Chapter 10: Crimson Oath

The aura of the person before her was so familiar—did she actually know this guy?

But now, the pain stabbing through her heart left Mò Zhī unable to think of anything else.

She knew that the man in the heavy armor before her was definitely the mastermind behind the massacre of her hometown.

No matter who he was, no matter the reasons behind his actions, he must pay the price for everything he had done!

Her jet-black hair flicked up, and the pair of small black horns on her forehead fully emerged.

Her sharp claws dug deep into the dirt, and her pointed fangs seemed capable of tearing the world apart.

This was the first time she had ever bared her fangs to someone, the first time her gaze could be this fierce toward a human.

At this moment, Mò Zhī resembled exactly the cat demon from human legends—razor-sharp claws, fangs, and a terrifying visage.

“Heh, so you really are a monster.”

Seeing Mò Zhī in this state, the man clad in heavy armor sneered coldly before beginning to chant rapidly.

This cat demon’s abilities were unusual.

It moved so fast that even flying arrows appeared to crawl like turtles to it. Its claws were so sharp they could easily pierce through his steel armor.

He knew he stood no chance against her, but fortunately, he had already prepared a trap, waiting precisely for this uncontrollable cat demon to step into it.

He plunged his silver sword into the ground and recited a few simple incantations. Suddenly, dozens of black magical runes appeared around Mò Zhī.

She paid no mind to the strange runes.

Her head was already clouded with rage.

As long as she could kill this culprit, she cared not about any cost—even her own death.

“Ha!!!”

With another fierce exhale, her figure flashed forward and appeared directly in front of the man.

Yet he showed no intention of dodging.

Her sharp claws aimed straight for the man’s neck, but before she could touch him, a streak of black lightning struck her.

“Ughhh!!”

With a cry of pain, Mò Zhī collapsed in front of him.

Her body smoldered with black smoke, and the black-and-white maid outfit she wore was singed black from the lightning strike.

The lightning seemed to have drained all her strength.

Now, even moving a single finger required all her remaining energy.

“Damn… you! I’ll kill you!”

She shouted weakly, then summoned the last of her strength to swipe her claw against the man’s armor, leaving only a faint white scratch.

“You damned monster, weren’t you so fast just now?!”

The man lifted his foot and ruthlessly kicked Mò Zhī’s abdomen.

The searing pain shot through her mind, but she no longer had the strength to scream.

She could only whimper softly as a mouthful of fresh blood spilled out.

That kick was far from enough to quench the fury born from losing an eye.

He bent over, looking down at the dying figure on the ground.

Blood dripped from inside his helmet, drop after drop landing on Mò Zhī’s cheek.

“I wanted to end this quickly by killing you, but you damned creature had to ruin my eye! I’ll make you pay, beast!”

With that, he pulled the silver sword out of the ground and thrust it fiercely toward Mò Zhī’s eye.

***

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Yōu Lìsī was stopped halfway by a group of heavily armored soldiers.

They surrounded her completely but showed no signs of harming her.

“You… are demons!?”

Yet something felt different about them.

The guards exchanged glances but no one spoke, afraid their identities would be exposed.

They stuck their steel swords into the ground, and a circular barrier suddenly surrounded Yōu Lìsī.

Anxious in her heart, Yōu Lìsī realized these demons didn’t intend to hurt her—they were deliberately stalling for time.

But why?

Could it be… Mò Zhī!

Her eyes darkened instantly, murderous intent rising from her entire body.

“Get out of my way…”

Her gaze was as if she had already torn them limb from limb.

Every word she spoke felt like a knife carving through their hearts.

Some hands gripping sword hilts started trembling uncontrollably…

“…This is your choice.”

Yōu Lìsī stepped back, conjuring several golden rings of light in her palm.

Her eyes turned cold as she faced the barrier encasing her.

The golden rings began to expand, with shimmering golden magical runes faintly visible within.

One armored soldier felt fear rise in his heart and involuntarily took a step back.

Yōu Lìsī caught the subtle movement immediately.

She directed the golden rings toward the soldier.

With a loud roar, a dazzling golden beam blasted him, leaving only a bloody skeleton behind.

“Damn, damn!!”

Those nearby instinctively tried to dodge, but their grips loosened on their swords.

Without two people supplying magical energy, the circular barrier fractured.

Seizing the moment, Yōu Lìsī’s feet erupted with blue flowing light.

In the next instant, she transformed into a streak of blue shadow, rushing toward the gap in the barrier.

The armored soldiers all sensed danger.

Some even reached for their longswords to block her, but just as the blades pointed at the blue shadow, they were pulled back by comrades.

“You’re crazy! She’s the future princess! If she gets hurt, the captain won’t spare you!”

Helpless, the man lowered his sword.

They could only watch helplessly as Yōu Lìsī dashed through the gap and fled deeper into the forest.

No one dared to use brute force to stop the future princess of humanity.

Besides, they knew their power was insufficient to stop her—they could only buy time so their captain could kill that cat demon quickly.

Looking at the smoking skeleton on the ground, all felt a chill run down their spines.

To say they would block the princess’s path—that was nothing but nonsense.

The only difference was the words used.

Yōu Lìsī, her feet still glowing with light, hadn’t run far when she spotted a figure in the distance.

Her heart leapt with joy, instinctively thinking it was Mò Zhī.

But as she closed the distance, she realized it was another armored soldier, different from the ones before.

He stood with his back to her, wildly swinging his longsword forward. Blood pooled at his feet, steadily flowing out.

Yōu Lìsī’s heart nearly skipped a beat.

When her mind grasped whose blood it might be, it went blank.

Her eyes sharpened, and instinctively, the annihilation magic began to gather in her palm.

“Get away from her!!!”

Just as the man was about to swing his sword down again, a rushing sound came from behind.

Before he could turn, a red light engulfed him completely.

When the red light faded, only a pile of ashes remained.

“Mò…”

Seeing Mò Zhī’s body, Yōu Lìsī froze utterly.

This… can’t be her Mò Zhī, can it?

But even though the body was mangled and torn apart, the clothes she wore were unmistakable…

No, no… she can’t be Mò Zhī! How could Mò Zhī be dead?

There must be some mistake!

“No, no! This must be fake! It has to be!!”

Her body went limp, collapsing into the pool of blood and flesh.

Her vision blurred, and she struggled to breathe.

Her palm weakly pressed the ground, and at that moment, she seemed to touch something.

It was a hair tie—the one she had given to Mò Zhī…

***

Five days after the princess’s escape.

That night, the princess returned to the castle silently.

She was a mess from head to toe, her body stained with blood.

Her sky-blue hair was dyed red, and even her eyes were gradually tainted with a bloody hue.

In her hand, she tightly clutched a crimson hair tie.

Throughout the entire night, she muttered to it ceaselessly.

The servants thought she had lost her mind, but only she knew how utterly clear-headed she was now.

The next day, the princess officially became the new queen of humanity.

She gave no lengthy speech, only a cold sentence:

This world should not harbor demons.

Mò Zhī, only you were special.

All other demons are sinners.

Did you see it, Mò Zhī?

This is the war I have declared for you.