Infinite Skill Devourer
Chapter 65: Member Number Three II

Chapter 65: Member Number Three II

The dragon suddenly lunged forward, slamming its tail into the ground.

The impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, knocking soldiers off their feet and breaking the stone beneath it.

Aika and Erina barely managed to hold their ground.

"Stop your reckless chaos-causing and do what you were summoned for," Daiki said in a serious tone, which only made her frown.

But then she chuckled. "If not because I owe you, I wouldn’t be here...

"...I should’ve been in the western region forests, idiot."

The second Ryuen heard what she said, he snapped his eyes open.

The queen’s words rang in his head. "The healer, who could determine life and death."

The mage who used the body parts of beasts as armor, and a healer for whom life and death were like toys.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled beneath Daiki’s feet, pulling all attention away from the mysterious girl and toward the left wing of the palace.

More of the royal army marched toward them—like a stampede, like a sandstorm.

As they swarmed in, Ryuen slowly opened his eyes and shifted his gaze to the one leading the army.

Althea.

’Daiki,’ Ryuen said in his mind, now calling Daiki’s attention to him, since neural linking was one of his abilities.

"The northern queen’s daughter is who you came for, right?"

Daiki’s brows curved slightly, but he nodded slowly. Ryuen gestured at Althea.

"That’s her. Clear out her army. I’ll take care of this one."

"By sitting up there, right?"

"Ignore my position. Just observing for now."

Daiki mumbled alright and spun around on his feet. He waved at Erina, who watched him walk away casually.

Yurei’s brow rose at the sudden change.

She wanted to leave her spot to question Ryuen, but Yuki appeared beside her with a smile.

"What is it?"

"I would appreciate it if you didn’t just stay here and hide instead of doing something,"

Yuki said simply, though she didn’t particularly need her to do anything.

She just felt it would be fair for everyone to fight together.

Yurei straightened up and crossed her arms. "I can’t fight at the moment. Long-range attacks maybe, but I can’t do close combat."

Yuki tilted her head and asked, "Why is that?"

"My eyes are on the inside. I can’t focus on that and the person I’m fighting at the same time."

"I see," Yuki uttered and heaved a sigh. "You humans are pathetic."

That was the last thing she said before vanishing again.

She reappeared before the stunned Aika and Erina, smiling warmly.

"Princess Aika, it’s good to see you in person."

Aika frowned in response, then reached for her dagger just in case. "And you are?"

"I am Yuki. Yuki Onna," she replied with a small bow. "Your city reeks."

"Hm?" Aika became confused, wondering if Yuki was talking about pollution or something else.

But then, what was more important was that she had to do something about this woman before her.

If she made a mistake, there was a chance Yuki wouldn’t hesitate to attack.

And the aura emanating from her was one of the scariest she had ever sensed.

She stepped back slightly to distance herself from Yuki and raised her sword at her. "Why are you here?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Yuki asked, tilting her head slowly.

"Revenge, Aika Shirokami. We are here to wipe out your entire family."

Aika scoffed, her sword steady in her grip. "You underestimate us."

Perched atop a tree branch, the girl yawned, stretching her arms lazily.

"Looks like you guys need some help."

Yurei shot her a glare. "Just don’t make things worse."

"If that was what you wanted, Daiki shouldn’t have called for me," she answered, earning a scoff from Yurei before vanishing from her spot.

The girl shifted her gaze to where Ryuen sat—but then she realized he was no longer on the roof.

She scanned around rapidly, silently amused and confused at the same time.

He had been sitting there just now, and now he was nowhere to be found.

’Strange,’ she thought.

But among the chaos and endless exchange of blades and fists, a single step made time stop.

Ryuen stepped out of the shadow of the palace and before the army, whose eyes widened upon seeing him.

The soldiers froze. Their instincts screamed at them to run, but they stayed nevertheless.

Aika and Erina were ready to attack—until his face came into view. Both felt a chill crawl up their spines.

However, Erina was somewhat relieved and shocked at the same time.

She slowly walked toward Ryuen, who just watched her blankly until she stopped before him, an arm’s reach away, and bowed.

"Is it really you?"

Ryuen frowned. "What sort of question is that?

"No, it isn’t me. It’s my soul in the form of a physical being," he scoffed, shifting his gaze to the shocked crowd before looking back at Erina.

"It’s actually you." A smile appeared on her lips, but it quickly fell, replaced by a horrified look.

"Could it be... you’re the one leading these people?"

Ryuen shrugged and slipped his hands out of his pockets. "Yes, I am."

"You came to kill us?"

"Yes."

She uttered an "okay" and lowered her head, already accepting her fate.

But Ryuen scoffed and walked past her. As he did, he said, "I’ll save you for last."

He made his way toward Aika, who quickly stepped back to keep her distance from Ryuen.

She barely had time to react.

Ryuen was already close enough to hit her when—

SHINK!

The sound of a blade cutting through the air caused a frown to appear on Ryuen’s face.

He moved his gaze toward the source of the sound.

Althea stood tall, smiling, with Daiki’s sword in one hand. She tossed the sword aside with ease.

"Ryuen, I actually had high expectations of you, especially when you acted like you wouldn’t get killed."

"Now take a good look. I defeated your friend."

Ryuen raised a brow, as if he didn’t understand what she was saying—and truth was, he didn’t.

He spotted Daiki among the army, holding another, larger sword, grinning.

And Ryuen understood immediately.

Without wasting any time, he placed a hand on Aika’s head and smiled.

A system screen appeared before him with a notification.

[Icebound Touch Activated]

Aika’s eyes slowly widened, and she remained like that—frozen.

And then—

[Mist Veil Activated]

Wonderful, he thought as he vanished into a white mist, moved toward Althea, and materialized behind her without warning.

[Mist Veil On Cooldown]

The system screen appeared just as he materialized. What followed was the sound of a blade cutting through flesh.

Althea gasped, her turquoise eyes widening as blood seeped out, instantly soaking what she was wearing.

She lowered her head to where the warm liquid was—and froze.

Aika’s sword had passed through her from behind, the end emerging from her other side.

Her breath hitched as she struggled to look down again at the sword impaling her.

The battlefield fell silent.

Everyone froze.

Her fingers trembled as she reached toward Ryuen, as if touching him would confirm that what she was seeing wasn’t real.

"But... you’re supposed to be—"

"Dead?" Ryuen finished for her, amused.

Her lips parted, but no words came.

Behind them, Erina’s grip on her dagger tightened. "No... No, that’s impossible."

Ryuen ignored her, instead watching the way Althea’s body swayed, her strength slipping away.

He twisted the blade slightly, drawing a soft gasp from her.

"I was going to save you for last," he admitted, his voice eerily casual. "But since you were in the way..."

Althea choked, trying to summon the strength to push him away, but her body was failing her.

"You shouldn’t have been so careless."

With one swift motion, Ryuen pulled the sword free.

Blood splattered across the ground as Althea staggered.

Erina let out a sharp, furious cry, surging forward.

But the new girl intercepted her, stepping between them with a smirk. "Not so fast."

Erina gritted her teeth. "Move."

"Relax. You’ll get your turn."

Althea collapsed to her knees, blood dripping from her lips.

She could hear her heart pounding in her head.

"You..." she whispered weakly, looking up at Ryuen.

He crouched down, meeting her gaze. "It’s a shame, really."

"If I were actually a guy who lived for harems, you would have made a great member. And it’s amusing how you used to be involved with Hiroto."

"Hiro... to," she trailed off, coughing up a handful of blood.

"Humans... you’re all the same. Selfish... with no sense of empathy."

Ryuen’s gaze darkened.

"As a reminder to you and to those who might come after you—tell them: humans do not change unless something changes them."