Chapter 153

The sword-wielding death charges forward.

With each step, fragments of the earth scatter, like an arrow shot in an instant.

It had the shape of a human but was clearly not human.

“Attack!”

“It’s useless.”

Claire urgently commanded, while Ophelia leisurely sneered.

Unless they were high-level mages, it didn’t matter how many gathered.

No, even a high-level mage alone wouldn’t be able to resist and would be slaughtered.

That thing was a superhuman designed to kill mages.

Life force condensed to its extreme.

A body that clearly transcended humanity.

Blessings of anti-magic that repel restraints and curses.

Jin’s sword that severs incoming spells.

A warrior more powerful than anyone present, a calamity in human form, bared its fangs.

Four breaths. Ten steps.

That was all it took to close hundreds of meters.

Before the hastily cast spells could reach their target, Ai-shan Gi-or’s wolf had already arrived amidst the mages.

The stray attack spells dug into the ground in vain.

But no one could spare a glance in that direction.

A growling beast was right before their eyes.

Nightmarish killing intent seeped into everyone’s minds.

The binding spells cast by a few mages shattered before they could even manifest.

Anti-magic.

A blessing of unknown origin, no different from a curse to mages.

“Uh, uh…!”

The unlucky subordinates nearby couldn’t even utter their last words or scream.

A light swing of the blade.

A blue afterimage split the air.

The barrier of magical energy hastily cast by the targeted mage shattered like thin ice under Jin’s sword.

The mage, cleanly split from head to groin, rolled their eyes back.

Their torn clothes revealed a bisected body.

“This can’t be…!”

Simultaneously, a fist strike embedded itself into a knight’s solar plexus.

A speed no ordinary knight could react to.

The steel breastplate crumpled like mud, and the pulverized ribs and spine burst out through the back.

The trembling knight.

The violent shock had already turned the inside of their armor into mush.

Even if struck by an ice spear bare-handed, a person wouldn’t break like that.

The unfortunate knight, without even a single groan, bled out from every orifice and died.

Three swings. Two punches.

And one kick.

Not a single person could withstand a single blow.

“This is… the beast of life force…!”

Claire stepped back in shock.

She had heard Isabella’s warning, but this power was beyond imagination.

In the blink of an eye, six subordinates turned into chunks of meat.

The speed was so fast that to Claire, it seemed like six people exploded simultaneously in a blurry flash.

Flesh exploded like fireworks.

The gushing blood formed a curtain as it poured down.

“Wow.”

Ophelia let out an exclamation of awe.

“Get out here and stop it now!”

Claire screamed like a banshee.

The last card she had prepared just in case.

A means she had hoped not to use, but…

With things like this, she had no choice.

At this rate, her subordinates would be wiped out in less than thirty seconds.

The three carriages Claire had brought.

One carried Claire and one woman, another carried her subordinates.

And the last one…

– Crash!

The carriage shattered, and three knights leaped out.

Knights clad in black iron armor, wielding longswords.

Their faces were hidden by helmets, but all three exuded an intense aura.

“…Masters?”

Like a beast spotting prey, the blood-soaked woman raised her sword again.

—-

“Three master-level knights…? They shouldn’t be forces you can secretly bring in.”

At her younger sister’s slightly trembling, panicked voice, Claire bared her teeth and laughed.

A laugh filled not with joy or mockery, but pure rage.

To borrow those knights from Isabella, she had to promise to attend her ‘banquets’ again.

Those filthy acts she had only experienced twice but felt like they would drive her insane.

They were unofficial masters whose existence was unknown to the Empire.

Isabella’s personal subordinates.

If they hadn’t needed to step in, she could have ended it with just one session… but now, she’d have to endure it three times or more.

Still, thanks to that, she could block Ophelia’s trump card.

‘I thought it was impossible, but she really called Ai-shan Gi-or…’

In Claire’s mind, the conversation she had with Jayden the day before resurfaced.

====[Claire, a day ago.]====

“So, the forces Ophelia can mobilize are just the ones we sent? This should be over easily.”

“Ah, I’m not entirely sure… but there might be one more. From what I know, Miss Ophelia has contacted someone else twice.”

Jayden hesitantly reported.

Jayden was one of Claire’s most trusted spies, tasked with monitoring Ophelia.

It was clear he harbored admiration for Claire.

As long as that feeling didn’t fade, he wouldn’t betray her.

“Someone else? Who?”

“Princess Ai-shan Gi-or. Both times, it was just brief conversations, but just in case…”

“Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or? No, why would such a powerful figure help Ophelia? She only clings to those in power.”

Ordinary people might praise her as the Knight of the Goddess, but upon closer inspection, her actions were consistently power-oriented.

She had the support of the Landenburg Margrave, who ruled the entire east, and had a deep friendship with Duke Pailoon’s daughter, who ruled the north.

She was also on good terms with one of the major demi-human families, the Red Copper bloodline.

She openly approached Prince Leopold, whose influence was growing, and also maintained connections with Princess Leonor, his opposition.

Moreover, she seemed close to Lacey Elmain Staldorf, a saint candidate of the Elpinel Church Order.

Every person she contacted either held immense power or was destined to.

Unless she was power-hungry, there was no reason for such behavior.

“Ophelia, who has nothing but magic, isn’t someone who could be easily dragged into this… right?”

“Could it be part of the 1st Prince’s plan? To extend influence over the Sigmillus family through her… or maybe targeting you, Claire.”

Sigmillus…

The family wasn’t some marquisate or duchy, just a mere count’s family. There was no way a prince would be interested in them… but who knows?

“Even if you kill me, it doesn’t seem like it’ll harm the empress much… I still don’t get it.”

In the end, Claire couldn’t determine whether Ha-shal-leur would join the battle. She couldn’t figure out why Ophelia was siding with her.

Well, how could she have known? Ha-shal-leur was only siding with Ophelia because of her game knowledge.

“Sigh… a Beastman Devourer, huh? If it really shows up, there’s no way we can handle it with our current strength.”

Even if her strength was only half of what the rumors said, mediocre magicians would be torn to shreds.

In the end, Claire had to go to Isabella to borrow the strength needed to stop Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or. No matter the cost she’d have to pay later.

—

*Clang!*

The sharp sound of clashing metal brought Claire back to reality.

Three Black Iron Knights were locked in a fierce battle with Princess Ai-shan Gi-or. The rumors that the Beastman Devourer was comparable to the Empire’s greatest swordsman weren’t exaggerated—even against three masters, the battle was evenly matched.

Their swords, imbued with their respective energies, clashed repeatedly, emitting explosive sounds. The eerie black longswords managed to hold their own against the sharpness of the Jin Eun Sword.

“Kyaaah!”

“…….”

Unlike Ai-shan Gi-or, who roared with every powerful strike, the Black Iron Knights swung their swords silently, without a single shout. To Claire, they seemed oddly out of place.

She didn’t know their exact identities, but it didn’t matter. As long as they bought enough time to deal with Ophelia, that was enough.

Turning her gaze from the masters’ battle, Claire looked at Ophelia, who was still maintaining the barrier. Ophelia’s subordinates were also gathering magical energy, preparing to attack.

Their numbers had decreased slightly, but whether it was one against forty or one against thirty, it was still overwhelming. If they pushed forward, they could win.

“What’s wrong? Did your proud last resort get blocked? Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

“Well, it was supposed to be a secret… Only one person besides me knew about it.”

In a low voice, Ophelia seemed to have guessed who had informed Claire.

Claire gestured to a man standing behind her, calling him to her side. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she proudly showed him to Ophelia.

“…Jayden.”

“That’s right, Jayden was also my spy. Did you really trust him? Well, you two grew up together for over ten years, practically childhood friends.”

In truth, Jayden was the first spy Claire had sent. Ophelia lowered her head.

“Ophelia, how does it feel? Your prized pawns are held back by three masters, and you’re left alone. Your trust in Jayden led to your defeat. How does it feel to be betrayed by the person you trusted the most? Tell me, sister. I’m begging you.”

Claire taunted Ophelia as she gathered magical energy at her fingertips, ready to pierce through the barrier.

“…Bringing three masters, the cost is higher than I thought. Maybe I should’ve sold my body or arms like you did.”

“This is the end…!”

Claire, already stressed about the banquet she’d have to attend later, couldn’t stand her sister’s taunts. Her irritation reached its peak, and she let out a furious roar…

No, she vomited blood.

Blood gushed out of her mouth, staining the ground.

“Cough! Cough…! What’s this…! Blood…? Ugh, cough!”

The thick blood pooled on the ground, turning her purple dress red.

A searing pain, as if her internal organs were melting. Claire’s face turned pale.

‘…Poison?! When did she…!’

Gritting her teeth, Claire forced strength into her trembling legs, trying to steady herself.

Her knees shook weakly, and her back was half-bent from the excruciating pain, but she managed to lift her head and glare at Ophelia.

Her sister, with a triumphant expression, slowly walked toward her.

“You’re so predictable, sister. You cower when things go against you, and as soon as you gain the slightest advantage, you become all smug. Always pretending to be elegant and composed… but scratch the surface, and this is what you get. That’s what they call having a small capacity. If only you’d broadened your horizons even half as much as your lower body, you wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Ophelia laughed, mocking Claire.

“This petty poison…!”

Using the last of her magical energy to cast a detoxification spell, Claire looked around.

She wasn’t the only one poisoned. Her subordinates were also vomiting blood, collapsed on the ground.

About half of them.

Surprisingly, the other half showed no signs of poisoning, perfectly fine. They were panicking, unsure what to do as they watched their comrades writhe in pain.

‘What’s the difference…?’

The poisoned and the unpoisoned. Claire quickly realized the decisive difference between the two.

The subordinates who had come with her in the carriage… and the spies who had been waiting with Ophelia. Only the former were rolling on the ground.

‘Poison. Only us? When, how…!’

“Ah.”

Claire’s eyes widened in shock. There had been only one opportunity to poison her and her subordinates.

The venison stew.

The stew they had all eaten for dinner. If poison had been added there, it explained why only she and her subordinates were poisoned.

And,

*’The one who served the stew for dinner was…!’*

Claire’s head snapped to the right. The culprit who had poisoned them was laughing at her.

“It’s too late, sister.”

At that moment, Jayden’s sword pierced Claire’s side.