Chapter 31
Stella was in the deepest part of the underground, freeing most of the slaves.
Everyone who had been enslaved here was either dead or had endured unspeakable horrors.
She didn't want to dwell on what had been happening to them—it made her sick to think about the depravity of others.
How could anyone's mind work in such a twisted way to do this to someone else?
What kind of mercy could be shown to such monsters? There was none.
Opening another cage, Stella freed the remaining slaves. They thanked her profusely before fleeing.
She continued walking until she reached a crossroads with four paths: one behind her, another ahead, and two to the sides.
From the side paths, two men appeared. They looked like twins and were walking toward her with a chilling aura that was far from normal.
"Brother, this is the girl who's been killing our men," said the one on the left.
"She must be skilled to eliminate not just one but all of them," the one on the right remarked.
The left twin smirked and introduced himself. "Beautiful lady, my name is Mir, and this is my brother, Mic." He gestured to his sibling. "How about you tell us your name?"
Before Stella could respond, both men suddenly appeared in front of her and said in unison, "Die for us."
One attacked with normal flames, while the other used blue flames, each sending a punch.
BOOOOM!
The cages around them melted and crumbled from the intense heat, and the ground shook violently.
Stella, however, had already moved to a safe spot.
She smiled calmly. "I stopped liking face-to-face fights a long time ago," she murmured, thinking of her mother.
With a snap of her fingers, purple lightning formed into arrow-like shapes and shot toward the brothers at breakneck speed.
The projectiles zigzagged through the air, destroying everything in their path as the brothers dodged skillfully.
Mic, growing frustrated, spotted an opening and dashed straight toward Stella. She smirked and said, "Rise."
Mic felt an ominous surge of danger. Instinctively, he covered himself in blue flame armor.
From the ground, a massive lightning blade erupted, aiming to stab him in the chest.
Thanks to the defensive boost from his armor, Mic managed to cross his arms in time to block the attack.
BOOM!
He was sent flying. Meanwhile, Mir appeared behind Stella, his fist enveloped in flame, taking the shape of a roaring tiger.
'Tiger Fist,' Mir thought as he launched the attack.
BOOM!
Mir froze in shock. His attack had collided with a lightning shield, leaving Stella unmoved from her position.
It wasn't that the brothers were weak—they were both (C) rank fighters—but Stella had also reached (C) rank, thanks to Alex's Arcane Mana.
Physically, Stella lacked talent.
She couldn't keep up with Alex, Lisa, or even Kevin, who were all naturally gifted warriors.
Instead, she chose the mage path, inspired by her mother.
Her affinity for magic allowed her to focus on controlling mana outwardly, excelling at ranged attacks rather than close combat.
Fighting the twins up close was out of the question.
She knew she would be overwhelmed within minutes.
While Mir was still recovering from his shock, Stella unleashed a lightning bolt combined with her purple lightning arrows, which redirected mid-air to strike his position.
BOOM!
Mir barely escaped, sustaining several injuries.
He looked at Stella warily. Mic, who had regained his footing, realized how difficult it would be to break through Stella's defenses.
Stella activated another technique, summoning a ring of lightning that surrounded her before vanishing.
The brothers exchanged a glance and attacked together.
"Blue Flame Dragon!" shouted Mic.
"Tiger Fist!" Mir roared.
Both launched their most powerful techniques.
The lightning shield shattered after only a few seconds, cracks spreading through the underground chamber as their attacks collided with Stella's defenses.
Just as their attacks were about to connect, Stella transformed into lightning and disappeared, leaving the brothers stunned.
"It's impossible to become lightning itself, even for someone with that element," Mir muttered, realization dawning. "It's a clone!"
Suddenly, Stella's hidden power erupted. She reappeared, holding a massive lightning spear.
With a simple gesture, she sent the spear hurtling toward them at a speed they couldn't match.
Knowing they couldn't dodge in time, the brothers unleashed even stronger techniques.
"Inferno Blue Lotus!"
BOOOOOM!
The underground chamber shook violently.
A massive crater, 20 meters wide and 5 meters deep, formed at the center of the explosion.
Mir lay lifeless, while Mic barely clung to life.
Mic coughed up blood as Stella appeared before him. "How can you chant that fast?" he asked weakly.
"I enhance my body with lightning, which makes the process easier. My last attack required focus, but you two took the bait," Stella replied with a chuckle.
"Are you going to let me live?" Mic asked, his voice filled with despair. He wondered, Who is this woman behind the mask?
Stella shook her head. In a blink, she slashed Mic's head off.
"How could I let you live?" she said coldly.