Chapter 883
Episode 220: Tireless (5)
“Gah…!”
With a sudden jolt, Siris sat up and instinctively summoned Manbing.
“Ah, you scared me! Hey, Ice Princess, put Manbing away. I’m in so much pain, and suddenly the hospital room feels freezing cold!”
“You’re awake, Lady Siris.”
Siris blinked, momentarily dazed by the unexpected voices of Murakan and Gilly. She took in her unfamiliar surroundings—the special ward of the Tikan Palace.
‘Ah… right. I used the Five Poisons Technique to kill those guys and then passed out. Am I fully healed now? The wounds were pretty deep.’
The gash that pierced her shoulder had completely healed without leaving even a scar. All the fractures, cuts, and bruises had vanished as well.
“Oh, you’re awake. Lady Siris, you’re tough as nails. To get back on your feet after wounds like that in just four days—that’s impressive.”
It was Luna.
“…Four days? I was out for four whole days?”
“Don’t worry. Nothing major happened to the Second Palace or the alliance while you were down. The Holy King said that even though he treated you personally, your recovery speed is the fastest he’s seen since our youngest member. You haven’t been this badly hurt before, right? So you probably didn’t realize how strong you really are. You’re definitely one of my kind.”
“Hmph, you say that again. You killed opponents far beyond the generals I faced with a single strike.”
“Ha ha, well… I’m just a bit stronger, I guess? Ah, maybe that’s not much comfort.”
“Not really.”
“But if you fight those generals again now, it’ll be much easier. That should be some consolation.”
Growth born from life-or-death battles.
Siris didn’t deny Luna’s words.
The sharp awareness she’d felt while unleashing the Five Poisons Technique still stirred inside her, and her newly awakened body felt lighter and stronger than ever.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Siris caught the scent of the battlefield on Luna.
“While I was unconscious, did First Squad fight another battle?”
“Yeah, no rest for us. The rift is forming at a crazy pace. On the sea front, demon lords keep popping up, pressuring the surface, so Jin keeps sending troops out.”
The invasion from the Demon Realm was growing more intense by the day. If they hadn’t completed the Golden Ark and built the sea barrier, half of Hupester would already be hell on earth.
No matter how strong the superhumans and troops were, they couldn’t defend the entire continent alone.
Currently, massive battles raged constantly between the barrier set up by the Bamel Alliance and the demons at sea.
Though the Bamel Alliance, led by the Golden Ark, had never lost a battle, the demon forces weren’t dwindling—they were only growing.
Jin still insisted that preemptive strikes were crucial. Like pests, demons would keep crawling out unless their source was destroyed.
“And until today, we couldn’t ride the Mote, so our preemptive strike missions were basically stalled. Jin had to move a lot, so I couldn’t always take the Red Owl either. You get what I mean? Get ready. We’ve got another outpost at Kikaroe that we smashed up before.”
“Another one at Kikaroe?”
“Looks like a bunch of demon lords like Zikaro were summoned too. If you’d stayed down two more hours, I’d have had to go alone. Not so lonely now. Here, Latri packed you a special sandwich. Eat up. We leave as soon as you’re done.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, both you and the Ice Princess eat quickly. Murakan here still needs to rest with his strawberry pie.”
“Don’t call me Ice Princess.”
“Aw, Murakan, that hurts. Why don’t you give me a nickname?”
“Feeling left out? I’ll call you ‘Tough Guy’ from now on. Tough Guy, I’m serious—I’m not just playing around. Talk to the kid nicely. Once I’m healed, I’m heading straight back to the front.”
“Though the youngest always teases Murakan about loafing around, he actually worries a lot. You know that.”
“Pfft, I don’t know. I think he’s just jealous I’m dating Strawberry Pie.”
“Most kids don’t want to see their parents’ lovey-dovey stuff. By the way, Gilly, are you and Murakan officially a couple now?”
“That’s news to me, First Squad.”
“Strawberry Pie?”
Siris devoured the sandwich in an instant.
If she went back to the battlefield with Luna now, she’d be risking her life again. It was scary, but not entirely unwelcome.
“Let’s go, First Squad.”
[Whoooosh!]
As the white dimensional gate opened, the Mote dashed across the otherworldly snowfields.
“You still don’t like unmanned deliveries? Dr. Kwawl needs to finish mass-producing the Red Owl soon.”
“No, it’s not just deliveries. Well… even if it were, I’d have to do my part properly.”
“Not just skill, but you’ve grown inside too.”
“By the way, is it safe?”
“Safe?”
“That red aura. I heard there’s a limit to how many times you can use it… but you’ve been using it almost every day since the war started.”
“Oh, that. I’m not sure.”
“Huh?”
“My father told me to avoid using it until I became a Starborn… Before the Zikaro battle, using it repeatedly was exhausting. But when I killed Zikaro, I used a lot of that red sword energy, and instead of getting tired, I felt refreshed.”
“Refreshed?”
“Yeah, like impurities were being flushed out of my body.”
“Isn’t that more dangerous?”
“I keep wondering that too. But no matter how I think about it, it doesn’t feel dangerous. Maybe my father felt the same when he overcame his demonic transformation.”
“Hmm.”
“Of course, if I start feeling strain again, I’ll cut back. Then the Lady Siris will have to take on more. I saw Manbing has a power like my red sword energy that can erase demons.”
[Whoooosh.]
The Mote left the snowy realm and arrived instantly at the Kikaroe Kingdom.
The battlefield where Luna and Siris had fought four days ago was spotless. The ruined outpost had been replaced by a new fortress, and even stronger demonic energy now engulfed the entire plain.
“Looks like there aren’t many useless low-level troops this time. And no generals—only demon lords.”
Luna grinned and exchanged a glance with Siris.
“Just good experience.”
“Good attitude. But if you pulled your troops out, you should’ve destroyed the fortress too. Are these guys just hoarding resources?”
Clank!
Luna hefted her axe-sword, Krantel. She planned to smash the fortress with her decisive strike again.
But this time, the demon lords appeared outside the walls first.
“Ah, trying to start a brawl again, huh? Luna Runkandel, it’s better not to destroy Misol’s fortress. Our Misol may not speak well, but she won’t tolerate her home being wrecked.”
Three demon lords, excluding Misol, stepped out of the gate. Luna eyed them and shrugged.
“Oh? If it’s so precious, why bring it to Inse? Planning to die with it? Or are you the type who only fights at full strength when something dear is broken?”
“Let’s go with the latter. I’m Vice Scarlo, ruler of the Demon Realm’s deep sea zone.”
“Tilius.”
“Kukan Ten… I’ve come to avenge Sikan, killed by the Second Palace’s scum.”
“Sikan? One of the generals who died four days ago. Perfect. Lady Siris, you take this Kukan guy. Looks like he wants you too.”
Even at a glance, Kukan was far stronger than Villagul or Sikan. Siris nodded quietly.
‘Lady Siris, you’re cute in your own way. But that guy’s still too much for you… Let’s take out the others first, let you gain some insight, and save you just before you die.’
Of course, if Siris unleashed more potential than Luna expected, it might be possible. But Luna was sure the enemies had new tricks this time, unlike during the Zikaro fight.
‘The goal of the preemptive strike is to exhaust Jito’s flesh. But Zikaro didn’t use any flesh. The demons aren’t stupid—they’ve increased their numbers and each probably has a piece of Jito’s flesh. If Kukan uses Jito’s flesh against Lady Siris, she’ll have no way out.’
Luna focused her energy back into Krantel.
“Introductions and target assignments are done. Everyone except Kukan, attack together. Zikaro had some dignity until the end. I’m curious about you guys.”
Of course, Luna expected the demon lords to hold back their trump cards for the fight.
But her expectations were shattered from the start. The demon lords all pulled out pieces of Jito’s flesh from their cloaks.
Crack!
As the demon lords grasped the flesh, Luna and Siris’s vision suddenly turned a deep violet.
Just absorbing the power of Jito’s flesh into the demon lords was enough to make Luna and Siris feel a stinging pressure on their skin.
“Did you really think we’d let Kukan and the Little Empress fight separately? We’re not the kind to fuss over etiquette like the Jikal do.”
“Little Empress, change of plans. Get on the Mote and retreat outside the battlefield immediately. Looks like I should’ve come alone this time…”
Without a hint of protest or wounded pride like before, Siris simply nodded.
But the dimensional gate to the Otherworld Snowfield, the only way to summon the Mote, wouldn’t open. Vice grinned as he caught the look of panic on Siris’s face.
“Don’t even think about running. The two of you are about to fall into the deepest abyss of hell today.”
Beneath Luna and Siris, dark water was already rising. Vice’s abyssal power swallowed them completely in mere seconds, trapping them underwater with no escape.