Blade of the Goddess-Chapter 15 - Fracture Plain

During the week, Zion doubled down on his training. Before making his presence known to the world, he planned to use the academy to build his strength and knowledge to the best of his ability.

He touched up on runes, magic, and aura, and even trained physically without the aid of mana. Lidia also trained with him in the morning, gaining experience fighting against mages and martial artists.

"Young Master, our forces in each Kingdom are fully up and operational. They have blended in with the society there and are gathering information while recruiting more people for our cause. We weren't able to establish a base in the dragon kingdom, unfortunately."

"Thanks Lacey. By the way, you don't have to sleep in the servants' quarters. You can sleep here." Lacey had arrived a few days later after gathering reports from the other kingdoms.

"Thank you but it's nice hanging out with Beatrix and Ginger."

"Suit yourself. Also, didn't expect to infiltrate the dragon kingdom, they are too strong and secluded. Our first order of business is to locate all the relics."

"Zion, you ready?" Lidia asked, opening the door after she finished getting ready for their field trip.

"Just need five minutes and I'll be ready."

---

"So this is a Fractured Plain."

"It's so ominous."

"Monsters live here so be careful."

A suffocating fog choked the air, curling around jagged ruins and decayed corpses long forgotten. Shadows slither unnaturally, their shifting forms birthing creatures with eyes that gleam like hungry embers.

The ground writhed with unseen horrors, every step threatening to awaken something dangerous and unforgiving. Distant wails echoed through the fractured plain, a haunting lullaby for those foolish enough to wander too far.

Every student along with their homeroom teacher arrived at the fractured plain. At the entrance were two guards on standby in case monsters tried to escape into the nearby city.

Because the area was controlled via a massive wall, there was only one entrance and one exit, besides flying in the sky, but there were countermeasures for trying to escape over the walls.

"From this point onwards, everyone will form groups of four and hunt monsters in the fractured plain. Monsters, like mana beasts, have cores in their body. Collect them and bring them to me when it's time to leave. You have two hours." Heather flew into the sky, getting a clear view of everything that happened down below.

"We're teaming up right?" Lidia asked

"You bet. But we have to find two others." Looking around, Zion saw the students mingling with each other, asking if they wanted to team up. Some accepted while others declined. Some even went on their own, like Curtis. Zion could only shake his head at that.

Then, someone spotted his eye. A beautiful young woman with long light blue hair and grey eyes. She wore her uniform with the utmost elegance and radiated authority. Her name was Crystal Von Astir, the fourth princess of the kingdom.

Next to her was her attendant, a beautiful young lady with violet hair and brown eyes. Zia Hamlet from the Hamlet family, retainers who served the royal family since the early days.

"Yo, Crystal, Zia, long time no see. Wanna join me and Lidia?" Yup, Zion approached the princess that casually. He had that level of status to do so, plus, they hung out as kids years ago.

"Sure, I don't mind." Crystal nodded.

"Hey, Zion! Hey, Lidia!" Zia greeted with a massive smile while waving her hand.

"Hello, Zia." Lidia greeted. "Princess." She nodded

Crystal smiled and nodded back.

"Alright, let's go."

---

This fracture plain wasn't dangerous for someone like Zion or Lidia. Even Crystal and Zia weren't having that hard of a time, both of them being at the Peak Intermediate stage. Together, they all spent the next hour cutting down monsters.

With ease, Zion slaughtered many monsters that came his way, sometimes playing with them to drag the fight out.

"Come on you ugly goblins!" A stone dagger whistled through the air as Zion leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike. From his right, another goblin charged, its blade gleaming in the dim light, poised to plunge into his side.

With a swift kick, Zion sent the dagger flying from the goblin's grasp. In one fluid motion, he kicked it again, launching the blade straight into the forehead of the charging goblin, dropping it instantly. Beside him, Lidia engulfed the remaining goblin in flames, reducing it to a charred husk.

"Incoming!" Zia shouted

A huge troll with a large club in hand, came stomping their way, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

"I'll slow it down!" Slamming her hands into the ground, Crystal formed a massive blue magic circle and tons of ice spikes darted from the earth, piercing through the Troll's feet and thighs.

"ROWARRRRRR!!!!" It bellowed.

"Zia!"

"On it!" She clasped her hands together like a prayer, and then sparks of yellow electricity danced around her hands. Separating them, a large bident made of yellow lightning appeared.

Grabbing it, she aimed for the troll's chest, throwing it, and with a thunderous boom, the bident connected with the troll as lightning tore through its body internally.

"Quickly, before it regenerates!" Zia shouted.

Just then, a massive fireball, blazing like the sun, crashed down upon the troll. An instant later, hundreds of smaller fireballs followed, each searing into its flesh until nothing remained but smoldering ashes.

"Nice job Lidia!"

"Thanks, Crystal." The two of them high-fived.

Zion, who was smiling as he watched the girls fight, suddenly felt an ominous energy surround the troll.

As Zia was walking over to them, she saw the troll move. With its club in hand, it lept towards Crystal and Lidia, attempting to kill them both in one go.

"Watch out!" She yelled, but it was too late. They weren't able to react in time, but Zion stepped in to help them out.

He caught the club mid-swing, halting its brutal descent toward his partners, then twisted it sharply, forcing the troll's massive arm to wrench unnaturally before tearing it clean off.

Without hesitation, he swung the severed limb like a battering ram, the sickening crunch of impact echoing through the battlefield as the troll staggered.

As the troll was sent hurtling through the forest, shattering every tree in its path, Zion conjured a blade of pure mana, its radiant edge pulsing with lethal energy.

He planted his feet, eyes locked on his target, then with a single, decisive swing, brought the sword down. The blade cleaved through the air like a falling star, slicing the troll clean in half—along with everything unfortunate enough to stand in its path.

'What was that weird energy I felt on the troll?' Zion wondered as he clenched his fists, feeling it tingle with an uncomfortable feeling.

"T-Thanks." Crystal was caught off guard at Zion's strength. She knew he was strong, but not strong enough to casually cut a Troll in half, a monster known for its strong skin and insane regeneration. Sure the troll was a weak one, but it was relative to their strength, or at least she assumed.

"That troll should have died by Lidia's fire magic," Zion spoke, his face riddled with confusion.

"Well, trolls are known to have a good healing factor," Zia replied.

"No, Lidia is strong enough to deal with a troll like that on her own. In fact, she went overboard, ensuring that it was completely dead."

Chiming in, Lidia said, "That's right. I put more than enough mana into my spell to make sure it died."

"Then, could the Troll have been-" Crystal, who was about to share her thoughts suddenly stopped as an arrow appeared right in her face, only inches away from impaling her eye. Thankfully, Zion reacted in time, catching the arrow before it could harm her.

"Who are you?" Zion yelled, looking into the treetops. "Don't try to play any games, I can see the mana swirling around you."

"Zion, who are you talking to?" Lidia asked, worried about the situation.

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"There's someone in the tree--SHIT!" Using Aura Force, he pushed the girls to the side, pulled out his sword, and took the full force of an attack as a sword collided with his.

His hands tingled with pain as he could feel the weight of his opponent's sword pressing against his.

"Your reactions are better than I thought. Being able to react to my speed even while I'm camouflaged." Suddenly, a humanoid figure shimmered into existence before Zion's eyes. Their face was completely covered by a black mask and they wore a black outfit akin to assassins.

"Are you an assassin?" Zion asked

"You have something we're looking for and I'm going to need it back." The assassin replied back, entering a combat stance.