Chapter 188: Ch 187: Demon Queen’s Clash

Lyra did not have the presence of mind to hold back or even notice what she was doing. Since she was moving on instinct, her natural speed took over, and she struck Adrian with her claw.

He blocked using his sword, but the force of Lyra’s attack made his body slide back.

This display of strength was unexpected, and Adrian’s sword cracked under the pressure, forcing him to throw it away.

Grrrr

Lyra’s half-mutated form did not give Adrian any time to reforge his sword as she swung her massive body toward him in an attempt to forfeit his life.

"Hmmm, if I ask you to stand down, you are not going to listen, right? What a hassle."

Despite being attacked mindlessly, Adrian did not look scared. In fact, the small smile on his face indicated that he might even be enjoying this encounter. But it only served to make Lyra even more agitated.

Her magic gathered around her before it shot toward Adrian, exploding around him and limiting his options for escape.

Adrian formed a barrier around himself using his aura, but the sharp mana blasts shattered it, striking his body head-on.

"Brother-!"

Nathan looked shocked that anything could get past his brother’s barrier. He had never seen anything like this before, and anger surged inside him after seeing his brother injured.

He almost threw himself at Lyra in a fit of revenge before Adrian’s calm voice reached his ears.

"Don’t do anything foolish, Nathan. This is not an opponent you can handle at your current level. This sharp demonic aura...there can only be a few individuals who possess it. I am getting curious now. Would you like to introduce yourself to me, little miss?"

Adrian asked as the smoke cleared. He had bits of blood on his face and body, but any injuries he had sustained had already healed.

Lyra, on the other hand, had no injuries. She was also growing more powerful by the second as her magic started to run wild.

"No...need...for...introductions...Die...here..."

Lyra forced those words out with great effort, and her body lunged forward once more.

However, that brief distraction was enough for Adrian to form a sword made of mana to counter Lyra’s attacks.

Sword met claw, and the next clash caused the forest around them to shake. Countless trees were uprooted by the impact, and Nathan flinched as he was forced back against the barrier.

Elena’s unconscious body also slid toward his feet, and he almost considered grabbing her and using her as a hostage. But Lyra turned to look at him just as he reached for her companion.

The Demon Queen’s gaze paralyzed Nathan, and his body refused to move. As a result, he was unable to grab Elena and take her hostage.

"Hey, don’t look at my cute youngest brother. I get annoyed when anyone other than me intimidates him. So keep your eyes on me."

Adrian’s sword stabbed into Lyra’s side, and the pain forced her to focus on the man in front of her. She let out a roar before directing all her attention toward him.

She had no time to look at Elena for now. If she did not take care of the pest in front of her, then both she and Elena would die. And if they died, they would never be able to find Kael.

’I cannot...fall...here...’

Lyra focused entirely on this fight, and the thought of Kael was what kept her going. She knew she would lose both her mind and this battle the moment her concentration slipped, and there was no guarantee she would be able to regain control.

However, suppressing her wild instincts was becoming increasingly difficult. Her nature wanted to break free from the cage she had forced it into and unleash chaos.

The beast inside her wanted to take over and tear everything apart until it found her family and brought him back.

’Kael, come back! I miss you! I want to see you-!’

This was enough. Lyra needed to focus on this fight, not Kael. Otherwise, she would die and—

"Are you thinking about something else while we are fighting? Now I feel even more insulted."

The man in front of Lyra sighed as he looked at her face. A chill suddenly ran down her spine, and she had a feeling she was about to die. But she was not going down without a fight.

She was ready to face the next strike when someone else suddenly interfered.

The sound of two swords clashing reached her ears, and she looked ahead, only to see Leon blocking the other Sword Master’s attack.

"Kid, get out of the way. This fight is not between me and you."

Adrian looked curious to see the new arrival, but he ultimately shifted his attention back to Lyra. She unconsciously took a step back before forcing herself to stand her ground against this monster.

As for Leon...he simply pushed Adrian back, creating a safe distance before speaking again.

"My apologies. I know it is rude of me to interfere in your fight. However, I could not allow you to kill the Demon Queen at the moment."

Leon did not have any favorable feelings toward her, so it surprised Lyra to see him helping her. But his next words made it clear that he was not doing it for her sake, but for someone else’s.

"My teacher, Kael, would be disappointed if his precious pet were to die before he had the chance to reunite with her."

Lyra came back to her senses the moment she heard Leon say those words. She had never expected Leon to help her like this. But it made sense if he was doing it for Kael’s sake.

And hearing Kael’s name also made her opponent calm down, and he lowered his sword for the time being.

"I see. So you came here to meet my younger brother? I suppose I can overlook your arrogance this time. However, that does not mean I forgive you for attacking the barrier. So I will be passing judgment on all of you."