Chapter 186: Women's Battle
{TL: By Creed}
Sofia raced through the city, taking down any thugs she encountered along the way.
There was no meaning in merely cutting down their numbers—only eliminating the source would truly matter. But even so, she couldn't just ignore them.
She struck the side of a man who was about to attack a child, using the flat of her sword. A sharp pain resonated through her hand—she could feel his bones shatter.
The man groaned and collapsed…
In that moment, she seized the opportunity to smash his cursed sword into pieces.
She didn't know the exact extent of the sword’s power.
But there was no way it could surpass the Holy Sword, Excalibur.
A sword imbued with the goddess’s power—there was no way it would lose to a wicked blade that corrupts the hearts of men.
"But at this rate…"
She needed to find Lena as soon as possible.
However, her presence was cleverly concealed, making it impossible to sense her whereabouts.
"Instead of searching by aura, it might be faster to rely on my eyes."
Sofia leaped high into the air, landing on the rooftop of a nearby building.
From there, she bounded from rooftop to rooftop, scanning the city below.
Occasionally, she would spot a thug below and hurl a throwing dagger at them to drive them away…
She continued her search for Lena.
"There!"
"Gah!"
At the very top of the clock tower—
Lena lay sprawled out, lazily napping.
"That thieving cat! What are you doing here?!"
"The thieving cat is you! Stay away from my Fate!"
"Pffft! Fate belongs to me!
"No, he’s mine!"
"Nghhh…!"
"Mmmph…!"
Their glares clashed, sparks flying in the air—
A battle between women was about to erupt, but…
"…No, this isn’t the time for this."
There was no way she would ever hand Fate over.
However, right now, the city was in chaos—she needed to focus on that first.
Regaining her composure, Sofia pointed the tip of her sword at Lena.
"This disaster—this was your doing, wasn’t it?"
"Hmm, I wonder?"
"Don’t play dumb. Do you want me to take your head?"
"Scary~. Isn’t that a bit too violent?"
"Who was the one who started the violence first?"
Screams and angry shouts could still be heard echoing throughout the city.
Every so often, even explosions rang out.
Just yesterday, this place had been so beautiful—like the entire city was shining.
Now, that radiance was gone, replaced by utter devastation.
"To turn the city into this… What could you possibly be thinking?! Are you truly enjoying all this destruction and chaos?!"
"You make it sound so bad. We’re not demons, you know. It’s not like we enjoy this kind of thing. Actually, we prefer peace."
"Then why do something like this?"
"Because it was necessary."
Lena’s expression turned serious as she spoke plainly.
"To achieve our goal, this had to be done. We needed to destroy the order of this city, trigger a chain reaction of negative emotions, let them explode… and then, break the seal."
"The seal…?"
"Well, if you ask me, this is just karma."
"What…?"
Sofia wanted to dismiss it as nonsense.
But—Lena didn’t seem to be lying.
She truly believed what she was saying.
The city looked as if hell itself had descended upon it.
And yet, Lena called it karma?
What could the people of this city have possibly done?
"Well, maybe the current generation isn’t at fault. But the ones who lived here long ago… The ones who built this city—they’re the ones who did it."
"…What do you mean?"
"You know how some say that children inherit the debts of their parents? Maybe sin works the same way."
Lena ignored Sofia’s question and continued speaking on her own.
"This city was built on sacrifice."
"Sacrifice…?"
"If those involved had agreed to it, there wouldn’t be a problem. But they didn’t. They were forced into it. In that case, wouldn’t it be right to free them, even if it means destroying the city?"
"What are you talking about…?"
"Well then, enough chit-chat."
"—!?"
A chill ran down Sofia’s spine.
On instinct, she leaped backward.
The next moment, something sharp slashed through the spot where she had just been standing.
Lena’s sword.
At some point, she had drawn a pitch-black blade and swung it in a sweeping arc.
"That sword…"
"Yep, a cursed sword."
Lena grinned and held the weapon up, as if flaunting it.
"Don’t lump it in with the cheap knockoffs those thugs are using around the city, okay? This was made just for me—a masterpiece among masterpieces… the cursed sword Tyrfing."
"…Tyrfing…"
Sofia raised her holy sword, keeping a wary gaze locked on Lena.
The power emanating from her weapon was overwhelming.
It was nothing like the other cursed swords she had encountered before.
The sword itself radiated an immense, crushing pressure.
A sinister black mist seeped from the blade, writhing like a living thing.
Anyone unworthy who touched it would likely lose their sanity in an instant.
"Now, shall we fight?"
Lena laughed.
A bright, delighted laugh.
"A battle between the holy sword and the cursed sword… Which one is the real deal? Which one is truly righteous? Let’s find out!"
TL Note: A battle to remember?
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