[Layland Kleinhaus' POV]
It has been only three days since I told Shanifa to inform the Temple that we are extracting a Relic from the Ancient God's Era. The Temple moves quicker than I expected. Two Legions of the chosen soldiers of Rectusomine are already on their way to the mining site. Decima and the others are still there but they are nowhere near enough to face the legions.
In my estimation, they will arrive at the mine in two days. That is the exact time our troops need to get there. Should there be no mishap, our troops and the two Legions will arrive there at the same time. It won't happen, though, since I haven't prepared any. This is why Decima is slightly freaking out there.
Clank!
"Are you going easy on me, boy!?"
"Isn't that obvious, bitch?"
"Fuck!"
I am currently sparring with Millonia, meanwhile, Maxine is intently watching us from the side. Maxine's gaze is focused solely on me, asking me what the heck I am doing. I haven't said anything to her about what to do with Decima's situation and it is getting on her nerves. She doesn't dare to criticize me, though, so she can only stare at me like I owe her money.
Swish!
Leaning backward, I watch as Millonia's sword pass over my nose. Nothing would happen to me even if I didn't dodge it, but I figure it is better not to hurt her pride. Stepping back soon after, I swing my dagger down with [Whistle of Death] activated. The air sings as it cuts it. Millonia steps back, but she is not fast enough to save her cheap armor.
She throws her split cheap armor to the side in frustration. Gritting her teeth, she uses the Skill that she hasn't mastered yet. She names the Skill [Bottomless Abyss] because it temporarily makes her limiter vanish, but I prefer to call it [Bloody Mary] because her hair changes red whenever she uses it. She doesn't appreciate my naming sense.
I initially wanted to call it [Crimson Maiden] but I stopped myself. I don't want things to get awkward between us. I can tell she has a hunch that I already know her previous identity. She is preparing herself to confess and I can't ruin the progress she has made.
"You better work on your control first before using it," I suggest. "It is not funny to get beaten up and don't know what happened."
"Shut up!"
Millonia's hair raises like Medusa's snakes on her head. It turns from blue to crimson in a second. At the same time, black linings run down her forehead and cheeks. In the middle of her temple, a strange mark appears. It looks like the simplified version of the image of a planet explosion that I used to find on the internet.
She has a rather feral look now. She grins widely and I wonder how she doesn't tear her mouth. Her canines have grown longer, so they look like fangs. Her stature doesn't change much but she looks slightly buff. Her nails have turned to claws and I bet they are sharp enough to cut open my throat. In short, she looks menacing.
Looking into her shining red eyes, I remark with a smirk, "Have you lost your mind, bitch?"
Millonia growls before saying something. "I…am Millonia."
"No shit, Sherlock."
I smile in amusement at how much her reply reminds me of that space-related fiction movie. One of the characters is a living bark and he speaks just like she does.
Whoosh!
I am awakened from my amusing thought when Millonia suddenly appears before me. She swings her sword at my neck and it is engulfed in a flame immediately. The speed of the sword and the heat of the flame managed to boggle my mind. The leap of power is just as absurd as when I assume my True Form.
Still, it is not something that I can't handle. I step aside and, thus, dodge the swing. When her sword touches the ground, a trail of fire runs through the ground and doesn't show any sign to stop. A second after, the ground is split in two, creating a fiery crack that no one wants to enter.
I can hear Millonia growl in frustration before she swings her left hand at my neck. I almost failed to dodge it because I am slightly flustered that her arms have also gotten longer. They are not much longer—only half an inch longer—but they still make a difference. My heart races and a grin creeps up my face.
Taking a distance from Millonia, I twirl the daggers in my hands and then throw one of them at her. Fire engulfs it the moment it cuts through the air. It looks like a meteor and it hurts just like one. Not failing to recognize the danger, Millonia plants her sword into the ground and surrounds herself with an earth wall.
My dagger pierces through the earth wall easily, but it doesn't manage to pierce through the Barrier she erected to protect her body. Still, my dagger did some damage to it, judging by the sound it makes afterward.
Millonia doesn't care about it; she probably didn't expect it to stand strong from the very beginning. Her nonchalant grin quickly disappears, though, the moment I appear inside the earth well, right before her.
"Keuk…!"
I snatch her throat and lift her with one hand. Her legs immediately flail around as her hands scratch my hand in an attempt to make me let her go. Her claws are sharp enough to pierce my skin, so blood quickly runs down my arm. Remaining unfazed, I slam her into the ground head-first.
Bam!
The ground caves in and Millonia grunts in pain. With the cost of reparation in mind, I luckily managed to hold back. After all, we are fighting on the field behind the office. Although it has nothing but green grass decorating it, taking care of it is quite pricey. I don't mind if it helps us militarily, but it is nothing more than eye candy.
"I want to slam you again, so let's find another spot to ruin." I rush to another spot with Millonia in hand.
Concentrated damage sounds not bad, but it costs more money to fix it than spread out but minor damage. It is especially true when we are talking about damaging the ground. The deeper it sinks in, the harder it is to fill it up with Earth Magic. Luxia may do it easily, but I won't ask her to do something as trivial as that.
Paying Mages to do that is the only way and it costs money. It is not much compared to the amount of money I spend on other things, but it procures me nothing, which is why it is a waste of money. Why do you fix it, then? You may ask. Because it is eye candy. It complements the majestic office that is built before it.
Bam!
"Keuk!"
"Oops…sorry. I was too caught up in my mind that I forgot how many times I have slammed you. Can you remind me?"
Ptooi!
For the first time, Millonia spits at me. I am not into that play, so I dodge it. It turns out to be a wise decision since her saliva is destructive. As soon as it touches the ground, it burns the soil, producing poisonous steam. I know it is not good to breathe it in, but I have to say it smells nasty.
"You can't spit if your partner doesn't like it," I say before punching her in the face.
I draw blood for every punch I land. She has long given up trying to cut my throat with her claws, so she is scratching my arm in an attempt to cut one of them. It doesn't work. Her claws are no match for my regeneration rate.
When her face has gotten unrecognizable enough, I stop punching her and ponder the way to wake her up. This is the moment when I have to dodge as the sword that she had let go flies at me at an alarming speed.
It whizzed past me. I am not hurt, but I lost my control over Millonia. I watch as she stands up and takes ahold of her sword which is engulfed in a raging flame. Her unrecognizable face heals in the blink of an eye. She spits out the blood in her mouth and looks at me as if declaring it will be the last blood she spills in the fight.
She is not wrong.
Swoosh!
I have to end the fight now. As she appears before me, ready to cut the dimension along with me, I bring my body closer to her and drive my knee to her solar plexus. Her body bends like a bow and she immediately loses consciousness. I catch her body with my arm and watch as she reverts to her usual self.
Putting her on my shoulder, I carry her like a sack of potatoes. "What makes you so concerned, Maxine my dear?"
"D-Dear?" My secretary seems to be flustered, but she quickly shakes it off as usual. "Kuhum! It is time to mobilize our troops to help Decima and the others, Commander. We don't know if what the cave contains is useful, but we still need to defend it. Plus, we can't let…"
I stand before Maxine, towering over her, and turn her silent. I don't mean to intimidate her but she seems to be afraid of me if her shaking legs are any indication.
"Do you know why I let the humans come?"
"N-No…"
"So, they can take the ancient curse in our stead. We will let them die and swoop the Relic after."
Walking past her, I add, "For your information, Decima and the others won't die. I will go there by myself."
We are supposed to be unaware of the "visit." I shouldn't send any troops to aid Decima which will indicate otherwise.
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