Gabriella lunged forward in a single burst, swinging her sword at the Demon King.
But to avoid actually harming Lady Isabella, she deliberately aimed off-target, making it look as though the Demon King had effortlessly dodged.
WHOOSH——!
She then leaped back as if trading blows with a master.
Isabella seemed to finally realize they were putting on a performance.
To make sure the Demon King understood, Gabriella mouthed another hint.
They were barely ten meters apart; a distance at which neither Tina nor Philina could possibly notice the silent exchange.
The pained, conflicted expression on Isabella’s face vanished, replaced first by startled realization, then by deep worry.
Gabriella charged again at blinding speed, forcing Isabella to spread her wings and match her rhythm.
Silver flashes intertwined with black-gold auras.
The clash of two supreme powers carved a dazzling, spiraling trail across the sky, leaving demons and humans alike breathless.
Everyone recognized this as a battle between titans and wisely stayed out of it.
In reality…
Neither Gabriella nor Isabella was using even a fraction of their true strength.
They simply flew in circles, keeping pace with each other, occasionally waving their hands or weapons around, pretending to fight.
To the demons and the humans watching, it looked like a fateful duel between equals.
Yet something felt increasingly off to Gabriella.
Isabella was holding back far too much. She kept flying but showed no intention of actually striking.
Her expression remained one of pure worry; she wouldn’t even meet Gabriella’s eyes.
She wasn’t even using twenty percent of her power.
Does this idiot Demon King not know how to act at all?!
Gabriella’s manifested silver-white wings kept her locked in mock aerial combat with Isabella.
While they soared high enough that no one below could see clearly, Gabriella pulled the Demon King even higher.
Just as she was about to speak and explain the plan, Isabella finally seemed to catch on and conjured a fireball.
But it was a pitiful little fireball—one Gabriella could tank with her bare body.
She’s seriously planning to attack me with that?
It was like two peerless masters weaving through the clouds in a life-or-death duel, only for one of them to suddenly pull out a squirt gun.
To make the act more convincing, Gabriella swung her sword.
Her silver sword qi sliced the fireball clean in two, splitting the sky once more.
A silver-white waterfall cascaded across the heavens.
The bisected fireball exploded into a blazing sun.
Under its glow, the Demon King’s Castle reflected a fiery orange-red light, as though the sun were setting.
Gabriella was just about to praise Lady Demon King for finally getting it~ when Isabella simply… stopped attacking and stared blankly at her.
“Wait… ?!”
Gabriella nearly died of frustration. She spoke loud enough for only Isabella to hear:
“Lady Isabella, attack me right now!”
Isabella’s eyes widened as if another lightbulb had finally flickered on.
The two instantly separated.
Black miasma coiled around Isabella’s delicate frame.
Power gathered in her left hand before she unleashed a dark-golden magic cannon.
When she released it, the blast shot forward like a slingshot pellet, streaking straight toward Gabriella.
A deafening BOOM of a sonic explosion tore through the air, the shockwave scattering the clouds.
Still a bit weak.
But it should be enough to “hurt” me.
If the fight dragged on any longer, more and more demons would join in, and acting would become impossible.
So Gabriella deliberately acted too slow to react. She released her holy sword and took the cannon head-on with her body.
KABOOM——!
The magic cannon detonated, a blinding flash swallowing Gabriella whole.
Her cloak and the black dress underneath couldn’t withstand the blast and began to shred.
A mild burning sensation made Gabriella’s brows furrow slightly.
Her left arm felt like it had been struck by a soccer ball—mildly painful, but nothing more.
Time to “lose”~
Gabriella let go of her holy sword.
The silver power cloaking her body collapsed all at once.
Like a bird shot out of the sky, she plummeted from hundreds of meters up.
She closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of freefall, ears filled with Tina’s desperate cries and the demons’ cheers of victory.
She thought the performance was finally over and that the Demon King would simply pick her up and carry her away, but then—
“Gabriella!”
Before she hit the ground, Isabella caught her in her arms.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
Isabella frantically parted the shredded fabric to check Gabriella’s body, her voice thick with guilt and panic.
Only when Gabriella cracked open one eye and slightly parted her cherry lips did Isabella seem to realize what was happening.
By then, they had already landed.
Gabriella was actually pretty satisfied with the outcome.
Though she had no idea why the Demon King had suddenly hugged her, they had landed at just the right distance—not too close, not too far.
No one could overhear them here.
But before Gabriella could speak, Isabella asked in a tone that was thirty percent anger and seventy percent confusion:
“Why betray me… and then deliberately lose to me, Gabriella?”
“……” For a moment, Gabriella didn’t know how to answer.
Because from start to finish, Isabella genuinely hadn’t realized they were acting!
“Are you an idiot?!”
Utterly exasperated, Gabriella’s face flushed crimson as those were the only words that escaped her lips.
Isabella’s expression shifted from shock to understanding, and finally to worry.
She knelt on the ground, gently caressing Gabriella’s cheek, letting her lean against her.
Her own face turned red as she stammered, “I-I just wanted to make sure… I really thought you were serious! So that’s how it was… But why fight at all?”
“If you defeat me—the Silver-White Sword Empress—in front of everyone, the humans will finally understand how powerful you are.”
Gabriella sighed.
“Alright, you can let go of me now.”
“Ah…”
Isabella nodded, but showed no sign of releasing her.
Fortunately, the lingering smoke from the magic cannon explosion still shrouded them, hiding their intimate position from view.
“W-what should I do next?”
Gabriella looked at her with utter disappointment.
“Idiot Lady Demon King, you just defeated the Silver-White Sword Empress. What comes next?”
“…I…”
Isabella remembered what she had once done to Gabriella and truly didn’t want to repeat it.
“Just chain me up,” Gabriella quickly offered, seeing her hesitation.
“I understand!”
…
When the smoke finally cleared, the kneeling Gabriella gradually came into view of both knights and demons.
Her cloak had vanished in the battle.
Her tattered dress exposed the snowy skin of her waist, and her ruined white stockings were streaked with dust, making her look utterly pitiful.
A collar of dark shackles locked around her slender neck, connected by chains that the Demon King held firmly in her hand—forcing the girl with lifeless eyes to gaze up at her victorious mistress who looked down upon her from above.
“Ah~♡”
My body… is burning…
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