Why is she here?!
The thought flashed through Yuuki's mind as his body instinctively tensed.
Rip—!
With a harsh tearing sound, Mereoleona grabbed the giant scorpion she had been carrying and ripped it cleanly in half with her bare hands. Brilliant red blood splashed across the ground. She casually tossed the long tail aside, then dug into what remained of the upper body and pulled out a piece of glossy, crimson flesh.
Next, she discarded the rest of the carcass. Flames rose from her hands as she roasted the small chunk of meat.
A strangely enticing aroma spread through the air.
Yuuki watched her rough, almost savage movements in silence, his expression growing increasingly grave.
He knew better than anyone how hard that scorpion's carapace was—yet Mereoleona had torn it apart with effortless ease. Judging by how practiced she looked, this was clearly not her first time doing so.
Thinking back to how the swarm of giant scorpions had vanished all at once, Yuuki felt a flicker of understanding.
Mereoleona had likely been in this strong magic zone for quite some time.
What an unexpected encounter…
Yuuki inwardly sighed.
Only now did he recall that because Mereoleona disliked life in the capital, she spent more than three hundred days of every year living in the wild, training amid nature itself.
Strong magic zones were practically her second home.
Running into her here truly was an accident within an accident.
Yuuki wanted to leave—but he could clearly feel a locking presence from Mereoleona. Any sudden move would immediately provoke her attack.
That was why he had remained standing still.
If it could be avoided, he had no desire to clash with Mereoleona right now.
Her strength was unquestionable—a Zero Domain–level powerhouse. Even among the nine Magic Knight captains, whose strengths varied, Mereoleona was someone who could suppress any of them outright.
Aside from the Wizard King, she was without doubt the strongest mage in the Clover Kingdom.
"Thanks for bringing me scorpion meat," Mereoleona said.
"This is one of the few edible things around here."
She finished the roasted meat in just a few bites, then looked up at Yuuki with a smile on her resolute face.
But it was the smile of a hunter who had just found worthy prey.
"You're welcome," Yuuki replied calmly, shifting his feet as he prepared to widen the distance between them.
"Trying to leave?" Mereoleona tilted her head. "You still haven't answered my question. Are you from the Clover Kingdom—or the Diamond Kingdom?"
"Showing up here dressed all mysterious… what's your objective?"
She grinned broadly as she looked Yuuki over—his black robe, his mask.
Whooo—
Violent winds swept endlessly through the strong magic zone, whipping past the two of them.
These were no ordinary gusts. Due to the environment, every wind carried countless fine, razor-sharp grains of sand.
Empowered by rampant earth-element mana, the winds looked harmless—but once they struck flesh, they were like countless blades slicing at once.
Even hills and solid rock were shaved down layer by layer when these winds passed over them. Over time, the remaining stone grew denser and harder—a testament to how terrifying this place truly was.
And such winds never ceased.
Mereoleona stood casually on the ground.
She wasn't even cloaked in mana, yet the cutting sand striking her wheat-colored skin failed to leave so much as a mark.
She watched Yuuki closely. She could sense a faint layer of mana enveloping him, completely nullifying the damage caused by the winds.
And it was continuous.
The fact that Yuuki bore no visible strain meant only one thing—his mana reserves were enormous.
Seeing this, the grin on Mereoleona's face widened even further.
Finding a mage of decent strength in a place like this was no easy matter.
And someone so carefully hiding their identity? That only made things more interesting.
"Hey," she said, licking her lips, "it's hot out here. Want me to help you take that mask off?"
The word "come" had barely left her mouth when her figure vanished.
The next instant—
Mereoleona was right in front of Yuuki, one hand reaching straight for his mask.
So fast!
Yuuki's eyes sharpened. There was no time to retreat. He dropped into a low crouch, narrowly evading her grasp, while his thoughts moved in an instant.
The mineral greatsword hovering above him slashed down violently, aimed straight at Mereoleona's head.
"Don't bother playing with toys like that."
Mereoleona laughed brightly. Without even looking up, she swung her arm.
Boom!
Surging flames erupted, engulfing the descending mineral greatsword. In an instant, the intense heat turned the blade red-hot.
Then—
The explosive force within the flames shattered it completely. Fragments scattered from the sky, hissing as they struck the ground and released white steam.
Unfazed, Mereoleona turned her attention back to Yuuki, who had avoided her grab by crouching low. Her smile only grew more radiant.
Her left leg moved.
In the blink of an eye, she kicked.
Yuuki raised both arms, crossing them in front of his body.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed—followed by a sharp crack.
An overwhelming force exploded outward. Yuuki was sent flying, smashing into a nearby cliff face and carving out a human-shaped crater.
"Hiding your face like that—I thought you'd be stronger," Mereoleona said, tilting her head with mild disappointment. "If this is all you've got, you might as well let me take that mask off properly."
Despite her words, the smile never left her face. Her gaze remained fixed on the human-shaped hole in the rock wall.
Crack—
Bits of rubble fell away.
Yuuki staggered out of the crater, looking disheveled. His arms hung limply at his sides, bent at unnatural angles—clearly broken.
"That kick was really something, Mereoleona," Yuuki said in a low voice as he lifted his head, staring at her through his mask.
(End of Chapter)
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims
Next bonus chapter at 1000 powerstones.