Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 258 : Garuda 1

"What's happening?!"

"What is that...?"

"Stop quickly!!"

The previously orderly competition scene descended into chaos in an instant.

Several young riders hadn't even had time to react before they were thrown off by their swift wind dragons, which had lost control due to panic, and fell heavily to the ground.

"My... my leg~~~ahhh!"

Riding on dragonback at such high speeds, once thrown off, broken limbs and ribs became almost inevitable.

Not only did the dragons participating in the race begin to act abnormally, but the swift wind dragons in the stables also became restless.

The situation has turned dire...

Elsa, in observer mode, was so nervous her palms were sweating.

It seemed that this Garuda had preserved part of its soul within the magical eye, and after being awakened by external magical power, it began to revive.

Among magical beasts, there were extremely rare individuals who possessed skills that could solidify their souls like this.

The legendary phoenix, which could be reborn from a single remaining feather, also possessed such an ability.

As the source of the calamity, Baron and his mount were naturally the most affected.

The gray-scaled swift wind dragon no longer cared about its rider, galloping forward as if fleeing for its life, while the previously arrogant young master now lay unconscious like a broken sandbag thrown to the ground. The Wind Thunder Pearl he had been clutching was continuously absorbing his life force, and the shadow of Garuda grew clearer as time passed.

That chubby boy would likely be forced to lose weight, possibly even drained to a husk.

Although it was entirely self-inflicted, if this continued, it would truly become disastrous.

Wind elements in the atmosphere continuously gathered.

The sky above the venue began to be shrouded in dark clouds, and the vast knight training ground suddenly became the center of a storm.

"Hiss—!!"

Sensing the scent of its natural predator, Sphinx's pupils contracted into thin lines, its appearance becoming extremely aggressive.

"Wait... Sphinx!?"

Unlike its kin scattering in flight, it charged straight towards Baron.

Yvonne quickly realized its intention.

"Sphinx, calm down!! You can't hurt people!!"

Yvonne pulled back hard on the reins, trying to stop it, but it was obvious that a small girl couldn't possibly have the strength to restrain a dragon. Despite exerting all her might, Yvonne's actions barely slowed its advance, and she nearly got thrown off in the process.

This won't do—

Even with specific training to prevent being thrown off, in this situation, Yvonne was already exerting all her effort just to avoid being flung off.

But she still gritted her teeth, refusing to let go even as the reins cut into her palms, drawing blood.

If she were thrown off at a time like this, truly irreparable things might happen!!

Tightly gripping Sphinx's neck, Yvonne's strength was already failing her. She could only rapidly think of ways to calm Sphinx down.

"—!!"

It arrived before the unconscious Baron, opening its maw full of razor-sharp teeth. Just as it was about to bite down on the other's neck, Yvonne steeled herself and, without further thought, rolled up her sleeve and thrust her arm into Sphinx's mouth.

—This is far too reckless!!

Witnessing this terrifying scene, Elsa's heart skipped a beat, nearly crying out.

Yvonne knew exactly what she was doing. Enduring the pain, she sucked in a sharp breath while trying to steady her voice as she addressed her dragon.

"Good child... calm down, be obedient."

"............"

Perhaps the taste of blood finally overpowered the scent of fear. Sphinx's pupils gradually returned to their normal size.

Coming to its senses, it released its bite. Seeing the left arm it had pierced now a bloody mess, it let out a small whimper, its tail curling up, looking somewhat guilty.

"It's alright... this isn't your fault. Just remember, this is the taste of your master's blood—"

Crack!!

Ignoring her still-bleeding wound, Yvonne leapt off the dragon's back, single-handedly raising her sheathed knight's sword and swinging it down forcefully.

It took several strikes to finally shatter the Wind Thunder Pearl that had rolled to the ground, still emitting an ominous aura. Once broken, the pearl's fragments seemed to deconstruct, turning to dust.

"Miss Smollett!"

She crouched down to check Baron's condition. Fortunately, apart from looking excessively drained, there was no immediate danger to his life.

"Healer! Over here!!"

Beleck, leading white-robed healers, navigated through the hurricane to rescue the injured.

These children were all descendants of current dignitaries. If anything serious happened to them, Beleck would likely lose not just his position, but possibly his life as well.

"Wait... Miss Smollett, your hand??"

Seeing Yvonne's arm covered in bloody puncture wounds from the bite,

"It's nothing, just a small injury."

Beleck nearly fainted.

"Healer!! Healer!! Quickly take Miss Smollett for treatment!!"

"Wait a moment—what about that??"

Yvonne pointed to the sky with her right hand. In the dark, oppressive clouds, a gradually clearer shadow was forming.

Although the source of magical absorption had been stopped, the impending revival of the S-class monster Garuda made her extremely uneasy.

"Leave matters like that to professional mages! What you need now is treatment!"

Sigh... I wonder how badly Evie is injured.

Watching the healer forcibly drag Evie away, Elsa, floating on the clouds, couldn't help but worry.

Although she knew that Yvonne had continued sword practice later, meaning her hand injury must have healed, she still couldn't help feeling distressed.

『How rare indeed—』

Just as Elsa was anxiously watching the ground, a strange voice suddenly sounded behind her.

"?!!"

『You—are not a human from this time point, are you? Why have you appeared here?』

"You are..."

Elsa only then noticed a beautifully proportioned woman floating behind her, examining her.

Although her external appearance resembled a human, the enormous golden wings and eagle-like talons on her lower body unmistakably proclaimed her non-human identity.

"Wait... how can you see me??"

Isn't this supposed to be a vision recreated from Evie's diary??

Why can this being see me??

Elsa suddenly realized that the woman before her was indeed Garuda in a semi-spiritual state, awakened through the Wind Thunder Pearl.

And now, something that absolutely shouldn't be happening had occurred—the other party had actually made eye contact with her.

『It seems you haven't realized what has happened to yourself...』

Garuda gazed at the human girl before her, slightly narrowing her eyes, revealing a rather intriguing expression.

She had already noticed the unique magical fluctuations emanating from Elsa.

This inconceivable magical aura... she had only sensed it before from that human hero Oz, who had already become a legend.

Currently, they were both in similar semi-spiritual states, which was why they could perceive each other like this.

The absorbed magical power was still insufficient, not enough to achieve rebirth.

However—if she could devour her here,

Complete revival might not be impossible!

Thinking this, Garuda smiled maliciously. Her golden wings behind her unfurled at a speed too fast for the naked eye to predict. The blade-like golden feathers interlocked tightly, enclosing the girl before her.