Within the Netherworld Forest, a place steeped in gloom, terror, and an unsettling silence that struck fear into countless hearts, the crisp clang of clashing swords and spears now echoed intermittently. At times, these sharp sounds carried an intensely potent magical aura, so strong that even several adventurer parties kilometers away detected the unusual fluctuations of magic emanating from this spot.
Upon closer inspection, the source of the clamor revealed a young woman clad in blue and white knight’s armor. Her features were delicate and refined, yet she exuded an aura of solitary, regal authority. She stood with a golden sword in hand, her expression stern, observing a blond, red-eyed boy who looked like a child directly opposite her.
Though the boy across from her maintained a smile, his breathing, more ragged than the young woman’s, betrayed the immense pressure he had just faced.
Indeed, no one understood the true might of his current opponent better than he. The past ten minutes of combat had utterly shattered the perception this six-hundred-year-old, self-important, and arrogant vampire boy held of the entire human race.
‘Since when could a random human I encountered fight me to a standstill?’
‘Could it be that in the centuries I haven’t ventured out of the Netherworld Wilds, humanity has advanced to such an extent? Must I truly resort to my [final trump card] to win?’
‘What a joke!’ Roy found such a notion utterly intolerable. Even more unbearable was the thought of his sister’s merciless mockery should he be forced to such an extreme.
‘Damn it!’
The tranquil moments of peace always seemed to vanish too quickly. And so, Leya made her move.
Her body abruptly accelerated, leaving a lingering afterimage in the air. Moving with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, she appeared before Enoch Wells almost instantly. Her sword flashed out, quick as lightning, aiming for him.
Seeing this, Enoch Wells hastily raised his scythe to block. Simultaneously, he plotted to use the opportunity to deflect Leya’s blade, then leverage the momentum to counter with a scythe strike of his own.
However, Enoch Wells’s maneuver was precisely what Leya anticipated. She scoffed disdainfully, her gaze briefly sweeping over the scythe he brought down. Leya’s feet shifted slightly, her body retreating, effortlessly evading Enoch Wells’s attack.
At the same moment, her right hand trembled minutely, controlling the King’s Sword she had just deflected. The blade suddenly arced back, striking with twice its previous speed.
Enoch Wells’s pupils constricted, a wave of helplessness washing over him. ‘Again?’ His scythe, having already committed to its arc, was impossible to recall. With no other choice, he decisively activated his unique skill once more: [Flap Wings and Fly Upwards].
Leya: “…………”
That was precisely what had happened before.
In fact, throughout these ten minutes of combat, after the initial few minutes of mutual probing, Enoch Wells would invariably fly into the sky whenever he found himself at a disadvantage in close quarters. His smug expression seemed to taunt, ‘Come on, if you’re so capable, why don’t you fly up here?’
This behavior left Leya both frustrated and exasperated. She could have tolerated it before, but now… now she was less than a minute away from her transformation ending. One minute!
‘Perhaps… I should just unleash another ultimate move to settle this?’
“Cough, cough—” Leya suddenly began to cough violently, as if issuing a warning.
Yet, she quickly came to a realization. While the true [Holy Sword Excalibur]’s ultimate abilities indeed drew upon magical power, Leya was not currently wielding the blade hailed as the [First Holy Sword].
She had sensed it before: the ultimate moves she unleashed with the King’s Sword seemed to draw more heavily on Saber’s intrinsic pursuit of chivalry, her sense of responsibility to her nation, and her longing for an ideal homeland. These unseen ‘spiritual energies’ were the true catalysts.
Theoretically, if her faith was strong enough, she could continuously unleash these abilities as long as she had sufficient magical power. However, Leya herself held no such beliefs, meaning each activation depleted the spiritual energy stored within her transformation card.
‘No, I must ensure at least three seconds of absolute safety for myself when the transformation ends, otherwise, if the transformation time runs out, things will turn dire.’
[Boom—]
Just as Leya pondered her transformation strategy, a magical explosion suddenly reverberated from a distance, likely from the direction of the village.
“Oh? It seems it has begun.”
“Begun?” Leya blinked, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
“Hahaha—Human, as much as I’d love to continue playing with you, I regret to say it seems now is not the time.”
Leya: “…………”
‘No one wanted to play with you, alright?!’ ‘You came over talking to yourself, and now you’re leaving talking to yourself. You’re truly casual, aren’t you?’
‘Still… I can’t deny that Enoch Wells’s departure might not be a bad thing for me right now. But why… do I feel this inexplicable sense of irritation?’
“Very well, human, I will remember you. State your name; you, who killed Little White, certainly have the right.”
And just at that moment…
A thick layer of brilliant white light enveloped Leya, radiating an intense and dazzling glow.
Indeed, the time for her transformation had arrived!
To the side, Enoch Wells narrowed his eyes, observing the scene with keen interest. Incredibly, he sensed the woman’s magical power rapidly diminishing.
And in its place, there was…
“No, it can’t be… How is this possible? This magical aura is…”
Enoch Wells’s jaw dropped as he gazed at Leya, who had now reverted to her original form.
She had flowing silver hair, sapphire-like eyes, and wore a simple white dress. However, none of this was what truly astonished Enoch Wells. What truly shocked him was the intermittent crimson magical aura emanating from Leya’s body.
Yes, it was that same mysterious red magic that Edwin had sensed before!
But unlike Edwin, Enoch Wells understood this red magic far better. It reminded him of something his annoying sister had told him before she left, and also the powerful, heart-pounding, despair-inducing ‘mysterious’ aura he had coincidentally sensed in the Netherworld Forest not long ago.
Yet, this girl, whom even Enoch Wells found somewhat incomprehensible, registered as only Lv1 in terms of magical power on the surface!
Enoch Wells couldn’t believe his own judgment. ‘Is this a joke? Just moments ago, she was a knight who fought me to a standstill. How could she suddenly transform into a girl who appears to have only Lv1 strength?’
This discrepancy was enough to make Enoch Wells question his entire existence. Therefore, she must be faking it. ‘Seeing that I’m leaving, she’s hiding her strength to trick me into attacking, then she’ll seize the opportunity to take me down in one fell swoop. Heh heh… what a malicious heart!’
“Hahaha, hahaha—”
Enoch Wells suddenly burst into boisterous laughter, oblivious to his surroundings.
“Excellent, excellent, human… I must say, your illusion is incredibly realistic, hahaha—I almost fell for it!”
Leya: “…………”
‘No, no, no, I’m telling you, no one is trying to trick you!’ ‘This isn’t an illusion! What strange things have you misunderstood, exactly?’
Leaving that aside, judging by Enoch Wells’s demeanor, it seemed he genuinely didn’t intend to fight anymore. Well, even if he were to charge at her now, she wouldn’t have much to worry about.
“Hmph, human, rest assured, you won’t need to bother. I will return to find you very soon. Just pray that next time, against my true power, you will be as lucky as you were today…”
With that, without waiting for Leya to reply, he spread his wings and flew towards the village, seemingly in a hurry to accomplish something. Leya watched him go, utterly bewildered.
Still… saving a transformation card was definitely a good thing. After all, a single use of this intermediate card incurred a full twelve-hour, half-day cooldown! If she had used both here, it would mean she’d have to live in constant anxiety for the next half-day.
[Boom—]
At that moment, another explosion resounded from the village.
****
Meanwhile…
Enoch Wells slowly came to a halt inside a shaded cave. He meticulously scanned his surroundings, and once certain he was alone, he produced a [purple crystal].
He then even deactivated his transformed state, reverting to his original, human-like boyish appearance. Extending his hand, Enoch Wells slowly injected his magical power into the crystal. The latter pulsed with a bright, dazzling purple light before miraculously transforming into something resembling a [monitor].
The crystal displayed a gloomy, damp room that looked like it belonged in an old castle. Despite being broad daylight, the room was so dark that only the faint, sparse glow of an oil lamp was visible. Through the purple crystal, the room’s furnishings appeared extremely simple: besides the essential tables and chairs, there was only a princess bed occupying a third of the room. It could truly be described as an