Chương 31: Solitaire

Shane and Frilian headed to the northeast corner of the city.

Along the way, they saw many soldiers and monks running in the three directions where the explosions had occurred.

Xia En's suspicions were amplified.

This is a blatant and overt conspiracy.

Either accept the diversionary tactic or watch those residents be slaughtered.

Damn it!

What exactly are these shameless demons up to?

As they got closer to the location of the maze on the map, Frilian suddenly stopped, holding her staff and assuming a fighting stance.

Xia En's heart jumped into his throat.

Directly in front of them was a collapsed cave sealed by a barrier, and in front of the barrier stood a girl.

She had long, blue-green hair, pale green eyes, and a pair of small horns on her forehead. She wore a light yellow wrap dress with a red shawl over it, and a ruby pendant around her neck. She was petite and slender, with a gentle smile on her face, and looked harmless.

Solitaire.

The girl's name flashed through Xia En's mind, and then his palms began to sweat with fear.

This is a ruthless and cunning murderer who has lived for countless years.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly, trying to keep himself from trembling.

Hearing the noise behind her, the girl turned around and smiled slightly at Shane and Frillie, "Oh dear, we were discovered so quickly."

That sweet voice, like that of a young lady from the Lin family, was playful and adorable.

If it weren't for the demon horns she had, Xia En believed that no one would have been hostile towards her.

boom-- Without a word, Frilian raised her hand and unleashed a precise magical attack.

The girl laughed and stepped aside.

Their movements were as light as a butterfly's.

"Oh dear, why are you angry? Is it because I didn't tell you beforehand?"

"Let's try again then."

"I am Solitaire, the Great Demon. It's a pleasure to meet you, Frilian."

Frilian didn't stop waiting for Solitaire to finish speaking; on the contrary, Frilian's attacks never stopped as Solitaire tried to respond.

Unfortunately, the girl dealt with all those precise attacks one by one.

It did not cause any effective damage.

"I have no interest in who you are."

"Don't be so cold, let's chat for a bit. I've been really looking forward to seeing you."

Faced with the girl's incessant chatter, Frilian stopped responding and her magical attacks became even more ferocious.

The two figures moved erratically in the air and on the ground, their magical light and shadows rising and falling, leaving Shane, who was standing to the side, completely mesmerized.

This was the first time he had ever seen Frilian at full power.

That's really impressive.

"Ah, humans are truly a clever and adorable species. It's only been a short time, yet they've already mastered the [flight magic] unique to our demon race. It's truly astonishing."

"Hmm? What kind of magic is this? Ah, such precise control of magic power."

The girl grew increasingly happy, and she intentionally guided Frilian to use more magical spells to attack her.

It's like a cat teasing a mouse.

Xia En, standing to the side, felt increasingly uneasy.

When Solitaire once again turned her back to the barrier behind her, deliberately letting Frilian almost hit her.

Shane finally realized: she was using Frillie!

boom-- Frilian's attack struck the barrier once again.

The barrier sealing the entrance to the [Upside-Down Land] rippled with magical energy and became precarious.

"Frilian, don't hit the barrier! She's using you!"

Xia En shouted a reminder.

Although he didn't know Solitaire's purpose or why she did it, he knew that what the demons wanted to do was definitely not a good thing!

Sure enough, after Shane shouted those words, Frilian stopped her attack.

Solitaire looked disappointed.

"Why did you stop? If it had continued a few more times, that barrier would have shattered. What a pity."

As she spoke, she turned to Xia En, smiling, and asked, "Handsome young man who's been watching from the sidelines, what's your name? How did you figure out what I was thinking?"

"..."

Xia En gripped his sword tightly and refused to speak.

The girl in front of me was not just a chatterbox; she was a "cunning demon" who was good at hiding her actions in her words.

Speaking is her tactic.

Just like she did when she toyed with Frilian.

Xia En was not fooled.

He carefully observed his opponent's movements, his whole body tense, ready to flee at any moment.

"Hmm? Don't you like chatting?"

The girl was a little disappointed, but then a smile returned to her face, and she continued in her sweet voice:

"What a pity. I really enjoy chatting with intelligent humans. At least let me hear your last words."

Before he could finish speaking, a greatsword formed from magic shot towards Xia En.

Swah—— Frilian's [Defense Magic] was unleashed in front of Shane.

click- The terrifying magic greatsword pierced through the [defense magic], its speed undiminished, and continued its attack on Shane's front.

!!

Xia En was shocked.

Driven by the will to survive, his body instinctively swung out a sword to parry.

boom-- The magic greatsword was deflected and struck a nearby house, carving a deep trench and shattering all the houses along its path.

[Deflection Field (Blue Excellent)]: Summons a chaotic force field to block one enemy long-range attack for you.

This life-saving phrase saved Xia En once again.

"Hmm? Your sword... is quite interesting." Solitaire stared at Shane, looking very interested.

Frillie came to Shane's side, and after confirming that Shane was alright, she began to examine her defensive magic.

She realized that the other party's attack was different from before.

Xia En also realized that the other party had been acting all along!

It seems that Solitaire is very interested in what's inside the barrier.

"Frilian, I can create one chance for you, just one. Are you confident you can deliver a fatal blow?"

Frilian glanced at Solitaire, her expression turning serious.

Even if you're not sure, you should still give it a try.

Xia En nodded.

Solitaire didn't interrupt their conversation. Instead, she waited for a few seconds with interest before laughing happily.

"Oh? Have you come up with any good tactics?"

"I really enjoy the teamwork between human partners. It always brings me pleasure. So, what will it be this time?"

As she spoke, she looked at Xia En expectantly.

"I can sense your fear, but it's strange, even though you look like you want to run away, the calculation in your eyes is so deep that it shocks me."

"It's so interesting that they're so weak, yet they struggle with all their might."

Unaffected by Solitaire's ravings, Shane gave Frilian a look, and Frilian immediately unleashed a fully charged [Lightning of Annihilation] spell.

The relentless, wide-range attacks left Solitaire no time for idle chatter; she had to focus all her energy on defense.

Xia En seized the opportunity and threw the longsword in his hand.