It was impossible for me to move from where I stood. Deep down, I wanted to run over and celebrate with that person. He had finally broken through the last barrier he needed to reach the very top.
Cokue had finally achieved what he needed to advance to the Diamond Rank. I haven't fully researched what it takes to rank up, but I do know one thing: once you fulfill all the requirements to advance, you receive "a mission" from the omniscient voice.
Once you complete that mission, your body and core are finally ready to leave the Ruby Rank behind. The burst of power erupting from Cokue proved it—he had finally done it.
The explosion of power gradually settled, and only then did everything begin moving again. Even the monsters had frozen for an instant, as though the entire battlefield had paused to witness a single person.
I couldn't hold back my urge to congratulate him any longer. I teleported directly in front of him. The moment I appeared, I annihilated every monster within a fifty-meter radius. My Rank V ability did all the dirty work; every Grade 3 monster and below died instantly.
"Congratulations, my friend!" A huge smile spread across my face. I was genuinely happy for him.
"Thank you." Cokue replied with the same joy. He was still trying to process what had happened. He repeatedly opened and closed his hands, looked over his entire body, and nodded softly each time he tested something new.
"Now you'll finally be worthy of challenging me. Once you officially advance, we can spar." I joked as I smacked his back with the palm of my hand.
Neither of us stopped killing monsters while we talked. Our long-range constructs continued wiping out every foolish ogre that dared approach.
His constructs had become noticeably more solid. They felt heavier and far more powerful. Cokue hadn't even advanced yet, and he'd already improved tremendously. He was going to become a monster in the Diamond Rank. I couldn't wait to see him in a few years.
"I hope your grandmother doesn't kick me out of the territory after I beat you up. Lady Rita will understand it's for your own good." He looked at me with a mischievous grin. Cokue wanted to spar just as much.
"As if that were possible." I shrugged. "I've beaten plenty of people a whole grade or rank above me. He's a good example." I pointed at Edupe. That lunatic was slaughtering ogres as though it were his favorite hobby.
The moment he felt my gaze on his back, he turned to look at me, trying to figure out what was going on. He stopped paying attention when around ten Grade 4 ogres charged him—the last of the stronger ones remaining.
"Stop slacking off. Let's finish this quickly. I want to get back as soon as possible." Cokue kicked me in the back.
I laughed at how excited he was. He was desperate to advance. "You can head back if you want. I've got everything under control." I gave him a thumbs-up, full of confidence.
"Are you sure?" Cokue looked like he wanted to leave that very second. His voice gave him away.
"When have I ever lied? Never. Go report the news to my grandmother first. Leave everything else to me." I answered confidently. Most of the powerful monsters were already dead. Cokue had been responsible for that massacre, and the moment he killed the last one, that burst of power had occurred.
Cokue didn't say another word. He simply nodded, soared into the air, and vanished from my sight in an instant. Once I could no longer see him, I finally moved.
I relaxed my body, hardened my mind, and my entire body trembled ever so slightly with excitement. It was true that all these monsters were lower-ranked than me, and very few of them could pose any real threat... but there were still well over a thousand of them.
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I would charge straight into the middle of them without overthinking it. I only needed one thought:
Advance... and annihilate.
My twin swords danced. My first slash split an ogre from its shoulder down to the opposite side of its waist. My left-hand sword pierced another ogre's skull, and I shattered it apart with gravity and lightning.
I spun from side to side like a top. Neither my hands nor my feet rested for a single moment. At the same time, several Joyeuses appeared beside me, dancing through the battlefield and impaling every monster in their path. I would show no mercy to anyone foolish enough to stand in my way.
I hadn't felt this kind of freedom in a very long time. Just me, my twin swords, and my magic in the middle of an endless sea of monsters trying to kill me.
The weaker ones served as cannon fodder. The few remaining Grade 4 monsters used them in an attempt to create openings in my defense. Powerful strikes and deadly spells constantly sought my life, forcing me to dodge or block them at the very last moment.
My body moved in perfect harmony with the flood of information entering my mind. I ducked beneath a spear made of stone while driving one blade into an ogre's chest. With the same motion, I dragged my sword through its body, tearing it apart. My other sword split another ogre clean in half as it tried to grab me.
My ice swords wreaked havoc as well. There was no need to summon black swords. They pierced through every monster that crossed their path. Their defenses were worthless, and their regeneration was suppressed by death mana and ice.
They simply had no chance to exploit their greatest advantage. Every ogre was destined to perish beneath my blades.
My body was drenched in ogre blood and entrails. I felt absolutely filthy... yet I couldn't stop smiling. This was a different kind of enjoyment, completely unlike fighting an overwhelmingly powerful opponent.
I noticed that my soldiers had been withdrawing for several minutes now. Even Edupe had stopped moving alongside his army. They had all halted the moment I began this massacre, as though something inside them had whispered, It's time to take a break.
Only one person was holding back the foolish monsters that tried to ignore me. Her strength alone was enough to let our entire army retreat safely.
Brendu was unleashing everything she had to annihilate every ogre that approached. Those monstrous trees slaughtered ogres as though they were ordinary animals, and the thick wooden branches coated in poison were utterly lethal.
Brendu's poison had evolved tremendously. Not only could it now slowly heal itself, but it was even capable of suppressing the regeneration of an ogre of the same grade.
Only a handful remained now, and I'd already lost interest. There was no point dragging this out any longer. Before, it had been fun because the Grade 4 monsters could still injure me. Now... that was no longer possible.
Dozens of ice swords filled with powerful death mana materialized around me. The instant they were launched, they pierced the monsters' bodies. They barely had time to breathe before another volley descended upon them.
They only managed to survive five waves.
Their bodies, riddled with holes like the ugliest, foulest cheese imaginable, collapsed onto the ground. The death mana had only done a little work—they had already been on the verge of death after enduring so many volleys.
Finally, every ogre was dead... or at least every ogre within my field of vision. I had no idea whether any had escaped farther away.
I couldn't do anything with the cores. One of Edupe's conditions had been that he would keep every ogre core we collected. We were only allowed to take one—the core of the sole Grade 5 ogre in the area.
"The rumors don't even come close." Grox appeared beside me, floating a few meters above the ground. "Or perhaps you've grown so quickly that the old rumors can no longer measure how strong you've truly become."
"That was nothing special." I used my Imra to clean every trace of filth from my clothes. Honestly, I felt disgusting. The blood coating my swords froze into crimson ice before dissolving into the air as tiny red crystals.
"I found it to be one of the most fascinating things I've witnessed in years. Your movements are extraordinary. I've met swordsmen with over two decades of training who look like children standing beside you. That was truly something special." The seriousness in his voice and the unwavering look in his eyes made me believe he genuinely meant every word.
"Thank you. I'm about to head back to town. Would you like to come with me?" His compliments flattered me, though not enough to let it show on my face.
"Whenever you're ready." He answered calmly.
"Let me bring someone first, then we can leave." Without another word, I vanished from his sight with my teleportation.
"Hello, Princess of Chaos. You're as beautiful as ever today." I wrapped Brendu in a warm embrace. "It's time to head back. Something unexpected happened... as always." I quickly brought her up to speed, and she simply sighed.
"At least it seems beneficial. It's not entirely bad." She took my hand as we walked toward the bald man waiting for us. I couldn't hold back my laughter when I saw the panic on his face. He definitely hadn't expected me to bring Brendu along.