Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 253

[Vol. 5] Chapter 253: The Bow of Inheritance, the Transformed Sword

This woman, and the bow she carries, seem familiar…

Ah, I remember now.

Along with her, a name almost forgotten by the priestess comes to mind.

Isn’t that the bow of the Scarlet Flame Flora?

Well, to be precise, it should be described as… the bow that once belonged to the Scarlet Flame Flora.

If Violet remembered correctly, this longbow, a purple-grade item, belonged to that person’s teacher. It was the personal bow of the former world’s number one archer who, if she recalled, had dueled with Crimson Flame Flora in the Tepaya Basin of the Beastman Kingdom and ultimately met their end at the Flora’s hands.

Although Violet was busy beating people up at the time and wasn’t quite clear on the details of that battle, seeing the Scarlet Flame Flora carrying a broken bow once used by her enemy to join them would lead even the dullest person to guess what had happened back then.

After the Beastman War ended and we returned to the capital of the Human United Kingdom, Lilya mentioned in passing that Crimson Flame Flora had asked her to find a skilled craftsman to repair the last memento of Flora’s mentor, Anthony Stevenson. She wasn’t sure what happened to it after that.

To her surprise, it now appeared in the hands of this little girl.

Considering Crimson Flame Flora’s strength and the fact that the little girl’s aura is far from Earth-level, it’s impossible that the latter could have snatched or stolen it. So, there was only one reason for her to have this bow.

“Wow… that person actually took on a disciple, huh? Human inheritance really makes one ponder.”

“Master, what are you talking about?”

“Nothing, Xiao Guang. Do you recognize that girl over there? Does she look familiar to you?”

Following Miss White Fox’s pointed gaze, the dragon girl twitched her pert nose, her brows furrowing slightly.

“The scent does feel somewhat familiar… We should have encountered this human somewhere before.”

“Ah, that’s fate. Even if you want to avoid it, you can’t.

Given Xiao Guang’s disdain for humans, or for the vast majority of ordinary creatures in this world, she naturally wouldn’t pay attention to a purple-tier weapon that seemed like nothing more than scrap metal to her. Let alone draw a connection to a certain red-haired archer who is probably still far away in the Human United Kingdom.

The reason she feels familiar is because the two did have an experience that could barely be considered an encounter.

If I remember correctly… it should have been in Sacred Star City.

Not long after arriving in that city, while having dinner in a restaurant, Violet happened to see this girl at a neighboring table. She remembered this incident because the girl was with another merchant who also seemed somewhat familiar to the priestess. His name seemed to be… Xavier?

He was the owner of a merchant guild she had traveled with on her way to the Forgotten Land of the Human United Kingdom. However, after the incident in Bavo Town, Violet had sent that group away quickly to avoid the hassle of taking care of minor characters.

Though she did end up saving some unknown bystanders when she destroyed the Forgotten Land and had Edwina help guide them, encountering someone who had a passing acquaintance in the Holy Empire indeed surprised her at the time.

However, it was Violet who knew Xavier and not Xiao Guang, and there wasn’t much of a deep friendship between them. Although she heard him whispering to the girl, who seemed to be named Sasha, about topics related to their side, the priestess, wanting to avoid trouble, simply pretended not to notice.

Thus, the two parties passed by each other.

Due to the angle, Violet hadn’t carefully observed the longbow strapped to Sasha’s back at the time. If it weren’t for this chance encounter, she might not have realized that Sasha was actually a disciple of that Scarlet Flame Flora.

Hmm… speaking of which, shouldn’t Sasha be traveling with Xavier as a merchant? How did she end up alone in the remote eastern forests of the Sarnos Province, entangled with this group of mysterious individuals?

Curiosity piqued, the priestess decided to approach the young girl, who had caught the attention of the Scarlet Flame Flora.

Since Violet had not spoken up, the dragon girl naturally wouldn’t meddle in what she considered a mere ant fight. After observing silently for a moment, the chaotic battle had developed into a one-on-one duel between Mr. Dead Soul and the four-armed [Blade Demon].

Although it was four weapons against one sword, Mr. Dead Soul didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage due to the number. The Blade Demon’s four blades fell like a torrential rain but were all skillfully caught by the gray-clad swordsman. The two fought faster and faster, and for some reason, their momentum was visibly rising at the same time.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!!!!!”

The clash of weapons turned into a resounding symphony of metal and war. The blood tree that had initially attacked Violet and her group, as Sethlin had said, no longer launched any attacks on Mr. Dead Soul and others. However, it also offered no assistance, simply reverting to silence and becoming the backdrop for this battle.

To be honest, Mr. Dead Soul’s strength was somewhat beyond Violet’s expectations.

Although the aura he exhibited was merely mediocre for the legendary level and still far from the threshold of transcendent level, with certain exquisite sword techniques and equipment aiding him, he surprisingly managed to withstand the onslaught of the [Blade Demon], which was at least at the peak of the legendary level.

The key point lay in Mr. Dead Soul’s reaction speed.

Perhaps due to some inherent qualities, coupled with the fact that Miss White Fox had tempered his soul once, this guy clearly possessed a mental strength far beyond his current level, allowing him to translate that into dynamic vision, capturing each incoming attack from the enemy with clarity and responding accordingly.

However… it still wasn’t enough. A victor should be determined soon.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the Blade Demon’s weapon swept across suddenly.

A seemingly unremarkable move, yet it produced an outcome that was entirely different from before.

“Clang!”

A long sword shot up into the sky, reflecting the astonished face of the gray-clad swordsman on its smooth surface, along with another blade rushing in from the side like a flash of lightning.

“Dead Soul!”

In the shocked exclamations of either Miss Dark Spirit or Miss Dark Lotus, Miss White Fox helplessly raised her hand.

As otherworldly beings, demons here would be subject to an invisible suppression and weakening from the world’s law.

Generally speaking, this would result in their combat prowess dropping by at least 5 to 10 levels. In other words, this demon, which appeared to be only at the peak legendary level, was actually a transcendent level powerhouse.

It was stronger than Mr. Dead Soul, and not just by a little.

Practical combat experience, understanding of strength and skill. These aspects, which could not be measured by mere levels, remained unaffected by the world’s suppression and ultimately led it to victory.

This blow would sever the gray-clad swordsman’s head, and he could not defend against it, as he had no time to draw his other sword.

However, just as Violet was preparing to intervene and save Mr. Dead Soul’s life by disregarding the rules of combat…

A sudden change occurred.

Under the blood tree… the air in the entire forest suddenly froze for a moment.

It was impossible to judge by level or strength, as if all things were returning to silence, a terrifying aura of pure annihilation that was distinct from death…

In the 0.01 seconds just before the blade made contact with Mr. Dead Soul’s neck, it suddenly swept away!

“!?”

Like fingers that instinctively recoil from touching boiling water, the blade, imbued with a fierce killing intent, was retracted at a speed several times faster than before!

However, it was just a moment too late. The metallic blade, an extension of the Blade Demon’s arm, began to corrode and crumble at an alarming rate, as if it were being devoured by some unseen force.

“Puff!”

Without hesitation, the Blade Demon actively swung its weapon, severing the part that was melting and about to spread to the inside of its arm armor.

By the time it fell through the air, the battle blade had completely dissolved, vanishing without a trace.

Then, with a flick of its foot, it swiftly retreated over ten meters, assisted by its war wings, and regarded the gray-clad swordsman standing in place with a gaze that seemed uncertain from within its helmet.

“Oh?”

Miss White Fox’s pale hand also paused slightly in the air.

Thus, the Blade Demon lingered for a moment before finally displaying a hint of seriousness in its eyes and spoke in a somewhat unskilled version of the Holy Empire’s common tongue.

“What is your name?”

The gray-clad swordsman’s face was somewhat pale, not from the fear of impending death, but more like a sense of exhaustion approaching the limits of his endurance. Yet he still understood whom he was speaking to and replied,

“[Dead Soul], a swordsman.”

“…Dead Soul, huh? A good name, very fitting for you.”