“Grandma has exhausted nearly all our resources seeking help to no avail. I’ve heard that the imperial doctor of the royal family might heal this kind of injury. That’s why I registered in the Martial God Tournament with my big sister. The top ten contestants earn an audience with His Majesty the Emperor, and it’s said that one can make a request of him. That’s why I’m aiming for a high ranking, hoping His Majesty could save my sister.”
Hiding her grief, Erica kept her head down, yet Lilith noticed her hands submerged and trembling, clenched into fists.
“I’m sorry,” Lilith whispered an apology as the smile on her face faded.
“You don’t need to apologize… You weren’t the one who hurt my sister, but…” Erica’s tone shifted as she lifted her head, eyes blazing with anger at Lilith. “Didn’t you promise to help me reach the top ten? Why did you lie? Not only did you lie, you even tried to eliminate me too! How can you still call yourself my friend after this?”
“Do you realize that without your interference, my plan would have succeeded too? I could have secured a place in the top ten and had the imperial doctor treat my sister. This is all your fault!”
“Because of you…” Tears streamed down Erica’s face like big pearls. “All my efforts have been wasted.”
“No, it’s not. I’ll help you,” Lilith assured her.
“I mean it this time! I swear on my honor.” Lilith sank into the water and gently embraced Erica in her arms.
“Not just the best imperial doctor in the Holy Dragon Empire… I’ll bring the best doctors from across the world. I will cure your sister.”
“I’m not. This is a promise, on the honor of the Dragon Princess Lilith,” Lilith declared solemnly.
“Huh? Dragon… Princess?” As Erica grappled with the implications of those words, Lilith gently placed a hand on Erica’s slender neck.
“Sorry, Erica. As I mentioned before, my instincts tell me danger is approaching. To keep you safe, I must ask you to step back for now,” she said.
Just when she was about to strike…
“I’d advise against doing that.”
Without warning, a vaguely familiar voice echoed beside Lilith, halting her hand mid-air just as it neared Erica’s neck. She whipped her head toward the source like a startled wildcat. Discover more novels at novel(ꜰ)ire.net
“Hehe, have you forgotten about me already?” Myre, dressed in a black gown, stood on the surface of the lake, seemingly defying gravity. The lake beneath her remained perfectly still, its surface as reflective as a mirror, undisturbed by her presence. “Was it not just a short while ago that we last played with each other?”
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.” Lilith’s brow furrowed as she detected an overwhelming oppression emanating from the figure before her. Her pupils involuntarily shifted into a molten gold hue. “What are you trying to achieve by taking over Myre’s body?”
“Oh, caught on so quickly, have you?” Myre chuckled delicately. “You truly live up to your reputation as that old monster’s daughter.”
Myre lifted the helm of her skirt and elegantly curtsied like a noble lady. However, when she opened her mouth to speak again, a jarring, deep male voice escaped through her lips instead. “Pleasure to meet you, the last and only Dragon Princess. I’m Three.”
“Three…” Lilith’s pupils shrank.
Number as codenames… The previous Nine… Then there was Seven… And now another one is standing before me…
“Don’t misunderstand; I’m nothing like those obsolete remnants,” Three continued in a delicate, albeit slightly unsettling, feminine tone.
“Long story short… Nine and Seven were mere tools that we created, flawed creations based on mortals. As for me, though I’m not in my true form, I’m far superior to those low-quality products. As for the numbers, well, they’re just codenames insisted upon by a rather whimsical old lady above us.”
“This means… We’re serious this time, so brace yourself, Your Highness. I hope you won’t be crying.” Three winked, her youthful beauty belying the unsettling soul housed within her. The mere thought was so revolting it made Lilith feel nauseous.
“The tools failed, so now the creators are stepping in? Hehehe, how impatient.” Lilith smiled wryly. The fact that her enemies were appearing before her so openly suggested that she was already ensnared in their dangerous trap.
“Lilith?” Erica looked up at her, confusion written all over her face. She had no idea what was happening, but since the arrival of the blonde girl, everything had changed. The newcomer’s presence sent shivers down her spine.
“What did you mean by what you just said? Something about advising me against doing something…” Lilith suddenly asked.
“Curious? Why not just look up?”
“Huh?” Lilith lifted her head curiously, wanting to know what Three was up to.
That was when she saw it… A black sun. It dominated the sky, radiating warmth like any normal sun. Yet for some reason, staring at it made Lilith feel suffocated.
“We’ve sealed off this little world,” Three explained with a nonchalant smile as if she was talking about something as insignificant as the weather. “Nothing outside can enter, and nothing inside can leave. Go ahead and snap her neck, but she’ll turn into a real corpse.”
“What…?” A chill ran through Lilith’s heart. The ability to isolate a world suggested that Three either possessed the strength or wielded divine artifacts of at least demigod-level power.
In any case, both were terrible news to Lilith. Such strength was beyond Lilith’s reach, making any efforts on her part seem as futile as a mayfly shaking an oak tree.
Fortunately… she had Cornelia. Silly she might be, but her power was undeniable, not easily matched even by a demigod. With this thought, Lilith reassured herself and gently patted Erica’s head, who was still puzzled by their situation.
“You need to leave here.”
“I’m not sure, but… get as far away from here as possible.”