Chapter 4: An Unequal Battle

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!!!!

Countless elemental explosions were occurring in the air.

Sakura, using her magic shield to block all the attacks from the Golems.

"Damn it, I can't possibly withstand all of them!"

Three Golems appeared behind Sakura.

"Diamond Sword Rain!"

Thousands of magic rings appeared, and swords with diamond-like durability emerged and flew towards them at Mach 3.4. Some of them, seeing this, punched the swords, bending the diamond swords, while others shattered completely.

"They're too durable, that bastard Izalas upgraded them to be much stronger than before."

She tried to dodge the thousands of rocket punches continuously raining down on her.

She raised her magic staff into the air and began chanting a spell.

"Oh, arrow of blood!"

A massive magic circle appeared, blood flowed out a little then stopped, all of it twisting and forming the shape of a deep red spear.

"Charge and pierce through everything!"

"Gáe Bolg!"

The spear burst from the pool of blood and shot towards the Golems, who transformed their arms into chainsaws and tried to strike Gáe Bolg.

But, Gáe Bolg's spear reversed the world's cause and effect; in a minute, their entire cores were pierced through.

"Good, three eliminated."

Bang!

Sakura hadn't noticed behind her and was punched through a nearby house by a Golem.

Luckily, she had created a magic circle to protect herself.

But what happened? Why was Sakura fighting those Golems?

Let's rewind 10 minutes after Akazuha told Sakura to leave.

<♤♤♤>

Sakura walked away from Akazuha, leaving the main road and venturing deep into the dense forest near the city walls. The trees obscured the sky, leaving only faint rays of light. Under their feet, dry leaves and broken branches rustled with each step.

How did she know this path?

Before, when she was a slave, she had heard the guards talk about a secret tunnel.

They said it was once used to transport illegal goods into the capital. But later, the soldiers sealed it with stones because too many intruders used it.

She continued walking in silence until Sakura stopped before a large, moss-covered rock.

She knelt down, using her hand to brush away the dry leaves and dust beneath, revealing an old iron door buried in the ground. Faint magical symbols were etched on its surface; this was the tunnel.

She gently touched the seal on the door, sensing the remaining magical energy. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Thank goodness, the magic has weakened."

Then, she raised her hand and brought it down forcefully.

BOOM!

A surge of magical energy erupted, blowing away the magical lock and causing the door to shake violently.

"It's done."

Sakura placed her hand on the doorknob and pushed the heavy door open. A blast of cold air emanated from the darkness within.

She stepped inside the darkness.

Inside this rotten capital lies a hospital for the poor, where her friend is staying.

Sakura emerged from the tunnel, and a magnificent scene unfolded before her eyes: streetlights shining, houses built in a grand and imposing manner, and thousands of nobles strolling about.

But this wasn't where she needed to be.

Carrying the pink-haired woman on her shoulder, Sakura continued on until she reached a garbage-strewn area.

The opulent scenery of the capital quickly faded as Sakura left the main area and entered the narrow alleyways.

This place was a complete contrast to what they had seen. Walls were covered in moss, and the air was thick with the smell of dampness. Garbage was scattered everywhere, and rats as big as an arm scurried beneath their feet. Emaciated figures with vacant eyes huddled in the shadows, some coughing violently, others merely lifeless bodies awaiting their fate.

This was where the imperial capital abandoned the poor.

Sakura continued walking.

The hospital she needed to reach was deep within this area.

Sakura turned into an even darker alley.

She stopped before an old building, its doors crumbling and windows covered with tattered cloth. Although it looked no different from the surrounding abandoned buildings, a mage could sense faint magical light from within, indicating that someone was using healing magic.

She gently pushed open the door and immediately, a mingled scent of herbs and blood assailed their nostrils.

"Kibaki-san."

The person using magic to heal a man who had lost his right arm was startled to hear Sakura's voice.

"Sakura!"

"Hibaki-san, let's not talk yet. First, let's treat that man."

Hibaki nodded, his hand glowing with a pale blue magic as he continued to use healing magic on the man's wound. But even with the magic working, the cut continued to bleed, and the skin around the cut appeared partially necrotic.

"Necrotic?"

Sakura asked.

Hibaki looked up, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

"Yes... this wound has been necrotic for too long to heal. I tried to resolve it, but..."

Stepping closer, she examined the wound briefly before muttering,

"This thing is severely necrotic."

Without hesitation, she raised her hand, a surge of magic emanating from her fingertips and instantly penetrating the wound. In a flash, the necrotic layer disappeared, and the bleeding stopped. Hibaki said nothing, as if he already knew Sakura could do this.

"Hibaki-san. How's the hospital?"

Hibaki took a deep breath, regaining his composure. He took off his glasses, wearily rubbed his temples, and replied,

"It's getting worse and worse. Every day, new people are brought in injured or sick, but there's a shortage of medicine, and my magic power isn't enough to treat everyone."

He looked around the cramped room, where dozens of people lay sprawled on old beds. Some were only slightly injured, but many looked like they were on the verge of death.

"Did the nobles cause this again?"

She asked, but Hibaki only gave a wry smile.

"Who else would it be? They don't care about these poor people. To them, these poor people are nothing but trash."

Sakura was silent for a moment, then pulled a wooden chair closer. She gently placed the pink-haired girl down, making sure she didn't tip over. The girl hadn't fully regained consciousness yet, but her breathing was more regular than before.

Hibaki glanced at her, but didn't ask any further questions. He was all too familiar with the sight of oppressed people appearing here with all sorts of wounds and illnesses.

"So, how did you escape that cycle of slavery?"

Hearing the question, Sakura immediately replied.

"Uh, well, a strange guy saved this girl, and while he was at it, he also broke the slave collar around my neck."

Hibaki was taken aback. He knew that the slave collar wasn't easy to break, yet that guy managed to do it.

"So, he's clearly very strong."

"Yeah."

He continued to ask Sakura.

"So, do you know him?"

Sakura rolled her eyes for a moment before saying a name.

"Akazuha, Shashiki Akazuha."

Hibaki's eyes widened when he heard Akazuha's name, his mouth gaping open as he screamed, "Huh?!"

Sakura covered her ears.

"You mean you met Akazuha Shashiki?"

Sakura nodded. Hibaki slumped into his chair, his hands constantly moving. He scratched his head in frustration.

"What's wrong?"

"Did something happen, Hibaki-san?"

Hibaki sighed, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples. Then he turned to Sakura and said something unexpected.

"Akazuha Shashiki, he's a very strong guy."

"Huh?"

Hibaki went to his bookshelf, took out a few newspapers, and threw them onto the table.

"What are these?"

"Just read them and you'll see."

Sakura picked up two newspapers, surprised to see they were about Akazuha.

"On February 20th, a man was seen killing 10 dragons, the creatures that preyed on people's livestock."

"On the morning of March 22nd, according to residents of Mohaw town, they saw a man named Akazuha Shashiki kill a vampire that had sucked the blood of many people." "The people there every night."

And there were many, many other articles about Akazuha's exploits.

"Unbelievable, he even killed the storm witch, she could even destroy the moon."

"And yet he was able to defeat her."

Sakura continued reading the articles, while Hibaki was deep in thought. But then he shifted his attention to the pink-haired girl.

"But, who is this—"

Bang!

The door was kicked open and a soldier entered, followed by 16 Golems.

"What, how did they get here?"

Sakura exclaimed in shock.

"Sakura, have you removed that?"

Sakura was startled; every slave in this kingdom had a magic stone embedded in their body so that the nobles could track them if they escaped. Sakura I completely forgot about that.

"Damn it, I forgot all that!"

Hibaki's face turned pale.

"Damn... so they tracked you!"

The soldier entered, his gleaming armor reflecting the firelight in the dimly lit room. He smirked, his eyes filled with contempt as he saw Sakura.

"Thought you could escape? Don't forget that all slaves have their own unique tracks."

Sakura gritted her teeth, her hands clenched.

"Damn it... I didn't think they'd arrive so quickly..."

She glanced at the Golems behind the soldier, a more cost-effective alternative to heavy robots. They were magic-controlled fighting machines, their massive bodies made of stone and metal, their eyes glowing with magic stones embedded in their chests.

"I don't have time to play games with you."

The soldier gestured with his chin, and immediately, sixteen Golems began to move, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground.

"Capture that slave, and kill the others."

Hibaki recoiled, sweat pouring down his face.

"Damn... we don't have any weapons to fight these!"

Sakura raised her hand, and a magic staff materialized from her palm.

"Hibaki-san, quickly get the others in the hospital to another location."

"Huh, what about you?"

"Just go."

<♤♤♤>

And that's how it all began.

"I was too distracted."

"There are still 5 more."

She looked around, trying to find the remaining Golems. The punch had sent her flying into an area surrounded by houses, making it impossible for her to locate them.

She closed her eyes and sensed the magical energy emanating from them.

"Up above!"

Three Golems descended from the air towards her. Sakura

She immediately erected a series of magical shields to block them, but they pierced through all of her shields.

Sakura used her penetrating magic and transformed into a form without a physical body.

They pierced through her and simultaneously plunged straight down to the ground. Below, Sakura had erected thousands of sharp spikes made of super carbon alloy.

They pierced through the sharp spikes and were instantly destroyed.

She watched them for a moment, then flew away.

But she didn't know that someone was watching her from afar.

On Hibaki's side, he was carrying the pink-haired girl on his shoulder as Sakura flew towards him from a distance.

"Hibaki-san!"

Hibaki turned around in surprise.

"Sakura, did you win?"

She nodded.

"Now, let's get out of here quickly."

*Slap!*

Suddenly, Sakura was pulled away by something, flying through several houses and stopping at the tenth house.

"What... was... that...?"

She slowly got up from the rubble.

"Well, well, well, you're still alive, I'm quite surprised, hehehe."

She looked up at the person who had pushed her.

It was a figure clad in full body armor, predominantly silver-white, accented with exquisite gold trim and subtle red hues on the sides, creating an appearance that was both graceful and majestic. The armor hugged the body, highlighting the soft and balanced lines, especially in the chest, waist, and legs. The helmet completely covered the head, its pointed peak rising like a crown, concealing the face. A long, dark blue cloak flowed behind, gently billowing, giving the impression of a divine knight stepping out of legend. The entire suit of armor was a work of art, incredibly imposing.

The voice that spoke indicated it was a woman.

She extended her hands and lifted Sakura, her face slowly drawing closer to her.

"You're quite strong, aren't you? You even withstood a push from my finger."

"And you destroyed those eight Golems."

Sakura glared at her.

"Who are you?"

Bang!

A dark figure hurtled through the rubble, struggling to stop.

"Ouch... I forgot to brake..."

"My butt hurts."

Akazuha suddenly saw the scene before her.

"I've never seen a woman harass another woman."

"I do like Yuri, but this looks a bit strange."

She slowly lowered Sakura to the ground; the impact had injured her, and she couldn't stand up now.

She looked towards Akazuha, her face obscured by a mask, making it difficult for him to discern her emotions.

As for Emilia, although it was their first meeting, she still knew who he was.

"Hmm, so you're the famous Akazuha Shashiki, aren't you?"

"The one whom the lowly refugees call the strongest creature in the world."

"You can call me whatever you want."

"I didn't even know I was that famous."

"Then what the hell are you?" Akazuha asked Emilia.

She crossed her legs and bowed in a noble manner.

"I am Emilia, Emilia Melvista."

"As for your question about what I am, you don't need to know."

Akazuha chuckled, pretending to wipe away tears before speaking in a frivolous tone. Joking.

"Oh ho ho, how mysterious, but the more mysterious it is, the more an adventurer like me wants to know."

He stood up, then set his new partner aside.

The two began glaring at each other, their auras clashing and colliding.

"You know, I'm much stronger than you."

"Come on, you're being too arrogant."

"Hmmm, confident indeed."

Emilia took a step towards Akazuha, each step causing the ground to crack, leaving deep footprints.

Akazuha also stepped closer.

They faced each other.

"I admit I'm weak, but it's a bit unfair that I lost."

The aura emanating from both of them distorted the space around them.

Akazuha raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Hey, give me a few seconds."

Emilia smirked.

"Are you scared?"

Akazuha shook his head.

"Not really."

He leaned to one side.

"Get out of here, Sakura."

"No, she'll have to become a woman in my collection."

"Your preferences are quite strange."

He raised his hand and used teleportation magic to move Sakura to another location.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Fight me?"

He assumed a fighting stance.

"Of course."

"And I'm sure I'll win."

End of Chapter 4