Why?
Why was Sophie the Silver Sword Princess?
Wasn’t the Silver Sword Princess supposed to be her arch-enemy, Selina?
Via saw the scene unfolding before her; she widened her eyes, as if struck by five thunderbolts.
She hoped she was dreaming.
But this was reality.
At this moment, the one using the Divine Might Armament was her twin sister, Sophie.
In this battle, she had already prepared herself mentally to send her arch-enemy to hell in this life, eliminating any future threats.
But after seeing her sister’s face, she hesitated.
What should she do now?
“Divine Might Armament!”
Sophie, lying on the ground, raised her head and glared at the Demon King before her.
Via suddenly felt a chill down her back; she turned around and found a silver sword had already flown behind her.
It turned out that during her moment of hesitation, Sophie had controlled the Divine Might Armament to launch a counterattack.
She had no time to defend and was immediately struck by the Divine Might Armament’s flying sword, sent flying.
“Ville, you shouldn’t have hesitated back then. You missed a chance to kill me.”
Sophie slowly stood up.
Her faceplate had already shattered, so there was no need to hide; she used her original voice.
Five swords hovered around the red-haired girl; she gripped her weapon anew, her killing intent toward the Demon King undiminished.
「Beep! Beep! Beep!」
The Demon King Armament’s system alarm rang in Via’s ears.
The energy was critically low; clearly, this battle couldn’t drag on any longer.
The fight with Sophie had consumed far too much.
Moreover, her Abyssal Force was nearly depleted, and soon she wouldn’t be able to drive the Demon King Armament.
The pink-haired girl was already in utter turmoil.
What choice should she make?
Kill Sophie here and end the Silver Sword Princess’s life forever, or temporarily withdraw from here?
She didn’t know.
But on the surface, she still didn’t show it, feigning composure as best she could, trying not to let the other see her wavering.
“I never expected you’d turn into this form. No wonder you’re so much weaker.”
“What I’ve become doesn’t matter. What matters is you, Ville—today, I will take your life.”
Golden holy power surged from Sophie’s body.
Although she had taken the hit from Desolate Fire earlier and looked far from optimistic, having sustained serious injuries.
But she had inherited Sylvia’s bloodline, and her use of holy power far surpassed other clerics.
“Healing Spell.”
Without needing much prayer time, her injuries were healed; this efficiency was truly astonishing.
Among her peers as clerics, even the other saintess candidates couldn’t achieve such high efficiency.
“Blessing Sacred Art · Strength.”
“Blessing Sacred Art · Speed.”
“Blessing Sacred Art · Endurance.”
“Blessing Sacred Art · Perception.”
“Blessing Sacred Art · Mental Fortitude.”
“Blessing Sacred Art · Physical Resistance.”
“Blessing Sacred Art · Magical Resistance.”
Via watched as Sophie continuously used blessing sacred arts to buff herself; she knew she absolutely couldn’t hesitate like this any longer.
This application of blessing holy power would continuously consume holy power; stacking so many blessing sacred arts together couldn’t be maintained for long.
Clearly, Sophie intended to apply multiple blessing sacred arts at once and resolve the battle in an extremely short time.
The other was getting serious.
“Desolate Fire!”
Via fully stimulated Desolate Fire; the black flames erupting from the demonic blade were like a fountain, overflowing around her and distorting the space itself.
She used Desolate Fire to control the overwhelming black flames, swinging them forward.
“Divine Might Five Swords · Unite!”
The five swords of the Divine Might Armament overlapped into one, becoming the sole silver sword; at the same time, Sophie’s sword intent stacked together.
She had bet everything on the next strike.
Facing the black torrent of flames, she stepped forward and slashed upward.
The two completely mutually exclusive forces collided; in an instant, Kado City shook with earth-shattering force, the exploding energy nearly flipping half the city into the sky.
Boom—!!
After the explosion lasting dozens of seconds, the terrifying waves finally subsided gradually.
“Huff… Huff…”
The Divine Might Armament on Sophie’s body had reached its limit and deactivated.
She half-knelt on the ground, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat dripping to the earth, her breathing becoming erratic.
If not for applying so many blessing sacred arts earlier, she probably would have fallen in that clash.
“It’s not over yet… Ville’s aura… is still there…”
The red-haired girl gritted her teeth, using the silver sword to support her body and stand up.
In the dust, she saw a figure collapsed on the ground.
No mistake—it was her arch-enemy, the Demon King Ville.
The other was still alive; she had to advance and deliver the finishing blow.
This time, she would send Ville to hell for sure.
“It’s over!!”
Sophie gripped the silver sword with both hands, raising it high, and lunged into the dust.
Time seemed to slow down; countless scenes from the past flashed before her eyes—those were memories from her previous life.
From her first meeting with Ville, to their subsequent encounters, dreaming of the future.
Until one day, Ville’s temperament changed drastically, igniting the war between demons and humans; her orphanage was destroyed by the war.
At that time, she knew that no matter what happened, right or wrong didn’t matter.
Between her and Ville, there could only be one outcome.
“Die, Ville!!”
Sophie stepped on the fallen person; her sword slashed down, parting the dust.
She had thought that in this life, she could completely end Ville’s life, concluding this tangled grudge.
But she saw the scene she least wanted to see.
The pink-haired girl beneath her was looking at her with a complex gaze—unmasked hatred, and an attachment hard to sever.
This was none other than her most important kin in this life, Via.
Clang!
The silver sword stabbed into the ground, its edge falling almost grazing Via’s cheek; if it had deviated even slightly, her life would have ended here.
“Sophie…”
Tears welled up in Via’s eyes; she uttered her sister’s name.
“…”
Sophie’s pupils trembled.
Her mind went blank; all her previous rage vanished completely.
The true identity of the Demon King Ville in this life was actually her twin sister.
Her undying arch-enemy from the past had become her sister in this life.
“Via, why did it have to be you?”