King Of Limbo

"Eeep!"

Before they even had a chance to settle, a cry rang out over the trees, startling everyone but Evanora.

"What was that…" Jagu casually questioned while checking the atmosphere for any presence.

"Sounds like a woman in fear," Aron cautiously glanced to the direction of the cry as Jin added casually.

"Rose."

"Already checking."

Without needing instruction Rose sent out her scouter with a wave of her hand while Jin and Jagu both took on defensive stances, ready for anything that came their way.

Aron, on the other hand, appeared considerably more at ease; he didn't even broaden his senses. He was certain that no matter what the circumstance at hand was, he could handle it.

'My instincts are telling me it's nothing serious. Let's confirm.'

Aron's beastlike nature blended with him the more he contemplated his wills. Unfortunately, he wasn't the sort to put his safety in the hands of instinct alone.

However, because he had nothing to lose, it was worth at least trying. He would have gained another tool to add to his already well-stocked arsenal if he had been able to better appreciate its advantages and disadvantages.

"It appears that a mana beast is attacking a group." Lady Rose delivered her findings after promptly retrieving her scouter.

"What race are they?" Asked Aron.

"They looked human, their garments show signs of Pesian origin."

Aron moved forward without answering her, and the rest soon followed at a leisurely pace.

"Noo!"

Bam!~

The plaintive shouts and smashing sounds became more audible the closer they got. A few meters in front of them, some shrubs started to quiver before three people suddenly shot out.

"I-it's people! Help!"

As soon as she spotted Aron's group, an older-looking blonde-haired woman with a distressed face covered in tears cried out to them.

A young woman with an ashen face and comparable features was standing next to her; everyone could hear her teeth chattering in fright.

The last one appeared to be the calmest; he was an adult male who appeared to be about the same age as the woman, dressed in leather armor, holding a sword in his right hand.

The women had dirt and blood splatter on their dresses, while the man in particular had some open wounds showing on the worn-out portions of his armor.

"You… you're him."

The man stated these things while staring at Aron and then got down on one knee.

"Captain Jezir from the Olsen family greats the emperor! I beg for your aid your lordship… we…we."

Creak~

A huge tree in the distance cracked and started to tilt to one side before the man could finish begging in front of Aron.

When one looked at the long, thick trunk of the tree, they could see a big, hairy hand bringing it down.

"Move back if you don't want to die."

As soon as Aron spoke these words to the man, he dashed to them and motioned for the two women to follow.

Although the time wasn't right, he still had some questions for them.

Bam~

Soon the swaying tree totally fell over, exposing the creature that had shifted it aside to make room for its enormous 20-meter-tall frame.

Huff~

The creature was stocky, with broad shoulders and chests, large, human-like hands, small eyes set into hairless edges, and two curved tusks that appeared to extend from its mouth. Its two nostrils were located roughly near those tusks.

"A collosal ape… everyone move." Aron recognized the thing before him at once and mumbled.

The angry orange-haired creature pounded its muscly hands on the ground before glancing towards Aron, who was in the lead.

Because he warned them in such a casual tone no one moved abruptly.

The ape then rushed forward, driving its bulky body forward with the aid of its hands.

"Ho-Ho-Ho"

As it got closer, it raised its fists and appeared to be about to attack Aron, but instead it showed him one of its softer parts—a huge, hairless belly.

It later grew to regret its choice.

Ba!~

Aron wasted no time in punching the creature in the belly.

A weird sound filled the air as his iron gauntlet made contact with the creature's thick mammalian skin.

It was knocked back a few meters by Aron's fist before coming to a stop when its back brushed into the trunk of another tree, almost knocking that one over.

Huff!~

Aron didn't keep back his physical prowess, yet despite the onslaught, it appeared more enraged.

After noticing that his gauntlet's knuckles had developed a little dent, Aron stared at them and snapped his tongue in annoyance.

"What a tough bastard, Rose distract it with your scouters, Jin draw it's attention while Jagu and I attack." Aron gave a swift order as he removed his helm from his waist and put it on.

"Evanora wonders what she should do?" The aloof raised her hand and questioned.

"Protect those three." To prevent her from feeling left out, Aron gave her a pointless task. In reality, he just didn't want her big, showy attacks to draw attention.

Evanora, on the other hand, took her work seriously and motioned for the three people to assemble behind her. "Evanora will give it her all." She gave comfort.

The rest took their places and prepared to act while she played a sedentary role.

The ape displayed caution by refusing to attack Aron right away because what it had just gone through was utterly unfamiliar to it.

It was greatly confused when it was pushed back by a creature that was smaller in stature and less robust.

The intellect of a mana beast increases with tier. Of course, this varied among the many races and sorts, with some being smarter than others.

The ape in this instance was intelligent enough to see Aron as a threat, but its anger and pride prevented it from running away.

Ho~

As a kind of intimidation, it raised its big hands and repeatedly pounded them against its chest, sending a loud boom echoing through the jungle.

"You're sure you can defeat that creature, right?"

Jin grinned wearily as a cool sweat trickled down his forehead. When Aron didn't even answer, Jin's anxiety increased.

"Right?" He inquired again, but Aron merely responded by advancing.

Jin rushed up behind Jagu and struck from the left, while Roses' scouts descended from above.

Like annoying insects Roses's scouters were fast and anger inducing. It Ape constantly waved its big hands in the air in an attempt to swat them, sadly they were moving far too quickly for the behemoth to reach them.

"Grahh!"

The two women who were sheltering behind Evanora were startled by the loud roar and ducked, holding their heads low. Jezir, the man, stood there still and felt his legs tingle.

"Big fella, over here."

Pa~

Jin came up from behind and struck the creature's back with the flat side of his sword as it became disoriented.

"Grah!!"

It became enraged by this action and suddenly spun around to see who had the audacity to hit it, only to discover Jin had already backed away due to his new art.

[ Movement Art: Stride ]

Although Jin didn't know it this was a custom made art by Aron himself using the knowledges regarding his LONG STRIDER aspect.

Bam!~

In that moment it turned From its left side, Jagu had come and sliced at it with his sword. However…

Snap!~

He was forced to retreat back and scowl as the sword split in half like fragile metal.

The ape was ready to turn its head, but Aron's fist stopped it in its tracks.

Boom!~

He had enhanced himself, by pulling out more than twice as much force, so this assault proved to be more effective than his earlier one.

Such force was more than sufficient to send the unwary ape flying back again, although this time it did so with a bloodied mouth that now had some teeth missing.

The ape gently stood up and stroked its tusk before realizing it had developed a crack. Its eyes turned bloodshot as a result of this.

As it inhaled deeply and started beating its chest, Aron furrowed his brows at the controls, appearing to be aware of what was about to happen.

"Brace yourselves!" He issued a caution.

And then it occurred.

"Grawr!!"

The creature let out a ferocious roar that was imbued with mana and erupted in all directions.

Quickly, Rose brought up both of her scouters, using one to erect a barrier between herself and Evanora and the people in the back and the other for herself.

"Blurgh!"

Jin, who was perched on a large tree branch, knelt down and puked while his eyes were red with tears. Jagu had the same incident, but he continued to stand after it.

He was surprised to see Aron, as it appeared that he had not even attempted to resist.

Under his helm, Aron was gritting his teeth as traces of blood and saliva trickled down from his mouth.

"Attack again! Don't give it a chance to roar!"

Jagu furiously wiped the leftover vomit from his mouth and swung the broken part of his blade at the beast.

The creature appeared to be about to roar once again as it opened its mouth in his direction, but Jagu pulled his hand back and tossed the broken blade in its direction.

Blergh!

~

As the Ape attempted to reach into its jaws to retrieve the half-sword, the eerie sound of crimson flesh being torn bluntly filled the air.

Jin attacked it from behind, kicking the back of its knee as it was preoccupied doing this.

Even though the kick didn't have much force, it was enough to knock the ape off balance and knock it to its knees.

!!

It attempted to stand swiftly, but its instincts warned it that there was danger, so it turned to face Aron to see if he was making an attack, but the front was empty.

?

When the creature looked up and saw Aron descending with both of his hands clasped over his head, it distorted its bleeding mouth in perplexity.

Sadly, a massive attack was about to occur. It was too late to mount a defense.

Boom!~

Aron's powerful blow to the ape's head sent a shockwave through the numerous enormous trees in the area, causing them to tumble or break.

While Evanora, Rose, and the others had barriers preventing them from being affected by the harsh impacts, Jin and Jagu were only able to cover their faces and lower their centers of gravity by crouching.

The dust that had been rising quickly settled, revealing Aron standing over the fallen ape, holding it's bloodied, cracked skull in his hands while having pieces of brain matter stuck to his gauntlets.