Chapter 35 Elf Princess
"We\'re in the forest! You mustn\'t, you mustn\'t! We will lay down our lives to protect you, so please, please... wait, Princess Remelia."
"Don\'t die on me, old man!"
"This old fool has grown so senile lately that I\'ve even forgotten how to die!"
With that flamboyant shout, a handsome elf wielding a katana-like sword leaped at the undead, enveloped in a violent wind—a likely combination of wind magic and katana techniques. With one swift motion, he slashed through the undead elf\'s body. However, the undead quickly reassembled. They\'re quite a nuisance, it seems.
The elves were cornered in the middle of the great forest, backed up against a shattered carriage. The carriage wheels were broken, and the horses had joined the ranks of the undead. The ugliest stench of decay lingered, hidden within the lush greenery.
"Damn! They just keep coming. If only we had someone with a rare light attribute... this would be..."
We do! Liora, she picked light magic, a dual attribute thanks to Ribbit!
The horde of undead before us numbered over fifty. What\'s more, nearly all of them reanimated after being struck down. It seemed the source controlling them was that massive skeleton in the center of the group, cloaked in a dark robe.
"Liora, you know what to do."
"Yes, I do!"
I prepared [Darkness Creation] as Liora began chanting [Shining Slash], her new skill imbued with the [Blade of Slaughter], consuming 80% of her life force.
Then,
"I sense a dense presence of light! Reinforcements, elves!"
The skeletal figure in the robe shouted, aiming its dark, menacing staff at us, muttering an incantation. The enemy appeared formidable. Rather than dodging, I used [Dark Region] to nullify it. Dodging magic is tricky, after all.
"Reinforcements!? For us!?"
The pair of elves suddenly noticed Liora. She stood on a massive tree branch, scythe in hand, gathering magical energy. The elven youth\'s eyes widened.
"A Demon King!?"
"No, a girl with a scythe in our forest… it\'s the apostle that freed us!"
"She\'s not a Demon King... but chosen by the Goddess of The World!?"
"No, a god even greater."
"...?"
Just then, Liora completed her spell. But at the same time, the skeleton-robed figure finished its incantation as well.
"—Dark Magic [End of Darkness]! Perish, little girl! Behold, the ultimate art that leads all beings to death, the pinnacle of dark magic!"
"[Shining Slash]!"
Light and darkness collided. The space between them warped, emitting an unstable sound that resonated through the area. The skeletal figure in the robe screamed as the clash forced him back. His impressive black robe fluttered violently, as he was pulled towards the rift in space.
"My ultimate dark magic is being matched by a mere [Shining Slash]!?"
"[Shining Slash]!"
"St-Stop—"
The dark magic [End of Darkness] shattered from the additional magic, and the skeletal figure\'s body was cleaved in half by the light. Liora could use [Regeneration] to quickly recover her HP. With that replenished HP, she immediately unleashed another [Shining Slash] with the [Blade of Slaughter] attached.
Although the skill [Extended Chant] wasn\'t applied, the additional power was lethal to the undead.
The skeletal figure\'s body crumbled, as if decaying and withering away. Stunned, the skeleton muttered,
"Im-Impossible..."
"My god once said, \'The one who calls others a fool is the true fool.\'"
"D-Damn you! Damn you!"
"And the one who curses others is the one who is truly cursed."
"Liora, that last part doesn\'t quite make sense, does it?"
Liora tilted her head in confusion but ruthlessly continued her assault. After all, his minions were still left behind.
"Finish them, Liora!"
"Yes, GOD!!"
The battlefield fell eerily silent. However, the quickest to recover was, of course, Liora. She leaped into the center of the fifty undead and immediately unleashed her magic.
"[Head Hunter]!"
She swept through them with a single strike.
▿
It didn\'t even take a minute to annihilate them all.
Liora\'s [Moonlight Scythe Technique] is a light attribute magic attack. Yes, the skill [Moonlight Scythe Technique] doesn\'t rely on her physical attack stats but instead uses her magic attack stats to deal damage.
Liora\'s lowest stat is her [Attack]. This was a challenge for Liora, who had primarily relied on close combat. But now, it has been resolved. She\'s incredibly strong. With her undead-slaying advantage, it was like slicing through tofu.
We even had time to level up our skills.
As a result:
Zephyr leveled up. Zephyr\'s Dark Magic leveled up. Zephyr\'s Create Dark leveled up. Zephyr\'s Dark Aura leveled up. Zephyr\'s Regeneration leveled up. Zephyr\'s Appraisal leveled up.
Liora leveled up. Liora\'s Scythe Technique leveled up. Liora\'s Moonlight Scythe Technique leveled up. Liora\'s Landscaping Skill leveled up. Liora\'s Light Magic leveled up. Liora\'s Flash Magic leveled up.
Liora\'s Kagura leveled up. Liora\'s Summoning leveled up. Liora\'s Extended Chant leveled up. Samurai leveled up. Samurai\'s Mimicry leveled up. Samurai\'s Ambush leveled up.
Samurai\'s Binding leveled up. Samurai\'s Sonic Wave leveled up. Samurai\'s Iron Wall leveled up. Samurai\'s Tentacle Enhancement leveled up.
Leveling up is always the most satisfying, isn\'t it?
As the victory fanfare echoed in my ears, I checked our spoils of war. Unfortunately, there weren\'t any rare drops of particular use in my [Item Box].
We did get a sword, but Liora can\'t use it. The same goes for Samurai. The other materials... well, they\'re not too bad. The [Item Box] is convenient because it can stack up to 99 of the same item.
By the way, water counts as one item per 500 milliliters. Dried meat is also a travel necessity.
"Um, excuse me…"
The handsome young elf approached us hesitantly. Earlier, they had hurried to join the battle, but when I asked Liora, "Can you ask them not to interfere? I want to level up," she flatly refused with,
"The gods have spoken. Leave this to us."
The elves were left wide-eyed, occasionally shedding tears of gratitude as their once-ally undead were purified. They clasped their hands together, saying, "Thank you, thank you."
On the forums, she\'s known as the "Grim Reaper Girl," but to them, she\'s more of a "hero" or "angel."
To me, Liora is a "partner." The handsome elf bowed his head.
"Thank you for saving us. We can\'t express our gratitude enough for cleansing our kin."
"It was the will of the gods."
"…My name is Sebas. Please, I beg of you, lend us your strength! Help us protect Her Highness, the Princess of Elfland!"
"? P-princess?"
As Liora stood there, looking somewhat dazed, a beautiful elven girl—likely the princess—suddenly dashed toward her. Her destination was straight for Liora.
The beautiful elf girl spread her arms wide.
"Kyah! So cute! A beautiful little girl!"
Just as the princess attempted to leap and hug her, Liora, with a blank expression, delivered a kick to her.
"Gahhh-!!"
Shit, Liora!
"Only God can touch me, hump~"
The elves\' jaws dropped—Sebas, the handsome elf, fainted on the spot. It seems this event is going to be quite turbulent