Chapter 812

Chapter 812: Dance of Death

Night fell over the unnamed town in the eastern part of the empire.

The thick curtains fluttered in the night breeze, occasionally revealing the faint glow of the night sky through the window glass.

Three girls were sleeping on the bed, their gentle breathing filling the room.

Perhaps because she wasn’t too sleepy, one of the girls wearing a white nightgown opened her eyes and looked at the fluttering curtains. The slight noise woke her up.

Lolan Hill gently pulled back the covers, not disturbing Night Ling who was sleeping soundly beside her, then got up and went to the window. She softly closed the window and locked it. Before leaving, she gazed outside at the night sky for a while. It was currently summer, and the Milky Way was at its most brilliant.

“Can’t sleep?” whispered Bumansa from behind, noticing Lolan Hill after she had gotten up.

“A little.”

“Let’s go out for a walk.” After saying that, Bumansa and Lolan Hill quietly opened the door and stepped out of the warm house.

Outside at night, they could feel a sense of quiet and coolness.

The undulating wilderness faintly appeared under the pale blue starlight. The two sat on a slightly cold stone step, looking at the world during the early hours of the night.

“Lolan has gone through many things these years,” Bumansa asked softly after they had been sitting for a while.

“How did you notice?” The girl tilted her head slightly.

“It’s easy to guess your personality, Lolan,” Bumansa explained slowly.

“In school, although you seemed very calm at first, you would sometimes share interesting stories with everyone and play around.”

“But now, although you still talk with us, you often space out, as if thinking about something far away.”

“If you were worried about yourself, I think the possibility is very low, because you’re not someone weak and insecure.”

“So it’s more likely that you’ve encountered some big problems that are hard to solve.”

“You’re quite insightful, Bumansa. But you’re partly right. Actually, I’m not a very resolute person,” the girl shook her head.

“People always admire those who know a lot, but in fact, knowing something is just knowing. There’s still a long way to go before truly achieving it.”

“I worry and hesitate, unable to make decisions.” Lolan Hill hugged her knees, gazing at the beautiful and vast night sky.

“Tell me about it.”

“This… how do I explain? It’s like suddenly knowing a big secret, but one person can’t solve it alone and needs help from many people.”

“But such actions will bring a lot of trouble. Not everyone understands your plans and concerns, and even I can’t be sure that doing this is 100% correct.”

“It’s hard to ignore such matters, yet worrying about messing up, is that right?” Bumansa analyzed for Lolan Hill.

“Mm-hm.”

“Lolan is so gentle,” Bumansa suddenly said.

“I want to comfort you by saying that it’s hard to determine if something is completely right at the moment of making a choice. Evaluation comes later, not now.”

“But at least, if at that moment, it was a carefully considered choice with deep consideration for future impacts, then it’s a good choice. If that’s the case, go ahead.”

“What if it goes wrong?” Lolan Hill asked herself, already knowing the answer.

“Just apologize and prepare for next time,” Bumansa replied with a smile.

“If it’s Lolan, I believe you can make it work.”

“Really? That’s quite a huge task.” The girl sighed slightly, looking at the starry sky above.

The next day, at the bakery.

“Night Ling, pass me the sugar jar to sprinkle the sugar.”

“Sure~” The dragon girl with horns from the east placed the sugar jar on the table and sprinkled the white granules onto the golden bread rings.

“Lolan, the cake base is ready. Could you shape it?”

“No problem.” The girl picked up the prepared cream and spread it on the fluffy orange cake, rotating it continuously to form a white, tempting cylinder.

Afterwards, Lolan Hill used light pink cream to make rose flowers and decorated the edges of the cake, placing fruits in the middle.

“That should be about it.”

In the morning, the three were busy in the bakery. The large table in the center was filled with neatly arranged cakes and breads.

Things calmed down as noon approached.

“Whew, finally done.” Night Ling leaned against a tall wooden chair, with crumbs and cream still on her apron.

“This is a week’s worth of exercise for me,” she added, emphasizing that she had worked hard today.

“Thank you, Night Ling and Lolan,” Bumansa responded with a laugh.

“Actually, such busy days are rare. Today, Uncle Folen’s daughter in town turned one year old, so we were specially invited and asked to prepare all these pastries in advance.”

In this era, the probability of a commoner’s child surviving to one year old was only about half, which made this occasion particularly joyous.

“Do you want to come with me to deliver the bread and pastries?” After resting for a while, Bumansa stood up and asked.

“I want to sleep.” Night Ling leaned back on the chair, hugging the backrest.

“What about Lolan? Do you want to come with me and see how people gather and celebrate here?” Bumansa came to Lolan Hill and invited her.

“Alright.” Despite being somewhat shy, Lolan Hill agreed to Bumansa’s invitation with a try-it-out attitude.

“Hmm, if Lolan goes, I’ll go too.” Night Ling raised her head, looking at the two.

“Giggles~”

At noon, in a household in the town.

Several large tables were set up in front of the house, with fruits, bread, and a few fried dough rings on them. Dozens of people from the town gathered here, chatting and laughing. Occasionally, someone would take out a hand drum and tap it lightly, dancing to simple tunes.

Among the familiar crowd, the three girls stood out, drawing much curiosity.

“These are my classmates from school,” Bumansa introduced to everyone.

“How beautiful! Are all students from Emanas this beautiful?” a girl from the town admired.

“Actually, Bumansa is also very pretty, but she rarely wears tight-fitting clothes, so people have gradually overlooked her,” a man nearby added.

“Hello, miss, may I invite you to dance?” A neatly dressed young man from the town bent towards Night Ling to invite her.

“No.” The little dragon girl shook her head, sitting on the chair and biting into a piece of bread. Her gaze, however, remained uneasy, tracking Lolan Hill and Bumansa. Though she was powerful, she was still somewhat afraid of unfamiliar social situations.

On the other side, Bumansa stood with Lolan Hill, talking to acquaintances they met.

“Bumansa actually came personally today, quite unusual,” a knight in dark green attire removed his hat and bowed slightly. He appeared to be in his forties, with a lean and healthy build.

“Is Morgan uncle here too?” Bumansa returned the bow and curiously asked.

Morgan, the lord of this town, usually stayed in his residence and rarely went out.

“Sometimes, when he feels like it, he comes out to move around,” though Bumansa had no rank and was just a baker, Morgan treated her with respect.

As a low-ranking minor noble of the empire, he might not have seen many great figures, but he was not ignorant like the townspeople. Bumansa graduating from Emanas and winning the championship at school hinted at her terrifying strength, which he couldn’t measure. Even without any rank, he wouldn’t underestimate such a genius.

After a brief exchange, Bumansa and Lolan Hill moved to sit by the wall, watching the scene of people laughing and dancing in the open area.

This coastal town near the eastern part of the empire was peaceful and tranquil, with the locals leading simple lives.

The afternoon sun shone on the wall, and a gray-and-white cat meowed and walked over, rubbing against Bumansa’s leg and continuing to meow.

“Here.” Taking a small piece of bacon, Bumansa gave it to the cat, stroking its head before letting it run off.

“I want to pet it too.” Night Ling sat next to Lolan Hill, bending down to look at the running cat, her hair falling down her waist.

“It will come back once it finishes eating.”

The three sat in the shade of the wall, occasionally responding to greetings and watching the gathering.

“Big sister,” a teenage boy wearing a shirt approached. He looked to be around 17-18 years old, very healthy.

“It’s Fran,” Bumansa nodded and introduced to Lolan Hill.

“This is my younger brother, Fran.”

Unlike Bumansa’s unparalleled talent, Fran was more like a typical young man from a small town. He now studied arithmetic and writing at a private academy in Dragon Peak Port, and occasionally helped at the port during holidays to earn money.

As Fran approached, he noticed his sister’s companion, a noble lady in a well-fitted light red dress, standing out among the ordinary townspeople.

Her swan-like neck, snow-white skin, and dreamlike beauty were more stunning than the legitimate daughter of a great noble, captivating anyone who saw her.

However, his gaze was quickly interrupted by his own sister, who gave him a stern look, reminding him of her formidable presence. Thus, he had no choice but to shift his focus to another girl with dragon horns, a rare beauty.

“She’s also pretty, could she be one of sister’s classmates? But why is she so young, looking younger than me.”

Before he could ponder further, Bumansa, with what seemed like a gentle but firm grip, held his arm and made him stand properly to greet.

“Is this Bumansa’s younger brother? Looks like it,” Lolan Hill curiously examined the boy, comparing their appearances.

Due to inheriting the same genes from their parents, their faces had some similarities, but Fran, living in Dragon Peak Port, dressed more in line with urban youth, making him stand out more.

It wasn’t that Bumansa was unattractive; it was just that her plain clothes hid her beauty.

“I’m your sister’s roommate and classmate, so you should call me sister too,” Night Ling suddenly remembered something and stood up proudly.

“Uh, okay, Night Ling sister.” Looking at the girl slightly shorter than him, Fran reluctantly called out.

“Haha, such a good kid. Here, take this.” Night Ling didn’t hold back, taking out a beautiful pearl and handing it to Fran. She had brought plenty of these from the Pearl Islands and didn’t mind giving them away.

“Thank you, Night Ling sister.” Seeing a pearl worth several gold coins, Fran, the poor boy, was delighted and called her naturally.

Watching Fran excitedly leave, Bumansa shook her head, muttering “stupid little brother,” and paid no more attention.

After spending the noon gathering at this household, they returned to the quiet bakery. They took a short nap in the back room and only came out for a walk when the weather cooled down.

The three walked through the mountains and fields, admiring the scenery of the small town.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t practiced swordsmanship in a long time. Can Lolan accompany me?”

Since graduation, Bumansa hadn’t seriously fought, and now finding a match close to her level, she couldn’t help but want to test her skills. She entered Emanas to find her limits, not wanting to face this issue again after graduation.

“Sure.” The girl smiled in response, and the three headed to a secluded forest.

Tall birch trees stretched into the sky, with piles of yellow leaves below. This was the outskirts of the town, seldom visited, perfect for practice.

“Go for it, Lolan sister, Bumansa sister.”

Night Ling stood aside as the referee, while Bumansa and Lolan Hill faced each other with wooden swords.

“Then, let’s begin.”

With those words, Bumansa gracefully stepped forward with her wooden sword. Despite the ground covered with fallen leaves, her footsteps made no sound.

A faint green light flickered at the tip of her sword, ready to strike. Her figure transformed into a shadow, instantly manifesting nine figures, each appearing real, easily surrounding the slender girl in the center.

Nature Sequence 7: Thousand Blossoms Sword (Evaluation: Perfect Crystal Grade)

Lolan Hill blinked, seeing the system’s high evaluation. Even at Sequence 7, Bumansa’s current strength could match most Sequence 8 users. She was the strongest ordinary person Lolan had seen besides the Witch. Even the Witch would consider Bumansa’s talent remarkable.

She couldn’t hold back anymore. Lolan Hill’s eyes suddenly sparkled, and her figure transformed into a deep blue phantom, escaping from the fleeting sword light and flying into the high forest.

Deep blue flames rose from her wooden sword, enveloping it and etching glowing butterfly patterns. Lolan Hill swiftly moved through the woods.

Bumansa’s nine shadowy figures swung green sword lights, instantly flooding the entire forest.

Leaves and branches fell everywhere. The entire birch forest was cut down, revealing a nearly 600-meter diameter clearing, with smooth stump surfaces scattered among the fallen trees.

“Frightening Bumansa sister,” Night Ling murmured, watching the forest change in an instant, praying Lolan Hill wouldn’t get hurt in this battle.

Compared to the past, ten years later, Bumansa was even more terrifying. Her power was now under control, without hesitation, cutting down the expansive forest by the town boundary without fear of consequences. Clearly, she was serious about this match.

In the air, pairs of splendid and vivid butterfly wings unfolded from Bumansa’s back. The nine figures flew together toward the sky, resembling nine emerald shooting stars rising simultaneously.

This was serious.

Lolan Hill watched Bumansa, feeling a mix of emotions, then glanced at her status panel.

Necromancer Sequence 6: Deep Blue Song Demon (Evaluation: Perfect Crystal Grade)

Although the evaluation was the same as Bumansa’s, she reached this level with the aid of a fragmented crown and power, unlike Bumansa, who relied solely on her innate talent and strength. Indeed, sleeping too much does delay progress, just like in the race between the tortoise and the hare, the lazy rabbit doesn’t necessarily win.

In the sky, the figure with green butterfly wings raised her hand, and several wooden swords floated up. They split apart in the air, transforming into fine fiber-like wood threads, which then scattered like needles, rushing down like a fierce wind towards the girl below.

Everything hit by the falling wood, tree trunks, stones, insects, debris, or soil, was sliced into fine strands by the needle-like wind. The world seemed to be swept by a laser, separating into two-dimensional, elongated fragments.

Night Ling clung to a small tree, trembling.

“Too scary.”

The world seemed to tear a beautiful painting into countless pieces, randomly stacking them together, with no recognizable shapes anywhere.

Previously scattered leaves and stumps were now completely cleared, cleaner than after a hurricane. The land was also thoroughly plowed. The training ground was now ready.

In the vast open field, Lolan Hill stood still. Her hair had returned to silver, her body ethereal, floating in the air like water waves, allowing her to survive the cutting storm.

“Necromancer Sequence? Lolan changed again,” Bumansa remarked in the sky, as the nine figures merged back into one. Emerald magic flames began to boil on the butterfly wings behind her.

A giant emerald bow appeared in front of her, a crystallized weapon formed from condensed magic energy, summoning the sky’s wind.

Next, crimson petals gathered, forming a dazzling red arrow on the bowstring. The extraordinary techniques of the Elves were maximized by this girl.

A delicate and light incantation echoed in the sky, as Bumansa chanted, countless magic imprints etched into the deep red arrow, which emitted increasingly sharp, unavoidable power.

Looking up at the spectacle, Lolan Hill descended from the sky, landing barefoot on the soft, clean soil. She closed her eyes, singing an ancient melody, then danced lightly on the ground, reminiscent of a witch from the East.

Originally empty ground started to emit ghostly blue sand, which gathered and moved with her dance, like floating ribbons, ethereal and dreamy.

In the sky, the red bow became more intense, while on the ground, the blue sand grew darker.

Suddenly, red light flashed in the sky. The deep red arrow tore through the dusk sky, piercing the atmosphere instantly, striking the dancing girl through the chest and embedding itself in the ground.

Just as the arrow pierced the girl, her dreamlike dance completed. The ghostly blue sand traced a complex pattern on the ground, as if completing a ritual, flashing a faint blue light.

Bumansa felt her heart constrict tightly, then explode, blood spurting from her mouth, soul shattering in pain, falling from the sky.

“It’s over, who should we save first?” Night Ling, seeing Lolan on the ground and Bumansa falling from the sky, panicked, transforming into a dragon and carrying the two into the deep mountains under the night sky.

Fortunately, neither was ordinary, and despite severe injuries beyond human capacity, they wouldn’t die. However, Lolan Hill would need to lie in bed with Bumansa for several days.

(So ends Chapter 812)