Truly Ironical

That’s right!

Vivian didn’t choose to face him head-on, but rather opted for a solution most people in the position of a Demon Lord would not—running away!

After all, as a player of 【Path of Blasphemy】, while Bai An wasn’t exactly a top-tier player, she was a veteran who had followed the game through all its updates.

She was even considered among the first wave of players to clear new content.

So, the former Bai An had some understanding of the special settings and backgrounds of the various characters and monsters in the game.

The 【Hand of Silence】 was an extremely special and rare unit created by the Rhine Holy Church.

It possessed strength and explosive power close to that of a top-tier Hero and was specialized in assassinating high-value targets.

But in return, although it had powerful explosive force and assassination capabilities, the duration of its abilities was extremely short, and each use of its ability for an assassination would greatly reduce the lifespan of the unit itself.

In short, it was an ultimate weapon that would be scrapped after just a few uses.

So Vivian didn’t care about anything else and just ran!

And faced with Vivian who immediately fled, the 【Hand of Silence】 was also somewhat stunned.

In his assassination plan, the target would either hastily defend and be severely wounded, or angrily counter-attack and fall into a trap.

He never imagined that a renowned Demon Lord would choose to… turn and run?

And run so decisively, so swiftly!

He still tried his best to catch up with Vivian, but with Vivian using the force of the impact to propel herself out of his attack range, he had lost his chance!

The 【Hand of Silence】 seemed to sense that he could no longer catch up to the rapidly escaping Vivian, so he steeled himself and threw the spear in his hand!

The bone spear tore through the air, letting out a scalp-numbing shriek, its speed astonishingly fast.

Far faster than before!

Wherever it passed, the rubble on the ground and the ruined stone pillars on the side were crushed to dust by an invisible force, forming a straight, destructive trajectory!

“Whoosh—”

The pale bone spear came hurtling through the air.

Even though this strike was infused with the immense power of the 【Hand of Silence】, Vivian was, after all, a Demon Lord.

To a Demon Lord on full alert, this kind of all-or-nothing ranged attack was far less threatening than a fatal sneak attack at close range.

The moment her opponent made his move, she had already sensed the assassin’s intent.

With a light tap of her toes on the edge of a large stone slab slanted on the ground, her body drew a strange arc that violated the laws of physics, instantly changing her trajectory and easily dodging the attack.

The bone spear, having missed its mark, whistled past and finally, with a loud “Boom—”, embedded itself deep into a half-collapsed ruin several meters away, blasting a huge hole, sending rubble flying and dust filling the air.

However, it was clear that the opponent also knew that since his initial assassination had failed, the chances of a successful follow-up were extremely slim.

So, the 【Hand of Silence】 ignored the retreating Vivian, rushed forward to retrieve his thrown spear, then turned and ran into the distance, disappearing from sight.

No anger, no reluctance.

He didn’t even look at Vivian again, as if she no longer existed.

His disappearance was as decisive as Vivian’s retreat.

It was only after he had completely vanished from Vivian’s sight that Aria, Lucia, and the others arrived, late to the scene.

“Lady Demon Lord!? Are you alright!?”

Aria was terrified, rushing to Vivian’s side, her voice trembling.

“I’m a little injured, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Vivian wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and spoke faintly, her gaze fixed on the direction the 【Hand of Silence】 had departed.

‘How ironic.’

For the past four weeks, Vivian had been setting traps and pitfalls for the crusade army, only to be ambushed and assassinated upon her return to the Demon Lord’s Castle.

But Vivian also never expected that the Rhine Holy Church would go so far as to dispatch the 【Hand of Silence】 just for her.

‘Is it because of what happened at Faro Fortress?’

Vivian pondered this as she took a deep breath, adjusting her power and healing her injuries.

“Lady Demon Lord! I will organize a pursuit for the assassin at once!”

Aria looked furious, the fur on her body standing on end.

It was clear she wished she could chase after him and tear him to pieces immediately.

“No need. Maintain surveillance, but do not engage.”

Faced with Aria’s words, Vivian waved her hand, stopping her and signaling her not to act.

“That man is extremely dangerous. You are no match for him. He must have been hiding among the crusade army’s advance forces, followed them to the Demon Lord’s Castle, and then laid in wait until my return… But since his assassination failed, let’s leave it at that.”

Vivian wasn’t too concerned about whether he would try to assassinate her again.

After all, after one failure, if he wanted to try again, he would have to expend his lifespan once more, and the chances of success would be greatly reduced.

The moment she returned to the Demon Lord’s Castle was when her guard was at its lowest.

Since he had failed this time, there was no need to try again.

‘But… you saved my life.’

Vivian’s hand involuntarily fell to her abdomen again as she muttered to herself.

She could almost feel a lingering tremor.

That feeling before was as if her life had sensed the greatest enmity and initiated a self-preservation response.

That small life had erupted with all its potential at the moment of life and death, just to awaken its slow-witted mother.

And Vivian was extremely surprised by this—but on second thought, it didn’t seem so strange anymore.

It was just that the child had been quiet for some time with no reaction, which had caught her off guard.

Now that the child in her belly was reacting like this, Vivian was no longer very surprised.

If it weren’t for the child’s warning, Vivian might have really met her end this time.

“…But no matter what, this ordeal is finally over, right?”

From now on, Vivian really just wanted to focus on development.

Right now, she just wanted to get away from all this damn fighting!

For God’s sake, all she wanted to do now was to develop her territory.

Why was it so difficult!

What’s so good about fighting? Isn’t development better?

“I’m going to rest for a while. Postpone the meeting with the villagers from Blackthorn Village and Graystone Keep for an hour.”

“Yes, Lady Demon Lord.”

At Vivian’s words, the group responded and retreated.

And Vivian herself, after taking a deep breath, turned and went back into her tent to rest properly.

After all, she wasn’t a god.

She couldn’t just jump back into work seamlessly after being assassinated.

She needed a little time to recover.