American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 238 I am Diana. Diana Kent! [Long Chapter of 10,000 Words]

"Seventh scene! Please welcome the Nightmare Gargoyle, from the depths of an ancient tomb, who feeds on nightmares, revels in fear, has a body harder than adamantium, and claws that can tear apart souls!"

The host's announcement echoed under the dome, but the expected roar of the heavy gates opening did not occur.

Instead, a gray-black shadow silently slid down from the shadow of the dome high above.

Its appearance seems to combine features of both bats and demons.
It was about a meter tall, with empty, pitch-black eyes, and its body was surrounded by an unsettling shadow energy that seemed to absorb light.

It did not launch an attack immediately.
It simply stood silently on the sand, 'staring' at Diana with its empty eye sockets, radiating a terrifying aura that directly affected the mind.

The cheers from the stands seemed to be choked for a moment.

It plummeted in an instant.

Many battle-hardened soldiers wore expressions of mixed disgust and fear.

This eeriness
Monsters involving the soul are far more terrifying than purely physical behemoths.

"The Nightmare Gargoyle..." a knowledgeable veteran said solemnly, "Its power lies not in tearing flesh apart, but in eroding the will, dragging a person into an eternal nightmare until they go mad..."

"How could Her Majesty the Empress release something like this..."

Gripping the greatsword tightly, Diana could clearly feel...
An invisible, chilling pressure was trying to penetrate her mind, stirring up deep-seated fear and unease within her.

She took a deep breath, her unwavering will acting like the brightest torch, forcefully dispelling this external spiritual erosion.

However, the illusion built upon her deepest memories and desires still managed to carve a tiny crack in the barrier of her mind, allowing her to glimpse a sliver of truth shrouded in mist, and also stirring a certain dormant resonance within her.

To outsiders, it appeared as if Diana's body had experienced a momentary, almost imperceptible tremor and stiffness.

The Nightmare Gargoyle seized this fleeting opportunity, its claws wreathed in shadow energy, accompanied by a shrill scream, and lunged straight at her face!
The attack was about to succeed—

"boom!!!"

Diana suddenly looked up!

In those eyes, which were originally as blue as the sea, a suppressed thunder seemed to flash and disappear!
There was no roar, no howl, only a sudden burst of inviolable majesty emanating from the depths of his blood!

She didn't even make any complicated slashing movements. She simply wielded the greatsword in her hand as if it were a light wooden stick, moving it upwards with a natural, powerful force that seemed to draw upon the surrounding air currents, and fiercely met the gargoyle's claws!
"Crack—Bang!!"

There was no clanging of metal, only a deafening roar like rocks shattering!
Before everyone's incredulous eyes, the Nightmare Gargoyle, which was harder than refined gold and could withstand the slashes of ordinary swords, shattered inch by inch from the claws the moment it came into contact with the giant sword, just like a piece of rubble being hit by an invisible giant hammer!

The shadow energy let out a mournful cry and then dissipated, its hard stone body turning into countless fragments that shot backward before finally exploding into a cloud of gray-black powder that fell down in a flurry!

Second kill! Second kill again!

But this time, it wasn't about skill, but some kind of purer, more domineering power!
The whole place was in an uproar!
Everyone stared wide-eyed and gaped, as if they were witnessing something beyond their comprehension.

"What...that was just now...?"

A soldier rubbed his eyes hard, seriously suspecting that his mind was being affected by the gargoyles and that he was hallucinating.

"She...she didn't seem to use any special moves...just...a flick?"

The other voice was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"It's that sword! Yes! It must be that sword that's hiding a power we don't know about!" Someone desperately tried to find a reasonable explanation for the supernatural scene before them.

The host, as if being choked, took a long time to find his voice, and with extreme astonishment and trembling, roared:

"What...what happened?! The Nightmare Gargoyle...was...blown apart?! Diana! She's defied all expectations again! Game 7! Victory belongs to Diana! Seven consecutive wins! My God, is she really going to..."

Her words came to an abrupt end.
Because Her Majesty the Empress, high on the platform, had cast a cold gaze upon him, as if he were looking at a dead man.

Diana, however, remained oblivious to all the cheers.

She simply stood there quietly, her chest rising and falling slightly, not from exhaustion, but from some unprecedented, intense throbbing within her.

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on her left wrist.
The wristband her mother had given her, its antique surface now cracked with a thin fissure.

Through the crack, faint blue lights could be seen inside, flashing by like stars.

She could even clearly perceive what was inside her body.
One of them was always tightly closed.
Even she herself was unaware that the floodgates had been pried open by the intense emotional impact and the resonance of power!
A surge of intensely hot, vibrant warmth was seeping quietly from the crevice, like a stream thawing in early spring, slowly flowing through her limbs and bones.
The feeling was both familiar and strange, wild and powerful.
"The eighth match!"

The host, still seemingly reeling from the gargoyle being blasted to dust, took several deep breaths before managing to regain her professional, excited tone and continue announcing:
"From Thunder Valley, it feeds on lightning and is clad in indestructible rock armor—the Thunder Rhinoceros!"

The heavy gate was pulled up again.

A massive, rhinoceros-like beast, covered in thick, bluish-gray rock armor and with a single spiral horn at the tip of its nose, charged into the arena.

Its thick limbs caused the ground to tremble slightly with each stomp.

It exhaled white vapor with scattered sparks of electricity from its nostrils, looking incredibly powerful.

The audience held their breath, anticipating another fierce battle.

Some even speculated whether Diana would use the unknown power that had just been used to smash the gargoyles.

however…

Just as the Thunder Rhinoceros lowered its head, pointing its lightning-crackling horns at Diana, preparing to launch a savage charge—

Diana moved.

She did not retreat, dodge, or even raise her greatsword.

She simply took a step forward, and her gauntlet-covered fist came from behind, seemingly effortlessly slamming into the hardest part of the giant rhinoceros's skull before the giant horn could fully accelerate!
"Bam—!"

A muffled sound!
The charging giant rhinoceros seemed to have crashed into an invisible steel barrier, and its momentum came to an abrupt halt!

His massive body stiffened for a moment, and the fierce light in his eyes quickly dimmed and dissipated!
Its hooves buckled and it collapsed to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust, and never moved again.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling energy radiance, only the purest, most primitive, and most irrational.
Numerical superiority!
After a brief moment of astonishment, the audience let out a sigh that was a mixture of disappointment and relief.

"Is this... the end?"

"Too fast...so fast that I didn't even see how she threw the punch..."

"Even the Thunder Rhinoceros couldn't withstand a single punch. It seems the arena has really run out of options..."

As the discussion gradually arose, the topic subtly shifted.

"Your Majesty..."

Someone murmured the prestigious title, but their gaze involuntarily drifted toward the figure on the high platform, who remained silent as an ice sculpture from beginning to end.

Everyone pondered the revelation of Diana's true parentage that she had just made.
"I am Diana of Paradise Island, daughter of Hippolyta!"

Considering the supreme Empress, who, faced with this almost offensive declaration, did not utter a word of rebuttal, nor did she even show the slightest emotional fluctuation...

Some quick-thinking soldiers exchanged glances, a sense of "aha!" and a chilling feeling of "it's terrifying to think about" creeping into their hearts at the same time.

"Could it be... that this wasn't a trial for intruders and spies at all..."

"Yes... that power that's so strong it's unreasonable, and that similar features and aura to Her Majesty the Empress..."

"This is clearly a royal family matter..."

A very low voice expressed the sentiments of many.

Having figured this out, when everyone looked at the proud red figure standing in the center of the arena, their gazes became incredibly complex.

want to come
This seemingly cruel 'ring of victory' may be a rehearsal for a power transition, a brutal trial for the right to inherit.

The Empress was announcing the return of her most powerful heir to the entire empire in the most direct and shocking way.

"So, the test should end here, right?"

Some people murmured that the nine-game winning streak was a foregone conclusion, and that there might not even be a tenth game.

Although the process was so brief that it left everyone wanting more, it inevitably lingered in everyone's hearts.
After all, for these Amazon warriors who revere strength...
The powerful, beautiful, and mysterious Diana was incredibly captivating today.

In the center of the arena, Diana slowly withdrew her fist, remaining oblivious to the various speculations and sighs from the stands.

Things will not end so simply.

The mother in the mirror image will never let her get ten consecutive wins so easily.

In the shadows of the audience seats, Locke nodded slightly.

They acknowledged the strength that Diana demonstrated.

At this rate, a ten-game winning streak is a foregone conclusion.

After all, his senses had already meticulously covered the entire floating island, scanning every corner with exquisite detail.

Apart from Hippolyta, who possessed a powerful aura on the throne, there was no other energy source on the entire island that could cause him the slightest fear, nor did he sense anything beyond Diana's current power level.

Overall, this island should be... safe?

Just as Locke was beginning to feel more at ease, thinking that this was just a slightly bumpy trial for Diana, his expression suddenly changed!
His senses detected an extremely subtle and ominous flow of energy.

It did not originate from a powerful individual, but from…

The venue itself!

His sharp gaze fell upon the center of the arena, where he saw several Amazons dressed in dark red robes, who looked more like priests than warriors, moving silently and swiftly.

Ignoring the mess on the ground, they were rapidly applying some kind of dimly glowing paint to the fragments of the Nightmare Gargoyle and the still-warm body of the Thunder Rhinoceros.
Outline and connect to create a huge and complex pentagram magic circle!
The magic circle seemed to be greedily absorbing the remaining energy on the ground.
The gargoyle's scattered resentment and the giant rhinoceros's not yet completely dissipated vitality!

The host's voice rang out at just the right moment, carrying a feigned regret and a deliberately crafted suspense:

"What incredible power! Diana has achieved an eight-game winning streak! However, the ancient rules cannot be desecrated, and the challenge of the Ring of Victory never ends! Next up will be the ninth match! And... the most special one yet!"

Her voice suddenly rose, filled with dramatic flair:

"Because the challenger's strength far exceeded expectations!"

"Our next opponent will no longer be a creature of this world! Let us welcome them."

"Roar--!!!"

A roar that no ordinary creature could utter exploded from the center of the magic circle!

The temperature in the entire arena soared in an instant! The air distorted due to the extreme heat, forming blurry ripples.

Even the spectators in the stands felt a burning pain when they breathed, as if their lungs were on fire!
Crimson magic circle center
The space was forcibly torn open by a brute force, leaving a dark rift.

A terrifying figure, composed of scorching lava and dark shadows, struggles to cross the boundary and descend into the mortal world!
The gargoyle's scattered resentment turned into murky black smoke, as if being seized by an invisible demonic claw, howling as it was pulled away.

The Thunder Rhinoceros's massive body shrank at a visible speed, and its still-hot blood defied all reason and flowed upwards, turning into crimson streams that merged into the dark figure.
Let it slowly take shape!

This is a colossal object that is over ten meters tall.

It has six eyes and twisted, ferocious horns on its head.
Its upper body is made of obsidian, which is constantly flowing and dripping lava.

Lower body.
The lower body lacks legs in the conventional sense.
It was just a cloud of sulfurous smoke that emitted a foul odor!
In that hand, he held a giant flaming whip made of pure fire energy.

With a casual flick of the whip, streaks of charred flesh were etched into the air, accompanied by a thunderous crack!

"It is the ancient being from the bottomless abyss, wielding the fury that burns all things! The King of Flames—Marbas!"

"It's over! It's the Flame Demon!"

"How could such a monster possibly be defeated?!"

"Her Majesty the Empress has actually summoned a demon from hell?!"

"Foolish mortals"

A voice, a mixture of ancient language and the wails of countless tormented souls, was uttered from the enormous figure. Marbas stood in the center of the magic circle, the smoke billowing from his lower body scorching the sand beneath his feet.

Its six burning eyes swept across the entire arena, finally settling on the high platform, its voice echoing with a chilling force:
Hippolyta.

It addressed the Empress by her name, and with a casual flick of its flaming whip, it carved a lava trench in the ground beside it. "Summoning this avatar of mine, have you considered the price you'll pay?"

However, when faced with that gaze that could set mortals' souls ablaze, the Empress's lips curled into a smile.

She pointed to the isolated red figure in the center of the field:

"I have chosen a prey for you that is worth your whipping."

"A challenger who claims to be from Paradise Island."

Marbas's head slowly turned, his burning pupils glancing at Diana.

His gaze held only undisguised contempt, as if looking down on ants.

“It’s boring.”

It growled low, with a listless, disinterested tone, "I'm going back..."

The words stopped abruptly.

Its nostrils, made of pure flame, seemed to twitch slightly, and its six eyes narrowed abruptly, locking onto Diana, or more precisely, onto her dark red armor and the greatsword in her hand that shimmered with an understated brilliance.

A faint yet profoundly familiar aura, seemingly transcending time and dimensions, was emanating from that 'ant'.

It's that man!
That man named Locke!

The traces of his power, like indelible marks, are clearly entwined on the weapons and armor of this girl from another world!
"Roar--!"

The deafening roar was no longer a declaration, but a fury that had been completely ignited!
The billowing sulfurous smoke around Marbas instantly burst into flames, transforming into towering infernos!

"Come die!"

Without any warning, the moment the roar was uttered, the flaming whip, made entirely of destructive energy, tore through the air and slashed down directly at Diana with a terrifying shriek that seemed to incinerate everything!

Wherever the whip passed, the space itself was scorched and distorted.
The heatwave made the hair on the front-row audience frizz and their skin sting.

From the high platform, the Empress watched coldly.

Although the specific reason is unclear, this ancient demon from the bottomless abyss has clearly been thoroughly enraged and is willing to take action.

This was exactly the result she wanted.

As for those in the shadows of the audience, Locke had already straightened his back almost the instant Marbas's aura appeared.

He recognized this 'old friend' and his brows furrowed tightly.

How did this guy end up here?

Before he could think any further, the whip, imbued with the laws of hell, was about to fall.
Locke was about to activate it.
But Diana, who was in the room, seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head, her gaze piercing through the noise and dust, accurately capturing herself in the shadows.

Sweat trickled down her forehead, instantly evaporating in the high temperature, but there was no panic in her azure eyes; instead, a stubborn determination burned within them.

She faced Locke, her lips moving silently, uttering the shape of two words:

"fine."

Locke stopped moving and slowly lowered his raised hand.

He gazed intently at the stubborn girl in the arena, his clenched fist slowly loosening. Finally, his tall frame leaned back into the deep shadows, only his eyes remaining visible.
The ease and composure vanished, leaving only a cold rage towards a certain goat-headed figure.

"boom--!"

The lava whip crashed down with a deafening roar!

Diana, however, had already retreated with superhuman agility. Only the sand where she had stood melted instantly under the extreme heat!

The magma gushed out like tears of blood, and its edges cooled rapidly due to the extreme temperature difference, solidifying into lava crystal shells with a dark luster flowing across their surfaces.

Even these crystal shells are not inanimate objects; molten fire still flows beneath them.
As Marbas's fury flickered, like the pulse of a demon's breath, it transformed the once vast arena into a perilous and treacherous place.

at the same time
The air was filled with a soft rain of ash, whipped up by the flames.

It wasn't gentle snowflakes, but rather black, fluffy substances with a pungent sulfur smell.
They adhere to armor, seep into hair, and even try to burrow into the nasal cavity and eye sockets, causing burning pain and disturbance.

"You tiny insect, all you can do is hide?!"

Marbas roared, his giant whip sweeping across the ground once more, whipping up a large swathe of lava crystals!

Let it transform into countless burning, deadly darts in the air, raining down on Diana!
Many more shattered mid-flight, scattering even more tiny but equally deadly hot fragments and sparks, which mixed with the rain of ash, weaving an inescapable web of death.

Diana's pupils contracted.

She swept her greatsword swiftly in front of her, and the resulting gust of wind swept away most of the deadly crystal shell fragments.

But even so.
She was still breathing heavily, feeling as if each breath was like swallowing flames, ashes choking her throat, and the heat emanating from the damned crystal shells on the ground was like a furnace, continuously draining her strength and moisture.

This can't go on.
A bold, even somewhat crazy, idea flashed through her mind.

The next time Marbas swung his whip and smashed it into the ground, creating a new lava field, Diana did not choose to retreat. Instead, she charged forward into the splashing lava and heat waves!
She deftly avoided the crimson liquid lava, her toes precisely touching the edge of a lava crystal shell, using the momentum to leap high into the air!

This was completely unexpected by everyone.

Even Marbas seemed to be taken aback for a moment.

In that instant, Diana, amidst the rain of ashes, raised the greatsword above her head.

Let those ashes with a trace of fire element
It was as if iron filings had encountered a magnet, and they all adhered to the sword!
The original restrained blue light on the greatsword did not dim under the cover of ash; instead, it seemed to be covered with a layer of dark red furnace fire ready to be ignited.

"boom--!"

The greatsword was enveloped in the gathering ashes and fire!
It transformed into a torrent of dark red and deep blue, slashing down fiercely!

but.
Faced with this blow powerful enough to melt gold and corrode iron, a simultaneous glint flashed in the six burning eyes atop Malbas's massive lava head…

Ridicule.

It didn't even make a significant dodge or block move, simply letting the burning sword blade slash down hard on its chest made of solidified lava.

"boom--!"

The expected cracking sound did not occur.
Instead, there was a sound of energy being released and released, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

The ashes that gathered on the sword did not cause any harm when they came into contact with Marbas's body. Instead, they flowed and decomposed joyfully, like subjects returning to the embrace of their monarch, and were greedily absorbed by his body!
Not even a ripple was stirred.

"Ah……"

A mocking laugh reverberated from the Balrog King's chest, carrying a contempt that sent shivers down the spine: "Use fire to fight the Balrog King?"

Its burning pupils were fixed on Diana, who was momentarily stunned by the ineffective attack, and its voice suddenly rose:

"That man! That coward who only knows how to hide in the fields! Is this the kind of stupid way he teaches you how to fight?!"

"man?"

This word struck Diana unexpectedly.

Even her thoughts froze for a moment due to the overwhelming amount of information.

This momentary opening was enough for an ancient being like Marbas, born from hell!
"madness!!"

With a furious roar, Marbas's massive body shuddered violently, and a ring of hellfire composed entirely of destructive energy exploded out of it without warning!

With an aura of annihilation, the fire ring expanded rapidly!
Wherever it passed, even the lava crystal shells were melted and vaporized again!
A deadly sense of crisis sent chills down Diana's spine!

Almost instinctively, she crossed her arms in front of her, and the silver-blue wristbands given to her by her mother lit up again, forming a solid barrier of divine power.

"boom--!!!!"

The ring of fire slammed violently into the barrier!
A blinding light erupted, followed by a deafening explosion! The barrier held stubbornly for a moment before collapsing with a teeth-grinding cracking sound!

Diana felt an irresistible force slam into her arms, and she was thrown backward as if she had been launched by a catapult.

She struggled to adjust her posture in mid-air, and finally staggered to the ground on a clearing that was not yet covered by lava. She knelt on one knee and used her sword to support herself to barely keep her balance.

"cough……"

A sweet taste rose in her throat, and she forcefully suppressed the surging blood and qi.

But the excruciating pain and numbness in his arms could not be ignored.

She looked down at her wrists.
There, the once shimmering silver-blue wristband was now dull and lifeless, its surface covered with fine, spiderweb-like cracks, and even tiny fragments were peeling off at the edges.

The faint groan emanating from within the wrist guard seemed to recount the terror of the attack just now.

And this was merely a casual strike from the opponent...

Sweat mixed with ashes slid down Diana's taut cheeks.

Ahead, Marbas's mountain-like figure became increasingly clear amidst the churning flames and smoke, his six burning eyes locking onto her once more with a cruel, mocking glint in their eyes.

"Struggle, you insect! Let your despair become my entertainment!"

It roared, and its enormous lava hand reached out to grab at the air.

The remaining flame energy and scattered ash rain in the sky above the arena were frantically gathered and compressed into a hellfireball with a diameter of more than ten meters!

The core of the fireball was an extreme dark red, while its surface was covered with ominous pale flames, emitting a buzzing sound like the screams of thousands of souls. Even before it emitted any sound, the terrifying heat wave it emitted had already caused the hair and beards of the audience at the very front of the stands to turn red and retreat in terror.

"It's over! She's going to be burned to ashes!"

"Why hasn't Her Majesty the Empress stopped it yet?!"

In the audience, the roar was like a tsunami, a mixture of fear, excitement, anger, and despair.

Some covered their eyes, unable to watch any longer; some roared hysterically; and many more turned pale, their bodies involuntarily leaning back, as if the destructive energy could devour them from afar.

However, Malbas seemed to think that wasn't enough.
Its massive lava head turned slightly, its burning pupils sweeping over the Amazon warriors in the stands, who resembled a flock of frightened sheep, a hint of extreme disgust and contempt flashing across its face.

"Forget it. Before that, let's get rid of you noisy ants first."

It completely disregarded the rules of gladiatorial combat and Diana.
The hellfireball, brimming with destructive power, suddenly deformed and stretched, transforming into a blazing whip that stretched across the sky!

Immediately afterward, under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, Marbas suddenly swung his arm backward!
The flaming whip suddenly split and multiplied behind it!

Ten meters, thirty meters, one hundred meters...

Until it transformed into a giant flaming python capable of destroying cities and villages and occupying half the sky!
"Die!"

With a chilling declaration, the flaming whip tore through the air, carrying an aura of annihilation, heading towards the most boisterous section of the audience.
He swung it down fiercely!

"What--!"

"Help!!"

"Your Majesty the Empress!!!"

A desperate scream instantly overwhelmed everything!
The warriors raised their shields in vain, casting weak protective spells, but all resistance seemed utterly ridiculous in the face of the flames that represented the will of the abyss.

Even before the high temperatures arrived, the terrifying pressure had already caused many people in the front row to collapse to the ground.

On the high platform, the cold mask that Queen Hippolyta had always maintained finally shattered!

She abruptly rose from her throne, her stunningly beautiful face contorted with disbelief and rage.

"presumptuous!"

She shouted angrily, no longer able to stand by and watch her people be slaughtered.

A spear crackling with golden lightning materialized in her hand, and she unleashed a powerful divine aura, disregarding her status to personally intercept the endless whip shadows!

"Your Majesty! Danger!"

The captain of the guard tried to stop them.

But the Empress had already stepped out of the canopy, and golden lightning was poised to strike—

But there was another figure who was even faster than her!

Just as the destructive whip was about to strike the audience, and the desperate cries reached their peak, at the critical moment...
It was Diana!

She had straightened up again without anyone noticing.
In those deep blue eyes, all hesitation and pain had been burned away, replaced by an unwavering determination!
She even discarded the greatsword, stomped her feet hard on the ground, and crushed the still-unsolidified lava crystal shell beneath her feet with the divine power she unleashed!
She didn't know why the mother of this world created such a kingdom.
But she knew
From the moment she was born on Paradise Island
Whether enemy or friend, stranger or comrade...

She can never turn a blind eye to anyone making a desperate plea for help in front of her!
His figure flickered, appearing as if by teleportation on the high, upturned rock wall in front of the stands.

Diana resolutely crossed the pair of cracked and completely dull wristbands above her head.

“Buzz——!!!”

An arc-shaped barrier, woven from sacred golden light, expanded outwards from her, precisely positioned between the countless whip shadows and the terrified audience!

That light was unlike ordinary fire; it was more like the first ray of dawn giving itself a physical form.
The explosion's light engulfed everything, and a deafening roar resounded throughout the heavens and earth!
The energy shockwave spread outwards like a tsunami, stirring up sand and ash everywhere!
The hellfire was forcibly guided and refracted by the sacred arc of light, transforming into countless twisted streams of flame that shot into the sky, blasting away the dome and scorching the sky with eerie, pale white holes.

The barrier rippled violently, flickering unpredictably.

Diana's body trembled violently and uncontrollably from the impact.
The rocks beneath her feet were cracking inch by inch, and the cracks in the wrist guards on her arms were spreading and deepening at a visible speed, as if they were about to completely crumble into dust at any moment.

But she gritted her teeth, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, yet her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, unwavering in the slightest!
With her own body and will, she created a space for survival for those who had been mocking and questioning her just moments before!

At this moment, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

All the noise, all the screams, all the roars were wiped out by that destructive light and sound.

Only the sharp aftershocks of the energy collision still resounded unwillingly in the air.

All the spectators, including Queen Hippolyta on the high platform, whose spear, crackling with golden lightning, had already materialized in her hand, stared in disbelief at the red figure in the arena who, with the body of a mortal god, was confronting the might of the King of Hell.
My eyes were filled with unprecedented shock and...

A trace of respect quietly emerged from the ashes of despair.

I do not know how long it has been
As the last wisp of pale hellfire was unwillingly extinguished on the golden barrier, the protective shield, constructed from will and divine power, finally exhausted its last bit of strength.

They transformed into countless shimmering blue specks of light, like starlight tears, falling softly.

Behind the barrier were countless faces, still shaken, filled with a mixture of bewilderment and relief at surviving the ordeal.

The source of the barrier could no longer be sustained.

Diana's knees buckled, and she collapsed heavily onto the scorched sand, coughing violently, each breath laced with blood.

But she still managed to lift her trembling arms with difficulty and look at her wrists—

The pair of silver-blue wristbands, which carried maternal love and protection, but also symbolized restraint and isolation, finally reached their limit after completing their final mission.

Fine cracks covered the entire wrist.

With just a gentle breeze, it crumbled quietly, like a weathered sandcastle.
Turning into fine, silvery-blue powder
It mingled with the energy specks and hellish ashes that fell around her, and scattered with the wind.

But just as the wristband completely vanished—

A power that had been dormant for years and carefully sealed away by her mother, like an ancient dragon breaking free from the shackles of creation, suddenly awakened from the deepest part of Diana's soul!
"Om-!"

An invisible wave of air suddenly spread out from her center, scattering the surrounding smoke and ash.

Her dark red armor seemed to come alive, emitting a deep hum.

Marbas, who was about to strike again to thoroughly subdue this stubborn ant, suddenly froze!

In its six burning eyes, mockery and cruelty were instantly replaced by extreme astonishment and a trace of... indescribable fear!

It sensed a familiar yet terrifying aura emanating from the girl kneeling on the ground!

That aura…

It is as solid and imposing as an ancient mountain, as vast and boundless as the earth.
Fierce as a world-destroying thunderbolt, vast as the waters of life!

These four forces, which should be completely different and even conflicting, are now merging together in a perfect way that is beyond its comprehension, forming an unforgettable mark on it!
It's that damn guy!

Locke Kent!

In Marbas's horrified perception, the one kneeling there was no longer a young Amazon warrior...

Rather, it is a being enveloped in the illusory image of towering mountains, with surging azure water veins beneath its feet, primordial thunder dancing in its eyes, and whose aura is intimately connected to the entire earth…

Demon!

It even created the illusion that it was seeing it.
Behind the girl, there was a pair of eyes that looked down on everything.
It is coldly watching it through endless time and space!
It's that farmer!
It's that damn Locke Kent who's always haunting us!

I even used my avatar to escape to another world to avoid the limelight! Why the hell are you still chasing me?!
"You...who are you?!"

For the first time, Marbas's voice lost its composure, trembling almost imperceptibly, and his massive lava body even leaned back slightly, assuming a defensive posture.

Diana, leaning on the greatsword beside her, stood up again.

The fragments I just glimpsed in the illusion created by the gargoyle
This resonated with the immense, both strange and familiar, power surging within him, like two keys being inserted simultaneously, unlocking the door to memories sealed for years.

In my childhood, my mother Hippolyta's words of praise, which I had once thought were merely poetic, now echoed clearly in my ears, each word containing a real and undeniable power:
"My body is shaped by the boundless earth and nourished by the waters of life."

She chanted softly, and with each word she uttered, a thick golden halo and azure ripples spread around her.

"Using mountains as a source of power..."

A powerful force connected to the earth gathered from beneath her feet, making her seemingly slender figure as immovable as a mountain.

"...using thunder as the spiritual ocean of the soul!"

"boom--!!!"

The moment the words fell!
The clouds above the arena, which had been dyed red by hellfire, were forcibly dispersed and replaced by rolling thunderclouds!

Several azure lightning bolts, thicker than a giant's arm, seemed to be summoned by a king, excitedly tearing through the sky and converging towards the greatsword in Diana's hand!

Without Locke's assistance, and without external guidance.
It all depends on what she awakens herself!

The giant sword greedily devoured the power of thunder in the world, and the originally restrained dark blue light on the sword was replaced by blindingly bright white lightning!

Destructive energy is compressed and condensed within it.
This causes the surrounding air to ionize, producing crackling electric sparks.

Fragments of childhood memories flashed rapidly through my mind.
While playing with her friends, she occasionally experiences uncontrollable, azure arcs of electricity within her body that frighten even herself.
After putting on the wristband my mother gave me, I felt a sense of relief and loss as that power was restrained.
At night, when Mom strokes the photograph on the bedside table—the one she'd only ever wanted to see once—and gazes at the full moon in the sky outside the window, her eyes hold a sorrowful and complex expression.
Even after that, when her mother forbade her from entering her own bedroom, her gaze was filled with unspoken pain and struggle...

And
In childhood
That's what her mother once told her.
Her real name
That name I've forgotten.
K
Everything now has an answer.

She looked up.

His azure eyes had now completely transformed into the color of lightning, staring directly at the astonished and uncertain Flame Demon King, and he coldly and clearly declared:
"I am the warrior of Paradise Island, daughter of Hippolyta—"

She paused slightly.
To obtain that from illusion, to revive from memory
The true name, symbolizing true origin and belonging.
With unprecedented pride, their voices resounded throughout heaven and earth:

"—Diana Kent!"

(End of this chapter)