漫画大王

Chapter 130

The dire situation made Loyar grind her teeth in frustration. Everyone from the Rotary Club had moved to this place except those who were deployed on the trains, out of fear that the shanties under the bridge would all be washed away due to the downpour. Construction of their new headquarters was underway, but it wasn’t completed yet.

However, having already been forced to move, they decided to relocate their base of operations before the construction was completed. Because of all this, Reinhart had unfortunately encountered a completely unexpected situation upon his arrival at the Bronze Gate.

Loyar was in no position to take things slowly, given the unprecedented situation of Reinhart’s disappearance.

“Got it. We’ll handle this. You guys should head back to the Temple.”

If this pair hadn’t shown up out of the blue, this crucial matter may have been overlooked entirely. While she was grateful, Loyar believed that their role in this had come to an end.

However, the girl who had led the conversation shook her head.

“We want to be part of the search.”

“... Sorry? Um, I understand what you’re thinking and how you feel... but you’re still young. You might not be able to handle what might happen, so go back.”

Loyar placed her hand lightly on Ellen’s shoulder, attempting to escort her out of the tent.

Swoosh.

But Ellen turned her body slightly and avoided Loyar’s touch.

“...?”

“...”

‘Did she avoid me just now?’ Loyar wondered.

Loyar attempted once more to grab Ellen’s shoulder, again with one hand.

Swoosh.

Once again, Ellen took a step to avoid Loyar’s touch.

The murmuring of the crowd began to quiet down after the second failed attempt.

‘What are these two doing?’, their eyes seemed to say.

Loyar began to grow frustrated. Perhaps a rougher approach was necessary, given that this girl did not seem to understand her gentle words.

This time, Loyar tried to catch Ellen quite swiftly. Her hand flashed forward with much more

Swoosh.

“...”

“...”

But once again, Ellen avoided Loyar’s touch by merely stepping aside.

Now, the atmosphere had truly grown tense. Loyar had tried to subdue the young girl with some measure of force, only for the girl to avoid her grasp by merely stepping aside.

The strange confrontation that was unfolding before her eyes left Harriet pale with fright. She sensed that the situation was far from normal.

“This is the last time I’ll let it slide because you’re Reinhart’s friend. Leave while I’m still asking nicely.”

“We can be of help too.”

Loyar sighed, and a hint of anger flickered within her golden eyes.

‘So, you’re a student at the Temple. Is that it?’

Ellen seemed confident in her own movements, which meant there was no issue with her being a bit rougher.

This time, Loyar’s hand flashed out, not aiming for the girl’s sleeve but intending to grab her nape and throw her.

Swoosh!

However, Ellen read the trajectory of Loyar’s hand, moved her head down to the right to avoid it, and then took another step back.

“I don’t want to fight,” Ellen said, calmly dodging the outstretched hand once more.

“Huh...”

Unfortunately, this only infuriated Loyar, who had a fiery temper, even more.

To Loyar, “I don’t want to fight” meant, “If I really fought back, you’d get hurt.”

That was the only message she took from it.

The club members’ mouths were agape, unable to believe what they were seeing.

None of them had ever seen Loyar lose in close combat. They had watched her single-handedly demolish groups of well over twenty or thirty people on numerous occasions. Some members had even experienced her blows firsthand. In fact, many chose to follow her as their boss after experiencing a solid blow from her.

Yet here was a girl, easily dodging what seemed like an angry Loyar’s quick hands.

Was this what the Temple is about? Did all Temple students perform at this level?

Their faces were filled with shock.

“Kid, listen. I’m only doing this because I’m worried about you guys. I think I also kind of get what’s going on, and if I’m right, Reinhart is still safe. So, if you head back obediently, I promise I’ll make sure Reinhart returns safely to the Temple.”

It was Loyar’s last attempt at negotiation. If Ellen took it even one step further, Loyar would truly lose all restraint. Indeed, even this was a considerable concession for someone of her temperament.

She had kept her cool out of admiration for these kids who had come this far to help their peer Reinhart, whom they were worried about.

But Ellen shook her head again.

“I want to go with you.”

“Alright, then.”

Crack, crack.

A sparkle ignited in Loyar’s golden eyes.

“Let’s do this the hard way.”

Swoosh!

Loyar lunged at Ellen, swinging his fist at her.

Ellen’s eyes widened, staring at Loyar’s fist. Everything that had come before seemed like mere play.

‘It’s too... fast!’ Ellen thought.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

“Ahh!”

Ellen was hit, and Harriet screamed.

Though she hadn’t been able to dodge, she somehow managed to block the blow. Ellen crossed her forearms to block Loyar’s punch and was sent flying backward, tumbling several times before barely managing to get up.

“Huff, huff... huff...”

Ellen wondered if her arm was broken from that single punch. That was how severe it felt.

Loyar, whose eyes were now devoid of reason, showed no signs of stopping. She charged towards Ellen again, who had been sent flying out of the tent.

‘What is this strength?’ wondered Ellen.

Loyar was so fast that Ellen thought that a white ghost was charging at her, and the sheer aura emanating from her onrushing opponent seemed to engulf her in an indescribable pressure from all directions, causing her entire body to stiffen.

Ellen was unaware that this pressure was what lycanthropes applied to their opponents, but she was enveloped in a sense of crisis that went far beyond what she would feel when facing an ordinary person.

‘I might die if I don’t take this seriously.’

Loyar seemed serious, and Ellen realized that focusing solely on dodging might actually lead to her death. She didn’t know what Loyar was thinking, but the thought that she might die sent a shiver that raised all the hairs on her body.

Swoosh!

As Loyar swung a fist at her, Ellen didn’t just dodge; she ducked and moved inside.

Thud!

She delivered a punch to Loyar’s solar plexus.

The solar plexus was supposed to be a vital spot...

“Did you...” However, far from being out of breath, Loyar seemed even more enraged. A demonic aura flowed from her eyes as she was punched in the solar plexus. “Did you hold back just now?”

Ellen was shocked.

Ellen had decided to rein in her strength, thinking that a full-force blow might kill Loyar. However, all that had done was irritate her opponent. The force of that blow would have been enough to knock any normal person to the ground, but Loyar didn’t even blink.

This woman’s vital spots weren’t like those of normal people... Ellen couldn’t help but freeze.

Bang!

“Ugh... Huk!”

Loyar’s knee slammed into Ellen’s abdomen, sending her flying far away and tumbling across the ground.

***

In the rain, a fierce fight unfolded between the girl from the Temple and the Hound of Irine. Ellen was barely holding on. It was hardly an even match, but she was still managing to stand her ground.

Thump! Thwack! Thump!

Amidst the chaos, there was a ferocious exchange of blows. Yet, the outcome seemed clear. Both technically and physically, Ellen was obviously at a disadvantage.

“Shouldn’t... Shouldn’t we stop this?!”

“Well, that’s true but...”

“The guys who try to interfere when she’s like that always end up with broken arms and legs.”

In this state, Loyar seemed entirely beyond reason, and intervening was impossible.

Harriet was astonished for a different reason.

Ellen, who had almost toyed with the orc she’d faced in combat, was now being pushed back.

The club members were amazed that a mere kid could go up against the Hound of Irine like this, and Harriet couldn’t believe that a mere adult could so overwhelmingly outmatch the strongest of her classmates, Ellen.

“Puff... Ugh...”

In the rain, Loyar stared at the panting Ellen. Although enraged to her core, she hadn’t stopped thinking.

‘This one’s tougher than a beast,’ Loyar thought.

Ellen was inferior in strength, technique, and reaction time when compared to Loyar. However, what had kept her going until now were her unbelievable reflexes. She’d managed to dodge the blows aimed at her vital points just in time, and blocked as much as she could.

Loyar seemed to be going all out, but that was not quite the case either.

Loyar had intended to strike her opponent with just enough strength to knock her down. If that hadn’t been the case, the initial blow would have broken Ellen’s arms beyond their ability to function, rendering her unable to block at all.

Although Loyar only intended to give her a light beating, that was proving difficult.

‘The Temple is raising a monster.’ Loyar thought.

Loyar realized that, despite Ellen’s relative youthfulness, she would not be easy to take down unless she fought with a genuine intent to kill.

‘Is the Temple full of such monsters like this?’

No, that wasn’t it.

“Huff... Huff...”

The one in front of her was just a special case. After all, the other one who came along was trembling in fear, wasn’t she?

‘Should I kill her?’

Loyar, keeping her distance from Ellen, entertained this thought.

An unidentified monster raised by the Temple. To have such abilities already at her age... She would grow into an indescribable monster as the years passed.

Killing a Temple student would mean Loyar would have to leave the imperial city, and that would harm the Rotary Club, since she would never be able to return to the imperial city again.

However, at the same time, leaving this creature alive would undoubtedly pose a tremendous threat to the rebuilding of the Demon Realm.

She had called herself Reinhart’s friend, but ultimately, they had become friends out of ignorance. Inevitably, she would become an enemy to the demons.

Such a monster had to be eliminated while it is still possible. If not, soon enough, no one would be able to handle her.

‘Why did Reinhart become friends with such a monster? How did they even become friends?’

Without Reinhart here, it was impossible to judge. Loyar only believed that Reinhart was planning something significant, and was working towards the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.

‘Could this friendship with her also be part of Reinhart’s elaborate plan?’

At this moment, though, she alone had to make the decision.

This creature... She would undoubtedly represent a great calamity in the future.

Despite her outwardly irritable demeanor, deep down, Loyar had no intention of ever betraying Reinhart.

‘Would killing her place Reinhart in a difficult position within the Temple? Or would keeping her alive be more troublesome?’

Killing her might create complications for her master.

But letting her live would be far more problematic.

She seemed to be a fatal threat to the grand plan for the reconstruction of the Demon Realm.

If she didn’t kill her now, there might never be another chance.

Perhaps it was better to kill her now and have Reinhart withdraw from the Temple, then devise a future plan elsewhere.

‘This one, she must not be allowed to live.’

Loyar heightened every sense in her body. This was no mere brawl; she was truly entering combat mode.

She would not fight as the Hound of Irine anymore, but utilize the strength of the lycanthrope Loyar.

‘Your Highness.’

Ellen swallowed hard as she witnessed the intensifying aura of strength that enveloped her opponent.

‘I am about to commit an unforgivable sin against you, Your Highness.’

It was one thing to eliminate a source of trouble, but another entirely to kill a friend of her master.

Loyar didn’t charge with her fists clenched, but with her hands open. It was not necessary to land a punch, since if even one of her ten fingers caught Ellen’s body, it would rip through it entirely.

The change in Loyar’s eyes and her sudden charge felt distinctly different. Ellen was startled.

It was an intent to kill her.

‘She is going to kill me,’ Ellen thought.

Like an instinct, Ellen sensed it.

With her eyes wide, Ellen swung her right hand towards the charging Loyar. Simultaneously, something began to be summoned within her grasp.

Swoosh!

‘This... is!’ Loyar thought.

Suddenly, a sword appeared in Ellen’s right hand, which had been empty just a moment before.

Clang!

Reflexively, Loyar blocked the sword by swinging her right hand.

The sword penetrated halfway into her palm before coming to a stop.

Everyone stared in shock at the mysterious sword that suddenly appeared in the girl’s hand, their faces filled with astonishment.