That’s right, just thirty seconds would be enough. As long as Lilith can cross the teleportation passage into the vast ocean, all of Three’s previous efforts will be for naught. Then… it’ll be a victory for me.
Amidst the immense agony that nearly made her faint, Ciel smiled with relief. To her, the grim expression on Three’s face looked like the most delightful delicacy in the world. It was worth it to die seeing that.
My consciousness… is fading… Live well, Lilith. I hope that even without me, you can still find your own path.
“Huh?” Three’s startled exclamation momentarily pulled Ciel’s fading consciousness back, albeit just slightly.
She tried her best to open her eyes, only to see Three looking past her in shock.
Eh? Why? Could it be that…
With all her remaining strength, Ciel slowly turned her head. She saw Lilith standing at the highest point of the island in the lake, quietly watching her.
Her blonde hair and skirt fluttered in the gentle breeze, making her look like an ethereal elf.
“Why… didn’t you go…?” Once again… tears fell from the corners of Ciel’s eyes. She had thought her tears had dried up long ago, but just the sight of Lilith revealed her vulnerability.
“That… would be fine… After all… we’re just… strangers, no?”
“Are we… really just strangers?” Lilith questioned softly. “It’s true that I can’t recall who you really are, but the familiarity I feel toward you tells me that you are anything but a stranger. Besides, I doubt my charm is so great that a stranger would willingly die for me.”
She clenched her fists tightly and continued, “That goes for both you… and that serpent.”
“Idiot… Why can’t you… just act stupid… at a time …?”
“Playing dumb now would only lead to a lifetime of regret.”
“You’re… letting Greenie and… my… efforts go to waste…” Ciel’s voice was a despairing wail as she pleaded, “So… leave! I command you… to leave!”
“I have a feeling that you probably know me very well.”
Ciel was stunned, unsure why Lilith would say that.
“Since you know me so well, you should understand this…” Lilith raised her head, her eyes blazing with unwavering determination as she continued, “Since when have I, Lilith, ever obeyed someone else’s orders?”
Ciel’s lips quivered, unable to speak. Yes, the Lilith she knew was as fiery as the sun. When would she ever let someone else order her around? She had always acted solely on her convictions.
That’s exactly why she’s so charming to me!
“Haha, that’s right, dear Dragon Princess, if you flee, she won’t survive.” Three laughed heartily. Even she had felt a pang of despair after being undermined by Ciel’s magic. Yet, she hadn’t anticipated that the Dragon Princess had long been here.
Had she known that this woman was her vulnerability, she wouldn’t have bothered with such elaborate schemes.
Three guided the waters of the black river, causing them to hover menacingly over Ciel’s head, and threatened with a sinister grin, “My dear princess, let’s strike a fair deal—if you surrender peacefully, I’ll let her go. How about it?”
“I won’t be bound by your terms,” Lilith stated coolly.
“Won’t? Does that mean you still have some sort of trick up your sleeve?” Three paused before a mixture of disbelief, excitement, and fear flashed across her face as she recalled something. “Are you saying that…” Chapters first released on novel·fire.net
Lilith neither confirmed nor denied, simply closing her eyes.
“Isn’t this… what you want?”
In the deepest, darkest recesses of her consciousness, where a certain cage was, Lilith faced the Dragon Eater, who looked exactly like herself. “Lend me your power…” she said.
The Dragon Eater had been waiting eagerly.
“Of course, my dear Lilith,” she answered. She raised her hand, sending a ball of black flame through a transparent light barrier to Lilith.
Lilith stared at the hovering ball of flame quietly. Despite emitting no heat, it swayed like a little dancing elf. After a moment’s contemplation, she finally reached out to it.
“No…” Ciel’s plea was feeble, her voice failing to reach Lilith’s ears.
Three watched Lilith intently, gulping nervously. She knew what the Dragon Princess was about to do and realized that her mission was nearing completion. Yet, a raw, undisguised fear took root within her at the thought of facing that legendary being directly.
Lilith opened her eyes. Those eyes, once azure blue, had now transformed into an abyssal darkness, seemingly capable of devouring everything in their path.
“Here it comes.” Three’s heart pounded as she stared into those dark eyes, feeling as if her soul was being drawn in. She hastily manipulated the black river, sending pitch-black droplets hurtling toward Lilith.
Yet, Lilith simply lifted her index finger indifferently. With a poof, a black flame was ignited at the fingertip.
“Go.” She slid her finger through the air, tracing a black arc across the void. The arc spanned a thousand meters in an instant, swallowing the black water droplets like it was a dark ocean.
The arc continued unabated, barreling toward the Black River. The river itself roiled and roared, spewing forth waves in defiance, but the arc swerved through the air, reaching the front end of the black river.
Like an eraser erasing a pencil drawing, the black river—Three’s Complete Authority—vanished wherever the arc passed. No matter how it roiled, roared, or struggled, the arc absorbed it effortlessly.
Three looked up at the clear sky, now devoid of any other colors, thinking that it looked more like a new blank canvas rather than an erased sheet. At the same time, a suffocating fear filled her heart.
“So… this is… the legendary Dragon Eater,” she murmured. Three was too young to understand the full terror of the Dragon Eater during the calamity. Now, facing this being head-on, she could finally appreciate the immense courage her grandfather and his allies had mustered back then.
“Wait a minute, I…” Her plea was cut short as a dark, demonic flower bloomed before her eyes unexpectedly.
Lilith had appeared before her at some point, staring down at her expressionlessly in silence.
“I have something… to say…” Three’s words were weak, barely a whisper. But Lilith did not grant her the opportunity to continue. Raising her hand, flames bloomed from her palm.
There was no room for resistance. This was the gulf between mortals and gods. The black flames pierced the space between Three’s brow, and a sharp pain flashed through her.
But before Three could dwell on the pain, everything vanished. Pain, fear, anger, and even her existence itself—all of them were consumed by the black flame. The light in Three’s eyes dimmed.