3rd POV
Two man were sitting on the chair with his legs on the desk inside his office. It was quite luxurious office considering the owner was a military officer.
One of them, who had his beard well trimmed, had a cigarette in his mouth. His expression was cold and he had a look that gives fear to those who face him.
The other one was wearing an elegant suit with a teacup in his hand. Though he looked like an office worker more than a soldier, he was the man who possessed strong power.
"So, Kansas. How are you doing these days?" The man in a suit asked as he took a sip from his cup.
"Same as usual. Looking for things that'll raise my position in the empire and of course yours too, Minits." Kansas replied with a smirk as he puffed out some smoke in the air.
Colonel Kansas was the man who will do anything for his own good. He did everything including some criminal acts to raise his power.
One of his greatest achievements was the destruction of Youma village. He destroyed the whole Cryptid country and secured the local region, making his standing in empire rise significantly. Of course, there was no threat at all about that place, but Kansas killed some of the merchants and placed there body near it, spreading the rumor that the cryptids were threat. And just like that he destroyed the innocent country to achieve his ambition.
As the two men were talking to each other, someone knocked on the door and a soldier under Kansas's command came in.
"What is it?" Kansas asked with an uninterested voice. However the news the soldier brought caught his attention immediately.
"Release of an immense aura had been detected near the place where Cryptid country used to be. The cause is still unknown and we are currently readying for reaction." (Soldier)
Kansas's eyes immediately sharpened at the mention of the place he once destroyed. After thinking for a second, he gave an order to the soldier.
"Stop the preparation. I'll be heading there alone." (Kansas)
"But colonel, isn't it dangero-" The soldier stopped talking as he met Kansas's cold gaze. He just bowed without finishing his speech and went out of the room.
"It seems there is a little problem to you. I figure that you can handle it on your own, right?" Minites said once the soldier left.
"Of course. Nothing will go unharmed if they hinder our plan." Kansas said as he stood up and walked out of the room, heading to the place where it will be his grave.
...
...
...
In the clearing at the edge of the forest near the empire's border, Kumara was releasing her aura at its maximum. Her aura was fused with her anger, making it much more stronger than usual.
The man who killed her friends. The man who destroyed her home. The man who killed her family. The man who took everything from her was coming to her.
Kumara felt her wrath flaming inside her as she thought of the day when her home burned and all of the people she knew got killed. When she heard the truth about the incident from Clayman, a goal was set deep inside her.
It was to take revenge on the man who destroyed everything she had. That man with a disgusting smirk and ugly beard. Colonel Kansas.
As her fury began to submerge her, a voice echoed through her mind.
<<Keep calm. You won't achieve anything by letting your anger take the full control.>>
It was the voice of her mom. The one who took care of her with warmth and gave her love. One of the two people who she considered family for the first time after her mother died.
Thank you. I lost control for a moment. I'll focus hard as you told me.
<<Of course you will. I know that you can do this. We will deal with the ousider, so keep your focus on your enemy.>>
Yes mom. I'll make sure he'll pay for what he did to me, my friends and my family.
<<That's my girl. Me and your dad will be supporting you, so don't worry and show them your power!>>
After the short conversation, Kumara regained control of her fury. There was still anger boiling inside her, but she could control them until it's time to let them out.
About an hour had passed, and suddenly the bush at the edge of the clearing parted into two, revealing the man Kumara resented the most.
"Hoh, aren't you that little fox?" Kansas said upon seeing Kumara standing in the middle of the clearing.
"So you remember me. That's nice. It would have been a shame if you didn't." Kumara replied calmly.
"Of course I do. Your mother did a good role for my promotion." At Kansas's word the atmosphere became heavy as both of there aura clashed, creating sparks and flames in the air.
"You bastard!" (Kumara)
"Ha, be thankful that I sold you to Clayman. You're alive because of that, aren't you?" (Kansas)
"I... am going to kill you!" Kumara said through gritted teeth and at the same time, one of her tails turned into a monkey, Byakuyen.
As the most strongest one among Kumar's eight youma, Byakuen lunged several strong attacks with his club at Kansas.
"Hoh, another survivor is it. Then let me show you something interesting." Saying that, Kansas summoned a dark monkey, making Kumara freeze for a second in shock.
"Yamijaru? How...?" It was one of her mother's servants who had been kind to her, but Yamijaru looked like it had completely forgotten her as it attacked and overpowered Byakuen.
"What did you do to Yamijaru?" Kumara growled as she glared at Kansas who had a smirk on his pace.
"I just made it as my servant. It only follows my command now." (Kansas)
Kumara gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her anger and called out to more youmas.
"Getto, Coccus. Come out!" Two of her tails turned into a rabbit and a mouse and faced the dark monkey. They now had advantage in number, but Kansas didn't mind at all and smirked evily.
"Come out. Yamiusagi, Yaminezmi." At his word two dark rabbit and mouse appeared. Kumara couldn't hide her shock since she never expected this kind of thing to happen.
"H- how can this happen..." (Kumara)
"Are you surprised? Well, I am. It was a surprise that you could summon three beasts. Clayman must have trained you well." Kansas said mockingly as his beasts of dark faced hers.
"What a waste of time. Let's finish this play now." Kansas said and added two more dark beasts to the fight.
"What! Even Yamitora and Yamihebi!" (Kumara)
The situation was now bad for Kumara. Considering the individuals power, Kansas's beasts were more powerful, since they were the servants of Kumara's mother, the formal nine head.
At that point, Kansas thought that he had already won the fight. He thought that Kumara couldn't summon more beasts since her mother, who lived for thousands of years, could only summon five beasts. That was why he talked arrogantly at Kumara.
"I can keep you as my pet considering that you obtained such a power, so why don't you surrender?" Kansas said as he was totally convinced that he will win. However, that was his misunderstanding which was fatal to him.
Kumara was enraged at the moment, but there was a smile on her face as she saw that he was underestimating her. It was irritating, but at the same time, it was a good advantage in a fight.
"How hilarious. I think that you're ready enough, making me enraged to this extent, right?" Kumara said as she summoned all of her subordinates. Five more tails turned into beasts one by one – Raiko, Yoda, Mink, Enchou, and Igami. All of her eight friends had come out to fight their enemy.
"Impossible! Eight beasts? You cheeky fox..." Kansas was agitated greatly at first, but as the experience soldier, he regained his calm quickly and smiled boldly.
"I guess you deserve a praise for growing to the extent that surprised me. However, my power is still stronger than you." (Kansas)
"Shut up! You're not getting out alive today!" (Kumara)
Their talking was done and the battle of eight versus five began. Kumara's friends had advantage in number, but the opponents were elites. They had more magicules and most importantly, they had more experience.
Kumara's friends were not weak at all, but the dark beasts were powerful enough to overwhelm the difference in number. As the battle went on, the dark beasts began to push back Kumara's beasts. However Kumara didn't give up.
She had noticed something while observing her opponenet. His beasts had lost their memories but their egos were intact, making them as fierce as before. However, this means that if Kumara defeats Kansas who was ordering them, she has a chance to win the fight. Also, if Kumara calls back her beasts and return to original form, she could beat the dark beasts.
As for Kansas, he looked confident, but he was barely on the edge. His skill allowed him to summon the strongest one he killed. It was a useful skill but there was a limit to it. He couldn't increase the strength of the dead or summon endless amout of 'darkness'.
Kumara exactly saw it through, which was the reason why she never panicked.
"I knew it. You're coming to an end now." (Kumara)
"So what?" (Kansas)
"I don't know how you are controlling the dark beasts, but that's not a problem. It'll all be over when you die." Kumara said as she disappeared in an instance and grabbed Kansas's neck with her extended claws.
Kansas dodged the attack just in time. He maintained his composure even after admitting to Kumara's word.
"You sure had grown a lot. I should have killed you at that time." (Kansas)
"Shut up!" Kumara exclaimed as she slashed again at Kansas which he dodged again.
"Kukuku, don't be so mad. Let me show you something interesting instead of apology." Kansas smiled as he summoned his trump card.
"Do you know why I sold you to Clayman? That's because..." Kansas made the dark beasts disappear and what appeared instead was a gigantic beast.
"Th- that figure... Mother-?!" (Kansas)
It was the dark fox youma. Five thick tails and four thin ones, total of nine, it was the ruler of the Youma village. She was kind and generous when she was alive, but none of them remained and what was left was the dark and ominous figure.
"Hahaha, you're right. This is your mother. But now, she can use her enormous power in full potential under my control. Don't you want to see it too?"
"You... You dare mock the dead..." (Kumara)
"No, this is a respect. This is using the power effectively. I hope you appreciate that."
Kansas's mockery barely reached Kumara as she stared into the being which was in her mother's form. No matter how hard Kumara looked, the dark eyes had no emotions in them. They just kept on glaring at Kumara, considering her as an enemy to kill.
"Mother-" (Kumara)
"Kill it." (Kansas)
The nine head moved on Kansas's command. The next moment, a powerful attack surged toward Kumara's friends, knocking two of them whose movement were slow, turning them back into Kumara's tail.
"Yoda, Igami-?!" (Kumara)
At that moment, Kumara realized an uneasy truth. There was no chance of winning to her friends.
"Hahaha! It's fun, isn't it? I didn't need you because I had this power. But looking at the number of your tail, you look stronger than your mother. Kukuku, I'm glad that I spared you. I can now take your power and make it mine!" (Kansas)
Kansas was full of triumph as he looked at Kumara. who was looking at the dark fox with her face full of shock, and laughed evily. He was thinking how lucky he was to get a chance to obtain such a power. After he absorb Kumara's corpse, there would be no hinderance in his way toward the absolute power. Thinking like that, Kansas launched his attack at Kumara.
Kumara, who was in a daze, shook her head once and muttered. "You lose when you lose your calm. –she said. I was forgetting mom's teaching."
She then turned her attention to the man and the beast slowly approaching her.
"All of you, come back." (Kumara)
At her word, the beasts turned into lights and returned to her tails, and at that moment, Kumara's nine tails started to glow with blinding light.
Her enemies were now right in front of her. But she didn't waver. Her beast friends were weak, but Kumara herself wasn't. All of her trainings and her new family made her stronger than she ever was. Kumara softly clasped the sharp claws and knives coming toward her.
"-?! Y- you...?!" (Kansas)
"I still haven't told you my name. My 'name' is Kumara..." (Kumara)
"N- name?" Kansas stammered. The triumph in his eyes was gone and was rapidly being replaced with fear as his hands began to shake and cold sweats appeared on him.
"I am 'Nine Head' Kumara." At the same time, Kumara broke the claws and knives, shattering them into pieces. Kansas was too shocked that he jumped back far away.
"I told you that you won't walk out of here alive, but before that-" Before she finished talking, the beast of darkness was shredded into pieces by Kumara.
The dark beasts summoned by Kansas couldn't be resummoned if they were destroyed completely. Kumara, at that moment, retrieved what was taken from her, her mother.
"No... There's no way this is happening!" Kansas cried out in despair as his plans and future shattered into pieces in front of him.
"Y- you..." (Kansas)
"If I was stronger, I could have ended you with a single attack. It's a shame, but let's finish this now." (Kumara)
Kansas tried to escape by running back to the forest, but as soon as he reached the line that separated the clearing and the forest, he found himself facing Kumara again. It was the work of Rimuru and Ciel who was watching the fight. They made it sure that nobody escapes as they promised
"Wa- wai-" Kansas's pitiful plea was never to be finished as his body was sliced and cut into pieces by the attack of Kumara's tail coming from every direction. The greedy and cruel man who did everything to achieve power, met his demise by Kumara.
As Kumara was standing motionless at the center of the clearing, she felt something on both of her shoulders and turned her head around to see Rimuru and Ciel laying their hands on both of her shoulders.
A small, but unwavering smile appeared on Kumara's face as she looked at them. She had lost everything before and not a day passed without missing it. But now, she has a new family, and she will do everything to protect them.
"You did well, Kumara. We're proud of you." Rimuru said as he looked straight into Kumara's eyes with a warm smile.
Kumara just nodded wordlessly and pulled them into a hug, letting out the tears she kept for a long time. Rimuru and Ciel didn't say anything and just patted her back, reassuring her.
After Kumara calmed down, she pulled away and looked at her families faces. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, but there was a happy smile on her face.
"Thank you so much." (Kumara)
"We will do anything for you, Kumara-chan." (Ciel)
Unfortunately, the heartwarming scene has come to an end. They need to move fast according to their plan. They have to reach Velgrynd and the emperor before the news of Kansas does first.
"Now, are you ready?" Rimuru asked. Ciel and Kumara gave a nod, saying that they were ready to go.
"Good. Diablo." (Rimuru)
"Yes, Rimuru-sama." Diablo replied with a bow and activated transportation magic, sending them to the heart of the Easter Empire.
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Sorry for being late. I had some stressful thing going on, so I couldn't finish this earlier.
I have read the past chapters and as I expected, found them scuft. So, I will revise someof them time to time and inform it in the author's note.
Hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter!