Chapter 421
Chapter 421
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 421
Chapter Title: Clash of Flames and Flowers
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Hailes watched the battle unfolding below from a very high vantage point.
The first to open the fight was Siwoo.
The moment he erected the wall of ice, the Ice Age began.
Winter had come to the demon realm. Snow fell from the sky, the ground froze solid, and demons slipped across its surface.
Siwoo charged through their midst without hesitation.
As for that battle, Hailes summed it up in one word.
"Beautiful."
Siwoo's fighting style was beautiful.
Not in a derogatory sense. It was literally a beautiful fight.
The swirling blizzard. The demons frozen like statues. Even Siwoo's hair scattering like white ice crystals.
Truly, Siwoo's battle was pretty and gorgeous.
But would his opponents think the same?
No.
Absolutely not.
'In battles against large numbers, he's better than me.'
Siwoo's magic power was efficient.
Even with a small amount, he dominated a wide area and effortlessly expanded his own domain.
Facing demons that surpassed legion-class, Siwoo fought without yielding an inch. Amid that, Ye-ryeong joined him against the demon commander.
Was it because they were friends who had spent the longest time together?
Their synergy was outstanding. No, it was fantastical.
Ye-ryeong targeted vital points from the shadows. Siwoo dazzled their eyes from the light, lending power to her movements.
Without exchanging a single word, their roles were set. Siwoo's actions had been buildup to capture the demon commander from the start.
And the reason those two could rampage like that was because the Demon King of Lust hadn't moved.
Glance.
She could feel Lilianne below paying attention to her.
Lilianne knew it too.
Who was here. What kind of magic a grand magus could wield.
Whoosh...
The sky turned red. Hailes continued gathering flames.
Ready to pour them down the instant Lilianne moved below.
And in the blink of an eye.
Pfbt!
The chest of Etasian, the demon commander leading the army of lust, was pierced.
Etasian's body crumpled limply. Silence fell over the battlefield at her defeat.
Where Siwoo and Ye-ryeong stood was frozen pure white. The surviving demons hesitated, chilled to the bone as if they'd freeze solid the moment they charged.
And in that instant.
Step.
The motionless Demon King began to move.
Lilianne dismounted her panther and took a step forward. Siwoo and Ye-ryeong's eyes gleamed anew as they gathered their resolve.
But Hailes wasn't one to just watch.
Thud.
Under the red sky, she descended. Whoosh, flames enveloped her body.
Once more with flames, Hailes appeared before Siwoo and Ye-ryeong.
The three stood before Lilianne. As flames filled the sky, the air heated up in an instant.
If Siwoo's magic was ice, Hailes's was fire.
The icy world melted away, the ground dried out. Lava flowed across the earth, blending with the crimson sky.
Sizzle...
Lilianne stepped across the lava.
Her expressionless face seemed pleased with the hot air as she began to hum a tune.
"It's been a while since I felt warm air."
Her hum resonated through the scorching atmosphere, overpowering the lava's heat.
She looked at Hailes with intrigued eyes.
"This magic feels familiar. Learned it from that dragon?"
"...Dragon?"
Hailes's eyes blazed scarlet as she gripped her staff, Ebony Wing activated.
"Was it you?"
Crack, the ground split, lava surging upward.
"Lord... You killed him?"
Hailes had crossed into the demon realm hunting the killer of Dragon Lord.
She was certain it was a Demon King. The question was which of the three.
"Lord? An overly grand name. What was that old lizard anyway? I'm far more appealing, don't you think?"
"...It was you."
Was it luck, fate, or the dead Lord aiding her?
On their first encounter, she faced the Demon King who killed Lord.
Rumble...
The ground shook like an earthquake.
Lava flowed like rivers. Their bodies heated up as if plunged into boiling water, sweat beading on Siwoo and Ye-ryeong's foreheads.
The ground beneath felt like red-hot iron. Some demons couldn't endure and screamed.
Lilianne smiled radiantly, sensing Hailes's rage.
As if mocking it.
"Truly appealing. Why not join me? You're no demon, but if you wish, I can give you that girl's position."
Offering Etasian's vacant seat.
Swirl...
A single flower bloomed before Hailes's eyes.
A vivid red rose like molten lava, its fully opened petals hiding sharp thorns.
The same flower bloomed in Lilianne's palm.
She brought it close to her face, savoring the scent.
"I like red. So you really catch my eye."
"I had two mentors."
Flames swirling around her, Hailes raised her staff.
"They taught different things. Lord taught magic, Elder taught character. Completely different lessons, but do you know what they both said?"
"Why should I know?"
"Don't be swayed by flames. Looks like you're already swayed."
"Sway is the essence of lust. Sad you don't know that."
They shared a color, yet were utterly different.
Fire and flower.
Flower and fire.
The moment their eyes blazed the same hue, Hailes asked,
"Like it hot?"
Roar!
The boiling lava surged upward.
Lava engulfed Lilianne's body. In an instant, she unfurled a massive flower overhead like an umbrella.
Brushing aside the dripping petals, Lilianne's eyes caught a colossal fire dragon forged of flames.
The sky turned red, the earth blanketed in lava. The fire dragon spread its wings, igniting the air.
In this apocalyptic scene, Hailes smiled whitely.
"Look forward to it. I'll let you savor that heat you love so much."
"I'm curious."
Swirl...
Flowers bloomed within Hailes's flames.
"Whether you're any better than that 'Lord' you like so much."
A warning: if not, she'd die.
The flowers in the flames fully bloomed. As their fragrance spread, Hailes's staff glowed.
Rawr!
The fire dragon carrying Hailes spread its wings and soared upward. Ten fire dragons spewed flames simultaneously.
Siwoo and Ye-ryeong watched her for a moment.
This was vengeance for Lord. At least, Hailes had priority in this fight.
As Hailes began to move.
Flutter...
The bloomed flowers scattered, shedding leaves.
The leaves sliced through flames, flying upward. Untouched by the intense heat, they spun like hundreds of whirling blades.
Whirr...
The leaves halted against the barrier in the air. Grind, hundreds stopped midair.
Lilianne's petals entering Hailes's range became hers. Hailes redirected them back at Lilianne.
Flutter...
Crumble...
The flying petals lost power and shattered. Like flowers wilting after the season passed.
Hailes hadn't prepared just one spell. What made her a grand magus wasn't spell power, but preparing multiple simultaneously.
Clink...
A prison of chains and iron appeared around Lilianne.
The blazing prison surged up, slamming shut its lid in a blink.
A binding spell trapping the foe in a hellfire prison.
Hailes sealed Lilianne with it and prepared the next.
But.
Rip!
The prison shattered like paper in an instant.
The sound too. Not a heavy thud or crunch. Truly the tear of paper.
Thus easily shredding the prison, Lilianne soared upward.
Speed so fast it seemed not magic.
But upon entering a certain range, her movement visibly slowed. Hailes's defensive magic still held.
Yet.
Slash!
A whip bristling with thousands of thorns lashed out from Lilianne's hand, tearing through Hailes's magic.
Grind...
The whip halted right before Hailes's face.
"Ho."
"Why so surprised?"
Whirr...
Ebony Wing emitted red light.
With it, the space around her ripened scarlet.