WHOONG WHOONG WHOONG SHRIIEEEEKKKKKK

  Deafening cries rang amidst the chaos, bolts of silver light f al, throughout the battlefield. Storms of mana densed into silver spheres, h all throughout as they gathered more and more mana, glowing ever so radiantly.

  A lone figure ran towards the minefield of silver light, a young elf following after him. He brandished her spear and she brandished her daggers, cshes reverberating uhe light of a dozen silver orbs, pulsing brilliantly.

  They tio csh and as the sands of time tio trickle down the rigid hss, the wait was soon over. All the orbs have finally forced, ready to be fired and y waste and ruin upon the already devastated battlefield.

  ??Star Torrent!?? ［Piper］

  Piper didn't waste a single sed. As soon as Yuna got inte, he flicked his finger and a downpour of silver light rushed towards the young dy. It retty and mystical as a shower of stars, yet deadlier than any camities.

  BOOM BOOM BOOM CRASH CRASH CRASH

  The bolts of silver tio pour and caters tio be carved out in the now peppered ground. There was not a single spot to run, all nooks and ies of the lonely battlefield graced by the light of the violent storm.

  Clouds of dust swept throughout the battlefield and pilrs of smoke rose towards the bright blue sky. The screams of the people and the g of swords and spears rang out like musi the ears. The bald of the deadly battlefield.

  However, such tunes of ruin aion weren't the only ohat could be heard. It was subtle, but it was surely there, the sound of crystallic chimes drifting in the air. The breeze soon turned cold and eyes of blue gleamed amidst the veil of dust.

  ??Frost Phoenix!?? ［Yuna］

  The cry of the Phoenix reverberated throughout the battlefield and turhe clouds of dust into a veil of white and blue, snow and frost dev the raging torrent of stars and swallowing the whole field without any shred of mercy.

  The Phoenix fpped its wings and rushed towards its enemy. Its eyes gleamed sharp like the bdes of a guillotine, s towards the sky, soon stooping down towards Piper like a fal hunting down its helpless prey.

  "Ugh...!" ［Piper］

  It was a successful hit, an explosion of frost aation crashing towards Piper. It was an attack so powerful, all he could do was defend and stand his ground whilst the numbing and pierg frost slowly encroached his body.

  Everything was soon over, half of his body swallowed by frost. However, his eyes remaio burn bright and so was his resolve, unwilling to give up a losing battle. Unfortunately for him, it seems like Yuna had a different pn...

  "You withstood that, huh... That's impressive..." ［Yuna］

  Before he even noticed, the young dy had already appeared before him and her sharp daggers were already poiowards his neck. He immediately raised his right arm in response, hoping to protect himself.

  ??Mantis Cross!?? ［Yuna］

  Yuna sshed down her daggers and ected towards Piper. His right arm was cut soon after and blood illed otlefield. He was already enduring the pain of the frost, and now, there was another searing pain he o endure.

  It was difficult, however, he remained firm. Before his right arm was ly cut off, he promptly threw his spear towards his froze arm, forcefully breaking the frost that restricted his body and not minding the painful sequences.

  There was no time to dwell on the pain. As soon as his left hand got ahold of the spear, he immediately poured mana into it and started swinging. He made sure to clear his head and strike Yuna where it hurts.

  G G G G G

  The spear and the daggers cshed once more, sparks flying towards all dires and shockwaves parting the clouds of dust away. It was a fierce battle, not a single one of them wanting to back do in their strength.

  Just as the csh tinued, corruption leaked once more and reached out to Piper's severed arm aached it to his body. As soon as he could ch his right fist once again, he poured mana into it and created a golden spear of light.

  Spears in both hands, Piper swung with all his might and tried to catch up to Yuna's inhuman speed and incredible firepower. He swung and he swung, creating massive gashes across the ground with every bit of force he poured.

  'No! No! No! This 't be happening...! This is impossible...! Why...?! Why isn't she getting pushed back?!' ［Piper］

  However, all efforts were in vain. No matter how much he pushed himself and how much mana he used, he could never make Yuna take a step back. If anything, the young dy tio tread forward, taking oep at a time.

  "Booster"... Such was the entment attached to the Legendary Spear, Golgius' Despair. It was an entment which allows its user to draw out double the output of their physical attributes at the cost of mana.

  With such equipment at hand, no S-ranker was his match. Yet despite using such a huge boost, Piper was still powerless against Yunaー No, rather, the young dy is getting power and more powerful, overwhelming him greatly with every sed.

  "Round 2, was it? It isn't any different than before though." ［Yuna］

  "Shut up! You must be using some sort of trick! You're cheating!" ［Piper］

  "Pretty rich, ing from someone who ate the pearl. Are you sure it's not because your skill just sucks? Are you really a High-Ranker?" ［Yuna］

  "You...! I'll show you just how powerful I am!" ［Piper］

  The differen strength was so overwhelming, Piper couldn't keep his calm and pyful facade anymore. He was getting impatient with every strike he took. His pride was crushed again and again by the same young dy less than half his age.

  His "True Sight" was rendered useless by Yuna's "Nihility". His regeive power was slowed down by the daggers' "Bleeding Edge". His spear's "Booster" was easily tered by Yuna's immerength... It was the worst match-up possible.

  "Let's see where your arrogands... ??Extreme Thrust??!" ［Piper］

  He ched his spear with all his might and poured every bit of power he could muster into a sirike. He thrusted his spear once more, a storm of destru streaking across the battlefield at his whim.

  Just the sheer ford pressure of the attack alone was enough to blow away all the debris in the viity and tear apart sheets of steel as if they were paper. Yuna received su attack head on, her eyes never faltering.

  He wasn't done just yet. Now that his left had been strained by the attack, he then threw back the spear to his right arm and poured a copious amount of mana into it. He grit his teeth tightly once more, sshing doowerfully as he could.

  ??Mountain Severing Fsh!?? ［Piper］

  It was an attack worthy of its name. As soon as it nded, it split the ground into two, a rge ravine formed iween spanning several meters wide. Everything on its path was ravaged, shattered into smithereens until there was nothing.

  His body was already tired and his mind was already exhausted. He felt like he was going to cough up blood at any moment, yet he is yet to be satisfied. He had already decided to give it his all, a fierce glow shining in his demonic eyes.

  WHOOOONHGGGG WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH

  The winds shed out at his behest and thread of light, both gold and silver gathered at the tip of his spear. His battered body firmly pnted his foot on the ground, heart rag wildly as he maximized the output of his attack.

  Light tio gather, the winds tio howl, and the ground tio roar. An impending storm befell along the battlefield, light shimmering all throughout the Royal Capital as Piper's crimson red eyes turned w bright golden color.

  ??Moonlit Symphony: Requiem!?? ［Piper］

  He thrusted his spear owice, thrice, a thousand times. Rays of golden and silver light scattered throughout the battlefield like the petals of the cherry blossoms during spring. They danced and they fluttered, bringing colors in the field.

  However, unlike cherry blossoms. Rather than life and joy, what it brought was death and despair, the ground turned upside down, the knights and demons bsted away, and the lonely ruins of the Court reduced into mere rubble.

  It was the se of the apocalypse, not even drops of blood to be seen as even they were bsted away into oblivion. The whole battlefield was overturned, a thundering eching out as the strikes crashed into the barrier.

  Silence soon loomed over the once raging battlefield, and soon enough, the clouds of dust quickly cleared out. Piper had already anticipated such a slim ce, however, seeing it before his eyes, he couldn't help but feel terrified.

  "You... What kind of monster are you..." ［Piper］

  Asked the man as he gazed upon the young dy before him. It was a devastating series of strikes which id waste otlefield yet there was no sembnce of a wound, even a scrat the young dy. It was too unbelievable.

  The young dy stood unscathed before him, tuck behind a barrier of magid frost, her eyes unfazed by the ret torrent of attacks, a subtle tinge of disappoi in her eyes. It was his stro attack, yet it didn't leave a single crack.

  "Was that the best you do?" ［Yuna］

  "Are you mog me right now?" ［Piper］

  "Not really. I'm just curious." ［Yuna］

  It was a harmless question, the young dy tilting her head ever so slightly as she looked at Piper. She had been anticipating a fight against demons, hoping to learn something from it. However, it was far too disappointing.

  Other than the fact that they have slightly more mana, slightly more powerful, and their exceptional regeive capabilities, they were just like mere thugs that she has fought before, Piper barely able to warm her up.

  If anything, she had cluded that they were nothing more than monsters with a little bit of intelligence. Moreover, ohey are provoked, they easily lose their reason and bee extremely predictable. Defeating them wasn't much of a hassle.

  "You... Tell me the truth... How did you get s?" ［Piper］

  "You didn't answer my question. Why should I answer yours?" ［Yuna］

  "Hah... You really are arrogant... Up until the very end..." ［Piper］

  Arrogant this, arrogant that. Yuna had lost t about how many times Piper had called her such. She doesn't know whether it was the effect of demonification, but it seems like his vocabury had been cut down quite a bit.

  No matter. She wasn't hoping for much of an answer from him either way. He looked all proud and mighty, but Yuna knew all he was doing was buy time to recuperate and regee his mana. His body was already battered with not much life in it.

  "Well, enough useless rambling... It's my turn, right?" ［Yuna］

  A single word and the whole atmosphere pletely ged. Yuna's aura had now turned cold and intimidating, a domineering mountain standing before Piper. It was as if she had bee a pletely different person, her eyes even colder than ice.

  She sheathed her daggers and raised her hands towards Piper, the cold air starting to howl and the ground started to shiver from the frost. The winds brewed colder and colder, snowfkes f in the once heated battlefield.

  It was dangerousー no, it was extremely dangerous. Piper has yet to witness what Yuna was about to do, but his whole body was screaming danger, arms ringing all throughout his mind, his body moving before he eve.

  "Do you think I'll just let you do whatever you want to do?!" ［Piper］

  Piper pouowards Yuna, his spear held tightly. His body was still far from being healed, but he had to move unless he wao die. He gathered all the minuscule amount of mana he had regeed, p it all into a single point.

  ??Extreme Thrust!?? ［Piper］

  He thrusted his spear once more and his arms twisted in pai he didn't budge a single inch, still rushing towards Yuna with a single goal in mind. However, it was futile... Before he could even muster his strength, Yuna had already finished.

  Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue color and cold winds swept through the fields like an unstoppable flood. A massive spear of frost had materialized before her, painted a majestic blue color. It was cold and deadly, screaming the name of a frozen hell.

  ??Endless Frost: Khione!?? ［Yuna］

  The young dy's voice rang out in the air and the spear of blue was hurled at the speed of lightning. A blue streak cruised across the battlefield, turning the winds into howling blizzards as it passed, snow and frost encroag everywhere.

  Piper's spear soon ected to Yuna's spell, a brilliant fsh of light enveloping all that there is to be seen. Piper had poured his everything into that final strike yet he was still pushed back, overwhelmingly.

  It wasn't long before Piper was bsted several hundred meters away from the sheer force of Yuna's deadly spell. Bursts of winds shed out violently and the ground was quickly engulfed by ice. A loud explosi out in the air.

  BOOOOOOOOOMMMMM SHIK SHIK SHIK SHIK

  ...

  There was silence, and there were explosions. Chaos was abrew itlefield, the scream of knights and demoangled with one ahere were pilrs torn down, ground charred bck, and trees diced to nothingness. Ruin everywhere.

  Amidst such a chaotic se was a single man, his eyes peering towards the se before him, every little happening as delight bloomed in his heart, a dark and vile smile painted on his hysterical expression.

  He was a little bit hesitant to attend the trial today, however, it was one of the best decisions he had ever made. It was just as iing as he hoped, uo hide the disgustingly ecstatic expression on his face.

  "Really... What a disgusting smile." ［Grey］

  However, such a smile was soon lost as a sudden ringing reached his ears. A young man had appeared before him, his steps silent as be and his presence barely present even when he was standing right before him.

  "Are you enjoying the show... Gael?" ［Grey］

  That figure was her than Grey, eyes looking down on Gael as if he was the dirtiest rag in the whole city and not sparing him any bit of emotion other than his boiling and raging pt, barely holding himself back from cutting him down.

  "Or should I say, Young Lord Rodelier?" ［Grey］

  "You... How do you know my name?" ［Gael］

  "Well, a little talkative birdie slipped his tongueー No, rather, he told us without even batting an eye. Piper, his name, was it?" ［Grey］

  "Piper, huh... That useless fool..." ［Gael］

  He kept a calm facade, however, Grey could tell that his mood was ruined by such a suddeion. They have been colleagues for a long time, but that's the extent of their retionship. Whether one dies or not, they wouldn't bat an eye.

  The same also goes for the Duke. It was a shame that he died from the King's hands, otherwise, he would have killed him himself. The Duke along with everyone else. The vicious, snake-like gentleman nning to get rid of all of them.

  "No, my identity doesn't matter anymore... Rather, how did you find me? As far as I'm ed, I am using a Legendary-Grade item for defense and stealth. Even if you're experienced, it should still be difficult." ［Gael］

  "Well, let's just say... I have quite the special eyes..." ［Grey］

  "Special eyes... A 5☆ ability, I see... No wonder you were able to crack down on our case. You must have used your eyes then." ［Gael］

  He was a smart man. His guess was a little off but the thought was there. If it wasn't frey's eyes, ing up such a massive mess on a national scale wouldn't have been so quid easy. His eyes were the key.

  However, there was o say such things to such a madman. Normally, Grey would be extremely cautious about spilling it all in front of an enemy, however, there was o worry about Gael. After all, uhey have eyes like Grey. a dead man ot spill as.

  "Enough of that. Now that I answered your questions, why don't you answer mine in turn? It's not something too difficult so there's no need for worry." ［Grey］

  "Oh? I wasn't aware we were iating." ［Gael］

  "Are you really that petty? It's just a single question." ［Grey］

  "A single question, huh... Normally, I wouldn't fall for such a trick, however, seeing as you're so iing, we might as well. Go on. Ask ahead." ［Gael］

  "Then, answer me this... Why are you doing this?" ［Grey］

  A typical question for a typical se, the hero asking the vilin of the reason behind their hysterical pns. It was something Grey had been thinking about ever sihe case had started, and so, he just wao hear it from the mastermind himself.

  To quench the thirst for knowledge, to rule over the world, to take revenge against those who have wrohem, or to prove themselves in front of the world. There could be tless reasons, of whio o the mastermind knows.

  Of course, Gael's fate was already decided. Whether his answer was insane or pitiful, it doesn't ge the fact that he'll be dying today. No matter what the reason is, his crimes are inexcusable and unfivable. Death is but a light punishment.

  "Why...? Why... Why... Kukuku! How amusing... You truly are amusing... I didn't think you'd ask such a question... What a hero you are." ［Gael］

  "Don't stall for time. Ahe question." ［Grey］

  "Ah right, sorry... Well, there really isn't much of a reason... You see, the world is too impure and imperfect. I'm simply correg it." ［Gael］

  The reason was finally revealed, a psychopathic expression pstered on Gael's face. Grey had already expected that he was crazy, but his expectatioop low. The man before him wasn't just crazy. He was an insane bastard beyond saving.

  "There's so many people in the world, a.. Doesn't it make you wonder? Why... Why are there so many inferior people amongst us? Thugs who knows of nothing but brute force. People who are less than animals.

  So... I had a brilliant idea... Why don't I reshape the world and make it so that only the chosen ones like me... and you... Those who are blessed with special talents are able to live in the world freely. I have to make a perfect world." ［Gael］

  "And so, it was fio sacrifice the others for this 'perfect world' of yours?" ［Grey］

  "Why not? They are merely parasites which rely on us in order to survive. Rather, they should be grateful to be helpful in realizing this grand masterpn. They may be worthless, but at the very least, they have some uses.

  As someone who stands at the pinnacle, are you not exhausted of people ging on your feet and begging like beggars? All they do is cry and beg, it's repulsive. For such useless creatures, death is the only salvation." ［Gael］

  Gael bbbered and bbbered some more. The mrey heard of his "reasons", the more sid disgusted he felt about the man before him. Never had he met someone so narcissistid someoh such a dysfunal mind.

  "Don't you agree so tooー" ［Gael］

  "No, I don't. Don't lump me with the likes of f*ckers like you," ［Grey］

  There was o listen any lrey hands itg to beat the crap up out of Gael and male him feel hell he's never felt before. They only exged a couple of words, yet he couldn't expin the ive swirl of emotions flooding his mind.

  "How hypocritical. Are you having fun pying hero? How dare you act so proudly when people are dying before you. Face it, you ot save everyone." ［Gael］

  "Yes, you're right, hundredsー No, thousands have already died. However, I didn't expect you to be so blind. You are more stupid than you look." ［Grey］

  "Huh? What are y to imply?" ［Gael］

  "Simple... That's because all that have died are all on your side." ［Grey］

  Gael quickly flinched as soon as he heard Grey's words, turning his head left and right as he watched the battlefield once again. Only then did he realize how exactly the situation is pying out, shock painted on his face.

  Some were wounded and some were injured. However, not a single knight nor soldier has been sin. Rather, they are already pushing back the demons, their dead and broken bodies lying coldly on the ground.

  The same could also be said for the citizens. After all, before he found Gael, he was busy shooting arrows to defeat demons all throughout the Royal Capital, only leaving whehing was under trol. Had it not been for it, he would have arrived earlier.

  As for the Knights, he and Yuna had all given them magic charms which protects them from critical strikes ahem whenever necessary. They may not be able to pare to the demons, but it was more than enough to deal with them.

  The General had now subdued Haksen and Malia. As for Dougs, Johann, Callipso, and the King, despite sustaining heavy injuries, they have also ed up their sides. The final act is soon to reach his clusion.

  If there was anything Grey was not expeg, it was the fact that their familiars have taken Salferine forms whilst engaging in battle. He was so surprised, he stopped on his tracks for a quient. It was all too shog.

  "How impudent... You have still yet to defeat Piper. He may be an idiot, but he's not one who will go down without a fight." ［Gael］

  "Yeah, Piper, right... Don't worry. My partner is handling him well." ［Grey］

  "Hah... You sure are ag cocky for someone who abandoned his partner. Isn't your skin crawling from hypocrisy?" ［Gael］

  "Abandoned...? If you really think so, then you're sorely mistaken..." ［Grey］

  BAAANNNNGGGGGG CRASH CRASH THUD THUD

  There was o expin any more. As soon as Grey finished his words, the walls they were hiding behind were suddenly broken, a single figure crashing into it and flying several meters away, rolling on the ground.

  That figure was her than Piper, his right arm now missing and rge injuries present on his body. His whole body was swallowed with ice, his heart barely beating and his mouth barely breathing. He was thinly hanging ohread of life.

  "As you see... Yuna is overwhelmingly strong." ［Grey］

  Gael eechless, his eyes uo believe that such a powerful demon was now lying helplessly on the ground. It wasn't just Piper, but every single one of the stronger demons have been wiped out oer another. He eechless.

  "Just face it already. Your pn has already crumbled to the ground, Gael." ［Grey］

  CHAPTER 430 END