Orosius’s finger was only an inch away from the golden light on Lilith’s chest.
The Demon King’s authority was within reach.
If he touched it, if he absorbed it, he would become the new Demon King, the ruler of this world, the master of all realms.
A cruel smile played across his lips, and a greedy light flickered in his dark gold vertical pupils.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch the golden light...
Thump!
A muffled impact.
Orosius was sent flying backward as if he had been struck head-on by a meteorite. He streaked through the air in a straight line, shattering every planetary fragment in his path.
Boom!!!
In mid-air, blood leaked from the corner of Orosius’s mouth, his dark gold vertical pupils filled with confusion.
What happened?
Wasn't he... just about to touch the Demon King’s authority?
Why was he suddenly blasted away?
And the force of that punch...
Orosius shook his head, barely steadying himself as he hovered in the void.
He touched his cheek, where a clear fist imprint had formed. The skin was red and swollen, and the bone throbbed with a faint ache.
Although the injury wasn't severe and would heal in seconds...
“Who was it?”
He looked up at his previous position.
Then, he froze.
Lilith.
A perfectly intact Lilith.
She hovered in the void, her long white hair drifting in the vacuum, her red eyes calm and steady. There wasn't a single wound on her body, as if the person who had just been sliced in half hadn't been her at all.
“How is this possible...” Orosius murmured to himself, his voice laced with disbelief.
He clearly remembered piercing her abdomen with the World-Devouring Sword and severing her at the waist.
He clearly remembered her body being split in two, blood spraying, her consciousness fading.
He clearly remembered that she was about to die.
But now...
She stood there completely unharmed, her aura not even slightly weakened, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
“Good thing I kept a trump card ready,” Lilith said, letting out a breath.
She raised her hand and looked at her palm, a flash of relief in her red eyes.
“I restarted my own time, returning myself to the perfect state I was in before the battle began.”
She paused and looked at Orosius, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“I didn't restart time on a large scale. After all, you sacrificed fifty percent of your mana; why would I be so generous as to restart that for you?”
Orosius’s pupils constricted, his heart sinking.
Time Restart.
A Super-tier time magic.
He had heard of this spell.
The former Demon King had mastered it, but even for him, it could only restart time within a small area and came at an immense cost.
Lilith... knew it too?
No, that wasn't right.
Orosius suddenly thought of something.
He whipped his head around toward Veen.
Veen hovered in the distance, his severed arm already restored.
His expression was calm, his golden eyes devoid of emotion, as if everything that had occurred was exactly as he had expected.
“So it was you...”
Orosius ground his teeth, his voice suppressed with fury.
“You’re the one who gave her that Super-tier time magic.”
He glared at Veen, the crimson light in his dark gold vertical pupils nearly overflowing.
“You really will stop at nothing, Veen.”
Veen didn't answer.
He simply flexed his newly restored arm and looked at Orosius, a cold light flashing in his golden eyes.
“Apologies,” he said softly, his voice lacking any true regret. “I really can't let you win.”
Orosius fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, he laughed.
A low chuckle escaped his throat, growing louder until it became a manic laugh.
“Hahahaha!!!”
The laughter echoed through the vacuum, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently.
He looked back at Lilith, his dark gold vertical pupils flashing with madness.
“The empowerment hasn't ended yet. If I could kill you once, I can kill you a second time.”
With that, he raised the World-Devouring Sword.
The blade was pitch-black, entwined with dark red patterns that emitted an eerie glow.
He raised the World-Devouring Sword with one hand, pointing it toward Lilith and Veen.
He swung the sword down.
Hum!!!
The blade sliced through the void, leaving a pitch-black rift in its wake.
The rift expanded rapidly, transforming into a massive black sword qi that tore through space, slashing toward Lilith and Veen.
Veen’s expression changed.
He couldn't dodge this strike.
The range of the sword qi was too vast, blocking almost every path of retreat.
Without hesitation, Lilith reached out and grabbed Veen’s arm.
“Go.”
She uttered the single word softly.
Then, her figure blurred, and she vanished from the spot with Veen.
Boom!!!
The black sword qi struck where they had just been, completely annihilating that section of the void and turning it into a pitch-black nothingness.
Orosius hovered in the distance, looking at the empty void with a cold sneer.
“Running?”
He murmured to himself, his voice carrying a trace of disdain.
“Do you think you can escape?”
He raised his hand, pointing the World-Devouring Sword in the direction where Lilith and Veen had vanished.
...
In the void, Lilith gripped Veen’s arm and flew rapidly.
Her speed was incredible, leaving no afterimage, like a streak of white light weaving through the sky.
As he was pulled along, Veen watched the scenery recede at blinding speed, a complex look flashing in his golden eyes.
“Your Majesty,” he spoke, his voice reaching Lilith’s ears through the vacuum. “You just... used Time Restart?”
Lilith didn't look back.
“Yes.”
Veen was silent for a few seconds.
She glanced back at Veen, a flash of relief in her red eyes.
“It’s a good thing I learned a bit of that Super-tier magic you gave me before, or I really would have died just now.”
Veen didn't answer.
“Orosius is still pursuing,” he changed the subject, his voice regaining its calm. “His empowered state can still be maintained for a while; we have to find a way to stall it out.”
Lilith nodded.
“I know.”
As she flew, she thought rapidly.
Orosius was currently in an empowered state with his strength skyrocketing; a direct confrontation definitely wouldn't work.
Moreover, the World-Devouring Sword could ignore her Mana Shield and wound her body directly, rendering her greatest advantage useless.
She had to change tactics.
But how?
Lilith knew too few spells.
“Your Majesty,” Veen suddenly spoke, interrupting her thoughts. “I have an idea.”
Lilith looked back at him.
“What idea?”
Veen raised his hand, a golden rune appearing in his palm.
The rune was complex, composed of countless fine lines, and emitted a soft glow.
“This is a sealing rune left behind by the former Demon King,” he said softly. “It can provide a temporary hard stun on a target, but it requires close contact and only lasts for three seconds.”
Lilith’s eyes lit up.
“Three seconds... that’s enough.”
She looked at Veen, a flash of resolve in her red eyes.
“What do we do?”
Veen pressed the rune against his chest.
The rune merged into his body and vanished.
“I will get close to Orosius and strike the rune into him,” he said. “But I need you to draw his attention and create an opportunity for me. Also, that sword—it was kicked away. I need to retrieve it first.”
Lilith nodded.
“Alright.”
She paused, then added.
“Be careful.”
Veen gave a small smile.
“Don't worry.”
After he spoke, Lilith let go of his arm, and Veen vanished into the void in a flash.
Lilith stopped her flight, hovering in the vacuum as she turned to face behind her.
In the distance, a black streak of light was rapidly approaching.
Orosius.
He held the World-Devouring Sword, the crimson light in his dark gold vertical pupils almost overflowing, a cruel smile hanging on his lips.
“Found you.”
“Let’s see how you escape this time.”
Lilith didn't answer.
Mana began to gather in her fists.
Rate on N.U.
