Lilith met Cordelia’s gaze steadily, her voice cool and businesslike. “And this side?” she asked, sweeping her hand across the scorched earth.
Cordelia’s eyes followed the line etched into the ground. “The left side is mine?” she repeated, tone calm but confident.
“Exactly,” Lilith replied without hesitation. “We’ll stick to mutual non-interference. Got a problem with that?”
Cordelia’s response was immediate—a broad, emphatic shake of her head. “No problems at all. In fact, I like how clear it is… Very thoughtful!”
With that agreement, they turned back toward the trolls of the battlefield, each staking their claim in the war-torn land.
“Crimson Blaze,” Lilith murmured, her tone lazy yet precise as she unleashed a sweeping incantation. A ring of fire roared to life before her, incinerating dozens of ogres at once in a searing display of mastery.
This was clearly high-tier area-of-effect magic, something even well-trained mages would hesitate to repeat due to the enormous mana consumption. But Lilith didn’t hesitate.
“Crimson Blaze. Crimson Blaze. Crimson Blaze. And again, Crimson Blaze,” she repeated, relentlessly casting spell after spell. Each wave of heat swallowed more ogres; even the mighty Ogre Generals turned to ash at her fingertips.
Cordelia chuckled in amazement, swinging her sword in a brutal dance of slashes and arcs. “You know, I can’t recall the last time a Mage outpaced me in clearing a horde.”
Lilith shrugged, brushing stray hair from her robe. “Ranged magic that can keep up with swordplay on a killing field… Your kind of brute force… Honestly, it’s impressive.”
They exchanged knowing smirks, a silent camaraderie born of respect, not warmth.
Cordelia increased the speed of her deadly dance, plunging deep into the enemy mass. Beside her, Lilith withdrew dozens of metal stakes from within her white robes, the same divine spears she’d used before.
One was the Crimson Princess’s whirlwind of blood and steel. The other, a practitioner of ancient dragon arts raining down divine judgment.
On one side, divine spears launched by a Mage, wielding the ancient mysteries of dragons. In mere moments, Ogres and General Ogres alike were cut down like wheat before the scythe.
Even the Orc Kings seemed to recognize that against these two opponents, they had no viable strategy left. Their faces twisted with desperate realization as they stood rooted to the spot, hands clenched uselessly at their sides, watching their forces get annihilated at a horrifying pace until they were left completely exposed and defenseless.
Roughly five minutes had elapsed since Lilith had casually announced her plan to take either half. The aftermath was a grotesque monument of corpses stacked high across the battlefield, with only two Orc Kings remaining among the living.
“Well then. The small fry have been dealt with.” Lilith’s words drifted through the air with languid indifference.
Cordelia seamlessly continued the thought, a bead of sweat trickling down her cheek as anticipation flickered in her voice. “Shall we move on to the main course?” she asked, voice steady but with a hint of fatigue. “These two are still A-rank threats. Don’t expect a simple fight. If you get cut off, I can’t cover your back.”
Lilith tilted her head, lips curving into a reluctant smile. “That goes both ways, Princess.”
They readied their weapons, sword and staff, eyes locked on the looming Ogre Kings on the highway. The tension was electric, a silent pact of mutual respect fueling their combat readiness. But before they could advance, Lilith’s expression drained of color. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground in an instant.
Cordelia frowned, concern flashing across her eyes. “Lilith? What’s wrong? Why—?”
Lilith hissed a warning, gesturing for Cordelia to drop low beside her. “Trust me, get down.”
“What? Why? I don’t understand.”
“Just duck!” Lilith repeated, voice sharper now, edge trembling with alarm.
Cordelia’s confusion gave way to a flicker of fear as Lilith’s tone shifted—something far darker than the usual calm impatience. “Just do it, Cordelia Allston!!!”
Stunned into motion, Cordelia hesitated, then dropped to the ground as instructed. At that moment, a few strands of crimson hair, the color of Lilith’s arrow-red coat, fluttered down from overhead, landing softly in the clearing like blood-tipped petals.
Cordelia looked down at the strand of crimson hair in her hand, her voice barely above a whisper. “This is… my hair?”
She scanned the aftermath with widening eyes and took a shaky breath.
The two Ogre Kings had been cleaved in half, sliced clean at the waist. Their upper bodies floated, strangely composed, while the lower half lay in ruin across the road.
Their innards, liver and intestines, spilled in grotesque beauty, a visceral crimson cascade that marked them distinctly from their lesser kin.
Cordelia barely managed to murmur, “Is this… a sword technique?”
Lilith gave a single nod. “Vacuum Slash.”
Cordelia froze. She could use Vacuum Slash. Most swordsmen of her caliber could, but what she was witnessing now was beyond comprehension.
By standard definition, Vacuum Slash was a defensive technique. A ten-meter radius’s worth of swirling air, not enough to break bones at a distance. Even within two meters, the effect was moderate but manageable. Close enough that a direct strike would finish the job faster.
But this…?
Cordelia estimated the distance. Over twenty meters. And yet, without hesitation or ceremony, the technique had obliterated two A-rank-level Ogre Kings in a single stroke.
She shook her head in disbelief. “A twenty-meter Vacuum Slash… took down two A-rank monsters in one hit? What kind of joke is this? You’re mocking me, a Hero. That’s not funny…”
Lilith smiled, a bright, triumphant gleam in her eyes. “This… is the warm-up. When he gets serious, this… this isn’t even close to his full strength.”
A few dozen seconds later, under a sky so clear it felt like infinite sunlight, Ryuto Maclaine strode forward, his grin impossibly broad and confident.
“Hey there, you two! Get along all right?” His voice carried warmth and teasing mischief.
Cordelia paused, unable to respond immediately. Her expression flickered through surprise, annoyance, and something like relief.
Ryuto continued, his eyes bright. “You left the village, came back, beat that evil dragon, left again, and entered the Magic Academy. Just when I thought we could finally hang out, you’re off in a training camp again, and yet here you are, showing up in the nick of time!”
Cordelia’s cheeks flushed, and she shot Ryuto a scowl. “Seriously, don’t mess with people like that. You idiot!”
Without hesitation, she landed a fierce right straight on Ryuto’s left cheek, an impact both affectionate and exasperated.