Abyssal Sovereignty

"Are all the monsters in this area like this?"

The girl, Yverantheia, walked through the cave, reflecting on the events that had transpired since she arrived in these mountains.

A few days ago, she had glanced at her map, picked a direction at random, and ventured into this mountain range. Not long after her arrival, she encountered a group of goblins hunting.

Yverantheia, once a saintess, had been educated about monsters. The church generally regarded monsters with hostility and was prejudiced against any non-human species. In simple terms, they upheld human supremacy.

Thus, the knowledge Yverantheia had acquired painted monsters as savage and harmful creatures. Among them, goblins were particularly loathsome.

According to the church's teachings, goblins captured females of other species for breeding. Despite being low-tier monsters, their intelligence allowed them to learn from other species’ attempts to eradicate them, making it essential to leave no survivors during hunts.

Yverantheia had experienced several goblin hunts herself, and the reality often matched the church's teachings.

However, the church was no longer a trustworthy entity for Yverantheia.

The goblins she observed now included females, and they had their own culture and emotions, vastly different from the goblins she had known.

"It seems the church hid part of the truth," Yverantheia mused.

A mixture of truth and lies is the most convincing, and the church had skillfully exploited this. They had only told Yverantheia about the goblins' savagery, omitting everything else.

Yverantheia continued to observe, stealthily following the goblins to their village.

Based on her observations, the goblins had a figure resembling a 'village chief.' Given their current level of civilization, dealing with the leader would make the rest easier.

Of course, she planned to keep him alive, as it would be more beneficial.

Relying on her superior physical abilities and magic, Yverantheia easily reached the goblin chief.

"Who are you!?"

"I am your future master."

Seeing the elderly goblin before her, Yverantheia did not hesitate to release her aura of dominance.

"Ugh!... Strong one, I recognize your power. But by our rules, I cannot entrust our tribe to you solely based on this."

"What do you propose then?"

"You must prove your strength with a tangible attack. This is our tradition."

"…"

Yverantheia had considered resolving this through combat, but the situation was somewhat unexpected.

"An attack, huh? Very well, I'll oblige you."

Channeling her magic, Yverantheia, now enriched with extensive knowledge of monsters, prepared to use her powers.

‘Void Shockwave’

From Yverantheia's hand, a spherical shockwave expanded instantly.

The goblin chief, being closest to Yverantheia, was naturally blown away. His house was overturned, and the goblins in the village were knocked unconscious by the sudden impact, creating a scene of devastation.

 

Returning to the present, Yverantheia had now arrived at the village of the smurfs.

"Who is that?"

"Her skin is so pale. How peculiar."

As the smurfs whispered amongst themselves, a bearded elder, leaning on a staff, emerged from the crowd.

"Stranger, what brings you to our village?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I've come to make you submit to me."

The smurfs gasped in unison. The elder's eyes widened for a moment before he regained his composure.

"According to our scouts, it appears you've wiped out the goblins. The scene you left behind terrified even our bravest who observed through their telescopes. Do you have anything to say about that?"

"…"

‘Did it really look like a massacre?’ Yverantheia wondered.

Not only had a young goblin mentioned this, but now the elder elf seemed to believe it too.

"They're not dead…"

"Why should we believe you?"

The tension in the air grew thicker. The smurfs were ready to fight to the death, while Yverantheia stood poised to strike.

"Pupu!"

A peculiar sound broke the standoff. Yverantheia turned to see a familiar creature, a small tentacled being, approaching.

"How did you follow me?" Yverantheia asked the little tentacle.

"Pupu!"

The creature raised its tentacles, making a noise that resembled an angry raccoon. It seemed upset that Yverantheia had left without it.

Suddenly, a cacophony of footsteps echoed from the entrance of the village.

"Finally, we have caught up with you, our master."

An elderly goblin, leading a throng of goblins, poured into the smurf village and knelt before Yverantheia.

"Hail to our master and her emissary!"

"…Emissary?" Yverantheia echoed.

"Pupu."

Yverantheia glanced at the little tentacle, which tilted its body in confusion.

"Yes, we were able to find you thanks to the emissary."

Yverantheia was puzzled. Given the little tentacle’s slow movement, she should have easily outrun it within minutes, reaching distances far beyond its sight. Yet it had found her with unerring accuracy.

‘Could it be… the blood?’

When Yverantheia had been gravely injured, it was the tentacle that healed her, absorbing her spilled blood in the process. It seemed the most likely explanation was that it could trace anyone whose blood it had absorbed.

‘This little guy has a unique ability,’ Yverantheia mused.

Although she still didn’t fully understand why it followed her, she saw many potential uses for its abilities. Moreover, it might possess other unknown skills. Just this realization made Yverantheia more inclined to keep it by her side.

"Well done, I'm pleased you found me."

"We are honored! But, about the smurfs…"

"Uh…"

Realizing their misunderstanding, the smurfs were taken aback.

"The goblin tribe has submitted to you, which proves your strength. On behalf of the smurfs, the blue elves, I declare our submission to you," the elder announced.

Seeing the situation clearly, the elder knew better than to resist. He wasn’t foolish; as long as safety was assured, there was no harm in submitting to the strong. Moreover, from the goblin chief’s demeanor, Yverantheia didn’t seem to be a tyrant.

Thus, two-thirds of the mountain range fell under Yverantheia’s rule.