Sophie gripped her weapon tightly.
She had to determine which one was the real body and drive her sword into the Demon King Abyssal Beast, pouring all her remaining holy power into it.
Holy power and Abyssal Force were two mutually repulsive energies that naturally countered each other.
At this point, after fighting this far, both sides were truly only one breath away from collapse.
Whoever could seize the final opportunity would be the victor.
Front or back?
Sophie tried to distinguish them with her eyes, but both Demon King Abyssal Beasts were moving extremely fast, and there wasn’t much visual difference between them.
Besides, in this extreme situation, she didn’t have time to analyze carefully.
Suddenly, she sensed a faint presence.
It was the cross necklace she had given Via earlier!
The Demon King Abyssal Beast directly in front of her was wearing the cross necklace.
This was a crucial clue. The necklace could confirm which one was the real body.
In that case, it was most likely the one in front…
But Sophie suddenly remembered what happened in Kado City. Via had once given the cross necklace to someone else to fake her departure from the city.
How could Via not know that the cross necklace would reveal her real position?
This had to be a trap. The Demon King Abyssal Beast wearing the necklace was the decoy. The real one was the one behind her!
There was no time left to hesitate.
Sophie took action. She ordered the Divine Might Armament to create a defensive field behind her, then raised her weapon and poured every last bit of her holy power into the silver sword. In an instant, dazzling golden light flooded the entire Yamar River, like the rising of a blazing sun.
She thrust her sword into the Demon King Abyssal Beast’s body. The surging energy completely extinguished the black flames. The Abyssal Force was rapidly disintegrated, breaking down into particles under the high temperature.
The outer shell of the Demon King Abyssal Beast was purified by holy power, but what appeared before Sophie’s eyes was…
Nothing.
Her crimson eyes widened.
This Demon King Abyssal Beast wasn’t the real body. It was a decoy meant to divert her attention.
She had guessed wrong.
“Roar!!”
Sophie turned her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw the frenzied Demon King Abyssal Beast swing its sharp claws and shatter the defensive field created by the Divine Might Armament.
The beast’s massive hand grabbed her body and slammed her into the mountain range on the Saint Luo Empire’s side. The impact caused the mountain itself to crack.
Under the terrifying force, the Divine Might Armament’s energy was completely exhausted and forcibly deactivated. At the same time, her holy power was fully depleted, and the ten layers of blessing sacred arts ended.
“Ugh…”
Sophie’s consciousness began to fade.
She looked at the out-of-control beast in front of her and wanted to say something, but her chest was being crushed, and she couldn’t make a sound.
She couldn’t even struggle anymore. She was like a fish on the chopping board, completely at the mercy of her enemy.
The battle had been decided.
“…”
A low growl came from the Demon King Abyssal Beast’s mouth. It opened its bloody maw and slowly moved closer to Sophie. One bite would be enough to end her life.
Warning!
System energy depleted. Demon King Armament will forcibly exit Overload Mode.
Demon King Armament will shut down immediately. Please replenish energy as soon as possible.
Just as the Demon King Abyssal Beast was about to bite down, the black flames scattered into the air. The murky Abyssal Force dissipated rapidly, and the Demon King Abyssal Beast disintegrated.
Thud.
Sophie fell to the ground. She lay there with half-open eyes as raindrops pattered down from the sky, splashing against her face.
All she could see was the gray, overcast sky. She struggled to lift her head.
Unlike what happened in Kado City, this rain was much quieter.
A familiar face appeared in her blurred vision.
Via walked up to Sophie, looked down at her arch-enemy, and held Desolate Fire in her hand.
“The Demon King Armament ran out of energy, so you didn’t get bitten in half.”
“You lost, Selina. But you’re pretty lucky. It just happened to deactivate right before I could finish you off.”
“Ugh…”
Sophie understood her fate.
In this life, she had been defeated by her arch-enemy. There was no way she would be spared.
The other party would never let her go.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Footsteps sounded. Via turned and started to walk away.
“Wait…”
Even though she couldn’t move, Sophie used every last bit of her strength to force out her voice.
“What is it, Selina? Calling out to me so desperately—do you want me to give you a quick death?” Via turned back and looked at the red-haired girl lying on the ground, her voice full of mockery.
“My Demon King, hurry! Go give her a sword strike right now! Use me to pierce through her body!!”
Desolate Fire’s voice rang in Via’s ear, urging her to finish the job quickly.
“If you let this woman continue growing, she will definitely become an enormous threat to you! Her abilities counter you in every way. Your victory this time had a large element of luck. Next time, it might not go so well!”
Via did not refute her words.
If Sophie had attacked the real body instead of the decoy during the battle, the outcome would have been completely reversed.
She truly was a massive threat that needed to be eliminated.
The Demon King should not allow such a variable to exist in this world.
“Shut up. I know what I need to do,” Via ordered Desolate Fire to stop her annoying voice.
“Just now… why didn’t you… finish me…”
“Hmph. I already told you, you were just lucky, Selina. Overload Mode is very difficult to control. It just so happened to deactivate right before I could kill you.”
Via let out a cold laugh as she slowly walked toward the defenseless Sophie.
The sound of Desolate Fire scraping across the ground was especially clear in the rain.
“Since you want a conclusion so badly, I’ll give you one.”
However, ten full seconds passed, and Sophie closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable end. Yet she never felt Desolate Fire pierce through her chest.
She was still alive?
“Why?” Sophie opened her eyes in confusion, her face full of bewilderment.
“I hate you, Selina. You are my arch-enemy. My current situation is all because of you. I once swore that if I ever got the chance, I would definitely kill you, but…”
Via fell silent for a moment.
She took out the cross necklace and gently placed it on Sophie’s chest.
Though reluctant, she still stood up and walked toward the Desolate Fallen Continent. Little Ha seized the opportunity and followed after her.
Before she completely left, she left behind one final sentence.
“Sophie, you are my older sister. You are the only family I have left in this world.”