Volume 4 Chapter 18

Volume 4 + Chapter 18: A Subtle Atmosphere

Full of confidence, Xia Yi declared her intentions, she wanted Serra to properly witness how she would triumph—how she would defeat Xia Lulu.

“Your Highness, I will watch attentively from the side,” Serra said with a gentle smile. “And I’ll be sure to remember your heroic form today. I definitely won’t forget.”

“Very good! That’s exactly what my personal maid should say!”

Xia Yi nodded in great satisfaction.

As expected, Serra believed in her the most—so she had to respond to that trust.

“Daughter, things have come to this point—there’s no longer any retreat,” Xia Lulu said from across from her. “You should know what it means if you lose, right?”

“Of course I know! If I fail, my life will be filled with bitter gourd!”

Xia Yi clenched her fists tight.

“I will never allow the evil bitter gourd to invade the Dragon Kingdom! I bear the future of osmanthus cake upon my shoulders!!”

If she lost, Xia Lulu would enact the Bitter Gourd Act, and she would be forced to live with bitter gourd…

Absolutely not. Never.

“……”

“Xia Lulu, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you angry?”

“No, actually—I’m rather happy.”

“Huh? Really?”

Xia Yi was surprised.

“I thought that after being defeated by me so many times, you’d lose heart and start accepting reality. But instead, this refusal to give up, this constant desire to surpass me—I like it.” Xia Lulu laughed lightly. “After all, most people, once I intimidate them a little, lose the will to challenge me again. You’re different, Xia Yi.”

“Of course I am! If you think I’d give up challenging you, impossible! I said I’d surpass you—and I will surpass you!”

If Xia Yi were timid and cowardly, she would have been scared out of the Dragon race long ago, and would never have stormed into the Dragon Palace back then.

“Tyranny or benevolence—no matter what policies you wish to enact in the Dragon Kingdom, daughter, you must first possess the strength to enforce them. Without that, everything is empty talk.”

Xia Lulu then asked:

“So tell me—among the Dragon race, what is the best display of ability?”

Xia Yi didn’t need to think too long. Thanks to Xia Lulu’s past teachings, she quickly found the answer—

“…Strength.”

“Correct. Without strength, you can’t even sit securely on this throne. You can’t mobilize the machinery of the nation, and the other dragons won’t willingly submit to you. No matter how pure your bloodline is, that alone won’t make them fight for you. The Dragon King’s throne has always belonged to strength.”

Everything Xia Lulu said was true.

The Dragon King’s position had never depended solely on bloodline.

Throughout history, although many Dragon Kings had indeed possessed powerful bloodlines, there were also those of ordinary blood who earned the position through strength.

If Xia Lulu passed the throne to Xia Yi, then Xia Yi would have to accept challenges from other dragons.

Fail to defend the throne, and it would be taken.

“Show me a little intensity then, daughter.”

A faint gleam flashed through Xia Lulu’s silver eyes, and she released the Dragon King’s aura.

“Urgh…!”

Xia Yi felt the pressure instantly—her heart shivered.

It was as if the sky had collapsed upon her, crushing her body so hard she couldn’t even lift her head. She nearly collapsed to the ground under the weight.

“The Dragon King’s… aura!”

Gritting her teeth, Xia Yi released her own Dragon King aura, activating her Silver Dragon Queen bloodline to resist Xia Lulu’s.

Although she was still suppressed, she could now barely move.

During their previous battles, Xia Lulu had never opened with her Dragon King aura.

This intensity was completely different from before.

When Xia Yi lifted her head, she found that Xia Lulu wasn’t merely standing and watching—she had raised her hand and begun chanting in Dragon Script to cast magic.

She absolutely couldn’t let her finish! She had to interrupt the spell!

“Holy Sword!!”

Xia Yi immediately awakened Gram, grasping the Holy Sword and charging toward Xia Lulu.

But she hadn’t gotten far when she felt magical fluctuations from beneath her feet.

The solid ground rose and fell like waves. A giant hand made of packed clay burst from the earth, casting a huge shadow.

A summoning spell—Clay Golem!

Xia Lulu smiled faintly. Clearly she had anticipated this—she had guessed Xia Yi would use her aura to regain mobility and try to interrupt the casting. Using chant-suppression techniques, she instantly released the summoning spell.

Because it was chant-suppressed, only part of the golem could be summoned—thus only the enormous hand, which came crashing toward Xia Yi.

“Gale Blade!”

Xia Yi raised the Holy Sword and used an extremely fast sword technique. The sword aura whipped up a storm, aiming to destroy the golem’s arm.

However—

Clang!!

The clay hand swept aside the sword aura and still came smashing down in front of her. She had to lift her Holy Sword to block it.

Not good.

Only now did Xia Yi notice that Xia Lulu had been maintaining her Dragon King aura the entire time, continuously suppressing her.

While Xia Yi was also using her aura, the difference in realm meant the suppression still existed—weakening her abilities.

A clay golem arm she should’ve been able to slash apart with one sword technique was now taking her far too long to handle.

“It’s just a clay golem arm, right? Watch me push it back!!”

Xia Yi burst forth with the raw power of the dragon race, and with her Silver Dragon bloodline activated, her strength soared dramatically. Incredibly, she actually pushed the golem’s arm aside.

But by then, Xia Lulu’s spell had already finished.

“Daughter, look up,” Xia Lulu said.

Xia Yi lifted her head—and saw the magic before her: ice swords.

If they had been ordinary ice swords, it wouldn’t have mattered.

But what if there were dozens?

Hundreds?

Thousands?

Using her overwhelming mana, the Silver Dragon Queen created thousands of ice swords, seizing total control of this entire area. At a single thought, these blades could rain down, powerful enough to blow up the entire mountain range.

With Xia Yi’s current power, no fire magic she could use would cancel out the bombardment of thousands of ice swords.

“Her Majesty’s strength is truly…”

Serra, watching nearby, was sweating. Even she—an exceptionally powerful red dragon physically—had no confidence in taking that head-on.

Anyone would despair from this. Anyone would lose the will to fight.

She turned to look at Xia Yi.

Unexpectedly, Xia Yi did not retreat. Though terrified by the sight, she still smiled.

“Xia Lulu, I admit you’re strong. But I, who ventured into the human world, am no longer who I once was. I’ve been remade. I once faced despair hundreds of times worse than this—and I didn’t back down!”

“You’re not afraid?” Xia Lulu asked in surprise.

Could it be that her daughter had gained something unexpected during her trip to the human world?

“Yes! Even the Beast of Wrath couldn’t make me yield! Now—let me show you my true power! Tremble before me, Xia Lulu!”

Before the overwhelming pressure of the thousand swords, Xia Yi remained calm. She raised her hand, and the Holy Sword’s engraving began to glow.

Her entire presence shifted—as though she were the boss entering phase two.

“Holy Sword—Release!”

This was Xia Yi’s trump card—putting the Holy Sword into its Released State, awakening its potential, revealing a new form, and greatly enhancing her own power as its wielder.

Hearing that her daughter had fought the Beast of Wrath Samael and returned safely was so unexpected that Xia Lulu no longer mocked her as before. Instead, she quietly observed Xia Yi’s next move.

Serra also stayed silent, watching from the side.

“……”

“……”

“……”

After shouting “Holy Sword Release,” Xia Yi held the dramatic pose—completely motionless—for ten full seconds. Nothing happened.

Xia Lulu and Serra’s expressions began to shift slightly.

“Daughter… where is your Holy Sword Release?” Xia Lulu asked.

Xia Yi’s face froze.

Huh?

What’s going on?

Why… Why wasn’t she able to activate the Released State?

Didn’t she already release it during her battle with the Beast of Wrath, Samael?

Old friend! Old friend!! Don’t you dare betray me now!!

Hurry up and release!! Don’t leave me hanging like this—I already boasted so much!!

“Ahem! W–Wait!”

Xia Yi coughed twice, trying to ease the crushing awkwardness.

“That one doesn’t count! I’m doing it again!”

Maybe her previous pose wasn’t cool enough to make Gram happy?

So Xia Yi switched to another stance, focused for a moment, and tried again.

“Hmph! Xia Lulu, as expected of the rival I must surpass—your strength is impressive. Very well, this is worthy of my seriousness. Now witness my full power!”

Xia Yi lifted the Holy Sword, pointed it forward, then clasped her hands to her chest before raising them high.

She even deliberately used a dramatic, rising and falling tone to sound passionate and majestic.

“Guided by the pure and unyielding soul of the Sword Saint—Gram, reveal your true form! Holy Sword—Release!!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Still nothing. Not a single change.

No matter how many poses Xia Yi switched to, no matter how she changed her lines—there was no Release. Nothing happened.

Holy Sword? Holy Sword!! Why are you just sitting there?! Why aren’t you releasing?!

Why won’t you answer the pure heart of this Sword Saint’s successor?!

Xia Yi panicked like an ant on a hot pan, but no amount of calling made a difference.

A subtle, painfully awkward atmosphere spread.

The little princess’s face turned bright red under Xia Lulu’s and Serra’s gazes—so embarrassed that steam felt like it might start rising from her head.