### Chapter 34: The Diplomatic Skills of Walls
“I feel like I recognize you…”
Boom—!
Arcs of electric light exploded across the night sky like a rave party gone haywire. In an instant, the whole snowy landscape lit up, blue arcs of electricity danced around, accompanied by a few distant yelps of surprise.
The figure of the woman vanished in a flash of golden light, while a man named Ramiel blocked her lightning-infused sword strike. As the electric arcs crackled around him, his eyes widened momentarily, golden streams of energy swirling like mist around him, instantly dispelling the lightning.
His face flickered in the light, clear as day before the Sword Demon’s eyes.
“F*** your mother!”
The woman shouted, now a good ten meters away, her expression a mixture of confusion and rage as she glared at the small figure at the center of the lightning. As the electric arcs receded, she turned and rushed back, “You crazy b****, are you looking for d*ath—”
With a sudden flurry, the sounds of clashing blades erupted. The Sword Demon remained silent, launching a barrage of lightning-fast strikes toward Ramiel, each slash blurring past the eye. Yet, the man skillfully sidestepped and ducked, avoiding her onslaught with remarkable ease.
He even had time to glance back, noticing his companion rushing back, and promptly retreated, dodging yet another incoming strike. He grabbed the woman’s collar, shouting, “Fall back.”
“Fall back my a**, I’m going to finish her off first!”
“The Northern Army has been alerted.”
Ramiel warned, glancing at the castle walls where shadows flickered, torches igniting and soldiers stirring in confusion. Sleep-deprived commanders stumbled out in full armor, shouting at the bewildered soldiers watching the set-to, their eyes darting this way, wide with surprise.
Boom—!
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Sword Demon closing in again, her feet crackling with electricity. Suddenly, she leaped and kicked towards the woman while her sword twisted, slicing through the air with a screech like a flock of birds announcing a new dawn, aimed right at Ramiel’s neck!
“I…”
“Choir of Saints…”
Buzz!
Miraculously, a divine miracle erupted around Ramiel, the blade coming to a halt just centimeters from his throat, as a thin, translucent barrier surrounded him like a soap bubble, warding off both the furious lightning and the attack.
Ramiel’s eyes stayed glued to the woman’s face within the electric glow, utterly unfazed.
Bam—
But shockingly, the kick aimed at the woman was suddenly caught in her hand.
The Sword Demon grabbed her ankle as sparks sizzled and crackled, racing up her arm and, for a brief moment, she stiffened. Then, suddenly, smoke billowed around her, and emerald sparks flared, like fireflies swarming about her.
With a surge of strength, the woman rooted her stance, her foot crashing into the ground with a thunderous sound, shattering the snow beneath her.
In the ensuing chaos, she spun around, flinging the Sword Demon like a ragdoll, shooting off towards the castle wall like a cannonball—
Boom!
The wall shattered, sending countless bricks tumbling down, as the white figure tumbled into the snow, thunder flickering around her before gradually fading away.
“What’s going on?”
“Refugees are fighting…”
“Idiot, when have you ever seen refugees fight like this!? Sound the horn!! Where’s Lady Annie…”
Wail—
Amidst the chaotic cries from the top of the wall, a soldier blew the horn, and the already-armored commander waved his hands to issue commands. Shadows raced back and forth along the battlements, their archers readying their bows, arms poised at the ready.
Not far away, on the tower’s rooftop, a massive siege crossbow, operated by several Northern warriors, clicked as it angled towards Ramiel and Emily’s direction, with bolts sharp enough to fell a young dragon.
“Steady! Everyone down there, don’t move! If you move, you’ll be the enemy of the entire Northern Army!”
The commander yelled from the battlements, trying to calm the panicked soldiers to avoid any reckless arrow releases.
Yet, with tensions rising, the man and woman below appeared completely unfazed, ignoring the commotion.
Ramiel frowned at the figure slowly rising from the ground, a moment of recognition dawning on him. He whispered, “Sword Demon…”
His words were almost to himself, but the woman beside him, ready to brawl, caught wind of it, turning sharply with wide eyes, “Who are you talking about?!”
Ramiel yanked her hood and started pulling her back in the opposite direction of the walls. “I saw her face! It looks like Sword Demon Anacelis.”
“Isn’t that woman supposed to be dead… Let go of me! I don’t care who she is, I’m going to k*ll her!” Emily cursed, fuming.
“Don’t be reckless.”
Ramiel snapped, his expression serious. “If it really is the Sword Demon, we’re in big trouble.”
“Old Anseel couldn’t possibly have killed her… stupid b****, let me handle this—”
“d*mn Clerics! I told you not to move! Are you deaf? How did the Church raise a whole group of morons who can’t even listen…”
On the wall, the commander, seeing the duo trying to make a run for it, recalled their abilities and thought about how tricky they’d be to track down if they got loose, so he resorted to taunting them, shouting from the battlements, “Kneel down! Everyone kneel!”
“d*mn it, everyone’s looking to d*e…”
Hearing that made Emily’s forehead bulge with veins, grinning wickedly as she broke free from Ramiel’s grasp and stepped forward, surrounded by that emerald electricity, headed back towards the fight.
“Hunter! Where’s the Hunter—”
The commander quickly ducked back behind the battlements, calling out to the soldiers, scanning the area for the two combatants from earlier.
Soon enough, he spotted the petite, purple-haired woman still holding a sword, dirtied but unharmed, walking out from the shattered wall, striding towards the enemy with a steady pace.
Boom! The thunder erupted, blinding light overwhelming the Northern soldiers, who shielded their eyes, while the starving masses scattered. The ground outside was poised to become a battlefield, and the commander suddenly felt a wave of dread wash over him. He shouted to his troops, “Take cover—”
In the next moment, he heard a thunderous rumble. The night sky lit up momentarily, followed by a massive bang that made his head feel like a drum, his ears buzzing as if they’d been shattered.
On the castle wall, soldiers screamed and dove for cover, and when they regained their bearings, they saw the sky darken again, the massive sound fading away. The commander cautiously peeked over the battlement, the buzzing in his ears still lingering. He saw the snow below smashed into a scorched patch, the snow melted away entirely.
And at the center of the scorched earth, that woman who had just been charging ferociously, now appeared nearly charred black, her attire ragged, bl**d oozing from where she had been pierced by a sword, suspended in mid-air, seemingly lifeless.
D- Did she really just d*e…?
“Gulp.”
The commander unconsciously swallowed hard, sweat trickling down his forehead.
