Creak…
The faint sound of grinding, accompanied by soul-rending agony, finally snapped the White-robed Priestess out of her stupor.
But in those bewitching crimson eyes, a hotter, almost feverish excitement flared.
“Oh… Ohhh! This is… the most exquisite surprise!”
Her voice trembled violently, torn between extreme pain and pleasure, and her beautiful head lolled back, contorted into an exaggerated, twisted grin.
Who would have thought—her fall was completed not by the ‘Holy Sword’, but by her own will…
Hehe, Astreia, you’re a hundred times more interesting than I ever imagined!
Just as she was about to speak, the slender five fingers embedded in her chest suddenly clenched tight.
“Splurt!”
The White-robed Priestess spat out a mouthful of dark purple blood, her body convulsing uncontrollably, going limp.
“You’re absolutely right.”
From behind, Astreia’s lazy, languid voice drifted over, tinged with the satisfaction of someone who’d just awoken from a deep sleep.
It was as if she were stretching out a brand new body; the viscous darkness receded from her feet like a tide, letting the cold moonlight once again bathe the earth.
Bathed in moonlight, the princess’s figure remained voluptuous, but her curves were now even more breathtaking than before.
The once-tattered azure gown had vanished without a trace, replaced by a skintight armor woven from dark purple chitin and shadows.
The armor’s design was bold in the extreme, barely covering the mysterious regions of her chest and abdomen, leaving vast swathes of healthy, honey-gold skin—now marked with vivid red patterns—exposed to the night air.
At some point, her once golden hair, previously coiled atop her head, had become a shimmering, seductive platinum mane, flowing in the night breeze like liquid moonlight.
But the most striking feature—her eyes.
Once clear, emerald-green stars, they were now bottomless, dark voids. Deep in the pupils, two ghostly purple flames burned.
All traces of self-doubt and confusion had vanished, replaced by a pure, unrestrained, all-consuming dominance!
“So…”
She walked barefoot, step by step, from behind the White-robed Priestess, circling to face her.
Cocking her head, she regarded the “teacher” whose chest she’d pierced, her new eyes brimming with curiosity.
“Only the strong deserve beauty… is that right?”
Astreia softly repeated the White-robed Priestess’s earlier words, revealing a smile so cruel it was almost beautiful.
She reached out with her other hand, gripping the White-robed Priestess’s chin and forcing her to meet her gaze.
“So now, tell me… between the two of us, who’s stronger?”
“Ka… kakakaka…”
The White-robed Priestess laughed uproariously, her body shaking despite her heart being clutched in another’s hand. Her mad delight was undiminished.
“Of course it’s you… my darling little witch… you’re so strong… you’ll break me…”
“Is that so?”
Astreia’s smile grew even sweeter.
“Then why did you make me hurt so much just now?”
As her words fell.
“Crack!”
The sharp sound of bone breaking pierced the dead silence of the night.
Astreia kicked, snapping the White-robed Priestess’s knee.
“Aaaargh—!”
Even the Succubus Queen couldn’t withstand such sudden pain; she howled miserably, collapsing to her knees in disgrace.
Yet the hand that pierced her chest remained steady as ever, denying her even the right to fall.
“See? Isn’t this much more obedient?”
Astreia nodded in satisfaction, as if admiring a work of art she’d crafted herself. She bent down and lightly patted that exquisitely beautiful, pain-twisted face.
“I’m a very reasonable person. You hit me a few times, I hit you back the same number. That’s fair, isn’t it?”
With that, she raised her hand.
“Smack!”
A crisp slap.
“Smack! Smack! Smack!”
Left and right, relentless.
The sharp sound of slaps echoed through the empty night, a rhythm that sent chills down the spine.
Just moments ago, the Priestess had been high and mighty, wantonly tormenting the princess.
Now, she was like a battered sandbag, being slapped madly in return.
That bewitching face swelled red before the eye.
“Have you… had enough?!”
The White-robed Priestess suddenly roared, a surge of shadow energy exploding from within her and forcibly breaking the restraint!
She even abandoned her heart for the moment, flipping backward several times to put over ten meters between herself and Astreia.
Her blood-red, slit pupils fixed on the reborn witch before her, the White-robed Priestess slowly straightened.
Her shattered knee and swollen face quickly healed under the swirling purple demonic aura.
“I was just playing with you earlier. Did you really think you were that impressive?”
She licked the blood from her lips, arrogance returning to her posture.
“There are only a handful on the entire Erashia Continent who can stand against me!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Astreia casually crushed the still-beating heart in her hand, dark purple blood spurting between her fingers.
Narrowing her eyes—where purple fire still burned—she let killing intent condense tangibly around her.
“Boom!”
Somehow, a wild wind rose, thunder cracking from a clear sky.
Heavy clouds churned above, and fat raindrops pelted down, instantly drenching the two of them.
And in the instant Astreia’s lashes flickered under the cold rain, the White-robed Priestess struck!
Her figure blurred into the downpour, a streak of purple lightning too swift for the naked eye, leaving only a trail of afterimages.
In a blink, she was before Astreia, her fist screaming through the air, aiming straight for Astreia’s face!
Astreia neither dodged nor flinched, not a ripple on her face. She simply raised her hand—still stained with dark purple blood—to meet the attack.
Black and violet fists collided in midair!
“BOOM!!!”
The air detonated, a visible shockwave rippling out!
The hard ground beneath their feet cracked like a spiderweb, shards of stone flung upward by the blast, only to be hammered down by the torrential rain.
The White-robed Priestess’s confident, savage grin froze instantly, replaced by disbelief. Her opponent’s palm hadn’t budged, but her own knuckles screamed in agony!
“That’s it?”
Astreia sneered, twisting her grip to seize the White-robed Priestess’s wrist, then drove her knee mercilessly into her opponent’s abdomen!
“Ungh!”
The White-robed Priestess grunted, doubling over, but reacted swiftly—her other hand became a claw, slashing for Astreia’s eyes!
Astreia tilted her head slightly, letting the sharp nails rake five shallow cuts across her cheek.
At the same time, her grip on the woman’s wrist tightened with sudden force!
“Crack!”
Another bone snapped!
The White-robed Priestess’s wrist was crushed to powder!
Wracked with pain, she was forced to retreat, widening the gap.
For the first time, a grave look appeared in her blood-red eyes.
The woman before her—after her fall—had gained strength far beyond her expectations!
This was no ordinary witch, but… a monster!
“Looks like brute strength alone won’t win against you…”
The White-robed Priestess panted, the gaping wound in her chest already fully healed.
“Hehe… hehehe… cough, cough…”
She laughed maniacally, even as she coughed up blood.
“You really do have the upper hand in strength. And judging by your state, you haven’t even gone all out…”
“But haven’t you noticed? Where I’m standing is awfully close to a certain someone~”
Hearing this, Astreia’s brow furrowed. A sense of dread rose in her heart.
The White-robed Priestess’s form suddenly blurred, her speed now several times faster than before.
In an instant, she appeared beside the dazed Wendy, seizing him and pulling him protectively in front of her, then letting out a shrill, triumphant laugh that echoed through the night.
“This is my escape route, Astreia!”
One hand gripped Wendy’s neck, the other stroked his handsome face.
With the air of a victor, she taunted Astreia from afar with crazed mockery.
“So what if you’ve become stronger than me?!”
“Now that the Little Prince is in my hands, what will you do~”