Chapter 26: Along The Way

The Veldhoven. A territory owned by the beastkin. There are two different types of people in this kingdom. First are the demihumans, who look like humans with beast-like features. Next is the beastkin. Most of the time, these humanoid people take the form of the actual beast. A cat beastkin would actually be a fully grown humanoid cat. A cat demihuman would just have the ears, tail, etc.

Beastkin were the true rulers of The Veldhoven. Of course, some noble families would consist of demihumans, but the ratio between the two was vast. In this kingdom, might was right. Power trumped all other facets of life. The strong could do as they pleased. Rules wouldn't apply to the powerful, as other strong people would think twice before putting their life on the line.

This philosophy was totally different from Valsir, who adhered to the rules. Their strength came from monopolies over trade and cutting edge technology. If war ever knocked on the coastal kingdom's front door, a plethora of apocalyptic weapons would tear the opposition to the ground. That wasn't even counting the powerful figures in the Golden Circle.

Shu understood the dynamic of The Veldhoven. Bringing attention to yourself in such a place would not be a good thing. The tallest tree in the forest would catch the most wind. Only absolute strength would bring peace, but even that type of peace was subjective. Showing off wealth wasn't a good idea either. Only the nobles could afford that luxury.

A human would have an incredibly rough time. If they were lucky, they'd be sold off  as a slave to a nice master. Humans weren't seen in a good light due to the kingdom of Laria. A warmongering nation would always gain the ire of the majority. The young samurai didn't wish to make things harder for himself, therefore deciding to reveal some of his true features.

Two small thin horns protruded from his head. The tips of his horns glowed with a beautiful white radiance. They resembled those of an oni, but had the texture of a demon's. It was unknown what his race truly was. His fangs were also elongated, but could only be seen once he opened his mouth. The one thing that didn't change was his eyes, which were still silver.

Shu had been traveling for almost a month now. It was only today that he'd reached Veldhoven's border. The surroundings were extremely rocky, and there were a lot of hiding places above the common path. As he made his way down the designated route, he noticed a caravan surrounded by shady looking figures.

A bunch of armored soldiers guarded the caravan. They were outnumbered. Weapons were out and at the ready. It seemed like a battle was nigh. The tension was high. The enemies were dressed in rough clothing, giving them the aura of bandits.

"Whatcha got in there? I'd love to see what it is!" The leading attacker spoke.

"You dare attack us?! Do you know who's caravan this is?" A guard roared.

"Just give us all your valuables! Trust me. Losing some goods isn't better than your life. Gotta feed my guys, you know?" The bandit leader spoke casually.

The group of bandits all popped a grin at their leader's words. The caravan seemed well maintained. There was probably something that could fetch a pretty penny. They couldn't wait to see.

"Impossible! Surrender now or face execution!" The soldier ordered.

The bandit sighed. It seemed that negotiations had broken down. He pointed his hand toward the caravan. His gesture prompted all of the bandits to charge. Multiple warcries resounded through the area.

CLANG CLANG

The fight had begun. Swords, spears, and daggers clashed against each other. Blood quickly spilled as soldiers and bandits met their end. Shu couldn't help but sigh. He just wanted to walk the path! If he did that now, he'd be targeted. Cleaning up the area seemed to be the smart thing to do.

Without waiting any longer, the young samurai dashed into the fray. His thumb slightly unsheathed his katana. The distance between him and the closest enemy instantly became zero. At that moment, he drew his blade.

SLASH

The clueless bandit died without even knowing what killed him. His upper and lower half fell to the floor in pieces. Shu carried on, ending lives with ease. It was nothing new to him. One of the nearby enemies turned in surprise.

"Be careful! There's an Ambush! It's the Oni Clan!" He yelled upon noticing Shu. It wasn't hard to miss him, since he was dressed in all white.

The swordsman shook his head. Since when did he hail from the Oni Clan? It didn't matter anyways. There was no point in correcting them. They'd all be dead soon.

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Suddenly, one of the carriage doors burst open. A fierce looking woman with messy brown hair and golden eyes jumped onto the roof of the front carriage. She wore a battle gown that was covered in silver plated armor. Her hands and feet were protected by gauntlets and greaves. Two furry ears were on the top of her head. A brown striped tail waved back and forth, resembling a lion.

In her right hand was a huge, high tech greatsword. It was larger than her body, but she held it casually in a backhand grip. The edges of the blade pulsed with blue light. It was unknown if it was plasma or some other volatile element. A quiet hum reverberated from the weapon.

"Warrior of the Oni Clan! Stand Back! This is the Lyon Clan's fight!" She announced.

Shu deadpanned. It seemed like his assistance was unneeded. There was nothing wrong with that. He'd forgotten where he was for a second. Help was for the weak here. After giving a slight nod, the sleepy man walked off to the side.

"The Lyon Clan? Oh shit…" The bandit leader exclaimed in fear.

They'd kicked a steel plate this time. The Lyon Clan was a noble family that focused on battle and combat prowess. If the bandits knew ahead of time, they would've left the caravan alone. How were they supposed to know? There wasn't a logo on the side of the caravan or anything!

"Bandits. You have two options. Run away as I slaughter you all, or fight and die with dignity." She declared.

An aura of high tier Gold was being emitted from her body. Shu noticed that it slightly touched the realm of Supreme. The poor criminals knew they couldn't escape. After gritting their teeth, they raised their weapons. The fierce woman smiled.

"A fine choice. You've gained my respect by facing death. Know that it was Tessvulin of the Lyon Clan who ended your lives!"

As soon as her words finished, she leapt off the carriage. The warrior landed on top of a nervous bandit. Her blade sliced through his weapon and body like butter. It didn't stop there. The extremely sharp blade went through the ground. She didn't waste any time, launching toward the remaining attackers. A molten trail was left in her wake as the greatsword dragged along behind her.

VMMMMM

The calm hum of her weapon was the only thing they heard before death. Tessvulin flipped over an attack, her armored dress fluttering in the breeze. She cleaved in midair. Her blade went straight through with no obstruction. Three criminals stood in place as she landed. A sizzling sound could be heard as their bodies slid to the floor, intestines leaking onto the gravel.

"Fuck no…I'm not waiting for my death!" One of the remaining enemies cried out.

He quickly turned tail and fled. Seeing his actions, more of the group followed suit. The fierce woman crouched down and spun, slicing off the bandit leader's ankles. A cry of searing pain escaped his lips as he fell to the ground. It didn't last long, as her blade slashed right through his mouth and skull, leaving only a molten line. When she saw the retreating bandits, she clicked her tongue.

"Tch. It always ends like this." She muttered.

After tensing her legs, she burst toward the escaping enemies. Bodies fell to the ground and blood seeped into the dirt. It was a slaughter just like she had promised. Tessulvin didn't wish to pursue any longer and clicked a button on the hilt of her greatsword.

A mechanical sound was emitted before the blade opened up. A barrel rose from the middle and stopped at the tip. The warrior pointed her sword toward the last dozen or so bandits. Blue energy gathered at the edge of the barrel, forming a ball of unstable energy.

ZZZZZT

A massive hyper beam of plasmic energy shot toward the fleeing combatants. Each of them were engulfed in a bright light. When the beam died down, not even ashes remained. A large scar had appeared in the ground, and it sizzled with molten heat.

The greatsword began to transform and retract. In the end, only the hilt remained. Tessulvin placed the hilt on her hip and strolled over to Shu. There was a satisfied smile on her face. Her golden eyes locked onto him.

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