Chapter 59 : Sorry, I’m late

Estelle tried to cover her ears, but it was useless—the crying and wailing seemed to pierce straight into her soul.

Deeply, she furrowed her willow-shaped brows.

The girl felt as if her brain was being violently stirred by a stick.

The sharp, pulsing pain and dizziness made her instinctively close her right eye.

One hand pressed against her temple, the other rested on the sword at her waist.

She had to… end this!

Suppressing the discomfort coursing through her body, Estelle moved.

She first put down Milly, then struggled to stand.

Milly had already fallen into some kind of hallucination.

Estelle didn’t have the ability to dispel such negative effects.

The priest who could purify had been taken out first.

So now, the only way to solve this was to cut off the source entirely—this was the only option left!

Estelle circled around the formless Human-figure Demon, drawing its attention to herself.

She had to move the battlefield away from Milly.

The demon was indeed drawn to her.

The huge, bamboo-like creature took long strides with its slender legs and chased after the silver-haired girl.

However, it wasn’t fast.

Even with its unusually long legs, it couldn’t catch up to Estelle.

Using her speed advantage and nimble, delicate frame, Estelle constantly dodged the demon’s claw-like, withered branches.

The Human-figure Demon laughed wildly, like a child chasing a butterfly.

It wasn’t in a hurry to kill Estelle or Milly.

To it, they were merely toys.

After leading the demon into an open space, Estelle dodged a swipe and leapt onto its arm, stepping firmly as she made her way toward its neck.

Her silver-gray longsword shimmered with magical power.

Channeling all her mana into the blade, she swung out a dense arc of magical energy.

The radiant swordlight pierced the demon’s neck, carving out a massive gash.

Such a wound would be a death sentence for any human or beast, but this black shadow wasn’t human or beast—it was a demon, defying the logic of the real world.

Because this was something that shouldn’t exist in this world!

After passing the demon, Estelle turned to look back—but what she saw drained her strength.

The massive gash she had cut, powered by nearly all her remaining magic, was now being sealed by countless red and blue threads weaving themselves back together.

Seeing this filled her with a helpless despair, but as she hit the ground and tried to stand again, she realized her body was trembling.

“What… what’s wrong with me?”

Estelle couldn’t understand.

Milly had fallen into a cursed state the moment the gray-white haze descended, but Estelle had remained ‘normal.’

No—she wasn’t truly normal.

The curse just seemed to progress more slowly in her.

Now that it had broken through, Estelle’s hands and legs weakened, her breath came in short gasps, and her heartbeat grew irregular.

Sweat broke out over her pale, delicate skin.

The demon’s neck had already healed.

It roared in fury, then swung its massive palm down toward Estelle with crushing force.

Seeing the dark hand coming closer, Estelle forced her body to move.

Bang!!!

She barely dodged the blow.

The shattered stones kicked up by the impact struck her fragile body, and some of the sharper fragments grazed her brow, drawing a thin line of blood.

The Human-figure Demon immediately struck again with a claw.

This time, Estelle wasn’t so lucky—her petite frame was sent flying backward.

Her silver-gray longsword was stuck in the ground a meter away.

She wanted to get up, to grasp the sword that meant so much to her, but her whole body ached terribly.

Over ninety-nine percent of her core magic had been expended and was now in a cooldown phase.

Once core magic enters cooldown, it takes a good while to fully recover.

But Estelle was in a critical moment.

She tried to move her hand but could only shift forward less than ten centimeters.

“Ugh, it hurts so much…”

Her entire body ached so badly she wanted to die.

The Human-figure Demon laughed wildly, then stepped onto the An Ling flower, passing through the swarm of Blue Fireflies.

It reached out, ready to grab Estelle—this toy was about to be played with thoroughly.

Estelle was still lucid, but her body trembled uncontrollably.

She couldn’t move, only watching the hand draw nearer.

“…Am I going to die?”

The taste of blood, the pain, even her thoughts told her death was near.

If she died, the pain would stop.

She wouldn’t have to struggle to prove herself anymore…

“But I don’t want to die.”

Tears blurred Estelle’s vision as memories flooded her mind.

When her mother said the sword was a crude imitation, she felt a suffocating fear—a feeling she had never experienced before, an emotion she had never known.

This demon had forced the emotion of fear deep into Estelle’s hollow heart.

The once ignorant and fearless girl now felt profound terror of death and failure.

This fear had stripped away her self-control—that was the effect of the gray-white haze.

The demon fed on human souls for these very negative emotions.

Tears traced paths down Estelle’s cheeks, and as her vision cleared, she froze.

A figure clad in heavy Board-armor punched the Human-figure Demon, sending it flying back…

Who was that?

Silver armor, a long black tail trailing behind, and a pair of black horns protruding from the helmet.

Was she a demon too?

But why did she save me?

Estelle could only watch as the Board-armored Figure approached, speaking in a gentle female voice.

“Your name is Estelle, right…”

“Does it hurt?”

“I’m sorry… I’m late…”

The armored woman produced a clear bottle, opening it and pouring water into Estelle’s mouth.

“It’s alright. Nothing will happen with me here.”

Her voice was firm and resolute.

“…”

After drinking the holy water, which had both curse-breaking and healing properties, Estelle felt her pain ease.

Everything was getting better.

Was it the water?

So miraculous.

The armored woman lifted the small silver-haired girl and found a corner wall, gently setting Estelle down.

The gloved hand tenderly wiped away the tears from the girl’s eyes.