Rampage (3)
As soon as Louis saw Pram, his deanor changed completely.
Normally calm as long as he wasn't attacked first, Louis suddenly beca rough upon seeing Pram.
"...!!"
Without a word, Louis approached Pram.
It was the mont when Louis's full-powered fist was about to strike Pram's face.
Kwaaaang!!
The shockwave erupting from his fist created a trendous aftershock.
Everyone was left aghast by the unimaginable destructive power that cleaved the earth.
But Pram was unhard.
It was thanks to Rio and Silia, who barely managed to intervene and deflect Louis's fist.
"Th-that was close...!"
Rio, who had pulled Pram aside, wiped cold sweat from her ear, brushed by the shockwave.
If it had been even a centiter closer, she would have been injured.
"Ugh...! All I could do was redirect it."
Silia, who had tried to block that punch from the front but barely managed to turn its direction, was also horrified.
Even though she had barely blocked it, Silia's arm was trembling like that of an exhausted person.
'I always knew from before, but still...'
She could already estimate the extent of Louis's strength.
The first ti she saw that monstrous power was four years ago during the Stampede.
Back then, the sight of Louis tearing apart a higher-rank monster called the Gigant Vulture was literally monstrous.
A higher-rank monster that even the legion's greatest force could not guarantee victory over.
The sight of such a monster being torn apart in Louis's hands was shocking even in hindsight.
Thanks to this, Silia could fully grasp what kind of power the Chaos Dragon possessed.
It was even wondrous that this monster's strength had been on their side until now.
Which ant she could fully understand the current situation.
"Among us, those who can stop that monster..."
None.
It could be summarized with that one word.
The only one who could contend would be the Andrew family head at his pri.
But now, the family head had aged and lost all his strength.
The Hero nad Bellain, who had taken that strength, recklessly rushed in and lost an arm in the process.
'He's just a guy who doesn't even know how to properly use that strength compared to the family head.'
No matter how she thought of it, there was no answer.
How could they possibly stop Louis?
'But why is that guy Louis targeting Pram?'
As Silia was going through various plans, one doubt popped into her mind.
Just a mont ago, that guy who showed no interest in anyone suddenly targeted Pram.
Why was that?
It was then, as Silia was racking her brain—
[Child. With our current power, we can't beat him.]
[Normally in this sort of situation, running away is the best course.]
Frederick and Mirianne offered her advice for survival again, but who didn't already know that?
It was sothing anyone could deduce.
"So?"
But Silia sensed it.
That they weren't just telling her to run away.
"Is there a way to survive?"
[You've probably noticed, haven't you? You see that girl?]
[That girl called the 'Saint of Prophecy'.]
Sure enough, the target both of them pointed to was Pram.
It seed they were having similar thoughts as Silia.
[Do you feel the golden energy emanating from that girl?]
"Yes. I can feel it distinctly."
[That's it! That's why the guy is after her!]
"What do you an by that?"
Just then, Louis started looking their way again.
Once he'd fixed on his prey, he had no intention of letting it escape and began walking toward them.
[Ti is short, so I'll be brief.]
Louis instantly closed the distance.
[That girl is the key to resolving this situation!]
Pram, pointed out as the key, was once again targeted by Louis.
Silia quickly swung her sword at the rapidly approaching Louis.
The twin swords 'Bloodline' slashed with movents as precise as flowing water.
Thanks to the power emanating from both weapons, Silia's swordsmanship had grown stronger than ever.
The lingering thoughts of Frederick and Mirianne inside the swords also helped read the opponent's movents.
Besides, Louis's current moves had no subtlety whatsoever.
This allowed Silia to block Louis's punches without injury.
And every shock that Louis had generated so far was absorbed into Bloodline.
"I'll return it!"
She released all the energy absorbed.
All of the attacks that Louis had delivered so far rebounded right back at him.
"Did it work?"
When Louis was hit squarely by the energy released from Bloodline, Rio exclaid in admiration.
Bloodline, capable of returning an opponent's attack as-is.
With Silia wielding it, even a higher-rank monster could be her match.
"...!"
But Louis, even after taking the hit, tried to stand up again.
Not only did he have monstrous strength, but his endurance was off the charts.
[As expected, there is no answer in a frontal fight!]
"Then what do we do?"
To this, the two ancestors replied.
[We have to wake that girl.]
"Pram?"
[But you can't just wake her up. We must amplify the golden energy flowing in her. If we do that, she might return to normal.]
"What is that power anyway?"
What could it be, that the only option was this?
What was it that the two didn't know, Silia wondered. But as usual, there was no ti.
[We'll explain later.]
In the end, Silia thrust Bloodline into the ground on either side of Pram.
With the swords in place, the two lingering spirits poured their power into waking Pram.
"But if I don't have the Bloodline with your spirits, there's no way to stop him. Then who will protect Pram...?"
"Did you forget that we're here?"
Kelian and Rio stood next to her.
To Kelian, Silia asked,
"Will you be alright? That monster wasn't even affected by that spell."
"To be honest, I'm creeped out too. But I always imagined this might happen—where that monster finally slips out of our control."
Now, the torture spell that could control Louis was gone.
She didn't know why, but it was clear this was the worst-case scenario they'd only ever imagined.
"We were 7th Legion officers... not predicting sothing like this would happen would've been odd, right?"
"When you put it that way, you're right."
There wasn't anyone who didn't feel self-loathing at torturing others.
They were the sa.
That's why the 7th Legion's officers were chosen mainly from the crazy ones.
"I guess we were the less-crazy ones."
"By the way, do you know sothing?"
Silia comnted while watching Rio charge headlong toward Louis.
"The truly crazy one is that friend right there."
As Rio approached, Louis lashed out with clawed nails.
But those simple movents were utterly clear to Pram's eyes.
"Young master! Please co to your senses!"
Approaching lightly, Rio imdiately threw herself onto Louis's body.
Hugging Louis's neck, she held on tight.
"Young master!!"
Doing her best to restrain Louis's movents, Rio shouted at the top of her lungs.
She prayed for him to return, but Louis coldly ignored her and continued his rampage.
"...!!"
Suddenly, heat rose from Louis's body.
Pram was startled by how quickly Louis's temperature was rising.
"Ugh!!"
Soon, Louis beca as hot as a living fireball.
Unfortunately, Rio—clinging to him—sustained burns, but she refused to let go.
Now that she thought about it, the Chaos Dragon was said to command flas as well.
Emitting heat from his body wasn't all that strange.
"Yo-young master...!"
Even while enduring the searing heat, Rio continued to call out for Louis.
Her entire body was burning as if grilled on a hot plate, yet she would not let go.
"Please...wake up...!"
Seeing Pram wouldn't fall to the intense heat, Louis began manifesting other attributes:
Electric currents, poison, cold, wind.
All sorts of elents erupted from Louis's body and assaulted Rio.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
Rio scread at the myriad pains.
Her body felt like it would tear apart at any mont, yet she did not let go.
"Young master...."
No one had watched Louis grow up more closely than Rio.
If it was for the young master who'd protected her all her life, she could give up her own life without regret.
No, she didn't want to hand over her young master to anyone else.
No matter what he beca, she wanted to remain by his side for life.
Thanks to that, even while enduring excruciating pain, Rio was able to keep holding onto Louis.
The look in her eyes was tinged with madness.
"Great! Keep holding him!"
Seeing the madness in the girl's eyes, Kelian praised her.
While Rio restrained Louis, Kelian and Silia combined their strength.
"That's enough! Rio, get away!"
When Silia gave the signal, Rio let go of Louis.
She wanted to stay, but she forced herself.
A slash containing the full power of the two officers was now flying in.
Kwaaaang!
Silia gripped an ordinary sword, not Bloodline.
Kelian coordinated with Silia and aid directly for Louis's chest.
The slashes from both their swords ripped through the ground and surged at Louis.
It was an attack that only soone who had reached the level of a 'Late-stage Expert' could use.
"...."
But Louis endured the blow.
Raising both arms in a guard, his entire body was covered in furred scales.
They were the Chaos Dragon's scales, said to be unbreakable.
"Damn. I maxed out my strength for the first ti in ages."
Seeing Louis unscathed, Kelian forced a bitter smile.
"Watch out!"
Then Louis, his body emitting heat, thrust a punch.
Struck by the shockwave filled with heat, Kelian was thrown straight into a building.
"Kugh...!"
Barely surviving, Kelian coughed up blood.
Even this much had only happened because he had reflexively blocked with his sword.
Of course, the sword broke from exceeding its durability.
At the sa ti, Kelian lost consciousness.
"Captain!"
He wasn't the only one.
Lightning crashed down on Silia, who had been worrying over him.
Kururung!
Struck by lightning conjured by Louis, Silia dropped to her knees, completely paralyzed.
"Louis... you... really...."
With that single blow, Silia too closed her eyes.
Having knocked everyone down, Louis turned his attention back to Pram.
It was the very mont he aid at Pram again.
"Young master...."
Rio, having regained consciousness, grabbed Louis's ankle.
Strangely, unlike the others, her burns and other injuries were all regenerating.
"Did you forget? I have good vitality."
"...."
Kwajik!
Louis rcilessly stomped on Pram's shoulder.
A grueso crack rang out as the bone broke, and the girl's scream echoed.
Just as Louis turned to ignore Rio again—
"Young master...."
Rio grabbed Louis's ankle again.
Her previously crushed shoulder was already regenerating.
"I won't let go."
This ti, Louis grabbed Rio and lifted her.
He slamd her repeatedly into the ground and hamred her with punches.
"Young master...."
Yet Rio got up, grabbing onto Louis again.
Unlike Kelian and Silia who were knocked out with a single blow, Rio possessed a special strength that allowed her to rise again.
"Suddenly I rembered what you told , young master... about bloodsword users...."
Rio often heard from Louis about her abilities.
Bloodsword users, he said, grow stronger in extre situations.
'In the ga, it's just shown as level-ups,' he once said—sothing strange she quickly understood from Louis.
"In dramatic monts, I get stronger."
The 7th Legion was a perfect environnt for that.
Through deadly combat, Rio had matured far beyond her years.
The reason she could rise again even after all this was owed to that.
"So..."
In the end, a bloodsword user becos stronger the more blood they see.
"I'll keep rising."
Even if it was her own blood.
"For you, young master...."
Pram, now covered in blood, smiled at Louis.
Watching from a distance, Andrew felt chills down his spine.
"That child is not ordinary."
[That's the kind of expression you'd see in a nightmare.]
[Should we be glad that we're already unable to sleep?]
Frederick and Mirianne, conducting the ritual next to Pram, shared the sa reaction.
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