The radiant heroic swordswoman Gilga had once defeated Ryan, Mary, and Tatak of the Bullhead Magic Guild with a single strike. Though those three weren’t particularly powerful, with Ryan’s role as vice-leader focusing on strategy rather than combat, and Tatak’s explosion magic and Mary’s psychic magic being rare but limited by their modest magical prowess, the feat was still extraordinary. Defeating three opponents with one sword strike was no small matter.
This alone made the adventure team freeze when they saw Gilga and heard her declare, “Cross this line, and you’ll die by my sword.” None dared make a move.
“You’re that golden swordswoman?” Thorn, the Bullhead Magic Guild leader, eyed Gilga warily, licking his lips. “Good. I’ve been wanting to fight you…”
He cautiously prepared to step over the sword mark Gilga had drawn.
At that moment, a flash of golden light streaked by. Gilga swung her sword, not at Thorn, but behind her.
A startled “Ah!” rang out. Near Ye Chui and Debbie, who had just arrived, a shadow darted back to its origin. On a black boulder, the shadow revealed itself as Edel, the one who had restrained Green and distracted the Valkyrie. He clutched his bleeding shoulder, his face twisted with malice and shock.
He had tried to repeat his sneak attack on Ye Chui and Debbie, but Gilga had sensed him.
Gilga glanced at Edel with disdain. She loathed such underhanded tactics.
This brief interruption caused Thorn’s poised leg to freeze. Gilga’s strike wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful but was lightning-fast. She had detected Edel’s ambush in an instant and struck him with precision and speed, a move that could easily scale to greater strength.
Thorn, the magic swordsman, realised this swordswoman’s power surpassed his expectations, and he hesitated to act further.
On Ye Chui’s side, still catching his breath from carrying Debbie with the [Wind Travel] spell, he glanced at Edel after the failed ambush, then turned to the fallen Valkyrie. He and Debbie knelt to check her condition.
On their way, Ye Chui had briefly explained what he’d learned to Debbie and Gilga. Despite the Valkyrie’s terrifying appearance, beneath it was a resolute will that had guarded this place for five thousand years, her patchwork body a testament to her vow to the Goddess. Seeing her gravely wounded now filled Ye Chui and Debbie with anger.
The Valkyrie’s body was nearly cleaved in two, a fatal injury even for a non-ordinary being. Her broken form struggled, trying to rise, her eyes fixed on the giant crystal. Though her face was expressionless and her eyes lacked spark, her urgency was palpable. Green could sense her life force fading rapidly.
“You’re here? Where have you been these past few days?” Green snapped out of his daze, urgently asking Ye Chui.
“Cleared a dragon ant nest dungeon,” Ye Chui replied casually, frowning as he examined the Valkyrie.
Debbie, also inspecting the Valkyrie, had a thoughtful look in her large eyes.
“Please, save her. She’s a good person,” Green pleaded.
“We know,” Ye Chui nodded. But how to heal such wounds? Could stitching her up with a sewing needle work? Then Debbie whispered, “I might have a way to save her.”
Ye Chui looked at her curiously. Was she planning to have Aphrodite heal her? But that would mean recalling Gilga, as Debbie couldn’t summon two heroic spirits at once.
Before he could ask, Cass’s voice came from the adventure team. “Wade? You and Miss Debbie are safe, thank goodness. But what’s going on?”
Ye Chui stood, glancing at the blue crystal. Was the terrifying red devil sealed within it? He then addressed the team. “Please, everyone, leave this place. That crystal contains a fearsome devil sealed by the Goddess of Wealth five thousand years ago. It’s likely still alive and extremely dangerous.” He pointed to the Valkyrie. “She’s a Valkyrie, guardian of the divine realm, who has spent five thousand years protecting this seal.”
His words caused a stir among the team. The Valkyrie had said similar things through Green’s translation, but her horrific appearance made them dismiss her. Now, hearing this from Ye Chui, a fellow human, they hesitated, but ultimately, they chose not to believe him.
“Five thousand years… even gods would have decayed and died by now, right?”
“He’s just trying to scare us off to claim the crystal for himself. What a childish trick.”
“That crystal holds immense magical power. It’s probably a legendary magic crystal!”
The team buzzed with discussion.
Their reaction wasn’t about stupidity, but greed.
The crystal was a priceless treasure, impossible to abandon based on the words of a novice magic mentor like Ye Chui.
Stan Town was a small place, and the Gods’ Ruin was a prize far beyond their usual scope. They lacked the caution needed for dangers from the era of gods.
Amid the debate, Cass made his choice. “I believe Wade.”
Several town guards, magic mentors, and swordsmen stood by Cass, showing their allegiance. But the old swordsman, Cass’s deputy, hesitated before joining Thorn, facing off against Gilga.
“This golden swordswoman is strong, but together, we might take her down,” said Bilis, leader of the Goddess’s Kiss Magic Guild, standing beside Thorn, his writhing tentacle monster behind him.
Members of the Bullhead and Goddess’s Kiss guilds rallied behind their leaders, numbering over a dozen. Cass’s side had seven or eight, remaining neutral for now. On the other side were Ye Chui, Debbie, Gilga, Green, and the Valkyrie. Seeing the situation, Ye Chui sighed, and Gilga glanced at him questioningly. He took out several dragon bloodstones from his grimoire and tossed them to Debbie.
“If they don’t believe us and want to court death, let’s take them out,” Ye Chui said, watching Debbie throw the stones to Gilga. He smirked, muttering, “A bunch of regular players daring to challenge a pay-to-win whale? Who gave you that courage?”
Amid Gilga’s ecstatic moan, her body erupted in a sun-like radiance, and she charged at Thorn, Bilis, and the old swordsman.
Meanwhile, Debbie grasped the Valkyrie’s uneven hands, her expression grave as she solemnly asked, “Valkyrie, who has guarded this place for five thousand years, are you willing to become my heroic spirit?”
