chapter 46

Three hours after Nyabu took her post, her soldiers rushed to her with urgent news.

"Captain, reinforcements from Galica are almost here!" one reported.

"Excellent. We need to inform the General immediately," Nyabu replied.

She hurried into the village, heading straight for the tent where Ataparag was stationed. But upon entering, she found it empty. Stepping outside, she questioned a guard stationed at the entrance.

"Did the General leave?" she asked.

"No, Captain. She hasn't left the tent," the guard replied, confused.

Suspicion gripped Nyabu. She darted to the back of the tent and discovered a small cut in the fabric—Ataparag's escape route.

"No! Damn it!" she cursed, a sinking feeling confirming her fear: Ataparag had gone alone to save the victims from the bandits.

"Move out! Prepare to leave now!" she shouted to her troops.

As Nyabu scrambled to rally the camp and pursue Ataparag, she was already racing toward the bandits' location, using her crimson item to move at blinding speed. Unlike Nathaniel, Ataparag wielded the item effortlessly, as if it were second nature.

"I can sense them. I'm getting close," she murmured.

Just a few kilometers away, over three thousand Ravena citizens were fleeing south. Their evacuation was slow, hindered by the elderly and wounded among them.

Minutes later, as they trudged onward, more than twenty monsters surrounded them. Each bore an armband marked with the Black Scorpion emblem, their faces twisted with hunger for flesh.

Panic erupted among the Ravena, their screams piercing the air. The tribe's warriors sprang into action, shielding their people from the attackers. But their strength and skill were no match for the ferocious beasts.

One by one, the warriors fell, slaughtered by the monsters as the others watched helplessly, their cries echoing. A towering monster, the group's leader, barked orders. "Don't kill the Ravena children or women—they fetch a high price with traders!"

"Please, spare my children!" a man begged.

Without hesitation, the monster killed him, ignoring his pleas. The Ravena warriors were soon wiped out, and the surviving captives were forced to sit, bound by the monsters.

The attackers were Hube, the second-highest tier of monsters, possessing intelligence comparable to other sentient beings. Many could speak various languages. "If you want to live, obey us. We're not patient creatures," the leader, a Prime Hube—the highest monster tier—declared. Prime Hubes could communicate, read languages, and acquire knowledge beyond most beings.

As the monsters bound their thousands of captives, they didn't notice a figure plummeting from above onto their massive carriage, where the prisoners were being loaded. The crash silenced the area, drawing everyone's attention.

"What's that?" a monster growled.

Ataparag rose from her crouch, his expression deadly serious.

"Look at his uniform!" another monster hissed.

"She's from the Eskapa!" 

The captives erupted in cheers, their spirits lifted by the arrival of an Eskapa soldier. But the monster leader showed no fear, seemingly unfazed.

"Well, well. The Eskapa soldiers finally show up. Looks like you're not late this time," the Prime Hube sneered, striding forward to meet Ataparag, mocking her solitary arrival. "You seem awfully confident, miss, facing me alone. Where are your comrades?"

Ataparag's voice was steady. "You heard right. I'm here alone to free these captives and take you down."

The area fell silent as the leader processed his words, then burst into laughter, incredulous at the audacity of a lone woman threatening him.

"You, a half-monster, think you can capture a Hube like me? Are you serious?" the leader scoffed.

"My appearance doesn't define me," Ataparag replied coolly. "I'm a stronger monster than you think."

"You're saying you're stronger than a Prime Hube like me, a captain of the Black Scorpion?" the leader boasted.

"No," Ataparag said fearlessly. "I'm stronger than *anyone* in the Black Scorpion."

The silence returned, broken only by the leader unleashing a massive aura, asserting his dominance. "You'll regret crossing me."

Ataparag swept her coat aside, a surge of energy rippling through the air like a gust of wind. Her ring glowed, absorbing her Eskapa coat to prepare for battle. "I'll give you one chance to surrender and reveal your allies' locations," she said.

The leader's pride flared, enraged by her words. As a high-tier Hube, she refused to be belittled. "Are you blind or just stupid? You're surrounded by monsters. You think your pathetic tricks will save you?"

The other monsters closed in, ready to strike. Ataparag sighed, disappointed, and issued a final warning. "You'll regret ignoring me."

With a snap of her fingers, the heads of the surrounding monsters exploded, blood and flesh scattering as their bodies collapsed. The captives gasped, cowering in fear at the deafening blasts.

The leader stared in disbelief, unable to fathom how Ataparag had caused the explosions. He'd sensed no energy release, no glow from her earrings—the only crimson item he detected. *It couldn't have been the earrings,* he thought. *Could this be a natural ability that doesn't require a magic circle? But she emitted no energy. It's impossible.*

"What kind of power does she have?" he muttered.

Ataparag scanned the remaining monster guards near the captives, knowing she couldn't risk explosions so close to them. She addressed the leader again. "I'll give you one last chance to surrender peacefully. I promise you'll be judged fairly under Galica's laws."

The leader laughed, admitting her attack had surprised him but insisting it wouldn't scare a high-tier Hube like him. "Stop talking and show me what you've got—"

Before he could finish, his arm exploded, severed in an instant. The onlookers gasped, and the leader, clutching his stump, whispered, "How? I didn't even sense her attack."

"I know you can heal yourself," Ataparag said calmly. "Go ahead. I'll give you time."

Enraged and insulted, the leader unleashed a dark aura, his body regenerating a new arm from his flesh. "Don't underestimate me!" he roared, launching a "Tornado Punch" into the air. The force obliterated everything in its path.

Ataparag dodged swiftly, using her crimson item's speed. The attack struck nearby, debris and captives caught in its wake. She knew a direct hit from such power would be disastrous, and her concern for the captives grew.

Leaping from a tree to the ground, she searched for a way to draw the leader away from the prisoners. Distracted, she gave the other monsters an opening to charge. But with another snap of her fingers, their heads exploded.

She wanted to eliminate all the Black Scorpion's forces, but the captives' proximity limited her. "I need to take out his minions first," she whispered.

She dashed toward the monsters, cutting them down one by one. Her speed made her untouchable, and she targeted their heads, knowing many could heal unless their brains were destroyed.

The leader, frustrated, shouted, "What are you doing? I'm your opponent!"

He unleashed another massive punch, sending a destructive force her way. Ataparag dodged, but as her feet touched the ground, the leader anticipated her move, lunging from the air to strike up close.

She raised her hand and snapped. The leader's body exploded mid-air, allowing Ataparag to leap back, creating distance. But moments later, he emerged from the smoke, grabbing for her with massive hands.

"His body's tough," Ataparag muttered.

"Don't underestimate me, fool!" the leader roared.

Knowing his grip could be deadly, Ataparag ran, dodging desperately. The leader attacked again, shouting, "Wind Strike!" Instead of a simple punch, he unleashed a whirlwind-like blast.

Caught off guard, Ataparag was hit, sent crashing through the forest trees. "I'll admit, that was impressive," the leader mocked. "But your pathetic explosives can't kill me. I'm the strongest Prime Hube!"

The captives trembled, lying flat as the leader strode past, heading toward the fallen trees to find Ataparag. "I'm the seventh arm of the Black Scorpion, undefeated in battle!"

But as he reached the debris, Ataparag was nowhere to be found. "Strange. I sensed her here, and I know I hit her," he muttered.

Suddenly, he turned to see Ataparag slaughtering his last two monster subordinates, holding a severed head. Her face was deadly serious. "I'm not interested in your boasts," she said, tossing the head at his feet. "I told you from the start—I'm stronger than the Black Scorpion or any Prime Hube in Endoryo."

A powerful aura enveloped her, her eyes glowing fiercely. The leader's blood ran cold. "Impossible… a Crimson Eye. You're an Alpha-class!"

In a blink, Ataparag appeared before him, fist raised. "Too fast!" he gasped, unable to react as her punch slammed into his stomach. The force launched him thirty feet into the air.

"Damn, that punch was strong for a half-monster," he growled, stabilizing himself mid-air to land. "I shouldn't underestimate an Alpha-class. Time to get serious."

But then he noticed something on his body—creatures biting into his flesh, growing larger with each bite. "What are these?" he muttered, his strength fading. "Is this her power? Why do I feel so weak?"

The ticks swelled to the size of balls, draining his energy. He had no idea what they were, but he knew they spelled trouble. Looking down, he saw Ataparag, hands raised, poised to strike.

"Let's end this," she said.

The leader's eyes widened, roaring in fury. "Curse you, insect!"

With a snap of Ataparag's fingers, the giant ticks exploded, the blast creating a massive shockwave that scattered everything, including the captives. The leader's mangled body crashed to the ground, rolling to a stop before Ataparag.

She stood calmly, watching her defeated foe, knowing he could no longer fight with his arms and half his body gone. "You shouldn't underestimate an opponent based on their rank or race," she said. "I learned that when I arrogantly challenged His Majesty and was defeated."

As the leader lay dying, he gasped, "Who… are you?"

Ataparag's face remained expressionless as she raised her right hand. "I am a loyal general of Time Keeper Queen Sei of Galica, one of God's weapons. But before I joined the Eskapa, I was Verocania, a Genion Demon Beast—one of the Grand Chaos."

The leader's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe he'd faced one of the five kings of the Prime Demon Beasts from the Demon Continent.

"Farewell," Ataparag said softly. "May God judge your sins on this earth."

A giant tick bit into the leader's head, and with one final snap of her fingers, it exploded, obliterating him in a deafening blast.

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