Chapter 13: Ready for Another Round?

Just as Yae realized something might be wrong with her, two rogue monsters slipped past unnoticed and crept up to Natsuki, preparing to ambush her.

"Watch out!" Yae shouted, spotting the danger.

Before Yae could rush to her aid, Natsuki let out a piercing scream. Struggling with all her might, she swung the SU-22 howitzer resting on her shoulder and fired directly at the two monsters.

The blast sent them flying dozens of meters away, while the recoil from the shot knocked Natsuki flat onto the ground. She dropped the howitzer beside her.

Yae rushed over to Natsuki and helped her up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... just feeling a bit sore," Natsuki said, looking pitifully at Yae. The weapon was indeed powerful, but so was its recoil. That attack hadn't even been fully charged; if it had been, Natsuki wouldn't have survived.

Even without full charge, she felt like every bone in her body might've shattered.

"Take a break for a moment!"

Yae supported Natsuki as she sat down, then retrieved the nearby grenade launcher.

The SU-22 may look huge, but it's actually designed with reduced weight and recoil. Otherwise, no ordinary girl could carry such a heavy thing. Even if someone managed to lift it, the powerful kickback would be enough to kill them.

"Mm-hmm." Natsuki obediently sat on the ground, her face dirty and disheveled, making her look like a small beggar.

Only then did Yae turn to inspect the monster that Natsuki had blown away.

These two monsters weren't dead after all...

Though they'd lost limbs, their regenerative powers were incredibly strong—they'd be back to normal soon enough. It wasn't just about dealing massive damage; you needed the right kind of power to kill them.

In fact, even a nuclear weapon might not do the trick—it could make some monsters stronger by exposing them to radiation or whatever.

Yae Sakura's spiritual energy and sword presence, on the other hand, were perfect for taking down these creatures.

After all, Yae Sakura... was a shrine maiden! The natural enemy of monsters and ghosts!

"I've got something to ask you," she said, pointing her spiritual blade at the two badly injured monsters before her. "If you lie... well, I'm sure you know what'll happen."

"Yes, yes..." The two monsters, terrified of both Yae Sakura and Natsuki, nodded quickly.

"What happened here?"

After hearing from two monsters what had happened, Yae Sakura's face lit up.

Two big monsters were actually fighting!

Yae Sakura had been looking for a chance to test her strength against something really powerful. These top-tier monsters were perfect for that.

If she could easily kill one, there would be nothing in this world she'd be afraid of.

So after asking for directions, and since Natsuki was out of energy from firing her cannon earlier, Yae Sakura picked her up and rushed towards where the big monsters were fighting.

Along the way...she checked her previous rewards:

First Kill of High-Rank Monster

Reward: 20 Crystals

First Destruction of Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

Reward: 50 Crystals

70 crystals, not bad... I'm getting closer to 2400.

There were only first kill rewards, which meant destroying the Night Parade must have covered other bonuses.

Still, it wasn't too bad; first-time rewards were usually quite high.

However... Yae Sakura increasingly felt that bringing Natsuki along was becoming inconvenient. If she were alone or with someone capable of fighting—someone who could at least protect themselves—they wouldn't be so passive.

This strengthened Yae Sakura's resolve to get Natsuki back home as soon as possible.

Soon...

Carrying Natsuki on her back, Yae Sakura arrived at the battlefield where two giant monsters were clashing. An unbelievably huge creature was battling a long-horned girl dressed in an exquisite kimono.

The massive monster resembled a spider, standing seventy or eighty meters tall—a sight that stunned even Yae Sakura.

It was like a scene from a monster movie, except this time the opponent wasn't Kongou Ban, but rather...a strange girl.

The difference in their sizes...felt very odd.

"Lady Yae, that is...the legendary Earth Spider. Perhaps we should leave now?" Natsuki looked at the Earth Spider before them, filled with fear...

The earth spider was a legendary monster known for its ability to destroy entire cities with ease.

Humans had no chance of fighting back against it.

"No need, this is my prey! Natsuki, just stay out of the way! I'll take care of them quickly, then we can head back to town."

Yae looked around and found a safe spot nearby where she put down Natsuki. With a serious expression, she faced the two large monsters ahead.

It might have been her imagination, but Yae felt the spiritual blade in her hand growing excited.

Suddenly... Yae remembered that according to old records, people used to worship earth spiders as gods!

So they're considered divine beings! No wonder the spiritual blade was so excited. Evil gods were exactly what it hunted.

"Lady Yae..."

Natsuki tried to say more, but noticed Yae's eyes had turned scarlet—just like the color of the spiritual blade in Yae's hand.

Feeling a sudden wave of fear, she stopped talking, unsure if she should say anything else.

Yae removed her cloak, revealing a pair of long ears that curved slightly backward. She stepped directly into the battlefield between the earth spider and the horned girl.

The two monsters were fully engaged in their heated battle and didn't expect anyone to interfere halfway through.

It was common for creatures to run as far away as possible during fights between powerful monsters. Few would voluntarily get involved.

"Beautiful miss," Yae said, looking at the two large monsters before her, "could you let me have this earth spider?" Compared to killing the pretty girl, dispatching the ugly spider seemed more satisfying.

There was no psychological pressure.

Just days ago, Yae had been an ordinary human who had never killed anyone. For some reason, she felt no stress when it came to killing monsters. But killing people—or beings similar to humans—was something her subconscious still resisted.

All the monsters she'd killed so far looked very ugly or frightening. The girl in front of her, except for the small horns on her head, looked exactly like a human.

So... I'll take on the earth spider myself!