9 – Yeongju System

Amel closed her eyes.

It’s dark when you close your eyes.

But now, another’s gaze colored the world before her.

She saw the world Makia was seeing, and the sensations felt by her body were transmitted through [Electricity].

The human body moves with electricity. Electricity is the fundamental force that animates life. Amel, born with the Awakened Ability of [Electricity], could be said to be able to control life itself.

Amel raised her arm, her eyes still closed.

She was still getting used to the sensations.

As if adding a bit of a catalyst to operate Makia’s body, she moved her own physical body, thinking, This is what it feels like to move an arm, so I just need to move Makia’s body like this, and took control.

Makia drew her sword and conjured [Sword Aura].

The giant bear slammed down its massive forepaw.

Makia imbued the [Whirlwind] kicked up by the Loomber’s paw with [Magical Power] and soared into the air.

Feeling the sensation of delicately controlling her [Magical Power], her body moved on its own, landing on the back of the Loomber’s hand.

She kicked off the bear’s hide and dashed forward.

She ran with wide strides. Each time the Loomber repositioned its arm, she circled around the outside and inside of the limb, changing her position.

She ran from the back of its hand to its forearm and past its elbow.

The Loomber slammed its other paw down on its own arm.

Kwoong!!

“…”

[Magical Power] was granted to the wind pressure from the bear’s paw, creating a gale that forcefully pushed Makia’s body away.

Sliding away, she dodged the paw and flew up the bear’s upper arm as if she were flying.

Having reached its shoulder, Makia raised her [Sword Aura]-clad sword high with both hands, wringing out her [Magical Power] as if squeezing juice from a fruit.

A [Strength] with a different feel from [Sword Aura] enveloped the sword.

Makia’s mouth moved on its own.

“Execution Sword.”

Between the shoulder and the neck.

The [Execution Sword] made contact.

It can’t be cut.

Makia believed it was impossible. A normal [Sword Aura] couldn’t cut through a Loomber’s hide. She could barely injure it with her own fangs, so there was no way a mere [Sword Aura] could cut it.

It would have to be [Sword Aura].

Because she could feel the power that was freely manipulating her body also manipulating her [Magical Power], she was even more certain that the [Sword Aura] currently on her sword was no match for it.

There was a strange power layered with the [Sword Aura], but only a very faint amount of it could be felt.

The [Blade] touched the Loomber’s neck.

She felt the sensation through the [Blade].

It touched the fur,

and cut the fur.

The [Blade] reached the hide.

It made contact,

pressed down,

and dug in.

The [Blade] pierced the hide and sliced through the flesh, cutting a long line downward. By the time it passed from the neck to the chest, the [Blade] was shaking unsteadily.

She pulled the sword out and leaped up, using the Loomber’s chest as a foothold.

The moment she was airborne, a bear paw flew in majestically from the side. Faced with the paw that filled her entire vision, she could feel her [Magical Power] being manipulated, but she couldn’t dodge.

She was struck by the paw and sent flying.

The sound of rushing wind swept past her.

Shwaaaaaaa—

She flew in a straight line before arcing downward in a parabola.

She landed lightly.

“…”

Makia’s heart was pounding. She reflexively tried to move, but her body once again moved on its own, interfering with her actions.

“What? Are you surprised?”

“How are you completely fine?”

It wasn’t that there was no impact at all, but she was almost perfectly fine.

“Because you were just blown away by the wind pressure.”

Makia’s body began to move again.

Thump!

A footstep that shook the very earth.

A shadow covered the area.

A bear paw descended from above Makia’s head. It slammed down hard. The blow, filled with the Loomber’s irritation and rage, gouged out the mountainside.

The Loomber growled.

“[Reveal your true form, wolf! Did you think you could defeat me in human form! If you meant to insult me, I will make you regret it utterly!!!]”

[Magical Power] gathered in the Loomber’s mouth.

Just as it was raising its head.

The Loomber’s eyes met hers.

“[…!]”

“…”

Makia was on top of the Loomber’s head.

She held her sword in both hands, raising it high.

“[You…!!!]”

Just as the Loomber’s breath was about to rise higher toward Makia.

Makia stepped on the air.

And from there, she used [Leap] downward.

Flying as if in a freefall,

she readjusted her grip on the sword.

Holding it in a reverse grip, she powerfully stabbed into the Loomber’s nose. It wasn’t the [Execution Sword], but the soft nose was pierced by the [Sword Aura].

Makia’s mouth spoke.

“Destroying Heaven Sword.”

Paaat!!!

The nose exploded.

Even the Loomber couldn’t help but be shocked by the hit. The pain of flesh bursting was an unfamiliar sensation for an apex predator like a Loomber. It shut its mouth in surprise.

The mouth that had been gathering its breath snapped shut, and it let out a series of coughs as if it had choked.

Makia,

“…”

landed on the bridge of its nose.

The Loomber’s eyes narrowed, meeting Makia’s gaze.

Right in front of the Loomber, she coated her sword in [Sword Aura], then imbued that [Sword Aura] with even stronger [Magical Power]. As the stronger [Magical Power] was applied, the imagery contained within it brought about a change in the [Sword Aura].

A powerful force. The [Sword Aura] reflecting that force emitted a light of uncontrollable [Magical Power].

It couldn’t be called [Sword Aura], but,

it held sufficient power.

“[State what you want.]”

“Your life.”

A horizontal [Slash].

The near-[Sword Aura] level [Sword Aura] in Makia’s hand cut across the Loomber’s brow.

It couldn’t pierce the skull, the most heavily protected part of the body. But it took both its eyes, and what came next went without saying.

Not even half a day had passed.

The Loomber’s colossal body fell.

Standing atop its head was a small-bodied Beast-Human.

The Loomber’s massive body was comparable in size to the mountains in the surrounding area. The fight had been witnessed by everyone in the vicinity.

The Beast-Humans who had worshipped the Loomber cried out in lament as they watched it fall.

“Hwaaaak.”

“Our king…”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

The Beast-Humans lost their will to fight. Even those who had been fighting humans lost their fighting spirit despite the enemy before them and fell to their knees.

But there was still a chance.

There was a leader among the Beast-Humans.

In the flow of leaving the judgment to the leader, the leader made a decision.

“Welcome the new king. We must beg for her mercy.”

Fleeing was an option, but the Beast-Humans who had settled here for a long time had built up much in their homeland. They had too much to run away.

The Beast-Humans gathered near the fallen Loomber.

There stood a Human with the ears, tail, and scent of a wolf.

A Beast-Human with the ears and tail of a wolf in human form was an illegitimate child of a kobold. There were kobolds among the Beast-Humans, but this one was different. She looked similar, but her scent was completely wrong.

As if she knew they would come, she looked back at the Beast-Humans from beside the Loomber’s head.

Makia asked sentimentally.

“What kind of being was the king to you?”

“He was an absolute and powerful being.”

“Yes… he was.”

Makia let out a hollow sigh.

“It’s laughable that I, who stood on par with a creature like this, acted as a king. It was just a body being controlled, after all.”

“The fact that your specs are good also plays a part.”

Amel approached the muttering Makia and interjected.

“I love that your total energy doesn’t change even when you’re in human form. If I handle you a bit more, you might become even more powerful than I am now.”

“Have you seized the authority?”

“I have.”

Amel became the new [Territory Lord] of the land the Loomber had ruled.

Amel’s gaze turned to the Beast-Humans. She scanned them once over. The Beast-Humans, in the forms of all sorts of animals, were bipedal.

Bipedal. They were just four-legged beasts standing on two feet with a human-like skeleton. There was no trace of a human form anywhere. What Amel had wanted was a 20-percent-purity furry.

80-percent-purity Beast-Humans were nice in their own way, but,

‘I’m not interested.’

Her interest was only to the extent of finding it novel, thinking, Oh, they’re two-legged beasts.

If Amel had shown the same interest in them as she did in Makia, her tastes would have become highly suspicious.

“So, what about them?”

“It seems they’re asking for mercy. They are the Loomber’s people. What will you do?”

“What’s normally done?”

“The leading figures are killed as an example.”

“That’s a bit much.”

“It is advantageous to cut out any seeds of unrest in advance.”

“What’s so bad about leaving them be?”

“There’s a risk of assassination by poison, and the possibility that they will cooperate with a neighboring [Territory Lord].”

“That sounds fine.”

“Pardon?”

“If they want to do it, let them. That sounds more fun than a thoughtless invasion. Punishing them is better than bullying them, right?”

“Bullying… From your perspective, that’s how it feels. It’s frustrating that I can’t refute that. They are pitiful, aren’t they?”

Makia understood Amel’s opinion and proclaimed it to the Beast-Humans on her behalf.

Welcome your new master.

Guide me to your village.

Swear your loyalty, and I shall promise you prosperity.

That series of events proceeded more easily and simply than the journey from Stillo Village to Lox Village. Unlike the bandit leader who had occupied those villages, whose death had not been widely known,

now, they had witnessed the Loomber’s defeat and death, so it was easy to gain their loyalty.

“By the way, are there any Beast-Humans who look similar to you?”

After entering the Beast-Human village, she looked outside from a house. The Beast-Humans went about their daily routines, warily glancing in her direction.

“Even if there were, I would not want to bring them here.”

“Are you jealous?”

“I mean that I feel sorry for that child. If you’re going to make them your plaything, couldn’t you do it to the children who have already dedicated everything to you? They would like it.”

“No, I was just asking out of pure curiosity. I’m curious what ‘an illegitimate child of a kobold’ means.”

“It refers to a half-breed with a human.”

“…”

Amel stared intently at Makia.

A Human herself, but with [Wolf ears] and a tail.

She was said to look exactly like an illegitimate child of a kobold, a half-breed of a kobold and a human.

“That must be cute.”

“Have you been drinking behind my back, by any chance?”

“It’s my honest impression, what’s the big deal? I’d say you’re cute even when I’m sober. I want to pat your head right now… Can I pat it?”

The memories of when she was drunk remained.

Amel was learning.

The things she did when she was drunk were things she actually wanted to do. The memories of their reactions, which had been fine even after she did those things, remained.

“…Do as you please with my head.”

“Thanks.”

“…”

She turns her face to the side, granting unconditional permission.

She reached out her hand to pat her head.

No, just as she was reaching out her hand to pat it.

“The king was defeated?! And you submitted just because he was defeated?!! Do you think that makes any sense!!!! You ungrateful bastards..! I’ll kill you all too!!”

It grew noisy outside.