Chapter 42: Letting Go

[Chapter 41 was posted in the wrong place, I can’t move it back]

[I clicked the wrong thing at the time, sob sob sob]

Facing Liliya’s storm-like assault, Luo Ling remained exceptionally calm.

He had experienced countless life-and-death struggles, his mind long since as solid as a rock, so Liliya’s charm had little effect on him.

As for those dozens of clones, although their auras were identical and hard to distinguish, under Luo Ling’s powerful mental perception, the source of their energy fluctuations was fully exposed.

Pierce Illusion!

Luo Ling let out a low shout, a glint flashing in his eyes.

The “Dawnbreak” longsword was raised high above his head, a brilliant light bursting forth, illuminating the entire dark forest in an instant like the first light of dawn.

This was not an offensive sword technique, but a skill condensed from battle energy and will, specialized for breaking illusions and mental interference.

“Ah!”

The Liliya clones lunging toward him let out shrill screams as they touched the light, dissipating like snow meeting the sun.

“What?!”

Liliya’s face, hidden in the shadows, changed.

She hadn’t expected Luo Ling to break her proud “Thousand Faces Phantom” so easily.

The moment the clones vanished, Luo Ling moved!

His figure shot forward like a phantom, moving at blinding speed!

Battle energy exploded beneath his feet, the ground cracking as he turned into a golden streak, ignoring the vines reaching out to entangle him (the vines withered and blackened the instant they touched his battle energy), charging straight for Liliya’s true location!

“So fast!”

Liliya was horrified.

Luo Ling’s speed far exceeded her expectations!

She instinctively raised her short dagger to block.

“CLANG!!!”

The clash of metal rang out, deafening.

This time, it was no longer a light touch, but a direct clash carrying tremendous force!

Liliya felt a torrent of power crash into her like a tidal wave.

The dark green dagger in her hand almost flew from her grip, her palm splitting open instantly, blood flowing freely.

Her entire body was flung backward like a broken kite, crashing uncontrollably into a twisted tree, snapping the thick trunk in half!

“Pfft!”

Liliya spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the sheer cloth at her chest.

Her already pale face drained of all color, her eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

Impossible?!

Just one sword!

She couldn’t even withstand a single strike from Luo Ling?!

She was one of the four Demon King Generals!

Although her strength lay in charm and illusions rather than direct combat, she was still a top-tier powerhouse on the continent!

Since when had she become so fragile?

Luo Ling didn’t give her much time to think.

With his sword strike successful, he pressed forward without pause.

The “Dawnbreak” longsword carried overwhelming might, like a blade of judgment, stabbing toward the airborne Liliya.

The sword’s momentum was fierce, impossible to evade!

A trace of despair flashed in Liliya’s eyes.

She could feel that the power contained in that sword could completely purify and kill her.

Death had never felt so close.

She was unwilling!

She didn’t want to die!

But just as the tip of the sword was about to touch her forehead, Luo Ling’s movement suddenly halted.

He looked at Liliya’s face—twisted in pain and terror, yet still stunning—and at the fleeting, wounded, helpless look in her eyes, like a small animal.

The old, long-sealed scar in his heart was ripped open once more.

The Liliya who, all those years ago, had smiled at him in the moonlight, shared food, and clumsily comforted him… overlapped in his mind with the blood-soaked, battered Demon King General before him.

Is it really possible to completely sever old feelings?

He remembered what Liliya once said:

“Our fates were determined from the start.”

Yes.

Different sides, opposing camps, destined to be enemies.

Killing her would remove a massive obstacle for the allied forces and make the road to the Hall of Ten Thousand Nightmares smoother.

It was the correct choice for a commander.

But…

Luo Ling’s sword trembled slightly.

Liliya sensed his hesitation as well.

She raised her head, tears blurring her vision as she looked at him.

Her eyes were filled with complex emotions—fear, unwillingness, and a trace of hope she herself did not recognize.

Time seemed to stand still.

The soldiers of the allied army held their breath, watching the scene, not understanding why their commander hesitated.

Liliya’s tail curled tightly in anxiety, her heart pounding in her chest.

Luo Ling closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the struggle and hesitation had faded, replaced by a complex calm.

Slowly, he sheathed the “Dawnbreak” longsword.

“Why…”

Liliya clutched her chest, asking with difficulty, her voice hoarse.

Luo Ling looked at her, silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, his tone low and weary:

“I’m returning the favor from back then.”

“From now on, we owe each other nothing.”

“Take your people and leave.”

Liliya stared at Luo Ling, as if she couldn’t believe what she heard.

He was letting her go?

At this life-and-death moment, when he could easily kill her, he chose to let her go?

Just because… of that insignificant favor from years ago?

An indescribable surge of emotion filled her heart—shock, confusion, humiliation, and even a touch of… gratitude and bitterness she refused to admit.

She looked at Luo Ling’s young yet weary and resolute face, at the complex, unreadable look in his eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak, but finally let out a cold snort instead, tinged with a faint tremor.

“Hmph… Who needs your ‘favor’!”

Liliya struggled to her feet, clutching her aching chest.

She glared at Luo Ling with venom, but deep in her eyes, there was less hatred and more of something indescribable.

“Luo Ling, you’ll regret letting me go today! Next time we meet, I won’t hold back!”

She staggered a few steps, but didn’t look back, straightening her spine stubbornly as she walked toward the darkness at the end of the corridor.

Her figure, illuminated by flickering firelight, seemed especially fragile—yet carried an undeniable sense of resolve.

Luo Ling stood where he was, silently watching her back fade around the bend in the forest, unmoving.

His tightly clenched fists slowly loosened, his knuckles white from the strain, pain finally registering.

He exhaled a long, silent breath, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, or as if something important had been lost.

The exhaustion in his brow deepened.

“A favor… huh…”

He muttered softly, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

“Maybe…”

Notice: The same series was there in the raws too.