“I really should not have let her go alone.”
“She has Prim with her. Have faith in your wife, mother.”
Alice flinches a bit at the terms for both her and Lua.
The whole situation is making her dizzy.
Lua sent her a message and an image of her father in the woods, saying she would go kill him herself.
She didn’t want to let her do it alone, but she knew that if she went then she would just become a target and a weakness as Lua battled someone much stronger than herself.
Alice could no longer project her vision like she could before her evolution so she can’t watch the battle.
An hour passes when Prim comes rushing down the cliff face.
“Mother!”
Alice sees the panic on Prim’s face and starts to fear the worse.
Did Lua get hurt, is she dead? I need to get to her quickly!
“What is it, what is wrong?!”
Alice is shouting as she rushes towards Prim and begins preparing to head up the rocky wall.
“Our lord has won. But she suddenly started crying and I don’t know what to do!”
Prim’s words take a moment to register before finally calming the storm in Alice’s heart.
So she is safe.. Thank the gods.
Despite the new calm, Alice does not slow down on her rush to head up to the second ring.
“Lua is probably just overwhelmed with a lot of emotions, I will go help calm her down.”
Lua had been rather unstable for a while, and while it had seemed like she was getting better, she was still barely hanging on.
The death of her father, even if she hated him, must have broken the dam she set up in herself.
The relief at knowing he could no longer hurt her, the grief at losing someone who raised her, the pain from being the one to kill him. Countless emotions must be crashing down upon her, and Alice is the only one who can help her right now.
Alice grabs ahold of the rails as she climbs aboard Buttercup, settling down in the wooden seat as the demon-filled golem’s spider-like appendages begin to scale the cliff.
Suddenly, Alice’s vision is filled with a glowing plate scrawled with a dreadful message.
“What the-!”
Alice was dumbstruck as the words appeared in front of her.
She knew exactly who this Hero was without even having to think.
You know what, fuck The System. I am going to break the damn universe if it keeps this shit up!
The world just seems to keep toying with Lua as though she is a science experiment. Clearly no one but her has any regard for how Lua must be feeling right now.
Anger fills Alice as she ascends to the only person in this world she can connect with.
Lua, please hang in there. I will be by your side as soon as I can.
----------------------------------------
The Guildmaster of the Carrion City’s Adventurer’s Guild sits at his desk as a flurry of reports come in at a never ending pace.
“Crystal, stop staring. It wont help me work any faster.”
The Vice-guildmaster is nervously looking through her own reports but frequently stops to glare over at her superior as he works at a more moderate pace.
Small monkey golems that looked like those used by Lua had been found patrolling the forest in a few areas but no conclusive sign of the Hero had been found.
The Guildmaster was surprised the things could operate so far from their caster. This little girl truly showed some incredible talent and must have earned some impressive skills from the skill shop along the way.
Being in precarious situations and fighting strong opponents always leads to The System offering better and more powerful skills.
It is no wonder the girl was so interested in going back to train in the woods so soon after escaping.
“Vice-guildmaster! The special group you selected said they have detected a battle and are heading in that direction now.”
An aide comes running in to report news that immediately has the Vice-guildmaster rushing out of the office to get more details from the group's contact.
“I will be right back sir!”
Now alone in his office the Guildmaster can’t help but mumble to himself.
“Honestly though… I can’t say for certain whether this is all really worth it when no one can even be sure if she is the Hero or not.”
“I think the probability is rather high that she is the hero.”
“Wha-!” Turning around and reading his magic the Guildmaster prepares to fight as the unknown voice speaks from behind him.
However upon turning around, the man dissipates his mana and returns to work.
“Fuckin’ hell. Don’t scare me like that.”
Relaxing after realizing who is behind him, the Guildmaster ignores the playful grin on the interloper's face.
The Guildmaster is used to this man's antics.
Well, not so used to them that he can predict when he will get jump scared like he just did.
“And why does The Great Dragon Emperor believe that this child is the Hero? There should have been an announcement like the one for the Demon Lord if that is the case.”
Sweeping his crimson hair back, the red scaled man lets off a bit of smoke and leans back into the wall behind the desk.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Titles are complicated, the universe decides on them based on the collective consciousness at large. The reason I am supporting this whole search in the first place is to help get the word out about the girl.”
The Guildmaster can’t help but sigh as the sneaky bastards play.
“Your goal is not just to find her, but to make sure she gets the Title. No wonder the Vice-guildmaster’s theory spread so quickly…”
The emperor lets out a mischievous chuckle, only to be interrupted by a blue and white screen appearing in his vision. A screen that only makes him laugh even louder.
Sigh.
Leaning back in his chair with a look on his face that can only be described as “long suffering,” The Guild master glares at his obnoxious friend.
“You are such a pain in the ass.”
----------------------------------------
A shadowy figure sits on the edge of a table swinging his legs as he leans over towards the fiery redhead sitting beside him.
“So, thoughts on the battle?”
The woman covered in flame that never damages her or her surroundings peers into the divination project before her.
“She is quite talented for someone so young. Fighting so far above her level is rather impressive I must say.”
Sitting in the room opposite the man who drips darkness is a highly contrasted figure in white.
A young woman with solid white eyes, completely blind and wearing priest robes.
As a diviner who is secretly a member of the Duskallen, she was tasked with watching over their potential lord.
“I am amazed he has not realized you attached that chip to him.”
Relaxedly peering into the projection as well, the shadowed man feigns surprise that former member of their organization and a highly talented combat specialist didn’t notice that he had long been tagged by a diviner under the orders from their leader.
“He is a stubborn old geezer, too proud to think that we would ever attempt such a thing.”
Truly a fool. He even attempted to hide the fact that his daughter had acquired Light Magic. I will feel no pity should he die in this battle.
The flaming haired leader of the Duskallen glares at the scene before her.
The young girl is expertly maneuvering an army of golems as well as leveraging her Light Magic to keep an even field while fighting someone who should easily outclass her.
“My, my. That doesn't look good.”
The girl in the image is now trapped under a barrier as she attempts to protect herself from her father’s unrelenting spatial blades.
“And here I had hoped she would overcome the challenge. Perhaps she is not our lord after all…”
Just then the girl reveals her true form.
A stunning display of cracked ashen skin and piercing crystal eyes. A beautiful crown of bone resting atop her head with horns displaying her absolute authority over her kin.
The cult’s leader stands up quickly from her chair in excitement.
“It is true! She really is our lord!”
Leaping from his seat as well, the man in shadows leans over the table to get as close a look as he can.
He grins.
“We must make contact at once.”
However, in opposition to his enthusiasm, his leader makes a more rational statement.
“I would suggest waiting until she calms down. Her father, a member of our organization, even if a former one, just tried to kill her after all.”
Wind sufficiently taken out of the second in command’s sails, the man collapses into his chair for the first time since entering the room.
“Ah, right… You know, I still think it was a bad idea to be honest.”
The man had been rather against leaving things up to fate like this. Letting the girl’s father free to hunt her down seemed like a great way to piss her off. Not the best of plans when you want someone to be your leader.
Contrary to her second’s attitude, the woman who leads the cult is rather composed.
“You should have more faith in our lord.”
Though, her composure is based in her zealotry more than anything else.
“Apologies my lady.”
And considering his position in the organization that worships the Demon Lord, the shadowed man looks up at his superior with great respect. For he too is fully faithful, and obsessed, with serving under their lord.
The girl has defeated her father.
A demon stands by her side for the two leaders of a twisted faith to see.
They are about to kneel before this glorious image when suddenly the girl starts to cry.
And then a message appears before them, shining in blue and white.
“Ummm….. What?”
Unable to contain his confusion, the cult’s second lets out a rather dumb voice as he questions the announcement.
She’s the Demon Lord… and the Hero?....
“Hahahahahahahah! It seems the universe is truly out of control.”
Flames billow out of the woman as she laughs madly.
The image of the young girl as she begins to shout a rather loud obscenity flickers out, the diviner’s power having lost its target through which they were watching.
“What do you mean? How can she have both Titles? Why would that even be allowed?”
The woman continues to laugh, not answering the man’s queries.
Perhaps… The universe is preparing for something.
But what?
“Well, I guess we will find out.”
----------------------------------------
“I can feel large amounts of mana in that direction!”
Shouting, Rose leads her team further into the forest and towards the edge of the second and third ring.
The young noble reaches for her talisman provided by the Guild and sends in a report before she continues to focus on running.
“You think she is fighting the Demon Lord?”
Agera is extremely concerned. The amount of power being thrown around is immense. The pressure threatening to knock him out even from so far away.
“Maybe! We have to go help!”
Helimos, ever the beacon of justice, rushes on ahead in an attempt to aid the young Hero.
However, the group arrives too late.
Before them is a young blue haired girl, she looks to have grown up since the last time they saw her.
Though, she looks far younger than she did before simply by the fact that she is on her knees crying her eyes out.
A man with the same blue hair lies in a heap on the ground, bloody and missing half his body.
“Lua!”
The girl does not respond, simply staring down at the corpse as her emotions are laid bare.
Trembling, she holds on to a small purple Mana Core with shaky fingers.
“Lua! Are you ok? What happened?!”
Rose’s words only just start to reach the girl.
Lua starts to shout something back, only to stop when everyone’s vision is filled with the same message.
Attention Residents Of The Mortal Realm!
The Hero of Light Has Risen
May Her Light Fill The World
She really is the Hero!
All of the adventurers have the exact same thought as the look at the now angrily shouting and blood young girl.
“Son of a bitch!!!!”
None of the adventurers truly register her words though.
At the edge of the cliff they can see something rising out from the third ring.
On a giant wooden spider legged platform a woman with soft bark like skin and pointed ears, branch-like antlers and a darkly dressed maid by her side.
Jen is the first to react.
“Watch out! An Elf!”
Immediately she throws out a knife coated in wind.
The blade rockets straight towards the elven woman as Lua looks on in horror.
Shink!
A sound rings out, and everything goes dark.