"Eh!?"
Emilia froze instinctively, her steps coming to an abrupt halt.
At that moment, a glint of cold malice flashed in the eyes of the badly injured, dying little girl. She suddenly pulled a dagger from her clothes, flipped over with astonishing agility, and aimed a stab directly at Emilia's heart!
The speed and precision of her movements were nothing like her previous injured state. The dagger moved like lightning, and before Emilia could react, the girl was already less than a meter away.
In the sunlight, the sharp dagger glinted with a sinister gleam. The blade was smeared with a half-coagulated black liquid—clearly poisoned.
Just as it seemed Emilia would fall victim to this ambush, a black figure shot out from the side like a bolt of dark lightning and placed itself between Emilia and the attacker.
Clang!
With a piercing sound and a shower of sparks, the two figures immediately separated. One of them was, of course, the little girl. The other was none other than Elsa.
The little girl, her face twisted with malicious intent, glared viciously at Elsa.
"Not bad. I thought the people in this mansion were all fools. I didn't expect someone like you to be here," she said, casting a disdainful glance at Emilia.
Emilia's expression grew downcast as she realized how reckless she had been.
On the other side, Elsa spoke up.
"I didn't expect to meet someone as strong as you. I wonder what your intestines are like," Elsa said, licking her lips. Her already tempting red lips now glistened even more, adding an even more lurid sheen.
The little girl's eyes flashed with confusion.
"I'm curious. How did you figure it out? My authority allows me to perfectly mimic my target's appearance, voice, and even scent. I shouldn't have left any flaws."
She was genuinely puzzled. Ever since she had mastered this Transmutation and Transfiguration authority, it had been foolproof, especially for assassination. No one had ever seen through it—until today.
"Of course, it was your scent! Not the smell of your body, but the scent of your soul. Physical smells can be washed away, but the scent of the soul lingers forever. Your soul reeks of the stench of blood, soaked in the lives of hundreds or thousands you've killed! We're the same kind, and the moment you appeared, I caught that scent!"
Elsa said with a bloodthirsty grin.
This seductive killer loved nothing more than slicing open the bellies of strong opponents to see what their intestines looked like.
"I see. I'll have to be more careful in the future," the little girl smiled slightly.
"There's no point in keeping this form anymore."
A bright white light enveloped the little girl, and when it faded, she had transformed into a loli blonde woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Felt.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Capella Emerada Lugunica, Archbishop of Lust."
Capella's face twisted into a grotesque grin.
"And I am Elsa Granhiert, a slave to Ryou-sama," Elsa responded with a smile that radiated the allure of a mature woman.
Capella and even Emilia behind Elsa were stunned by this unexpected admission.
In that brief moment of distraction, Elsa's pupils suddenly shifted into vertical slits, like those of a snake.
A flash of white light streaked by.
A shallow but precise wound appeared on Capella's abdomen, and dark red, scalding blood began to gush out, splattering onto Elsa's arms, face, and exposed chest.
"You bitch! I swear I'll turn you into a female dog and make you mate with a male dog until you die!"
Capella screamed in rage.
Moments earlier, an alarm had gone off in her mind, causing her to instinctively step back. This reflex had saved her from being gutted by Elsa.
Her threats were no idle boasts. Capella's authority of Lust allowed her to transform herself or others into any creature, from giant dragons to insects. If Elsa fell into her hands, she would undoubtedly suffer this fate.
Elsa, still smiling sweetly, licked her lips again.
"What a shame, I'm already Ryou-sama's female dog."
"You shameless woman! Enjoy your arrogance while you can!"
Capella's voice dripped with malice.
Elsa immediately became alert.
"Take a look at your hand and chest, you filthy wretch!"
Capella laughed triumphantly.
Elsa, wary of a sneak attack, quickly glanced down at her body. A shadow fell over her eyes.
The skin where Capella's blood had touched her had turned charred black, and the blackened flesh was spreading. A searing, unbearable pain began to rise from the affected areas and swiftly spread throughout her body.
"Ugh!"
Elsa let out a stifled groan of pain.
Besides her transformation ability, Capella's dragon blood could corrode enemies, subjecting them to the same long, excruciating burning agony she herself endured.
Capella's face lit up with a sadistic grin as she lunged at Elsa with her dagger.
Elsa, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain of the dragon blood's corrosion, tightened her grip on her twin knives and faced Capella head-on.
Watching anxiously from the side, Emilia raised her hand several times, trying to use her spirit arts, but the two were locked in a deadly struggle, and Emilia feared accidentally harming Elsa. She could only stand there, helpless.
Capella and Elsa were both speed-based assassins, making their battle one of deadly precision. A single moment of weakness could mean instant death.
However, the fight was also a visual spectacle. Both combatants were beauties, their revealing outfits adding a strange allure to their deadly dance. Knives flashed by slender necks, missing by mere millimeters, while blades skimmed over heaving chests, just barely avoiding fatal wounds.
Such a fast-paced, high-stakes battle couldn't last long. In less than a minute, the outcome was decided.
The victor was Capella Emerada Lugunica, Archbishop of Lust. Despite Elsa's audacious words catching her off guard, Capella—though the weakest of the Archbishops and one of the least suited for direct combat—still had the advantage of the Witch's Factor. Her physical abilities far surpassed those of a normal person, and her dragon blood inflicted additional damage on Elsa with every wound.
Simply put, Capella was like a high-speed, high-damage assassin with a built-in counterattack mechanism. Even though Elsa, with her vampire specs, had superior regeneration and speed, she was no match.
Capella seized a moment when Elsa hesitated from the pain of the dragon blood, slapped aside her twin knives, and severed the tendons in Elsa's hand with her dagger. Then, taking advantage of Elsa's twisted, pained movements, Capella drove her dagger into Elsa's abdomen, dragging it upward with a vicious pull. A spinning kick sent Elsa flying into the fountain.
Elsa collapsed like a ragdoll against the broken fountain statue, her previous grace and allure completely gone. Her black dress was torn to shreds, and large patches of her once-pale skin had turned charred black from the dragon blood's corrosion.
The most severe injury was the gash stretching from her abdomen to her shoulder. The wound ran from her smooth belly to her rounded left shoulder, even slicing off part of her left breast. The slash had nearly bisected her, exposing her muscles and internal organs, including her still-beating heart.
Capella's hatred for Elsa was clear.
Fortunately for Elsa, the dagger hadn't penetrated deep enough to damage her internal organs, and thanks to her vampire-like formidable vitality, she might survive with treatment—assuming Capella didn't finish her off first.
But it was clear that Capella didn't just want to kill Elsa; she wanted to torment her first.
As Capella advanced on the incapacitated Elsa, several ice spears shot toward her. With a casual wave of her hand, Capella deflected the spears, but Emilia had already placed herself between Elsa and Capella.
"Oh, so the vase hasn't run away yet. Perfect. I'll sever your tendons and sell you to a brothel. The whole kingdom would be so proud to see one of the royal candidates reduced to a common prostitute, wouldn't they? Hahaha!"
For her, humiliating the kingdom of Lugunica was the greatest pleasure.
Emilia, her face set with determination, said nothing. She continued to summon ice spears and shards, but Capella easily deflected them all.
"Miss, you can't beat her! Run!"
Elsa shouted, struggling through her pain.
"No!"
Emilia stubbornly stood her ground in front of Elsa, refusing to retreat.
Elsa was taken aback for a moment, then smiled bitterly.
"The master was right about you. You are hopelessly kind."
Emilia returned the smile.
"It's my only good trait."
Though Elsa had killed Emilia countless times in parallel universes, in this world, Emilia stood before her, protecting her. Fate worked in mysterious ways.
Capella, feeling ignored, was furious.
"What the hell are you two doing? Putting on a melodrama in front of me? I'll make sure to finish you both!"
Capella's eyes glinted with a savage light as she launched herself at Emilia, moving like a bolt of lightning.
"Watch out!"
Elsa, unable to move, could only shout a warning.
Emilia quickly fired more ice spears at Capella, raising an ice wall in front of herself, hoping to at least slow her down.
Capella easily dodges the spears with a few agile, snake-like movements. She then veered around to Emilia's side, her dagger drawn back like a taut bowstring, ready to strike.
The dagger flashed in the sunlight, aiming straight for Emilia's slender, delicate neck.
Capella was too fast. If Puck had been there, Emilia might have been able to block the attack, but on her own, she was defenseless. By the time Emilia realized what was happening, the dagger was only millimeters from her throat.
Just then, a voice filled with pride and authority echoed in the air.
"How dare you act so recklessly on my territory!"
A purple magic shield suddenly appeared in front of Emilia, separating her from Capella.
Clang!
The dagger struck the shield with a sharp metallic sound, sending ripples across the shield's surface. Despite its thin appearance, the purple shield held firm, blocking Capella's seemingly unstoppable attack.
"Damn it!"
Capella cursed through gritted teeth and immediately tried to retreat.
But before she could even take more than half a step, a blinding white light enveloped her.
Capella suddenly felt the world spin around her. She had been teleported into midair.
Without a foothold, her speed and agility were useless. She tried to transform into an insect to escape, but to her shock, the air around her had turned solid, trapping her in place.
"Die," the regal voice commanded.
In the next moment, a massive purple beam shot out from the statue hovering above the mansion.
The beam of pure magic obliterated everything in its path, and before Capella could even scream, the Archbishop of Lust was reduced to nothing but ashes.