Chapter 45: Is Facing Irene Really That Terrifying?

After a brief rest, Irene dragged Froya straight into the wall.

They passed right through it, emerging into another area, where the surroundings had a surreal, dreamlike quality.

“Where is this?”

Irene explained, “This is the teleportation gate to the White Tower. Stay close, everyone. If you lose your way here, you might never find your way back.”

The interior of this magical passage was dazzling and bizarre, completely different from the real world—as if they had stepped into the scene of a dream.

After traveling for a while, they finally saw the light at the end of the path. At last, the central magic tower of Endymion City—the White Tower—revealed itself before them.

Unlike seeing it from afar, standing up close, one could truly feel its majesty!

“Was this really built by human hands?” Froya murmured softly.

Claret couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, “If only Miss Laila and Lord Ansel were here too. I wish I could share this beautiful sight with them.”

Red Wolf nodded as well. “To shine so brilliantly after a thousand years—truly, the Holy Magus King was terrifying. Speaking of which, it seems our own mage got left behind. Should we wait for him when we return to the city?”

Irene smiled and brushed aside her silver hair, blown loose by the wind. “The first time I came here, I was even more overwhelmed than you are now. But I never actually entered the inside. Be ready—there are far more traps and dangers within the White Tower itself.”

Everyone nodded in response.

Just then—

“Wait! Irene!!”

That voice made Irene’s expression change. It was a voice far too familiar.

“Serena?”

She spun around sharply and saw, at the far end of the road on the other side of the White Tower, a fully armored figure stepping forward—her childhood friend.

“…Why are you here?”

Serena stared at Irene, stopping in her tracks. She glanced warily at the lineup of “demons.” For them to have reached this place under the White Tower, they had to be formidable. This would be no easy battle.

But Serena had no way back. She had to bring Irene back with her!

I will never let you leave me again!!

Serena rested her hand on her sword hilt. “That’s my question, Irene. Why are you here?”

A part of her had even hoped the intel was wrong.

Irene glanced at Serena—her armor was stained with blood and marred by multiple damages. Clearly, she’d been through a brutal battle just to get here. The rest of her teammates looked no better—

Wait a minute, who is that dark-skinned, blonde-haired girl?!

So that’s it. A new teammate already? That was fast! Found a new partner in no time, huh?

As Irene recalled everything Serena had done before, anger bubbled up inside her. She snapped irritably, “Do I need to report to you where I go now?”

Serena had most likely come here again to get in her way!

She had probably learned about the Codex of Endymion too. She didn’t want Irene to obtain such a treasure, to rewrite her trash talent and rise above others.

She wanted to keep Irene under her heel forever—trampling her dignity into the dirt!

‘Serena wants to steal what’s rightfully mine! Now that I’ve made it this far, how could I possibly let her succeed?’

So ruthless, Serena!! The Codex will never be yours!

“…You’re right, I don’t need to report to you,” Serena exhaled slowly, her eyes fixed on the so-called “demons” around Irene. “But why are you associating with demons?”

In Serena’s eyes, Irene was far too clever not to realize these people were demons in disguise!

Has Irene truly chosen to side with the demons? No. She had to bring her back—no matter what!

“Demons?”

Irene blinked, then glanced at Froya. The latter’s expression changed slightly as she quickly stepped forward to explain.

“Demons? Don’t slander us like that! How could we be demons? You’re just making up lies because you want to hog the Codex for yourself! Irene, don’t believe her!”

“Someone born with a prestigious S-rank talent like her could never understand our suffering—and now she’s even trying to take away the only hope we have!”

Irene considered this for a moment—and in the end, she chose to stand with Froya. After all that had happened between her and Serena, she could no longer bring herself to trust her.

The Codex’s ability to rewrite one’s talent… was her only hope of escaping her fate as trash. And Serena—she wanted to take away even that tiny hope?

I misjudged you, Serena!

“Serena, the Codex will never be yours!”

Irene’s voice turned cold, and at the same time, she furrowed her brows and stepped back behind her companions.

Serena let out a helpless sigh. “If we can’t talk this out… then I’ll have to fight.”

Roswitha looked conflicted but spoke up for once. “Serena, are you really going to fight Irene?”

Regeliv stepped forward, raising her shield with unwavering resolve. “Irene’s being unreasonable. If words won’t work, then a fight it is. These ‘demons’ don’t seem weak—stay alert.”

What else could Roswitha say?

She sighed softly and began casting buffs on her teammates. That alone was as good as declaring war.

The rogue, Paruma, silently melted into the shadows, a sly grin flashing in her gray eyes.

“If it’s a fight you want, bring it on. You think we’re scared of you?”

Froya’s fighting spirit was also ignited. With the White Tower right in front of them, how could they allow anyone to get in their way?

Red Wolf and the others stepped forward with their party, and the monk began casting buffs for his teammates. But clearly, his professional skill couldn’t compare to Rossweisse’s—his glowing effects were far dimmer.

“Aiya, what’s the point of adventurers fighting among themselves? Do we really need to go all out, life and death? We’re not demons, you know. We’ve been well-known in the human world for years now—how could we possibly be demons?”

Serena completely ignored Red Wolf’s excuses and chose to trust the intelligence network of the Guild.

But Red Wolf’s group had the advantage in numbers. Although their “Magic Master” had fallen behind, with Froya and Lilisah included, they still had a total of seven people. Even if there was a gap in equipment and raw power, their numbers could compensate.

“Hmph, can quantity really make up for a qualitative gap?”

Serena scoffed in disdain. There were many A-rank teams in the kingdom, but why was there only one S-rank team? Ordinary people simply couldn’t comprehend the power difference between A and S rank!

Moreover, Serena’s determination was maxed out—she was fighting to save Irene.

Once buffs were up, Serena launched the first strike. Activating the skill Blink, she instantly closed the gap between the two teams. Her +15 Gram sword aimed straight at Red Wolf’s throat. Against demons, she showed no mercy—if you want to win a war, you take down the leader first!

Red Wolf didn’t even seem to react. The gap in strength between the two sides was obvious. But strangely—

“No way?!”

Serena’s surprise attack missed!

From an almost impossible angle, with a 99% hit rate—she still failed to land the blow?!

In her shock, Red Wolf’s counterattack arrived. Serena quickly withdrew her sword to parry. With a loud clang, the berserker’s terrifying strength forced Serena back a few steps.

Red Wolf’s heart pounded. He hadn’t seen Serena’s attack at all. He had merely moved his body on reflex—yet that slight shift had made her miss!

“Aiya, Miss Serena, your luck doesn’t seem too great today.”