When the only family affection turns into a shackle and a source of pain, she has nothing left except for that peerless power.
“Good grief… this state of disillusioned ideals and collapsed faith… isn”t this the sign of Livia stepping into the “Magic King Route” in the game?!”
Allen broke out in a cold sweat as the realization hit him.
No wonder the “Star Listener” warned him that Livia”s “Fall” was already quite deep and that the influence of the Evil Gods had to be severed.
With her current mental state, if she were stimulated just a little more, it was entirely possible for some Evil God to take advantage of the opening and hijack her identity!
When that time comes, let alone the small Lorraine Kingdom, the entire human world would suffer along with it.
“What exactly is wrong with the Stern family? How could they personally cultivate a potential Magic King capable of destroying the world?”
The thought that Livia was likely in some dark corner of the Capital right now, venting her pain and practicing her twisted sense of “Justiciar” as a member of the Order of Slaughter, made Allen”s scalp tingle.
Even worse, in such a state, the more she indulged in slaughter, the easier it was for her to be eroded and corrupted by the insane will inherent in the act of killing itself.
The Capital was vast, and Allen knew deep down that it was impossible to find Livia if she intended to stay hidden.
Their next meeting would likely only take place at that fated Duel.
“To fight Livia in this state… I really might die!”
Allen looked at Conrad”s blank, remorseful face and suddenly spoke in a calm voice.
“There is a kind of bird called a swift. Its feet are so short that it cannot stand or run on the ground. Therefore, once it leaves the nest and takes flight, the only moment it stops in its entire life — excluding the necessary moments for breeding and nesting — is the moment it dies.”
“Livia is that kind of bird. To her, your home was never a warm harbor; it was merely a cold nest where she was forced to reside temporarily.”
“Now, she has finally flown away, and she will not be coming back.”
This metaphor was like a needle, piercing deep into Conrad”s heart.
He stood frozen on the spot. It was only at this moment that he realized, however vaguely, just how difficult and lonely of a life his always-silent, sword-practicing sister had been living.
Seeing the boy”s distraught state, Allen waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.
“She will definitely show up on the day of our Duel. Don”t worry, without your family holding her back, she will only live a better life.”
As he watched Conrad”s stumbling figure disappear into the crowd, Allen recalled a few plot points from the original work regarding this boy.
After Livia entered her second year, Conrad would also enroll in the academy.
Once, a classmate spread false rumors about Livia behind her back.
This kid had fought someone for the first time for his sister”s sake, but because his Bloodline of the Sigil was too weak, he had been beaten black and blue.
In the end, Livia had intervened. Using her usual battle-maniac logic, she beat the opponent into submission at the arena to settle the score for her brother.
This boy”s nature might not be inherently bad; he was just twisted by his family and environment, and his awakening had come far too late.
If she were still the old Livia, who was soft-hearted and valued her family, perhaps a scene of reconciliation and familial warmth could have eventually played out.
But now…
Allen withdrew his gaze, feeling a deep sense of helplessness and a headache coming on.
He had no time or inclination to sympathize with this “little brother-in-law” right now.
He had to hurry and figure out how to survive as gracefully as possible in a few days under the blade of a “psycho” protagonist who was at her peak strength and either seeking death — or intending to take him down with her.
Allen looked up just as a swift streaked across the sky, as fast as a bolt of black lightning.
He remembered the words he had just spoken.
“Livia, you bird who has flown for so long and grown so tired, where are you now?”
……
Meanwhile, deep within an Abandoned Underground Arena somewhere in the Capital.
The air was foul, thick with the scent of blood, sweat, and the acrid smell of burnt metal.
Torches mounted on the walls flickered, casting light upon a Red Symbol crudely carved into the stone — a simple X-shaped mark with a horizontal bar at the bottom.
Taken together, it exuded a faint, grizzly aura.
In the center of the arena, Livia stood silently. A few strands of her pale gold hair were damp with viscous blood, clinging to her cheeks.
The white dress she wore for ease of movement was now stained with large patches of dark red, resembling eerie flowers blooming in a field of snow.
Standing opposite her was her final opponent.
He was a giant of a man, built like a tower of iron. He wore a hideous helmet decorated with curved bull horns, and his bare chest was covered in scars and strange tattoos.
He brandished a heavy brass chain, at the end of which was fastened an anvil that glowed red-hot, constantly emitting scorching heat.
“Hah!”
The giant let out a roar that sounded barely human and swung the chain violently.
The burning anvil whistled through the air with a terrifying shriek. It was not aimed at Livia, but rather slammed down onto the head of a Cultist lying in a pool of blood who had not yet breathed his last.
Thud!
There was no scream, only a sickening, muffled sound.
The head burst instantly like an overripe fruit, sending red and white matter flying in all directions.
After being drenched in hot blood and brains, the red glow on the surface of the burning anvil suddenly intensified.
The heat wave it emitted caused the surrounding air to distort violently, as if space itself were about to melt.
Livia”s azure eyes showed not a single ripple of emotion.
She was very familiar with this type of enemy.
They fed on slaughter and blood.
The more they fought, the more violent their strength became, until they were eventually consumed entirely by the desire to kill and transformed into monsters that knew only destruction.
She could not let him leave alive.
“Roar!”
The giant”s roar was deafening as he swung the anvil once more, hurling it toward Livia”s petite frame like a meteor.
Livia did not retreat.
At the very moment the anvil was about to strike her, her body slid toward the rear flank with an almost elegant lightness.
The tips of her toes tapped lightly against the ground, and the slender Rapier in her hand felt like an extension of her own arm — the tip of the blade borrowed force from the ground, and she flitted toward the giant”s side like a feather caught in a breeze.
She was fast — so fast that she was nothing more than an afterimage!
The giant”s heavy, forceful attack missed, and the massive momentum caused his movements to stall for a single heart-stopping moment.
Now!
A silver flash flickered.
Livia”s sword accurately found the tiny gaps in the armor”s joints. She stabbed and withdrew the blade in one seamless motion.
The giant”s movements froze completely.
He lowered his head and looked at his seemingly unharmed body, appearing somewhat confused.
Then, as he tried to turn his head to find his opponent, his neck emitted a bone-chilling crack.
Thud.
The massive head wearing the bull-horned helmet tumbled to the ground. The headless torso swayed for a moment before crashing down. Scorching blood erupted like a fountain, dyeing half the arena red.
The battle was over.
Livia stood in the center of the sea of corpses, quietly lowering her gaze.
She could clearly feel the blood within her body surging, cheering, and boiling.
In her ears, it felt as though countless invisible spectators were offering her frantic cheers and applause.
A pleasure belonging to pure destruction and slaughter seeped into her senses like threads of poison.
She looked down at her blood-soaked skirt.
The white fabric had turned a striking dark red, looking as if she were wearing a bizarre and magnificent red wedding dress.
A thought flashed through her mind without warning… “Today, is it the day of the entrance exam for St. Nora Sigil Academy?”
Ah, that no longer had anything to do with her.
“Kill them all… these Heretics who harm humanity… leave not a single one.”
A strong and unfamiliar bloodlust rose from deep in her throat, and several syllables filled with madness almost broke through her lips.
“Blood… Sacrifice…”
Right before the voice could escape, she used her powerful willpower to forcibly choke it back.
Livia trembled violently, a flash of intense struggle and pain appearing in her eyes.
She bit her lower lip hard until the faint taste of rust touched her tongue.
No.
“I am Livia von Stern.”
She turned away resolutely, not sparing another glance at the bloody slaughterhouse.
Her figure quickly vanished into the dark corridor at the edge of the arena and disappeared.