My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them
Chapter 96: Ambush!

Chapter 96: Ambush!

«Mr. Eskari, the Monster Reapers are approaching,» Zhurvak murmurs—the amphibious creature with indigo-scaled skin, wrapped in matching bandages like a mummy, from which dozens of yellow eyeballs peek out.

«Who would’ve thought your idea would actually work? Seems like your brain works decently despite your unmatched ugliness,» Eskari sneers, sitting on the ground with his back against a tree trunk in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

Eskari has pointed ears, long straight white hair, completely white irises, and skin of a dark gray shade leaning toward black.

A large scar—a mix of burn and cut—disfigures the left side of his face.

He wears a long dark green robe, its hood hanging just above his eyes, trimmed with golden embroidery.

His fingers are buried in the soil, stretched out and shaped like roots that absorb magical sap from the plants—the surrounding forest lies in a state of semi-withered decay.

But Eskari and Zhurvak aren’t alone.

Dozens of other dark elves are with them, also drawing natural energy from the soil.

They all look fairly similar: the same dark grayish-black skin—some a bit lighter or darker—the same long white hair, and the same dark green robes.

Unlike Eskari’s, theirs lack golden trim.

They also share another trait—they’re all tall, slender, and stunningly attractive, even by human standards.

Dark elves—and elves in general—possess a beauty far above any other race.

This has made them incredibly vain.

In elven society, outward beauty often matters more than strength.

Even so, some among them wield magical power that rivals demons and vampires.

«Hey, I’m a very charming yoghral, okay? Back when I lived in Ul-Ghozzeth, the Great Swamp, not a single female yoghral could resist me!»

Zhurvak grumbles, clearly offended by Eskari’s comment.

Eskari lets out a sound of disgust.

«There are females of your kind? Just thinking about it makes me want to puke... but anyway, listen—what you did was actually brilliant.»

He shifts slightly, a faint grin spreading on his face.

«Letting that loudmouth Velune get herself caught by Shin Tendo, just so he’d chase after her and end up walking straight into my trap... It saved me the trouble of hunting him down myself. So why get hung up on the details?»

«You just called me a hideous creature. I don’t think that counts as a detail...»

Zhurvak mutters, his voice tinged with wounded pride.

«Anyway, I’m sorry to inform you there’s been a small miscalculation in the plan...»

Eskari’s eyes narrow, his tone turning sharp.

«Miscalculation...?»

Zhurvak hesitates, clearly intimidated by the glare.

«Y-Yeah, so... I was expecting the same people who fought Drakhul to show up. But instead, it’s only Shin Tendo and his son. The others look like regular HESPARC agents. There’s seven of them total...»

«HESPARC agents? Didn’t you say Shin Tendo’s been at odds with them ever since he saved those two hybrids fifteen years ago? Anyway, that means that traitor Akashi isn’t with them. Even better. Now that he has the Eye of the Fallen-One, he’d have been a much bigger threat than a bunch of humans.»

Eskari breathes a long sigh of relief, clearly reassured.

«Killing them and capturing Shin’s son to deliver him to Raelos and his slut will be easier than I thought.»

«Zhurvak, lead my soldiers to the place where you spotted the Monster Reapers. Remember, I want Shin Tendo and his son alive. The others... do whatever you want with them.»

Zhurvak stares at him, confused.

«But, Mr. Eskari... didn’t you just say it’s only Shin’s son you need alive? So the daughter of Raelos can use her charm powers to make him reveal the hybrids’ location? Why Shin too?»

Eskari’s hand, still shaped like roots, retracts from the ground.

His fingers return to normal as he rests them on his scarred cheek.

«That bastard ruined my perfect face twenty years ago. Ever since, I’ve wanted nothing more than to kill him with my own hands! Now go!»

♡♡♡

«Eyes open. We’re getting close,» Shin whispers, his voice barely audible.

Around them, the forest grows increasingly withered and dry as they move forward.

Yet, the highest branches remain untouched.

Shin figures it must be intentional—to avoid making the energy drain too obvious by limiting it to the lower vegetation.

Every step they take, no matter how carefully they try to move, is followed by an unavoidable crunch from the yellowed leaves and brittle twigs carpeting the ground.

Everyone stays on high alert—their muscles tense, ready to spring at the first sign of danger, ears straining to catch the slightest sound around them.

The forest is unusually silent.

Aside from their footsteps, only the steady sound of the Amazon River and its many tributaries can be heard.

Animals and insects are nowhere to be found, having fled far from the heart of the decay.

Hakuto is probably even more tense and alert than the others—his heart pounding louder than his own footsteps.

He’s nervous, on edge, afraid—not that he expected a peaceful stroll with friends, but the growing unease in him as the forest dies around them goes far beyond his worst expectations.

~I’ve got to stay sharp. I can’t afford a single distraction... Shin and Alexia trusted me enough to bring me here. I have to be an asset to this mission, not a burden!~

Hakuto is deep in thought—gathering his courage, trying to steady himself, when...

A faint, crisp sound echoes all around them, like dozens of arrows being loosed at once. Then comes a swarm of sharp whistles slicing through the air.

«Ambush!» Shin shouts.

Instantly, his body is wrapped in the blazing light of the Sacred Flame, and his white fire sword extends tightly in his grip.

At the warning, the rest of the team arms themselves just as swiftly and skillfully.

Only Hakuto takes a bit longer—his mastery of the Sacred Flame is nowhere near that of the seasoned HESPARC agents beside him.

At the same time, the diamond armor covers him from head to toe.

Moments later, a storm of projectiles rains down on them from every direction.

These aren’t ordinary arrows—they’re spells shaped like arrows, made of solid dark green energy.

Shin and the others begin slashing at the incoming bolts, countering each one while dashing in all directions, careful not to collide with each other.

Hakuto does his best to follow their lead—he manages to block most of the energy arrows, though a few still hit, cracking the surface of his armor.

When the barrage ends, Hakuto can’t help but stare at the others in amazement.

None of them have so much as a scratch—not even Alexia, despite her position as vice-director keeping her away from battlefields most of the time, and, to Hakuto’s relief, not even Shin.

Hakuto had feared his father wouldn’t be able to keep up, but he was clearly wrong.

In fact, Shin was the first to sense the incoming attack and give the warning.

A fraction of a second slower, and things might have ended far worse.

Hakuto also came out of it with just some cracks in his armor, but it’s clear that without it, he wouldn’t have made it out unharmed like the others—a sign he still has a long way to go.

«Damn... We were supposed to ambush Eskari, but it looks like he ambushed us instead,» Shin mutters nervously, eyes scanning their surroundings. «At this point, keeping a low profile is pointless. They’ve already found us...»

Then, his gaze shifts to Chris.

«Chris Kendrow, level everything within fifty meters of us! But don’t overdo it—the HESPARC Brazil director, Thiago Bandeira, asked us to minimize environmental damage!»

Chris nods.

«I’ll do my best... not to wipe out the entire Amazon Rainforest,» he murmurs with a smug grin.

Large ice-colored wings spread from his back, his skin now covered in sapphire-hued scales.

And before Eskari’s minions can launch a new attack, thick black clouds gather instantly above them, and a violent wind begins to swirl.

Moments later, a massive cyclone descends from the sky, crashing down on the forest.

Shin and the others remain safely at the eye of the storm, where not even a breeze touches them, while chaos rages all around.

The withered trees—the hiding spots of the dark elves—are torn from the ground like blades of grass.

And yet, the dark elves remain anchored to the ground—their lower bodies transformed into trunks with roots buried so deep that not even the raging hurricane can tear them loose.

After a few seconds of destruction, the wind dies down.

What’s left is a circular wasteland about a hundred meters across, scattered with a few broken stumps here and there.

Even the water from one of the nearby tributaries has been completely drained by the vortex.

«My little brother is sooo strong!» Jasmine exclaims, eyes sparkling with heart-shaped pupils.

Alexia shoots her a deadly glare, then sighs in resignation—it’s been nearly twenty years, and Jasmine still insists on calling him that way, even though she’s told her in every language to stop being so familiar.

At this point, with both of them nearing forty, she’s given up.

But despite the incredible power Chris unleashed, the hurricane only managed to flush out the dark elves from hiding.

It wasn’t enough to kill or even seriously injure them—just a few surface cuts, oozing thick, light-green blood that looks like chlorophyll.

And now, dozens of elves rise threateningly around them, surrounding the group, shrouded in a murky aura of dark green energy.