351. Rematch of Pride

The Mistress of Remnants watched in triumph as her flock feasted on the Human city. They’d been starved for days, ever since they lost the Frost Lord. Their previous leader. They’d been regrouping atop the tall mountains to the southwest— scouring for any scrounges they could.

They were hungry. Not just for food, but for vengeance. And the Mistress of Remnants reveled in what she saw. She savored the moment as her flock was fed while delivering revenge to the Humans who thought they defeated the Wyverns.

The Wyverns could’ve easily destroyed the whole city. But they didn’t. What good was food when frozen? They continued tearing down the city, ever so slowly. Swooping down from above as the Humans screamed and ran for the gates. Little did they know, there was no escape.

Victory wasn’t just assured. It had already been taken. This was simply the victory lap. An after party. The Mistress of Remnants roared in glee as her flock encroached on the fleeing Humans like a scourge of locusts. The Humans weren’t fighting back. They couldn’t fight back—

And she heard the screech. The shrill shriek of her kin dying. The Mistress of Remnants looked down, watching as one of her pack fell. Cut down by a flaming scythe. She recognized the blue glint— the flash of silver hair.

It was the silver-haired girl. The one who’d killed the Frost Lord. Who’d humiliated the Wyvern flock just weeks earlier. She had arrived at the city, bearing with her a pair of Humans.

The Mistress of Remnants looked at her enemy. For a moment, she considered fleeing. Leaving before they were defeated once again.

No! she thought as her hatred and pride won out. We will not be chased away! Never again!

And she roared a battle cry, rallying her flock. They looked up at their leader, heeding her call. The Wyverns rose to the sky as they prepared for battle.

“Together, we’re going to kick some ass!”

Beldon stared at the silver-haired girl as she pumped a fist in the air. He tried to use [Identification] on her— she’d brought down a [Lesser Wyvern] in a single strike. But he couldn’t see her level. He tried to work his jaw. He was at a complete loss for words.

What was there to say? He didn’t know. But he just had to express his gratitude. He got up, approaching her— and was promptly cut off.

“Salvos! That’s vulgar!”

The red-haired woman exclaimed. She turned to the black-haired man, aghast.

“Did you teach her that, Daniel?”

“What? I literally haven’t spoken to her for as long as you have!”

He took a step back defensively. Beldon watched his saviors as they bickered amongst each other.

“In the first place, Edithe, you’re the one who’s always swearing up a storm. Maybe she picked it up from you!”

“I don’t fucking swe— I mean, I don’t swear. And even if I do, I don’t do it that much… anymore.”

“Look, if you really want to know who taught her that, why not just ask her?”

“Alright, where’d you learn from, Salvos?”

They both turned to face the silver-haired girl. She spun her scythe around before looking their way. She shrugged.

“I dunno. Somewhere?”

“Yeah… we should’ve expected that.”

The man called Daniel sighed. He drew a gray longsword hanging off his belt, and Beldon’s eyes widened. As a [Warrior], Beldon didn’t normally have an eye for magical artifacts. He couldn’t tell whether a scroll was actually brimming with power, unless he could use [Identification] on it. He could only discern swords from one another.

And he knew that the blade this Daniel wielded was powerful— full of untapped potential.

The redhead, Edithe, stepped forward and raised a staff made of a seemingly similar material. She turned to the silver-haired girl.

“Salvos, what’s the plan?”

“Take these and don’t die.”

Salvos tossed a bunch of trinkets at them. Protection artifacts of all kinds. Edithe blinked, and Daniel stared at the objects.

“These are—”

“Medium Grade artifacts?”

“Yep! Found them at the Bloodied Gulf. I only use them when my Pendant of Greater Protection runs out, like against that annoying Sage Centinel. But...”

The silver-haired girl grinned as her wings spread wide. Beldon couldn’t help but be entranced by her graceful movements. It was like watching an elegant swan unfurling its wings in a gentle dance. He didn’t even realize his wife and son had come back to him, and were helping him to his feet. His eyes were fixed on his savior as she ascended.

Salvos craned her neck ever-so-slightly. She looked down at both Daniel and Edithe, smiling. Then her facial expression changed. From a gentle smile to a savage grin. She bared her teeth as Beldon flinched in surprise.

“But don’t worry, I won’t be needing much for this fight.”

And she took off. She exploded to the sky, raising her flaming scythe. Beldon hugged his family as he watched her go. His son, Myron, gasped.

“Amazing…”

Salvos (Secely’s Sentinel) (The Devil’s Daughter)

Species: [Archdemon of Pride]

Subspecies: [Daeva Cambion] - Lvl. 132

Class: [Grand Mystic of the Nexeus] - Lvl. 98

General Skills:

[Advanced Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 8

[Identification] - Lvl. 6

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 2

[Rest] - Lvl. 5

[Lesser Enhanced Wisdom] - Lvl. 7

[Title Skill: General Status Effect Resistance] - Lvl. 1

[Ttle Skill: Invoke Wrath] - Lvl. 1

[Title Skill: Protection of the Sentinel] - Lvl. 1

[Title Skill: The Devil’s Grace] - Lvl. 1 (Maxed)

[Racial Skill: Divine Essence of the Daeva Cambion] - Lvl. 1 (Maxed)

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 155 (+30) (+10)

[Strength]: 140 (+30) (+10)

[Endurance]: 150 (+30) (+10) (+3)

[Wisdom]: 265 (+30) (+10) (+13)

[Agility]: 320 (+30) (+10) (+5)

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 2]

[Barrage of Cinders] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Demon’s Mark] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Haste] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Intimidation] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Faux Limbs] - Lvl. 10

[Nebular Construct] - Lvl. 10

[Radiant Slash] - Lvl. 15 (Maxed)

[Salvo of Vanity] - Lvl. 20

[The Primordial Spark] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Wings of the Netherworld] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Passive - A Hunter’s Sense] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Passive - Blue Flames] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Passive - Weapon Mastery] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[My Flame Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] - Lvl. 1 (Maxed)

Secondary Skills:

[Available Secondary Skill Points: 13]

[Dimensional Pocket] - Lvl 10 (Maxed)

[Mass Particulate Modification] - Lvl 10 (Maxed)

[Mystical Projection] - Lvl 15 (Maxed)

[Long Range Teleportation] - Lvl 20 (Maxed)

[Planar Navigation] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Scattering Displacement] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Warped Time] - Lvl 20 (Maxed)

I saw the flock of Wyverns gathering up ahead. I heard the screech— the rallying cry of their new leader. These were the same Wyverns I’d fought while leaving Shedos. I’d killed the Frost Lord, their previous leader, in single combat.

It was going to be easy. All I had to do was get to their new leader and defeat it. Then they’d scatter, leaving the city alone. Considering I’d already killed the highest-leveled Wyvern, beating the second highest-leveled Wyvern was going to be a simple job too, right?

But there was one difference. I looked down at my weapon. At the blue glint. I carried with me a flaming scythe. It burned brightly, its flames whipping with the wind. It felt natural to hold. I didn’t even question it. Yet, it was different from what I’d been using so frequently lately.

It didn’t have a solid base, even if I could grasp it. It didn’t glimmer with the color of the rainbow. And it especially didn’t emanate any Divine Essence from it.

That was right— I no longer had my Divine Nebular Scythe with me. I’d lost it. During the battle of Westshield, my clone used it in combat against Belzu. It’d been damaged— worn down by the Sword of Alexander. But it didn’t break. Not fully, at least.

The reason why I didn’t have it was simple: I lost it.

When Belzu trapped my clone with his Grand Skill, she had the Divine Nebular Scythe with her. And when Mori Gladius broke free from that false reality, the weapon didn’t return. It was gone forever.

Well, not forever. I could always create a new Divine Nebular Scythe whenever I activated my [Divine Essence of the Daeva Cambion] in the future. In fact, I probably could create multiple copies and store them with my [Dimensional Pocket] next time around. I just didn’t think to do it the first time around, and now, I was at a disadvantage compared to when I’d fought the Frost Lord.

That didn’t stop me from charging straight at the Wyverns, of course.

“Take this!”

I shouted as I swung for a Wyvern desperately trying to dive out of the way. I slashed straight through its wings, and it screeched. The Wyvern fell out of the air, spinning as it tried to keep me back with its claws. I unleashed a [Barrage of Cinders] as I cut the Wyvern apart.

I heard a roar. Above me, I saw a large Wyvern— a female Wyvern— screeching in anger.

“You will kill no more of my kin!”

She fired a ball of ice my way. It came, zipping at me with immense speed. I leapt back and used Short Range Teleport to narrowly escape the explosion of ice. It wasn’t like the Wyvern’s breath attack which froze everything it struck. This attack literally exploded, ripping apart the brick ground.

“Hey! I already beat up your Frost Lord! Don’t make me beat you up too! Just leave and there’ll be no need for any more of your kin to die!”

I raised a fist at her. This new Wyvern leader snorted. Literal snowflakes shot out of her nostrils.

“Do you think you can intimidate me, false Human? I am the Mistress of Remnants! I shall crush you and regain my pack’s pride!”

She shouted as she drew back, creating another frost sphere and loosing it at me. I found myself jumping from rooftop to rooftop as her attacks ravaged the already-destroyed section of the city.

“Well, I guess you don’t want the easy way out of this. That just means more experience for me!”

I beamed as the flaming scythe vanished. While I didn’t have the time to create a Nebular Scythe, I did have a Nebular Bow and some Nebular Arrows still stored away in my [Dimensional Pocket]. I produced them as I avoided another of the frost spheres. I fired back a Blazing Nebular Bolt at her. She created a barrier, but the blast still knocked her back.

“Take that—”

I started, only to be immediately interrupted as a pair of sharp talons swiped for me. I backed away from the first Wyvern as it narrowly missed. But the second swooping Wyvern was too fast. I couldn’t avoid it. I raised my hands, bracing myself for the attack. The Wyvern, however, targeted something else.

My Nebular Bow.

The gray bow went flying to the side as the second Wyvern took off into the air. I stumbled back, looking up just in time for a third Wyvern to charge straight at me. I hurriedly leapt away as [The Primordial Spark] ignited just over my shoulder. The third Wyvern opened its massive maw, chomping for my feet. But I pulled a flaming chain from the speck of flame.

I wrapped the flaming kusarigama around the third Wyvern as its attack missed, tangling it up and bringing it back down to the ground with me. The blue blade flashed red as I struck for the Wyvern’s neck.

“[Radiant Slash]!”

It fell without so much of a sound. Its head went flying, and I snapped my gaze up instinctively. Perhaps it was [A Hunter’s Sense], or maybe it was just my awareness of my surroundings. But I saw the frost breath coming. I raised a hand, creating my own blast of blue flames. It clashed with the blast of ice, and both attacks dissipated.

I stared up at the Mistress of Remnants. She glared down at me as I deflected her frost breath.

“I know not why you aid the Humans, nor do I know why you disguise yourself amongst them.”

My eyes flickered, and I saw blurred figures zipping through the air to join her. Dozens of Wyverns circled around her, eyeing me like hawks when faced with a cornered prey. I bit my lower lip.

“I’m only doing this because Saffron and princess Rana asked me to, alright? I don’t want to fight you.”

“But we wish to fight you.”

She replied with vitriol. The beating of her wings sped up as I groaned.

“This is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought, huh?”

I snapped my fingers, and golden figures burst into existence around me. [Salvo of Vanity]. It was Level 20 now. Not yet maxed, but it would be soon. I glanced at my clones, counting them.

"Well, hey, I thought I'd get my Class to Level 100 last time I fought with you Wyverns but didn't. Maybe this time I'll finally be able to advance my Class."

There were eight of them. Eight clones. That was all I could create right now. They conjured up their own flaming weapons as I faced down the bulk of the Wyvern flock. All on my owns.

The Mistress of Remnants continued.

“We care not for your reasons. Just know that your fate has been sealed.”

And, all at once, the Wyverns attacked.