A giant beast fluttered above them, hiding the sun behind its form, before dropping with a thunderous boom that made the earth shake violently beneath their feet. As it landed, Sarah, Lorient, Linuel, Makol, and their teams immediately shifted into combat positions—hesitatingly—feeling radiating from the creature’s presence, [First Conjecture], at minimum.

  “Mortals,” its voice reverberated like a celestial chorus with undertones of absolute authority. “Kneel.”

  The [Aura] was authoritative, the body imposing with easily five meters, the [Energy] immediately identified as holy by pure instinct—yet something was clearly off, as one teen started laughing uncontrollably.

  “Haha!” Lorient, while positioning herself to flank the creature—completely alone—laughed out loud, drawing all attention to herself. “It’s a fat pigeon!”

  Indeed, everyone began to smirk upon hearing this observation. The holy beast with immense power appeared to be simply a plump bird with eyes positioned slightly sideways and a head that jerked around in confused, bird-like movements.

  No glistening silver steel, but white feathers, no golden beak, nor eyes that glimpsed into their soul—the cautionary fairy tales wrong, besides the [Aura], showing that it could crush them.

  The pigeon became visibly irate, its voice growing louder and actually shaking the mountainous terrain around them. “Mortal—”

  Sarah interrupted it, her expression nervous, with a forced smile. “Even if it is a fat bird, everyone be careful—”

  Linuel strategically positioned herself opposite Lorient—also alone—as her [Wild Demonic Energy] spread like thousands of small ants crawling outward from around her feet. She blurted out with nervous energy, interrupting Sarah, “When that thing falls on you, it’s completely over!”

  Laughter rippled through the groups as Sarah controlled her team through precise hand signals behind her back, everyone moving into established positions. They all understood the drill—provoke the enemy, buy precious time, and irritate it so thoroughly that it would make critical mistakes.

  “Cease your mockery, livestock!”

  The pigeon spread its wings wide, releasing its [Holy Energy] in a dramatic show of overwhelming force. But Lorient and Linuel were able to simply hold their ground against the pressure while Sarah created a quick translucent shield that shattered almost instantly—but lasted just long enough to deflect the energy wave away from her units.

  ‘We are dead,’ Sarah worried, unable to assess the strength, but there was no choice—they had to engage and either kill or cripple it enough to have a fading chance to flee, but it wasn’t all lost.

  As if sharing one collective mind, they all looked at each other and nodded in understanding—it was weaker than expected. [First Conjecture] or even [Second Conjecture] didn’t automatically mean absolute power, far from it. All it indicated was that the creature possessed a higher level and superior [Attributes]. True powerhouses earned that designation because they could defeat anyone above their [Level], [Tier], or [Conjecture]—focusing all of their training on simply increasing raw strength while ignoring the prestige of [Levels] or any other indicators that could be improved later with relative ease. The Guard Households and many other noble families in Mal-Gil shared this philosophy—prioritizing the ability to kill opponents who were theoretically far stronger, though practice often proved very different from theory.

  Yet far too many fighters also died from that same arrogance—power gained through [Levels] or through intensive training were both dangerous in their own ways and never to be underestimated. While the pigeon clearly represented the former approach, the group couldn’t honestly claim they embodied the latter. Too young, too inexperienced—they had to proceed with extreme caution while hoping they could find alternative means to bring the beast down.

  “Tell me, Pudgy,” Sarah walked forward confidently, her shield positioned defensively in front, while her other hand signaled a specific strategy to her team behind her. Her voice carried nervous energy as her eyes began glowing in an attempt to exert uncanny influence. “Do you really think our parents won’t raid your churches, slaughter all believers, and enact devastating revenge once this is all over? How about you simply fly away and let this all become just a fun story to tell?”

  Sarah wasn’t lying or even exaggerating the threat—once this incident concluded, the Temple and Guard Households to the north and west would become absolutely enraged. Depending on exactly what transpired here, consequences could range from demanding a simple formal apology to full-scale war—something that could bring out all of their ancient ancestors who were already on the verge of dying from old age, allowing them to simply rampage through church territories with nothing left to lose.

  The pigeon jerked its head slightly, leaning toward Sarah with obvious interest. “How did you just address me, livestock?”

  Sarah sighed internally, seeing that diplomatic reasoning carried little weight. “Pudgy,” she replied as her pinkish [Energy] began slithering around her body and shield like living serpents. “You look exactly like a Pudgy—fat, round, you know?”

  “I see.” It surveyed the surrounding area, its voice carrying tones of righteous dignity as its beak opened wide. Dense [Energy] immediately began condensing inside the opening. “I will see to it that you learn proper respect!”

  “Makol, now!” Sarah screamed the command, causing Lorient and Linuel to immediately leap away—a swirling arrow flew past Sarah—with a giant bag attached, dragging along.

  The arrow with its uncanny speed propulsion struck the condensed [Holy Energy] that Pudgy had gathered in its mouth. The arrow itself, regardless of its impressive strength, simply dispersed like waves against a sturdy shoreline. However, the massive bag also burst open, releasing a fine blue powder that began floating around Pudgy in a thick cloud.

  “Stupid livestock—” the voice, filled with unimaginable arrogance and divine pride, reverberated even louder than before, but was just as quickly interrupted.

  “Mages, execute!”

  Sarah screamed her command, causing all the mages to complete their coordinated incantation simultaneously. A controlled whirlwind formed around Pudgy, making the shimmering powder swirl violently around the creature before suddenly igniting into roaring flames.

  “Everyone behind—cover!”

  Pudgy appeared confused initially, but once the fire erupted around it, there was no visible damage done to its form. A haughty, dismissive smirk could be heard in its voice—until it began recognizing the strange sparks crackling around its body.

  …

  Further away

  “God damn church politics.”

  A woman with greyish-blue skin slowly emerged from the murky water—no wetness clung to her uniform as she stepped elegantly onto the mud-covered ground, unable to sink into it.

  “I can’t believe they actually dared to escalate things this far,” she said, looking toward the epicenter of the confrontation with a visible frown—where all miasma and divinity ravaged from through. “Can’t say I would be particularly sad if those bitches killed each other,” she added with a resigned sigh, trying to decide what course of action to take next.

  She had planned to visit some young nobles from Moorgrel and negotiate a few standard deals—equipment, food, general necessities, and knowledge transfer. Alexander already had provided comprehensive support to all front-lines, not only his own forces, in a calculated show of goodwill that she both accepted and understood the underlying political implications of quite clearly.

  ‘That little bastard is really trying to win me over,’ a genuine smile bloomed across her face—looking at her relatively well made half-plate uniform, colored in camouflage, while mana danced restlessly over the enchantments. She appreciated politics where one hand washed the other—a practical way to create lasting friendships and mutual prosperity while avoiding all the unnecessary conflicts she cared little about.

  Her extensive life as an adventurer traveling around the continent had fundamentally changed her worldview. All that truly mattered were the objectives. Whether her teammates were dwarves, beastkin, or undead was of no concern to her. Back at home, the suffocating politics had crushed her spirit, but not enough to change how she fundamentally thought—especially with an idealistic youth like Alexander doing everything possible to show that things could indeed be different, just like in those sanctuary cities. Dirty, rough, perpetually smelly—but god damn, she missed the loyal idiots she had called her people for an entire decade.

  She sighed wistfully. ‘What is the proper protocol for announcing my visit? I hate all those bureaucratic rules that little pest established—’

  Her contemplations were abruptly interrupted as an almost catastrophic explosion resounded approximately five minutes away from her position—the ground shaking under her boots. The ambient mana in the air began reverberating like disturbed water on a stormy sea. Her eyes opened wide, her mouth curved into a bloodthirsty smile, and she disappeared with a single focused thought.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  ‘Time to wash this bastard’s hands clean~’

  …

  Everyone around the massive explosion crater looked toward the smoke billowing out of the deep depression—mana powder. Alexander’s preferred method for eliminating anyone above the [First Conjecture]. Mana, as a neutral [Quasi-Energy], possessed the unique ability to ignore all other [Energy]-types—no matter if divine, emotionally guided, or ancient in origin—it was just and absolute in its destructive potential.

  “Ugh,” Sarah coughed violently as a giant cloud of dirt made it impossible for anyone to see clearly. “Mages, wind magic! Blow that dirt cloud away—”

  Before she could complete her command, every combat instinct she possessed began screaming warnings. Her body automatically moved with the fluid precision drilled into her through countless training sessions with her mother—[Energy] focused on a single defensive point while her [Skills] responded automatically, creating a translucent cone-shaped shield directly in front of her position.

  “You miserable vermin!”

  A blinding beam of energy punched through the dirt cloud with speed impossible to perceive through normal sight—only combat instincts allowed her to react in time. The beam struck the cone before Sarah, splitting apart and searing all the stone surfaces around them until the cone itself finally destructed under the assault, allowing the beam to punch through and slam into Sarah, who absorbed the impact with a pained grunt.

  “Ugh!”

  Fortunately, just as her shield began to melt under the intense heat, two distinct scarlet [Energies] plunged into the cloud of dirt. One formed itself into the shape of a demonic woman brandishing a sword with pure rage, while the other appeared much simpler from a distance—resembling a massive swarm of angry hornets caught in a violent storm as it rushed toward the enemy.

  “Pathetic little tricks!”

  As the energy beam suddenly ceased, a tremendous force of pure [Holy Energy] followed immediately after, blasting all dirt and attacks away from the creature’s position. Pudgy hovered menacingly in the air—bruised and clearly injured from the explosion—but radiating proud wrath as it looked down at them, its divine presence illuminating the entire battlefield.

  “Well, look at that,” Lorient abandoned her usual boasting style, adopting the classic Leonandra martial arts stance while condensing all of her destructive and frantically pulsing [Energy] onto her hands and feet. “Pudgy turned out to be quite feisty after all.”

  “What did you expect,” Linuel called from the opposite side, doing the exact opposite by allowing her tail to transform into pure scarlet [Energy] that split into three separate appendages. Tens of thousands of hornets materialized around her, all styled from her [Energy] and swirling with visible anger. “To become this fat, one has to be quite the accomplished hunter. Isn’t that right, Pudgy?”

  Sarah observed the fury building in Pudgy’s expression, its forehead visibly straining as it fought not to explode with rage. ‘Excellent work,’ she immediately signaled her people to prepare for the inevitable counterattack. Since their initial assault barely worked, their chances of surviving against pure overwhelming strength were virtually zero—their sole hope was the creature’s clear inexperience, whatever it truly was. ‘We can manage one more coordinated strike and then we retreat.’

  The tactical approach was straightforward—attack with everything they possessed and then run for their lives. Sarah had learned one critically important lesson from observing Alexander, who fought like an absolute maniac when necessary—sometimes the opposite approach was required. Run when survival demanded it.

  “I believe I need to teach you a proper lesson, given all your shameful indignation,” Pudgy spread its wings wide, creating multiple orbs of brilliant light that hovered around it and gradually condensed into focused energy. “Prepare to be honor— ugh!”

  Without allowing it to complete its grandiose declaration, Linuel’s entire army of hornets flew directly into Pudgy and the floating orbs. While the attack didn’t inflict any visible damage, thousands of tiny whispers of her parasitic [Energy] were deposited throughout the creature’s form. These began growing gradually, barely visible to the naked eye, but sufficient to infect any living being and kill them slowly over time.

  Pudgy whirled around angrily at this assault—with a single powerful swing of its wing, all orbs flew toward Linuel’s position, transforming into small swallows during their flight. All Linuel could do was cocoon herself desperately within her three energy tails as the projectiles punched through her defenses, annihilating them with terrifying ease.

  “Disgusting little—argh!”

  As Pudgy focused intently on watching Linuel barely protecting herself while taking considerable injuries from the barrage, Lorient launched herself from behind in a surprise attack. Her hands gathered together as she inhaled deeply, channeling all of her available [Energy] into one devastating single attack. She crashed into the back of Pudgy’s head, managing to barely penetrate the protective shield of [Energy] that surrounded the creature’s body—a devastating explosion followed by bones cracking and flesh ripping.

  Despite inflicting serious injuries, Pudgy spun around with eyes blazing with a desire for revenge. Opening its beak wide, an intense beam immediately surged toward Lorient with a far higher intensity than the attack directed at Sarah, though much less precisely focused. “Die, insolent whelp!”

  Lorient mouthed ‘shit’ as she immediately attempted a complex combination of spells, [Energy] manipulation, and martial arts techniques. She curled into a tight ball, rolling around herself while trying desperately to deflect the incoming energy beam—the technique failed completely.

  After several seconds of sustained assault, the overwhelming force became too much—Lorient was hurled backward, crashing with a resounding rumble into the mountainside, with the beam following her trajectory and melting everything in its destructive path.

  “Everyone, now!”

  Sarah was forced to act prematurely—if she wanted to have more than half a sister remaining after this encounter, immediate action was required. Behind her position, all mages, and everyone else capable of any magical manipulation, focused on a single purpose. They created one hardened projectile that exploded outward with a sonic boom, generating a massive gust of wind that whirled dirt around them as the projectile struck almost immediately into Pudgy’s head—making it jerk backwards, the beam forced away from Lorient, melting down the mountain in its distracted projection.

  “YoU mIsErAbLe VeRmIn!” Its screech penetrated everyone’s eardrums as the bullet struck its eye directly, managing to blind it and inflict serious injury while simultaneously stopping the devastating assault on Lorient—immediately another arrow with an attached bag flew from behind, much faster, whirling dirt in its wake.

  With its one remaining functional eye, Pudgy actually smirked with confidence. “You think this pathetic trick will work again?” With a single flap of its wings, it created an indomitable energy domain that expanded outward, instantly searing the arrow and pushing the attached bag away—the cloth ripped and burned immediately, confusing Pudgy momentarily. “What?”

  What emerged were their dirty kitchen ware—pots that melted instantly, wooden plates that burst into flames. “I see,” Pudgy smirked with obvious superiority as it reveled in its dominance, until it heard from above one of those insulting taunts that disrespected its position as a divine bringer of holy peace.

  “Hey, ball of grease!”

  Looking upward, Pudgy spotted Sarah hovering above, holding a spear with another bag attached to it. Her eyes were shining and bleeding from the strain, her mind feeling as if someone had hammered nails directly into it. “Open your mouth wide!”

  Pudgy’s one good eye focused on her, its beak involuntarily opening for just a brief moment while ignoring everything else around it—sufficient time for Sarah to channel all available mana into throwing the makeshift weapon toward the creature—the propulsion spell, similar to Alexander’s designs, left her hand with a resounding boom, a force that broke all her fingers as it flew downward with sonic speed.

  “Urgh!” The spear jammed directly inside Pudgy’s mouth, and before the creature could recover its composure, it registered the sight of magical fireballs and flaming arrows making contact with its position—an explosion similar to the previous one resounded across the battlefield.

  Sarah, positioned far above the blast zone, held her shield defensively while channeling all available [Energy] toward dispersing whatever force she could manage—but the effort proved futile. The explosion tore through everything—her internal organs tore, muscles ripped, and bones cracked simultaneously. She flew upward at fantastic speeds, only to crash back down onto the ground seconds later with a massive impact, barely able to breathe.

  ‘Please let that be enough,’ Sarah thought desperately, her vision completely blurry and tinted red as the dust cloud began to settle. Pudgy wobbled unsteadily in the air, its face distorted and partially ripped apart as golden blood streamed down its feathers—the beak was fully gone, the head hanging lifelessly down, only held by strings of [Holy Energy]—a monstrous appearance and pure luck that it was still alive.

  Something fundamental had changed in the creature’s demeanor—it was no longer playful or arrogant—after it landed gently, Pudgy almost fell over, but posed itself immediately, conjuring a layer of [Holy Energy] around its body and head, so thick, it became almost similar to an armor.

  ‘How can it survive?!’ Sarah attempted to move, to continue, but found it completely impossible—she couldn’t feel any part of her body anymore.

  Pure wrath radiated from Pudgy’s form as it began creating hundreds of glowing orbs. “I think the Hero was absolutely right to send me to this location,” it declared, with all previous indignation replaced by cold revenge. “I will end this pathetic resistance now and here.”

  ‘Please be…’ Sarah hoped her sister would at least survive, but once she looked to the side, locating Lorient, she appeared even worse—her arm, shoulder, and part of one leg were simply gone—melted away completely, as she desperately tried to use what little mana remained for a basic first aid spell.

  Looking to the other side, Linuel lay face-down against the dirt, her body presenting a horrific amalgamation of searing injuries. Her tail was gone entirely, along with one ear, and her arms were barely recognizable as bones with minimal flesh remained.

  ‘We’re completely fucked,’ Sarah realized, yet her team immediately rushed toward their position, everyone attempting to protect the injured leaders. ‘Perfect, now we’ll have a mass grave instead.’

  Sarah felt moved by their loyalty, but recognized it as a fundamentally stupid decision as they shook with obvious fear while channeling all their [Energy] and mana to defend them—it was a completely futile gesture, and she wasn’t the only one who understood this harsh reality.

  “Now then,” Pudgy declared, even though it could barely maintain focus itself, it clearly possessed more than sufficient power to eliminate them all. “This development makes everything so much easier for me!”

  As the glowing orbs gradually turned into barely recognizable swallows, Sarah’s thoughts remained focused—Alexander. ‘I don’t want to,’ tears slowly began streaming down her cheeks as she desperately tried to move, to flee, to have one more moment.

  ‘This can’t be how it—’

  “My, my,” a sudden, crushing pressure descended onto Pudgy with devastating force, immediately pushing all the energy birds downward and out of formation. “All that [Holy Energy] wasted on bullying a couple of kids? How pathetic~”

  The air around Pudgy distorted as if everything existed underwater, with [Energy] constructs deforming into bizarre shapes. Some dissolved immediately while others were forced to the ground, unable to maintain their structure. Pudgy barely remained upright as its body continuously deformed and reformed from every conceivable angle.

  “Who dares interfere?!” Pudgy’s voice filled with genuine panic as this overwhelming force represented something Sarah could immediately recognize—strength comparable to her mother’s, but executed with almost fantastical precision and control.

  “I do apologize for the dramatic entrance,” a figure emerged from within the jungle, wearing the same uniform as Sarah’s team. Her smile radiated dignified bloodthirst as she surveyed the battlefield. “Dame Pascal, representing the Essence Alliance.”

  Patreon—30 and more advanced chapters for 5$

  RoyalRoad—please rate, follow, and fav!

  Discord—feel free to debate me. I am ready to go for it!