A soldier responsible for guarding the city gate on the city wall of Xigu Valley found the lord of the city deep in thought, contemplating how to allocate the dwindling food reserves in the city.
"My lord, someone just left through the west gate," the soldier reported.
"If they left, they left. Why bother informing me of such a trivial matter? Can't you see I'm busy?" Distracted and irritated by the interruption when he was already overwhelmed, Kong Linxi was not in a good mood. It took him a moment to realize that with the current extinguishing of the Sea Moon, people were rushing to the safe zone, and there wasn't even enough time for them to leave voluntarily, let alone actively flee.
"Who dares to leave at this critical time?" Kong Linxi temporarily set aside the book recording the number of people entering the city and the inventory of city supplies.
"It's the white-haired young lady that my patrol reported before, my lord. She even eliminated a Dark Shape in the streets," the soldier replied.
"Mr. Aya?" Ayako, who had been assisting Kong Linxi with resource distribution, also showed surprise.
"It's her?" Kong Linxi raised an eyebrow. "Has she escaped?"
"No, Mr. Aya wouldn't do such a thing." Ayako firmly denied, despite only having known Aya for a few days, she had inexplicable confidence.
Kong Linxi remained silent. He was initially excited when he heard that Aya had a way to change the current situation, but then he cooled down. As the lord of Xigu Valley, he shouldn't be relying on others.
Regardless of whether Aya could fulfill what she said, all he could do was protect his people to the best of his abilities.
However, if Aya could single-handedly eliminate a Dark Shape, maybe her departure from Xigu Valley wasn't really an escape. And the west gate? Shouldn't only Seabreath be that way?
...
"This is truly beyond belief."
Trying to control her breathing as much as possible, Aya sat hidden in a tree on the side of the road, eating a rice ball while keeping an eye on the street.
Is it even possible to survive a night of ghosts? Various bizarre Dark Elemental creatures strolled through the avenue, their heavy bodies leaving huge footprints in the ruts, as if these monsters were ravaging the world to erase all traces of humanity.
Initially, Aya had planned to run all the way back to Seabreath from the main road and then head to the Crystal Cavern as soon as things settled on Princess Sousa's side.
However, perhaps the human scent left on the main road was too strong. Many of these Elemental creatures hunting humans were attracted and lingered nearby. Shortly after leaving Xigu Valley, Aya ran into a group of Dark Shapes that resembled rhinoceroses.
Although they resembled rhinoceroses in appearance, they were as large as elephants, meaning they were not the kind Aya could defeat with a single punch. It would probably take many punches, and if she got entangled, it would be troublesome.
If each one took around ten punches to defeat, and there were around fifty of them, that would be five hundred punches, which would be exhausting.
Fortunately, she wasn't obligated to take that route. There was only one main road from Xigu Valley to Seabreath, but Aya was no ordinary person. She could traverse mountains and hills to reach her destination, making the straight-line distance even shorter.
However...
"Do these guys want to go to Xigu Valley?" Observing the movements of these rhinoceros-shaped Dark Shapes and how they were not just lingering due to the traces left by passing human vehicles, but were clearly advancing in the direction of the city, Aya found it troublesome. She had run here in about half an hour, estimated the distance, calculated the speed of these rhinos, and realized that in about five hours they would reach the outskirts of Xigu Valley.
Aya also heard some information about the situation in the Valley City from Ayako. Being the largest city in this area, it could be considered strong in terms of defense, with cannons mounted on the city walls that made one's scalp tingle at the sight.
- At least for human military forces.
The problem is that these are monsters beyond the human realm. Just a couple of these rhinos would be enough to block the city gates of the Valley City with their massive bodies. It is estimated that inside the city, the only useful weapons against them are those large-caliber guns, although whether they can kill them is another matter.
Once these rhinos break through the city area, or even just create a breach, the entire city would be nothing more than a tin of sardines for the Dark Shapes.
Of course, if Miss Tiran acts quickly, then everything might be salvageable. But if more than five hours pass, the fate of the Valley City is sealed.
"In the end, it's just a world depicted in The Realm, whether the people inside or the destroyed cities are all fake... Moreover, whether those people live or die has nothing to do with me," Aya scratched her head, convincing herself with self-talk.
But why did I run out in the first place? She looked up at the sky, seeing a sky devoid of any light through the layers of foliage.
...
The rhinoceros-shaped elemental monsters were still galloping along the main road. Like most elemental beings, they lacked intelligence, not even possessing basic biological instincts like ordinary creatures. They followed only the will left to them by some supreme being, a will to annihilate humans completely.
In the eyes of these Dark Shapes, there was nothing ahead except the Valley City at the end of the road, and there were no obstacles. The impact of dozens of elephant-sized monsters rampaging forward was not something ordinary impediments could stop.
Probably?
The Dark Shape at the front suddenly pounced forward and rolled a distance along the inertia, causing many following behind to stumble and collide in a pile.
"Roar!!!"
The tremor caused by the Dark Shape hitting the ground and the roar of anger echoed through the mountain forest. The branches of the trees trembled in the roar. Aya, who had just broken the front legs of the first Dark Shape with a punch, covered her ears and walked towards the heap of creatures squished together.
"I guess I can't let you pass after all. I guess I'll have to exert myself a little with a couple hundred punches."
The Dark Shapes in the rear that were not tripped by their companions in front circled around the mass of bodies and stampeded toward Aya like war chariots, resembling moving mountain ranges.
But so what if they were like mountain ranges?
Although she had hesitated for a long time, and now she had lost her magic and Chi, but a Dragon was still a Dragon. Even if it was just brute force, it wasn't something any elemental creature could contend with as it pleased.
Scale Qi unleashed, triple speed.
With a sudden push from her right foot that had been building up power for a long time, the Scale Qi erupted, creating a fierce wind that propelled Aya's body like a cannonball towards the foremost Dark Shape charging ahead.
There were no exquisite and exceptional moves or attack effects. The punch, which looked far from the size of the Dark Shape, deeply pierced into the creature's head, halting its momentum.
Elemental beings did not have the physiological structure of ordinary creatures, and blowing off their heads could not kill them. However, before this Dark Shape could make another move, the Scale Qi experienced a second eruption. The airflow that erupted from a single point from the inside out, like a vacuum bomb, shattered the solid dark elements, dispersing them into the air.
"I guess it was a bit of a stretch after all..." Aya retracted her fist and headed straight for the woods on the side of the road without looking back.
There was no chance to knock down one opponent and strike a cool pose as seen in manga when outnumbered. After knocking out one monster with a punch, attacks from others followed one after the other. Two Dark Shapes attempted to ram Aya with the sharp, giant horns on their noses, narrowly missing and pressing her into a sandwich cookie.
Without Magic and Chi, although Aya's physical abilities are still present, dealing with such massive entities is proving to be quite challenging. Just getting hit once is already unbearable, not to mention facing multiple opponents simultaneously requires a delicate dance on the edge of a blade. A moment's pause or a failed dodge could potentially lead to being knocked out cold and trampled on by this group of creatures.
Even though Aya is confident in her physical strength, she has no interest in testing whether she can survive being trampled by dozens of elephant-sized elemental beings. So, from the very beginning, Aya's goal is to attract their attention. She has no interest in directly confronting these creatures in an open area but once she enters the forested mountains, her agility allows her to maneuver more effectively.
The dark figures that Aya struck in a surprise attack, as she had hoped, redirected their focus. Dozens of these colossal creatures roared and chased after Aya, plunging into the nearby forest and gradually led into the rugged terrain.
Honestly, these dark figures are indeed incredibly strong. Trees that have grown for decades or even centuries cannot withstand the force of their charge. Aya runs ahead, with trees continuously falling behind her, but as they venture deeper, the impact of the dark figures is finally diminished.
By this time, Aya's Qi Scales had nearly fully recovered.
"Dragon's...Breath!"
...
"Finally...it's over."
After who knows how long, as Aya's Qi Scales were depleted and then replenished again, trees and rocks shattered in the collisions, and the dark creatures' roars gradually subsided. Using the last bit of her Qi Scales to disperse the last remaining dark elemental body dissipating on the ground, Aya could feel every muscle in her body shaking.
In the initial battle, Aya was channeling the willpower of a superhero, liberating her Qi Scales fist by fist. Towards the end, the dark beings were pursuing her relentlessly without giving her time to recover. She had to change her strategy and fight until exhaustion. Forget about five hundred punches, a thousand would barely be enough – turning it into a comic would probably take over ten pages.
What was once a beautiful forest now resembled a logging site, with massive tree trunks scattered around and the ground littered with splintered wood and broken branches.
"It looks like I'll need to rest for a while...just in time for Miss Tiran." Aya found a tree stump and sat down wearily.
Regretfully causing herself unnecessary exhaustion, Aya knew Tiran would mock her if she found out. But for now, she decided to take a break, eat something, and restore her energy.
Carefully retrieving a rice ball she had bought in town from her pocket, Aya tore open the wrapping with a hint of anticipation. She had eaten several before, which tasted quite good. The remaining tuna rice ball was said to be the shop's signature dish — at least that's what the shop sign claimed, so it must be the best, right?
Let's give this a try...
Huh?
Aya furrowed her brow as she realized something was wrong.
Where's my rice ball?
