Volume 5 Chapter 9
by Need_More_SleepVolume 5 + Chapter 9: Atiya’s Analysis
At the very moment when victory or defeat was about to be decided, Inner Demon Xia Yi caught sight of a moving figure out of the corner of her eye.
So she made a seemingly insignificant action,
She glanced in that direction.
But it was precisely that glance that caused trouble.
The person she saw was… The Silver Dragon Queen, Xia Lulu!!
Why would Xia Lulu come here?
Inner Demon Xia Yi had no idea. All she saw was a smile on Xia Lulu’s face.
That smile awakened certain memories from the past, of herself being hung up and beaten by Xia Lulu until her backside bloomed in pain.
Waaah!
When this silver dragon smiles, nothing good ever comes of it!!
That thought flashed through Inner Demon Xia Yi’s mind, causing her to hesitate for a split second when she swung her blade.
However, in a duel between masters, hesitation means defeat.
It was precisely this moment of hesitation that slowed Inner Demon Xia Yi’s sword just enough. She failed to keep up with Atiya’s blade, allowing Atiya’s strike to land first.
Clang!
Atiya’s sword shattered Inner Demon Xia Yi’s mop.
“Awwoo!”
The silver-haired loli was sent flying, crashing to the ground, while the mop head cover conveniently landed over her head.
This was utterly humiliating!
“……”
Atiya stared at the scene before her, completely stunned.
“Oh my, daughter, why did you suddenly become flustered just now?” Xia Lulu asked curiously from the side. “Could it be that seeing me made you overly conscious of my presence, causing your mind to waver and your focus to scatter?”
“Y-you…!”
Inner Demon Xia Yi scrambled to her feet, stared at Xia Lulu, and retreated several steps.
In theory, a fearless inner demon should not feel intimidated even in front of Xia Lulu. She should have mocked her as trash and humiliated her mercilessly.
But right now, she really couldn’t win.
Without relying on schemes, the probability of defeating Xia Lulu was practically zero.
If she continued fooling around with Xia Lulu here, she would definitely get her backside beaten again!
After weighing the pros and cons, Inner Demon Xia Yi decided she should avoid further contact with Xia Lulu. If her plans were exposed by accident, her chance to wash away past humiliation would be completely ruined.
Then there was only one choice.
A strategic retreat!!
“Just you wait! Soon you won’t be able to laugh anymore! I’ll turn you into trash!”
Inner Demon Xia Yi shouted in panic, then turned and ran off, she didn’t even have time to remove the mop head still stuck on her head.
“Hm… why does my daughter seem a bit strange today?”
Xia Lulu watched Inner Demon Xia Yi’s retreating figure, feeling puzzled.
She then turned her gaze toward Atiya.
Atiya stared blankly at the sword in her hand, muttering something under her breath.
“…I lost.”
“Atiya?”
“Ah…!”
Hearing Xia Lulu’s voice, Atiya snapped back to her senses and hurriedly bowed.
“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. I was distracted just now and failed to notice your presence. Please forgive my rudeness!”
“It’s alright. I only arrived when your battle had reached its climax,” Xia Lulu said. “Although I don’t understand swordsmanship very well, I could still feel the intensity and brilliance of the exchange. It was quite an impressive duel.”
“You flatter me… But why did Your Majesty come here? Were you looking for the princess about something important?”
“I was just taking a stroll,” Xia Lulu replied.
She had temporarily finished handling today’s official documents and wanted to relax, so she wandered through the Dragon Imperial Palace.
By chance, she noticed a battle taking place here. Driven by curiosity, she came over to take a look, only to unexpectedly discover that it was Xia Yi and Atiya.
“This time, was it Xia Yi who took the initiative to ask you to train in swordsmanship?” Xia Lulu asked.
“Yes. Her Highness suddenly said her hands felt itchy and wanted to have a spar.”
“That really is unusual. I thought she would stay in her room eating snacks and reading manga. To actually come out and train voluntarily, how rare,” Xia Lulu paused. “Atiya, what did you mean just now when you said ‘I lost’?”
“Your Majesty, I was the one who lost.”
“But Xia Yi was the one you drove away. Doesn’t that mean you won?”
“That’s not the case.”
Atiya shook her head and began to explain.
“When I struck that final sword, it already meant I had lost to Her Highness. At that moment, I failed to control myself and instinctively raised my realm, using sheer realm pressure to overpower her.”
In truth, throughout the duel, Atiya had deliberately suppressed her own realm, keeping herself at the same fourth-tier level as Inner Demon Xia Yi.
But at the final moment, when she sensed her opponent was about to unleash a decisive strike, she felt a sense of danger and instinctively elevated her realm.
The instant she released that suppression, it ceased to be a pure contest of swordsmanship, it became a victory achieved through overwhelming realm disparity.
“Her Highness won. In terms of swordsmanship alone, she has already surpassed me,” Atiya said earnestly.
“That’s not how I remember things last time,” Xia Lulu said, puzzled. “Has Xia Yi’s swordsmanship improved that much recently? She never trains at all.”
“As for that… I feel there’s something strange about Her Highness today, she’s not quite the same as usual.”
“Not the same?”
Xia Lulu frowned upon hearing this.
She, too, felt that her daughter had been acting oddly today, there were subtle differences from her usual behavior.
“Normally, Her Highness doesn’t keep calling people ‘trash,’ and she’s not usually this energetic either. It feels like she had excess energy she needed to vent, as if she had to find something to do.”
Xia Lulu thought carefully. She had seen Xia Yi in a similar state once before.
It was during the time she was being punished, when Xia Yi secretly slipped out to a dessert shop. After being caught and brought back, she showed no remorse at all and went around provoking everyone without knowing her limits.
As if a wire had been crossed in her mind, causing her brain to short-circuit.
“Atiya, what do you think could be the reason for this?” Xia Lulu asked for her opinion. “Do you think it’s because Xia Yi is in a bad mood today?”
“No.”
“Then is she trying to create a new persona, to maintain her authority?”
“That’s not it either. It could be that…”
Atiya began to think.
Generally speaking, Atiya’s analyses were not very reliable. Her thinking was far too unrestrained, her logic bizarre, after all, she was a so-called ‘great genius.’
“Her Highness has multiple personalities!”
Atiya delivered her extremely outrageous conclusion, spouting utter nonsense with a perfectly serious face.
“Usually, the main personality of Her Highness controls the body, that’s the princess we all know. But today, the inner personality came online, which is why she’s completely different from usual!”
0 Comments