A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night

She shut her eyes slowly… then snapped them open, her irises turned golden. A shimmer of light warped around her arm as her bow vanished in an instant, replaced instead by a staff that seemed to have been made of bones and had a glowing orb at its head.

The air in the surroundings suddenly became cooler.

Alice stepped forward, raising the staff high above her head. Her voice deepened as she spoke in a language Shiera didn't recognize.

"Naltherak virdrum ezhakar,

Suunvel morakar,

Arkanzul… I command thee

Rise."

The moment the final word left her lips, the rooftop trembled.

Black mist erupted from beneath the cracks of the rooftop. A rift tore open in the air behind Alice. And from its depths, a skeletal hand reached through. Then another.

And then, the grandlich stepped forth, a robed figure wreathed in shadows. Its jaw clacked once as it emerged completely into the world, the staff of bone and soulsteel clutched in its hand mirroring Alice's own.

Shiera took an unconscious step back, drawing her sword. "You…"

"I told you," Alice said, letting out a smile. "This is my business."

Shiera's breath hitched in her throat as the swirling black mist crackled around Alice's summoned undead creatures.

She pointed the sword squarely at Alice.

"So my hunch was right after all," Shiera said, her voice cold and sharp as the edge she wielded. "You're the real culprit. The necromancer behind all of this."

Alice laughed.

Not playfully. Not nervously.

It was a low, smooth chuckle of someone who had grown tired of pretending.

"Necromancer?" she repeated, as if the very word offended her. "Please. Don't lump me in with those degenerate maggots."

The white orb embedded in her staff pulsed once, softly at first, then flared in a burst of unholy light.

Another rift tore through the rooftop.

A second figure emerged, this one plated in black armor inscribed with bone-white glyphs, a helm crowned with horns. A Tier-8 death knight stepped out with heavy, thunderous footsteps, gripping a jagged greatsword that hummed with dark energy.

"I don't raise the dead," Alice continued, expression coiled with disdain. "I merely command these repulsive creatures… and bend them to my will."

Dark feathers spiraled into the air behind her as a pair of black wings unfurled from her back. "I suppose it's time for honesty." She tilted her head slightly, as if finally at ease. "My name is Azaeira. Twin sister of Azazel."

"Azaeira?" Shiera frowned. "You are not Alice? An impostor?"

Alice let out a chuckle. "No, I'm Alice, alright. Not pretending to be her. Azaeira is my name from my past life, if I must be exact."

Shiera took an involuntary step back, trying to process what she was hearing. Her grip on the sword tightened. "Past life?"

Alice nodded. "Yes. I'm the chosen individual born during that celestial event 23 years ago, the one who retained memories after the reincarnation despite the fact that my mana density is quite low. Though truth be told… I only remembered everything when I was nearly dead."

She turned her gaze to the heavens.

"Six years ago, when my husband and his people died, I went to the Queen for justice using all the influence my parents generated for years to put the case under investigation," Alice went on, her voice tinged with something almost mournful. But then, her tone changed all of a sudden into sharpness. "But your mother gave it as a natural disaster in just three days of reinvestigation, and then, women came after me. Back then, I was a mediocre martial artist, and I was not a match for them. They killed me. Well, atleast that's what they thought."

Alice gazed at the sky, letting out a sigh. "But then I didn't die. Instead, I unlocked my memories and my powers. I killed them all. Found out that the perpetrators and massacred them all. I got my justice. And with that, I fulfilled my duties as Alice. As Azaeira, my duties remained unfinished. So, I roamed this world… searching for my twin brother, who was sealed away by human mages. I searched and searched without rest, but finally, my efforts paid off and I found it."

Her eyes dropped back down to meet Shiera's. "Fascinating, isn't it? That of all places… Not only did I find my brother, but even surprisingly, I found my first love. This Alice's heart started beating again. I became conflicted." Placing her hand on her chest, she became a bit emotional as she continued. "On one hand, I was frustrated that the undead were stopped and failed to wake up my brother, and on the other hand, I wanted to spend time with Kael again. Then you annoyed me with your comments. I wanted to kill you right then, but killing you would make Kael feel sad. I know the pain of losing loved ones. I couldn't do that to him."

She took a step forward, her voice darkening. "I was going to let you live. I thought sparing you would be the merciful thing. I even gave you one final ultimatum."

Taking a pause, she then said. "But you didn't take it."

Then her lips curled into a cruel smile. "And now, you'll have to die."

She lifted her staff, and her voice rang out in command. "Okay, that's enough of talk. Grandlich, Death Knight… kill her."

The two undead surged forward at her order.

The Death Knight charged first, its massive greatsword cleaving the air with a howl.

Shiera darted sideways, boots scraping against the rooftop tiles as she narrowly avoided the crushing blow.

She didn't have a moment to breathe as its second swing was already incoming, arcing low in a brutal sweep. She pivoted sharply, clashing her blade with his.

The impact jarred her arms to the bone.

"Damned heavy…" she hissed, but planted her feet and twisted, locking the Death Knight's sword for a moment. Her elbow snapped forward, slamming into the thing's breastplate. Then she ducked and rolled beneath it as the Grandlich began chanting behind her.

A dozen ethereal chains erupted from the air around her, lashing out like striking vipers. Shiera's blade slashed three apart in a burst of speed, but the rest coiled around her limbs, ankles, wrists, and neck. One looped around her sword arm and began to pull.

Her mana surged in her veins.

"Valor's Wrath!" she roared, her body glowing gold for a brief second before the chains cracked and burst into dust.

But by this time, the Death Knight was already behind her. And its greatsword slammed down.

She barely turned in time and tried to parry the attack, but the force sent her skidding backward. Her boots gouged deep trenches in the rooftop's stone. She caught herself near the edge, panting, sweat dripping down her brow.

A purple bolt of electricity hissed past her cheek.

She ducked in time, although barely. However, the Grandlich floated now was already weaving another incantation.

Shiera growled and sprinted forward to the Lich.

The Death Knight lunged in her path again, but this time, she was faster. She slid beneath its guard, blade flashing upward in a crescent slash. Her sword sliced a chunk off its side, black ichor splattering across the rooftop.

Then she was past it.

The Grandlich raised a hexagonal barrier. She didn't stop, though. Her sword ignited in blue-white flame as she channeled everything she had into it.

"Sunflare Arc!"

She struck the shield head-on.

The holy fire erupted like a miniature sun, shattering the barrier into fragments that flew in all directions. The Grandlich reeled, shrieking as her blade slashed through its ribcage, its bones glowing red-hot where her blade touched.

It floated backward, retreating with a blurring speed.

"You thought fire could kill me?" The grandlich spoke for the first time, apart from the incantations, his voice echoed like broken bells. "I am immortal."

Shiera's breathing hitched. She staggered back, gripping her blade tightly. "There's nothing in the world that can't be destroyed. Neither immortals nor the gods."

"Then, we'll see how long you can last, then," Alice smirked, snapping her fingers.

The Death Knight instantly stepped forward, standing before the lich like a guard. As it raised its free arm, a shield appeared.

It rotated its shoulders and pointed its blade again at her chest.

Then they both attacked.

The Grandlich raised its staff and chanted—ghostly runes spinning like a wheel behind its head.

The Death Knight leapt.

Shiera moved.

She flung a throwing dagger, enveloped by flames, mid-dash, not at the knight, but at the lich. It diverted the incantation briefly to shield itself, buying her a heartbeat.

It was enough to spin under the Death Knight's slash. She scraped against its armor with the sword, aiming for a weak spot under its arm, but it twisted unnaturally, intercepting her with its gauntlet and then punching her full in the gut.

"Ggh"

The impact sent her flying back, crashing into a rooftop pillar.

Still, she didn't fall.

She wiped the blood from her mouth, slammed a hand to the ground, and unleashed a spell. A golden shockwave pulsed out, throwing the Death Knight off-balance and disrupting the Grandlich's next spell.

"Divine Reversal"