Volume 3, Chapter 45 – Extraordinary Power

“Goddess, I have brought you the first dew of this world. As you promised, you must grant me the power to defeat the Flame King!”

“What’s this, it’s not good at all,” watching the person on stage dressed as Thanatos beg the White Night Goddess for power, Liti pouted in dissatisfaction. “Sister earned her power through her own hard work. It has nothing to do with any goddess.”

Standing beside Liti, Anastasia couldn’t help but smile wryly. Although she didn’t like the script either, this was the human world, and in human mythology, a hero who wasn’t connected to a god in some way was hardly worthy of the name.

“The Barony of Khesa is close to the Holy Kingdom, and its culture has an inseparable relationship with it. It can’t be helped that the script has Thanatos making a pact with a god. From the human perspective, it shows that they hold Her Highness in high esteem.”

“But we get along just fine without gods. If these humans knew that sister was an elf, they would have to rewrite the script overnight. By the way, where’s little Milu?”

“Here.”

Milu, who was standing on the other side of Anastasia and holding her hand, popped her head out. Unlike the indignant Liti, Milu had been watching the stage with rapt attention.

“Do you want to keep watching, little Milu?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then. Haah~”

Liti covered her mouth and let out a big yawn, waiting for the performance to end.

“Man-eating monster! It is time for you to repent to humanity!”

Soon, the performance reached the scene where the blood-soaked Thanatos, holding a holy sword, fought a life-or-death battle with the Flame King. When the plot reached this point, the music became rapid and high-pitched, and the lights on the stage became extremely dazzling. The crowd below held their breath and watched the stage, afraid to miss any detail.

However, Milu, who had been concentrating, suddenly frowned. The white feathered wings where her ears should be spread out alertly to the sides, and she sniffed the air lightly.

“Euphimilu?”

“There’s something underground.”

Like a cat entering a combat state, Milu’s whole body tensed up, and her grip on Anastasia’s hand tightened. Her crimson cat’s eyes were fixed on the stage.

Then, the next second, Anastasia and Liti also heard a strange sound—even with the sharp hearing of an elf, if not for Milu’s reminder, the two of them would have dismissed the rustling sound as the noise of the crowd. But upon careful listening, they could tell that it was the sound of something digging through the earth, only about ten meters away from them.

Instinctively, a cyan light appeared in the corner of Anastasia’s eye.

[Wind of Exploration]

The gentle breeze that stirred fed back information to Anastasia, but the feedback was that there was nothing noteworthy. [Wind of Exploration] could only detect places the wind could reach. In places like underground or where the air flowed slowly, its ability was extremely limited.

It should be noted that not everyone could make [Wind of Exploration] display a thermal-imaging-like picture like a certain elf could. The real spell required a high degree of proficiency. The wind could only give the user a rough idea of the amount of mana. As for whether this amount represented the First or Second Rank, the user had to judge for themselves based on experience. In addition, because the wind was easily interfered with by other magic, it was not suitable for use in complex places.

“It’s coming out! It’s an enemy!”

Rеаd оn КαtRеadіոɡСαfе

Milu’s voice was like a canary in a coal mine. Anastasia’s nerves instantly tensed.

“Her Highness Liti, Euphimilu, let’s go!”

“Aaargh!!!”

As if in response to Anastasia, with an unforeseen, sharp beastly roar, the wooden stage suddenly exploded from the middle. A large worm with a diameter of over four meters appeared before the people, carrying with it flying wood chips and stones. Its wriggling, fine teeth and the white slime it spat out had already revealed its identity.

A giant sandworm.

This monster itself was not scary. What was scary was that its appearance was often accompanied by a large number of other monsters. The giant sandworm was often used as a means of transport; monsters could ride inside it and be transported from underground to distant places.

The actors who had been on the stage were sent flying into the sky. Those who had luckily escaped cried out as they jumped off the stage. The appearance of the behemoth threw the entire square into chaos. People completely forgot that they had been engrossed in the performance a moment ago; now, they were only concerned with fleeing to where there were more people.

“It’s a giant sandworm, run!”

“The Flame King’s minions are here to take revenge on us!”

“Where is Lord Thanatos? Lord Thanatos, save me!”

“Mommy!”

The screams of women and the cries of children mixed together. In just a short while, only a few people were left around the stage, including Anastasia, Liti, and Milu. It wasn’t that Anastasia didn’t want to quickly take them away from the danger zone, but that the moment the giant sandworm appeared, she had sensed that she had been locked onto. If she turned and left, she would be leaving her unguarded back to the enemy.

Besides, they were just some of the Flame King’s attendants. She, a princess of the Elf Kingdom, did not need to scurry around like a mouse. Her position as the captain of the Second Division of the Silvar Royal Guard was not something she had obtained through her relationship with the First Princess Dofilia, but the result of her own hard work, step by step.

Not to mention that she now had a mithril sword with whose mana conductivity surpassed even ordinary iron swords. It was a gift from Fia. To flee with it would be a disgrace.

“Oh? You’re not running? To be able to notice that you’ve been locked onto, you must be a fairly strong vassal.”

The smoke gradually dispersed, and a headless Darkborn slowly appeared in Anastasia’s vision. Along with it were three similar-looking, but smaller, headless Darkborn—as for the First and Second Rank gecko monsters around them, Anastasia didn’t even spare them a glance.

Her blue eyes held a sharp and imposing aura. Anastasia drew her mithril longsword and took a step forward.

“Her Highness Liti, please take Euphimilu and retreat behind me.”

“Little Milu and I will deal with those low-rank monsters.”

“Please be careful.”

“My sister spent so many Gem Coins on it. Those monsters can’t break the magic item she gave me at all. Little Milu, come with me.”

“Yes, just like this afternoon.”

Rеаⅾ οո КatRеaⅾіոgСafe

“Is the battle plan over? Tsk tsk, no wonder it makes my lord father so wary. Even a small attendant is a quasi-Fifth Rank. I wonder what kind of strength the elf princess herself possesses.” His voice was viscous. The headless Darkborn, standing ten meters away from Anastasia, said unhurriedly.

“If it were just me, I would surely be no match for you. Unfortunately, we have made thorough preparations. A total of four Fourth Rank powerhouses. You cannot win. Put down your weapon and come with us, and you might still have a chance to return to the Elf Kingdom. But if you insist on opposing us, the only outcome is death!”

“Thorough preparations?”

Anastasia quietly observed the enemy’s strength. Just as the leading headless Darkborn had said, the four of them were all Fourth Rank powerhouses. They should be the elite forces among the Darkborn.

“Are you the ones who attacked the Witch Hall?”

“That was my father, not me. Originally, we were thinking of quickly seizing the Witch’s Heart Core to deal with the witches who might become our enemies in the future. But just as we were about to succeed, we ran into the elf princess. Hmph, that group of witches is foolish enough to actually believe that we would help them get the Heart Core. Compared to giving it to them, wouldn’t it be easier to just use it as a threat to command everyone?”

Bang!

After the headless Darkborn finished speaking, a huge roar came from the distance. Anastasia glanced in the direction of the sound with the whites of her eyes and could see a dazzling fire burning in the direction of the city gate.

As if he knew her doubts, the headless Darkborn sneered as he and his companions quietly formed an encirclement.

“That’s our other group. In a one-on-one fight, my lord father is indeed no match for the elf princess. Even with ‘that’ enhancement, he has no certainty of a complete victory.

However, no matter how strong the elf princess is, she is only one person. As long as we divide our forces into three, first attract her attention with the attack on the surface, and then quietly raid the underground, there will always be a time when she can’t handle everything.

That person named Thanatos really did a good thing, killing the Flame King but not taking control of his attendants, giving us an opportunity. Now all of the Flame King’s subordinates have gathered at the city gate.

If you don’t go to the rescue, the entire city will be submerged by hundreds of thousands of monsters, you know?”

“What do the lives and deaths of humans have to do with us elves? More importantly, aren’t you worried that I’ll tell everyone your plan?”

“Hahahaha, by the time I kindly tell you, you won’t have a chance to tell the elf princess!”

With the headless Darkborn’s piercing laughter as a signal, the four of them pounced on Anastasia at the same time. The surrounding gecko-type monsters, which had been gathering their power, also pounced on Liti and Milu.

Liti and Euphimilu have the support of the soldiers who have rushed over, so there’s no need to worry for the time being. I’ll first lure these four headless Darkborn away to prevent the battle from affecting them.

Anastasia took a deep breath.

[Mind’s Eye]

In an instant, as if the flow of time around her had slowed down, the four headless Darkborn pouncing on her suddenly froze in mid-air, so much so that Anastasia could clearly see the ferocious expressions on their abdomens. However, it was not that time had actually slowed down, but that [Mind’s Eye] had enhanced her perception to the limit, making it seem as if it had.

First, the weakest one.

[Enchanted Blade]

A layer of cyan light covered the mithril sword. Anastasia poured most of her strength into her right hand, then aimed the sword and slashed diagonally at the rightmost headless Darkborn. And the moment she took the initiative to attack, [Mind’s Eye] was instantly deactivated, and the four Darkborn arrived in front of her in the blink of an eye.

Rеαԁ оո KatReаdіnɡСαfе

But Anastasia was no longer there.

“Gah!”

The mithril sword accurately pierced the abdomen of one headless Darkborn. Anastasia leaped into the air, and at almost the same time, another one who was close to her, unable to react in time, was sent flying by her kick.

In the eyes of the Darkborn, Anastasia’s speed was faster than lightning; they couldn’t see her movements at all.

“How is she so fast!”

“Use magic! —[Darkness Bind]!”

“Ugh!”

There was no time to chant. The headless Darkborn was caught by the ankle by a thorn that had shot out from the ground. Although the other two injured ones had stood up again with their super-strong self-recovery ability, Anastasia in the air had also completed her chant.

[Golden Storm]

Anastasia held her golden longsword high. A tangible golden-red light, like a blessing wrapped around the mithril sword, slowly rose. A strong, holy aura enveloped every inch of her flawless white skin, so much so that even the Sinner’s Mark on her left cheek seemed incredibly holy. At this moment, she was like a divine child descended from heaven. Her golden hair was whipped up by the storm, and her elf cloak fluttered in the wind.

“A mere Fourth Rank powerhouses think you can defeat me? I am the captain of the Second Division of the Silvar Royal Guard. You scoundrels who dared to harm Her Highness, today will be the day you die!”

A voice full of sharpness and majesty echoed through the night sky, followed by a golden-red gale that left the sword and grew in the wind. The pressure that descended from the sky instantly cracked the floor. The four headless Darkborn were like cockroaches pinned under a huge rock, unable to move. The golden-red storm turned into the scythe of the death god and, with a terrifying howl, came straight for their heads. The black tentacles released by the Son of Balor did not even last a second before they were torn apart by the storm.

A sense of trepidation instantly appeared in the hearts of the headless Darkborn.

Wasn’t she a quasi-Fifth Rank? What in the world is this?

It was not that the headless Darkborn were too weak, but that Anastasia was too strong.

As Anastasia had said countless times, rank did not completely determine the outcome of a battle. Practical combat skills and the magic one had learned also accounted for a considerable proportion. Although Anastasia’s mana was only at the quasi-Fifth Rank level, her practical combat skills and the variety of magic she possessed were by no means comparable to an ordinary Fourth Rank. The only reason she was not conspicuous was because Fia in front of her was too dazzling. But without Fia, Anastasia’s own strength was enough to make her the focus of everyone’s attention.

To not fall too far behind Fia, Anastasia had put in an amount of effort that was unimaginable for ordinary people. This was the reason she could stand as the captain of the Second Division of the Royal Guard based on her own strength. Not to mention that now she had obtained a Mithril-rank weapon and no longer had to hold back for fear of her weapon being destroyed, as she had before.

If Fia was a genius, then Anastasia was a genius in hard work. To defeat her, one would need at least two more Darkborn like the Son of Balor.

An overwhelming disadvantage.

Seeing [Darkness Bind] being torn apart instantly, the Son of Balor immediately understood that his father had misjudged the strength of this vassal. He cried out in his heart and, gritting his teeth, used all his strength to barely withstand the pressure, reached into his pocket, and crushed the crystal inside with all his might.

“[Earth Shield]!”

The moment the emerald green round shield covered the sky, the four headless Darkborn who were pinned to the ground instantly felt the pressure above them lighten. However, they knew that the [Earth Shield] could not last long under that strange golden-red storm. They all scrambled up and away from it.

Rеαԁ on КαtRеaⅾiոgСαfе

“The intelligence was wrong! We’re no match for her! She’s too strong!”

“You guys buy me time! I have the Seed of Chaos from my father! If I use it and capture those two girls over there as hostages, I can definitely turn the tide!”

“Please hurry!”

Crack, crack, crack—

As if to urge the Darkborn, the emerald green round shield in the sky let out a painful wail, and the cracks were so numerous that the entire shield turned white.

Faced with his companions’ fearless expressions, the Son of Balor took a deep breath.

“Leave it to me.”

◇

“Sister!”

“Master.”

Liti and Milu, who had run over quickly, hugged Fia one after another. Fia patted their heads in turn and then looked at Anastasia on the other side of the ruins. While she had been dealing with the lizard monsters, Anastasia had already cut the bodies of two of the headless Darkborn, and the remaining one was kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.

She hadn’t expected Anastasia to be able to face so many Fourth Rank Darkborn at the same time and win completely. She had somewhat underestimated her strength—but it was always a good thing to confirm the safety of one’s companions. The safety of her family was always the top priority.

“Are you two not injured?”

“No, they were just monsters of at most the Second Rank. I’m not that fragile.”

“It was simple.”

“Your Highness!” Anastasia, who had dealt with the last Darkborn, quickly came to Fia’s side, her expression slightly anxious. “The target of these Darkborn is the Witch Hall! There are also hundreds of thousands of monsters at the city gate!”

“Hundreds of thousands of monsters? The Flame King’s attendants?”

Fia frowned.

“Yes, these Darkborn have confessed their purpose. They wanted to use us to attract your attention and snatch the Witch’s Heart Core.”

“I understand. I’ll leave this place to you, Anastasia.”

“Yes!”

Bowing deeply, Anastasia gripped the mithril sword Fia had given her, her chest rising and falling slightly with her breathing as she watched Fia’s figure disappear.