Chapter 19: Alraune Hunt
Typically, an Alraune required at least two instructor-level fighters.
Its tough bark armor was nearly impervious to standard weapons.
For cadets, not even assistants, fleeing was the obvious choice.
But they couldn’t, nor did they intend to.
“Jack, buy me a little time.”
“What are you planning?”
“When I swung earlier, I felt it. Normal attacks won’t scratch it. So I’ll give it my all.”
In this life-or-death crisis, Jaina focused every nerve.
She aimed to channel Qi into her sword.
“Oh!”
Realizing her plan, Jack clashed his gauntlets to draw the Alraune’s attention.
Clang! Clang!
“Idiot! Over here!”
As Jack baited the monster, Jaina infused Qi into her sword’s tip.
Focus. Like facing the patriarch.
Her Qi flowed from her body, through her hand, to the hilt, and enveloped the blade.
Her red Qi, matching her hair, radiated like scorching heat.
“Lady! Sorry, but are you done? Argh!”
As Jack dodged the monster’s fist with all his might, Jaina remained still.
She focused solely on cloaking the blade with Qi.
The dispersing Qi began to coalesce, thinly coating the blade.
She’d faintly achieved a sword aura.
“Jack! Move!”
She unleashed her sword, an incomplete but improved Ritual of Bloodstorm.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Her sword clashed head-on with the Alraune’s thick bark.
If this doesn’t work? No way!
The monster raised its hand to crush Jaina at its feet.
“Die…”
A fist larger than her head descended.
She should’ve dodged, but she didn’t retreat.
If I back off, it’s all for nothing. This attack has to create an opening!
Even if it meant getting hurt.
“Human…”
The Alraune swung its arm down.
At that moment, Jack leaped, striking the arm with all his strength.
Bang!
The blow shook the monster’s massive frame briefly.
“Ow, my arm.”
In that small gap, Jaina swung, cutting the Alraune’s ankle.
Slash!
The monster lost balance and fell.
Thud!
Jaina and Jack backed off, locking eyes.
“Amazing, Lady! Ow, my arm.”
Jaina raised an eyebrow at Jack, who rubbed his arm.
“You… You know how to emit Qi?”
“Yeah, the Young Master taught me.”
“From Evan? Impressive, emitting that much Qi.”
“You’re more impressive, Lady. Cutting that bark.”
They admired each other, gaining confidence.
Perhaps they could defeat the Alraune themselves.
But.
Crackle!
Roots shot from the ground, binding their feet.
“Oh!”
“Huh!”
At the same time, the Alraune’s cut ankle regenerated.
“I’ll kill…”
It charged with speed belying its size, swinging its fist.
Whoosh!
Jaina quickly cut the roots binding them.
This!
But dodging was too late, and she tried to block with her blade.
At that moment, Jack pushed her with all his strength.
Pow!
Blocking the fist with his arm, Jack spat blood and flew back.
Crash!
Hitting the wooden wall, Jack didn’t move.
“Jack!!!”
It was her fault.
If she hadn’t suggested coming here, If she’d cut the roots faster, Jack wouldn’t be hurt.
“I’ll kill you.”
Fury fueled her sword as she gripped it.
***
When Evan stepped away from Jack and Jaina, He felt an odd unease.
Like a parent leaving a child by the water.
Even while relieving himself, a nagging feeling persisted.
Perhaps because he sensed a strange vibration from afar.
It’s probably fine… right?
Returning, he found Jack and Jaina gone, and other group members pilfering their mandragora sack.
“Oh, no, we weren’t stealing.”
“…”
No questions asked.
“Argh!”
Knocking them out, Evan’s expression grew grave.
Not because of the theft.
Thud!
The suspicious vibration still echoed from afar.
Worse, footprints, likely Jack’s and Jaina’s, led that way.
Sigh, they’re not kids, but waiting a moment is that hard… Well, they are kids.
Evan turned toward the footprints.
He glanced at the weapons the other cadets dropped.
Hmm…
The instructor had said the forest held no dangers.
But his gut screamed to take this weapon instead of the chain.
Just in case.
Gripping a double-headed axe dropped by the other group, Evan followed the footprints.
“Ugh…”
Meanwhile, the three fallen cadets hung upside down, ankles bound by chains.
On the other end, the heavy sack of mandragoras they coveted balanced them.
***
Dash!
Following the footprints, Evan saw a wooden wall.
No dangers, my ass!
The wall clashed with the surroundings.
Evan cleaved it with a single swing.
Crack! Crack!
Beyond, he saw a giant mandragora-like monster, And Jack, collapsed at his feet.
“Jack!”
Unconscious, Jack didn’t respond.
He’s breathing. His arm’s broken, but…
Farther off, Jaina knelt, bleeding.
Her shattered sword suggested she’d fought fiercely.
“Haa… Haa…”
How did it come to this?
It wasn’t just because he’d stepped away.
If he’d rested as Jaina suggested, If he’d talked with her before the test, This might not have happened.
It’s partly my fault… Jack’s like this because of me.
His people getting hurt or dying.
Even for Evan, the Empire’s vanguard, it never got easier.
As the leader of a unit always in the harshest battles, He’d witnessed countless deaths of comrades and subordinates.
How did Evan endure each time?
“Another human…”
Rumble.
Spotting Evan, the Alraune stomped.
The ground shook, and roots shot up.
They rose high, aiming to envelop Evan.
Crack!
Jaina shouted with all her might.
“Evan!”
At that moment, a flash burst from Evan, shredding the roots.
His axe had sliced them all in a blink.
“…”
Evan set the axes down briefly, pulled out the scroll, and activated it.
Buzz!
The scroll burned, launching a flare skyward.
Jaina assumed Evan sent a distress signal, Thinking even he couldn’t handle the Alraune.
But Evan had a different purpose.
“Assistants will be here in a minute. But you’ll be dead before then.”
He’d used the scroll for one reason:
To call someone to take Jack and Jaina away.
He intended to defeat the Alraune alone.
It was the only way to ease his lingering pain.
“Jaina, don’t blink for a second. I’ll show you what you’ve been craving.”
With that, Evan raised his axes.
Without hesitation, he charged the Alraune.
Step.
Each step carried killing intent, yet was light.
As if treading on leaves, not earth.
“Human!”
Even the dull Alraune sensed it.
The small human approaching reeked of a predator.
It forced the Alraune to give its all.
Thud! Thud!
Stomping both feet, it made countless roots surge toward Evan.
Evan spun, cutting the roots as they emerged.
Slash!
The roots fell helplessly,
Like branches swept away in a typhoon.
What’s that… How does he wield dual axes so fluidly, not even swords?
Dual-wielding axes, yet Evan moved as if with a single sword.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A literal bloodstorm.
A relentless barrage tearing apart what stood before him.
It differed from the Vaberin family’s ideal swordsmanship, Which aimed to subdue perfectly and cleanly.
Too rough. But I can’t see any openings. Are there any?
In this moment, Evan showed another path.
Its roots were the same as the Vaberin’s swordsmanship.
But its depth was boundless.
It was a matter of class.
A century of Vaberin swordsmanship was utterly negated.
By a boy not yet of age.
He was holding back… When we fought.
Jaina had burned with determination watching Evan.
She thought perfecting her swordsmanship could beat him.
But no one envies someone in an unreachable realm.
From then, it’s awe, as Jaina felt now.
As Jaina marveled, Evan pierced the wall of roots and reached the Alraune.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even his fierce attacks didn’t pierce the thicker bark at once.
Knowing this, the Alraune didn’t defend, instead slamming both hands down.
Boom!
An impact shaking the earth.
Enough to crush someone in plate armor.
Yet Evan didn’t stop.
The storm of blades climbed the attacking arms.
Clang! Clang!
The Alraune tried to shake off the erratic attacks, but Evan dug in deeper.
“Ugh! Human!”
Its reassurance was that its bark protected it from any attack…
Crack!
The shoulder bark split, oozing sap.
Panicking, the Alraune reached to shake Evan off.
“No way you’re tougher than steel.”
Landing on its hand, Evan leaped toward its face.
His axe struck both eyes precisely.
“Kyeee!!!”
Living a century without a scream, it wailed in pain for the first time and fell back.
Thud!
“Too loud. Time to shut you up.”
Evan pulled the axe from its eye and began hacking its mouth.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Like chopping wood, emotionless and mechanical.
Each strike made the Alraune try to close its mouth in agony.
“Kyeek!!”
But it couldn’t.
Evan had driven one axe into its palate.
“What? This hurts, huh?”
He targeted only unprotected areas.
As he continued, his feet suddenly wouldn’t move.
“Human!”
Roots from Alraune's body bound his feet.
It raised both hands to crush Evan.
Jaina, trembling, stood to help.
“Evan!”
But Evan grinned, facing the monster.
“Thanks. I was losing focus from the shaking.”
He gripped the axe with both hands, pulling it behind his back.
“Hup!”
In that moment, Jaina and the Alraune saw it.
An illusion that Evan’s axe grew massive.
As his elbow dropped to his chest, A vision of lightning striking.
Boom!
The Alraune’s palms clapped together.
Dust rose from the impact, and Jaina shut her eyes.
At that moment, three assistants arrived, responding to the signal.
“What’s this!”
“No way…”
As the dust cleared, they saw the Alraune’s clasped hands and Evan standing beneath.
Its head was split in half, oozing blue sap like blood.
“Smells awful.”
Evan tossed the broken axe handle and walked over.
“Good timing.”
“Evan Lafard? What the…”
“My group members are injured, so I called. By the way, didn’t you say there were no dangers?”
No one answered Evan’s question.
They just gaped, jaws dropped.