My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them
Chapter 97: Tropical clash (1)

Chapter 97: Tropical clash (1)

«Hakuto, open your ears and listen carefully,» Shin murmurs as he steps beside Hakuto, his sword aimed at the dark elves surrounding them.

Hakuto nods slightly.

«There’s no time to explain, so I’ll be clear. These bastards are damn strong—otherwise they wouldn’t have made it out of Chris’s Elemental Invocation unharmed. Stay close and don’t take initiative, understood?»

Shin’s serious and worried tone increases Hakuto’s already surging anxiety.

«Alright...» Hakuto replies.

Meanwhile, from the ground beneath the dark elves, thin trees begin to sprout, each with trunks about two meters tall.

They rip them out of the earth and grip them like staffs.

At the top of their rods, small dark green leaves cluster together.

The Monster Reapers wait for their move—shoulder to shoulder in a circle, weapons raised.

«Don’t do anything until you understand how they’re going to attack!» Shin orders.

A silent nod follows his order, but they don’t have to wait long before the dark elves launch their attack.

They point their rods at the Monster Reapers—a sphere of energy starts to form around the leaves, as if released directly from them.

Once again, Shin speaks.

«Chris, block their offensive. Zayn, stay back and cover our rear. Everyone else, memorize each of their positions and on my signal—attack!»

~Memorize their position...? But why?~

As dozens of green energy beams explode from the elves’ rods and shoot toward the Monster Reapers, a ring-shaped ice wall instantly rises halfway between them.

A violent blast erupts on impact, as the energy rays collide with the ice, briefly blinding both sides.

It’s in that exact moment that Shin gives the order to attack—and Hakuto understands why his father had told them to memorize the enemies’ positions.

He planned to use the smoke screen from the explosion to launch a surprise attack.

Without needing to hear it twice, everyone dashes forward like bullets of white fire toward the dark elves.

Hakuto stays right beside Shin, just as ordered, while Chris guards Alexia’s back—not that she actually needs help, but his judgment is clearly clouded by affection for his beloved sister.

Jasmine and Kellen charge in on their own.

Zayn, following his orders, remains in the center.

He scans the battlefield carefully, ready to support from a distance—a decision that leaves Hakuto genuinely confused.

~I don’t get it... What’s the point of keeping him back, when according to Alexia he’s the strongest Monster Reaper in the team? The Sacred Flame doesn’t allow long-range attacks... So how is he supposed to help from that far away?~

But then Hakuto realizes.

Massive black wings, like those of a dragon, spread from Zayn’s back—his body crackling with electric surges.

~He’s one too... A Crystalbearer? Those black wings, those lightning bolts... I’ve seen them before. That wyvern—the dragon-like beast my father fought during Velune’s attack on Estonia. I remember how powerful it was, even after losing half its strength from resurrection~

Shin, followed closely by Hakuto, bursts through the smoke screen—face to face with the stunned dark elves.

One of them swings his rod, trying to cast a defensive spell—but Shin’s sword is faster.

With a single slash, Shin cuts off both of the elf’s arms at the elbows—fountains of green blood spray out as the creature screams in agony.

Two others manage to cast their spells in time—massive roots erupt from the ground like tentacles, rushing straight at Shin and Hakuto.

—SWISH! SWISH!

With one slash each, Shin and Hakuto cut through most of the plant tentacles—but not all of them.

Shin dodges the incoming roots with a rapid series of backward steps, but Hakuto isn’t fast enough.

One of the roots grabs his calf—it tightens hard, making the diamond armor crack.

~Shit...!~

Another dark elf prepares a new spell—an energy arrow, just like the ones used in the ambush.

He draws the shot, as if pulling the string of an invisible bow.

Hakuto manages to slice the thick root with his sword, but more of them slam into him, wrapping around his arms.

Shin tries to lunge forward, but he’s backed off too far.

The energy bolt is about to be fired, when...

—ZAP!

A lightning blast strikes the dark elf square in the chest, electrocuting him instantly—the arrow vanishes just before release.

Two more lightning blasts follow.

One slices through the roots binding Hakuto, letting him fall back and rejoin Shin.

The other hits a second dark elf, who was also about to launch a magic attack at Hakuto.

Hakuto barely has time to glance back and give a quick nod of thanks to Zayn—the one who fired the three bolts.

But Zayn doesn’t react—his focus is already elsewhere, fulfilling his duty of long-range support with the power granted by his crystal.

«Hakuto, as you’ve probably noticed, the dark elves are dangerous from a distance thanks to their spells, but in close combat they’re far less threatening due to their lack of physical strength. I’m going in again. Follow my lead,» Shin orders.

Hakuto nods and gets ready to move.

Meanwhile, in another area of the battlefield, dark elves fall like flies under Chris and Alexia’s assault.

The overwhelming power of the Divine Dragon Crystal—Thural, the Relentless Storm—allows Chris to kill two or three of them at once without much effort.

His combined wind and water magic completely outclasses that of the dark elves, and physically, the gap is even more brutal.

Alexia holds her own too, though Chris has had to save her a couple of times.

Kellen and Jasmine, on the other hand, are in a completely different situation.

Despite Zayn’s lightning support, fighting alone against enemies this strong and this many is proving too much for them.

Kellen, overwhelmed and seriously wounded in one arm, is forced to retreat little by little—his strength drains fast due to the unstoppable blood loss.

Shin grits his teeth when he notices, but he can’t help respecting the boy’s courage.

In raw power and Sacred Flame control, Kellen is on par with Zayn or any other experienced Monster Reaper—and the fact that he managed to hold off nearly twenty dark elves alone is no small feat.

So Shin orders Alexia to go and support Kellen—and she obeys without hesitation.

She barely has time to reach his side when a piercing scream of pain echoes across the battlefield.

Jasmine has been hit—two magic arrows struck her, one in her right thigh, the other in her right shoulder, narrowly missing her neck.

She stumbles back, the pain in her thigh is unbearable—and her movement is clearly compromised.

Her leg gives out and she falls backward.

«Hakuto, go to her! Now!» Shin shouts, alarmed.

Hakuto obeys instantly—he rushes toward Jasmine, but she’s too far away.

Five dark elves are already on top of her—they’re about to fire their spells.

Zayn takes out three of them with lightning, but two are still standing.

Jasmine tries to get up again, but the sharp pain in her shoulder forces her back to the ground.

But...

—SBAM!

The faces of the two dark elves are instantly crushed—someone now stands tall between them and Jasmine.

A towering figure, over three meters tall, with rippling muscles and long black hair cascading over his shoulders.

A crimson storm of energy swirls around his body.

His very presence strikes fear into both the dark elves and the Monster Reapers, who stare at him with unease.

At his arrival, the deafening noise of the battlefield falls silent—a surreal stillness takes over.

Even Hakuto, who was sprinting toward Jasmine, freezes the moment he sees him.

It’s Drakhul Volkom.