The Mammoth King was known for its incredible strength. Its trunk could smash steel. But Kael had blocked it with his own body. Was he made of steel?
The Mammoth King stared at him, then raised its giant foot and stomped down.
BOOM—!
A terrifying shockwave burst outward, and the ground cracked.
"Aaargh!"
Everyone staggered, struggling to stay on their feet.
Kael Vane flapped his wings and rose into the air.
He pointed a finger at the mammoth. Black energy gathered at his fingertip, compressing into a small, dense sphere.
"Cero Oscuras!"
VMMMM—! SHOOOM—!
A black beam lanced toward the mammoth. The giant beast couldn't dodge. It had to take the hit.
"ROAR—!"
BOOM—!
The black Cero swallowed the mammoth's body, expanding into a black dome. Everything it touched was erased.
When the light faded, a giant crater remained. The Mammoth King lay at the bottom, unconscious.
"Amazing!"
"Mr. Kael Vane is so strong!"
"He beat five nine-star beasts all by himself!"
Soldiers and swordsmen erupted into cheers. With those five beasts gone, the pressure on them was much lower.
"So strong..."
Alan was stunned. He was struggling against one nine-star beast, but this man had beaten five in about a minute. That was real strength.
He had always thought he was a genius. Today, he realized he'd been measuring the world with a ruler too short. This man—and Yoriichi from the tournament—were the real geniuses.
"What is with today? There are too many monsters!"
Kray was furious. Usually, Arthur was his only rival. Now, two new monsters had appeared on the same day.
Arthur was also shaken. This man's power was on the level of a Wizard Saint—and he was so young.
"Is this Kael's true strength?"
Erza finally understood how Kael had completed an S-Rank mission by himself. With this much power, of course he could.
Kael Vane flapped his wings and returned to the city wall.
Swish!
He canceled his transformation and began breathing heavily.
"Mr. Kael Vane, are you okay?" the king asked, hurrying over.
Kael waved a hand. "I'm fine. I just used too much magic power. I don't think I can help with the rest of the fight."
The king shook his head. "Don't say that! You've already done more than enough. Leave the rest to us!"
With the five strongest beasts gone, the human side was fired up. Cannons boomed as they pushed forward.
The monsters, however, were losing morale.
"Light's Judgment!"
Arthur unleashed his ultimate move, heavily wounding the Manticore.
"Thunder Roar: Flash!"
Kray seized his opening and used his own ultimate move. His body turned to lightning and zipped between the Hydra's remaining heads, cutting them all off.
Erza's fight with the Silver Moon Wolf was also reaching its end.
"Requip: Purgatory Armor!"
"Purgatory Crush!"
Erza, in black, spiked armor, swung her giant, serrated sword.
The blade slammed into the wolf.
"Awoooo—!"
The wolf screamed in pain and collapsed.
Only one nine-star beast remained: the Horned Blood-Ape. When it saw the others beaten, it lost the will to fight. It slapped Alan aside and fled back into the forest.
When the other monsters saw their leaders were gone, they scattered and ran.
"Ooooooooooh!"
Everyone raised their weapons and cheered.
"We did it!"
"We won!"
One hundred thousand monsters... it was a terrifying number—enough to drown the city. But Kael Vane had saved them. He was a hero.
Kael let out a slow breath. It looked like his prize money was safe.
Suddenly!
Something round flew out of the forest.
Thud!
It landed in the middle of the crowd.
When people saw what it was, they screamed.
"The Horned Blood-Ape!"
It was the head of the monster that had just escaped.
"Wh-What happened?"
"Didn't it get away? Who killed it?"
"That was a nine-star beast!"
Just then, someone started clapping.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Nice. Not bad. That was a good show. Very interesting."
A man with a strange, wicked beauty walked out of the forest. He had long purple hair, purple clothes, and dark skin. He looked to be in his late twenties.
"Who are you? Did you kill the ape?" Arthur asked. He didn't like the man's tone.
The man sneered. "Human? I'm not a low-level creature like you. Don't compare me to a human. As for that little monkey... he disobeyed my orders. He had to be punished."
Erza caught the key word. "Orders? You mean you're the one who sent these monsters?"
The man lifted a finger. "Bingo. You got it."
"Why would you do this?"
"Why? That's simple. Revenge, of course."
"Revenge?"
"That's right. To pay back a certain someone for sealing me away for 400 years."
The king froze. He didn't recognize the man, but the words hit like a hammer.
Sealed for 400 years.
His face went white.
"Watch out! That's the magic dragon, Alazam!"