"You two are quite impressive. I can’t afford to underestimate either of you," remarked one of the three Dark Mages blocking the path ahead of Cherry and Lizzy.
The three black-robed sorcerers had ambushed and intercepted them before they could reach the gates of Vex City. A fierce battle had become inevitable in the middle of the forest’s emergency passage.
Lizzy clicked her tongue in irritation, her fingers gripping the hilt of her dagger trembling violently as her anxiety continued to flare. Kael’s image kept haunting her thoughts.
"I have to kill these bastards without mercy as quickly as possible and hurry back with help for Kael!"
Beside her, Cherry grimaced softly while clutching her shoulder, which had been torn by burn wounds from the enemy’s magical sparks. Unexpectedly, confronting magic practitioners directly was far more complicated than she had imagined.
A magic user capable of manipulating energy from a distance always held a positional advantage on the battlefield.
It wasn’t just because their attacks came hurtling toward them relentlessly from afar, but also because Cherry and Lizzy had absolutely no adequate knowledge of the different kinds of Dark Magic their opponents could unleash.
Throughout her years living in this world, Cherry had only ever heard of magic through rumors and bedtime legends. But now that she was being forced to experience it firsthand, she finally understood just how troublesome it really was!
"Tch, what a pain..." Cherry hissed irritably, tightening her armored stance.
The Dark Mage in the middle sneered coldly and mockingly. "Just surrender, and we’ll kill you painlessly. Why waste your strength on something so futile?"
"You’re finished. There’s no way out for you anymore," added the Dark Mage on the right with a venomous chuckle. "Besides, just look at how the two of you move... There’s absolutely no harmony between you. It’s obvious that you two can’t stand each other, isn’t it?"
His words struck a nerve because they were true. Cherry and Lizzy had absolutely no emotional bond to speak of. Setting aside their mutual dislike and the pride burning in their chests, both women had far too much pride in their own fighting abilities to willingly yield to the other.
Cherry glanced sideways at Lizzy from the corner of her eye. She hesitated for a moment before finally letting out a long sigh and whispering softly, "Lizzy... I’m sorry. I just couldn’t accept that you were the one who ended up with Kael instead of me. But... what can I do about it now? So let’s put that aside for the time being and work together properly!"
"Hmph! Fine!" Lizzy replied with a sharp snort. "But don’t you dare try to seduce him again after this or attempt to become his second wife! I’ll kill you and then run away with my beloved Kael!"
Although Lizzy responded with her usual mocking smile and crazy threats, she had implicitly accepted Cherry’s offer to compromise.
The next second, both women shot forward simultaneously! This time, their movements no longer overlapped due to their individual egos. Cherry’s swift sword slashes and Lizzy’s deadly stabbing maneuvers from the shadows combined in a remarkably coordinated and precise assault.
At first, the three Dark Mages could still easily leap backward to evade their slashes. However, as time passed, the combined rhythm of Cherry and Lizzy’s attacks grew smoother and faster, covering every angle of their opponents’ movements and making it increasingly difficult for them to defend themselves!
"What the hell is this?! Why have their movements suddenly become so agile and coordinated?!" one of the sorcerers shouted in panic as the edge of his armor was torn open. "Quick! Pin them down and capture them!"
However, before he could even finish his sentence, his fate was already sealed. Breaking through the sorcerer’s defenses from two different directions, Cherry slashed through his arm, leaving it hanging limply at his side. A split second later, Lizzy moved like lightning and drove her dagger straight through the sorcerer’s throat from behind!
CRASH!
The Dark Mage collapsed in a pool of blood. The two remaining Dark Mages glared furiously, their expressions mixing anger with fear. Without wasting any time, they simultaneously began chanting defensive spells. Instantly, a wall of deep red light formed around their bodies. New chapters come out on novelping . com first.
Clang! Clang!
Cherry’s sword slashes and Lizzy’s dagger thrusts bounced harmlessly off the protective barrier. Not a single physical attack could penetrate the magical wall.
Seeing their opponents’ attacks fail, the two Dark Mages burst into arrogant laughter from within their protective dome.
"Hahaha! What can you possibly do now, huh?! We are the ones chosen by fate! Our status stands far above that of ordinary humans like you!"
Cherry and Lizzy retreated several meters, observing the barrier with sharp eyes. During their previous battles, they had already witnessed this kind of defensive ability. They understood its fatal weakness all too well: while maintaining this magical barrier, the sorcerers were completely unable to launch counterattacks, most likely due to the limitations of their magical control and concentration.
Therefore, Lizzy and Cherry chose to maintain a safe distance and wait for the barrier to dissipate naturally.
Sure enough, a short while later, realizing that the barrier was rapidly draining their magical reserves, the two Dark Mages deactivated their protective dome and immediately thrust their hands forward to launch a sudden counterattack.
Attack after attack came hurtling toward them in the form of black fireballs and red energy slashes, making them extremely difficult to evade. However, this drawn-out pattern of fighting consumed far too much precious time.
Lizzy was growing increasingly impatient, her anger rising to a boiling point. Yet just as the two women attempted to break through their opponents’ defenses and engage them at close range, the two sorcerers once again prepared to activate their protective magic.
Unfortunately for them, their magical reserves had apparently reached a critical limit. Realizing that they were cornered and could no longer maintain their defensive barrier for much longer, the two Dark Mages wore expressions of anxiety and desperation.
They made a reckless decision: to unleash a forbidden self-destructive spell in an attempt to annihilate their opponents, even at the cost of their own lives!
"Die together with us!" they screamed hysterically.
Two horrifying, blood-red spheres of light gathered between them, trembling violently as they prepared to explode across a radius of more than a dozen meters!
Lizzy’s gray eyes widened in shock. Beside her, Cherry also realized in horror that they were already far too close to leap backward and escape the blast radius.
In those critical seconds, as the explosive light grew larger and prepared to devour everything around it, a spontaneous act unfolded.
Without hesitation, Cherry leaped forward, wrapped her arms tightly around Lizzy from behind, and used her own body as a living shield to protect the white-haired woman!
For some reason, the reflex had come naturally to Cherry. Perhaps, deep in a hidden corner of her heart, she felt that if Lizzy died here, Kael would be devastated and plunged into profound grief.
For years, Cherry had felt indebted to Kael and remained grateful that he had once saved her life in the past. She would never forget the beautiful moment when she had first met him. And Cherry didn’t want to see Kael fall apart after losing the woman he loved.
"Cherry...?!" Lizzy stammered in shock from within the woman’s tight embrace.
However, before the red wave of explosive energy could erupt and engulf their bodies, a gigantic shadow suddenly shot down from the darkness of the night sky!
BOOM—CRASH!
The massive figure hurtled downward at lightning speed, its size rivaling that of an elephant before it suddenly grew dozens of times larger upon landing! The gigantic shadow charged straight into the two Dark Mages and crushed them beneath its weight, along with their explosive magic, before the blast could fully expand!
Crack! Crunch! Get faster updates on g.com.
The sound of bones shattering and brief, cut-off screams echoed through the air. The two black-robed sorcerers were hurled dozens of meters into the air, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, before crashing back to the ground lifelessly.
Lizzy, who had witnessed the scene over Cherry’s shoulder, froze completely. She had absolutely no idea what kind of gigantic creature had just leaped in to save them. Yet strangely enough... a familiar and warm sense of emotional connection radiated from the enormous figure.
Cherry, who was still holding Lizzy tightly, slowly opened her eyes upon hearing the powerful rush of wind followed by the sudden silence.
She gathered her courage and turned around, only to be utterly astonished by the sight of a gigantic wolf with thick black fur standing gracefully before them, its height rivaling the surrounding forest trees.
The gigantic wolf gazed at Lizzy and Cherry with calm, clear eyes filled with dignity and authority. That gaze was unmistakably familiar... The creature was none other than Xavier!
At first, Lizzy couldn’t recognize this gigantic wolf’s true form. However, a few seconds later, two wild lambs emerged from the bushes behind the wolf, hopping and frolicking happily as they ran around. Neither of the little lambs showed the slightest fear of being near the gigantic wolf.
Upon seeing those unmistakable little lambs, Lizzy’s eyes widened.
They were Kael’s pet wild sheep, the ones he had left in the pen near their cabin!
But... why were the two little lambs walking alongside this gigantic wolf and behaving so obediently around it?
Only one reasonable conclusion came to Lizzy’s mind: Xavier’s previous disguise as a "wild sheep" had merely been a deception, and the reason the two little lambs weren’t afraid of him was that Xavier had taken such good care of them and protected them while Kael and Lizzy were away!
All fear vanished from Lizzy’s chest. Instead, a mixture of awe and emotion surged through her. She took a steady step forward and approached the gigantic wolf.
"Xavier... Is that really you?" Lizzy whispered softly.
Upon hearing that ridiculous name, the gigantic wolf’s body slowly shrank back to a more reasonable size, though he remained muscular and imposing. Xavier turned his face away and snorted softly, looking rather annoyed, as if his pride had been wounded by having his disguise completely exposed.
However, before they could enjoy this moment of astonishment any further...
BOOOOOOMM!!!
A tremendous explosion suddenly erupted in the distance, violently shaking the area near the southern village’s border! The shock wave reached them from afar, making the surrounding tree leaves tremble, while a brilliant red glow of magic shot high into the sky, piercing through the nighttime clouds!
The dangerous energy radiating from the distant explosion made the hairs on Lizzy’s and Cherry’s bodies stand on end.
Lizzy’s eyes widened, her face turning deathly pale as overwhelming panic seized her. Cherry also jolted in shock, covering her mouth in disbelief.
"Oh no...!" Lizzy cried, her voice trembling violently. "It looks like Kael is facing an extremely dangerous enemy!"