She was ready to die! She fought with her life on the line! The pain of losing her sister cut like a thousand knives, but even that couldn’t stop her! She’d fight to the death to protect her mistress! From the moment the black-robed mage intercepted her, Xihe had already decided she wasn’t going to survive.

Dragging her battered body along, she pointed her sword at them. “As long as I’m alive, you’re not taking another step.”

“Why go to such lengths…? Why can’t you be as sensible as I was?” The black-robed mage fell silent. Seeing a former colleague in this state made him feel a pang of sympathy.

“Shut up! Traitor! You deceived us and colluded with Kelai!” Fury burned in Xihe’s eyes, and bloodlust poured from her without restraint!

The black-robed mage’s gaze darkened. He spoke slowly. “The struggle within the royal family was bound to spill blood. I only hoped to keep the sacrifices to a minimum.”

His excuse made Xihe tremble with rage! She said nothing more. Quietly, she began to catch her breath, waiting for him to attack.

“Kill her! Quickly!” The black-robed mage began chanting. Magic gathered around him—he was giving it everything he had!

The remaining knights didn’t dare slack off, either. They advanced in perfect coordination, taking turns attacking and defending. Relying on their numbers and armor, they forced Xihe back step by step.

But Xihe no longer cared whether she lived or died. She ignored her injuries and the pain! She threw herself into every sword technique, not hoping to survive, only hoping to use her battered body to buy the princess even one more second! One more step!

Her willingness to trade her life for theirs only made the knights fall back on defense. None of them wanted to exchange their life for that of someone already as good as dead, and for a while, the battle reached a stalemate.

But less than ten seconds later, the black-robed mage finished chanting! He raised his staff high. “Ice Spire Burst!”

At the name of the spell, the knights turned pale with shock and hurriedly scattered! They were elves, too, and had studied basic magic. Ice Spire Burst was a ninth-circle spell!

The air around them suddenly grew colder, as if an iceberg were moving through the area. The chill even froze the joints in the knights’ armor. A crystal of ice gradually took shape, then hurtled straight toward Xihe with unstoppable force!

The cold stiffened Xihe’s hands and feet. She had no strength left to dodge. It seemed… this was the end.

Her hand went slack, and her sword hit the ground. Xihe closed her eyes. “Princess… I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough. I could only make it this far. You’ll have to walk the rest of the way on your own.”

The ice crystal pierced her flesh, then exploded. Xihe was frozen solid in an instant, and ice rapidly spread across the ground! In less than half a second, everything within dozens of meters had turned to ice. Weeds, trees, birds, insects, and beasts—all became ice sculptures!

The knights had been quick to get clear. Their armor had frozen over, but otherwise they were unharmed. They smashed the ice coating their bodies, then continued after Greya!

Greya panted heavily, but she didn’t stop. Tears mingled with sweat and kept falling to the ground. She couldn’t even spare a hand to wipe them away.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!” she kept apologizing in her heart. She didn’t understand what she had done to deserve people willing to die for her. And how could she ever repay them…? Grief and guilt filled her heart, stoking the flames of revenge within her. She swore it! If she made it out alive, then no matter what! No matter the cost! She would have her revenge!

But the fire in her heart couldn’t reach into the real world. She knew the magical aura in the distance all too well. It was the ninth-circle spell Ice Spire Burst. Xihe… was already dead.

It was all because she was too weak! Someone who couldn’t even protect herself… was a burden in this world!

Her desire to grow stronger merged with the flames of revenge. If that fire kept burning, it would surely become a tremendous source of strength as she grew. But the knights actually flew over and blocked Greya’s path!

“An eighth-circle spell… Wings of Wind. When did you get so strong?” Greya stopped and looked at the knights in front of her, along with the black-robed mage.

The black-robed mage’s expression darkened. He didn’t hurry to kill Greya. Instead, he stepped forward and said softly, “Do you know that Xihe is dead?”

“Are you trying to humiliate me?” Magic gathered in Greya’s hand, and she fired a bolt of light at the black-robed mage.

The bolt of light vanished before it reached the black-robed mage. He shook his head. “This isn’t an insult. I just don’t understand. Xihe was a good person. I once admired her, but she died because of you.”

The black-robed mage sighed. “I truly pity Xihe. She wasted her life investing it in you.”

“It wasn’t a waste… I’ll prove it to her… and to everyone who died because of me! I’ll fulfill their wishes!” Greya spoke through gritted teeth, grief overwhelming her. At the same time, magic gathered around her—far beyond what she could withstand!

“Breaking through in the middle of a fight? You’ve got quite a talent. Too bad I won’t give you the chance.” The black-robed mage took a step forward and began chanting, too!

“Arcane… Torrent!” The flames in Greya’s heart blazed. She broke through the limits of her rank and forcibly cast a ninth-circle spell!

Even the black-robed mage was stunned. He’d thought her breakthrough might get her as far as the seventh circle at most, which would already have been incredible. But she—she had far surpassed his expectations!

But as a veteran ninth-circle mage, he didn’t let his surprise interrupt his movements. He channeled magic through his staff, gathering energy to rival Greya’s. The knights hurriedly retreated, because this was a ninth-circle spell, too: Arcane Torrent!

Magic swept through the area. The battlefield crumbled, leaving devastation everywhere!

The two torrents of magic collided. Their light blazed bright, and explosions rang out all around them. Everything caught in the clash let out a series of wails.

A trickle of black blood began to run from the black-robed mage’s mouth. Two ninth-circle spells in a row had pushed him to his limit. But though the battle grew ever more desperate and he struggled to hold on, how could Greya possibly be faring any better? Magic beyond her limits ravaged her, and her crumbling body told of a life slowly drawing to its end.

Greya knew very well that without Yixing’s flesh, she could never have gathered so much magic. But there had only been a little of it, and she had long since used it all up. She… was already running on empty.

Greya’s torrent gradually dried up, while the black-robed mage’s magic surged toward her like a tide. Seeing that his opponent had lost all ability to fight back, he smiled in triumph. “Accept your fate!”

The torrent swept over the land! It pushed the ground down by a full foot! The surrounding forest was completely destroyed, leaving a flat clearing carved out of the dense woods!

And yet… the spot where Greya stood in the middle of that clearing was completely untouched, like an island standing alone in the sea.

“Who’s there?!” the knights shouted. A figure stood in front of Greya, gently supporting her so she wouldn’t fall to the ground.

“Are you giving up?” Yixing asked Greya. Her eyes were bloodshot, a sign that she’d drained too much magic.

“Give up…? No! I haven’t given up!” Greya roared, forcing herself upright. “I haven’t fulfilled their wishes yet! How could I give up?!”

At her answer, Yixing gave a slight nod. “Then let’s go.” He turned, carried Greya on his back, and walked toward home, facing away from the black-robed mage and the knights as he went, one step at a time.

“How dare you! Who are you?!” The knights charged forward and instantly formed a battle formation, blocking the way.

Yixing stopped. He looked at the dozens of knights before him, took a breath, and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Anyone who stands in my way—dies!!!!!!!!”

The moment he spoke the word “die,” the air boomed! Ripples spread through the air in rings, as if it were boiling! The shock wave, as solid as steel, plowed across the ground! The knights’ armor shattered with a crash! They didn’t even have time to struggle! In an instant, dozens of knights became a heap of mangled corpses!

Then Yixing continued walking slowly forward. Now… there was no one left to block his way.

Only the black-robed mage remained behind him, his heart shattered with terror. Fear and relief took turns flooding his mind. Who was this man?! How could anyone be this powerful?! How could someone be so strong?! Thank goodness he hadn’t stood in the man’s way, or else… he’d probably be part of that heap of flesh and blood.

As he was congratulating himself, he suddenly felt a wave of heat pass through his body. Then it dawned on him that… his heart had stopped beating.

The shock wave had already shattered all his internal organs. He just hadn’t realized it.

The moment he understood, the ninth-circle mage’s head lolled to one side, and he died on the spot.