Chapter: 28
The area was chaotic with people fleeing. Yet, a single phrase muttered by Iris under her breath was clearly audible—not only to Jeanne, but also to Marquis Laches.
The Marquis, evidence of his astonishment, gaped and alternated his gaze between Jeanne and Iris.
“G-G-G-God… Goddess…?”
The Marquis stammered, barely able to speak, while Iris stood there dazed as if struck. Both were frustrating to watch, especially since the megalodons were still approaching.
“What are you standing there like an idiot for?! Move, now!”
Jeanne’s shout made Iris flinch.
Still, it seemed effective—she glanced once at the approaching megalodons, then at Jeanne, and hurriedly took the Marquis with her.
If it had been Pascal, he would’ve challenged me for daring to shout at a noble. Huh… maybe Marquis Laches doesn’t even have the mental bandwidth for that right now.
Jeanne sprinted toward the harbor. Through the chaos, she could see the shark-like monsters, saliva dripping from their sharp teeth.
Even a rough estimate suggested there were easily over a hundred.
Normally, when monsters appeared in packs, there was a leader. In that case, defeating only the leader would suffice.
The problem was that megalodons had no leader. Every single one had to be dealt with—a daunting number for a lone fighter.
Still, I have to stop them.
Jeanne drew her sword. The blade stood straight like a pillar, gleaming brilliantly, flashing like lightning.
It was a technique only possible for the Goddess’s child, combining both divine power and aura.
The megalodon pack, noticing the sword blazing like a holy flame, bared their teeth and charged.
Jeanne condensed her divine power and aura. Lowering her body, she swung the sword in a wide horizontal arc.
Swish!
Five megalodons at the forefront were instantly cleaved in two by a single strike, their bodies falling into the water with a splash, staining the surface dark red.
The following pack, excited by the scent of blood, roared and rushed at Jeanne.
But she had anticipated this trait of the megalodons, using herself as bait to prevent them from entering the village.
Yet a strike combining divine power and aura, like before, took time to condense. It couldn’t be repeated rapidly.
Then…!
One megalodon lunged as if it would swallow her whole.
But when it snapped its jaws shut, Jeanne was nowhere to be seen. She had already leapt over the megalodon’s head in a circular arc.
Seizing the opening from the failed attack, Jeanne landed atop the monster’s back. Broad enough for five adults to stand comfortably.
She tapped the scales covering the monster’s body with her toes, testing their hardness. They clanged like steel armor. Far tougher than she expected, making her involuntarily mutter.
Annoying, really.
Another shark monster approached aggressively from the side. Jeanne spotted it first and waited for the perfect moment to leap upward. Unable to slow down, it collided roughly with the first.
Clang!
Hundreds of metallic scales clashed simultaneously, producing a deafening metallic roar in midair.
Jeanne immediately jumped onto another megalodon. It recognized her presence and thrashed violently, attempting to throw her off.
“Ugh, seriously!”
She wobbled for a moment but regained her stance and brought down her sword, a fusion of aura and divine power.
The hard scales shattered like glass, and a roar of pain erupted as blood spurted.
Soon, the fins that had been stretched out drooped, the massive creature crashed into the dock upside down, and Jeanne leapt high, landing safely.
The impact from the falling behemoth sent water splashing, flooding the pier and soaking Jeanne’s boots and knees.
The megalodon attacks continued, but Jeanne countered skillfully. She flew incessantly between the monsters, making them attack each other, slicing their fins with aura and divine power, or plunging her sword into their wide-open gills.
Kill. Kill. Kill again. The harbor turned dark red with the monsters’ blood.
Fifty left…
She clicked her tongue. Some megalodons’ scales suddenly stood upright, glittering like gems.
Jeanne’s body shivered as she recognized the next attack.
[Each megalodon can fire between 100 and 300 scales per attack. If the scales fall to the ground or into the sea, they lose their function and become ordinary scales…]
At that moment, scales detached from the monsters’ bodies like a swarm, flying toward Jeanne.
She immediately sheathed her sword, placed her hands on the ground, and flipped backward.
Bang!
The stone floor where she had stood shattered under the impact of dozens of embedded scales. The remaining scales relentlessly pursued her, but Jeanne narrowly dodged each one.
After avoiding the first wave, Jeanne caught her breath briefly and drew her sword again. Another swarm approached, but this time she didn’t dodge.
She condensed aura and divine power into her blade and swung.
Bam!
White light collided with the gray scales, producing a thunderous roar. The swarming scales hit Jeanne’s strike and shattered into ashes.
But the megalodons continued raining scales without pause. Jeanne barely avoided and deflected them with her sword, yet the onslaught showed no sign of slowing.
“Damn it!”
She was struggling just to block, let alone attack. Her hands slick with sweat and monster blood, she felt the sword nearly slipping.
Whether it was the exhaustion or the fact that she was standing alone among the shark monsters…
[What use is an ordinary human like me? The Goddess’s child will handle it, right?]
A voice from long ago echoed in her mind—words from the royal knights who had once isolated her. A curse, in essence.
Her focus wavered for an instant. In a situation where even a moment’s lapse could be fatal, it was poison.
Because of that, Jeanne didn’t notice a scale flying toward her back.
By the time she sensed it, it was right in front of her.
She pivoted on her left foot—but a fraction too late. The sharp scale grazed her right side.
“Ugh!”
Her side burned like it was on fire. A brief touch left her palm soaked in crimson blood.
Idiot. Making mistakes I don’t even usually make.
Even a small movement made her side feel like it was screaming.
But she couldn’t afford to collapse in pain. It was her own carelessness, and stopping here would mean death.
Without time to staunch the wound, she covered her side with one hand and gripped her sword with the other.
As her blade flashed once, she swung violently. The massive strike formed from aura scattered the incoming swarm of scales into dust.
Yet the megalodons who hadn’t yet fired scales circled above her.
The closer she came to defeat, the faster her heart raced. In her current state, she couldn’t have blocked the same attack again. It was a matter of probability, not confidence.
Focus.
She had no intention of letting her second life end here. She hadn’t saved her father, hadn’t taken revenge on Alexis, and hadn’t even tasted the life she had resolved to live in Loren.
I’m not dying.
Jeanne steeled herself. The moment the scales fell from her body, a fierce wind blew behind her.
She closed her eyes for a brief instant. A scream rang out. When she opened them, a monster missing a fin had crashed to the ground.
“Without its scales, attacks without aura should work!”
Those in identical uniforms dashed past her toward the monster.
Seizing the opportunity, they plunged their swords mercilessly into the gaping gills. The monster flailed like a fish out of water before collapsing.
Jeanne could hardly believe her eyes.
“I didn’t say eat lunch well by yourself—or fight monsters alone, for that matter…”
A voice hummed cheerfully. She turned.
“Division Commander?”
