"Sigh..."

Anna gasped, with beads of sweat running down her forehead.

"I'm really getting old..."

She thought this in her heart as she crossed the Canyon, facing yet another attack.

She had already exhausted much of her energy, but her destiny was just ahead...

Anna firmly grasped her magical staff, wrapped in light, her gaze becoming more resolute.

The light of the world guided her, and even though she had never been here before, she was sure her goal lay ahead.

"Is that you?"

The voice she hadn’t heard in a hundred years, yet was incredibly familiar, sounded unchanging.

From the depths of the dark forest emerged a young woman dressed elegantly, wearing a skull-shaped eyepatch that revealed only her right eye, a vibrant red.

Her appearance hadn’t changed at all from a hundred years ago.

"As a human, you dare to come to this place of another race. What courage you have..."

Shirley said with a smile, showing no trace of anger in her voice.

"Shirley, I'm here for revenge."

Anna raised her staff to the ground and straightened her back.

"Revenge? And who are you?"

Shirley tilted her head, an innocent look of confusion on her face.

Anna seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her voice and responded earnestly.

"I am Anna!"

"Ah!" Shirley exclaimed with a sudden understanding expression, covering her mouth and laughing, "Oh, it’s you! By the way, how did you end up like this? I can barely recognize you..."

"Enough talk!"

Anna took a deep breath to give her words more strength.

"No more talking... Then you will die!"

As she spoke, Shirley raised her right hand, instantly forming a lance made of blood.

"Blood Lance!"

The lance shot toward Anna with impressive speed, but...

"Holy Light Protection!"

A layer of light shield formed in front of Anna, and the impact between the two generated a thunderous sound, making the shield vibrate as if it would shatter at any moment.

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However, it did not break, the energy of the blood lance dissipated first.

Holding her ground, Anna let out a long sigh and tightened her grip on her staff.

Because she didn't know when she would fall.

"To block that attack... it seems you haven’t wasted those hundred years..."

Shirley continued speaking with a sarcastic tone, but in her heart, there was a slight, insignificant hint of surprise.

She knew the speed and power of the blood lance, launched without restraint, perfectly in her normal state.

Yet it was blocked by Anna, that weak human she had spared several times...

But what did that matter?

"Yes, Shirley, all these years, to take my revenge on you, I have also worked hard..."

Anna said in a weak, tired voice, trying to sound casual.

"So, I don’t know if you can withstand these attacks."

Shirley elegantly spread her arms, and seven blood lances appeared above her head.

Seeing this, Anna's pupils constricted, and she immediately slammed her staff on the ground.

"Holy Light Protection!"

"Holy Light Shield!"

"Light Amplification!"

"Holy Light!"

"Radiant Light Formation!"

A golden, sacred aura emanated from Anna, a translucent shield enveloped her body, while a circle of complex runes shone on the ground beneath her feet, making her look radiant.

The two outer layers of the golden shield formed a defense in all directions.

Shirley, on the other hand, simply waved her finger, and a blood lance shot toward Anna's shield.

She waved her fingers seven times.

All seven blood lances ruthlessly collided at the same point of the shield.

A sound like shattering glass echoed.

Before Anna, the first layer of protection shattered, the second layer broke, the third layer ruptured, and the formation disintegrated...

However, there was one last lance.

"Ah!!!"

A brilliant light burst from Anna's body, and a small shield formed in front of her, blocking the final lance.

Seeing the last lance dissipate before her, Anna smiled.

I managed to block...

But unfortunately, her smile was quickly replaced by an expression of pain.

Another lance pierced her abdomen, an illusory lance that left no wounds but caused her life to drain rapidly.

She coughed up blood and used her hands to support herself on the staff, avoiding collapse.

After a moment, she managed to free her left hand and reached for her abdomen.

"Dissipate!"

The lance was dispelled by the light, and Shirley silently observed the process, which seemed a bit long.

"I say, do you really hate me that much? I spared you several times, you know? If it weren't for that, you would already be dead. And now, you're so old, why not stay home and soak up the sun, huh? Why insist on committing suicide?"

Shirley felt no compassion, only doubt.

"Hmm..." Anna smiled bitterly, "I am a believer in light. You are a creature of darkness and evil, and I will not... allow you to harm the world..."

In the end, her words became a bit hesitant.

"Is that why?" Shirley made a disappointed expression. "Have you heard the story of the wolf and the sheep? A farmer, to protect his sheep, mercilessly hunts the wolves. When all the wolves are dead, the sheep proliferate, and the grass is consumed. Without the threat of wolves, they become lazy and weak. In the end, the farmer had to bring back the wolves to control the sick and weak sheep, making the remaining ones strong again..."

"Anna, light and darkness in the world are opposites, but they are also one thing. If the light does not see the darkness, it will also disappear, and if darkness does not exist, light will extinguish. Do you understand this?"

Anna didn’t know why she was saying so much to a weak human, perhaps because of something that had already vanished within her that was still tormenting her...

"Yes..." Anna nodded, surprised. "Shirley, you are right. Light and darkness must maintain a proper balance, that is the most reasonable and natural thing, but..."

"What do you mean..."

Shirley hesitated for a moment, a smile blooming on her aged face.

"Do the sheep hate the wolves?"

After that question, the environment fell silent.

After a while, Shirley raised her right hand.

"If that’s the case, then I can only ask that you die!"

In an instant, five lances pierced Anna's body, hitting her heart, throat, and other vital points.

Anna's body fell, and her staff rolled beside her, making a metallic noise.

Shirley did not look at her again, turning to leave.

However, the growing and unusual aura of light made her stop...