Volume 3, Chapter 40 – Duel! The Fallen Angel Ariel!

First, to deal with the demon race.

I could probably use [Holy Light Array] to erase the demons as easily as an eraser erases a pencil mark, but that’s too flashy. Yisi wants to be as low-key as possible.

After all, the demons alone are enough to cause despair. If rumors of a “powerful vampire on the loose” also start spreading, who knows how panicked everyone will become.

“Is that middle-class demon acting as a commander?”

There are a total of about 300 demons, with the middle-class demon positioned in the middle to the rear.

“If you want to hide, you’d at least have to escape the detection range of the Omniscient Map.”

Like a seabird skimming a lake, Yisi swooped down from high altitude over the heads of the demons. But because the sun had already set and the sky was covered by night, the demons only heard the wind above them and didn’t notice Yisi. It wasn’t until Yisi was less than twenty meters from the middle-class demon that the middle-class demon, which was at least two stories tall, finally became aware of her presence.

WRYYYYYYYYY—!

The middle-class demon with two heads seemed to have no language ability. It let out a shout filled with anger at Yisi, making the lower-class demons block its front. At the same time, it picked up a large stick over five meters long, trying to intercept Yisi with it.

“I thought middle-class demons would become more human-like and was worried about how to deal with it, but now it seems that worry was completely meaningless.”

Since the opponent belongs to the monster category, I don’t need to hold back.

[Spatial Lock]

The [Spatial Lock], which does not produce a magical glow, froze everything within a 20-yard radius with the middle-class demon as the center. Yisi used this opportunity to inject magic into Gungnir, activating its auto-hit engraving, and pierced the middle-class demon’s heart.

Once the leader is slain, the lower-class demons, with no one to command them, are no longer a threat. Of course, it would still be a hassle to leave the lower-class demons in the wilderness to attack travelers. Yisi ascended to high altitude and, as if sprinkling water, rained down a flurry of red light dots—more accurately, fireballs.

Like a fire rain descending before the end of the world, countless fireballs the size of wooden barrels, with long trailing flames, arced through the air. They finally lit up the wilderness with a violent roar, making one think of a battlefield under artillery fire during wartime. The lower-class demons engulfed by the fireballs could only scream and scatter, their former momentum gone completely.

“There are still a few that got away, but it should be fine to leave the rest to the army.”

The number of light dots representing the demon race on the map decreased by 2/3. After the fire rain is over, there should be less than a dozen demons left, which should be a decent haul of magical cores for the army.

“Although the large craters left behind will need to be dealt with slowly.”

Yisi shrugged and didn’t put any more energy into the demon race. Instead, she moved to the south city gate, where the Empire’s Fallen were located.

Compared to the precarious east city gate, the situation at the south gate was much better. The demon race could rely on brute force and their bodies to charge through a hail of arrows and magic. The Empire’s Fallen, on the other hand, had to first deal with the soldiers on the city wall before they could break into the city.

In short, the south gate was at a stage of magic and archery duels. But for some reason, to Yisi’s eye, both sides’ attacks were unusually weak, as if no one was fighting seriously.

“Look at the east city gate! My god! What is that! Why is it so bright!”

“Fireballs are raining down from the sky… Did the lord invite the kingdom’s strongest mage, Lord Heras?!”

“Lord Heras is the royal chief mage. Why would he come to our border territory? Besides, Lord Heras specializes in water magic.”

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“Besides, this kind of area-of-effect magic is a forbidden spell, isn’t it?! The most Lord Heras can do is use fifth-tier spells. I’ve never seen magic like this!”

“It must be the rumored coming of the apocalypse… The end of the world is coming!”

Although they were in a standoff with the Empire’s Fallen, the soldiers on the city wall all turned their attention to the east gate. But they weren’t the only ones. The Empire’s Fallen also looked stunned. The three captains of the Empire’s secret unit stood together, staring blankly at the fire rain descending in the distance.

“I remember this spell…” one of them muttered, “…used by the first Blood Clan Queen, Alvier…”

Before he could finish, another Empire Fallen captain added.

“The world-destroying forbidden spell that annihilated an army of tens of thousands in a single strike…”

Gulp.

A series of swallowing sounds echoed through the team.

“East gate… what… what on earth happened?”

Did this magic come from their allies, the demon race, or from the enemies inside Antonio City? Or was the Blood Clan taking advantage of the kingdom’s weakness to directly attack Antonio City?

No one knew the answer. After the three captains of the Empire’s secret unit looked at each other, one of them took a crystal out of his pocket and said with urgency and a hint of anticipation.

“Let’s speed this up?”

In the face of an unknown power, they just wanted to end the battle quickly. The other two Empire Fallen captains also did not hesitate, each taking an identical crystal from their pockets.

Facing the combined attack of three [Empire’s Blessings], even a dragon would choose to flee, let alone a mere city wall. Their mission was to destroy Antonio City, and as long as the city was destroyed, they would not be held accountable, no matter the cost.

However, just as they were about to crush the crystals in their hands, they found to their horror that they couldn’t move a single finger.

What happened?

They tried to open their mouths, but their lips and tongues were as if held by an iron clamp, unable to move at all. Then, a figure landed in front of them and easily took the [Empire’s Blessings] from their hands.

“I’ll be taking these crystals.”

It was a vampire.

A silver mask covering half of her face, a black cloak covering most of her body, red wings extending from her waist as a symbol of a pureblood, and long white hair dancing in the wind behind her. Although they couldn’t see the expression under the mask, just from the strange smile and sharp fangs that were visible, they knew that their lives were in the hands of this person.

A foul, fishy smell filled the air. It was the result of someone losing control of their bladder out of fear. The vampire, with only the lower half of her face showing, covered her nose.

“In terms of strength, you guys are stronger than that guy named Ander, but you’re surprisingly cowardly. Stepping on maggots would dirty my feet. By the way, you—”

Yisi snapped her fingers, freeing one of the Fallen captains.

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“You. Tie the others up and then go surrender yourself to Antonio City.”

“You… are you Alvier VII? Alvier VII is just a kid under level 30. How could she have this kind of power!”

“…You’re unwilling, are you? Then I’ll find someone else.”

Without wasting any more words, Yisi snapped her fingers again, changing her target.

But it was at this moment that Yisi felt something connect in her mind. Under her mask, Yisi frowned slightly and tried to send her consciousness to the other end of the connection.

“Is that Camilla?”

“O…nee…sama… Tiffany has been taken away by the Fallen Angel.”

As if she had just gone through a battle, Camilla’s voice was both weak and anxious.

Like a misstep while going down stairs, Yisi’s heart skipped a beat. She opened her Omniscient Map to search for Tiffany’s location while continuing to ask Camilla about the situation.

“What happened? Are Camilla and Mary okay?”

“Yes, Mary and I are fine. The only one targeted was Tiffany. The Fallen Angel saw Tiffany as the one who summoned the Fire Giant and said he was going to take her to a place more suitable for her to unleash her power. He took Tiffany by force, despite our resistance.”

“Tsk.” Yisi clicked her tongue. The Omniscient Map showed that the Fallen Angel and Tiffany were on the top floor of the Tower of Hermion. “Camilla and Mary, stay in the mansion and don’t wander off. I’m going to bring Tiffany back.”

“Please be careful, Onee-sama.”

“I will.”

Suppressing the unease in her heart, Yisi used [Short-Range Teleport] to appear on the top floor of the Tower of Hermion.

Just like her last visit, the top floor of the Tower of Hermion was an open platform with no railings. Anyone standing on the edge could easily fall off.

The only difference was the people on the platform. The Fallen Angel Ariel, his familiar, and Tiffany were all standing next to the crystal ball, but there was a metal collar around Tiffany’s neck, which was emitting a faint magical aura.

It must be a magic item to prevent Tiffany from transforming.

Still in his outfit with a black hood covering his face, the Fallen Angel Ariel looked up at the giant crystal floating above the platform. He spread his arms wide, his voice full of madness.

“Today, the most magnificent magic since the end of Genesis and the beginning of the Holy Era will unfold, and this magic will be unleashed by me, the Fallen Angel Ariel!! I will obey the will of the Demon King and let everything be purified in the flames!”

“My master is the world’s strongest mage.”

“Repaying the Demon King’s favor is the meaning of our existence—so, there is no need to wait any longer. Let this grand fireworks show begin!”

Following Ariel’s shout, the crystal on the Tower of Hermion suddenly changed from blue to red. Then, a red pillar of light erupted from the crystal and pierced the sky. Like a spreading plague, the entire night sky was stained a dark red. A faint rumbling of thunder echoed through the valley, followed by a trembling ground and falling rocks. Even the Tower of Hermion shook from side to side.

The scene, like the end of the world, was spine-chilling.

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Carefully holding her breath, Yisi floated five meters behind Ariel.

He still hasn’t noticed me…

Ariel was completely absorbed in the scene of the apocalypse.

“Ugh!”

Tiffany, who was restrained in a corner, was the first to spot Yisi. Without any hesitation, Yisi instantly teleported next to Tiffany and reached for the metal collar on her neck.

The black metal collar instantly lit up with a string of purple text. Then, a purplish-blue electric charge erupted from Yisi’s hand gripping the collar.

A magical trap.

If a normal person had touched it, they would have been electrocuted into a charred mess. But compared to the thunderstorms she created when forging her iron sword, this level of power was far too weak. Yisi relied on her brute force to rip the metal collar apart. Then, just as the Fallen Angel Ariel turned his head, she used [Spatial Leap] to send Tiffany to Camilla.

“Who!”

His voice was filled with caution. As he spoke, Ariel swung his staff horizontally, and a light-blue blade of light rushed towards Yisi, but Yisi simply waved her hand and dissipated it.

“A pureblood vampire passing by.”

Now that Tiffany had been sent away, there was nothing for her to be concerned about. Since the Fallen Angel Ariel had made a move against her companion, she should also give a small response.

Yisi used her index and middle fingers to adjust her mask and asked in a low voice.

“Before we proceed, I have a question. Why did you capture that child?”

“[Purification Blade].”

With no intention of talking, Ariel swung his staff horizontally, and a three-meter-long giant ice blade flew towards Yisi.

[Skin Crystallization]

Reaching out to catch the ice blade flying towards her, Yisi simply crushed it in her hand. Then, she launched her next spell at Ariel.

[Spatial Lock]

However, Ariel only froze for less than a second before he could move again.

“What?”

This was the first time [Spatial Lock] had failed. Yisi frowned. At the same time, the Fallen Angel Ariel, after a moment of shock, returned to his maniacal laughter.

“Hahahaha! Your magic has no effect on me! I have been strengthened by the power of the Tower of Alexia. I am no longer the Fallen Angel Ariel I once was!”

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The power of the Tower of Alexia, huh…

Since Fallen Angels don’t have a level setting, Yisi couldn’t see Ariel’s current level, but the fact that he could be frozen by [Spatial Lock] for a second proved that Ariel was not invincible.

It’s time to get a little more serious.

First, she’d remove the hood covering her face.

[Teleport]

She didn’t appear behind Ariel, but rather stood brazenly in front of him. Then—

[Forced Grasp],

[One-Shot Kill].

Like mutually attracting magnets, Yisi’s left hand was tightly stuck to Ariel’s left shoulder, while her right, clenched into a fist, was aimed straight at Ariel’s face.

“[Stone Skin].”

The sound of something cracking, like a layer of stone covering Ariel’s body, could be clearly heard.

Bang.

With a momentum that could crush everything, Yisi’s right fist smashed into Ariel’s face, which was hidden under his hood. Amidst the sound of cracking stone, Yisi’s right hand pierced through Ariel’s head, emerging on the other side of his hood.

However, no blood appeared.

“[Sacrifice].”

Two cold words came from under Ariel’s hood.

As if his magic power was compressed to the extreme, an ominous dark-red light erupted from Ariel’s entire body. By the time Yisi reacted, the dark-red light and Ariel himself exploded.

Boom—!!!

A deafening explosion that seemed to want to pierce eardrums and eyeballs spread across the sky. Even though the explosion occurred thousands of meters in the air, the resulting shockwave caused the mountain below to crumble. It even triggered the defensive barrier of the Tower of Hermion, causing ripples to appear on its surface.

“Tsk.”

Yisi shook her left hand, which was affected by the explosion. She floated using [Wings of Hermes] and, after disengaging from the fight, adjusted her breathing. Although she had cast [Skin Crystallization] beforehand, her left hand still felt a bit numb, similar to the thunder and lightning she had experienced when she was forging her iron sword.

“A long-awaited battle, huh…”

The gamer blood within her heart was boiling. A game, after all, is just too boring if you don’t have a well-matched opponent.

“I hope that wasn’t his strongest attack.”