Chapter 3 : Northern Territory 3

"Kila. Don't leave the area. Stay put." 

As the man gave Shakila instructions, the man rose up as though prepared for combat. Shakila didn't answer him immediately but stared at him as he passed by.

"You might die, sir, if your wound reopened."

The man gave the girl a sly look as her turn to face her. "Oh, are you worried about me now, kid?"

Shakila expression quickly became irritated, which gave the man great pleasure. The man walk closer to her and pat her head.

"I'm stronger than you think."

The man turned and left the hut, leaving the girl all by herself. Shakila soon heard the sound of a blade clashing against the monster from inside the hut, as well as the monster's scream, which indicates defiance.

Not long after, Shakila quickly moved closer to the window from where she was standing to observe the fight. She noticed that when the monsters strike, the man appears recessive.

He should put up with the discomfort and survive the assault in that circumstance.

Just as Shakila desired, she has the opportunity to flee at this point. However, Shakila didn't budge from her position, and remained to observed the man's movement as he fought with the monster. Again, in the third time in a row, she missed her opportunity, and made her believes how stupid she was.

The monster roared louder as the man slashed his blade into the monster's steel-like hard claws. Even though it's not his first time encountered with a monster, being injured in the middle of the battle will still have an impact on his ability to fight. The man doesn't have any choice but to finish as soon as possible in order to prevent his injuries from getting worse.

"Shit!"

The man's aura began to radiate from within him, covering both his entire body and the sword in his grasp. As he sliced at the enormous creature in front of him, the man's movements grew swift and forceful. The monster was seen as weaker after the man was able to inflict multiple wounds on its body.

Even though the aura can fortify a person's physical body and their weapon, applying the aura when hurt worsened the injury. As he endured his wound and groaned in pain, the man thought back on what the girl had said to him. The man chuckled as he remembered it.

"I bet she will torture m-"

Slowly, the creature behind him began to rise up, making the man doubt what he had seen right now. The man was very sure he had killed the creature; however, judging by how the monster's steady rise, he thought otherwise.

"Really, this bastard will torture me instead of her."

Breathlessly, the man returned to continue the fight against the monster for the second time. However, the monster attacked the man stronger than he expected and made blood come out of his body as soon as he knocked him to the ground.

"ARGH!!" In such bad condition, the man still held on to his consciousness tightly, keeping an eye on the monster who knocked him down.

"I told you already, right? You might die."

The man was startled by the voice of the girl he had just known for several hours, watching his pitiful self. "What are you doing here?!"

"Watching you."

The girl's reply astounded the man. "Kila, I told you to stay put!"

Shakila shrugged her shoulders. "I know." Said her and then crouched down next to the man to looked at his wound. Shakila breathed a sigh of relief knowing the wound isn't serious as before.

"Just as you said, sir. You have the physical strength to resist the assault."

"Is that a complement to me, brat?"

Shakila smiled. And at that moment, just like before, her iris turn into a deep purple, and she started faced the monster head-on.

"It's my turn to assist you now."

Without letting the man react, Shakila took off the fabric from her sword and immediately drew it to fight the monster in front of her. She didn't hesitate to fight, all because of the man who made her remember something crucial.

Nigraff, an eagle with lion's body and iron claws on its forelegs, is a southern monster. Furthermore, Nigraff is a monster that cannot grow in a frigid climate like the northern. However, the fact that Nigraff was in North give Shakila big question.

How Nigraff got here?

Shakila bent down and dodged the Nigraff's iron claws, also giving some distance to avoid being hit by Nigraff's wings. Just like Shakila expected, as a mountain beast, Nigraff would be much stronger and quicker to injure her than she was, no matter how quickly she tried to escape it. The Nigraff attacked irrationally, disregarding everything around its.

Nigraff's heart…there!!!

That was a small chance, and Shakila focused her aura on her blade right away. Just as the Nigraff was about to assault her, Shakila swung her sword. Despite of fact how strong Nigraff's body is, a weak and fragile heart is Nigraff's weakness.

It's over.

Despite suffering numerous wounds, Shakila was able to defeat Nigraff. She had never experienced the negative effects of power before, but now she had to using it recklessly. Her eyesight was hazy, and she started to feel her body lose its balance.

BRUGH

"Are you stupid?"

She was quickly captured by the man. At that moment, Shakila was unable to see the man's face except guessed from his tone that he was annoyed.

"Yeah. I've just became stupid."

The man clicked his tongue. "Really, why are you involved in this situation when you could leave at that time?"

"…I also have no idea."

It's true that she has no idea why she suddenly decided to join the fight against the monster, Nigraff.

"Ah, Sir, how is your injury?"

As Shakila asked about the man's conditions, the man's hold on her arm become tighter. Shakila's face grew paler and more frail in his eyes, as if it could break at any moment.

"I already given first aid."

Shakila then extended her hand and made contact with the man's abdomen. Her fingers can feel it; as the man mentioned, he has already wrapped the wound. However, Shakila's sudden touch stunned him for a while.

"What a-"

A gentle glow appears and covers the man's entire body in comfort. The incident gave the man an explanation for how his worst wounds improved so quickly.

Soon after, the light grew weaker and slowly vanished. He could feel his physical strength returning, which made the man think that the girl he was currently holding wasn't an ordinary person.

The girl fell unconscious as her head hit the man's chest before he could ask about the girl's genuine identity.