Chapter 177

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Volume 2 + Chapter 177: Let’s Leave It At That

A dragon’s tail is a young dragon’s weakness.

A juvenile dragon’s tail hasn’t been trained or tempered, so it’s especially sensitive and can’t withstand strong stimulation.

Xia Yi was a young dragon.

And her heart demon, as a projection of herself, naturally shared all of her traits—strengths and weaknesses alike.

So Xia Yi used this to her advantage, successfully seizing control of her heart demon.

“I’ll… kill you!!” Heart Demon Xia Yi shouted.

But despite her fierce voice, Xia Yi gripped her tail tightly and gave it a hard squeeze.

“Uwaaahhh!!”

Heart Demon Xia Yi immediately let out a cry, all her threatening aura vanishing on the spot.

At first, she still tried to bluff, yelling and insisting it had no effect—but that bravado quickly faded.

Now she lay sprawled on the ground, her entire body limp. She couldn’t even lift her waist anymore, let alone resist.

“I… I can’t believe I’ve fallen into your hands because of such a ridiculous weakness…!”

Heart Demon Xia Yi felt utterly humiliated.

“I can’t accept this… I just can’t…”

“There’s nothing unacceptable about it,” Xia Yi replied. “Using an opponent’s weakness to win a fight is just common sense.”

“You’re despicable!”

“Despicable? You’re my heart demon! And you’re calling me despicable? That’s almost funny.”

“Damn it…”

Heart Demon Xia Yi had no retort. She lowered her head, full of unwillingness.

From the moment she was born, Heart Demon Xia Yi had only one goal—

Kill the original and replace her.

Now, that goal was clearly out of reach. Her opponent had not only defeated her but continued to mock her for amusement.

Accepting her fate, Heart Demon Xia Yi said softly, “I’ve lost.”

The moment she said those words, her battle form dissolved.

That marked the end of the battle. Victory had been decided.

Xia Yi also released her grip.

“Hmph. You should be pleased, Xia Yi. From now on, you don’t have to worry about your heart demon threatening you anymore. You can finally rest easy,” Heart Demon Xia Yi sneered. “Plus, you get to absorb my power and grow even stronger.”

“That’s true.”

Xia Yi summoned her holy sword again, pointing the blade at Heart Demon Xia Yi’s chest.

Once either Xia Yi or her heart demon acknowledged defeat, everything would end. The victor would take full control of the body and survive as the dominant consciousness.

The loser would vanish from existence forever.

That had always been the nature of this battle.

Only martial artists of a certain level could give rise to a heart demon. Learning to control one’s state of mind and seal the heart demon was a requirement for reaching the sacred level.

To go even further, one had to confront the heart demon and defeat it. Doing so would allow the victor to absorb all of the demon’s strength and advance again—without ever having to fear the heart demon’s interference.

But that path carried enormous risk. A single misstep could mean ruin.

So most martial artists stopped at the sealing stage.

Only a rare few geniuses dared to overcome this trial.

And now, Xia Yi was one of those rare few.

She had earned the right to execute her heart demon.

“What are you waiting for, Xia Yi?” Heart Demon Xia Yi scoffed. “Hurry up and kill me. Absorb my power. Go smash your enemies outside. Wasn’t that your goal from the beginning?”

“Yeah, that was my goal. Otherwise I wouldn’t have released the seal.” Xia Yi raised her holy sword.

Shing!

Just as the holy sword was about to strike Heart Demon Xia Yi—

It vanished.

Heart Demon Xia Yi froze.

“…Huh? Let’s leave it at that,” Xia Yi said with a smile.

“You… What’s the meaning of this?!” Heart Demon Xia Yi demanded. “Why aren’t you killing me?!”

“No particular reason.”

“Are you kidding me?! Are you looking down on me?!”

Furious, Heart Demon Xia Yi leapt forward and grabbed Xia Yi by the collar.

“We dueled and I lost. I already admitted defeat. You’re supposed to kill me and take my power! Don’t insult me! I’m not begging for my life—I’m not afraid to die!”

“I don’t think you’re afraid. Maybe I’m just… acting on a whim?” Xia Yi replied.

“You’re crazy! Who doesn’t kill their heart demon?!”

Heart Demon Xia Yi’s eyes were wide—she truly thought Xia Yi was being incomprehensibly irrational.

“Hmph. Xia Yi, don’t think this choice of yours will touch me or make me want to get along with you. That’s impossible. I’m the one who wants you dead more than anyone in this world. The only thing I feel for you is hatred. If you spare me now, I’ll constantly think about how to take over your body and kill you. I’ll say this one last time: if you don’t kill me, you’ll regret it.”

“I know the consequences.”

Xia Yi still made no move.

“…You’ll deeply regret this. I swear it.” Heart Demon Xia Yi said coldly.

“Mhm.”

Xia Yi only smiled, then closed her eyes. Her figure began to fade as she exited her inner world.

When she completely disappeared, only Heart Demon Xia Yi remained.

“…Idiot.” she muttered softly, head lowered.

—

“Heave-ho~!”

Xia Yi sat up from the ground.

“Princess? Are you alright?” Atiya asked with concern.

“Eh? What happened?”

“You looked like you were dreaming just now. You were muttering weird things… like how fun it is to squeeze tails and stuff about killing someone… We couldn’t make sense of it.”

“Oh, that was…”

Xia Yi didn’t know how to explain.

She couldn’t exactly say she just had a 300-round death match with her heart demon.

“It’s fine! I’m all rested now. Let’s go again!”

“…Okay.” Atiya didn’t press the issue.

Xia Yi and Atiya stood across from each other once more.

This time, they were both using standard iron swords.

Atiya wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt the princess’s presence had subtly changed—

Something was different from before.

Now, Xia Yi no longer seemed anxious. Instead, she had a calm and steady confidence.

“Atiya, don’t space out. It’s starting.”

“Right!” Atiya nodded.

Their swords clashed instantly.

Same stances. Same techniques. Same timing.

But this time, Atiya’s usually calm mind felt a flicker of anxiety. A sense of danger.

Her instincts were correct.

Xia Yi’s sword speed—was faster than hers.

Clang!!

A metallic crash echoed as their swords collided violently. The impact sent shockwaves ripping through the space like a storm.

And the outcome of this battle—

Who would it be?

—

[Author’s Note: Happy New Year, everyone! A new year has begun. Although I’ve yet to recover from being sick, I’ve still worked hard to maintain bonus updates. Doesn’t Swiss Roll deserve some monthly ticket encouragement?]