Netori SSS-Emperor: All Queens Shall Be Mine!-Chapter 45: Mother’s Carnation

As the battle began, Kanna raised her wand in the air and a luminous magic circle appeared beneath her. It glowed an emerald hew and gathered the mana fluttering in the air but beyond that? It did nothing, it simply gathered it within itself and continued to glow even as the priestess put her wand to rest.

"Won't you attack me?" She asked Wolf, a gentle smile riding on her lips.

Unsure as to what was happening, the barbarian circled her surroundings without stepping too close to the circle. Expecting it to be a trap, the prince wanted to find a way to test it first. Thus, holding a hand forward, he yelled.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Gargouille Gaia!" Erecting from the ground, a stub of stone to push the priestess out of the circle, Wolf was astounded when the magic circle didn't retaliate and instead, his tactic was just about to work.

But then came a screaming chant of a spell.

"Heavenly Aegis!" A loud metallic din echoed through the arena as a massive shield of pure golden light blocked the coming blow. Crested with the insignia of the Madia tree, it shattered the stone into rubble with ease.

As the dust settled, two long swords of golden light also emerged from Kanna's back as though they were wings. Moving in front of the priestess, the shield covered her body while the blades stood ready to slice down anything.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"A SUMMONED BEAST MAYBE?!"

"WHATEVER IT IS, IT LOOKS FUCKING DOPE!"

Excitement brewed in the crowd as did worry. They knew little about the summon and yet it had their interest peaked. Even Wolf was at a loss for words, for in his many days of adventuring he'd never seen something with grandeur.

Lined with scripture the blades were indented in the middle. There another stringed portrait of the mother could be seen. But unlike the wand with only her head, Akramaid's whole body was depicted in it.

"I didn't know you had such an unexpected trick up your sleeves," despite the initial shock, a smile quickly took over Wolf's lips. Standing upright with not a hint of fear, he moved a hand under his chin and admired the sigil on the seal along with the blade's artistry. "I'm guessing it's either that wand's doing or that the church has been keeping secrets."

"Win and maybe I'll tell you which it is?" Beckoning Wolf to bring the fight to her, Kanna stood confident in the magic circle. Smiling a bit more cheekily than before, she couldn't help but feel a pang of thrill towards the battle.

"Hmm?" Grinning at the challenge, Wolf felt his passive Barbaric rage boosting his adrenaline. "Let's see how much this shield can really protect you then!"

Grabbing the axe handle from the back, Wolf lowered himself to the ground before leaping towards the angelic spawn. Screaming to his heart's content, the barbarian slammed the axe against the shield expecting it to shatter. Instead, the edge dug into the elusive metal and held him lifted in the air.

"What?!" Although surprised, his senses perked at the sound of the blade closing on him like a pair of scissors, making him kick the shield and push himself away. By the time the blades closed, Wolf was already on the ground and rushed towards Kanna yet again. "The bigger they are the slower they move!"

Finding a weakness already, he slipped from under the closed blades and thanks to his heightened state, he even managed to skirt around the shield and get to Kanna directly. Noticing the barbarian inches from her, the priestess's eyes widened with shock and a sting of fear.

"Just give up!" Wolf screamed while charging his punch, but to his horror, instead of giving up the priestess closed her eyes. "Fuck me!"

Punching her gut, he landed a blow that brought her to her knees. Wrapping her hands around her belly, the priestess groaned, and to her panicked voice, the shield slammed against Wolf's body and sent him skidding out of the magic circle.

Still on his feet, Wolf heard the blades before he saw them again.

"Elemental brawler!" It being too late to dodge the blow, he activated the skills that were granted by the cursed brands on his shoulders. Freezing his head on both sides, he managed to avoid a pincer as the ice dampened much of the blow. Rushing back before the ice broke completely, he used yet another cursed skill. "Magi-fusion!"

The moment the skill activated, his arms began to burn with contrasting flames. One a bright orange and the other a deep blue. The right held heat while the other a chilling cold. Wasting no time, he tried to rush Kanna the same way as before. However, just as he reached the shield, the magic circle began to glow.

'Shit!' Retreating from his charge, he expected a trap to activate. But as Kanna rose to her feet, seemingly unbothered by the punch to her belly, it became clear to Wolf what was happening. 'The circle is gathering mana to heal her whenever necessary.'

Clicking his tongue, he knew this battle was about to get more annoying. But amidst the disappointment, he still managed to learn something. Given Kanna's reliance on the summon and her reluctance to be moved out of the magic circle that would heal her constantly, it was clear that a few quick blows were enough to make her submit otherwise she wouldn't need constant healing.

'Let's test your defense then!' Leaping forward yet again, Wolf cast 'Yukki blizza' and formed an extra pair of icy hands to grab the scissoring blades. Doing just that as he moved in close, he tried to land a blow against the shield to shatter it. However, the blade held by the extra hands slipped through the ice like a ghost through anything. Heading right for his head again, they managed to clip a streak of his hair before Wolf managed to duck underneath them.

Although he had managed to avoid the blade, the shield came rushing towards his face. Noticing it at the last second, he covered his head but it still managed to send him out of the magic circle.

Dust fluttered through the air as his body lay on the ground. For a moment, it felt as though he'd given up. For the average person only ever saw him charging in and everything else melted into a blur.

"Ahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAH!" Punching the ground to pick himself up, the smile persisted on the young prince. With a look of joy expressed throughout his face, he slammed his fists together and declared. "FUCK JUST WINNING, I'M GONNA SHATTER THAT DAMANED SHIELD FIRST!"

Impressed by his enthusiasm, the crowd cheered and a smile crept up the priestess's lips.