The story of the black silk female knight

However, Tsuchimikado Avenger does not have a place to store magic crystals.

Could it be that he can actually install an arc reactor on himself like Iron Man and use nuclear fusion energy to power his armor?

Valensa became increasingly surprised and quickly examined Tsuchimikado Avenger closely, but after looking him over several times, she couldn't find any place that resembled an energy source.

Instead, they discovered that Tsuchimikado Avenger's condition was very strange... He was clearly strong enough to beat Valensa's main body up, but he had a feeling that he was exhausted and could die at any moment.

...He was burning his own life and soul!

Valensa immediately understood... This orc armor was a life-or-death item, and Tsuchimikado Avenger never intended to live from the beginning; everything he did was to kill Himika!

boom!

Just as Valencia realized this, the arm armor in her hand suddenly exploded, knocking her unconscious for at least three to five seconds.

The advantage of Nana not having independent consciousness is that she is completely immune to soul attacks, but the disadvantage is also evident at this moment... After Valensa was briefly stunned by the blast, her movements also stopped instantly, and then she was swept away by Tsuchimikado's tail.

"……snort."

Having finally repelled both Valenza's main body and her clones, Tsuchimikado's Avengers seemed quite pleased with themselves, and couldn't help but boast:

"The famous Sunflower Duchess is nothing special... In the end, she's just a woman. How could her soft, flabby body compare to my masterpiece, which combines technology from another world!"

Of course, Tsuchimikado Avenger wouldn't be foolish enough to waste the opportunity to stand still and taunt. As he spoke, he moved again, his target still the unconscious Himika not far away.

At the critical moment, the Great Sage, still in his soul form, used a wondrous spell... The spell had no offensive power whatsoever, but it could repel the Tsuchimikado Avenger, who was about to attack Himika, far away, just like like poles of a magnet repel each other.

Just as the Great Sage seemed to be about to use magic to pursue Tsuchimikado's Avengers, the Ninth Sage's attack spell arrived, forcing the Great Sage to abandon the pursuit and continue defending.

This scene happened to be seen by Valensa, who had just regained consciousness from the explosion, and it sparked a flash of inspiration in her mind.

"Senior, let's switch opponents! You block the one in the armor!"

"……it is good."

The Great Sage nodded decisively after thinking for less than two seconds. He stopped defending against the Ninth Sage's spell and continued to use that strange magic to throw the Tsuchimikado Avenger, who had just rushed back, far away again.

Valensa then manipulated the six petals of the Six-Flower Floating Cannon to merge back into one, transforming it into a circular holy shield that barely blocked a composite elemental ball from the Ninth Sage in front of Himiko and the Seventh Sage.

The Ninth Sage's face showed obvious annoyance upon seeing this... He could feel that his magic was almost able to break through the opponent's defense, and he should have known better than to slack off.

But there's still time.

A greater magical power immediately gathered in the Ninth Sage's hand, intending to shatter Valenza's Six-Flower Holy Shield in one fell swoop and kill Himiko and the Seventh Sage.

But a missed opportunity is not so easy to come back... At this moment, Nana, who had regained her fighting strength after Valensa woke up, had also rushed towards the Ninth Sage.

The Ninth Sage had also witnessed Nana's performance and knew that Nana was, in a sense, similar to Tsuchimikado Avenger in armor, possessing strength, speed, and combat skills that were at the level of a Moon-class warrior without using Noble Phantasms.

The Ninth Sage was a pure spellcaster, unlike the spellcasters of the Central Continent Empire who were banned from magic but could still catch blades with their bare hands... He could only get beaten up when a warrior of the same level got close.

His goal was the Great Sage, and now he could say he had achieved it. As for the life or death of Himiko and the Seventh Sage, he really didn't care.

So the Ninth Sage immediately abandoned his attack on Valensa's Six-Flower Holy Shield and transformed the condensed magic power into a disintegrating ray, shooting it towards Nana in an attempt to force her back.

But Nana's body's most outstanding performance has never been strength or speed, but rather its exaggerated magic resistance built from countless top-tier magical materials... If you attack directly without first applying a resistance reduction spell, most spells can be directly negated by Nana's face.

The same thing happened again. After taking a direct hit from the Ninth Sage's Disintegration Ray, Nana only tilted her head slightly and didn't even slow down much before rushing forward and throwing a punch at the Ninth Sage.

This terrified the Ninth Sage... He was very wary of Valensa and had already planned to run away after she arrived; now, his resolve was even stronger.

"...Plans have changed, I'm leaving now. Good luck."

Under the absolutely frustrated gaze of Tsuchimikado's Avengers, the Ninth Sage left behind these words and hurriedly disappeared, using a teleportation spell to escape.

Without the Ninth Sage's restraint, the Great Sage can finally focus all his efforts on dealing with Tsuchimikado's Avengers.

He seemed to have no good way to deal with the orc armor's exaggerated defensive power, but his control over magic was so masterful that Tsuchimikado's Avenger could only watch helplessly as his enemy was unable to get close.

Valensa seized the opportunity to rush to Himiko and the Seventh Sage's side, injecting a beam of holy light into each of them to keep them alive and ensure they wouldn't die during the teleportation.

Then Valensa looked up hesitantly at the Great Sage in his soul form:

"Senior, you...?"

"Go, let's go!"

The great sage did not hesitate at all:

“I am already dead, there’s no need to waste time on me… Something very serious must have happened at the Sage’s Tower. I hope the Church, considering our past cooperation, can lend a helping hand to the sages who are suffering this time.”

"...I understand. Take care, senior!"

Valensa didn't hesitate any longer. She nodded gently and, amidst the Tsuchimikado Avengers' bloodshot eyes and frantic shouts, picked up Himika and the Seventh Sage, one in each arm.

Tia, who had been watching this place through the arcane spell Entanglement, immediately cast a spell to teleport Valensa and the two wounded people she was carrying away.

"...No, no!!"

This scene seemed to completely break Tsuchimikado's emotions. He was already fighting a desperate revenge battle, and he could no longer hold on. Without the Great Sage continuing to cast spells, he knelt down on the ground, his life force rapidly weakening, and within seconds even his soul dissipated.

The Great Sage glanced at the colossal steel beast resembling a black tortoise beneath his feet, then at the Central Continent Empire's naval soldiers arrayed around it, and chuckled softly.

"It's time to use that... my last magic."

. . . . .

On an isolated island in the sea about 70 kilometers from Xuanwu, Tia activated the teleportation and appeared in the teleportation array carrying Himiko and the Seventh Sage, Valensa.

"teacher……"

"Tia? How did you get hurt like this?"

Tia was very worried about her teacher, the Seventh Sage's, injuries, while Valensa was heartbroken to see the arrow still stuck in Tia's shoulder.

"I'm fine, just some minor cuts and bruises."

Tia waved her hand:

"Compared to the fact that you were just pierced through the heart by a claw, my injury is nothing... It's just that I don't know healing spells and I don't want to drink those alchemical potions that have side effects that make people dizzy, so I've kept myself in this state."

"Let me heal you quickly..."

boom!

Valensa was about to use healing magic on Tia when she saw a sudden burst of light in the distance, a huge pillar of light that reached the heavens and the earth, turning the night into day.

A few seconds later, a loud bang was heard, followed by a tsunami and shockwaves. Valensa had to abandon her plan to use healing magic and instead quickly switch to protective magic to prevent the wounded on the island from being swept away by the shockwaves and seawater.

After a while, the bright white light gradually faded, the roaring sound in her ears slowly disappeared, and Valensa no longer needed to maintain her protective spell to resist the giant waves and shockwaves.

“…What is that?”

Valensa had already guessed what the explosion had been about, but she still looked at Tia with a questioning gaze.

"This is the Great Sage's last magic."

Tia's expression was slightly sad... She was a disciple of the Seventh Sage, and by all accounts, she came from the Sage's Tower with impeccable credentials, so she had great respect for the Great Sage.

"The final magic?"

Valensa was somewhat surprised:

"Why do you say that? Although the Great Sage's body is beyond saving, his soul seemed quite powerful before, right? It shouldn't be..."

"That comes at a price."

Tia shook her head with a wry smile:

"That's a type of necromancy called Vengeful Spirit... In simple terms, it allows you to continue fighting as a ghost after death, but it will completely dissipate after the battle ends... That's why the Great Sage told you to leave him alone; he never had a chance to be saved from the beginning."

"...He is a hero."

Valensa gave the Great Sage her evaluation without hesitation, and at the same time gently pulled the arrow out of Tia's shoulder to heal the wound. She then contacted Dreigan through the Dragon Knight Contract to ask her about the situation there.

As expected, the battle over there also ended... After the Great Sage used his earth-shattering final spell to completely destroy Xuanwu, the Sword Pavilion disciples who were fighting in the air with Dreigan also lost their will to fight and quickly found an opportunity to escape and leave.

Valensa had intended to have Dreigan help bring Himiko and the Seventh Sage to Jade Island for treatment, but after carefully examining their injuries, she realized it wouldn't work.

The two were too badly injured to be saved by Valensa's level of healing magic.

After all, Valensa herself possesses the super-fast regeneration power of the evil god, so the focus of her divine magic training has always been on various combat-related divine magics, and her level of auxiliary divine magic is really limited.

Himiko and the Seventh Sage both need immediate and effective treatment, but Jade Island is protected by a powerful array that prevents direct teleportation. Waiting for Dreigan to come and take them there would be too late.

"...Let's go back to the capital of France and go to the cathedral."

Valensa could only have Tia lead the group to their home in the capital of Fran using teleportation magic. It was very close to the cathedral, and it would only take an average person about 10 minutes to walk there.

Inside the French Cathedral, Himiko and the Seventh Sage finally received effective treatment from the High Priest, who specialized in healing magic, and their injuries stabilized.

But it's probably impossible for them to come to their senses tonight... To get the details of what happened from them, we'll have to wait until at least tomorrow morning.

Valensa trusted the people at the French Cathedral, so she temporarily entrusted Himiko and the Seventh Sage to the care of the high priest there. She also forced Tia, who had injured her shoulder and used teleportation spells multiple times, to stay and rest there as well, while she herself headed back to Jade Island.

The Great Sage's attack that completely destroyed Xuanwu was earth-shattering; Jade Island certainly couldn't have missed it. Who knows what the situation is like there now?

After riding the fairy dragon Dregran to Jade Island at top speed, Valensa discovered that there seemed to have been a battle there as well, with many buildings on the island damaged.

Fortunately, only the outer perimeter of Jade Island was damaged; the palaces inside, used to entertain guests, were unharmed... and there were no casualties, only some maids who were a little frightened.

Valensa hurried to the banquet in the center of the island, where she saw the Phantom Thief Sister disguised as Himika speaking, with Chiba Shin and Chiba Rui on her left and right behind her.

After listening for a few minutes, Valensa finally understood what was going on.

Just now, a fog demon attacked Jade Island... and a high-level fog demon at that, it seems to be the same kind that attacked the Morgan family's merchant ship last year.

However, the Mist Demon has met its match this time... The most elite anti-demon ninja of the entire Four Islands Alliance are currently on Jade Island, and they easily repelled the Mist Demon, suffering no losses except for the buildings destroyed by the Mist Demon's initial attack.

Now, the phantom thief sister, disguised as Himika, is speaking, roughly to reassure everyone, telling them not to worry about the little thing that just happened, and to continue dancing, playing music, eating, drinking, and having fun.

The Phantom Thief's disguise skills are truly amazing; she portrayed Himiko perfectly. Apart from the three great demons who looked on with amusement, no one else noticed anything amiss.

Even Valensa herself had to admit... if she hadn't known the truth beforehand, she probably wouldn't have suspected that Himiko was a fake.

In short, the situation at the banquet is currently okay, and everyone's mood is stable.

But Valensa still noticed something amiss... There were people missing from both America's and Fran's parties; America's party consisted of representatives from two business families, while Fran's party consisted of a nobleman accompanying her.

Considering that Jade Island, which is protected by a powerful formation, was attacked by the Mist Demons... this is likely not a coincidence.

So while everyone continued to enjoy the banquet, Valensa quietly found Chiba Rui again.

"How is His Majesty? Is she alright?"

In stark contrast to her aloof and composed demeanor at the banquet, Chiba Rui was completely flustered when she met Valensa in private, and even seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry, I have already rescued His Majesty Himiko."

Seeing this, Valensa quickly comforted her:

"But she was quite badly injured, so I didn't dare to travel with her any longer. I had Tia use teleportation magic to send her directly to the capital of Fran. She is currently receiving treatment at the cathedral there and has successfully pulled through... well, she is expected to wake up tomorrow morning."

"That's great... It's good that Your Majesty is alright. Our communication was suddenly cut off just now, and there was such a big commotion at sea. I almost thought... Anyway, it's great that Your Majesty is alright."

Chiba Rui patted her chest, which was much larger than her sister's, and breathed a sigh of relief. She then asked Valensa Himiko for details about the attack.

Valensa briefly recounted her rescue and the Ninth Sage's betrayal, but the specific details would have to wait until Himiko and the Seventh Sage woke up before asking them.

Valensa then asked about the situation on Jade Island, focusing on how to explain the earlier attack by the Fog Demon and the massive explosion at sea to the guests.

"There are definitely people causing trouble here!"

Mentioning this, Chiba Rui gritted her teeth in resentment, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword, as if she wished she could slash the troublemaker a few more times:

"Our Jade Island has a protective array to hide itself, and we haven't had any Fog Demons attacking us for hundreds of years... So when the Fog Demons attacked, my older sister and I immediately realized that someone on the island was guiding the Fog Demons."

So while I led the anti-demon ninja force to fight the Mist Demon, I sent my sister to seek help from the Witch of Destruction.

Sure enough, with the help of the Witch of Destruction, we discovered that three of the guests were engaging in very suspicious behavior... They had controlled several maids and female ninjas, searching for the core of the island's protective array, seemingly intending to destroy it.

Those three were all quite powerful, and with hostages in hand, it would have been difficult for my sister to stop them alone… Fortunately, the Witch of Destruction was reliable enough to easily suppress them.”

"...I knew it, there were enemy plans on Jade Island as well."

Valensa sighed upon hearing this:

"It's a good thing I left all the demon ninjas on the island and didn't go to participate in the rescue, and I didn't tell the Great Witches about the attack on His Majesty Himiko and the Sages to make them gossip... Otherwise, with the Mist Demon attack and the traitor causing trouble here, there would be big chaos."

"Yes, this time it really depends on your advance arrangements."

Chiba Rui nodded, making no attempt to hide the admiration in her eyes:

"Duchess Sunflower, you truly live up to your reputation... I originally thought you were just a lucky one who received special favor from Her Majesty the Goddess, but this time I am completely convinced... I am no match for you."

"No, no... Miss Rui, you're excellent too, you're a genius sword saint..."

Valensa exchanged polite words with Chiba Rui, but she still had some doubts in her heart.