Grandeur Fantasia

Chapter 87.2 ~ Sword Saint and the Shrine Maiden Princess

"Aaaahhhh~ It's so refreshing~"

Amaterasu twirled around in the forest, enjoying the scenery, nature and clean air.

"Princess, please be careful. The headmistress warned us there might be monsters here, albeit weak ones."

"I'm fine, Altria~ You're here with me so I'm not scared at all! If push comes to shove, I'll run real fa-"

Suddenly, a huge mana signature erupted near them. It was dark, evil, and incredibly powerful. Amaterasu, Altria and a guard who also came to protect the princess all shuddered in fear.

C-Could this be the same evil being that appeared near our Bestia Kingdom?

Several months earlier, a report of the appearance of a mysterious large hobgoblin like monster with dark purple skin.

It was far stronger than any normal hobgoblins which were mostly Hazard class. That hobgoblin was definitely a Disaster class monster. It took Bestia to send out their best warriors to take it out. Even then, there were still numerous casualties due to the destruction it caused on villages and towns.

And right now, such a being might be in front of them.

"Princess, please go back to the academy and notify the headmistress! We will hold them back!"

If it is the strongest human magician in the world, then it might be possible to defeat it. My top priority now is to assure Amaterasu-sama's safety!

Amaterasu hesitated. Her body froze as she felt the evil magic coming closer to them. But what made her haven't leave was her worry for Altria. Even though she was her aide, she was also the only friend she had. They've been together since they were very young. The last thing she wanted to do was to leave her.

"I-I'll stay! I can help you stall it and wait for the headmistress to come!"

"NO! Please run away now and leave this to us!"

"No! I won't leave you alone!"

Altria's face twisted in frustration. She was mad at her for not running away, but she also felt happy.

"...Amatera-!"

A large bear monster suddenly appeared in front of them. As they expected, it was also a similar monster to the evil being they encountered. It's skin and fur was dark purple and it's mana signature was incredibly dark and evil, enough to make regular people vomit or faint from the impurity.

I need to stall for time and protect the princess!

Altria draw her katana from her sheath and moved into a stance.

"In the name of the Divine Fox Royal Guards, I, Mikazuchi Altria, shall not let you harm the princess!"

Her katana shine in green hue, signaling the activation of her skill and she vanished from her position.

"Mikazuchi Single Strike Technique: Wind slash!"

Her katana shined green, even brighter than before, and traveled in an incredible speed at the dark bear.

*Slash*

"What?!"

She put her all into her single strike and was able to pierce its mithril-like hide which was strengthened by magic. However, she couldn't take her katana back. The dark bear was clenching its muscles, making her unable to pull her katana back.

The large bear rose its hand, about to do a swiping motion at Altria.

"Altria! Divine Fox's Protection: Prayer to the Divine one!"