In the Land of Leadale Vol. 5 Read online

  Two had appeared and hopped furiously after her, but Cayna knew exactly how to deal with them and kept her cool. Aiming for a weak spot that opened up as soon as the monsters jumped, she sliced off both their heads.

  “Hmph. You think you’re any match for me?”

  She directed this question at the single humanoid monster standing before her with its army. The high-level goblin was known as the Night Sorcerer. It wore ornate robes and carried a twisted staff. The goblin was around level 400 and commonly found in the Underworld. From what Cayna remembered, it merely hid in the shadows of stronger monsters before launching an ambush attack. However, one was now commanding an entire horde of enemies. Even ones from the Dinosaur Series.

  There were only two types of dinosaurs left. One was the five-horned, four-legged tricera. They were about the size of dump trucks, and there were four level-300 specimens.

  Behind these were four level-380 tyrannos. The two-legged monsters rivaled an excavator when stretched to arm’s length, and they had sharp fangs with gaping, massive jaws.

  Next to the dinosaurs were four level-250 stone-covered gorilla monsters known as rockhides.

  Lastly, two level-500 viruscorpios, each the size of a house, awaited her in the back. The rat-headed scorpions were ready to spread poison and pestilence.

  Frankly, this group was more than capable of annihilating every nation on the continent. To anyone who didn’t know better, Cayna was a poor little lamb standing alone in front of a crowd of carnivores.

  Of course, that “anyone” was the monster’s leader, the Night Sorcerer. Laughing eerily, it swayed with a gleeful smile. The goblin then sneered at the elf girl as if it had discovered something truly unpleasant.

  “Hyo-hyo-hyo. How unfortunate that we meet under such circumstances. Your luck has run out. Had this been anywhere else, I would have entertained you with a more elaborate scheme.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. Actually, I’d say you’re the one who’s out of luck, running into me here.”

  The Night Sorcerer frowned when she didn’t show the slightest concern for the adversaries around her. Any normal girl would grow pale with terror and either beg for her life or wail with madness. However, this child seemed perfectly at ease.

  As the Night Sorcerer cautiously raised its staff, a surprise came from above.

  A disk of wind whooshed down and sliced one rockhide clean in half. The second was scorched to a crisp after a bolt of lightning from the heavens blasted its dense stone body.

  The Night Sorcerer gaped in incredulous shock at the disastrous scene.

  “You, little girl! What did you do?!”

  “I thought it was pretty obvious.”

  Cayna puffed out her chest as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Little girl was the last thing she wanted to hear from some goblin tinier than her. Still clinging on to her shoulder, Kuu pulled down her lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the monster leader tauntingly.

  “Tch. I was trying to go easy on you, little one. But if you’re going to act cocky…”

  “You keep callin’ me that, but you’re the pip-squeak!”

  Her Rune Blade grew red hot, and Cayna opened fire with an angry yell. The Night Sorcerer quickly ducked as the attack sailed over its head, and it struck the torso of a tyranno waiting patiently behind its master. The Rune Blade was a sorcery item and could therefore shoot additional magic. Like the fiery bullets that just whizzed by, for instance.

  The tyranno collapsed as the direct hit punched a hole straight through its guts.

  “Wh-what?!”

  “Oh, you’ve never seen an Insta-Spell? It was totally common two hundred years ago.”

  “Damn, you don’t mean you’re… Go! Destroy that little girl!!”

  The giant monsters followed Night Sorcerer’s order and attacked as one. Cayna held out her magic staff in her left hand. In her right, she wielded the Rune Blade that sparkled with replenished MP. Cayna wound her arms as if limbering up and smiled brazenly.

  A tricera tore up the ground as it charged at her, and she used Weapon Skill: Rabbit Stream to lop off its head. Cayna then gathered up the wind with Leap to avoid the rockhide sandwich coming for her on both sides.

  Viruscorpio tails and tyranno jaws swooped down from four meters up. Cayna was a minuscule target, so the giants had trouble keeping track of her long enough to attack. Although the Night Sorcerer commanded them, these were still clumsy creatures who relied on instinct. Cayna just had to remain calm and take down one or two at a time.

  After a viruscorpio sent the rockhides flying and had sufficient room to attack, the monster extended its massive, needled tail. However, a tyranno charged in from the side and chomped down on it. The startled viruscorpio swung its tail wildly and shook off the tyranno. The dinosaur crashed into the pair of rockhides waiting their turn and knocked them down like bowling pins.

  Still airborne, red sparkles converged around Cayna and transformed into several heavy spears. The fiery steel stakes of her Iyah Lanzas attack blasted the unfortunate rockhides to oblivion and left behind a huge crater.

  One tricera stumbled after the tyranno crossed in front of it. Once Cayna was back on the ground, she produced a spiky ball of light from her staff and swung it straight at the dinosaur. The dinosaur’s thick, bony skull instantly shattered into a million pieces, and it moved no more.

  The defeated monsters didn’t even leave behind a skeleton. Only two tyrannos, two triceras, and two viruscorpios remained.

  Eyes bloodshot, the Night Sorcerer snapped after losing half of its underlings in the blink of an eye. Practically foaming at the mouth, the goblin screamed, “Kill that little girl no matter what!!”

  In a fight against an opponent you can’t beat, despite your best efforts, rage only hurts your chances of victory even more. If the monster’s leader had at least been wise enough to cooperate with the others, it might have had better luck.

  Wielding her staff, Cayna cast Zolo Laga and took down the two tyrannos who had teamed up to snack on her. Lightning struck at random from the cloudless sky and charred them both bit by bit before spreading the ashes in all directions.

  Dodging the viruscorpios’ tails, Cayna briefly flew behind the surviving horde to create distance, then cast Might and Evil Eye. Struck by a force more powerful than their master, the monsters froze in their tracks and trembled.

  Of course, the Night Sorcerer was affected as well, but the scowling goblin raised its wand and prepared to cast a spell.

  “Dammit! Are you the Guardian the goddess foretold?!”

  “How should I know?! I’ve got places to be, so let’s just get this over with!”

  Cayna’s magic staff glowed a yellow ocher as she deployed a Weapon Skill. The staff brimmed with power, and she gave it a broad swing. The goblin’s wand, on the other hand, created the skeletal frame of a folding fan from a thick concentration of darkness.

  Magic Skill: Hazardous Blast

  The fan’s skeletal frame transformed into black spears that shot straight at Cayna. It was a limited-range dark magic that scattered attacks in a fan formation from the caster. The goblin planned to block off escape to the right or left and prevent Cayna from moving forward.

  She remained passive despite the oncoming danger and swung her Rune Blade upward.

  Flying Slash

  This was a special effect of the Rune Blade. It accumulated magic, transformed that power into a crescent-moon shock wave, and hurtled it at the enemy in a slicer attack. Cayna could only repel the black spears within her trajectory, but unfortunately for the enemy, their own attack could only shoot in one direction. As long as she knew where the spears were coming from, they were easy enough to avoid.

  In truth, the flustered Night Sorcerer had escaped to the sidelines. A viruscorpio, seeing an opportunity to strike, was sliced vertically down the middle instead. This did nothing to weaken the attack’s destructive force, and it continued to slash trees lengthwise before disappearing farther into the forest.

  Beads of sweat broke out along Cayna’s forehead. The plants’ screams were roaring in her ears. Unfortunately, there was no time for prudence in the heat of battle, and she had to ignore them.

  Even the goblin had broken into a sweat. The earth trembled behind the Night Sorcerer, and it turned to look back at the mangled bodies of its most powerful subordinates. The monster leader finally seemed to realize Cayna was in a completely different league.

  Cracking Earth Hammer!

  Just as the goblin felt an intense magical aura and whipped its head around, Cayna struck her staff into the ground. One viruscorpio and tricera charged forward, but the ground beneath them crumbled. The monsters were swallowed up by a giant sinkhole.

  “What?!”

  Cayna used the leader’s momentary hesitation to cast her next spell.

  Magic Skill: Maxi Zan Laga: Ready Set

  “Destroy!”

  A thick bolt of lightning formed a massive crater, and everything flashed white. Unsatisfied, it continued to tear across the earth right and left, and the remaining tricera and viruscorpio were instantaneously swallowed up. The Night Sorcerer’s face twitched, and it raced to get out of the lightning’s strike zone.

  The magic dissipated shortly afterward, and disaster surrounded them by the time the stars left their eyes. Not content with a basic S shape, the lightning recreated the winding trails of the Irohazaka highway. The trees that managed to avoid being burned to a crisp looked like the remains of a mountain fire.

  Realizing she’d gone too far, Cayna’s cheek twitched as she looked around at her mistake and listened to the cacophony of screaming plants. She had intended to teach the goblin a good lesson, but calling down her most powerful lightning attack wasn’t the right answer. r />
  The Night Sorcerer fell on its backside and stared at the carnage in utter disbelief.

  “Guess it’s just you and me now.”

  Cayna remained alert as she addressed the monster. The goblin returned to itself and wobbled to its feet.

  “Keh-keh-keh-keh. Never thought I’d end up fightin’ a mage like you…,” the Night Sorcerer remarked offhandedly.

  The goblin sluggishly readied its wand. It looked ready to give up, but cornered enemies often became desperate. Cayna cautiously pointed her magic staff at her foe.

  “I may have failed, but I’ve got some nasty pawns who are on their way to take down your human capital. They should be able to handle it…”

  “What did you send?”

  “As if I’d tell a little girl like you!” the monster shouted angrily. It threw a stone-sized lump of darkness at her, but Kee’s defensive wall blocked it.

  “?!”

  Shifting her focus from the wide-eyed Night Sorcerer to Felskeilo’s western gate, Cayna cast her next spell.

  Summoning Magic: Load: Crimson Pig (Small)

  “Keh, you dare summon something now?!”

  “Sorry, this isn’t for you.”

  “What?!”

  Cayna planned to take care of the Night Sorcerer herself.

  As for the summoned beast’s task…

  “I’ll leave that zone to you, Li’l P.”

  “Piiiiii!!”

  A (level-500) wild boar piglet standing five meters long and three meters high popped out of a magic circle.

  It answered Cayna with an adorable squeal that obviously meant Leave it to me! and scurried off on tiny legs. A trail of smoke followed the boar.

  “What the heck was thaaaat?!”

  Li’l P used Weapon Skill: Charge to pulverize trees and anything else in the forest as it headed for the western gate.

  The battle had started as fifteen-on-one with the odds in her opponents’ favor but turned one-on-one in a heartbeat. The Night Sorcerer glared at the root of its failure in twisted rage.

  It wasn’t like she didn’t understand its frustration. Nevertheless, making an enemy of her was a bad move in this era. The goblin was only reaping what it sowed.

  “Extend!”

  “?!”

  Suddenly, her magic staff extended and surprised the monster by flicking the wand from its hand. Startled and far less threatening, the goblin slowly backed away. Perhaps cowed by Cayna’s overwhelming magic, the monster seemed to have lost its nerve. Sensing an opportunity, Cayna withdrew her staff and poured magic into the Rune Blade in her right hand instead.

  The Night Sorcerer glanced at the flickering red blade and had an excellent idea while the spell was still warming up.

  It turned and tried to run away.

  As if mocking the attempt, Cayna swung the Rune Blade and cast her magic.

  Magic Skill: Iyah Corpur Stream: Ready Set

  The magic emanating from the sword transformed into a crimson firefly. It danced in a circle, and particles converged to create rows of fiery beads that surrounded the Night Sorcerer like a wicker basket. The flaming, upside-down tornado was like a wide tagine lid, and the monster froze when it noticed a pale blue flame gathering below the peak. The ball grew bigger and bigger.

  Five meters. Ten meters. Twenty meters. When it exceeded twenty meters, Cayna gave a thumbs-up. Then she turned it down.

  An instant later, the hanging white-hot fireball dropped and immediately engulfed the dumbfounded Night Sorcerer. Temperatures rose as high as 1,500 degrees Celsius, and the target burned to ash in the blink of an eye. Even the ash evaporated, and the fireball erupted into a great explosion. Flames rose into the sky with the wicker-like cage, and a great pillar of fire was undoubtedly visible from Felskeilo.

  Apologizing to the forest, Cayna stowed her weapon and followed the boar piglet west. Just then, Kee delivered another urgent message.

  “There is a message from your friend Quolkeh.”

  “Thanks. What did she say?”

  “It says, ‘Do you know about a tortoise Guardian Tower?’ I took the liberty of responding with an ‘away’ message since you were in the midst of battle. I hope you do not mind.”

  “A tortoise? Uh, that’s Kujo’s place, right? I’ll answer now. Umm…”

  Quolkeh was most likely with Exis. He used to be Tartarus, so they’d both be fine. Cayna wondered why the two were even dealing with a Guardian Tower, but she had other things to think about. She rushed to Felskeilo to take care of matters there first.

  The attack on Felskeilo was caused by Event Monsters pouring in from the Abandoned Capital. Otaloquess normally kept a close eye on the barrier and informed the other two nations of any abnormalities so the situation could be handled in a timely manner. The knights would be dispatched, the roads temporarily blockaded, and the borders closed.

  However, six goblins had leaked out shortly beforehand and incapacitated half their knights. The nations were in the middle of reorganizing.

  One must not underestimate goblins. These in particular were powerful Event Monsters nicknamed the Favre Regional Garrison. Each was a level 200 whom the average level-30 knight didn’t stand a chance against. If passing adventurers hadn’t intervened, the knights would have been annihilated.

  Moreover, Otaloquess was understaffed and unable to assist due to the giant threat approaching them. More specifically, it was a massive tortoise with a shell as large as Tokyo Dome.

  Unlike types that crawled on their stomachs, this was more akin to a Galápagos tortoise that could carry itself and easily walked on four legs. It was also impossible to get the entire picture at once; the creature was so enormous that only the underside of its shell was visible from below.

  This being was considered an ancient relic and served as a valuable tourist attraction for Otaloquess. For two hundred days each year, the tortoise made a slow circuit around the country’s vast borders. No one knew where the creature came from, but this time it had diverged from its usual trajectory and made a beeline for the capital.

  Of course, the nation refused to stand by and watch. They tried a plethora of methods and strategies. However, their opponent was essentially a mountain. What could minuscule humans hope to accomplish?

  Moreover, it had apparently scraped the barrier surrounding the Abandoned Capital and created a distortion. The monsters that escaped were now creating havoc in Felskeilo.

  Let us review the desperate ways Otaloquess spent nearly a year attempting to stop their target.

  First, they dug a simple pit. Their foe was sadly too big, and the pit failed to secure it properly. A failure.

  They next tried destroying it, but the tortoise was impervious after centuries of magical attacks. It didn’t make a sound, and there wasn’t a single burn mark to be seen. Another failure.

  Otaloquess floated around the idea of pushing or pulling it in the opposite direction but scrapped the idea after realizing they’d never find enough power to rival the tortoise.

  They considered luring it away with bait, but no one knew what the tortoise ate or even if it ate. Also rejected.

  By this point, they’d brainstormed almost every conceivable idea but failed to find results. The nation would spend its final moments running around like a headless chicken.

  Then an outrageous report arrived. It came not from those wondering how to physically move the tortoise but from the scholars analyzing documents.

  There was apparently a building on top of the tortoise’s shell.

  And so, the nation grasped at one final straw. Disaster might be avoided if they visited whoever was living there and begged them to stop. Everyone speedily devised a plan to gather a group of volunteer knights and adventurers to tackle the mountainous tortoise.

  Exis and Quolkeh were among these reckless challengers. They had arrived in Otaloquess on a guard mission, and the staff at the Adventurers Guild begged them to participate.

  Exis looked up at the calamitous tortoise slowly but surely edging toward the capital.

  “Hey, ain’t that one of those Guardian Towers Cayna is lookin’ for?”

  “Yeah, I thought the same thing. I tried messaging her but got an away response.”

  “Why the hell would a Limit Breaker be away?! What kinda mess is she wrapped up in now…?”

  A gaggle of soldiers, knights, and adventurers were waiting in a distant forest outside the Otaloquess capital. Each had their own plans in mind and prepared to scale the tortoise. The first big hurdle was knowing how to climb it. Everyone lay in wait at the most suitable location—a lush, unique area full of enormous trees.