As Lyra pulled the four towards her, Maya moved out from behind her and extended her hands, creating a solid floor of mana beneath them. The four landed gently on the platform. She rushed over immediately, asking if they were okay.
She helped Selene up first. "I’m fine," Selene said as she steadied herself. She looked toward Lyra. "Who’s our new friend?"
From the earlier display, she could tell this person was immensely powerful. It was best not to offend them.
"She’s Lyra. Cipher’s friend," Maya said.
"Cipher’s?" Ryker asked.
"That’s right, where is Cipher?" Dante asked.
"Umm..." Maya scratched her cheek. She then pointed at the sword box on Lyra’s back.
The group wore shocked expressions.
Maya had to wave her hands around frantically. "He’s okay! He’s just a little tired," she quickly clarified.
They slightly calmed down at that.
"I can sense his mana circulation, so he should indeed be fine," Ryker confirmed with relief.
At that time, the other sect masters had finally flown to this area and now stood face to face with Lyra and the Moonlight Maiden. They wore nervous looks as their eyes met Lyra’s.
They wondered what kind of creature she was.
Even the Evil God’s aura had merely knocked them back a few paces. But with her aura, it felt as though they could die at any second.
The Moonlight Maiden quickly stepped between the two parties.
"Everyone, please. Allow me to make introductions," she said, gesturing toward Lyra. "This is Daoist Lyra. She is the one who killed the Crimson Demon."
The sect masters’ expressions shifted to shock.
Killing a Demon Lord was a feat that multiple of them had to team up to accomplish. To think that she could do it alone - and even managed to escape the Evil God afterward.
But... did this mean she was the one who started the war?
They all thought about it for a second but didn’t dare say it aloud. After all, now that things had come to this, it was best not to antagonize such a strong individual. Having her on their side was for the best.
"So," Lyra said casually, "how are you going to handle this?"
...
On the side of the Evil God, his Demon Lords flanked him in formation.
He wore an angry expression that grew uglier and uglier as time passed. His mouth twitched. His fists clenched.
Finally, he reached a breaking point.
"HOW DARE YOU WEAKLINGS IGNORE ME AS IF I DON’T EXIST!" he roared.
He raised his hand.
"ANNIHILATE THEM!"
The Demon Lords vanished instantly.
At the same time, thousands upon thousands of monsters began rising from the ground. All of them B rank and above.
The group turned to face the incoming Demon Lords.
"I guess there’s no room for negotiations," the Moonlight Maiden said.
She glanced at Lyra. "Are you sure about this?"
The void sword appeared in Lyra’s hand.
"It’s just a few weaklings," she said.
With that, she vanished.
...
The Demon Lords moved at top speed, tearing through the air toward their targets.
Then suddenly, they felt as though the world around them had frozen.
They turned around.
Lyra stood between them.
They were about to make their move when she swung her sword. A single arc of darkness cut through the air - and all nine Demon Lords scattered in random directions, crashing violently into the terrain below.
Lyra floated in the middle of the battlefield, sword in hand.
"Come at me."
The Demon Lords quickly recovered and rushed toward her from all directions.
The sect masters watched the scene unfold.
Lyra had said she would handle the Demon Lords and all other powerful demons. She told them to focus on finding a way to defeat the Evil God since they had more experience with him.
They hadn’t thought she could actually do it at first.
But seeing how easily she was handling them now, they finally understood where her confidence came from.
With this level of strength... couldn’t she have just faced the Evil God herself and let them handle the weaklings?
...
On the other side, Cipher’s group watched on.
"I guess this is the level of strength needed to be a friend of the strongest human," Li Chen said with a smile.
The others just watched in silence.
It really was insane.
Maya watched on as well, though she didn’t seem too pleased.
"Maya? Is something wrong?" Selene asked, noticing her expression.
"Nothing." Maya turned around.
"What’s that?" Selene asked.
"What do you mean?" Maya looked confused.
Selene moved closer to her. "It’s strange. Your eye looks..."
"Ah, ahem." Maya stepped back. "We should also join in and not let Lyra do all the work. With her handling the stronger monsters, we can farm the others for easy exp." She flew away before Selene could respond.
Selene watched her leave.
"I guess she’s right," Ryker said, drawing his sword.
Dante smashed his fists together. "I’ve gone through so much. I feel like smashing a few demons will make me feel a little better."
"Can’t argue with that." Li Chen drew his sword as well.
The three jumped from the platform, descending toward the demons below.
Only Selene remained atop the platform.
She sighed.
Then she jumped off.
...
Lyra felt the weight of her sword in her hand.
"I’m still lacking in strength compared to back then but everything feels much more natural now" she thought.
At that time, three Demon Lords converged on her at once - one from the left, one from the right, one from above. She twisted her body mid-air, letting the first strike graze past her shoulder while deflecting the second with the flat of her blade. The third came down hard, but she was already gone, reappearing behind the attacker and delivering a slash across his back.
He roared in pain and spun around, but she had already moved on.
Another two closed in from opposite directions. She dropped low, letting their attacks collide where her head had been a moment ago. In the same motion, she swept her sword in a wide arc, forcing them to retreat.
A fifth appeared in her blind spot, but she didn’t even turn - just shifted her weight and drove her elbow into his chest, sending him tumbling backward.