"Eradicate them all."
No member present should have been surprised. There wouldn't be any other reason to send four generals out other than mass killings.
Alanus nodded. It was a straightforward task: eradicate every living being.
The treasure, if found, was just an added bonus. Their job was to pave the way for researchers to scour the island assured.
Philto checked his pocket watch and looked ahead at the ship. "It's time to get on the shiiip."
The journey to Preole Grye would take about six hours. Spanning 170 kilometers from the southeastern coast of Theales.
Pellio and Philto ascended the air and landed on the board of the ship quickly. Alanus, however, waited until the ladder was set down before advancing. General Lluvia Verres followed closely behind.
With his back in front of her, Lluvia quietly followed behind until they reached the ladder.
Alanus climbed on the ladder and settled down onto the dock of the massive ship. Without a seconds wait, he extended a hand out to Lluvia.
Being somewhat taken aback, Lluvia smiled and latched on to his hand and ascended.
Walking through many hallways and the like, the quartet arrived in a smaller planning room. The interior was cool blue with numerous couches for rest. In the middle, a substantial glass table took up most of the space.
Lluvia gazed at the window beside her, admiring the cool blue ocean that swayed all over the place. Her eyes focused on the deep ripples and waves, ones that she remembered vividly yearning to play in.
Snapping back into work mode, she quietly turned around and faced Alanus, Pellio, and Philto.
Alanus, stunned, looked away. The twins greeted her with a nod as Pellio motioned for her to sit.
As she sat on the leather couch beside Alanus, Lluvia spoke up. "I don't know why, but I'm nervous." Involuntarily, she rubbed her shoulders.
Alanus answered before the twins. "Don't be. We have earned the right to be here, and our strength speaks for itself."
Lluvia still showed signs of worry.
"Lluvia, you will be fine." Alanus reached his hand out but retracted it immediately with a sorrowful expression.
"General Verrres, rest assured. We are only battling monsters." Philto chimed in.
"Yes. Presumably, nothing that we have not seen." Added Pellio.
Lluvia flashed a soft smile. "Thank you."
"..." The room was covered with an awkward atmosphere.
Lluvia! So cute! Alanus thought to himself in glee after realizing this was a different side of Lluvia that he was exposed to.
Usually, the general was calm and collected. I'm glad I could offer some help. His lips curled up while looking at Lluvia beside him.
The latter noticed his gaze and reciprocated, leaving Alanus in a mental frenzy.
Looking down at his watch, Pellio broke the awkward silence. "Five and a half hours to arrival."
. . .
Finally, the island came into view.
Massive forests of green covered most of the landmass. What was left was sand and rocks. There were a couple of patches of land, but from the ship's view, no one could pinpoint exactly what was hidden underneath.
"Preole Grye..." Alanus murmured, holding the railing of the ship. Lluvia walked up from behind him and did the same.
"This is my second time here. It still looks beautiful from afar."
She wasn't wrong. From the outside, Preole Grye was breathtakingly mesmerizing. If only the atrocities hidden within would disappear.
Alanus watched Lluvia marvel at the pristine coastline. Her hair, if not for the knot, would have fluttered in the wind.
He cursed the hair tie in his mind.
Pellio and Philto joined them shortly after. The former began in a monotonous tone:
"Let the purge commence."
At his cue, the four generals disembarked the ship in various ways. Alanus swung his sword and paved a path to the shore. Lluvia buckled her knees and ascended into the air. With a twist of her body, she tore through the air like a beam of light and landed on the ground with no issues.
The Pansa twins warped from the dock to the seashore.
After landing on the ground, Alanus surveyed his surroundings. Preole Grye. A thought flickered.
Lluvia did the same. Scanning the forests, a frown unveiled itself on her face. Why... does it feel different from the last time?
Lluvia wasn't old, so it couldn't be her memory losing itself. At the ripe age of 28, she was in pinpoint condition all around.
But when gazing at the island, something felt off. Like a leech was biting her insides. A feeling she had never felt before.
Preole Grye. She couldn't tell what exactly was different; it was only a feeling. Yet, it was something that she was certain of. Something was off with Preole Grye!
Alanus observed Lluvia's confused expression with worried eyes. Just as he was about to reach out to her, a tremulous stampede of horror shook the island.
Monsters!
Not one, not ten, not even one hundred. Over a thousand monsters stomped there way out of the forest. Blue, red, and purple variants swarmed and stood before the quartet.
Hulking beasts with multiple eyes and limbs. Foam poured out of their mouths and clumped when hitting the sand.
In a size-to-size comparison, no general present was even a comparable size to the monsters before them.
These… These are the ones that almost killed Kaila! Alanus recognized the red beast's build and remembered the monster that almost took little Kaila's life a couple of years back.
Alanus looked back at his companions, who nodded after seeing his determination.
Unsheathing the sword bored to his hip, he flashed a glare before bright light glowed after the blade caught the wind.
His cape blew out of proportion from behind him, and the sand whirled and wisped uncontrollably.
The monsters spasmed and pounced at Alanus.
Coming from all directions in front of him, a myriad of vile, mindless beasts tore through the sand.
Alanus raised his obsidian-colored broadsword and held it to the side. He squatted and gripped the handle until his knuckles whitened significantly.
With a calm breath, Alanus unleashed a barrage of air current attacks that cleaved a portion of the monsters ahead.
Thunderous cries erupted from their protruding mouths as blood poured from their wounds and tainted the sand crimson.
Even though half the group of monsters was killed, the remainder paid no heed and ran over their dead comrades.
Alanus fixed his golden hair and stepped forward. The sand beneath him cratered while shaking.
Then, he swung. This time, it was so fast that no monster could see where it came from. One by one, heads slid off their bodies and tumbled on the ground.
There was no time for panic, nor was there a moment to scream. Alanus slayed them so effortlessly and efficiently that pain was forgotten.
But he didn't stop. Tensing his legs, Alanus launched forward and into the forest. The aftermath left a whirlwind of sand behind him.
Pellio and Philto decided to join in a battle against the larger horde of monsters that had just arrived. Lluvia stayed gazing at Alanus.
In the forest, a massive, red-skinned monster loomed ahead. It had eight arms and six glowing eyes that screamed bloodlust.
Alanus met it mid-charge. One horizontal slash gashed its side, making it howl in agony.
Then, twisting in midair, he brought the blade down vertically and quite violently, slicing it clean in half.
The impact left a scar across the earth so massive their ship could've sunk inside it.
He landed hard.
Lluvia appeared beside him in a flash, clapping her hands. "Wow. I knew you were strong but didn't realize to what extent..."
Alanus didn't reply. His hands tightened around his weapon.
"This is only the beginning," he muttered. Then his voice dipped lower.
"Besides… Someone powerful just arrived."
And for the first time in a long while,
Lluvia saw genuine worry in her partner's eyes.