Recalling Sophia, Dorothy touched the smooth back of her right hand, her expression turning complex.
There, a delicate demonic tattoo, symbolizing her status as a demon princess, lay hidden. Each time she saw it, she was reminded of those nightmarish five years.
During that period, she had forgotten her identity as a hero, forsaken her human pride, and willingly descended into demonhood. She had even fallen in love with the Demon King, Sophia, and borne her a child.
When it came to Sophia, she couldn’t discern if it was love or hatred. Yet, now, she simply wished to sever all ties and dedicate herself to raising her child.
Shifting her attention away from Orl, she once more focused on the battle unfolding in the training grounds.
The demonized Wyvern was undeniably more formidable than before. Even with its eyes gouged out, it could still sense Celia and her two companions’ positions.
As its dragon claws swiped through the air, whistling sounds continuously erupted. Celia, wielding her sword and protected by a double magic enchantment, merely grazed a claw, yet her body was involuntarily forced back several steps, her tiger’s mouth throbbing with numbness.
The dark dragon’s tail slammed down from above. With Aurora’s magical assistance, Celia narrowly dodged, sending the tail crashing into the ground and creating a large crater.
Seeing its attack miss, the Wyvern did not halt; instead, it relentlessly continued its assault.
Given the immense disparity in power, their coordinated efforts proved largely ineffectual.
Isha was swatted into the mud by a Wyvern claw, her delicate face stained earthy yellow, and her clothes becoming thoroughly soiled.
Aurora, meanwhile, was forced to flee frantically by the Wyvern’s breath attack, her magical energy severely depleted, crystal beads of sweat glistening on her forehead, and her pretty face utterly pale.
Celia fared no better. Her hands trembled from enduring several dragon claw attacks, and to make matters worse, before she could even steady herself, the dragon’s tail swept in from the front!
*Clang!*
A heavy clang resonated as hard scales collided with the longsword’s blade. She was sent flying backward, only to crash violently against the training ground’s magical barrier.
Collapsing to the ground, Celia coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her body felt as though it had come apart, the pain agonizing, her limbs numb, and her vision blurring.
Seeing that she couldn’t seem to get up, the surrounding heroes shook their heads, letting out sighs of regret.
Celia’s team had performed exceptionally well, but alas, their opponent was simply too powerful.
A Wyvern, and a frenzied one at that.
“Alright, the assessment can conclude here.”
Orl rose to his feet, his face devoid of emotion. Leaning on his staff with both hands, he looked at Sharlene, expecting her to announce the end of the assessment.
Sharlene, however, cast a helpless glance at Dorothy, seemingly wanting her to make the final decision. Yet, a sound from within the training grounds soon drew both their gazes back.
“Not yet…”
At some point, Celia, using her sword for support, struggled to her feet.
The demonized Wyvern lacked reason, having devolved into a beast driven purely by instinct. Thus, Aurora merely hurled a few spells at it, drawing its aggression and buying Celia crucial time to recover.
Using a small amount of magic to heal her injuries, she gripped her sword and charged at the Wyvern once more. Predictably, she was sent flying back again.
Struggling, she picked herself up again, her hair disheveled and fanned out behind her shoulders. Her fair cheeks were smeared with dirt, the image of a noble young lady completely vanished.
Yet, she paid it no mind. Her emerald eyes held nothing but the savage Wyvern.
Raising her longsword toward it once more, she took several deep breaths, her mind frantically devising a way to defeat it.
“Give up.”
From the silent spectator stands, someone uttered that phrase, drawing a few faint murmurs of agreement.
Hearing these voices, Celia’s delicate body trembled. Her grip on the sword hilt tightened further, so much so that slender blue veins became visible on the backs of her hands.
Give up now? How could she possibly accept that!
She had finally broken free from her constraints, left the Fiona family, and found so many people she loved and who loved her…
There was gluttonous Isha, Aurora who often bickered with her, the gentle landlady, and Silverbloom Senior…
Just thinking of their faces made the corners of her lips curve upward involuntarily. She absolutely refused to return to that cold family and live a life she despised, like a mere puppet.
Moreover, Silverbloom Senior had promised them she would always stay with them. How could they possibly disappoint her?
And she was determined to become a renowned hero, to make her parents, whom she had never met, hear of her resounding fame.
They had abandoned her back then. She would use this to prove herself, to make them feel shame and regret!
Staring intently at the Wyvern, which was haphazardly spewing dragon’s breath, Celia suddenly recalled something Silverbloom Senior had once said.
‘Every magical beast possesses a weakness,’ Silverbloom Senior had explained. ‘By exploiting that weakness, one can easily overcome any foe.’
So, where exactly was this Wyvern’s weakness?
Carefully scrutinizing its body, Celia suddenly noticed something amiss upon seeing its empty eye sockets.
Without eyes, how was the Wyvern pinpointing their location?
Was it scent? Hearing? Or perhaps… the magical energy flowing through the air?
Calming herself, Celia silently chanted a spell. The magical energy in the air began to glow brightly in her eyes.
She saw everything clearly.
The magical energy had, at some unknown point, formed a spiderweb, with the Wyvern at its center. Whenever they so much as stirred their magic, the threads would vibrate, alerting the Wyvern to their positions.
She quickly relayed her discovery to Aurora, who immediately distanced herself from the Wyvern and infused the magical energy from her fingertips into the web, disrupting the Wyvern’s senses.
Indeed, once deprived of its magical perception, the Wyvern’s attacks became noticeably sluggish. At times, it would even snap at the air beside it, as if an enemy were there.
Seeing that it had lost its target, Celia imbued her longsword with various spells, then charged directly at the Wyvern.
Aurora, standing by, subtly moved her fingers, causing the magical spiderweb to tremble slightly. This disoriented the Wyvern, making it inadvertently expose its back to Celia.
Seizing the opportunity, Celia brought her sword down!
*Clang!*
The blade struck the dark dragon scales, sending sparks flying in every direction. The intense vibration nearly ripped the sword from Celia’s grasp.
Unfortunately, however, this strike still failed to breach its defenses.
The Wyvern locked onto her once more. It opened its gaping maw and bit down on the longsword. With a sickening crunch, several thin cracks appeared along the blade.
Moreover, a glow began to spread upward from its neck, indicating it was preparing to unleash a deadly stream of dragon’s breath at Celia from point-blank range!
“Isha!”
To everyone’s astonishment, Celia neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, she loudly called out Isha’s name, her hands still tightly gripping the sword hilt, refusing to let go even as her thigh was gashed and bleeding profusely from a dragon claw.
On the other side, the ring blade in Isha’s hand suddenly erupted with a blinding red light. It flew toward the Wyvern at a speed barely perceptible to the naked eye, as if intending to sever its head!
Sensing the threat of death, the Wyvern instinctively tried to dodge. However, Celia, risking being engulfed by dragon’s breath, used magic to firmly restrain its forelimbs.
The glowing dragon’s breath had already reached its mouth. As it dodged, it simultaneously opened its jaws, preparing to unleash the scorching blast.
Nevertheless, the ring blade, a weapon no less formidable than Holy Sword Megaphas, proved to be a fraction faster. Before the Wyvern could unleash its breath, the blade completely severed its head.
Its massive body crashed to the ground. The head rolled to the side, staining the earth crimson, and blood gushed from the severed neck, splattering Celia and emitting a pungent, metallic stench.