Kai’s gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, fixed intently on Ling Xiya.
An extremely faint, yet strangely familiar light was seeping out of her body.
It wasn’t an aura of darkness, nor was it a common surge of magic.
It was a glimmer that felt… divine, yet twisted and suppressed, like a pearl covered in thick dust.
‘This light…’
Kai’s pupils contracted suddenly as a storm of shock surged within his heart.
‘…Luo Ling!’
Years ago, when Luo Ling was still an ignorant boy, Kai had provided guidance during the early stages of his training.
He remembered the boy’s clear eyes and his unwavering conviction.
He remembered the brilliant radiance emitted by the holy sword in his hand, a blade capable of purifying all evil.
But this woman before him…
Kai’s gaze swept over Ling Xiya.
Her eyes were cold, even carrying a hint of morbid fanaticism.
The faint curve of her lips was definitely not the expression of the Hero who cared for all living things in his memory.
Specifically, the merciless ferocity she showed when hunting down Viviya just now, and her current posture — trembling slightly while holding the spear with a trace of excitement — all of it reeked of something eerie and dangerous.
Who was she?
Who had turned the former Hero into this?
A more terrifying thought slithered into Kai’s heart like a venomous snake — the Demon Queen, Isayate!
The Hero had disappeared during the final battle to subjugate the Demon Queen, and now, a person suspected to be the Hero appeared here with a twisted aura…
The answer was almost staring him in the face.
“You…”
Kai’s voice rang out again.
This time, his steady tone was laced with an undeniable mix of shock, heartache, and a deeper rage.
“Who exactly are you?!”
He asked through gritted teeth.
Although he already had an answer in his heart, he still clung to a sliver of hope.
Or perhaps, he simply needed confirmation.
Ling Xiya slowly turned around.
The coldness on her face seemed to crack slightly because of Kai’s appearance.
She tilted her head, her eyes now resembling two bottomless pools of icy water reflecting Kai’s figure.
She seemed to be trying to identify him, or perhaps she was searching through her memories.
“K-Kai…?”
Ling Xiya’s voice was somewhat raspy, carrying a strange, childlike hesitation.
But immediately, that trace of hesitation was replaced by an even deeper coldness.
“Are you asking me?”
She gently stroked the spear in her hand.
Viviya’s blood still stained the tip, yet she caressed it as if it were a precious treasure.
“Who am I?”
Ling Xiya let out a soft chuckle.
The sound was particularly jarring on the blood-soaked high platform.
“I am Lady Isayate’s most loyal maid. I am her sharpest sword. I am her one and only… Xiya.”
“Xiya?”
Kai’s voice suddenly rose, filled with unbelievable fury.
“You dare say your name isn’t Luo Ling?!”
The name “Luo Ling” was like a clap of thunder, striking hard against Ling Xiya’s heart.
Her body jolted violently, and her hand tightened around the spear instantly, her knuckles turning white from the force.
For the first time, a violent fluctuation appeared in those cold eyes, as if a massive boulder had been thrown into a calm lake, stirring up monstrous waves.
“No… I’m not…”
Ling Xiya shook her head in pain, her eyes filled with confusion and resistance.
Her voice grew lower and lower, eventually turning into a mumble, as if she were trying to convince Kai — or more likely, herself.
Seeing her like this, the last shred of doubt in Kai’s heart vanished.
It was him. It really was him!
It was truly Luo Ling!
The former Hero had actually become the Demon Queen’s most loyal “servant,” to the point where he even denied his own name!
An indescribable wave of anger and sorrow surged into Kai’s heart.
The youth he once held such high hopes for, the symbol of light, had actually fallen this far! He had been “saved” and “remade” by the very enemy he was meant to subjugate!
“Shut up!”
Kai barked, his voice thick with suppressed rage and a deep sense of disappointment.
“You dare say you’ve forgotten your mission? Have you forgotten why the power in your hands exists? Have you forgotten the people who trusted you and looked up to you?!”
He took a step toward Ling Xiya.
The invisible barrier around him that blocked out the noise seemed to fluctuate due to his intense emotions.
The sounds of the surrounding slaughter became a few degrees clearer.
“Luo Ling! Look at me!”
Kai’s gaze was like a sharp sword, attempting to pierce through the thick wall around Ling Xiya’s heart.
“Who turned you into this? It was Isayate, wasn’t it? What did she do to you?!”
At the mention of the name “Isayate,” Ling Xiya’s confused and pained expression instantly turned into one of extreme fanaticism and obsession.
It was a nearly pathological attachment.
“Master…”
She murmured, an unnatural flush rising to her face.
“Master… she is perfect… She loves me… She gave me everything… She is my Goddess…”
“Silence! You blinded fool!”