‘Is this… a dream? Or is it…’
In just one brief moment, Egrette found her answer.
“No, these are my memories!”
With a loud cry from Egrette, the power that had been shrouding her and threatening to erode her mind shattered like glass.
“Hmm? This is…”
Sonio raised an eyebrow as he felt his control being severed.
As a Dream Demon capable of manipulating the Dream Domain, Sonio, who had reached the Demon King Level, was virtually unrivaled in the realm of dreams and the spirit. Once someone fell into his trap, it was nearly impossible to break free.
“…Oh? So you’ve classified your experiences as memories rather than a dream.”
While a dream could be a memory, a memory was not necessarily a dream. Egrette, who had also reached the Demon King Level, possessed extremely high proficiency with her skills. This meant her willpower and her ability to control the laws of reality were superb. It was not impossible for her to forcibly “define” something in a way that interfered with Sonio’s abilities.
“But surely that took a massive toll on you?”
Sonio looked at Egrette. She was now gasping for breath, forced to lean on her scythe just to remain standing. Her Magic Power was largely depleted, and her mental strength had reached a precarious state. It would not be surprising if she collapsed at any moment.
“Honestly, if you had just allowed yourself to be under my Domination, you could have lived happily within the dream. Why must people insist on walking the path of suffering…”
“Shut up.”
Even though Egrette’s voice was weak, her tone remained firm — even firmer than before.
“Are you talking so much because you’re afraid?”
As she spoke, Egrette raised her scythe, pointing it directly at Sonio in the sky.
Even in this state, where standing was an agonizing struggle, she still chose to challenge an opponent stronger than herself. This behavior was incomprehensible to Sonio, even bordering on the irrational.
She could have simply surrendered to the dream. Why reject such beauty?
“…You don’t actually think you can fight me in your current state, do you?”
“How will I know if I don’t try?”
As she replied, Egrette instinctively reached into her black dress and pulled out something she had carefully tucked away.
It was a Blue and White Gemstone Necklace. Though it was beautiful, it did not quite match her silver hair and crimson eyes. However, in her eyes, it was a gift from that person, a symbol of him. Simply looking at the gemstone made her think of the one who had eyes of the same color, yet far more alluring.
In a trance-like state, Egrette felt a massive surge of power welling up within her.
“This… what is this!?”
A powerful burst of Magic Power erupted from Egrette’s body. Unlike her usual Blood Magic Power, this was a Silver Magic Power that seemed to have shed all stray thoughts and impurities, sublimating into a different realm. It shimmered with an endless radiance under the night sky.
“Are you confused? You’ll find out once you take this hit, won’t you?”
The moment she spoke, the Silver Magic Power exploded. In a single instant, Egrette appeared behind Sonio… no, she was even further away than that.
Because her speed was too great, Egrette could not fully control this newfound strength. She had leaped past Sonio in a single step. Even the ground she had pushed off from didn’t have time to react; it was only after Egrette stopped that the surface crumbled from the aftershock, looking as if it had been struck by a meteorite.
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
Her lack of control was only temporary. As the strongest Blood Queen in history and the all-rounder known as the First Demon King, Egrette’s learning ability was incredibly high. She quickly gained a preliminary grasp of this new power.
In the next moment, she concentrated her magic beneath her feet, releasing it in a smaller, more controlled burst. Though her speed dropped slightly, it was still faster than anything she had achieved before, and now she could steer it.
Like a silver flash cutting through the night, the scythe in Egrette’s hands was wrapped in Silver Magic Power, carrying unparalleled force. It sliced through the air like a blade forged from space itself.
The entire process was seamless. She passed through Sonio’s body without the slightest delay. As Egrette came to a halt once more, a thin line of red appeared at Sonio’s waist. Immediately after, blood sprayed out, and his upper body slid away from his lower half.
“With this, it’s—ugh!?”
The moment Egrette relaxed, an intense pain surged through her entire body. It was a mixture of a bone-chilling cold, as if her blood had run dry, and a searing heat, as if her body were being burned alive. She could no longer move an inch. it was like the backlash of an adrenaline rush, but many times more powerful.
‘I suppose I really did go beyond my limit…’
Although her muscles, bones, and even internal organs were screaming in agony, the joy of breaking through a bottleneck that had stood for countless years surpassed the pain.
“…Did you think it was all over?”
“Wha—!?”
Shock caused the backlash to hit even harder. Egrette looked back, only to find Sonio, who should have been cut in half, standing before her as if nothing had happened.
“My, my — that was dangerous. It’s a good thing I separated my body in time, or I might have actually taken some real damage.”
An instant before Egrette’s strike landed, Sonio had manipulated his Domain to make his body separate like a magic trick, complete with realistic blood for the performance. He had successfully evaded the attack.
“Well then, just to be safe, it’s time to say goodbye. I originally wanted to keep you as a collectible.”
Sonio clapped his hands. Suddenly, the Maid Guards and Heath Ledger, who had been standing idle, stood up. Holding their weapons, they began to approach the incapacitated Egrette like zombies.
“Dammit!”
“Are you still holding onto hope? To tell you the truth, while there are exceptions like you, it was mainly because my control wasn’t complete. Those who are fully dominated cannot break free unless their mental strength is extraordinary or their spiritual abilities are superior to mine. But of course, that’s impossible. Setting aside the fact that my mental strength is supported by at least one entire territory of the Demon Race, I am the most powerful Dream Demon currently in existence. No other Dream Demon can compare to me. Naturally, it might be possible for a Succubus, who are considered anomalies even among the Demon Race, but they would need to reach our level first. However, the greatest weakness of the Succubus Race is that they must consume massive amounts of Vitality Essence to break through their own limits. As far as I know, there is no such Succubus right now — “
Sonio launched into a long-winded explanation as if he wanted to crush Egrette’s last shred of hope.
“And so, goodbye — Bat Lady.”
“Tch!”
Facing the onslaught of her mind-controlled companions, a defenseless Egrette closed her eyes in frustration.
If she could, she wanted to tell that person with her own lips before the end that she was actually…
“What’s going on here?”
At that very moment, a familiar voice appeared along with the scent of white roses.
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