As soon as he heard the explosion, Kasser raised his head with a stiff look. He sprang to his feet, hurriedly opened the window and went out to the balcony. He looked skywards and saw yellow smoke rising from afar.

Lark.

The yellow smoke was a signal that a devious monster had been sighted on the walls of the kingdom.

He let out a long whistle, looked down at the ground, seemingly waiting for something. When none came, he added special energy to the whistle. People couldn’t hear it, but the sensitive beast sensed its Master’s summons.

Not long after, from afar, a black stallion could be seen galloping hither.

Abu, the King’s steed, wore no reins or saddle on his majestic back. He was never the one to tolerate anything that restrained him from moving unless it was his master who would put it on his back.

“Your Highness!”

The Chief of Staff rushed in. He was accompanied by a knight carrying a sword. The knight then went down on a knee before his King and with both hands, offered a sword.

When the King hunts Lark, he injects his Praz into this weapon. Ordinary weapons would instantaneously explode or melt when subjected to the swirl of energy. Only the weapons of those who had the royal blood coursing their veins body could withstand it.

Entering the activity period, the Kingdom had been placed under constant emergency security. His sword, which was kept deep in treasure houses during the dry season, was always on standby until the king needed it during activity periods.

As soon as the knight offered up the sword, Kasser, grabbing the balcony railing with one hand, without hesitation, jumped down the far end.

None of the onlookers were surprised.

The blue energy surrounding his body shifted, and his Praz, in the shape of a giant snake wounded around the king’s body. It slowed Kasser’s fall and absorbed the shock as soon as his feet landed on the ground.

“Abu!”

The black horse that was running towards the King, was getting enormous in size by the second. Two small horns appeared by both its ears, stretching out large; the mane was trimmed off, legs thickened and the hard horseshoe split, taking shape of ferocious claws. The only thing that didn’t change was the crimson eyes of the beast.

Kasser climbed onto Abu’s back, which was now a huge black horned leopard. He grabbed its collar and arched forward as Abu took a giant leap.

With just one leap, the beast had already crossed half of the castle’s perimeter. In an instant, he had climbed over the walls, which was otherwise impossible in his original form, and landed on the street beyond.

Contrary to what one might expect,  the people moving around the streets were relatively calm. The yellow flare had a low level of risk. Most of the signal bullets that burst during the active period were yellow.

When a giant beast passed them, people stepped back, not in fear but awe. They stared at the majestic creature before them and saw no monstrosity. This beast assists the king in safeguarding the kingdom, after all.

“The King is on his way, so there will be a blue flare soon.”

“Oh, just a monster, if the King goes, that thing would meet its end.”

Despite the curious chatterings, vivid atmosphere, the street looked peaceful as usual.

The King soon reached the wall. No one greeted Kasser with a great deal of fuss over his arrival. It was like a state of war from the moment the signal went off. They all held their arms firmly and kept their respective positions.

Abu, who kicked the floor and lifted himself high, pounced over the wall again. Just a few leaps and he had scaled up the high wall.

Kasser looked around and quickly grasped the situation. Soldiers gathered closest to where he was, and there was a shout from Lester, the General who gave the signal.

Tilting his head, Kasser looked at the outer wall facing the desert. A huge snake was creeping up the wall. Its body was as thick as a human’s.

The soldiers poured oil on their arrows. They raised their arrows in the air and prepared to shoot as the Lark scaled up further.

Kasser frowned. Larks which had the form of a snake are tricky. If the shield around its body is broken, it will immediately spit out poison. Thus, it must be done quickly before then. Snakes could climb the high wall and the primary barrier would then be useless.

Lester, who had spotted Kasser, shouted, pointing to the distant rear wall. Amidst the chaos, Kasser couldn’t hear his men’s voices clearly, but he understood, by their alarmed actions, what it meant.

Are there two?

There were times when two, or three attacked at the same time, even if they weren’t creatures that moved in a herd. Kasser determined that the situation here was not urgent, so leaving it to Lester, hastened Abu to sprint along the wall.

Soldiers had gathered on the wall opposite the first attack point. The snake, almost up, bobbed its head straight over the wall and brandished its tongue. It was half as big as the one he had seen earlier.

In accordance with the law of nature, small creatures are weak and large creatures are strong, Lark was no exception. The bigger, the stronger and more dangerous it is. Not only that, but a bigger Lark is also more aggressive.

The arrows bounced before reaching the snake’s body. Kasser’s eyes saw the shield around Lark’s body. It was like a thin glass cover. Every time the lark was hit by an oiled arrow, there was a fine crack. But it’s still a long way from being broken.

Kasser jumped off Abu and unsheathed his sword. There was a bluish glow surrounding his body.

“Abu. Wait!”

The beast stated his refusal by growling whimsically at Kasser. But like an obedient pet dog, the black leopard lay down on the spot. His claws that alternately tapped the floor indicated its unhappy feelings.