If you counted the entire barbarian tribe, how many Body Integration Rank warriors, Source Gathering Rank warriors, and Lower Rank warriors did they have?
After killing a barbarian, Aurelian couldn't help but wonder.
As the lord of Winter City, he had to consider such things.
Suddenly, the stones on the ground began to tremble. Aurelian quickly looked up, only to see the enormous monster he'd left behind slowly advancing toward him.
Its size had nearly doubled. Its huge body looked like a small hill of flesh, constantly dripping black fluid. Wherever it fell, the flowers and grass withered and turned to ash.
"Something's wrong. Is it coming this way?"
Aurelian's expression turned grave. This enormous, deformed monster had to be connected to the black silhouette he'd seen in the darkness.
Perhaps it really was the god from the rumors!
"Looks like it's after me after all. Damn it."
He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Innocent Starlight. He was certainly no match for this monster.
Judging by the level of magic it radiated, the deformed monster had reached at least Middle Rank.
It had probably already touched the edge of Upper Rank magic.
Ice and Snow Barrier!
An idea suddenly flashed through his mind. Since he couldn't defeat the monster, he could only lure it away.
Whew!
Aurelian whistled through his fingers. George emerged from the shadows; he'd been staying close to Aurelian all along.
Aurelian swung onto George's back and looked over his shoulder at the deformed monster, which resembled a hill of flesh.
He kicked off the stirrup, and they sped away.
He was heading for the magic barrier deep in Spruce Forest.
George, who had the bloodline of a Fire Dragon Beast, was completely unaffected by the strange cold here. He sped away like lightning.
Watching its prey quickly escape, the deformed monster let out a muffled grunt from its thick neck.
The tumors on its body began to writhe, as if something inside them were about to grow out.
Crack, crack—
Fleshy tendrils kept growing until they became a pair of enormous wings, dozens of meters long.
The wings stirred up a fierce gale, then beat repeatedly, unleashing a tremendous wind pressure that crushed every tree nearby. The massive hill of flesh rose into the sky.
Such a tremendous disturbance naturally caught the attention of those nearby.
"My lord."
Master watched Aurelian speed away and murmured, then returned to the slaughter.
He trusted that Aurelian, the extraordinary duke, could handle it.
"Thor."
Jeanne spoke from the shadows. Blood still ran down her cross-shaped sword, and a decapitated corpse lay on the ground.
The severed head wore a black mask. It belonged to the person suspected of being from the Star Kingdom.
She turned to look at Dark, who was still frantically darting through the woods as he fled. Her sky-blue eyes were filled with murderous intent, and she quickly pursued him.
Riding at full speed on George, Aurelian glanced up at the sky behind him.
The enormous shadow completely blotted out the sky, even hiding the sun. Everything around him had fallen into darkness.
"Faster! Go faster!" Aurelian roared.
Low, guttural roars rang out from above, drawing closer and closer.
Though he was frantic with worry, all he could do now was put his hopes in George.
Hurry, dear George!
The wind pressure overhead intensified, and a tremendous force bore down on them.
Aurelian glanced up. A massive hand was reaching down, drawing closer and closer.
It was over.
Those words flashed through his mind. Despair filled Aurelian's expression. It wasn't that he hadn't fought desperately; he'd truly given it everything he had, but he still couldn't escape this fate.
The deformed monster's enormous hand came closer and closer. Aurelian's eyes widened with rage.
But just then, the egg hanging against his chest, which had been quiet until now, began to tremble. A steady stream of energy surged into Aurelian.
This was magic!
Aurelian realized it at once, but didn't dwell on it. Now that he had magic, he had to fight back instead of waiting to die.
He poured the newly surging magic into Innocent Starlight. The runes on the sword began to glow.
The giant hand was already upon him. Aurelian roared and swung his sword at it!
Black blood sprayed out, splattering toward Aurelian below.
Its blood could reduce plants to ash. Just imagining how terrifying it was was enough!
But there was a way to defend against it. He infused the sword with magic, and Innocent Starlight trembled, raising a blue film that enveloped Aurelian and George.
A magic barrier.
Using the high-quality magic weapon Innocent Starlight as a medium, it materialized magic to counter both magical and physical attacks.
As the saying went, a Lower Rank knight with a magic weapon was on an entirely different level from a Lower Rank knight without one.
Its hand had taken a heavy blow. The deformed monster in the sky let out a low growl and drew it back.
"Your power was built up with magic, but you haven't mastered the strength of Middle Rank magic. You're nowhere near the real thing."
Aurelian taunted it, then continued racing forward.
The entrance to the magic barrier was already right ahead!
The egg hanging against his chest was still trembling. Aurelian finally understood: it was supplying him with magic. It must have sensed the danger and lent him a hand.
As light and shadow blurred around him, Aurelian rode George at full speed. The monster beat its fleshy wings in the air, pursuing them relentlessly.
At last, Aurelian saw the gray mist ahead, swirling like chaos.
He steeled himself and charged in.
The monster's prey had suddenly vanished. It flew into a rage!
With a thunderous boom, the whole forest trembled as it returned to the ground.
It probed the chaos ahead with several tentacles and found that they could pass through. It let out a low growl, then slowly forced its way inside.
The Ice and Snow Barrier's space rippled.
Aurelian rode George out of it, with several enormous, python-like red tentacles close behind.
Aurelian paid the tentacles no heed and kept charging forward.
Before you continue