“You should quiet down for a bit and stop all that noise… My patience has its limits.”
The roughhousing Lian En and Vera, along with Iyue who was trying to break them up, all froze in place and turned their gazes toward the young woman who was the thief.
“You… What are you?”
In an instant, the three of them put distance between themselves and her, each drawing their weapons and assuming a battle stance.
“Sigh… You’ve ruined a precious memory.”
The thief girl wore a deeply regretful expression as she lightly shook her head, but the three members of the Brave’s Party trembled uncontrollably, as if they were staring at the most terrifying thing in the world.
“Lian En, run.”
Vera drew the Demon Sword without a moment’s hesitation.
The moisture in the air instantly crystallized into frost particles, drifting through the atmosphere.
But even the bone-piercing chill radiating from the Demon Sword paled in comparison to the terrifying pressure this thief girl had just released.
“Don’t joke around—”
“I said run!”
Iyue also raised her Longbow while chanting a Summoning Magic Technique to call an Intermediate Wind Spirit—proof that she was going all out.
With the blessing of the Wind Spirit, the arrows she loosed would carry enough power to rival cannon fire.
That was why most opponents who faced her would try to interrupt before the Summoning spell was completed… And under normal circumstances, Iyue would never activate such a high-risk Magic Technique in front of an enemy, knowing that if it were interrupted, all the Magic Power invested would go to waste.
“Lian En, Vera is right. We’ll buy you time. Run… Don’t look back.”
Yet facing this girl, she took such action without a second thought.
Because her intuition told her that before this person, nothing she did would matter… So she had no choice but to reveal her trump card from the very start and give it everything she had.
“No. I won’t run.”
Lian En spoke with resolute finality.
His trembling wasn’t born of fear, but of a shiver that arose from the depths of his soul… Perhaps even excitement.
“You’re that person, aren’t you?”
He knew very well that there was only one person in the world who could impose such pressure on him.
“No, I’m not. To meet you in this identity… it’s still too early at this point in time.”
The thief girl took light, graceful steps, drawing closer to Lian En. Vera and Iyue, who should have attacked immediately, stood frozen in place.
In that moment, the two suddenly realized that the only thing they could do was watch this girl’s every move with sheer terror and dread.
“Let me not hurt them? I have no such intention. They are my companions, my dear friends… How could I ever harm them? Besides, none of this is real. It’s just a memory from the past.”
Seeing that the girl seemed to be talking to herself, Lian En steeled his spirit, causing his Magic Power to swell to unprecedented levels.
His blazing red Soul Color vividly surfaced, granting him the strength and courage to swing his longsword—
“All of this should end now. This is a precious memory for me… I truly don’t wish to share it with others. And as for the Lord of the Dead’s little tricks, I’ve already experienced them long ago… Nothing interesting about them.”
The girl extended her index finger and pressed it against Lian En’s descending sword—as if the entire world had stopped in that instant.
“You? Although you may not remember any of this, you aren’t exactly [others] to me.”
The movement of everything ceased. The surrounding environment rapidly dimmed, and darkness swallowed all.
“You ask who I am? Don’t be impatient. We should meet again soon enough… In a way you can’t possibly imagine.”
The thief girl’s smile faded into the endless darkness that spread outward.
…
…
“Ugh…”
Lian had lost count of how many times she had swung her sword.
After planting the blade back into the ground, she heard Senia, who was lying on her lap, let out an incoherent murmur—
Her condition was deteriorating more and more… Judging by her sense of time, at least a month must have passed by now?
Though she felt neither hunger nor thirst in this space, continuously witnessing the scenes brought by the Curse must have taken a considerable toll on Senia’s spirit.
“Really now. This is probably the most troublesome Curse I’ve ever seen. No matter how much I cut, it just won’t end… Even the Necro Lord’s own Curse shouldn’t be this disgusting, right?”
Lian lightly tapped the blade of the Holy Sword of Blazing Flames with her finger, producing a crisp, pleasant ring.
“This won’t do.”
Looking at Senia’s haggard complexion, Lian made up her mind.
She gently laid Senia flat on the ground, then pulled the Saint Sword from the earth.
“Phew…”
She took a deep breath and gathered all her Magic Power into the Saint Sword’s blade.
In the process, the light radiating from the sword grew brighter and brighter.
She intended to use all her strength to completely incinerate the Curse enveloping this Illusion Realm—she had considered this plan before, and the reason she hadn’t implemented it then was because the consequences of doing so were simply too unpredictable.
“I’m confident I can burn this Curse clean away… But doing so would probably burn the entire Barrier along with your World Tree to ash as well.”
That was the concern she herself had raised during her previous discussion with Senia about the feasibility of this plan.
She had already tried continuously increasing her Magic Power output, yet she still couldn’t completely eradicate the Curse.
So the only remaining option was to unleash her full strength.
But if she released her full power in reality, she could instantly evaporate all the water in Mirror Lake and reduce the surface for over a dozen miles to scorched earth—Lian wasn’t sure whether her Magic Power had truly been unsealed in this Illusion Realm, but she was very clear about what kind of destruction and ruin her [full strength] signified.
Others might be trapped in similar Illusion Realms as well… Especially that child.
But Senia’s condition clearly couldn’t hold out any longer.
The thought that Iyue and her daughter might also be facing the same situation made Lian feel she could no longer sit idle and wait.
“Rather than keep waiting… I might as well take a gamble. In reality, that thing should most certainly be sealing my Magic Power.”
“Wh-what’s happening!”
The power she gathered grew stronger and stronger, causing the entire space to begin shaking.
Under the violent tremors, Senia opened her drowsy eyes and scrambled up in a panic.
“Senia, find a way to keep your balance. We can’t wait any longer… Next, I’m going to destroy the Curse along with the entire Barrier.”
“Ca-can that even be done?”
Amid the trembling world, Senia desperately maintained her balance to keep from falling… The sheer strength of the Magic Power converging upon the Holy Sword of Blazing Flames was far beyond anything she could imagine.
“It can be done. No… Even if it can’t, I’ll make it happen.”
With that, Lian prepared to drive the sword into the ground—
“—!”
Before her blade could descend, cracks appeared in the surrounding space… causing her movements to pause momentarily.
Before the two of them, the pervasive Blood Mist and Red Tide gradually receded.
The cracks grew wider and wider, emitting a blinding White Light from within.
The irritating moans in the tide continuously faded away and vanished… At the same time, a fresh breeze carrying the scent of nature blew through, completely sweeping away the unpleasant stickiness in the air.
“Everyone has passed the Trial. Children… Congratulations.”
A gentle and loving voice sounded in both of their ears simultaneously.
“You are…”
Lian felt a leaf softly cover her vision.
“I have been waiting for you… Thank you for coming to see me. [May the friendship between us, and the pact between our two races, endure through the ages.]—The words you left on that stone tablet, I have always remembered them.”
That voice carried a faint sadness… But more than that, it held relief.
By the time the leaf that had obscured her vision fully fell away, Lian saw that the scene before her had changed completely.
Clear lake water and a blue sky, along with verdant forests in the distance and, even farther beyond, the ancient giant trees that formed the heart of Fenglin City, spread out before her eyes.
She had finally returned to reality.