Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Completely Opposite Legend

 

“Damn it!”

 

“Damn, damn, damn it!”

 

The dragonkin swordsman, clad in a black robe, cursed under his breath as he gasped for air, running down a dark and treacherous path in an attempt to escape.

 

How did things end up like this?

 

It didn’t make any sense.

 

Other than fighting that person, this mission was supposed to be simple, nothing too difficult.

 

So why was he now fleeing?

 

The dragonkin man wore an expression of bitter resentment.

 

Upon hearing that the first assassin’s partner had been taken down by “the Golden One,” he hastily made preparations.

 

The “Golden One” referred to a female swordfighter who belonged to the ?White Rainbow Knights?, an order whose goal was to defeat Demon Lord Shaitan.

 

Her strength was monstrous, with rumors spreading that she had fought one-on-one with ?Samael?, one of the generals of the Demon Lord’s army who had led the assault on the royal capital, and severed his arm, forcing him to retreat.

 

To withstand her relentless attacks, they equipped their front line of three knights with shields, while he and the others devised strategies to hinder and weaken her. They had thoroughly prepared for every countermeasure against the Golden One.

 

And yet, something unexpected had occurred.

 

The strength of the weak adventurers chosen by the World Tree Yggdrasil, whom they had planned to crush easily, was nothing like the information they’d received from the survivor of the first battle.

 

“Damn it! The reports said their strength was nowhere near ours, so what the hell is that!? No one said anything about adventurers like that!”

 

In the previous battle, all the warriors had been annihilated by the Golden One, save for one survivor.

 

When they sent a second group of warriors, none of them returned.

 

Everyone, including himself, assumed they had all been wiped out by the Golden One.

 

However, that assumption turned out to be wrong.

 

The man recalled what happened before the operation began.

 

This time, they had five top-level warriors, each at level 70.

 

On the opposing side, there were just two female adventurers wielding one-handed swords, barely level 60, and a princess with a rapier and shield.

 

To make matters worse, they had to protect a young girl, meaning the princess was forced to defend on her own.

 

The most they could put forward was two fighters on the front line.

 

The numbers were in their favor: 5 against 2.

 

It should have been an overwhelming advantage for their side.

 

So, they swiftly attacked the adventurers led by the princess, planning to take them hostage to use against the Golden One.

 

—But when the battle began, despite their superior numbers and skill, they were utterly outmatched.

 

The dragonkin man’s mind flashed back to a scene that could only be described as a nightmare.

 

Their comrades, holding shields and one-handed swords, launched simultaneous attacks from the front and both flanks.

 

Given the level disparity, the outcome should have been decided in a single blow.

 

Or so they thought, but in the next instant, all three knights’ strikes were masterfully parried, deflected, and their swords hit the ground.

 

What was even more unexpected was that the dragon princess and another black-haired girl, despite the level gap, managed to perfectly defend against the attacks from their comrades.

 

“One powerful strike, then leave the rest to me!”

 

Following the command of a silver-haired girl, the black-haired girl and the dragon princess delivered powerful blows, knocking two of their comrades—who had just blocked their strikes—flying back.

 

Thinking it was a mistake in the enemy’s coordination, they tried to exploit the fatal opening that appeared.

 

At that moment—

 

“?Accelerator?, activate!”

 

At the exact moment the silver-haired girl uttered the name of a skill no one had ever heard of:

 

First, the person standing in front of the silver-haired girl was killed instantly by a single strike from ?Strike Sword?.

 

Next, the silver-haired girl moved with a speed akin to teleportation, and with a light-speed double strike, ?Dual Nail?, she killed the one standing in front of the princess.

 

Then, in the blink of an eye, the comrade who had been in front of the black-haired girl turned into particles of light.

 

All of this happened within a matter of seconds.

 

In a panic, he and another companion hastily used debuff skills like ?Weaken? and ?Darkness?, but whatever resistance the silver-haired girl had, he brushed them all aside.

 

Moving with the speed of light and nullifying all status effects, this swordswoman was a monster.

 

Unable to face such a creature, he impulsively shoved his comrade toward the enemy and ran away with all his might.

 

Without looking back, he weaved in attack and movement skills, darting left and right as he desperately fled.

 

But reality wasn’t that forgiving.

 

The man was soon overtaken by the grim reaper chasing him from behind, and without a word, his body was cleaved in two—his upper and lower halves sliced cleanly apart.

 

As his body disintegrated into particles of light, he caught a final glimpse of the beautiful silver-haired girl and recalled something.

 

It was something he’d heard from a “suspicious girl” dressed in a black robe.

 

She had told him that if they captured the red-haired young girl protected by the two adventurers and the dragon princess, they would finally be able to resurrect the ?Demon Dragon King? in his full glory, fulfilling their long-cherished desire.

 

This was the result of believing those words and acting on them.

 

…Ah, glory to the Demon Dragon King who brings chaos to the world.

 

And curses to the weak Dragon King who desires peace.

 

Muttering these final words, the dragonkin disappeared.

 

………………………

 

The first night in the Philophrosyne Town was truly lively.

 

Street stalls offering what seemed like grilled skewers and teppanyaki-like dishes lined the central square, and the gathered villagers were celebrating, holding drinks in hand to toast the removal of the monsters that had occupied the hot springs.

 

Though every town had hot springs, for the people here, the springs were not only the town’s main attraction but also their livelihood, so the threat to them had caused considerable anxiety.

 

When I reported it to the village chief, I didn’t expect the whole town to break out in a festival.

 

“Cheap and delicious grilled skewers made with lesser dragon meat! Hey, little miss over there, fresh off the grill!”

 

“Big Sister Alice, Satanas wants that!”

 

“Okay, okay, I got it, but don’t pull me like that.”

 

The youngest, Satanas, had given in to the savory temptations from the food stalls, dragging Alice from stand to stand, left and right.

 

The scene was heartwarming, and even the villagers watched with smiles.

 

By the way, right now, Satanas wasn’t wearing the usual coat that hid her skin color, which marked her as a cursed child.

 

She was proudly exposing her dusky skin under the moonlight, dressed in nothing but a red one-piece dress.

 

Why wasn’t she hiding it? Well, that’s because, just a short while ago, when we returned from clearing the dungeon, Satanas tripped over a rock and exposed her skin to the townsfolk.

 

At that moment, I braced myself, expecting cold stares and to be shunned by the townspeople from then on.

 

But the young woman closest to Satanas didn’t recoil at all. Instead, she ran over kindly, asking, “Are you okay, young lady?”

 

And it wasn’t just her.

 

Everyone else accepted Satanas the same way, with not a single person making a displeased face.

 

In the first village we visited, most people were too afraid to even look at her.

 

In other towns, we were warned to be cautious of her because she was a cursed child.

 

So why were the people of this town so accepting of her, treating her so naturally without rejection?

 

While I was pondering, Juan, the village chief, an elderly woman dressed in traditional attire, approached us.

 

“Sora-sama, are you so puzzled by the fact that we accept that child?”

 

Juan’s words directly addressed my unspoken question, and I nodded slightly.

 

“Yes, why is this village so kind to her?”

 

When Sora asked, Juan wagged her lizard-like tail and carved a deep smile into her wrinkled face.

 

Then, looking up at the starry night sky, she spoke joyfully.

 

“There’s a legend passed down in this village, you see, about a long time ago when a dark-skinned girl saved the kingdom through her prayers.”

 

“A dark-skinned girl saved the kingdom with her prayers… That’s the complete opposite of the story that’s widely known, the one about her bringing calamity.”

 

“Yes, that’s right. But I believe our story is the true one. After all, isn’t it more fun for everyone to be happy rather than bringing misery by rejecting someone?”

 

“…Yes, I think so too.”

 

Sora said this, a small furrow forming between her brows.

 

What came to mind was the image of the back of a blonde, blue-eyed girl she couldn’t protect.

 

Her first disciple, his first partner, whom he couldn’t reach out to.

 

Ilya…

 

As she recalled her, Sora’s face twisted in sorrow, which Juan noticed, a wry smile forming on her face.

 

“Heh heh, it seems Sora-sama isn’t as perfect as she appears.”

 

“…No, I’m not anything grand like that.”

 

“Hm, it seems like you have some pretty serious worries. In that case, as an apology for stirring up your trauma, let me give you this.”

 

Looking somewhat apologetic, Juan handed her a small gemstone.

 

The support system ?Lucifel? briefly explained its nature.

 

?The Gem of Redu, an ancient gem said to bring its owner a desired encounter. Unfortunately, it’s a collector’s item, and it has no real effect.?

 

A gem that brings a desired encounter…

 

Juan stood up, placing a hand on Sora’s shoulder, and said:

 

“You cannot change the past, but the future can be shaped by your choices. Never forget that.”

 

“Juan…”

 

“Now, your companions are calling for you. May the greatest adventurer have the best of luck.”

 

With a pat on the back, Sora thanked her and then ran toward the girls who were calling for him.

 

Though her heart wasn’t fully at ease, her steps felt just a little bit lighter than before.