Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

Elvia slowly rose from the pile of rubble and dusted off her skirt armor.

The shattered armor gleamed dimly in the moonlight, the bloodstains on his cheeks had dried, and his golden eyes pierced through the smoke and dust, gazing at the sky.

Arthur hovered there, his robes fluttering in the wind.

Elvia raised her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, and shouted something to the sky.

"this one?"

"Such a precious treasure, ultimately ruined by a pig."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the open wilderness.

Arthur's smile froze.

His fingers gripped the staff tightly, his knuckles turning white.

A sense of humiliation I had never felt before surged in my chest.

The opponent actually dodged the fastest and most powerful lightning-type extraordinary scroll.

This woman... this high-ranking knight... what gives her the right?

"You're asking for it!"

Arthur's voice rolled out from his throat, ferocious and furious.

He reached into his waist pouch, pulled out a scroll, and tore it open.

A red ring of flames appeared, and a fireball was launched.

Elvia dodged to the side, and the fireball slammed into the rock behind her, sending shards of rock flying.

Arthur tore open the second one.

A blue ring of ice appeared, and ice spikes poured down like a torrential rain.

Elvia rolled, leaped, and hid behind the jagged rocks, icicles piercing her feet and shards of ice scraping her cheeks.

Arthur tore open the third one.

the fourth.

the fifth.

One magical ring after another formed and bombarded the ground in front of him.

Without aiming or thinking, Arthur mechanically tore open the scroll and poured out the magic.

Storms, flames, ice, and lightning intertwined to form an impenetrable net, covering the entire open space.

The uneven terrain became Elvia's only advantage.

She was like a swallow darting through a downpour, dodging left and right under the cover of strange rocks.

A huge rock blocked the fireball's direct hit. She huddled behind the rock, the heat wave sweeping over her head and scorching the ends of her hair.

She rolled away, and the icicles embedded themselves in the spot where she had just been crouching, freezing the ground into a blanket of white frost.

She leaped over a ravine, and lightning struck the rocks behind her, sending boulders crashing down on her back.

She didn't dare stop.

Behind them, the ground had been repeatedly plowed, with layers of scorch marks and the remains of dead trees scattered all over the ground.

The entire open space looked as if it had been repeatedly scratched by the claws of a giant beast.

The roar echoed through the wilderness, carrying far, far away.

In the distance, a low growl echoed from the demon's lair.

Not just one, but many.

The voices carried the impatience of being disturbed and the anger of being provoked.

Arthur paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping around.

The aura of demons slowly awakened.

Several hero-level demons had already poked their heads out of the lair, their blood-red eyes gleaming in the darkness.

A chill ran down his back.

But soon, the anger of being mocked surged up again, overpowering reason.

He gritted his teeth and continued tearing open the roll.

The seventh, the eighth, and the ninth.

The entire open space has been turned upside down.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and pebbles hung suspended in mid-air for a long time without falling. The moonlight was obscured by the thick dust, and visibility was less than ten meters.

Arthur hovered in the air, panting heavily.

He closed his eyes, and the vision of his soul unfolded.

Dust, smoke, darkness—none of these existed in his soul's perception.

He saw that thin thread of the soul.

Still.

That woman is still alive.

Arthur's lips twitched, and an indescribable anger welled up in his chest.

How could a mere high-ranking knight survive his attack?

He followed that thin line, his soul's vision constantly zooming in, piercing through the smoke and dust, piercing through the gravel.

Finally, he saw it.

A blue sphere of soul light was moving rapidly through the smoke and dust, eventually flying directly into the air.

They rushed towards him.

Arthur grinned maliciously.

He reached into his waist pouch, pulled out a scroll, and tore it open just as he was about to see the ball of light through the smoke and dust.

A magical ring appeared before him, and azure wind energy swirled and condensed within it.

He aimed at the ball of light that was rushing forward, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Pay the price for your arrogant words, you lowly knight!"

The magic was unleashed.

The cyan wind blades tore through the smoke and dust, whistling sharply as they hurtled towards the ball of light.

Arthur grinned maliciously, staring in that direction.

He looked forward to seeing her body torn apart by the wind blades, and to witnessing her fear and despair in her final moments.

The ball of light pierced through the smoke and dust, revealing its form the moment the magic struck.

A hairpin.

Golden hair was wrapped around a wooden stake, on the surface of which two words were crookedly written in blood.

Fool.

Arthur's pupils contracted sharply.

The extraordinary magic instantly devoured the doll, sending fabric scraps flying and the blood-red words turning to ashes in the flames.

He was stunned.

What is that?

A hairpin?

When?

A cold light shone from his side.

Elvia leaped out of the smoke and dust, her figure as swift as lightning, her short sword aimed straight at Arthur's abdomen.

Her eyes were bright and sharp, like a leopard pouncing on its prey.

The sword tip pierced through.

"clang--"

The sound of metal clashing.

It wasn't the sound of something piercing flesh.

Elvia's pupils contracted slightly.

The sword tip pierced through the robe, but stopped on a layer of fine metal.

Chainmail.

Underneath his robes, he was also wearing chainmail.

Elvia cursed under her breath, wanting to draw her sword and stab again, but her body had already begun to fall.

She had no foothold in the air.

Arthur retreated in a panic, frantically pulling out a scroll from his hidden pocket and tearing it open.

A magical ring appeared in front of him, and purple lightning light gathered within it.

Elvia landed on the ground, rolled over, and tried to get away.

But it was too late.

The lightning bolt struck, heading straight for her face.

Elvia quickly pulled a scroll from her waist and tore it open.

A gust of wind pushed her away.

The aftershock grazed her shoulder, throwing her body away.

She fell heavily to the ground, rolled twice, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Fragments of armor were scattered all over the ground.

Arthur hovered in the air, looking at the heavily wounded knight coughing up blood on the ground. His panicked expression slowly turned into smugness.

He smiled.

"Hahaha!"

His voice regained its superior composure.

"Your little tricks didn't work?"

"You actually dared to ambush me?"

He slowly descended to the ground, standing a few meters in front of Elvia, his robes billowing in the night wind.

"A lowly knight dares to be arrogant in front of me."

He pulled another scroll from his hidden pocket and fiddled with it in his hand, as if admiring a precious work of art.

"Now, it's time to send you on your way."

Elvia used her sword to support herself and slowly stood up.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the shattered breastplate.

The golden eyes held no fear, only a mocking light.

She gave a cold laugh.

"Set off?"

Her voice was hoarse, but every word was clear.

"It's not certain yet who will send whom on their way."

Arthur frowned slightly.

"Still being stubborn even when death is imminent."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Elvia's body vanished into thin air before his eyes.

It's not about moving quickly, nor is it about rolling to dodge.

It disappeared.

To disappear completely.

Arthur's eyes widened, his hand paused in casting the spell, and the magic ring failed to materialize.

He thought he had misread it.

He closed his eyes, empowered them with his soul force, and then reopened them.

Elvia is still in the same place.

She didn't move at all.

Is it a hallucination?

No, he clearly saw it—

"Pfft—"

pain.

blood.

A golden gust of wind suddenly appeared beside his ear and struck his arm.

The attack was weak, leaving only a shallow wound on his arm from which blood seeped out.

But Arthur's pupils suddenly contracted.

That sword wind... came from beside him.

It didn't strike from afar; it appeared out of nowhere right next to his ear.

A chill ran down his spine, and he clutched his arm, looking around in horror, but he couldn't see the other person anywhere.

"you--"

"So, you're the only one who can use a magic scroll?"

Elvia's voice came from behind him, with a sinister laugh.

"I fucking can do that too!"

Arthur turned around abruptly.

Elvia was already standing beside him, her short sword raised high, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

She grinned maliciously and swung her sword toward his neck.

This time, no chainmail could stop it.

The neck is unprotected.

Arthur's eyes were filled with horror.

He didn't even have time to think, raise his hand, or tear open the scroll.

The shield did not trigger.

That semi-divine artifact shield, capable of blocking attacks from mid-level legendary characters and below, was completely unaffected by Elvia's sword.

Because her attacks were too weak.

The power of a high-level weapon is insufficient to trigger the shield's passive defense.

Elvia's sword had already touched the skin of Arthur's neck.

Elvia originally wanted to capture him alive, but now, she only wants him dead.

The sword was swung without reservation, but the expected flying head did not occur.

Arthur disappeared.

His body vanished from its original spot and reappeared a few meters away to the side.

Elvia's sword missed its mark, and her body lurched forward a step due to inertia.

Her pupils dilated violently.

Arthur stood beside her, blood still flowing from the wound on his arm, and beads of blood seeping from the cut on his neck.

His expression was no longer panicked or horrified, but rather a ferocious, almost insane look, born from being driven to the brink of despair.

Don't underestimate me!

His voice was hoarse, coming out of his throat.

He pulled the scroll from the hidden pocket and tore it open.

A magical ring appeared beside Elvia, just a step away from her.

Purple lightning gathered in the ring, its light turning her face deathly pale.

That's too late.

A flicker of panic crossed Elvia's eyes.

She couldn't avoid that distance.

The moment the lightning strikes, she will be torn to shreds.

Just then—

"Don't slack off while I'm away, my little apprentice."

The voice of Shadow Blade Lin rang in his mind.

It wasn't anxiety, it wasn't tension.

It was a calm, smiling, and usual tone.

Where Elvia cannot see—

A petite figure appeared out of thin air in front of Arthur.

Shadow Blade Lin hovered in mid-air, her body semi-transparent, like a wisp of smoke that could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

She is a spirit.

It has no physical form, no weight, and is not bound by the laws of physics.

For her, passing through walls, rocks, and trees was as easy as passing through air.

Including passing through a person's eyes.

She raised her hand, her slender, translucent fingers reaching towards Arthur's eye sockets.

There was no resistance.

There is no tactile sensation.

The finger passed through his pupil without any obstruction and disappeared into his eye socket, as if the finger had passed through a thin curtain of water.

At that very moment—

Concentrate all your soul power.

Her short, transparent fingers instantly materialized.

A cold, hard, murderous entity.

"puff--"

Arthur's body stiffened abruptly.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

He let out a piercing scream, covered his eyes, and what seeped from between his fingers was not blood, but a dark red liquid with magical fluctuations.

The magic ring collapsed before him, the purple lightning vanished, and the scroll slipped from his hand, falling to the ground.

Arthur flew wildly through the air, like a bird that had been shot, tumbling and struggling aimlessly.

"My eyes! My eyes!!"

His voice was sharp and shrill, carrying an indescribable fear.

Shadow Blade Lin sat in mid-air, legs crossed, and laughed as she looked at Arthur's disheveled appearance.

"Oh."

The laughter was very soft, almost inaudible in the night breeze.

Since emerging from the Wailing Wall, she has been trying to rebuild her soul and cultivate.

But all failed.

The meager soul power she condensed was only enough for her to launch a low-level, materialized attack once.

Low-level attacks are insignificant no matter where they are placed, just like Lin Gui's electric sparks, which are only good for playing around with.

But she took advantage of the characteristics of spirits.

That tiny attack struck the most vulnerable spot.

Shadow Blade Lin narrowed her eyes, watching Arthur cover his eyes and tumble in the air.

With her soul power completely depleted, her body became even more transparent, like a thin mist that could dissipate at any moment.

In the distance, two blue figures flew rapidly towards them.

Lin Gui.

Eileen.

They arrived.

Shadow Blade Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

Arthur made such a commotion that she was genuinely worried that Elvia would be carried off by a demon while she was away.

She took one last look at Arthur.

Arthur covered his pierced eye and pulled a scroll from his hidden pocket.

The scroll's shaft was made of jet-black wood, with dark red runes that emitted an ominous glow under the moonlight.

Shadow Blade Lin's brows furrowed slightly.

She thought the other party was planning to resort to desperate measures.

The pain and blurred vision caused by being pierced in the eye would prevent him from immediately noticing Elvia's location and launching an attack.

As a result, Arthur tore open the scroll.

"Whoosh—"

His body vanished into thin air, without a trace.

Even the breath of a soul cannot be detected.

Shadow Blade Lin hovered in mid-air, squinting her eyes, and a soul in her field of vision vanished into thin air.

It wasn't hiding, it was truly disappearing, just like... the way that kid left the Withered Rift Valley...

Who exactly is this guy, and what was that scroll he just used?

Shadow Blade Lin was very curious.

But she no longer had time.

The soul became increasingly transparent and fainter.

Shadow Blade Lin sighed, then retreated back into the Soul Orb within Elvia's package.

After Shadow Blade Lin fell into a deep sleep.

In the wastelands surrounding Elvia, the number of demons is increasing.

Blood-red eyes kept flashing in the darkness.