CHAPTER 27
"How many are there?" Winter asked in a low whisper, inching closer to Sapphire on the branch the two were perched.
"Around thirty thousand." Sapphire answered, moving slightly away from Winter. "Do you remember the plan?"
"I sure do." Winter replied, glancing down at the path. "With a plan like this we are sure to win."
"That is what I am expecting too." Sapphire hoped, looking to the sky.
A lot more days passed travelling than Sapphire expected at first. It was already a new moon night. Sapphire still remembered that it was a full moon night when she left Kurai and fought that beast.
"Here they come." Winter alerted, tapping on Sapphire's shoulder to draw her attention.
Sapphire already noticed that too, but she didn't say anything, knowing Winter's perception skills were much greater than her own.
"Are you ready?" Sapphire whispered, crouching on the branch.
"Always have been." Winter replied with a smile, a light glow visible in her right palm.
Of the thirty thousand soldiers, only some in the center were on horseback. Most of the soldiers traveled on foot and were seemingly tired, which made things easier for the two.
"Now," Sapphire ordered.
Winter raised her hand into the air, a large wall of ice rising behind and ahead of the entire army, blocking any escape routes except the forest. At once many Glacial and Lightning mines were detonated in the midst of the army, forming large ice crystals and paralysing many.
"Let's go." Sapphire commanded her Shadow Warrior as she jumped down into the midst of the army.
The shadow warrior also followed behind her, a sword made of shadows materializing in its hand as it fell through the air. It raised its sword into the air and smashed it into the ground as it fell, clearly using an Energy attack. The ground cracked around it and the shockwave created by it knocked away the nearby panicking soldiers.
Sapphire landed on light feet and spun around to perform two circular Shadow Slashes as she unsheathed both her katana. It sliced through the nearby soldiers with ease and knocked away many which were further away, breaking some of their armor and knocking many down. Both her and the shadow quickly begun their work. Winter, still on a very high branch used Glacial magic and Freeze Pulse to attack the soldiers.
As they easily slaughtered through the army many of the soldiers begun running into the woods, but Winter had anticipated and prepared for that beforehand. Glacial traps were set all around the path in the forest, making sure not a single one escaped.
Draconic Power, Activate.
"Conditions satisfied, <Blessing of the Moon> level 10 has evolved into <Blessing of the Night> level 1. Activated <Blessing of the Night>.
Midnight wolf (Ambusher) (female), name: Sapphire, level 25. HP: 4869/4869, MP: 7404/7404, Stamina: 8892/8964, Strength: 3046, Defense: 3078, Speed: 4877, Energy: 100% (1574440/1574440 units)."
After activating Draconic Power Sapphire let loose multiple Shadow Slashes. The power of her Shadow Warrior also increased substantially. Both her and the Shadow Warrior massacred the humans with ease, and Winter also easily took out many of them with her spells.
Sapphire ducked as a sword arced for her neck from behind, jumping and kicking the knight behind her the moment the sword passed. The knight stumbled backwards and got slashed in half by the Shadow Warrior. Sapphire and the Shadow Warrior fought nearby each other, watching each other's backs, and assisting each other in taking down the stronger of the enemies.
"Threat Alert: Danger from above. Threat info: Null."
Sapphire used Shadow Movement to quickly move out of the way as something crashed close to where she stood just a moment ago. Blue and pink flames scattered around the crash area, burning all soldiers in the vicinity to ashes. Only one figure stood in the flames, unharmed, a girl smaller than Sapphire in size, her pink and blue eyes reflecting the light from the flames. Sapphire recognised her from long ago, the girl she met when she started her journey.
"Appraise," Sapphire mumbled.
"Hybrid (Spirit Wolf, Excalius Wyvern, Phoenix, etc.), name: Kesshō, level 79, Status Appraisal Failed. Skill Appraisal Failed. Titles: <Monster Terminator>, <Dragon Terminator>, <Demon Terminator>, <Human Terminator>, <God Slayer>, <Indestructible >, <True Krystallite>, <The True Successor>, <The Empress>, <Phoenix Princess>, <Greater Demon Lord>, <Hero >, <Vampire Princess>, <Offspring of Chaos>, <Princess of Curses>, <Offspring of Gods>."
Just what are those titles? And level seventy-nind? It didn't even Appraise her stats and skills. She has to be as strong as the elder, if not stronger. Sapphire gasped, frozen in fear and shock.
In an instant Kesshō appeared just a step away, right in front of Sapphire, startling her. Sapphire tried to back away, tripping on a rock and falling on her back, helplessly looking at Kesshō who simply stood there with a confused expression.
"U-uh, h-hello." Sapphire nervously waved to her.
A knight in golden armor charged towards Sapphire with a sword in hand, his sword infused with light magic. Just as he stabbed his sword towards Sapphire Kesshō drove a knife hand strike into his abdomen. As she did blue and pink lines glowed on her hand. The man groaned as his armor and abdomen were pierced and he was sent flying away from the attack. He landed on a couple other soldiers, knocking them off their feet.
Kesshō licked the blood off her hand and smiled brightly at Sapphire as she waved her hand with enthusiasm.
Not quite fitting behavior for that kind of an entrance, Sapphire thought.
"Threat Alert: Danger from above. Threat Info: Freeze Attack."
Sapphire used Shadow Movement to teleport a few steps behind from where she was, barely in time. Just as she teleported someone crashed right on Kesshō, large ice crystals forming around the area. Winter quickly jumped to Sapphire from there, examining her for any injuries.
"What are you doing?" Sapphire exclaimed.
"Protecting you?" Winter shrugged, her senses on high alert, being able to guess just how dangerous Kesshō was.
Before Sapphire could say anything the ice crystals gave off a blue-pink glow before exploding into a shower of ice fragments. Kesshō stood there, blue-pink flames still present by the corners of her mouth. She extinguished them with a shake of her head and glared at Winter, her jaws open similar to a snake about to strike.
Winter used quickstep to instantly close the distance between her and Kesshō and threw a punch right at her face. From Kesshō's face it was evident that even quickstep wasn't fast enough to startle her. Just as Winter's punch was about to land she was kicked to the side and Kesshō's head was pushed down to the ground.
The one who did this was none other than the Shadow Warrior. Sapphire gave a thumbs up to the shadow as Kesshō gave it a playful and curious look. Winter slowly got up and glared at Kesshō, receiving an equally hostile glare from her, before she again diverted a curious glance at the Shadow Warrior, inspecting it.
"Winter, go and finish off all the remaining ones, Shadow, help her, I will handle Kesshō." Sapphire ordered with a wave of her hand.
The shadow bowed and returned to work, patting Kesshō on the head before leaving, while Winter still gave Sapphire a 'really' look. As Kesshō sat on the ground and watched the Shadow Warrior leaving and doing what Sapphire ordered it to, Sapphire pulled Winter away, just out of earshot.
"Listen here, if you make her mad we are both dead. Even the two of us together stand no chance against her, she is in an entirely different dimension of power than us." Sapphire warned, poking Winter's face aggressively.
"Doesn't look that strong." Winter shrugged, not convinced. "She is dangerous, that I can tell."
"How about just not fighting her? She is friendly, as unfriendly her entrance might have been, she is actually very friendly." Sapphire pleaded, shoving Winter away.
"Fine, if you say so." Winter sighed, turning away. "I will go finish off any that remain so we can move ahead quickly."
"Thank you." Sapphire sighed as she waved Winter off.
Just as Winter left Sapphire turned to where Kesshō was, only to find her standing right next to her, her head tilted to the side and her eyes wide.
"Hello, it's been a while." Sapphire greeted with a wave.
Kesshō waved back enthusiastically with a cheerful smile.
Why does she seem like a 5 year old? Sapphire questioned, smiling nervously at her.
"Age: 8 human years. Species Age: too young to determine."
I didn't ask what her age was but alright. She is younger than me and still so much stronger, that is just unfair. Even nature has favorites it seems. Sapphire sighed.
Kesshō circled around Sapphire, examining her, in response to which Sapphire only gave a nervous smile, not understanding half of what Kesshō did and how she acted. After done examining Sapphire Kesshō stopped in front of her and unsheathed her katana, pointing it towards Sapphire and glancing at her with a smirk.
"You want to see my katana? Sure." Sapphire shrugged unsheathing hers.
Kesshō examined the blade for a moment before nodding and pointing towards Sapphire's katana, then her katana, and then swinging her katana around slightly.
She can't talk is what I guess. Sapphire observed, wondering what she attempted to say. "You want to... exchange katana?" Sapphire inquired, almost certain she got it wrong.
Kesshō shook her head and swung her katana again, more aggressively this time.
"Fight...?" Sapphire questioned, tilting her head to the side.
Kesshō nodded enthusiastically and waited for Sapphire.
"But I don't want to fight." Sapphire mumbled with a shake of her head.
Kesshō tipped her head to the side with a confused expression.
"I don't want to fight you because... you... are... like a sister to me." Sapphire completed with a nervous smile.
Kesshō's grip loosened on the katana, the katana turning in her hands and pointing downwards as she froze from shock. After a few moments of silence she sheathed her katana and slowly walked to Sapphire. Standing just inches away she looked up at Sapphire, hugging her tightly a few moments later.
Okay, I just thought it up in the moment, but if you act like this I can't help but actually think of you as one. Sapphire thought as she slowly patted Kesshō's head with one hand while embracing her with the other.
"You are dead for causing all of this." A man's voice snarled from behind Sapphire, causing her to turn just enough to see the man as Kesshō peeked her from Sapphire's side.
The man clad in black metallic armor with a demon-face helmet stood there, not seeming to be pleased. He carried a black claymore in one hand and a shield in the other. Kesshō glanced at the man and quickly buried her face in Sapphire's clothes with a frightened expression, very much to Sapphire's surprise.
Is she really scared of that demon mask? Sapphire exclaimed in her mind, shocked to find out someone this powerful could be scared from something so insignificant.
"Wait, I recognize you, the runaway hybrid. I do wonder how much they will offer me if I was to bring you back, I am certain I will be forgiven for allowing our crown prince to die if I do." The man said with a laugh, taking a few steps towards the two.
Sapphire gently patted Kesshō on the head and gently nudged her away. Kesshō looked to Sapphire in confusion as Sapphire walked towards the man. Sapphire could tell that Kesshō's situation was, or used to be, somewhat similar to all the wolves who were taken, and Sapphire did not like that. She felt a rage she never felt before, not even for the kidnapping of the wolves.
"Human (Male), level 68. HP: 7987/7987, MP: 7600/7604, Stamina: 5147/5470, Strength: 4278, Defense: 5842, Speed: 1053, Hunger: 94%. Skill Appraisal Failed. Titles: <Dark Knight>."
"You talk a lot for a rusted piece of scrap." Sapphire spat as she activated Intimidate.
The dark knight gave an irritated grunt and pointed his claymore at Sapphire as she unsheathed her katana and pointed it towards him, prepared to kill him.