Chapter 50
I looked down at the deep pit at my feet. Oops, I accidentally hammered her underground. But, having avenged Qifeng for that cut, I felt incredibly relieved. I spun the hammer in my hand a few times before letting it go.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and Sister Aijieliya teleported in front of me, causing me to crash right into her. It felt like my face hit a life-saving cushion, all soft and bouncy.
“Are you okay? You scared Sister to death just now. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Sister was extremely agitated. I quickly replied, “N-No.” I hoped Sister would forgive me for my willfulness in accepting the one-on-one duel. Thankfully, it was a scare, but no harm was done.
“Not bad, not bad. I knew I didn’t have to worry about you. After all, you’re the one who killed General Dakisalos in one hit.” Since Sister Aijieliya had me completely wrapped up in her arms, Sister Liwei could only pat me on the back of the head.
“That’s not it! That time, it was only because everyone had worn down its stamina that I could defeat it so easily.”
“What General Dakisalos?”
Sister Aijieliya released me, frowning.
“Fei’er, did you, behind my back—”
“It wasn’t like that!”
Uwaaah! Sister Liwei accidentally let it slip!
I looked at Sister Mouyue, but she was just busy smiling to herself and wasn’t helping me smooth things over. And Lian Qi—she was just standing to the side, watching me silently.
“You even know a stunt like catching a bullet with your mouth?”
“That’s just because she happened to fire right at my mouth,” I said, pointing to my lips with a weak smile. I meant it was a fluke.
“So, are your teeth made of adamantium?”1
“Huh? Adamantium?”
Just then, Sister Aijieliya bent down and picked up the pistol bullet I had spat out.
“A normal pistol doesn’t have much power against a mage of the third tier or higher. But this bullet is Transmutation-type magic.”
Then, the pitch-black bullet vanished from Sister’s palm.
“So, being hit by this bullet would also inflict a magical curse that prevents wounds from healing. It seems this was Death’s Blade’s trump card.”
“No wonder she said the Death’s Blade wasn’t just a blade.”
Just when I thought it was all over, something astonishing happened. From the deep pit I had hammered out, a silver vortex of magic erupted, soaring toward the sky!
Every single one of us was captivated by the magical vortex.
A thought flashed through my mind—was Death’s Blade really that tenacious?
“What a cockroach-like vitality,” Lian Qi said softly.
“Wait, the color of that magic…”
No wonder Sister Liwei was so surprised. Wasn’t silver the color of sixth-tier magic?
I saw Death’s Blade climb out of the deep pit. One hand was broken, and her leg was lame, but the magic coiling around her body burned like silver flames.
Her right eye was so swollen from my hit that she couldn’t open it. She stared at us hatefully with just her left eye. If looks could kill, I’d probably be dead a hundred times over by now.
“It looks like being forced into a desperate situation allowed her to break through her magical limits.” As Sister Aijieliya spoke, she waved a hand and pulled me behind her.
Sister once said that the sixth tier was an abyss that ordinary mages found difficult to cross. Once magic turned silver, it meant one had already stepped over the threshold into the magic abyss. If Death’s Blade had stepped over that threshold, it seemed Sister would have to treat her cautiously.
Death’s Blade re-conjured her long blade and sneered, “So this is the power of approaching the magic abyss? Even injecting the forbidden potion couldn’t compare to this.”
“This is no good, Fei’er. We must kill her here, or she’ll be a lot of trouble later.” As soon as Sister Aijieliya finished speaking, she pulled a pitch-black longsword from the rippling air.
I froze slightly. Eh? Was Sister planning to use the Demon-Slaying Slash that “severs all magic”? Just as Sister pulled the blade an inch from its sheath, a black bolt of lightning struck the ground between us and Death’s Blade.
Everyone was stunned. Where the lightning had struck, the petite figure of someone in a black windbreaker appeared. Though petite, she seemed to embody all the terror in the world. Just standing in front of her made one shudder.
Compared to this sudden development, the matter of Death’s Blade stepping over the threshold of the magic abyss could be completely forgotten. Sister Liwei sucked in a cold breath— ”…”
That’s right. That person had appeared at this very moment. This further confirmed my earlier suspicion. Was that great Demon Lord really connected to the rebels? Otherwise, why would she suddenly appear now?
I watched as the great Demon Lord’s first move was to face me and pull back the hood of her black windbreaker, revealing pitch-black twin tails. Her black eyes looked at me, and she smiled wickedly, revealing sharp canine teeth. “Kefei’er, why didn’t you call me for something so fun?”
“What do you mean…”
She ignored my question, her gaze falling on Lian Qi.
“Oh? You’ve made a new friend? Why don’t you introduce me?”
”!?” Her words made me extremely nervous. I recklessly threw myself in front of Lian Qi, afraid that this insane person would do something harmful to her!
“…Why would I have to introduce you?”
“So she is the Demon King?” Lian Qi said.
We’d avoided it during the Christmas Festival, but this time, Lian Qi and the Demon King had finally met. Fortunately, she didn’t know that Lian Qi was a transmigrator from another dimension. Otherwise…
That great Demon Lord gave a silent, cold laugh, then said, “She’s just… too weak.”
Lian Qi clicked her tongue, unhappy. But that great Demon Lord didn’t seem to hear.
I only let out a breath of relief when her gaze moved away from Lian Qi. Thankfully, it was another scare, but no harm was done.
I saw her turn to face Death’s Blade. Unexpectedly, the latter also looked surprised to see her.
“Could it be… the legendary Demon King?”
Eh??? I was surprised. Wasn’t that great Demon Lord connected to the rebels? How could Death’s Blade not know her?
That great Demon Lord said nothing, just stared at her profoundly with her hands in her windbreaker pockets.
A look of joy appeared on Death’s Blade’s face. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to meet you. No—everyone in the rebel army has wanted to meet you.”
That great Demon Lord still said nothing.
“You must also be disgusted with this corrupt kingdom, right? Otherwise, why would you be their enemy? Why don’t you join us? Let’s overthrow this corrupt kingdom together and establish a new order! I am willing to support you in replacing the current leader and becoming the new king of the rebel army—”
Death’s Blade’s words choked off halfway, because she spat out a large mouthful of blood.
She lowered her head, trembling. The Demon King’s pitch-black twin tail had transformed into a coiling bolt of lightning, impaling her. A second ago, she had subconsciously tried to block it with her blade, but the blade had shattered along with the effort. All that was left in her hand was half a broken hilt.
“Boring. Just die.”
That person watched Death’s Blade’s corpse fall to the ground and said coldly.
Footnotes
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氪金 (Kè Jīn): This is modern Chinese slang. Literally, “Krypton Gold,” it’s gaming/internet slang for “paying real money” in a game (microtransactions). By extension, it means something is super-powered, indestructible, or “P2W” (Pay to Win). Lian Qi is using her modern slang. “Adamantium” captures the “indestructible material” meaning, which fits the context of “teeth that can catch bullets.” ↩