Nibu Longra

Riyao looked down at the shaggy-haired delinquents sprawled in a heap on the ground. Deep disgust churned in his emerald-green eyes, and his tone was teasing.

"Who gave you the courage? Liang Jingru?"

Aris's voice trembled badly as he stammered out an aggrieved defense.

"Someone... someone secretly told us you had loads of treasure hidden on you, and rare magic books too... They also said you were just a healing mage, with practically no real combat ability..."

Groans and wails rose all around in a chaotic chorus.

"It hurts... but somehow it feels kind of good..."

"Damn it... that intel really screwed us over..."

"I think I can see my great-grandma coming to get me... 〒_〒"

Someone else, delirious, chuckled foolishly to himself as he muttered.

"Hehe... hehe... (ﾉ∇︎〃 )"

Dark lines instantly slid down Riyao's forehead, and his mouth twitched violently. This bunch of weirdos had truly left him speechless.

(ー_ー)!!

He had just raised a hand and summoned his magic, intending to conjure vines to bind them all tightly, when something unexpected happened. The bodies of the delinquents on the ground suddenly jerked out of control. Their flesh swelled rapidly, and their bodies ballooned.

"Ah, help me!"

"Aaah, it hurts!"

Riyao's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively stepped back to dodge. But when he looked closely, the swelling delinquents had already hemmed him in on every side.

Crap, he cursed inwardly. There was no room to break free and escape.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

Deafening explosions erupted one after another, and raging flames and violent shockwaves instantly swallowed Riyao whole.

Smoke and dust billowed into the sky. The shockwaves tore the surrounding vegetation apart, sending it flying everywhere and leaving the area in ruins.

The smoke-means-no-damage rule activates! Activation failed!

This was the first time in Riyao's life that he had truly been injured.

The Hundred Battles Spell Formula continued to run inside him, but its restorative power, which could normally heal injuries in an instant, was now tightly shackled by some mysterious force. His wounds were healing so slowly that they had nearly stopped.

Black-purple poison gas spread in every direction with the aftermath of the explosions, permeating the entire woodland. Every plant it touched withered and decayed in an instant.

Riyao lay facedown on the scorched earth, blood seeping endlessly from wounds all over his body. His clothes were soaked red, and he was a miserable, battered sight.

Damn it, these shaggy-haired punks actually exploded. Do they think they're artists? I was wondering how they dared come after me when they were so weak. Looks like there's still a final boss who hasn't shown up.

The figure lurking in the shadows slowly stepped out and looked down at the battered Riyao, his voice utterly devoid of warmth.

"Didn't see that coming, did you, Riyao? This is a special gift I prepared just for you. This poison gas was designed specifically to counter the life energy you rely on."

With that, he raised his foot and kicked Riyao hard.

Riyao slammed straight into a decaying tree trunk, and the magic book tucked against his chest slipped out.

The figure bent down and picked up the tome, a sinister smile appearing in his eyes. "I didn't expect an extra prize. Enchantment Magic."

Riyao clutched his waist and abdomen, where the kick had left him in piercing pain. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and forced himself to speak teasingly.

"Who are you? Kicking me in the kidneys right off the bat—are you jealous of how strong and healthy I am?"

The man carefully put the magic book away. His gaze was cold as frost, as though he were examining a lifeless corpse.

"Who am I? You beat my own brother into an idiot, and you dare ask who I am?"

Riyao raised an eyebrow. "And which one is your idiot brother?"

"You're the idiot! My brother is Nildo Longra!"

Recognition dawned on Riyao, and he curled his lip. "Oh, that mongrel bird."

Nibu flew into a rage, and an earthy yellow magic circle abruptly appeared in his palm.

The next instant, the ground beneath Riyao erupted. A massive, heavy, earthy yellow hand shot out and smacked her flying to Nibu's feet.

He raised his foot and stomped down hard on Riyao's head, then bent over him and spoke word by word, full of malice.

"Riyao, remember this well: the one who takes your life today is Nibu Longra!"

Despite the pressure on his head, Riyao grinned mockingly.

"You brothers have such classy names."

Before he finished speaking, a lustrous emerald-green magic circle quietly formed in his palm.

Life Link: Modified

Several translucent, emerald-green chains shot through the air and plunged straight into Nibu's body, vanishing from sight in an instant.

The next moment, Nibu crashed to his knees and let out a heart-rending wail. Excruciating pain tore through his entire body, and he could not move at all, even to reach for the places that hurt.

Bracing himself against the scorched ground, Riyao struggled to raise his head. Blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth, but sly mockery glinted in his eyes, and his tone was casual.

"Tch, that's it? You're not much better than your deaf mongrel of a big brother."

Veins bulged all over Nibu's body. His scarlet eyes locked onto Riyao, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints with sheer fury. A beastlike growl rolled out of his throat, hoarse and savage.

"Damn you! Damn insect! I'll tear you apart!"

Before he finished speaking, Nibu's body began to transform wildly. His muscles knotted and swelled at a visible rate, instantly bursting his black robe into pieces and sending scraps of cloth flying.

His arms abruptly thickened several times over and became covered in dense black-brown fur. His knuckles protruded, his nails grew sharp and hard, and veins bulged on his forehead. A wild, primal aura radiated from his body.

Then a roar that no human could possibly have made burst out with an "Aooo!", shaking the scorched earth.

Half-dead branches hanging from the trees and scraps of colorful hair left behind by the exploded delinquents came raining down. Not a single intact tree could be found in the entire wood.

Oh, wait. Counting the charred stumps everywhere and the pits still smoking in the ground, this place... probably still qualified as a forest, right?

Riyao, who was bracing himself against the ground and hissing through his teeth as he tried to get up, had sharp eyes. He spotted Nibu's huge claws at a glance, covered in coarse black-brown fur, with nails sharp enough to gouge stone.

A cheeky exclamation slipped out of his mouth. "Oh-ho, black hands."

Nibu's scarlet eyes were fixed on him, like a hyena that had gone hungry for three whole days staring at a freshly fragrant roasted leg of lamb.

All that remained in his mind was the instinct to tear Riyao apart and eat him alive. Drool dripped from his protruding, transformed jaw, splattering onto the ground and forming a small wet patch within seconds.

By now, he had clearly lost his mind entirely. The pain from Life Link, which had previously sent him rolling on the ground, might as well not have existed.

Even though his swelling muscles stretched his skin until it bled, his movements did not slow in the slightest. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. Never mind that little bit of pain—even if the sky fell, it might not have stopped him from lunging forward.

Nibu raised both hands and smashed them down at Riyao.

Meanwhile, back in the royal capital, the explosions near the royal city had long since been noticed, and Arcadios urgently mobilized the troops to assemble.