Having delved into the Nine Realms, the Silverbloom Sword Princess ascended to a new echelon of power, one born of her fallen state. She glanced indifferently at the crimson membrane around her, recognizing it as a demon’s domain.
However, she did not immediately shatter this domain. Instead, she extended her hand, gathering the magical energy within her body into her palm.
Gradually, a silver-white staff materialized in her grasp.
With merely a slight tightening of her grip on the staff, her entire demeanor underwent a radical transformation. If the Silverbloom Sword Princess had once embodied gentleness and kindness, she now exuded the aura of a supreme ruler, tinged even with a hint of lethal intent.
Her former tenderness was eclipsed, her eyes now solely focused on her adversaries.
The Tier 9 magic caused the crimson membrane enveloping the surroundings to whimper, tearing open to reveal a gaping hole. In its panic, the demon caught sight of the demonic tattoo etched upon her hand.
“You, you’re actually a demon as well!”
The strongest human hero, a demon? It felt as though it had been played for a fool once more.
This time, however, it dared not express its anger. Facing the fallen Tier 9 Silverbloom Sword Princess, it felt as weak and helpless as a child.
Its eyes darted about, and a brilliant idea suddenly struck it.
“If I were to reveal this, wouldn’t humans despise you? The so-called strongest human hero is merely a demon in disguise…”
“How about this: you spare me, and I’ll keep this secret buried deep within my heart. And you must despise humans too, right? We could unite!”
The demon, which had been so aggressive moments before, completely softened. It attempted to leverage her identity against her while simultaneously proposing cooperation, hoping to sway her into negotiations and buy itself an opportunity to escape.
Though a single tier separated them, it still harbored some confidence in its ability to flee from her grasp.
Alas, the Silverbloom Sword Princess granted it no such opportunity. It held no power to threaten her, and the notion of cooperation was utterly laughable. It would not even have the chance to utter this secret.
The tip of the staff in her hand shimmered, and Tier 9 magic surged forth. Having pinpointed the location of the Seed of Sin, the Silverbloom Sword Princess extended her hand towards the demon’s heart, then slowly clenched it.
Excruciating pain instantly wracked the demon’s entire body. It coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, losing control of its form as it plummeted from the sky to the ground.
The crimson membrane seemed to sense its master’s peril. Long tentacles sprouted from the membrane wall, shooting towards the Silverbloom Sword Princess. Yet, before they could even draw close, they were sliced into fragments by white petals that had appeared in the air.
Lying on the ground, the demon struggled fiercely, desperately trying to rise, but the Tier 9 magic pressed down upon its body like a colossal mountain, rendering it utterly immobile.
Before long, its eyes began to lose focus. A green fang pierced through its heart, rapidly growing to occupy half of its chest, where a blood-red flower bloomed.
A gentle spring breeze rustled the petals, sending the crimson blooms drifting into the distance. Within the heart of the fully opened flower, a black stone bead, intricately carved with the demon’s grotesque form, lay still.
The demon beneath the flower still clung to a thread of life. It painstakingly reached out for the black stone bead, wanting to reinsert it into its body, but the Silverbloom Sword Princess pressed down on its hand with the base of her staff.
“No, don’t…”
As Tier 9 magic flooded its body, the demon let out a heart-wrenching shriek. However, Dorothy merely cast a cold glance at it before reaching out and plucking the ominous black stone bead from the flower’s core.
The source of its power severed, the demon instantly drew its last breath. The remnants of its consciousness within Edith also vanished.
Edith’s black eyes returned to normal, and her claws once again transformed into human hands. Her heartbeat resumed, though Dorothy remained uncertain if she would ever truly awaken.
Historically, no human assimilated by a demon had ever regained consciousness.
The crimson membrane completely shattered, and the warm sunlight once again bathed the academy. Dorothy put away the black stone bead in her hand, then looked at the unconscious Edith on the ground and let out a long sigh.
The battle had been brief, and the staff in her hand remained cold. Dorothy knew that she was now different from her former self.
Having embraced this power, her aura more closely resembled that of a true queen, reminding her more easily of her life within the palace.
However, this was not the time for reminiscing; she still had tasks to complete.
With the demon dead and its domain dissipated, the students who had been drained of their arrogance collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Those who had been immersed in the throes of death now looked bewildered, unsure of what had transpired.
It wasn’t until several mentors arrived by their side that they realized they had been saved. The feeling of surviving a catastrophe brought many sensitive and vulnerable students to tears of joy, their pursuit of strength intensifying.
Though they were called heroes, when faced with a demon incident, they could only flee in disarray. If they hadn’t been so weak, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.
Aside from them, the demons that had been rampaging throughout the academy were easily dealt with by the available mentors. In Rune Academy, with its several Tier 7 mentors, ordinary demons could not stir up any significant trouble.
In the library, Meli watched the crimson membrane in the sky dissipate, her mouth involuntarily agape, her face filled with astonishment.
“This…”
If she recalled correctly, Her Royal Highness was only Tier 7, wasn’t she?
That demon was a genuine peak Tier 8. Even the current strongest human hero couldn’t possibly be its match, which was why Academy Head Edith had staked everything on the Silverbloom Sword Princess.
Yet, the battle ended so swiftly? Could it be that she had underestimated Her Royal Highness, that she wasn’t Tier 7 at all, but Tier 9, like His Majesty the Demon King? Had she been concealing her true strength all along?
The more Meli pondered, the more convinced she became that this was the truth. After closing her agape mouth, her eyes were filled with nothing but adoration.
Yes, Dorothy was the Demon King’s Queen! If she wasn’t formidable, how could His Majesty the Demon King have chosen her and loved her so deeply?
That was the Demon King’s woman, after all.
****
On the other side, Starshimmer was too astonished to speak. She had heard rumors that a powerful demon had appeared, but she had always believed it to be an exaggeration. Either the demon was severely wounded, or the mentors had paid a heavy price to defeat it.
To her, defeating a Tier 8 demon so effortlessly seemed utterly impossible.
But now?
Reality had dealt her a harsh slap. Being resolved so easily made her feel utterly unreal.
Had her mentor already become a Tier 9 hero? No, she should be called the Demon King’s Queen.
The Demon King’s Queen, stepping forward to protect humanity in its time of crisis? It sounded somewhat absurd, yet it had happened, and she had witnessed it with her own eyes.
Releasing her clenched fists, Starshimmer suddenly felt that she didn’t need to struggle with whether to help humans or demons. Her mentor had already provided the answer.
A Demon King’s Queen, acting on her conscience to protect humanity. Perhaps, simply being her true self was enough.
She touched her cheek. The thought of being free after this incident filled her with gratitude for her mentor, a feeling so potent it threatened to overflow.
****
In a corner of the academy ruins, a Tier 6 demon pressed its hands against a golden barrier. Powerful demonic energy emanated from its palms, spreading outwards as it sought a weakness to infiltrate the barrier and corrupt the girl within.
After several attacks, even the demon was beginning to show signs of exhaustion.
“How much longer can you last?! Give up! This academy is beyond saving!”
It continued to utter despairing words, attempting to break the girl’s will and make her abandon her resolve.
However, Isabella merely turned her head with difficulty, glancing at the severely injured and unconscious Isha and Aurora. She continued to sustain the barrier with her magical energy.
Though Isabella possessed extraordinary talent, having leaped three tiers, this Tier 6 demon was simply beyond their challenge. Upon their brief encounter, Isha and Aurora were easily defeated, collapsing heavily injured.
Isabella herself should have been similarly injured and incapacitated, but as if sensing a fatal threat, she seemed to awaken something within that moment. Magical energy poured uncontrollably from her body, ultimately forming a golden barrier that repelled all threats.
Even the Tier 6 demon could do nothing against her.
Naturally, this came at a cost. With magical energy gushing out, the magic within her body quickly faced depletion. She was now relying almost entirely on sheer willpower to draw ambient magic and sustain the golden barrier.
Furthermore, her neck felt as if it had been scorched, searing hot, and all her remaining magical energy converged there.
If she wasn’t mistaken, there must be a demonic tattoo on the skin at the back of her neck.
Isha and Aurora must have seen it.
Regardless of how they might view her upon awakening, she would protect them with her life. This was her responsibility as the captain of a hero squad.
Moreover, if they were captured, her mother would surely be worried, wouldn’t she? After all, they had spent half a year together, and she had developed feelings for them.
However, these feelings were nowhere near as profound as those between her and her mother.
Feeling a strange sense of happiness, Celia soon noticed her body’s fatigue again. Aching sensations spread throughout her, and her consciousness began to grow hazy.
The magical energy within her body had completely drained. Even the simple act of ambient magic infusing the barrier caused her intense pain.
Yet, despite this, her eyelids slowly drooped.
She did not know how much longer she could hold on, nor when help would arrive. She simply twisted the magical energy in the air again and again, gradually forgetting the pain.
Her internal prayers slowly faded into oblivion, and she finally closed her eyes, falling forward and backward.
However, her back did not meet the cold ground, but a warm embrace.
“It’s all over. Rest now.”
A gentle voice whispered in her ear. She struggled to open her eyes a crack. Though her blurry vision could not make out the face of the newcomer, she knew it was her mother.
“Mama…”
She murmured softly, and the small face, contorted by pain, finally curved into a smile.
Watching the girl in her arms fall into a deep sleep, the gentleness on Dorothy’s face gradually faded. When she looked at the Tier 6 demon again, she made no discernible movement. A colossal blood-red flower suddenly erupted from the ground, opening its petals and swallowing the Tier 6 demon whole.
After only a few seconds of struggle, the flower returned to stillness, and the Tier 6 demon’s aura vanished without a trace.
Having killed it, she turned her head back to the girl in her arms, her grim demeanor instantly transforming back into tenderness.
Afterward, she also checked on Isha and Aurora. Discovering that they were merely injured and unconscious, she breathed a sigh of relief and took them all to the academy’s infirmary.