Chapter 881

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'Could it be... that Lord Gikalo is losing?'

'If Lord Gikalo is defeated, we must capture the little master of the hidden palace!'

The commanders couldn't shake off their unease while pressuring Syris.

Originally, they had hoped to quickly defeat Syris and then to support Gikalo, but.

Gikalo's energy from the rear was gradually weakening, and Syris, who seemed an easy target, was still alive.

"Even if I am weak, do you really need to pay this much attention to the 1st Flagbearer's battlefield?"

Tsuaaak-!

Syris opened her eyes wide and swung Myriad Ice. Due to losing a considerable amount of blood, her body was heavy, but that also allowed her to spread an even stronger cold energy. Slowing down her enemies in the process.

A frosty white cold aura spread in all directions, filling the battlefield. Billagul and Shikan also released demonic energy to push away the cold and swung their swords.

Whenever the Myriad Ice and the two swords clashed, the scattered cold and demonic energy revealed the three people for a brief moment.

In the eyes of the commanders, Syris, who was charging forward because of her fighting spirit, undoubtedly had weaknesses. However, every time they aimed for those weaknesses and attempted to strike, she managed to counterattack instead. Throughout the battle, the commanders struggled to comprehend this fact, which made it difficult for them to grasp the situation.

"You're somehow enduring through the power of your weapon... However, this level of cold is common in the underworld. You won't be able to endure much longer even with the help of your weapon!"

Billagul gritted his teeth and exclaimed.

Like Gikalo, he is a member of Ramiere family, which means he's one of the demons who rule over the volcanoes of the true demon world. He might not be as powerful as Gikalo, but he also possessed the ability to manipulate the lava of True Demon World.

Swoosh-!

Suddenly, a massive pillar of lava shot up right in front of Syris. Syris, who was rushing forward, had to quickly turn her body to avoid it, and in the meantime, Shikan's sword grazed her side.

Syris had to withdraw again, but there was already a new pillar of lava behind her. Nevertheless, with her back against the lava wall, she had to muster the power of the Myriad Ice once more, countering the lava with cold energy.

"Gah, gasp...!"

Relentless attacks from the two swords, lava, and demonic energy that made it hard to breathe with each breath.

Within that chaos, Syris was narrowly avoiding death every moment. A slight lapse of attention would have been fatal, and any slight misjudgment would have had the same outcome.

Countless possibilities of losing her life at any moment, heightened senses pushing to the extreme during that. The relentless pursuit of finding an opening amidst it all.

In reality, that's what fighting was always like.

'How long has it been since I've had a fight like this?'

Looking back, Syris couldn't recall a recent memory of such a "natural" fight. Among the second-generation of each faction such as Jin, Veradin, Dante, and Syris, she had undoubtedly fought in a more comfortable manner than them.

As the only daughter of Talaris, she was destined to receive everything in the Hidden Palace, and she had always been protected by Talaris and the seven swords of the Hidden Palace. Even when facing opponents stronger than her, she always had the special power of Myriad Ice.

And then, the two biggest wars that happened within a few years.

The Sword Emperor Castle War and the Evil God War. Syris did participate in these wars, but she was in a better position than her peers.

Dante had been safeguarding the Sword Emperor Castle long before Glyek woke up, and Jin had united all the forces on the ground to kill the Evil God. Veradin, though succumbing to Kelliark's schemes, had eventually overcome them and become the patriarch, and now dominating one axis of the world.

Of course, Syris was well aware of it.

It's not just because she is inferior to them that she couldn't become a protagonist of great wars like them.

For instance, Syris had only been able to tread a relatively smooth path until now.

Because of that, although she trained harder than anyone, she lacked the experience of real battles while putting her life on the line. Until the alliance with Jin, Hidden palace had always remained neutral, so she couldn't just charge into other factions to fight.

'Looking back, the banquet... Was it the first time I almost died in a duel with Jin?'

Amidst the commanders' swords constantly blurring her vision, Syris remembered the memories of that day. Enchanted by those embarrassing yet not unpleasant memories, Syris instinctively parried the enemies' strikes.

Now, she was in a situation much more dangerous than that day.

Yet, Syris felt that she was breaking free from the shell of a "safe fate" that had restrained her all along.

'As the next master of the hidden palace, I... always have to stand at the forefront when the world is in danger.'

The protection of the world, the true significance of the hidden palace's existence unknown to the world.

Now, as the Underworld began invading the surface, she had to leave the safe and smooth path and venture into the thorny road.

Splat-!

Shikan's sword grazed Syris's neck.

Syris found herself captivated by the sensation of her surroundings becoming clearer as she overcame the risk of death every second.

She gradually understood the meaning of "growth" Luna had mentioned. Growth was about breaking through new phases of fate. It was about stepping over fear and despair and standing up again.

"These damn bastards are really terrifying."

Syris muttered under her breath as she tightened her grip on the Myriad Ice.

Experience.

The training she did because of the lack of life-and-death battles, being comfortable with her innate fate, for not appearing weak, for erasing her sense of inferiority.

The formidable opponents she had occasionally fought against, the days of always trailing behind friends who were always a step ahead.

Syris sensed that all of this that was building up inside her was about to explode. The fear of death was shattering the dam of experience she had built up.

"Just die already!"

Billagul's lava and Shikan's sword descended on Syris again. She countered the lava with cold energy, but the sword pierced her left shoulder.

In the moment when Shikan turned his sword, intending to explode the demonic energy embedded in its blade, Syris raised the Myriad Ice with a shout. Haaa! She severed Shikan's sword arm that stabbed her and increased the distance between them.

Shikan's frozen arm, that was still impaled in her shoulder, Syris froze it further with Myriad Ice, preventing the spread of demonic energy.

'Now's my chance.'

Even if he lost his arm and sword, Shikan's combat ability wasn't diminished to the extent that he couldn't fight. Moreover, Billagul's lava was growing stronger.

Myriad Ice Sword 3rd technique, Avalanche.

As Syris executed the 3rd technique, the scattered cold energy due to the lava gathered into Myriad Ice, forming huge ice crystals. The ice crystals poured forth with a constant, deafening boom, and under their energy, the commanders momentarily retreated.

'It's her last-ditch effort.'

It was right after he finally inflicted a fatal wound on her shoulder. By using such a big technique amidst this situation, it was only natural to expect that this was her last effort.

Threatening as it was, if they could evade the explosion and wait a few seconds until the energy subsided, then fight again, in that case Syris would have no strength left to fight.

Now, there was only one thing the commanders had left to worry about. If Gikalo were to fall and Luna joined, there would be no hope.

So, when they briefly checked the rear battlefield,

'Ah…'

'Lord Gikalo!'

The commanders had to swallow their breath and confront the blinding aura that was staining the entire sky. The unending crimson radiance indicated Gikalo's death.

They had only faced the crimson radiance in the videos distributed by Sakiel and in the memories of the fallen demons. Despite hearing explanations about its danger several times, the actual sight of the crimson aura was far beyond their imagination.

'It's so oppressive that just looking at it feels like my entire body is being torn apart...!'

'Except for Lord Zito in the True Demon World, are there any demons who can withstand that...?'

Just as they thought about this, they saw Luna approaching them with confident strides, causing them to tremble.

She didn't even seem particularly tired.

"Could it be that she's already...!"

However, upon seeing the startled commanders, Luna waved her hands as if to show that they had no reason to be afraid.

"Ah, don't worry. I'm not here to intervene, so just continue what you were doing."

"... What?"

"Go and kill Lady Syris. Make me explain it to you one more time, and I'll just intervene and eliminate both of you. I promise you on the honor of Runcandel."

What was her intention?

The commanders couldn't understand, but they had no other choice. Since they would just be caught by Luna and killed if they tried to escape.

In the end, the commanders turned their attention back to Syris. After Luna took her seat and took out what seemed like a snack to eat.

"Take a deep breath."

The momentum of the avalanche was rapidly diminishing. Amidst the receding cold, Syris was panting and shaking, vomiting blood.

If Luna truly kept her promise, then the time had finally come to sever her persistent life.

The commanders didn't hesitate, boosting their demonic energy to the maximum and charging towards Syris. Beheading her, whose life was on the line with just a handful of aura and cold energy, would be easier than squishing a bug.

'Wait, not even a hint of aura or cold energy?'

Billagul was the first to detect that something was amiss.

Even if she was exhausted, they should have sensed at least a little bit of aura and cold energy. Shikan also felt the same unease, leaving about ten paces between them and Syris.

But it was already too late.

Myriad Ice Sword Ultimate Technique,

White

As if collapsing, Syris bent forward and plunged her Myriad Ice into the ground.

She had used the Avalanche as a decoy to execute this very move. In the meantime, she had concentrated all the remaining aura and cold energy to execute the Myriad Ice Ultimate technique: White.

Compared to Talaris that she used during the Sword Emperor Castle War, Syris's White was much smaller in scale.

Given the meager energy she had left, it couldn't be helped, but it was still enough to spread the same level of power as back then within about ten paces.

Crack...!

Outlandishly sharp and solid ice formations surged between Syris and the commanders. The frost instantly pierced through the commanders' bodies, tearing them apart. Billagul and Shikan were engulfed by the White's frost without even being able to scream.

However, Syris herself didn't witness the scene where they were obliterated in the midst of the chaos.

She had already lost consciousness and fallen.

Luna confirmed the end of the battle and quickly devoured the Latrie Cookie she had been holding. Then, she approached unconscious Syris and spoke.

"Alright. Now, let's go back, get treated, and move on to the next battlefield, Lady Syris. We don't have time to rest."

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