Ch.128Chapter 128: The Fierce Battle at Year’s End (3)

CLANG-!!

The path of the holy sword, swung with the intent to annihilate the vampire before her eyes, was blocked.

It made a clamorous metallic sound as if two swords had collided.

What’s going on?

Until she followed through with her sword strike, all that had been in the sight of Lilianshis, who wielded the holy sword, was…

Just one vampire facing her with a tense expression.

…Has an interloper appeared?

Does this mean another obstacle has grabbed my ankle when I need to find the blade as quickly as possible?

Just as the thought that another interference had been added crossed her mind and urgency began to rise…

“My, my, Sanguin, you always disappoint the girl.”

Lilianshis heard an extremely youthful voice that seemed out of place in the current situation.

“I’ll handle the Holy Sword Wielder, so you should go inside the fortress immediately and get to work.”

“…I owe you one.”

“If you know you’re sorry, come to my room after this is all over. I have a lot to scold you about.”

“Ugh… Understood.”

However, she could now see the being who was speaking to the vampire behind her, uttering words that would seem incredibly impudent.

At a glance, this was clearly a demon, and one with horns of a black hue that was both magnificent and seemed to embody malice—a trait that manifested only in high-ranking demons…

“Oh… how electrifying. I can’t remember the last time I blocked a holy sword with my bare body.”

She could confirm that the holy sword—called humanity’s ultimate weapon—had been blocked not by a weapon or armor of equal rank, but simply by a body covered only in clothing.

“Instead of playing with that weak feeble one, how about playing with big sister here?”

And from that figure who provoked her with a voice full of composure…

An overwhelming pressure was creeping up that didn’t contain even a hint of the approachability one might associate with her seemingly younger appearance.

Though they had only crossed paths once, Lilianshis could sense it.

If she had to guess, this demon…

“…You’re strong.”

“Yes, I am strong. Where I come from, I’d be offended if I wasn’t counted among the first tier.”

As if excited by Lilianshis’s acknowledgment of her strength…

The demoness stroked the horns on her head and made a mischievous expression while gesturing toward the Dragon Claw Mountain Range behind her, and Lilianshis’s expression…

“…”

Could only freeze up completely, unable to say anything.

She sensed the vampire hurriedly entering through the fortress gate at the direction of the opponent who had blocked her sword.

But Lilianshis couldn’t stop the vampire who was ignoring her and trying to burrow into the fortress.

She certainly had the capability to stop it if she wanted to.

But to pour all her capabilities solely into that vampire…

Just as she was about to turn her attention to it for a moment…

“Oh my.”

The demoness extended her arm toward her with a coy voice, accompanied by…

SWOOSH-!!

An unbelievably sharp sound of cutting wind and…

“Where are you looking?”

The sticky killing intent embedded in that still youthful voice prevented her from moving to stop the vampire.

“…!!”

She hurriedly returned her diverted gaze and raised her holy sword to block the hand strike imbued with pitch-black energy.

Despite it being a defense executed with perfect timing by raising the holy sword…

BOOM-!!

Even with her strengthened body technique activated by Flabeo and…

Even through the holy sword exerting maximum power drawn from her fighting spirit…

A thunderous sound assaulted her ears, indicating she couldn’t completely absorb the impact originating from the demoness’s hand strike.

“…!!!”

Lilianshis’s body was naturally pushed backward by the residual shock of the impact she couldn’t absorb.

Despite the thunderous sound reminiscent of a siege weapon striking a castle wall…

The fact that she deflected such an impact with just one step backward demonstrated how extraordinary Lilianshis’s physical abilities were with her strengthened body technique activated.

“Hmm… Is it because you’re young? It’s rather disappointing if you’re pushed back by this.”

The perpetrator who had pushed Lilianshis’s body backward wore an expression full of disappointment, as if unsatisfied with the response shown by her opponent.

“This makes you less fun to play with.”

She had completely shed her youthful voice and was now speaking in an eerie tone that chilled one to the bone just by hearing it.

*Lick*

She licked her lips with a long tongue while wearing an expression reminiscent of a predator that had spotted its prey.

It was undoubtedly a sight that would make someone with weak nerves lose their grip on reason or consciousness upon facing it.

“…Is she insane?”

For Lilianshis, who cut through the abnormal sight displayed by her opponent with harsh words…

WOONG-!!

Rather, it was merely a factor that raised her fighting spirit as she activated the golden fighting energy dwelling in her body even more intensely.

“Oho…”

An expression close to relief, though difficult to determine its authenticity, appeared on the demoness’s face as she saw the golden fighting energy reminiscent of a storm emanating from her opponent’s body.

It was an expression that seemed completely out of place in the current situation, which could only be described as being on a hair-trigger.

“Looks like you won’t break immediately even if I play a bit rough.”

Judging by her words uttered with an eerie tone while licking her lips, one could realize that the expression she had just made was one of confidence in the durability of the toy she was about to play with.

This was an extremely insulting attitude that regarded the opponent not as an equal with comparable skills but as a mere plaything.

However, there was not a hint of agitation in the expression of Lilianshis Proxian as she faced such an opponent.

Rather…

SHICK-!!

From the lips of Lilianshis, who pointed her holy sword—growing more radiant as it resonated with the golden fighting energy rising from her body—at the demoness…

“Lilianshis Proxian.”

Came a calm self-introduction.

The demoness showed a puzzled expression at Lilianshis suddenly pointing her holy sword at her, but only for a moment.

“Hehehe.”

After letting out a languid laugh like air escaping, the demoness extended her right hand toward Lilianshis and…

“Adorator.”

Came a self-introduction in a voice almost as calm as Lilianshis’s, rather than one showing extreme emotions.

“Since you’re going to die anyway, you should at least know who killed you—something to brag about on your journey to the afterlife.”

Had it not been for the extremely arrogant remark that followed, it could have been described as a display of dignity befitting the official second-in-command of the Obsidian Palace.

#

A holy sword gleaming with golden light that would dye all negative energy it touches with brilliant light.

A right hand flickering with ominous black light that would extinguish the light of all living things it touches.

Lilianshis Proxian.

Adorator.

The one who broke the brief but tense standoff between these two women, who could not be more contrasting just by facing each other, was…

TAP TAP TAP-!!

After withdrawing her extended right hand to her chest and taking fierce steps…

“Try to dodge properly this time!”

It was Adorator, who expressed madness in her voice.

Her advance toward Lilianshis was both concise and fierce, as if one wondered how she had managed to contain the aggressive nature emanating from her appearance until now.

Though she was merely taking small, light-looking steps…

BOOM BOOM-!!

The ground caving in beneath her dainty feet with a thunderous roar and…

SWISH-!!

The sound of cutting wind no less intense than the thunderous roar…

“How about this!!”

The combination of her right hand flying toward Lilianshis’s vital point was a threatening sight to anyone watching, but…

“…”

Lilianshis’s response to Adorator’s passionate movement surging toward her was static, her expression not wavering at all.

Instead of making large movements that would reveal openings…

She moved her body just enough to barely avoid the trajectory of the opponent’s incoming right hand and…

WOONG-!!

After maximizing the radiance of Lumen held in her right hand…

SWOOSH-!!

She swung the holy sword downward from above, timed perfectly with the opponent’s incoming right hand.

When the demon’s right hand, surging forward to strike a vital point, in its linear motion and…

The holy sword’s vertical motion, approaching with enough force to not just block but completely neutralize the right hand that had drawn that trajectory, collided…

CLANG-!!

A violent explosive sound, too intense to be described as the sound of holy metal infused with divine power and…

Flesh made of blood, flesh, and negative energy all intertwined, erupted.

The two forces, almost equal though moving in different directions, collided and completely canceled each other out.

However…

“Ooh!!”

Despite the failure of her attack aimed at the opponent’s vital point, Adorator’s expression was filled with composure as she casually shook off her right hand that had collided with the holy sword while letting out an appropriate exclamation.

“Ungh…”

Lilianshis, who quickly retrieved her holy sword and assumed a middle stance, wore an expression of suppressed pain that matched well with her faint groan.

Though the real battle had just begun…

The contrasting appearances of the two who had just crossed paths for the first time clearly revealed that Lilianshis Proxian, who had overwhelmingly dominated the leader of the vampire clan who controlled shadows like their own limbs…

Had this time encountered an opponent she should not have crossed.