In the middle of a forest bathed in the light of the full moon and drizzled by gentle rain, a unit of soldiers sprinted at incredible speed.
Despite the slippery ground, their pace didn't falter. Among them, one figure stood out — a woman leading the squad. Her jet-black hair, a rare color in the world of Megicula, fluttered behind her as she ran.
She wore a black royal gown and an unusual witch's hat, and at her waist was a sheathed sword.
Her beauty and sensual aura were such that anyone who saw her would struggle to look away.
Suddenly, the Sword Saint stopped. Clenching her jade-white fist, she punched a nearby mountain — leveling it to the ground in an instant. The strike shook the entire forest as she spoke, her voice filled with murderous intent:
"Come out, you bastard… It's pointless to hide from me."
The soldiers behind her trembled under the sheer killing intent she radiated.
"No wonder they call you the Saint of Beauty… even when you're furious, you're still breathtaking. Hahaha."
A man's mocking voice echoed. Moments later, he appeared before the Sword Saint — a man about 25 years old, a frog tattoo on his neck, dressed in a black suit.
"How did you detect me?" the man asked, visibly confused.
I used Hide Magic — how did she find me?
(Hide Magic: A spell that conceals one's presence.)
"I can sense my grandson's mana on you," the Sword Saint replied coldly.
"Ah… I was careless."
"Why did you kidnap my two grandchildren?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes in fury.
The Sword Saint recognized the man before her — Rey Grenouille, a war general from the Dark Organization, and a formidable enemy.
"It's simple. Our organization doesn't want you interfering with the affairs of the Alucard Empire."
"Unfortunately, I can't grant that request. The Empress of Alucard is a close friend of mine."
"Saint… have you forgotten? Your grandchildren's lives are in our hands."
Before Rey could finish his sentence, the Sword Saint appeared in front of him with light-like speed, delivering a brutal punch.
Rey's body shattered into pieces, leaving only his head rolling on the ground.
Moments later, Rey's body regenerated — whole once more. The Sword Saint frowned, her eyes narrowing warily.
She leapt to the left — and an instant later, a slashing strike tore through the space where she had been standing.
She leapt again, this time high into the air, and the ground beneath her exploded into fragments.
A brilliant sword light ripped through the night sky toward her abdomen — but the blade stopped just one inch from her skin, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
"Tch," Rey clicked his tongue.
He flipped backward in the air and kicked the Sword Saint with the heel of his foot.
BOOOOM!!
The Sword Saint was slammed into the ground, creating a massive shockwave. Dust billowed across the forest for nearly a kilometer. Rey hovered in the air, watching carefully — he knew she wouldn't fall so easily.
Slash—
The wind howled again, slicing through the dust. Out of it emerged the Sword Saint, unharmed, drawing her sword from its sheath.
"Hahaha!" Rey roared as he lunged at her, sword slashing downward.
Wusshh… Slusss…
A spear and an arrow, moving at light speed, shot toward Rey. Before he could dodge, the spear pierced his abdomen and the arrow struck his thigh.
BOOM!
"Damn it!" Rey crashed into the ground, creating a crater beneath him. Rage filled his eyes as he looked toward the ones who had ambushed him.
To his shock, the Saint of the Bow and the Saint of the Spear had appeared together.
Normally, Rey's wounds would have healed instantly thanks to his regeneration ability, but for some reason, they refused to heal.
What's going on? Why are they here together? Rey thought, panic rising.
Before he could think further, a sword sliced through his neck.
The Sword Saint grabbed Rey's severed head and placed her hand on it.
"Soul Magic."
(Soul Magic: A soul-type spell that allows the caster to read the target's memories.)
After delving into Rey's memories, the Sword Saint raced toward the place where Zeref and Invidia were being held, with the Bow Saint and Spear Saint following close behind.
System, initiate automatic control.
[DING]
[Request acknowledged.]
The aura around Zeref shifted dramatically — he seemed like a completely different person.
"Time Return Magic." (System)
(Time Return Magic: A spell that reverses time.)
The wounds on Zeref's body vanished instantly. Then, he used Space Magic to isolate his presence.
"What the hell… this kid can use ancient magic?!" Lilio growled in frustration.
"Regil… can your magic pierce through his Space Magic?" Lilio asked.
"Impossible… We need to retreat now," Regil replied.
"It's too late for you to leave now," the System controlling Zeref's body said coldly.
"Void Slash."
A chilling voice echoed as Zeref swung his sword horizontally. A massive wave of energy obliterated the entire corridor, leveling it to the ground.
"AAAAAAGHHHH!"
Regil and Lilio screamed in agony before vanishing into thin air.
"Damn it… I sacrificed 50 years of my lifespan just to use this feature for five minutes…" Zeref grumbled as he regained control of his body — only to immediately lose consciousness.
A beautiful blonde woman with shoulder-length hair ran through the dim underground corridor, panting heavily.
She sprinted until she reached a grand hall — and there she saw two unconscious children, lying on the floor but thankfully unharmed.
She rushed over and embraced them, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Zeref… Invidia… thank the heavens you're both safe…"
Not far behind her stood three other beautiful women, smiles of relief spreading across their faces as they witnessed the emotional reunion.
After the incident, the conflict between the Dark Organization and Duchess Fernandez shook the entire human realm.
The Sword Saint led 1,000 troops to annihilate the organization's strongholds — with the Bow Saint and Spear Saint also joining the battle.
The Dark Organization was no small enemy — their power rivaled that of a kingdom.
Because both sides were evenly matched, the war raged for an entire month.
My grandmother halted the offensive after the organization's main headquarters was destroyed and many of its members were killed.
Unfortunately, that didn't cripple the Dark Organization entirely — their core members had already fled.
Still, the incident dealt a severe blow to them, as they lost three of their war generals.
What remained a mystery to my mother and our family was who killed the other two war generals.
All they knew was that one of the war generals had fought fiercely against the Sword Saint before being killed by sneak attacks from the Bow Saint and Spear Saint.