Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem - Chapter 566

Chapter 566: Battle with Lions
This was unacceptable. I couldn’t allow myself to be so weak that some shitty external force would make me scar my lovers.

My grip on the saber loosened, letting it hover in the air. I grasped onto Ayame’s dainty, feminine hands with my right one while taking Lucille’s in the left one, drawing strength from their boundless support.

‘Behave yourself!’ I shouted inwardly at the rebelling invader.

I took a deep breath, gathering every shred of willpower I possessed. After which, I visualized the fire and conjured mental chains around the rebelling flames, tightening them one by one until the blaze was caged again. It writhed and screamed, but I forced it into submission.

The oppressive heat receded. Embers flickered and died as the cavern’s temperature normalized. I had won – it was once again under control, contained in the prison erected by my willpower.

“Thank you. I love all of you more than anything.”

My declaration was followed up by a group hug, where my girls desperately clung to me. Knowing that an unexplainable power was trying to destroy me from within made them greatly anxious.

“I believe we have to go out soon.” Iris said, checking what was going on outside. Yes, she didn’t join in on the family hug, nor did she move close enough to touch me when I was battling this power. Yet the few initiative steps she took towards me told me all I needed to know. She was also worried about me, no matter how much she might try denying it.

“Alright.” I nodded, then looked at Ryker, or specifically at the woman who had him dance to her tune. “What about you? Ready to make a joint assault? We have to move to the flank and help the others out by battling the weaker enemies so they can’t gang up on our elites.”

She violently shook her head even before her brain could mount an answer.

I’d been calling this woman Selene 2.0, but I have to apologize to the Pyromancer; as it turned out, I’d been insulting her all along. Selene had many undesirable traits, but coward wasn’t among them. She was a brave, ambitious combatant who would not buckle down and wait for others to save her in this situation but go out in a blaze of glory. This woman, on the other hand…

“Suit yourself.”

I wasn’t going to force them; they would just be nuisances like this. Instead, I cast [Earth Armor] on myself and moved toward the entrance to peek out.

Total mayhem welcomed my eyes. Vex was fighting in the middle, flanked by Raika and Ignis.

Each of them was battling multiple towering lion-kins. Blossom looked like a normal human girl save for her dog ears and tails; on the other hand, these creatures were a lot more monstrous. They stood at around 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) tall with bulging muscles that reminded me of Broderick’s build adorning their bones, while long, sharp claws extended from their fingers, and two sharp fangs protruded from their mouths. Furthermore, the males sported a bushy lion’s mane around their necks.

These were high-level murder machines, creatures that were solely bred for war. I learned from Ayame that some beasts enjoyed much greater benefits from their animalistic side. Dog-kin, for example, were more utility-focused with their strong sense of smell. With that said, despite not enjoying great innate physical might, they were still top-tier as their detection abilities made them stand out as a strong subspecies. Some subspecies were not so lucky – they were innately subpar compared to other beast-kin.

At the top of the food chain stood the great predators like lion-kin, tiger-kin, shark-kin, etc. They had the ability to grow their bodies bigger as their levels grew, naturally bolstering their physical stats even further as if the world itself wanted them to be the mightiest creatures, ruling over other beast-kin.

I refocused on the present, observing the fight. It was a true back-and-forth, an equal battle.

Numerous blows were exchanged. Ignis took a swipe across his chest before delivering a mighty punch that exploded upon impact, sending the large beast flying. However, it landed on its feet and immediately rushed back at him, rejoining its comrade in slaying the Ashbringer.

Vex was fighting three such enemies at once. Despite that, she was gaining momentum, slashing at them with her sword while casting numerous curses on them, some of which made their skin grow sickly, others their eyes bleed, their balance lost, and more. Even then, multiple slashes and bites were sent her way, some of which she parried, dodged, or, in the case of weaker attacks, merely face-tanked. Despite being a thin, dainty lady on the surface, she was a real tank.

Well, that was my thought until I glanced at Raika, who became my new definition of the word ‘tank.’. She was exchanging a slugfest with two beasts at once. They clawed, punched, and bit her, yet she refused to not only take a single step back, but she didn’t even make an effort to dodge. It seemed as if making such movements were a waste of effort in her mind. Instead, she dug her heels into the ground, gritted her teeth, and used the opportunity to deliver more punches at her enemies.

The beasts themselves were akin to forces of nature in my eyes. Not only were they overwhelmingly powerful, but their speed belied logic as well. No wonder they managed to surround us so quickly that even Vex only sensed them when they were already on us.

My eyes shone suddenly; an opportunity to become useful was presented. In the distance, I saw dozens of lion-kin rushing at this location. I figured these seven lion-kin that were in the middle of battling our three elites were so strong that the rest couldn’t keep up; they were desperately trying to catch up to their leaders.

These lions were slightly smaller, standing at around 2.2 meters (7.2 feet).

If I allowed them to gang up on our allies, it wouldn’t be long before they would be slain. While these warriors were most likely weaker than the elite vanguard, if they supported these seven monsters, Vex and the others would be in great trouble.

I once again gripped onto the hilt of my Soul Reaper as determination flowed through my veins, pumping adrenaline into my system in anticipation of what was to come. The blade was hovering in front of my hand all this while, as if begging to be used. Once it felt my palm confidently holding it, its ethereal blue flames flickered, visibly excited at the opportunity to gather so many strong souls.

“Get ready, girls. It’s time to level up. We’re hitting the major leagues before taking a single step on human soil.”

My words made them jolt as the desire to become strong flared in their hearts. One after the other, we left the cave’s protective walls, ready to do what needed to be done.