His bloodshot eyes scanned the shocked group arrogantly, thumbs pointing at himself. “Now, I’m invincible! Come on! Attack me! Let’s see if you kill yourselves first or if I tear you apart!”
“Playing tricks!” Helga was furious. Seeing Shadowfang devour the chief, she could no longer hold back.
Raising her staff, she instantly conjured a powerful ice-blue magic beam, sharp and biting cold, striking Shadowfang’s chest hard!
“Glacial Ray!”
“Helga! No!!” Aya’s cry came too late!
Boom—!
The magic beam hit Shadowfang’s chest solidly, scattering ice shards. But Shadowfang merely groaned, retreating half a step as the ice covering his chest armor quickly melted under demonic energy, causing no serious harm.
“Pfft—!” At the same time, Helga was struck as if hit by a massive hammer.
Her body shuddered violently, her chest feeling crushed by an invisible giant mallet! A strange, identical ice-blue energy mark appeared on her chest, the biting cold instantly seeping into her insides!
Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if silently asking what had just happened.
She spat a mouthful of blood mixed with ice shards and collapsed like a kite cut loose, falling heavily to the ground, life uncertain!
“Helga!!” Rita’s face went pale as she rushed over, bathing Helga in sacred light, desperately sustaining her fading life.
Aya shouted: “Don’t attack Shadowfang! He swallowed the chief and gained the chief’s power. It’s the gravekeeper clan’s curse—any damage he takes will be 100% reflected back to the attacker!”
“Come on, keep hitting me! Do you think your health bars are thicker than mine?” Shadowfang laughed cruelly, his voice dripping with sadistic delight. “You want to beat me while I stand here? Ha!”
A troublesome ability indeed. If a human possessed it, their low health would make it less threatening.
But now that the demon had this power, the same magic that nearly killed Helga only grazed Shadowfang.
Almost as if proving his words true, two gravekeepers speared Shadowfang with long spears.
Shadowfang grinned without a care, while the two spear soldiers spat blood and collapsed dead.
But if they didn’t attack, being beaten to death was certain.
So there was only one answer.
Serena wiped the blood from her lips, her gaze unusually calm. Beyond the raucous Shadowfang, it landed on Eileen, who held the holy sword and wore a similarly grave expression.
Her eyes showed no fear—only a nearly reverent trust.
“Eileen,” Serena’s voice was low but cut through the demon uproar clearly, reaching Eileen’s ears. “I believe in you.”
Eileen’s pupils constricted sharply.
“Are you insane?!” Shadowfang heard as well and sneered. “Attacking me is suicide! Even that mage couldn’t withstand one hit! Do you think you’re the exception?”
Serena ignored Shadowfang’s taunts, her gaze fixed on Eileen, her fiery eyes burning with undying flame. She slowly raised her longsword, already cracked, pointing its tip again at Shadowfang’s heart!
She had to aim for a killing blow! No matter how tough the demon wolf’s body was, the heart remained a weak point! Such precise, vital strikes only she could perform!
What happened next she could only entrust to Eileen and the miracle she held in her hands.
“Wait, wait, Serena!”
Ignoring Eileen’s voice, Serena held her sword before her chest. The gleaming blade reflected the sacred light, radiating brilliance. Her eyes flared with astounding battle intent like a blazing fire!
In the next moment, she became a streak of crimson lightning, almost instantly appearing before Shadowfang!
The swordlight flashed like lightning, piercing his heart amid a dreadful howl! The sword’s pressure expanded, crushing his heart instantly, but the ‘shared fate’ curse erupted simultaneously, blood spilling from Serena’s mouth.
So it was a mutual death outcome?
The shared fate curse inevitably triggered backlash, unable to be corrected by the Miracle Weaver’s special effects!
“Madwoman!”
Shadowfang’s roar shook the scene as reality twisted and changed. Fate warped, and the Miracle Weaver’s power activated—but time rewound to just before Serena’s sword pierced Shadowfang’s heart!
The sword missed at an almost impossible angle. Shadowfang was stunned, confused by what had just happened but instinctively counterattacked, slapping Serena away!
Sweat poured from his wolf head; he never expected such madness—a human throwing away her life with no hesitation to die with him!
Serena blocked the retaliatory strike with her sword, sacrificing the weapon’s integrity as it shattered.
She knelt on one knee, landing atop Eileen’s altar.
Eileen’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat. Before Serena and the others arrived, she had already expended most of her magic dodging the wolf’s attacks. Just now, she had almost drained her magic trying to change Serena’s fate!
But she could only cause Serena’s sword to shift—it was impossible to prevent her from being hurt after killing Shadowfang.
“Se-Serena, are you crazy? If I hadn’t interfered with fate just now… you would have died with him!”
Eileen panted, holding Serena’s shoulder, but Serena’s gaze was calm and composed, nothing like someone who had just narrowly escaped death!
She looked at Eileen, her eyes so focused it seemed she wanted to etch the figure into her soul.
“That’s not so bad!”
Eileen was taken aback.
Serena turned and slowly said, looking at the ferocious Shadowfang: “Eileen, you should realize—if we want to survive, this monster has to die. Hesitating any longer will only get us killed.”
“…W-we could still escape…”
“Do you think there’s any chance of escaping when a monster like this is chasing us?!” Serena’s retort left Eileen speechless.
Indeed, unless they betrayed all the gravekeepers, escape was impossible! But why would the gravekeepers risk their lives to buy time for them to flee?
Seeing Eileen unable to counter, Serena spoke softly, her gaze carrying a transcendence Eileen couldn’t grasp: “So some things must be done by someone—it’s just a life for a life.”
Eileen saw Serena’s eyes, once fiery red and radiant, now darkened.
A terrifying thought rose within her, finally understanding why Serena’s attitude was so strange!
There was no will to survive in those eyes.
“Do you want to die?”
Eileen’s voice trembled with restrained emotion, causing Serena to pause slightly. She smiled and looked back, “No one wants to die. I just think this is best…”
“Shut up! Do you think by doing this I’ll forgive you? That this can erase the grudges of the past? Do you want me to live a life of endless regret after losing you?!”
Eileen’s rapid-fire questions left Serena stunned, blinking, “Eileen?”
“How much do you hate me? How much do you resent me, wanting to torture me like this?”
Golden eyes glistened with tears, leaving Serena momentarily helpless. It was the first time she’d seen Eileen look so vulnerable.
“No, how could I hate you? You’re the one I love most, Eileen!”
At this moment, Serena no longer hid her feelings. Overwhelmed, she spoke hastily, like a girl in the throes of first love, “Because I loved you so much, I resented you for leaving without a word. We cherished you so much—why would you despise yourself? No one disliked you!”
“I spread rumors just to bring you back… I didn’t expect things to turn out like this…”
“I’m sorry, Eileen. Really sorry. The hurt I caused can never be repaired, so, so…”
Eileen paused, “So you want to use your ‘death’ as atonement? Would that satisfy you? Do you think I’d be happy?”
Serena was dumbfounded—she hadn’t considered that.
“Let’s win first, then we’ll settle our past grudges!” Eileen glanced at Shadowfang. As they spoke, several gravekeepers died tragically. Lillisa protected the seriously injured Helga while Rita tended to her. Though not in immediate danger, they couldn’t join the fight.
Serena hesitated: “But my sword is broken. It already had an irreparable crack from the fight with the Shadow King.”
“If you want a sword, don’t I still have one?”
Eileen lifted the shining holy sword.
Serena went “Hm?” then shook her head. “No, Eileen, that’s the holy sword. Only the chosen can wield it! I can’t use it!”
“How do you know if you don’t try?” Eileen cut her off roughly. “Since when did you get so fussy?”
Serena felt a bit wronged—she was a woman, wasn’t fussiness normal?
“Hold—hold my hand—” Eileen blushed slightly and turned her face away. “If you can’t grip it alone, I’ll help you. Let me be your sword!”
“If the curse backfires, we’ll bear it together!”
“Huh?”
Serena slowly reached out, their fingers intertwining. Together, they grasped the holy sword.
Whether real or illusion, at that moment, the sword’s light flared even brighter!
Serena’s heartbeat quickened like never before, her emotions surging.
Yes, with Eileen by her side, she felt invincible. There was nothing to fear now!
One hand held the holy sword with Eileen; the other grabbed Eileen’s waist, nearly lifting her up.
Their eyes locked for a moment as their figures turned into silver and crimson light entwined, piercing through countless demon encirclements like a meteor straight at Shadowfang.
The demon wolf seemed to sense the danger!
With a roar, he raised his defense for the first time ever!
“Kneel before me!” Eileen poured all her magic into the only attack she could use—‘Prophecy.’
Shadowfang suddenly felt his body sink and, with a thunderous crash, knelt down. His defense shattered instantly, and the holy sword’s radiance expanded wildly in his eyes!
Sword force dazzled, blood surged like a torrent, and Shadowfang’s wolf head flew upward. His inverted vision showed a face of disbelief.
“Why? The curse didn’t trigger?!”
Aya staggered to his head and whispered, “If even the curse can’t be purified, then is it really the holy sword?”
Then, she drew a dagger and stabbed the demon wolf’s forehead.
The towering demon fell with a crash.
With Shadowfang’s death, the remaining demons panicked and fled like a tide. Aya glanced at Eileen and Serena, smiled faintly, and then led the gravekeepers in hunting down the fleeing demons.
The demons had killed so many of their kin—how could the gravekeepers just let it go?
After slaying Shadowfang, Serena still held her sword stance, her red eyes wide with disbelief and joy. Eileen’s profile rested against her chest, clearly visible.
“Serena, can you put me down now?”
That finally snapped Serena back to reality. Her eyes shone with uncontrollable joy, making Eileen stare in surprise. Defeating Shadowfang was good, but was there any need to be this happy?
“Eileen!”
“What?”
“Huh?”
Without warning, Serena opened her arms and hugged Eileen tightly. The scene left Eileen somewhat flustered.
“Oy, what are you doing?”
She teased, though without much resistance.
“Eileen, I got stronger! I broke through, finally broke through!”
“Okay, okay, but do you have to be this excited?” Eileen, naturally a terrible fighter, couldn’t feel what it was like to get stronger. People’s joys and sorrows just didn’t connect.
“Look, look! All my stats improved!”
Serena enthusiastically showed Eileen her status panel. Eileen glanced and nearly gasped—the numbers had indeed risen. Her combat power reached 1.8 million, nearly the sum of their previous party!
The Sword Saint class was high offense and speed but fragile, with dual defense rated only C. But now, all of Serena’s attributes had jumped to A rank!
This breakthrough was ridiculous—as if she’d changed classes!
Just as she thought this, Eileen saw Serena’s class icon and her eyes went wide in disbelief.
“That’s not right!!!”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.