Volume 1 Chapter 520

Chapter 520: You Better Really Have Second-Rank Skills…

On the distant horizon, Qiong launched her attack towards Osmeda.

This was certainly not an act of seeking death.

Qiong knew well that she was still very scared, but everything she had experienced in the "trial" had made her realize…

Avoiding her fears would not allow her to overcome them and live the life she desired.

Only by facing them could she achieve that.

This was what Lolth had taught her.

Being trapped by past hatred and the responsibilities of her race, to the point where she couldn’t even live well, was truly a foolish thing.

However, being broken by fear was even worse.

Of course, she didn’t need to risk her life directly for these vague reasons.

Choosing to act now was because the timing was right.

Kanor had created this opportunity for her and also provided her with the means to challenge Osmeda.

It was a product from another ancient ruin.

Not the "Ruins of Sand," but the Mercury Ruins.

With the help of Little Devil Doyle Candice’s tools from Hillenbrand Town, Doyle, who was an investor in the Demon Army and a strong supporter of Kanor, had not merely opened a door for her.

To build a good relationship with this girl and to ensure a closer bond with Lolth, Doyle had generously prepared some "tools" for Kanor.

Kanor herself didn’t need them, but she took them anyway.

It was just in case they were needed later.

And as it turned out…

They were indeed needed!

The things that Kanor, Ann, and Dorothy didn’t need…

Qiong found useful!

The finest "magical items" from the Mercury Ruins.

The legendary potions of the Insaesya Civilization, "Blood Flame" and "Boiling Soul."

The first strengthened the body and magic, while the second boosted the strength of the soul and speed of thought.

At the cost of pushing her limits, she could temporarily enhance the strength of the Superoperator and Insaesya of the Fighter class…

Twofold.

Although the price was severe, possibly losing her extraordinary powers and never becoming stronger again…

For Qiong, if she could kill Osmeda, she would be willing to never use her extraordinary power again!

She could find a quiet forest or meadow, where there were few monsters, and live a happy life of hunting, drinking, and exploring like an ordinary half-orc.

This was what Qiong truly wished for.

Before that, the only problem was that she couldn’t move on unless she killed Osmeda, the "great evil."

The king of South Sotua and Chancellor Duke Osmeda, the mastermind behind the events that led to the downfall of the King of Thorns family years ago, both must die!

Between the two, Osmeda is the one who deserves it most.

If she can kill him, she can live the peaceful life she desires!

Now, this is the best opportunity…

Thus, holding onto the belief that death is not a concern, Qiong boldly took action!

The two secret potions she had taken, which drained her potential and damaged her life force and soul, began to take effect. Qiong felt a surge of power rising within her body.

This power crossed the great divide that has stopped countless talents, a divide that could never be crossed without the perfect timing, place, and people… a chasm!

The door to the power of rules slowly opened a crack for her.

Her own magic became more active and solid, undergoing a qualitative transformation.

In front of her enemy, she stepped into the realm of the Holy Domain!

A domain belonging to Qiong Thorn formed before Osmeda!

The old fox Chancellor Duke felt the boiling power of shadows and slightly squinted his eyes.

"Obtaining the Holy Domain through clever tricks, are we?"

"To kill me, you have gone to great lengths, you offspring left behind by the King of Thorns."

"Unfortunately, merely crossing into the Holy Domain is not enough!"

As he said this, his power surged greatly.

The Holy Domain, compressed to its limit, unfolded and crushed the strike filled with raging shadow power.

While defending, Osmeda had already begun his attack!

A powerful punch, seemingly unavoidable, rushed towards Qiong Thorn’s face.

"Bang!"

The fist instantly shattered Qiong’s figure.

However…

That was just an illusion created by the power of shadows!

It was not just the ordinary use of shadow power, nor was it the typical skill of a Sneaker…

After all, Osmeda’s method of using the Holy Domain to lock onto enemies cannot be misled by such a simple illusion.

Even Lolth, to interfere with the power of rules, needs to use the magic cube to modify the power coordinates.

Qiong’s "illusion" is her "second self" formed by rules condensed within her Holy Domain.

The ability of the Holy Domain often manifests as an extension of the best-controlled powers and rules, carrying the strong desires of its master.

Qiong’s figure appeared behind Osmeda.

"This is what I prepared for you… the ‘Double Body.’"

Upon hearing this, Osmeda showed neither reluctance nor shock; he simply swung his strong and powerful fist again without hesitation!

But this time, he shattered Qiong once more!

Still not the real Qiong.

But this time, Osmeda also confirmed one thing…

The Qiong he shattered was not false, but completely real.

At the moment of impact, it was Qiong that was breaking.

In that instant, there were two Qiong, one a fragile Qiong that existed for just a moment.

One, the true Qiong.

Qiong understood that without the magic guiding cube, she could not directly "interfere" with magic.

Then let’s use the power of shadows and the rules of the Holy Domain, along with skills similar to those of assassins, to create a real "double" that exists for only a moment!

Thanks to Lolth’s careful teaching before, Qiong is now the third person in the world, besides Lolth and Osmeda, who knows about this Chancellor Duke’s ability in geometry and how to respond to and solve it.

It is interference and misdirection!

This will make it so Osmeda won’t even be able to land a punch on her!

Qiong felt grateful to Lolth once again.

The succubus gave her not just courage!

But also some tips to outsmart Osmeda!

However, Osmeda was unaware that inside the Trials of the Ruins of Sand, Qiong watched a free lesson on how to break his own moves.

The fists missed again and again, striking "Qiong" each time, but they could not hurt Qiong at all.

Instead, it was the agile Qiong, whose shadowy blades mixed with quick movements, making Osmeda very uncomfortable.

Osmeda, being a clever old fox, also noticed that something was wrong.

He then began to change his strategy.

He gave up his usual fighting style that he was best at and fully strengthened himself with the Holy Domain.

The "uniqueness" of his Holy Domain lay in guidance.

Besides making his attacks unavoidable… it could also be used for enhancement.

He concentrated all his power into one focus.

Not a single bit of energy was wasted on anything other than the attack.

Even the heartbeat could be felt at the tips of his fingers.

This could be considered his "trump card."

"Damn you, filthy halforcen."

Osmeda no longer evaded, allowing the wave of shadow blades unleashed by Qiong to hit him.

The attack tore through his clothes and skin, and streams of blood filled with Shadow Magic flowed out, swallowed by the dark shadows, looking quite terrifying.

But it was not fatal.

Qiong Thorn immediately stopped attacking.

Her rich combat experience and almost instinctual sense of danger made the small girl realize something.

That continuing to fight would put her in a very dire situation!

The other party was undoubtedly preparing for a terrifying attack.

Noticing Osmeda’s right fist concealed behind him, Qiong immediately chose to distance herself from the old man.

The vast wilderness, which initially seemed disadvantageous for Qiong, a Superoperator of the assassin class, now turned into an advantage.

In a short span, Qiong could create a significant distance.

Especially since Osmeda showed no intention to pursue.

But this wasn’t because Osmeda couldn’t move while channeling his power.

Rather, it was…

Unnecessary.

The next punch required no tracking, no closing in!

Osmeda was about to prove a point…

In the Fighter profession, once reaching the Holy Domain, distance becomes irrelevant!

"Dragon, Break!"

The dignified Prime Minister of South Sotua slowly articulated two potent words.

From the name alone, one could infer the nature of this fighting technique.

It was a martial art conceived with the legendary high-race "Dragon," scarcely active in the main plane, as its imagined adversary.

A technique potent enough to obliterate the formidable body of a dragon — this was the reason he amassed all his strength!

Osmeda unleashed his punch!

At that moment, he was no longer the Prime Minister and Chancellor Duke of the United Kingdom of South Sotua.

But the Superoperator of the Holy Domain, the continent’s most formidable fighter…

Osmeda!

"Die!"

The old man roared with a ferocity that defied his age and appearance.

He delivered an ultimate punch into the air before him.

Then…

Even the air trembled!

"Boom!"

The magic and force erupting from his fist formed an invisible, overwhelming shockwave, surging towards Qiong.

In its wake, the shattered stones and vegetation on the ground turned to dust upon contact with this force!

This was undoubtedly a strike Qiong could not easily withstand.

And she couldn’t even evade it!

For the scope of this impact was simply too vast.

It was as wide as five carriages side by side.

It swept away everything in its path with unstoppable force, almost reaching Qiong in an instant.

She couldn’t even… dodge.

Even though she was known for her speed, Qiong’s speed could not outpace the spread of this shockwave.

Even the magical disturbance in the environment before the impact easily shook the Holy Domain that Qiong had just formed.

If she had achieved the Holy Domain through her own strength and had perfect control over the power of the rules, she would not be in such a state.

But, after all, this was only temporary.

Qiong was instead thrown back, spitting blood, due to the backlash from her own Holy Domain.

It seemed she was about to be swallowed by that even stronger force!

And at this moment.

"Sigh…"

Lolth sighed.

"As expected, a real person does not grow larger."

Lolth couldn’t help but express her thoughts.

This real-life version of Osmeda was still far from the giant that Qiong had imagined, who represented her deepest fears.

She could not use powers above the Superlative Level.

But…

The apprentice could use tools, and Lolth, who preferred to "borrow from objects" to a degree that even the gods acknowledged as excessive…

Naturally, could use them too.

She pulled out the slightly restored Rod of Eden from her pocket.

If it weren’t for the fact that this belonged to the God of Light, whose power was gentle as long as he didn’t create an offensive spell, Lolth wouldn’t have wanted to reveal it in front of Dorothy now.

Without any finesse, she hurled the staff with the full force of the Superlative Level, and the Rod of Eden spun as it flew onto the path of the impact.

It positioned itself between Qiong and Osmeda’s attacks.

Soon, Osmeda’s attack and Qiong’s shadow realm vanished without a trace.

This was not solely to aid Qiong in her revenge.

Osmeda’s skill had such a vast area of effect that Lolth was also concerned it might harm Dorothy.

Although this appeared to be a sneak attack, Lolth didn’t see anything wrong with it.

She wasn’t very familiar with Osmeda, so what was wrong with her lending a hand?

When Sun Wukong and Yang Jian fought, did Taoist Tianzun do anything wrong by secretly hitting the monkey with his golden circle?

Jing Ke attempted to assassinate King Qin, but wasn’t it permissible for Xia Wuqie to throw drug bags to protect the emperor?

Of course, the Rod of Eden that Lolth threw was a bit more potent.

Qiong, who was blown away by the shockwave, even received a bit of healing because of it.

Seizing this opportunity, she hurled her shadow dagger, which was nearly at the Sacred Tool level, with all her might as if igniting her own power.

"Osmeda!"

With boundless resentment and a sense of desperation, the girl shouted as the dagger flew past the Rod of Eden, carrying the power gained from the burning blood of Qiong Thorn, and stabbed towards the old man!

Then, it pierced through his body!

Osmeda’s face turned slightly pale.

Blood flowed from the wound, and the immense shadow power made it difficult for him to withstand.

Meanwhile, Osmeda looked at the strange staff returning, filled with Holy Light, and was still pondering one thing…

Had the Holy Empire and the Church of Light struck against him…?

Why would they help this remnant of the King of Thorns?

Before he could think too much, a familiar female voice that surprised him deepened Osmeda’s confusion.

"Legion, listen up—We just received a message from the king. Chancellor Duke Osmeda is here to help the Silver Citadel attack us, and he has also turned against us—now is the time to kill him!"

It was Lalea giving the orders.

A terrifying thought appeared in Osmeda’s mind.

Could this be a trap set for me?

Lolth looked at the hesitant soldiers and some brave ones starting to move, then at the injured and anxious Osmeda, and the revived Qiong Thorn, feeling a bit hopeful.

"Old man, you’d better really be a second-rank!"