Chapter 161 Chaoter 160: Liar

In the sky were thousands of blue Judgement Blades, gleaming like stars. Normally, being hit by one of them would kill a person instantly. But this many?

It's overkill.

"Judgement.", Charlotte snapped her fingers.

Those swords came down like rain. Lea began to face the incoming blades, let The Heavenly Slaughter guide her, and combine with Separation's Lines - deflecting and shattering the Judgement Blades with perfect accuracy.

But still, Lea was fighting for her life here. Their creation rate and speed were fast enough to keep her on her toes.

What is she doing?

Charlotte was browsing her phone, looking for something. The Monarch was even sitting with her back on the handguard and her legs on the other side in leisure.

"Don't give me that judgmental look.", Charlotte glanced at Lea, "I'm just finding you a suitable opponent. Li Shuwen wasn't enough for you, despite being the creator of a deadly martial art. I don't think you could handle someone like Gilgamesh either."

"There are so many strong humans I can't choose which. And I'm limiting my choices to before the 21st Century, seriously, even with my rule, humanity would just develop ten different world-destroying weapons because they are bored. Not that I'm any different~"

Then she stopped scrolling.

"But I don't think a wraith deserved to face humanity.", she spun around and sat poised up, "Thus... I'm bringing the big guns."

"Albion(Twilight Dawn)"

The shadow beneath Charlotte expanded. Wings of darkness fluttered open; a massive beast rose and flew up.

It was a Dragon, a beast from another planet. Even as a Construct, absolute power still radiated from it.

"Damn.", Lea uttered while casually dodging a Judgement Blade coming at her head.

"Dragon's Breath.", Charlotte commanded.

The Dragon opened its mouth. Lea sensed energy gathering, powerful enough to obliterate this entire city, or what was left of it.

Because of the Argent World of Chalk, almost all of Lea's powers are locked or ineffective. She couldn't create any Cursed Constructs, any Malediction-based power for that matter. At best, she could form a new body.

BOOOM!!!

Dodging another volley of Judgement Blades, Lea focused and held the sword with two hands. She saw the beam of pure destructive energy coming. Gripping the blade tighter, Lea readied herself. 

The art of parrying is simple yet difficult to perform. It is to attack the opponent's strike at one's apex, one's strongest momentum of swinging against a weaker force.

With all the martial memories she had eaten and the skills from The Heavenly Slaughter. Executing a parry should be normal—

Why did Charlotte create an azure cannon?

Boom!!

With a smirk and a snap, the cannon hurled a cannonball at Lea. She instinctively parried the cannonball... And let herself be hit by the Dragon's Breath. She was burned to a cinder, with nothing remaining.

It was now that Lea learned that Charlotte doesn't play fair.

Regenerating from The Heavenly Slaughter's shadow, Lea picked up the sword again. Being obliterated wasn't fun at all.

It seemed like Charlotte had a little conscience; the buildings created in this domain had formed walls to protect the city from the full blast.

"Cool your head yet?", the Monarch asked with sincerity.

"That was... dirty.", Lea complained.

"All is fair in love and war, child.", Charlotte shrugged.

She was still sitting on that throne, leisurely mocking Lea. In this situation, with Charlotte not being serious at all, it is a stalemate between the two.

That means she could've taken care of The Heavenly Slaughter by herself...

That thought frustrated Lea. Was she really untouchable?

"There've been exactly four situations I'd been in where I feared for my life.", Charlotte began to monologue again.

"The fourth time was nearing my limit."

Shouldn't you start with the first time? And nearing limit?

"The third time was facing a being similar to the Mist Lord."

A Fragment?

"The second time was directly looking at the Warden of Time."

The actual Cosmic Law of Time?!

"And the first time was the creation of a smith.", her gaze was directed at the sword, "A weapon so powerful it can cut a star in half with a single swing."

The Heavenly Slaughter rattled in Lea's hand, excited to hear that there was something similar to it. It wasn't love, but bloodlust.

Ah... I want to fight it...

"Why are you telling me this?", ignoring the excited sword, Lea asked.

"Because you and this world bored me. I would've gone away in a month, but I decided to stay out of spite."

"Spite me?", Lea asked again.

"You? Fuck no, you are too insignificant~", Charlotte shrugged, "Sinclair wanted me to leave, so I stay to be a problem."

Sinclair again...

"So, I need that ring back. I'm going to make a new ascension system now that the world is back on its track."

"You want to mess with the world again?", she frowned.

"Don't worry, I'll lend you the ring again after I'm done if I bothered to remember. But I am willing to wait if..."

The air changed again; the Dragon behind Charlotte lowered its head and folded its wings to protect her.

"If you can make me stand up from my seat, that is."

The Dragon died in one strike after Charlotte finished.

Lea's blade carved through Albion from jaw to tail, the Construct dissolving before its death-cry could form. Scales of shadow scattered like ash.

Charlotte resummoned it before fading completely

Again.

Lea killed it again. Charlotte resummoned it again. The third time, Lea didn't even look at the Dragon, just dragged the blade sideways and let the Heavenly Slaughter's instinct do the rest.

The Judgement Blades kept falling. The Dragon kept dying and returning. And Charlotte kept sitting.

Lea's soul was thinning in this chalk world, she could feel the edges of herself fraying. The ring and sword bought her time, nothing more. Every second she spent here was a second closer to being devoured completely.

Think.

The problem wasn't power. She had enough of that to unmake this city twice over. The problem was reach; Charlotte's logic deleted anything that came close. The Dragon was a wall, the Judgement Blades were a leash. And the Monarch herself sat at the center, untouchable, waiting to be impressed.

You cannot cut what denies your existence...

The Heavenly Slaughter offered no comfort. Only hunger.

Lea stilled, then she looked down at the chalk beneath her feet. Charlotte's Inner World follows Charlotte's logic...

So all I need to do is separate myself from this land. Separation.

Great idea...

Lea swung the sword in a circle, slashing reality itself. She felt herself able to breathe better, no longer having her soul consumed by the Inner World. But she knew this place could not hold on for long. A second Lea condensed from her shadow, standing right next to the sword wielder. In her hand, Houyi materialized and began to create mist.

Charlotte's eyes moved just slightly. She noticed but let it slide, wanting to see something interesting.

Albion opened its mouth; having Charlotte ready to attack was a good thing. That creature recognized what she was about to do.

"Judgement."

The arrow crossed the distance in less than a thought.

At the exact same instant, Lea swung the blade upward, a diagonal arc that split the air and land alike.

"Heavenly Killing Star Art:Killing Strike - Rampage."

It carved through Albion with ease.

Two strikes, one convergence point that was the Monarch's silver throne.

The Dragon lunged forward to protect its master. The arrow and the energy slash closed the distance simultaneously.

And then, Charlotte moved her finger. Lea could hear her speak...

BOOOM!!!

Dust kicked off by the explosion, blinding Lea's vision. She tensed up, wanting to see if Charlotte had moved from her seat...

But what was that sound? It was impossible not to notice the faint cracking noise coming from Charlotte's direction. It came before Judgement and Rampage hit her, so Charlotte must've done something.

And something that completely nullified the destructive power of a false god and two Star Gods...

"Five Philosopher's Stones, impressive.", the dust gathered around Charlotte's hand, "Reconstruct."

The chalk whirls around her hand, melting into a hue of pink, then dyed red in the shade of blood. Then solidified into a red gemstone.

Lea can hear the faint screams coming from that stone, but it was hollow and emotionless despite the agonizing sound. Completely different from that compass on Charlotte's waist, which was full of raw hatred and pain.

Seriously, what's with Earth and suffering?

"You didn't manage to make me move, but you did make me waste my items.", the Monarch stood up from her throne, "So that's your win in my book."

With a snap of her finger, she retracted her Inner World. Lea could now not worry about this place eating her alive. The only difference was that the chalk city was no more, only a land of pure white chalk.

"As promised, I'll get Veiled Truth on a later date.", Charlotte snapped her fingers, summoning a blue folder to her hand, "And here, this should spice up things."

She threw the folder to Lea, who caught it with her free hand. The two Cursed Constructs merged together, with Houyi sinking back into the shadow.

She looked at the folder titled 'Darkwill Legacy'. It was a composite history of her noble household.

"Why are you giving this to me?", she asked.

"Just skim through it and read the rest later. You should be going; an Ophanim is coming.", Charlotte pointed to the East.

Yes, Lea could hear the chorus of heavenly symphony coming from far away.

"Oh, don't be edgy with me. Despite dying and getting eaten by the Divine Domain of Unconscious, you are still you.", she reminded.

"And change your name, Haser Pnimalom is the Star God version of an unidentified person.", she clapped her hands twice before vanishing in a blue glow.

"You knew from the beginning, right?", she spoke to Bashie Mahzala.

"Hehehehe!! It's funny, isn't it?", that childish voice echoed in her mind, "There is a reason why all Outsiders know right away you are fake!"

Then the malicious voice of The Heavenly Slaughter came.

Or something so different from us despite being one of us... You lied about your name.

I've been calling myself using a known fake name all this time... Lea wanted to slump down and crawl back into her shadow. Though she should really run now, obtaining The Heavenly Slaughter is a great boon.

Plus...

The sword vibrated slightly; it wanted to face the Ophanim coming this way. But it couldn't; it realized something was wrong.

Ahahahahaha!!!

The demonic laughter echoed in Lea's mind.

You TRICKED ME!! Hahahahaha!! BOTH OF YOU!!

It roared in excitement and rage. Everything Lea said was a complete lie; that their nature was the same is a lie, the Contract is a lie.

"Liar, that was what you called me, right?", Lea smiled, "I am a liar, a fake pretending to be someone who died, just lingering resentments of a woman who couldn't fight against fate. I am a liar, a soul clung onto life fueled by a rage, enacting a funeral for the souls that was wronged by that thing."

The moment she picked up the sword, Bashie had begun to take control over the Weakest Lord of Annihilation. The Divine Domain of Order, like the being it was imitating, has the highest authority of all Divine Domains.

Order, Domination, Dominion, Creation, Bind, Line, Accord. Those are the Attributes of this Divine Domain, capable of completely controlling everything.

But it came with a high cost and a requirement no human or Star God can meet. It burns through spirituality and life more than all Divine Domains combined, and to have it in the first place, one needs to be the ruler of the planet just to meet the baseline requirement,

Bashie Mahzala is the exception; they are a Jester of Light, connected directly to the Authority of the First Scion of the Universe.

The tri-colored diamond-shaped eye of The Shapeless Comedy curved upward; like a puppeteer, they wrap their strings around the sword, binding it to itself. Binding the corruption of the demonic blade to itself, so that this Avatar cannot take over anyone again.

"With official consent from my owner and my master, as the Jester of Light - for the laughter of this world, for the preservation of the universe - I hereby silence you, Lord of Annihilation."

A voice full of authority without a shred of that childish tone. They gave this Avatar of The Heavenly Slaughter its finality.

A Jester's job is to entertain, to make fun of the king, or in this case... a Lord.

HAHAHAHA!!! YOU WIN THIS TIME!! But I will cut through this!! Hahaha!!!

"I cannot let you roam freely.", Lea spoke, letting go of the sword and letting her shadow consume it.

The Plague Garden crawled over, "Mn?"

Lea shook her head, "Come here, you humiliated me quite a bit."

She picked the slime up, playfully squeezing it a bit too tightly. It still brought her positivity. Still, she should move away; this city can't handle a third battle.

Using Soul Morph, Lea transformed into her bird form and concealed herself, taking flight like a dark shadow blending into the night.

All she needs to do now is handle the PR with Novala... and pick up a new name.