Massacre

The humans’ faces turned pale as they sensed a powerful energy approaching.

Ryandel felt the flow of the air and tightly gripped his staff, while Raybi readied her bow.

Evan drew his axe and began to stand guard.

“Why are you so worried? Don’t worry. Do I look like I’m going to lose?”

I chuckled and said, finding their overly concerned expressions amusing.

A low rumbling sound began to emanate from the mountainside, growing louder and louder.

It was a grand, thunderous roar, like an approaching storm.

A blizzard swirled as a massive horde emerged from the darkness below the mountains, their movements illuminated by the red moonlight.

『 ☆☆☆☆ Frost Wolf LV121 』 『 ☆☆ Frost Wolf LV106 』 『 ☆☆☆ Frost Wolf LV109 』 『 ☆☆ Blizzard Wyvern LV102 』 『 ☆☆☆ Blizzard Wyvern LV112 』 『 ☆☆☆ Blizzard Wyvern LV115 』 『 ☆☆☆☆ Sentinel of the Cold LV142 』 『 ☆☆☆ Sentinel of the Cold LV140 』 『 ☆☆☆ Sentinel of the Cold LV145 』 『 ☆☆☆☆☆ Sentinel of the Cold LV154 』 ……

These high-level, heavily-starred monsters were gathered in large numbers.

Their bodies were covered in blood, indicating they had slain many smaller monsters along the way.

The Frost Wolves were of the same kind that Glacia had captured before.

Their pure white fur and red eyes glistened in the moonlight, their sharp fangs glinting ominously.

‘This must be what Ryandel was talking about earlier…’

As I pondered, Ryandel’s eyes widened in surprise.

“This is impossible… These are the Guardians of the Frozen Ridge!”

His voice trembled.

“Yes! The Guardians of the Frozen Ridge!”

The term sent a wave of fear across the humans’ faces.

“This is extremely dangerous. Especially the Sentinels of the Cold, which are said to be indestructible!”

Ryandel’s voice shook as he spoke.

Raybi gulped audibly, and Evan’s face turned pale.

‘Come on, my level is nearly 300, and even if hundreds of these monsters came, I wouldn’t bat an eye.’

The humans’ reactions seemed overly dramatic, which was a bit disappointing.

‘If they’re this scared now, they’ll be too useless to travel with me.’

‘I need to show them my true power!’

“You can stay here and watch if you’re that scared.”

I smiled and signaled to Rote.

Rote immediately flew around the humans, guarding them.

“Rote, watch them well. They’re too scared to be of any use.”

Rote’s shimmering body began to circle around them.

“Now, let the holy ritual begin!”

Dododo!

I lightly stepped forward, charging towards the horde of guardians.

Cecilia radiated light from my shoulder, following closely, while Miel clung tightly to my hair, refusing to let go.

Glacia followed excitedly, eager for the fight.

Upon closer inspection, each monster was enormous.

The Frost Wolves, in their human-like forms, were more than twice my height, and the Blizzard Wyverns were so large their wings could block out the sky.

The Sentinels of the Cold were colossal ice golems, each the size of a three-story building.

“Wow… truly worthy offerings for the great Michel!”

Heh heh!

“Aooooo!”

As I prepared to attack, the Frost Wolves suddenly began to howl in unison.

The temperature dropped sharply, and the ground around me froze instantly.

The air was filled with sparkling ice particles.

“Oh ho!”

The Blizzard Wyverns began flapping their massive wings, creating powerful gusts of wind that soon turned into a blinding snowstorm.

‘These guys are using similar tricks to the butterflies.’

The Sentinels of the Cold began to move slowly through the storm.

Their massive icy fists glowed with a blue aura, swirling with cold energy.

‘Since I have frost resistance, this won’t affect me much.’

But then a thought occurred to me.

‘Do golems respond to the flower scent?’

Considering that golems aren’t alive, they might not react to the scent.

But seeing their reaction, they must have responded somehow.

‘Well, that’s not important right now!’

“Be good and become offerings!”

I activated Red Moon to its maximum, and the deep red moonlight illuminated the snowy mountain.

The scene resembled a sea of blood.

I felt my body heat up.

It was as if Michel’s blessing was spreading throughout me.

“Good! Good!”

I activated Dark Root Dance, and hundreds of sharp black roots erupted from the ground.

They writhed like living tendrils, lunging at the Frost Wolves.

Pu-shoot! Thud!

The wolves let out agonized cries as the roots pierced their sturdy bodies.

Their white fur was stained with crimson blood.

One by one, then two, then over a dozen wolves fell in an instant.

“Sacrifice everything!”

Kugugugu!

The seemingly sturdy ice golems shattered without resistance before my roots.

They cracked and then crumbled, collapsing silently.

I gleefully wielded Crimson Bind, the sword absorbing the blood of the wolves and wyverns.

The blade glowed redder with each absorption.

However, the golem’s corpse left me feeling disappointed.

‘These won’t make good offerings for Michel.’

Also, since the sword was absorbing blood, I couldn’t use Blood Mist, which relied on my bloodline’s power.

Usually, I could create a smokescreen with Blood Mist, but Crimson Bind’s blood absorption left me with none to spare.

As if sensing my thoughts, Crimson Bind suddenly released a thick, bloody mist.

“Ohhh!”

It had stored the absorbed blood and created the mist!

The dense Blood Mist made me feel incredibly light and agile.

Unlike when I was a flower and couldn’t move, this mist allowed me to dart around freely.

“Yaho!”

Dododo!

Excited, I weaved through the mist, continuing my massacre of the guardians.

Though Crimson Bind was still difficult to control, it seemed slightly more responsive than before.

“Uwuwu, why is this so hard to handle?”

Despite the challenge, I continued using my roots as my primary attack.

Glacia was having the time of her life, targeting the wyverns like a professional hunter.

Cecilia joined in, unleashing flames that melted the Sentinels of the Cold into puddles.

Miel, however, clung tightly to my hair, afraid of being left behind as I moved so quickly.

“Heh heh! This is so much fun!”

…

Before I knew it, the eastern sky began to brighten as I continued slaughtering the enemies.

The sun was rising.

“Huh! It’s already morning.”

Looking around, the area was littered with monster corpses.

Even the Guardians of the Frozen Ridge were no match for me.

However, there was barely any blood left, as I had absorbed most of it.

“Huh… thank you, Michel.”

I prayed, gazing at the blood-red sky.

As the effects of Bloodline and Red Moon faded, the sky returned to its normal state.

With the ritual complete, I turned to the humans.

Rote still circled around them, guarding them well.

“Alright, get up! The ritual is over!”

The humans looked dazed, slowly regaining their senses.

Their eyes showed a mix of fear and awe.

Evan, still trembling, spoke up.

“R… really amazing…”

“Huh! Of course!”

“N… now there are no monsters left around the village…”

He gestured to the surrounding corpses of the guardians.

“And since so many Guardians of the Frozen Ridge have been slain, adventurers will likely have an easier time passing through the ridge for years to come.”

Raybi and Ryandel nodded in agreement.

“Then, naturally, my adventurer rank should reach National Power or SSS level!”

Evan looked taken aback.

“Oh, yes! I’ll make sure to bring it up!”

With the monsters and guardians dealt with, the villagers no longer needed to fear them.

And my adventurer rank would surely rise!

Everything was perfect!

‘Serving Michel was worth it!’

***

The peaceful Heavenly Realm was as serene as ever, with pristine clouds surrounding the grand temple.

But the tranquility was shattered by a roar that tore through the sky.

“Yes! I am now the God of War, Michel! I love blood and slaughter! Uwahahahaha!”