Ever since she had lost everything she held dear on that fateful night, Neun, who had discarded her original name already, had been silently questioning herself... wondering in her mind just how she could take her revenge against the transgressors who made her life so hellish...
The reality of the matter was that even though she was a very talented swordswoman, all her life she had only worked as the maid and guard of Setsuna, the then royal princess of the Kingdom of Wratharis. Even though she had received training as a Kunoichi, it was hard to say that she was particularly superior to anyone else of her peers.
Neun did not think that she was particularly special and the reality was indeed the undeniable fact that she was an average existence among the beastmen. Blue wolves may be rare among all the demihuman beasts but they still existed in a rather large number. Having control over elements was great and all but it was not great enough to make her unbeatable and invincible in the world.
So... How could she ever be able to take her revenge? How could she really become stronger fast enough to face and take down the usurper that made her lose everything and stripped her of the purpose of her existence?
Grit and rage alone were not enough for her to achieve her desires. It would never be enough for her.
People did not become stronger simply because they faced despair. People did not become stronger just because they wished... There was nothing they could do in front of the potential of their existence... All of that was enough to bring endless despair to her life...
And in the midst of that despair... Neun met Drei. That was the day that her life truly changed as she made a contract she was sure she would never regret.
'Princess, just what will you show me now?'
Blood trickled past Neun's lips but she wiped it off without any change in expression on her beautiful yet stoic and apathetic face. She was inwardly sad that she had to face the princess, she served with all her being once upon a time, in such shoddy circumstances but if this encounter was enough to bolster her growth and make her even more powerful then it was all the better. She would gladly become her stepping stone to reach greater heights.
That was why, even though Setsuna was yet to become a Duke, Neun did not hold anything back, bringing the power of Calamity she had painstakingly managed to gleam through her bloodline resonance.
'Feel it please, princess. Feel my Truth and understand my ways. This will be the stepping stone you will need to accomplish what I have not been able to.'
All her life, she had been raised with only one goal. Protecting and serving the royal family.
The deal here was to care for all the members of the royal family. Even the usurper included. The identity of the King or Queen did not matter in that regard. A new Alpha taking the throne was the norm and they only needed to serve said Alpha without thinking much of their previous masters.
But her relationship with Setsuna and her father went far beyond the established norm. For her, he was like the father she never had and Setsuna was the capricious and slightly spoiled little sister she loved more than anyone and anything else in this rotten world.
Alongside her blood sister and her team of servants, they all made sure to protect Setsuna during that night even though it cost the life of everyone but her alone.
Now... Her time was very limited and even as she sharpened her blade to cut the throat of that usurper, she knew that her chances of success were very slim and may as well be close to none.
She had honestly given up all hope of killing that wretched being and seeing his fall. But now... Now she was starting to see the light of hope once more.
'That man...'
In the past, she did her research about the prince of Lustburg. After all, she knew her princess was now a slave of the prince. But the results had been meager.
After the attack on Lustburg, she had been left disappointed by the prince.
But now she knew she had judged things way too fast.
That boy was a literal monster of creation.
Even though she was so close to the King level. Even though she could take the most primal form of their bloodline... All her instincts were screaming at her a single and inevitable truth.
She could not win against him.
Fighting would be a death sentence for her.
Like a nebulous black hole... She could not grasp nor could she understand the true breadth of his powers.
Once she understood this, once she realized that fact, once she realized just what that implicated... Neun did not feel any fear anymore. She did not feel rage at the unfairness of the world nor did she despair at the futility of her sacrifice.
All she felt was immense glee at the ray of hope that person brought to her.
The princess would sign a contract with that man and Lustburg was at war against Wratharis.
She realized there and then that her goal, her deepest desire was almost about to be realized. This was why she accepted her incoming death with immense happiness.
Even if he was to behead her, she would die knowing that the Usurper would soon follow her to the underworld.
The only regret she may had have was not being able to see the princess one last time.
'Haha... Now I have a new regret.'
Her time was limited in this world, and as she felt the wrath burning inside her slowly but surely dissipate... so did her life... ever so surely. That was the clause of her contract...
And for that very reason, now she only had one wish.
'Please, princess. Let me witness your transformation.'
"Please, princess. Do not die."
Whoosh - !
Nature fell under her control and the very fabric of the world started to change as the rain and the wind mixed to bring birth to a veritable tornado sweeping everything on its way.
At the same time, Neun's body started to change. Her hair grew longer and longer until reaching her feet and her bones cracked, a beastly light covering her body, and the beautiful amazone-like woman was replaced by a Giant Blue Wolf.
In this form, manipulating calamity became even easier for her.
The tornado accelerated and the wind became so powerful that it seemed like it would erase the entire zone along with it.
Setsuna filled her body with as much Minna as possible but she was inevitably sucked in by the power of the ever-growing tempest.
As befitting of a power buffed by the zone, this was not a normal cataclysmic wrath of nature but one that was filled with the concept of destruction thanks to the power she had obtained from Ymir.
Breathing became hard for her with each growing second and Setsuna could even feel her skin slowly decaying as the protection of the mana over her body was being destroyed in real time.
She knew that if she did not fight back she would die.
And only by stopping the tornado could she survive.
Her survival instinct triggered and her mind worked on overdrive.
It was time for her to find her Truth and awaken her Zone.
It was a do-or-die situation and her only chance to prove herself to her beloved...
She had to cease it at all costs...
Ever since she had lost everything she held dear on that fateful night, Neun, who had discarded her original name already, had been silently questioning herself... wondering in her mind just how she could take her revenge against the transgressors who made her life so hellish...
The reality of the matter was that even though she was a very talented swordswoman, all her life she had only worked as the maid and guard of Setsuna, the then royal princess of the Kingdom of Wratharis. Even though she had received training as a Kunoichi, it was hard to say that she was particularly superior to anyone else of her peers.
Neun did not think that she was particularly special and the reality was indeed the undeniable fact that she was an average existence among the beastmen. Blue wolves may be rare among all the demihuman beasts but they still existed in a rather large number. Having control over elements was great and all but it was not great enough to make her unbeatable and invincible in the world.
So... How could she ever be able to take her revenge? How could she really become stronger fast enough to face and take down the usurper that made her lose everything and stripped her of the purpose of her existence?
Grit and rage alone were not enough for her to achieve her desires. It would never be enough for her.
People did not become stronger simply because they faced despair. People did not become stronger just because they wished... There was nothing they could do in front of the potential of their existence... All of that was enough to bring endless despair to her life...
And in the midst of that despair... Neun met Drei. That was the day that her life truly changed as she made a contract she was sure she would never regret.
'Princess, just what will you show me now?'
Blood trickled past Neun's lips but she wiped it off without any change in expression on her beautiful yet stoic and apathetic face. She was inwardly sad that she had to face the princess, she served with all her being once upon a time, in such shoddy circumstances but if this encounter was enough to bolster her growth and make her even more powerful then it was all the better. She would gladly become her stepping stone to reach greater heights.
That was why, even though Setsuna was yet to become a Duke, Neun did not hold anything back, bringing the power of Calamity she had painstakingly managed to gleam through her bloodline resonance.
'Feel it please, princess. Feel my Truth and understand my ways. This will be the stepping stone you will need to accomplish what I have not been able to.'
All her life, she had been raised with only one goal. Protecting and serving the royal family.
The deal here was to care for all the members of the royal family. Even the usurper included. The identity of the King or Queen did not matter in that regard. A new Alpha taking the throne was the norm and they only needed to serve said Alpha without thinking much of their previous masters.
But her relationship with Setsuna and her father went far beyond the established norm. For her, he was like the father she never had and Setsuna was the capricious and slightly spoiled little sister she loved more than anyone and anything else in this rotten world.
Alongside her blood sister and her team of servants, they all made sure to protect Setsuna during that night even though it cost the life of everyone but her alone.
Now... Her time was very limited and even as she sharpened her blade to cut the throat of that usurper, she knew that her chances of success were very slim and may as well be close to none.
She had honestly given up all hope of killing that wretched being and seeing his fall. But now... Now she was starting to see the light of hope once more.
'That man...'
In the past, she did her research about the prince of Lustburg. After all, she knew her princess was now a slave of the prince. But the results had been meager.
After the attack on Lustburg, she had been left disappointed by the prince.
But now she knew she had judged things way too fast.
That boy was a literal monster of creation.
Even though she was so close to the King level. Even though she could take the most primal form of their bloodline... All her instincts were screaming at her a single and inevitable truth.
She could not win against him.
Fighting would be a death sentence for her.
Like a nebulous black hole... She could not grasp nor could she understand the true breadth of his powers.
Once she understood this, once she realized that fact, once she realized just what that implicated... Neun did not feel any fear anymore. She did not feel rage at the unfairness of the world nor did she despair at the futility of her sacrifice.
All she felt was immense glee at the ray of hope that person brought to her.
The princess would sign a contract with that man and Lustburg was at war against Wratharis.
She realized there and then that her goal, her deepest desire was almost about to be realized. This was why she accepted her incoming death with immense happiness.
Even if he was to behead her, she would die knowing that the Usurper would soon follow her to the underworld.
The only regret she may had have was not being able to see the princess one last time.
'Haha... Now I have a new regret.'
Her time was limited in this world, and as she felt the wrath burning inside her slowly but surely dissipate... so did her life... ever so surely. That was the clause of her contract...
And for that very reason, now she only had one wish.
'Please, princess. Let me witness your transformation.'
"Please, princess. Do not die."
Whoosh - !
Nature fell under her control and the very fabric of the world started to change as the rain and the wind mixed to bring birth to a veritable tornado sweeping everything on its way.
At the same time, Neun's body started to change. Her hair grew longer and longer until reaching her feet and her bones cracked, a beastly light covering her body, and the beautiful amazone-like woman was replaced by a Giant Blue Wolf.
In this form, manipulating calamity became even easier for her.
The tornado accelerated and the wind became so powerful that it seemed like it would erase the entire zone along with it.
Setsuna filled her body with as much Minna as possible but she was inevitably sucked in by the power of the ever-growing tempest.
As befitting of a power buffed by the zone, this was not a normal cataclysmic wrath of nature but one that was filled with the concept of destruction thanks to the power she had obtained from Ymir.
Breathing became hard for her with each growing second and Setsuna could even feel her skin slowly decaying as the protection of the mana over her body was being destroyed in real time.
She knew that if she did not fight back she would die.
And only by stopping the tornado could she survive.
Her survival instinct triggered and her mind worked on overdrive.
It was time for her to find her Truth and awaken her Zone.
It was a do-or-die situation and her only chance to prove herself to her beloved...
She had to cease it at all costs...
