"…I'll save your islands, so I want you to work for ," Evan said, right before a trio of notifications appeared in his field of vision.
|Dominator's Decree Acquired.|
|Unique Skills require three Skill Slots.|
|Twenty Skill Slots remaining.|
Evan silently mimicked the skill he was after while maintaining eye contact with Zara, but he didn't imdiately pull up the description, instead, he kept his focus on her.
"I don't et the requirents to handle the threat?" Zara echoed his words. "And pray tell, what are these 'requirents' you just happen to et?"
Her skepticism was obvious, but Evan didn't bother addressing it as he answered calmly.
"A Special Class of Unique Skill.
And no, I don't just happen to et them. I acquired them during my quest for greater power, and I'm far from the only one with them.
Unfortunately, the closest people who et these requirents are across the ocean, on the surrounding continents. None would arrive in ti."
"And you just happen to be right here at the right mont?"
"Well, you can chalk it up to fate or whatever force you believe in. I already told you I ca for your dungeon and only learned of the threat shortly before I arrived. It's an opportunity I chose to take advantage of. Nothing more."
Evan's response hid nothing of his intention to exploit this crisis in Zeraxes to put Zara in his debt.
If anything was hidden, it was that he didn't only want her to owe him just one debt. He wanted her to work for him for life, and he was willing to use the skill he had just taken from her to make that happen.
However, Zara wasn't about to let him act as he pleased.
"Zeraxes belongs to . Solen's dungeon belongs to ."
She wrenched her hand free from his grip as she spoke, her tone darkening with each word.
"If those unruly monsters want to co out, I would be the one to put them back in where they belong, and having reached the end of that dungeon several tis, I'm confident there's nothing inside it I don't et the 'requirents' to defeat. Not even the monsters at the bottom."
Hearing her words, Evan couldn't help but sigh internally.
'She's clearly missing the point.'
"Your 'help' is unnecessary. Free my subordinate. Remove your barrier. And do not interrupt my activities. I won't ask twice."
Evan shrugged at her demands, apporting both his chair and the deboned fish monsters into his Inventory.
He then snapped his fingers, and as cracks appeared around the ice, he looked at Zara and said, "Miss Zara, your own knowledge, power, and experience are preventing you from understanding what I'm saying.
I'm not saying you're incapable of dealing with Solen's dungeon break. I'm saying you're not capable of handling the monster that threatens your islands."
Zara was about to speak, but Evan raised his hand to stop her and added, "My offer will remain open until the last mont. After that point, it wouldn't be an 'offer' anymore."
With those words, Evan vanished with Blink, and instantly, the ice around the frozen Pirate Lord shattered, while the winds of the swirling Elental Shield covering Solen and the surrounding waters began to recede.
Zara frowned in silence as Evan's last words replayed in her mind repeatedly, but her Pirate Lords called out to her for orders, breaking her focus.
Turning around, she gave them the instructions they needed, "All ships in position. Prepare to begin bombardnt!"
◇ ◇ ◇
The bombardnt from Zara's fleet was loud and flashy, drawing the attention of everyone on the islands.
Adventurers joined Zara's private army to fight the aquatic monsters, while Leoniel's presence on the islands with the most nobles ensured that no one acted out of line or interfered with Zara's subordinates as they cleared the monsters, allowing not a single one to escape the three-layered periter.
Even if so monsters slipped past the first line's bombardnt and the second line's fighters, the third line of ships would catch the stragglers and eliminate them.
So nobles and guests from the Voyager contributed by sending their knights and guards, and several strong adventurers on the cruise ship joined in, motivated by the extra coin and glory offered by completing an Ergency Guild Quest.
The fighting continued for several hours.
Thousands of monsters poured from the depths of Solen's dungeons, and at one point, Leoniel had to intervene, knocking out a Level 700 monster or two with long-range attacks fired from Zera to ease the burden on Zara's subordinates, who were growing exhausted from repeated combat.
Injuries mounted as the battle persisted, and the wounded were pulled back to the second line of defence, where the healers and dics within Zara's private army quickly began treating them.
However, because they were terrestrial creatures fighting aquatic monsters, powerful ones at that, in the tens of thousands on water, the injuries accumulated far more than they would have if the battle had taken place on land.
No matter how skilled the adventurers of the archipelago were at fighting aquatic-type monsters, only a very small number could ever match those monsters when it ca to combat on or in the water.
While the battle continued and Zara was receiving a report on the injured, a powerful wave of light green magic power suddenly erupted from the centre of the second line of defence, spreading out several kilotres in every direction.
Zara sensed it imdiately and turned her gaze toward the middle of the fleet.
Just as she did, Varek's shadow moved like a living thing, and from that shadow erged a cat that dashed up to the helm of the ship's bridge in a flash.
The mont Zara focused on the cat, magic power condensing in her palm, a familiar figure erged from the cat's shadow.
"Laneford," Zara muttered.
At that mont, Eliza, who had just appeared on Zara's flagship, bowed lightly before speaking.
"Hello there, Miss Dredgesea."
She imdiately raised her head and continued, "There's no ti, so I'll go straight to the point. Whatever discussion you may have had with my fiancé earlier today is of no concern to . I have no idea what he's planning independently, and I am completely excluded from whatever plans he has.
Right now, you and your subordinates are fighting to prevent the monsters from that dungeon from reaching the islands of this archipelago, but it won't be long before you reach the limits of how many forces you can commit to these monsters while still maintaining the minimum level of security on your islands.
Injuries are also becoming a serious problem, and I'm not going to stand by and watch them continue to accumulate."
Holding out her adventurer's guild card, the 'X-Rank' printed on it glowing brightly, she continued speaking. "I'm here as an adventurer who accepted the Ergency Guild Quest that was sent out earlier, and while you may not have noticed, I've been focusing on supporting many of the adventurers fighting along the shores of Solen.
However, the injuries among the soldiers deployed from your ships have increased, so I've co to offer my support here as well.
Have your injured fall back to your second line of defence. If they are within my domain of life, they will automatically begin healing whatever wounds they have. My domain also has a disinfection property, so rest assured that none of the wounds will be healed while they are infected.
I would have liked to move my domain forward, but unfortunately, when my domain is spread as wide as it currently is, I'm not capable of selective healing. If I bring it forward..."
Before Eliza could finish speaking, Zara interrupted. "You would end up healing monsters as well."
Eliza nodded silently.
That would be a terrible outco. No one wanted to face opponents who were receiving healing from a Laneford, especially one whose Adventurer's Guild Card showed 'X-Rank', a rank reserved for those at Level 700 , Legendary Level Existences.
If what was on the Guild Card hanging from Eliza's neck was to be believed, then she was on the level of a 'Living Legend', similar to Zara's Pirate Lords.
The Laneford Clan of life attribute users were well known across the planet, particularly to high-level existences, Living Legends, and Sovereigns.
Zara was acquainted with Eliza's grandfather, Alden and her father Matthias, and she had witnessed their powers in action, and she didn't believe that soone descended from tigers like them would be fangless.
Looking down at the chalky-black cat crouched near her feet, Eliza posed a question. "Kuro, can you assist them in defeating so of the monsters? At the very least, clearing a path for the boats carrying the injured so they can enter my domain?"
Eliza's request was t with an imdiate refusal from Kuro.
[No. Master Evan explicitly ordered not to leave your side and to guard you at all tis.]
Hearing this, Eliza heaved a soft sigh and then asked, "Can Kayla at least offer so assistance?"
Kuro was silent for a mont before answering. [I've spoken to Lady Kayla. She was quite far away, so it will take her a few minutes to arrive.]
Eliza imdiately lifted her gaze to Zara and spoke again. "If you see anyone calling lightning down from the skies, please do not fire at them. They are an ally."
With those words, she stepped closer to Zara, raising a hand coated in green ether before speaking while looking toward Solen. "The monsters keep pouring out of that dungeon. Considering the terrain and the whirlpool around the dungeon's entrance, I'd assu it is impossible to send anyone inside to deal with the bosses before they erge.
Those bosses will be out soon, as the frightening life signs I'm sensing from the depths of that dungeon are growing stronger."
Eliza then shifted her gaze away from the dungeon and back to Zara. "You're the only one here who can handle those things. Would you like to accept so support magic?"
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