“Humans...” I stare directly into the monster’s eyes when I hear him speak. “Mere humans dare to invade my territory. How disgusting.” The monster straightens his body, and the crown on his head remains perfectly in place, as though it were anchored to him.
“Disgusting.” After speaking those words, the monster grabs the weapon at his side. It looks very similar to a trident. A simple wave of his hand is enough to create flames that incinerate the bodies of the monsters around us.
“Don’t you care about the lives of your subjects?” My voice contains neither sadness nor anger, only curiosity.
“I can continue reproducing and create more. I don’t care whether they live or die.” The monster finally rises from his throne. “I only need to kill you and anyone else who dares oppose me.” His steps are steady, and his presence grows stronger with every movement.
In an instant, he disappears from our sight. I have to move one of my swords to stop his attempt to drive the trident through Brendu’s stomach. He was so fast that even the princess didn’t have time to react properly.
The few layers of defense Brendu managed to create wouldn’t have been enough to stop that surprise attack. She could have been impaled by the trident. She had been paying more attention to the other monsters around us, and that tiny lapse could have cost her dearly.
“Not bad for a mere human. Your reflexes are good. Unfortunately, that means nothing because you’re only a ruby rank.” The pressure I feel when the monster finishes speaking is something I can’t mistake.
A Jurisdiction? How strange. I’ve never encountered a grade 4 monster capable of wielding a Jurisdiction. Perhaps that crown is helping him? I can feel the monster’s Dominion flowing directly into the crown, and the object is amplifying it.
Could it be some kind of item linked to his cube?
Since I have no idea and I’m in no position to waste time thinking about something irrelevant, I act immediately. I use my ability to break Jurisdictions. This is actually the easiest one I’ve ever shattered. It’s the most fragile Jurisdiction I’ve ever encountered.
A grin spreads across my face when I see the shock in his eyes. He never expected me to free myself from his Jurisdiction.
“The world is much bigger than you think.” My free sword moves toward his neck. I want his head off as quickly as possible. The trident blocks my strike. No matter how surprised the monster is, his body still reacts fast enough to intercept my attack.
My next strike aims for his neck, and the one after that targets one of his arms. The monster retreats several meters. He looks confused. I can feel immense instability in his Imra.
“Brendu, Glia, I don’t know if I’ll be able to help you until I finish dealing with this so-called king. Start retreating and try to escape.” I take advantage of the moment to speak with them.
“There are only a few left. Are you sure we should retreat?” The princess asks. Glia feels the same way. I can sense it through our connection.
“Yes. I won’t be able to focus on this fight if you’re being surrounded by all these monsters. I’ll feel much better knowing you’re not in danger.” I reply without taking my eyes off the leader standing before me.
I watch Brendu open and close her mouth several times before finally speaking.
“I understand. I’ll see you soon.” Her monstrous trees take the lead while she uses the opportunity to begin retreating.
“If you give me that fool king’s core as dessert, I won’t complain about you forcing me to leave.” Glia launches several death constructs as she retreats alongside the princess.
“Deal.” I reply to Glia. I know she doesn’t really need to leave because, in the worst-case scenario, she can hide inside my cube. Even so, I’d rather she stay with Brendu. “See you soon. This won’t be that difficult.”
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I help them escape as well. I create multiple Joyeuse in their strongest form to hold the monsters in place. Once they leave the range of my sensory ability, I feel much calmer. I let out a sigh, and my gaze sharpens.
I allow any monsters that wish to pursue them to do so. They won’t have any chance of catching them, and they’ll receive a nasty surprise when they reach the end of the tunnel.
“False King.” I call out to the monster before me. “It’s time for us to get serious. Show me everything you have.” I release my Dominion and Imra, giving extra weight to my words.
The act seems to have the desired effect because the monster no longer looks confused. He unleashes his power just as I do. It’s still astonishing that a grade 4 monster possesses a Jurisdiction. Even I haven’t achieved one yet. It doesn’t matter that he relies on an item.
His trident and parts of his body ignite with blue flames. I can feel the heat even from this distance. His control over the flames is impressive. Not many grade 4 monsters can make me feel heat despite my affinity for ice.
I don’t give him any time to breathe. Swordsmanship is my greatest weapon, so I immediately close the distance. His trident clashes against my swords not once or twice, but dozens upon dozens of times in less than a minute.
His speed is equal to mine as long as I don’t overstrain my body. That’s incredibly surprising for a grade 4 monster. His strength is remarkable as well. It’s the only reason I’ve only managed to leave a few shallow cuts. I can’t quite find a position that allows me to land a decisive strike.
Several minutes later, I finally discover an opening. My sword sinks into his abdomen near his navel. The monster spits out a mouthful of blood and attempts to drive his trident through my skull. I’m forced to retreat quickly.
The monster releases a deafening roar, as though he has never been injured in his entire life. Numerous concentrated spikes of fire begin forming around him. I can feel the danger radiating from every single construct.
I immediately begin creating small blocks of ice around myself, condensing as much death and ice mana into them as possible.
By the time the monster releases the spikes a few seconds later, my defenses are already prepared. His constructs crash against mine. The heat from the flames begins melting my ice while trying to break through it. The death mana fulfills its role, devouring as much as possible.
One of the spikes manages to penetrate my defenses. Unfortunately, it happens to be the one closest to my body. I don’t realize that this construct is different until it buries itself in my shoulder. Only then do I notice the immense amount of fire mana inside it. Far more than the others contained.
I click my tongue when I feel the pain and the flames attempting to burn everything around the wound. The monster begins laughing loudly when he sees that his plan succeeded. His eyes lock onto mine.
I return his gaze without hesitation. I use my death mana to eradicate every trace of his attack, and the wound begins healing before his eyes.
“If that’s all you have, you’re not worthy of being called a king.” My voice is soft. Like a sentence.
The monster charges toward me with madness and fury burning in his eyes. The attacks that once possessed purpose have lost all reason. He’s nothing more than a rabid beast now.
Did it really take so little to push him to this point? A few shallow cuts and one deeper wound. I can’t even call it lethal. Grade 4 monsters possess tremendous vitality.
I lose all enthusiasm for the fight. Battling a monster that moves without reason isn’t enjoyable.
I block every attack. The moment I see an opening, I strike. Gravity around my body accelerates my arm beyond its normal limits, and one of his arms flies off to the side.
I feel the muscles and tendons in both of my arms tear violently. My second strike removes one of his legs. I kick him in the chest, sending him crashing onto his back. I give him no opportunity to recover. My sword pierces his remaining arm, forcing him to release his weapon.
I can feel fear and desperation radiating from every part of him. The monster begins screaming wildly.
“I’m going to lose? I am a king! I can’t die in this disgusting place, especially not at the hands of a mere human! I am a king!”
For the first time, I feel a little pity for him. I use my Dominion, Imra, and gravity mana to suppress his body. He tries to resist, but in his terrified and weakened state, he can do nothing.
I overpower him easily. My eyes are cold, the exact opposite of his. “A king who refuses to stand beside his people doesn’t deserve the title of king. You let your subjects die as though they were nothing more than ordinary ants.” I speak slowly. My voice is icy.
“They are irrelevant! Their deaths mean nothing! They should be honored to sacrifice themselves for me! I am their king!” His screams continue echoing throughout the cavern.
“A kingdom without its people is nothing more than an empty shell. That is something you never understood, and never will.” I don’t wait for a response. I simply drive my second sword through his head. Two Joyeuse pierce his chest at the same time, bringing his life to an end.
His voice and constant complaints were beginning to annoy me. Some monsters... No, even some people... never understand what it truly means to be a king or an emperor.
I shake my head to clear away the irritation. Then I collect the core before leaving, I don’t want any complaints from Glia, I’ve already had enough of those.