CHAPTER 23

Beast Hazard

As I bawl my eyes out, Seiya asks:

“How much time do we have left?”

While wiping my tears on the sleeve of my dress, I struggle to get the words out.

“Mom—Queen Carmilla…is at the guillotine at the execution site right now…surrounded by Grandleon and many other beastkin…”

Seiya quietly nods, then asks me to create a gate that opens near the execution site. Before leaving, he turns me back into a merfolk as well.

“I’ll distract them while you save the queen.”

After placing a hand on the gate to make sure the area is safe, he opens the door.

“Mode: Berserk…!”

A dark-red aura shoots out of Seiya’s body. His glossy black hair instantly turns red as fangs peek out from the corners of his mouth.

H-he’s turning into a berserker already?! I thought he’d shape-shift into a dog beastkin and sneak into the crowd!

I rush after Seiya as he disappears through the gate, then look around.

The execution site is a few dozen meters ahead. In the distance, I can see a throng of beastkin crowding around the queen standing nearby the guillotine. The supposedly cautious Hero rests his unsheathed sword on his shoulder before powerfully charging forward. Eventually, a single beastkin notices Seiya approaching.

“Huh? What’s going on…?”

The beastkin’s eyes turn from the queen to Seiya.

“Is that…a human?”

“Where’d he come from?”

The moment the beastkin expresses his curiosity, a red trail zigzags through each one of them. By the time Seiya passes the beastkin, their bodies have already been separated at the waist! A few second pass when…

“E-eeeeeek!”

“Ahhhhhh!”

A few nearby beastkin shriek, but their torsos promptly fall to the ground as well. It’s chaos, quite fitting for a berserker. He then relentlessly cuts down each beastkin in his way. Executing the queen is put on the back burner because the site has been thrown into chaos. Even the beastkin in charge of the guillotine seems to have escaped before anyone noticed. Feeling that this is my chance, I head over to the queen while disguised as a fish. Only when she sees me does she finally seem to return to her senses.

“Y-you’re…? Did you come to rescue me…?”

“Uwoh!”

I take the queen to a safe location away from the guillotine. Even if someone sees me, they’ll probably assume I’m a guard who’s making sure the queen doesn’t run away. After finding a place with no beastkin in sight, the queen finally notices Seiya. She stares hard as he slays the beastkin like a demon. Her eyes abruptly open wide as she shakes.

“Is that…the Hero…? Yes… Yes…! He’s alive…!”

Her voice is filled with hope. I give her a nod.

I was able to get the queen back thanks to Seiya! My best option would be to take her as far away from here as possible, but…!

Crunch. I hear something massive stomp the gravel.

“…Looks like someone’s enjoying themselves in my courtyard.”

Behind the mountain of bodies Seiya created is Grandleon, staring at the Hero.

“You killed a few dozen of my elite unit in the blink of an eye. I’m impressed, human.”

He seems completely calm, despite the fact that his men were slaughtered. His imposing presence is exactly what I’d expect from the king of the beastkin.

I use Scan on Grandleon to double-check his stats.

BEAST EMPEROR GRANDLEON
LV: 99 (MAX)
HP: 1,200,044	MP: 0
ATK: 856,121	DEF: 819,637	SPD: 807,711	MAG: 58,754	GRW: 999 (MAX)
Resistance: Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, Ice, Earth, Holy, Dark, Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Curse, Instant Death, Status Ailments
Special Abilities: Dark God’s Blessing (LV: MAX)
Skills: Jet-Black Nail
Personality: Wicked

Seeing his attributes, which rival a high-ranking deity of the spirit world, again sends a shiver up my spine. Phase One of Berserk doubled Seiya’s stats, which means he has around 500,000 speed. His amazing agility even surpasses that of Beel Bub, the extraordinarily quick fly monster in Gaeabrande. But even then…Grandleon’s speed substantially exceeds Seiya’s. In fact…there’s a difference of 300,000!

Seiya probably won’t even be able to perceive Grandleon at that speed! There’s no way we’re going to be able to escape that easily! What should I do?!

I decide to secretly use my goddess powers for now and use Scan while watching Seiya and Grandleon.

“Was there still a human this powerful hiding in Rhadral? Nah, that’s not possible. You’re the Hero who was summoned, aren’t you?”

Seiya doesn’t answer and stays in a fighting stance, so Grandleon slightly softens his tone.

“Hey, now. Lower your guard a little. We’re just talking right now. You’re the Hero who was summoned to this world, right? Right?”

Seiya slowly opens his mouth.

“…Yeah.”

“Then I guess that means you killed Bunogeos, which also means you’re the one I talked to in Galvano… Tch. The tawny-haired demon was right after all.”

Grandleon then smiles as if somewhat amused.

“Anyway, you did a really good job playing the part. Really had me fooled.”

“I learned how to shape-shift in the spirit world from the Goddess of Shape-Shifting herself. Nobody would be able to tell me apart from the real thing.”

“Heh. You don’t say.”

Grandleon lets out a suppressed laugh before spreading his arms out wide as if he has no intention of fighting.

“I’m a simple beast. Power is everything to me. What do you say? We share a mutual interest. Let’s kill Demon Lord Ultimaeus together, you and me.”

Wh-what the…?! Is he serious?! No…there’s no way he’d do that! But maybe Seiya could pretend to cooperate, and then we could escape when Grandleon’s distracted!

But I’m the one who was distracted. Before I realize it, Grandleon has disappeared! As if having teleported, standing in front of Seiya with his right arm in the air is the Beast Emperor.

“Jet-Black Nail!”

He roars with a deep voice while swinging his Chain Destruction–infused claws. The powerful roar shakes the execution site.

Seiya…!

Grandleon’s attack splits the ground open…but Seiya is nowhere in sight. Clink! Out of nowhere, Seiya appears behind Grandleon. His sword clashes against Grandleon’s long claws as he strikes.

“Hmph. You dodged my attack, then tried to attack me yourself?”

H-he dodged that?! And he even counterattacked! Grandleon’s stats are clearly higher, so how in the world did he do that?!

I look at Seiya and gasp. The dark crimson aura around his body increases, and even his eyes are red!

Th-this transformation…! I-it’s not just my imagination! That’s Berserk: Phase Two!

Phase One doubles your stats, but Phase Two triples them! In other words, Seiya’s attack is currently slightly higher than Grandleon’s! I tremble with joy.

I knew he could do it! This Hero has mastered numerous skills that were said to be impossible! They said he would never be able to use Seven-Shot Shining Arrow or any techniques of destruction, but look at him now! He mastered Phase Two as well!

But then I notice another change in Seiya. His eyes change back to their original color, and his aura is no different than it was a few moments ago.

What?! Wh-what’s going on?!

“If that was a fluke, then you better start saying your prayers. Here I come.”

Grandleon closes in on Seiya once more and raises his right arm into the air, but Seiya’s eyes instantly change color, and he evades another attack. However, this time, Grandleon follows with a second. Twisting his body, he lashes out his left hand with claws extended. Seiya, on the other hand, is ready for it and ducks. The Jet-Black Nail slices off a few strands of hair, but Seiya backs away as if it was nothing.

“You dodged again… It looks like that first one wasn’t a fluke after all.”

Grandleon is taken aback. But there’s something I realize while focusing on Seiya.

H-his eyes changed back to their original color…! Ah…! Seiya… Seiya hasn’t mastered Phase Two yet! He must be using it for seconds at a time!

He’s using Phase Two every time Grandleon attacks! Then he returns to Phase One after he dodges! It’s instantaneous! After learning the truth, I feel my breathing become unsteady. However, there’s still a chance we could win if Grandleon doesn’t notice.

But the monster, who’s plotting to defeat Demon Lord Ultimaeus himself, smugly grins.

“I can’t see your stats ’cause of your Fake Out ability, but I can see your aura fluctuate. It looks like your stats are suddenly increasing before every attack. Am I right? Then afterward, your aura suddenly fades again. In other words, you’re only able to surpass me for an extremely short amount of time…”

Grandleon slowly moves his hands in a circle as if he was a kenpo practitioner.

“So I’m gonna use Jet-Black Nail on you until you break!”

Th-this is bad! He saw right through us! What is Seiya going to do?! While in Berserk Mode, not only can he not use his skills, but he can’t use fire or earth magic, either! If Seiya wants to distract Grandleon with magic and run away, he needs to get out of Berserk Mode first! B-but he’ll be killed the moment he goes back to his normal stats!

Before I can even process the situation, Grandleon is already closing in on Seiya! He immediately starts his combo using Jet-Black Nail! Seiya uses Phase Two, dodging and blocking the attacks…but it isn’t long before the color of his eyes and aura fade! The Beast Emperor smirks.

“Die.”

But Grandleon’s body shakes, causing him to lose balance and miss his attack. Seiya promptly backsteps until he’s a safe distance from him.

“What the…?”

Grandleon mutters curiously. An earth serpent is curled around one of his legs. He clicks his tongue before slicing the earth serpent to pieces as if brushing dirt off his body. The earth serpent turns to sand while falling to the ground.

“Don’t think your pathetic tricks will work on me again.”

Grandleon glares at Seiya, but the ground before the Hero begins to crack and protrude. Out of nowhere, over a dozen earth serpents crawl out of the ground!

Earth magic?! But I thought he couldn’t use magic while in Berserk Mode!

But when I see the number of earth serpents gathering to protect Seiya, it hits me.

Ohhh! Those are the fish Seiya took from me! He turned them back into earth serpents!

“It doesn’t matter how many of those you have. It won’t change a thing. I’ll just tear them apart.”

Grandleon lunges at Seiya! He’s so quick that the earth serpents can’t even react in time, but Seiya uses Phase Two and dodges the attack! In the blink of an eye, he counters with the platinum sword, but…

“Oof. That was a close one.”

Grandleon blocks the strike with his sinister black claws. Seiya’s eye color changes back to normal, so the Beast Emperor capitalizes on the moment and follows up with another attack. But the earth serpents lunge at Grandleon in unison, as if sensing their master is in danger.

“Tch! Enough of your games!”

He slices through the dozen or so earth serpents one after another with Jet-Black Nail reducing them to sand! Grandleon then instantly rushes forward to attack Seiya!

All of the earth serpents were destroyed! Seiya…!

But Grandleon suddenly stops, resentfully clicking his tongue.

“There are more of those?!”

The ground beneath Seiya’s feet protrudes once more, revealing the faces of even more earth serpents! This time there are thirty—fifty—no, at least a hundred of them! Wh-what’s going on?!

The swarm of earth serpents charges Grandleon from every direction. With a placid tone, Seiya explains.

“I was planning on fighting you from the beginning, so I hid earth serpents underground all over Termine ahead of time. Now I’m just gathering them here.”

S-so that’s what’s going on! But, like…just how many earth serpents did he make?! I mean, he was almost done with the ritual! Just how cautious is this guy?!

But they are nothing more than a distraction. They stand no chance before Grandleon, who destroys them one by one using Jet-Black Nail. Seiya uses Phase Two and tries to create some safe distance between himself and the enemy while Grandleon is dealing with the earth serpents, but the Beast Emperor isn’t so forgiving. He chases after Seiya while simultaneously dealing with the fodder. He destroys twenty-four, then thirty-four, and so on. Every attack speeds up my already racing heart.

“…What? Is that it?”

The ground doesn’t swell below Seiya this time. Grandleon’s eyes light up as if he can already taste victory…then he suddenly charges Seiya! The Hero promptly uses Phase Two, dodging the first attack along with the second. Instantaneously, he thrusts his sword at Grandleon’s heart with all his might, but the beast just barely manages to get out of the way in time! Then…the monster throws a third attack at Seiya.

Phase Two is about to end…! This is it…!

But to my astonishment, Seiya’s eyes are still red! He parries the attack with his sword before bending his body backward to dodge the incoming left-hand slash. From an untenable position, he swings the platinum sword and grazes Grandleon’s nose! This time, it’s the Beast Emperor who moves away and creates some distance.

He’s still in Phase Two?! How?!

Grandleon appears just as confused as I am.

“Hey… What’s the deal? Were you just pretending you could only do that in short bursts to trick me? No… You can’t fool these eyes. It took everything you had to barely maintain that power up until a few moments ago.”

Seiya twists his neck while cracking his knuckles.

“Using Phase Two puts a lot of strain on the body and mind, so going straight into it would have mentally and physically destroyed me. Therefore, I gradually made adjustments while weaving into it during our fight. However…”

A powerful aura radiates from Seiya’s body as he locks his red eyes onto Grandleon.

“I have seen all you have to offer.”

Hearing Seiya utter those words, the same thing he said back to the emperor in Gaeabrande, gives me chills.

H-he’s a genius! He mastered Berserk: Phase Two during his battle against an unbelievably powerful enemy!

“I won’t be holding back anymore.”

Seiya unsheathes another platinum sword at his waist. Dual-wielding two blades, he holds one sword aloft and the other waist-high.

“Don’t you dare underestimate me, human scum!”

An explosive roar echoes as the two warriors clash. Seiya doesn’t use the dual-wielding version of Eternal Blade, nor does he use any skills or abilities. He simply attacks Grandleon relentlessly with both swords. Nevertheless, his speed and power are extraordinary. Hidden within each strike is enough power to make the heavens weep. The claws and blades interweave, creating a shock wave that ruffles my hair despite being so far away.

Grandleon cannot defend quickly enough against Seiya’s brutal attacks. His cheek splits open, bleeding black blood. The jet-black armor protecting Grandleon’s body cracks as he is slowly pushed back.

Wow! Seiya’s talents really are one in a billion! He can do this! He can win without the Hexagram Ritual of Retribution! But then, why did Adenela say he couldn’t beat Grandleon?! Ishtar was also really adamant about avoiding one-on-one battle like this as well…

My worries soon become reality. Although forcing Grandleon to retreat, Seiya wears a pained expression. The Beast Emperor, on the other hand, seems overly confident for some reason.

“What’s wrong? You seem to be in a rush. You’re a cautious man, so I know what you’re thinking. Your face practically screams ‘I need to kill him before he gets serious.’”

What?! G-Grandleon isn’t even serious yet?!

As Seiya breathes heavily during his continuous attacks, Grandleon calmly says:

“Your gut instinct was right. But even then, there’s nothing you can do about it. Unlike Bunogeos, I power up automatically after taking enough damage from my opponent without countering. It doesn’t matter how cautious or prepared you are.”

Seiya immediately slows his attack, but Grandleon scoffs.

“It’s already too late, Hero.”

Out of nowhere, Grandleon is swallowed by a black radiance.

“Beast Hazard!”

His body discharges an overwhelming jet-black aura, knocking Seiya away! The aura’s light eventually fades, revealing a transformed Beast Emperor. On his back are massive bat-like wings. His tail appears to have warped into a sinister snake with a mind of its own. In his new form, greatly resembling a chimera, Grandleon stands tall. A pale light radiates from his body like electricity. He promptly adopts a stance to charge Seiya. Sensing danger, the Hero hastily tries to create some distance, but…

“Volt…!”

Like a pale flash of lightning, Grandleon soars past Seiya so quickly that it looks as if they switched positions for a moment.

…Seiya listlessly falls to his knees. The Hero, who remained calm even when the emperor of Roseguard cut off one of his arms, is clutching his stomach, his face twisted in agony.