“They’re building an internal city... It’s not unheard of among certain types of monsters, but it is unusual for it to be founded in such a difficult place to access.” Brendu comments. “That must be their leader. Now we know how to eradicate the problem at its root.”
“The problem is the number of monsters... I know I can fight multiple grade 4 monsters in open areas because I can move freely. In a place this confined, even I can be overwhelmed.” The only way to eliminate the threat is to kill all of them, especially their king.
“Most of them are grade 3. There are only a few hundred grade 4 monsters from what I can see.” Glia comments, equally surprised.
“Yes, that’s normal for small settlements in the process of formation. Now the heavy security along the way makes sense. They were protecting future generations.” Brendu’s voice sounds strange, as if her feelings are conflicted.
“If you have mixed feelings about killing ‘children’ or future generations, it’s better if you go back, Brendu. I’m not being heartless. It’s simply them or my people, and I’ve already made my choice.” I can’t turn back now. It’s either them or us.
“Don’t worry, I understand your feelings. A village in my kingdom was wiped out because a guard failed to eliminate a group of grade 1 and grade 2 monsters because they looked like children. A few years later, they took revenge by annihilating an entire village.” The princess lets out a sigh.
“I won’t show mercy if the future of our territory is at stake. Just tell me what I need to do.” Brendu deliberately emphasizes the word “our,” and it makes me happy to know she has no problem eliminating any potential threat. She was raised for situations like this.
“To be honest, after thinking it through, a direct attack while they’re caught completely by surprise is our best option. I can wipe out most of the grade 3 monsters instantly. I’ll bear the brunt of the grade 4 monsters, while you two stay by my sides and eliminate anyone who shows weakness.” I’m not very good at making complicated plans. I prefer charging straight ahead.
“We could wait for the reinforcements your grandmother is going to send. Having an extra hand would help.” Brendu suggests, making me reconsider for a moment.
“No, it won’t be necessary. I don’t see or sense any grade 5 monsters. If things become complicated, I can buy enough time for you to escape easily, and I’ll find some way to get out afterward.” The monster sitting on the throne doesn’t appear to be grade 5. It’s close, perhaps at the same level as the Lich in the dungeon, or a little stronger.
“Are you sure? Aren’t we taking a huge risk?” Brendu asks again.
“I’ll be more worried if there’s another person around me. It’s better if it’s just the three of us. That way, I only have to focus on protecting you.” I reject her suggestion once more. It has as many drawbacks as benefits.
“I’m not sure we’ll be able to eliminate every monster. Some of them will try to escape, and leaving someone strong waiting below is a good idea.” If any of them get away, they’ll probably run into the guards or the reinforcements.
We put together a simple plan and carefully move toward the only path ahead of us. This mountain has only two other entrances located around its perimeter. We shouldn’t have too much trouble being surrounded.
The moment the first monsters appear, they’re slammed into the ground by gravity mana. My willpower crashes down on them, my Imra suppresses them, and my Dominion is empowering everything.
The grade 3 monsters can’t resist. They’re smashed against the ground while dozens of black ice swords appear above their heads, granting them a swift and relatively painless death. The grade 4 monsters endure the surprise attack much better. Most of them counterattack with their own Dominion, creating a battle of wills that I ultimately win.
Brendu and Glia seize the opportunity to finish off several of them, and I don’t remain idle either. One sword severs a head while the other pierces the chest of a monster trying to attack me from behind. I freeze its head and shatter it with lightning.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
I grit my teeth as I endure the pressure of multiple Dominions. I’m much stronger than they are individually, but their combined force puts me in a difficult position. If I hesitate for even a second, they could push me back and free themselves from the pressure.
Brendu has enough time to channel all her energy into her monstrous tree ability. Two enormous tree monsters appear beside her, radiating immense power. Brendu’s ability has improved significantly over this period.
The monstrous trees immediately begin slaughtering every monster pinned to the ground. The pressure from the enemy Dominions becomes noticeably weaker.
Some of the grade 4 monsters attempt to dominate the monstrous trees with their own Dominions, which means Brendu now bears part of the pressure. Fortunately, she possesses exceptional willpower. She’s been training her mental resistance since childhood.
Meanwhile, Glia moves like an executioner, massacring everything in her path. It doesn’t matter whether the monsters are grade 2, 3, or 4. They all fall beneath claws infused with death mana. Nothing can stop her. She’s powerful enough to move freely through the battlefield.
We continue advancing without slowing down. Gravity suppresses everything around us, lightning hunts for targets, and the ice mana surrounding me attempts to freeze anyone who survives long enough to remain in my path.
I suddenly sense a strange disturbance within my Personal World. My eyes widen, and I use gravity to move my body because I can’t react any other way. Three claws pierce through my shoulder. I’m shocked that I failed to detect this monster sooner.
It possesses some kind of exceptional concealment ability. I only sensed it the instant it leaped forward to drive its claws through my skull.
The monster’s body crashes to the ground moments later. Its head and torso have been severed by my sword. I use my Imra to tear the hanging arm free from my shoulder, and the wound slowly begins to heal.
A second later, my sword intercepts another set of claws attempting to pierce my chest.
“It might work once, but not twice.” I mock another monster capable of turning invisible.
Its ability is impressive, but not impressive enough to fool me a second time once I’m actively paying attention. The disturbance is minimal. I can’t identify exactly what’s wrong, only that something is wrong. It’s as if a tiny portion of my vision becomes blurry.
The monster’s body slowly begins to freeze. It becomes a contest of willpower, Imra, and Dominion as it struggles against the spreading ice. Several seconds later, I finally freeze the upper half of its body. Multiple bolts of lightning reduce it to fragments.
I click my tongue. My mana control is exceptional for my rank. I’m far ahead of any genius who hasn’t devoted themselves completely to mastering mana control, yet it still isn’t enough to dominate grade 4 monsters effortlessly.
Perhaps I’m asking for too much. My dream of freezing enemies instantly is unrealistic, and I know it. People have defenses of their own. They can resist my abilities.
Should I return to my previous approach? Slowly and continuously freezing everything around me instead of focusing all my effort on freezing a single target as quickly as possible.
I push those pointless thoughts aside and focus on freezing everything passively. It doesn’t matter whether it’s alive, dead, mana, Imra, or anything else. My goal is to freeze absolutely everything once I reach obsidian rank.
I’m certain Eisty possesses an ability like that and absolute mastery over ice mana. She could have frozen me into a statue whenever she wanted. She was simply playing with me.
We continue moving forward, destroying every monster around us. In the end, the weaker monsters are still just that: monsters. Most of them remain behind trying to defend their settlement. Only a few attempt to flee once they feel the overwhelming pressure we generate.
I create an ice wall and reinforce the sides with gravity to disperse the force of several constructs launched toward me. At first, the smarter monsters avoided ranged attacks, probably because they didn’t want to injure their allies. They must have realized they won’t be able to stop us if they continue fighting that way.
I’m forced to create more highly condensed ice blocks to block additional constructs aimed at taking my life. Even that isn’t enough. I manage to stop most of them, but some constructs break through and must be intercepted by the gravity surrounding me or by my swords.
The farther we advance, the more difficult the battle becomes. Our movement speed has decreased considerably. We’ve also started using our mana more efficiently. We can’t afford to run out of fuel before reaching the end.
Little by little, the enemy numbers begin to shrink. Injuries accumulate across our bodies. I spend mana healing myself and Brendu. The most serious wounds are healed instantly. The minor ones can wait until later.
The number of monsters decreases dramatically, and we’re no longer being attacked from every direction. All I can see behind us is death and corpses. Nothing remains except destruction.
When fewer than twenty grade 4 monsters remain, we finally reach the center of the cavern. The Monster King is staring at us with fury in his eyes. Yet he still hasn’t risen from his throne. The end is near.