“It’s over now.”
Even the most optimistic Parnell thought so. Lucia, who was already pessimistic, had given up hope. In fact, from their perspective, there weren’t many options left.
Parnell, with her sharp mind, concluded that they only had three choices left: resist, commit suicide, or surrender. They had to seriously consider whether to fight and get captured, kill themselves before that, or just surrender before getting beaten up.
The Demon Emperor, Harmail, was a formidable opponent even when they were at their peak. Now, their condition was at its worst.
If they fought, they’d be overwhelmed and captured. There was no hope that the Magic Tower or the Church Country would pay a ransom to get them back. Even if the Magic Tower offered a huge sum for Parnell or the Church Country negotiated for the Hero, Harmail would never release a Hero who could turn a blade against her. Even if she did, she’d cripple them first, ensuring they’d never be a threat again.
They’d be released as broken shells of their former selves, having lost everything.
And that’s only if they were lucky enough for the Church or the Magic Tower to want to reclaim the ruined Hero Party at a great cost. The chances of that were slim. Most likely, negotiations would be abandoned, and what followed would be obvious.
They’d become laughingstocks for the entire Demon Race, used as propaganda tools, and subjected to who knows what humiliations.
Facing a lifetime of torture and abuse, suicide didn’t seem like a bad option. They might even beg for death later.
“Should I just die…?”
Even the two old men, who had once arrogantly called themselves Grand Masters and had the right to do so, had to seclude themselves for decades after being defeated by the Dark Arts. Despite using the Imperial Palace’s resources for recovery, they never regained their former strength.
Without the Sacred Sword and the Demon Killer, Lucia and Yurinel were several steps below Leyman and Geher. They could still wield some of their Master-level power, but now, they felt like they were chained hand and foot.
Parnell was in a slightly better situation, but only slightly. Her Magic Core was overloaded from overuse and wasn’t performing at its full capacity.
They were already beyond the point where time and effort could restore them. Even if they had time, it was doubtful they could recover, and Harmail wouldn’t give them that time.
“Why don’t you speak up now, Lucia Western? Why have you suddenly gone silent? You used to be so arrogant, always running your mouth.”
Harmail, who had been waiting for this moment, lightly waved her fan. A small breeze gradually grew into a magical storm, sweeping the two women away like fallen leaves. Lucia bit her lip, swallowing her anger.
Why is it that in family conflicts, the sister-in-law who eggs things on is more hated than the mother-in-law who hits? So how much more hateful is a sister-in-law who not only doesn’t stop it but joins in? Right now, the woman in front of her was even more detestable than Grimudo, the mastermind behind all this.
The fight with Grimudo was, frankly, an undeniable, complete defeat.
He had appeared before them, waited for them to prepare their attacks, and then defeated them purely with strength. The Phoenix he brought along just watched, as he single-handedly defeated all three of them.
With such an obvious outcome, what excuse could they make? Was the opponent cowardly? Were they in bad shape? Or were they tricked?
There was no trick. They just lost. They didn’t want to admit it, but they had to. On the other hand, Harmail was different.
She meticulously set a trap, even involving Grimudo, and then struck when they were at their weakest. This kind of victory was hard to accept from the losing side.
Of course, anger boiled inside them, but even if they cursed her for being cowardly, the outcome was decided. They were defeated before they even had a chance to fight. There was no way to turn the tide.
Even if they fought with their lives on the line, the gap in power was too great. The opponent could easily subdue them without much effort.
An ant can risk its life to attack, but a human can crush it at any moment, or even capture it with a bit more effort. That’s likely what would happen here.
“If you stay quiet like that, I might just sew your mouth shut with a needle. Scream or something while you still have a mouth. Why don’t you kneel before me and beg for forgiveness now?”
Though she used a fan, Harmail’s specialty was finger and palm techniques. She flicked her finger in the air, and a small white dot formed like a pearl. Inside it, the shape of a white dragon appeared and disappeared.
“Though, if you had surrendered from the start, it wouldn’t have been as fun. I hope you keep that spirit up. That way… I can enjoy tormenting you more.”
Just as the jade dragon-shaped projectile was about to be released from her hand, Lucia clenched her eyes shut. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Harmail’s head. It hurt so much she couldn’t think straight.
“Ahhh!”
At the scream, Lucia and Parnell opened their eyes, startled. Yurinel, who had barely gotten up, was equally shocked.
They hadn’t done anything, yet Harmail was screaming. It was impossible not to be surprised. Even the larks were startled, flying around and chirping, and Harmail herself felt a chill.
She fumbled, dispelling the jade dragon technique, and touched her head with her hand. But there wasn’t even a bee sting-like wound. No snake had bitten her, no venomous insect had stung her, yet her head hurt. She had felt this before.
“Grimudo…!”
A sinister thought crossed her mind, and her arrogance vanished, replaced by fear. Was this a mental attack? Had that bastard been toying with her from the beginning?
Harmail pressed her throbbing head and looked around, but Grimudo was nowhere to be seen. It didn’t seem like he had launched another mental attack.
Could he have attacked her from some distant, unknown place? It seemed possible, but it was an excessive assumption. If Grimudo had wanted to harm her, he would have done so earlier.
“What’s going on? Why is she like this all of a sudden…?”
“If we attack now… maybe…”
“No. We need to run first.”
Yurinel, barely standing, steadied her trembling legs and muttered quickly, not even thinking to marvel at their unexpected luck.
“Probably the mental attack from Grimudo left a wound in Harmail’s mind. It’s flaring up again now.”
“Even so, Harmail’s power is still intact. Attacking now would be suicide. In our current state… even if the Demon Emperor stood there like a dummy and took our hits, we couldn’t do anything. Running is our only option.”
Yurinel’s words hit the mark. Just as physical attacks leave wounds on the body, mental attacks leave wounds on the mind.
Both body and mind are stronger than one might think, and wounds can heal to some extent.
But if you overuse an arm that’s already been cut, will it heal faster through sheer willpower? No, the wound will just get worse.
Similarly, a wounded mind needs time to rest and recover. If you overuse your mental strength before the wound heals, it will just reopen, leading to situations like this.
The three exchanged glances and, without needing to say anything, ran. The Demon Emperor watched them escape but could do nothing. She just shouted viciously.
“Come back here!”
“Would you go if I told you to?”
In ancient times, when everyone knew Mental Arts and techniques for mental attacks and defenses, knowledge about mental recovery was common sense.
Back then, there were even Mental Healing Arts to treat wounded minds.
Now, not only are Mental Healing Arts forgotten, but even the concept of mental attacks is a legend. Harmail was the first to experience such an attack.
Of course, such “common sense” was unknown to anyone, including Harmail.
Only after experiencing it did she realize how vicious mental attacks were, but there was nothing she could do about the pain in her head right now. She couldn’t focus on anything.
“These bastards…”
After a while, when the pain subsided, Harmail gritted her teeth. Of course, her anger wasn’t directed at Grimudo. The three women and the bird who had escaped bore the brunt of her rage.
But just as she was about to give chase, Harmail stopped and made a fearful expression. She clearly realized that something was wrong with her mind.
It wasn’t irreversible, and with some rest and avoiding mental strain, she could recover. But if she kept pushing herself, the wound would only worsen, eventually reaching a point where self-healing wouldn’t be enough.
“That can’t happen. What’s the point of being an Emperor if I become a fool?”
The thought of becoming mentally disabled was terrifying. No matter how strong her power was, if her mind collapsed, what would it matter if she was the Demon Emperor or not?
Harmail shuddered at the thought of herself smearing the palace walls with filth.
She absolutely didn’t want that to happen, so she decided not to chase immediately and looked around.
Luckily, this place wasn’t the Demon World, but it wasn’t far from it either. She could bring soldiers to surround the area and trap them.
“Enjoy it while you can.”
The Demon Emperor burned with determination.
“Once you’re in my hands, I’ll make you pay for this humiliation.”
Then, the ground shook, and a loud explosion echoed from afar. Harmail thought she was hearing things due to the mental attack’s aftereffects. After all, the sound was loud, but nothing happened.
The Caldera Supervolcano was far to the south, so only the sound of its eruption reached here. Lava was out of the question, and even the ash hadn’t reached this far yet.
“I can’t tell if it’s me or the world that’s dizzy. It seems like my mind has suffered a critical wound.”
She mistook the shaking ground for an illusion caused by the mental attack’s aftermath. It was a misunderstanding, but a plausible one.
Harmail’s fear grew. How severe must the damage to her mind be for the world to seem like it was shaking? Her vision swayed like a drunk’s.
In any case, the terrified Demon Emperor postponed the chase. The Hero Party gained a brief respite, but it wouldn’t last long. Harmail was still watching them.
