Chapter 11: The Fanatical Assassin

“Ptooey.”

Mary spat out Via’s blood, her face full of disgust.

“Clearly Lady Sylvia’s bloodline, yet steeped in the taste of incompetence and cowardice.”

“Mary, why are you doing this…?”

Via hugged her trembling leg; crystal tears overflowed from her eyes, like a rabbit battered by a storm.

Her appearance only displeased Mary further.

“Via, your existence is an eyesore. Someone needs you gone from this world.”

“You’re here to eliminate me?”

Via’s mind flashed to the banquet nobles’ talk.

To preserve the Holy Land’s purity, many wished her vanished.

Perhaps long ago, someone plotted her removal, planting Mary as an assassin at Avalon, lurking until now.

Today, the “accident” everyone welcomed had finally arrived.

“I won’t tell you which faction I serve,” Mary said coldly. “Just know: today, you die.”

“So all your kindness was fake…”

Via was deeply struck.

“What else? You think anyone in this world would look at you straight? Just seeing you smile at me daily made me want to vomit!”

Mary’s dagger sliced.

“Sniff sniff… Ah…!”

Via felt her arm chill; blood gushed.

“So weak.” Mary mocked.

“You… liar…”

Via despaired.

Teleport crystals useless; her combat worthless against Mary.

As Mary said, death was certain.

“One thing I didn’t lie about: I did meet Lady Sylvia. She encouraged me. Back then, filthy as I was, she approached, offered sincere blessings, gave me reason to live and struggle till now.”

Mary spread her arms.

Her eyes surged with twisted fanaticism; her expression sickly intertwined worship of Sylvia and loathing for Via.

“She was perfection, light of salvation! Yet you, inheriting her blood, are so unworthy. A defect like you breathing denies Lady Sylvia’s flawless perfection!”

“Ah…”

Via froze, mouth agape, speechless.

“Come on, prove yourself—use holy arts to heal! Prove it!”

Mary grabbed Via’s pink hair, pressuring by her ear.

“Move, or bleed out.”

“…”

Via closed her eyes in pain.

As Sylvia’s daughter, she could do nothing.

“As expected.”

Mary released Via’s hair disappointedly.

Raised the dagger, tip aimed at Via’s heart.

“Fate’s favor—personally handling… Hehe, the defiler of Lady Sylvia—vanish from this world!”

Mary’s weapon cut air, descending on Via.

At the critical moment, Via’s saintess pendant glowed.

Sacred light formed a barrier, blocking the fatal strike, repelling Mary.

“Holy art?” Mary couldn’t believe it.

How could she not recognize this aura?

Sylvia’s.

“This is…?!”

Via’s wounds slowly healed under the light.

The warmth felt nostalgic, like childhood with her sister, playing in flower fields beside Mother.

Back then, Mother gave them matching pendants.

“Mom!”

Via was thrilled—her late mother protected her.

She remembered her sister, still waiting.

She couldn’t die—must live!

She scrambled up, sprinting backward.

“Lady Sylvia’s relic—why protect this stain!”

Mary clutched her hair, voice hysterical with jealousy.

She screamed.

“Die!”

Clang clang clang!

Mary tried approaching, but the barrier repelled her.

She attacked ferociously like a raging beast.

Attacks were blocked, but the pendant’s light visibly dimmed.

Via realized it could block one key strike, but energy waned.

Once depleted, death came.

…

A cruel hunt unfolded in an unknown area.

“You can’t escape!”

After chasing, Mary spotted the pendant’s flaw; she infused mana into the dagger, activating inscribed runes, enchanting it purple, then threw with force.

“Snake Bite!”

The dagger became a purple venomous snake, crashing the barrier.

Crack!

A faint shatter chilled Via’s heart.

Exhausted from fleeing, her stamina neared limit.

The follow-up threw her off balance; her petite body flew, rolling down the slope.

Thud thud thud—

Via’s head banged rocks; consciousness blurred, past fragments flooding like a breached dam.

A demon boy and human girl clashed weapons.

Black and white blades intertwined.

The Demon King’s castle collapsed.

Boy and girl roared each other’s names.

Snap.

Via stopped rolling, half-open eyes feeling cold river water slapping her cheeks.

“Now, how will you escape?”

Mary grinned at Via in the stream.

“I…”

Via heard Mary’s approaching footsteps.

Bracing arms, she rose slowly; her blood fell into the water.

The surface reddened, again reflecting the demon boy.

“Go to hell.” Mary threw the dagger, sentencing Via’s death mercilessly.

“—!”

Hearing those words, Via’s pupils contracted; thunder exploded in her world, dispersing the fog over her heart.

Time seemed to slow.

The black-haired demon boy in her eyes faded; when the water’s reflection reformed, it was a pink-haired human girl.

The dream-blurred name clarified utterly.

She raised her hand, impossibly fast, catching the oncoming weapon.

“What?” Mary was stunned, thinking she saw wrong.

“Hehehe, hmhmhm, hahaha—!”

Via covered her cheeks, laughing loudly.

She finally knew.

The demon boy she saw wasn’t another—her own past, the Demon King humanity feared.

Pain ignored, she gripped the sharp blade, rising slowly, blood flowing, staring at Mary.

Thunder boomed, illuminating the gray sky.

“World, are you ready for my return?”