Gordo chuckled at the prince’s sarcasm. “You flatter me, Your Highness. As amusing as you are, however, you’re all going to die here. So, allow me to tell you something as a parting gift on your journey to the underworld.” The man’s tone remained dispassionate. “A thousand years have passed since the battle between mankind and the Demon King’s army began… Though there’s a lull now, it’s not over yet. His Lordship’s army is steadily gathering strength in preparation for the coming battle. We’ll whittle down as much of the humans’ power as we can until then. Your lot has defeated many monsters in the Eldora region, yes? We’re simply returning the favor, doing to you humans what you’ve done to the Demon King’s army.”
“Interesting.” Lyle nodded in understanding. “Then I guess that means you think highly of us to unleash an A-rank monster despite us being students.”
“A Flame Cerberus should have been enough, but things didn’t turn out as I expected.” Gordo looked at Yuffie standing next to Lyle.
“Ahhh, I get it now.” Lyle smiled ruefully when he realized something important. “It wasn’t us, but Yuffie you were threatened by.”
She took a step forward then.
“Yuffie?”
Ignoring Lyle, she spoke directly to Gordo. “Were you the one who hurt them?” Her voice carried an uncharacteristic icy chill.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Gordo laughed, goading her.
“You’re right. A stupid question on my part.” Yuffie glanced at Jack, who Erina was treating, then Edward, who was still unconscious. Her eyes were cold, and her angry words shook the air. “You’re the only one I’ll never forgive.”
Lyle stared in shock at her. He didn’t know this girl with the terrifying look in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Gordo continued, the sneer never leaving his face. “You are an anomaly. I will admit that. I’d very much like to imprison you somewhere and find out everything your person can tell me, but eliminating the threat that is you comes first. Even if you defeated a Flame Cerberus, you won’t fare so well against a King Cyclops!” he taunted with a raised hand. Pointing at Yuffie and her friends, Gordo commanded, “Kill them all!!”
“Grrraaaaaaaaarrr!”
The monster’s body shook violently as it charged toward them. Considering its enormous size, it moved surprisingly fast. It was so powerful that they knew they wouldn’t be able to escape if caught in its rampage.
“Guys, just leave us and go! Get outta here!” Jack shouted. “Yuffie, even you can’t fight off an A-rank!”
“We’ll be all right,” Lyle replied calmly. “I think.”
“Vortex Lightning Blast.”
The moment Yuffie murmured the words, a whirl of lightning suddenly erupted from her palm. The violently swirling lightning emitted an unbelievably bright bolt. Resembling a giant spider web or maybe a hurricane, the lightning bolt shot out of Yuffie’s hand with speed too fast for the naked eye.
“Ngh…?”
The voice didn’t belong to a creature that should have dominated this space. A pale blue flash had engulfed the King Cyclops. It was so bright that it was impossible to keep eyes open, as if God was raining down wrath from the heavens.
“Whoa…?!”
“Eeek!”
ZAAAAAAP!
The lightning strike penetrated the giant’s body, the sound tearing through the air, and destroyed all its tissues. When Lyle opened his eyes, the King Cyclops’s torso had been blown into pieces.
Gordo’s eyes, mouth, and even nose were wide open, and his face was filled with shock.
Yuffie quipped then, looking bored. “Oh, I didn’t think it would be so soft.”
But the next moment, the monster’s upper half began to bubble. New muscles grew at a frightening speed, blood vessels and skin expanded, and eyes reformed like a geyser exploding, a symbol of vitality.
“It can regenerate?!” Erina exclaimed in shock, astonished by the terrifying regenerative abilities of this A-rank monster, something she had never seen before.
“Heh heh heh… A King Cyclops’s true terror is the fact that it can regenerate! While your attack just now was certainly an unpleasant surprise, you’ve now learned that an A-rank monster isn’t for show! Go on, try again. I dare you.”
“Hellfire Blast.”
Yuffie cast a new spell, telling Gordo she didn’t care about anything that came out of his mouth. A huge flame spurted out from her small hand and wrapped around the creature’s massive body in a heatwave that could melt even iron.
“Grrrrraaaaaaaaarrrrrr?!”
The King Cyclops writhed on the ground, letting out a death cry.
“That’s impossible! How can you maintain your composure while firing such high-output attack spells in succession?!” Gordo yelled in surprise.
Each spell Yuffie used required an immense amount of mana. Normally, her magic would be depleted by now, and she would have collapsed from the backlash, but she hadn’t even broken a sweat. The knowledge made Gordo quiver in terror.
However, I cannot withdraw here…! He had to get results this time, or he would lose his life.
“Die! Water Vein Shock,” Gordo shouted.
An enormous globe of water shot out from his hand and engulfed the King Cyclops. The flames died down with a whoosh. As steam billowed, its burns healed. The charred skin regenerated, and fresh flesh filled the torn parts, leaving its body whole once again.
“Your attacks are useless! You’ve underestimated the King Cyclops’s regen—”
“Whirlwind Slash,” Yuffie chanted.
FWISH, FWISH, FWISH!
In an instant, the wind turned into giant blades and blew away the monster’s head and limbs. Blue blood spurted out from each opening like fountains.
“I’ll just keep destroying it until its regenerative ability can’t keep up,” she said matter-of-factly. Her voice was flat and cold enough to freeze you if you touched her.
Is that really…Yuffie…? Erina shivered in shock. Her friend with the fluffy, absent-minded aura was nowhere to be found.
“Yuffie! It’s probably getting a direct supply of mana from Gordo!” Lyle’s voice cut in. “We won’t be able to stop the King Cyclops unless we defeat that man!”
Gordo stiffened in surprise at his words. “So, you realized, eh? But it’s far too late!” And with that, he took something out of his pocket. It looked like a small stone and emitted a special glow.
“Oh, no! An ultra-pure magic stone!” Erina cried out.
To magicians, it was a valuable item that could supply a large amount of mana.
“Correct! As long as I have this, my magical power will never run out. Well, at least until the morning!” Gordo cackled arrogantly. “Even you can’t withstand this! Mwa ha ha ha ha!”
WHIZZZ!
A short, sharp flash of light burst from Yuffie’s hand. With a crackle, it shattered the magic stone in Gordo’s hand. A split second later, something stabbed into the tree behind him—the rusty knife they had retrieved earlier.
“…What?” Gordo sounded panicked now. Blood trickled down his cheek, and pieces of the shattered magic stone spilled from his hand.
“Rock Hammer.”
Ignoring the stunned villain, Yuffie unleashed the finishing blow. The earth trembled, and a humongous boulder appeared above her head. It resembled a hammer as it hovered in the sky. Like she was delivering divine judgment, she swung it down on the King Cyclops.
“Guh…”
The only sound the monster could make was a graphic, strangled grunt as her rock hammer landed, causing the surrounding trees to shake from the wind pressure and shockwave. The symbol of despair itself that struck fear into anyone unfortunate enough to encounter it had been smashed into the ground, like a silly dream.
Yuffie waved her hand, and the rock hammer disappeared into particles of light. Only silence remained now. The pools of dark blue blood splashed on the ground were the only proof that the King Cyclops had existed until just a moment ago.
No one said a word in the aftermath because they couldn’t think of anything to say at the scene that had just unfolded.
“Ungh…” Yuffie groaned as she staggered and nearly fell backward.
“Yuffie!” Lyle caught her quickly and held her in his arms.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Yuffie, are you all right? Hang in there.”
“Lord…Lyle…? What did I…do…?”
Her voice came out small and dazed—she reacted as if she’d been unconscious until now.
“Yuffie, you’re all right, it’s all over now…” Erina called out gently to her.
She blinked several times, puzzled. “I’m glad that everyone is safe… Heh heh…”
Not even a trace of her earlier coldness remained in her weak chuckle.
Meanwhile, Gordo was trying to sneak away. His prized possession, the King Cyclops, had been defeated; fighting was no longer an option.
“Hey, asshole! Don’t you dare run away!” Jack noticed and tried to chase after him. Unfortunately for him…
“Damn it all to hell! Phantom Fog!” In an instant, the villain’s figure flickered and vanished like a mirage. It was probably a concealment spell applied by combining offensive magics. Though the King Cyclops had overshadowed him, Gordo himself seemed to be a high-level magician.
“Shit, he’s fast!” Jack cursed in frustration.
Only traces of the battle with King Cyclops and the student council members remained.
💠🌸💠