"A hidden story quest? Those Who Long for the Witch?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly as he read the quest description.
The objective was unambiguous—the Lord of Sunset City was a traitor who longed for the Witch.
"The Lord of Sunset City…?" When Loserine heard that title, fragments of distant memories surfaced in her mind.
"What's wrong?" Akira caught her subtle change immediately and asked.
"The ship we used to sail back then was provided by the Lord of Sunset City himself. Who would've thought a city lord would end up pledging himself to a Witch?" Loserine sneered coldly. "How ridiculous."
"Whatever his reasons were, the moment he sided with the Witch, he became our enemy. That's all that matters." Akira had no interest in digging into the traitor's motives—there were more urgent matters at hand."Loserine, go deal with the monsters first. We'll take care of the traitor afterward."
"Understood."
As soon as her words fell, the soul-light wings on Loserine's back spread wide, and she shot toward the battlefield like a streak of light.
The instant she arrived, every gaze on the battlefield locked onto her.
"Look at that!"
"Why is there a female knight with wings?!"
"Whoa—those wings are insane! Is that a paid skin?!"
The players present stared in disbelief. It was the first time they'd ever seen such extravagant soul-wings.
But those even more stunned were the knights of the Yerman Family and the soldiers defending Sunset City.
They erupted into cheers.
"That's our strongest Oathbound Knight—Loserine!"
"She's finally here!"
"But… why is she flying?"
"The White Rose's Blessing is mysterious and powerful—what's strange about having wings?"
"With her here, victory is guaranteed!"
"Knight Loserine always descends invincibly at the most critical moment—she's the guardian deity of Sunset City!"
"…!"
Praise and awe filled the air, but Loserine paid it no mind.
Gripping her Oathbound Sword, she plunged straight into the sea of monsters. The soul-light wings behind her unfurled fully, granting her blistering speed.
With every swing of her blade, she seemed to dance across the battlefield. Wherever she passed, monster corpses littered the ground.
Physical attackers couldn't even touch her moving form. As for monsters that wielded elemental magic—it was utterly pointless.
The [Crystalline Construct] trait rendered her completely immune to all elemental damage. Flames, lightning, and frost shattered against her body, dissolving into nothing more than dazzling visual effects.
Those elemental energies were instead absorbed by her soul-wings. As time passed, the wings grew brighter and brighter, scattering starlike motes of light—beautiful, radiant, and awe-inspiring.
When the soul-wings reached full charge, Loserine immediately shifted her focus to the giant worm.
She shot skyward.
The giant worm sensed danger and attempted to burrow underground—but it was already too late.
Loserine fell like a meteor.
The soul-wings behind her erupted with terrifying soul power, spreading outward like a tidal wave and sweeping across the battlefield in an instant!
"ROOOAR—!"
The monsters struck by the soul shock collapsed en masse, like wheat flattened by a gale—lifeless before they even hit the ground.
The giant worm managed to endure the attack head-on, but it was driven straight into a weakened state. Before it could even react, Loserine was already on top of its head.
Her sword fell.
One clean strike ended its life.
With the death of their vanguard, the once-formidable monster horde crumbled instantly. Morale shattered. The remaining monsters scattered in panic, the signs of total defeat unmistakable.
"W… we won?"
The scene left everyone present dumbstruck, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
Several players felt their hearts tremble.
What rarity is that knight?How can anyone be that strong?!
"Knights, hear me!" Roxia seized the moment, her voice ringing clear. "Now is the time to counterattack! We must drive every last invading monster out of Sunset City!"
"Yes, my lady!"
Under Roxia's command, the knights surged forward with blazing morale, mercilessly expelling the remaining monsters.
As the situation stabilized, Akira immediately recalled Loserine and sprinted toward the city lord's manor.
"Hey—wait! You there!"
A few players tried to chase after him, but it was already too late. Akira had vanished from sight.
They could only stare at one another in shock.
There's a real expert here…
The scene shifted.
Akira led Loserine and the others straight to the Lord's Manor. The guards were gone, and the wide-open gates seemed to welcome them inside.
Staring at the empty manor, Akira felt that familiar pre-boss tension rise in his chest.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, a figure appeared before him.
"I'm very curious," the Lord of Sunset City said calmly, "how did you destroy the Heartbound Demon? Even sealed, it shouldn't have been something you could defeat."
"We beat it," Akira replied flatly. "That's all."
"…It seems I underestimated you." The city lord sighed, regret flickering in his eyes.
"Lord of Sunset City," Loserine demanded coldly, "why did you pledge yourself to the Witch?"
The information was clear—he had betrayed them for the Night Witch ten years ago.
But in response, the city lord merely laughed softly, a nostalgic gleam in his eyes.
"Did you know? The Night Witch and I were once lovers. I was even granted her favor—allowed to touch the sole of her shoe."
"…?"
Akira's head filled with question marks.
That's a lover?That's just a hardcore simp.
"Even though she betrayed me, my love for her never faded!" the city lord declared fervently. "I would give everything for her madness!"
Then his expression turned icy.
"But! One foolish woman ruined everything! The soul of the White Rose should have shattered ten years ago—but because of her stupidity, the plan was delayed for a full decade! Worse—worse still—during that time, the woman I loved was sent to the execution grounds by that bastard!"
Akira narrowed his eyes.
The "foolish woman" he spoke of was clearly Roxia's mother. Her death had stalled the ritual, forcing them to wait until Roxia came of age.
And even though the true instigator was already dead, this man still chose to honor the agreement—continuing on for the sake of his… obsession.
The city lord sneered again.
"But none of that matters anymore. Once I kill all of you, and use Roxia's curse to awaken the Soul-Devouring Worm, the White Rose will wither. Everything you've done will be meaningless."
"You won't succeed."
Loserine drew her Oathbound Sword and leveled it at him.
"Loserine," the city lord scoffed, "do you really think you're still the invincible Oathbound Knight you once were? You're no match for me now."
He drew his exquisitely crafted short sword.
Loserine answered with action.
She lunged, sword cleaving down with full force—but the city lord blocked it effortlessly.
"Strength. Speed. Reaction." His voice was cold as ice. "In every aspect, you're inferior to your former self, my friend."
With a sharp motion of his arm, a terrifying force exploded outward, sending Loserine flying several meters back.
And just as he repelled her, a golden holy sword materialized above him, blazing with divine light as it descended.
"Oh? Light magic?" He glanced at it with disdain.
With a casual flick of his golden short sword, the holy blade shattered instantly, dissolving into drifting motes of light.
"Not bad," he sneered. "But still far from enough."
Akira frowned slightly.
Level 35… no wonder.
But he hadn't come here without confidence.
"Loserine—stall him as much as you can!"
Loserine met his gaze and nodded lightly.
"Stall me?" the city lord laughed, launching himself at her. "Do you think you're qualified?"
Their blades clashed in a storm of steel. Sword light and afterimages intertwined into a chaotic blur, impossible for ordinary eyes to follow.
The city lord felt a flicker of surprise.
She's stronger than I expected… I need to finish this quickly.
At that moment, Akira took out the White Rose Staff.
The instant it appeared, the city lord noticed. He didn't know its exact effect, but the oppressive magical aura it radiated set his nerves on edge.
"You're far too careless!" he barked. "And you shouldn't be entrusted with such a weapon!"
He abandoned Loserine and charged straight for Akira.
"I'll kill you first!"
His figure vanished, leaving only an afterimage. The short sword in his hand gleamed coldly as it stabbed straight toward Akira's heart.
"Akira!""Kurose Akira!"
Ivsha and Loserine cried out at the same time, trying to intercept—but his speed was overwhelming.
Akira, however, smiled.
The next instant, a delicate jade hairpin appeared out of thin air.
Like a living serpent, it shot forward, wrapped in faint crimson light, aiming directly for the city lord's brow.
"Not good!"
The city lord twisted his body to evade—but it was already too late.
The hairpin pierced straight through his heart.
Blood-red flames erupted from the wound, engulfing his body entirely.
"AAARGH—!"
He screamed in agony, struggling desperately—but in the very next second, Loserine's blade fell, severing his head cleanly.
"Idis's hidden weapon really is something else," Akira murmured with a hint of admiration.
What he'd just used was Flamefall, the concealed weapon Idis had given him.
The city lord's carelessness had made it the deciding blow.
As for the White Rose Staff?
It could only be used once anyway. Akira had pulled it out purely as a bluff—to bait him.
Still, despite defeating Lord Gukais of Sunset City, Akira felt no real sense of exhilaration.
Maybe it was because—
The guy liked licking a witch's shoes.
No ideals at all.
[Lord of Sunset City—Gukais defeated!][EXP +10,000][Hidden Story Quest Completed!][Rewards obtained: Witch's Eye, Green Recruitment Scroll]
As the notifications faded, a golden magic eye drifted into Akira's palm.
[Witch's Eye (Unknown): The left eye of the Night Witch, containing the Witch's power.]
"…Can I use this too?"
Akira examined it curiously.
If he and Princess Vivian both inherited eyes from the Night Witch… then between them—
Who would be stronger?
[Use Witch's Eye?]
"Wait—so I really can use it?!"