Chapter 136

"Uh... o-okay? Um... Princess Sheffy really thought this through... but if I just raise my finger, with such a tiny movement, you wouldn’t be able to see it, right?"

"Don’t get me wrong, I only said that so our cooperation would go smoothly. And don’t worry needlessly. No matter where you raise your finger, no matter how small the movement, I can see it, and I can see it clearly."

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

Sheffy leapt down from the cannon’s ruins, arms folded across her chest, her eyes shut as violet particles of her 【Visual Magic】 shimmered faintly.

Livra, that girl… she really hadn’t forgotten what I told her.

At the very instant chaos broke out, Sheffy had glanced at the platform, wanting to see what signal Livra would give.

Sure enough, with just one look, she spotted her moving to the corner of the platform, subtly raising three fingers behind her back, in the smallest possible motion that wouldn’t be noticed by others, directed toward Sheffy’s position.

But what shocked Sheffy even more was…

Although she had said she could see no matter the direction, Livra had gestured her fingers—not toward her—but toward Shaya’s side.

Was it just coincidence?

No.

Sheffy gave a bitter smile, forced to acknowledge Livra’s sharpness.

That girl… she must have already realized that Shaya and Sheffy were the very same person.

Dealing with explosive magic was simple enough. Just now, Sheffy had cast the high-level spell 【Mirror Reflection】. The moment the magic cannon fired, its blast was reflected back toward itself, blowing the whole thing into a heap of scrap.

And to activate 【Mirror Reflection】, she had needed some preparation time—that was why Livra’s signal had been useful.

Well~ even if she hadn’t used Mirror Reflection, Sheffy figured she could have simply taken the hit head-on and smashed the cannon’s blast back with brute force. Livra’s quick wit was just the icing on the cake, and it did save Sheffy quite a bit of trouble.

The petite figure of Sheffy stepped forward.

Her light footsteps struck out a rhythm of despair with every step.

In her hand, a blade of condensed magic gathered, as she closed in on the culprits of this entire incident—Firex and Milh.

Milh stumbled back in frantic retreat.

If not for the tiny shred of royal dignity he clung to, he would have already turned tail and fled outright.

"Stay back…! Monster… get away!! Firex! Do something already! The witch is going to kill us!"

"Ah… what can I possibly do, Your Highness? We’re already finished."

"What did you say?!"

Oh?

Sheffy stepped closer, her smile tinged with curiosity.

"Now this is interesting… you don’t seem the least bit flustered? Could it be you still have some kind of trump card?"

"Your Highness must be joking. You are someone even His Holiness the Pope fears—what means could I possibly have? Still, for you to unravel my carefully prepared magic crystal cannon blast with such sly finesse… I admit it leaves me rather displeased. Don’t you want to witness what an unprecedentedly powerful cannon blast spell truly looks like?"

"Sorry, I don’t seem to be very interested."

"You may not be interested, but I, being vulgar, cannot help myself. Forgive my rudeness, but I must still invite everyone present to enjoy the spectacle together!"

"......"

From the distant forest came the sound of the air being torn apart.

From the far-off ravine echoed a toll of destruction.

Just as everyone had already lowered their guard—

—A rainbow beam of light tore through the night sky, illuminating the darkness as bright as day.

The dense, overwhelming magic particles made those with weaker magic resistance feel dizzy and faint.

Firex sneered in secret.

He had never said that there was only one magic crystal cannon…

The one placed at the arena, visible to all, had a very high chance of being destroyed or intercepted.

That was merely a decoy. It had only been filled with ordinary but flashy magic, frightening in appearance but lacking real destructive force.

The true super magic crystal cannon, which had gathered the combined magic of the arena’s strongest fighters…

Had in fact been set up in the forest at the outskirts of the Royal Capital!

Its barrel was likewise aimed at the throne’s high platform.

"Your Majesty…!!!"

Eclight slashed madly as he charged toward the platform, but he could only feel that even if he broke through, he would be reduced to vapor in that dazzling beam.

Not to mention… his speed, though fast, was still far inferior to the flash of the cannon’s blast.

A sharp glint flickered in Sheffy’s eyes.

No one else noticed that fleeting detail.

From within Livra’s embrace—slowly floated out a small, pitch-black feather.

That black feather seemed to meld seamlessly with the dark night, and yet appeared darker than night itself.

---

48. Reinforcements!

An ant shaking a tree, a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

When something so small faced such a torrent, by all logic, it should have been instantly consumed, vanishing without a trace.

Yet… there were always things in this world that defied common sense.

Even Firex, who had schemed so meticulously, could not believe the bizarre scene before his eyes.

A black feather had appeared out of thin air, floating before Princess Livra. The feather spun slowly, forming a transparent oval barrier that enveloped the entire royal family.

The magic cannon’s path scorched the ground like a dragon’s trail even when it grazed high above, revealing just how terrifying its power truly was.

But such force—when it clashed against the barrier conjured by that small black feather—could not advance the slightest bit further. Instead, it almost gave the illusion of being powerless.

The royal bloodline of Aurus possessed no such treasure…

And judging from the magic attribute of that black feather, it could only belong to—

"Sheffy Harl! What have you done again?!"

"As you can see." Sheffy stood in place, looking up at the cannon that still roared as it spewed destructive energy between heaven and earth, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "I haven’t done anything at all, haven’t I? Weren’t you the one who wanted us to witness the miracle of human magic? I’m watching. But it doesn’t seem nearly as grand as you claimed… Look, it hasn’t even managed to topple a single platform, has it?"

The black feather left with Livra had passively triggered its defense, enough to withstand the blast of the magic cannon.

But honestly… this cannon’s power had indeed been a little beyond Sheffy’s expectations. She pinched her fingers, weaving magic, and from her black wings behind her floated out another black feather, joining the first to form an even sturdier defense.

Hehe, if one feather wasn’t quite enough, then two would do the trick!

Didn’t Firex say there was more than one magic cannon?

What a coincidence—she didn’t have just one feather either!

Black feathers would grow back like hair; pluck as many as you wanted, she wouldn’t go bald!

Seeing his long-prepared cannon blast blocked so casually, Firex showed no reaction outwardly, but inside he was boiling with rage.

Demon Clan Princess… this matter had nothing to do with you.

But you brought it upon yourself.

"Hateful… detestable… this is a matter between humans. What business is it of your Demon Clan…! You demons are always meddling in others’ affairs! Your Highness Milh! Bring out the item I entrusted to you!"

"R-right…! I… I know! Lord Firex, here!"

Milh, frantic to the extreme, fumbled clumsily through the gilded robes of the Aurus royal family as he searched for the magic tool.

At last he pulled out the item Firex had spoken of.

Sheffy’s eyes fixed on it—

Oh! Wasn’t that an old acquaintance?

It was the very same as what Belith had taken out inside the barrier before—the Reflection Demon Crystal, which could temporarily store magic.

And Firex had not just one in his hand, but five of them.

These Reflection Demon Crystals were like blind boxes—you never knew what magic was sealed inside.

In her past life, Sheffy had loved pulling blind boxes!

Seeing the Demon Princess showing no particular reaction, Firex secretly felt he had gambled correctly.

How unexpected.

——But perhaps this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to eliminate her.

If she hadn’t rushed forward to interrupt his spellcasting even after he revealed the Reflection Demon Crystals, and instead stood still without moving, then didn’t that mean she was exhausting all her strength to maintain the defensive barrier over the royal platform, unable to split her focus?

Heh… the Demon Clan Princess truly was cunning.

Feigning such a calm and indifferent appearance, when in fact she was struggling, just to drag things out until the cannon’s blast ended.

Of course, it made sense. To withstand such a high-density magic cannon strike all by herself—if she still had spare energy after that, then it would be ridiculous.

The cannon’s bombardment would continue for a while longer.

In that time… more than enough to deliver a killing blow.

Firex released the five Reflection Demon Crystals he held in his arms. The crystals lit with multicolored light as they floated into the air, illuminating the growing madness in his murderous intent.

"Reflection Demon Crystals… I suspected I might have need of them, so I deliberately obtained them from your homeland, the Demon Domain. I must admit, the Demon Domain produces some rather fascinating creations… A tool that can store magic—what an ingenious idea. But, Your Highness, now you shall be reduced to dust by the very creation of your own homeland. Do you have any last words? Don’t worry, when the joint army of the Kingdom and the Holy Theocracy, reinforced by higher races, strikes back against the Demon Domain, I will be sure to deliver your final words to the Demon King personally."

"Why are you spouting so much nonsense?" Sheffy just wanted to see what kind of magic was sealed inside—so hurry up and let it out already!

"Oh-ho… it seems you’ve resigned yourself to death, huh? Very well then, the magic is ready. Your Highness Milh, prepare to retreat—run as fast as you possibly can. Otherwise, if you get caught in the blast… I won’t be able to save you."

"?"

As his words fell—

The five crystals simultaneously reached their limit, releasing a blinding white light.

Milh finally reacted, scrambling back in a frenzied retreat. Firex, meanwhile, swiftly threw up a defensive spell while retreating rapidly himself, eager to witness the legendary Demon Clan Princess perish in ruin.

A Demon Clan Princess dying to protect the human royal family… wouldn’t that make for quite the tale, hahaha!

Even though Milh had already run a good distance, he was still blown tens of meters away by the shockwave when the Reflection Demon Crystals activated.

If not for Milh’s second-rank physical constitution, he probably would have died from the fall outright.

Meanwhile, facing the Reflection Demon Crystals head-on—Sheffy finally saw clearly the magic sealed inside.

——And she was disappointed.

So the Holy Theocracy really didn’t have any new tricks after all.

The five crystals had sealed inside them cannon blasts of the same attribute as the magic cannon overhead, likely split off from its energy.

But their power was significantly weaker—an inherent flaw of the Reflection Demon Crystals.

Firex’s face brimmed with anticipation, convinced he was about to personally slay the Demon Clan Princess. Surely His Holiness the Pope would count this as a grand merit to his name!

And yet…

The scene before him was incomprehensible.

"Why… just what kind of monster are you?"

"My, my, such language is unpleasant to hear. You dog."

An insult answered with an insult—fair trade.

And Sheffy hadn’t done a single thing.

The five crystals unleashed their full cannon blasts, yet when they reached her, it was as if they had struck an unbreakable wall. The energy split to both sides, scattering apart, and the cannon blasts shot harmlessly away like five streaking meteors vanishing into the dark night sky.

"It’s not over yet!!"

Firex couldn’t afford to miss this chance. Once the magic cannon barrage ended, and the kingdom recovered, his opportunity would be gone.

He raised his arm high—a signal.

From afar, one of the two tenth-rank combatants battling with Eclight suddenly shifted. Clearing a gap in the fight, he whirled around and unleashed the magic he had been building to strike Eclight—now redirected, hurling it straight at the Demon Clan Princess.

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