“Go to hell!!!!!!”
That was why Elucia hated the man before her with every fiber of her being.
If he hadn’t started a rebellion, if he hadn’t spread rumors everywhere, everyone in the Snowrealm Kingdom… could’ve evacuated this place safely!
General Kelu had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for power. He’d incited countless soldiers and subordinates who wanted to save their country, then led them in an attack on the royal palace.
Father,
Mother,
The maids… everyone had died in that battle.
And although she had survived,
she still…
……
“Kelu, die!!!”
A light that devoured everything burst from Elucia’s longsword. The pitch-black shadow slashed toward Kelu with unstoppable force.
“Aaaah!”
Kelu’s entire body trembled. Every inch of his skin burned in black flames, and his hysterical screams rang through the whole dungeon.
But Elucia felt no pity whatsoever.
She simply pushed the longsword in her hand, little by little, into Kelu’s chest.
……
……
When Lonis saw Elucia,
so many memories came rushing back to her.
She hadn’t forgotten. She’d chosen the name “Lonis” for her “partner” to commemorate the wedding that had never taken place.
So Lonis was the name she’d chosen for the princess she would take as a Hero.
And now, the shadowy figure was calling Elucia “Lonis.”
And back in the Snowrealm Kingdom, the princess had also been called Lonis.
Could it be…
……
Lonis froze for a moment. Then she remembered something she’d almost forgotten.
Back when she’d been a Hero and set out to defeat the demon race, she really had encountered a human traitor named Kelu.
He was impervious to blades and bullets. Empowered by the demons, he was nearly unstoppable—and no matter how many times she killed him, he wouldn’t die.
So back then, she’d chosen to… push him into the lava.
The heat of the flames would keep melting the human traitor’s body, only for it to regenerate again and again. He’d endure the lava’s scorching heat over and over until every last bit of his flesh had burned away.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t die. Making him suffer in the lava, wishing he were dead—that counted as punishment, didn’t it?
……
And now, Elucia was doing the same thing… putting all her strength into trying to shove Kelu into the lava.
But Kelu wasn’t going to make it easy.
The pitch-black figure roared, screaming with all his might:
“Lonis, you can’t kill me. I’ve gained the power of the Trickster Demon Lord, and soon I’ll rule the Flame Abyss!”
“Hmph. You think I’d give you the chance to get there?”
Elucia had already driven Kelu to the edge of the cliff with her black sword. One more step, and she could push him into the lava.
But…
Just then, a tremendous force welled up inside Kelu. Even Elucia couldn’t stop it—the black-haired girl was sent flying straight backward.
Kelu, who’d been taking a beating just moments ago, began to swell with muscle. His twisted face stretched into an exaggerated grin.
“Hahaha! Lord Trickster Demon Lord really didn’t deceive me. The power he promised me has finally awakened!”
As if energy were flooding into him, Kelu’s body kept growing… In the blink of an eye, he’d become a beast a full three meters tall!
His thick hind legs were powerfully muscled. Kelu’s strength and speed now far surpassed anything he’d shown before.
He was as quick and deadly as a werewolf. In an instant, he pounced on Elucia and snapped at her with all his might.
“!”
In that split second, Elucia could only raise her sword to block. But…
The injuries she’d suffered the day before caught up with her.
Elucia had pushed her still-growing body too hard so she could hurry to save Lonis. Fighting both the Abyssal Tentacle and the Tailhammer Beast had already left the black-haired girl badly wounded.
So the black sword couldn’t stop the claws, and Elucia went flying like a kite with its string cut.
KRAKABOOM!
Elucia crashed into the wall, deep-red blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
“Elucia!”
“!”
The black-haired girl tried to get up, but Kelu was faster… He charged straight at her and pinned her throat beneath his thick, sharp claws.
“Lonis, you can’t kill me. You couldn’t do it before, and you can’t do it now!”
“……”
“I’ll kill you! I’ll become the greatest demon general under the Trickster Demon Lord! I’ll gain unrivaled power and eternal life! And you’ll die right here, just like those fools in the Snowrealm Kingdom!!!!!!”
Kelu squeezed Elucia’s neck hard, viciously trying to tear her head in half.
But even so,
Elucia’s gaze remained perfectly calm. It was as if she’d accepted her fate; she didn’t struggle…
(No, she wasn’t just giving up!)
At that life-or-death moment, black light surged around Elucia again. The black-haired girl vanished, replaced by a petite little girl in a Gothic dress.
Kelu’s grip closed around empty air. The little girl slid beneath him with a single low sweep.
The enormous beast stood three meters tall. It could bite at targets in front of it or at a distance, but it couldn’t attack effectively beneath itself.
And thanks to her small size, Elucia could not only dart around nimbly, but also seize this chance to…
“Die!”
Elucia gave a cold smile and thrust her black sword upward—and her target was… Kelu’s **!
The black sword plunged in without resistance, like the Thousand Years of Death. Kelu let out a howl, as you’d expect:
“Aaaah! Aaaaaaah!!!!!!”
Kelu clutched his butt, trying to stop the bleeding. But how could anyone staunch a wound from an attack that horrifying?
After all, no matter how cold a demon man might be, the workplace is always warm.
Blood streamed from beneath Kelu in a steady rush. Seeing it gush out like that made Lonis clench her own cheeks without meaning to.
But Elucia’s attack wasn’t over yet.
She rolled forward to dodge the spray of blood, then stabbed Kelu between the legs again!
……
Seeing that attack, Lonis was so terrified she sank to her knees.
Kelu threw his head back and roared in agony, seeming to have lost his mind. “Aaaah!!!”
His huge claws swung wildly, but Elucia dodged nimbly and didn’t let Kelu land a single hit.
And just then…
“Lonis, get out of the way!”
“Huh? Waaaah!”
Lonis froze. The beast-shaped Kelu couldn’t get hold of Elucia, so he charged at her instead… Maybe he thought she’d be an easy target. It looked like he wanted to use her as a hostage.
(I can’t fight back!)
As the monstrous beast charged straight at her, Lonis felt like she was facing a heavy truck. She knew full well that with her strength as it was now, she wouldn’t last even one second against Kelu.
But…
“Sensory Deprivation—Vision!”
Elucia immediately reached out, and Kelu’s eyes went pitch-black, as if he’d been blinded.
Even so, he kept charging at Lonis on momentum alone—and even managed to lock onto the direction she was trying to escape in!
“Die!!!!!!”
Kelu roared, trying to tear Lonis in half… but she simply dropped to the ground and dodged his pounce.
And the enormous beast
charged straight into the lava.
……
……
