Chapter 125: I don’t think he’s that special
Michel, under the chilling chorus of the little monkeys, simply frowned with slight annoyance.
If I had my sword, I would finish off these beasts pretty quickly.
However, due to game competition, he only had a bow and arrows. Although he used them when he was younger, he was not very skilled with that weapon.
So Michel had no choice but to use martial arts to face all these monkeys, and the great monkey of Baron rank.
The dark aura began to cover his body as if it were a kind of energy armor. His control over it was truly exquisite; it was no wonder he was called the greatest genius in the kingdom of Aragon.
Michel turned his face to one side when he saw Elizabeth standing next to him.
"I’ll help you weaken the monkeys, so don’t hold back," she said as she quickly muttered a spell she had learned from her father.
Michel smiled slightly and ran toward the monkeys, looking slightly excited.
The silver monkeys, with purple spots the size of a hand, jumped off the large monkey’s body and lunged toward Michel.
Not long after, the battle began.
Since the beasts’ bodies weren’t very large, Michel didn’t attack recklessly. One of them jumped toward him, but his fist, covered in aura, moved like lightning.
Pop!
A slight sound, like a balloon popping, reached Michel’s ears when his fist struck: the silver monkey’s entire body exploded.
He did some footwork as he moved between the trees, dodging the monkeys that rushed past him in a rage.
Turning around a tree, he felt it shake slightly. Michel attacked again, launching a roundhouse kick that hit three of them squarely.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The three exploded like balloons when struck by Michel’s powerful kick, imbued with his aura.
"UH-UH-AH-AH!!" The silver monkey with purple spots screamed in rage, pounding his chest, which sounded like a drum.
He lunged forward with his enormous body, moving in a zigzag pattern and using the branches of the purple-topped trees for support and momentum.
Michel opened his eyes slightly when he saw the two-meter beast running toward him. His legs moved nimbly, dodging several silver monkeys.
But before he could react, the silver monkey of Baron rank... was in front of him! It had closed the distance in the blink of an eye!
"Shit..." Michel cursed, throwing his body backward and letting himself fall.
He could see the silver monkey’s claw with purple spots pass just inches from his eye.
Swoosh!
The beast’s attack passed by, creating a slight friction due to the speed of its movement.
Michel quickly got up from the ground using his hands as support, dodging the normal silver monkeys.
Moving between the trees, he asked in a slightly annoyed voice, "Woman, how long are you going to take?"
Elizabeth frowned; she didn’t like being treated like that.
"Give me ten seconds and I’ll finish the spell."
At this reply, Michel’s expression became indifferent again as he moved between the trees and bushes, dodging the attacks of the wild beasts.
What could he expect from her...? He was truly disappointed by Elizabeth’s slowness in casting spells.
He couldn’t help but recall the battle he saw at the Grand Spring Tournament, where Kael and Jenna faced off. That fight had really impressed him, as both had taken magical combat to another level.
However, he had expected too much from Elizabeth; he hadn’t finished off the purple-spotted silver monkey, a Baron-ranked opponent, because he was curious about her skill.
After all, killing these beasts was easy for him: he was ranked 7, the Highest level. He had already undergone a qualitative change in both his body and his mana essence.
Michel pushed his thoughts aside and focused his attention on the Baron-ranked beast.
Sliding across the damp ground, he stopped, staring at the large silver monkey with purple spots.
Just then...
"[Livid Nemesis]" Elizabeth’s voice echoed around the surroundings, and a dark purple magic circle appeared beside her.
From the circle emerged a small fairy made entirely of poisons, which flew straight toward the large silver ape.
Swoosh!
The fairy moved quickly among the small, hand-sized monkeys and between the trees, striking the large silver monkey.
"UH-UH-AH-AH!!" the silver monkey screamed again, this time with fury and confusion, as he began to feel his body weakening.
Of course, Michel wasn’t going to waste this brief moment of carelessness. His black aura focused mostly on his legs, which took the form of dragons.
He launched several linear kicks as the dragons flew out and made their way.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Several wild beasts exploded like watermelons as the dragons rushed past.
Michel made several moves, mounted one of the branches, used it as a platform, and flew toward the monkey at high speed.
In the blink of an eye, he was already on top of the large silver monkey with purple spots and attacking.
Swoosh!
El puño de Michel generó una intensa fricción en el aire debido a su velocidad.
Bang!
When Michel’s fist connected with the face of the large silver monkey with purple spots, it sank, causing him to fall at high speed.
Boom!
A loud noise echoed throughout the area, raising a cloud of dust and scaring the birds from the trees.
Shortly thereafter, the dust began to dissipate, revealing the large silver monkey of Baron rank in the middle of a crater, with one hand and one foot completely fractured, bleeding from every orifice of its head, and lifeless.
Michel slowly fell to the ground, his body covered in blood and the organs of the other beasts that had exploded in a single blow. His expression was indifferent as he wiped his face with his hand.
Meanwhile, the aura disappeared from his body in particles.
...
Elsewhere in the forest.
Aiden advanced calmly, accompanied by his second wife. Around him lay several purple boars, still bleeding, and some rabbits with poisonous horns that had fallen under his skill.
The silence of the forest was filled with the metallic stench of blood and the crunching of leaves under his footsteps.
"Darling, why are you so interested in that young Kael?" Natalia asked in a sweet voice, soft as honey. "I don’t think he’s that special... he’s quite ordinary."
Her body was voluptuous, with firm, thick legs and modest but well-formed breasts. She wore a hunting outfit that hugged her curves, shamelessly highlighting each of her attributes. Her brown, slightly curly hair fell naturally over her shoulders, and her eyes, the same color, sparkled with a certain naive curiosity.
She was undoubtedly a striking woman, a real bombshell.
Aiden glanced at her, his lips forming a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Darling... she may seem ordinary to you, but I assure you she’s anything but," he said in a tone that mixed confidence with a hint of mockery. "Besides, don’t forget that he’s a descendant of that monster... Zephyr."
The words were spoken lightly, as if they were a simple, casual comment. But deep in his eyes there was an unfathomable depth, a calculating gleam that Natalia couldn’t quite perceive.
He didn’t mention anything to her about the items Kael might possess, nor about the secrets he was hiding. She didn’t need to know. His wife was useful in other ways, but some things had to remain only in his mind.
Natalia changed the subject:
"Are you sure you want to let Elizabeth get so close to Michel? He seems like a rather complicated young man to me."
Aiden was silent for a few seconds. The smile that had adorned his face slowly faded, replaced by a bitter shadow. His gaze wandered among the trees to a distant point that Natalia could never see.
"Love..." he said at last, his voice low and rough.
He had once believed in it. He had believed it was a refuge, a force that could give meaning even to a world as cruel as this one. But he had learned in the most painful way that love always ends in ruin.
His chest heaved slightly, as if something buried deep inside wanted to escape.
The person I loved most, the only one I gave everything to... was taken away from me. His lips curled into a grimace between a smile and a wince.
A woman with blonde hair and golden eyes appeared in his mind. That woman was Elizabeth’s mother. She was his faith, his comfort, his world. And yet, fate had taken her away as if she had never mattered.
He clenched his fists tightly. Aiden let out a long sigh and looked up at Natalia with some bitterness.
"Elizabeth believes that getting close to Michel is an act of affection. But I know what awaits her. In the end, love is nothing more than a pact with suffering. It is giving your heart in exchange for pain."
A heavy silence fell between them.
"That’s why I don’t intervene," Aiden concluded bitterly. "If she decides to drink from that poisoned cup, she’ll have to taste for herself what I’ve already tasted. And then she’ll understand... that love is not a gift, but a curse."