Chapter 127

"It's not that—it's time for you to face your younger sister."

"Dinnertime?"

"Don't try to escape reality...!"

Sheffy was clearly smiling, yet it looked as if she were about to cry, showing just how unwilling she was to step into the arena.

In fact, Sheffy Harl had just been wrestling with one question in her mind.

——Was it still too late to withdraw from the match?!

Too late. And even if it wasn’t too late, she still wouldn’t be allowed to quit!

"Listen, Sheffy, everyone has their own inner demons. We have to face them head-on and overcome them. Otherwise, every time you see your sister in the future, you'll feel miserable again—and that’s no way to live."

"I... I'll try my best, but, Xiarette! You have your own task—you… you better not just stand around doing nothing!"

"If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word."

"My mother isn’t here right now. If I can’t hold back later and end up going on stage to beat up Belith, you’d better hold me back."

"Nope. I really can’t hold you back."

.......................................

For this final semifinal match, even the host, known for his professional dedication, didn’t dare to say too much.

If at least one of the contestants on either side were human, he could at least give some introductions and stir up the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, in this match, neither side was human.

On the west side, a silver-haired girl with six wings spread behind her glanced to the side with disdain, her expression nonchalant.

On the east side, a girl with five wings, whose appearance closely resembled the first, wore a smile that revealed nothing of her emotions—strangely unsettling.

They were not human… they were both demons!

【Uh… this match will be between Her Highness Princess Belith Harl from the Demon Domain and Her Highness Princess Sheffy Harl, also from the Demon Domain. P-please… please have the referee leave the arena, the start time of the match is to be determined.】

No one could referee this match.

Nor could anyone announce exactly when it would begin.

After all, both fighters in the arena were princesses of a foreign nation… who would dare to make a decision on their own?

The host even noticed that His Majesty the King had ordered the royal throne to be moved slightly forward—this small detail was a sign of just how seriously the Kingdom of Aurus regarded this match.

All staff withdrew from the arena.

All the noble spectators fell silent.

Even the audience from the Demon Domain was utterly bewildered by the situation.

How… how had it suddenly come to a duel between the two princesses?

Those detestable humans! The two princesses were supposed to meet in the finals, yet now one of them would be eliminated here—surely there was some underhanded manipulation at play!

There was indeed manipulation… but the one behind it was not the Kingdom of Aurus.

Belith stepped over her starting line without the slightest hesitation.

Ignoring the match rules almost entirely, she began walking slowly toward Sheffy Harl.

"Ahh… Elder Sister, thank you for being willing to come onto the field and face Belith like this. How wonderful… is this really not a dream?"

"If you think it’s a dream, then punch yourself and see if you wake up. If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can punch you instead."

"Of course Elder Sister can hit me~ This is a match, isn’t it? Aren’t matches all about attacking~"

When she was only about three meters away from Sheffy, Belith stopped moving.

Faced with this situation, Sheffy had no idea how to react.

Wait a second… from the way she’s talking, could it be that this whole match was really arranged just so I could beat her up to vent my anger?

The thought didn’t make Sheffy feel any better—instead, all six of her wings went taut, showing that she was actually quite angry and displeased.

Even her expression grew darker.

"You… you’ve always been this irritating."

"Mm… Elder Sister is right, I’m aware of that. But still, may I boldly ask—did Belith do something wrong again this time…?"

"What do you think?"

Truthfully, Sheffy already wanted to step down from the stage.

Sorry, Mother, it’s not that I don’t want to mend my relationship with her.

It’s just that this girl’s personality… I really can’t grow to like it.

Still, Sheffy needed to make herself clear—otherwise Belith might go home and tattle.

Sheffy spread her arms and gestured to the vast arena, which had only just been temporarily repaired.

There was a trace of sorrow in her eyes.

"I had been expecting you to say something more, and yet this is all… What, you arranged a match like this, with so many spectators, just so I could punch you a few times? You think that’s letting me vent my anger? You think that’ll make us reconcile? Belith, you really are still this twisted and childish."

Sheffy truly felt disappointed.

Belith might think such actions were perfectly reasonable, but to Sheffy, it was an insult.

If an elder sister were to beat her younger sister in front of countless onlookers just to vent, would she still deserve to be called “Elder Sister”?

If Belith really thought that way, wouldn’t it be nothing less than an insult to Sheffy Harl?

And yet…

Belith’s eyes widened slightly, her expression genuinely surprised.

"No… Elder Sister, what are you even talking about? I never said anything like that…"

"Ha…?"

Could it be… you weren’t thinking that at all?

Had I wrongly accused you?!

At that moment, Sheffy Harl suddenly realized—she had been thinking about this whole matter while harboring resistance and bias.

Belith hadn’t actually said much yet.

And yet, all of this seemed to be within Belith’s expectations.

Elder Sister has a prejudice against me, and I brought it on myself… After all, I’ve always been letting her down.

But this time, I want to try my best to live up to Elder Sister’s expectations.

Belith reached into the pocket of her deep-blue dress and rummaged for something.

Sheffy focused on the object she then raised in one hand—and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

What Belith held was a rather inconspicuous yet unusually crafted crystal, about five centimeters tall, glimmering with an eerie dark light.

"That’s… a Reflection Demon Crystal?"

"Mm-hm, I brought a specialty from our Demon Domain, you know? To have a proper fight with Elder Sister, I made plenty of preparations. Can you guess what magic is sealed inside this?"

The Reflection Demon Crystal was a magical item from the Demon Domain.

Its function was to seal magic that did not belong to oneself inside it, and bring it out for use when needed—essentially, a tool for borrowing another person’s magic.

However, it was single-use. Once the magic sealed within was released, the crystal would shatter and vanish.

Although its effect sounded convenient, its actual standing was rather awkward…

The main reason was that the power of the sealed magic would gradually weaken over time—the longer it sat unused, the less effective it became.

The strong didn’t need it, as they could unleash magic at full power on their own at any time.

The weak couldn’t obtain it, since the strong would never lend their magic to the weak.

But Belith was different.

As a princess, if she wanted to borrow any magic within the Demon Domain, all it took was a word.

And she herself, being a five-winged demon, was already powerful enough—so if there was a spell she felt she needed to borrow…

"Don’t tell me it’s—"

"Elder Sister, are you ready? Our battle’s about to begin!"

The dark light from the crystal began to spill out, cracks spreading rapidly along its surface until it could no longer contain the magic within.

The instant the crystal shattered—

—meant that the magic sealed inside had been released.

"Tch, just as I thought…?"

Sheffy neither dodged nor blocked, simply squinting her eyes against the intense light as she looked up at the black, void-like sphere spreading across the arena like a miniature black hole.

As expected.

That was the Domain Magic of Jeffriel, the Six-Winged Demon.

——【Zero】.

---

A Domain again?!

The aristocratic spectators, whose lives revolved around indulgence rather than strength, had no idea what a Domain even was. All they remembered was that in the previous semifinal, there had been a big red shell covering the stage.

And now, in this match, it had turned into a big black shell!

To them, the moment a Domain appeared, it meant they wouldn’t be able to watch anything.

With one giant shell covering the arena, what was there to see? They couldn’t see a thing.

"...Just wait and see. No matter who wins or loses, the kingdom’s reputation won’t survive this. His Majesty set up this tournament, but now it’s turned into a home-field advantage for the Demon Clan. If word gets out, the other races will laugh at us."

"Shh, don’t speak so carelessly. Didn’t you see how tense His Majesty looked? And don’t forget—when the First Demon Princess entered this competition, her title was Peace Ambassador… yet I haven’t seen her make any effort toward peace. The ones at the top are even more anxious than us. I have a feeling the real trouble is still ahead."

"Ahaha… I hope you’re wrong. If possible, I’d still like to leave here alive."

---

Jeffriel’s inherent Domain, 【Zero】, could render all space and time within it—except for the caster’s—into nothingness, making the caster the absolute ruler of that space.

However… there were always exceptions.

Sheffy Harl looked up at the dome above—pure white, but with some impurities mixed in.

Then she turned in a slow circle, surveying the Domain’s entire form.

At last, she let out a sigh and spread her hands toward Belith standing opposite her.

"Ah… so the Reflection Demon Crystal still hasn’t been improved. The Domain’s completion rate isn’t low, but just look at those black spots up there—its magic purity isn’t perfectly preserved anymore, right? Belith, this borrowed Domain of yours can last at most half an hour. Is it really worth it?"

"Pfft… Elder Sister, you jest. To you, does it matter whether a Domain lasts half an hour or thirty days?"

"Not in the slightest."

She was brutally honest.

Belith’s view was simple—if the Domain were actually effective, Elder Sister should already be frozen in place, at her mercy. How could she still be hopping around like this?

So when Belith borrowed Domain Magic from Jeffriel, she never expected it to restrict Elder Sister’s movements.

Its sole purpose—was simply to block out the outside world.

Two ghostly purple short blades materialized in Belith’s hands as she took a stance for a forward thrust.

All five of her wings spread toward the back, ready at any moment to unleash 【Super Acceleration】.

"Because my duel with Elder Sister is a matter between the two of us sisters alone—it’s family business. Those spectators are just unnecessary. With the Domain completely cutting us off, this is just right."

Ah, I see.

So basically… you asked Uncle Jeffriel for a giant “pot lid”!

If Uncle Jeffriel knew you were using his proud Domain for nothing more than this, he’d probably cry despite his age.

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