~Sorry, Master. The explosion caused by the escape attempt must have caused the Monsters to be drawn to this location.~

As Rey heard that, he sighed and shrugged.

'I already figured out that much. Still, to think so many would pour out at once.' He could see at least fifty of the A-Tier Monsters in front of him, and they were all looking incredibly fat and healthy.

Watching them keenly, he even had a fleeting statement.

"They kinda resemble T-Rexes"

Despite his laid-back attitude and casual demeanor, Rey's inner thoughts and actions were far from the simple front he displayed.

'This wasn't how things were supposed to go.' Glancing to the Elves behind him, his eyes locked on Delithe de-facto leader of the Young Ones who made their escape.

'The real Deli is still in the Fortress, and the one with the Elves is Emil. The plan was to make her blend in among them and naturally enter the Elven Community to serve as a double agent.'

Rey had already scanned the entire forest a while back. It was only about one-fourth the size of the territory of the United Human Alliance, and while it still took some time to fully understand the layout, there were still certain things he didn't understand until he had a closer look.

In order to achieve this, he decided to let Emil take the lead as an Elf and infiltrate the Elven Community while he watched from the sidelines and planned ahead.

As his Symbiote, he could always sense whatever she did, even if she was far away from him. As such, he would be aware of everything happening in real time.

As long as their bond remained, she could use his abilities and he could use hers as well.

In essence, there was no true danger involved.

'The goal was to integrate her so well into their world that she would begin to actively investigate the Shrine and the Oracle while I explored the other regions and confirmed the Natural Resources that Ater found here; hence killing two birds with a stone.'

It wasn't that Rey had completely given up on an Alliance with the Elves, but he found something like that to be very unlikely given the circumstances.

'Instead of wasting my time and effort on useless peace treaties with these racists, it's best to find their leader and strike a deal with them.'

The Oracle was the only person in the entire Elven Community who was of interest to him, and he was going to strike a bargain with them.

'I don't know how the negotiation will go, but as long as I do not harm any of their people, even though they try to harm me, I should have no real disadvantage in striking the deal.'

Rey was even ready to go into darker waters if push came to shove and the Oracle wasn't forthcoming.

He would do anything, really, if it meant saving Alicia.

'Of course, I haven't forgotten the rest of my reasons for coming here, but I really feel the need to get this Curse thing settled first. The plan was going so well too'

Emil had effectively secured her position as leader in the eyes of the Young Ones, and they were even on their way to the Elven Settlement.

If not for the emergence of these Monsters

'Emil isn't allowed to use any of her other abilities in her Elf form, which meant I had to show my face ultimately. It completely ruined the plan, but maybe I can still salvage the situation.'

In the original plan, he was willing to vilify himself if it meant distracting the Elves long enough for himor Emilto explore the Shrine and the rest of the Community in order to investigate the Oracle.

But now, he was having a different thought.

'Quid pro quo. I'm not sure these people understand that concept, but there's only one way to find out, isn't there?'

Rey looked at the Monsters before him and gave a slight scoff.

During his thought processes, they had barely moved a few inches towards him. Due to the speed of his thoughts, as well as body, he could engage in introspection all day and they still wouldn't be able to gain on him.

He had gotten his fill of that, though.

"Let's make your execution a little flashy. I need to put on quite the show, after all." With a brilliant grin plastered on his face, he returned his hands to his pocket and caused his eye to shine with bright red hue.

~FSHIIII!~

In an instant, several bright blades formed behind Rey, especially behind him. His dark hair fluttered with the winds blowing wildly thanks to the overwhelming pressure his new items created.

'[Divine Weapon Creation]' His thoughts echoed as the golden-lined blades all gleamed with marvelous power.

A dozen of them floated in the air, awaiting his commands, but he let them remain still.

'I can make more, but that's not really necessary. I want to be very flashy, but also not give away the true depth of my power. This should be enough to do the trick.

"ROOOOOOAAARRRRRR!!!"

The Monsters all charged at him, almost as if out of fright.

When creatures are exposed to danger, there are two options; fight or flight. The inability to choose between the two results in the last optionfreeze.

These Monsters did not have any complex sense of reasoning, and their hunger perhaps clouded their more sensible faculties, so they chose the formerFIGHT.

~BOOOOOOOM!~

Many slammed their tails and feet on where Rey stood, hoping to crush him swiftly and then feast on his mangled flesh.

However, their attempts were laughably unsuccessful.

"I'm getting the hang of this Zone Layering" He spoke to himself, not even minding the Monsters

'Overlapping the Zones really makes it impossible for pretty much any of their attacks to hit. The only exception will probably be something that nullifies my attack, or if the attack is moving faster than the rate at which I layer the Zones.'

With his analysis complete, Rey aimed his Divine Weapons and casually sent them forth with his mind.

'Spare no one.'

~WHOOSH!~

*

*

*

Thanks for reading!

Yes! I know what some of you are thinking. I'm thinking it too.

Our Mc has become an abominable mesh between the King of Heroes and the Strongest Sorcerer. It's funny indeed