Watching Avira and the Great Sage leave the tower, Oleniya Cardinal instantly wanted to fly after them, but her little sister, Ophitia, blocked her path.
“I’m sorry, Big Sister.”
Ophitia gripped her staff and swung both it and her body toward the ceiling.
She gave her sister no chance to catch her breath. Her body suddenly accelerated, and she flew behind her opponent before landing another punch.
Her sister hadn’t steadied herself before she was sent flying again. Seizing the opportunity, Ophitia grabbed her arm, spread her wings, and dragged her toward the bottomless abyss beneath the tower.
Oleniya’s total mana was the highest among the contemporary demon race.
Among these species supposedly from the moon, crystal dragons were the most powerful. They excelled in both magic and physical strength, were immortal, but unfortunately, their numbers were extremely limited. Even at the peak of the crystal dragon family’s history, there had never been more than ten.
Most had died in the demon race’s infighting, a few weakened to death from childbirth, and only one ruthless crystal dragon, known as the [Demon King], endured unchanging through the ages.
But none of this diminished Oleniya or the crystal dragons’ inherent power.
As her little sister dragged her downward, Oleniya happened to grip her staff tightly. Even though the surroundings were pitch black and her balance unsteady, she successfully broke free.
“[Flame Burst]”
Scorching flames surged like a tsunami, their glow banishing the darkness of the tower’s abyss. The missile-like shockwave shattered several bridge support pillars.
Ophitia had anticipated her sister’s move and flew to the wall to dodge the attack.
Flames surged across Oleniya’s body—crimson flames utterly different from the Great Sage’s. They coiled around her like countless fire dragons, then obeyed her command and climbed onto her staff, transforming into a massive crimson greatsword.
The crimson glow reflected in little sister Ophitia’s eyes, conjuring another scene before her.
“Little Tia, this is how you use fire magic. Don’t neglect magic just because you’re a dragonkin, okay?”
Her big sister knelt on the ground, placed the magic book down, and opened it to the page on basic knowledge, letting the smaller dragon girl across from her lie on the floor and read carefully. But the little dragon had no interest in the book; she just stared at the crimson flames in her sister’s hand, her eyes sparkling.
Her sister wore a beautiful dress paired with a seductive purple outer layer.
“I want to learn this, Big Sister!”
Nothing was better than mastering a type of magic.
But her sister just patted her head.
“You’re still too little for that. Learn to make your bed first~”
“Big Sister, make my bed for me…” Ophitia pouted. “I want to learn magic.”
“What if my little sister never finds a mate like this?” she teased with a laugh.
“I don’t care~!”
Her sister had wanted to refuse, but seeing little Tia acting so spoiled, she relented.
She first summoned a fireball with crimson flames. It wasn’t hot, but it shone brightly.
Then, she flew around the room with the fireball…
Past the chandelier, tea table, bed, and fireplace; into the dining bowl to play hide-and-seek with little Tia; then out again, landing in Ophitia’s small palm.
Staring at that flame, Ophitia nearly jumped with excitement. She stood up, carefully cradling the fireball, which followed her hand’s movements as if she were truly controlling the magic herself.
“Big Sister, I want to see fireworks!”
“Hehe, what am I going to do with you?”
Her sister tilted her head with a smile.
With a casual wave, the fireball flew out the window like an elf, over the eaves, higher and higher into the sky… until it bloomed in the night.
The fireworks blossomed like flowers in her little sister’s eyes.
That winter, the little sister felt so warm.
Then, the crimson flames in her eyes gradually grew larger.
The flames spread to the eaves, turning the spot where fireworks had bloomed into billowing black smoke… This wasn’t her sister’s flame.
“Little Tia, escape back to the nests from here. Keep running and don’t look back, okay?”
Her big sister’s beautiful long skirt was stained with blood, her deep blue hair reeking of gunpowder. She gripped her broken staff, but the doting love in her eyes remained the same.
“What about Big Sister?”
“Big Sister will come home to you soon. Find a really hidden spot to hide in, remember playing hide-and-seek with the little flame?”
She left her, walking toward the sea of fire.
The little sister’s eyes held only those scorching flames. She obeyed her sister, fleeing from the ruins, because she knew her big sister would come find her.
Finally, the crimson flames reappeared.
When they met again, a golden coronet crowned her big sister’s head, revealing only a pair of cherry lips. Her body had stiffened, and she wore the church’s robes.
“Big Sister…” The gale whipped Ophitia’s hair.
The crimson flames consumed her pupils. That crimson greatsword would swallow her whole in the next second—it was no longer shaped like fireworks.
The entire tower shook and teetered. Falling rubble and metal parts rained down like black droplets, ravaging everything. In her daze, she recalled a heavy rain. She knelt beside an ice-cold corpse as a silver-haired girl leaned against her, supporting her toward home.
“Demon King, you’re hurt.”
“Don’t push yourself. It’s okay to cry.”
“Master, tomorrow will be better. Hope still exists.”
She curled her lips.
Whenever she thought of Avira, she smiled.
Her thoughts snapped back into Ophitia’s grasp, her consciousness returning to the battlefield.
“I’m sorry.”
Ophitia’s gaze had never been so resolute.
Like a cannonball, she shot in front of Oleniya before the flames could strike.
She had already gathered her power in her right hand and legs, moving so fast that even Oleniya, once the Crystal Dragon King, couldn’t react.
But the next second, the flames still engulfed Ophitia.
Tears streamed from beneath the coronet’s cheek guards, evaporating into white vapor in the blaze.
She writhed in agony, wanting to cry out, but it was futile. She had died long ago; now she was merely a puppet bound by a soul.
“Tia…”
But the next second—
With a “bang,” something shattered.
The [Silver Feathers] melted like snowflakes. After the flames dispersed, Ophitia stood before her.
She touched her big sister’s long hair. With a surge of mana, the golden coronet exploded.
Oleniya’s stunning face was exposed to the air, her lifeless, dull eyes devoid of spark.
She had lost.
But… she was happy.
As her body was absorbed into a crystal, she knew her mission was fully complete.
“It seems you have a fine mate now.”
