DxD: My Main Skill is Winning Hearts

Chapter 99 – Running Lizards (Final Part)

Darkness was running towards the Running Lizards with her sword raised and a smile that oscillated between ecstasy and madness on her face. And, to make matters worse, her smile was... of excitement.

The ground was beginning to vibrate beneath our feet, and the wind, which had once been a gentle breeze, now seemed to carry with it the smell of the earth churned up by the feet of the creatures that were running towards us.

In the distance, Kazuma was already positioned on a high branch, his arrow nocked in his bow. He kept his eyes fixed on the flock, looking for the pink female who was leading the others.

"Hey, monsters! Come at me! Let's see if you can get past me!" Darkness shouted, raising his sword with both hands.

We ran together until the first Running Lizards arrived. The monsters were fast, but Darkness didn't flinch for a second. With a battle roar, she swung her sword in a wide arc, hitting one of the creatures advancing towards her. The impact was brutal, the sound of steel clashing against scales echoed like the crack of thunder, but the Running Lizard only staggered to the side, before recovering and continuing its onslaught.

I turned my sword to the side, aiming for the nearest Running Lizard. My sword met the monster's hard scales, which were tougher than I expected. However, I managed to slow it down enough to give Darkness the chance to continue advancing.

"A little more, Leonard!" Darkness shouted as another Running Lizard launched itself at her. "I... can... feel their pressure!"

The monsters continued to advance, almost as if they were being drawn by Darkness, who seemed determined to hold them off by herself.

Kazuma's plan depended on quickly eliminating the female who was leading the pack, because the male Running Lizards would become demotivated and would scatter, but, with all that smoke and with Darkness and I trying to hold off the vanguard of Running Lizards while trying not to get trampled, Kazuma shouted:

"I... I can't see the female! She's gone! She's not where she's supposed to be!" Kazuma shouted.

"What?!!!! We're screwed!" Aqua shouted and immediately started trying to climb the tree Kazuma was in, causing it to sway.

"Aqua, stop, I won't be able to keep my aim steady!"

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE! Kazuma, help me up!!!"

That was a problem. The pink female was supposed to be leading the pack, but if she wasn't where Kazuma expected her to be... something wasn't right.

"Megumin!" Kazuma shouted in panic. "Release the Blast at once! The female must be lost among their flock!"

Megumin stood just in front of the tree, her staff raised, ready to cast her destructive magic. Her eyes shone with the anticipation of what she was about to do, but suddenly an expression of despondency took over her face, and she slowly lowered her staff.

"I... I can't..." Megumin muttered.

Kazuma practically slipped off the tree branch. "What do you mean you can't? That was the plan! You have to launch the Blast to finish them off!"

Megumin sighed, and her face flushed slightly. "I'm out of mana..."

"Out of mana?!" Kazuma shouted in despair, his eyes wide with shock. "How did you run out of mana.... Ah..."

At that moment, Kazuma remembered that he had played a joke on Megumin and, for fun, he had used one of his stealing skills to suck some of it out of her. At the time, no one had thought much of it, not even Megumin, who had only complained a little, but now...

"You sucked my mana in the morning, you idiot!" she said, completely flushed.

Kazuma put his hands on his head in sheer despair. "I didn't know this was going to be a problem now!"

Chaos was all around us, and the Running Lizards continued to advance. Without the explosion, it was only a matter of time before Darkness and I were crushed by the pack of Running Lizards. So we needed an immediate solution, and I knew exactly what to do.

"Darkness! You're going to have to resist on your own for a few moments. I'll try to help us."

Darkness didn't hesitate for a moment, even though she was surrounded by these monsters. In fact, her smile became even sillier than before, because the Running Lizards were slamming their tails and paws into her, almost knocking her over. Darkness was clearly relishing the challenge.

"I... can take it! Don't worry about me!"

Darkness had incredible stamina, but I would need a precise moment to act. Turning away from the battle, I stretched my left hand forward, feeling the power bubbling up inside me.

I focused on the sight of Rias Gremory. The red hair, the huge breasts, the blue eyes, the serious tone in her voice and... her family technique. The <Power of Destruction> was my secret weapon and I knew it could end everything. A dark energy began to envelop my hand, growing and pulsing with overwhelming power, then a magic circle appeared and I shouted:

"Now, Darkness! Get out!" I shouted.

She somehow managed to break free at the last second and started running backwards. When Darkness passed my side and the Running Lizards were less than a meter away from me, I unleashed the magic. A beam of pure destruction shot out of my palm, colliding directly with the horde of monsters ahead. The ground shook, and a wave of black energy consumed everything in front of me. The Running Lizards simply disappeared the moment the magic touched them, leaving nothing but an absolute void.

The plain, once vibrant with the movement of monsters, became silent in a second. The creatures had been completely obliterated.

[You killed 50 Male Runner Lizards. You gained +7000 XP].

[You killed 1 Female Runner Lizard. You gained +200 XP].

[Congratulations! You've evolved to Level 7!]

[You have received +10 attribute points to distribute!]

[Congratulations! You've evolved to Level 8!]

[You have received +10 attribute points to distribute!]

...

[Congratulations! You've evolved to Level 11!]

[You have received +10 attribute points to distribute!]

I gasped, feeling my mana drop a little. While using the Boosted Gear spells required my stamina, using skills I copied from others consumed my mana.

Kazuma climbed down from the tree, dumbfounded. "What... was that?"

"WAS THAT AN EXPLOSION?!" Megumin asked.

"He saved us! The rookie saved us!"

"Well done, Leonard. You finished them off quickly." said Darkness after a slap on my back, but I could see on her face that she was slightly sadder than before.

[You received 1 Heart with Kazuma.]

[You received 2 Hearts with Megumin.]

[You received 3 Hearts with Aqua.]

[You received 3 Hearts with Darkness.]

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