In the World of Midgar 17 — The Magic Country Svel (11)

꒰ঌ The Magic Country Svel 11

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After parting from Juvia and leaving the castle, we headed straight for where Fiona was, the Gheil Volcano. We were already going to go there anyway if it weren't for that whole attack, so we were actually following our original plan.

If left alone, Fiona would definitely defeat Levia and destroy Svel, and that's not a good thing. I wasn't there for long, but I quite like that country. It's really got a fantasy feel. So I'm going to have to stop that dumbass sheep myself.

The distance looked to be about 20km from Svel. It was farther than I expected, but for Fiona's huge body, it probably wasn't actually that far.

First off, let's say a regular sheep is a meter tall. Of course, this is with it standing on all fours, not vertical for some reason. Fiona on all fours was over 100 meters tall, so she was 100 times bigger than a normal sheep. So, 20km to Fiona was basically as close as 200m.

Of course, there were differences in speed between a human and a sheep, but in any case, to Fiona the distance was only a matter of a few minutes or even tens of seconds, so even 20km away, Svel was by no means safe. If the country were to get complacent because of the distance, it'd be entirely possible for Fiona to trample over the entire city in thirty seconds.

Just being large has accompanying power and speed.

Normally, you'd think that if someone got bigger they'd get slower, right? For example, if some bug were to become human-sized, it wouldn't suddenly become really strong or fast, it'd just get crushed under its own weight. A bug's exoskeleton is unable to support a large amount of weight, and it only works because the bug is so weak. It's because it's small that a bug can fly several tens of times its own size in distance and can carry things much heavier than itself. This isn't just limited to bugs. Every living thing has its own perfect size and physical ability.

But this is a fantasy world. In this world, things can make no sense, and the unnatural can become natural. Just what kind of power is behind that, I have no idea, and given my education, I wouldn't understand anyway. It could just be that living things are made of different stuff, right down to the bones.

However, there is one thing I can say.

"In this world, common sense doesn't apply."

In reality, Fiona is able to move normally with that size, so there's no choice other than to accept that statement. The contradiction of being able to move far better than a normal sheep on top of that over-100-meter-tall body. It works in this world.

Also, this distance is no huge deal for me, either.

"Well then, We'll be going. You can drop in through teleportation later."

"Understood. Good luck."

I left Minako in town. Even if I were to leave her behind, she could just use teleportation to meet up again later, and thinking clearly, there wasn't any need to bring her around with me before, either.

The blond girl was a really convenient person to have around, was my honest impression.

Well, that's just fine.

The problem is the grimmfolk behind her, or whatever, but… I can't really tell anything until I meet that person. If they're the boss of the grimmfolk, they're definitely level 1000, but if that's the case, I have no idea why Svel is still standing.

Could they just be torturing them? Or do they really only have that much power?

I can't shake this creepy feeling.

***

The Gheil Volcano.

This mountain, which peaked at a towering 1000 meters above sea level, stood 20km away from Svel. It was an active volcano, but was currently undergoing a long rest period, and hadn't erupted in several hundred years. At its foot, a single castle fortress stood, playing host to monsters.

However, Fiona was not inside. In the first place, Fiona couldn't fit inside with her huge body. This castle was just there for appearances, and the throne was left empty.

It was definitely not impossible to get inside for Fiona. Fiona did have a skill to assume a temporary human form given to her by a Monster Tamer skill. Most likely, it was possible for her to assume that form and sit on the throne in the castle.

However, she had no intention of doing so. If she were to take human form while being consumed by revenge like she was now, it would certainly look awful. Fiona wouldn't be able to take the form given to her by her master being sullied and twisted like that… so she always moved around as a monster.

These thousand years, Fiona had never once used her skill to take human form.

"Lady Fiona."

Someone called out to Fiona, who was lying down next to the castle. It was the voice of a woman… Fiona didn't hide her disdain and turned a sharp gaze on her.

From Fiona's huge perspective, she was so small Fiona could just fail to notice her, like an ant… Vernal, the woman who just called her, smiled happily as Fiona properly centered the woman before snorting in derision.

"What do you want?"

"Oh? Can't I talk to you without any particular business, m'lady?"

The woman looked like a human in shape, but her skin was clearly a different color. She has short brown hair, and her entire body was covered in deathly pallor skin with several red markings that line her face and some part of her body. The whites of her eyes were actually black with glowing crimson irises. Fangs peeked out of the corners of her mouth, and her presence was definitely inhuman.

And in truth, the woman wasn't human at all. She was part of the race of grimm that was currently tormenting humanity, the grimmfolk. Her appearance perfectly aligned with that race's traits.

"First, shall I compliment you on a job well done? That just then weakened Levia considerably… The next time you fight, you'll probably win, Lady Fiona."

"… Of course. That was my plan."

"Then, why are you simply sleeping and doing nothing right now? You're so close to bringing down Svel, you know? Just what are you waiting for?"

The grimm woman talked kindly, like a close friend trying to get Fiona to confide in her. But the dangerous glint in her eyes held not even a single hint of friendliness nor kindness.

"No, it didn't just start now, either. These last couple years, you could have crushed Svel any time you pleased. But you haven't. Why?"

"…"

"You couldn't be second-guessing yourself. They're the bastards that betrayed your precious master. Did you forget?"

"… No, I could never forget."

Fiona was actually hesitating. That was an indisputable fact.

She had no qualms about bringing down the Seven Maidens of Midgar themselves. If they were just some common warriors or mages, she would have killed them long ago.

However, if they died, their countries would fall, and the grimmfolk would be pleased. Her master definitely wouldn't want that. Because she, more than anyone, had desired and aimed to be free of the fear of the grimmfolk. There was no way she'd want to destroy an entire country only over revenge.

Fiona already knew from the beginning that her revenge went against her master's wishes.

But, even so… Fiona couldn't forget. Not ever. The warmth of that hand that was offered to her that day. Nor could she forget the anger over the fact that that same hand was stolen from her.

"I know… I will definitely kill Juvia. Right now, I'm just waiting for my wounds to heal."

"I see. I'm relieved to hear that, Lady Fiona. Then, you can go already, right?"

"… Yes. I can go at any time."

Fiona had her doubts. But the fire of her anger towards Juvia… no, all of the Seven Maidens of Midgar, would never fade. No matter if it caused the destruction of the world or if it went against her master's wishes… even so, Fiona couldn't suppress the anger with reason. Just how could she live without clearing away the anger and grief at having her master stolen away?

Fiona let the madness consume her and stood her huge frame up.

Levia would probably show itself again, but this time, she had confidence that she'd win. As for Juvia herself, although in her prime it was another matter entirely, as she was now, she was entirely killable.

"Great. Then let's go attack now. My monster preparations are perfect. Of course, it's not just a gathering of weaklings like last time. It's an elite army full of monsters, like over level 100 wyverns. This force'll even overwhelm the great Sword Saint in only tens of minutes."

"… I only see a gathering of weaklings, though."

"Forgive me my lady, but when compared to the legendary Twelve Zodiac's Guardians. Anything'd look weak."

From Fiona's perspective, the monsters that the woman gathered were simply weaklings that would make no difference whether they were there or not.

Humanity wasn't the only one that degraded over the last one thousand years. Although, as a result of that fight the grimmfolk won, they didn't come out unscathed, given that it was a fight hard enough to wipe out almost all of the heroes from that era.

Just like how humanity lost all of their great warriors of the time, the grimmfolk also paid a great price, and nearly all the grimmfolk that could be called strong, other than the Grimm King himself, were also wiped out by the heroes. And the most powerful monsters were used by both sides, humanity and the grimmfolk, so their numbers were reduced as well, with some species even being completely wiped out.

The grimmfolk won, but that fight was almost completely even. It was a fight where either side could have won, and the winner was simply the side whose casualties were the least severe… That was exactly why it was unforgivable.

If Fiona's master had been there, humanity would have won. It would have been a massacre. Humanity would have cleaned this world of the grimmfolk, and Lucifen would have built a world free of their fear.

And who was it that wasted all that potential? Just who were the fools that caused this current situation? Those people, who were nothing more than war criminals, were hailed as heroes and, even now, lived carefree, and Fiona just couldn't stand that.

That's why she would kill them. She had no doubts about that decision. They probably had their own version of justice, but it didn't matter a wink to Fiona.

Her only real worry was… Fiona just couldn't stop thinking the person in the golden mantle that appeared back then was her master. And that filled Fiona with a strange sense of hope as well as fear.

"Heheheh… Finally, Svel will fall. I hope you're pleased, great Grimm King. Now, once again, one of the foolish heroes who dared to stand against you will disappear."

This grimmfolk woman, who was one of the Grimm King's loyal seven commanders given the title of the 'Seven Grimms of Purgatory' by the Grimm King himself, was named Vernal, and she was currently chuckling to herself with a fascinating smile on her face.

After this battle, she would have taken down one of the Seven Maidens of Midgar and be able to present her great king with the human's head. Once that happened, she'd surpass the other six and be recognized as the king's aide.

It'd been one thousand years since the Age of Heroes… Almost all of the elites from back then had gone, and the upper ranks of the grimmfolk had been almost completely replaced.

The Seven Grimms of Purgatory were also something that only formed due to that trend as a new rank of commander, but all of them lacked actual achievements. However, if Vernal were to win this fight, she'd have such an achievement under her belt and should be able to win the king's trust.

Back when Vernal tried to attack Svel herself, she got burned.

Putting Juvia aside, that guardian deity Levia was far too troublesome. It had a nearly bottomless amount of health due to it being made out of an entire huge lake, and it wasn't affected by physical attacks. On top of that, Juvia could heal it indefinitely.

Vernal had a lot of trouble finding a way to defeat it, but luck was on her side.

When Vernal found Fiona sitting here at the foot of the Gheil Volcano right by Svel, acting as if the soul just flew right out of her, she even thanked a goddess she didn't believe in for that wonderful chance meeting.

Vernal took months and years to convince Fiona, who was full of doubt and hesitation, drive her to madness, and blow up her desire for revenge. It was pretty hard to get her to attack Svel.

However, today, all that effort would pay off.

I'm about to use one of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, who once sided with humanity, to drive them further into despair… What a pleasant feeling!

Now show me, dumb sheep. Give me the despair and fear of humans.

"The only thing I'm worried about is that one in the golden cloak… Even though you'd let your guard down, that person still blew you away, Lady Fiona. They're no weakling…"

Vernal was thinking, Of course, if Fiona got serious she'd never lose to such a person.

However, if that person, Levia, and Juvia were to fight all at once, even Fiona would have a hard time. There was still the monster army, but it would be a hard sell to convince anyone that would close the gap.

"… I don't really like it, but in the worst case, I might have to join the battle myself."

Vernal crossed her arms and looked over at the crowds of monsters formed up past the castle.

The situation favors us.

As long as I don't let my guard down, we won't lose.

Vernal could just imagine Juvia's face twisted in despair. She could even almost see the jealous faces of the other Seven Grimms of Purgatory.

The flow is coming our way. This is definitely the pattern where we win.

With that thought, Vernal smiled — And right after, a giant group of monsters was blown away all at once, and the smile froze on Vernal's face.

"…?! Wh-what the hell?!"

Leaning out of a window of the castle, Vernal stared out into the distance.

What the hell? What just happened? No way, did Juvia come out herself to attack?

Using the excellent vision given to all grimmfolk, Vernal focused on the monsters being blown away before her, and she saw it. A person wearing a golden mantle, walking this way.

"That's…!"

It was the uncertain element that punched away Fiona the other day.

Seeing the person stand against them once again, Vernal clenched her teeth, but she immediately turned around and thought that this was her chance at victory.

Yes, this is a chance. If we can eliminate that person now, that stops any chance of them teaming up with Juvia and Levia later.

In the worst case, it can just be me, Fiona, and a couple high level monsters who take down Svel.

So what's important is to go kill that golden mantle right now, no matter how many I have to sacrifice!

"Don't falter! It's just one person!"

The monsters howled in response to Vernal's encouragement, and they all charged at once at the single figure.

No matter how strong the person was, they were alone. There was no way to push back this many with quality alone, and it was impossible to control the battlefield with just a single unit.

However, Vernal's expectations were easily overturned.

In an instant, several hundreds — no, several thousands weapons of swords, axes, spears, and halberds, manifested around the figure, launching themselves all at once and blasting the monsters apart one after the other.

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred…

Monster corpses continued to pile up, but not even one got close. Five hundred, five hundred-fifty, six hundred…

Even now, nothing managed to close the distance. There was no sign of the enemy stopping their attack.

Seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred…

Vernal could see the army given to her by the Grimm King himself disappearing. They were being trampled.

"… W-what is that…?"

Way too strong.

That mysterious person is way too strong! It's as if one of the great warriors from one thousand years ago is right here! Like one of them came back from the dead.

Is it another one of the Seven Maidens of Midgar? No… the White Empress hates mana and wouldn't be anywhere near here, and the Rose Princess isn't the sort to suddenly help elves out.

It's not one of the Seven Maidens of Midgar… but what fearsome strength.

Vernal decided that, as it was, the monsters would only continue to die with nothing to show for it, so she made the army fall back.

In exchange, she went out to face the golden mantle herself.

"… A grimmfolk, huh?"

"That's right. And just what are you? I didn't think there was anyone left in this world that strong," Vernal said, readying a ring-shaped blade in each hand.

A blade of fire in her right. And a blade of lightning in her left. Stunt their movements with lightning, and burn them to death with fire.

"But, it's all over now that I'm here. Too bad, but your life is forfeit now that you've made enemies of the grimmfolk. You should curse your own foolishness that you came all the way out here with only your half-assed strength!"

Vernal ran.

The ability to put on an instant burst of speed thanks to her lightning attribute gave her the ability to move at the speed of a lightning, making it impossible to even see her.

Vernal ran while leaving several afterimages behind and, at the same time, she unleashed a ring of fire at her opponent to trap their movements with her fire attribute. That combo was the cornerstone of her invincibility, and up until now, there was only one person to ever break through it. It was a technique that would definitely bring victory if used. That was—

"Look closely in wonder! This is the secret technique of one of the Seven Grimms of Purgatory, Vernal the Grimm of Fire! My Lightning-Flame Storm Hellfire Grimm Sword! These twin blades are my symbol! My limbs! And my secret art! Look at this blade of lightning in my left hand! Its blade can cuts through all flesh, and its sharpness will cut through even your soul! Look at this fire blade in my right hand! The swordsmanship that comes from it won't let anyone escape! The sheer heat it emits turns everyone's hopes to ash! Now, with both blades combined, all my enemies are as trash! Now, look and be captured by my special technique! This is the strike of condemnation from a beautiful and sinister god of death that will take your life! Your freedom is stolen and your defenses shattered; I bet you can see your death coming. That is the death god of fire that mercilessly burns all! But there's nothing to grieve about. Your suffering will only be for a moment. That is my mercy. In fact, you'll probably be grateful to me at the moment of your death. You'll say, 'Ah, thank you for freeing me of this suffering!' Think of being struck down by me as the highest honor, and fall to eternal darkness! The lid of hell has been opened just for you! See it. Now is the time for your punishment! The feast of grimms; it's your life's curtain call! Inferno, my right! Thunder, my left! Let yourself be kindly embraced by the fires of dark—"

"You're annoying."

Vernal flew through the air in a flash.

She didn't even know what happened to her.

Unable to comprehend just what kind of attack she took, the only thing Vernal understood was, 'I was attacked with incredible power.'

"… N-no no… way…"

Blood spilled out of her mouth onto the ground.

Just what happened? Just who is that, to do this to one of the Seven Grimms of Purgatory with just one hit…? No, it wasn't just one!

That was when Vernal finally realized. Out of all the over one thousand monsters that jumped at the golden mantle and were blown away, not a single one was dead! They were unconscious, but every single one of them was fine.

That meant that this person had enough leeway to go easy on this many opponents. Strong enough to not kill them, but to instead purposefully miss their weak points with blunted weapons and just blow them away!

"Wh-what the hell… are you…"

As if to answer her question, black wings ran through her vision at that exact moment.

There was a single powerfully clenched fist that appeared from within the cloak. And, as a result of her arm moving, a pair of large, pitch-black wings spread out. Long shining golden hair that resembled tails of a majestic bird. Fire-like scarlet eyes that burn. She was far too beautiful to be the god of death that killed her and too lovely to be called the Blackbird of Death.

That form was unmistakably…

"… L-Lucifen… Ouzelia Lucifen…?!"

The Blackbird of Death, the only one that ever scared the Grimm King away from completing his conquest. Vernal finally realized that she had challenged an opponent she should never have challenged.

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