Ch.171Awakened NPC. (4)

When I heard that Elder Green Stone had lost his arm, both my sister and I had estimated the opponent’s capabilities to be at least twice that of the Elder.

-KAGAK!! KANG!!

“Miho!! Focus!!!”

“I am focusing!! I’m sorry?!!”

“You’re being careless…?!!”

-KAANG!!

“Ukyaah?!!”

“Sister!!!”

“Damn it…!!”

We were too complacent. When I saw Elder Ferna fighting alone from a distance, I honestly thought that if four of us attacked together, we could at least hold our ground, or if not kill him, force him to retreat.

“Wh-what…!! Wh-what is that thing on the Grand Elder’s body?!!”

“M-magic?! Has the Grand Elder been corrupted by a demon?!!”

“S-save me!! In my body!! Demon blood in my bodyaaagh?!!”

That judgment was far too naive.

I felt it as soon as our surprise attack succeeded. Green Stone Elder’s sword, my sister’s sword, my fist—all of them missed the vital points. In that instant of ambush, even in that split second, he had twisted his body to avoid our attacks.

“Warriors!! Get the elves into the village!! Be careful when cutting his flesh!!! Don’t touch the blood!!!”

“Yes!! Rescue the elves!! Leave the Grand Elder to the Elders’ group, don’t engage!!!”

“YES!!!”

“Elves!! This way!! Retreat this way!!! Magic folk!! Help us!! Create a defensive wall with spirits!!!”

When his clothes were torn and the flesh embedded near his heart that had infected his back and body was revealed to everyone, the elves froze as if their minds had completely shut down despite their Grand Elder being ambushed. We were at least satisfied that we could expose the fact that he had sold his body and soul to a demon without having to explicitly say it.

I thought this would prevent all-out war between the elves and the beast folk, and that alone would be fortunate.

“Ha, do my children need screening too? To be swayed by traitors who accepted thousand-year enemies just because this Grand Elder planted a demon in his body. I was too complacent.”

“What nonsense?!! If humans are thousand-year enemies, demons have been enemies since the continent was formed!!!”

“My child speaks only truth!!”

My sister, who had been thrown back, immediately regained her stance and swung her sword with incredible speed, while Elder Ferna launched an even more intense flurry of attacks from the opposite side.

But he twisted his body and slightly waved his sword, easily deflecting both their attacks.

“Wind Riding, Third Form: Wind of Exclusion.”

“Wind Riding! Wind of Protection!!!”

The sound of clashing swords continued with explosive force that could hardly be considered normal. At the first exchange, my sister and Elder Ferna were pushed back, bleeding slightly, and Elder Green Stone stepped in to block the Grand Elder’s consecutive attacks, sustaining injuries in the process.

I immediately kicked off a nearby tree, aiming for his blind spot at the crown of his head.

“As if I would have a blind spot in my current state.”

“?!”

-THUD!!

“Ughk?!!”

“Miho!!!”

A piece of demon flesh flew in from a completely different direction, striking my waist and sticking to it.

As soon as his body was exposed, he didn’t even bother explaining to his allies, but immediately began using demonic magic, controlling even the flesh attached to his own body to sweep across the battlefield.

As if he intended to…

“Get away from Miho!!!”

“Let go of meee!!!”

-THUD!!

-PIPIPIT!!! THUD!!

“Blood! Did blood get on you?!!”

“N-no. I’m fine. What about you, sister?”

“I’m fine! Miho. As I thought, you should fall back since you don’t have a weapon…!”

As soon as I pushed away the flesh that had attached to my body, my sister quickly sliced it and knocked it away in the opposite direction, then looked at me with concern.

Just touching his flesh pieces wasn’t the problem. But contact with the blood was. Green Stone Elder had already been corrupted by their blood, with demonic energy seeping into his body. Moreover…

“KRAAAGH!! DIE!! YOU TRAITORS!! TRAITOR BEAST SCUM!!!”

“Damn it!! Don’t cut the infected elves, just knock them down!! Don’t get their blood on you!!!”

The elves who had come in contact with the flesh’s blood had their eyes turned dark red, transformed like ghouls that could only speak, and were attacking their comrades and beast folk around them.

Yes, it was as if he was trying to make everyone absorb the demon’s blood and turn them all into the demon’s subordinates.

-THWACK! BAAM!!

“KYAK?!!”

“Haa! Sister, I’m fine! I can handle these ones coming at us, and I can fight while watching for openings and avoiding the Grand Elder’s attacks!!”

After kicking away an elf who rushed at us, hitting him in the solar plexus and face, I surveyed the battlefield.

Everyone—elves, beast folk, magic folk—was in panic. Even one-armed Elder Green Stone and Elder Ferna, the oldest in our village, were struggling to hold off the Grand Elder.

If the legendary white tiger beast folk, said to be born once every 1000 years, were to run away here, what kind of legend or strongest beast folk would I be?

‘Besides, he would never run away!!’

The similarity between Jack and me is that we both fight with just our bodies.

Of course, it might just be that Jack has never shown me him using other weapons, but anyway! As a physical fighter just like him, it makes no sense for me to run away!!

If I run away here, it means I’m giving up on my desire to become his wife!!!

“Sigh, alright. But refrain from attacking the Grand Elder. Miho, let’s focus on supporting the others. His sword has become much faster than when he was fighting the Elder earlier…”

“KUHEK!!”

What cut off my sister’s words was the painful groan of Elder Green Stone, who was fighting at the front.

And then.

“I see, you. You’re not even a beast folk. You’re a mix of spirit, beast, human, and ‘monster’ blood.”

“Huh?!!”

-SHUNK!!

“Cough…!!”

“Elder!!!”

Green Stone Elder fell with his shoulder slashed, and Elder Ferna had a sword protruding from her abdomen. My sister and I screamed and kicked off the ground, rushing toward him.

“White tiger beast folk. The legend of the beast folk? The legends of beasts are only at this level, I see.”

With Elder Ferna still impaled on his sword, he swung it and threw her toward my sister. My sister hurriedly caught her, unable to maintain a proper stance.

I saw an opening and aimed for his face, but.

“Slow, too slow.”

The sword that was clearly on the opposite side somehow flew toward my neck. He was too fast, and the difference in skill was too great.

‘…I’m done for. I’ll have to sacrifice an arm…!!’

If I retreated to avoid his sword, my sister and the Elder would be cut down in one stroke. I planned to sacrifice my right arm and kick his face in, but.

-CLANG!!

“…Green Stone. Until the end.”

“URYAAAP!!!”

The sword thrown by the falling Elder Green Stone twisted the trajectory of his blade, and this time a definite opening appeared.

A clear opening created by the two Elders sacrificing themselves—this time for sure!!!

-THUD!!!

With full speed, full weight, and all my strength, my fist accurately struck his face. The trees behind him shook.

I did it! With this!!

“I’ve been thinking since earlier.”

“…Huh?”

The Grand Elder, who had closed his eyes after taking my punch, slowly raised his eyelids, revealing blood-red eyes.

And that gaze.

“Why are you even among these people?”

Contempt. Disgust. Even pity for the weak—his gaze sent chills down my spine.

Despite landing a precise hit, a strike that should have broken a thick tree. As if he hadn’t taken any damage at all, he quietly grabbed my fist and then.

-CRACK.

“KYAAAAK?!!!”

“Is it because you’re a white tiger beast folk? Did you think that made you special? Did you think you could stand against me like those two Elders?”

The hand that had struck him was broken. I couldn’t even resist as he grabbed me and lifted me up.

“Did you think it was courage to keep charging without sensing the gap between opponents? Even in the previous ambush. Didn’t you notice that I twisted my body to take your punch in order to avoid the swords of that fox beast folk and Green Stone?”

“Kugh!! L-let go…!!”

-THWACK!!

“…How pitiful. I truly feel sympathy for such wretchedness.”

I tried to shake free and kneed him in the forehead, but he simply grabbed my leg too and gave a sinister smile.

This can’t be. From the beginning, my attacks were…

“Come to think of it. You’re the beast folk who seduced Green Stone, the one who’s with the human who killed Er Jim? I see. Being so weak, did you wag your tail at a human who was just slightly stronger than you?”

I attacked with full force, landing direct hits twice. But he took no damage.

Yes. From the start, my attacks had no effect on the Grand Elder.

“Hmph, very well. Though I don’t believe in beast folk legends. I’ll show you my sympathy by giving you blood like mine.”

“Wh-what?!”

As if truly bestowing mercy upon me, he moved the flesh embedded near his heart toward my body, and black blood began to flow from it.

Is he planning to feed that to me?!!

“Let go!! Let me go!!! No!! Sister!!!”

“Let Miho go!!!”

“Yes, try to cut.”

“Ugh!!!”

My sister, who had put down Elder Ferna, tried to swing her sword, but with me being held as a shield, she couldn’t do anything.

And his flesh gradually crawled up my body, burrowing into my chest and pushing up to just below my chin.

“Mmph!!!”

“Yes, resist if you wish. Foolish beasts and my undereducated children will all be screened anyway. I expected some resistance.”

Like he was experimenting, the flesh rubbed against my tightly closed lips, trying to force them open—a horrifying sensation that brought tears to my eyes.

I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t even do that for fear that the blood and flesh would enter my body.

“Hehe. Hehehehe!!! Yes, yes! This will be interesting. If you’re the beast folk associated with that human, I wonder how he will react when you become my child? Will he try to kill you immediately? Or will he run away in fear?”

At his words, the tears I had been holding back finally flowed.

‘Every time, I only disappoint Jack.’

Ah, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Jack. You believed that I could protect Elder Green Stone and the others… that I could protect them if I were here. But once again, I!!

The pressure of the flesh gradually increased, and my cheeks were grabbed as my lips began to part. My sister screamed and tried to target his back somehow, but he just spun around playfully, toying with me and my sister.

“Yes. It would be good to show that human’s actions before screening you beasts and elves. Teaching the disgust of humans here and solidifying your ideology would certainly be convenient for the future…”

“The one who needs ideological education is you who sold your body to a demon, you senile idiot.”

“What…? GACK?!!”

– PAANG⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

Suddenly, the face of the Elder who was holding me contorted grotesquely and flew off. My body floated in the air, followed by the sound of something exploding.

That voice just now…?!

-GRAB.

“Shit. What the hell did they smear on my baby’s lips? Don’t open your mouth. I’ll clean it right away.”

The gray-haired man who gently caught me with one hand and wiped my lips with his somehow wet sleeve, kindly set me down on the ground with a smile.

“J-Jack…!!!”

“Yes, thank you for holding on. I’ll finish this quickly. Please take care of Green Stone and your Elder a little longer.”

He appeared soaking wet, gently patted my head, and.

-Kyun!♡

Once again, I was certain from the flutter in my lower abdomen that there could be no other man for me but him.