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Seeing the once again icy, aloof girl, Eve knew.
Anna had unleashed her full power once more!
And this time, the sense of danger she radiated was even more intense than before for Eve.
With Anna’s aura and appearance so drastically altered, Eve could tell with absolute certainty that this was the Judgement Form of Anna, as noted on her system panel.
‘Speaking of which… could the current Anna truly be a human nuclear bomb, just as the system warned, ready to detonate with a touch?’
‘Hiss, help! I suddenly feel so vulnerable!’
Eve quickly reached for her bracelet, pulled out her coffin, and hugged it close, ensuring she could hide inside at any moment.
‘Hmm, much safer now!’
While she felt secure, the safety of the other adventurers in the stable remained uncertain.
‘It seems I should try to calm Anna down a bit first.’
‘I know you’re anxious, but let’s take a moment.’
“Yulim Wilivia hasn’t been gone for long. She left for precisely the same amount of time you were asleep these past few days.”
“By my calculations, Yulim Wilivia would have only just arrived at the Elf Forest. If we want to pursue her, we can still catch up.”
Anna’s overwhelming aura faltered at these words. After a long moment, she finally nodded and spoke.
“Luosha, I still cannot rest easy. Do you know the way to the Elf Forest?”
Though Anna hadn’t reverted from her Judgement Form, and her voice remained chillingly devoid of emotion, her direct words allowed Eve to grasp the depth of the girl’s concern.
Fortunately, she wasn’t radiating the overwhelming killing intent of a war god as she had before.
‘It seems Anna, despite entering her Judgement Form, is still terrible with directions. Otherwise, she would have already sprinted towards the Elf Forest.’
‘Tsk, tsk, you ignorant adventurers. Shouldn’t you be thanking me for averting a disaster for you all?’
Eve muttered a small complaint internally, then retrieved a map and compass from her bracelet, continuing to soothe Anna. “You’ll have to wait for me to consult the map first. Also, should we go search for Yulim Wilivia right now?”
“If we depart immediately, we should first leave this place. We can then decide our next steps as we travel.”
“Anna, you must have realized by now that I am not an ordinary person. My vision is completely unaffected by night, so you can rest assured, I won’t lead us astray.”
Encouraged by Eve’s words, Anna nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
Eve, however, paused, then couldn’t help but ask, “Anna, aren’t you afraid I’ll deceive you again?”
‘She was just deceived a short while ago, and she knows I might be an evil demon, yet she trusts my every word without question.’
‘If it were me, I would deliberate with extreme caution before deciding whether to trust someone.’
Anna’s face remained devoid of any superfluous expression, as if she had been stripped of all emotion. Her voice was equally calm, without a single ripple. “I am not afraid of being deceived by lies. Though it may cause pain, I have long grown accustomed to it.”
“Furthermore, knowing it was merely a benevolent lie, why would I dwell on past deceptions?”
“Luosha, we are sworn sisters. Whether it is Yulim Wilivia or you, I am willing to trust you both unconditionally.”
“Only your unannounced departures would cause me worry, fear, and unease.”
‘So, that’s what Anna truly thinks…’
Eve fell silent.
Just as Anna had said, she was far more sensitive and vulnerable to the departure of her companions than to deception.
Eve realized this was why Anna had grown so concerned. When Eve, disguised as Yulim Wilivia, had been with her, Anna had worried if Luosha had encountered trouble and needed assistance. For half a day, Anna had scoured North City, with Eve by her side, relentlessly inquiring about Luosha’s whereabouts, determined to find her.
Even for Luosha, with whom she had only spent a short, imperfect time, Anna already considered her a cherished companion, willing to search tirelessly. How much more so for Yulim Wilivia, who had accompanied Anna for a much longer period.
This surprise, Yulim Wilivia’s cleverly orchestrated substitution, had directly struck Anna’s particularly sensitive nerve, leading to her previous emotional collapse.
Eve closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked at Anna and spoke earnestly.
“Anna, I will honor your trust in me.”
“This time, let us go together and bring Yulim Wilivia back.”
“Then, with Yulim Wilivia and the surprise she prepared, the three of us will return to Xielan and toast our bond at a street pub.”
Eve extended her small hand towards Anna.
Anna gazed at Eve, nodded, and then reached out to grasp her hand.
“Mm, I’ll leave it to you, Luosha.”
As their hands clasped together,
Eve realized that she wasn’t the only one whose hand felt devoid of warmth.
****
The outskirts of the Elf Forest.
A silver figure softly landed. The elven mist dissipated, and in the deepening twilight, Yulim Wilivia’s dark golden eyes gazed into the forest’s depths.
‘Indeed, she had returned…’
Without a moment to spare for reflection, Yulim Wilivia plunged directly into the forest’s interior.
Simultaneously, her form began to become transparent and indistinct.
As she delved deeper, the trees grew increasingly dense. Yet, she moved with the lightness of a swallow, swiftly and deftly weaving through the undergrowth, like a phantom.
The countless rudimentary hunting traps hidden in the shadows were effortlessly bypassed by the girl, one by one.
Gradually, as she continued through the darkness, scattered treehouses began to appear among the forest’s canopy.
As she pressed further, the treehouses became more numerous, and some were even illuminated by lights. A few listless elven guards could be seen patrolling.
As she passed through this village, a weary guard merely felt a faint breeze, prompting him to yawn widely. He mused about how long until his shift ended and he could sleep, utterly unaware that a girl had just walked past him.
Unhindered throughout her journey, Yulim Wilivia reached the edge of the forest’s heart just as daybreak began to replace the night.
The chill born of the early morning should have been particularly pronounced in the dense forest.
Yet, any creature approaching the forest’s center would now notice that the area felt… excessively hot?
Waves of heat washed over her, as if she stood within a volcanic crater.
It was difficult to fathom such intense heat originating from within a forest.
Yulim Wilivia halted her steps.
After she pushed aside the forest leaves, her vision suddenly cleared.
At the forest’s core, there were no lush, towering trees, only gray charcoal and scattered debris.
‘It looked like a middle-aged man’s bald spot, a hideous patch of ‘Mediterranean’ baldness.’
Yulim Wilivia crouched on a tree branch, not rushing forward but preparing to temporarily recover her strength.
A night of continuous rapid travel had proven too exhausting for a mage like her; she needed to recuperate.
Moreover, Yulim Wilivia knew that only the path ahead would be the most arduous.
From the moment she left this spot, she would need to be utterly vigilant.
Only by being in her peak condition could she hope to emerge safely from this cursed land.
You’ve got to see this next! To Become the Strongest and Reclaim My Manhood will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
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