Chapter 33: Do you dare to compete with me?

A chance to grow stronger?

Charis’s heart stirred as she glanced at the transforming Penny.

The blood mist around Penny enveloped her, forming a cocoon-like structure.

“Penny!”
Ophelia summoned an ice sword, rushing forward but powerless to act.
She first rescued her mother, guiding her to safety.

“Charis! Stay hidden!”
Ophelia shouted back, clenching her fist to shatter the ice chain curse.

Crack.

Cool shards grazed Charis’s neck as she stared at the scattered ice fragments—she was unexpectedly free.

“It’s gone?”
Charis touched her neck, two choices flashing in her mind.

First, stay and hear Talos’s advice on this “chance to grow stronger.”

Second, flee now and ignore everything, but the future was uncertain.
Despite Talos’s guidance, a young dragon was weak—easy prey.

Considering Ophelia freed the ice chain at the last moment and didn’t forget her, Charis leapt off the horse, darting to the execution platform’s stands, hiding in a corner to confer with Talos.

“Demon King, what’s this chance to grow stronger? Tell me.”

“Oh? I thought you’d bolt without a second thought.”

“Run? I’m not stupid.
Pass up a chance to get stronger?
Even if I escape, I need strength first!”

“You’ve thought it through.
By staying, you’re ready to face the Calamity avatar—it’s your opportunity.”

“What? Me fight the Calamity avatar?”

Charis stood, sneaking along the stands’ railing to peek at the writhing blood cocoon.

The cocoon loomed like a small hill, radiating scarlet light through cracks, as if birthing a monstrous entity!

“How can I fight that? I’m clearly no match!
Demon King, you sure about this?”
Charis ducked back, grumbling at Talos’s suggestion.

“Fight your way—use what you’re best at.
The Calamity avatar can’t outrun you.
Just lure it to a specific place.”

“That’ll work? I won’t die, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you. Here’s what you do…”

Below the platform, the execution staff had long fled—private executions weren’t worth risking their lives.

The empty grounds held only the blood cocoon.
Ophelia, after escorting her mother to safety, returned alone, dragging her ice sword through the dirt.

“Penny, I’ll save you.”

Ophelia’s expression was grim as she raised her sword toward the cocoon, but it swelled, ready to burst, and she had no plan.

A sword saintess was a blade for eradication, but facing her beloved sister as a monster, her usually unstoppable sword trembled.

Crack!

The cocoon split open, scarlet eyes piercing the blood mist.
Bone-white claws tore through the platform, the creature lunging at Ophelia!

Thud!

Ophelia silently raised an ice wall, blocking the attack.
As the monster recoiled, she saw its form clearly.

Thick white bone claws supported a lizard-like front half, its head a beastly skull.
The rear was a massive, inky snake tail, moving with unnatural speed, even scaling the ice wall!

At its chest, Penny’s frail, white-haired form was caged by jagged ribs, trapped inside, unconscious but not fully merged.

“Penny!”

Ophelia shouted, but her cry triggered the ribs to retract, unmerged scales forcibly covering them.

“Hiss…”

The monster roared, its lower half slithering to climb the ice wall.
Its head split 180 degrees, ferocious teeth gnawing at the ice, targeting Ophelia.

“Give Penny back! Die!”

Ophelia unleashed her curses, freezing the ground as countless ice spikes materialized, joining the ice chains from her sword to strike the creature’s body.

“Hiss…”

The monster’s red eyes narrowed, as if understanding.
It exposed Penny’s caged form, shifting the rib cage to its head, facing Ophelia’s attack!

What!

Ophelia’s heart shook, redirecting her attack to avoid harming her fragile sister.

But this played into the monster’s trap.

Roar!

The creature vaulted the ice wall, lunging at Ophelia like a dark cloud.
She switched to defensive swordplay, clashing with its fangs, kicking up ice dust and blood mist.

Clang! Clank! Crack!

In a few moves, her ice sword shattered under the bone claws.
Ophelia was pinned down, the creature’s claws embedding her in the ground, its maw roaring triumphantly.

“Despicable thing!”
Even defeated, Ophelia resisted, gritting her teeth to cast another curse, but her power was being siphoned—her curses faltered.

The Calamity Frost Body was one whole, drawn to merge.
Wounded and exhausted, Ophelia couldn’t fight as the monster’s jaws descended.

‘Penny… can I really not save you?
Your suffering should’ve been mine.
I’m sorry… your sister lost.
It was never you who should die—it was me.
I’m coming to join you.’

A flood of thoughts flashed like a carousel in Ophelia’s mind.

But a sudden noise broke her reverie.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fist-sized stones flew, smacking the monster’s head—not painful for its massive form, but deeply insulting!

“Hey, big dummy, over here!
Bullying the weak—what skill is that?
Dare to take me on?”

Charis?! What’s she doing?!

Ophelia opened her eyes, seeing the monster turn, its scarlet eyes locked on Charis, who clutched a pile of stones, pelting its head.

Bang! Bang!

Two more stones hit the monster’s eyes precisely.
It roared in fury, charging at Charis!

“Uh-oh, it’s coming! Aaaah!”

Charis dropped the stones and bolted, slipping through the gate, running like the wind.
The monster, missing its lunge, furiously gave chase, smashing the gate to catch her.

“Cough, cough! Idiot! You’ll die!”

Ophelia propped herself up, trying to follow, but the battle had drained her.
Staying conscious was a struggle—she needed to recover to avoid fainting.

“Charis… why… you better not die.”

Ophelia clenched her fist, praying as she stared after the monster.