Chapter 131 - Counterblow

Gladim grinned as the mist began to clear, creating a space for each of their respective battles. His weapon, given to him by the emperor, glinted in the light as he eyed his prey. Demon Lord Kagali. Rumors stated that she had become a Demon Lord after being endorsed by the Demon of the Forest, which meant that taking Amarita would indirectly harm the Forest Demon.

Kagali stood before the lone tiger, her staff held firmly in her hand. It was something Rimuru had gifted her in the past, something he said he had created as a gift for her successful establishment of her kingdom.

"I call it the Scepter of Prana," Rimuru had said with a grin. "It's a powerful amplifier, especially considering your talent as a wizard. The shape is a little different from a normal staff, so you can also use it as a melee weapon. It's made of adamantium and is legend-grade, so you can bash someone's head in with it."

Rimuru had joked as he passed the golden scepter into the Elven Princess's hands.

Kagali looked at the beautiful staff, golden, embroidered with magical jewels, and intricately detailed to aid the flow and conductivity of the magicules inside it.

"Thanks..." Her voice was quiet. She couldn't say much about it. Rimuru had done so much for her. She couldn't even imagine how to repay him for all that he had given.

She turned her gaze toward her enemy, Gladim. She wasn't a frontline fighter; in fact, she was more of a commander, the type who gave orders, much like Clayman. As she looked at the scepter in her hand, she was reminded of Rimuru, who was currently facing much bigger and stronger enemies than the one before her.

Taking a deep breath, she hesitated. She had never used the scepter, not even on other enemies. Most of the battles she had fought had been handled by either the golems or Laplace and the others. It was actually her choice to face the leader this time.

"I'll make you proud..." She murmured softly. She didn't know where the words came from, nor who they were for. All she knew was that she was fully prepared to face the lycanthrope before her.

Seeing his enemy's expression turn serious, Gladim took it as the cue to act. With a sudden shift in his posture, he became a blur and disappeared, reappearing right in front of Kagali. He raised his arm, the claws gleaming in the dim light.

Kagali's frown deepened as she saw the distance between them close almost instantaneously.

She boosted her physical abilities with support magic and leapt backward. Slash marks were left in the ground where Gladim's attack had struck, carving deep furrows into the earth.

Kagali pointed her scepter, and a large explosion erupted between the two, sending a shockwave that rippled through the air.

Laplace, watching from a distance, playfully shielded his eyes as the massive explosion lit up the sky far from where he stood. Unlike the four reckless fools who had rushed forward without a plan or thought, the rest of the army remained cautious, carefully staying outside the mist's edge.

"Looks like they've started as well," Minitz remarked, his eyes fixed on the explosion. Like Laplace, he was watching with mild interest. He turned back to the former hero, brandishing his sword in preparation for the fight ahead. "Shall we continue?"

Laplace shrugged, sparing a brief glance at Quo, who was engaged with Kanzis in the distance. "Sure, why not."

With that, sparks flew as the two men met in combat, the sound of clashing swords ringing out into the tense atmosphere.

..

"Ho ho ho!"

"Hey, hey, footman, these two aren't that strong after all!"

Tear and Footman huddled together in one of the sections near the mist, their backs turned to their enemies, an insult in itself, especially after so quickly overpowering the two generals.

Nazim clicked her tongue, clutching her broken arm. She had been caught off guard by the speed of the pink-haired little girl, who moved with alarming agility. Despite her advantage of flight, the battle quickly descended to the ground after just one hit from Footman.

The duo was unstoppable together. Unlike most warriors who preferred one-on-one battles, Tear and Footman thrived in team combat, constantly helping each other out.

Clayman, who could be considered a sibling to them, was not as skilled in battle. Laplace, who arrived later, was leagues above them, and this drove the two to group together.

They didn't harbor any ill feelings toward Clayman or Laplace, in fact, they enjoyed the variety that came with pairing up in different combinations. Laplace and Tear enjoyed fast-paced battles, while Clayman and Footman made a solid frontliner-support team.

"Don't underestimate us!" Nazim shouted, soaring high into the sky once again, moving rapidly to shake off any chance of Tear catching her.

But Tear appeared before her in midair, her fist, hidden beneath her extra-long sleeves, slamming into Nazim's face. The mutated harpy was knocked back to the ground with a violent force.

"Shut up already, little bird!"

Footman grinned, eyeing the fallen Nazim. He wasted no time. Positioning his body, he rolled toward her at high speed, resembling a massive boulder heading straight for her injured form.

"Not on my watch!" Baragga shouted as he jumped forward, ready to take on Footman's rolling body with both his spear and his own strength. "Do you think you can make a mockery of us and-"

"Be quiet!" Tear interjected, her foot landing squarely on Baragga's face, sending him flying out of the way so Footman could deliver the finishing blow to Nazim.

"Wha-wait!" Nazim pleaded, her voice almost pitiful, as she felt the immense shift in speed and mass from Footman.

"Angry Splatter!" Footman bellowed, changing from his boulder-like form. His raised fist, charged with magical energy, collided with Nazim's chest. The force was overwhelming, and her upper body exploded under the impact.

"Dammit," Baragga cursed, his anger boiling over. He activated his secret weapon, 'The Beast,' forcing himself to merge with his arch dragon. The transformation was swift, his main appearance remained largely the same, but his body was now covered in glistening blue scales.

"Ohhh, very cool!" Tear's eyes gleamed with excitement at the sight of his transformation. She bounced around, clearly eager to see more. "Me next, me next!" She raised her hand eagerly, practically jumping with enthusiasm.

Though Tear didn't have a transformation of her own, she wasn't without her special trump card. Reaching into her storage, she pulled out a massive scythe. The weapon fell heavily to the ground, embedding itself deep into the earth with the handle raised at an angle.

Tear jumped, landing expertly on the tip of the handle, striking a dramatic pose as she looked at Baragga with a grin. "What do you think? Is it cool?"

"Ho ho ho!" Footman clapped his hands in approval. "Very cool. Clayman's gift for you is truly magnificent."

"Isn't it?" Tear responded excitedly, jumping again, putting more force and weight into the scythe, causing it to lift from the ground. She caught the handle and casually draped it over her shoulder. "Let's finish this~"

Baragga barely had time to react. The gleeful expression on Tear's face was all he could focus on as the scythe came down, mere inches from his face.

Kanzis regretted not being able to eliminate the beast before him in the past. If he had known that it would come back to haunt him, he would have been more determined to put down the nine-head creature.

Watching the shadow direwolves being wiped out by Quo alone, Kanzis gritted his teeth as his summons continued to fall, one by one. The battle was slipping out of his control. "Get out, Enroki!"

Quo, sensing danger, quickly leapt backward as a large hand slammed into the ground. A dark shadow, twice Kanzis's size, loomed before her. The silhouette revealed a large wolf-like maw, a body that resembled an ape's, and two sharp horns protruding from its head.

Kanzis took out his gun and fired a few shots at Quo, who was momentarily stunned by the appearance of the new enemy. She barely managed to dodge, only to realize the beast was now behind her.

Without hesitation, Quo kicked off the ground, pivoting quickly to land a swift kick to the beast's side. Enroki blocked the attack with ease, only moving a few meters back before resuming its stance.

"Ape, Tiger." Quo called, and in an instant, two of her tails vanished. Two magical beasts materialized: one was a large ape, holding a staff in its massive hands, and the other, a fierce tiger, bared its fangs and growled menacingly at Enroki. "Buy me some time."

Hearing the command, the two beasts lunged at the shadowy creature, their attacks fierce but ultimately futile against its monstrous form. Quo knew they would only delay the inevitable, she needed time to hunt down Kanzis. But there was something off about this beast; even for the normal Enrokis she had encountered before, this one seemed unusually strong, almost as if it were a far more dangerous breed.

"Hah!" Kanzis lunged at Quo, his military knife gleaming in the dim light, forged from magisteel. Quo, quick as ever, blocked the attack with her hand. A grin stretched across Kanzis's face as he raised his other hand and aimed his gun at her.

Quo barely managed to dodge, the bullet grazing her cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood. In the same motion, she retaliated with a swift punch to Kanzis's stomach, sending him flying through the air.

Coughing up a small spurt of blood, Kanzis wiped the blood from his lips, a sick grin forming on his face. Suddenly, a new shadow emerged from his feet. This one was different. The silhouette was a large human, standing with a sword in hand. It moved too quickly, vanishing from view in the blink of an eye.

Quo's magic detection failed to pick up the new threat. The air felt heavy, and a cold chill ran down her spine. Her instincts screamed at her to move. She barely managed to sidestep in time, but the sword still grazed her arm, drawing blood.

"Hahaha! You aren't getting away this time!" Kanzis's voice rang out, taunting her as he fired more bullets in quick succession. Quo cursed under her breath. She was at a disadvantage now.

Bringing out more of her tailed beasts, Quo barked, "Ape, come here!"

The ape obeyed without question, leaping forward to engage Kanzis, while the rest of her tails concentrated on the looming shadow beast, Enroki. Quo's focus sharpened; this battle wasn't over yet, but it was getting harder to stay on top.

"Looks like that woman over there is having a hard time," Minitz commented as blood trinkled from his head.

Wiping the dust from his clothing, he observed the man before him leaning against the stump of a tree. It had once been a normal tree, but it had been severed after the onslaught of the two swordsmen.

Laplace coughed up blood as the entire left side of his body was missing. Blood was pouring out of the open wounds, staining the ground with crimson red liquid.

"Ghak...!" The man glanced at Minitz, his eyes never leaving the fallen hero. "Hehehe, it was a fun fight, but I don't really have any time to play anymore."

Minitz frowned at his words; they left him both confused and cautious of the implications. Quickly, he extended his hand toward Laplace, whose body erupted from his unique skill, Oppressor, which could compress anything he desired.

"That, we can both agree on." Minitz's gaze shifted as Quo and Kanzis drew closer to his position. "Kanzis, finish it already. We don't have time to waste!"

"Do you think I'm not trying to finish this?!" he snapped back as Kanzis dodged the large ape's staff, firing another shot from his pistol. "Damn it, Vega, finish her already!"

The shadow fighting Quo didn't respond, but the onslaught continued. Quo found it strange as well; it wasn't as though the shadow lacked the skill to finish her off. In fact, she was surprised that she was still alive after everything.

It felt as though the shadow was always just a few inches off, never quite finding her position, like a blind spot in its vision that allowed her to slip away.

Minitz sighed, gripping his sword as he dashed forward to assist. But then he halted and jumped back. A dagger swung dangerously close to his throat, and a figure appeared before him.

"You..." Minitz glared as Laplace emerged, apparently unharmed.

"Hello, back from the dead here." Laplace waved, his eyes closed as he smiles.

"Whatever," Minitz muttered, raising his hand once again to use his unique skill. "Kha...!"

Blood dripped from his mouth as a sword was deep within his chest, piercing his heart. The Laplace a few meters away disappeared and a new one was behind him. His blade twisted into his heart, turning the blade, he swiped it upward out of his shoulder.

Then, changed his grip and severed Minitz's head from his body.

"Minitz?!" Kanzis watched as the major general fell. Then, as if his shout echoed across the battlefield, the tailed beast finished off the Enroki and rejoined Quo.

With her strength now greater than when they had been separated, she still knew that she could not defeat the shadow in terms of raw power.

So, she took a risk.

The shadow raised its sword, growling at her as if it had forgotten its humanity, and made contact with her side. A large wound became apparent as her clothing turned red. The shadow wore a smirk on its face, as though confident of its victory. She gripped the blade with her hand, ensuring that the shadow couldn't pull away.

The shadow's body language betrayed displeasure and irritation from her action.

Her tails, moving like tendrils, advanced. The tips hardened and sharpened as they punctured the shadow, eventually destroying its body.

Kanzis gripped his pistol as his final shadow was destroyed. Pointing it at Quo, he called out to the empire soldier. "I don't suppose you'll accept my surrender?"

He smiled wryly, knowing death was mere seconds away. Even so, he refused to meet it with weakness.

And with that, the man who had been hunting Quo and her daughter for years was finally erased from this world.

A/N: You know, I find it funny how I was thinking that I was rushing the story a few chapters ago and here I am writing a literal three-chapter battle with Amarita that isn't even in the Forest.