“It’s over, Ville!”
The human girl called out her friend’s name and raised the weapon in her hand, slashing toward the demonkin boy.
Selina held nothing back. She wanted to claim victory in this spar.
Throughout the fierce battle, she continuously used sword techniques to suppress Ville, tipping the situation in her favor and gradually wearing him down.
Once she was certain of her victory, she struck decisively.
“It’s not over yet…”
Ville, half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head. He gritted his teeth, stood up, and his aura surged rapidly in a very short time. He raised the weapon in his hand and met Selina’s attack head-on.
Their weapons collided.
Holy power and Abyssal Force violently clashed. The two mutually repulsive forces created unstable fluctuations that blasted both of them away.
Selina fell to the ground. Her head spun for a moment. When she came to, she discovered that the weapon in her hand had actually shattered.
“Oh my, Selina, I never expected the result of this battle to be a draw.”
Ville, covered in dirt, climbed up from the ground and deliberately displayed the black sword in his hand. The weapon he controlled had also shattered.
According to the rules of the spar, whoever lost their weapon was considered the loser.
In this battle both had lost their weapons, so it naturally ended in a draw.
“It was actually… a draw?”
Selina felt a bit emotional.
In their previous spars, she had always been the winner.
She had thought this time would be no different, but the result still exceeded her expectations.
“Ville, you’ve improved a lot. Just now you must have been holding back and only exploded at the very last moment, right?”
“Selina, I always have to think of some way, don’t I? I can’t keep losing to you forever.” Ville laughed. “As friends, we ought to progress together.”
“Friends, huh…”
Selina smiled.
She had never told anyone about befriending a demonkin.
After all, this was taboo. If the Holy Land found out, she could be branded a heretic and put on trial.
“Alright, Ville. You can already match me evenly. For that, I feel joy.”
“Today is only a beginning, Selina. In the past I was always chasing after you. Now we stand on the same starting line. From now on, don’t let me pull too far ahead of you.” Ville wagged a finger.
“You’re really the type to bloom with just a little sunlight, Ville. Don’t get too full of yourself. Next time we meet, I won’t hold back in the slightest. I’ll absolutely crush you.”
“Next time we meet…”
Ville lowered his head. His tone sounded somewhat complicated, full of heavy thoughts.
“Ville, what’s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly so dejected?” Selina asked in confusion. “You specially arranged to meet me today. It shouldn’t have been only for a spar, right?”
“Selina, you guessed correctly. Actually, I have something important I plan to tell you.” Ville became serious. “Today might be the last time we meet.”
“What do you mean?” Selina froze for a moment. Upon hearing this news, she no longer had any mood for joking.
“The Desolate Fallen Continent is selecting a new Demon King. I want to give it a try. If I want to change the demonkin, I have to start from the inside. Becoming the king of the demonkin is a very good path.”
“That is indeed a good choice, but what does that have to do with what you just said?”
“Selina, you don’t understand the demonkin very well. To become Demon King, one must have the ability to convince others. Right now I need to prove through internal life-and-death battles that I can sit in the position of the king of the demonkin.” Ville paused. “During this period, if I fail, I will lose this life.”
“Is it… worth it?” Selina found it very difficult to accept.
Ville nodded seriously. “This is a method to change the demonkin. You still remember our original ambitions, right?”
“Of course I remember.”
Selina looked into the distance, recalling the conversations she had once shared with Ville.
Both of them hoped that through their own efforts, they could change the hostile situation currently faced by the two races.
“Ville, actually, recently I’ve been considering whether to accept a very difficult trial.”
“Oh?”
“There is only one chance. If I fail, I can never participate a second time. But if I succeed, I will be able to become the Silver Sword Princess. Originally I was a little hesitant, thinking of waiting until I became stronger in the future and had more confidence before accepting it.”
The corner of Selina’s mouth lifted into a smile.
“But since you are striding forward, I cannot fall behind either.”
“If that’s the case, I will look forward to our next meeting very much.”
Ville extended a fist toward Selina.
“I will not die. I will live and become the Demon King.”
Selina blinked and also extended a fist, bumping it against Ville’s.
“Me too, Ville. The next time you see me, I will have become the Silver Sword Princess.”
Via slowly opened her eyes.
She discovered that she had been leaning against Stella the entire time.
“Via, are you awake?”
“I… how long did I sleep?” Via slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Not too long. About three hours?” Stella replied.
“You didn’t move at all?”
“That’s right. After all, being able to admire Via’s sleeping face is rather cute.”
“You… don’t say things like that. I am the Demon King. Don’t use ‘cute’ as a prefix, okay?!” Via’s cheeks turned slightly red.
“Via, you’ve finally recovered your spirits?” Stella smiled.
“Mm, thank you.”
After leaning against Stella for a short nap, Via’s condition had indeed improved quite a bit.
She truly had not expected that she would even dream of her past life’s experiences with Selina.
“Via, you were talking in your sleep.”
“What did I say?!” Via felt a little nervous. She couldn’t have said something strange in her sleep, right?
“You said you wanted to bring your older sister back.”
*As expected, you’re still thinking about Sophie.*
Via fell into silence.
*As expected, I still can’t let go. Whether it is Selina from my past life or Sophie in this life.*
In the past, Ville and Selina had walked into an irreversible situation. This time, she did not want to meet a regrettable ending with her older sister again.
“Sophie has fallen into trouble. She is now standing on the side of the Empire and has become our enemy.”
“Is that Sophie’s choice?”
“I’m not too sure. I met her once. I felt she was quite strange, completely different from before, almost as if she had become another person.”
“Become another person? If even you, as her younger sister, are saying that, then it is highly possible—”
Stella voiced an extremely bold deduction.
“Sophie is being controlled.”