Duel Challenge · Not Really a Duel Challenge

A ruined fortress appeared before her, surrounded by wooden symbols of the Azure Cult. A dark aura permeated the air, converging towards the depths of the fortress.

She saw some undead, some soldiers. Even in this era when the flames had not yet waned to the point of being unable to support the temporal turbulence, they showed signs of becoming zombies. And they let out beast-like roars, their eyes flashing with a scarlet light.

Their eyes glowed red, a reaction to the abyss's corruption. Their armor bore the inscriptions of the Farrans, signifying they were minions of the Undead Legion. They had guarded this place before it spiraled out of control.

They pounced on her, and after their bodies clashed, the shattered remains burst into flames upon hitting the ground.

Guns are useless, swords are useless, shields are useless, and escape is useless.

Seeing her means certain death.

—But I'm not happy. I don't like the feeling of being out of control.

—It's true that I'm happy that Kal'tsit likes me... Although we have some disagreements, what can't be resolved after I give her a good beating? It's just her being sarcastic; she didn't do anything to ruin my plans. She didn't betray me after I finished my work. And her tantrums didn't cause any irreparable consequences.

—But why did she become like this while she was by my side?

—Do I really have such a powerful, almost cursed charm that twists my personality?

Examining the ruins and rubble, searching for clues among the body parts, a newly breached road came into view. This road had originally been located deep within the fortress and firmly sealed off.

As you step inside, the abyss grows ever stronger. What you see is like a prison, and in many areas of the prison, only the withered remains of living corpses and scattered fragments of armor remain.

This is the prison where the Undead Legion held prisoners in a bygone era. The prisoners held by the Undead Legion were undoubtedly like Overlord Vordt, corrupted by the Abyss, yet there was no simple way to annihilate them.

She saw many signs of fighting in the prison.

—I've always felt something was off.

—I'm not an idiot, in Terra, in Chernobog. I'm not unaware that many women around me have feelings for me. But there are some problems.

Why are all those who like me women? Whether they express their feelings directly or hide them and dare not speak their minds, they are all women, not men. There are occasional exceptions in the Dream World, but in Terra, men only respect and adore me, but whether friends or enemies, they almost never covet my body.

—I should be considered pretty, but why don't I have a single male admirer?

—The beautiful women around me always seem to have a crush on me, which is fine; I could just assume it's because I have a special charm that attracts other women. But why is it that the more time I spend with them, the more they seem to fit my 'interests'?

The examination of evidence of combat revealed gunfire as the primary cause. The undead trapped here were almost all killed with a single shot. The initial signs of battle originated from a cell that had been torn open from the inside out, but clearly showed no signs of prisoners.

Ah...it seems there are quite obvious traces. Filianore arrived in Fran via teleportation, but her landing point was in this cage-like fortress of Fran—she broke the seal, emptied the cage, and left. However, her breakout caused a partial leak of the Abyss—the guards, who should have been dead long ago, were cursed by the Abyss and turned into living corpses. And those Soul Eater, they must have sensed the leak, which is why they escaped from their hiding places and tried to pursue her, following her scent.

So that's how it is. The cause and effect are so simple. Even if Filianore didn't succeed in making a promise with him, this was enough for her to find a reason to travel with him.

—A little trick of the Goddess? It seems she guessed Kal'tsit would run into those Soul Eater, and she conveniently arranged a chance for me to be a hero and save the damsel in distress. Ah... indeed, in a moment of crisis, descending from the sky, Kal'tsit's favorability will certainly reach a temporary peak. And if I just act a little assertive, this lynx will indeed submit to me.

—That's a good idea, but it seems to only benefit me... Another pretty girl who revolves around me and fits my aesthetic. Although she has the special characteristics of the gods, this attribute is all too familiar.

He clenched his fist, and the fire flowing from within him burned away all traces of the abyss— the Profaned Flame could indeed use the abyss as fuel to scorch it. For it originated from the Dark Lands.

She stepped outside. She sensed a presence approaching from beyond the city walls—since this was once the Undead Legion's prison, since it had been destroyed and leaked from the Abyss, and since the Undead Legion had awakened, then what would happen next was obvious, and such changes naturally stemmed from the considerations abandoned by Filianore.

She sensed the approaching flames. She detected the presence of the Lord of Cinder.

—It's strange, really strange... Kal'tsit, Talulah, Yelena, Skadi, and even Filianore here. They are all women with ideals, principles, self-respect, and self-love. Love isn't impossible for them, but strangely, they all display vulnerability, humility, and even a complete disregard for sharing love in front of me. They only want to be by my side and actively seek to be humiliated. While I can find corresponding motives, the fact that the same thing has happened so many times makes it hard for me not to be suspicious.

Walking outside, into the hall, the hall was spacious and quiet. The fiery aura that emanated from the fortress spread outwards, enveloping every direction and area of the fortress.

She stood in the center of the hall, took a light breath, and the resulting airflow dispersed the dust and grit. She had chosen this enclosed battlefield, spanning several hundred meters in radius.

—Am I cursed? Am I being plotted against?

—No, that's unlikely. It's so obvious, so undisguised. It's less that I was framed, and more that those around me were framed. And the one who did it, perhaps... was myself.

'Erosion'—she recalled the phenomenon Persephone had discovered. Her own power, her own flames, after seeping into another's body, even if all traces were removed, would still cause subsequent mutations in the other's spirit and body. This was because it wasn't her polluting the other, but rather the other's body, consciousness, and spirit imitating her, transforming themselves. Just as algae adapt to the sun, enabling photosynthesis. After all, such a vast energy source was there; naturally, it should transform itself to absorb it!

It is not incomprehensible that lower-level life forms will adapt to the ecological environment created by higher-level life forms.

So, even if I do nothing, my power and my will will, like a radiation source, change the environment around me. And will the intellectual beings around me then shift in a direction that suits my needs and preferences?

—Ah... this is truly a conclusion that's hard to laugh at. While I've had similar suspicions before, Kal'tsit this time is far too compelling proof... Tsk, just a few days ago she was being petty, then started getting jealous as soon as we entered the dream world, and just hours ago she even abandoned her dignity to become a slave just to be by my side. Is it because I'm injured that her influence on those around her has become more self-protective? If I hadn't driven her away in time, hadn't woken her up... Ha, just how many layers of scheming has Persephone planted?

—But this also proves that my 'eclipse' had a minimal impact on her. That's good news, too.

Surtr gently gripped the sword in her hand.

She had no regrets, nor did she blame herself—the advancement of one's life level would affect the surrounding environment, which was a natural phenomenon, like a whale fall. But since her progress beyond the mortal realm was inevitable, she should bear this responsibility.

—The love is real. Those around me whom I love do love me in return.

—After going back this time, I... can no longer deceive myself. Because it wasn't me changing them, but rather they adapting to me through romantic relationships... Extraordinary charm, so this kind of thing really exists.

—Phew, let's stick with Persephone's findings... erosion, eroded by my ecology. Perhaps I could call it Ecological Corrosion... No, that's a strange term. Let's revise it slightly...

A thought appeared in my mind. And from my lips, clear words came out.

"... the Dao Corrosion Phenomenon." she said.

At the same moment, all the doors and windows in the hall were blown open as the attackers attacked!

Chapter 207 A Challenge - Not a Challenge

The attackers wore red cloaks and navy blue armor, wielding a greatsword in one hand and a dagger in the other. They all wore pointed iron hats on their heads.

The Franz Undead Legion, totaling... nineteen.

—According to the information Kal'tsit consulted, the total number of the Undead Legion during the linking of the Flame was 203.

The sword struck...

Miss Surtr raised her hand, her horizontally gripped Coiled Sword blocking the slash from the Franz greatsword. At the same time, three other swords descended from different angles with tricky techniques. An ordinary person simply couldn't find an opening to dodge.

Ordinary people can't find it, but she can.

Because her movements were slightly faster than the speed at which the greatsword was swung.

He sidestepped, parried, and unleashed his power. The burning flames transformed into immense pressure, forcing several members of the Undead Legion back. The flames of sin then ignited on the Coiled Sword and poured into the ground.

'Boom--!!!'

The entire fortress cracked under the rapidly expanding flames from the inside out. Dozens of figures were mercilessly hurled through the cracks in windows and doors. And as they crashed into the ground and forests like stones from a catapult, leaving deep craters or broken tree trunks, the top of the fortress melted away!

The fiery maiden rose into the air, her raised Coiled Sword absorbing all the dissipating flames and transforming them into a massive, solid Flame Sword. Her target was every member of the Undead Legion present. And the instant the blade struck, a storm of fire engulfed the ruins of the fortress and the surrounding woods!

When the difference in strength is too great, it results in a crushing defeat.

Even though the Undead Legion's combat power far surpasses that of the Dark Saints, their numbers are less than a tenth of hers, making them utterly incapable of posing a threat to her as a complete Lord of Cinder.