The Bounty Hunter
Chapter 118: The Fortress of Flowers

The 4th Day of Summer’s Eve, Year 200 of the Royal Era

I surveyed the most recent battlefield from the top of the battlements, casually balancing on the tip of a spire.  A variety of knights surrounded me, oblivious to my presence.  Willow was standing nearby, dressed in a formal gown with her coat of arms stitched on: a two-headed brown serpent entwined with a red rose.  This was the same coat of arms as the slaughtered soldiers I saw in my previous visions.  She glanced up at me occasionally, as if she couldn’t believe that I was somehow hiding in plain sight.  It was agreed between us that I would stay hidden, since seeing the Peerless Devil would cause a mass panic.

Willow was quick to reassure me that only the most pious individuals would recognize me, since I’m not a hideous abomination, but you can never be too careful.  A twin pair of moons were rising in the clear night sky. The faint light they provided illuminated the area like it was clear day to my eyes.  Verlush is an interesting place, set in the midst of an endless sea of flowers.  The roads set in this massive meadow were covered in shortgrass that looked like artificial turf, and the city itself seemed overrun with plant life.  Every house and manor had flowers, climbing ivy, or grass growing on the walls or roof.  Interestingly, there were no trees amongst the plant life, and all the houses were made from clay or stone.  I would have pegged this place as an elven enclave or a dwarven settlement, not a human city.

However, the natural beauty of the scenery ended about 300 meters from the walls.  The flowers that dotted the landscapes were turned into dried husks, demarcating a sharp line across the span of the invading army.  The encroaching wasteland was a stark reminder of the Verlush’s upcoming doom.  200 meters beyond that point a pile of corpses was stacked up around the vampire camp, forming a barrier of flesh and bone to deter any sallying forces from Verlush.  An eerie mist covered the camp, obscuring the exact position of the enemy forces.  This magical camouflage did nothing to hinder me.  My newfound power was coursing through me, begging to be put to use.  Such strength was…intoxicating.

An elderly knight approached the battlement, quickly moving up the steps to kneel before Willow.  “Baroness Meadow!  It is good to see that you turned back from your foolishness!”  the knight exclaimed.  “It is good to see you too, Sir Bark.”  Willow replied, showing a politician’s talent for sidestepping unsavory topics.  The sound of bat-like screeches quickly ended their conversation, as the soldiers on the walls readied their weapons.  The vampiric horde marched forth, their crimson eyes flashing in the dark.  Many of the men and women started trembling at the sight, feeling the instinctive fear that all prey experience before their predator.

Willow took the massive drop in morale as her cue.  “Warriors of Verlush, stay strong!  We face an army of foul creatures bent on devouring us, but as long as we believe in ourselves we can prevail!  Let us follow the example of the Redeemers!  Let us fight against the evil in this world!  Let us reclaim hope!”  Willow’s voice rang out across the city, courtesy of a voice enhancement a group of mages cast on her.  I could sense that they were not like wizards from the previous world, but they were still able to use magic.  Fascinating.  Maybe I’ll look into that later.  Willow’s speech did its job of restoring the flagging morale.  “WOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”  The defenders of Verlush roared their defiance at the oncoming army.  Well, sorry to invalidate all of the fighting spirit, but it’s time I step in.

I started channeling mana, or whatever the hell this stuff was (I’ll call it mana for now), feeling an ocean’s worth crash into me as I funneled it into a spell I wouldn’t have even dreamed of doing back home.  “We feast on your corpses, we grow on your blood.  Our roots burrow deep, unyielding as we bud.  We are nature eternal, rising through hardships anew.  A Fortress of Flowers that none shall get through.”  I finished my spell, feeling something that I would describe as a “mana high” as I cast it.  Despite the monstrous amount of mana I poured into the spell, I barely feel tired.  The screeches of the undead vampires and the yells of the Verlush army both cut off suddenly as the land around the wall started to buckle and heave as if there was a bucking bronco beneath it.  The vampires faltered at the sight, coming to a halt at the edge of their created wasteland.

The land soon quieted down, although the keen observer would notice that the plant growth was far thicker than before.  The vampires, after some prodding from the True Ancestor, started charging once more.  They carelessly trampled over the plants as they continued forward.  Then it happened.  An endless number of roots burst from the ground, wrapping themselves around a multitude of vampires and pulling them beneath the earth.  Loud squelching sounds were heard before an overgrowth of new plants burst from where the bodies went under.  These new flowers extended their own roots and vines, ensnaring even more vampires and turning them into nutrients and fertilizer.

Pure chaos erupted amongst the Undead ranks at the sudden ambush.  The Vampire mages were quick to try and burn away the plants, but they could not match the regeneration rate.  The rank and file soldiers were hacking away at the roots and vines, desperately trying to avoid being consumed.  As the plants multiplied, their methods of attack did as well.  Various thorny bushes were shooting their thorns like bullets, sweet flowers spread their pollen which then burst explosively, the number of ways that the plants were killing was both remarkable and growing.

There was a dead silence on the walls of Verlush as the defenders all just stared, wide-eyed, at the sight of the meadow they call home rising up against the invaders.  The ones who came to devour them became the ones being devoured instead.  Willow’s eyes kept darting to and fro, unable to decide whether to focus on me or the massacre.  The True Ancestor, a handsome looking man with black hair and red eyes, managed to blast his way out to the wasteland.  He crossed the threshold, along with some other subordinates, and I could see his palpable relief at reaching what he perceived as “safety”.  How very wrong he was.

The flowers surged forward, reclaiming the land that they had been exterminated off with a thorny vengeance.  The remnants of the vampire army tried desperately to outrun them, but the flora was relentless.  The last to go was the True Ancestor, who managed to valiantly last until a blood red flower wrapped around him like a boa constrictor and popped his head like a champagne cork.  His blood was quickly absorbed and crystallized, along with the blood of the rest of the army, and delivered to me by the plants as they started growing up the side of the battlements surrounding the city.

The soldiers all hurriedly evacuated from the fortifications, watching in fear as the stone was crushed into dirt by the flowers.  At this point, the wild rampage ended.  All that remained was a low hedge of flowers ringing the city.  However, I could feel that the power was not gone, merely dormant.  Just as I had intended.  And from the looks of the Verlush mages, they too realized that it was still there.  I stood by Willow, admiring the see-through blood crystal that I would put to good use soon.  “What did you do?”  Willow whispered in mute shock.  “I granted you an indomitable barrier.  This Fortress of Flowers will ceaselessly guard your precious city from all those who wish it harm.  I have no interest in being summoned every time you have an invasion after all.”  I replied calmly. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Willow smiled at my words, taking me off guard.  “That was rather kind of you.  The only thing that the agreement covered was protecting the city from this one invasion.  You had no obligation to do anything more.”  “Don’t read into it.  It was on a whim.”  I replied back, much to her amusement.  She giggled at me before muttering “Tsundere” from the corner of her mouth. 

The contract seal on Willow’s hand glowed, reminding her of her own part of our bargain.  She handed over a small vial, containing a liquid that I confirmed to be the Elixir of Life.  The contract summoning ended, and I could feel myself being pulled back across time and space to the moment I first left home.  I decided to do one last service for my summoner, as gratitude for the opportunity I have gained from her.  I pressed my hand to her shoulder and simply willed her back into full health.  Her figure filled out from her starvation, and the lines of worry on her face vanished, revealing a beautiful young noblewoman.

“The legends about you really are false, aren’t they?”  She asked as she looked at her unblemished skin with unrestrained awe.  “Yeah, although it’s not like I care.”  I replied.  And it’s true, I could care less that I am the equivalent of the evil deity in this world.  I don’t plan on coming here again any time soon.  I faded away from this new world to the sight of Willow mouthing “Thank you” at my vanishing figure.

The return trip was far more gentle than the initial trip, and I reappeared in front of Irene an instant after I had disappeared.  The all-powerful feeling that I had in the other world faded as I returned to my ambient mana-starved home.  The mana that is here is like beef jerky compared to the succulent steak of the mana in the other world.  I felt a profound sense of loss for an instance, before shaking it off to focus on Irene.  I then remembered that she had kissed me and confessed right before I had left.  But that can wait for now.  “Irene, I’ve found a way to cure Hikari.”  Her response was textbook Irene:  she karate chopped my head and said “About damn time boss!”

I clutched the vampiric blood crystal and the Elixir of Life in my hands tightly, having come up with a potential solution to Hikari’s predicament.  I just have to hope that she forgives me for what I will have to do to her for it to succeed.

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