Chapter 399: Chapter 395 – The Roar of Level Six That Finally Steps Out
The night grew deeper in Nocture, but the darkness that was usually peaceful now felt heavy and filled with faint tremors. The rift behind the mountain remained wide open like a wound that refused to heal, sending monster after monster into the valleys below. Reports kept pouring into the throne room like unrelenting heavy rain. Sylvia remained seated on her black throne, back straight, red eyes fixed on the growing stack of reports on the black wooden table before her. Her cold fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest the sa steady beat since late afternoon. At her feet, Noir curled up with half-lidded red eyes, occasionally letting out a low growl as if sensing its master’s unspoken restlessness.
Sofia stood to the right of the throne, her ten golden wings neatly folded, yet their tips trembled slightly with worry. Her long golden hair spilled over her shoulders, and her golden eyes never left Sylvia. "Sylvia... another twenty reports in the last hour. The villages on the eastern slope are almost overrun. Our troops are exhausted. If this keeps up..."
Sylvia nodded slowly, her voice still as cold and calm as the clear river water from the night before. "Let them hold a little longer. I’m still waiting."
Alicia, who had just returned from an ergency patrol, stood on the left. Her silver hair was damp with dew and dried monster blood. "Sylvia, I just ca from the front line. They’ve already sent half-step level-five stone trolls and larger wyvern packs. The dinsional energy at the rift is growing stronger. I can feel sothing... bigger. But it hasn’t fully erged yet."
Stacia leaned against the wall near the large window, her thick novel already closed and stored in her system inventory. Her ash-gray hair was ssy as always, but the small smile on her lips never faded. She knew exactly what Sylvia was waiting for. "Wow, our Queen of Death is being really patient. Yesterday you said, ’When a level-six appears, then I’ll move.’ How many hundreds of monsters have already died at our hunters’ hands? And you’re still sitting here so calmly."
Sylvia didn’t answer right away. She simply stared out the window toward the back mountain shrouded in thick black mist. The night wind slipped inside, carrying the scent of damp earth mixed with the tallic sll of monster blood that had now reached all the way to the castle. The sll reminded her of the silver fish she had caught yesterday fresh, alive, but still not enough. The small fla in her chest was still burning, but it hadn’t yet blazed. Not yet.
The next morning arrived with weak twilight and even thicker mist. Sylvia hadn’t slept all night. She stood on the balcony of the throne room, her black cloak fluttering gently in the cold wind. Noir had woken and stood beside her, its jet-black scales faintly gleaming. The first morning report ca faster and worse than before.
A squad captain entered, panting, his armor covered in scratches and green monster blood. "Your Majesty! The defensive line in the northern forest has collapsed! Giant level-five slis have already infiltrated the small villages. And... There’s sothing new. A fully mutated level-five ogre, but behind it... I saw a massive shadow. Red scales, torn wings, and an aura that made the air feel heavy. The hunters say it’s... level six. It just erged from the rift around dawn."
Sylvia turned slowly. Her red eyes glowed brighter for the first ti since yesterday. That strange, faint satisfaction blood again in her chest, just like when the first big fish had leaped from the river. "Level six," she murmured softly, almost to herself. "Finally."
Sofia imdiately stepped closer, gently touching Sylvia’s arm. "Sylvia... now? The villages are starting to panic. The people are terrified. We can’t let this drag on."
Alicia nodded firmly. "I’ve already prepared the elite troops. But if you go down by yourself... they’ll feel much more at ease."
Stacia laughed softly from the corner of the room, strolling casually toward the throne. "Finally making a move, huh? I was getting bored reading novels while listening to the rumbling from the mountain. Want
to open a portal straight to the rift, or should we walk like yesterday for a more dramatic entrance?"
Sylvia smiled faintly a rare smile, but this ti it felt more genuine. "We leave now. Everyone’s coming. Noir too. This isn’t a small test anymore. This... is the entertainnt I’ve been waiting for."
They moved quickly with minimal preparation. Sylvia didn’t want any big commotion in the castle. Just the five of them Sylvia, Sofia, Alicia, Stacia, and Noir, who bounded along excitedly behind them. They left again through the back door, following the sa narrow path as yesterday morning. But the atmosphere was different this ti. The black mist was thicker, the mountain wind stronger, and the scent of monster blood had spread everywhere. The stunted trees on the slope looked darker, their leaves trembling as if in fear.
The climb felt longer this ti. Their steps were fast, but Sylvia deliberately slowed at certain points, savoring every cold gust that swept through her long black hair. Sofia walked beside her, one golden wing slightly unfurled to shield her from the wind. "You know... I was worried, Sylvia. But I’m also happy. You look alive again. Like back when we were still adventurers, before all of this beca the queen’s responsibility."
Sylvia glanced at her briefly. "I was bored, Sofia. So bored. Docunts, reports, etings... everything the sa. I needed this. I needed sothing I could destroy with my own hands. Like the fish in the river yesterday. But this ti... bigger."
Alicia kept a sharp watch behind them, hand ready on her sword hilt. "There are packs of level-four goblins on the lower slope. We’ll ignore them. Our target is the rift."
Stacia, walking at the very back with a spare novel in her left hand, chuckled softly. "It’s funny, right? Yesterday I opened this rift because you were bored. Now I’m helping clean it up. What kind of sister am I? But okay, I like it. Feels like the plot of that adventure novel I read last night."
Noir growled contentedly, its tail wagging hard. It had already caught the strong scent of monsters from afar.
After nearly an hour and a half of climbing, they reached the small plateau halfway up the mountain once more. The large boulders still ford a natural fence, but the air now felt different, heavy and pulsing with dinsional energy. The rift in the stone wall had widened far more than yesterday. Dark purple-black light glowed brightly along its edges, like living veins beating rapidly. Behind the rift, thick darkness writhed. Vague large shadows could be seen: gleaming red scales, claws scraping stone, and two huge, hungry yellow eyes.
The mont they arrived, a low roar echoed. From the rift stepped out a level-six monster, a Demon Wyrm nearly twenty ters long. Its blood-red scales glead, its torn wings stirred poisonous wind, and its jaws were lined with sharp fangs dripping green fluid. Its dark aura instantly pressed down on the entire plateau. The nearby stunted trees withered instantly. Noir snarled ferociously and leaped forward, ready to attack.
Sylvia raised a hand, stopping Noir for a mont. Her red eyes now blazed brightly, the fla in her chest finally roaring to life. "This is it. What I’ve been waiting for."
The Demon Wyrm roared loudly, shaking the surrounding rocks. It imdiately attacked with a massive claw toward the group. Alicia charged forward, her silver sword flashing as she slashed the claw with full strength. Sofia spread her ten golden wings wide, holy light illuminating the plateau and weakening the monster’s poisonous aura. Stacia raised her right hand, blood-red flas blazing, then hurled a series of space spells that made the rift even more unstable, not closing it, but slowing the monsters erging from it.
Sylvia didn’t attack right away. She stepped forward slowly, her black cloak sweeping across the rocky ground. A small dagger appeared from her system storage, its blade cold and sharp just like yesterday when she cleaned the fish. But this ti it wasn’t for fish scales. This was for monster scales. She activated her death magic. The air around her turned pitch black; dark mist flowed from her body like invisible wings.
The Demon Wyrm turned toward her, yellow eyes filled with rage. It spewed poisonous breath at Sylvia. But Sylvia only smiled thinly. With a swift yet controlled movent like pulling in the fishing line she leaped sideways, dodging the poison. Then she slashed once. Death magic flowed through the blade, causing the wound on the red scales to rot and spread instantly like black fire.
The monster roared in agony. Noir leaped onto its back, fangs sinking deep. Alicia and Sofia attacked from the sides, sword and holy light hamring its torn wings. Stacia laughed as she hurled space explosions that compressed the area around the monster, restricting its movents.
The battle was fierce but short. Sylvia moved through the chaos with cold calm. Every slash was precise, every step calculated. Green monster blood sprayed everywhere, mixing with the damp earth and the now thicker scent of black roses. She felt an adrenaline surge through her immortal body, the feeling of being alive that she had lost long ago. This wasn’t like the small bonfire yesterday that only soothed. This was a great fire. This was the fight she had longed for.
Finally, with one last strike infused with full death magic, Sylvia stabbed straight between the scales at the Demon Wyrm’s neck. The level-six monster thrashed for a mont, then collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. Its body began rotting rapidly, turning into black ash that mixed with the mist.
Sylvia stood atop the monster’s corpse, breathing slow and steady. Her black cloak was now stained with green blood, but her pale face looked satisfied. Her red eyes gazed at the still-gaping rift, whose tremors had begun to weaken. "Enough for today," she said quietly. "Stacia, close the rift a little. Let level-five monsters still co out... but not too many."
Stacia nodded with a wide grin. "As you wish, my battle-hungry Queen. I’ll close it partway. So there’s still entertainnt tomorrow."
Sofia approached and gently touched Sylvia’s shoulder. Her ten golden wings enveloped them against the cold wind. "Are you okay? That... was fun for you, wasn’t it?"
Sylvia nodded slowly. "Yes. I feel alive again. Like when I caught that silver fish. But this ti... far more satisfying."
Alicia cleaned her sword with a faint smile. "The troops below will be relieved. I’ll report that the Queen has taken action herself."
Noir sniffed the monster’s corpse contentedly, then curled back at Sylvia’s feet, tail wagging.
They stood for a mont on the plateau as the mountain wind brushed their faces. The black mist around the rift began to thin slightly. The purple-black sky of Nocture remained, but the weak morning light now felt warr in Sylvia’s eyes. She looked down at the valley, the villages still holding on, the clear river flowing gently in the distance, and the black castle rising through the mist.
"Let’s head back," she said softly to the others. "Tonight... maybe we’ll make another bonfire by the river. This ti with level-six monster at as the main dish."
Stacia laughed loudly. "Great idea! I’ll bring a new novel to read aloud while we grill."
Sofia smiled widely, cheeks faintly flushed. "I like that idea. Like yesterday... but better."
Alicia simply nodded. "I’ll secure the defenses first. You all enjoy yourselves."
They began descending the mountain together, their steps lighter now. Sylvia walked in front again, her black cloak fluttering. Inside her chest, the boredom still lingered, but it was now covered by a much greater fire. The rift remained slightly open; level-five monsters would still erge tomorrow or the day after. But for today... this was enough.
She glanced at the sky for a mont, rembering the silver fish that had leaped in the clear river yesterday. "Thank you for coming," she murmured softly, just as she had thanked the others by the riverbank. But this ti she was thanking herself for the decision to open the rift, for the boredom that had finally pushed her to move.
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