“You… you’re crazy! This flame… this flame is still burning your body, isn’t it?!”
The assassin’s back was already drenched in cold sweat.
The reason a Forbidden Curse was called a Forbidden Curse was because while it possessed terrifyingly destructive power, it also required the caster to pay a massive price to perform it.
In addition to that, learning it required an extremely high level of talent.
Theoretically, only those legendary Grand Magus could learn a Forbidden Curse. For a genius like this assassin, Second-tier Magic was already his limit.
Leanna did not answer him. She lunged at the assassin, the Longsword in her other hand already wreathed in pure Silver Flame, transforming into a devastating arc of fire!
The assassin tried to dodge, but time seemed to freeze at that moment.
His legs were frozen in place. In his pupils, he saw the reflection of that approaching silver light and Leanna’s eyes, which were filled with ice.
“No—!”
The silver light flashed by, silent and soundless.
The assassin’s body froze. A thin line of blood appeared in the center of his forehead, spreading straight down.
In the next second, his body, along with the metal mask on his face, split cleanly in two. Blood surged out like a fountain, staining the surrounding ground red.
Thud—
The two halves of the corpse slumped to the ground.
Leanna didn’t even look at the corpse at her feet.
The Silver Flame burning around her slowly receded, but the anxiety and madness in her eyes did not fade in the slightest.
She didn’t even care to tend to the horrific, bleeding wounds on her body.
She spun around and looked toward the Fortress, in the direction where the person who held her heart was.
“Selis… hold on… wait for me!”
She whispered hoarsely, walking toward that direction step by step. However, her body had finally reached its limit after releasing the Forbidden Curse.
Kneeling heavily on the ground, she tried to use her Longsword to stand up, but this time, she failed.
The toxins left in her body by the assassin, combined with her weakness, caused her to unconsciously close her eyes and fall into a coma.
***
The afterglow of the setting sun stained the walls of the Fortress a bloody hue. The cold scent of wind and snow filled the air.
Selis walked alone beneath the city walls. Her white skirt fluttered gently in the breeze, her expression so calm it was as if she were merely out for a stroll.
“As expected of the Saintess Saint, you certainly have a big heart.”
A mocking voice came from ahead.
A man wearing dark red armor with a hideous scar across his face led four team members in various outfits. They emerged slowly from the shadows like ghosts, surrounding Selis.
The scarred man was the Captain of the Assassin Knights. He rested his large blade on his shoulder and licked his dry lips, his gaze crawling over Selis like a venomous snake.
“You’ve received our Death Notice, yet you still dare to walk around alone so brazenly? You’re truly not afraid of death, Saintess Saint.”
Selis raised her eyes. Her golden pupils calmly swept over the five men who had surrounded her, her voice showing no sign of alarm.
“Are you the Assassin Knights?”
“That’s right. Since you know, we won’t bother introducing ourselves. Saintess Saint, let me give you a piece of advice: there’s still time to commit suicide. You can die quickly that way. Otherwise…”
At this point, the members behind him chuckled in unison. The slight sound of weapons being unsheathed was exceptionally clear in the silence.
Soon, the Captain’s eyes became cruel and excited, as if he could already see his prey struggling beneath his claws:
“We will make you understand the meaning of true cruelty! You will regret not ending your own life sooner!”
Selis sighed softly, her voice filled with a trace of pitying helplessness. She looked at the Captain and asked a seemingly naive question:
“The Norwich Empire is currently colluding with Demons, preparing to rule The Mortal World and cause a catastrophe. You possess such strength and come from Norwich—why don’t you step forward to stop the Empire’s madness?”
“Stop the Empire? You must be joking, right?”
The Captain acted as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, spreading his hands exaggeratedly. The team members behind him also burst into laughter.
“What does the Empire colluding with Demons have to do with us? We’re just assassins who work for money. Whoever gives us power, status, and a constant stream of gold coins is the one we listen to.”
After a pause, he continued in an indifferent tone:
“As for the destruction of the world… ha, when the sky falls, the tall ones will prop it up. Someone will always step up to save the world, won’t they?”
Someone will always step up…
Hearing these extremely selfish and callous remarks, the last trace of ripple in Selis’s eyes vanished into silence.
To save this world, those in the Oracle Hall were working hard, and the Aos Empire was working hard.
Yet there were always people standing in their way, ruining their plans, and then arrogantly saying that someone else would step up.
If not for them, who else would step up?!
At this point, she clearly realized that there was no reasoning with these people whose souls had long been eroded by desire and indifference.
“In that case,” Selis’s voice became uncharacteristically cold, like a frozen lake, “it seems there is nothing left to say.”
“Oh?” The Captain raised an eyebrow, stepping forward with interest as he lowered his blade. “So, you want to… put up a deathbed struggle?”
Selis didn’t even look at him. She merely tilted her head slightly and spoke clearly to the empty space behind her: “Renia, deal with them.”
“Yes.”
A cold female voice rang out of thin air.
In the next second, a sudden change occurred!
From the shadow where the Captain of the Assassin Knights stood, a dainty figure manifested without warning, as if painted into existence by a brush.
Renia was still wearing her standard black and white Maid dress. She didn’t even have a weapon in her hand, only a pair of spotless white gloves.
The smirk on the Captain’s face froze instantly, replaced by extreme horror. He hadn’t sensed at all when this woman had appeared.
“What?!”
He cried out in alarm, instinctively trying to draw his blade and strike her.
However, it was already too late.
Renia’s movements were minimalist and extremely fast.
She didn’t even look at the Captain; she simply raised her Right Hand casually, her five fingers spread slightly, then clenched them into a fist and pulled back.
Ssss—
Like threads being pulled taut, a faint light flashed through the air. The Captain’s forward-charging figure came to an abrupt halt.
At the same time, it wasn’t just him—the remaining assassins were the same.
Immediately after, as if they had realized something, expressions of terror appeared on all their faces.
In the next second, like pieces of meat being sliced apart, blood began to spray wildly from their bodies.
Before long, they were reduced to clumps of minced meat, covering the ground.
Renia waved her hand, and those threads vanished into thin air. Their corpses were also covered by the falling snow.
If not for the fact that their blood was excessively hot, causing much of the snow to melt, it would have been as if nothing had happened. Everything was perfectly quiet.
From the moment Renia acted, the entire process took less than a breath’s time.
The Captain of the Assassin Knights, who had been rampant his entire life, would never have imagined he would die so easily.
After finishing this, Renia walked calmly back behind Selis and bowed slightly, her tone as indifferent as ever:
“Mistress, it has been handled.”
Selis nodded, her gaze sweeping over the white snow on the ground without a trace of pity.
“Let’s go back.”
She turned around, her white figure slowly blending into the deepening twilight. Renia vanished into the air like a most loyal shadow.
To this day, no one would know that in a forgotten corner of the Snow City Fortress walls, the famous Assassin Knights of the Norwich Empire were buried.
***
The scent of herbs filled the quiet room, and the flickering fire in the fireplace brought a bit of warmth.
Leanna lay in the soft bed, her body covered in many Bandages. Her heavy eyelids twitched a few times before she finally opened them slowly.
Her vision was blurry at first, then gradually became clear.
The first thing she saw was the familiar white figure sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Selis…”
Leanna’s voice was dry and hoarse, yet it carried an urgent sense of relief. Immediately after, she struggled to prop herself up, as if desperate to confirm this wasn’t a dream.
It wasn’t until Selis took her hand.
She felt at peace.
“You’re okay… It’s good that you’re okay…”
The simple action of propping herself up caused fine beads of cold sweat to break out on her forehead. A wave of exhaustion and dull pain, as if she had been hollowed out, washed through her body.
She knew it. This was the price of casting a Forbidden Curse.
Although that Forbidden Curse could help her kill enemies far above her Magic Level, the side effect was that it would burn her life force and leave her weak for several days.
The price was cruel, but being able to see Selis was enough.
Selis didn’t know her thoughts. She simply held Leanna’s hand with one hand and considerately helped her pull up the covers with the other, her movements as gentle as if she were tending to a fragile glass cup.
Then, with her usual soft smile, she responded quietly:
“I am the Saintess of the Oracle Hall, after all. Although I don’t have much strength, I have Renia and No by my side. They are all protecting me. How could anything happen to me?”
Her tone shifted as her gaze fell on Leanna’s pale face. Her eyes were filled with undisguised worry and heartache, and her voice dropped slightly:
“As for you… the feeling of the Forbidden Curse must be quite unpleasant, isn’t it?”
Leanna relaxed because of her touch and words, sinking back into the pillow.
She closed her eyes, feeling the soreness and emptiness in her body as if every cell was protesting.
But when she opened them again, there was no regret in her clear pupils, only a sense of pure satisfaction.
“It was just… paying a small price. I’m already satisfied just to personally confirm that you are safe and sound.”
Selis stared at her and shook her head gently, her tone filled with undeniable certainty:
“To be able to kill that assassin, Leanna, you are already very impressive. That was a Sage with a Magic Level of over 60. Even in the entire Aos Empire, experts who can reach that level are few and far between.”
“But… it’s still not enough…”
Remembering something, Leanna’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a flash of frustration appeared in her eyes.
She had dealt with that assassin, but she had no strength left to protect Selis.
If someone else hadn’t been protecting her, Selis might have met with disaster this time, right?
How could she let such a thing happen?
Hearing this, Selis was almost moved to laughter by her excessively high self-expectations, yet at the same time, she felt great heartache.
So, she intentionally used a slightly scolding tone and said:
“Please, my dear Captain, you’ve only had two years of training at most. If you could leap to the level of a legendary Demigod in just two short years, how would you expect those in the world who have cultivated bitterly for decades or centuries to survive?”
To put Leanna at ease, she curled the corners of her mouth and said, “Furthermore, as far as I know, even Isavel’s rate of improvement back then probably wasn’t as fast as yours.”
This comparison clearly worked. A look of surprise and a glimmer of light flashed in Leanna’s eyes as she looked at her with uncertainty:
“Really?”
Selis met her gaze. The smile on her face was exceptionally gentle, without a single flaw, as she replied firmly, “Of course.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Isavel’s rate of improvement was completely unprecedented and unmatched. By Leanna’s age, she was already nearly a Demigod.
Not only that, even after she stepped into the realm of a Demigod, her strength did not stagnate. Instead, she went all the way to the peak of a Demigod—LV99.
One could say she was only half a step away from becoming a Goddess.
Or rather, if the limit of this world wasn’t Level 99, she would have long since been a Goddess.
Compared to her, Leanna still had a very long way to go.
Of course, at this moment, she could not tell her the truth. After all, Selis was very kind, and she knew that doing so would only discourage her.
The correct way was to give her hope and keep her moving forward.
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