Chapter 342: Victory?

BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—

Explosions resounded throughout the area as Marzana’s eyes fluttered.

Her blurry vision gradually focused on a familiar figure in the distance.

"M-Mother...?"

A whisper escaped her lips before she lost consciousness once again.

Swoosh—

It was then that a figure instantly appeared beside her: Regis.

He carefully scooped her into his arms, glancing at the ongoing battle in the distance.

"I’ll keep the others safe first."

Regis’s figure blurred and appeared far away, where the other members of the Sanguine Order were currently lying unconscious.

"Even Pandora lost consciousness again for some reason..."

He carefully placed the unconscious Marzana down before circulating his mana and chanting.

[Grand Magic: Astrum Sanctuarium]

Wooong—

A serene yet tremendous surge of mana enshrouded the area, stirring the surroundings into turbulence as a dome of starlight formed around the members of the Sanguine Order.

"Phew~ Although this can’t possibly defend against a direct attack of a battle between the queen and the demon lord, it should be able to hold out against the aftershocks of their battle..."

Regis wiped the sweat off his forehead as his blood-red eyes remained fixed on the battle in the distance.

"Just like earlier..."

His concentration reached its peak as he tightly gripped the Shard of Tinateria in his hand.

"...I’ll look for an opening."

Although this would be much harder than the earlier battle with Merriam, Regis had no choice.

Things would be similar, aside from the fact that this time...

...he would try to assassinate a demon lord.

---

BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—

The explosions grew even more intense as two figures blinked across the battlefield.

"Y-You!" Aziza’s beautiful face had long since contorted as she used everything in her power to defend against the endless barrage of attacks directed toward her.

’Even though this bitch is only using sheer mana reinforcement on her body and isn’t using any aura arts or magic spells, I can’t let my guard down at all.’

The Demon Lord of Lust’s mind was filled with countless thoughts as she gritted her teeth. ’Is the gap between the Six Star Realm and Seven Star Realm this huge!?’

For the first time since they had begun their invasion of the Forest of Eternity, Aziza felt control of the situation slipping out of her hands.

’Still, I just need to last until her soul succumbs to the corruption the Great Devil had planted!’

At this moment, Elysia’s face was calm as she delivered countless punches and kicks in an instant.

Every movement of her limbs contained an overwhelming force that could easily shatter mountains.

However, one could see that deep within her eyes, darkness was slowly creeping in.

’Just using mana to reinforce my body makes me feel like my soul’s on the verge of going out of control...’

The Elven Queen knew that even with the power she was exerting, her time was limited. ’If I use even the most basic of magic, my soul would break down due to the corruption...’

After all, just the sheer action of activating her stars and mana was already enough for her soul to show signs of being overwhelmed by the corruption.

For ordinary people, using mana on their bodies was tantamount to suicide.

However, the most talented of elves could awaken a certain racial ability: Magic Physique.

This allowed them to use mana to enhance their bodies and fuel aura arts.

’Nevertheless...’

Elysia’s eyes were filled with determination as she said, "I will kill you!"

"I’d like to see you try!" Aziza did her best to dodge and defend against her opponent’s attacks with various magic spells and evil crafts.

Time continued to pass.

BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—

Elysia executed more than a thousand attacks every second.

Aziza’s defense was no longer as flawless as before.

As her situation continued to deteriorate, injuries gradually began to accumulate across her body.

However, the most noticeable change could be seen on the Elven Queen’s body.

Her veins visibly turned black as cracks began spreading throughout her body like a vase that could no longer hold the water within.

Moreover, the darkness shrouding her eyes continued to grow in intensity—a sign of the deteriorating condition of her soul.

After a few more moments, just as Elysia’s right fist was about to touch her opponent’s forehead...

CRACK— SHATTER!

Her whole arm shattered like glass.

SHATTER— THUD!

Elysia’s left leg soon followed as she collapsed onto her knees.

"Hah... Hah... Hah..."

Aziza’s eyes widened in shock as she could not believe what was happening.

Her chest heaved up and down; she could feel anxiety and the lingering fear of death gripping her heart.

’D-Did I die?’

She had been so focused on surviving to the point that she needed more than a few seconds to recognize what was happening.

"Ha— Hahahaha!"

Aziza burst out laughing as she noticed the miserable condition of her opponent. "I thought you were going to kill me, huh?"

"Is this everything you’ve got?"

"Hahaha!"

Relief washed over her as the realization that she had narrowly escaped death filled her with an indescribable sense of elation.

"It’s a pity that I can’t have fun with a great Seven Star Realm powerhouse like you~."

Aziza leaned forward until her face was mere inches away from Elysia’s, making it seem as though she was about to kiss her.

The Demon Lord of Lust licked her lips as she whispered seductively, "Any last words?"

Unfortunately for her, Elysia gave her no response.

’I’m sorry, Marzana...’

Instead, she seemed to be in a daze, her mind drifting as though she could no longer comprehend what was happening around her.

’...if only...’

’...’

The countless thoughts seemed to blur as one single thought replaced everything.

’I wish I could’ve been a better mother to you...’

"Boring~."

Aziza let out an unamused huff as she drove her hand towards Elysia’s chest.

Shikkk—

Her hand dug through the queen’s chest and reached her heart before slowly pulling it out of her body.

"Farewell, oh great Queen of Elves—"

Just as Aziza finished speaking, a hand that was filled with cracks grasped her wrist.

"Wha—"

Elysia’s eyes that had long lost their light seemed to blaze like the final brilliance of a star before its death.

"Now!"

She shouted as wisteria-like patterns instantly filled her body before coalescing into an arm that she used to pierce through the Demon Lord of Lust’s chest.

In an instant, the two women were now grasping each other’s hearts.

"Gughk—!!"

Aziza’s pupils constricted as she coughed out a mouthful of black blood.

Her eyes trembled in disbelief as she saw her own heart being grasped by the opponent who should have already succumbed to the corruption.

"I-Impossib—"

Thud!

Before she could finish, Aziza’s body helplessly fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, half of Elysia’s face had already shattered, leaving behind nothing but void.

Nevertheless, her remaining eye remained locked onto the beating heart in her hand.

She tried to crush it, but the wisteria-like patterns that had constructed her arm slowly faded out of existence as her body fell.

Nevertheless, the slightest hint of a smile could be seen on what remained of her face.

"I win—"

SHATTER!

Elysia’s body shattered into countless fragments as it hit the ground.

The heart she was grasping soon rolled before a young man stomped it with his feet.

"Rest in peace, Queen Elysia of Edenelia."

Regis softly whispered into the wind as his blood-red eyes gazed upon the aftermath of the battle.