“She…”
Lena hesitated for a long time before answering.
When Chiling’s identity was exposed during the day, ‘he’—now, recalling that moment—it had been a farewell.
If that was all it was, Lena might not have been so worried. But Chiling had chosen to say goodbye to her sister too.
This comb flower was a gift from her.
This amplified the unease in Lena’s heart infinitely.
‘If Chiling didn’t know her fate, why would she say goodbye to her sister? And why couldn’t they contact Silverbloom Senior?’
“My sister…”
Roland, naturally, understood these implications. Her lips trembled, and a pleading expression surfaced on her pretty face, yet she couldn’t utter a word.
The shock that had just arrived left her unable to process the details. It felt as though Chiling was bidding her a permanent farewell, like a phantom phoenix.
If she had merely drawn a card, perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed strange. But Chiling’s farewell was a tribute to her sister.
The unease within Roland’s heart expanded infinitely.
‘How could Chiling have known her fate? How could Chiling have known? Hadn’t their relationship just improved?’
‘Now, only she can help!’
She clutched Lena’s hand tightly, her expression one of desperation.
‘Indeed, people only truly cherish what they have lost.’ After sensing the danger, a wrenching pain seized her chest, making even breathing difficult.
Lena, seeing the usually aloof Roland display such vulnerability for the first time, gripped her hand. After a moment of silence, she promised, “She will come to the banquet.”
Whether for Roland’s sake or her own, she had to find Chiling.
With that, she placed the comb flower down and turned to leave Roland’s villa.
Roland, in turn, was pulled and supported by her teammates behind her, entering the house.
By this point, Roland’s teammates finally understood why she had been so distraught today.
****
The evening in Vidona was no different from before. The streets lit up early, and black carriages slowly traversed the main road.
Ignoring the dilapidated buildings and scattered rubble, Vidona remained peaceful and serene tonight.
The scent of noble ladies’ perfume masked a faint smell of demon blood. The cacophony of conversations in her ears kept Lena from settling down.
‘Where would Chiling go?’
This question constantly plagued her mind. Finally, after a moment’s thought, she transformed into Silverbloom and headed towards Vidona’s Council Hall.
Governor Roy’s decisions during this period had been terrible, and he had severed ties with the demons. Coupled with what she had said at the Vidona celebration, Chiling was very likely to confront Roy directly.
Since the Council Hall was Roy’s usual office, finding Chiling there wouldn’t be a mistake.
As Silverbloom made her way to the Council Hall, she unexpectedly encountered an uninvited guest.
Her ink-green hair was combed over her stomach, and the Level 7 Hero, Skyfire, radiated an elegant and noble aura at all times, her soft hands clasped behind her back.
Upon seeing Silverbloom, she didn’t seem surprised at all. Instead, she greeted her, “Silverbloom Senior, you’ve arrived.”
‘What does this mean? Did she already know I would come?’
A hint of suspicion arose in Silverbloom’s heart, but she ultimately suppressed the urge to question, instead urging, “Quickly, Chiling should be in the Governor’s office. If we go now, we might still make it.”
She grabbed Skyfire’s wrist, intending to pull her towards the Council Hall. To her surprise, Skyfire remained unmoving and even gripped her hand back.
“There’s no need. Master will not lose,” Skyfire stated calmly, her confidence evident since she became Chiling’s student.
In her eyes, Chiling, as a Level 8 Council Member, was the strongest Hero among humanity. Her terrifying flames could incinerate all evil, making it impossible for ordinary demons to even approach her.
‘Only this time…’
“I’m worried.”
If Chiling could easily defeat the demon, she wouldn’t have said goodbye to Roland. Silverbloom understood this point.
So, seeing that Skyfire didn’t want to go with her to save Chiling, she didn’t insist. She simply released her hand and rushed straight towards the Council Hall.
However, the next second, Skyfire stood in her path.
She didn’t speak, but Silverbloom understood something.
Silverbloom clenched her fists, her expression turning rather grim. “Are you trying to stop me?”
“Master said to leave this matter to her.”
‘If she could truly defeat the demon, she wouldn’t have sent you to stop me.’
Chiling had long anticipated that Silverbloom would come looking for her, which was why she had sent Skyfire to intercept her here.
Yet, the more this happened, the more uneasy Silverbloom felt. It meant Chiling wasn’t confident in easily defeating the demon.
“Get out of the way.”
Her tone grew cold as she looked at Skyfire, the tenderness in her gaze now gone.
“Master can handle it. I trust her. Besides, if even Master can’t handle it, what good would it do for Senior to go?”
Skyfire spoke a cruel truth. “Senior, you only have Level 7 magic now, don’t you?”
Silverbloom lowered her head, speechless.
Level 7 Sage-level Heroes were highly sought after by various empires, considered the cream of the crop among humans. But now, she could do nothing.
If even a Level 8 Council Member couldn’t contend with the enemy, what use was a Level 7 Sage? What good would ‘helping Chiling’ do? It would only be suicide.
Silverbloom looked at her palms, her five fingers gently clenching. With each movement, even at Level 7, she still caught glimpses of Level 8 power. She just wanted to save Chiling.
Seeing that she still didn’t leave, Skyfire spoke of the past, “Silverbloom Senior, many years ago, I’ve always wanted to meet you.”
Silverbloom, still sensing the magical power within her body, looked up at Skyfire, who continued:
“Master used to mention you often in front of me. She said you were the strongest Hero, the one most deserving of the title. So I wanted to see what kind of person could impress Master so much.”
“”
‘But the reality disappointed me.’
After saying this, Skyfire’s gaze fell upon Silverbloom. After a long moment, she adopted a frivolous and mocking tone.
“When I came to Vidona, I thought I would witness the glory of the strongest Hero of the past. Yet all I saw was a Master who, after saving Vidona, would hide from her and refuse to meet her.”
She scoffed, her noble and elegant demeanor laced with a hint of acidity and harshness. “Are you really the Silverbloom Sword Princess? Or the Hero Master spoke of?”
In the past, even if Skyfire were angry, she wouldn’t have such an extreme emotional shift. But today, her disappointment in Silverbloom Senior made her lose some of her rationality.
‘Having spent so many years with Chiling, how could she not know the mortal danger Master was in? Other than executing Master’s orders, she could do nothing.’
‘If even a Level 8 Council Member couldn’t deal with the demon, she would only be a hindrance.’
She had a premonition that after today, she and Master would be separated by life and death.
The thought of her Master, who had accompanied her for so long, eventually leaving her, made her unconsciously resent the Silverbloom Senior before her.
‘Clearly, she, the strongest of the past, clearly Vidona’s crisis wouldn’t be a crisis if she didn’t fall. Master wouldn’t have to sacrifice herself. But why did she choose to abandon the path of a Hero, willing to live an ordinary life in this small city, letting Master bear everything silently?’
‘Moreover, she never understood why Master searched for her for over twenty years, yet Silverbloom never met her even before her sacrifice. Clearly, until the very last moment, Master was considering Silverbloom, wanting to save her. But with her strength already regressed to Level 7, what could she do to save Master?’
Not only did she resent Silverbloom, but she also resented herself. She hated herself for being too weak, too weak to even have the right to fight alongside Master.
Skyfire’s inner fury made her clench her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her flesh.
Silverbloom didn’t know what she was thinking. Her mind was filled with the question Skyfire had just asked her.
[Are you still the Silverbloom Sword Princess?]
In her heart, she already had a firm answer.
“I am no longer the Silverbloom of the past.”
“Is that so…”
Upon hearing this answer, Skyfire’s eyes filled with disappointment, and her anger completely transformed into it.
At the same time, the towering image of Silverbloom Senior in her heart crumbled, leaving only ruins.
She felt that her Master, Chiling, was not valued. Silverbloom was simply not worth her sacrificing her life to protect.
Perhaps, for many years, Master’s only mistake was not seeing what kind of person Silverbloom truly was.
Seeing that she didn’t speak, Silverbloom spoke again, “Get out of the way.”
“This is Master’s order.”
Skyfire no longer regarded Silverbloom as the senior she once admired. Her expression was cold, and her words were full of distance.
But even so, she still stubbornly carried out the orders Master had given her, preventing Silverbloom from approaching the demon that even Chiling found difficult to defeat.
“You will only get her killed.”
“But Senior, you survived, and this city survived, didn’t it? Don’t let her sacrifice be meaningless.”
Skyfire’s mouth felt dry. “She didn’t have to sacrifice herself.”
‘The current Silverbloom is cowardly and weak. If even a Level 8 Hero can’t defeat the demon, what can a Level 7 Hero do?’
Flames surged in her palm, golden fire glowing. “You are no longer the all-powerful Senior of the past. You can’t even defeat me.”
The more dangerous Chiling’s situation became, the more Silverbloom understood that wasting words was pointless.
A battle.
Silverbloom’s eyes gradually turned cold. Her gentle demeanor, usually as endearing as a cute rabbit, had changed so drastically that it stirred an endless stream of emotions within Skyfire.
However, she quickly composed herself, her long-held pride asserting itself. “Your aura cannot intimidate me. Defeat me, and only then will you have the right to seek Master.”
“Then, as you wish.”
Accompanied by a faint floral scent, Silverbloom’s magical energy began to drift through the space. Pure white flowers instantly bloomed in front of the Council Hall.
The passersby, who had already noticed the two, quickly retreated, finding a corner to hide.
‘Silverbloom and Skyfire are fighting?’
Confusion lingered in their minds. ‘Aren’t they both Heroes?’ They had initially been excited, considering asking for autographs, but the eerie atmosphere between the two women immediately intimidated them, rendering them immobile.
They had intended to persuade the two Heroes to calm down, but after seeing the swaying white flowers beside them, their words caught in their throats.
‘The usually gentle Silverbloom Sword Princess has been provoked. It seems things have reached an irreconcilable point. This battle cannot be stopped by their pleas.’
“I’ve long wanted to experience Senior’s prowess. I wonder how much of the strongest Hero’s past strength a Level 7 Senior can still unleash now?”
Flames ignited around Skyfire. As the pure white sea of flowers spread to her feet, golden flames incinerated the blossoms, preventing Silverbloom’s flower sea from ever touching her.
Silverbloom simply raised a hand and squeezed. Flower stems, capable of devouring life and magic, drilled out of the ground like vines, wrapping around Skyfire despite the scorching flames.
However, Skyfire was already prepared. Before the tiny thorns on the flower stems could pierce her skin, they were ignited by the scorching heat. She quickly broke free from the floral restraints.
With a cold snort, she was about to chant a spell when she saw Silverbloom cautiously spread her hands. In her palm floated a crystalline, translucent flower.
Forbidden Spell—Floral Burial.
She could clearly feel her life force connected to this flower. As long as the flower withered, she would die without resistance.
However, Silverbloom didn’t touch the flower. She merely looked at her calmly, as if stating that the outcome was already decided.
“Senior’s forbidden spells are so effortlessly cast. If we were truly enemies, I might only feel fear.”
In just a few breaths since the battle began, Silverbloom had cast two forbidden spells. Skyfire hadn’t even noticed when she had completed these forbidden spells.
The Flower Sea and Floral Burial—each was extremely difficult. If it were any other Level 7 Sage, they would likely be in an extremely dangerous situation.
However, for Skyfire, this was nothing to be concerned about.
‘It’s just a pity, these flowers…’ She looked at the flower in Silverbloom’s palm, then allowed the surrounding flames to engulf her.
Skyfire’s body was incinerated in the flames, and the flower connected to her life withered, causing Silverbloom to frown.
Skyfire couldn’t possibly commit suicide. Just as she had anticipated, a fiery red phoenix, entirely composed of flames, emerged from the inferno, drawing everyone’s attention.
Immediately after, as it spread its wings, it transformed into Skyfire.
Her attire was no different from before. Only the flames around her became even more vibrant, and a hint of clarity appeared in her crystalline eyes.
“Senior is immortal. Senior, surrender.”
Skyfire did not have any forbidden spells. As long as she maintained her flames, she could continuously regenerate her strength.
Silverbloom, unable to rank among the strongest Level 7 Heroes, was not one of them.
She had been frozen in place, unable to react, constantly devising countermeasures. This allowed Skyfire to seize the opportunity and cast her magical spell.
She immediately took out a scarlet feather, which shot out, completely igniting the sea of flowers. Silverbloom retreated continuously, a hint of unease in her expression.
No matter how she dodged, the flames clung to her. In a moment of carelessness, half of her sleeve was reduced to ashes, making her appear extremely disheveled.
Seeing that she no longer had the ability to fight back, Skyfire found it difficult to accept this reality.
‘Is this truly the strongest Hero of the past? Has she really fallen to this extent?’
“Senior, you are truly disappointing.”
What she had expected to be an evenly matched contest turned out to be a simple crushing defeat. The so-called ‘strong Hero’ had completely faded into the past with time.
Perhaps from the very beginning, she shouldn’t have hoped for Silverbloom Senior to be so powerful. Twenty years had made her forget how to fight.
“I will use one last forbidden spell to finish you off.”
She extended her hand towards Silverbloom, silently chanting a spell. The surging fire magic, like a pillar of light, shot straight into the sky, dyeing the clouds fiery red.
It was as if a gigantic meteor was about to fall, its terrifying oppressive force far exceeding Roland’s Shadow Star magic. At that moment, no matter what the city residents were doing, they subconsciously looked up at the sky. This apocalyptic sight made them turn pale with distress.
Forbidden Spell—Skyfire.
This was her signature forbidden spell, and also the origin of her title.
Soon, flames would rain down like drops, leaving Silverbloom Senior nowhere to escape.
If her target were not solely Silverbloom Senior, destroying an entire city with this move would be an easy feat.
As she thought this, a sudden sharp pain shot through her ankle.
She looked down to see a flower stem, wrapped around her ankle at some unknown point. Tiny needles on the stem had pierced her skin, siphoning her magic.
“Still struggling, Senior?” She chuckled, flames sparking from her fingertips, ready to ignite the flower stem.
But who knew, the moment the flame touched the flower stem, not only did it fail to ignite, it even grew rapidly. It instantly wrapped around her entire body!
Innumerable fine needles pierced her skin, and her internal magic was drained in the blink of an eye. Even the flames on her fingertips died down from lack of magic, and the fiery red forbidden spell in the sky was abruptly interrupted.
The residents of the city couldn’t help but let out a huge sigh of relief as the apocalyptic scene dissipated.
However, Skyfire was not so lucky. Her pretty face turned incredibly pale, and the cancellation of the forbidden spell caused her to suffer a backlash, making her spit out several mouthfuls of blood.
Before she could even react, the situation had reversed in an instant. Now, she was tightly bound by the flower stems, unable to move, no matter how she struggled.
The previously disheveled Silverbloom came before her, and with a somewhat flat, hoarse voice, said, “You lost.”
The panic and urgency that had been on her face earlier were gone, replaced by an eagerness to bypass Skyfire and rescue Chiling.
“…How did you do that?”
Drained of magic, Skyfire felt an indescribable exhaustion, wishing she could just collapse and sleep right there. But she couldn’t understand why Silverbloom Senior, who had just been in such a desperate situation, would so easily defeat her.
‘Where did that flower stem, which drained her magic, come from?’
“You were too careless,” Silverbloom explained.
‘Careless?’
Skyfire paused.
She then remembered that from the start of the battle, when she realized Silverbloom’s forbidden spells had no effect on her, she had seemingly dismissed her. Forbidden spells were powerful magic that only Level 7 Heroes could cast. If even these couldn’t harm her, then the absolute advantage in battle was in her hands.
This truth, learned from countless battles, also bred her arrogance and carelessness.
Even after seeing Silverbloom’s sleeve burned by the flames, she had harbored the thought that ‘Silverbloom Senior was nothing special.’
Now, it seemed that Silverbloom Senior’s earlier panic was clearly a pretense to mislead her into underestimating her, and she had fallen for it.
“So-called flowers and flames are merely manifestations of magic. Over-relying on the characteristics of fire magic will only put you at a disadvantage in battle.”
“Although flames can ignite a sea of flowers, a sea of flowers will never be completely burned away.”
Leaving that message, Silverbloom bypassed her and walked towards the Council Hall.
Skyfire stared blankly at the sea of flowers that had been burned by the flames. She saw several tender sprouts emerging from the bare ground. It was clear that these sprouts were what the flower stems grew from. She, in her naivety, had thought that once the sea of flowers was incinerated, it would never regenerate.
This battle had been entirely orchestrated by Silverbloom from the beginning.
Skyfire knew she was still too young, her combat experience far inferior to Silverbloom Senior’s.
But she wasn’t disappointed by her defeat. On the contrary, she was incredibly excited, for she had seen the shadow of the strongest Hero of the past in Silverbloom.
‘Perhaps she really can save Master…’
Remembering the countless miracles Silverbloom had created in that era, she clasped her hands, praying, praying that she would create another miracle today. Just one more time, just one time…
****
After defeating Skyfire, Silverbloom stood before the Council Hall’s door. She took a deep breath. Just as she was about to step inside, an extremely evil aura began to drift out from beneath the Council Hall.
Her heart sank. She took two steps back to the Council Hall’s main entrance. Then, a black aura, visible to the naked eye, seeped out from the cracks in the Council Hall’s bricks, slowly enveloping the entire building, while also continuously spreading outwards.
Just by lightly touching this aura, Silverbloom felt nauseous. At the same time, many absurdly grotesque and ugly thoughts arose in her mind.
‘This is an evil aura? It’s even more terrifying than a demon!’
As she pondered, a terrifying pillar of light shot straight into the sky from beneath the Council Hall. In the astonished gaze of countless people, a bloody gate connecting to Satan’s hell slowly opened at the top of the light pillar.