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Join the ServerAnother gunshot echoed, clearing a section of the area once more. This instantly eased the immense pressure on Gern.
As she watched bullet after bullet fly, Gern’s heart bled. Each one was a fortune, after all.
Yet, survival was paramount now. Money could always be earned again.
Gern took a deep breath, striving to calm herself and fully immerse in the battle.
Swoosh, swoosh~
Her longsword erupted with streaks of crimson light. Although the Refinement Blade Art was a blade technique, there was a definite connection between blades and swords, allowing many of its moves to be adapted.
Just then, Gern brandished her blood-glowing sword. With a single swing, the crimson blade connected with the first Chaos creature, suddenly growing a significant length.
It wasn’t the sword itself that elongated, but the crimson light emanating from it. Any Chaos creature touched by this intensified glow was instantly cleaved in two.
After several such amplifications, the blood-red sword now spanned over thirty meters. Wielding it, Gern felt a peculiar sense of déjà vu, like an ant lifting an elephant.
However, this technique came at a cost. Her internal vitality was constantly drained, threatening to shatter the delicate balance of the three powers within her.
Still, the surrounding Chaos creatures surged relentlessly. As soon as one wave was dealt with, another swarmed in.
Gern felt a headache coming on. She considered simply exploding among them, knowing she still had a second life.
‘At worst, I’ll just be a girl from now on…’
****
Just as Gern’s pressure mounted, and she contemplated abandoning this body,
A searing golden light, like a piercing sword, tore through the dense darkness and descended from the heavens!
“Gern!”
Amidst a clear, delicate cry, Lilia’s figure, enveloped in a soft, milky-white aura, landed steadily beside Gern.
The Holy Water hanging from her waist emitted a glow, forming a solid barrier around her. For now, the Chaos power was completely shut out.
“Lilia?! What are you doing here!”
Gern’s eyes widened, a mix of shock and anger swirling within her.
“It’s too dangerous here; you need to leave immediately!”
“Aren’t we friends? Aren’t friends supposed to be the ones who help you in times of crisis?”
Lilia gazed at her stubbornly, her tone growing colder.
“Or perhaps, you’ve never truly considered me a friend?”
Gern choked on Lilia’s words, guiltily averting her gaze. She couldn’t meet Lilia’s eyes.
“Hmph, Gern, you’ll never escape my grasp in this lifetime.”
Lilia snorted, looking both adorable and amusing.
A warmth inexplicably spread through Gern’s heart. She sighed helplessly, though her words remained resistant.
“Lilia, you shouldn’t have come here.”
“Mind your own business!”
Lilia glared at Gern, her voice exceptionally firm.
“What exactly is your relationship… you two?”
Though it was impolite to ask, Rex felt he needed to confirm whether this person was trustworthy in such a critical moment.
“Friends.”
They uttered the word in perfect unison, a synchronicity that belied a simple friendship.
“Ah, youth is truly wonderful. Young lovers, playing their little games of affection.”
Rex chuckled helplessly, a touch of melancholy in his heart.
To his surprise, his words caused both Gern and Lilia to blush furiously. However, this was hardly the time to delve into such matters.
In unspoken agreement, neither looked at the other’s reaction. Each, with their sword, struck down the incessantly approaching monsters.
Due to the pervasive Chaos power, Lilia couldn’t unleash her full strength. Overall, the three of them remained on the defensive.
Yet, Lilia’s presence granted Gern a much-needed reprieve. If only given a moment to rebalance her internal powers, they could attempt another breakthrough toward the secret realm’s entrance.
After holding their ground for roughly ten minutes, Gern’s eyes narrowed.
‘Now!’
‘It’s now! Into the secret realm!’
Before the thought fully formed, Gern’s longsword slashed against the wind. A colossal crimson sword light plunged into the horde of monsters.
The entire world fell silent for a moment. Then, the blood-red light sword shattered inch by inch, erupting into a dazzling crimson blaze.
Any monster caught in the crimson blast was instantly pulverized, clearing a bloody path for the trio.
“Go!”
She gripped Rex with one hand and pulled Lilia with the other. Activating the Netherworld Steps once more, she charged towards the entrance of the secret realm.
The three powers within her body boiled. Gern fought with all her might, barely managing to bring them within ten meters of the secret realm.
The monsters roared in pursuit, quickly filling the bloody path Gern had carved.
Gern intended to press forward, but her heart suddenly lurched, followed by a wave of dizziness and nausea.
Her body swayed, but Lilia, quick as a flash, caught her in an embrace, preventing her from falling.
Gern collapsed into Lilia’s arms, yet had no mind to admire Lilia’s exquisite face.
Her gaze was fixed on the secret realm’s entrance. They were so close—just ten more meters, and they could enter.
These Chaos creatures had all emerged from this very secret realm. Their primal instinct was to devour and assimilate.
If the secret realm’s interior had been completely consumed by Chaos, then it meant the inside was now safe.
“Gern, leave the rest to me.”
Lilia noticed the unease in Gern’s eyes, a faint smile gracing her lips. She leaned in and gently kissed the young woman’s cheek.
Gern froze, staring blankly at Lilia’s face in that moment. She thought Lilia looked a thousand times more beautiful than ever before.
‘Damn it, I’ve entered an illusion. When did that happen…’
Gern mused jokingly to herself, a smile unconsciously curving her lips.
“Take care of her.”
Lilia entrusted Gern to Rex, then turned, her entire body beginning to ignite with flames.
A pair of wings, entirely composed of fire, unfurled dramatically. Single-handedly wielding a burning longsword, she faced the countless Chaos creatures alone.
She formed a hand seal, and faintly, a phantom image of a phoenix appeared behind her.
“Lilia! The Chaos power will corrupt your magic!”
Gern was startled by the sight. She wanted to warn Lilia, but then witnessed something that left her utterly dumbfounded.
The darkness dispersed. Any dark aura daring to approach this phoenix was incinerated by the fiery glow.
“A hundred birds flock to the palace, ten thousand feathers return to their origin. Burning karmic flames, consume… this very body!”
As the young woman’s voice faded, more firebirds manifested from thin air. Simultaneously, fine beads of sweat appeared on Lilia’s forehead.
Activating the Phoenix Fire Art here was still arduous for her; her magic power was depleting far too rapidly. She had to end the battle swiftly.
“Phoenix Fire, heed my command!”
Lilia pointed her longsword at the Chaos creatures below, her voice cold.
“Leave none alive!”
Chirp!
A resounding phoenix cry echoed through the heavens and earth. All the firebirds beside Lilia plunged straight down, striking the Chaos creatures below.
This Phoenix Fire was no ordinary flame. According to the descriptions in Lilia’s ancestral martial arts, Phoenix Fire was a divine flame capable of incinerating all things in the world.
It formed its own distinct lineage alongside the Palace Art cultivation method. However, the Phoenix Fire Art could only be learned by fire-attribute magic geniuses. Since the founding of the Klett Kingdom, only two individuals had ever appeared who could simultaneously utilize both sets of cultivation methods.
One was the Klett Kingdom’s founding monarch, and the other was Lilia herself. This was precisely why the Klett Kingdom revered Lilia as a genius.
The might of the Phoenix Fire left both Gern and Rex utterly astonished. They had never imagined there could be anything in this world, aside from Holy Light, capable of directly resisting the corruption of Chaos power.
Swiftly, the entire area was cleared by Lilia’s Phoenix Fire. The flames continued to burn, constantly contending with the Chaos power.
The Phoenix Fire consumed the Chaos power as fuel, burning ceaselessly, while the Chaos power, in turn, relentlessly eroded the flames.
A moment later, the Phoenix Fire proved slightly inferior, and the surrounding ring of flames began to shrink. Lilia knew she could not delay any longer.
“Let’s go, quickly!”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time
