Monster Girl Development Master

Page 6

Several ravens landed on Jem Leon's shoulder at the same time, extending their claws with the notes tied to them.

Jim Leon took it down, unfolded it, and read.

One report came from Ange Leon, a routine update on Zhuang Sen's location and direction; several reports came from his other spies, bringing the bad news that they had come up empty-handed; and the last report came from a group of mercenaries.

Looking at the hastily written words on the letter, Jem Leon gave the order, and his large group turned onto another road. Several ravens took off again and returned the way they came.

……

Ange Leon took the letter, glanced at it, and immediately showed a look of disdain: "Does Jem think I'm an idiot? You want me to use this small force to delay Johnson? What a joke!"

Tearing the letter to shreds, Ange Leon looked towards the faintly visible riding group in the distance, when suddenly her eyes met a pair of dark eyes. A strange chill ran through her, and without hesitation, Ange Leon tightened the reins and turned her horse around: "An!"

Along with her voice, a squad of vengeful female warriors charged out from both sides of the road, but Ange Leon's quick reflexes bought her team precious time, allowing them to successfully turn around and accelerate.

Although it wouldn't be difficult for her, as a level three bloodline user, to take down such a small squad of vengeful female warriors with the help of her private army, surveillance comes at one price and combat at another, and she never does anything that doesn't pay off.

The vengeful female warriors gave chase. Clad in heavy armor, they had no chance of catching up with Angela Leon, but they needed to keep her at a distance to avoid being monitored by her.

On a small hill in the distance, Zhuang Sen shook his head regretfully: "What a pity, she got away."

Dantalian suggested, "Should I go after them?"

"Forget it, it's too far, and it's not worth splitting up our forces." Zhuang Sen withdrew his gaze and looked ahead. "Let's go. Hopefully, Priestess Loris isn't getting impatient."

……

after a while.

From his vantage point on the high ground, Johnson surveyed the situation below. Jem Leon had already arrived at the location where the caravan had been ambushed, recruited the mercenaries, and was reorganizing his forces, seemingly preparing to launch an attack.

Chapter Thirteen: The Charge

Under Zhuang Sen's watchful eye, Jem Leon expertly issued orders, herding the retreating criminals to the forefront. The arguing mercenaries were forcibly silenced by the private soldiers and divided into two groups. One group followed behind the criminals, serving as both a supervisory force and a follow-up force after the criminals were defeated. The other group was moved to the side of the clearing, ready to be deployed as a reserve force at any time, and also to prevent Zhuang Sen from directly attacking him if he arrived.

The most elite private soldiers, of course, remained close to their respective masters, only occasionally riding out to whip and berate mercenaries and criminals who caused trouble.

"He's certainly an ambitious fellow," Dantalian murmured. Although her voice wouldn't be heard even if she spoke loudly from this distance, the nun, going into battle for the first time, chose to be cautious. After all, this concerned Zhuang Sen's future. If she could eliminate these people here in one fell swoop, Zhuang Sen would have a much easier time later.

Johnson nodded. Dantalian was right. It was obvious that such a large and complicated troop deployment was not needed to deal with a mere fourteen people. Jem Leon was clearly using actual combat and this hastily assembled "army" to test his command abilities. It seemed that he was indeed quite capable.

Making elite troops like the Vengeful Warriors obey orders is easy, but it's not so simple for the poorly organized troops below... So, he's just boosting his prestige once again?

As the criminals were driven closer to the wagon fort and then shot down by crossbow bolts, Johnson's gaze shifted to the other end of the mountain path. Another small group carrying a white flag with black crows slipped in, then wisely dismounted and approached Jim Leon to greet him.

That makes eighteen now.

Zhuang Sen jotted down the numbers, but his brow remained furrowed, because he still hadn't seen Ange Leon arrive. Despite being so "insulted" by him, didn't she think to come and get her revenge? Or at least come to inform Jim Leon?

But as time went by, the number of white flags with black crows increased to twenty-two, and Angela Leon was nowhere to be seen, as if she had completely faded away.

The caravan's fortifications were on the verge of falling. After all, these were not real city walls. Even if old Tony filled the wagons with stones, it would be the same. Their manpower was far from being able to compare with the team that had swelled to more than three hundred people, not to mention the bloodline members who had not yet joined the effort.

Of course, if Loris, who is hiding among them, were to make a move, all of this would be nothing at all; at the very least, the mercenaries and criminals would definitely be the first to run away.

But that would be pointless.

Zhuang Sen raised his right hand, and the dark Morning Star Hammer blocked the gradually slanting sunlight. The vengeful female warriors held their breath and straightened their horses, spears in hand.

……

Below, Jem Leon, riding a tall horse, raised his whip, pointed at the wagon, and laughed to the Leons beside him: "Look, what a tenacious and intelligent warrior. It's a pity he followed the wrong person. He still hasn't seen our dear brother."

He arrived here as quickly as possible, and the other Leons were not much slower. They could have taken the fort long ago, but they did not. It was not because they were concerned about casualties; the bloodline nobles did not care about the deaths of some ordinary people. Moreover, he could have organized the bloodline members present to launch an attack and take the simple fort without losing any manpower.

There was only one reason they wouldn't do that: they wanted to personally eliminate Zhuang Sen's subordinates in front of him, then crush his awakening potion and completely break him down! After all, in their view, they were now far stronger than Zhuang Sen, with the advantage in numbers, terrain, elite troops, and most importantly, bloodline members!

However, it seems they overestimated Zhuang Sen. If they had timed it, he and An Jie should have arrived long ago, but they haven't seen him come out yet. Could it be that he ran away with his tail between his legs?

In that case, we can't wait any longer.

Jem Leon looked at the caravan. The caravan guards were all injured and clearly on the verge of collapse. It seemed there was no need to delay any longer.

He raised his right hand high, his finely crafted sword gleaming in the sunlight: "All personnel—assault!!!"

The soldiers roared with excitement: "Kill!!!"

The crowd surged toward the wagon fortress, but even before the crowd arrived, a volley of arrows rained down. The archers, who had been slacking off, finally unleashed their power. The caravan guards, alerted by Loris, noticed and quickly ducked into the fortress. But the already riddled fortress was no match for the arrows and collapsed completely, revealing the pale-faced, exhausted caravan guards.

In that instant, they were as if stripped naked, completely exposed to the sight of the Leon Alliance, and the scythe of death seemed to be pressed against their necks.

The earth began to tremble, the sound of an army charging forward. Waves of people surged forward, their faces contorted with rage, their blades flashing wildly as if about to slash into flesh and blood.

Some of the guards closed their eyes in fear, a basic human instinct.

But they knew it was futile; death had already arrived.

Yes, death has arrived!

The Grim Reaper, known as the Cavalry, charged down from the mountaintop. Their three-meter-long lances reflected the setting sun, their pure white light hanging behind them, illuminating the somewhat dark road and blinding the Leon Alliance.

"Form ranks! Form ranks!!" Jem Leon shouted personally, trying to rally his troops to withstand the charge. But the mercenaries, who were the main force, were not stupid. It was one thing to fight cavalry on flat ground, but now the cavalry was charging down from the mountain, and their speed had been fully increased. They were not going to throw their lives away.

Before the battle even began, the main force of the Leon coalition had already started to flee.

"For the goddess!!!"

"For Aranta!!!"

Then, the female warriors, chanting holy words, surged forward like indestructible chariots, shattering the mercenaries who had their backs to them. Their wooden lances, like wooden spikes, easily pierced flesh and blood until they were either too heavy to lift or broke. Then they drew their barbed Morning Star hammers and smashed the lucky one's skull open with a single blow.

As the red and white liquid splashed across the forest clearing once more, the mercenaries increased their speed again, disappearing into the forest at a speed as if they had awakened the bloodline of the [Wind Rabbit], and running wildly.

"Jonson!!!"

Jem Leon roared, brandishing his longsword and galloping toward Johnson, his private soldiers following closely behind. The rest of Leon's men, however, were noticeably hesitant; they didn't want to lose their real strength. But then, they changed their minds.

Jem Leon hurled a jet-black ball that struck a vengeful female warrior squarely on the right shoulder, knocking her off her horse.

Yes! We still have bloodlines!

Zhuang Sen only had about seventy riders, and only one bloodline user who had awakened at the first time. Even if he was only at level four, could he possibly defeat so many bloodline users on their side?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

So they all spurred their horses and charged toward Zhuang Sen, and those with the bloodline were naturally the fastest to charge.

Chapter Fourteen: An Unexpected Incident

The first to reach Johnson wasn't Jem Leon; he was using Shadow Balls to clear a path, so another, even more muscular Leon got there first. He wielded his two warhammers, charging forward at breakneck speed. The vengeful warriors tried to intercept him, but none could withstand his monstrous strength. They were either knocked away by their weapons or fell from their horses, as easily as adults beating children.

Finally, his warhammer slammed into Johnson's shoulder.

He didn't intend to kill Zhuang Sen; he didn't trust his close friends present to cover up such a serious matter. So, breaking one or two bones in Zhuang Sen and then capturing him would be enough!

Leon, the warhammer-wielding man, watched his weapon plummet rapidly, his eyes catching a glimpse of Dantalian's Morning Star Hammer extending from the side. He recognized Dantalian, so he didn't change his stance at all.

Although it is a level four bloodline, it has only been awakened for a few days. The development level of the bloodline is at most 2% or 3%. How could it possibly withstand a strong person who has been awakened for two and a half years and whose bloodline development level is 15%?

Break it for me!

The already thick arms were covered by shadows, and swelled up even more. This was the effect of the bloodline ability [Double Shadow]. By manipulating one's own shadow, one can unleash power again, and at its limit, it can even unleash the power of four times one's own.

Of course, this one will only increase by about 20% at most.

But that's already very powerful; it could even knock down a vengeful female warrior, armor and all, so what's a mere Morning Star Hammer?

Leon of Warhammer could almost picture himself smashing Dantalian's weapon and shattering Johnson's bones.

Then, with a bang.

The immense recoil froze Warhammer Leon's smile.

Dantalian, wielding his hammer in one hand, looked at Warhammer Leon, opened his mouth, and gently exhaled. A wisp of dark green poisonous mist shot out like an arrow, landing on Warhammer Leon. But in that instant, the shadow that had been enveloping his arms suddenly slipped away, covering his entire body.

Bloodline Ability: Shadow Cloak

By using shadows to create barriers, attacks can be deflected to a certain extent.

Dantalian still lacks combat experience, but this is already frightening enough. Warhammer Leon's strength is undeniable among Leons, and he's fifth in line to inherit the throne, five places higher than Johnson.

Then he was beaten so badly by a nun who had only been awakened for a few days that he had to use his life-saving abilities.

This was completely unexpected, but no wonder Zhuang Sen dared to resist.

Is a level four bloodline really that strong?

The same thought flashed through Leon's mind, then he rallied again: "Don't be afraid! We'll go together!"

Jem Leon shouted, his hands making a grasping motion in front of him, and a shadow ball the size of a human head gradually took shape. Not only him, but two other Leons who had awakened the [Shadow Ball] ability also made the same move, and their target was even the same: Dantalian.

After all, Zhuang Sen was just an ordinary person who hadn't awakened his powers; they didn't even need to lift a finger, as Leon could easily handle the rest of the unawakened ones. Dantalian, however, was a real threat to their lives, and seemed genuinely capable of attacking—that dark green mist from earlier didn't appear harmless!

Having reached a tacit agreement, the Leon bloodline users launched a siege on Dantalian. In addition to the triple Shadow Ball, a Leon wielding two daggers suddenly disappeared from his horse and appeared directly behind Dantalian—[Shadow Step]!

At the same time, the shadow of Dantalian's mount suddenly reared up, its two powerful forelegs smashing directly towards her head—[Shadow Manipulation]!

There's also the same [Echo] effect as Warhammer Leon, or the [Shadow Mist] effect where the entire body suddenly disappears into a black mist, making it impossible to see the figure clearly.

Of course, there are also some unfortunate people who don't have bloodline abilities suitable for combat and can only rely on the physical attributes brought by awakening to charge straight in.

They were brave and fearless, they were perfectly in sync, they were united against a common enemy, they attacked from all sides, and they—were all sent flying by Loris.

Bloodthirsty Bee's vicious kick sent Leon, who attempted a sneak attack with Shadowstep, flying away. Her wasp-like stinger easily deflected the weapons of those awakened beings, then she flicked her wrist, unleashing a miniature tornado that blew away the incoming shadow orbs and dissipating shadow mist. She then appeared in the eye of the tornado as if by teleportation, slamming a punch into the head of Warhammer Leon, who was trying to get up, denting his steel helmet.

Throughout the entire process, she only used the [Speed] bloodline ability; the rest were all numerical values.

"Bloodthirsty bee—how is this possible! How did you get here!"

Loris flicked her right hand: "Just passing by?"

This perfunctory tone and attitude, which was so dismissive that they didn't even bother to be polite, plunged Jim Leon and the others into despair.

They knew the Church of Vengeance supported Zhuang Sen, but they didn't expect it to be this supportive—if that's the case, why not just give them more female warriors of vengeance, then they won't come!

No, could it be...?

Jim Leon suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of a possibility, but he hoped he was wrong. However, when he looked at Johnson, the smile on Johnson's face made everything clear to him.

All of this—the awakening potion, the church's well-timed support, and the sudden appearance of the bloodthirsty bees—was all part of Zhuang Sen's scheme! No, it wasn't a scheme, but a blatant seduction. They should have been able to figure out why a low-key guy like Zhuang Sen would suddenly become so high-profile, and why the Fala family would leak information... But they overlooked it because they thought they had Zhuang Sen completely under their control, just like they had done before.

They refused to admit that they would lose to Zhuang Sen, and they never even considered it, just as they never imagined that Zhuang Sen would try to kill them.

Wait, he couldn't have killed them; so many mercenaries just escaped...

Seeing the renewed hope on Jem Leon's face, Zhuang Sen spurred his horse toward him: "Rest assured, my dear brother, I will find those despicable mercenaries and avenge you."

Some of Leon, who hadn't yet figured out Zhuang Sen's true purpose and even thought it was finally over, were stunned. When they came to their senses, they all started shouting in panic, but Zhuang Sen didn't bother to listen.

The first person to kill is Jem Leon, the prime suspect, the one who loves to cause trouble for Johnson the most, the one who is most jealous of Johnson the most, and the one who reacts the most strongly in this plan.

Zhuang Sen began to accelerate, and the Morning Star Hammer was raised.

Leon's group began to stir, especially those who possessed the abilities of Shadowstep and Shadow Mist, but Loris kept a close watch on them, and anyone who made a sound was hit again—although, she really didn't dare to kill Leon's son herself, and anyway, a little longer wouldn't make a difference.

As for the rest, Dantalian was also watching. They were powerless to resist, forced to wait for the still-unawakened Zhuang Sen to kill them—a utter disgrace!

But amidst the anger, Jem Leon calmed down, lowering his hands as if resigned to his fate and closing his eyes.

The sound of horses' hooves was rapid, and they were getting closer.

The Morning Star Hammer traced a graceful arc through the air, descending towards Jem Leon's head. Johnson wasn't worried about missing; after all, he was a Level 3 bloodline awakened, and fully awakened at that. Among those present, only Loris and Dantalian possessed physical superiority over him.

But in that instant, the Leon bloodline users who had been behaving themselves suddenly rioted. Loris was instantly surrounded and attacked, and Dantalian also faced an attack, but her first reaction was to swing her hammer at Jem Leon in front of her.

It didn't work out.

Jem Leon emerged from the shadows behind Johnson, his hands transforming into bird claws, like a giant humanoid bird, leaping into the air in a completely inhuman manner to grab Johnson's neck!

Shadow Step!

Everyone knew that Jem Leon had awakened the Shadow Sphere, and a few of his close confidants knew that he had also awakened the Double Shadow. Only he himself knew that he had also awakened the Shadowstep!

Now, he is about to use his hidden secret weapon to reclaim the victory that belongs to him!

Sharp bird claws attacked from behind. Zhuang Sen, who was swinging his hammer, had no chance to dodge or fight back, especially since he was just an ordinary person who had not yet awakened.

Won!

Jem Leon was thinking this when a blinding light suddenly burst forth before his eyes!

Unranked Angel Bloodline Ability: [Dazzling Light]!

Hit by a flash of light as intense as a flare at close range, Jem Leon, who was in mid-air, could not maintain his balance at all. The bird claws that were about to grab Zhuang Sen's shoulder and neck were misaligned and grazed Zhuang Sen's face, which was not wearing a visor, leaving a shallow bloodstain.