Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 133

Human Ranch (14)

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The 133 Familiars tucked their lances under their armpits and spurred their horses.

Their target was Kuirau’s personal guard. The personal guard numbered less than half of the Familiars, and being on foot, they were unable to respond to the Familiars’ charge, completely losing the initiative.

———!

A violent collision erupted as cavalry and infantry clashed. The sounds of lances piercing armor, bodies flying, and horses collapsing mingled simultaneously.

“Die in the name of His Majesty! Lizardmen!”

“You ignorant livestock!”

A free-for-all ensued. Familiars and personal guards became entangled.

This was different from the results of the lance charges the Familiars had shown so far.

It was inevitable. Until now, they had always charged after inflicting physical and mental shock on the enemy.

The Familiars’ charge was like the finishing touch to a battle. The enemies they collided with immediately routed, allowing them to easily seize victory. But now? The enemies the Familiars were facing now were of a different caliber than before.

“Is that all you’ve got!”

Swish!

A Lizardman dodged a spear and swung his curved sword.

The Familiar who had thrust the spear was cut diagonally from his left shoulder, armor and all. A severe injury that would be fatal to an ordinary person. But the Familiar, about to fall off his horse, leaned to the side and grabbed the Lizardman who had cut him.

“What—”

The Lizardman, who was sure the Familiar was dead and was dealing with another Familiar, was taken aback.

Thwack!

Taking advantage of the gap, another Familiar thrust his spear.

The Lizardman couldn’t dodge the spear and was pierced through the chest.

Seeing this, the personal guards were horrified.

“Those tenacious bastards···!”

The strength of the Familiars and the personal guards was similar.

The Familiars, taking the initiative with their numerical superiority, failed to break through the personal guards, and the personal guards, having received Kuirau’s blessing and gaining greater strength than the Familiars, barely managed to stop the Familiars’ breakthrough.

The exchange ratio between the two sides was also the same.

For every personal guard that died, a Familiar also died.

“How dare you!”

Originally, Calliope would have resolved such close combat situations.

She overwhelmed the enemy with her prowess, creating openings in the front line.

But at this moment, even she had no suitable solution.

Kaboom!

Kuirau slammed down her iron mace.

The iron mace, with a head several times larger than a human head, shattered the ground, sending dust and stone fragments flying. Calliope narrowly avoided Kuirau’s attack, which was as fast as the blades she wielded.

“······.”

No matter how skilled she was, she couldn’t overwhelm her opponent.

The opponent was Kuirau, the incarnation of the Lizardmen, an incarnation who had taken the souls of 30,000. An opponent who was no less than her in level and combat experience.

She repeatedly blocked and deflected attacks, counterattacking whenever an opening arose. The counterattacks inflicted minor wounds, provoking Kuirau’s anger.

“Get out of here!”

This was to prevent the incarnation from targeting other Familiars, but it was also one of the few responses she could make, as she couldn’t inflict significant damage like fatal wounds.

‘It’s not easy after all.’

I watched the melee from a slight distance.

There was no anxiety. The Familiars would win the fight.

‘The Familiars don’t tire. On the other hand, Kuirau and the personal guards are getting weaker. The power drawn from the souls of others doesn’t last long.’

The problem was the scale of the damage.

They would win if they dragged it out, but they couldn’t afford to drag it out.

The opponent wasn’t easy enough to allow them to drag it out.

They had to engage in a head-on battle and achieve victory.

‘It would have been nice if the prediction was a little off.’

I muttered inwardly with regret.

I wished Kuirau’s level was a little lower.

Hadn’t she lost several high-ranking warriors, including the war chief?

I had somewhat expected that if she distributed too much power to the personal guards, Kuirau’s level might drop by one, that there was a possibility she would be weaker than expected.

But the prediction was not wrong.

‘The gods are really difficult to deal with.’

This was why it was difficult to deal with other races.

Each individual member of the race was strong, but the existence of a god was even more irrational. Even if you break their morale, they recover with a single scolding, and they narrow the gap in levels with blessings. It’s no different from doping [enhancing performance with drugs].

“Give me more, give me more power!”

Haze rose fiercely around Kuirau. It was distorting the surroundings as her magic power increased, sparks crackled in the air, and the ground she stood on even cracked.

I watched the vortex swirling around her.

Kieeeeeek

A vortex made of the souls of Lizardmen.

Only those who could see souls knew that the vortex was made of souls, and to those sensitive to magic power, it would just look like a haze.

‘You’re too greedy, Kuirau.’

I clicked my tongue.

Kuirau was demanding too much magic power.

It was hard not to know when you saw that fiercely spinning vortex.

By now, the countless Lizardmen who had rushed forward must have been rolling on the ground. They were following the demands of the god they believed in, squeezing out magic power beyond their limits, and losing their lives.

The souls wandering after their bodies died were becoming one with the vortex. As the number of souls increased, Kuirau’s magic power deepened.

“Ugh··· Ugh!”

Once greed is unleashed, there is no end to it.

Some of the personal guards clutched their chests and collapsed.

The Lizardmen who didn’t collapse also had their scales turn white and dry up, and their energy waned. Kuirau was taking back the blessings she had given them, and even taking the magic power dwelling in their souls.

“More, more!”

Kuirau sensed her limit.

She must have thought that things couldn’t go on like this.

She realized that if she didn’t devour even her personal guards and strengthen herself, she would only slowly wither away.

Crack···

Her appearance changed due to the overflowing magic power.

Just as the priests of the Theocracy [a government ruled by religious leaders] were transformed by the blessings of Horbid, Kuirau’s scales turned black and her height doubled.

She was already twice my size, but look at her now.

The word giant is not enough to describe her anymore.

【Lv. 95】

It wasn’t just her appearance that changed.

Her level surpassed Calliope’s.

“You rat-like bitch!”

Kuirau slammed her foot down.

Calliope, who was under it, rolled to the side to avoid it.

The foot dug deep into the ground, causing a strong earthquake.

“Die!”

How could she be so agile when her body was so huge?

The frequency with which Calliope dodged her attacks decreased.

The frequency with which she deflected or took the attacks head-on increased, and the damage was noticeably increasing, with her armor being crushed or torn off.

Bang!

Calliope stepped back, kicked off the ground, and flew backward.

Gerhard, Zekt, and the bodyguards approached her.

“Are you alright?”

“······.”

Drip—

She didn’t say anything, but no answer was needed.

Quite a bit of blood was flowing from her torn forehead.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re alright.”

He chuckled and raised his hand.

Following the order, the Familiars joined in one after another.

Kuirau had even sucked up the magic power of the personal guards.

In return, the personal guards collapsed, and the close combat ended with the Familiars’ overwhelming victory. The hundred or so remaining Familiars surrounded Kuirau.

“Vermin···.”

Kuirau bared her teeth and scanned her surroundings with bloodshot eyes.

“Do you think you can beat me just because a few vermin have gathered!”

She spat out her rage and swung her arms and legs.

Two Familiars in front of her were torn apart without even having time to dodge.

Indeed, she wasn’t just bigger.

I narrowed my eyes.

Squeeze···

At that moment, there was a small hand pulling on my sleeve.

“Edar.”

At the quiet call, I lowered my head.

Merséphōne in my arms looked up at me.

“Are you going to go?”

Merséphōne nodded.

I read what the child wanted to say from her thoughts.

She was going to use her traits to fight the incarnation.

I didn’t answer right away because I couldn’t be sure of the effect of her traits. But what was the reason I brought a mere level 1 child in my arms to this place?

It was because I judged that if the trait, Apostle, showed abilities beyond expectations, I could save more Familiars and catch Kuirau.

“Yes, do it.”

Merséphōne jumped out of the saddle.

At the same time, haze rippled around the child. It was like Kuirau, with the magic power of souls dwelling in the child. The difference was that the source of magic power was only one person, me.

I hid my expression, enduring the surging headache.

Flap

Merséphōne spread her wings wide.

The wings, which were smaller than the palm of my hand, became longer than the length of my two arms. It wasn’t just the wings that grew. Her body also grew from a child to an adult, creating a neutral atmosphere between female and male.

Her golden bobbed hair received sunlight, making it seem like a halo was shining, and combined with her pure white wings, it evoked an image of an angel in imagination.

An angel.

I smiled lowly even as I held my forehead with a headache.

【Lv. 67】

Her level also grew rapidly.

The rate of increase shown by Kuirau’s personal guards was incomparable.

【Lv. 73】

【Lv. 77】

Her level didn’t stop rising.

【Lv. 78】

【Lv. 79】

【Lv. 80】

Is this what it feels like to have your soul sucked out?

My vision shook and heat boiled all over my body.

【Lv. 81】

【Lv. 82】

Merséphōne grabbed two swords lying on the floor and flew. As if her wings were not just decorations, she flapped them and flew high, aiming for Kuirau, who was fighting with the Familiars.

Kuirau, who was fighting with the Familiars on the ground, quickly reached out her hand after discovering Merséphōne, who was suddenly rushing in from the sky.

“Hmph!”

Crack···!

Even if her level rose with her traits, the difference in prowess was considerable.

The blade she wielded was caught in her bare hand and crumpled.

It was only natural that it was blocked so easily.

But it wasn’t the end. The moment Kuirau smiled and tried to withdraw her hand, flames erupted from her hand. Merséphōne’s crumpled blade had ignited.

Whoosh!

The fire that erupted from her hand spread up her arm.

At the same time, light emanated from Merséphōne’s body.

“Keuk!”

Kuirau released her hand and stepped back.

Fire was burning on her arm where there was nothing.

“What did you do!”

She tried to kill the flames by creating magic power, but the magic power she created reacted with the light emitted by Merséphōne, causing unexpected results.

The souls that had been circling around her went wild.

Like pouring water on oil.

Kieeeeeeeee——

The souls that had been bound to Kuirau as if tied to an invisible chain and were being exploited for magic power scattered into the air. They had been freed from the chain.

As the souls scattered, the magic power that had been strengthening her body also subsided, and the more it did, the more the escape of souls accelerated.

【Lv. 93】

As a result, her level dropped.

【Lv. 87】

Conversely, Merséphōne’s level continued to rise.

She continued to grow, constantly absorbing magic power from me.

And as her level rose, the light she emitted also intensified.

“What did you do!”

She must have felt the power escaping.

She would have seen the souls running away with her eyes.

【Lv. 92】

【Lv. 91】

Kuirau’s level dropped sharply.

“Now is the time!”

Gerhard rushed in.

He ran to Kuirau’s lower body and cut her ankle. It wasn’t enough to cut off her ankle in one blow, but she screamed in pain and knelt down.

Following him, Calliope kicked off the ground and jumped up, plunging her blade deep into her right chest. The blade followed her as she fell, tearing her flesh from her chest to her navel.

Black blood poured out with her intestines.

“Cough!”

Kuirau clutched her wound and struggled to grab the escaping souls. But while her mind was distracted, Merséphōne flew in again.

Merséphōne stabbed her sword while digging into Kuirau’s chest.

Thwack!

The moment the blade dug under Kuirau’s chin,

【Lv. 91】

Her level was higher than hers.

Kuirau waved her arms in the air trying to grab Merséphōne and fell backward. Immediately after falling, she breathed heavily a few times, then lost the light in her eyes and showed the whites of her eyes.

Her body emitted a gray light and spread magic power in all directions. It was the liberation of the Lizardmen’s souls that her body had been holding, and the body from which the magic power had escaped shriveled up like a mummy.

Thud···

Merséphōne finished her off by striking Kuirau’s neck.

And from that moment on, her body began to become younger again.

【Lv. 85】

【Lv. 72】

【Lv. 58】

【Lv. 31】

【Lv. 12】

Just like Kuirau had lost her power.

The magic power that Merséphōne had contained escaped.

The level decrease was faster than when it rose.

【Lv. 1】

Even though she killed Kuirau, her level remained the same.

Her appearance also returned to that of a four-year-old child.

“Hoo···.”

I sighed as I watched her.

I closed my eyes tightly, held my forehead, and gestured to Gerhard. There was no need to tell him in words because he understood my thoughts. I delegated all authority to him and entrusted him with the aftermath.

“Clean up the Lizardmen remnants! The Royal Guard, including Calliope, will return to ensure His Majesty’s stability.”

The aftermath was easy.

Kuirau’s remnants lost their will to fight.

They had no energy to continue the battle because their souls had been exploited. Most of them were lying prostrate in a state close to fainting, so the garrison of the military camp had already counterattacked and almost finished cleaning up the remnants.

Kuirau’s army of 30,000 was annihilated.

Koamik’s army retreated without attempting to cross the river.

They had been looking for an opportunity to cross the river until the moment Kuirau died, but when the Imperial Army in the rear did not withdraw to the front and instead checked them, they did neither and retreated.

They didn’t realize they had been tricked until the end.

‘It’s really not easy.’

I collapsed as soon as I arrived at the military camp.

It was because I had consumed too much magic power from my soul.

‘I thought my soul’s vessel had widened and I had enough magic power, but to lose consciousness for two days straight just by using the traits of a Familiar once.’

Even after waking up, I couldn’t function properly for a while.

My body didn’t listen to me as if it wasn’t mine.

Suffering from high fever and headaches was a bonus.

“Koamik is not moving. Kuirau’s expeditionary force has also returned, but they are not approaching us and are watching the situation.”

Gerhard dispatched Familiars to rescue the humans from Sochitl’s ranch while checking Koamik and Kuirau’s expeditionary force.

The two forces seemed shocked by Kuirau’s death and kept their distance, wary of each other, while gathering their troops.

“What are you going to do now?”

After I recovered, Gerhard asked.

“While we were rescuing humans from Sochitl’s ranch, Kuirau’s remnants reorganized around the expeditionary force. According to scouts, they will arrive here in a few days.”

“I suppose so.”

Now, the only thing left for the expeditionary force was a safe return.

The problem was that there were only two ways to return, and both were difficult.

They could either go through the interior of the Sochitl Kingdom to the Uakan Kingdom, or cross the river in front of them to the Uakan Kingdom, but both methods had the risk of military conflict.

“Going through Sochitl will inevitably lead to a battle.”

The believers who lost Kuirau were boiling with revenge.

“The method of crossing the river is also dangerous. I’m not sure if Koamik will just stand by and watch us cross the river. Since the expeditionary force has joined them, they are numerically equal to us, so if they take advantage of the gap when we try to cross the river, we will have to endure considerable damage.”

I suppose so.

In fact, Koamik would be aiming for that.

Was there any other reason why they didn’t leave even though Kuirau died? Moreover, there was a supply unit disguised as reinforcements in the rear, so the reason why they were gathering their forces while leaving this alone was obvious.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

I stood on the riverbank.

“If Koamik had decided to fight us, they would have crossed the river earlier. There’s no need to aim for our rear. They could have crossed the river in a safe place far away from us and joined Sochitl’s expeditionary force.”

But they didn’t.

The gains and losses were not clear.

They must be afraid that they too would die like Kuirau, since they have so much to lose.

“Now that time has passed since Kuirau died, their vigilance must have eased. Then we just need to remind them again.”

I bent my right knee and placed my palm on the river.

“Your Majesty?”

And after taking a deep breath for a moment, I created magic power.

Magic power surged from my soul, making me dizzy. My vision shook and my breathing became rapid, and my body, which had barely recovered, immediately lost its color like a sick person and blood flowed from my nose.

I wiped the blood with my sleeve and smiled weakly.

It’s my body, but I’m overworking it too much.

“Your Majesty!”

I raised my other hand to stop Gerhard from shouting in surprise.

‘This is the only way.’

The magic power emanating from my soul covered the river.

“Open the way.”

Water splashed as if wind was blowing from the end of my palm.

As that happened, the river water sank and gradually split to both sides.

Shaaaaa——

The split river soon revealed the damp bottom.

A road tens of meters wide was created.

“Heo···.”

Gerhard exclaimed and looked at the left and right ends of the road.

The water stood upright as if transparent walls had been erected, and the midday sun shone down, illuminating the inside of the river.

The sight of startled fish bumping into the walls with their mouths was like the surprise of everyone in this place.

I smiled silently and stood up.

The river left the road as it was even after I took my hand off it.

“This should surprise Koamik.”