Sword of Salvation-Chapter 64: - Ethereal Heart

Mariel and Celinee spent a few hours at an inn in the northwestern part of the city—they needed rest and food after being on the move since morning. They only left the city about two hours after sunset.

Mariel and Celinee weren’t the only ones heading northwest in the dark.

Some members of Sterminatore were also moving in that direction, along with a few mercenary groups. The mission given by the palace seemed to be more than just capturing the princess; there was also a mission to limit the monster’s movement and ensure it didn’t head toward populated areas.

Celinee had mentioned that she didn’t sense any individuals classified as "strong". From this, Mariel concluded that no plan had been made to capture the princess. They were only monitoring and luring the monster to keep it within a designated area.

Mariel didn’t know if they were planning to wait until the princess became calmer and weaker. However, the situation could worsen if left unchecked. Celinee had told Mariel that half-demons could devour the souls of other creatures in their demon form. Mariel worried about what might happen if the princess got hungry and succumbed to her demonic instincts.

The distance between Iresvilea and the princess’s location wasn’t far. According to some mercenaries they encountered, the princess had been two kilometers further away yesterday. Now, she was only about 24 kilometers away. Mariel and Celinee reached the location in less than half an hour, even at a moderate speed.

The dense forest and uneven landscape prevented the moonlight from evenly illuminating the area.

Mariel couldn’t see the princess’s location. One of the nearby Sterminatore members said the monster was curled up in a small hole at the base of a large tree. Celinee confirmed the direction the young man had indicated.

"Her prana capacity is greater than yours, Mariel."

Mariel wasn’t surprised to hear Celinee’s statement. His prana capacity was large, but not so massive as to dwarf others’ prana capacity. So, Celinee’s words didn’t shock him. The heart Dr. Lergen used to turn the princess into a demon certainly wasn’t a normal demon heart.

"We will confront the princess," Mariel informed the nearest Sterminatore member—the same one who had told them the princess’s location. "Please inform your comrades not to panic or act recklessly."

The member didn’t nod immediately. He reiterated how dangerous the monster was and asked if they were sure about confronting her. Mariel firmly told him not to worry. Only then did the Sterminatore member nod and leave to inform his comrades and the other mercenaries.

"With so many eyes watching, you can’t fight with full strength." Mariel’s gaze locked intensely on Celinee. "Your spirit’s name is Envy King Leviathan. We need the spirit’s name to master the unification mode. Have you tried it?"

If Celinee could use unification mode, she would become significantly stronger. She would be able to defeat the monster hiding there alone. Mariel had already seen her basic abilities—Celinee’s spirit power was related to time.

"I tried, but Leviathan refused to let me. She doesn’t like that I know her name. She said she’ll allow it when I’m worthy of using her power."

That was still better than Mariel’s spirit, who didn’t even speak to him.

"Then I’ll handle King Maggio’s daughter; your role is to ensure she doesn’t escape southeast."

Celinee agreed. She wasn’t about to use her demon powers in front of Sterminatore members. It didn’t matter if half-demons were good and innocent—if they could turn into demons, they couldn’t be allowed to roam freely. The situation would be different if Celinee were a royal—Sterminatore would think twice before taking drastic action.

They could fight together, but that option wasn’t suitable for this situation. They didn’t want to destroy the monster; the princess was needed alive and without severe injuries. She could escape if cornered. So they needed to split their tasks: Mariel would attack, and Celinee would ensure the monster couldn’t escape.

"Don’t let your guard down."

As soon as he said that, Mariel walked toward the tree where the princess was hiding.

Not long after, Mariel reached the location. He stopped less than ten meters in front of a massive tree with a sizable hole at its base. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Previously, he couldn’t see the demon form of the princess due to the distance and lack of light. Now, distance was no longer an issue, nor was the dim lighting. Although the inside of the hole was dark, Mariel’s eyes caught sight of the princess’s form.

She didn’t resemble Celinee’s perfect demon form. The princess looked somewhat like an Extra Devil, with a pair of horns on her forehead and a tail swaying from side to side.

Mariel didn’t attempt to step any closer. The green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark glared at him sharply. Even the slightest step forward would have provoked the creature with flowing hair to attack immediately. Fear, panic, anger, and confusion radiated from her gaze and expression.

Mariel could have resolved this quickly by nullifying her power, which would have returned her to human form. However, he wanted to see how close the monster before him was to a Primordial Demon. He couldn’t get his answer without testing her strength.

Mariel took one step forward, and the princess instantly lunged at him. Her acceleration was impressive. If Mariel hadn’t prepared a transparent spatial barrier, her sharp claws might have torn his face apart.

The princess didn’t stop after her initial attack failed to reach the target. She continued to attack wildly, using her tail and sharp horns as well. Every blow from the demon left ripples on Mariel’s barrier, her strength far surpassing Zagabob’s.

However, unlike Shin, who could shrink Mariel’s barrier with dark purple energy, the demon relied solely on raw power. Using her abundant prana, she significantly enhanced her physical form, even causing destruction just by releasing her prana.

Mariel allowed the princess to keep attacking, waiting for her to use Devil Curse. The damage she caused to the landscape couldn’t be explained by pure physical strength alone, leading Mariel to believe the furious monster possessed a unique ability.

Mariel’s eyes widened in surprise as a pair of butterfly wings sprouted from the princess’s back. High-intensity prana enveloped her body, and a second later, she was in spirit unification mode. Her demon form didn’t disappear but merged with the transformation of her nature-type spirit.

"Oh, does that mean you can’t use Devil Curse?"

Of course, the demon couldn’t hear Mariel’s voice. If he used the spatial barrier as armor, sound waves could still travel outside. However, the barrier now encased Mariel in a soundproof, enclosed space. No matter how loudly he shouted, the demon wouldn’t hear him.

Mariel didn’t have time to ponder why she couldn’t use Devil Curse. A powerful shockwave engulfed the area within a one-kilometer radius of the monster’s position, followed by widespread destruction. Chunks of earth lifted and collided, and trees were uprooted and shattered.

It became clear how the landscape he and Celinee had seen had been devastated—the princess’s spirit ability was destructive waves.

Mariel, struggling to maintain his footing, was thrown when the princess released a second destructive wave. This time, the wave was released through her roar, amplifying its intensity. Mariel’s transparent barrier cracked and then shattered as he landed.

"She’s amplifying her destructive waves with sound," Mariel muttered, surprised his barrier had broken. "That’s an unexpected weakness."

The princess didn’t give Mariel any time to rest. She flew forward with one flap of her large black butterfly wings, quickly closing the distance. In an instant, her sharp black claws were aimed at Mariel’s face.

Naturally, Mariel didn’t let himself suffer a fatal blow.

Just moments before the claws struck him, he swapped places with a chunk of earth several meters to his left. The princess’s claws shredded the soil into dust.

A furious growl escaped the monster’s small mouth, her angry eyes fixating on Mariel.

"Her strength even surpasses Lukhiel’s," Mariel muttered as he coated his body with wind armor, layering it with another transparent barrier. "But her combat skills are clearly inferior."