Volume 4, Chapter 28 – Overwhelming Power

The “test” was not held in the grand hall.

Greyan, unlike his tactless eldest son, was different. After Fia agreed to let him test the growth of her strength, he invited her with great respect to compete in the Royal Castle’s magic laboratory. Although, in terms of results, it seemed as if Greyan was trying to save face for his son, Fia could feel that his motives were not so simple.

Now, the two had already arrived at the preparation room of the magic laboratory, ready to enter the arena at any moment.

Even without looking, Fia could tell from the noisy chatter outside that even more people had gathered at the magic laboratory than before.

On one side was the founding marshal of the kingdom, and on the other was the renowned and genius Eldest Princess of the elves. A confrontation between the two was enough to attract a large crowd on its own, not to mention that, in the eyes of outsiders, the focus of the conflict was the princess confronting the military to protect Anastasia, who bore the Sinner’s Mark. From any angle, it was a rare spectacle. It would have been strange if the nobles who had caught wind of it didn’t rush over to watch.

Thinking this, Fia, maintaining her expressionless face, glanced behind her. Greyan, wiping his greatsword, was still in his full suit of armor. The information she had looked up yesterday had explained the origin of this armor. Like Milu’s [The Undead Princess’s Hatred & The Vampire’s Blessing], Greyan’s armor was also a cursed item.

The price for its extremely strong defensive performance was that the armor had fused with his flesh and blood; he could never take it off. And the reason he had put it on was to protect the founding king during a breakout in a certain battle.

This armor had cost Greyan his ability to have children and had made even eating extremely difficult. It could be said that he had dedicated his life to the royal family. It was because of such events that his prestige was so high that it was difficult for the other founding marshals to compare.

As for why he had challenged her, besides his stated reason as her former swordsmanship teacher wanting to see her progress, the rest was probably to save some face for the military, or perhaps, from the standpoint of the kingdom’s traditions, to hope that she would retract her statement of treating humans and elves as equals. The test of strength was just a way to give both sides a way out.

In any case, he had handled it much better than his eldest son.

Noticing Fia’s appraising gaze, Greyan stopped what he was doing.

“My apologies, Your Highness. My foolish son acted impulsively and offended you. I will teach him a good lesson when we return. He is usually only in charge of internal military affairs, and as my eldest son, few in the military disobey him. My second son, who is responsible for the liaison between the military and the noble council, has gone on an expedition with His Majesty, which is why he appeared at the council. For his lack of etiquette, I hope Your Highness can forgive him.”

“It’s nothing. I was the one who allowed him to challenge me. There is no reason to take back my words. It’s just that if he continues with this personality, I’m afraid there will be problems in the future.”

“Your Highness is absolutely right. I will discipline him more in the future.”

With that, Greyan stood up, holding his greatsword. Only the two of them were in this preparation room, so he wasn’t worried about being overheard. A hint of question entered his voice.

“Was Your Highness serious in the hall? If you were only being kind to Anastasia, we could still consider it your personal preference. But to say that humans and elves are to be treated as equals, His Majesty will surely not let you act so recklessly. It was precisely because Queen Veronica was with a human that things ended up in this state where no one has benefited.”

“Having come this far, could it still be a lie? I do not wish to hide anything from you, General Greyan, who has rendered meritorious service to the kingdom. In fact, during the time I had lost my memory, I had already pledged my life to a human girl.”

“Uh,” Greyan clearly paused for a moment, but there was no anger in his voice, only realization. “No wonder you would say that humans and elves are to be treated as equals. So you were laying the groundwork for the future. But even if you want to be with a human woman, there is no need to make such a broad statement. As long as you are strong enough to take your Father’s place, there is nothing wrong with being with a human woman. The ministers of the palace will just turn a blind eye. The only problem is getting past your Father.”

Greyan’s calm reply surprised Fia a little. When she had said she would be with Claire, she had already prepared herself for him to fly into a rage. She had never thought he would help her think about the future in the form of advice.

However, she did truly feel that there was no high or low between humans and elves. Besides, if she only made an exception for Claire, the nobles in the palace would surely gossip about her, thinking she was just a petty person who had gotten lucky and won her favor, and would not show her true respect.

“I have my own considerations in this matter. You need not worry, General Greyan.”

“Heh heh, although Your Highness has lost your memory, your unquestionable tone has not changed. In that case, let’s enter the arena now. Let me test whether Your Highness has truly become stronger after losing your memory, as you say. Your actions have made the military lose all face. If we don’t do something to ease the situation, it will not be conducive to you becoming queen. But if you win against me, I will make a decision and guarantee that nothing that displeases you will happen again in the future.”

“Then let’s begin. I will not hold back.”

“Naturally.”

With that, Greyan made a welcoming gesture, allowing Fia to walk out of the preparation room first, while he followed behind.

Passing through a narrow, dark corridor, Fia soon arrived at the center of the magic laboratory. Unlike the private environment of the one in her own palace, the Royal Castle’s laboratory clearly had a performance function, with a structure similar to a colosseum. There were high and low spectator seats all around, and the central stage was extremely spacious.

While she and Greyan were preparing, sixty to seventy nobles and their servants had already appeared in the spectator seats.

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It was worth mentioning that before coming here, some of the southern nobles on her side had approached her, trying to persuade her to take back what she had said in the hall and to avoid Greyan’s test, their expressions full of anxiety and worry. However, Fia had refused them, saying she would handle it. So, those nobles could only sit in the stands, hoping the result would not be too bleak.

If she couldn’t win, these nobles might slowly change their opinion of her and turn to someone else. But that possibility did not exist. Greyan had a wealth of combat experience, so much so that even the former princess had found it difficult to defeat him, that was true. But there was no way he could defeat the current her.

As long as she displayed sufficient strength, even if she didn’t deliberately manage her relationship with the nobles, they would know what choice to make. It was a case of one force breaking all techniques. They were trying to stop her only because they didn’t know how strong she was now, and still thought of her as the Seventh-Rank princess of the past.

She didn’t know what the former princess had been doing, to the point where she hadn’t eliminated the factions that could have become her enemies. A pity she was already dead; there was no point in discussing that now. There was only one thing she had to do, and that was to sweep away all obstacles in her path.

“Dofilia, General Greyan, are you ready?”

Prince Schain, acting as the referee, had long been waiting in the arena.

Seeing Fia and Greyan enter one after another, he raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. He could see that there was no tense atmosphere between them, which surprised and disappointed him.

The princess had publicly taught Godley a lesson, shaming the military and pushing them to his side. However, Greyan, using the excuse that challenging royalty was not allowed, had made Godley admit his mistake in public, thereby reducing the act to a personal one and pushing the military back a bit. Just as meddlesome as Erin Slate.

“I can start at any time.”

“And General Greyan?”

“The same.”

“Then I will continue to act as the referee.” Prince Schain stepped forward, standing between Fia and Greyan. “According to the kingdom’s custom, the battle between a warrior and a magic-caster should have a starting distance of twenty yards—”

“No, the ten yards for warriors will be fine.”

Fia’s statement made one side of Schain’s mustache twitch upwards. Although he would be happy to see Fia fight Greyan in a field she was not good at, as the referee, he had to keep up appearances.

“Ten yards? Dofilia, at this distance, it’s difficult to even use a Second-Rank spell. Are you sure you want to compete with General Greyan in swordsmanship?”

“No problem.” Fia’s knuckles lightly tapped the mithril sword at her waist.

Greyan glanced sideways.

“Your Highness, you should take back your words. With that sword in your hand, I only need one strike to cut it.”

“This was a gift I gave to Anastasia. I will not let it be damaged.”

Nor will I let it be shamed. Fia added in her mind.

“Ahem. Then the two of you will stand ten yards apart. The signal will be when the gold coin lands.”

As if afraid of being caught in the crossfire, Prince Schain quickly retreated, and soon only Fia and Greyan were left in the arena.

The clamor from the spectator seats gradually faded, and a tense atmosphere filled the air, with only a gentle breeze brushing past their ears.

Greyan, holding his greatsword in front of him with both hands and taking a small step back into a stable stance, said slowly.

“Your Highness is too arrogant. After Prince Schain’s signal, I can wait two seconds before attacking.”

“There is no need for that. I have no intention of provoking or underestimating you, General. But if you underestimate me, the result will be the same as it was for Godley.”

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“Your Highness’s speed is indeed fast, but that was because Godley could not capture your movements with [Cat’s Eye]. The laboratory is not restricted by the [Citadel of Silence]. I will not be defeated so easily. Besides, you have lost your memory. The swordsmanship that Yulisha and I taught you has been completely forgotten. You are now full of openings.”

Noncommittal, Fia quietly waited for Schain to give the signal.

Then, the gold coin in the air drew a parabola and finally landed on the ground.

In an instant, Greyan’s aura erupted, as if what was standing here was not an elf, but an unshakeable mountain. One could even see the earthy yellow mana, a symbol of earth-elemental magic, rising from his body. This was a sign that he was using his full strength.

At the same time, Fia also made a move.

Just as when she had dealt with Godley, she drew her mithril sword with the maximum physical strength she could muster and went straight for his neck.

Although she didn’t know the swordsmanship of the World Tree Continent, as long as her reaction and speed were fast enough, improvisation was the best swordsmanship.

The ten-yard distance was covered in an instant.

However, this time, the result was not like when she had faced Godley, where her opponent had been defeated without even having time to react. Greyan clearly captured her movement. At the last possible moment, he turned, meeting her thrust with the left side of his body, while the greatsword in his hand swung back with all its might, as if to cut her in half at the waist.

Using his armor as a shield?

A simple mithril sword would indeed have difficulty harming Greyan, who was wearing scarlet gold-grade armor. It might even be damaged if she used too much force. But her methods of attack were not limited to one.

The so-called swordsmanship on the World Tree Continent did not simply refer to a competition of sword techniques, but also magic.

[Enchanted Blade].

A layer of blue crystal quickly covered the mithril sword. Fia did not change her attacking posture, the tip of her sword aimed straight for Greyan’s left shoulder.

And then—

[Dragon’s Tooth].

Without any warning, two sharp stone spears emerged from under Greyan’s feet, one blocking his path of rotation, the other aimed straight between his legs.

Although a First-Rank spell could not pierce his armor, it was enough to slow him down.

However, a layer of cyan wind suddenly enveloped Greyan’s body, and his speed instantly increased by a level. Not only did he skillfully avoid the mithril sword aimed at his left shoulder, but he also shattered the two stone spears with extreme violence.

At almost the same time, the greatsword, its blade a foot wide, arrived at Fia’s waist.

[Bee Shield Force Field].

Clang!

Like a siege ram hitting a great bell, a deafening sound echoed across the land, so loud that it made one’s eardrums ache.

They separated, neither gaining an advantage in the first round of attack and defense.

Feeling the numbness in the web of his thumb, Greyan, under his armor, laughed.

“Not bad! Your Highness indeed has the capital to compete with me in swordsmanship. This reaction speed is already comparable to a high-rank draconian!”

“During the time I had lost my memory, I had beaten both a Moon Dragon and a Despair Demon General.”

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“A Moon Dragon and a Despair Demon General?”

Greyan’s eyes under his armor widened. Compared to a Moon Dragon and a Despair Demon General, a high-rank draconian was nothing. His already high alert became even more intense, and he reset his offensive stance.

“The strength Your Highness is displaying does not seem to be comparable to one of the Seven Demon Generals.”

That was because she hadn’t used [Mental Shock], for fear of turning him into an idiot in one go.

Fia answered in her mind.

It was about time to end this.

Although Greyan was the founding marshal of the kingdom, and normally she should have entangled with him for a while before pretending to win by a narrow margin, she was not here to defeat him, but to display her invincible violence. To barely win against him would not be enough to show her overwhelming power.

A pity the laboratory was too small, otherwise she could have used [Spatial Rift] to shut everyone up—no, she would take this group of nobles to the outskirts to see it later.

A slight curve appeared on her lips. Fia left the ground with [Flight] and announced coldly.

“Let’s continue, General Greyan.”

“Bring it on!”

Unclear of what Fia was planning, Greyan raised his sword and pursued her with [Flight].

What greeted him was a sky full of fireballs.

“As expected, a non-chanted Fourth-Rank fire rain! But this amount of fire is useless against me!”

Just as he said, he directly took the barrage of fireballs with his armor. The series of explosions did not slow his flight at all. His all-black figure was like an iron bull, charging through the rain of fire.

As expected of the Last Shield of the Kingdom, his defense was astonishing.

But this was just the appetizer.

Fia raised her right hand.

[Firestorm].

With Greyan in the center, a giant pillar of fire shot into the sky. The dazzling light made the sun in the sky seem dim, and the expanding shockwave instantly kicked up a blazing storm, almost sweeping the nobles in the spectator seats into it.

However, the [Firestorm], which could even injure a Despair Demon General, was just a tickle to Greyan. [Wind of Exploration] showed that he had used a defensive spell to block the explosive damage, and was still charging straight for Fia—because the flames were blocking her view, she could not directly confirm his position with her naked eye.

“A non-chanted Fifth-Rank spell! Your Highness’s strength is indeed greater than before!”

Greyan’s laughter grew closer, as if it were right next to her ear. The next second, like a warrior breaking through the waves, the fire-clad Greyan rushed out of the pillar of fire. Then, the greatsword in his hand instantly grew by several tens of meters. Like the [Frostflame] Clark had used before, the nearly twenty meter long greatsword came crashing down on Fia’s head.

And Fia only used one move.

She held the mithril sword, covered in the crystal of [Enchanted Blade], horizontally above her head.

The two disproportionate swords collided.

Once again, a giant boom that seemed to shatter the brain shot into the sky. But unlike before, the attacking Greyan was shaken, while the defending Fia did not move an inch. At the same time, a black sphere appeared on her mithril sword. In an instant, Greyan felt that the sword in her hand was like a fanged beast, biting down on his weapon, making it impossible to move.

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In that case, he would just abandon his weapon.

“—[Flowing Wind’s Blessing]!”

Discarding his greatsword, Greyan’s speed increased by several levels. He smashed at Fia’s face with both fists. Fia, in turn, threw off the greatsword that was stuck to her own and met his attack without dodging or retreating.

—A continuous barrage of blows that gave no time to breathe.

Each of Greyan’s punches was filled with his full strength, his speed so fast that it was difficult for the naked eye to capture their trajectory. It was certain that any one of his punches was enough to shatter a city wall.

However, even against such an attack, Fia only defended with her single-handed sword. With her unimaginably fast speed and dynamic vision, she could clearly capture every subtle movement of his body, calculate and predict the position of his next attack, and then place her sword in his attack path just in time, preventing him from fully exerting his power.

If his attack was like a torrential storm that left one breathless, then Fia’s defense was an impenetrable wall. No matter what he did, he could not advance an inch. Even when he attacked with both fists simultaneously, she could accurately grasp the infinitesimally short interval and parry his blows one after another.

No one knew how many times Greyan had attacked in those few short seconds. All people could hear was a continuous series of clangs. And then, as if to announce that his performance was over, when he once again threw a punch with all his might, Fia infused mana into her mithril sword. The blade bent to a breathtaking angle, and the explosive power it had accumulated forced him to retreat violently.

“It’s not over yet!”

The flushed-faced Greyan under the armor let out a roar. But before he could make a move, a sense of crisis that seemed to want to crush him alive suddenly enveloped his entire body. A terrifying pressure, accompanied by a coldness that felt like being plunged into an ice cellar, made his heart tremble, as if death was imminent.

Subconsciously, Greyan crossed his arms in front of him and looked up at Fia, who had just forced him back.

What came into his view was not a mithril sword, but her slender hand, shining with a dazzling golden light. At this distance, there was no time to use a defensive spell.

[Strength Boost I].

[Strength Boost II].

Crack.

The moment her fingers touched his armor, it shattered as easily as cardboard. Then, before he could utter a complete syllable, Fia poured strength into her hand and, like a falling star, smashed him straight down to the earth.

“You—”

Boom!

A tremendous force that seemed to shatter the very ground!

All people saw was a golden light falling from the sky. Then the entire laboratory shook violently, as if a high-rank spell had exploded in the center. A sky-blotting cloud of dust obscured the sky, accompanied by the thud of falling debris. It wasn’t until the dust gradually settled that the spectators, who had risen from their seats, finally knew what had happened.

A dark, deep crater, as if a meteorite had struck the earth.

Countless spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards from the edge of the crater. And in the center, held up by Fia with a single hand, was Greyan, as powerless as a broken sack.

There was no need for the referee to announce the result. Everyone knew that the victor had been decided.

It was Fia’s complete victory, and a simple, direct, crushing one at that.

It was unknown who was the first to stand up and applaud. Soon, the nobles on Fia’s side all had expressions of ecstasy, and they quickly made their way from the spectator seats to the laboratory.

Translator Note

it’s not cliffhanger~