The group headed deeper into the forest, the air growing heavier with every step. One by one, other adventurers joined them from branching paths, until four full parties marched together as a single force.
Levi counted them quietly.
Four parties. Three people each. Twelve adventurers total.
He exchanged a glance with Kyouya, who was doing the same math.
"…You thinking what I'm thinking?" Levi muttered.
Kyouya nodded. "Yeah. Our odds are… questionable."
Levi sighed. "Yup. Too many idiots, not enough firepower."
Behind them, one of the adventurers—a burly man with a huge axe and a ridiculous feather charm hanging from his belt—shouted loudly:
"IF I SEE ONE MORE PEACOCK IN MY LIFE, I SWEAR I'LL TURN IT INTO A FEATHER DUSTER!"
His teammates quickly dragged him back.
Levi stared.
"…There it is," he said flatly. "The anti-peacock party. I knew it."
Yunyun blinked in confusion.
"W-why would he hate peacocks so much?"
Wiz tapped her chin.
"Maybe one attacked him during mating season?"
Levi snorted.
"Wiz, that actually makes too much sense."
Kyouya looked over the disorganised formation of the four parties, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you think they know what they're doing?"
Levi deadpanned.
"Kyouya… this is Axel."
The Blue Knight's expression dimmed instantly.
"…Right."
Ahead of them, the trees rustled. A distant roar—followed by an alarming chorus of screeches, squawks, and hisses—echoed through the forest.
Cremea shivered.
"Uh… was that… multiple animals?"
Fio clutched her staff.
"S-sounded like wolves… and birds… but also… something big."
Levi took a deep breath, loading his gunblade.
"Alright everyone, get ready."
A low rumble shook the ground.
Kyouya stepped forward with his sword drawn.
"Formation! Eyes open!"
Levi muttered under his breath.
"…If I get killed by a peacock today, I'm haunting Kazuma out of pure principle."
Wiz then remember something. "One more thing, Peacock can shoot lasers"
Levi just blinked. "What?"
(Author: I did not make this shit up, this is what Google says
Scientists discovered that the eye-spot structures on peacock feathers act as natural biolasers when illuminated with the correct dye and light pulses. Microscopic structures within the feathers create "optical cavities," which can amplify and synchronise light waves to produce a coherent, laser-like beam of green, yellow, or orange light. This is the first time a laser cavity has been observed in the animal kingdom, and it could inspire future advancements in optics and medicine.
The fuck man)
Wiz nodded seriously. "Yes. Laser. A concentrated beam of light capable of burning through stone if the conditions are right."
Every adventurer in the group froze mid-step.
Levi slowly turned his head toward her. "…Wiz. Are you telling me a bird—A BIRD—can fire literal lasers?"
Wiz adjusted her cloak like this was completely normal. "Technically, it's more of a magically stimulated emission through the micro-lenses in their feathers."
A long, painful silence.
Kyouya massaged his temples. "Why… why does every quest in this town sound like it was written by an overworked drunk god?"
One of the random adventurers from Party C spoke up. "See? SEE?! I TOLD you guys! This is why I hate peacocks! They glow, they scream, and apparently they can fire LIGHTNING BEAMS!"
Another party member corrected him. "Laser. It's different."
"DOES THAT MAKE IT BETTER?!"
Levi finally snapped. "Hold on. Wiz. At what point… at what exact moment… did we go from 'collecting Roc feathers' to 'surviving poultry-based directed-energy weapons'?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Ah. Since about… always?"
Cremea blinked. "How did we not know this?"
Fio whispered, horrified. "Because nobody survives long enough to write a report."
The forest suddenly felt very, very quiet.
Levi sighed, loading a fresh magazine. "Great. Fantastic. Perfect. We're hunting a laser chicken."
Wiz corrected again. "Peacock."
"That does NOT HELP, WIZ."
The group moved deeper into the forest, brushing past roots and vines until the shadows thickened. That's when they saw the first ones:
A pack of Dark-Marked Wolves.
Like all other Dark-Marked creatures, their fur shimmered with that unnatural inky glow, and on their foreheads burned the signature faint X-shaped sigil, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The wolves growled in perfect, unnerving synchronisation.
Levi stared. "…Great. Perfect. Wolves possessed by Edgy Particle Effects."
Kyouya drew his sword with a confident flourish. "Stay alert! These creatures are stronger and faster than normal beasts!"
One of the adventurers from Party B gulped. "They look… angrier too."
"No," Levi corrected. "They look like they listened to too many 'darkness within me' monologues and decided to commit."
Wiz, ever calm, raised her hand to cast. "Be careful. Dark-marked animals are notoriously aggressive and unpredictable."
A wolf stepped forward. Its eyes glowed with pure black intent.
Cremea shivered. "Why are they all staring at Levi, specifically?"
Fio whispered, "Maybe they can sense his inner darkness…"
Levi blinked. "I don't have inner darkness!"
The wolves growled louder.
Wiz gently tapped his shoulder. "Levi… you did shoot the guild ceiling today."
"That's not darkness, that's frustration!"
Kyouya took a heroic stance. "Everyone get ready—combat is unavoidable!"
The wolves lowered themselves, muscles coiled, ready to pounce.
Levi raised his gun, muttering, "Okay, fine. Whatever. Dark wolves. Laser peacocks. What's next—explosive pigeons?"
Wiz hesitated. "…Actually—"
"WIZ. PLEASE DON'T."
The lead wolf lunged.
And the forest exploded into chaos.
Levi stepped forward, raising a hand.
"Everyone—FORMATION!"
Despite the danger, everyone instinctively snapped into place. Even the wolves paused for half a second, as if impressed by the sudden leadership.
Frontline:
Levi – gun ready
Wiz – glowing with quiet Lich menace
Kyouya – sword drawn, heroic aura on standby
That One Guy Who Hates Peacocks – gripping his axe like he's preparing for a national rivalry
Midline:
Fio – staff up, trying not to cry
Cramen – shield raised, already regretting her life choices
Two Adventurers from Party B and C – who suddenly wondered why they joined this quest in the first place
Backline:
Yunyun – trembling but determined
Archers from Parties B and C – bows drawn, aiming at anything that moved
The wolves circled, their eyes reflecting the faint black X glowing on their foreheads.
Kyouya whispered, "A coordinated formation… this actually feels like a real quest."
Levi didn't look back. "It is a real quest. And if those wolves have laser eyes like the peacock—"
Wiz raised a finger. "Wolves don't have lasers."
Peacock-Hater Guy muttered, "Yet…"
Levi ignored him. "Frontline, tanks and melee hold aggro. Wiz, you use suppression spells. Midline, assist with CC. Backline—Yunyun especially—focus fire."
Yunyun nodded nervously. "I-I'll try my best!"
Levi added, "And don't faint if something explodes. This is Kon—... THIS IS LIFE."
The lead Dark-Marked Wolf snarled, a low, almost demonic echo that caused the midline to flinch.
Wiz's eyes sharpened. "Incoming!"
Levi took a stance, gun raised.
"Frontline—BRACE!"
The first wolf lunged.
And the formation collided with chaos in the most surprisingly competent way possible.
The first Dark-Marked wolf lunged—teeth bared, eyes glowing pitch-black.
Levi fired.
BANG!
The bullet struck the wolf cleanly in the shoulder, staggering it back into two others.
Wiz followed immediately, raising both hands:
"Ice Prison!"
A tower of ice erupted from the ground, catching two wolves and slamming them against a tree. The other adventurers stared.
"...Isn't she a shopkeeper?"
"Bro, that shopkeeper is level 19—"
"LEVEL WHAT?!"
Kyouya darted forward, slashing through a wolf with clean, practiced strikes.
Fio and Cramen provided midline support—bindings, roots, minor barriers.
Yunyun, hands trembling, shouted:
"Fireball!"
A perfectly targeted fireball exploded among the wolves, sending three flying.
Levi blinked.
"Holy crap, Yunyun's accuracy is getting scary."
Wiz smiled proudly.
"She's very talented!"
Then the wolves…. changed.
The wolves' markings pulsed, spreading like ink under their fur.
Their bones twisted, legs stretched, jaws widened.
One adventurer screamed:
"THEY'RE MUTATING!?"
Another wolf reared back—
—then split into two smaller wolves, both hissing.
Kyouya grimaced.
"They're dividing!? Wolves don't divide!"
Wiz mumbled, "They… do now."
Another wolf's back sprouted two bony, black-feathered wings—too small for real flight, but perfect for leaping above infantry lines.
It screeched and vaulted over Levi.
"BACKLINE—MOVE!" Levi shouted.
Yunyun squeaked and dove sideways.
The archers screamed.
One of them shouted, "We are NOT paid enough for this!!"
Levi turned, firing twice mid-spin—
BANG! BANG!
—clipping the creature's wings and sending it crashing.
For a moment, it looked like the formation might hold.
Then it happened.
A shrill, alien, unholy cry echoed through the forest.
"SKREEEEEEE!!!"
Every head turned.
From the trees stepped a Dark-Marked Peacock.
Its feathers shimmered with eerie, unnatural colors.
The black X glowed like molten obsidian.
Peacock Hater Guy froze.
His pupils shrank.
His aura expanded.
He whispered:
"No… not again…"
Levi blinked. "Guy? You good?"
Peacock Hater Guy screamed:
"YOU LASER-EYED DEMON!!!!"
And he charged, abandoning formation entirely.
Levi shouted, "NO—WAIT—!"
Too late.
The peacock unfolded its tail.
The circular eye-spots pulsed.
Wiz gasped.
"Oh no—"
TCHOOOOOOOM!!!
A concentrated green laser blasted from the peacock's feathers, carving a line through the forest floor, narrowly missing the entire formation.
Yunyun shrieked.
Kyouya dove behind a tree.
The midline scrambled.
Levi yelled:
"FORMATION IS BROKEN—EVERYONE SPREAD OUT!!"
Peacock Hater Guy screamed back:
"IT STARTED IT!!! I'M ENDING IT!!!"
The wolves howled and charged the now-scattered parties.
Levi sighed, raising his gun.
"Great. So now it's chaos mode."
He looked at Wiz.
"Wiz—plan B?"
Wiz nodded calmly, hands glowing with charged mana.
"Plan B."
Levi smirked.
"Everyone—prepare for wide-area combat!"
Wolves circled.
The Peacock charged its tail again.
Peacock Hater Guy screamed something about "finish what you started in kindergarten!"
Wiz looked at Levi with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"Levi-san… can I?"
He raised his hand, palm open.
"Use Drain Touch. Go ahead. Just don't take too much—I'll need some mana left to not die."
Wiz gently placed her hand over his.
A blush spread across her cheeks.
"Y-yes…"
A faint blue glow pulsed between their hands as Levi felt mana drain from his body like warm static.
He grimaced.
"Oof—okay—not too much—Wiz—Wiz, that's enough—Wiz—"
Wiz pulled away.
"Sorry! You… you taste very pure—mana-wise! Mana-wise!!"
Levi coughed.
"Please don't phrase it like that."
Then Wiz turned, hands glowing bright violet.
"Then… I'll begin the casting! Wide-Area Freeze!"
Yunyun, in the back line, panicked as the wolves regrouped.
Her hands shook.
She whispered to herself:
"D-don't mess up… don't mess up… okay Yunyun, remember what Megumin said…"
She raised her staff.
"C-chō… yori… chou-level…?"
Her voice trembled.
"Chō Chō Enhanced FIREBALL!"
Everyone stopped.
Levi snapped his head around.
"Wait—Yunyun, WHAT LEVEL OF FIREBA—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic wave of flame erupted forward, much bigger than she intended—basically a mini-Explosion spell but with fire.
Half the wolves were immediately incinerated.
Everyone stared.
Kyouya: "That was a FIREBALL!?"
Random Adventurer: "WHO LET HER CAST THAT UNSUPERVISED!?"
Wiz paused mid-chant.
"My goodness… that was nearly archmage-tier…"
Yunyun trembled, eyes wide.
"I—I didn't mean to! I added too many chō's!!"
The force of Yunyun's explosion blasted dirt, leaves, and wolf chunks everywhere.
Levi lost his footing.
"OH SHI—"
He slipped on a rock—
spun—
accidentally flipped into the air—
and fired his gun mid-fall.
BANG!
The bullet ricocheted off a boulder—
PING!
—hit a falling branch—
THOK!
—then struck a mutated wolf that had leapt at Yunyun.
The wolf flipped backwards and hit the ground with a thud.
Everyone froze.
Kyouya: "…Did you just ricochet-snipe a wolf mid-flip?"
Yunyun: "L-Levi-sama… that was amazing!"
Levi, lying face-down on the dirt:
"That was NOT on purpose. I slipped. My life is a curse."
Even Wiz whispered:
"…That looked incredibly cool."
Regaining her focus, Wiz raised both hands.
Cold surged through the air.
"Grand Freeze Zone!"
A massive wave of frost swept across the battlefield—
encasing the remaining wolves in shimmering ice
and freezing the Peacock in mid-laser-charge.
It let out a pathetic SKRRRT as it froze completely, tail locked open.
Levi pushed himself up, sore.
"Well… good news… the formation is still broken… but the battlefield is handled."
Peacock Hater Guy approached the frozen peacock and whispered:
"Justice… is served."
Kyouya scanned the treeline, sword raised.
"Wait… the quest mentioned Dark Marked bears, eagles, rocs, and peacocks."
He looked around at the frozen battlefield.
"Where are the rest?"
Everyone tensed.
Then they heard it.
Heavy.
Ground-shaking.
Trees cracking.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Out from the shadows stepped three enormous Dark Mark Bears, each the size of a wagon, eyes glowing with the corrupted black "X" mark. Their growls shook leaves off the branches.
Fio panicked.
"W-We can't take all three—!"
Cremea raised her shield.
"Positions! Prepare to—"
BANG.
One bear dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
BANG.
The second bear collapsed, skull perfectly pierced.
BANG.
The third fell forward with a final grunt.
Silence.
Everyone slowly turned.
Levi stood there with his Gunblade, barrel smoking, his expression completely flat.
"No."
He holstered the weapon with a single smooth motion.
The other adventurers blinked.
Kyouya: "Wh—why did you shoot them before we even started!?"
Levi shrugged.
"They were loud."
Yunyun: "L-Levi-sama, that was so quick I didn't even see you aim!"
Wiz blinked in confusion.
"Levi-san… did you use a targeting spell?"
Levi:
"No. I just hate bears."
Peacock Hater Guy whispered:
"…Respect."
Just as everyone was recovering from the bear massacre—
FWHOOOOOM
A strange, rhythmic whooshing echoed through the forest.
Like a hundred tiny engines
revving
in sync.
Cremea's eyes widened.
"…What is that sound?"
Then the bushes parted.
And everyone froze.
An army—not a flock, not a group—
an ARMY
of Dark Mark Peacocks marched forward in PERFECT military formation.
Lines.
Ranks.
Columns.
Each one glowing with corrupt magic, feathers shimmering like hostile disco lights.
Peacock Hater Guy dropped to his knees.
"No… NO… They've EVOLVED! THIS IS MY NIGHTMARE!"
Then—
ZRRRRRRT—!
A wave of multicolored LASERS blasted out of the peacocks' eyespots.
Yunyun screamed.
"THEY'RE SHOOTING LASERS—THEY'RE SHOOTING LASERS—THEY'RE SHOOTING LASERS!!!"
Levi ducked behind a tree as a green beam sliced through the trunk like butter.
He peeked out with the flattest expression imaginable.
"…And they're seriously moving in army formation. The hell is this?"
Another barrage of lasers scorched the air.
Levi deadpanned in his mind:
Konosuba logic at its finest.
Wiz looked genuinely horrified.
"I-I've never seen peacocks this organized… or this violent…"
Kyouya raised his sword dramatically.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! This is no ordinary foe—"
ZAP
A yellow laser narrowly missed his face.
Kyouya immediately lowered his sword.
"…Never mind, TAKE COVER!"
The entire forest exploded into chaotic party-splitting screaming as the Peacock Army advanced like a colorful death parade.
The laser storm intensified.
Trees exploded.
The ground smoked.
A single peacock laser sliced a rock in half like it was participating in a talent show.
Yunyun yelled, "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!"
Wiz, trembling but determined, slowly raised her hands.
"L-Levi-san… I think I should use a stronger spell."
Levi peeked up from behind his half-incinerated tree.
"Wiz.
Please.
For the love of the Axis Church… DO NOT use Explosion."
Wiz shook her head rapidly.
"N-no! I don't know Explosion! I was going to use—"
She inhaled.
Her eyes glowed.
Her voice dropped several octaves.
"ABSOLUTE ZERO."
Levi's soul left his body.
Kyouya's soul tried to leave twice.
Fio shrieked, "SHE CAN USE WORLD-CLASS MAGIC?!"
Cremea grabbed her shoulder.
"WORLD-CLASS MAGIC!? SHE'S A SHOPKEEPER!!"
A chill ripped through the air, freezing mist spreading outward.
A roar of arcane power burst from Wiz's palms—
FOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
A wave of frost blasted the battlefield, instantly flash-freezing:
fifty peacocks
three trees
part of the ground
the last shred of everyone's sanity
And finally—
Levi.
Only from the waist down, though.
He looked down at his frozen legs.
"…Of course."
Wiz gasped.
"O-oh no! Levi-san! I'm so sorry!"
Levi sighed with the calm understanding of a man who had accepted his fate long ago.
"It's okay. This is my life now."
Before Levi could thaw himself, a single surviving peacock—a big one, glowing with twice the corruption—stumbled out of the ice rubble.
It hissed laserly.
Peacock-Hater Guy's pupils shrank into dots.
Something inside him snapped.
His shirt tore off.
Muscles he DEFINITELY didn't have a moment ago BULGED.
A primal scream erupted from his throat.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
NO MORE!!!
NO!!!
MORE!!!
PEACOCKS!!!!"
He charged at Mach 2.
The entire battlefield paused.
Kyouya whispered, horrified:
"…Wait… was he always this strong?"
Cremea shook her head rapidly.
"No. No he ABSOLUTELY was not."
Fio pointed dramatically.
"H-His aura! It's— It's RAGE-BASED!!"
Levi, still frozen from the waist down, calmly said:
"…Oh.
He's a Barbarian."
The group collectively gasped.
"HE WAS A BARBARIAN THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
Peacock-Hater Guy grabbed the peacock by the neck
spun it like a medieval flail
and slammed it into the ground so hard the concept of peacocks took psychic damage.
Silence.
Levi blinked.
Kyouya blinked.
Yunyun fainted.
Wiz timidly raised a hand.
"Um… is the quest… over?"
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy also this is the last Ch for this week