Isekai Kosmos: War For Existence

-The trail of that Cantarina ends in this area- Espínetre was located between the branches of one of the many trees that adorn the forest area surrounding Gignit.

Narrowing her eyes, she looked from side to side -and this area is not near a water source nor are there any flowers with strong enough scents to be picked up, yet her trail ends here- she flexed her legs and jumped to another tree making sure not to be seen.

She looked away towards the forest floor and could once again see those pesky creatures lurking nearby.

-More Zombies- she muttered very quietly, as she had no desire to be seen and heard for such annoyances. -I don't want to be discovered by the Zombies, they are a nuisance in this type of mission- Zombies are very annoying, it is easy to escape from them, but, in a mission in which being seen and/or discovered by the Zombies can end up being the failure of the mission.

-If they see me the plan would be ruined, maybe there is a mercenary guard hiding there who would not hesitate to give his companions a signal when so many Zombies gather in one place-.

She jumped back onto another tree and quickly hid in the shadows - that would eliminate any chance of finding the base. Going down and getting rid of them all is not a viable option as it would increase the chances of being discovered.

He made one last jump before something caught his attention - a fight?

His sensitive ears picked up the distinctive sound of what seemed to be a weapon cutting, piercing, and stabbing into the body of what he assumed was a Zombie.

-I did well to be cautious, the guards were closer than I thought- Espínetre dedicated herself to jumping from tree to tree, but not before casting sound magic to avoid being heard.

-Sound Magic: Field of Silent-.

And with that she was able to get closer without anyone detecting her, she noticed that the area was dimly lit as a few torches moved forcefully and abruptly.

-In short, in that area some people are fighting against some Zombies- what gave reason to her assumption was the movement of the torches, it was still dark, but she could see very well.

The movement of the torches was due to the fact that the bearer of them was brandishing their weapons attacking and defending themselves from the Zombies. If they wanted, these five people could use magic, the reason why they did not use it was extremely simple.

If you did, it would be conspicuous and someone might see you. There is also the problem that when using magic, someone experienced might feel the magical energy building up in a place.

On the other hand, Espínetre used it without problems since those people were more focused on fighting the Zombies than on perceiving the environment.

-So the best thing you can do to not attract attention is to fight with your weapons or, if necessary, with your fists- he smiled cynically, seeing them as inferior beings, mocking them, but at the same time he mentally applauded them -very well thought out, even so, they made too many mistakes-.

-First, you didn't turn off your torches, which caused any Zombie who could see the light moving from afar to approach you looking for food, that is, you.

-Second, they are all gathered in one place- now I take a seat on the branch waiting for everything to end- if they at least move away from each other and fight individually they could disperse the Zombies, with that they would avoid them accumulating in a single point and therefore they would achieve better freedom of movement-.

-And finally- he sketched a smile which denoted total superiority before those humans -they did not take into account that a beautiful Damphir like me would be looking for them-.

...

-The scent of that slaver's blood is...- although Serpio's face seemed not to change in the slightest, always maintaining his stoic face which only changed on very marked occasions. One of those occasions would be when he was alone with his wife. Although his face was furrowed and stoic, he was dying of disgust -...she's disgusting, just by smelling her I can say with certainty that she's someone who neglects her diet a lot, too much I would say. This person should eat healthier-.

One might say that the statement was funny and even laugh out loud. The truth is that Serpio was not used to joking and much less to telling lies, when he was away from home seriousness dominated his integrity. Everything mentioned by Damphir was nothing but truth.

He jumped from branch to branch, resembling ninjas who lived outside of any empire, not belonging to any of the cities. They made a living from special missions given to them, especially assassination.

When it came to special assassination missions, the ninja tribe was fiercely competing with the tribe that specialized in that, the assassin tribe.

Using sound magic to mask footsteps was absolutely basic for this type of mission. Only someone with literally zero experience would forget to use this type of magic.

In these cases, Sound Magic shone above all others because, even if one stepped heavily on the branches and they trembled from the momentum causing all the leaves to move, it would not emit even the slightest sound.

Serpio stepped on a branch again, having to jump suddenly and much faster compared to when he stepped on the others, he saw something that forced him to move away.

He stood several meters away before fixing his gaze on the magical beast dying on that thick branch.

-A Spider Monkey, it has many wounds and is dying- he remarked quite well on the appearance of the magical beast, thanks to his eyesight which has no problem in the dark he was able to see the beast in great detail.

The Spider Monkey is a rather peculiar magical beast, as it stands out for its characteristic fur. Some are completely black, others white, brown and even yellow and red. There are other cases in which they are a combination of several colors.

But what they have in common are what would be considered nine limbs. Three muscular arms on either side, the two muscular legs would make up eight limbs. People consider the tail of this magical beast as its ninth limb.

Eight eyes, the main ones of normal size and the other six somewhat smaller.

The mouth and its shape were still those of a monkey, but inside it were hidden sharp teeth and four tremendous fangs very similar to those of a spider. Located in the mouth was a kind of special organ from which it can launch the characteristic web to catch and immobilize its prey. It can do the same from the tip of its tail.

Spider Monkeys are no problem for Adventurers above the PORCELAIN rank, nor for knights of equal power. Much less for Serpio who is a strong Damphir.

Perhaps Serpio would be more cautious if it were a Spider Gorilla, but that's a completely different story.

Serpio watched the dying Spider Monkey, already in its final moments. The magical beast returned a look full of suffering, it only had one of its six arms, its tail was missing and one of its legs was completely broken and this was confirmed by the unnatural way in which its knee rotated backwards.

Horrible bite marks were also visible from which blood was oozing out in large quantities.

Even though Serpio is a pretty cold person, he felt too much pity for the poor magical beast that was in pieces.

It seems that at any moment he will perish or he may continue to suffer for quite a while longer.

Serpio decided to act, maybe the Spider Monkey could no longer be saved, there was no way anymore, but at least he would end all his suffering once and for all.

With my hand I point towards the beast.

Dark Magic: Dark Pulse-.

I only used enough magic to form a tiny, pitch-black ball. The Dark Pulse was quite malleable, this is the shape Serpio wanted it to have in order to be thrown. When it collided with the beast, it only inflated its chest and then perished instantly.

-I hope you can rest in peace- he said as he tried again to catch the unpleasant scent of his target -come to think of it, what magical beast has that Spider Monkey fought against? Although it would be difficult to deduce a specific one, there being so many inhabiting this forest-.

He continued on his way looking for his target, passing through a clearing. He could see that the ground was scorched and there were obvious signs of a battle. Until two bodies lying somewhat apart had caught his attention.

The scene seemed very grotesque and disgusting to him, but he could not get over it because in his many years he had witnessed even worse things. He approached the person whose head seemed to have been crushed, and he looked at how the brain and part of the skull were filled with insects which were feasting on him.

The same thing happened with another one who was dead, a little further away from the first body.

-Apparently these two have been the losers of a tough battle- he thought again, looking from one side to the other, searching for signs of the adversary, at least he wanted to know if it was some magical beast -due to the wounds and their shapes, I highly doubt that a magical beast caused this, perhaps it is a strong magical creature-.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open, this is one of the very rare occasions where his stoic and imperturbable face shatters. He discovered something incredible, truly interesting and worth investigating.

With his eyes open and looking from one side to the other, quite agitated, he searched for something. He was so wrapped up in his own thing that he neglected to pay attention to his surroundings, although it was quite difficult for anyone other than an animal or a magical beast to pass by the place.

-There it is! - he exclaimed to himself and went at full speed towards that area of ​​the field.

There Serpio saw a pile of blood that was still somewhat fresh, he instantly recognized the sweet aroma of this blood. He already knew what race it belonged to, he just wanted to make sure.

He uncovered his white hand and touched it with his finger, soaking it with some of that blood. It's not that he wanted to drink it, it's simply because of the impression. He hoped he was wrong because this blood belongs to a certain race whose beauty is impressive.

He put his finger in his mouth, closed his eyes and tasted the blood like sweet honey.

He swallowed it and considered this blood to be a true delicacy among delicacies.

He does not drink blood, because if he did, he considers that he would be similar to the beings he hates so much: Vampires.

This was a special case because he only did it to make sure of something, he wanted to be wrong, but more than ever he had been right with his deduction -definitely- he said while he resumed his cold attitude -this blood belongs to the Elven race, precisely, to a Dark Elf-.

He looked around - so the Elf has killed them, but apparently, he didn't come out completely victorious - he moved his hat as if adjusting it while he prepared to finish his mission - this information is of vital importance, it seems that they have captured an Elf -.

...

After a short period of time, Serpio was able to reach his objective, it seemed that the slaver should be under a large tree with large roots.

As he approached he could see several magical creatures hiding.

Others, like a feathered serpent, seemed more defiant and were not intimidated, but they did not attack him because they felt the superiority of the Damphir over them.

As Serpio walked towards the target, small shadow spirits, those that were black in color, fluttered around him. He simply waved them away.

He arrived at the place and instantly made his preparations to face the slaver. "Christopher cut off his arm, so I doubt he can face me, even so, I prefer to be cautious."

He immediately grabbed the crossbow located behind him, now loaded and pointing forward -I know you're there, slaver, I advise you not to try to fight me because you won't be able to face me. So surrender and come with me-.

He received no response, he had no choice but to go look for him.

Upon entering, he understood the reason why the slaver was not responding, he simply was not able to since he was dead, completely massacred and being devoured by insects and small magical beasts.

Serpio guessed that he had been eaten by some beast and this time he could bet on that, the body was almost completely devoured. In the distance he could see a couple of fingers lying around - he's dead, he's no good for anything anymore. I'm sure Christopher will be surprised to know that the slaver died without us having done anything.

Leaning forward, he grabbed one of the only two fingers that had somehow escaped the carnage unscathed. He turned and prepared to leave the place.

There was still quite a bit of time left until dawn, he had relatively quickly completed his mission - I'll go look for Espínetre, she's sure to finish off hers too... - something made him stop suddenly, he looked up, looking over the trees.

He felt something that had truly caught his attention like never before.

Far away he felt something that gave off a sensation very similar to the one he and Espínetre gave off. There was no need to think too much because he knew what kind of being it was. That being belonged to the same race as him, but of a different species.

-That is the presence of a Daemon, I am never wrong when I sense one of my race- he again analyzed the distant energies -even though he is very far away I am sure he is fighting against some people. Maybe humans, demi-humans and some Elves?-.

He narrowed his eyes, taking steps forward, and as he walked towards that place a certain fact came to his mind - I'm more than sure that Epinetre and I are the only Daemons living in Gignit. Or rather, we would be the only Daemons living on this "island" -.

He let out a smile, it wasn't his typical cold smile or anything like that, this one was one that showed terrifying emotion. As if he only intended to do bad things -I know it's not a Vampire, but, still, I will kill that thing-.

As he prepared to run as fast as he could toward the combat zone, something positioned itself a few meters in front of him.

Pearly beads of sweat ran down the Damphir's cold face as he took in more intently what was standing in front of him.

First of all, it seemed to be a three-meter-tall horse. Its short, completely whitish coat shone in the darkness, as did its ears, which made a movement as if it were shooing away annoying insects.

She had a short fringe, but it didn't block her vision. Now, the most characteristic of this beautiful but powerful magical beast, first of all, its particular limbs.

They gave the impression of being black roots intertwined with each other, and from the area that would comprise their joints a few "twigs" emerged and from these white leaves grew. The hooves could hardly be seen because they were of the same blackish color.

Its tail, or rather, the branch of some tree that served as the tail of this magical beast, allowed the growth of other “branches” reaching a total of one and a half meters in length from the root to the tip. They were all covered with shiny white leaves like a bush.

The same thing happened with the area of ​​the head, just behind its ears more branches of some tree grew again, including a main and longer one and other smaller branches, just like the tail, this area was also covered by the characteristic white leaves, although here the growth of striking white flowers was allowed.

Serpio watched the magical beast with some intrigue, unlike the Spider Monkey, this magical beast is powerful, resilient, and unintimidated.

Some of the leaves produced by its branches reached him. For a brief moment Serpio observed the ground near him, several leaves and petals lying in that area - that Forest Guardian Spirit Horse seems to be preparing to fight - he looked back at all the leaves lying at his feet - will it use its race magic to attack me? - he had to put his brain to work as soon as possible.

He has to come up with some plan and strategy to get away, Serpio has no desire to fight against this powerful magical beast.

-The best thing I can do is come up with an escape plan, I don't know if I can beat him if we fight- Serpio didn't doubt that he could face him, but he wasn't sure if he could emerge victorious, and the battle will be very eye-catching due to the class to which the Forest Guardian Spirit Horse belongs.

The Guardian class is in the same category as the Alpha class. That is, if they were put on a ladder, they would both be on the same rung.

But something told him that the powerful magical beast had other plans in mind. The Magical Beast snorted softly, it seemed that Serpio was nowhere in its field of vision. It was as if he didn't exist to the Forest Guardian Spirit Horse, it was almost looking through him, as if he was invisible.

He took a few steps to the side trying to get out of its field of vision, he already had one of his hands on the hilt of his saber, ready to brandish it at any moment, but apparently it wouldn't be necessary or at least that's what he thought. The magical beast let out a neigh, greatly alerting Serpio, thinking that the battle had begun and when he prepared to attack, at that moment he had understood everything.

All that murderous intent was never directed at him.

His skin crawled, his eyes slowly opened until they were like a pair of large plates, his pale and cold face seemed to burn. His body began to tremble on its own, although he was able to control himself so as not to lose mobility. His breathing became very difficult as if he were very tired.

He was sweating profusely, his cold body had turned hot.

He felt fear, but it was a totally different kind of fear, far greater than the fear that anything could cause you.

-This feeling is so macabre, it can't be- he said as he turned around and looked into the deep darkness, his teeth chattering uncontrollably due to the suffocating fear that whatever was approaching was causing him.

He knew perfectly well this intrinsic sensation that well-known and feared beings throughout KOSMOS are capable of instilling in the souls of living beings.

That absolutely macabre aura and energy, created from the purest and truest evil, those beings that the very definition of evil cannot describe.

Maybe empires go to war against each other, but even empires agree on having these beings as common enemies.

Serpio felt his will break, he swallowed and it was at that moment that a small glimpse of courage cleared his airways as the Forest Guardian Spirit Horse positioned itself at his side. Serpio looked into the eyes of the magical beast realizing that it was shedding tears, as if the only thing left for him to do was die.

It was there that he understood, the magical beast moved to where he was to stop the advance of the evil being even at the cost of his own life.

These evil beings were not only enemies of the empires, they were literally enemies of the entire world and that included beasts, magical beasts, magical creatures, celestial entities, animes, insects, everyone equally.

After so many years Serpio shed a tear again.

With one hand she wiped away the tear and couldn't help but smile with a small glimmer of joy - so I still have my heart, I would have liked to see you one last time... Espínetre - she thought about Espínetre.

Serpio knew that between him and the magical beast they had to destroy that macabre being, end its disgusting life, make it disappear from the world, kill it as quickly as possible because this evil being cannot continue living free in KOSMOS.

That thing is lethal to everyone.

Right now he and the magical beast were the only line of defense that Gignit had, even more so because they were the only ones aware of its presence. That's why their main mission changed to destroying it. If they didn't destroy it, Gignit and everyone else would pay the consequences.

He threw his hat aside and then removed his cape as well, he couldn't have a single distraction or anything that would put him at a disadvantage.

He unsheathed his saber, which he held in his right hand while in his left he prepared the crossbow. He sighed, trying to calm down and focus on the battle - there are only the two of us in this - the unique couple would give their lives in this fight, both would give everything to be victorious, even at the cost of their lives.

Trembling with fear, Serpio added a few words - I've encountered such things a few times in my life, but this is the first time I've stayed to fight one - he smiled very fakely, thinking one last time about his wife - I love you, Espínetre -.

They began their attack and both he and the Forest Guardian Spirit Horse ran side by side to meet such an evil being, starting a battle to the death which was extremely bloody.