Chapter 213
Her heavy breathing was like the bellows in a blacksmith's hand, accompanied by a low but steady heartbeat, and Deedri regained her footing.
“You could stand a little more steadily,” the woman standing opposite her said with a smile, swinging her huge stone sword at her.
Heavy and slow, but Deedri blocked with her sword instead of dodging. Using the feel of the sword, she lowered her body and slashed horizontally at the man's waist.
But instead of grabbing the sword by the side, she twisted and pulled, sending the longsword flying from her hand. Then, Deedris instinctively crossed her arms to block, only to deliver a completely unskilled straight kick. The kick landed on her arms, but instead sent Deedris, who was carrying the greatsword on her back, flying several meters away.
On her side, her entire body was crimson, steaming hot. Black patterns gleamed on the ram's horns atop her head.
Meanwhile, Linas, still completely bandaged, remained calm and composed. She hadn't even changed out of her long dress. She held her greatsword in one hand, the other casually hanging at her side.
A year has passed, and Dedeline believes she has given it her all, completely swallowing her pride to seek guidance without holding back anything.
No matter what, winning is always better than losing.
She still couldn't beat this guy, or rather, up to this point, she didn't even know how much force this silly roe deer had used.
She swung her sword slowly, but she couldn't dodge at all.
Her defenses were full of flaws, but there was no chance to hurt her.
Even though they were always within his killing range, it was as if they were separated by the Ganges.
However, after losing for a long time, Dedeline didn't care anymore. As long as she could find a flaw in herself, she was already at a disadvantage.
Her hands opened behind her back, a black shadow flashed by, and a slender scythe appeared in her hand.
That was the weapon the little spider left her; the slender scythe was made of pure magic and could take on any shape. It could even freely change its size.
So it became a ring on her hand, as if it were the last ring Spider-Man left for himself.
“Oh, that thing is really something else,” Linas said with a smile, putting her greatsword aside and stretching. “If I’m not careful, this weapon of mine could be cut in half.”
Then she stood there smiling and said, "Then I'll use my bare hands; it wouldn't be good if I damaged this knife."
Dedeline took out her greatsword, not caring whether the guy was empty-handed or wielding a greatsword.
She took a step forward and then swung her weapons in both hands separately, unleashing more than four slashes in an instant.
But he was knocked to the ground.
Once the handle of the sickle is gripped, kick the shin directly; there's no better method.
"I'm awake now, I'm awake now. It's definitely better to do something first thing in the morning," Lina said with a smile. "You can come and eat now."
Dedeline lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a deathly pale face.
The redness faded from her body, and she looked just like an ordinary person.
Her horns have become much larger than they were a year ago.
There are also some changes that others can't see, such as several cervical vertebrae protruding from the back of the neck and turning into sharp spikes, and the eyes have turned dark red, and the hair has turned reddish-brown.
She still became a calamity; the change wasn't as drastic as one might have imagined, just a slight difference.
If I were to become a calamity at that time, would I be able to help?
After thinking about it for a moment, she laughed at herself.
What are you thinking? You can't even beat a silly roe deer, so what are you going to do to help? Cheer them on from behind?
"Don't be discouraged, you did a good job today." Linas brought over a plate with sliced fruit on it. "Try some, the elves sent it over. We haven't had anything for a few days, and our mouths were a bit dry."
"Where did I go wrong today?" Dedeline didn't bother to hide anything and asked directly.
“This is the best you’ve done in the last few days, both in terms of decision-making and handling of details. It’s been excellent,” Linas said. “I can’t offer any further suggestions.”
After a minute of silence, Deedri sat up and looked out the window.
"What does this mean?" she asked softly.
“What I mean is you can still stay here. Living with lovely girls makes me feel so much younger,” Lina shrugged. “But you can also consider leaving. The world is big, and you’re free to go wherever you want. I told you before that I just wanted to help you through this low point. You’ve come out of it now, completely transformed, and not at all like that depressed guy.”
"You can see, right?" Dedeline said sullenly.
"Yes, you can."
"Then why... huh?" Dedely was about to continue the conversation when she suddenly froze, turning her head to watch as the other woman removed the bandage from her head and opened her emerald green eyes.
She was bandaged from her nose upwards, except for the area around her eyes.
"Huh? I'm surprised." Dedeline's expression twitched. "I'm really surprised."
“After all, I haven’t shown it to you.” Linas covered her eyes with bandages again. “This is fine.”
"Why are you wearing bandages?" Dedeline asked after a moment's hesitation.
"Did I say that? I was briefly a calamity before, but because I couldn't fully maintain my human form, I regressed." She didn't hide anything: "Girls always love beauty and want to look pretty. Didn't you feel bad about changing your human form before you became a calamity?"
“Indeed.” Dedeline hesitated for a moment.
“But some parts of my body have already evolved and can’t regress, like my eyes. It’s a bit of a boast, but the reason I can’t use them now is because I’m no longer a calamity, so I can’t control them better.” She hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s like you see the whole world in slow motion.”
“That does sound a bit troublesome,” Deedri shrugged. “So you’re just going to stop using your eyes altogether?”
“I just used something that made it less effective. I can still see things, just through a cloth.” She said softly, “This is good enough, I’m content.”
“Yes, you’re already content. You’re already this strong; I’d be almost there too,” Deedri said softly. “Are you really not even a calamity?”
"That was true in the past."
"You're a celestial deer, aren't you? I'm not very familiar with the different species of demons. Are you considered a demon spirit?"
"Calling me a fairy deer is a bit of a stretch. To be honest, I'm a variant of the elf race, so I'm considered an elf." She said helplessly, "So I have all the characteristics of elves, just some extra things that I've evolved."
"for example?"
"Let me show you." She picked up the plate, and what was originally cut into four pieces was now completely cut into sixteen pieces.
Dedeline paused for a moment, took the plate, and then looked outside.
Several hundred meters away, a scarecrow suddenly exploded.
"What is this?" She felt a chill run down her spine; this ability was beyond her comprehension. "Are you a demon?"
"I suppose so," Linas said helplessly. "If you really want to call me a demon, the church describes my abilities as an unusual characteristic of the elves. That has saved me a lot of trouble. You know, all I want is a place to live a good life, with good tea, beautiful clothes, and a corridor with a view. I wouldn't feel lonely even if I meditated for a whole day."
She didn't elaborate further, and Deedris didn't ask either; the conversation naturally turned to whether they preferred quiet.
"Does she like quiet that much?" Dedeline imagined that if she were here, she would suffocate to death.
“But your presence makes me feel good to have someone with me,” she said, then leaned on Deedri’s shoulder. “Let me sleep for a bit.”
Dedeline didn't object; she also needed time to calm down.
Time is a cruel thing; everything will be worn away by time.
Perhaps it's ambition, perhaps it's love for someone, or even hatred.
The only constant is that as time goes by, I realize I'm actually empty inside. So empty that I'm just a shell.
What exactly is inside the empty shell of a person?
The two of them would sit here and chat after practice every day.
As the days go by, we occasionally talk about things from the past.
Deedris told her some things about Spider-Man, saying that the guy was good in every way, except he shouldn't have been so kind.
After all, treating the world kindly never guarantees that the world will treat you kindly in return.
So he died. He died protecting a child. Good fortune didn't continue to favor him. In the end, it was fair.
And that child may be dead by now.
It makes one feel extremely uncomfortable.
Do you want the magic seal?
Suddenly, Lina whispered.
The sudden question startled Deedri, who had been drifting off into a daze, and she had no idea how to answer.
"I don't understand what you mean."
“My mark is innate; the rarer kind is a monster that possesses its own mark. And among the even rarer species, the mark can be removed.” She spoke slowly, making sure Deedri could hear every word clearly: “I’m not sure how much power you will have after you receive my mark, and I’m also not sure if you will die during the fusion.”
“This… I didn’t make any requests.” Dedeline was stunned: “This thing is extremely precious to you.”
“If this is considered precious, then what about the greatsword and longbow hanging on the wall? Haven’t I told you? Each of them has four magic marks on it. Add the two together, and including the one on my head, I have a total of nine magic marks.” She said casually, “Almost everyone I’ve ever been involved with is only after these magic marks, except for that man and you. Even Ark used them.”
The air fell silent. Dedeline was completely stunned, staring at the things on the wall, unable to calm down for a long time.
"Did I tell you? There was once a city where a demon lived. Countless people wanted to capture her, all for a single demonic seal." She said softly, "And even now, the number of demonic seals in Ling Sen is extremely small."
"Um."
"And now you're telling me you have half the stock of elven magic seals? Why?" Deedri said, quite surprised. "What couldn't you do with all that stuff?"
“Yes, if we could take them apart, we could give them to anyone.” Linas’s tone remained calm. “And the entire weapon is made from the magic cores of the Chaos Cataclysm. The greatsword used about two, and the bow used one. Why not use these things for something else? Why make them into weapons?”
"This was before the war?" Dedeline's tone suggested she didn't agree.
“It couldn’t have been done recently.” She replied, “Before the great war, there were twelve saints, and the high-ranking clergy could organize armies. There were ten demon gods, and countless demon kings… If it weren’t for that war, our environment might not have deteriorated to this extent. This is definitely from before the war, a weapon once used by the Elf King.”
"Then why is it with you now?" Dedeline felt that this thing should belong to the Elf King.
“I got them a long, long time ago, so long ago that I don’t remember.” She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yes, a very, very long time ago. I might have stolen them, or perhaps I had some legitimate reason. The longest memory I can recall is of carrying them through the Chaotic Realm. I was still not a calamity, just relying on the Mark and those two weapons to roam freely. I met Ark and the others, and he suggested we travel together… There was a sorcerer on the carriage; when we first met, he was only about thirty years old. He is also my future husband.”
“You’ve been avoiding the topic of that guy, and I thought you would avoid it.”
“There’s no way to avoid it. We try to avoid many things, but we can’t.” She smiled helplessly. “Like I said, if you were to go find that guy called the Arbiter and take revenge, would you not go?”
Dedeline was startled again, looking at the guy leaning against her.
"Why?"
"Did you ask me before why I can always predict your movements? It's simple, I can see the future, so I can know." Then she whispered in Deedris's ear, "This is the last secret."
Dedeline turned her head and watched as she unwrapped the bandage from her head. As the long white bandage fell away, her face, which had been hidden all along, was completely exposed.
It was a face so beautiful it could sway one's entire life, making one wonder why Denos's father would go to such lengths.
But on the forehead, it's not ordinary.
Because there was a vertical slit that slowly opened to reveal a black eyeball.
Monsters with three eyes are not uncommon, but these eyes made Dedeline feel a chill run down her spine just by looking at them; she felt her soul tremble just by staring at them.
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