[N/A: Chapter begin just after the end of chapter 151, the first paragraph is copied and pasted since it's Freya's point of view (same paragraph as at the end of the chapter 151)]
___
- POV Freya -
My meter, which was at 60/100 a few minutes ago, was back up and as questions crossed my mind, suddenly on my soldiers' side I felt a huge aura of rage coming from my left. The Demon that the Empire warriors were fighting was covered in fire and I could see two figures on the ground protecting themselves as the griffin was about to launch its attack and smash them to a pulp.
*Goddamn it !!*
The Fox was still in front of me but with one look I could see that it didn't have long to go before it collapsed like its Demon ally. I didn't even need to think because I knew my priorities and right now they were my soldiers. Without even waiting another second I rushed towards them as I saw the griffin's tail coming dangerously close.
[ Prideful Griffin (Demon)
HP : 50 / 90 000 MP : 161 / 45 000 ]
From what I could see the griffin had only 50 HP left which was quite incredible and seemed to move only by will. Like a body coming back to life, it had gotten up to deliver one last attack hoping to take someone with it. The demon was in bad shape and despite its level, just as I had expected, my warriors had done more than a good job. So it was my turn to protect them so that their hard work didn't end in the death of two of them.
I could feel my broken ribs rubbing against my skin from the inside, my whole limbs ached, and my arm that had been frozen had become a paw that I could hardly control. I was in a terrible state but I still ran towards the two figures who were in fact Ralph valiantly protecting Nina. I was fast, very fast, and in only a few seconds I was in front of them to protect them with my own body.
I hadn't even tried to hit the Demon because it was so fast that I didn't want to risk it hurting them anyway. Nina seemed to be stuck and after running a hundred simulations in my head, the best course of action was for me to move ahead. The moment I had placed my body over them, it wasn't long before the blow came directly into my back and my ribs broke.
"Grrraarhhg !"
Strangely enough, the blow was not as powerful as I thought, but the condition of my body made the attack painful all the same. Its huge tail had hit the places on my side that were most injured and a jolt of pain had washed over me, leaving me with an unconscious grunt. My right side was not only broken, but still bloody from the bite the Fox had given me earlier in my humanoid form.
[ HP : 41 600 / 150 000 ]
*Uuuurg*
[O-Onee-san...]
*I'm fine...*
I could feel my hot blood running down my fur and my wounds reopening as my HPs dropped a little more. I stood over Ralph and Nina who I had been protecting and as the griffin staggered after hitting my hard body, the others finally arrived. I didn't have time to say anything to them as I felt the Fox quietly return from where I was earlier.
"Your Highness !"
"Ralph ! Nina !"
Without saying a word, I leaned on my two front paws, before throwing my back paws at the body of the black Demon that was still at my back. I wanted to get it away as quickly as possible so I could deal with the oncoming Fox, who was just as bad as I was, if not worse. The griffin was thrown a little further as I glanced at my soldiers who had arrived to help Nina.
"Y-Your Highness we'll take care of it !"
"Th-thank you !"
Ralph and Caipy who were in front of me spoke these sentences as I nodded my head before rushing to the one who was also to be executed. I had HP and MP left but things had gone on far too long. As my soldiers prepared their last shots, I jumped on the grey Demon who had been pierced with ice spikes by Kira. It didn't have much life left and a few simple hits would be enough to kill it.
[Be quick, you don't want to get hurt any more not counting the others !]
*Mmm, it's dying anyway*
[ Greedy Fox (Demon)
HP : 6 000 / 110 000 MP : 3 803 / 50 000 ]
The Fox was bleeding and its grey fur was now red hiding the symbols drawn on it. It had almost no life left and even if its MPs were still there, its body wounds prevented it from using them well. If I wanted to end it was now, so without hesitation, I threw myself ferociously on it. It tried to resist but I had a clear advantage over it.
Dodging its paw, I dug my fangs into its neck again, squeezing as hard as I could. Blood filled my mouth and ran over my tongue but instead of being disgusted, I felt pleasantly good. Without thinking, as if by instinct, I began to swallow the warm liquid that ran down my throat, shredding the skin. It was a divine sensation, intoxicating me and giving me even more strength.
[ Greedy Fox (Demon)
HP : 3 070 / 110 000 MP : 3 803 / 50 000 ]
___
- PING -
[ Counter updated - BLOOD : 80 / 100 (+10) ]
[ Counter updated - BLOOD : 90 / 100 (+10) ]
[ Counter updated - BLOOD : 100 / 100 (+10) ]
The more I drank, the more my notifications rang in my mind that my blood meter was slowly going back up as the blood I was swallowing seemed to make up for the blood I had lost while handling my threads. While my fangs were still in its shoulder, I could hear its screams while with a shake of my head I dropped the Fox to crash into the walls of the wall near the griffin.
*It's time !'*
[Yes !]
Reverting to my humanoid form, I conjured up some ice clothes as I didn't have time to change while I grabbed my katana that was still embedded in the ground with a piece of the snake's tail. The transformation process was less painful but I could still feel my broken bones and those three claw like scars were still on my stomach and back.
"NOW ! TOGETHER !"
The Fox had crashed next to the black Demon and seeing that my soldiers were about to hit it as well, I had yelled for them to act as quickly as possible. They had to kill it together if they wanted to gain EXP and as I ran towards the Fox, my warriors ran towards the griffin who was now a shadow of its former self. This time, it was all the female Commanders who were rushing towards it to deliver the final blow.
As for me, I ran to reach the Fox, and while I was only a few feet away, I conjured up a staircase of ice on my way, which I climbed as it appeared, rising high into the sky. When I reached the end, just above the Demon, I jumped up, grabbing the handle of my black blade in the direction of its head. I descended at an incredible speed and before it could even move it was over.
My feet had landed on its eyes and my sword had sunk into its skull with a dull cracking sound. Its head was huge compared to my katana but I had aimed right between its eyes, killing it instantly. However, against all odds, just like with the snake I had not received any notification and yet he was dead. Turning my head towards my soldiers, I pushed this idea away for the moment in order to observe.
All of the Commanders had just landed the final blow and so the griffin collapsed once more this time quite dead and unable to get up. At that moment, all the notifications I hadn't gotten were displayed in front of me as I approached them. I didn't know why, but it all went off at the same time, the moment all three of them died, as if they were linked.
- PING -
[ Congratulations L?????? ! With the help of your subordinates you have killed and tamed your first Three Sins. You now have the ability to use their bodies to bind them to you using your skill : Master of Souls ]
[ The host killed and tamed the one and only Envious Snake of lvl 40 ]
[ The host killed and tamed the one and only Greedy Fox of lvl 45 ]
[ The host's subordinates killed the one and only lvl 35 Prideful Griffin ]
[ You earn 215,000 EXP ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (41) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (42) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (43) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (44) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (45) ]
[ Your HP and MP have increased ]
[ Congratulation s! Your 10 most powerful subordinates are now all level 30, with the others having passed level 20 ]
[ Unique evolution possibility unlocked by level 30. Process begins when the 10 individuals sleep ]
[ You now have +600 attribute points ]
So much information was pouring into my head as the mention of the Three Sins sent shocks through my mind. It all seemed so familiar and yet so unfamiliar that I could lose my mind and sense of who I was at any moment. However, that wasn't the most important thing, I had to make sure everyone was okay and find out what was lurking at the top of those stairs that led to the pantheon.
[Good job onee-san, you scared me but finally you did well! ]
*Thank you*
My body was still sore, but I ignored the pain and walked with my head held high, my chin up and my face proud, though covered in blood. As I approached the remains of the griffin, the soldiers who noticed my presence began to act quite differently. Instead of bowing or prostrating, Naïa rushed towards me, followed by Ralph and Luna.
"Your Highness we did it hehe~"
"Did you see that Empress ??!"
"We did what we could and we finally succeeded !"
The three young women in front of me had eyes glistening with pride, and I knew that after that grueling battle, it was only natural. This was, after all, the first opponent of far greater power than theirs that they had fought since the creation of the Empire. Naïa had jumped into my arms to the surprise of everyone, while Ralph scratched the back of her head and Luna smiled.
"I...I don't know what came over me...I..."
The young vixen noticed her inappropriate gesture and raised her head towards me, blushing and trembling as she stammered a few words. It was not difficult to understand that she felt ashamed and stammered an apology as she let go of me and bowed to me. Everyone else seemed to want to do the same, but instead of letting her do it, I grabbed her, preventing her from bending down and hugging her back.
"I...please forgi.."
"It's okay...you did a good job...all of you !"
For the first time since I became their Empress, I hugged the youngest of the Commanders who I felt deserved it. More than subordinates, I considered them all part of the great family that was our Empire and at that moment, I was proud of them. My body ached, my blood-stained Naïa's clothes, but my soldiers could see my sincere and happy smile.
The same smile I had reserved only for my wife and daughter was offered to them after these events that could have cost them their lives from the beginning. My best warriors were around us and in a solemn silence, only tired but radiant smiles appeared, illuminating each face. Releasing Naïa slightly, I then resumed my serious look as I looked up at the pantheon.
"Well. There's quite a bit I need to tell you about your new levels, and we've still got a lot to figure out at the top of these steps..."
Our moment of rejoicing was short-lived, for we must not forget why we had gone through all this and fought so fiercely. The Commanders could not rest just yet, for that would start their evolutions, and I wanted to be sure that all would go well. The sooner we discovered the secrets of this place, the sooner we could rest and reflect on all these changes.
[I know you're also eager to find out who you really are...I must admit I'm also very curious onee-san...]
*Yes...I keep getting urges I didn't know I had, not to mention my red memory, the visions that sometimes overlap before my eyes and that familiar feeling I get very often...*
I didn't know if all my questions would be answered where we were going, but I knew I wouldn't be as confused as I was now. Was everything that had happened here planned by Titania, or had I really stepped out of her expectations and onto my own path ? Perhaps only the red pantheon in the middle of the room could give me the answer I so longed for.
We were almost there and so much was going to happen in the next few hours just before I contacted Shiro. I hadn't forgotten the notification about those Three Sins and the possibility of releasing June, May and even my little sister made me want to figure everything out now. In just a few moments, all our efforts would finally pay off and maybe I would even discover the secret about my identity.
___
FULL STATUS
Name : Freya / L??????
Age : 0 years old / Mentally : 25 years old
Sex : Female
Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult
Race : Imperial Demon
Unique title (locked): ???? - 10% [ To unlock it, the host must reach 100% ]
Titles : Blessed by Titania, Goddess of endless Chaos and eternal frozen Hell (crossed)
Dragon tamer
Ruthless slayer
Empress of the three colors (crossed)
Level : 45/70
Exp needed for next level: 0 / 46 000
HP : 31 600 / 170 000 MP : 32 610 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100
Strength: 560
Defense : 560
Agility : 566
Endurance: 563
Speed : 562
Intelligence: 560
Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)
Attribute points to allocate : 600
Married to : Gaya
Daughter : Shiro
Empire (menu)
Subordinates: 1239
Humans killed: 153
Souls: 2/3
Elements: Ice / Chaos
Skills (all):
Attack - Demon Claws (Lvl 5)
- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)
- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)
- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)
- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)
- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 6)
Defense - Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)
- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)
Pain Resistance (lvl 5)
Attack/Defense - Domain of the Ice Empress "frozen wrath" (lvl 2) - (under condition)
Others - Humanoid form
Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 10%.
- Ice creation (Lvl 6)
- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)
- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)
- L??????'s Threads of Blood (lvl 1)
- Analysis
- Second soul (Lvl max) - unique
- Telepathy
[N/A: Chapter begin just after the end of chapter 151, the first paragraph is copied and pasted since it's Freya's point of view (same paragraph as at the end of the chapter 151)]
___
- POV Freya -
My meter, which was at 60/100 a few minutes ago, was back up and as questions crossed my mind, suddenly on my soldiers' side I felt a huge aura of rage coming from my left. The Demon that the Empire warriors were fighting was covered in fire and I could see two figures on the ground protecting themselves as the griffin was about to launch its attack and smash them to a pulp.
*Goddamn it !!*
The Fox was still in front of me but with one look I could see that it didn't have long to go before it collapsed like its Demon ally. I didn't even need to think because I knew my priorities and right now they were my soldiers. Without even waiting another second I rushed towards them as I saw the griffin's tail coming dangerously close.
[ Prideful Griffin (Demon)
HP : 50 / 90 000 MP : 161 / 45 000 ]
From what I could see the griffin had only 50 HP left which was quite incredible and seemed to move only by will. Like a body coming back to life, it had gotten up to deliver one last attack hoping to take someone with it. The demon was in bad shape and despite its level, just as I had expected, my warriors had done more than a good job. So it was my turn to protect them so that their hard work didn't end in the death of two of them.
I could feel my broken ribs rubbing against my skin from the inside, my whole limbs ached, and my arm that had been frozen had become a paw that I could hardly control. I was in a terrible state but I still ran towards the two figures who were in fact Ralph valiantly protecting Nina. I was fast, very fast, and in only a few seconds I was in front of them to protect them with my own body.
I hadn't even tried to hit the Demon because it was so fast that I didn't want to risk it hurting them anyway. Nina seemed to be stuck and after running a hundred simulations in my head, the best course of action was for me to move ahead. The moment I had placed my body over them, it wasn't long before the blow came directly into my back and my ribs broke.
"Grrraarhhg !"
Strangely enough, the blow was not as powerful as I thought, but the condition of my body made the attack painful all the same. Its huge tail had hit the places on my side that were most injured and a jolt of pain had washed over me, leaving me with an unconscious grunt. My right side was not only broken, but still bloody from the bite the Fox had given me earlier in my humanoid form.
[ HP : 41 600 / 150 000 ]
*Uuuurg*
[O-Onee-san...]
*I'm fine...*
I could feel my hot blood running down my fur and my wounds reopening as my HPs dropped a little more. I stood over Ralph and Nina who I had been protecting and as the griffin staggered after hitting my hard body, the others finally arrived. I didn't have time to say anything to them as I felt the Fox quietly return from where I was earlier.
"Your Highness !"
"Ralph ! Nina !"
Without saying a word, I leaned on my two front paws, before throwing my back paws at the body of the black Demon that was still at my back. I wanted to get it away as quickly as possible so I could deal with the oncoming Fox, who was just as bad as I was, if not worse. The griffin was thrown a little further as I glanced at my soldiers who had arrived to help Nina.
"Y-Your Highness we'll take care of it !"
"Th-thank you !"
Ralph and Caipy who were in front of me spoke these sentences as I nodded my head before rushing to the one who was also to be executed. I had HP and MP left but things had gone on far too long. As my soldiers prepared their last shots, I jumped on the grey Demon who had been pierced with ice spikes by Kira. It didn't have much life left and a few simple hits would be enough to kill it.
[Be quick, you don't want to get hurt any more not counting the others !]
*Mmm, it's dying anyway*
[ Greedy Fox (Demon)
HP : 6 000 / 110 000 MP : 3 803 / 50 000 ]
The Fox was bleeding and its grey fur was now red hiding the symbols drawn on it. It had almost no life left and even if its MPs were still there, its body wounds prevented it from using them well. If I wanted to end it was now, so without hesitation, I threw myself ferociously on it. It tried to resist but I had a clear advantage over it.
Dodging its paw, I dug my fangs into its neck again, squeezing as hard as I could. Blood filled my mouth and ran over my tongue but instead of being disgusted, I felt pleasantly good. Without thinking, as if by instinct, I began to swallow the warm liquid that ran down my throat, shredding the skin. It was a divine sensation, intoxicating me and giving me even more strength.
[ Greedy Fox (Demon)
HP : 3 070 / 110 000 MP : 3 803 / 50 000 ]
___
- PING -
[ Counter updated - BLOOD : 80 / 100 (+10) ]
[ Counter updated - BLOOD : 90 / 100 (+10) ]
[ Counter updated - BLOOD : 100 / 100 (+10) ]
The more I drank, the more my notifications rang in my mind that my blood meter was slowly going back up as the blood I was swallowing seemed to make up for the blood I had lost while handling my threads. While my fangs were still in its shoulder, I could hear its screams while with a shake of my head I dropped the Fox to crash into the walls of the wall near the griffin.
*It's time !'*
[Yes !]
Reverting to my humanoid form, I conjured up some ice clothes as I didn't have time to change while I grabbed my katana that was still embedded in the ground with a piece of the snake's tail. The transformation process was less painful but I could still feel my broken bones and those three claw like scars were still on my stomach and back.
"NOW ! TOGETHER !"
The Fox had crashed next to the black Demon and seeing that my soldiers were about to hit it as well, I had yelled for them to act as quickly as possible. They had to kill it together if they wanted to gain EXP and as I ran towards the Fox, my warriors ran towards the griffin who was now a shadow of its former self. This time, it was all the female Commanders who were rushing towards it to deliver the final blow.
As for me, I ran to reach the Fox, and while I was only a few feet away, I conjured up a staircase of ice on my way, which I climbed as it appeared, rising high into the sky. When I reached the end, just above the Demon, I jumped up, grabbing the handle of my black blade in the direction of its head. I descended at an incredible speed and before it could even move it was over.
My feet had landed on its eyes and my sword had sunk into its skull with a dull cracking sound. Its head was huge compared to my katana but I had aimed right between its eyes, killing it instantly. However, against all odds, just like with the snake I had not received any notification and yet he was dead. Turning my head towards my soldiers, I pushed this idea away for the moment in order to observe.
All of the Commanders had just landed the final blow and so the griffin collapsed once more this time quite dead and unable to get up. At that moment, all the notifications I hadn't gotten were displayed in front of me as I approached them. I didn't know why, but it all went off at the same time, the moment all three of them died, as if they were linked.
- PING -
[ Congratulations L?????? ! With the help of your subordinates you have killed and tamed your first Three Sins. You now have the ability to use their bodies to bind them to you using your skill : Master of Souls ]
[ The host killed and tamed the one and only Envious Snake of lvl 40 ]
[ The host killed and tamed the one and only Greedy Fox of lvl 45 ]
[ The host's subordinates killed the one and only lvl 35 Prideful Griffin ]
[ You earn 215,000 EXP ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (41) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (42) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (43) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (44) ]
[ Condition met to advance to next level (45) ]
[ Your HP and MP have increased ]
[ Congratulation s! Your 10 most powerful subordinates are now all level 30, with the others having passed level 20 ]
[ Unique evolution possibility unlocked by level 30. Process begins when the 10 individuals sleep ]
[ You now have +600 attribute points ]
So much information was pouring into my head as the mention of the Three Sins sent shocks through my mind. It all seemed so familiar and yet so unfamiliar that I could lose my mind and sense of who I was at any moment. However, that wasn't the most important thing, I had to make sure everyone was okay and find out what was lurking at the top of those stairs that led to the pantheon.
[Good job onee-san, you scared me but finally you did well! ]
*Thank you*
My body was still sore, but I ignored the pain and walked with my head held high, my chin up and my face proud, though covered in blood. As I approached the remains of the griffin, the soldiers who noticed my presence began to act quite differently. Instead of bowing or prostrating, Naïa rushed towards me, followed by Ralph and Luna.
"Your Highness we did it hehe~"
"Did you see that Empress ??!"
"We did what we could and we finally succeeded !"
The three young women in front of me had eyes glistening with pride, and I knew that after that grueling battle, it was only natural. This was, after all, the first opponent of far greater power than theirs that they had fought since the creation of the Empire. Naïa had jumped into my arms to the surprise of everyone, while Ralph scratched the back of her head and Luna smiled.
"I...I don't know what came over me...I..."
The young vixen noticed her inappropriate gesture and raised her head towards me, blushing and trembling as she stammered a few words. It was not difficult to understand that she felt ashamed and stammered an apology as she let go of me and bowed to me. Everyone else seemed to want to do the same, but instead of letting her do it, I grabbed her, preventing her from bending down and hugging her back.
"I...please forgi.."
"It's okay...you did a good job...all of you !"
For the first time since I became their Empress, I hugged the youngest of the Commanders who I felt deserved it. More than subordinates, I considered them all part of the great family that was our Empire and at that moment, I was proud of them. My body ached, my blood-stained Naïa's clothes, but my soldiers could see my sincere and happy smile.
The same smile I had reserved only for my wife and daughter was offered to them after these events that could have cost them their lives from the beginning. My best warriors were around us and in a solemn silence, only tired but radiant smiles appeared, illuminating each face. Releasing Naïa slightly, I then resumed my serious look as I looked up at the pantheon.
"Well. There's quite a bit I need to tell you about your new levels, and we've still got a lot to figure out at the top of these steps..."
Our moment of rejoicing was short-lived, for we must not forget why we had gone through all this and fought so fiercely. The Commanders could not rest just yet, for that would start their evolutions, and I wanted to be sure that all would go well. The sooner we discovered the secrets of this place, the sooner we could rest and reflect on all these changes.
[I know you're also eager to find out who you really are...I must admit I'm also very curious onee-san...]
*Yes...I keep getting urges I didn't know I had, not to mention my red memory, the visions that sometimes overlap before my eyes and that familiar feeling I get very often...*
I didn't know if all my questions would be answered where we were going, but I knew I wouldn't be as confused as I was now. Was everything that had happened here planned by Titania, or had I really stepped out of her expectations and onto my own path ? Perhaps only the red pantheon in the middle of the room could give me the answer I so longed for.
We were almost there and so much was going to happen in the next few hours just before I contacted Shiro. I hadn't forgotten the notification about those Three Sins and the possibility of releasing June, May and even my little sister made me want to figure everything out now. In just a few moments, all our efforts would finally pay off and maybe I would even discover the secret about my identity.
___
FULL STATUS
Name : Freya / L??????
Age : 0 years old / Mentally : 25 years old
Sex : Female
Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult
Race : Imperial Demon
Unique title (locked): ???? - 10% [ To unlock it, the host must reach 100% ]
Titles : Blessed by Titania, Goddess of endless Chaos and eternal frozen Hell (crossed)
Dragon tamer
Ruthless slayer
Empress of the three colors (crossed)
Level : 45/70
Exp needed for next level: 0 / 46 000
HP : 31 600 / 170 000 MP : 32 610 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100
Strength: 560
Defense : 560
Agility : 566
Endurance: 563
Speed : 562
Intelligence: 560
Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)
Attribute points to allocate : 600
Married to : Gaya
Daughter : Shiro
Empire (menu)
Subordinates: 1239
Humans killed: 153
Souls: 2/3
Elements: Ice / Chaos
Skills (all):
Attack - Demon Claws (Lvl 5)
- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)
- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)
- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)
- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)
- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 6)
Defense - Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)
- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)
Pain Resistance (lvl 5)
Attack/Defense - Domain of the Ice Empress "frozen wrath" (lvl 2) - (under condition)
Others - Humanoid form
Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 10%.
- Ice creation (Lvl 6)
- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)
- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)
- L??????'s Threads of Blood (lvl 1)
- Analysis
- Second soul (Lvl max) - unique
- Telepathy
