With that, he clenched his right hand, and a dark red magic blade condensed within his palm.
The blade was long and narrow, its edge glinting with a cold light; one look was enough to tell it was no ordinary weapon.
His figure blurred, appearing before Lilith in an instant. He raised the magic blade high and swung it toward her neck!
The strike was fast, precise, and ruthless.
Everywhere the edge passed, a faint crack was carved into space itself.
Lilith didn't dodge or block. She simply stood there, not even bothering to use a Mana Barrier, allowing the blade to strike her neck.
A flash of joy crossed the man's eyes.
He thought Lilith had failed to react in time or was paralyzed by his sheer pressure.
He believed he was finally about to succeed!
In that moment, he could almost see the image of Lilith's head flying off.
But in the next second, the magic blade shattered the instant it struck Lilith's neck.
Only a faint red mark remained on her neck.
Even that mark vanished in less than a second.
Lilith touched her neck, looked at the man, and blinked.
“You're way too weak, aren't you?”
The man in white robes: “?”
The expression on his face shifted from ecstasy to bewilderment, then to utter shock.
“No... impossible...” he muttered to himself. “My strength has already reached the level of the Fourth of the Four Calamities... How can I not even scratch your skin...?”
His face turned pale.
He wanted to run.
But his body wouldn't obey.
The Demonic Energy inside him was spiraling out of control.
The energy he had just absorbed seemed to have gained a consciousness of its own, rampaging through his body, shredding his meridians and eroding his internal organs.
“What's happening...?” He discovered with horror that he couldn't even move a finger.
Lilith smiled as she slowly walked up to him.
“Did you know? The Demonic Energy you absorbed belongs to the Demon King.”
The man's eyes widened.
He had a terrible premonition.
In the next second, his right hand rose uncontrollably. With fingers pressed together into a hand-blade, he plunged it ruthlessly into his own heart.
Pfft.
The sound of flesh being torn apart.
The man looked down at the hand buried in his chest, his face a mask of disbelief.
Then, the hand yanked back with force!
A still-beating heart was brutally ripped out.
A black heart.
“Cough...” The man spat out a large amount of blood, his body beginning to sway.
Lilith watched him.
“I'm curious about how to kill you. After all, I noticed that no matter how many injuries you take, you heal instantly.”
The man struggled to lift his head. Looking at Lilith, he grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth.
“Hehe... Kill me? You'll never be able to do it...”
The smile vanished from Lilith's face.
“Very well.” She stood up, grabbed the man, and flew toward the sky.
Her speed increased rapidly.
After passing through the clouds, they eventually broke through the world's barrier.
Finally, they came to a halt in the void.
They were surrounded by the vast starry sky.
The man could no longer speak.
His body began to disintegrate in the void.
Lilith let go, allowing him to float before her.
Then, she raised her right hand, and a white energy orb began to condense.
Inside the orb, energy collided violently, emitting a devastating aura.
Looking at the orb, fear finally surfaced in the man's eyes.
Lilith looked at him and smiled slightly.
“Then let's try this.”
With that, she released her grip. The orb trembled violently before exploding.
The man closed his eyes in despair.
Blinding white light swallowed everything, reducing the man and his surroundings to nothingness; even the world below was nearly caught in the aftermath.
When the light dissipated, nothing remained.
Lilith hovered in the void, looking at the empty space as a realization struck her.
“So they need to be turned to ash.”
She nodded, feeling as though she had gained a new piece of knowledge.
Then, she turned and flew back to the town at the bottom of the pit.
...
Inside the town.
Lilith landed and raised her hand.
The surrounding Demonic Energy began to surge toward her frantically.
The surrounding buildings dissolved into particles of light, the streets vanished into nothingness, and the dark red glow in the sky gradually faded.
Everything was returning to its original state.
Leonard sat on the ground, looking down at his hands.
His body was also slowly disappearing, starting from his fingertips and turning into particles of light that drifted into the air.
Lilith turned to look at him. “Without the Demonic Energy, you won't survive either.”
Leonard looked up at her.
“Do you want to live?” Lilith asked.
“If you say yes, I can leave some Demonic Energy in your body and ensure it doesn't go out of control.”
But Leonard smiled and shook his head.
“No, thank you.”
His smile was serene, free of fear or regret.
Lilith was silent for a moment.
She didn't ask why.
Because she could roughly guess. A wraith created from a Hero's remnant soul and Demonic Energy, an existence that shouldn't be, a poor soul who couldn't even tell who he was...
Living would probably be more painful than death.
“Mhm.” Lilith nodded, turned, and continued to absorb the Demonic Energy.
Leonard watched her back and said softly:
“To be able to fight one last time as a Hero... I'm already satisfied.”
“Goodbye.”
His body completely turned into particles of light and dissipated into the air.
Lilith didn't look back.
She simply raised her hand and absorbed the last of the Demonic Energy.
Then, at the bottom of the pit, she was alone amidst a desolate, empty clearing.
“It's over.”
She turned, tore through space, and stepped inside.
The ruins returned to silence.
Rate on N.U.
