Multiverse: Library

Erica was only fifteen years old this year, yet she had already attained the rank of Great Knight, which earned her tremendous fame in the entire magic world.

Although she still couldn't compare to the Campione, nor to those standing at the pinnacle of the mysterious side, among all others, she was likely one of the most renowned.

In the Italian magic world, Erica was even known as a prodigy. Even if one searched all of Italy, there was only one other genius who could compare to her.

In terms of talent and aptitude alone, Erica was definitely among the top tier of humanity, and her strength also belonged to the first echelon of the magic world—just beneath the top ranks.

And on top of that, her surname was Blandelli, adding another layer of radiance.

In the magic world, Blandelli was a prestigious family among prestigious families.

The most famous and respected person in this family now was the current commander of the Copper Black Cross—Paolo Blandelli.

He was Erica's uncle, and also one of the few remaining Paladins in the world today. He had once plotted alongside the chairman of the Sage Council and succeeded in repelling a Campione, which brought him great renown and established him as one of the strongest humans in the world.

The ancestors of these two from the Blandelli family were Campione themselves, so both were descendants of Campione, enjoying great prestige in the entire mysterious side.

If it were someone else who learned of Erica's identity and knew her strength, they would surely change their attitude.

Unfortunately, for the two people standing opposite Erica, she was nothing at all.

That young man was already preparing to leave, and Kaiser was standing there with his arms folded, a completely indifferent posture as if it had nothing to do with him.

This made Erica visibly frown and sigh.

"I originally wanted to follow basic etiquette and politely ask you to come with me, but unfortunately, you don't appreciate it."

"You must know, being so courteously received by me, Erica Blandelli, is already an honor in itself."

"I'll let you understand just what you missed."

As her words fell, Erica began to chant a kotodama that sounded like poetry.

"Steel lion and Lionheart King, my ancestor—heed the vow of the knight Erica Blandelli!"

"I am the inheritor of the fierce horn trumpet, descendant of the black warrior. My heart shall not yield, my sword shall not break!"

"O Lionheart King, the essence of battle now reveals itself in my hands!"

Erica extended her hand, silver light flashing from it.

"The time for a duel has come—Cuore di Leone!"

As the silver light faded, a silver sword appeared in Erica's hand.

It was a long steel sword with a slender blade.

The blade shimmered with a crisp silver radiance, its sunlit form resembling a pure beam of light, its appearance so elegant it could be considered a work of art.

However, such a beautiful sword was a magic sword capable of easily slicing through steel.

"Oh?" Only now did the youth show some interest in Erica, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her and said with a smile, "So you're a warrior too?"

"Do you know what it means to raise your sword at me?"

Upon hearing this, Erica also narrowed her eyes slightly.

From the youth's tone, Erica could more or less guess that his identity was probably not simple.

Although she still didn't know exactly who he was, it was very likely that he had a deep connection with the Heretic God who had descended upon Sardinia.

Thus, Erica revealed a fearless and confident smile matching that of the youth.

"A knight should act like a knight. Although I prefer to present myself gracefully at balls like a noble, displaying valor on the battlefield like a lion is also something I love."

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

Saying this, Erica actually moved into action.

Her sword-drawing and forward-charging motions happened almost simultaneously, making it seem as if a flash of silver light appeared, and the elegant girl had already closed the distance.

Clearly, the gap between the two was over five meters, yet in the blink of an eye, she had bridged it.

And the target of her attack was not Kaiser.

The magic sword called Cuore di Leone shot like lightning, instantly thrusting toward the youth's chest.

However, this dazzling strike ended in a complete miss.

The youth, who had been locked onto by Erica, had at some point turned into a gust of wind and vanished.

"Although it seems rather interesting, unfortunately, I don't have time to play with you right now."

The youth's voice leisurely rang out, reaching Erica's ears.

"To defeat strong enemies and grasp victory, I must embark on the journey to rediscover myself."

"But seeing as you have such courage, I'll kindly give you a word of advice."

"Don't stay here any longer, or something truly troublesome might be coming"

Leaving behind these words, the youth's wind-like figure vanished completely, and his voice faded away as well.

Kaiser could feel the youth's presence rapidly moving away, extinguishing the fighting spirit that had inexplicably risen within him.

"Well, that was decisive."

Kaiser chuckled and shook his head, then prepared to leave as well.

"Don't think you can escape!"

But just as Kaiser turned around, Erica rushed over with her sword, launching a blindingly fast thrust.

"Swish!"

The air was sliced open, and sharp blades of wind swirled around.

Kaiser slightly shifted his body, and the thin sword with its sharp edge grazed past his chest.

"Hah!"

Erica's footwork was refined, and her swordsmanship even sharper. After missing one strike, she immediately stepped in closer, unleashing thrusts aimed at Kaiser's side, arm, and cheek—three flashes of silver light flickered past simultaneously.

Kaiser slightly adjusted his posture, stepping left and right in succession, easily dodging Erica's fierce sword strikes.

"Hmph."

Erica's gaze sharpened slightly. While creating some distance between them, she smiled meaningfully.

"As expected, you're not an ordinary person. Even Liliana would have to take that last round of attacks seriously, yet you dodged them effortlessly. What more is there to say?"

Her tone practically accused Kaiser of being the culprit behind what had happened to Sardinia.

"Just because I dodged your attack, I have to give you an explanation?" Kaiser said calmly. "That's definitely slander, you know?"

"I, Erica Blandelli, though not infallible, absolutely don't make mistakes on small matters like this," Erica said firmly. "That youth is definitely connected to a Heretic God. If you can get along with such an existence, how could you possibly be an outsider?"

"Speak. Who exactly are you?"

"A magician? Or a priest or cleric from some religion?"

"Don't tell me... it was your group that summoned the Heretic God to Sardinia?"

Erica was indeed reasonably suspecting this.

If Kaiser was truly in league with that youth, then Erica might have guessed right.

But Kaiser was innocent.

"What if I said I just met him a moment ago, only exchanged a few words, and barely know him—would you believe me?"

Kaiser said this with a smile.

"What do you think?"

Erica's face also wore a smile, though it gave off a dangerous vibe.

Smiling, she raised her sword once more.

Her posture while holding the sword was truly beautiful, exuding a functional elegance that discarded all unnecessary things.

"Looks like if I don't get more serious, you're not going to reveal the truth."

Erica began to chant a kotodama.

"Boom!"

Four bluish flames, each about the size of a palm, suddenly appeared around her.

"Go."

Under Erica's command, the four bluish flames shot toward Kaiser.

Kaiser didn't resist, nor did he dodge. He simply watched indifferently as the flames landed on him.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Four not-so-loud explosions rang out as the bluish flames burst on Kaiser.

It seemed Erica had indeed held back. Though the flames looked intimidating, they were actually only strong enough to knock someone away and make them roll a few times. Even if injured, it wouldn't be serious—ordinary people could endure it, let alone someone with Magical Power.

She likely intended to use this to restrain Kaiser, then move in with her sword once he responded.

However, Erica was quickly surprised.

Because the flames that exploded on Kaiser had no effect at all. It was as if they were deflected by some invisible force, never actually touching his body.

"This is..."

Erica didn't hide her shock.

Kaiser, meanwhile, patted the clothes on his body, as if what had just landed on him was dust, not magic.

"Can I go now?"

Kaiser's tone sounded like he was humoring a spoiled little girl.

This made Erica's brows sharply rise—she finally decided to get serious.

The flame magic just now was child's play—at least to Erica.

What she truly excelled at was Iron Refining Magic, which allowed her to freely manipulate steel. She was particularly skilled at magic involving creation, transformation, destruction, and enhancement.

"Cuore di Leone, grant your mission to the steel lion!"

"Tear, pierce, crush!"

"Strike down, annihilate, and triumph!"

"I entrust you to this battlefield!"

Erica's kotodama turned solemn as she tossed her magic sword into the air, like a mighty Lion King summoning her pride.

The magic sword twisted and shattered, its fragments transforming into massive steel lions that surrounded Kaiser.

"Whoa, isn't this a bit excessive?"

Seeing this scene, Kaiser was dumbfounded.

He had already noticed that passersby were drawn to the commotion. Upon seeing what was happening, they immediately cried out and screamed, creating a small disturbance.

"Don't worry, they won't harm you."

Erica offered a seemingly kind reminder.

"If you don't want to be crushed by them, you'd best surrender quickly."

Hearing this, Kaiser looked around.

Staring at the steel lions eyeing him hungrily, he suddenly smiled.

"Not enough."

Kaiser uttered these words.

"What?"

Erica was stunned.

"I said..." Kaiser spoke in a calm tone, "This level isn't enough to make me surrender."

Erica's expression instantly vanished, replaced by a bewitching, beautiful smile—thorny like a rose.

The next second, the steel lions around Kaiser let out roars and pounced at him in unison.

"Boom!"

Just as the pride was about to crush Kaiser, a thunderous boom echoed.

A purple halo spread out from beneath Kaiser's feet, instantly dyeing the ground in the same hue.

In that moment, with Kaiser at the center, a radius of several dozen meters turned into a high-gravity zone, pressing all the steel lions to the ground.

"!!!"

Erica's expression changed dramatically. She hadn't even had time to react before the expanding purple halo engulfed her as well, pressing her to the ground. She couldn't move at all.

"Ugh...!"

The overwhelming gravity crushed Erica's internal organs, causing her to groan in pain.

In this area, even the atmosphere was dragged down by gravity. Wherever the purple light reached, the airflow became chaotic and strange.

Only Kaiser moved freely within the gravity zone, his expression unchanged.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...

Before long, the immense gravity focused on the steel lions, crushing them all.

As for Erica, she wasn't crushed. The gravity in her area suddenly reversed, becoming anti-gravity and launching her into the air like a rocket.

"Fly! Boots of Hermes!"

As her body began to fall back down, Erica loudly chanted a new kotodama, activating a jump magic.

This was a spell that made the caster's body extremely light, allowing them to leap up walls or easily jump ten to several dozen meters high.

With the jump magic activated, Erica's body became light as a feather, fluttering to the ground with the wind.

"Huff... huff..."

Erica began to pant a little heavily, looking as if she had narrowly escaped danger.

In contrast, Kaiser remained standing there, watching Erica calmly.

"You..."

Erica's gaze toward Kaiser had changed.

That gravity just now... was that a kind of magic?

But gravity strong enough to instantly crush steel—could such a gravity magic really exist?

That strength of gravity had already exceeded the normal limits of magic!

"Who exactly are you?"

Erica asked the question again.

"Only now are you willing to talk properly? Isn't it a bit late?" Kaiser didn't answer immediately, but said half-smiling, "I actually preferred your rebellious side just now. How about you turn back to that again?"

Erica's eye twitched, her expression angry.

"I..."

Erica just began to speak when Kaiser suddenly turned his head, looking in a certain direction.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar suddenly erupted.

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Author's Note: 200 p.s = Extra chapter

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