The Fall of Gerard

Gerard felt that something was wrong, very wrong.

He knew the emotion revealed in the other's eyes all too well; it was clearly the look of someone who had him completely in their palm.

What gave her the right to think she had him cornered?

But regardless of why she felt that way, Gerard immediately retreated, not wanting to get entangled with Olivia any further.

He felt that continuing the confrontation would only bring him harm and no benefit.

He quickly backed away to the edge of the area, and then his brow furrowed.

He found that the edge was covered in a vast white mist, which had formed a layer of blockade, making it impossible for him to see anything beyond this zone.

It was as if some kind of ritual had been set up here, making his heart feel increasingly uneasy.

He plunged into the white mist, holding his shield to protect himself while searching for an exit.

But before long, as he moved, he silently returned to the same area as before, still enveloped by that white mist.

He couldn't leave.

This discovery caused Gerard's expression to tighten instantly, and he looked at Olivia with ill intent.

From beginning to end, Olivia had done nothing to stop Gerard's attempts to leave; for her, all she needed to do was wait for a good opportunity to strike.

The atmosphere between the two was silent for a moment.

However, this silence did not last long before Gerard suddenly lunged forward, charging in front of Olivia and swinging his shield down heavily toward her.

He ultimately chose to attack.

Since he couldn't escape, Gerard understood that he naturally couldn't just wait around in place; such inaction would be the most fatal mistake.

What he had to do was keep the situation under his own control, and now, attacking Olivia had become his only way to do so.

But just as Gerard slammed his shield down, an inexplicable sensation transmitted from a great distance, instantly permeating his entire body and bringing a soul-tearing pain that made him scream out in agony.

"Ah!"

Amidst the scream, Gerard's attacking motion buckled, and he fell uncontrollably to the ground, his face twisted in a mask of agony.

"The time has finally come."

Seeing this, Olivia was not particularly surprised.

She knew that Gerard's spiritual clone in the ancient ruins was dead.

Gerard's spiritual clone and his original body were not entirely disconnected; his clone was formed from a piece of his soul that he had cut off. When something went wrong with the clone, it naturally affected the state of the original body.

At this moment, Gerard was suffering from the backlash, causing him to fall into a state of spiritual agony.

And as someone capable of influencing pain, Olivia did not hesitate to amplify Gerard's suffering.

Under this amplification, the intense pain submerged Gerard like a tsunami, tearing his sanity to pieces in that terrifying tide. He lay on the ground, rolling and screaming miserably, completely unable to fight anymore.

Even Gerard's domain, where he had previously established rules, shattered under this condition.

Elemental power could be used once again.

Olivia knew this situation wouldn't last for long and naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity.

She directly channeled elemental power, causing extremely violent lightning to appear high in the sky, like silver snakes dancing wildly, blooming with an especially piercing light.

Immediately afterward, this incredibly violent lightning crashed down with a roar, submerging Gerard entirely.

"Boom!"

The brilliant electric light was radiant to the extreme; under its glow, even Gerard's skeleton was illuminated, bringing him even greater pain.

This pain was amplified once more, causing Gerard's shrill screams to echo continuously through the air.

Even though Gerard, as a Shield Guard, was durable and tough, his physical strength was only somewhat higher than others of the same class rank when he wasn't using his abilities to resist—and that advantage was limited.

Under Olivia's full-scale assault, Gerard's defenses were shredded in a short amount of time. Those terrifying bolts of lightning mercilessly struck his body, quickly turning it charred and black.

The electric light permeated his internal organs and struck into his bones, causing Gerard's entire body to emit a burnt stench.

Before long, Gerard could no longer scream; he lay on the ground like a black, charred corpse.

'Magic mirror, magic mirror, is Gerard still alive?'

【My master, he is dead.】

Everything was as expected.

Olivia didn't feel much emotional turbulence; after all, she had already known how things would go the moment she decided to move against Thales.

'Is Thales still alive? Magic mirror.'

【He is still alive for the time being.】

Olivia had to admit that as someone with one foot in the realm of an Evolver, Thales's life force was quite tenacious.

However, having been targeted by the phantom demon underground, Thales had no way to escape. Even if he was still alive now, he likely wouldn't last much longer.

She also asked about Freya's situation and learned that this pirate-born transcendent had died even earlier than Gerard's spiritual clone.

Thus, everyone who posed a danger to her had been dealt with.

Olivia didn't need to do much else. She tidied up the battlefield slightly, deactivated the area-locking function of King's Domain, and left the place.

After returning to her home on Annus Street, Olivia asked the magic mirror once more.

'Magic mirror, how much longer until Thales dies?'

【Back to master, it will take about three days.】

Three days?

Olivia wasn't impatient; after all, Thales had no way to escape the ancient ruins during these three days. Although he would only die in three days, it seemed no different from being dead now.

This finally allowed her to relax.

Heaven knows how tense she had been when Thales found her and asked her to assassinate the Third Prince, Leopold.

Good, that matter no longer needed to be done.

Furthermore, Thales wanted to kill the Third Prince, Leopold, based on orders from above. Did this also mean that this Third Prince could reveal information extremely unfavorable to the Rose Legion or even the Frederick family?

'Magic mirror, can the Church interrogate the Third Prince for information targeting the Frederick family? If so, how much longer will it take?'

【Under the Church's influence, the Third Prince, Leopold, can last for at most five more days.】