“Hahaha, it’s useless! You pathetic knights! Even after ten thousand years, you foolish humans can only wield your clumsy little tricks!” The Shadow Fiend mocked from midair.
The paladins ignored his taunts and charged forward once again. Their spectral lances grew larger with the charge, eventually swelling to a size that could engulf half the castle!
The Shadow Fiend laughed wildly, unbothered. A group of mere Epic-ranked warriors using a joint skill—no matter how vast its area of effect, the power wouldn’t exceed Epic rank. How could such a thing pose any real threat to him?
Still, out of caution, he activated his innate Shadow Fiend ability. Jet-black demonic energy coiled around his claws as he prepared to meet the charging knights head-on.
These little bugs actually made him use his innate skill—a worthy death, then!
The spectral lances collided with his sharpened claws, creating a harsh screech of friction. The Shadow Fiend was slightly surprised—the attack had some force, enough to reach the threshold of Legendary rank. Pity it’s still too weak.
A few seconds later, under the stunned gazes of the paladins, the spectral lances shattered segment by segment.
The Shadow Fiend broke through the knights’ formation, his eyes glowing crimson. The thrill of imminent slaughter made his heart pound violently!
Blood soared through the air. Armor plates, cloth, muscle, and organs—all were about to be shredded! The Shadow Fiend relished the moment. After years of hiding in the human world, he could finally unleash himself—his bloodlust surged uncontrollably!
“Roooar!” A tremendous roar erupted from overhead.
A silver dragon burst into view, diving straight at the rampaging Shadow Fiend in the crowd, offering a brief moment of hope to the church warriors on the brink of despair.
The silver dragon slammed into the Shadow Fiend, smashing him into the ground. The impact shattered the already weathered land, leaving a massive crater. As dust billowed, the silver dragon took to the skies again, spewing searing dragonfire onto the caved-in ground below.
The Shadow Fiend was dizzy from the crash and now soaked in dragonfire. The intense pain snapped him back to his senses. With a roar, he leapt from the pit and, upon seeing the giant dragon, immediately fled the scene at high speed.
An adolescent dragon? the Shadow Fiend recoiled quickly, shaking off his daze. How could a silver dragon move so fast? Even I, who pride myself on speed, couldn’t react just now… Maybe I was too caught up in the killing.
Thinking this, the Shadow Fiend came to a halt. Just a whelp dares to attack me? Then don’t blame me for accepting this fine little offering you delivered yourself!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. While the Shadow Fiend wasn’t known for strength among high demons and was currently injured, surely he could still deal with a fledgling dragon even if he couldn’t handle an adult one?
Seeing the silver dragon chasing him, he enhanced his claws again with his innate power and turned to face her head-on.
That silver dragon was, of course, Lu Qiuchen.
Seeing the Shadow Fiend charge in, she dodged without hesitation. Among dragonkin, silver dragons had the weakest physical strength. And she was a slightly tankier ranged caster—she’d have to be insane to brawl with a rogue-class demon like that.
She conjured layer upon layer of ice shields in the air to slightly hinder the Shadow Fiend’s advance, then began a quick chant.
“Ice Prison!”
Using Draconic magic, she immobilized the Shadow Fiend. Immediately after, a barrage of high-tier spells poured down on him as if mana cost no longer existed.
High-level magic corresponded to what Epic-ranked and Legendary-ranked adventurers could wield—Tier 5 and 6 spells. Lu Qiuchen, however, could instant-cast most Tier 5 spells, and even Tier 6 spells only required her to shorten the incantation to just the spell’s name.
The Shadow Fiend was already injured. Now, under continuous magical bombardment, it was forced to erupt with demonic energy once more, violently breaking free from the ice prison and shooting toward the silver dragon with malevolent force.
Seeing the silver dragon panic and flee the moment it noticed him escaping the ice, the Shadow Fiend accelerated again. He was determined to capture this young dragon, to brainwash and torture her until she was converted into a corrupted dragon under his control!
Good. Keep chasing me. I was afraid you wouldn’t. Lu Qiuchen deliberately exposed a weakness, baiting the Shadow Fiend to follow her.
Her speed was only that of an average adult dragon—no match for a high-level demon like the Shadow Fiend, who specialized in burst speed and pursuit. As she fled, she occasionally flung spells behind her, deliberately lacking precision.
One dragon and one demon tore through the sky, heading quickly in the direction they’d come from earlier. As the distance between him and the silver dragon closed, the Shadow Fiend’s vicious smile grew wider and more twisted.
Just as he was about to catch up, the silver dragon appeared to panic, swerving uncontrollably—crashing into the goblin castle. The long-abandoned and weather-worn structure crumbled at the midpoint, collapsing onto the silver dragon and burying her beneath the rubble.
Nearby, the church’s priests were treating wounded knights. Hearing the massive crash in the distance, they looked up toward the source. With the help of divine illumination spells, they could just barely make out the silver dragon darting through the ruins, using the dust cloud kicked up by the collapse to dodge her pursuer.
The Shadow Fiend chased her in a rage, both of them rampaging through the already-unstable castle like a pair of wild beasts destroying everything in their path.
Though the Shadow Fiend was faster, the silver dragon’s constant weaving and dodging kept her out of his grasp—for now.
Frustrated, the Shadow Fiend’s eyes suddenly caught the glowing light above a group of priests healing knights nearby. A thought flashed through his mind. He abruptly calmed, then veered off course and charged toward the clergy, abandoning his chase.
Seeing this, Lu Qiuchen was alarmed. He’s going for the church priests?
She quickly wheeled around and gave chase—those priests were vital! While her high-level magic wasn’t ineffective against demons, it was difficult to kill a Shadow Fiend quickly. She would need the priests’ holy damage output. She had to protect them!
Lu Qiuchen teleported instantly to the front line, placing herself between the church’s holy warriors and the incoming Shadow Fiend. Seeing the demon’s battered state, she judged the time was right—and unleashed over a dozen advanced-level binding spells in one breath, locking the Shadow Fiend down in place.
“Ice Prison!”
She layered on several more Tier 6 spells. That should be enough to keep the demon stuck, at least for a while.
Lu Qiuchen turned her head and glanced at the dumbfounded clergy behind her. Seeing them frozen in place, her patience snapped. She shouted furiously, “What are you standing around for?! Kill him already!”
The priests and the Shadow Fiend reacted at the same time. The former quickly began chanting divine spells, while the latter roared in defiance and began to struggle violently. He shattered one layer of the restraints—only for the silver dragon to immediately reinforce it with another. Bound again, the demon fumed, unable to break free, so angry he nearly vomited blood.
One after another, the silver dragon hurled Tier 6 binding spells at him. Then, divine light descended from above, pure and powerful.
The Shadow Fiend let out a pained scream as he was bathed in holy radiance—his form dissolving in agony and hatred.
‘Finally over.’ Lu Qiuchen let out a long breath. That Shadow Fiend had been seriously troublesome—probably already at the legendary level. Without the help of those priests at the end, she might not have been able to eliminate it.
Glancing at the Church’s squad, which had suffered heavy casualties, she had no intention of dealing with them. With a flap of her wings, she took off and flew away.
This had been Lu Qiuchen’s first true battle since arriving in this world, and all things considered, she was fairly satisfied. She had sustained a few injuries, but only in places without scale protection, caused by falling debris when the castle collapsed—nothing that wouldn’t heal quickly.
Taking down a legendary Shadow Fiend was more than enough to make her feel accomplished. It was just a shame she hadn’t managed to extract any useful intel from it before killing it.
As for cleanup duties? That could be left to the Church.
When she exited the ruins, dawn had not yet broken. She originally planned to return to her room to sleep, but seeing that there were still staff on duty in the Adventurer’s Guild hall, Lu Qiuchen decided to process her team withdrawal immediately.
Thanks to the earlier mission at the ruins, her adventurer rank was also upgraded—she was now officially an Epic-ranked Adventurer.
Tilting her head slightly in thought, she figured that although she wouldn’t be using the identity of Cecilia anymore, her time with the team had been fairly pleasant. She should at least say goodbye properly.
She returned to her room and, after checking that she hadn’t left anything behind, placed a letter inside and stepped out the door.
She was now a fully grown dragon! She could wander freely as she pleased. Now, where to next?
As for the demons and conspiracies in the capital? She was just a newly matured silver dragon—those things were best left to the Elders’ Council.
*****
That day, the town of Londo was rocked by a series of major events.
First, both the Vice Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild from the capital Druide and the local branch master Glent perished in the ruins of Londo.
Second, the Church’s demon subjugation team from the capital suffered heavy losses—three epic-ranked Paladins were killed, and the rest of the knights were all seriously wounded. Only the high priests came through unscathed.
Third, and most shocking of all, it was revealed that the Adventurer Guild’s vice guildmaster was in fact a high-ranking demon, secretly living among humans!
Once the Church reported this, it immediately caused an uproar across the southern continent. After all, it had been ten thousand years since demons last appeared in the world of Eternity. And now, a high-ranking demon had not only resurfaced, but had infiltrated a major power like the Adventurers’ Guild!
The Church, in alliance with several nations, launched a coordinated crackdown on the Adventurer’s Guild. Overnight, life became much harder for the guild. Many smaller branches were shut down outright, their underground vaults, various facilities, and personnel all seized by national authorities under the pretext of “inspecting for demonic spies.”
As for the real reason behind it all? Simple. The powers that be were envious of the Adventurer’s Guild’s revenue streams and wanted a share of the pie. In the end, the focus on the demon race’s invasion of the Eternal World faded into the background, while the guild’s apologies and compensations took center stage. What a magical world this is.
Still, in response to the Church’s warnings, some individuals and factions began paying closer attention to the demons’ movements, maintaining a high level of vigilance against this race that had once brought devastating pain to the continent ten thousand years ago.
While the great powers waged their games of influence high above, back in the little town of Londo, a few minor figures were just finishing a letter.
“She just left like that? What a peculiar person,” someone exclaimed.
“Seriously, ‘I want to go on a spontaneous journey’—what kind of lame excuse is that? Didn’t she say she needed to contact the dragons to save her kingdom?”
“Pfft, you actually believed that? That might’ve just been an excuse. Heck, ‘Cecilia’ might not even be her real name!”
“Hey, watch it! Of course I believe her! We were even planning to give her a share of the mountain dragon loot! She was supposed to get a full third, remember? That’s one-third! At the very least, that’s a thousand gold coins! She just walked away from all that without a second thought. Someone that unconcerned with money has got to be a princess!”
“Hmm… okay, you might actually have a point this time. I think you’re starting to convince me…”
“What do you mean this time!? York! You better explain yourself—when have I ever not made sense!?”
Up in the sky, Lu Qiuchen soared freely, unaware of this conversation below. If she had remembered that she still had a small fortune left unclaimed, she probably would’ve stuck around just long enough to collect it before flying off again.