Hiro tilted his head, wondering what had caused the level-up. He didn't recall doing anything, but soon got a ping from his clones that inhabited Leafa. His level-up came right after his session with her.
When he opened the notification window, a blue box appeared:
[You have leveled up to Level 2]
[Level up achieved!
STR: 70 → 72
DEX: 70 → 73
MAG: 0 → 2]
The Magic stat, which had always stayed at 0, had finally risen. Hiro assumed it was because he had transformed into a new species.
Of course, just because he had a Magic stat didn't mean he could cast spells. So far, this stat was useless for him. Hiro sighed. From what he learned from Rebecca, to properly use magic he would need Mana Manipulation, Mana Sensing, and Elemental Mastery. That meant Hiro had to level up at least three more times and be lucky enough to roll those skills as upgrades.
After addressing his meager stat increase, Hiro looked at the skill upgrade options.
[Choose an upgrade:
- Sunbeam
- Aurora
- Decomposer]
[Decomposer]
Ability to convert organic and inorganic matter into nutrients.
Skill prerequisite: Root Absorption
The explanation was too short! Hiro tilted his head. Why was this skill even listed here? He could already absorb corpses and nutrients from the ground using [Root Absorption]. Did this skill simply mean he'd be faster at doing it?
He skipped the option and moved on to the next two upgrades, which seemed more promising.
[Aurora]
The host will be able to convert mana gathered from [Flower Blossom] into a colorful pollen. The pollen will glow, mimicking an aurora. Anyone who inhales the pollen will be inflicted with a status effect chosen by the host.
Prerequisite skill: Flower Blossom
Default status effects:
Increased Metabolism (STR increase)
Heightened Senses (DEX increase)
Lethargy (STR decrease)
Clumsy (DEX decrease)
Hiro was about to click on the skill. It looked so good. With it, he could boost Cecile and Nana even further. Not only that, he could strengthen common soldiers in battle as well. But he held himself back—the description was lacking.
Did it have a time limit? Did it need to be applied continuously? Would the enemy be affected too? What about monsters? It would be disastrous if they were buffed as well.
Considering the possible downsides, Hiro opted for the other option. The next skill was a direct attack.
[Sunbeam]
Gather mana from the sun, then fire it at your enemies. The damage depends on your charging time and Magic stat. This skill consumes nutrients in addition to mana gathered by [Flower Blossom].
Prerequisite skill: Flower Blossom
Hiro decided to choose this one. He would have to be careful about sprouting those flowers around other symbiote users, but since Altair was on their side now, he thought it wouldn't be an issue.
As they headed back toward Evesys Manor, Hiro sprouted a flower on top of Rebecca's head. Cecile, Nana, and Altair remained alert in case Sheena chose to pursue them.
But Sheena didn't. Instead, she holed up inside Sicily.
"Her movement was odd. That was the perfect chance to kill our symbiotes. Why didn't she capitalize on it? Altair will recover her hand in less than two days. Her effort will be for nothing if she lets such a golden opportunity slip, right?" The general discussed the matter with Altair and her aide. Rebecca and the others stood quietly in the corner, listening.
"You are being disrespectful!" Hanuth snapped.
"I apologize," the general said quickly, "but as a commander, I must think from the enemy's perspective. She already caught us off guard once. We cannot be careless. Divine Host Altair, what do you make of it?"
"I lost a hand, true. But that doesn't mean I can't fight," Altair replied. "Their soldiers were subpar compared to your knights and mine. I believe she was simply cautious. Nana and Cecile are powerful enough to distract her. Even in my wounded state, we could triumph if either of them bought me even a fraction of a second."
Her arm had already regrown—from a stump at the shoulder down to her elbow.
"So Sheena chose caution, huh? What shall we do in the upcoming battle, Divine Host Altair?"
"It's simple. Once I recover, I will duel her again. But this time, my soldiers and yours will launch a full frontal assault on those cowardly bastards," Altair said.
"Yes! We shall do as our Divine Host commands!" Hanuth saluted.
"Hm… It feels like that's exactly what the enemy wants, doesn't it?" Rebecca muttered.
"Any other advice, Rebecca?"
"Erm… no. I apologize, Altair." Rebecca bowed. She realized she had criticized Altair without offering a solution. Even though she felt they were walking into a trap, she couldn't even begin to guess what kind of trap it would be.
"Rebecca's caution will be noted. We shall dispatch scouts when we attack Sicily in three days. Will three days be sufficient for your recovery, Divine Host Altair?"
"Yes. That will be enough." Altair frowned. She still felt irritated that the previous battle hadn't gone according to plan. Despite her honor refusing to admit it, a loss was still a loss. She had thought she'd learned her lessons when fighting beasts and monsters. She knew other nations might not adhere to the values she held—but experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely.
She realized the battlefield had changed. The enemy shouldn't be able to do anything even if they interfered before the invention of guns. Altair could fly, and arrows were much slower and visible than guns. Bullets were smaller and faster. She could only sense it when it reached a few feet away from her.
"We shall depart in three days if nothing goes amiss," the general said.
But no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Sheena and her battalion arrived the very next day. The only reason she had delayed pursuing Altair earlier was because her soldiers had fallen behind. Some were veterans who had fought in Vertia's invasion, but after being defeated during Litmus' campaign, their morale was shattered.
Most of the rest were ordinary villagers recruited only recently, which explained the slow march. With the veterans dragging their feet and the conscripts hesitant, progress was sluggish. It wasn't until Sheena ordered her personal knights to lash the stragglers that the soldiers finally moved into Sicily and began chasing the retreating Litmus forces.
And so they arrived. Sheena was a symbiote user herself, and thus she knew there was no way Altair could have fully recovered from her injury. If she wanted to strike, now was the time. There was no need to rush—she could still repel the invaders from her homeland. Her homeland might not have been the greatest, especially since that particular beastgirl had risen in influence, but it was still hers. She had to defend it.
"General! Lady Altair! We are under attack!" A soldier rushed forward. Hanuth was about to berate him, but Altair motioned for silence. Hiro was relieved—at least Altair wasn't so vain as to demand blind obedience.
Still, Hiro wondered what life was like in a nation where symbiotes were worshiped. He realized such an environment was toxic, one that encouraged nothing but yes-men among the soldiers. Altair seemed better than most, but Hiro was glad his girls hadn't fled to Mutual. He wasn't a real symbiote to begin with.
Altair and her knights rushed toward the gate. This time, they saw Sheena preparing her finishing move, aiming it directly at the gates.
"Retreat!, watch out for her attack!" There was nothing ordinary soldiers could do against a symbiote user except retreat. Altair didn't stop them. She was preparing for the clash herself. Her hand had regenerated just past the wrist, but it was still incomplete.
Golden tentacles wrapped around her arm, forming a crude imitation of a hand. It wasn't perfect, but as a symbiote user she was trained to fight until her very last breath.
"Lizzy, get ready!" Altair commanded. Golden tentacles spread from her back, and despite her half-healed wrist, she was ready to fight.
Hiro was not idle. Now that he finally had a means of direct attack, he intended to use it to the fullest. Flowers bloomed on Rebecca, Cecile, and Nana as motes of mana swirled around them. His new skill required charging, but once it was ready, Hiro planned to blast Sheena in the face.
Sheena spread out her wings. Her white tentacles enveloped her body as she brandished her white sword. Altair followed suit, clad in golden armor and wielding her rapier. The two clashed in a dogfight in the air once more.
Hiro watched them for a moment before abandoning the idea of shooting Sheena down with his new skill. He waited for the right moment, but he realized that moment might never come. They were too fast. It's like hitting two fighter jets in a dogfight with a rifle.
Yeah, that's not going to happen. I don't have enough experience shooting someone flying in the air. What if I hit Altair instead?
This time, the soldiers were not idle. Litmus and Mutual charged forward on horseback against Latvin's infantry. Hiro facepalmed as sixty knights galloped headfirst toward the infantry lines. On Earth, this would have decimated the cavalry, much like in the Napoleonic Wars.
Latvin retaliated just as Hiro had predicted. Volleys of bullets tore through the air, homing in on Litmus and Mutual's knights. Hiro thought this would be the end, but this world had levels. High-level knights from Litmus and Mutual didn't die from shots fired by peasants barely at level ten.
Still, the damage added up. Some knights fell to their wounds. But with more than half suffering mere flesh wound, they tore through the infantry, who were now sitting ducks on the plain before the castle.
Cecile was among them, leading the charge. Bullets grazed her armor and arms, but thanks to her stats and Hiro's regeneration ability, she was not harmed.
Hiro looked up. In the aerial battle above, the fight had reached a stalemate. Altair was faster, but Sheena had greater strength and swordsmanship. The moment came when Altair suddenly dove, baiting Sheena to follow. However, she braked hard, stopping in midair at the last moment.
"Tch!" Altair spat. Her plan to bait Sheena into an ambush by Litmus and Mutual knights with Latvin's guns had been seen through.
Sheena observed the battlefield. Her battalion had been halved within moments. In that moment, Sheena knew she had lost and signaled the retreat. The horn was sounded, her soldiers ran for their lives as Litmus and Mutual's knights chased them down on horseback. Bolts of light rained from above, striking the knights.
"Hey! I'm still here, bitch!" Altair tunneled toward Sheena as she tried to cover her soldiers' retreat.
"Tch! You're not Litmus' symbiotes, are you? Why did you fight with them? We're not your enemies."
"Oh, but you are our enemies. We are from Mutual, and your treatment of symbiotes has defiled our creed. We will vanquish every last one of you!" Altair cursed. Her words made Sheena flinch, but her strike was shallow. Sheena deflected her with a swing.
"I see." Sheena gave her a sad frown. "I guess this is your win for the day."
Sheena flew further and further toward Sicily. Altair chased after her but stopped when she saw her soldiers below couldn't keep up. Too many had been wounded in this battle.
"Damn!" Altair bit back the urge to pursue.
She wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Now is not the time. Tomorrow they will strike Sicily again. There, she promised she would defeat her.