Esdeath: I Belong to You Now

But...

That was exactly what she wanted.

An astonishing, wild intensity radiated from Esdeath as she declared brazenly, "It's simple. Give me a fight I can enjoy."

"That certainly suits your personality."

Lind's expression remained unchanged as he beckoned to Esdeath with a finger. "In that case, what are you waiting for?"

"Heh heh."

Esdeath gave a low chuckle and wasted no more words. Like a shooting star, she hurtled straight toward Lind.

A saber formed entirely of ice had already taken shape in her right hand, trailing a chilling flash of steel.

Boom!

A thunderous roar rang out.

It was as though her blade had struck solid steel.

Esdeath's pupils contracted as she realized her slash had never even reached Lind's body.

Some invisible force seemed to cling to the surface of his body.

It held her blade firmly at bay.

What kind of power was this?

Esdeath had always taken combat seriously.

Against a legendary demon...

She naturally held nothing back from her very first strike.

But...

She couldn't even break through his defenses?

Bam!

A fist slammed straight into Esdeath's lower abdomen, bringing her whole body to a halt.

The next instant...

Terrifying power erupted.

Visible ripples spread through the air in every direction.

Esdeath was sent flying helplessly backward, crashing through the tent and bringing the whole thing down.

Hum.

A surge of magic spread out, tearing the tent to shreds.

Lind stepped forward, a smile tugging at his lips.

Demon King Class strength was already this powerful.

Even someone like Esdeath could barely withstand a single blow.

Just how terrifying would the Transcendents above that level be?

Meanwhile...

The countless soldiers who had rushed over at the noise stood dumbfounded.

Was that bedraggled figure getting up from the ground really General Esdeath?

Who on earth was it?

Who could reduce General Esdeath to such a sorry state?

"Cough, cough..."

Esdeath coughed, a trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth.

"Uh, looks like I used a little too much force."

Seeing this, Lind scratched his cheek.

There was nothing he could do about it.

To make someone like Esdeath submit wholeheartedly, he had to demonstrate his strength.

Elsewhere...

The imperial soldiers converging from every direction had finally snapped out of their daze.

They had just roared and started charging forward when they caught sight of Esdeath's icy gaze.

In an instant!

Every soldier froze, immediately realizing their interference was unwelcome.

Without hesitation...

All the soldiers swiftly backed away.

None dared spoil General Esdeath's fun.

Chapter 20: Esdeath: I Belong to You Now

The entire military camp...

Fell silent.

Every soldier watched the battlefield nervously.

"Power like this..."

Esdeath strode forward on her long legs, an astonishing chill radiating from her body.

The ground around her froze at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Really... gets me so excited."

Her body trembled slightly.

It was as though every cell in her body was rejoicing.

"Then let's continue."

Lind stood where he was and smiled calmly. "I've already worked out how much force to use."

"Now I don't have to worry about accidentally killing you."

"..." × N.

The corners of every watching soldier's mouth twitched.

His attitude was outrageously arrogant.

It was the first time they had ever seen anyone dare speak to General Esdeath like that.

"Hahaha! You certainly have some nerve."

Esdeath's gaze turned dangerous as she lifted her crystalline, jade-like hand slightly.

Hum!

Cold air gathered, forming dozens of ice spikes that tore straight through the sky.

"I'm merely stating the facts."

Lind spoke as he stepped forward.

Hum!

A flash of magical light flickered and vanished. Every incoming ice spike stopped in midair, then exploded.

From beginning to end...

Lind had shown no sign of attacking.

The sight brought a flicker of wariness to Esdeath's eyes.

Sure enough...

The legendary demon possessed power beyond her understanding.

"In that case..."

Esdeath leaped into the air, a tremendous chill spreading outward.

Without a sound...

The entire sky went black.

An enormous hailstone had completely blotted out the sky.

Carrying immense power, the hailstone plummeted toward Lind like a meteor.

"It's no use."

Lind tapped his foot lightly against the ground and shot upward like a cannonball.

He thrust out a fist, smashing the hailstone apart by brute force.

Countless ice fragments scattered, reflecting breathtaking light beneath the moon.

Lind's figure then came into Esdeath's view.

In a single instant...

Lind's hands had already struck the vital points all over Esdeath's body.

The powerful blows sent her flying once again.

Bam!

A dull thud rang out, and a deep crater appeared in the ground.

Esdeath lay within it, a flicker of bewilderment crossing her eyes.

Lind was simply too fast. She had not even had a chance to counterattack.

Though she did not want to admit it...

The gulf between their strength was simply too vast.

For the first time in her life...

She had met a man who utterly surpassed her in every respect.

"You should have other moves, shouldn't you?"

Lind landed at the edge of the crater and smiled calmly. "Mahapadma, for instance."

"Or the Ice Cavalry. You can use them all."

To conquer her...

He had to make Esdeath acknowledge his superiority wholeheartedly.

As for whether things might get out of hand...

He had no need to worry.

Whether it was the Ice Cavalry's overwhelming numbers or Mahapadma's ability to freeze space and time...

He feared neither.

To a Demon King, numbers meant nothing.

As for freezing space and time...

No matter how powerful an ability's mechanics were, the gap in strength between the two sides still mattered.

"Where did you hear about those?"

Esdeath rose from the ground and shook her head. "I don't know any of the moves you mentioned."

Lind blinked, then understanding dawned on his face.

Apparently...

He had arrived much earlier than the events of the story.