Chapter 257: You Want My Body?
Florence’s return didn’t surprise Qin Chu.
With her obsessive love for her son, she would undoubtedly do anything to save him, no matter the cost.
That was why, despite her seemingly leaving, Qin Chu’s hand hadn’t left O’Niens’s head.
However, he hadn’t expected her to reappear in such a bizarre manner.
What was that? Earth Walking Technique? Some kind of earth movement technique?
Although he wasn’t interested in Florence herself, he was interested in her ability, whether it was magic or a special power.
And Florence had thought that her sneak attack would definitely sever Qin Chu’s arm, even his entire body, allowing her to rescue O’Niens.
She had already planned everything. Once she succeeded, she would take her son and flee, abandoning her position as Holy Maiden. After all, having injured, or even killed, the Hero, Wadsworth and Augustus wouldn’t let her go, and even Saint Monique would have a reason to eliminate her.
She would take her son and disappear, the world was vast enough for them to find a place to hide.
But she hadn’t expected her attack to be blocked.
Damn it! she thought.
She tried to sink back into the earth, but the ground beneath her trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. The earth rippled like waves.
People stumbled and fell.
Barnal, although not particularly strong, was experienced in fighting Demon Beasts and sensed the danger immediately. This conflict was beyond their level. Although he had boasted before about supporting Qin Chu, he immediately ordered his men to retreat, leaving the battlefield to the true powerhouses.
Compared to the soldiers’ organized retreat, the Royal Knights were less disciplined, scrambling back in a less-than-graceful manner.
And the clerics of the Holy See and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess were even more pathetic, a panicked mob trampling each other as they fled.
After all, this was a battle between level 80+ experts. If they didn’t run, they would die.
Florence’s face paled. She tried to burrow deeper into the earth, but a powerful Mana fluctuation erupted beneath her.
Her son’s head was still in Qin Chu’s grasp. She couldn’t abandon him. And with the new threat below, she had no choice. Gritting her teeth, she burst from the ground.
A geyser of lava erupted where she had been, almost engulfing her.
Although Florence was unharmed, O’Niens wasn’t so lucky. The flames engulfed his lower body, turning it into charred black.
He screamed in agony, his body convulsing.
Qin Chu, however, was protected by his Holy Light.
Tears streamed down Florence’s face as she saw her son’s suffering, but she knew this wasn’t the time for grief. She spread her arms, and an earth-yellow magic shield appeared around her.
Rock Armor!
A high-tier Earth magic defensive spell.
It could be large enough to protect the entire body, or small enough to just shield the heart.
It was the fastest and strongest defensive spell of the Earth element.
Florence knew that as a mage, she had to protect herself. If a powerful enemy got close, her frail body would be torn apart.
Her mind raced, searching for a way to save her son, no matter the cost, even if it meant her own life.
Although there were many other powerful opponents, that hateful Qin Chu was the greatest threat.
He was the one holding her son hostage. If she couldn’t defeat him, she would never be able to rescue O’Niens.
But she didn’t have time to think. A tall figure, moving with incredible speed, was approaching her.
Florence’s face paled, and she tried to dodge, but the figure was too fast.
It appeared before her in a blink of an eye.
“True Word Spell!”
It was Violet.
With a cold command, whirlwinds erupted around her leg as she swept it through the air.
Bang!
Her powerful kick slammed into Florence’s Rock Armor.
The impact made Florence’s ears ring, and she realized just how strong this tall woman was.
A single kick had cracked her powerful Rock Armor.
And Violet didn’t stop. Her fists, like a relentless rain, pounded against the barrier.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The continuous blows made the cracks spread rapidly.
Florence’s face paled, and she clutched her staff, chanting a spell at an incredible speed.
With a wave of her staff, two massive, earth-yellow chains, like giant pythons, erupted from the ground, coiling around Violet’s legs.
The Embrace of the Earth Mother Goddess.
Violet, without even looking back, leaped into the air, spinning gracefully, and then, with a whoosh, her leg slammed down on one of the chains.
Crack!
The chain shattered.
She spun again, her other leg sweeping out, and the remaining chain also shattered.
The Storm Witch…
She didn’t need weapons, a staff, armor, or robes. Perhaps it was because of her berserker-like fighting style that no one in the Auville Empire, not even those old foxes, suspected her true identity as a Witch.
What mage fought with their fists and feet?
This woman was clearly a warrior.
With the two chains shattered, Violet, without pausing, summoned a whirlwind beneath her feet and soared into the sky.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, she punched a falling meteor, shattering it into pieces.
The battle between these two powerful beings was a breathtaking spectacle.
The ordinary soldiers, unable to follow their movements, could only watch in awe.
But for experts like Morton and Loseweisse, it confirmed their suspicions. Violet was incredibly strong, easily dominating Florence.
She was on the same level as Saint Monique, Augustus, and Wadsworth.
Florence’s face darkened. She knew that this kind of aerial combat was disadvantageous to her. As an Earth mage, her power was greatest when she was grounded.
And the situation was unfavorable. Only this tall woman was attacking her now, but the other experts, the other War Gods and Grand Mages, hadn’t joined the fight yet. If they attacked together, she would be overwhelmed.
As she pondered, she began to descend.
And O’Niens’s cries in the distance distracted her.
Distraction during battle was a fatal mistake.
There was a momentary lapse in her concentration, a fraction of a second, but that was all Violet needed.
She was the Storm Witch, after all.
She simply didn’t like using magic, it didn’t mean she couldn’t.
Whoosh…
She appeared before Florence in a flash, her right fist clenched, the blue-gray aura of the True Word Spell flickering around her wrist, wind Mana swirling and compressing around her fist.
The next moment, her fist slammed into Florence’s Rock Armor.
The barrier, pushed to its limit, shattered like ice.
The impact sent Florence tumbling downwards. Seeing the ground approaching, she felt no fear, even accelerating her descent. As long as she could reach the earth, she could still launch a sneak attack and save her son.
Saving her son was her only priority.
Her speed increased as she neared the ground.
Just as her head was about to be buried in the sand, Heloise, urged by Iyeta, finally acted.
The Snow Woman squatted down, the loose white dress she wore outlining the curves of her thighs.
She pressed her hand against the ground.
“Ice!”
The next moment, ice spread rapidly across the sand, appearing beneath Florence just as she was about to burrow.
With a sickening crack, Florence, the former Holy Maiden of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, slammed headfirst into the solid ice.
It seemed as if her neck, or perhaps her skull, had been broken.
She writhed on the ice like a snake, her mouth open in a silent scream, stars flashing before her eyes.
Many of the onlookers instinctively rubbed their own heads, feeling a phantom pain.
“Heloise, you should have created a sharp ice spike beneath her,” Iyeta said, instructing her, “right where her head would land.”
The Snow Woman was strong, but she was also… soft.
Not just her body, but also her personality.
Heloise nodded blankly, memorizing Iyeta’s advice. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
But Iyeta was actually quite satisfied. They were defectors from the Demon Beast side, and although they had been coerced by Qin Chu, they had to prove their worth.
Violet descended from the sky and kicked Florence in the side, sending her sliding across the ice towards Qin Chu, the force perfectly controlled.
“Miss Florence…” Qin Chu said, his face still wearing a gentle, gentlemanly smile, his gaze lingering on her disheveled yet still alluring figure.
He was beginning to understand Cao Cao’s… preferences.
This kind of woman did have a unique charm.
After Qin Chu called her name several times, Florence finally regained consciousness, her eyes filled with hatred and rage as she looked at him.
“Please, Miss Florence… no, I should call you… ma’am…”
“Please believe me, I never provoked your son. I don’t understand why he’s so hostile towards me, repeatedly causing me trouble…”
Qin Chu was telling the truth.
He hadn’t actively provoked O’Niens. Even that Evil God’s thread, O’Niens had put it into his own body.
“But your family has truly disappointed me…”
“I knew about O’Niens’s crimes, but I kept it a secret. I’m not a gossipmonger, but he forced me to reveal everything.”
“And you, Lady Florence, you disappoint me even more. I thought you would be more mature… but it seems only your body is mature.”
“Or have you become so accustomed to your high position that you don’t know how to compromise?”
After a pause, Qin Chu continued, “Of course, I’m magnanimous, and I’m still willing to give you a chance. We can make a deal…”
A deal?
Florence was momentarily stunned, then, recalling the rumors about the Hero, she instinctively pulled at her disheveled clothes, covering her exposed skin. “You want my body?” she asked coldly.
No, what are you thinking?
Qin Chu’s gaze swept over her, and Florence felt as if his rough hands were caressing her delicate skin.
She hadn’t felt this way since O’Niens’s father died.
Well, Qin Chu had to admit, she was alluring, but that wasn’t what he wanted.
He wanted her ability to travel through the earth.
Of course, he could use the Devourer.
But the Devourer could only guarantee the absorption of Mana and Battle Qi, not abilities or magic. He couldn’t be sure that he would obtain that ability after devouring Florence.
But if she cooperated willingly, the success rate would be much higher.
Florence frowned. She hated Qin Chu and didn’t want to be defiled by him… But to save her son, she would endure any humiliation.
Her plan to rescue him by force had failed. She had no choice but to accept a humiliating agreement:
“As long as you can save my son…”
“My body… you can do whatever you want with it,” she said, her voice cold and hard.
As long as her son lived, nothing else mattered.
Qin Chu was speechless. Couldn’t this woman let him finish?
Before he could respond, O’Niens, seemingly triggered by his words, began to tremble violently, the X-shaped mark on the back of his hand becoming more prominent.
Crimson threads, like veins, spread from his hand to every part of his body.
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