Volume 4, Chapter 75 – The Potential Enemy

In less than the blink of an eye, the scenery before Fia changed from an empty courtyard to a roof of red tiles. And then, a humanoid life form, completely enveloped in black gauze with only a pair of eyes showing, appeared before her. The reason she used “humanoid life form” to describe it was because this being, hidden under the black gauze, possessed wide, dragon-like wings and backward-curving goat horns. Its wings were also covered in a very obvious layer of silver scales that reflected a metallic luster. It was clearly not human.

A demon, or some other creature.

Whatever it was, she would catch it first.

“Eh?!”

Seeing Fia suddenly appear before it, the demon let out a cry of surprise. At the same time, it flapped its dragon wings, which could cover most of its body, and retreated. But Fia’s speed was much faster than it, who had just reacted. Before its wings could even flap back, Fia’s fist had already arrived before it with a whistling sound.

A blow that could not be reacted to.

Bang!

Exceptionally solid. Fia’s punch landed squarely on the demon’s chest. However, the feedback from her fist was not the feeling of shattering something. On the contrary, she only felt as if she had punched a city wall. The demon was only sent flying a hundred meters by this punch, without leaving any blood or the like.

Although she had held back some of her strength midway because she could tell from its curvaceous figure that it was a woman, the remaining power was still not to be underestimated. Even a real city wall would have collapsed under this punch. Yet this demon was only sent flying. It was clear that her body was exceptionally sturdy. Perhaps not only its dragon wings were covered in scales, but also the skin under the black gauze.

“Did it hide?”

After the demon had flown back some distance, Fia found that she could no longer find its figure with her naked eye. It had either used illusion magic or had found a place to hide.

[Wind of Exploration].

A thermal imaging picture unfolded on Fia’s retina. And then, she found a figure with a brightness close to orange-yellow, exceptionally conspicuous in the night, rushing into the distance, its speed so fast it was just an afterimage.

Orange-yellow? Eighth Rank?

Fia’s brow instantly furrowed. Just now, if the other party hadn’t tried to probe her with mental magic, she wouldn’t have even noticed its existence. To be able to use magic silently in the Royal Castle, which had the [Citadel of Silence], was in itself a symbol of strength. That was why she had used [Strength Boost III] right from the start. If not for the fear of friendly fire, she would have even used [Mind Blast] instead of [Mental Shock]. The murderer of Greyan had still not been found. This demon was very likely the mastermind.

Since she had confirmed that the opponent was not an ally, there was no need to say what needed to be done.

Chase it.

[Flowing Wind’s Blessing].

[Flight].

[Airflow Control].

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Using [Airflow Control] to thin the air in front of her, under the dual effect of [Flowing Wind’s Blessing] and [Flight], Fia soon caught up with the demon, which was leaping up and down in the Royal Castle.

The distance was now less than fifty meters.

Fia’s gaze locked onto the demon, which had jumped from a roof to the ground. She raised her right hand.

“Mind Bla—”

“Graaaaaaah!!!”

Before she could use [Mind Blast], the demon suddenly hid behind an Imperial Guard who was on duty. Then, before the guard could react, the demon, as if throwing a sandbag, grabbed him by the back and threw him at Fia.

Not only can it sense my intentions, but it can also react quickly?

To use [Mind Blast] now would only turn the guard into a corpse. Fia gave up on the spell and instead used [Airflow Control] to create a soft cushion for the guard who was flying towards her. But right now, catching the demon was the priority. She had no time to let him land smoothly. After controlling the force to a degree where he would not be killed by the fall, she continued to chase the demon, which was fleeing through the Royal Castle like a gust of wind.

At the same time, a sharp whistle that made one’s heart jump sounded from behind her. It was the alarm blown by Erin Slate, the Captain of the Imperial Guard.

Unfortunately, even the Imperial Guard could not keep up with a chase of this level. By the time the soldiers had reacted, Fia had already chased the demon to the open area at the edge of the Royal Castle.

This was the moment she had been waiting for.

This demon’s physical strength and reaction speed far surpassed anyone she had ever seen. And every time she used magic, it would either hide behind a building or use a guard or a maid as a hostage. To use magic without thinking would easily harm the innocent. But if she used it in the open area at the edge of the castle, that is, the bailey, she would no longer have to worry about it threatening her with hostages.

Seizing the opportunity, two crackling [Thunder Spears], as thick as an arm, appeared in Fia’s hands at the same time. At this moment, the demon was already preparing to jump onto the city wall. Without hesitation, she put all her strength into her right arm and threw the two spears one after another with all her might.

Tzzz!

As if lightning had torn across the night sky, the entire Royal Castle lit up in the light of the thunder spears. Their speed was as fast as lightning, yet the demon could still capture their flight path. In mid-air, as she was preparing to climb the wall to escape, she forcibly turned her body and reached out her silver-scaled right hand to grab the incandescent spear.

—There was no explosion. The spear, as if it had been swallowed by the palm of her hand, quickly sank into her arm. And besides her entire right arm shriveling up as if all the blood had been sucked out, there was no other change.

However, Fia had thrown more than one spear. The second one, hidden behind the first, had already arrived before the demon. By the incandescent light that illuminated the sky, Fia could clearly see the shock and fear in its eyes. Because the first spear had blocked her vision, she had not noticed the second move hidden behind it.

Boom!

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Before she could react, a huge explosion and a cloud of dust appeared one after another. The earth trembled under this blow. The Imperial Guard, who were closing the gate, were even forced to stop and stabilize themselves due to the violent tremor that appeared beside them.

Unfortunately, even a blow that could seriously injure a dragon was still not enough to take the demon’s life. [Wind of Exploration] showed that it had already taken advantage of the smoke to slip away through the about to close city wall.

A tough enemy.

Continue the pursuit.

Although she didn’t know why the demon had neither used [Flight] nor fought back, as long as she caught it, she would get an answer. Fia easily crossed the city wall. Just like in the bailey, the area between the Royal Castle and the noble district was an open space over three hundred meters wide with no obstacles. On the floor, which reflected the faint moonlight, a figure was fleeing at high speed towards the noble district. It was just that compared to before, her speed had become sluggish. Not only was her right arm hanging limply, but there was also a conspicuous trail of blood behind her.

Catching her was the priority.

Once again, the blue-purple glow of a [Thunder Spear] appeared in Fia’s hand.

Strangely, the demon, sensing her use of magic, no longer chose to flee. She suddenly turned around. By the light of the spear, Fia could clearly see the annoyance in her deep purple eyes.

Finally deciding to fight back?

This way, she wouldn’t have any psychological burden in her attack.

Fia was not a person who liked to talk much. Only knights in romantic literature would wait for their opponents to be ready before attacking. She was not a knight, and this was reality. And reality was a game of results. If you lose, you have nothing.

Tzzz!

Without waiting for the demon to react, Fia once again threw the spear at it.

“Eldest Princess! Don’t push your luck!” the demon let out a cold and sharp female voice. At the same time, a huge, smooth silver mirror appeared in front of her. The spear Fia had thrown at her was as if it had been swallowed by the mirror, disappearing without even a ripple. However, just like the spear from before, before the demon could breathe a sigh of relief, she found that the sky had become incredibly dazzling. A golden light had enveloped her head. She subconsciously looked up, and her pupils instantly shrank to the size of a pinprick. A giant golden hammer, carrying with it an unstoppable momentum, as if to smash the earth to pieces, was descending from the sky.

That thunder spear wasn’t her strongest spell?

The terrifying momentum brought by the giant hammer made even her have to temporarily avoid it. She had no time to estimate what rank this spell was. Her mind was only filled with the thought of escaping. She could already smell the faint scent of death from this sky-blotting hammer.

Fleeing is the best option!

The mirror that had swallowed the [Thunder Spear] became her escape tool. She stepped into the silver mirror, which had turned into a black hole, and shouted, grinding her teeth.

“Eldest Princess, we’ll meet again!”

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And then, she felt a coldness on her right wing, and at the same time, an unprecedented, sharp pain. However, she no longer had time to check what had happened. The golden hammer was already pressing down on her head. Like a person escaping an explosion, she threw herself into the silver mirror, her whole person disappearing into the void without any warning.

And then, an earth-shattering boom, and the strong wind pressure it kicked up, swept through the entire noble district.

◇

A sealed room with no light, where even the concept of time seemed to have disappeared. A dead silence and a turbid, heavy air flowed freely in the room.

It was unknown how much time had passed. With the click of a door being pushed open, a panting woman, letting out a groaning grunt, stepped in. The moment she entered, she fell to the ground with a thud, face up. She struggled twice, trying to support her body with her only strong arm, her left, but her body had lost too much blood, and the holy aura rampaging inside her made her wince in pain, her eyes blurring. She tried several times but could not stand up.

And then, the woman felt something cold and hard step on her head. Her eyes, which had just been full of hatred, instantly became panicked. She almost without hesitation raised her head and said in a hurry.

“I—”

“You have failed, Helian.”

A cold and magnetic, deep voice.

One could tell from the voice that the speaker was a male, but the room was as black as ink, so one could neither see his race, nor distinguish his age. One could only tell from the world-weary and calm voice that he was of a considerable age.

He showed no reaction to Helian’s injuries, continuing to keep his foot on her head.

“You almost ruined my good thing.”

Helian, far from being angry, had a look of shame on her face. She gritted her teeth, as if she were feeling disgraced.

“I thought I wouldn’t be discovered… If I could have peeked into her soul, I could have known what had happened to her. That princess would not do something she was not sure of. For her to have lost her memory, there must be some other conspiracy!”

“I did not ask you to monitor Dofilia!”

Listening to her explanation, a hint of annoyance had already entered the man’s voice.

Helian immediately closed her mouth. She remained in her prone position, her forehead pressed against the ground, as if she were admitting her mistake, or showing her submission.

Seeing her behave this way, the man slowly moved his foot from her head. He turned his back to her.

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“She has lost her memory and is no longer targeting us. To try and provoke her will only bring trouble. Besides, there is also a stranger by her side.”

“You mean you don’t plan to deal with the princess anymore? She has killed so many of our people. If we let her be, what will the people below think of us!”

“Do not forget our purpose. The World Tree Continent is like a leaf in the sea. It will be destroyed sooner or later. If we cannot escape our homeland like those strangers, we can only adapt to the world after the destruction. Compared to that hopeless fool, Absolute Evil, Dofilia is still capable of understanding our thoughts. If she is smart enough, she will join us in the end. And you…”

The man lowered his head and looked at the battered Helian, one of her wings severed.

“Was your injury caused by Dofilia alone, or was it the result of her and that woman from a strange land together?”

“…Only the princess alone.”

“Although I let you suppress your strength, I did not expect you to end up in such a state. In just two short months, she has already possessed a strength that makes one look up to her. Is it in preparation for the Apocalypse? But what can she do after losing her memory? Power can only be praised when it is used on the cutting edge—no, she wouldn’t have not thought of this. She must have already made arrangements. I really want to meet her. With people of the same ambition together, even if the Apocalypse comes, we will be more confident.”

“But she has destroyed your resurrection several times. She is not on the same path as us.”

“Hmph.”

In response to Helian’s words, the man just snorted. Although he had long known that she only had strength and not much wisdom, for her to be so blind, he couldn’t help but frown repeatedly, wishing he could just drive her out.

Helian did not know that Dofilia and he were actually on the same side, both possessing deep foresight, both willing to do anything to achieve their goals, and both having the will to sacrifice everything for their purpose. Although they were walking on different paths, if cooperation was the only path to survival, then the two of them would instantly bury the hatchet and devote all their efforts to their common goal. As for things like hatred and ties, they were just enemies that stood in the way of the self.

What kind of surprise will you give me this time, Dofilia? You and I are like-minded friends. You must not fall before reaching the end.

Burying the expectation in his heart, the man said coolly.

“My avatars have already been assembled. The elf race is of little value. From now on, focus on the south and investigate the news of the Seven Demon Generals with all your might. As for Dofilia, send her a gift before you leave. This kind of prosperity is not something the elf race should have. It is time to settle a score for my old friend.”

“You mean the Holy Tree…?”

“You will know the answer sooner or later. I will spare you this time, but there will be no next time. Go back and rest. You will have your chance for revenge later.”

“Thank you very much.”

With the sound of a grateful voice, and as the man threw a bottle of magic potion to her, the pitch-black room once again fell silent.