After strolling through the mall for nearly two hours, Liliya and her group finally left.
Liliya, having purchased five outfits, now wore a white blouse paired with a black vest, along with a black skirt and black stockings.
Absolutely stunning...
-
"Look, there's a fruit stand up ahead. Let's stop by and get some fresh fruits!"
They took a few steps forward. Liliya had spotted the stand from a distance and noticed many unfamiliar fruits. Curiosity drew her closer.
"Let's go."
The three of them walked over and began selecting fruits...
"Cellinia... Wait, that's you, isn't it?"
As Liliya was about to pay, a sudden voice caught her attention.
Liliya and Rozaliya both turned to see who it was. A graying-haired girl with...carrot-like? donkey-like?...ears approached, carrying a giant hammer over her shoulder. Behind her followed four soldiers, each with dog-like ears and tails.
"Lady...Savage"
Cellinia, upon seeing the approaching girl, couldn't help but take a few steps back.
"Cellinia, I can't believe you're still alive! I thought the entire Texas family had been wiped out! To think you've survived all this time."
"How have you been? Been getting on well recently?" The donkey? eared girl spoke as she casually set down her hammer from her shoulder onto the ground. The impact made the earth seem to tremble slightly.
"I've been alright... I've found someone I can follow, and my masters have been very kind to me!" Cellinia replied, glancing at Liliya and Rozaliya standing beside her.
"Are these them? Two strange little girls!" The donkey-eared girl stared at Liliya and Rozaliya, her smile enigmatic.
"Lady Rozaliya, Lady Liliya, this is the queen's cousin... Lady Savage," Cellinia hastily introduced the donkey-eared girl to the twins.
"Savage..." What a peculiar name, almost like a code name.
Liliya didn't dwell on it; such names weren't uncommon in ancient times when many people only had symbols or pet names.
At least it's better than names like 'Dog Egg' or 'Dimwit'... those kinds of things...
"Hello, Lady Savage! I'm Liliya, and this is my sister, Rozaliya. Nice to meet you!"
Though aware she was the queen's cousin, they saw no need to curry favor. Their attitude remained remarkably calm.
"To have Cellinia follow you, you must be quite strong, right? Come on, let's have a match! After we're done, you'll be my friends."
Savage picked up her hammer, looking excitedly at Liliya and Rozaliya.
"Huh?" Liliya was taken aback by this.
"You've got Texas' little miss following you—don't show any weakness now! I'll look down on you if you do."
Timed Mission: The Challenge
Mission Requirement: Accept Savage's challenge and defeat her with absolute strength.
Mission Reward: Each Twin's rank +1, 5 Crystals
"Fine! Where do you want to fight?"
Liliya had no more grounds to reject it and accepted the challenge.
"There's too many people here. Let's go to the outskirts!"
"You lead the way."
Liliya and Rozaliya had no objections.
"Lady Liliya, Savage's strength is formidable, especially in close combat, but she's still far outmatched compared to you. Just... I hope Lady Liliya and Lady Rozaliya might consider holding back a bit," Cellinia said, approaching Liliya. "Savage, truly... she's not inherently evil."
"I understand. Don't worry, I'll keep that in mind!"
Although this donkey? Eared girl's temper was a bit fiery, one could indeed sense that she wasn't a malicious person.
-
They arrived at the outskirts, a vast expanse of grassland stretching beside the royal capital.
"This is it. Let's begin... I want to see for myself how formidable the hero accompanied by Cellinia truly is!" The Savage held her long hammer, its head not large but the shaft nearly six feet in length.
"Valkyrie Liliya, the Blueberry Blitz, honors your challenge," Liliya declared, stepping forward to face the Savage alone.
Swan Lake, her massive blue blade, materialized in her hands.
"Shouldn't you both fight together? Even like this, I won't go easy on you," the Savage remarked, noting Liliya's move.
"I am sufficient," Liliya replied calmly.
"Hmph! Power Strike!"
Savage snorted coldly, charging towards Liliya. She swung her hammer down with such force that, through the secret art she employed, her strength surged by two hundred percent.
Yet in the instant Savage's hammer touched Liliya's blade, she felt her power drain away as if by sorcery.
In the next heartbeat, Liliya had vanished from before her eyes.
By the time Savage snapped back to reality, the blue greatsword was firmly pressed against her throat.
"Quick decisions lead to easy targets!"
"You're too impulsive! You've already lost." As Liliya spoke, she calmly sheathed her blade.
"One... one move..." Savage stuttered, stupefied by her inability to withstand even a single strike before succumbing.
Part of her refused to accept this outcome.
"No way, let's do it again!" Savage looked at Liliya, unwilling to concede defeat so swiftly.
In this world, I'm considered quite powerful, she thought, and yet I couldn't block a single blow.
"If this were a real fight, you'd be dead. There's no second chance in battle." Liliya was growing impatient with this charade.
Having completed their task, she and Rozaliya had once again leveled up.
This quest had been as easy as falling off a log.
"I..." Savage found herself speechless.
In a true life-or-death duel, there would indeed be no opportunity for a second attempt.
"Lady Liliya, you're truly incredible!" Cellinia and Rozaliya approached Liliya, Cellinia gazing at her with unmasked admiration.
Savage was recognized as a formidable fighter among her kin, yet Liliya had defeated her with ease.
"Not surprising, Liliya," Rozaliya chimed in, her voice brimming with pride. "You've captured the essence of our older sister's prowess."
Liliya remained silent, her expression unreadable.
"Who's there?"
As Rozaliya and Lilia were joking around, Lilia suddenly turned towards the northwest, gripping her great sword and shielding Rozaliya behind her.
"Somebody?" Cellinia and Savage looked in the direction Lilia was facing. There was only one tree, with nothing else in sight.
"Lords and Ladies, please do not misunderstand. We mean no harm."
At that moment, four girls dressed in black leather jackets appeared out of nowhere, standing before the tree to the northwest.