Kaijin Fighter: So I Have to Make Monsters, So What?-Chapter 1520: An Unfinished Fight and Changing Plans

"I...see..."

When it came to battles between high-tiered warriors and aether beasts like Fraden and the Iceblood Mammoth, they rarely ever ended in mutual destruction.

A wise sage once said that the most terrifying people in the world weren't young bucks with something to prove, but old people who were veterans in a profession where most people died young.

That saying was true a hundred times over when it came to aether warriors.

Old and powerful aether warriors had over a dozen tricks up their sleeves to cheat death, while old and powerful aether beasts had a level of wisdom to them that helped them to survive a myriad of troubles.

In other words, this battle between man and beast should've either ended in a draw or one of their deaths. Mutual destruction meant that someone decided to be a touch more spiteful.

That…or they couldn't afford to let their opponent live no matter the cost.

"So…what happened? How did they both end up dying?"

<=Fraden lived up to his title…sort of. =>

The illusionary battle between Fraden and the Iceblood Mammoth took a turn for the worst, as the latter managed to pull off a sneaky maneuver that knocked Fraden several dozen steps backwards from where they were standing.

In response to this attack, Fraden performed a rather desperate maneuver.

Lifting his battle-axe over his head, Fraden channeled all of his aether into a singular strike that he brought down to the ground, splitting the ground below him like the mountain he had once carved through. The strike in question didn't hit the Iceblood Mammoth but instead created a massive hole in the ground that caused both of them to fall to their dooms.

From there, Zhen Liu could guess the rest.

<From a certain perspective, the bottom of a valley can be considered a mountain to someone who lives beneath its slope. > Pathos began to explain as she gestured towards the fallen combatants and the massive crevice they left behind when their battle concluded in a stalemate. <There had been attempts in the past to claim their corpses and the secrets they contained, but all had failed. Many had even died in the process. >

To illustrate this point, Pathos manifested a small illusion of several dozen aether warriors eagerly leaping down the crevice that Fraden had created with his axe, but Zhen Liu wasn't paying attention at this moment. Instead, his mind was focusing on a small incongruency between this historical record and the hard evidence that was walking around in Frosttusk's abdomen.

"Wait…if that shit was lost, then how the fuck did I get the piece of amber necessary to make Frosttusk in the first place?" Zhen Liu pointed out. "I mean, I technically got it from some weird old guy with a magic pocket watch, but still."

…Meanwhile…

AH-CHOO!

Somewhere on the Stampeding Bison continent, Cornelius released a loud, echoing sneeze.

"Is someone talking shit about me?" the young man thought to himself as he wiped his nose with a handkerchief.

…Now back to the actual conversation…

=An astute observation, milord,= Logos praised. =But the reason for that is…well, a bit of speculation on our part. =

Taking over the illusion, Logos proceeded to remove the leaping warriors and replace them with a variety of coniferous trees, the kind that would be right at home in colder climates and even colder valleys. Something about these trees, though, reminded Zhen Liu of Screamira and Corpse Doll.

= [Death Echo Amber] can be made from the fossilized sap extracted from trees that have death-aligned aether flowing through them,= Logos explained. =I had done some research on the trees that are native to the area, and there were quite a few that fit this criterion. = Waving their hand over the illusion, several of the fir trees began to glow with a dark aura, indicating that they had this aforementioned quality.

= As far as we can tell, Farden's attack caused several of these trees to fall in after them, = Logos speculated while manipulating the illusion to show this exact event playing out. =After that, the trees exploded, covered them in sap, and…well, you know the rest. =

"Hmm."

Logos's explanation was quite reasonable, and Zhen Liu didn't have any particular reason to doubt it. However, he couldn't help but feel in the deepest parts of his soul that something was missing from this tale. Something that, unfortunately, would require Frosttusk's input… and Zhen Liu wasn't entirely sure if the big guy was even aware he could share.

"So my choices in resolving my karmic void issue are either helping Hurricroak deal with a love issue that quite literally transcends life and death," Zhen Liu mused while presenting one of his hands like a cup on a balancing scale. "Or helping Frosttusk confront what I am assuming is an unresolved battle with an enemy he now probably shares a body with…man, and I thought my past life problems were bad."

<=Eh…=>

"Shut up, you know what I meant."

Understanding that he was probably going to be forced to go on yet another insane adventure across the world, Zhen Liu proceeded to get off the table that he had been lying upon for the past twenty or so minutes. Once he was on his feet, he slapped his cheeks a couple of times to get the blood flowing and his thoughts in order.

"You know… I still have some opponents running about and a few battles I need to wrap up," Zhen Liu said aloud for both his sake and the curators. "Is it safe to assume that if I try to resolve them now, my karmic void problem might get worse?"

<Well…>

= Technically speaking, this would be an excellent time to start delegating as opposed to needing to be present for all these battles yourself,= Logos pointed out. =You do have some kaijin ready to go on the Dozing Salamander continent, and some who are in the area close to the Echoing Valley that you could send. As well…you do have a certain trio of divine fragments that would be more than willing to deal with you-know-who for the right price. =

"I suppose… I just hate having others deal with the messes I made for myself," Zhen Liu sighed. "Any chance I can use the [Key to Everywhere] without alerting the others?"

<=Already planned for that. =>

Predicting that this would've been Zhen Liu's next move, Logos and Pathos summoned several doorframes within the confines of their study.

<=These should connect you directly to where several of your 'field kaijin' are located,=> Logos and Pathos answered with pride. <=Although, there is about twenty to thirty feet of deviation in any given direction. =>

"Fine by me…hmmm. Let's start with the ones currently watching over the girl who is probably the most pissed off at me for disappearing again…"

…I wonder who he could be referring to…

[Hey…Shellvalier?]

[Yeah, Slug-at-arms?]

[How the fuck did our predecessor manage to do this for several centuries?]

[I don't know…maybe it was the power of love?]

In the Abyssal Lands, at the front gate of the Undertwo kingdom, a shrimp-knight kaijin named Shellvalier and a blue slug kaijin named Slug-at-arms were doing their duty as the guardians of the city.

Normally, this duty only needed to be attended by one member of the [Neo Storm Knight] kaijin at any given time. However, recent events had caused both the citizens and the leaders of Undertow to be a touch more cautious.

Those recent events consisted of some newly minted Grafted asshole warrior showing up to try and salvage the remnants of the [Shadow Sovereign], and then the subsequent torture of said asshole revealing that there were actually more of his ilk floating around the Undertow Kingdom.

Needless to say, the people were feeling a bit paranoid as of late and needed the presence of the kaijin more than ever.

[Hey…you think that we might be able to just…go for a swim at least while we're here?] Slug-at-arms suggested to his hard-shelled friend. [I mean, we'd still technically be guarding the gate, just…at a point a little farther from it.]

[Sir Slug,] Shellvalier began to repute. [You do realize that if we neglect our duties, big sister Wavebreaker or even the Storm Princess will personally come down here to kick our butts in? Do you want to be on the receiving end of the Princess's toybox?] 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

[No, but come on,] Slug-at-arms whined. [I'm bored. Nothing has happened ever since that camp of Grafted warriors were…wait…what am I sensing?]

[No way…]

Before Slug-at-arms could finish his sentence about how nothing interesting ever happened on guard duty, he and Shellvalier both sensed something interesting happening nearby them.

To be more precise, they both sensed the familiar feeling of [Chaos]. However, it was [Chaos] associated with the person who brought them to life in the first place.

[Did you know that the Kaijin Lord was supposed to visit today by any chance?] Slug-at-arms asked Shellvalier, despite knowing the answer.

[No.]

[Huh…]

Needless to say, sensing that their creator was arriving soon made them both feel giddy.

[We should probably tell the others.]

[Right.]