Volume 2

Chapter 41: Miss Doll’s Regret

The Ether Academy’s stronghold was raided, the grand lecture hall turned into a battlefield and one of the Supreme Nine Seats was ambushed.

No matter how you looked at it, their face had been slapped resoundingly.

This was undoubtedly one of Conrad’s goals.

If he only wanted revenge on Babel Tower, he wouldn’t have chosen this moment to target me.

The death of the Grand Duke Sainthue was, to some extent, undeniably tied to the Ether Academy.

Add to that their role in carving up the Sainthue Family’s legacy, and it’s likely Conrad hated the Ether Academy even more than Babel Tower.

But regardless of the current situation, the Ether Academy could no longer intervene.

As Conrad said—that leisurely young Hydra clearly intended this battle as a whetstone to temper his wolf beast.

Those who should have stopped this fight silently observed the chaotic, ravaged battlefield.

After all, if you didn’t count that recording, this was the first true public appearance of Hitana Lansmarlos, the monster capable of bearing the power of two Contract Heads.

Wearing steel armor of unknown origin, Conrad slowly raised his longsword, pure and blazing light beginning to flicker on its iron blade.

Hitana exhaled with anticipation, her dark red eyes reflecting the image of her prey.

Even if it was forged from indestructible steel, the wolf would tear it apart and destroy it as if devouring flesh.

“Buzz!”

The light on the blade surged and Hitana vanished in an instant.

Her afterimage was like lightning, the sharp whistle in the air a savage roar, the bellow of power.

Between Hitana and the steel armor, the floor was shattered by the airflow from her ferocious speed.

As Hitana got serious, the charging beast seemed to manifest a monstrous image behind her, as if ready to devour everything!

“Boom!!!”

Like a ferocious wolf pouncing from a hill, Hitana’s knee smashed into the steel armor’s chest—her only weapons were fists and feet, yet the impact could only be described as a “boom.”

With the armor’s thick chest plate and Hitana’s knee as the epicenter, a surging wave of force exploded outward.

Chairs and tables were torn to shreds by the blast, and the floor was blasted into a massive crater.

“...After the venue’s reinforcement spells were activated, can she still cause this kind of destruction?”

Now, the Ether Academy was filled with spectating sorcerers, each using their own methods to watch this utterly unconventional battle.

“This Miss Lans, enduring Her Majesty’s suppression, breaking through venue reinforcement spells that even explosive magic would struggle to dent, and achieving this effect with third-tier strength?”

“Damn it... That’s why I hate these cursed warriors. They’re good for nothing but fighting and killing—are we in some kind of war-torn era? Why are people like this showing up!”

“No warrior is this insane! Without venue reinforcement, she could probably demolish this entire floor! Third-tier and this strong? What, at fourth-tier, is she going to rip a dragon’s head off with her bare hands?”

Oblivious to and uncaring of outside opinions, Hitana only wanted to tear the iron lump before her into scrap metal, though it seemed a bit challenging.

Under this attack, far more terrifying than any before, the massive steel armor wasn’t knocked flying. It seemed Conrad had diverted some energy to defense.

At this near-zero distance, firearms, light cannons, and energy blasts...

Accurate and fast!

Holding the spellcasting medium, Conrad could instantly unleash a light cannon several times more destructive than the one that carbonized Hitana’s arms.

The light flashing on the blade shot straight toward Hitana’s back, carrying a true sense of fatal resolve!

Yet, the blazing beam struck the armor’s chest and vanished without a trace.

“Too fast.”

Not just ordinary sorcerers, the fifth-tier transcendents watching the scene were also discussing: “This speed, surpassing even spellcasting time... Conrad has no other means and is bound to lose.”

“But so far... Miss Lans may not come out unscathed either.”

His companion said lazily: “That armor was likely built in secret by Nakisai, probably referencing mechanized armor designs. The spells attached to it—she can’t withstand them.”

“Her self-healing ability is equally astonishing.”

“But a hit to a vital point would still be fatal.”

“After all... she’s only third-tier. Normally, a third-tier transcendent would be obliterated by Conrad in a single strike.”

If not for my emphasis on survival, I, too, would have been vaporized by Conrad in one hit.

“And currently... she can’t break through that armor’s defense. Every attack leaves her severely injured, though her self-healing... Wait, what’s happening?”

The steel armor was indeed cumbersome, but that bulk granted it unmatched defense.

Even though Hitana’s unleashed violence could easily shatter venue reinforcement spells under the Empress’s suppression, it couldn’t easily penetrate Conrad’s armor.

“Miss Lans, with most of my ether focused on defense, you can’t do anything to me, can you?”

Conrad’s voice came from within the armor: “This kind of fight isn’t what you want, is it? How about this... Let me kill Zege, and I’ll fight you in the purest way possible. How’s that?”

“Lunatic.”

Hitana’s fist slammed into the dented armor.

She didn’t dodge the light beam Conrad fired, letting it pierce her side, and followed up with another punch without pause.

The continuous booming echoed through the lecture hall, the shockwaves and aftermath ravaging the already ruined space.

Honestly... this situation was getting boring. Hitana was just pummeling a stubborn iron turtle.

With the ether focused on defense, Hitana didn’t even bother dodging Conrad’s light cannons unless her upgraded Head of Wind instincts gave a high-danger warning.

“You’re trying to negotiate with me now? Still half-asleep, huh?”

Hitana mocked: “You really think I can’t crack this iron shell? Hm?”

Clang!

Amid the relentless booming of collisions, a particularly loud strike rang out.

The armor’s strike area caved in three or four centimeters, while Hitana’s arm surely paid a tremendous... price?

Clang!!

The booming sound, no less intense than the previous crash, echoed through the lecture hall again, the violent impact affecting Conrad even through the layers of thick armor and defensive spells.

The vengeful sacrificer’s expression shifted slightly: “Miss Lans, this isn’t a good—”

Clang!!!

Feeling the ferocious impact from behind, Conrad’s remaining words were shoved back down his throat.

Twice—both her arms should be broken by now.

Her self-healing couldn’t be that fast, so why—

“Why... isn’t she injured?”

The fifth-tier transcendents watching intently stared at Hitana’s slender, fair arm, its muscle lines perfectly defined.

“...Head of Strength? No, the Head of Strength doesn’t have this ability, so it’s her own power?”

“The degree of her injuries does seem to gradually diminish. Weakening? Immunity? Or...”

“It's an adaptation. That beastly aura on her... it’s so thick it’s practically overflowing.”

The strong always catch the key details in the shortest time. The ferocious, savage aura Hitana recklessly emitted during combat constantly showcased her chilling brutality.

“Beast elements—at third-tier, can she control them to this extent?”

“It’s not control; it’s an innate ability.”

“...Spiritual Essence.”

Not just one group, not just within the Ether Academy—the Alchemical Association, the Zero Point Explorers, independent transcendents, even Hydra Mansion, and... the palace towering at the peak of the Imperial Capital.

“Anselm, Anselm... are you really so insecure?”

The aged Empress overlooked this battle, which to her was like children’s play, her lips curling slightly: “To think you’d nurture such a dangerous monster. Be careful, or one day she’ll devour you, skin and bones.”

“But, it’s not hard to understand.”

She raised her hand, touching the young, handsome face in the flames, her cloudy eyes flickering with endless madness and... greed.

“Your power...”

The god nearing her end seemed to see, beneath that face, that body... the churning, boundless darkness.

“So sweet, so precious, it naturally needs... careful protection.”

In the lecture hall, the young Beast King had fully adapted to the damage from the recoil.

Now, she could unleash every strike with unrestrained, savage ferocity, holding nothing back.

“What a pity. The worst thing you could’ve done was drag this out with me!”

Hitana laughed loudly, her unmasked cruelty and ferocity in her laughter sending chills through the onlookers:

“Don’t want to be beaten to a pulp? Then fight me with everything you’ve got, now!”

Now, even the lofty Crowns fell silent.

“In other words,” someone suddenly said, “if you don’t kill her immediately, once she adapts to the damage, it’s over?”

“There are many ways to counter immortality—space, time, consciousness, senses, soul... as long as you can seal her movements. So far, Miss Lans’ methods are quite limited. Besides her fists and feet, she has no other means of attack.”

“In other words, a third-tier who can obliterate a strong fourth-tier, with nearly limitless growth potential?”

“...I’m already trying to ease the mood. Don’t add more pressure.”

No one wanted to oppose the Hydras, but the current situation was a once-in-a-millennium moment of change.

No one knew what would happen when the Hydras clashed with the Empress, or even... whether that day might come sooner than expected, and what madness might unfold before it arrived.

But these “strong ones,” save for the godlike beings, who stood at the continent’s peak, almost all contemplated such a scenario.

Anselm Hydra having only one Contract Head was a great fortune.

Before that day arrived, he might not have gathered all eight... no, seven Contract Heads.

The problem was, his sole Contract Head—this level of strength, this potential—was a bit... excessive.

—This girl, over one point eight meters tall, was only sixteen! A few months ago, she couldn’t even resist a local count, and now she could withstand the Empress’s suppression and pummel a fourth-tier’s martial prowess into the ground!

This wasn’t progress; it was mutation!

With the Hydras’ near-infinite resources, in a couple of years, wouldn’t she be kicking fifth-tier heads like balls?

The indestructible armor was being dented inch by inch—against such armor, blunt weapons were far more effective than sharp ones, but who ever heard of using fists and feet as blunt weapons?

“Still not moving, huh? You call this fighting me like a warrior? Still thinking about how to kill that little one?”

A ferocious glint appeared in Hitana’s eyes.

A prey with no desire to fight back turned her high spirits into irritation and displeasure.

Such opportunities to unleash her power were rare... she wouldn’t accept leaving this battle empty-handed.

The wolf beast’s face twisted with ferocity, her fists and feet raining down like a storm.

The booming was like thunder crashing down.

The steel armor visibly deformed under her relentless, savage assault.

If Hitana focused on one spot... the entire armor might already be shattered!

She deliberately avoided the weak points “marked” by the Head of Wind, because now, immune to recoil damage, she could probably beat Conrad to death in no time under this high-speed onslaught, which wasn’t what Hitana wanted.

“Then just stay in your turtle shell and let me pound you to death!”

Hitana roared, her now-unscathed, fair fist gathering mountain-splitting force, slamming toward the cracked steel armor!

Sss—!

The next second, an intensely blazing beam rose from beneath the crumbling, deformed armor.

Hitana’s forearm was instantly engulfed by the beam.

She could feel the searing impact of that pure energy, yet she didn’t pull back, instead laughing loudly:

“That’s the spirit!”

Her arm didn’t slow, though it was almost entirely carbonized in an instant.

Because she didn’t withdraw, the sustained beam eroded the carbonized tissue in moments, nearly annihilating her arm completely, but Hitana still threw the punch without hesitation.

Crack—!

Under the storm-like assault, a piece of armor finally shattered under Hitana’s blow.

Satisfied, the girl pulled back her hand, symbolically retreating a few steps, glancing at her “nearly gone” forearm.

“This’ll take some effort to regrow... I don't really want to drink Anselm’s potion. Such a waste.”

She grumbled, shaking her forearm, now reduced to charred bone and a few scraps of singed flesh.

After a couple of shakes, she accidentally flung the remaining piece to the ground.

At the carbonized stump, the char was peeling away rapidly, fresh, writhing flesh buds and visibly growing bone looking rather gruesome.

“...I didn’t want to use my final trump card here, Miss Lans.”

The battered, twisted steel armor glowed all over: “This was a spell I planned to activate if someone tried to protect Zege.”

“You’re really obsessed,” Hitana raised an eyebrow.

“The shorty doesn’t even have that big a grudge with you, does she?”

“Because she’s the only target I can kill who’s worth taking revenge on.”

The girl froze for two seconds, then couldn’t help but laugh: “You call bullying the weak so righteously? You’re really something—”

Boom!

The previously silent, piercing beam now erupted with a deafening roar.

Hitana, twisting to dodge, slowly turned to look.

A sword mark over ten meters long, likely cutting through two floors and piercing four or five rooms, marked the force of that strike.

Conrad’s longsword was now covered in light, expanding to over six meters long, utterly terrifying.

“The Sainthue Family’s three-hundred-year core spell, Radiant Armament.”

The glowing armor, like an angel from a bard’s tale, raised the longsword and advanced toward Hitana step by step.

“Hydra’s Contract Head, bear witness... to the Sainthue Family’s final glory!”

The blazing, surging power didn’t instill the slightest fear in Hitana.

Instead, it stirred the most primal, greedy desire in the young Beast King’s heart.

Devour it... Devour it!

She charged toward the glowing, broken armor with ecstatic excitement.

The ether drifting in the air, the light elements converted from ether, their condensation and convergence—all of it was captured by her senses, devoured by her beastly nature!

Conrad swung his sword horizontally, the massive, explosive sword arc undoubtedly capable of cleaving Hitana in half.

The girl didn’t leap high but instead nimbly spun on all fours, deftly dodging the blazing sword light.

Conrad’s next strike came with no delay, but Hitana evaded with agility, her otherworldly instincts guiding her flawlessly.

Boom boom boom boom—!

With this floor as the epicenter, the tremors were felt at least three floors above and below.

Consider this: a top-tier fourth-tier’s full-power destructive spell, under the dual suppression of the Empress and the Ether Academy, would likely only achieve this effect, yet Conrad’s every strike surpassed it!

“Too slow... Too slow, too slow!”

Laughing loudly, Hitana rushed to the armor, throwing a punch without hesitation!

Clang!

The sound of hard objects colliding rang out again, but Hitana’s smile froze slightly—not because of insufficient damage, but...

Hitana swiftly dodged to the side by over ten meters.

At the same time, the Radiant Armament erupted with the same blazing beam as before.

If Hitana had been a step slower, she’d have been in serious trouble.

“Miss Lans, though you’re strong, your foundation is lacking, and your methods... are too simplistic.”

Conrad’s voice came from the flaming armor: “Only close-range combat—too many limitations.”

Hitana glanced at her hand, scorched by the armor’s flames after that punch, nearly incinerated, and her other arm, only a quarter recovered.

She licked her rosy lips.

“No rush, take it slow.”

Though she couldn’t charge recklessly, as long as she maneuvered and adapted to the flames’ burn, the fight would be over.

“Take it slow... huh?”

Conrad murmured, then suddenly laughed.

“Haha... Hahaha! Take it slow... Take it slow!”

Boom!

A ferocious sword arc shot out, which Hitana nimbly dodged, while Conrad roared: “In your eyes... I’m just a sparring partner to toy with slowly! Just like my father was, to that damned Empress, nothing but disposable trash, right?”

Hitana jumped at his outburst: “What’re you raving about? I didn’t kill your dad.”

“Hydras... Empress... godlike beings!”

“These monsters shouldn’t exist in this world! It’s them, it’s you who ruined the Empire, ruined the entire world! This world... wasn’t supposed to be like this. These monsters destroyed it!”

Conrad had gone completely mad.

His treasonous words even scared some fifth-tiers into cutting off their observation, fearing the Empress might take offense and pick a few who heard it to kill.

The armor’s glow surged, and Conrad’s roars grew louder: “Without these monsters, how wonderful the Empire would be. Father, I... the family... the family would’ve become so great in my hands! All because... all because of a mistake, a mistake that wasn’t even Father’s! A single failure to please that lunatic!”

“Three hundred years of the family’s glory, destroyed for that?!”

“You, Babel Tower, Zege, the Empress... Hydras!”

Conrad roared, raising his longsword high, the light on it surging again, its energy seemingly enough to level the entire floor:

“You filthy scum, beasts... all of you, die!”

At that moment, among the few fifth-tier transcendents still watching, someone spoke: “Should we intervene?”

“Trying to do a favor for that young Hydra?”

“His Contract Head’s probably at her limit here. Might as well do it.”

“Indeed, this should be her limit. She’s a monster bearing two Contract Heads, absurdly strong, but not entirely unthinkable—”

The words stopped abruptly, and the discussion fell silent.

Because they saw—

The apocalyptic shadow rising behind the wolf beast, devouring all light.

“I really don’t get it. A guy like you, who’s devoured who-knows-how-many innocents and still calls himself great—what kind of logic is that?”

At that moment, Hitana relaxed her body, her head slightly lowered, her voice calm: “As if only you can plunder others, but you can’t be plundered... You don’t understand the law of beasts at all, you pathetic thing.”

“...But whatever. I’ve seen too many like you and can’t be bothered to argue with your nonsense, but—”

The Beast King slowly raised her head, the savagery seeping from between her teeth, the ferocity in her dark red eyes and the massive shadow behind her that swallowed all light proclaiming the monster’s... towering rage.

“You. Piece of Trash.”

She stepped forward, the power of her true form, permitted by the Hydras, surging violently into her body—a power she had learned to wield further during her battle with Flamel’s Head of Strength, Tyr.

Hitana, her eyes now serpentine, whispered, then raised her hand, clenching her fist.

Thus, pure destruction was held in her palm.

“You dare... insult Anselm!”

At that moment, I, Mingfuluo, stood beneath that massive demonic shadow.

Hitana was clearly shielding me to ensure my safety, preventing any accidents.

I... couldn’t understand, yet I wasn’t sure if I truly couldn’t understand.

The shock of Hitana’s power had long since numbed me.

What I couldn’t comprehend was why, at this moment, Hitana could still spare the effort to protect me; what I couldn’t fathom was the almost crazed, heart-shaking, pure rage she displayed... and why it was so unadulterated.

I couldn’t understand how a foolish girl, previously immersed in battle, transformed into an abyssal monster of pure evil the moment Conrad insulted Anselm.

I couldn’t understand... or was it that I truly couldn’t understand?

Before the light on Conrad’s sword, capable of leveling this entire floor or even several floors, could erupt, Hitana roared with rage, unleashing a punch of pure strength and destruction!

As she threw this punch, her mind wasn’t dominated by anger but filled with everything she had just comprehended.

The perception of ether’s flow, the vortex of that power—no need for close contact, she could channel her strength through the ether, transforming, compressing, and then...

Explosion!

In her piercing, dark red serpentine eyes, a savage yet joyful gleam burst forth.

You worthless scum, disappear from this world!

Thus, with Hitana’s punch as the origin, a crimson-black light radiating destruction suddenly flared.

It first condensed into a thin line, then instantly expanded to four or five meters wide.

As Hitana delivered her punch, it unleashed a deafening, earth-shattering roar!

Then, everything in front of her vanished.

A trench, nearly four or five meters wide and two or three meters deep, stretched forward, obliterating wall after wall, piercing straight through... the entire floor.

Of course, the vengeful man who had raised his sword, decrying the absurdity of this world, had also disappeared.

All the fifth-tier transcendents watching her fell silent.

“This...”

Someone whispered: “Is there an explanation for this?”

“If we must say... the power of the Hydra’s true form projection is indeed formidable.”

“But she just... poured everything into it, didn’t she?”

“Mm...”

“Third-tier?”

“Third-tier.”

Then came a long silence.

In this prolonged silence, amidst the ravaged battlefield, one of the central figures of the event finally appeared.

Leaning on his cane, he stepped over the scattered rubble, approaching the girl sitting slumped on the ground, gasping heavily, a satisfied and radiant smile on his face.

“Well done, Hitana.”

Exhausted and barely aware of her surroundings, Hitana tried to lift her head at the sound, but a warm, soft hand was already on her head, gently stroking.

“Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely perfect.”

Anselm stroked the girl’s soft hair, smiling: “You truly are the best.”

“Heh heh... heh heh heh... Don’t say that, you’ll make me shy.”

Though so exhausted she could hardly move, Hitana’s body instinctively squirmed a bit.

She pressed against Anselm’s thigh, closing her eyes and gently nuzzling: “I should be thanking you, Anselm. This fight was so thrilling! And, and! I learned something new. Once I’ve rested, I’ll show it to you! Oh! Also, Anselm, can you help me name this move?”

The wolf girl rattled off excitedly, and Anselm knelt on one knee beside her, holding her hand, chuckling softly in response.

“But... I’m really exhausted...”

Slumped on the ground, Hitana leaned her head on Anselm’s shoulder, saying weakly: “I feel completely drained, and your true form is too big... It’s stretching me to the point of agony. This move really can’t be used lightly.”

“Rest well when we get back. I’ll have Old Mofur make you a feast.”

“Yay! I want fire dragon meat, and that whatever-cow steak, and... and...”

The girl mumbled on, her voice growing softer until her tired eyes closed completely, leaving only steady breathing.

“Rest well,” Anselm gently kissed Hitana’s forehead, “good girl.”

Behind them, just three or four meters away, Mingfuluo, heavily injured from Conrad’s attack and equally exhausted, was half-sprawled on the ground, barely able to lift her head to see Anselm’s back.

She caught the moment he held Hitana by the waist, tenderly kissing the girl’s forehead.

“...Anselm.”

Her body slightly curled, Mingfuluo struggled to prop herself up with her hands, trying not to look so disheveled: “I...”

“Ah, good to see you’re okay, Mingfuluo.”

Anselm glanced at the petite woman, her forehead and glasses smeared with blood, and said warmly: “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

I froze.

“...Dragging me into this?”

“Yes.”

Anselm gently stroked Hitana, who was fast asleep against his shoulder: “Conrad was my gift to Hitana.”

“She couldn’t find a suitable opponent to fight to her heart’s content, and she carried a desire to make a stunning debut... She hasn’t been very happy staying in the Imperial Capital.”

The young Hydra gazed only at the girl in his arms, his voice incredibly tender:

“So I prepared the best enemy for her, the grandest stage... Everyone will remember this day, and everyone will remember her name.”

Having said this, he glanced at Mingfuluo again, speaking in the same gentle tone: “Sorry for stealing your spotlight. Hm... your choice was pretty good, too. Passable.”

“So...” A complex emotion surged in my heart, my words quickening slightly, “so, it was still to set me up, wasn’t it? Right?”

“Well, about that...”

Anselm thought for a moment, then laughed, saying lightly:

“Just a bonus, I suppose.”

“You did well to figure out the way out I left you, but whether you chose to sacrifice or not, I didn’t really care... After all, you’re bound to take that step eventually.”

Anselm’s tone, though still gentle, was distinctly different from when he spoke to Hitana and I could feel the difference vividly.

“You’re so sure that I’ll eventually... become the ideal monster?”

I whispered.

“What are you talking about, dear Arlo?”

Anselm asked with some surprise, then shook his head with a chuckle: “If I wasn’t sure, why would I make that bet? Betting you’d sacrifice everything for your ideals, betting your ideals would inevitably lead to your destruction in such madness.”

“After all, three years ago...”

“Didn’t you already give me the answer?”

Those gentle words made my limbs turn cold and rigid.

Anselm hoisted Hitana onto his back, standing up without looking back: “You’ve already made your choice, Arlo. Besides, what you need isn’t me.”

“Anselm, wait—”

“Hmm... hmm... Anselm, kissy...” the sleeping girl mumbled coyly.

“...Can’t say no to you.”

“Heh heh...”

The petite woman, half-sprawled on the ground, instinctively reached out toward that retreating figure, but the words she meant to say were choked back by the murmurs of the girl on his back.

Yes, I, Mingfuluo, had passed Anselm’s test.

—I realized that an insurmountable barrier now stood between us.

Just last night, that young, handsome boy had whispered words in my ear that made me tremble with ecstasy.

Now, his eyes held no trace of me.

The man who, during this time, seemed to want to tame me, control me, and care about me in some way... didn’t even want to help me up.

This was more tormenting, more heart-wrenching than any pure indifference, deliberate distance, or mere politeness.

Because it was as if he was saying—

No matter how close we are, no matter how much I need you, no matter how I try to control you, no matter how complex and entangled our relationship is...

I no longer walk with you.

At that moment, an overwhelming sense of loneliness engulfed me.

Followed by fear, fear and—

Not all-consuming, but so vivid, so painful... regret.

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