At that critical moment, Elia took a step forward and said softly, “Kiz, you should watch this next scene closely.”
Elia raised her right hand with her palm facing upward, and a massive burst of Holy Light erupted from her body.
This Holy Light inflicted a crushing pressure that struck the very souls of the surrounding Blood Clan members, causing their bodies varying degrees of damage. The weaker vampires even coughed up blood and collapsed, dying instantly.
Of course, by Elia’s will, the damage from this Holy Light did not affect Kiz or any of the other allied Blood Clan members.
Before long, that Holy Light—which was lethal to “The Wolf” organization—gradually condensed into the shape of a sword.
The moment the sword fully manifested, the entire world fell silent.
Sacred golden light flowed across the blade, and the hilt was embedded with a brilliant gemstone that seemed to contain swirling stars.
Suddenly, an even more powerful pressure enveloped the entire battlefield.
Even though it didn’t harm Kiz or the two Princes, they were pressed so hard they could barely breathe. As for the Blood Clan soldiers, they were forced onto one knee, unable to stand at all.
On the enemy’s side, the flames the Magic Dragon was about to spit out came to a sudden halt, and a look of pure terror appeared in its three eyes.
“This is…” Kiz said, her eyes wide.
“**[Holy Sword ‘Heavens’]**.”
This holy sword was a super artifact that the Original Owner had never used. It was said to possess invincible power capable of destroying heaven and earth… and today, Elia was going to see just how invincible it truly was.
Acting immediately, Elia gripped the hilt.
With just the simple motion of grasping the sword, the surrounding air began to distort.
Golden light spread out in all directions like a tidal wave. Wherever it passed, the men in black were turned to nothingness, unable to let out even a single scream.
*Roar—roar—roar—!*
The Magic Dragon let out a terrified howl and turned to flee.
But it was already too late.
Elia raised the holy sword and gave it a light swing.
There were no flashy techniques or complex incantations. There was only a single strike.
The golden sword light instantly swallowed the Magic Dragon’s massive body. It didn’t even have time to struggle before being reduced to ash within the light.
Not even a single scale remained.
After slaying the Magic Dragon, the residual force of the sword light did not diminish. Wherever it went, mountain peaks crumbled, rivers evaporated, and the clouds in the sky were split in two. A bottomless canyon was carved through the rolling mountain range outside the Royal Capital.
Under Elia’s gentle horizontal slash, all life within 10,000 miles was wiped out.
Strangely, however, the Blood Clan soldiers remained completely unharmed.
The sword light seemed to possess a consciousness of its own, bypassing everyone Elia did not wish to hurt. Some soldiers even felt the light brush past them, but they only felt a warm breeze without suffering any injury.
A few seconds later, the sword light dissipated, and the entire territory grew quiet.
Half of the Vampire Castle had been leveled, and the enemies who had poured out from the rift had completely vanished.
The Wolf King’s silver mask shattered completely, revealing a pale face beneath… a face filled with utter disbelief.
“This… how is this possible… What on earth are you…”
Furthermore, his body had already begun to disintegrate.
Hearing this, Elia only said softly, “Your enemy.”
‘Good grief… the power of this Holy Sword is a bit too much! But these side effects… they really are… quite something…’
As the Wolf King’s body turned to ash and scattered in the wind, the holy sword in Elia’s hand slowly faded away.
Standing where she was, her face became as pale as if she had just suffered a major illness. Her movements grew unsteady, and she looked as if she were about to faint.
“Elia!” Seeing this, Kiz rushed forward to support her.
“I’m fine… just… a little tired…” Before Elia could finish her sentence, her body went limp and she collapsed into Kiz’s arms.
***
The battle was over, and the plaza was a mess.
The surviving Blood Clan soldiers stood there dazed, not yet recovered from the shock of that single strike.
At that moment, Lisa and Vian walked quickly toward Kiz.
“How is she?” Lisa asked.
“She’s unconscious,” Kiz replied, holding Elia in a bridal carry.
Vian checked Elia’s condition and said, “Hmm… her Magic Power is almost completely exhausted, but there’s no major damage to her body. She’ll recover after resting for a few days.”
Hearing this, Kiz breathed a sigh of relief.
She then looked toward the spot where the Wolf King had disappeared.
‘Something’s not right…’
Kiz frowned, walked over to the pile of ash, and knelt to inspect it.
There was a silver fragment among the ashes… a piece of the Wolf King’s mask.
The mask was shattered, but the engraving on the inside was still legible.
Kiz picked up the fragment and held it up to the moonlight. On it were the words: “Shadow of the Wolf, Seventh…”
Her pupils contracted slightly.
Lisa, who had just walked over, also saw the words. She said thoughtfully, “Seventh… does that mean there are many Wolf Kings like that one?”
“This Wolf King was a fake… the real leader is someone else,” Kiz said.
Hearing this, Vian gasped and asked, “Are you saying the one we just fought was just a small fry?”
“Not a small fry… this fake Wolf King had the strength of at least the Tenth Rank… but in front of the real leader, he might have just been a tool.”
Kiz looked at the split mountains in the distance, then down at the weak Elia in her arms. She continued, “This attack was still just a test to scout out our trump cards… and now they have the answer they wanted.”
“Then who could the real Wolf King be?” Lisa asked in confusion.
“I don’t know, but judging by this ‘Seventh,’ there are at least seven of these fake Wolf Kings… and perhaps even more,” Kiz said in a heavy tone. “And for someone to make so many powerful experts willing to act as body doubles… the real Wolf King… the leader of the Wolves… his strength must be far beyond our imagination.”
“What should we do next?” Vian asked.
Kiz thought for a moment and said, “First, handle the aftermath of the battle and rebuild the castle. As for that real Wolf King who’s hiding like a coward…”
She looked down at Elia, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms.
“We’ll wait until she wakes up to discuss it.”
By the time Elia woke up, it was already the evening of the next day.
She opened her eyes to see a familiar ceiling… not an unfamiliar one.
She turned her head and saw Kiz asleep, slumped over the edge of the bed.
‘Hmm… the little princess’s face still has tear streaks on it.’
Elia reached out and gently touched her face. This caused Kiz’s eyelashes to flutter before she woke up.
She lifted her head and saw Elia looking at her. She froze for a moment, and then her eyes turned red. “You’re awake…”
“Yes. Have you been crying?”
“I haven’t,” Kiz said, turning her face away.
‘There she goes with the tsundere act again. She clearly cried but won’t admit it.’
Elia smiled and pulled Kiz into her arms.
Kiz didn’t struggle this time. She simply buried her small face into Elia’s flat chest and said muffledly, “You slept for an entire day and night…”
“That long?”
“Yes… the doctor said your Magic Power was depleted and you needed time to recover.”
Elia stroked her hair and said, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“So… that sword…”
“The one named Holy Sword ‘Heavens.’ It’s a very powerful sword… but using it comes with a price,” Elia said, drawing from the knowledge in her mind.
“What price?” Kiz’s expression became serious.
“Normally, I can only draw it for about 10 seconds. If I exceed 10 seconds, I’ll bleed from my seven orifices, my internal organs will fail, and I’ll die… unless the world is facing some kind of cataclysmic crisis. Only then can I use the sword without limits.”
Kiz’s heart tightened instantly. “Then yesterday…”
“It was exactly 10 seconds. My timing was pretty good. So, right now, I’m just a little exhausted and lightheaded. I’ll be fine after a day of rest.”
Kiz buried her face back into Elia’s chest.
“You scared me to death.”
“I’m sorry.”
“In the future… you aren’t allowed to do that anymore. You aren’t allowed to use dangerous things like that without my permission.”
“Alright. But if there’s another crisis like that, I’ll probably still use it.”
“You…”
“Because you’re here,” Elia interrupted her. “For your sake… forget 10 seconds. Even if I were to die after 10 seconds, I would still draw the sword.”
Kiz froze.
Then, her tears began to fall.
“You… you big idiot…”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m an idiot.”