Vol. 2 CH.11 – The skill <Evolution>

 

PART #1

 

Elyria left Kyoushiro to his own devices for now in order to rescue Lydia and the other elf knights that were probably taken away. Although the probability was low, Elyria still believed that her own squad was still alive.

 

After all, they were already like family.

 

“It is a good thing that he can be used as a distraction but somehow I feel bad leaving him back there”

 

Elyria was a bit anxious. Kyoushiro wasn’t really someone she could call a comrade but as a person, her own conscience was eating her away.

 

Was it truly fine to leave a lone man back there against an army of monsters without even back up? This world doesn’t have any powerful medium to send long distance messages to allies. In short, in this predicament, they were on their own.

 

Kyoushiro may be strong but his strength was limited in tools in his possession. Furthermore, his opponent was a giant of a former mercenary group commander. A lone man wouldn’t stand against a force like that.

 

“I’ll just make sure to take her highness out as soon as possible then get back. If the others are here and still alive, I hope they still have the strength to fight or run” Elyria thought as she passed through a passage way that could fit a human.

 

It was this was where Elyria could walk undetected. Moreover, it was underneath where Kyoushiro was fighting. Elyria discovered it when she snuck out behind enemy lines, searching for any signs of her comrades or any of the kidnapped people from other races were being held.

 

“This was the only sizable route that Ernest Vern’s army of monsters can’t possible go in.

 

“Ugh… What a foul smell…”

 

Elyria frowned from the awful odor coming from the end of the passageway. It was like rotten fish and swamp mud molded together. Elyria tried her best to remove the stench going to her nose using a bit of her wind magic.

 

Then, as she neared the end, she saw countless cages on top of each other reaching a ceiling far higher compared to the passage she just used.

 

There she saw countless bodies on the ground, placed on top of another with white viscous liquid over them.

 

“Urk-!?”

 

Elyria nearly vomits on site.

 

It was an expected reaction. Even from where the sounds of fighting right now were the place hills of corpses laid waste. Kyoushiro was currently having a fight to the death with Ernest Vern’s army there so those corpses would be already turned to squashed meat.

 

In any case, this place was not suited for storing captive women.

 

“Damn it, those men are really vile in nature… I wish the others are alright”

 

Elyria could only hope for the best after seeing such place. After looking around the whole cage heap, Elyria went upward. The ceiling was opened so it was easy for Elyria to climb up using the protruding rocks on the wall.

 

 

-

 

 

The ceiling lead Elyria to a more spacious room, the ceiling and the floor was too far apart from each other and a large stone thrown was built right next the hole Elyria climbed out.

 

The room was empty and there were no signs of any leftover monsters around. Ernest Vern might have thought that no one would even think of someone finding this place. He was that cocky after obtaining a power so mighty that he stood equal to a newly born demon lord.

 

But such arrogance gave Elyria the advantage of being able to sneak around Ernest Vern’s base.

 

“Wait… that’s “

 

Elyria looked above the throne, only to see a bird cage hanging on the high ceiling. Thinking that it was suspicious, Elyria jumped towards it with great haste, hoping that either princess Lydia was there or one of her comrades.

 

Then as Elyria finally got close enough to peer through the gaps of the cage a large cloth her eyes winded in shock.

 

“Lydia…..sama?”

 

“Ough…. Gh…. W-who is there…?”

 

Long white hair, compound eyes, insect-like exoskeleton allover her limbs and her chest became four. Lydia’s appearance had turned into an unimaginable monster that could make anyone turn away the moment they saw her.

 

Elyria was no different; she too unconsciously averted her gaze and did her best not to let out the contents of her stomach once more.

 

“Princess… that, you are…”

 

“Are you… the rescue that monster…? Spoke of?”

 

It seems that she Ernest Vern knew that Elyria and Kyoushiro was coming. It wasn’t a concern since Kyoushiro was doing most of the fighting right now to distract Ernest Vern and his group. Elyria took a deep breath first before unlocking the cage.

 

“Yes, I was sent here by her majesty Elfianna-sama. Please wait for a moment and I’ll-“

 

But just as Elyria was about to open the cage forcefully with her magic, Lydia stopped her. With trembling hands, Lydia grasped the bars of the cage…

 

“No… please take the others first….T-They are all behind that monster’s t-throne….”

 

“Lydia-sama?”

 

Elyria was puzzled because Lydia wanted to rescue the other captive first. It was an admirable thing to do but her situation was getting worse. On the back of her hand, the carapace of a cockroach was spreading.

 

“….. Understood…”

 

Although reluctant, Elyria decided to tend to the other captive women first. Then, just as Elyria was about to jump down, she heard a soft whisper from Lydia, giving her gratitude to her…

 

“Thank you….”

 

The shadow of the cage deepened as Elyria descended from the high hanging cage…

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

How long have I been fighting?

 

I don’t know how long since it began but the fight had dragged on for so long that I forgot how much the monster that died by my sword.

 

Covered in blood and intestines and other grounded flesh and skin of the monsters he felled, Kyoushiro breathe raggedly as he cut another set of insect monsters and were-bats. The ogres and orcs, as well as the cyclops and even snake men, all of them were ceaselessly jumping to their deaths.

 

Kyoushiro was in the center of all of that.

 

Sometimes it would rain of giant rocks, sometimes it was fire and then came acids. There was even poison gasses and paralysis type smoke that Ernest Vern’s troops used to get to Kyoushiro.

 

It was that harsh for a lone man to fight a horde of 1000 all by himself.

 

My mind is going blank… this cursed masked is eating away my sanity…. Not only that…

 

Kyoushiro kicked a beetle monster and jumped to the air, he took out a recovery potion and a magic potion. He drank the contents while in mid-air then used the sharpened ends of the black tendrils growing under his coat to cut down the webs that was flying towards him.

 

“….gh….”

 

Kyoushiro’s body wasn’t already on the verge of collapsing. The burden of the cursed masked and his inability to gain more experience points was giving him too much of a hard time. One was consuming his mind and the other was preventing him to level up just as fast and increase his attribute values…

 

But because the curse on his right arm, he was having a difficult time against a large number of enemies.

 

Kyoushiro thought that dragging the fight too long would be bad since the very area he was in was dangerous. He doesn’t know where the drug that could mutate anyone was so there was a danger in inhaling the remains of that drug.

 

I really can’t afford to use that sword but….

 

If push comes to shove, Kyoushiro might use that cursed sword just to clear the enemies before him. If it’s the ‘him’ of that time, that was nearly consumed, then firing that high powered attack would be possible. The attack that tore a dimensional hole to escape from that horrid place where the Demon God appeared before….

 

“It looks like you’re already at your limit mortal”

 

“Shut up you damn overgrown four-eyes!!”

 

Kyoushiro slashed and slashed, whenever he was attacked, he retaliated. Whenever he receives damage from magic attacks and poisons, Kyoushiro would take out potions from his magic storage.

 

That was how it was for a while now…

 

Kuh…!!? My body feels so heavy right now… And my heart is-!!?

 

It wasn’t good; Kyoushiro’s body was breaking down already. His coat that was magically enchanted had been torn here and there. His protective plates and caps were already beyond repair and he was taking physical damage.

 

The effects of his equipment had fallen to the point it could barely maintain itself. Even if it was strong equipment, if it as damaged to a degree that even the material couldn’t handle then the durability drops greatly.

 

Furthermore, something was happening inside his body. Like it was being heated from the inside, Kyoushiro was burning up like a flickering candle flame.

 

Until suddenly….

 

“------!?”

 

Kyoushiro vomited blood….