Chapter 83: The Demon Emperor’s Eye

Perhaps it was because she had nearly been crushed by Lu Mo during their duel.

Or perhaps it was the fear that if Lu Mo continued to investigate, she would eventually uncover the truth.

In the days that followed, Solaris showed a great deal of restraint. She no longer tried to stop Lu Mo and Cecilia from leaving the inn.

“Miss Lu Mo, let’s go.”

Whenever she saw Cecilia holding onto Lu Mo’s arm as they walked out, Solaris felt a mixture of jealousy and unwillingness. Watching their figures recede into the distance, all of those emotions eventually turned into a deep sense of powerlessness.

She felt that her title as a Sequence Hero had, at this moment, gained an additional prefix—

The Incompetent Hero.

“Lady Solaris, are you really just going to let them leave like that?”

“Lady Cecilia is the Saintess. Is it really okay for her to keep going out with a problematic knight like that?”

At this moment, the other members of the party gathered around Solaris, whispering and pointing at Lu Mo and Cecilia from behind.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Solaris could only maintain a calm facade as she spoke indifferently, “Lu Mo is Cecilia’s knight. She knows her limits. In two more days, we will reach the Holy Demon Wall. We might as well let Miss Cecilia relax a little during this last bit of time.”

“If anything, we are the ones being narrow-minded.”

“As expected of Lady Solaris—such magnanimity!”

The others immediately began flattering her again. As they spoke, the topic inevitably returned to the duel from the day before yesterday.

“If Lady Solaris hadn’t been merciful…”

“Would Lu Mo have even lasted three moves?”

“Lady Solaris was holding back… no, she practically went easy on her!”

Solaris remained expressionless.

But at this moment, veins faintly throbbed on her forehead.

She would never forget that duel.

One day, she would definitely make Lu Mo pay the price!

She stared in the direction where the two had disappeared, and a trace of killing intent flickered through her eyes once more.

***

After that duel, Cecilia’s dislike for Solaris had only grown stronger.

“That woman… she clearly couldn’t beat Miss Lu Mo, so she summoned her Divine Artifact!”

“I could feel it at the end—Solaris actively triggered the artifact herself, and yet she pretended like nothing happened!”

“Shameless! Absolutely shameless!”

Cecilia was indignant, looking even angrier than Lu Mo herself.

But even so, she still had to fulfill her duties as a Saintess.

That night, Cecilia held the Zhanmie Sword. Though her eyes still carried a trace of dissatisfaction, she ultimately let out a soft sigh and activated her Holy Power talent.

In an instant, her entire body emitted a gentle pale golden glow. Her soul and the sacred aura within her blood began resonating with the Divine Artifact.

The Zhanmie Sword trembled slightly, as if it had come alive—like it was desperately craving Cecilia’s soul and blood.

Cecilia lightly drew her fingertip across the blade. Soon, blood infused with faint golden patterns flowed out from the small cut. The blood quickly spread across the sword’s surface, dyeing the ancient circuits from the Age of Gods a vivid red as they flickered faintly into view.

Before long, the Saintess’s blood was absorbed into the depths of the sword.

The aura of the Zhanmie Sword seemed to grow sharper.

Meanwhile, Cecilia’s face turned slightly pale. A trace of her soul power and cultivation had been absorbed during the nourishment process.

“Cecilia…”

Lu Mo stepped forward and supported her.

“I’m fine, Miss Lu Mo.”

Cecilia turned back and smiled softly.

“I’m just not used to nourishing the artifact with my blood yet. Overall, the consumption isn’t that big.”

Lu Mo quietly checked her condition. After confirming that Cecilia was fine, she finally relaxed a little.

Still, when she looked at the small cut on Cecilia’s fingertip, she couldn’t help but feel concerned.

Even if this girl was a bit of an idiot…

If her own little piglet got its hoof scratched by something outside, she would still feel heartache.

“Does it hurt?” Lu Mo asked, pointing at the tiny wound.

Cecilia thought for a moment. Then suddenly, she put on an exaggerated expression of pain and collapsed backward into Lu Mo’s arms, wriggling like a little kitten.

“It hurts! It hurts so much!”

“???”

Lu Mo couldn’t help but comment, “That’s the kind of reaction you’d have if you got cut open by a Divine Artifact, not a tiny finger prick…”

“I don’t care! It just hurts!” Cecilia continued to whine in her arms.

Lu Mo smiled helplessly. She gently held Cecilia’s hand, rubbed her fingertip softly, and then made a blowing motion.

“There. The pain has flown away. It’s gone to Solaris now.”

“Pfft—”

Cecilia hadn’t expected that and burst out laughing.

Lu Mo also laughed. For a moment, the room was filled with warmth and joy.

After a long while, the room gradually fell quiet again.

Cecilia lay in Lu Mo’s arms as they looked at the Zhanmie Sword resting quietly nearby.

“…I still don’t understand,” Cecilia said softly. “Why someone like Solaris can become a Sequence Hero and be chosen by the Zhanmie Sword.”

“Clearly, Miss Lu Mo is the strongest… and your swordsmanship is far superior to hers.”

“But I don’t have the Holy Power talent,” Lu Mo replied with a shrug.

“Just because of that?”

“Yes. Just because of that.”

Silence fell.

Cecilia wanted to say something, but she didn’t know how to express it. Raised within the teachings of the Holy Sanctuary, she couldn’t bring herself to question things like Lu Mo did.

“…Even the gods make mistakes sometimes,” she finally muttered, her face slightly flushed.

“Maybe.”

Lu Mo smiled and gently stroked her head.

Under her touch, Cecilia gradually calmed down, drowsiness setting in.

Once her breathing became soft and steady, Lu Mo carefully laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

She turned to leave.

At that moment, whether it was a murmur from a dream or a call from reality, Cecilia softly spoke—

“Miss Lu Mo…”

“I… I…”

She stopped midway, like an author cutting off a chapter at the most crucial moment.

Lu Mo smiled fondly.

“Good night… you silly girl.”

She gently closed the door.

She didn’t know that not long after she left, Cecilia let out a soft sound, her face gradually flushing red in her sleep.

***

The next day, the group set out once again.

For some reason, Cecilia seemed distracted, as if she had a guilty conscience.

“Wah—!”

She suddenly jumped in fright.

“Miss Lu Mo—!”

“Cecilia?”

Covering her face, Cecilia muttered in a tiny voice, “It’s not… I didn’t… it’s just that the stockings and underwear were of poor quality…”

“Cecilia, what are you even talking about?”

“???”

A question mark seemed to appear above Lu Mo’s head.

Cecilia’s face flushed bright red as she peeked at her through her fingers.

Only then did she realize—

That was just a dream. Lu Mo didn’t know anything.

“No, nothing! I just… haven’t fully woken up yet!”

She hurriedly turned away to explain, though her trembling ahoge betrayed her panic.

“I’m fine,” she added.

“If you say so.”

Lu Mo nodded and patted her head without thinking much of it.

For the rest of the day, Cecilia would occasionally sneak glances at her. Whenever she was caught, she immediately lowered her head, her face turning red all the way to her ears.

Only after half a day did she gradually return to normal.

By then, they could already see the Holy Demon Wall.

It was a massive fortress formed by multiple layers of towering walls. Ancient and powerful defensive formations shimmered faintly upon them.

Inside the walls was the world they knew.

But outside—

Was a land filled with erosion and decay.

From afar, the earth had turned gray-black. The sky was covered in dense clouds streaked faintly with blood. Thick black currents poured outward from a massive void.

That void lay between the decaying earth and the bleeding sky. From a distance, it looked like it was shedding black tears.

As if—

A twisted and terrifying eye was staring at the world.

“The demons emerged from that void, bringing corruption and chaos to our world,” the Holy Dragon Knight explained.

“That void is called the Great Abyss of the Demon Race.”

“Those black currents are the source of the demons’ power.”

“As for how it came into existence, there is no unified explanation. But because it resembles an eye, some people call it—”

“The Demon Emperor’s Eye.”

“However, many feel that name isn’t appropriate.”

“If the Great Abyss is truly an eye, then it is clearly weeping.”

“How could creatures as deranged as demons possess something like sorrow?”

“Would a Demon Emperor cry?”

“And even if he did… for whom would those tears fall?”

The Holy Dragon Knight spoke slowly.

Everyone looked toward the abyss, but soon turned away, unable to endure the overwhelming distortion.

Only Lu Mo continued staring for a while longer.

Perhaps because she didn’t truly belong to this simulated world, she didn’t feel much discomfort.

However—

As she gazed into the abyss for a long time, she gradually felt something strange.

As if something…

Was staring back at her.