[FGO]: 133

At this moment, the commander of the Imperial Guards reclined on the throne, listening to musicians play while watching the beautiful dancers sway gracefully. At the same time, a lovely palace maid fed him wine.

'This is like the life of a god. No wonder everyone wants to sit on the throne and be the Emperor.'

This thought quickly faded as his attention was entirely captured by the voluptuous dancers before him. His lecherous gaze fixated on their ample bosoms, and he was already contemplating who would share his bed tonight.

Perhaps he could indulge with all of them...

Boom!

Just then, a loud explosion erupted from outside the Palace, followed by the panicked shouts of the Imperial Guards, their voices filled with undisguised fear.

"Someone! Get over here! What's all that noise outside? Are you all dead?!"

His mood was ruined, the commander flew into a rage, shoving the palace maid away and shouting angrily.

Before his voice had even faded, the palace doors were violently blown into pieces, the fragments shooting into the hall like bullets.

Though the dancers inside were Kabaneri, with physical strength far beyond that of ordinary people, they were still incredibly fragile against the shards, which flew faster than bullets.

The dancers nearest to the door were instantly riddled with holes, dead before they could even scream, collapsing lifelessly.

The luckier ones were also struck, their bodies bloodied as they cried out in pain.

In the blink of an eye, the vibrant palace had transformed into a hellish scene.

Musicians, palace maids, and eunuchs screamed as they fled toward the back of the hall.

But before they could take more than a few steps, dark purple fireballs, each the size of a fist, flew in from outside.

A fireball struck a palace maid, and in an instant, she was engulfed in flames, turning into a burning figure. Her agonized screams echoed as she was reduced to ashes.

Fireballs continued raining down, striking palace maids, eunuchs, and musicians alike.

The hall filled with burning figures, their anguished cries turning the Hall into a scene straight out of the underworld.

These purple fireballs were terrifying; once they touched a person, they wouldn't stop burning until the victim was reduced to ash. Strangely, however, the flames didn't ignite the objects they touched.

Soon, only the quivering commander of the Imperial Guards, lying on the throne, remained alive.

On the once-polished floor, heaps of ashes marked where living people had stood just moments ago.

At that moment, accompanied by footsteps that shook the ground, a massive figure walked into the hall.

It was the gargoyle that had investigated Wu Zetian's whereabouts on the deserted island.

With each step the gargoyle took, the palace trembled.

It walked up to the commander of the Imperial Guards and looked down at him.

"Are you the leader?"

A booming voice came from the gargoyle's massive mouth, which was large enough to swallow the commander's head whole.

The commander swallowed hard and instinctively nodded.

The gargoyle's face twisted into what it thought was a kind smile, but the effect was terrifying beyond measure.

"I have something to ask you. You wouldn't refuse, would you?"

What else could the commander do? Facing such a monster, he was utterly hopeless. All he could do was nod in agreement.

The gargoyle inquired about the events of a few days ago when Ryou abducted Wu Zetian.

'So it was that damned guy!?'

The commander quickly realized that he was caught up in an undeserved disaster, with Ryou being the true culprit.

Filled with resentment, the commander spilled everything, recounting the events of that day in detail.

However, he failed to notice the gargoyle's growing impatience.

"Enough!! You useless fool! You don't even know which direction they fled in! What use are you?!"

The gargoyle, unable to contain its fury any longer, grabbed the commander by the head like a chicken and lifted him off the ground.

The commander pleaded for mercy, his voice shaking with terror.

"Spare me! Please, spare me! No, ancestor, great ancestor, spare me!"

But the gargoyle paid no attention to his pleas. Its face twisted into a grim smile as it suddenly clenched its hand.

Splat!

A sound like a crushed tomato echoed through the hall as red and white matter oozed from between the gargoyle's massive fingers.

Thud!

A headless corpse fell to the ground.

"What a hassle. Now I'll have to start searching again..."

The gargoyle muttered to itself as it walked out of the hall.

When it stepped into the courtyard, the scene could only be described as gruesome.

Bodies were strewn across the ground — some torn apart by immense force, others smashed into pulp with a single punch, and others crushed and shattered to bits.

The white jade stones of the courtyard floor were stained red with blood.

The gargoyle swaggered over the pile of corpses, spread its massive wings, and took to the sky, leaving behind only a field of corpses as silent testimony to its brutal atrocities.

A month later.

The reconstruction of the Island was well underway, and the people gradually began to accept the leadership of the Church.

After a period of intense propaganda by clergy members and Ryou openly flying in front of the people, the first batch of believers from the local populace emerged.

Although their devotion was still low, it was a good start.

He went from being endlessly busy to having plenty of time to relax.

In truth, he felt anxious. Even without the hidden Queen lurking in the shadows, he needed to develop quickly, unite the planet's forces, and completely eradicate the Kabane.

But territorial development couldn't be rushed.

Many positions require skilled individuals. Resource extraction and utilization also took time. Training soldiers took even longer.

To calm his restless mind, Ryou distanced himself from governmental affairs.

Occasionally, he sparred with Ais, but he spent most of his time practicing hand-to-hand combat techniques.

In his remaining free time, he would ride the Shimakaze, using it like a speedboat to cruise the ocean.

He was living quite comfortably.

But it seemed someone couldn't stand to see him at ease.

As he was sparring with Ais, fully enjoying their time alone together, he suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.

Ryou sensed a powerful malice rapidly approaching from afar.

Horrified, he wondered, Could the so-called Queen have found me so soon?

"Everyone, get back at least a kilometer!"

Ryou shouted.

He ignored everything else. With such a formidable enemy approaching, he couldn't afford any distractions.

Ais noticed the anomaly at almost the same moment and quickly stood by his side.

The two of them looked to the north, where a massive shadow was rapidly approaching from the distant sky.

The massive shadow swept across the sky, and many people instinctively looked up.

Sharp claws, long horns, and enormous, tattered wings like those of a bat—it was as though a creature had stepped out of myth.

"A monster! There's a monster in the sky!"

"Heaven help us!"

Panic erupted as people screamed and scattered in all directions.

At this moment, the clergy played a crucial role, working tirelessly to maintain order while directing the crowd to safety.

Suddenly, the monster's nose twitched. It sniffed the air twice, and an expression of wild joy spread across its grotesque face.

"Hahaha! I finally found it!"

A deafening laugh boomed from its mouth, large enough to swallow a human head whole.

It quickly locked onto its target and, with a powerful flap of its wings, dove toward the training ground where Ryou stood.

Ryou and Ais waited solemnly in the open space, while all the guards and maids had been evacuated to a safe distance.

Boom!

The gargantuan figure crashed heavily onto the training ground. The impact shattered the solid green bricks—bricks strong enough to be used for city walls—spreading spiderweb-like cracks from the point of impact.

Ryou and Ais exchanged a glance. The deep understanding they'd developed through countless battles instantly conveyed their strategy: the giant's strength and durability were likely its main attributes, but its agility remained uncertain.

In a split second, they decided on their plan. Ryou would distract the enemy, while Ais would seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

The gargoyle's nose twitched again, its gaze locking onto him with a clear look of greed.

It spoke in a deep, guttural voice.

"Human, hand over the Abyssal Crystal you carry, and I will spare your life!"

The gargoyle didn't believe its own words. In its mind, a lowly human would be trembling at the sight of it and would surely obey.

Ryou let out a cold laugh, not bothering to reply. Instead, he unleashed Brahmastra.

Scorching sunlight shot straight at the gargoyle's head.

Startled, the gargoyle instinctively raised its arm to shield its face. The sunlight struck, burning a bowl-sized hole through its arm, exposing the bone beneath.

The gargoyle screamed in agony.

"Argh!!! Damn human! I'll tear out your guts and crush your skull!"

Ryou scoffed and fired another beam, this time aiming at the gargoyle's heart.

The gargoyle tried to sidestep, but its massive size hindered its speed. The scorching beam grazed its chest, leaving a deep, charred mark and eliciting another howl of pain.

The pure solar energy in the beam was a bane to low-tier demonic creatures. While it might cause ordinary monsters a pain level of 1, for the gargoyle, it was a 10+.

"Curse you, human! I'll squeeze the life out of you and pull your intestines through your mouth!"

The gargoyle roared, summoning a dozen or so purple-gray fireballs that hovered in front of it.

"Die, human!"

With a massive sweep of its hand, the fireballs hurtled toward Ryou, crackling with life-devouring magic.

But a subtle smile appeared on Ryou's face.

As the fireballs approached, Ryou summoned a large katana. His movements were swift as he danced around the battlefield, slashing the fireballs out of the air with precise strikes.

His effortless display only further enraged the gargoyle, which summoned even more fireballs to hurl at him.

Suddenly, the gargoyle sensed a cold killing intent from behind.

Slash!

Ais, her body enveloped in wind elements, struck the back of the gargoyle's neck with her rapier. Wrapped in azure winds, her blade cut through the gargoyle's neck muscles like a hot knife through butter, plunging deep.

Muscles, blood vessels, and the crucial spinal cord were all severed by Ais's attack.

The gargoyle let out a piercing scream, collapsing onto one knee. The spinal cord is critical for controlling the body, and no matter the creature, once it's damaged, the brain becomes powerless to command the body below the neck.

Even this demonic gargoyle was no exception.

With its spinal cord damaged, it could no longer move its body, only its head.

"Despicable humans!"

The gargoyle was filled with frustration. It still had trump cards it hadn't played, and it hadn't even utilized the full strength of its powerful body.

It was unwilling to accept this outcome!

Ryou, however, coldly instructed Ais.

"Kouhai, tear off its wings and sever its tendons. Make sure it can't move."

Ais nodded obediently. She never hesitated when dealing with monsters.

Raising her delicate hand, she sent her sword [Despair] flying.

In the air, a dozen or so azure starlights appeared, enveloping the gargoyle's joints.

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed as blood spurted from the base of the gargoyle's wings and the joints of its limbs. Its massive, five-meter-tall body slumped to the ground, lifeless and immobile.

Ryou leisurely walked up to the fallen beast.

"Now, I'll ask, and you answer."

"You lowly human...!"

The gargoyle spoke in pure hatred.

Ryou smiled faintly, stepping on its head and grabbing one of its horns.

Sensing danger, the gargoyle finally felt fear and began to shout.

"W-wait! Human, what are you doing? I am—ah!!!"

Before it could finish, excruciating pain surged through its body as Ryou tore off one of its horns.

The sensation was like having your hair ripped out along with part of your scalp.

"You still have one horn left and two eyes. Don't worry—you have plenty of chances to make the right choice."

Ryou smiled at the gargoyle, holding its blood-soaked horn in his hand.

The gargoyle was in so much pain that it nearly cried. In the past, it had always been the one in control, tormenting humans. Now that the tables had turned, it couldn't bear the suffering.