Shane and Frieren rushed toward the northeastern corner of the city.
Along the way, they saw nurous soldiers and priests running toward the three locations where the explosions had occurred.
Shane's suspicions grew stronger.
This was an obvious open sche.
Either they took the bait and split their forces, or they stood by and watched the civilians be slaughtered.
Damn it!
What exactly were these shaless demons trying to do?
As they got closer to the dungeon marked on the map, Frieren suddenly stopped. Holding her staff, she took a combat stance.
Shane's heart instantly leapt into his throat.
Right in front of them was a collapsed pit sealed by a barrier. Standing before it was a young girl.
She had long blue-green hair, pale green eyes, and a pair of small horns on her forehead. She wore a light yellow wrap dress with a red shawl draped over her shoulders, and a ruby pendant hung at her neck. Her figure was petite and slender, her face adorned with a gentle smile—harmless at a glance.
Solitär.
The na surfaced in Shane's mind, and cold sweat instantly ford in his palms.
A murderer who had lived for who knows how long—cruel and cunning beyond asure.
He tightened his grip on his sword, forcing himself not to tremble.
Hearing movent behind her, the girl turned and smiled faintly at Shane and Frieren. "Oh my, you found so quickly."
Her voice was as sweet as a younger sister's, light and playful.
If not for the demon horns on her head, Shane believed no one would feel any hostility toward her.
Boom—
Frieren didn't waste a word. She raised her hand and fired a precise magic blast.
The girl smiled and dodged.
Her movents were light, like a butterfly.
"Oh dear, why so angry? Is it because I didn't say hello in advance?"
"Then let's do it properly again."
"I am the Great Demon Solitär. It's a pleasure to et you, Frieren."
Frieren didn't stop to let her finish speaking. Instead, her attacks continued relentlessly while Solitär tried to chat.
Unfortunately, every precise strike was deftly handled by the girl.
Not a single effective hit landed.
"I have no interest in who you are."
"Don't be so cold. Chat with a little, won't you? I've been looking forward to eting you for a long ti."
Faced with her endless chatter, Frieren stopped responding. The magic in her hands grew even sharper.
Their figures intertwined across the ground and sky, darting and weaving as flashes of magic surged one after another. Shane could only stare in a daze.
This was his first ti seeing Frieren fight at full strength.
She was unbelievably strong.
"Ah, humans truly are such clever and adorable creatures. In such a short ti, you've already mastered our demons' exclusive spell—[Flight Magic]. How surprising."
"It's truly surprising. Hmm? And what magic is this? Ah, such precise mana control."
The girl grew increasingly delighted, deliberately guiding Frieren to use more and more spells against her.
Like a cat toying with a mouse.
Watching from the side, Shane felt sothing was off.
When Solitär once again positioned herself with her back to the barrier and intentionally let Frieren nearly hit her—
Shane finally realized: she's using Frieren!
Boom—
Another of Frieren's attacks struck the barrier.
The barrier sealing the entrance to the Inverted Land rippled with magic, trembling as if on the verge of collapse.
"Frieren, don't hit the barrier! She's using you!"
Shane shouted.
He didn't know what Solitär's goal was, but anything the demons wanted could not be good!
Sure enough, after his warning, Frieren paused her attacks.
Solitär looked disappointed. "Why did you stop? Just a few more hits and that barrier would've shattered. What a pity."
Then she turned to Shane and smiled. "You've been watching quietly from the side, handso boy. What's your na? How did you figure out my plan?"
"..."
Shane tightened his grip on his sword and refused to respond.
The girl in front of him wasn't just talkative—she was a sinister demon who hid her intentions within her words.
Talking was her tactic.
Just like how she toyed with Frieren.
Shane wouldn't fall for it.
He carefully observed her movents, his entire body tense, ready to flee at any mont.
"Hm? Don't like chatting?"
The girl looked slightly disappointed, but soon her smile returned as her sweet voice continued:
"That's such a sha. I really enjoy talking with clever humans. At least let hear your last words."
Before her sentence even finished, a massive sword ford from magic shot toward Shane.
Whoosh—
Frieren's [Magic Barrier] unfolded in front of him.
Crack—
The terrifying magical greatsword pierced through the [Magic Barrier] without slowing, continuing straight toward Shane.
!!
Shane's eyes widened in shock.
Driven by survival instinct, his body reacted on its own. He swung his sword to block.
Bang—
The magical blade was deflected, crashing into a nearby building. It carved a deep trench, slicing through everything in its path.
[Deflection Field (Blue/Rare)]: Summons a chaotic force field that blocks one long-range attack.
This life-saving attribute saved Shane once again.
"Hm? That sword of yours… interesting." Solitär stared at Shane with growing interest.
Frieren stepped beside him. After confirming he was unhard, she began analyzing her defensive magic.
She realized her opponent's attacks were now different from before.
Shane also realized that up until now, the enemy had been acting all along!
It seed Solitär cared greatly about what was inside the barrier.
"Frieren, I can create one opening for you—just once. Do you have the confidence to kill her in a single strike?"
Frieren glanced at Solitär, her expression turning serious.
"Even if I'm not certain, I have to try."
Shane nodded.
Solitär didn't interrupt their conversation. Instead, she watched with great interest for a few seconds before laughing happily.
"Oh? Have you co up with so clever strategy?"
"I do love the cooperation between human companions. It always brings joy. So, what will it be this ti?"
As she spoke, she looked at Shane with anticipation.
"I can feel your fear. But how strange—your face says you want to run, yet your eyes are filled with calculations. It's quite astonishing."
"So weak, yet struggling with everything you have. How fascinating."
Shane ignored her rambling. He gave Frieren a look, and she imdiately unleashed a fully charged [Destructive Lightning: Judradjim] spell.
The continuous large-scale attacks left Solitär no ti for idle chatter, forcing her to defend at full strength.
Seizing the opportunity, Shane hurled the sword in his hand.
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