It's the third time since she gained the soul and memories of the 'Man in Black' that Sophia has encountered such a hard battle as she is now. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 The first time was against the Aobuchi Dragon, who was as huge as a mountain, and the second time was against the Ice Doll of Hilda in the Ice Demon City.

[Instantaneous] - Just like the [Soaring Dragon Enclosure] used by Alice, this is a technique mastered through her sister Eliza's [Magical Interference]. It is Sophia's nirvana to press the bottom of the box in the true sense.

In fact, unlike the flamboyant Alice, Sophia rarely uses it in real combat. The first time was during the decisive battle with the Abyss Dragon, in order to defeat Hilda's ice puppet, then in the simulated battle against the guards, when fighting twenty-one guards wearing [Luna Armor], including Cam, and most recently at the top of the Holy Tower in [Enoses], he used this move to instantly suppress the [Holy Maiden].

It can be said that this is a high-speed combat method that takes the concept of 'assassination' to the extreme, combining the characteristics of [Breath Perception], [Stealth Operation], and [Shadow Fighting Qi] to create a death field that marks all hostile targets within the perception range, and within this field, even the dimensional axis of space will be distorted.

For Sophia, the spatial coordinates of all the 'points' and 'lines' in the realm will be freely connected, so that she can control the direction of gravity as she wants, let herself continue to accelerate, and appear wherever she wants, launching a near-instantaneous attack on all hostile targets.

A normal opponent is not to mention defending or counterattacking, and it is extremely difficult to even keep the consciousness up to Sophia's speed. Neither her facial features nor her intuition could detect Sophia's figure, and she would be like a real ghost within the realm of [Fleeting]—omnipresent and omnipotent.

It's the same now, if you look at it from someone else's point of view, you can only barely realize that a wave of dark demon shadows is following you, constantly using blades, bullets, hidden weapons, traps, and all other possible means to launch a stormy all-round attack on women wearing gorgeous knightly armor.

However, the knight's female figure was rock solid, as if she were in the center of the eye of a typhoon, and it was clear that the surrounding area had been ravaged beyond recognition, except for her and the small lawn at her feet, where she stood. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a situation where a natural disaster is stopped by one person.

It wasn't some kind of magical enchantment or barrier or anything like that, it was one-handed...... That's right, with just one hand, she easily blocked all angles and all kinds of attacks from Sophia. I saw that the knight woman's right hand arm was swinging and spinning at an ultra-high speed that could not be seen by the naked eye, and with just a knight's spear and simple martial arts, she created an impregnable absolute defensive wall.

Is Sophia helpless? No, in fact, this is not the case, and if you look closely, you will find that the knightess's spear did not protect against all the attacks, although she did not move, but gradually, her cheeks, arms, and skin everywhere had small abrasions, and they were still increasing. Because she was in the realm of [Instant], Sophia's speed would not be lost in any way, and as time passed, the inertia of gravity continued to increase, and even she herself did not try to accelerate to the limit.

"That's great! Ahahahahahaha! This is dozens of times stronger than that idiot who didn't make it, isn't it? In this world, there is nothing more comforting than inheriting the excellent bloodline of one's own flesh and blood!"

However, instead of making the female knight who called herself Flora anxious, the trauma made her more and more happy.

"Almost, it's time for Mom and me to show my hands~~!"

With such a relaxed declaration, Flora suddenly took a step.

And this step has also become a feng shui moment for the reversal of the situation.

The sound of the cracking of the fighting spirit was like the roar of a monster, and the golden tide and the flames of the red devil fused with each other, tearing everything around them. Whether it's sand or grass, even the space itself is ravaged, tragically twisted and struggling.

The scope covered by the Dou Qi Explosion was so vast that it filled every tiny corner, and no matter how fast it was, it could not be completely dodged.

However, the mere 'large scope' of the attack is not the slightest threat to Sophia. Because Sophia's dodge moves are not just 'moving positions', in the realm of [Instant], she can freely shift the phase axis of her body, and dodge any threatening attacks by entering another dimension.

Originally, even if it was an overwhelming flame, Sophia was able to dodge it through shortcuts from another dimension unharmed, and instantly crossed the space to take the opponent's life. It's always been like this, but this time, I miscalculated......

The crimson storm pierced through the barrier of the dimension, mercilessly infecting Sophia's body with heat. Accompanied by the sharp pain all over the body, the hot waves of qi left red burn marks on the surface of the girl's white jade-like skin.

At the moment, without her sister Arieza present to give a professional and reliable analysis, Sophia can't figure out the principle, and all she has in front of her is the reality of being hurt. However, this level of crisis is not enough to shake the will of the 'Grim Reaper', and for her, it is no different from the 'sudden jamming of the bullet', which is nothing more than the loss of the effectiveness of the weapon she has been relying on.

However, it is only common to endure some pain on the battlefield, and as a first-class soldier, you will never be distracted by the pain, because distraction in the heat of battle often means death. At this point, Flora was the same, her expression and actions were not affected in the slightest by the small lacerations all over her body.

The scorching explosion of fighting spirit sounded the clarion call for Flora's counterattack, and the battle situation changed from her one-sided 'defense' to a god-fast mutual attack. At this time, the battle situation can no longer be described in words, because the human eye can no longer see what is happening on the field, only the metal sparks and the dark scattered magic bullets collide and shatter everywhere in the front yard with a dizzying frequency, and the figures of the two seem to melt into the night, becoming without a trace.

"Catch ~~ It's your turn~~!"

"Goo-!"

When the two of them appeared again, it was time for Flora to let out such a joyful cheer.

I saw that Sophia's petite body was being grabbed by the beautiful silver knight from behind and hugged tightly in her arms. If it weren't for the scars all over their bodies, then this scene might have been mistaken for a mother and daughter in play. In fact, Sophia only got rid of the brute force of her pace-paced opponent anyway because of the difference in physique and strength.

"Aha-!So tender and soft cheeks~~!And there is a nice smell on the body!The struggling look is so cute~~!This time, mom will never let go again?It's a waste to leave such a cute baby to that stupid guy in Lutega~~!"

"Don't ......" Sophia gritted her teeth, forcefully leaned her upper limbs back, and slammed the back of her head into her opponent's face, "You are not allowed to insult your father!"

Even if she claimed to be the strongest in the empire, the tip of her nose was unexpectedly slammed, and she couldn't help but waver, and Flora let out a muffled sound and let go of her arm slightly. Sophia, of course, didn't let go of this gap, and immediately broke free of restraint and kicked her opponent's abdomen in the air, successfully opening up the distance between them.

"Hehehe......" Flora gently wiped away the oozing nosebleed with her thumb and smiled fearlessly, "It's my daughter, as lively and active as I was when I was a child......!"

"Don't be so intimate with a daughter...... You're not my mother. ”

"Hah, maybe this body is not my original body, but the current consciousness of 'me' is your biological mother Flora, and this is absolutely not false. So come back to me, my beloved daughter, and I need you from now on. ”

"No way, I refuse. ”

"Why? We are mother and daughter by blood, so isn't it natural for us to be close to each other?"

"Blood doesn't matter, I said, you're not my mother, and I have no interest in who you really are. Sophia said categorically, "Now that you have embroiled my beloved father in a frivolous political strife, then you are the one I must expel ...... Enemy!"

"Ahhh~~ These rebellious eyes have a will like a sharp blade...... How beautiful...... I forgive you for your rebellion, who made you my lovely daughter, Sophia!"

"Hmph...... But on my side, I have no intention of forgiving you for your arrogance......!"

Although her mouth was stubborn, Sophia knew that she had no chance of winning, and even if she tried her best, she was still easily overwhelmed by the other party. The Empire's title as the strongest in the Empire does not seem to be in vain, and after a fight, Sophia has experienced the strength of her opponent who is out of common sense.

On the premise that the skill and speed are equal, the difference in physique and equipment between adults and children becomes the decisive factor for victory or defeat.

Not only that, but Flora's brute strength is far superior to herself, at least at the same level of strength as her sister Alice. In addition to this, she was clearly hiding something, and she didn't use all her strength.

All in all, the only thing that can be assured is that the female knight in front of her, who claims to be 'her own mother', is as powerful as a monster, and she is by no means an opponent that she can defeat alone.

And now the only thing he can do is to do everything possible to contain her until Shephilia successfully rescues her father.

"Come on, Sophia~~!After eight years, just be spoiled to my heart's content~~!"

The fierce battle did not make Flora show any fatigue, she flicked her spear proudly, melted her passionate love into the raging fighting spirit, and confidently waited for the lovely 'Grim Reaper' to swing the deadly scythe again.

**

-- The last thing I want to say is nothing more than some conjectures of despicable people. Although the probability is very low, if you are on the way to the palace, or immediately after arriving at the palace, you are attacked or hindered by the preparations. Then, it is very likely that Count Lutga is in the palace at this time, and the huge security on this side of the prison is very likely to be just a trick.

These were the last words that adoptive father Jonathan left to Shephelia and the two of them. If that's what Jonathan says, then the behind-the-scenes plans for what is happening today are even more complicated.

Jonathan always has an incredibly accurate intuition in terms of strategy and tactics, especially in the stage of insufficient intelligence, even if he can't guess the principle behind it, but that 'ominous premonition' is almost a hundred shots. And as it turned out, Jonathan's instincts came in handy once again.

Speaking of which, when Sophia let herself break into the palace first, Shephia not only did not hesitate at all, she even ran away with fear.

She fled because of the woman who had been the target of the kidnapping, 'Princess LaBelle' - she was so terrible.

As an orc's keen facial features, from the moment he saw the royal woman, he involuntarily sounded the instinctive alarm. If you want to use an analogy, the woman feels like a volcano that may erupt at any time.

In fact, Shephilia experienced similar fears during her time in Celia. And this fear comes from an unexpected figure - the lord's wife who has not yet passed the door: Raghi.

A girl who usually seems to be quiet and elegant, in some special circumstances, she will exude a chilling atmosphere. For example, when you fail to make a meal, or when you are woken up from a nap in the sun. Sophia, of course, knew that Ratchee seemed to be a special subhuman race called the Dragonmen, and perhaps the sense of oppression that suffocated everything came from the peculiarities of the race, and she believed that the lord's wife must be hiding some shocking secret.

But for now, it's all good.

The princess of the royal family outside the door, no matter how dangerous the power is, Shephilia believes that Sophia will not lose to anyone, because she has experienced Sophia's unreasonable power firsthand, and not long ago, the members of the 'Legendary Blade', known as the strongest knight order in the empire, were easily repelled by her. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine any other person in this world who can compete head-on with that kind of monster.

What Shephilia had to do was to find the imprisoned Count Lutga as soon as possible and get him out of the fire pit. There was a familiar smell in the air, and with her sense of smell, she could tell that Count Lutga must be somewhere in the building.

According to the information gathered by his adoptive father Jonathan, all the garrisons in the imperial capital are now concentrated in the security of the upper city and the guards of the prison. But despite this, Jonathan told himself to be careful of cute little animals.

Although Shephelia didn't understand what they meant, her adoptive father occasionally gave instructions that looked like anagrams. It's unfathomable, but there's always a reason for it. It's just that before you really face the problem, you will always be confused.

- Strange ......!

Shephilia sped through the hallway, and she soon noticed something out of the ordinary. This corridor is too long.

From the observation of the outside of the building, although the area of the palace is not small, but from the external wall, from one end of the corridor to the other, at most a distance of hundreds of meters, there is no reason to run along the corridor for so long without running to the end. Shephilia felt as if she was trapped in an infinite labyrinth of corridors.

- Gollum ......

Suddenly, there was an unpleasant noise from the door at his feet, and the wooden door at his feet was gently pushed open without warning.

The sudden unfolding of this terrifying scene in the middle of the night made even Shephilia, who was experienced in combat, feel creepy. She stopped alarmingly, turning Saber's rank card into sharp steel claws, silently waiting for what would come from behind the door......

But no one came out from behind the door, only like—

"Haha

"I said, scream, scream louder, wave more! Tsk,, no response!"

"Okay, no, okay, it's me! Don't fucking kill me!

Sounds like this, from the laughter of rude men, kept pouring into Shephilia's ears.

Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw that in the space that looked like a dirty storehouse, there was a girl from the beast tribe covered in wounds, like a dying livestock, lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of strong men.

Her arms were so weak that she couldn't move, she couldn't see the slightest light in her eyes, and she didn't know if she was conscious, and the corners of her mouth were filled with an indescribable turbid liquid, and her whole barren body was involuntarily arching back and forth......

Shephilia certainly knows what this means, and for her it can be said to be 'accustomed'. After all, not long ago, before being hired by Sophia, [Black Silver's Fierce Fang] was still a heinous 'Gray Beast Regiment', attacking the villages of the beast clan, burning, killing and looting, and violating and ravaging were commonplace.

However, the 'girl' in front of her made Shephia panic. Her eyes were filled with tears, her expression stiffened, and her muscles trembled uncontrollably.

Because -- the poor girl was none other than herself......

The tragic situation staged in the room is the coldest, darkest, and most painful experience hidden deep in my heart. That's right...... That's the memory called 'Despair'.

"How, how...... How can this be ......! What the hell is ...... here!"

In the panic, the other doors in the corridor opened one after another, and the scenery in them was the same, and as the 'protagonist', no matter which one of them, he was treated miserably.

What has been forgotten should be said to be the scene that she tried to forget, and now it is re-displayed in front of her in the most vivid and vivid scene. This strong impact made Shephilia's mind blank, and the indescribable sorrow invaded her whole body like a flood that burst the embankment, as if the pain and fear of being ravaged and abused had climbed back into her body.

- Curse your fate, curse your identity, curse your mother, curse cruel human beings......

"Babble, ah!"

Soon, these confused emotions churned in a hurry, causing the girl's spirit to fall into confusion, and she fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands, and let out a sharp cry of grief from her throat......