Chapter 95: Sister, You Should Smile
Eugenie trembled as she watched Treya raise her sword. It was the eleventh sword style, the one Eugenie had most severely misled Treya about. But from the very beginning, it was… impossibly perfect!
This sword style had only ever been capable of destroying puppets on the same plane because its initial movements were deeply flawed – the very flaw Eugenie had exploited. But now, with the correct opening, it meant only one thing. Treya hadn’t just learned the true Entak Demonic Sword Arts; she had fully comprehended all eleven styles, reaching the level she had honed over years of practice!
“How… how is this possible?” Eugenie covered her mouth, her body shaking in her seat.
“Entak…”
“Eleventh Style: Severance…”
A flash of sword light. Though the props were absent, Treya on stage took a significant step forward, covering considerable distance. But that wasn’t all. She brought her feet together, drawing a dark, circular arc in the air. The silver blade seemed to turn black, radiating a terrifying aura. This was more than just Demonic Sword Arts. Treya felt it—when the demon fled, it had bestowed something extraordinary upon her.
Finally, completing the intricate sequence of sword movements, Treya flicked her sword downward. *Thump.* Treya’s silver sword, which she had used for years, shattered under the force. Shards sliced through her black stockings, but their quality prevented any bleeding on her legs.
Treya merely glanced at the fragments of her broken sword. “It shattered. A shame, but it was time to get a new one anyway.” She commented calmly.
The Demonic Pot behind her, which had seemed to absorb the light into a dark point moments before, now lay still, like an ordinary ornament.
Meanwhile, Eugenie, sitting in the audience…
“Tsk… cough cough…” She coughed violently, her body convulsing. Desperate not to appear frail, she covered her mouth with one hand and her chest with the other.
“…Treya… Treya… what have you done…” She leaned forward, her coughing intensifying. She felt it. Looking up, her bloodshot eyes stared in horror at Treya on stage. In her vision, Treya was engulfed in black mist… All the power of the demons within the Demonic Pot… She had stolen it all!
But how? How was this possible? A demon would never wager everything on one person, transferring all its power. It was too… too strange!
“You actually… you actually… *cough*…” She glanced at her palm, already spitting blood. It seemed stealing the demon’s power from her had taken a severe toll. This was to be expected! Her mother had intentionally concealed the proper way to receive a demon’s attention during the Crowning Festival, and now almost all the power of this generation’s demons resided within her.
What had Treya done? The way she had taken the demon’s power was like being stabbed and having all her blood replaced!
But… after Treya’s beautiful sword dance, applause began to ripple through the crowd, growing louder and louder… as if dedicating all honor to the performer on stage, no one noticed what Eugenie was enduring below.
“No… I must… leave…” Eugenie used the chair to support herself, trying to stand and exit. But… *thump.* Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
“Damn it!” Nearly all eyes turned towards her. *Thump.* She tried to get up again but fell back down. “No… I can’t be like this…” *Thump.* She propped herself up with her hands, but her arms slipped, and she collapsed once more.
“What’s wrong with Princess Eugenie?” Iaar, closest to her, had noticed. Will, outwardly silent and serious, watched the scene… inwardly, he was ecstatic! Treya had just performed such a spectacular sword dance, and the “sole heir to the Demonic Sword Arts” next to him was coughing blood and collapsing. There was no doubt Treya’s technique had reached its peak! As one of the masterminds behind the scenes, he just wanted to applaud. “Marvelous, marvelous!”
“Young Master, should we…”
“Just watch,” Will interrupted Iaar. “After all, the noble Princess Eugenie surely wouldn’t want her embarrassing moment to be saved by us insignificant folk… right?”
Eugenie, lying on the ground, felt not only drained but even her thoughts were becoming sluggish. Her ears and face flushed red. She couldn’t even calculate the potential losses from this situation.
“No…” She pushed herself with her elbows on the ground, wanting to crawl out of the venue—yes, that was the only way she could think of to move in her current state. Then… she saw it… Treya’s high-heeled boots. They had been silver-plated but now seemed coated in black paint. Looking up further, she could see the black stockings torn by the shattered silver sword, revealing a bit of an elf’s pale, cool skin.
“Sister…”
“Treya, thank goodness, help me up…” Eugenie’s mind was no longer capable of deduction or calculation. She still feigned a loving sisterly demeanor, smiling and wanting to display their bond. But… Treya knelt down. Eugenie saw… her eyes… They were no longer the light blue, innocent eyes; they seemed to have lost their luster, staring at her. Her reflection in Treya’s eyes appeared murky.
Eugenie felt something was wrong, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. *Run, run, run…* She tried to snatch her outstretched hand back, but Treya took it.
“Sister, why are you so pathetic?” Treya’s fingertips were exceptionally cold, yet a faint black energy pulsed from them, making Eugenie feel slightly better. Grasping Eugenie’s hand, Treya pulled her up.
“Tre… you…” However, Eugenie couldn’t utter the words; her throat felt constricted, unable to make a sound.
“Sister.” Treya leaned closer to her ear, seemingly finding a blind spot in Will’s line of sight. “Do you still have the ability to get close to him? Hmm, probably not anymore.”
“It’s a pity, but you probably can’t even consider that now… because…”
“You don’t want others to know you’re a cripple now, do you?”
“If you are willing to obey me completely, I can help you keep it a secret…” Her voice was as cold as ever, but normally such a chilling voice wouldn’t utter such bone-chilling words.
Having spoken, Treya withdrew, the corners of her lips curling into an incredibly sweet smile. Perfectly natural, not at all stiff. Her facial expression was expertly controlled into a stunningly sweet smile. She looked just like an obedient, cute, innocent sister.
Eugenie stood up. The exhaustion and coughing of blood were gone, her strength returned. But… her eyes widened, her expression filled only with terror. Treya… was very… very terrifying. I have to… I have to escape… Falling into her hands… She wanted to step back, to distance herself from Treya, but her feet felt impossibly heavy. Looking down… Treya’s black shadow enveloped her feet, as if holding her in place.
“Sister Eugenie, this isn’t right.” Treya reached out, using two fingers to pull the corners of Eugenie’s mouth upward. She used a bit too much force, causing Eugenie slight discomfort. But she couldn’t even frown and could only force a smile following Treya’s fingers. “You should smile when facing your sister who is celebrating her 15th birthday today.”
