The monsters that had ambushed Garlan's group on the highway were now swarming the forest like a colony of ants.
Compared to the waves they had faced earlier, seeing this total mobilization of the nest in person made everyone's heart sink.
They had walked right into a trap.
They had underestimated their opponent's cunning. Windmill Village was now a cage. The enemy had lured the village's original inhabitants away to let Garlan's group enter, only to have the swarm snap shut behind them, surrounding the village entirely.
"I should have told you sooner. Perhaps we could have avoided this," Reno said, his face etched with regret. At this rate, forget killing the demon posing as Xis—simply breaking out of here would be a monumental task.
The path they had come from was now blocked by a massive wall of sub-werewolves and other nameless aberrations. Behind them, rows of archers stood ready, bows drawn, waiting for the prey to flush out.
Inside the village, the monsters lurking in the shadows finally moved. They let out guttural roars, bursting through rotted rooftops. Eerie, elongated snake heads stretched out, flicking their tongues with a rhythmic hiss as they began to patrol the streets.
"How devious. Using trash mobs to wear us down while he hides in the dark to clean up the scraps," Glenn muttered, carefully peeking out to assess the situation.
While the monsters on the main road were numerous, their previous encounter suggested they weren't individually overwhelming. A forced breakthrough was possible. However, the village was now crawling with "Blood-Swallowing Pythons." A single one of those giant serpents usually required a veteran adventurer party to handle; facing a cluster of them at once was a death sentence. Breaking through that way was not an option.
Retreat the way they came? It was clearly what the enemy expected. They were undoubtedly waiting in ambush along that path. But logically, it was the only "sane" choice left. Yet, once they were exhausted from fighting the swarm, how would they face a cunning demon waiting in the shadows?
"If we stay here, we'll be found eventually," Garlan said, sheathing his shortsword and drawing his alchemical longblade. "There's only one way out. If we don't move now, we won't be moving at all later."
It was a blatant "open scheme." By stepping into this village, they had fallen into the pit. Their only choice was to carve a path of blood.
"Wait! Someone's coming!" Theresia called out, stopping Glenn just as he was about to lunge out.
In her mana perception, a mage had appeared—one she had never sensed before. The presence was nearby, yet the mana signature was incredibly faint, as if the person were intentionally suppressing it.
"Who? Is it Xis?"
"No, it's a stranger..."
"Who would be out here right now? Don't they know how dangerous this is?" Garlan wondered aloud. He leaned over, peering through the corner of a shattered window to find the mage Theresia was talking about.
When his eyes focused on the familiar figure floating in the air, a look of indescribable surprise and joy flashed across his face.
"A troublesome one has arrived."
Xis, leaning against a tree in the shadows, opened his eyes. He drew his blade partially before letting it click back into its scabbard, the metallic sound echoing through the trees. Behind him, a young demon girl with twin horns stepped out gracefully.
"Flag, someone from your party is running toward the village. From the look of him, your cover has been blown."
'Xis'—the demon Flag—wore a strange expression. This time, his hand stayed on the hilt without moving. "Is that so? Rat... how strange. I thought I played the part perfectly. I inherited his appearance and even his memories."
"A demon can never 'become' human, you know that," the girl smiled. Like Flag's, her smile held no warmth. "No matter how well you mimic his habits, you cannot hide our nature. Because we... cannot understand human emotions."
"Did you take care of him?"
"He reacted quickly and didn't die on the spot, but he won't last long. My curse isn't something he can break easily."
"I see. Then these two are useless. Kill them." Flag gestured toward the blonde boy and the woman nearby. They were currently following Flag's orders, watching the highway for Garlan's return, completely unaware that their death warrants had been signed.
Two dark purple magic circles erupted beside the demon girl. They formed so fast that the glamorous woman didn't even have time to register the mana before two beams of [Zoltraak] pierced through their skulls.
With a heavy thud, two headless corpses collapsed into the undergrowth. The blonde boy's sword clattered into a pool of blood—the same blade that had tasted so many others' lives was now bathed in his own.
"You just wanted to take that human city. Such a simple task, yet you chose the most foolish method," the demon girl teased, waving her hand to dissipate the circles.
"Let's go, Mel. It looks like things are getting lively at the village." Flag ignored her. He gripped his longblade, stood up, and spared a cold glance at the corpses before walking toward Windmill Village with Mel. Soon, the sound of scavengers feasting on the remains drifted through the trees.
As late autumn progressed, the afternoon light faded rapidly. Though it was barely evening, the sun had mostly dipped away, leaving the world in a grey, hazy gloom.
But Garlan recognized her instantly. The iconic red earrings swayed in the high-altitude gusts, and her white hair fluttered in the wind.
Frieren looked down at Windmill Village with a stoic expression. The density of monsters was unnatural; it looked like a deliberate arrangement.
"A demon's work, it seems."
She sensed several presences in a small house near the entrance. They were trapped. One felt vaguely familiar, though she couldn't quite place the name. She lowered her staff to a forty-five-degree angle, pointing it at the Blood-Swallowing Pythons below that were snapping their jaws at her.
"[Judgement Bolt]."
Mana surged through her staff, and purple lightning tore through the sky, illuminating her face. Massive arcs of electricity spiraled around her before slamming into the monsters below. The bolts punched through the "impenetrable" scales of the pythons, the air filling with the acrid stench of ozone and charred flesh.
The monsters shrieked, thrashing their massive bodies, but they were powerless against the mage in the sky. They tried to slither into the ruins for cover, but the lightning found them all the same. The earth erupted in craters, and the already ruined village was being terraformed by Frieren's single strike.
The pythons that had been a death sentence moments ago were now dissolving into mana particles, leaving only a scattering of monster crystals behind.
___
There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
Usually upload 2 Chapters a day in there, Sunday
50+ Chapters Ahead, and will continue to increase
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