right under a small dot in the middle of a clearing to the north.
“This is where we are, the village of Lichta. We sit in the north-west of the Northern Reaches, almost halfway between the Great Peaks and Ganston. Is there a reason that you’ve become lost, Savior?”
“Just call me Ryuu. And yes, you could say that everything around us is the reason I’m lost.”
“Ah, a victim of the blight. Where were you when the light struck?”
“…The capital. I woke up a few hours east of here and have been roaming around ever since.”
“That’s terrible… Well, it was fortunate for us. Lichta would have been lost had you not shown up.”
“That reminds me, where are your fighters? I noticed a few people holding their own earlier, like you two, but shouldn’t a place with a monopoly on something like resenium have people capable of guarding it?”
Penelope bites her lip at Ryuu’s words, and Marty puts a hand on her shoulder as he steps up beside them.
“Sorry, Mister Ryuu, but that’s a sore subject for Penelope. You see, on the day of the blight, a massive wave of Fallen twice the size of the one today appeared inside of our village. There was no warning. One second, the golden light was in the air, and the next, the land was ruined, and there were monsters on our doorsteps. The most capable warriors in the village put their lives on the line to save as many as they could, but most of them were gone by the time we managed to drive the Fallen away. Including Penelope’s fiancee.”
Her eyes well with tears as Marty continues, then she hangs her head into her arm, silently fighting to keep her sobs down.
Ryuu watches her and feels his heart tug, unable to stop himself from thinking that part of this is his fault.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. After seeing the way you all warmly greeted me, I assumed that your home was in good shape.”
“It’s not like it’s some big secret that we need help. The truth is, we don’t know what we’re going to do when the next attack comes. They’ve been hitting us twice a day, and at this rate, our weapons will run out first.”
“In that case, don’t you just need to get to the mine? Surely you guys have some smiths capable of making something from the resenium?”
“Believe me, we’ve tried, but the Fallen are swarming the place. And even if we were able to make fifty weapons, they would break within just a few battles, making the effort pointless.”
“I see…”
Marty forces a crooked grin once he catches Ryuu’s expression.
“Don’t worry about us. I know I gave you the sob story, but we’re a village with over five hundred years of history. We’ll figure out a way through this, just like we have every other problem.”
A shout comes from downstairs, pulling everyone’s attention to the hall.
“I’m guessing that means your food is done,” Marty continues.
The pretty boy guides the group back down to the first floor, then down a hallway past the staircase.
On the left side of the hall, an entryway opens up into a cafeteria-esque room, with long tables and benches lining the floors.
A grand table rests at one end of the dining area, which would usually offer a plethora of options, but today, it simply holds a few types of fruit and nuts.
A chef from the building’s kitchen wheels a cart into the room, then reveals a steaming bird of some kind, dressed in herbs and oil.
“This is the best meal I can currently prepare for you. Please enjoy it, Savior.”
The chef bows out of the room, leaving Ryuu with Marty and Penelope as he eats his meal at one of the benches.
Despite asking the others if they want any, they quickly refuse and stand near the far doors, averting their eyes from his food.
The Blade takes large, grateful bites as he finally quenches the hunger gained from spending multiple days asleep.
I can’t help but feel bad about all this.
These people are clearly hurting for resources, but they’ve prepared me such a filling meal.
I’m sure there are children and elderly who are suffering from a food shortage, while I’m sitting here indulging in what little they have to offer.
Even if I saved their lives, this isn’t right.
Ryuu scarfs the roasted bird down, making sure not to leave even a crumb behind, before slapping his plate down and muttering his thanks.
He abruptly stands from the bench, startling his two guides, then makes his way over to them.
Now that he’s regained his energy, it’s obvious that the people in front of him hold respect in their eyes, but there’s also wariness.
Of course–who wouldn’t be wary of a stranger capable of killing a monster powerful enough to destroy your village?
“You two. You said that the attacks come twice a day?”
Penelope answers with a nod.
“Yes. The one before was the first of the day. Another will come deep into the night, if it’s anything like the past few days.”
“Alright… I’ll stick around until then, at least. I’ll help you guys with another wave as thanks for the meal and map.”
“Oh, Mister Ryuu! We can’t ask that kind of trouble from you!”
“She’s right! This is something the people of Lichta need to resolve ourselves!”
Ryuu waits as Penelope and Marty voice their disagreements, then smirks and waves them off nonchalantly.
“It’s nice that you feel that way, but I wasn’t asking. Even if you guys kick me out, I’ll just wait outside of the village until the monsters show up.”
“Wha- Why would you go to such lengths?!”
“It’s just a whim of mine. I have things I need to search for, but there’s no point in needlessly pushing myself along. I’ll use this time to properly rest my body, then I’ll leave first thing tomorrow. Isn’t that fine?”
Penelope stammers as she tries to find a rebuttal, while Marty simply sighs and nods his head in thanks.
“I guess we can’t say no to such a generous offer. We’ll be in your care once more, Mister Ryuu.”
“Yeah. I’ll do my best.”
The pair guides him away from the dining area and back into the main area of the Village Hall.
They stand in the hallway for a short time as people pass by every so often while carrying out miscellaneous tasks.
Penelope then addresses the group, leaning against a nearby column.
“We have a few hours until we can start to expect the Fallen to appear, so what would you like to do in the meantime? It’s not like we have much to do here at the moment besides gathering resources, but we can figure something out.”
“Hmm. Is Gonta busy?” Ryuu inquires.
“I wanted to ask him a few questions.”
“The chief will be busy tending to the village’s needs while he has time between attacks. I’m afraid you’re stuck with us, unless you want to search the village for him?”
“Nah, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m probably just gonna read some books and nap, so come get me when it’s time to be ready. I’ll be in the study.”
“R-right… Good luck in your endeavors, Mister Ryuu!”
The Blade ascends the nearby staircase while Penelope awkwardly sees him off, then turns to Marty, who shrugs without a glance.
He reenters the study at the end of the left hall, selecting a few interesting titles that had caught his eye earlier, before taking a seat at the center desk.
Three light books from different eras lay before him, detailing old encounters with Fallen, dead lands, and anything he can find on ancient staffs.
I’ve gotta learn whatever I can about the Staff of Muvolgyin.
If I can find out exactly what Riser did to the north, then maybe I’ll be able to figure out how to reverse it.
Things can’t be allowed to continue on like this.
Now, let’s see if this village’s library has anything worth learning.
Hours steadily pass by as Ryuu pours his attention into the books in front of him.
As soon as he finishes one, he takes a short nap, then begins the next.
By the time he finishes the first three, it’s only been two hours, so he selects four more and gets to work.
As he reaches his fifth book–and fourth nap–an interesting passage pulls him out of his half-asleep stupor.
When dealing with the curse of the Demonic Era, the higher-ups of the newly-founded Sacred Land had a difficult time making progress.
Although they worked with the very best holy-type M’yin and priests, it took weeks to simply carve out a small base in the very bottom of the region that would eventually become the Northern Reaches.
With no goal in sight, the king considered giving up on the area and focusing his attention on the south, but a single person was able to change his mind.
A woman named Elphie, known for her time in a hero’s party, and powerful magic, convinced the king to keep moving through the north.
She told him that in the west of the region, a blessed monument known as the Holy Tree of Okhanae stands strong.
The Holy Tree was said to be born of a seed planted by the god of heroes, Okhanae, back in the beginning times, and was rumored to house the power of the god himself.
Thus, the remnants of the heroes’ parties set forth, carving their way through Fallen and demonic shadows across the northern region.
The journey was long and arduous, resulting in the deaths of a couple members, but they reached the tree, and set the land free from the Demon God’s curse.
Once the celebrated saviors returned, the king and his confidants questioned them, but none would speak of what happened the day they won.
Even Elphie, the one who served as the Hero of Fortune’s right-hand, was silent.
Before Ryuu can read any further, a knock at the door behind him startles the book out of his hands.
A voice calls through the door, with a higher pitch that undoubtedly belongs to a woman.
“Mister Ryuu, patrolling has begun around the village. If you still wish to join us, now is the time.”
“Yeah!”
He shouts back as he pushes out of the desk and returns the books to their shelves.
After leaving the study, he finds Penelope waiting for him just outside of the door.
“Hello. Was your time in our study beneficial?”
“It was. I think I learned a thing or two, but I’m more interested in this right now. Where are we going to patrol?”
“Marty’s waiting for us at the south side of the village. Once we’re there, we’ll basically move in a small circle through our zone. If we see or hear anything, we take it out.”
“Sounds perfect to me. Let’s go.”
She leads Ryuu out of the Village Hall and onto the streets of Lichta, moving under the full moon as they make their way south.
After passing by more of the resenium-plated buildings, the pair spots Marty, who’s holding a hefty spear in his hands outside of the village.
He nods as they get closer, then plants the butt of his spear on the ground.
“Are you ready for whatever comes, Mister Ryuu?”
“Yeah, it’ll be nice to stretch my body after reading so much.”
“That’s what I like to hear! We can go ahead and start our patrol. Just take care not to roam too far, or you may miss a shout from the other side of the village.”
“Got it.”
Penelope lights a torch as Marty leads the way, with Ryuu in the back of the group.
They move in a small perimeter outside of the village, making sure to stay within less than a minute of the settlement’s borders.
While his guides make small talk and entertain themselves, Ryuu keeps his eyes on the darkness beyond the horizon.
The Demon God’s curse… I doubt that’s what has afflicted the land this time, but the Holy Tree of Okhanae could be a good start.
The book said that the heroes’ companions wouldn’t speak of what they experienced there, but they were able to win that day.
I’m sure there’s some kind of clue.
And if it’s to the west of the region, then this village may be surprisingly close.
This is definitely a reach, but it’s all I’ve got.
“Hey, what was that?”
Marty holds up a fist to stop the group, keeping still as he listens for something.
Snap.
All three of them whirl around to an area further south, where a tall, dense gathering of trees sits.
The splintering of a branch grabs their attention as ten drooling, wolf-like Fallen emerge from the treeline, focusing their eyes on the three of them.
Penelope’s eyes narrow as she lifts her torch to study them from afar.
“Sky Wolves? No… Something’s different.”
“The monsters have all been a little different since the light struck,” Marty explains.
“Even species we were capable of training our younger ones against have gotten out of hand, to the point that it takes two full grown men to put them down.”
Ryuu listens to the two of them for a second, then joins in as he continues to watch the Fallen slowly approach.
“Are there no M’yin here? Or even A’yang?”
They glance back at him, then grin before showing their answers.
Marty brandishes his spear in front of him as a thin, but constant flow of aura flickers to life.
Penelope pulls a coffee-colored wand out from somewhere inside of her leather-strapped forearm, then swishes it once as the tip glows with a pleasant pink light.
“Actually, Marty and I are the only ones in Lichta with any special abilities like this. Because of that, it’s hard to get much stronger… But we’re still the best the village has to offer!”
“Ah, I see. That’s why the two of you hold such important roles, even though you don’t look much older than me.”
Before they can respond, the first wolf’s paw touches the ground a bit too close for comfort.
The group fully turns their attention to the Fallen, watching for the first move.
After the rest of the wolves catch up, the leader turns their head toward the sky and howls, siccing its nine pack members onto them.
Marty flares his aura and intercepts the Fallen without hesitation.
He’s able to handle two at a time with his spear, jabbing and swiping to keep them at bay until an opening is shown.
When additional wolves try to circle around his flank, Penelope flicks her wand and stops them in place while chanting, “[Love Injection]!”
Her spell shoots a minuscule dose of magic inside of her target, infatuating them with the first member of their species they see.
As a result, several of the wolves get in each other’s way, allowing Ryuu to calmly take them down with well-aimed [Magic Cannons].
He lowers his output so that the blasts don’t accidentally affect Marty, yet keeps them efficient enough to borough through the Fallens’ skulls.
Before long, this strategy mows down the pack of beasts, leaving only the leader.
“I’ll take care of it!”
The unexpectedly gung-ho pretty boy dashes toward the wolf, slamming the butt of his spear against the ground to leap high into the air.
He focuses aura into the head of his weapon, executing a somewhat clumsy {Charge Point} that puts a dent in the creature’s flank.
Despite his best efforts, Marty is unable to draw the blood of the twelve-foot tall monster.
“Fall back! I’ll do it!”
Ryuu calls out to Marty, who responds with a regretful nod.
The spear-user slowly backs away as the large Fallen swipes at him, then switches with Ryuu as he dashes past.
Their savior loads aura into his clenched fist as he rapidly closes in on his opponent with a confident smirk.
Once he gets in range, the Fallen watches him with glowing red eyes, then pushes off of its hind legs with tremendous force.
Its maw opens wide as it surges forth to bite Ryuu in half, but he jumps over the wolf monster with a mid-air [Barrier], then pushes himself downward and buries his {Charge Point} into its spine.
The pack leader folds backward as its ribs are driven into the ground, wedged beneath the hard dirt and Ryuu’s powerful technique.
After a few seconds of squirming and yelping, the Fallen’s eyes bulge, and it bursts into blood and dust.
Ryuu stands among the carnage and pats his hands off while appearing satisfied with his work, then he looks over to see his guides staring at him with amazement just like before.
“What?”
“What do you mean “What?”, that was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!”
Marty scoots closer to Ryuu with stars in his eyes, gushing over Ryuu’s aura technique.
“I’ve never seen such dense aura! How were you able to keep your technique active after the initial contact? Are you a Master, by chance?!”
“I’m not a Master, and I don’t know how to answer your other question. I thought that was normal, because that was how I learned it.”
“Wow, you mean you learned from a Master?!
Wait, you did mention being from the capital… You must have had quite the impressive training regimen!
It was certainly intense, but it really didn’t last more than a couple hours a day.
“Uh, sure. I guess I’m so used to big cities now that I forget stuff like that is rare out here.”
Penelope finally catches up with a similar set of stars in her eyes.
“It’s almost impossible for the average villager to see someone above the Apprentice-Tier in person! That’s why you’re so impressive, Mister Ryuu. To us, you’re like a legendary figure!”
“Hahaha… Seriously? I mean, I appreciate it and all, but you guys aren’t all that far from the capital, realistically speaking. Surely you’ve witnessed someone more impressive than me? After all, last time I checked I was officially Intermediate-Tier.”
“”Intermediate-Tier?!””
Both Marty and Penelope recoil in surprise from Ryuu’s claim, unable to believe their ears.
“Huh? Is there something wrong with that?”
“Nonono, there’s no way you’re only at the Intermediate-Tier, Mister Ryuu. The pressure from your Charge Point technique was enough to surpass mine a hundred-fold!”
“Not to mention, being able to conjure barriers as quickly as you did, with them also being sturdy enough for you to kick off of, is incredibly impressive! A style of movement like that is impossible for most M’yin I’ve heard of!”
He listens to their praise with mild amusement.
“Now that you’ve said it, I don’t remember seeing anyone move on barriers the way I do yet. I thought it would be more common, but I guess that would be pretty difficult for most M’yin since they don’t use aura.”
As he finishes that thought, a memory pops into his head.
“Oh, and although I’m officially at the Intermediate-Tier, that happened a little over a month ago. Since then, I’ve been told that I’m at the Advanced-Tier when it comes to combat power. I’m still not knowledgeable enough in the arts or techniques to progress higher just yet.”
They nod their heads in understanding as they slowly begin to calm down.
“I see, that does make more sense. Still, if someone at your level is so powerful, then what are Masters really like?”
Ryuu strokes his chin at Penelope’s question, considering a few things before answering.
“The few I’ve met are pretty odd people. Well, most of them, but they’re capable of some unbelievable things. Honestly speaking, I think I’m only alive due to luck after facing so many of them, hahaha!”
“Y-you’ve fought Masters?”
“Yeah, they’re a real pain in the ass. Most of my other opponents have been simple enough, but Masters cast almost everything silently, which makes it hard to keep up. I really only land hits when I can get up close and personal.”
“…I think the fact that you can even hit them in the first place is unbelievable. Just who are you, Mister Ryuu?”
Marty nods his head as he leans in close, eager to hear the answer to Penelope’s question.
“I don’t really know how to answer that other than my name, but if you want my other name, it’s Dragon Blade. It’s too long of a story to go into detail, but when I started training a month and a half ago I made a promise, and it’s gotten me into a lot of fights.”
“Dragon Blade… Wait, a month and a half? That’s how long you’ve been training?!”
“Well, I already knew a bunch of fighting techniques and stuff, but when it comes to magic and aura… Yeah.”
His guides’ faces shrivel up in despair at his blunt honesty.
“Not fair. Not fair.”
“Even though I’ve been practicing the Barrier art for two years…”
“Um, guys? What’s wrong?” Ryuu asks.
Before they can answer, a large roar hits them from the other side of the village.
“What?! There were more of them?!”
Marty immediately leads the way back to Lichta and crosses to the north side of the village.
The moment Ryuu crouches to intercept it, a woman’s cry rings out behind them.
“My child! Someone! My son is gone!”
The group turns around and finds a frantic young woman wandering aimlessly through the streets, tears staining her face.
“Someone help me! Please!”
Marty quickly moves and gently grabs her shoulders, directing her focus onto him as he tries to keep her calm.
“We’ll help you. Do you have any idea what direction he went?”
The woman repeatedly shakes her head while her body sharply jerks from trying to hold back her sobs.
“The monster… The monster took him!”
“What?!”
Penelope voices her confusion beside Ryuu, while he closes his eyes and casts [Mana Sense].
His perception expands in a two hundred-foot radius as he searches for any suspicious or out of place mana signatures.
At the edge of his enhanced “vision”, a small concentration of mana moves urgently, but is struggling, as if it’s carrying something with it.
This woman can’t be any older than Ilene, so her son is likely around four or five years old.
Why the hell did a Fallen take a brat?!
The mana signature moves past his senses right after he finds it, causing him to immediately switch modes.
“Marty, Penelope, you two stay here and help your people take down that wolf! I’ll get the boy back!”
Before they can turn to say they’re coming with him, Ryuu vanishes in a cloud of kicked-up dirt.
He races east out of the village, quickly covering ground as he maintains his magic art.
After a minute or so, the mana signature reappears on his internal radar, curving on a path north.
Ryuu kicks up the ground beneath him as he charges along, then eventually reaches the wide, dark entrance of a cave.
Ugh.
I’m sick of being underground, or any place like this for that matter.
With a quick sigh, he sprints straight into the darkness, using his magic art to move comfortably through the cave.
Thankfully it’s not a very complicated system, offering only one way forward, which Ryuu barrels down without hesitation.
A stronger signature of mana prickles his senses from deeper inside, much larger than the one he’d been tailing.
This could get ugly.
Going all-out with a kid around will be tough, so hopefully whatever’s waiting for me is all bark and no bite.
The tunnel he’s traveling through suddenly opens up into a cavernous chamber.
Its floors and walls are decorated with long stalagmite, and a loud waterfall crashes to the ground behind a towering figure in the back.
“Hey there, mind coming out?”
Ryuu calls out to the shadowed figure, who steps out after hearing him.
It stands eighteen feet tall, with a humanoid body and thick, musclebound limbs.
The only things telling Ryuu it’s a Fallen are the purple veins running along its body, as well as the mutated head resting on its shoulders.
A swirling mass of flesh continuously pulls into the center of its own face, with seemingly no end.
“Ugh, gross! What the hell are you?!”
The creature doesn’t take kindly to Ryuu’s words, sending out a deafening screech as the walls of the chamber wildly shake.
He lowers to the ground to leap at the Fallen, but then it points to the waterfall behind it.
At the lip of a hundred-foot drop, a goblin holds a young boy by the shoulder, keeping a shoddy dagger right at his neck.
Shit.
The spiral creature lets out what Ryuu assumes is mocking laughter, then throws a surprisingly fast punch.
He dodges out of the way as it slams into the ground and sends powerful vibrations through the floor.
In the corner of his eye, the goblin wobbles next to the waterfall from the shaking, and almost pushes the child into the water.
Ryuu’s vision expands as he judges his current situation, then takes the best route available to him.
“[Draconic Presence]!”
A wave of killing intent is sent straight into the minds of the two monsters, causing the spiral-faced one to falter for a moment, while the goblin shrieks and holds its head.
In doing so, it moves the dagger away from the boy’s throat, allowing Ryuu to repeatedly {In-step} across the chamber and snatch the goblin by the throat.
He clenches his fist and snaps its neck in the same instant that he grabs it, tossing the dissolving body into the water as he crouches next to the child.
“It’s alright now. I’m here to bring you back to your mom.”
“…Are you the savior? My momma was talking about you earlier, and how you saved the village from being destroyed.”
Word travels fast in a place that size, I guess.
“That’s right, I’m the one your people have decided to call their savior. Just stay here for a moment while I take this thing down, okay?”
“Okay! I believe in you, Savior!”
I’m really not good with kids.
And why is he so okay after being taken to a place like this?
Ryuu pushes his question back as he steps forward to confront Spiral-face again.
This time, he casts [Piercing Claws] and [Shredding Talons] to ensure he can deal a killing blow.
I didn’t notice before, but this thing is giving off a weird vibe.
It almost feels like…
An image of a tall beauty with a spear enters his mind, but he quickly shakes his head to drown it out.
The next instant, the hole in the middle of the monster’s face expands, and a magical light bursts to life.
Dozens of wolf-type Fallen spill into the chamber while growling hungrily at Ryuu and the boy, causing the Blade to subconsciously grin.
I see!
The cause of the continuous attacks on the village is you, you portal-faced bastard!
I was worrying myself sick about leaving Lichta in the morning, but once I take care of you, that’ll solve that problem!
The small army of Fallen surges forward all at once.
A writhing mass of claws and teeth swarms Ryuu, but he punches a hole through it with a head-on {Charge Burst}, sending fur and blood flying around him.
Once the monsters attempt to pile on him with numbers, he casts [Barrier], creating a small safe space made of five scales covering him on all sides.
Scratches and teeth marks immediately shower the surfaces of his barriers, but the shields buy enough time for Ryuu to charge his aura.
He focuses it in the center of his body, letting the power build while continuously compressing it, then sweeps his arms out wide.
A powerful wave of aura erupts from Ryuu’s body in all directions, expanding in a ring as it slams into the Fallen and crumples them on impact.
The barriers surrounding him reduce the range of the aura, keeping the child from harm, but also preventing the wolves from being completely wiped out.
Damn.
I tried something in the heat of the moment, but it’s not enough.
I’ll just keep wasting energy if I don’t take out Spiral-face.
I don’t know how its head works, but everything should be alright as long as I blow it off, right?
More and more Fallen continue to pour from the humanoid’s face, with the wolves in the waterfall chamber now numbering in the hundreds.
This is a bit much, even for me!
My magic isn’t exactly suited for multiple opponents!
Ryuu glances back at the child, who’s putting on a brave face despite his knees blatantly shaking.
I really have changed since leaving the Pit.
Just two months ago, I couldn’t have imagined putting my life on the line for a single brat.
We have nothing in common; when I was his age, I was collecting money from people who wanted to place bets on fights.
I knew what it felt like to take a life before my voice changed, and I learned to fight from so young that most of my techniques involve hitting from below, because all of my opponents were taller than me.
Despite that, it only took this short time for me to break out of the way I was raised and fight for something other than my own life.
How is this possible?
“{In-Step}!”
He moves across the chamber in an instant, arcing over the wolves before slamming a flying kick into the humanoid’s chest.
The monster stumbles backwards and falls onto a plethora of stalagmites, earning a sharp howl from its warped face as dark blood soaks the floor.
Ryuu holds his wrist and aims his palm below, then chants, “[Magic Cannon]!” as a golden beam crashes into the monster’s chest.
The impact drives its body even further down on the natural pikes beneath it, until thirteen different points pierce through its body.
Now you can’t move!
After being lifted higher by the force of his magic art, Ryuu flips around and kicks off of the ceiling as he loads aura into his fist.
Wind rushes through his hair as he rapidly descends, but the Fallen below hasn’t given up yet.
“GRRRAAAAAHHH!”
It deeply bellows as the light shining from its face changes from purple to an angry red.
The unmistakable pressure of mana building up fills the chamber, then a powerful blast of blood-red energy shoots from the Fallen’s portal-like face.
“{Charge Burst}!”
Ryuu launches his gathered aura at the rising energy, but his technique is swallowed in an instant, then the beam washes over his right arm.
An intense, freezing sensation numbs his arm, and once he lands on the ground, the air alone makes it burn like hell.
He turns to find his arm has completely blackened, like a piece of wood in a fire that’s on the verge of crumbling.
Sweat pours down his face as he forces himself to stay calm, but he can already feel his mind starting to go blank.
Deep breaths.
Deep breaths.
Focus on flowing your Recovery technique.
As he talks himself through it, the hundreds of wolves still hungrily awaiting him are already on the move.
The first wave leaps through the air, bringing almost a hundred Fallen on Ryuu at once.
“Agghh! Dammit!”
The Blade slaps himself back into focus and channels his Recovery technique through his right arm.
While allocating all of his aura to that task, he draws in mana as he recasts [Shredding Talons], standing tall in his draconic boots of gold.
As if mocking him, the sleeve of his suit jacket repairs faster than his arm at his side.
I guess I’m still not good enough!
Penelope and Marty were wrong.
At the end of the day, I’m still only at the Intermediate-Tier!
He bends his knees, pulling even more mana into himself.
I have to take this challenge head on and win, in order to become stronger!
“[Emperor Wing]!”
Despite still not knowing how to land, Ryuu summons his large wings and leaps forward.
He barrels straight ahead while keeping himself low to the ground as his talons turn the Fallen beneath him into mincemeat.
The waterfall chamber becomes a bloodbath in no time, staining the walls and floors red with blood and guts.
While the Blade carves wide paths through the swarms of monsters, the portal-faced humanoid continues to shoot out bursts of incredibly hot mana, burrowing holes through the solid stone surrounding them.
“Get low, kid!”
Ryuu shouts a warning to the child as his right arm recovers just enough to stop healing–taking most of his aura as a result.
Regardless, he pours aura into his left fist and flaps his wings once, powerfully.
A sharp gust of wind erupts through the chamber as Ryuu blurs down into the floor of the cavern and injects all of his remaining aura into the ground.
The white light of his power seeps through cracks in the floor as it begins to rise, then bursts all at once.
Stone crumbles as the bottom of the space falls out, taking away all of the monsters’ footing and burying them in rubble.
Most Fallen are crushed by the debris, but the main target is now free from the stalagmites, and moving well despite its wounds.
“It’s just you and me now.”
The Blade chops through a wolf’s throat as it leaps at him, severing its spinal cord and dropping it in an instant.
While doing so, he walks toward the humanoid, and uses his final drops of aura to bring his right arm to a point that it can be used at least once.
With this, he’s now reached the limits of his physical stamina.
“This time I’ll kick that weird head of yours clean off!”
Large golden wings flap once more as Ryuu lifts off the ground.
Even though his aura is depleted, his magic remains.
Now that the conditions have been met for a one-on-one fight, he’s in his element.
The Blade flies backward to put some distance between them, then takes off toward the Fallen at full speed.
The world around him turns into a blur of color as he senses the monster preparing to unleash another blast, then he throws his feet forward.
Golden talons collide with an intense red beam in a horrifying clash of power, sending deep tremors throughout the crumbled floor of the chamber.
Crack!
Thin fissures lance up the side of Ryuu’s boots, but he doesn’t let up.
Not yet!
I’m not losing here!
The pressure exuding from both of them is equal, but in the final moment, Ryuu’s determination holds his magic together.
“HaaaaAAAAAHHHH!”
He breaks through the Fallen’s mana beam and barrels into its semi-opened face, twisting his body with the strength of his wings as he uses his talons to rip the monster’s head from its shoulders.
A fountain of dark blood spurts up and splatters against the ceiling as Ryuu carries the head away with his feet, then he drops it to the ground with a loud thud.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
The decapitated torso crashes to the ground behind him, then disappears in a large cloud of purple dust along with its head.
Ryuu manages to land, perhaps out of sheer exhaustion rather than skill, and allows his magic to fade away as he catches his breath.
A tug from behind soon pulls his attention, and he turns to see that it’s the boy he had come to save.
“Oh, it’s just you. I told you it was alright now, didn’t I?”
He gives the boy a tired smirk, who responds excitedly while repeatedly nodding his head.
“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! You really are the savior, aren’t you!”
“Sure, kid. Let’s get you back to… What’s your mom’s name again?”
“I don’t know. She’s just mama to me.”
“Right. Let’s get you back to her.”
Ryuu shakily rises to his feet and guides the child by his forearm, then looks back at the destruction once more before leaving the chamber.
He notes the amount of enemies he was able to defeat, but more importantly, the small area by the waterfall in the back that still stands strong despite his rough techniques.
That’s a start, but I’m still an amateur when it comes to fighting to protect something.
I have to continue improving, for the sake of our future.
Thank you for reading up to the beginning of volume two!
As of the time this chapter is released, there will be a few days of break time until the next chapter, but then the story will be back in full force.
Stay tuned!