Liberation of The Slaves

As I struggle to push myself up from the dusty center of the crater…

"Kyaaaaaaaa!!!!"

Len screams at the top of her lungs as she plummets toward the ground. Her rapid descent is a terrifying proof of just how fast my previous strike had been. Her slender body is locked in a straight horizontal line. Panic clearly grips her entirely and leaves her completely frozen, unable to figure out a way to break her fall.

I force my aching muscles to move and act as swiftly as I can. I catch her securely by the armpits just before she hits the ground. Using the momentum, I spin us around to absorb the heavy impact. I carefully slow down and plant my feet firmly once her boots touch the dirt.

Len wraps her arms tightly around my neck the moment she finds her footing. Awestruck wonder fills her voice.

"You're incredible, darling! That strike of yours was magnificent!"

"Right? I decided to call it the Astral Descent Strike. It's a technique I created based on your Celestial Spiral Arts." I reply to her with a proud smile on my face.

"That's such a cool name! I love it! And it isn't just my martial art anymore. It's our martial art now. I owe you a reward for this!" Len beams brightly at the name I chose.

"Really? What kind of reward?"

Excitement bubbles up inside my chest.

Len tightens her embrace around my neck without uttering a single word. She suddenly lifts me up and bends her body backward in a swift motion.

Whack!

"Arghh!"

A sharp pain shoots straight through my skull as the back of my head slams hard against the solid ground. Len hovers right above me. Her golden eyes glare directly into my mismatched ones.

"Here's your reward! You crazy boyfriend! How could you let your girl fall like that, huh!?" Len yells in my face.

I shout right back at her. "And what kind of girlfriend pushes her man off from such absurd heights, huh!?"

{"Wawawa... Please don't fight…"} Nyx murmurs anxiously in my mind.

{"Big sis Aza... What should we do…"} Fia nervously seeks advice from the angel.

【Just let them sort it out. It's just a normal lovers quarrel.】

Aza chimes in with a dismissive tone.

Len and I are entirely too engrossed in our bickering to pay any attention to the voices echoing in our heads.

"I'm your girlfriend, but I'm also your teacher!"

"You almost got me killed!"

"I knew you wouldn't die. I'd have healed you instantly if you had failed!"

"What if those golems attacked me while I was still hanging in mid-air, huh!? I'd have been completely defenseless!"

"You'd never get stronger if you never experience a life-and-death situation! Look at how you were before! You couldn't even slash a mere rock! I was wrong to spoil you so much a few years ago! That's why I changed my way of teaching you!"

I completely understand the logic behind her harsh words. I've certainly faced grave danger before, both during my miserable days as a slave and in my current life. But still…

"One wrong move, and I'd be dead for real!"

"Back then, I didn't even complain to my master when she taught me exactly like that—!"

Len opens her golden eyes wide the very moment those words slip past her lips. A painful realization clearly dawns upon her. But my irritation is already rising way too fast at being equated with her past. Being compared to other people is one of the things I absolutely hate the most in this world.

"Stop comparing me to you! Is she the reason you've become such a brute—!?"

My own eyes widen in shock as soon as my angry shout echoes in the pit. I notice the sudden glimmer of tears forming in her beautiful golden eyes. I've definitely crossed a line by comparing her current teaching methods to the ways of her beloved deceased master. My careless words are basically an insult to the person she respected the most.

Len slowly loosens her tight hold on me. I gently push her down until she's resting on the ground. Our faces remain close to each other. I can clearly see the sorrowful tears threatening to spill over her cheeks.

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

I whisper my apology in a hushed and gentle tone. Deep regret colors my entire expression.

Len slowly shakes her head.

"No... I should be the one to apologize. I know you hate being compared to others, and yet I did that. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine."

"It was definitely my fault for pushing you off from such a terrifying height. I didn't consider the real possibility of the golems attacking you in mid-air. If something bad had actually happened to you..." Her voice trails off into a heavy silence filled with immense remorse.

"No, it's really okay. You saw how I handled the situation, right? I managed to develop my own technique all thanks to your strict guidance."

I reassure her while gently brushing a strand of silver hair away from her face.

"Darling..."

"Sweetheart..."

We share a deeply tender moment together. We gaze fondly into each other's eyes before slowly closing them. We lean in closer and prepare to share a warm kiss.

Aza smugly comments to the two souls residing in my body.

【See? It's just a completely normal lovers quarrel.】

{"I see! So this kind of thing is normal?"} Fia responds with innocent curiosity.

Nyx adds softly. {"I didn't know that..."}

A couple of new voices suddenly echo inside our minds.

{"Shh... We really shouldn't interrupt them right now..."}

{"It's a little too late for that, Luna. They've already opened their eyes again..."}

{"Ah... You're absolutely right, Noir."}

The girls are totally right. Len and I slowly open our eyes and pull away from our intended kiss. We end up chuckling together at the awkward interruption.

{"Wawawa... I... I'm so sorry!"} Nyx frantically apologizes in my mind.

{"I'm very sorry too!"} Fia quickly chimes in.

"It's okay, Fia, Nyx." Len reassures them with a warm smile.

"More importantly, since when could Luna and Noir talk to us?"

I ask with genuine confusion.

"They started talking the moment you deactivated your wind platform. We were actually all screaming together on the way down."

Len explains the situation to me.

"I see… I'm so sorry for scaring both of you, Luna, Noir. And you too, Len. I truly am sorry."

I offer a very sincere apology to all the girls involved in my reckless stunt.

{"Ah, please don't worry about it! It was actually kind of really fun!"} Luna responds with a cheerful tone.

{"I-It was definitely scary at first, but afterward, I felt really happy and kinda wanted to do it all over again..."} Noir confesses shyly.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you girls, but that's never going to happen again." Len quickly interjects to shut down their hopes.

Len has always been terrified of heights. Luna and Noir seem to genuinely enjoy the thrilling sensation. Perhaps it's just their werewolf and black cat nature shining through their shared soul connection.

"After the two of you finally get your own physical vessels, we can definitely create some fun entertainment related to that feeling, okay?"

I suggest a compromise to Luna and Noir.

{"Really!?"} Luna exclaims with overflowing excitement.

{"Yay!"} Noir cheers happily.

I'm honestly thinking about building a roller coaster for them in the future. They might really enjoy a thrilling ride like that. But such a grand project won't happen until we successfully establish our very own country.

"I'm also sorry for scaring the both of you, Fia and Nyx."

Len takes her turn to apologize to the two souls inside me.

{"I-It's alright. Just, please don't ever do that again..."} Fia responds nervously.

{"Eh... But it was really fun!"} Nyx chirps happily. Her enthusiasm is incredibly evident.

It seems Fia is also terribly afraid of heights, while Nyx clearly relishes the intense thrill. Perhaps this preference is indeed heavily influenced by their respective races. After all, Nyx is a demonic beastkin. It appears that beast races naturally enjoy high altitudes rather than fearing them.

Len and I finally rise to our feet after our brief mental exchange with the girls.

"It's strangely silent up there. Did my earlier attack wipe out absolutely all of the golems?" I asked while carefully scanning the upper area for any signs of movement.

"No, there are about fifteen C-Rank golems remaining. But they're being oddly still right now."

Len responds smoothly. Her sharp senses are already fully attuned to our immediate surroundings.

"Really? My attack earlier managed to do all that?"

I marvel at the sheer extent of the destruction I caused. I'm honestly surprised at my own destructive strength. That single move destroyed three dozen sturdy golems all at once, including a tough B-Rank golem.

"Yes, it was quite impressive, especially since you did it entirely without using your aura. It might've been even more devastating if you had utilized it."

Len acknowledges my growth with a proud nod.

"Let's go investigate the area." I suggest eagerly. I'm very anxious to assess the full aftermath of my new technique.

We climb out of the deep pit and are immediately met with a massive scene of devastation. The dull glint of silver and brown metal litters the cracked ground. The shattered remnants of the formidable golems reflect the pale moonlight. Even the massive nearby rocks lie in absolute ruin.

"What is all of this..."

"Is this destruction really because of me?"

Our thorough search reveals fifteen rockbound golems scattered around without their limbs. Their glowing magic stones are the only things keeping them barely functional.

"Well, I'll just finish the job quickly."

I focus my mind and carefully recall the exact sensation of muscle rotation. I attempt to perfectly replicate Len's Celestial Cyclone Strike one more time.

BAAM!

Learning the complicated technique proves to be surprisingly straightforward with the targets completely immobilized. A small twinge of sudden remorse definitely tugs at my heart for the pitiful plight of the broken golems. Nevertheless, I took every single one of them with my newly acquired skill.

We spend the aftermath meticulously collecting the scattered remnants of the bronzeguard golems and the ironclad golems. We can definitely sell these precious metals for a good price. However, we completely ignore the useless remnants of the rockbound golems because both Len and Aza previously mentioned that their rocky materials are worthless. We do make sure to collect all the valuable magic stones that miraculously remained undestroyed in the carnage.