«If I were that zebra, my beloved Jacey, instead of choosing whether to side with the hunter or the tiger, I’d make the safest and most logical choice — stand with both.»
«Stand with both...? aning what? I made you co, so stop dodging the point.»
«Ugh... I didn’t think I’d have such a naïve son... do I really have to spell it out? If the zebra led the hunter to the den, but at the sa ti warned the tiger the hunter was coming, what do you think would happen?»
«Of course... if the hunter killed the tiger, the zebra would co out clean for honoring the deal. If the tiger won instead, it’d be grateful for the warning... You’re a genius, Mom!»
Veronica saved my life twice. The first ti, when she adopted ; the second, when she pulled out of this seemingly unsolvable ss.
The only real sticking point was my kill order. Even if Kimberly died, the bounty on my head would remain, and other Monster Slayers would co in her place. And yet, it was Kimberly herself who suggested a way out even for that. She told about the immunity John Hardley enjoys — about the strings he pulls at the very top of HESPARC’s U.S. division.
«John, tonight soone very powerful is going to try to take your life. If you want to know more, have your contacts inside HESPARC cancel the kill order against .»
I wasn’t that blunt, of course, but that was the gist. And John agreed without much pushback.
His almost obsessive attachnt to had always irritated — his insistence, again and again, on bringing among his lackeys. And yet, who would’ve thought it would co in handy one day?
The one regret that will gnaw at forever is the price I paid for all this: Kimberly’s life.
At a gesture from John, Hank and the ring of orcs and dark elves surrounding Kimberly launch their attack. The orcs charge with their heavy clubs, while the dark elves — what kind of insanely cool magic is that? — make thick roots and vines burst from the ground beneath their feet, lashing at Kimberly like a nest of serpents.
And yet, she doesn’t move. At least, not until both the orcs and the writhing vegetation are a breath away from her. But the instant they’re about to strike... WHOOOM!
A devastating wave of light explodes from her body. Not the usual white light I’ve always seen her unleash, though — it carries clear red hues, and the sword in her hand shares the sa coloration. Her Sacred Light is clearly fused with her fresh vampiric power.
Kimberly’s strength was never a mystery... but what she’s releasing now is on a completely different level from what she used against — and that had already left shaken.
The blast is violent enough to hurl the orcs backward and pulverize the roots. Even Hank seems to feel it, but it’s not enough to quell the fury of that mountain of green muscle.
Hank closes in and tries to impale her with the black spike jutting from his elbow, but Kimberly intercepts the blow with her blade of light and — SBAM! — snaps a rising kick under the ogre’s chin, so powerful it sends him flying in a parabolic arc, crashing heavily to the ground.
Her strength and speed are utterly absurd.
Groups of three or four orcs attack her at once, backed by the dark elves’ magic. Heavy clubs rain down from all directions, and yet... SLASH!
Severed roots, severed orc arms. They hit the ground before the blows can even reach her.
Then she darts toward a cluster of dark elves and swings a wide horizontal slash, cutting down five at once, cleaving them clean through the torso.
And with every orc or elf that drops dead, my terror grows — knowing that once she’s done with them, I’m next. Damn it... who could’ve imagined Kimberly was this strong?!
«I can see you’re tense, Jace. You’ve got nothing to worry about,» Alex reassures from behind, placing a hand on my shoulder. That simple gesture quickly turns into a warm embrace from behind.
Her enormous chest presses against my back; her hands caress my chest gently.
She isn’t really a woman — I know that — but her warm, sensual voice, her long blond hair, her huge, soft breasts, the tenderness of her touch, and above all the absence of any troubleso bulge pressing against my backside... damn it.
Across the battlefield, John gives a nod. It’s crazy how worried I am while he looks like the calst person in the world.
After greeting , John and the hooded woman beside him begin walking toward at an unhurried pace, as if on a leisurely stroll. A leisurely stroll while hell breaks loose all around them.
Kimberly doesn’t miss the opening. She abandons her current fights and shoots forward like a red-and-white cot toward her true target.
She raises her sword, ready to strike him down, when — Alex’s embrace breaks. I feel her streak past like a race car at full speed.
And then... CLANG!
In the blink of an eye, Alex steps into Kimberly’s path, blocking the Monster Slayer’s blade with her own.
I freeze at the sight of Alex.
From her back unfurl a pair of large, pitch-black feathered wings. But that’s not all — her body radiates a paradoxical black light, and the sword she wields is forged from the sa darkness. She looks like a literal dark counterpart to a Monster Slayer... so this is the true form of a dark emissary? It’s incredible.
Despite Alex’s extraordinary power, she and Kimberly seem perfectly matched. Neither gains the upper hand — until... SBAM!
A horrific scream tears out of Kimberly, followed by a spray of blood, as a full-force punch from Hank slams into her back.
Alex dodges just in ti, and Kimberly is hurled to the ground. She slams face-first barely two ters from and John, now standing beside , silently contemplating the battle with an eager little smile — as if waiting for sothing.
Yet despite a blow that should have shattered her spine, Kimberly springs back to her feet, ready to lunge at John — when the hooded woman finally acts.
She extends her arm toward the Monster Slayer and... «Darkness Invocation: Black Chains!»
Before Kimberly can reach us, four thick chains, blacker than night, burst from the ground and clamp onto each of her limbs, yanking her down and pinning her to the earth.
And yet, what truly shakes isn’t that unknown, overpowering spell that immobilized Kimberly in an instant — but the woman’s voice.
A voice I know all too well. One I’d recognize among a thousand.
Veronica’s voice.
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