“So… this is dragonification?”
Amisa rubbed her chin as she watched Reliel, whose aura was overwhelming.
It was a dragon’s might that she couldn’t control and had unconsciously manifested!
That presence even formed clusters of turbulent currents around her, causing her silver-white hair to dance in the air.
Whoosh… The next second, the girl’s gaze slowly turned toward the direction where the three of them stood.
They could clearly see the silver dragon scales growing on her face… Under the illumination of the surrounding candlelight, they refracted a colorful, dazzling halo.
“Looks like you’re in pretty good shape.” The corners of Ileya’s mouth curled up slightly.
Perhaps it was telepathy between sisters—she could sense that Reliel was… happy and excited right now!
It wasn’t just the excitement of gaining power; there was also an emotion that came with the silver dragon egg itself…
It was a kind of arrogance that looked down on everything and stood at the pinnacle!
The pride that the dragon race rightfully possessed.
However, Reliel’s current [dragonification] was still quite different from what Ileya had seen in the memories of her “original fate.”
First of all, she hadn’t grown long dragon horns on her head, her limbs hadn’t turned into claws, and there were no silver-white membranous wings on her back.
But that made sense. Reliel had only just absorbed this transcendent power; her Source Sea probably hadn’t opened yet… It was normal that she couldn’t fully utilize it.
“Want to give it a try?”
Thinking this, Ileya interlaced her fingers and stretched as she slowly walked toward her little sister, ignoring the bewildered gazes of the other two maids.
“Heh…” But Reliel didn’t respond as decisively as before. Instead, she tilted her head and looked at Ileya, a smirk curling at the corner of her mouth.
“Please, Lady, do enlighten me.”
ROAR—!!
The next second, Reliel let out a fierce roar toward Ileya!
And following that came a silver-white lightning current!
Lightning Breath!
Although she wasn’t very skilled at it, this attack was already at the level of a third-rank Transcendent…
Was her little sister just that talented? Or was this silver dragon egg special?
Ileya smiled faintly, raised her hand, and a bloated zombie appeared like a meat wall in front of her…
Crackle! The lightning struck the zombie, leaving only a scorched black mark.
STOMP!!
In the next instant, Reliel, who had been standing in place, shot forward like a silver bolt of lightning, leaving only a pair of footprints behind!
“Good! Full of spirit…” Ileya’s scarlet eyes darted rapidly.
With her left hand, she dismissed the wall of zombies, and with her right hand, she quickly raised it.
Crack, crack, crack… Bone armor materialized out of thin air and blocked Reliel’s sweeping kick the next second!
“So… so fast! When did she get to the Lady’s side?” Yumina couldn’t even see Reliel’s movements clearly.
“Exaggerated improvement… But while speed and power are sufficient, precision is still lacking.” Amisa commented with her arms crossed from the side.
If Holly were to fight Reliel now, her apprentice might not win…
Up ahead… Reliel tried to withdraw her leg, but the next moment, she felt a numb, piercing pain in her right leg…
When she focused, she discovered that it had been ignited by a ghostly blue flame!
That was the soulfire attached to the bone armor.
“Ugh…” She quickly pulled back and immediately spun around, delivering another side kick toward the Lady, who still wore a smiling face!
Whoosh—! The surging wind and violent mana blew out the small amount of soulfire!
But just as this kick carrying wind and thunder was about to hit Ileya’s face…
Gulp!
“Mm?!” At that moment, Reliel felt the blood in her body momentarily stagnate, then rush to her brain all at once!
It was like standing up after squatting for a long time!
This made her nauseous and dizzy.
In her daze, she could see her weakened kick being easily caught by the Lady’s small hand…
Then everything around went dark…
Slap~
When she came to, she felt something cold and icy slowly flicking her forehead.
When she focused again, she saw the Lady’s face, still smiling from beginning to end.
“You lose.”
“Huh?” Reliel, kneeling on the ground, stared blankly at the Lady in front of her, then looked down at her own hands.
At that moment, she once again felt that sense of powerlessness, like facing an abyss or a vast sea.
‘Wasn’t this no different at all?’
Although she hadn’t imagined she could defeat the Lady, she had thought that after becoming a Transcendent, she could at least force her to use some real power.
But now… this playful sparring match wasn’t any different from before, was it!?
Reliel clenched her fists, gritting her silver teeth.
In that instant, the girl seemed to see a sea of stars!
And one of the stars on the side of that starry sea suddenly lit up…
Crackle—!!
She didn’t know why she cared so much about winning or losing against the Lady, but the next second…
Golden electricity instantly covered the surroundings densely!
A tingling numbness left even Ileya, who was crouching in front of her little sister, somewhat bewildered.
“Paralysis Breath…” Amisa, watching from the side, narrowed her eyes.
Legend had it that elegant silver dragons inherited all the magic of the “Ancient Rock Dragon King,” and besides the mysterious “Starry Sky Magic” said to summon meteorites from beyond the sky, they were best at [Ice] and [Lightning].
And “Paralysis Breath” was a variant of lightning magic.
But right now, it was being used by Reliel, who was still human. Perhaps it shouldn’t be called a breath… but a “Paralysis Aura.”
Her whole body was numb and tingling. Forget moving—even lifting an arm felt extremely difficult for Ileya.
‘Did she just learn this on the spot?’
‘Truly, worthy of being my little sister~’
Ileya smiled inwardly as she watched Reliel suddenly stand up and reach for her neck…
“Don’t know when to give up?”
Ileya’s smile instantly disappeared as the soul imprint engraved in her body instantly strengthened her to another level!
Crack, crack, crack… With a series of bone cracks, her inhumanly large claws almost instantly shook off the paralysis of the lightning…
After soul reinforcement, Ileya’s arm span reached a terrifying three meters… This disparity made it so that she easily grasped Reliel’s head like holding an egg, while Reliel could only barely touch her forearm…
“Ugh…”
Reliel tried to struggle, but at that moment, she met those scarlet eyes looking down at her!
BUZZ!!
Instantly, Reliel felt her soul tremble and sting!
Then, countless pitch-black arms grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her into a pitch-black space!
“What is this…”
When she came to, Reliel seemed to be standing on a desolate plain.
All around her were wandering reanimated.
‘Is this… the Lady’s ability?!’
Instead of feeling scared, Reliel actually felt a hint of excitement!
‘I can finally catch a glimpse of the Lady’s true power… I’m improving… I’m not unable to catch up to her!!’
“Heh… hehe…” The girl instinctively took two steps back and slowly looked up…
But she saw two scarlet eyes in the sky, like blazing suns.
Huh?
The look in those eyes was extremely cold, like a god surveying a toy box that had been abandoned.
Crack, crack, crack…
The next second, the sound of countless bones clattering filled the air…
The last thing Reliel saw was an endless ocean of skeletons.
Like piranhas catching the scent of blood, they charged toward her at full speed!
And this scene… left a deep imprint on Reliel’s heart.
How should she describe it?
Perhaps… [Catastrophe] fit best?
Slap~
“Hey~”
Slap~
“Ah?!” Reliel felt her butt… being patted a few times?
“Hmm? You’re awake~ Congratulations! Surgery was a success—you’ve become a little dragon girl~”
Hearing that teasing, almost irritating voice, Reliel was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly turned to look at Ileya.
“Just now…”
‘Was that… a dream of mine?’
“What? Did I hit you so hard you went dumb?” Ileya raised an eyebrow as she looked at her little sister lying on her lap, wearing an expression of bewilderment, shock, and self-doubt…
She felt a certain dark satisfaction in her heart.
‘Sure enough~ shattering my little sister’s confidence, pressing her down hard, and watching her confused and at a loss… feels really good~’
Ahem! It wasn’t because she wanted revenge for being suppressed the first two times!
It was… the dark side of the original fate line! Yes, the dark side controlled her!
What a vicious dark side! So wicked!
“Ahem, even though you look pitiful now, you clearly lost just now, and yet you still tried to sneak attack me… Don’t you think that deserves punishment?”
“…Yes, it’s my fault.” Reliel pursed her lips and nodded.
She really didn’t know why, at that moment, after she had already lost to the Lady, she was still bewitched into sneaking an attack.
It was just that inexplicable desire to win inside her… losing to the Lady seemed unbearable.
‘But… I’ve never beaten her. Why do I feel this way?’
“Yes, yes, yes! Lady, please punish this despicable little wretch who has no respect and seizes every opportunity to ambush you!!”
Yumina, who had always disliked this Xiao Yaba, quickly jumped out, looking smug.
“Alright then…” Ileya nodded, stood up with a smile, and looked at Reliel, who was now back to her golden-haired appearance, kneeling on the ground.
“Tonight… come to my room. I’ll give you a proper punishment~”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
The three maids present were all a little stunned.
“Um… if I sneak attack the Lady now, is it too late?” Yumina quietly asked Amisa beside her.
“Little Yumi… if you dare sneak attack me, I’ll make you clean the bathroom for a week~”
“Ugh… The Lady is so mean! Playing favorites! I protest! Protest!!”
Watching the three figures walk away, Reliel opened her mouth, obviously wanting to ask something.
But in the end, she couldn’t speak. She just let out a bitter smile.
‘Is the gap between the Lady and me really this big?’
Sigh… Feeling the power inside her, several times stronger than before, and the faint Source Sea in her mind…
Reliel suddenly stood up!
‘I won’t be discouraged by this! I have to improve my strength! One day, I’ll definitely…’
Clenching her teeth, Reliel suddenly remembered the “punishment” Ileya had mentioned earlier.
‘Tonight… go to her room?’
‘What kind of punishment is that… Does she want to call me over and beat me up again?’
She unconsciously puffed out her cheeks, then slowly sighed.
‘I’ve already done something wrong. Even if she beats me up again to vent her anger, I deserve it…’