Infinite Skill Devourer
Chapter 64: Member Number Three I

Chapter 64: Member Number Three I

Daiki, deep down, was surprised—barely—because based on what Ryuen had told him about the royal sisters, especially the Kitsune and Elf, he had imagined they would have the same attitude, like Aika, who was arrogant.

He expected Erina to be like that as well, but she was more reserved and well-mannered.

For one, she talked nothing like her sister. She was confident enough to walk up to him.

She dropped her guard before an enemy, which was wrong but also spoke well of her.

And she was oddly polite, and the aura that came from her was close to that of Yuki, only that she might not have unlocked her full potential.

Daiki chuckled softly and let the tip of his sword touch the ground.

"You’re a very bad warrior, dropping your guard like that before an enemy," he uttered when she finally stopped before him and repeated the question.

He glanced behind to see Yuki still warming up and teasing the soldiers that tried to climb the... now frozen oak tree... but they would slip and fall at a certain height.

He shifted his gaze back to Erina, scanned her from head to toe, then left his sword to stand on its own.

"I am here on a mission—say, a revenge mission."

"Why take revenge on someone who is dead?"

Daiki smiled softly. He could hear the worry in her tone, despite how much she tried to hide it.

He just shrugged. "His final wishes."

"I see. I send my regards, but unfortunately, you and your friend will have to leave. As you can see, my sisters do not tolerate outsiders."

Daiki scoffed and reached for his sword again. "It’s a shame a Kitsune like you would go to waste. I don’..."

He trailed off when he caught a glimpse of something dark moving quickly through the forest.

And the figure blended with the dark—something normal human eyes would never see.

And he instantly knew who it was the second he didn’t see the floating silver eyes in the shadow of the palace.

Aika, who had already become fed up with the conversation between Erina and Daiki, marched up to him and raised her sword against his throat.

A soldier also managed to slip past him, kicked his sword away from him, and held him in place with invisible hands.

"Gravitational abilities, that’s nice," was all Daiki said before moving his attention to Aika. "So, you’re the overbearing, arrogant one?"

"You have a big mouth despite being in a condition like this."

"Aika, you should stop. He did not raise a sword against you or kill any of our own, so let him be," Erina said as she reached for the dagger behind her.

She received a scoff as an answer and was ignored.

Aika pressed her sword until it sank into Daiki’s flesh, creating a mark, and was inches away from cutting and drawing blood.

"Call off your people."

"They are not my people, Aika. They are free beings with mutual goals."

"Which is?"

"To take revenge for one of us."

"And where exactly?"

"Your palace, of course. This is where his students and former managers are."

Aika’s grip on her sword tightened. Her patience was already wearing thin, and in no time, she would snap.

"You think we’ll let you march in and do as you please?"

Daiki didn’t flinch. Flinching before a weak loudmouth was not his thing.

Yes, he would agree she was beautiful and very intelligent.

But her behavior was sour—rotten, probably—and he hated people like that.

"I think you don’t have much of a choice."

Aika’s jaw clenched. She pressed her blade a little deeper against his skin.

The sting barely registered on Daiki’s face, but the glint in his eyes sharpened. He wasn’t intimidated.

Before she could respond, the air around them shifted.

The temperature dropped, but not from Yuki this time.

A heavy pressure settled over the battlefield, thick and suffocating, like a storm about to break.

Everyone stopped moving, even Yurei, who was about to attack from the shadows.

Yuki had her sword against a soldier when she also shifted her gaze to the sky, frowning.

"That reckless kid is still alive," she mumbled, clearly displeased by whatever had caused the sudden halt in everything.

Then the barrier shattered.

CRACK!

A deafening rupture split through the sky as Yuki’s ice dome exploded outward.

Shards of frozen crystal rained down, crashing into the ground with sharp, ringing echoes.

Soldiers stumbled back, shielding their faces from the blast, while others turned toward the source of the disturbance.

A massive shadow loomed beyond the mist, stepping forward with slow, deliberate movements. The ground trembled under its weight.

Then, through the clearing dust and ice, a dragon emerged.

It was monstrous yet elegant, its dark scales shimmering with a strange, almost liquid sheen.

Its wings stretched wide, powerful enough to send gusts of wind rushing across the battlefield.

Its golden eyes burned like fire, locked onto the scene before it with an almost human intelligence.

A figure leaped from the dragon’s back with effortless grace, landing lightly on a tree branch.

She wasn’t dressed in armor or battle robes—just simple, casual clothes, the kind of outfit someone would wear strolling through town.

A plain shirt, loose pants, nothing extravagant.

But the way she carried herself, standing tall against the raging storm, made her presence impossible to ignore.

Her long hair, tousled slightly by the wind, framed a face that showed no fear. No hesitation. Only calm, as if none of this chaos fazed her.

She had already noticed Ryuen, who remained silent, calm, his eyes closed—like he knew she was coming.

Nevertheless, he had caught her attention, and she would deal with him after finishing what she was called for.

"I leave for a little while," she said, her voice carrying easily over the stunned silence,"and things get messy real fast."

Althea, watching her closely, was taken aback by the girl’s sudden appearance. The dragon was familiar. The turquoise eyes were familiar.

She was actually alive.

Daiki grinned, stepping away from Aika’s blade, now completely ignoring the wound she had left. "Took you long enough."

The girl smirked. "Had to make an entrance."