The demon grumbled incessantly, complaining until she had said all she wanted, then stopped and chided herself with a laugh.
"Tsk tsk… I didn't expect to see daylight again so soon… Wait, there's no sun here…"
"Ahem~ Let me try again."
"Mm… Sigh… I didn't expect that after just recovering my body, I'd have to leave immediately…"
Seeing that the demon had finished speaking, Ying, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them at the opportune moment and spoke calmly.
"It seems you've made your choice."
"Mm."
The demon flew into mid-air, her expression dejected, and said, "Hurry up. After you strike me down, remember to send the host back properly."
"Alright."
Ying softly agreed, picked up the long saber in her hand, aimed it at the floating demon, and began to chant.
A moment later, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, striking the demon with a loud bang.
The demon groaned in pain a few times, then turned into a speck of light and vanished from the spot…
Ahem~ Okay, I'm just kidding.
As the lightning approached her, the demon closed her eyes tightly in fear. Although she didn't regret her choice, the terror of imminent death was something she had deeply experienced once before.
"Speaking of which, the host must have gone through much more of this terrifying experience than I have…"
"Seriously, I don't know what the host was thinking. She inherited all her personality traits from me, yet she didn't share even a bit with me, forcing me to feel fear at the last moment…"
……………………
"Uh… why haven't I felt any pain yet? Could it be that it was too fast, so I haven't had time to react before turning into dust?"
"Does dust talk where you come from?"
A familiar voice reached her ears, causing the demon to snap her eyes open and look behind her in surprise.
Her eyes, which had lost their luster, now shone with captivating beauty once more.
The person now in her sight, who had blocked the fatal blow for her, filled her with both surprise and joy, and she couldn't help but cry out excitedly.
"Host!"
"Host, you're finally awake, boohoo… I thought I was going to die again. (t^t)"
Hearing the demon's tearful and aggrieved cry, Ying shook her head, slightly tightened her grip on the sword, and deflected the lightning bolt. She then gently stroked the demon's head and comforted her.
"There, there…"
Ying's sudden awakening surprised Ying, but she quickly came to terms with it, a slight smile curling on her lips.
"Your previous act of taking the attack head-on for no reason clearly had a plan behind it."
"After all, I wouldn't challenge you without any preparation, nor would I make such a foolish mistake of rushing in and leading the demon to her death."
Ying said confidently. She had heard the entire conversation between the two. Looking at the demon again, her already high affection for her increased even further. In front of Ying, she couldn't help but ruffle the demon's hair again and tease her with a smile.
"Oh my, I never expected that pretending to be unconscious would allow me to hear such touching words, and it even bought us so much time. It was totally worth it."
"Nani?!"
Upon hearing this, the demon exclaimed, then angrily raised her small fists and pounded Ying's chest repeatedly.
"You wicked host! I was so scared just now, and you were resting nearby while she was bullying me?! If I had known, I should have just run away!!"
"Calm down, calm down~ I was just trying to increase our chances of victory."
Ying quickly tried to make amends, but this explanation didn't win the demon over. She asked suspiciously.
"So, what's the success rate now?"
At this, Ying also looked at Ying's face with some curiosity. She didn't mind wasting a bit more time with these two interesting individuals. Honestly, being alone in this small dark room could make even an immortal feel a bit lonely at times.
"Uh… well…"
Ying scratched her cheek sheepishly, her voice lacking confidence.
"Not… not much. It's just gone from zero percent to fifty percent. After all, it's either win or lose."
Demon: …………
"This fifty percent is a bit different from what I imagined…"
Ying nodded in agreement.
"Yes, in a way, that's true."
The demon pouted.
"True… my foot! If that's the case, then an ordinary person could be evenly matched with you!"
Seeing that the demon had recovered her usual spirit, Ying felt relieved. She pulled the demon behind her and said to Ying.
"Hey, let her go. This is a battle between the two of us."
Ying shook her head without directly answering Ying's request. She moved instantly, disappearing from her sight.
Ying's figure also vanished from her spot the next second, and the two clashed immediately.
……………………
"Bang~ Boom~ Clang…"
Crisp metallic clangs and dull thuds echoed continuously.
In this dim room, their figures darted back and forth. Every collision sent sparks flying, and after each rebound, they would re-engage.
"Crack… Crack… Crack…"
Under Ying's terrifying strength and powerful weapon, Ying's silver sword was constantly being cut. Fortunately, she had scavenged many of these weapons along the way, and for every one that broke, she could immediately produce a new silver sword.
"Bang!"
They collided again, locked in a struggle. Ying clearly felt the opponent's strength, which had not recovered much, weaken further.
The sensation of elemental energy being siphoned away was still present, but despite her condition being worse than before, Ying wondered where she found the confidence to be so self-assured…
Ying was deeply puzzled and decided to probe. She spoke in a cold tone.
"You agreed to let her go earlier because you intended to die in her place."
Her meaning was quite clear, and Ying immediately understood.
So, she's unwilling…
Fine, if she's unwilling, then I'll fight for it myself.
With that thought, Ying refocused her attention.
Hang in there, the energy hasn't accumulated enough yet. I need her to make a mistake, just one mistake…
"Bang!"
While deep in thought, they collided again. Suddenly, a faint cracking sound was heard, and a thin crack spread from the point where Ying's sword met the hilt.
"Crack!"
The next second, the silver longsword was instantly split in two. Ying's expression changed drastically. This sword broke much faster than she had anticipated. Her body instinctively retreated rapidly, but it was still half a step too late.
"Puchi————"
Accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric, a dazzling crimson sprayed into the air…