A white figure suddenly dropped down right in front of Via. It plummeted rapidly onto the Yamar River.
Splash!
Silver armor sent water spraying in all directions. The droplets flew high into the air before raining back down like a sudden shower.
The Silver Sword Princess clad in the Divine Might Armament slowly stood up. She let the rainwater wash over her armor.
She slowly raised her hand toward Via. Then she deactivated the outer armament, revealing her long rose-colored hair.
As expected, her premonition had been correct.
Via gazed at the person before her and spoke her sister’s name.
“Sophie.”
“It really is you, Via.”
Sophie’s red hair was wet from the water and hung down her back.
Even after deactivating the external armor, she maintained the Divine Might Armament. She stood firmly on the water’s surface as if it were solid ground.
“I’ve finally caught up to you.”
“You’ve been here waiting for me this whole time?” Via asked.
“That’s right. In the Holy Land, I heard about you from a certain titled knight. I immediately went to a city with teleportation arrays and teleported all the way to the Yamar Border. When you appeared in the south, I guessed you were most likely trying to leave the Saint Luo Empire.” Sophie didn’t hold anything back. “As expected, I was correct. Crossing the Yamar Border is the fastest way to the Desolate Fallen Continent. You would definitely force your way through the checkpoint. So all I needed to do was arrive here first and wait.”
Via’s gaze met Sophie’s. “You came specifically to intercept me?”
She felt that Sophie’s way of looking at her had changed dramatically compared to their last meeting in Kado City.
It was still complicated and filled with many emotions, but one thing was clear.
Sophie had made up her mind about something.
“Via, you cannot leave the Saint Luo Empire.”
“Hmph.”
Via let out a cold laugh.
“Do you really think I’m stupid? Forget about it. I won’t stay in the human world any longer. I don’t know why you haven’t reported me to the Holy Land, but I absolutely refuse to leave a weakness in someone else’s hands, living in constant fear every day. Especially when that person is you!”
“Then, Via, how do you see me now?” Sophie suddenly asked a difficult question.
“I…”
Via felt lost.
In her previous life, Demon King Ville and the Silver Sword Princess Selina were arch-enemies. But in this life, she and Sophie were sisters—the only family they had left.
As the Demon King, she shouldn’t harbor such unnecessary feelings. She could not place any expectations on humans.
She needed to sever this unwanted bond.
Yet when she had the chance to act, she had hesitated.
Along the way, she had thought about it a great deal but still hadn’t reached a final answer.
“Meow?”
Little Ha crouched beside Via and gently pawed at her with a paw.
Even the little yellow cat seemed confused about whether the human in front of Via was a friend or an enemy.
She had to give an answer.
Via clenched her small fist. She bit her lip, and her voice came out strained.
“I am the Demon King. Even though I was reborn as a human in this life, I haven’t forgotten anything from my previous life! I am returning to the Desolate Fallen Continent to reclaim my power. Don’t stand in my way!”
“I see. So you still identify as Demon King Ville.”
“That’s right!”
She would never deny that identity.
If she hadn’t regained her memories from her past life, she would have died long ago during that exam at Avalon Academy. Others didn’t know, but in a crisis, she…
“Via, after learning the truth that you are Demon King Ville, I was once lost in confusion.”
After a brief silence, Sophie began to voice her true inner thoughts.
“At the time, I had no idea how to handle it. I couldn’t confide in anyone else or seek answers.”
The red-haired girl lowered her head. Her bangs covered her eyes.
“When I didn’t know what to do, I went to the Land of Eternal Slumber in the Holy Land.”
“That’s…”
Via knew the place well. After her mother Sylvia passed away in this life, she had been buried in the Holy Land’s Land of Eternal Slumber.
Thinking of her mother Sylvia made Via feel like something was missing from her heart.
Her hatred toward humans was real.
But her childhood longing for her mother had also been real.
After Sylvia’s death, she had secretly cried many times alone.
“I went to visit Mother. I wanted to find the answer to what I should choose.”
Sophie sighed and lifted her head, gazing at the sky.
Dark clouds had covered the sun. The entire sky had turned gray and gloomy. Even the wind blowing over the river felt much colder.
“I am the heir to the Perfect Saintess, and I am also the Silver Sword Princess Selina. I must kill Demon King Ville, but… before she passed away, Mother told me to protect my little sister. I didn’t know what to do. These two things are completely contradictory. Choosing one side means abandoning the other.”
Via’s expression grew solemn as well.
The same question had been tormenting her too.
“But I realized these two things don’t actually conflict.”
The corners of Sophie’s mouth curved upward into a dangerous smile.
“Via, what is the way to change a person in such a short time?”
“What… is it?”
“Memories,” Sophie replied. “You regained your memories from your previous life, which is why you decided to embrace the abyssal aura. Without the Demon King’s memories, my sister would never do something so dangerous.”
“So what? This is the path I’ve chosen. Even if I die along the way, no one else has the right to criticize me!”
“You probably don’t know this, but among the saintess candidates, one has a very special talent—she can erase memories.” Sophie’s voice turned ice cold.
“You…”
Via’s eyes widened in shock.
“That’s right. I want both options. I will defeat you here, take you back, and erase all memories of Demon King Ville. That way, my Via will return to my side, just like before.”
Sophie grasped the silver sword floating beside her.
The light in her eyes vanished as a dangerous aura suddenly surged forth.
The older sister’s gaze toward her younger sister was filled with heavy solemnity.
“I will kill Demon King Ville and forever protect my most important sister, Via.”