Zenpy was utterly baffled. In the face of an ongoing battle, the two siblings were kissing. Their lips pressed softly against each other while their fingers intertwined lovingly. They did not seem to care one bit about the potential threats from the Unpolites.
That was because if Zenpy and his units were to attack, the golems nearby would surely defend any incoming spells. Thus, his men looked at each other in complete shock:
"W-what's happening?"
"Why are the two kissing...?"
"Aren't they brother and sisters?! What the fu—"
—The enigma behind Duality's action was quickly answered.
A gigantic dome-shaped magic circle suddenly appeared around both of them, extending about ten meters away.
The unfamiliar magic circle shone a brilliant white, and translucent diagrams of various characters and symbols that Zenpy never saw before appeared in bright lights. These icons changed ceaselessly, with kaleidoscopic speed and differed from second to second.
Their bodies brimmed with a gleaming golden aura, which swelled up into the air like a roaring tide. Zenpy and his men could feel the drastic change in the environment. At this moment, they were glimpsing into the realm of the unknown.
Yin parted her lips and said with a confident smile.
"Our combat effectiveness now exceeds over ninety percent, big brother."
"I'm ready when you are, little sister."
The magic circle turned bluish, and translucent symbols shifted in sonic speed across its length and breadth. The sigils changed, turning between ancient runes and letters as the golems dematerialized into mana essence and combined with the shimmering pentagram.
Instantly, Zenpy's survival instinct reacted. The constant chills he felt from the top of his head ran to the bottom of his toes, refusing to vanish. It was the physiological response to an impending doom that awaits him.
He held his breath and whispered to King Hurley, who stood beside him in consternation at the grandiose sorcery.
"W-What... is that?"
"I don't know..." Zenpy cried out in fear. "I don't know! I can't appraise the magical incantation behind it... But there's no way we can win..."
King Hurley's face turned pale and nodded slowly, as if he was trying to digest the harsh reality that was in front. At this point, even a fool could understand the calamitous power behind the mysterious magic circle, shimmering majestically.
In all the years of his life, Zenpy had seen powerful humans and monsters of all shapes and sizes. He had lived and fought through intense conditions that normal adventurers would perish. However, the duo before them possessed a unique aura beyond all his experiences, one he knew he could not surpass.
It had to do with that kiss. That must be it. Because right now, the intense vortex of malice the siblings emanated did not resemble the previous battles.
This must be Duality's trump card...
People like them ought to be on the level of the ancient deities like the Elder Dragon Lord or Vampire Empress. They were simply too powerful for Zenpy to make an accurate judgment. His magical appraisal was limited to whatever it was right in front of him.
Are they even humans...?
What have they done to wield such power?!
"Channel time complete."
"We will proceed as planned."
"All units, fire everything! Hurry!" Zenpy yelled an order that sounded more like a cry.
Feeling the intensity of the magic spell and the endless possibilities it wielded, the Unpolites wailed in terror and focused their entire strength onto their attacks.
"「Howling Gale」, 「Sigil of Malice」, 「Noxious Blast」, 「Glitterlance」,「Fire Binding」,「Prismatic Earth Barrier」,「Water Singularity」,「Final Wind」!"
As the barrages of spells launched hopelessly to their target, the maid magician looked at the Unpolites with a pair of sadistic eyes. Her pupils and irises were brimmed with mana. Her gaze seemed to penetrate into their very soul, stirring uneasy feelings inside their heart.
It felt as though danger had exploded forth in all directions from Yin.
In a fearless voice that did not carry even the slightest hint of worry, the female magician declared:
"「Neutron Burst.」"
The air seemed to stop moving then reversed, shuddered as soon Yin finished her sentence.
The magic circle condensed into the female magician's body and an immense wave of invisible gust erupted from Yin. The spell only lasted for an instant, but it had an immediate and obvious effect.
"Im-Impossible..."
"There's no way..."
"Monsters...!"
They could not believe what happened before their eyes.
All the spells were completely neutralized by the unseen wave.
Yin had used a powerful spell to wipe out all the 6th tier attacks in one simple swoop. Zenpy collapsed onto the ground with his knees at the sight of this insanity.
Nonsense! Zenpy wanted to scream. He glanced at his hands and saw that they were trembling, covered in sweat and dust.
He recalled back to what she said earlier before the battle.
"I have to say, I am quite disappointed in the so-called Unpolites. After appraising their abilities, their skill levels are far below my expectations."
The spell earlier clearly demonstrated the sheer truth of those words. Yin was not bluffing at all. Zenpy shook his head, desperately trying to erase those words from his mind.
"U-Uwaaaah, my m-mana!"
"What, what the hell, I can't cast any of my spells?!"
"All the mana potions are empty too!"
It was at this moment Zenpy knew the true aftereffect — the spell had eliminated not only their spells but the entire mana essence surrounding their present environment. Without mana, mages like them were completely useless, especially in the face of a legendary swordsman.
The Heavenlight charged forward again.
But Yang already predicted her movements and launched himself to the girl. He attacked her at an unimaginable speed, slice and dicing in a speed faster than the previous fight. His agile movements were no longer able to be followed by the naked eye.
How...?
As the Heavenlight defended herself with「Prismatic Barrier」, her vision could no longer keep up with the incoming attacks. As she defended herself, Yang was already three steps ahead. As a result, her body bled from various cuts. As she tried to fly away, Yang shouted:
"SWITCH!"
Immediately, the swordsman disappeared from his location and then Yin appeared at Yang's original position and chanted a spell.
"「Wo Men De Ai」"
"「Oreimo」"
Zenpy had never heard of these spells before.
Are these perhaps 1st tier spells...?
They can't possibly be Master-tiers...
As the duo switched back and forth in their attacks, it was as if Yin and Yang had fused into one person and attacked in complete synchrony. Elegance and fluidity filled their movement. Not only that, the two siblings did not interfere with each other's flow, which was a common error in team fights. It truly felt that they were reading each other's mind.
That was when Zenpy understood the meaning behind the guild name; Duality.
So this is their true power...
Their abilities stem from their absolute trust and synergy in each other...
Just how long have they trained to fight like this..?
As the slave girl was knocked into the air by a surging icicle tornado, Zenpy knew in the back of his mind that the Heavenlight had lost.
"SWITCH!"
Yang appeared again, but this time in a drawing position. His blade was ready to cull and the girl widened her eyes, acknowledging the inevitable fact that she was about to be sliced in half.
However, in that exact moment, something changed in his movement.
Instead of a finishing swipe that would end her life, Yang rammed her stomach with the hilt of his sword, knocking the girl back down to the floor. She flew into the stone throne from the impact, destroying it in the process.
Zenpy was confused about the swordsman's intention. Perhaps not killing her was an act of mercy and maybe he could somehow convince him to do the same for him.
I need to find a way to negotiate...
Maybe there's a chance-!
Their trump card had lost. This was an unassailable reality as the Heavenlight remained motionless on the ground, returning to her original human form. Just as the Unpolites fell into despair one after the other, Yin and Yang walked slowly towards them, still brimming in a golden aura as if they were about to pass judgment.
"It's over."
A wave of cold ran through Zenpy as he picked up the hidden meaning in that sentence.
He, who had always been the oppressor, was now going to become one of the oppressed.
Zenpy was filled with an incomparable fear. The fear that he, who had taken countless lives in the past, was now going to have his own life taken. His men and King Hurley understood the terrified expression written across his face and it chilled them to the bones as well. He remembered those words from Yang:
"I told you earlier, there is no way you can defeat us. Understand that your strongest will never be able to win against Duality. No matter how hard you try and struggle, you cannot avoid your demise."
On the verge of tears, he wanted to kneel down and plead for his life. There must be a reason two young adolescents were assigned to kill them. Thus, Zenpy fought back the urge to weep and tried his best to look for a way to survive. But no matter how he thought, he could not think of any way to live through this madness. Therefore, his only hope was to throw his ego away and plead at the mercy of Duality.
"Wait, wait! Duality, please hold on, we, no, I wish to make a deal with the two of you! I guarantee you will not be disappointed by my proposal! If you spare me, I will give you any amount of money and items you want and offer my entire service to you! Please consider it-!"
Zenpy could see his shocked subordinates out of the corner of his eye, but the Unpolites and Temecula were no longer relevant to him. The only thing that mattered was his own life. Everything else was of secondary importance.
He could always find more underlings and rebuild the Unpolites again in the future. But his intelligence and battle insight was irreplaceable in the combat world. Surely, Duality must have seen his strength during their battle. If he could somehow convince them of his tactical assets, then maybe... maybe, he will live to see another day.
"You traitor!"
"Screw you!"
"Zenpy, why did you betray me...?" King Hurley muttered in utter disbelief. "Why...?"
Ignoring the countless angry voices, Zenpy prostrated desperately in front of the two siblings.
"It must be extremely difficult to satisfy such amazing adventurers, but I will definitely prepare enough Qian! I also have a position of power within the Dark Triad so believe me, they will definitely help me out! Of course, if you desire anything else, I will do my best to meet all of your wishes! So I beg you, please spare my life-!"
Zenpy panted, feeling his heart beating for his dear life.
"Wh-what about it? Duality..."
Shortly after a consideration, a confident voice responded to Zenpy's plea.
"You seem to have gotten the wrong idea. We are not here to negotiate but to fulfill our request with the Adventurer's Guild. And destroying Temecula, along with the Unpolites, was something left to our own accord. But—"
His crimson-red eyes suddenly flared in intense fury.
"—you have offended my little sister and tried to abuse her for your own amusement. As her older brother, that is one of the greatest sins anyone can commit. I will never forgive those who take advantage of Yin. You will not live to see another day, I guarantee it."
Yang's words were steeled by an adamant resolve.
He's an insane siscon. There's no reasoning with this lunatic. Zenpy, who realized this, looked up hopefully to Yin. The maid magician had been quietly listening to their conversation. Surely, she must be tempted by what he had to offer.
"Please, Yin of Duality. You're a wise girl. Consider my proposal and I'll do everything I can to fulfill it. You will not be disappointed by what I have."
She shook her head in exasperation and responded coldly.
"It seems that until the very end, you are still stuck on your old ways. Stop your pointless struggles and pay for the lives you harmed. I will not tolerate inhumane experiments nor slavery. My grudge against all of you is personal and I shall make sure all of you suffer a fate far worse than the people you have harmed."
Yin then gazed at towards King Hurley with the same pair of sadistic eyes. But this time, they seemed to brimmed with pure wrath. In response, he collapsed on the ground and trembled.
"And as for you, a world of hell awaits."
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