Duel Challenge · Not Really a Duel Challenge (Continued)

'Boom—!'

The earth cracked open, and the illuminated sky, even in daylight, could be seen from dozens or even hundreds of miles away. A thick plume of smoke, mixed with hot ash, rose into the sky, and after rapidly reaching a height of nearly two kilometers, it dispersed in a mushroom shape. At the center of the smoke column, Flame-haired maiden had her skirt fluttering.

This sword strike was incredibly powerful.

This sword strike did not carry any killing intent.

When she descended gracefully from the sky, there were no casualties, but the battered and bruised Undead Legion warriors had already reformed their ranks.

They did not launch a second attack.

When the girl's toes touched the ground, the only one who was completely unharmed was the squad leader's Undead Legion member who took a step in her direction.

It spoke, its voice low and hoarse.

"Not the abyss?"

"Surtr." The girl blinked, her pale purple eyes showing no sign of the crimson corruption. "You once called me the First Lord of Cinder."

The soldiers were slightly moved.

But their steps remain steady.

"How... can you prove it?"

"I don't need proof," Miss Surtr replied calmly. "I'm going underground, to the ruins of Izalith. My decision is final, and there's no going back."

The warrior gripped his sword tightly.

"The only path to the underworld is our shrine. The Undead Legion swore to seal the abyss; if you want to go down, you must step over our corpses."

"I know, but I don't intend to kill you. I only intend to defeat you. After all, you are Lords of Cinder. Even if your obsession is shattered, you won't instantly turn into zombies. And when I return, the ruins of Carthus and the remains of the Abyss will be burned to ashes by my flames."

The girl released her grip on the sword, letting the Coiled Sword float beside her—since it wasn't Laevateinn, whether she held the sword or not made no difference to her. She clearly conveyed this meaning, and her opponent naturally understood it as well.

"Of course, this is not a promise, but a declaration. I will be heading towards the Undead Legion Mausoleum in three hours. I don't know the way, so I will only go in straight lines. You may set up roadblocks and try to ambush me. I will not kill you, nor will I kill your subordinates. But I require that you all wait for my test at the shrine."

"Is this a challenge?" The warrior's tone was calm, but his words carried anger. Anyone who was so disrespected would surely feel anger.

However, the Flame-haired maiden simply flicked her fingertips.

"This is a notification," she said. "I know the Undead Legion is a unified entity, but since there are small teams like yours on field missions, it means you are not all together right now—I know there are teleportation mages among you. So you have three hours to gather your forces. You only have one chance. After three hours, whether you can exert your full strength or not, I will break through all your resistance and defenses and enter the underground."

She spoke eloquently.

She was full of confidence.

Although he was just one person, he exuded an aura of overwhelming military might in front of the nineteen Undead Legion.

And the current situation is just as she said; she only needs to do things, and never needs to prove her identity to others.

Only the weak need to prove their identity, because for the weak, identity itself is a form of power that is recognized by others.

The strong... the strong never need to prove who they are. Because their opponents will always know exactly who they are.

This is the truth, this is the Iron Rule. And the warriors of the Undead Legion are well aware of this.

Thus, the anger at being slighted transformed into anticipation of a powerful foe, and even though they were now Lords of Cinder, the warriors' blood still boiled and burned.

"Three hours later, we will meet the First King at the Mausoleum." The leading warrior bowed slightly to her, his pointed hat gleaming with a sharp, cold light. "Until then, we will use every means to hinder your actions."

It retreated and disappeared into the forest with a soft popping sound. Its companions followed it, quickly vanishing along with its retreating figure.

Miss Surtr let out a soft breath.

She wasn't tired or exhausted. She was in good spirits; she was just a little down.

The three hours were less about gathering forces for the Undead Legion and more about giving herself time to calm down. She wasn't sure how many Undead Legion warriors would have died at her hands if she had continued fighting.

—I do not intend to slay the Lord of Cinder. I do not intend to bury the Undead Legion here. I have made my decision. And I will do what I say.

A flame ignited at the girl's fingertips; she watched it grow and strengthen. Her heart then fell silent, and her will coalesced.

Converging—heart and will, highly focused. She gradually became aware of all movement within a vast area around her. She heard the wind rustling through the grass, and the heavy, chaotic footsteps gathering.

The first wave of attack had arrived: the beasts of the Fran Forest. Some were powerful, most were fragile. They had been summoned by a luring potion, meant to probe Miss Surtr's words.

—Not killing is a self-imposed limitation, but the range of those one does not kill is very wide.

Humans, immortals, monsters, beasts. The larger the scope, the greater the difficulty.

—Ha, are you trying to stop me from building up my strength? If I declare that I will not kill my subordinates, but then immediately my fingertips are stained with blood, then even if my combat strength is not affected, my mental state will be compromised... It's interesting, but it's also within the rules I set.

--so.

"Step back," Miss Surtr said softly. Her words became the Word Spirit of law, sweeping outwards in all directions with invisible vibrations.

Law of Deterrence: Mass Intimidation. The magic of Faerun, through the liberation of words, is reborn in another world.

The next moment, all the wild beasts froze in mid-run, then collapsed, powerless.

The first confrontation was easily resolved. The girl extinguished the flame at her fingertips and used it as magic for casting spells.

"Fear Aura," she said. The restless magic formed an invisible radiating field that induced emotions, bursting outwards from her center.

The living beings, filled with life, were terrified and tried to flee from her the moment the spell was completed.

This wasn't a powerful spell, because dying of fear was also considered killing. She stretched her neck and took a few steps to the other side of the beast horde.

The Undead Legion's shrine was in another direction, so this didn't violate the Order. And as she walked away, and the effects of the Law's Intimidation gradually faded due to the deterioration of the Otherworld, all the beasts, large and small, herbivorous and carnivorous, fled after regaining their autonomy.

The first wave of probing was ineffective. The battles between herbivores and carnivores, outside the influence of her magic, were completely disregarded by her.

The air was thick with the stench of blood. And half an hour later, the second wave of attacks, drawn by this bloodshed, came into view.

They were a barbarian tribe, a group of warriors called the Gollum, half-human, half-beast—said to be descendants of the Farron acolytes. Their bloodline had mutated, making them inhuman. They were tall, with curly hair. Their civilization was low, but they were renowned for their martial prowess, and because of their bloodline, they had made a pact with the Farron warriors to fight side-by-side.

They were numerous, and they stood in formation. They roared in battle, and they brandished their spears and swords.

They charged in droves, fearlessly charging towards the land where the girl was.

All the girl did was raise the sword in her hand.

—The quantity is less than two thousand.

—Are you planning to drain my energy?

The Coiled Sword had no sharp edge; after the flames were concentrated, it was not much different from a club. The Gru warriors' charge was swift, but their charge consisted only of a disorganized formation.