The Chimeric Ascension of Lyudmila Springfield

Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Dark Lord of Tyranny’s Roar – Part Two (Important Update)

“Hey, Tilde?” 

“What’s up?” 

“Umm… Just…what kind of person is Sekh?” asked Elly as we sat in the backyard, looking up at the Eagle Yew. Primrose had said the tree would harbor a mystic glow once the transplant was complete, so we anxiously waited for it to sparkle.  

“Mmnn…” Tilde stretched her wings and crossed her legs. “Well, she’s been with Master the longest. She’s…kinda stoic? I dunno if that’s the right word, but she’s… She’s sometimes archaic, I guess. She’s kinda ‘brash’ with her words and probably hasn’t totally adjusted to her newfound happiness.” 

“Wait, what do you mean by newfound?” I asked.  

“Let’s say she was locked up for a long time. She only really experienced true freedom when Master freed her. They…are more alike than they are different.” Tilde was unusually stuck for words. She couldn’t readily approach the topic as ‘jokingly’ as she had conversed about other things.  

“Freed? Like a slave?”  

“You’re not wrong, Ami,” replied Tilde. “Sekh is still a slave in some ways, although none of her would ever think her to be one. She’s super powerful, you know. A flick of an eyebrow, and she could roast me like a marshmallow.” Suddenly, Tilde giggled as she changed topics. “Haha, I used to tease the shit out of her. I’ll tell you—our bickering was legendary. Ahh, but that was the old Tilde. This is the new one. Guess I should show her how much I've matured.” 

“Sekh’s really kind,” added Niva, who waved her staff to warm up her joints for an evening workout. “I was in bad shape when we met. I…was close to dying, but she helped look after me. She changed my bandages and rubbed medicine on me.” 

“Ah, yeah. She did that. Hey, Niva? Don’t worry. I know Sekh’s gonna be proud when she sees you. You’ve changed a whole lot— and for the better—since she’s taken her nap.” 

“Nap? But I thought she was hurt?” asked Ami.  

“Well, she is. She’s asleep via magic to help keep her alive inside a coffin of ice. Think of it like…suspended hibernation in cryostasis. We can’t break her out without her dying from her wounds, but we can’t heal her without breaking her. So, it’s a paradox. Lord Aetos can use his powerful magic to heal Little Miss Sekh in a flash.” Tilde snapped for extra emphasis.  “Ah, we just have to wait, huh? Guess patience is a virtue and all that.” 

Greggie emerged with a tray of sweets, and we spent a few minutes happily enjoying this after-dinner dessert… 

Until… 

It happened.  

---

It was startling how fast life could transition into a nightmare. One moment, we gazed at the Eagle Yew’s mystical glow—proof the transplant was complete. Elly was cheering. Ami was jumping. Primrose cried and hugged Niva, who patted her back…  

And then a barrage of spells came out of nowhere. Ice, fire, wind, poison, and gas bombarded the massive tree. The earth shook and rumbled as if the Eagle Yew groaned in pain. And another salvo appeared without delay.  

We dropped what we were doing and ran to the village. Melusine took to the skies to create an icy barrier, yet her good intentions were futile.    

“Why—WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! STOP THIS!!!” Elly shouted. She helplessly watched a thunderous bolt of lighting fire slam into the tree, carving off an 80-meter chunk of wood that violently fell to the ground, destroying precious homes.     

Aello wasn’t anywhere to be found. The slimes and other inhabitants were scared and panicking. Things couldn’t remain like this.      

“Elly, handle the healing. Gather everyone in the graveyard. Keeth, go with her and use your skills to reinforce what you can. Mary, scout with your birds. Greggie, you and Ami are with me.” The orders came quickly. I had more experience in handling stuff like this.     

Elly and I buffed our attack, speed, defense, and magic, and then she sang a song about reuniting. Her voice was thrown across the entire village, spreading far and wide, reaching everyone’s ears.      

“You’re not fighting alone,” Tilde said, drawing her guns. Her, Primrose, and Niva followed after us. Lei had hopped on Niva’s head. We ran to the village’s entrance, charged through the forest...and encountered roughly sixty people waiting in formation after the tree line. Magic continued to be fired by the mages at the back.      

They dressed like bandits, but the enemies were too trained to be hoodlums. Even their equipment was falsely made to look like hand-me-downs.     

I had killed hundreds of thugs. None pushed around catapults or hefted trebuchets on wagons. They were too heavy. Ferrying the ammo added another expense.    

These guys had to be professionals.      

“What the hell are you doing?! Stop this!” I shouted, switching to Melded Elements, a tome focusing on combination magic. The book hovered and opened, casting an eerie glow around my eyes. Greggie readied his shield, and Ami raised her fists.     

A powerful spark appeared from the back. The bolt was tremendous, and it flew like lightning, striking the Eagle Yew.     

Immediately, the glow it held vanished. A foreboding feeling crawled into my stomach. After using [Mana Perception], I realized the thick mana radiating from their bodies meant they were at least Lv. 70. Perhaps even higher.    

I looked at the Eagle Yew and saw nothing but monochrome. The mana powering the Spiritual Grove was cut. Lord Springfield couldn’t leave.    

“I guess the report was true. A halfbreed with prosthetics, a whorish woodland spirit, and a fairy maid wielding a firearm,” said a voice. I turned to the gathered soldiers and saw a heavily armored man with an intricately detailed polearm.     

That had to be the leader.      

“Listen up! There’s a High Elf inside the tree! She’s ripe for the taking!l”    

“I won’t let you hurt her, you—”    

Suddenly…    

Tilde laughed, cutting me off. “If you know that, then you must know her name. Are you even aware of how much a Vredi means to the world? Touch a single hair on her head, and you’ll make an enemy of the world’s strongest… Your lives are already forfeit. You’re dumber than shit if you think your little trick has trapped her.”     

“A Vredi?” Uncertain murmurs spread across nervous faces. No one had told the ignorant fools about their target’s identity.     

But the man was a trained leader. He regained control by tempting them with money. The loot from this score, he said, would be enough for them to retire. They wouldn’t ever have to do this kind of work ever again.     

The alluring scent of gold worked wonders for those who looked with their greedy little hearts.     

“Tough words, little fairy, but you won’t scare us. And you…” The man wore an angled, closed helmet, but I felt him narrow his gaze on my tome. “That’s a Soul Weapon, isn’t it? I don’t know who your lord is, but it isn’t Gloria. You’re not supposed to be here, are you? This is a severe violation. How could you attack one of Dirge’s holiest sights with a Vredi? You are aware of this village’s importance, are you not?”    

“Is that the route you’re going with? It’s terribly cliché, isn’t it?” I replied. “Framing Lord Springfield and I for your destructive acts won’t work.”    

“Lord Springfield? So the High Elf of Liberation is in there? Thank you for confirming the rumors. The Lord Conference isn’t far away, so what would they think when I capture and hand you to Gloria?”     

“You can try, but you’re going to die. You won’t leave here alive.” My hands tingled. My lips curled into a smile. My blood ran hot.    

It was happening again…    

The feeling of taking a life…    

Preparing for combat…excited me…    

I’m so fucked up…    

“You’re not making any sense, dumbass. The world would turn upside down for a Vredi. No one with a brain would even get 1,000 miles near you. Rumors leak. They always do. It’s impossible to keep a secret if more than one is alive. Alcohol can loosen even the tightest lips. A Vredi would never dream of harming the eagle inside that tree.”  

“Who says she’s going to be sold, fairy? Would she not make more money if I rented her holes to anyone who’d pay? They say a High Elf never loses her tightness. She’ll be as fresh as a virgin every time.”    

“We’ll see if that rumor is true once I get my hands on her.” A Scalefolk licked his lips and extended his sharp claws. They matched the yellow scales dancing across his bare chest.      

“SHUT UP!” The cries came from Niva. “I WON’T EVER LET MILA SUFFER WHAT I WENT THROUGH!!!!” She raised her staff, but Tilde covered her mouth before the chant happened. She whispered something, but it only made Niva growl more ferocious. Her glowing eye became brighter Primrose bared her teeth. I saw nature mana radiate from her limbs, but she didn’t do anything after a stern look from Tilde.      

Lei made itself more imposing, doing its best to look like Surtr, but the yellow slime failed to capture the lion’s ferocity.    

“Oh, feel free to try, halfbreed. There’s nothing you and that spirit can do that’ll harm me. You’re too weak. Too pathetic."    

“You’re strong… About Lv. 72, I’d say?” Tilde asked, turning around. She held a scowl and looked directly at the leader. “There aren’t many in this area comparable to your strength. You remind me of a hunter, but… Ah! That’s it, isn’t it? You’re with Hymn, aren’t you?”    

I’d never heard of Hymn. The man slightly flinched. Tilde explained and said there was a guild called the Hunter’s Division in Dirge. It specialized in hunting monsters—nothing else—so it differed from the bounty hunting guild or the adventurer’s guild.     

However, there was a hidden sect called Hymn that specialized in hunting people. They would kidnap unique, interesting individuals, register their blood on a tracking compass, and allow people to bid on the right to track them. For targets outside Dirge, Hymn would contract the local bandits and provide them with money and equipment.     

Tilde deduced this group was probably commissioned by a rogue member amongst the upper echelon.      

“Oh? You make up for your weakness with knowledge. It doesn’t matter. I’ll still rip off your wings before I sell you.”    

“Are you willing to risk the wrath of the Dark Lord of Justice? What about Seraphina Vredi? My Master has a close relationship with them. If you want to survive, you can always turn back. You’ll live for at least another minute.”    

“Sorry, but that won’t happen.” The man raised his polearm. The tip crackled with mana. “This little incident has already been covered up. Wouldn’t do much for our rep if we ran. Talking tough is cute, but it won’t help.”     

Covered up? So—    

Tilde aimed her guns, but she didn’t fire. She wasn’t scared.    

She’s probably trying to get more info. We learned a lot from her questioning.     

Suddenly, two archers jumped, letting loose a pair of arrows as someone shouted a spell called [Gravity Drop]. Tilde reacted, shooting both out of the air.     

Bang! Bang!   

But her bullets immediately dropped to the ground. I activated [Mana Perception] again and saw purple light around her guns. She struggled to lift them.    

“[Woodland Shield]!” Niva raised her staff, creating a protective barrier around the fairy.  

The fight was on after the arrows were lodged inside it.     

“[UNDINE SHO—]” My time flipped to a page. I prepared to cast, but my voice was silenced by a purple pulse that spread across the field.     

It was like my vocal cords were cut. But there stood a robed man holding a purple orb. [Mana Perception] confirmed the link from him, the crystal, and myself.   

“Only a fool would allow a mage unrestricted access to their greatest weapon. We, however, are not inexperienced,” said the leader. “Tactics shall always reign supreme over raw power. And don’t kick yourself because you didn’t cast a spell immediately. We knew that was possible and had the orb prepared before we began the assault. There’s nothing you could’ve done to surprise us. Surrender and accept your fate. Or don’t. My men could use the training. You don’t often get to fight Soul Warriors.”   

“Quella!” Greggie ran in front and deflected an arrow. “Get it together! Use your magic circles!” He parried four more projectiles. Ami jumped off his shoulders and leapt into the air, raised a fist, and punched the ground, creating a shockwave. It knocked down the approaching ten soldiers, but another barrage of arrows came our way. Ami dodged effortlessly under them and built aura, her jacket’s tail fluttering behind her. The projectiles kept coming, and Ami kept avoiding them. When it filled, she gathered the energy around her hands and prepared an attack.     

“[Support Reversal]!” A mage from the back raised his jewel-tipped staff. A wave of light spread across the battlefield.    

“What’s going on?!” Greggie groaned. I looked at the buffs underneath my soul energy…and they had turned to debuffs.    

Instantly, I felt sluggish. I saw the same strain in my allies’ faces.   

But even worse, the powerful, staggering beneficial magic from two Soul Warriors was forcibly given to that mage, who used a second spell to share them amongst his allies.    

Another round of debuffs came like clockwork, severely weakening us even more.     

It was percentage-based and affected us more than Tilde and the others.   

Ami slowed for just long enough for an arrow to grace her cheeks. Her aura drained. A family of sharpened vines burst through the ground, stabbing her feet. She cursed and jumped a second too late as Greggie raised his sword far slower than he had done in recent memory.     

We were still Soul Warriors at our core. But it felt like lead had filled our shoes while swimming through a swamp of thickened molasses.     

These bastards were really prepared for almost everything.   

I knew I could slaughter them all in a single spell. I just needed my voice. I’d coat the ground with their innards and truly show them despair.     

I had kneeled and tried to draw a magic circle in the dirt.     

“MOVE!!!” Tilde shouted, and I didn’t know if it was to me or Niva. But I kicked away, barely avoiding an arrow that would’ve pierced my knee.    

It left a small crater…   

No! Focus!   

Tilde, Niva, and Primrose groaned, and a slime cried out, followed by someone shouting Lei’s name. I heard gunfire and screams, but I couldn't look at them.    

“GUHHH!!!”   

“GREGGIE!!” Six sickening thuds echoed. Four men had rushed past Ami and had gotten to Greggie. Ami returned and fought, but another barrage of arrows came my way. I didn’t have the time to focus. They wouldn’t let me.    

I heard our enemies exclaim at their newfound strength. “These damn cheaters are so lucky to have this power at their command! Maybe we should keep one alive as a pet to buff us? A man could get used to feeling like they can take on the world!”  

We were surrounded in an instant, fighting back-to-back. More mages continued to launch their enhanced spells on the Eagle Yew as the siege weapons they brought unleashed their bombs against the tree. Their explosions rumbled the ground.     

An arrow hit true and pierced my shoulder, nearly tearing my arm from my body. I groaned and clenched my teeth.     

But this could work. Blood was a substitute.    

I bloodied my right finger, then drew on my left palm.    

Come on! Come on! Come on!   

“Using blood? Cute, but you’re not the first to try that.” I was almost done when an arrow exploded above, drenching me in a waterfall of water.    

The blood washed away. Even worse, the water had hydrophobic properties. “That’s an anti-mage staple, Soul Warrior,” taunted the leader while I silently cursed. No matter how much blood I used, it refused to stick to my skin. A constant barrage of arrows didn’t allow me to remain in place long enough to draw on the ground. I barely avoided them as it was.    

My increased physical abilities as a Soul Warrior were there…   

But just barely.     

I tried to make a magic circle with my feet as I avoided the arrows, but water magic ruined my work.     

If I killed that orb-wielding man…   

I could destroy this group.    

Dread consumed my mind.    

Not for me. But for my friends.  

Greggie continued to struggle. He pushed away the attackers and used lighting on his sword to disarm them. Ami had dodged enough to use her aura. She cladded it around her hands and punched the ground, sending a shockwave of explosive energy that severely injured four enemies. They were quickly brought to safety while my friends rejoined me.    

They heaved heavily, but they held on. They had grown much since Meruria teleported us to that dungeon. Our enemies were probably as strong as a 1-Star Soul Warrior, but they didn’t overpower us.     

Lord Springfield’s entourage, though…  

I was too busy dodging to look at them, but Tilde screamed for her wings.   

Someone exclaimed Niva must’ve had a nerve mesh attached to her prosthetics, and her cries followed.   

Primrose cursed, her voice barely audible over the whooshing of her razor-sharp wind, but I saw a black flash.   

Someone had thrown a demon core, and a towering hell plant roared. Its barbed wire-like vines probably pierced Primrose’s limbs and restrained her for others to hack at her core since someone said the webbing protecting it was too durable.   

And Lei…  

I never knew slimes could make that pained noise.  

Eighty percent of the enemies hadn’t even joined the fight. That bastard with the polearm was the strongest.     

I felt my teeth chip from the anger.    

Six enemies approached us. Things didn’t look good.   

Ami and Greggie had tried multiple times to intervene and help Tilde and the others, but they were always stopped.   

They couldn’t just get close enough, and even if they did?  

What could we do to help? They’d be surrounded in an instant. Or the ones standing around would join the fight.   

Shit… SHIT!!!!!   

“That’s enough, lads! Just look at the tree! It’s doomed.” The polearm-wielding man thrust out his weapon. He ordered 30 soldiers to enter the village.   

That was the equivalent of 30 1-Star Soul Warriors…  

We didn’t stand a chance in hell of catching up, but Greggie and Ami ran interference. They were fighting so hard and just had to try.    

I had to do the same.    

Turning around, I quickly drew a magic circle in the dirt. Six arrows lodged in my back. I felt four pierce my kidneys. One ruptured my spleen, the tip poking through my stomach. Blood spewed from my lips, but I kept my finger moving. The circle had to be done. I summoned ten tomes to shelter me from another rain arrow and vomited my stomach’s content to help complete it.  

There!   

I made the final touch. The magic circle flashed violently and lashed at my fellow Soul Warriors, wrapping them in a barrier as I wiped my lips.    

It would’ve taken longer to make an offensive spell or one to wipe our debuffs away. The designs for those were too intricate to do under pressure.     

The barrier deflected enough strikes for Greggie to kill four, but he retreated after it shattered.  

He couldn’t have made it to Tilde. Neither could Ami. She had only filled her aura by about half, which wasn’t enough to turn the tide of battle.  

By then, I had a dozen more arrows in my back. The tips were barbed—pulling them out wasn’t an option. Intensive heat enflamed my entire body. Insignificant movement pinched the skin, exacerbating the wounds.     

Ami slid and looked me over. She growled and tried to help me stand.     

My eyes kept darting back to Tilde and the others. Their screams…pained my heart. Niva’s worried anguish… There were too many bodies blocking me from seeing what they were enduring.    

Was that a blessing or a curse?  

I didn’t have time or the strength to use my body for another magic circle.    

Another four rushed me. Greggie and Ami ran to meet them. They each fought two, blocking and ducking. Dodging did so much. They didn’t have their Soul Weapons. I did. I had that goddamn thing. But what good did it do?!   

Fuck! Fuck!   

“Just go for it,” Greggie said after he retreated. He held his shield and steadied it. “I’ll protect you. You can get us out of here.”  

Ami joined him. Blood leaked from her hands, but she still turned to me with that smile she was known for.   

I nodded, turned around, and constructed another one. Footsteps rumbled against the ground. The screams…got louder. Dread replaced the blood in my veins, but I couldn’t let it stop me.   

Not even when Greggie was locked in combat. Or when Ami was thrown to the ground by a gravity spell. They were risking their bodies to grant me this chance.   

And I had to do it.   

Even if this killed me…  

I couldn’t…let Tilde and others die!  

And then…  

It happened. From the corner of my eyes… There was a whimsical glow, a bright flash, and the Eagle Yew…  

It was shimmering like the brightest star in the darkest skies. 

---

“Hmm? That’s not supposed to happen.” The enemy leader demanded another spell to cut the mana flow, but an overwhelming pressure silenced him.    

An uncomfortable, heavy sensation radiated across the land. It was suffocating. I couldn’t breathe.    

Pillars of blackened flames and ice appeared deep in the forest, spreading high above the tree line. Crystalline chunks ascended them, and they exploded like fireworks, sending four meteor-like objects scattering to the southeast.   

Everyone had stopped and just stared.   

No one…could move. Even the ones attacking Lord Springfield’s allies had turned away and gazed at the startling sight as if some unknown force forbade them to look away.    

It was genuinely terrifying. 

And then I saw her breech the forest line as hundreds of gunshots echoed in the darkness behind her.    

A silver-eyed Lionfolk wielding a shield almost as tall as her, with a mace made from the same demonic flames and ice as the knightly armor clasping her body.    

There was another Lionfolk behind her. He was taller, wearing sleeker armor that burned with red and blue flames, but his azure and crimson axe was ferocious. His broad shoulders supported his lean, muscular build, but his hair, ears, and tail looked covered in flames. Was it…Surtr? The mysterious, partly aged man grinned like no other.  

The woman left behind blackened flaming pillars that surged a hundred feet high. Even the ground could not support her overwhelming power because every step caused the land to cry. Fissures erupted from the crater and snaked like a labyrinth all around us.   

She kept walking and raised her mace at the orb-holding mage. “Kill yourself,” she said, her voice cold like an arcane blizzard. “I command it.”  

I forced my head to turn. The mage cried crimson tears. He shattered the orb and used its sharp, crystalline pieces to slit his throat.  His face held a crazed expression. It was so silent we heard his death gurgles and the sound of blood spurting like a geyser.    

“Give us an arena,” she commanded. “I don’t wish to be interrupted.”   

The man bared his flaming fangs and jumped high, using a sprout of blackened flames to accelerate his ascent. He raised his axe with both hands, gathered ice and fire around the edge, and slammed it hard into the ground when he fell. A line of fire erupted to the left. Ice the right. They encircled our enemies, trapping them in a hollow cyclone of opposing elements. It was so opaque I couldn’t see inside, but I hoped those bastards were suffering.     

The man roared and sat, keeping one hand on his axe while he watched the arena with hungry eyes.  

The oppressive atmosphere vanished, and I didn’t miss this opportunity.   

Immediately, I switched tomes, used my buffs, debuffs, and wiped away the strengths and weaknesses that damn mage had stolen from and given us. Greggie and Ami were rejuvenated as their wounds were healed. The strength we normally carried resurged throughout our bodies.   

The same beneficial effects had targeted Tilde and the others, but I couldn’t dispel the buffs of those inside that arena. I didn’t know why, but they were untargetable.   

A hundred vines pierced from the ground and skewered the enemies surrounding them. Blood rained like curtains and obscured Niva as she slowly stood.   

Something was off…  

And then it hit me.   

Her prosthetics weren’t there. Our enemies had ripped them off.    

That meant her nerves were severed—the blood leaking down her arm and leg proved that—and the pain was equivalent to having her actual limbs viscerally yanked off.    

Niva had used her magic to construct wooden replacements, but they weren’t fitting right without a ‘base’ to mimic. But she never backed down, though it must’ve been excruciatingly agonizing.   

Her body must’ve been screaming at her.  

Her willpower was admirable to move in the face of this overwhelming power.  

Bang! Bang!  

Gunshots roared from Tilde’s revolvers as she jabbed the barrels into the eye sockets of two men grasping her torn wings. Her maid uniform was disheveled and dirty. Blood oozed from her back as she screamed.  

The hell plant skewering Primrose retracted its vines and leapt back, but the spirit conjured a whooshing wave of razor-sharp wind that curled around the demon, carving off large chunks. It roared and deflected the spell. Primrose reversed it with additional gusts of wind and eviscerated the ones torturing Lei while drawing and shooting her pistol at the retreating yellow Scalefolk— the one Niva had gotten pissed at.   

He took two shots to the back, and Niva rushed him after transforming her wooden arm into a deadly spike. She rammed it through his stomach. Her glowing eye increased in intensity, yet she didn’t stop until exhaustion swallowed her.  

He dropped dead, and Niva wailed as she fell to her knees. I used [Mana Perception], and the mana was fading fast. A second later, her conjured limbs flashed in and out of existence.   

I saw the nerves Keeth had stretched… They dangled like limp noodles—freely exposed to the elements.    

Primrose hurried and supported her summoner, cradling her gently in her arms as she helped her lay down.  Lei bounced over and whined.    

The arrows lodged in my back were there.  I switched to a psychokinesis tome and used [Telekinesis] to rip them out before using a healing tome.   

My back felt hot and sticky. Warm crimson oozed down to my body, but the pain simmered. Even if it didn’t, I would’ve pushed through as I ran to Tilde and the others. That Lionfolk followed.   

A fairy had thousands of nerve endings in their wings. I honestly didn’t know how Tilde was conscious.  She went to one knee and bit her lips hard enough to bleed. Her whole body shivered. She painfully squirmed with every breath and struggled to stand.    

I tended to their discomfort while yearning to do more. It wouldn’t be hard to regenerate Tilde’s wings—it would just take time. Niva would need further specialized care to pack her nerves into her body. Keeth’s manipulation had altered their ‘healed’ position to be within the mythril prosthetics, so she’d need surgery.   

The woman approached Primrose and Niva. Her weapon and shield vanished when she kneeled. “Forgive me for not arriving sooner,” she said, putting her hands to their heads.   

“You’re here… You’re really here…” Niva weakly whispered. She struggled to raise her remaining arm. The woman gently cradled it betwixt her armored palms.   

“I am. You two have done more than enough. It’s okay to rest.” Niva smiled…and her wooden limbs vanished. Consciousness left her. “I’m proud of you, Niva. It’s hard to believe you’re the same woman we nearly found dead. I know you’ve been working hard, and it’s admirable. And you too.” The woman turned to Primrose. She slightly flinched. “I know you tried to heal me when I was in the coffin. You endured burns to your hands, yet you never stopped. Let our bickering end, Primrose. Let us start anew as friends.”   

Primrose couldn’t reply. She was crying too much. “And Lei. I’ve never met a slime braver than you.” Lei trembled, and its blubbery, trembling body 'deflated’ out of relief. "Rest easy, little one. You deserve that much." 

The woman stood, looked at Tilde, and frowned at the missing wings. "I never thought a rude, little cretin like you would ever mature into someone I should respect.”   

“That’s high praise from you, Big Tits—ahh, sorry, force of habit… I should call you Sekh, huh? It’s the name our Master gave you, after all. And I can’t be jealous… I’m kinda busty now, you know? You better watch out…”  

That’s Sekh? Incredible…   

“I’m glad that haughty personality is still somewhere in there. It looks like you need help.” Sekh looked at the ‘arena.’  

“They… They tore my wings…” Tilde sniffled, letting loose a torrent of emotions. She struck me as the woman who remained strong for too long before it all came crashing out, but she explained what had happened.    

Sekh hugged Tilde. “You know the power I wield. Take solace in knowing that they will suffer immensely for what they did to you. Mila’s head maid must have her rest. It’s time for you to take a break. Leave it to me, Tilde.”  

“So... It’s Mila, now? That’s...good...” Tilde’s purple eyes quivered as strength faded from her body. They closed, and she became unconscious.  Sekh gently guided the fairy to the ground and laid her on her side. Then she stood, formed her shield and mace, and turned around.    

“Quella.”   

“Ye—Yes?!”   

“Use your magic to put them asleep. Begin healing Tilde.”   

“What about—”   

“Your power isn’t needed here.” Sekh coldly interrupted Greggie. “You and the other shall return to the village with Niva, Lei, and Primrose. Meet with Lord Springfield and tell her what happened. Wait for orders and follow them.”   

“Isn’t it—”   

“Do not question me, human.” Her tone was frigid and ferocious—completely different from how she spoke to her friends. “I am not in the mood to be trifled with.”  

I told them it was okay while I used sleeping magic, which instantly took effect.  Greggie gently lifted the spirit and her summoner. Ami swooped Lei in her arms, and they ran towards the sound of fighting and gunshots.  

I kneeled and focused on Tilde after swapping to the appropriate tome. Sparkling white mana collected around her wing stumps.  

Being near Sekh was difficult. I couldn’t breathe. The pressure she radiated was unlike anything I’d ever felt. Just what was she? How was she this powerful? And why did it seem like this wasn’t her limit?   

“I’m disappointed. How could you not plan for anyone to take advantage of your weakness? What a sorry, pathetic excuse of a Soul Warrior. Have you gotten by so far by relying on your overwhelming power? You’re a naïve fool. Look at what happened.”   

“I know! Okay?! I know it!” I shouted. My hands trembled. The tome shuddered as if it had a neurological disorder. “I—”   

“Excuses are for the weak.” Sekh scoffed. “Focus on atoning for your failure, and do not ever dare to take this world lightly. You’ve experienced what inadequacy will bring. Take this lesson to heart. Don’t forget the shame inflaming your bones. Deal with the uncomfortableness and strive to overcome it.”   

Is she…trying to help me? Why did her voice soften?  

“But—” Sekh walked away. She flared her power with every step. “What are you doing?!” I cried. “The ones inside the flames have strength comparable to a 1-Star Soul Warrior. Please, let me dispel--”  

“That is unneeded,” replied Sekh. “This will not even be enough to warm my blood. Focus on your task and remove your worry about me from your mind.”  

The man with the axe wished her a ferocious, bloody battle as she effortlessly walked through the raging arena.    

The fire and ice cyclone became slightly transparent. Sekh stared them down. Her pose suggested she wasn’t afraid. I couldn’t hear what she said, but it didn’t take long for the fear to become evident on the enemy leader’s face. Seeing it twist to an expression of horror made me feel good.    

I turned to Tilde and focused, but the screaming began. And the cries. The apologies. The endless wails of pathetic cowards begging for forgiveness. The sickening thuds of mace slamming into flesh, shield bashing skulls, the meaty scent of burnt flesh, and an icy wind of terrible frigidness reminded me of Melusine's kingdom and the curse that befell it…   

She wasn’t fighting…  

She was toying with them…  

Nothing they did…posed an ounce of challenge.  

How strong was she...to cast those powerful spells and mighty abilities without speaking? 

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