The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 175
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 175
“Call Luca!”
Rita shouted urgently, then raised her revolver loaded with transfer bullets.
Gid wrapped his arms around her and deflected the King’s massive sword while operating the communicator with his other hand. She extended the muzzle over his arm.
The golden bullet soared upward with a string trailing behind it like a tail.
The bullet that had been flying in a straight line suddenly spun around like it had made a deal with the devil the moment the string became taut, turning 180 degrees and beginning to return toward Lillieta. More precisely, toward the contract bullet embedded beneath her feet.
As it curved, the Ode string caught on the heart flower held in one of the Red Queen’s two right hands. The flower entangled in the string was hooked and pulled back toward where the transfer bullet had been fired from.
The Red Queen couldn’t react to the bullet’s supersonic speed.
Kiiiiaaak?
The face that had lost its heart flower flailed its empty hand helplessly. The other face, which had still been waving its flower and pouring out card soldiers, widened its eyes in surprise.
The stolen heart flower fell gracefully through the air as the string loosened during the bullet’s return journey.
Bang, bang, bang—continuous explosions erupted as beams of light pierced through that bizarre and enormous flower.
Lillieta’s magic bullets, which she had prepared immediately after firing the transfer bullet, launched in succession and painted the night sky. Golden trajectories pierced through the falling heart flower and exploded.
Twelve explosive bullets, just like when she had shot the Mimic. But unlike then, Rita didn’t get a nosebleed.
Rather than creating and maintaining explosive bullets while performing other actions, she had simply fired bullets that had been stored in Silvergrass’s chamber.
The flower, torn to shreds like a honeycomb, crumbled and disappeared in midair. Just like the crown’s jewels that had shattered earlier.
The flower that would have instantly regenerated if it had remained in the queen’s grasp completely vanished when it exploded after being separated from her grip.
‘This should be similar to that time. When Luca bit and ran away with the heart flower to prevent card soldier summoning, then chewed it up.’
Kiiiiiiaaaaaak!
The most chilling and longest scream yet burst from the face that had lost its heart flower. The other face on the opposite side showed an expression of rage.
At that horrible sound, the summoned creature carrying Wolf swayed like a bird caught in a storm. While Wolf was flustered, Isaiah must have taken control as the summoned creature regained its balance and moved away from the Red Queen.
One face of the queen, completely unhinged, stretched its arm long toward Lillieta. The other face actively cooperated as dark red flames explosively shot up from beneath the Red Queen’s skirt.
The massive hot air balloon-like body rapidly approached. Like a meteor crashing to earth.
Gid, who had been deflecting the King’s sword, immediately scooped up Rita and leaped into the air upon seeing this. Rita automatically fired formation bullets in the direction he was heading.
The queen’s hand clawed at empty air. The roof where they had been was half-destroyed.
Kiiiiiiaaaa!
With sounds that seemed to have lost all reason to rage, the Red Queen began chasing Lillieta even more frantically than before. Abandoning even the card soldiers, King, and Jack she had summoned herself.
Following its trajectory, paper lanterns burst, tore, and disappeared. The demon beast erased the lights of wishes as it gave chase.
The King looked up at the Red Queen flying toward Rita with a pale face, twitched his mustache-covered lips, then began following by leaping heavily across rooftops.
However, the Jack who had jumped down into the alley didn’t follow them and simply disappeared. Rita continued firing formation bullets while checking their reactions.
‘That momentum was serious. The Special Agents alone won’t be enough—Luca needs to stop that thing properly.’
Moreover, the source of the attack that had suddenly struck and drawn the Red Queen’s blood was also suspicious.
She hadn’t directly seen the moment of attack since she was creating footholds, but judging by the wound left on the demon beast’s forearm, it felt like cannon fire.
‘Could it be Pascal? Since Gid communicated about it earlier, Is or Ethan will check it out.’
Though she was worried about various things, since she and Gid had decided to focus on the Red Queen, she stopped thinking there. She trusted and left it to her comrades.
The tall outer wall of Lamcard Arena drew near. Rita fired formation bullets in succession like stairs, shooting them high. Stepping on them as he crossed the night sky, Gid finally landed on the arena’s outer wall.
Rita whispered quickly to him.
“I’ve almost used up all my formation bullets.”
“Perfect timing for our arrival.”
Gid grinned and descended the sloped viewing stands at a speed no different from sliding. Toward the center of the vast, empty arena.
He set Lillieta down there and gripped his sword with both hands.
Soon after, bloodshot eyes so red they seemed ready to bleed protruded from beyond the top of the arena’s outer wall.
The Red Queen grabbed and clawed at the top of the arena with the hand that had become empty after losing its heart flower, climbing over and entering Lamcard Arena.
The moment that massive body’s dress hem completely entered the arena’s interior. The moment the King who had been chasing the queen climbed atop the arena’s outer wall.
Gid plunged his sword into the center of the arena.
Pitch-black Ode spread out like waves, covering the vast arena. The space he would rule was defined.
Domain Control.
The Red Queen’s massive form, which had been floating leisurely above the viewing stands, sank downward. Growing slower and drooping as if crushed by weight, it crashed down, crushing the viewing stands.
Kyaaaaaaak!
The Red Queen, slammed into the ground, let out a rage-filled roar. Her massive sword wildly struck the viewing stands while her empty hand crushed the arena floor like cookies.
As the queen raised her head, what appeared in her eyes was the crimson burning twilight.
* * *
June 27th, 1770, evening.
Lavinia del Aiser Duirebourg experienced the greatest terror of her life.
Along with the chilling roars of a horrifying monster, she frantically evacuated with Annemarie under the Royal Guard’s guidance from the shaking building.
Unlike with the Kraken, which had been semi-forcibly immobilized by the Crown Prince’s peculiar technique, the process of running away on her own feet raised her heart rate and made her breathe heavily.
This situation, where she had to flee directly, was inevitably more frightening than that time when she had just watched from afar with less sense of reality.
That fear was maximized when she caught a glimpse of the monster so enormous it could look down on the dome roof while following the Royal Guard through the back door of Laurea Hall.
More than the giant octopus monster, this thing that resembled a human but was twisted and grotesque, wearing something like a dress and even a crown while letting out roars like a woman’s laughter, was far more terrifying.
The octopus monster at least felt like it fell within the realm of imagination since it seemed monster-like, but she had never even imagined such a creature.
Thanks to Annemarie gripping her hand tightly, Lavinia barely managed not to scream.
The Royal Guard guided the nobles to a building with complex magic circles installed in a corner of the Imperial Palace. It seemed to be an indoor training hall originally used for Royal Guard training.
Empress Ophelia calmly soothed them in their panic. This place was safe, so they shouldn’t worry. Soon the Crown Prince and the Special Knight Order would end the situation, so they just needed to wait.
Lavinia sat close to Annemarie, trembling, when she recalled what Lillieta had shared like interesting gossip at her tea party.
Things like the Kraken are called demon beasts, distinguished from monsters, and exactly what they are will soon be announced by His Highness the Crown Prince. Ordinary mages or knights cannot fight demon beasts. To fight demon beasts, one must…
This was followed by memories of the reddish-brown haired man who had taken the podium at Lamcard Arena’s martial tournament opening ceremony to explain about Contractors.
‘One must make something called a contract to fight demon beasts without being corrupted…’
Lavinia had believed in “Teacher Rita’s” words like gospel even before winning the shooting competition, but after her victory, she believed them even more firmly. Having directly witnessed monsters being corrupted and transformed by demon beasts at the opening ceremony, she thought there was no room for doubt.
However, even after seeing that spectacle, there were those who couldn’t believe that humans could also be corrupted. They denied it because they had never actually experienced corruption.
Among them, powerful mages and knights, those with experience defeating countless monsters, couldn’t believe it even more due to their confidence in their own abilities.
We’re powerless against demon beasts? We can even become demon beasts just by touching them?
That demon beast thing seemed just like a variant of monsters, right? We can handle mere monsters well enough. We’ve killed hundreds of them. Do they really have such abilities?
Isn’t this a play the Crown Prince staged to elevate the Special Knight Order and secure legitimacy for a new military organization? Isn’t this a scheme to ignore and intimidate existing knights and mages?
Those who fell into such thinking didn’t believe that humans could be corrupted by demon beasts. They didn’t believe the Crown Prince’s one-sided demonstration either. This was especially true for those who were overconfident in themselves or close to the Duke’s faction.
Unfortunately, Knight Pabein fell into both categories. Because his lord supported the Duke.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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