Chapter 188: Full Moon Night – Part 2 (6)

It’s common knowledge that vampires are weak to sunlight. Even a three-year-old child knows that.

However, not many people know exactly how they’re weak to it. That’s because vampires have become so rare they’re practically extinct.

That’s why Sion had the rare chance to witness something nearly unseen in this era—firsthand.

The moment the sunlight hit, flames clung to her entire body and she spontaneously combusted into a raging fire.

“Urgh, aaagh…!!?”

Raizein screamed and flung herself into the shadows. Countless questions surged through her mind.

‘What? What just happened?’

‘How is the sun up? It should still be midnight, judging by the time!’

‘No matter how caught up I was in the fight, there’s no way I could’ve mistaken 30 minutes for 6 hours!’

“You look like you’ve got a lot of questions, my dear,”

Sion said with a smirk, walking toward Raizein step by step.

“I’m sure none of this makes sense from your perspective. You thought we’d only been fighting a little while, yet the sun was already up… and on top of that, the barrier had conveniently developed a hole.”

With those words, Sion swung her sword at the staggering Raizein. Once again, her body was split in two, and she let out a scream, bending over in pain.

“Gaaahhh!?!”

“Well, I may not look it, but I’m quite the kind instructor. Let me reveal the trick behind all this. Engrave it into your mind as you die.”

Sion sneered as she once again sliced Raizein’s regenerating body apart.

Her body, once Raizein, now torn into Ra/i/ze/ne.

“When dealing with a complicated problem, it’s best to tackle the core issue first.

This situation was no different. The root of your overwhelming combat ability lies in that absurd trait of yours—endless regeneration in the darkness.

So to defeat you, the first thing I had to handle was that immortality of yours.”

Sion spoke calmly and unhurriedly.

“To that end, I came up with three main strategies.

First: open a dimensional rift and shove your entire body into another world, trapping you there.

Second: create a reverse-field prison to lock you inside and crush you under your own regeneration.

Third: hold out until dawn and launch a counterattack.

But each method had its own complications when it came to execution.

The first took too long to cast. A physically weaker opponent might not pose a problem, but someone like you would never just stand around and wait for me to finish my spell.

The second was no better. You could dodge before the spell was complete, or even if you got caught, you could just dispel it and escape.

In the end, the only viable option was the third—dragging things into a long fight and waiting for the moment when the tide turned.

Of course, that plan relied on one big variable: whether you’d remain distracted enough by the battle to let time pass unnoticed…”

Sion glanced at the barrier and let out a soft chuckle.

“Thankfully, you kindly created a perfect barrier that sealed everything inside and out.

Saved me some trouble. Originally, I’d planned to lure you underground bit by bit while retreating—but you made that unnecessary.”

“….!!!”

Raizein’s split face twisted with shock.

The barrier… had helped her? All she’d done was dig her own grave?

“No, even so, something doesn’t make sense!”

Raizein strained to speak, regenerating her face with effort.

“Even if I couldn’t see the sun directly, I was still conscious of the passage of time! Vampires are practically invincible at night—but once the sun rises, our chances of winning drop dramatically.

So I kept counting the time in my head, and yet—why, how?!”

“Oh, that?”

Sion laughed as she swung her sword again, splitting Raizein’s body once more.

Although she regenerated again, the speed was noticeably slower than before—perhaps because it was now morning.

Wait a second.

Even considering it’s morning, isn’t it way too slow…?

“Judging by that look on your face, it seems you’ve caught on.

Yes, it’s a simple trick. I cast a Slow spell over this entire barrier, making time pass slower inside.”

‘Slow…?!’

Raizein’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Slow. A spell that slows down everything within a designated area.

It wasn’t exactly high-level magic. It was a third-circle spell—something even Mana, Sally, or Isabella could use.

No—anyone who had studied magic seriously would likely know how to cast it.

And yet… she had been cornered this badly by such a basic spell?

“That’s impossible!!”

Raizein shrieked.

“I mean, really—stretching 30 minutes into six hours?! And I didn’t even notice anything was wrong the whole time?!

There’s no way that’s possible! How could a third-circle spell do something like that…?!”

“Well, sure—if it were cast by an ordinary mage.”

Sion grinned slyly as she said that.

“But I am a Demon King. A Demon King who can mimic healing with creation magic—and even go further, creating living beings. Did you really think someone like me couldn’t manage that level of fine control? Did you truly underestimate me that much?”

“……!!”

Raizein bit her lip, letting out a frustrated groan. Sion continued, still wearing a calm smile.

“Of course, if this had been a completely open space, such a method would’ve been difficult. Even for me, it’s not feasible to cast a spell that covers the entire world.

But you, ever so kindly, shrank the battlefield for me. You gave me a tightly sealed space—so sealed not even a breeze could pass through—thus limiting the range in which I had to cast the spell.

And once such a stage was set, the rest was easy.”

Sion spread her arms wide with a grin.

“As you can see, while you were gleefully attacking me, I was slowly, secretly slowing down time inside the barrier.

On your body, your mind, the drifting sand, the trembling air—I cast ‘Slow’ on it all.
Just like raising the temperature of water so gradually that the frog inside never notices.”

Of course, if Sion had wanted, she could’ve just slowed Raizein down all at once without the theatrics.

But that would’ve been meaningless.

The moment Raizein noticed something was off, she would have dispelled the magic and returned to her original speed—just like a frog that jumps out the moment it realizes the water’s too hot.

That’s why Sion laced her poison so gradually that Raizein never noticed.

Like a frog being boiled alive, unaware it was even being cooked.

She didn’t just slow her body, but her soul as well, preventing any sense of discomfort from surfacing.

An ordinary mage could never pull this off. Slowing the mind? Applying deceleration to every speck of dust? That kind of control defies reason.

But Sion can do it. The kind of ultra-precise spell control others deem impossible—she executes effortlessly, as if it’s second nature.

Because she is the Demon King.

“You thought you were divine just because you could use three 9th-circle spells?

You believed yourself invincible because of your infinite regeneration and untraceable speed?”

Sion looked down at Raizein with a mocking gaze.

“Don’t be ridiculous. How many times must I repeat it for you to understand? ‘Strength’ isn’t something so simple.

It can’t be summed up with just a few fragmented traits.

No matter how great your power, it’s meaningless if the environment neutralizes it.

Conversely, even the smallest of powers can carry immense meaning if they can be used without restriction.

If you truly understood this principle, then even a mere 3rd-circle spell could completely overwhelm an opponent.”

Sion glanced up briefly at the crack forming in the barrier.

“That barrier is the same.

You acted as if I were the only being in this place. You never once considered the presence of others.

Just because you had the strength of a lion, you dismissed the rabbits. You thought that as long as you laid down a single area-of-effect skill, no one could do anything.

But what happened?

The very ones you disregarded as insignificant played a critical role in breaking the barrier.

Had I tried to do it alone, it would’ve been far trickier. Balancing defense, slow, and dispel all at once would’ve made it much harder to endure. The risk of getting caught would’ve skyrocketed.”

As she said this, Sion stepped closer to Raizein. Then, in a low voice, she whispered into her ear:

“Let me be clear. If you ever want to become someone truly worthy of being called a sovereign, you must first learn how to play the cards you’re dealt.

Every being with willpower, no matter how small, possesses the power to change the world. In other words, they have value.

How you make use of that value is also part of strength.

By relying solely on your own power and ignoring everything else, you’ve lost the right to call yourself a ruler.”

Raizein, at the very least, could have prevented the barrier from being destroyed.

She could have taken more definitive measures to monitor those left behind at the academy.

The method was simple—bring along another division commander or, at the very least, a subordinate.

Had she done so, she wouldn’t have been blindsided like this.

But she didn’t.

She believed her power alone would be enough.

She thought laying down a single Black Parade spell would be enough to hold everyone in place.

She believed her subordinates would only get in the way.

In the end, she lived up to her title—arrogant.

“It’s not… It’s not over yet! Even now, I can still—!”

“No, it’s over.” — Whoosh!

“Kyaaaah?!?”

Sion grabbed Raizein by the collar and threw her toward the sunlit area.

She screamed as a spear of light pierced through her, and her body rolled across the floor.

“Hrk—Agh! Aaagh!!!”

“Now, allow me to teach you something very important—as your father. I know you’re overwhelmed, but try your best to listen.
This will be a lesson that cuts to the bone and becomes your blood.”

Sion slowly approached the burning Raizein.

“When faced with a formidable foe that you cannot defeat head-on due to your current abilities or circumstances—what should you do?”

What she was about to say was one of her guiding principles from the Demon Realm.

A rule she never broke, no matter the situation.

And one of the key philosophies that helped her rise to the throne of the Demon King.

“First. Never attack recklessly. Even if it means swallowing your pride, always stay low and humble.
If you must fight, begin with purely defensive tactics.”

She continued walking, her pace unhurried, as if she had all the time in the world.

“Second. Use every means at your disposal to drag the opponent down to your level.
While they revel in their advantage, slowly undermine the very foundation of their strength.”

“Ugh… Hic… Haah…”

Raizein crawled, writhing, toward the shadowy edges of the room, trying to escape the sunlight.

Desperately trying to avoid further damage.

Sion followed her, not rushing, just calmly, deliberately.

“And third, the most important rule of all.”

A principle she never neglected—for the future, and for herself.

“When you seize the moment of victory—crush them utterly. Mercilessly. So that they can never rise again.
So they never even dare to challenge you again.”

Sion brushed back her hair with a wicked grin.

A smile so cruel, it was hard to believe she was once a hero.

“Now, shall we continue the lesson? After all, disciplining an insolent daughter is one of a father’s duties.”

Behind her, the radiant sunlight sparkled—mocking Raizein’s defeat.