He was forced to discard that finger.
Yet, even then, the demon Roy remained.
After a brief moment of panic, the colossal figure of Roy melted into the black mist.
Silverbloom, having lost her target, did not fret.
She softly chanted a spell, and the sea of flowers, whether on the streets or the residential buildings, enveloped Vidona in the blink of an eye.
Not only that, this time the sea of flowers was distinctly different from the previous one. The black pillar of light had vanished at some unknown point, and the gates of hell were now obscured by white clouds, with a faint blue hue emerging in the sky.
The black mist was dispelled, and warm sunlight cascaded down. Everything felt as if it had returned to normal. A gentle breeze stirred the swaying sea of flowers, carrying with it a rich, intoxicating fragrance. Vidona, too, became serene and peaceful, devoid of any pain.
White petals drifted with the wind, settling upon Lilia’s long hair.
She gazed blankly at the boundless sea of flowers before her, her mind filled with cherished memories.
Memories of escaping her family’s territory, meeting Aurora, knowing Lena, and encountering Orl before realizing her instructor was Silverbloom—a myriad of beautiful scenes flickered before her eyes.
Unconsciously, a smile bloomed on her lips, and her earlier worries for Silverbloom were completely forgotten.
Only after a long while did she fully regain her senses.
Beside her, Orl was giggling foolishly, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth, as if he were feasting on a delicious meal in a dream. Aurora, on the other hand, watched him with a gentle expression.
Those who had been kneeling on the ground earlier, now freed from their stupor, rose to their feet.
They walked through the sea of flowers, their faces alight with surprise, and hurried towards their homes.
“This is…”
Lilia knew this was the effect of the sea of flowers, which inexplicably soothed their inner fears. However, she simply could not comprehend this magic.
“It’s a domain,” Aurora explained.
Lilia turned her head curiously to look at her.
“Eighth-rank heroes can construct their own domains with magic. Silverbloom Senior’s domain is this sea of flowers. It makes people immerse themselves in cherished memories, and then, without realizing it, they die within those memories.”
Aurora’s understanding of Silverbloom’s magic was far greater than Lilia’s.
Once she finished explaining the flower sea domain, a wave of lingering fear welled up in Lilia’s chest.
“Don’t worry, Silverbloom Senior would never harm us.”
Aurora’s words reassured Lilia, who nodded, realizing her fear had been unfounded.
****
Meanwhile, after releasing her flower sea domain, Silverbloom let out a cold snort and clenched her hand in front of her.
“You cannot escape, no matter where you are, I can bring you here.”
Suddenly, countless pristine white flowers appeared not far in front of her. The demon Roy, who had hidden himself in the black mist, was now surrounded by these flowers, falling clumsily to the ground.
*Thump—*
The colossal body crashed into the sea of flowers, sending petals scattering in all directions. A rich fragrance instantly diffused through the air.
Silken flower tendrils wrapped around its body. Although the tiny thorns could not pierce its skin, its life force continued to drain away.
This was one of the differences between a domain and a simple sea of flowers. Even without direct contact with the target’s body, its life force would still be lost as long as it remained within the domain.
After a few seconds of lying prone on the ground, the demon Roy struggled to sit up.
“You, why do you make me remember those things?”
Its expression remained blank, but tears streamed from its terrifying eyes, wetting its cheeks.
The demon’s innate cruelty and ferocity receded for a moment, and it remembered the beautiful past when it was just Roy, an ordinary human.
Before coming to Vidona, he had a loving wife and a very cute daughter. His parents, though elderly, were still hale and hearty, capable of accompanying him for many years to come.
An ordinary person’s life was simple. He worked from dawn till dusk, shouldering the burden of his family alone. Though it was hard, the smiles on his family’s faces brought him immense satisfaction.
Until the territory’s forced conscription compelled him to enlist.
Before he left, his family came to see him off. Watching their tear-filled eyes, he knew he had to survive the battlefield.
And later, he succeeded.
Even with the insurmountable chasm of power between him and the mages, he survived their clutches and returned safely to his hometown.
He hadn’t seen his family for many years, and they were filled with anticipation, imagining the excited expressions they would show upon seeing him.
But that wasn’t how it happened.
Upon returning home, what he found was not his familiar family, but a dilapidated, ruined town. The small town had been destroyed by the magical fallout, and his family was gone.
The soldiers of the territory gave him a small bag of silver coins and told him to continue living, ideally to rejoin the army and serve the territory.
But he refused. He accepted the small bag of silver coins, clutching them tightly, unable to bear spending them, while simultaneously feeling lost about the future.
‘Should I seek revenge against those mages? What could an ordinary person like me even do?’
He sank into the despair of self-negation, spending a few days in a daze. Later, he was targeted by hooligans, and after a struggle, the silver coins he held were also stolen.
In his utter despair, he met a demon.
These were Roy’s memories.
The demon, Roy, shed tears. The rotting flesh, and the eternal wisp of soul that had transformed him into a demon, still held these memories, but the emotion of sorrow had vanished.
“Family, love, friendship—I no longer need these things!”
Roy seemed enraged by these words. He completely opened his massive maw.
“Now, all I want is to devour you!”
Innumerable black tentacles erupted from his throat, shooting towards the flower petals. But Silverbloom remained unhurried, slicing them one by one with the Holy Sword in her hand.
As the master of the domain, the demon Roy’s eyes instantly sharpened. The more deeply one suffered, the easier it was for demons to bewitch them.
After suffering such a blow, if no one could have saved him, he might not have ended up like this today… He might not have walked this path. Unfortunately, there are no ‘ifs’ in this world.
“Heh, I stopped being human long ago. I don’t need them anymore.”
Roy’s words stirred a faint anger within Silverbloom, and the Holy Sword let out a mournful cry.
She transformed into a streak of sword light, attacking the demon Roy.
The tentacles were utterly ineffective against Silverbloom, being severed by the Holy Sword. Instead, they emerged from its throat, shooting towards Silverbloom, only to be cut down by the Holy Sword.
Unperturbed, Silverbloom wielded the Holy Sword, severing all the black tentacles one by one.
She could also see Roy’s memories. She could feel the demonic energy growing deeper and deeper, eventually consuming everything.
A black orb, exuding an ominous aura, began to rotate, swallowing everything that approached its vicinity.
As an eighth-rank demon, it also possessed a domain, named ‘Gluttony’. However, it did not use it to attack Silverbloom, but rather as a defensive measure.
It merely needed to prolong the fight until Silverbloom’s body collapsed.
Silverbloom naturally discovered this point. After many attempts with various spells failed to breach the Gluttony domain, she gradually ceased her attacks.
The pain brought by the magic flowing through her body caused sweat to bead on her forehead, and her hand gripping the sword hilt began to tremble. Soon, she would no longer be able to endure the agony of battle.
She knew that she would die before the demon Roy if this continued.
Clenching her pearly teeth, she closed her eyes and once again chanted a spell. Alongside the wafting fragrance, she felt the presence of another life within her domain.
Simultaneously, the demon Roy’s rage caused its bloated body to writhe violently.
“Urgh!”
“What, what is this?”
A strange, indescribable pain spread through its body. It felt as if its own flesh had formed an inexplicable connection with the Silverbloom before its eyes…
In its confusion, it saw Silverbloom raise the Holy Sword and, without hesitation, slash at her own left wrist.
*Aargh—!*
Blood gushed from the severed limb, soaking half of Silverbloom’s dress. Her face completely drained of color, even her lips turning pale.
*Self-mutilation?*
“Ah-ah-ah-ah—!”
Before any thoughts could form in its mind, a sharp pain erupted from the demon Roy’s arm, making it howl.
Then, it looked up in horror, only to see its own left arm had been inexplicably severed. The wound was covered in flames, making it impossible to reattach its limb.
At this point, it finally understood what that strange feeling had been.
‘This madwoman actually wants to kill me by harming herself!’
Due to blood loss and pain, Silverbloom’s vision blurred for a brief moment.
She gasped for air, gazing at the demon before her, and slowly raised the Holy Sword once more.
This time, she aimed for her own heart.
“Madwoman, you’re a lunatic!”
The demon Roy cursed frantically, while Celia, Lilia, and Aurora’s pupils constricted, their hearts leaping into their throats.
“Silverbloom Senior, no!”
They cried out in alarm, begging Silverbloom not to kill herself. However, the scene that unfolded next left Celia kneeling on the ground, unable to believe her eyes.
The sword, imbued with silver magic, pierced Silverbloom’s heart without resistance. Blood spilled from the wound, thoroughly staining her dress.
A violent surge of magic erupted from her, tearing a gaping hole in the demon Roy’s chest, as if to rip its body apart.
Its aura merely weakened slightly, showing no major damage, while Silverbloom’s body completely dissipated into starlight within the sea of flowers.
The demon Roy burst into laughter.
“This corpse has no heartbeat! The magic you transmitted can’t kill me at all!”
“Silverbloom Senior…”
Celia stared blankly at Silverbloom’s disappearing form, her hands clutching the flower stems, unable to accept this outcome.
Her eyes instantly reddened. She struggled to get up, wanting to search for Silverbloom’s trace, but Aurora pulled her back, gripping Lilia’s arm. Lilia, in a moment of utter joy, spoke with a trembling voice:
“The sea of flowers, the sea of flowers hasn’t dissipated yet!”
Lilia paused, then her face lit up with delight.
If Silverbloom Senior had truly perished, this magically constructed flower domain would naturally vanish.
Therefore, she was still alive!
As expected, moments later, a colossal flower bud appeared in the center of the sea of flowers.
Warm sunlight fell upon it. When the flower bloomed, a perfectly unharmed Silverbloom emerged from its heart.
However, she had barely taken a few steps before she collapsed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, her gaze unfocused.
“Your body has reached its limit, hasn’t it?”
The demon Roy scoffed with a cold smile.
“The ultimate victor was decided from the very beginning. If you had joined us back then, why would you end up like this?”
“It’s laughable how someone like you, deeply mired in the same predicament as me, still tries to struggle out of it.”
Propping herself up with the Holy Sword, Silverbloom struggled to stand. Her hair, matted with sweat, clung to her face, and her pristine dress was quickly soiled.
Lilia, Celia, and Aurora watched her from afar. Though they couldn’t discern her expression, their hearts ached for her.
“Laugh, why don’t you?”
Silverbloom gasped for breath. “When your family sees you like this, they’ll only be disappointed, won’t they?”
“My family? They died decades ago.”
The demon Roy’s tone grew calm. It was no longer a demon, but the living soul of a human named Roy.
As Silverbloom spoke, Roy’s enormous eyes seemed to recall something, and his fury reignited.
“I heard about you a long time ago, Silverbloom Sword Princess. You were gentle and kind, benevolent and selfless, unlike other heroes. If my family hadn’t died, I might have worshipped you and seen you as my faith, just like them.”
“But now, your gentleness and kindness only sicken me. You saved so many people back then, yet you chose not to save me. Why, why were you so unfair?!!”
Hearing its words, Silverbloom understood. “They died before.”
Its voice faded, as if in that moment, the demon was a human. At that time, what still lived was merely the castle’s…
‘Demons won’t save me. They’ll only help me get revenge, and the price… Roy is already dead. What more price could there be?’
“You doing this will only kill more innocent people.”
“But this is what I want to do! The pain I’ve endured, they must experience it firsthand!”
The demon Roy laughed uproariously. Silverbloom, seizing its moment of complacency, stepped into its domain.
‘Truly seeking death…’
Without hesitation, it opened its maw and swallowed Silverbloom whole.
Lilia, who witnessed this scene, clapped her hands over her mouth in horror, only managing to stay upright with Aurora’s support.
Once inside its belly, Silverbloom felt her magic being frantically absorbed. The light on the Holy Sword’s blade would soon dim.
However, she felt no panic. On the contrary, she was extremely calm.
She had deliberately allowed the demon Roy to swallow her.
Her left hand caressed the back of her right hand, where the magic pattern gradually grew warm. Silverbloom’s expression became complex.
“Sophia…”
Whispering her name softly, she completely released the suppression, allowing the ninth-rank magic power from the magic pattern to surge into her body.
A more, an even more intense pain caused her eyes to black out, nearly making her faint. But in the next second, this power was absorbed by the demon Roy, flowing into its body.
After swallowing Silverbloom, the demon Roy immediately dispelled the Gluttony domain, licking its lips.
“The perfect sustenance for the Sin Lord! It certainly tastes excellent, perhaps even allowing me to refine my control over the residents of Vidona.”
It grinned widely, its gaze fixed on the desperate and sorrowful faces of Lilia, Celia, and Aurora.
Its entire body felt a tremor. The castle’s walls seemed to loosen, threatening to truly…
‘Does it taste good? Better than that woman before?’
Its body, bloated from absorption, grew even more sluggish. Yet, gradually…
Many moments passed. The demon, swollen to the point where it could barely move, realized something terrible.
‘I’m going to be burst open by magic!’
Realizing this, it frantically tried to reach its hand into its mouth to pull Silverbloom out, but its obese body made it impossible.
“No, no, no…”
Due to its extreme corpulence, its eyeballs sank into darkness. In a panic, it directly vomited Silverbloom out.
However, how could Silverbloom allow it to do that?
After some concealment, the demon Roy’s magic still showed no signs of depletion. Its body, however, could no longer bear the strain, swelling to the point where it was difficult for it to move.
It was going to explode!
Just as it reached its limit, with a whoosh, the demon’s body exploded. Its flesh and blood flew in all directions across Vidona.
It was like a shower of blood and flesh. The people caught in the downpour were covered in blood, and the raw meat stuck to them, making them bend over, unable to stop retching.
However, the demon’s terrifying oppressive presence quietly dissipated. Their hearts no longer felt the grip of death, and they slowly raised their heads.
Sure enough, the demon that had descended with them had vanished. Despair, which had shrouded their hearts, now gave way to peace.
“Is this… we won?”
“We’re saved, we’re saved!”
The people who had survived the battle began to cheer. They firmly believed that Vidona, with the Silverbloom Sword Princess, could never be destroyed.
The miracle she created more than twenty years ago, she could still create today.
They began to loudly chant the name of the Silverbloom Sword Princess, searching for her trace on the streets. However, what they didn’t know was that in a corner near the council hall, Silverbloom now lay in the arms of a red-haired woman, on the verge of unconsciousness.
What kept her conscious was the intense pain throughout her body.
Chiling cautiously touched Silverbloom’s body with magic, and her heart clenched. The look in her eyes, as she gazed at the woman in her arms, was filled with heartache and self-reproach.
‘Tattered’ was the perfect word to describe her current body. If that powerful magic were to transgress any further, her body would completely collapse. At that point, no one could save her.
Her dark vision was once again illuminated by light. A trembling, semi-conscious Silverbloom vaguely felt some warmth, allowing her to see flickering flames in the air. The demon’s remaining flesh and blood were being burned away inch by inch. The woman holding her looked somewhat like Chiling.
But for the first time, she didn’t want to break free from the illusion, because in this illusion, Chiling was still alive.
Her eyes stung. She wanted to raise her hand to touch Chiling’s face, but her limbs had long lost all sensation. Besides pain, she felt nothing else.
She felt her body was like it had been submerged in water, becoming unlike her own. It was a little cold, and a little heavy.
“It hurts so much…” she murmured softly, her mouth full of a metallic sweetness.
She didn’t know what the woman holding her had done, but the faint warmth in her body slightly alleviated her pain.
“You didn’t have to come save me. I could have handled it.”
Chiling’s familiar voice entered Silverbloom’s ears. She bit her lip lightly and replied, “You’re lying. Clearly…”
“She’ll die too.”
Still stubborn, Silverbloom nestled in her arms. Before losing consciousness completely, she whispered apologetically, “I’m sorry… I didn’t protect you well.”
After a moment of silence, the woman holding her let out a soft chuckle.
Chiling’s voice echoed in this corner, but Silverbloom in her arms had already fallen into a coma, losing all response.
‘If the flame never extinguishes, I will not perish. So many years have passed, have you forgotten?’
Looking down at her face, Chiling’s smile slowly faded. Even after defeating a formidable enemy, Silverbloom’s face showed no trace of a smile. All that remained was sorrow and desolate melancholy.
Her heart clearly still held a place for her old friend, yet they hadn’t met for over a decade. In the past, Chiling might have been puzzled, but now…
She looked at the back of Silverbloom’s right hand. Indeed, it was empty, but there was a delicate magic pattern there.
“A demon race?”
She murmured, seemingly understanding why Silverbloom had always refused to return to the council hall. She always silently shouldered everything herself.
Her gaze once again fell upon Silverbloom’s perfectly flawless face. Chiling’s mind raced, memories surging like a tide. The time seemed to rewind to the past, countless precious moments.
“Finally, I see you again, Silverbloom…”
She held the person in her arms tightly, her words carrying a longing that spanned over twenty years.