"!!!" Ria and Kai narrowed their eyes as killing intent were emanating across the room.

"You, Protectors, really love spewing bullsh*t everywhere you go." Ria snorted.

Kai didn't say anything. Although he didn't believe this either as he never thought about it after he learned about their existence, the doubt was still at the bottom of his heart. The words that the seahorse said earlier made the doubt resurface.

"Hoho… Do you think I'm telling a lie? No, I never lie." The seahorse smirked as he said to Ria. "I am not like you who hide the truth of yourself. The Sword Maiden sacrificed half of her comrades to kill a single S rank magical beast. No, I should say the Sword Maiden killed them herself."

"You better stop talking, you damn beast." Ria released her killing intent even further. Those words made the memories she had forgotten to resurface.

A decade ago, she led a hundred elites to fight an S rank magical beast, Golden Poison Dart Frog. That battle was necessary because it was in Colombia, a place they needed to secure to take over Southern America.

As a leading genius, she naturally accepted the mission and went together with the people arranged by the military. She was a graduate of the Magic School back then, so she somehow knew many people in that group. Most people she knew hailed from the top 10 groups in her generation. With experiences, they would be able to be commanders or generals in the future. Even her group came together with her.

At that time, the battle was hard-fought. More than ten thousand soldiers were suppressing the surrounding areas to ensure the battle against the S rank magical beast wasn't disrupted. Ria and the one hundred people attacked the toad that was known as poisonous.

When Ria led them, they were able to escape death from poison and such since she protected them with her sword. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The frog's skin was hard to the point it was impenetrable while the size was quite big, around three times of human size.

If they continued fighting like this, their defeat was nothing but assured. She had no choice other than using her God Killing Arrow. To create the most powerful arrow that was able to break the frog skin, Ria required five minutes without any interruption.

As an S rank magical beast, of course, it wouldn't let Ria do whatever she wanted since she was the number one threat. The frog kept chasing her without minding the other one hundred people.

At this time, four of her former friends in the same group finally took the courage. They charged right in front of the frog and stopped it with their body, fully knowing that other than its hard skin lay a deadly poison that was capable of massacring many humans with a simple touch.

Even so, they did it. Ria could still clearly remember what her friends said back then. 'Kill the frog and become the hero of this era. We will be watching you proudly up high.'

Their actions were followed by the other elites. Some of them were the former top students, while some were older elites. They brought time with their own body, pinning the frog down with their mortal body. The corrosive poisons skinned them alive before they were melted by the same poison. Yet another person would come again to stop the frog.

Ria wanted to cry over them and charged at the frog, but she couldn't. For the sake of those who had fallen, she needed to kill the frog. Blood flowed out of her eyes as she channeled her energy to that magic. When the five minutes were over, she shot through the frog, creating a massive hole in the frog. However, half of the people had died that day.

The people began congratulating her after it ended as if she was the hero. Yet, the true heroes were the ones who sacrificed their lives. Ria and the other fifty still visited their graves at this time, but the start was very hard for Ria.

She was the one who made the others do such a reckless thing and bore the responsibility in her heart. Out of frustration, she flew to United Asia and met Kai, who was half-dead.

The time had stopped for her, but meeting him finally made the clock ticking again. He, who was dying, still wished to fight to protect little Michelle.

Kai was the replacement of her friends in her heart, so she trained him by killing him continuously. She wanted him to know and get used to pain, so when he was in a perilous situation like her, he could still think the best possible scenario. Yet, something in her heart gradually changed.

Kai was a brat that always complained about her training but still did it. Even when his body tattered or when he was sick, Kai didn't give up and kept following her training menu to the end. Before she knew it, there was an indescribable bond between them, and somehow she learned how to smile again.

It could be saved that her meeting Kai had saved her life. She was already in that age, and the pain of losing someone was too hurt for her. That was why she decided to consider Kai as her own child. She wouldn't let this child die and be bullied by others.

After one year, Ria had finally gathered the courage to go home and decided to research everything from him, her 'own' son.

That was why when the seahorse suddenly made her painful memory resurfaced, she had a quite extreme reaction.

"I don't say anything wrong. The friends of the group you had back in your school died because of you!" The seahorse kept taunting her.

"Shut up!" Ria shouted as her right hand threw the sword at a very fast speed.

The seahorse looked like he was surprised, and the sword somehow pierced his heart. Kai furrowed his eyebrows and leaped toward Ria. At the same time, the seahorse disappeared as it was his afterimage.

The real one had moved slightly to the left and spurt out high-pressure water. Ria gritted her teeth and summoned a big sword from the ground.

The big sword appeared in front of her as its purpose was to block this water. Suddenly,

*Crack!*

The sword cracked with only a single blast of this water before it was shattered with the sheer pressure. The water kept charging toward Ria Ross and almost hit her hard.

At the same time, a shadow appeared in front of her and blocked this water with his shield.

"Kai…" Ria's body shook for a second, realizing the person in front of her.

Kai wanted to say something, but he noticed that his barrier also cracked. Hence, he grabbed Ria's waist and leaped to the side.

Without any shield blocking the water, it hit the wall and somehow made a crater.

Kai glanced at it for a second and thought, 'This guy is no joke.'

"Kai, you…" Ria stretched her hand, but her body suddenly jolted by pain coming from her cheek. Before she knew it, she had already crashed into a wall. "You-!"

"That feels nice." Kai nodded as he glanced at Ria, who gradually came out of the wall and regained her composure. He then turned to the magical beast and snorted. "I have heard about her past. However, I also need to thank them at least once, considering without their sacrifice, my Teacher wouldn't go to United Asia… and I won't be able to survive. As she supports me, I will also support her even if that means I will fight her memory and have her hate me for life."

"You…" Ria wanted to say something, but the words stuck on her throat.

Kai simply said, "What? The fact that I can punch you so easily is the proof you are distracted. My teacher is not that weak. She is a psycho that can kill a child, a woman who cares nothing about strangers' words, but… she is also the greatest teacher that I respect from the bottom of my heart."

Ria clenched her hands and bit her lips. Her body was shaking uncontrollably as she thought, 'What am I doing?'

She walked to Kai and apologized. "Sorry, to think it bothered me that much… I thought I had come to terms with it."

"Tch!" The seahorse clicked his tongue. He wanted to sow discord to make this easier, but it proved to be ineffective.

"I will take care of the bear for you. Master can deal with the Protector," said Kai while staring at the bear person, thinking the situation was finally on his side. "After all, he is the same as me."

His answer came in the form of magic.

"Execution Room."

Suddenly, a white line appeared from Ria's right foot, circling around the entire room and returning to her right foot. After that, another four white lines appeared with the same patterns.

She shouted, "Soldiers, pay no heed about the other magical beasts. Go to the next room and proceed onward if you don't want to die here."

Although they didn't understand the reasons, they quickly escaped from the magical beasts in front of them and charged at the next tunnel.

Of course, the magical beasts tried to stop them, but Ria simply raised her sword and slashed it down to the right. Suddenly, a white shock wave charged, following the white line and slashed a magical beast that tried to chase the soldiers.

The seahorse and the bear were shocked for a second as they heard Ria continuing. "Now, you sh*tty horse, I will let you know what will happen if you have awakened me."