章 13: Rose Knight
After a few breaths, Leo slowly stood up and turned his gaze towards Reno's lifeless body.
By now, the sword that had pierced his chest had turned to ash, leaving only a torn hole in his garment.
Narrowing his eyes, Leo approached the corpse, placing his hand upon it.
He closed his eyes, channeling the power of the Flame of Hell.
"Whoosh!"
A dragon made of fire emerged from Leo's palm, coiling around Reno's body.
Simultaneously, an infinite surge of elemental power flowed into Leo, purified through the crucible of the Flame of Hell, elevating his magical rank.
Approximately the time it takes to sip a cup of tea passed, and Leo withdrew his hand, the blue dragon of flame gradually dissipating.
A gust of wind arose, seemingly summoning countless elemental sprites dancing around him.
He had officially ascended to the rank of a basic magus.
With a wave of his hand, a gentle breeze turned Reno's remains to ashes, as if he had never existed in this world.
Then, Leo looked towards Lilith. "It's done," he said with a detached tone.
Standing not far away, Lilith gazed upon the scene unfolding before her, a sense of disbelief and bewilderment clouding her thoughts.
The mark on the monument had healed Leo's body?
What was that blue dragon of flame?
And had Reno's energy been devoured by it?
Watching Leo's silhouette, now a basic magus, Lilith's heart was torn between curiosity and fear.
"What is that mark on the monument? How did you do it?" Lilith couldn't help but ask.
"Guess," Leo said, a slight smirk forming on his lips.
"If you don't want to say, fine," Lilith retorted coldly. She despised Leo's demeanor of presuming to know everything.
"Lilith, do you have a faith?" Leo suddenly inquired.
"I... I believe in the God of Light. But doesn't the majority of races on the continent follow the God of Light, or some other deity?" Lilith replied.
"Is that so?" Leo chuckled, then posed another question, "Then, for power, would you be willing to descend into hell?"
Lilith froze.
Slowly, she began to comprehend what Leo implied.
The mark on the monument was a magic from hell?
It was known that hell magic and hellish beings were the greatest heresies in their world, with the Light Church representing the most powerful force.
Practicing hell magic was tantamount to becoming an enemy of the world's mightiest power, branded a heretic in the eyes of others, and even facing the risk of being executed at any moment!
"I..." At this moment, Lilith hesitated.
"Wouldn't it be intriguing to descend into hell with me?" Leo extended his arm, encircling Lilith's waist, and spoke with a smile.
Lilith lifted her head, looking into Leo's eyes.
His gaze seemed like a vortex, drawing her into its depths.
"No!" she instinctively shook her head.
"Only by acquiring enough power will you have the chance to defeat me," Leo whispered close to her ear, his voice soft.
Lilith's eyes slowly reddened, as if she could feel her heart being corroded.
She tried to break free, but Leo's arm was too strong, rendering her struggles futile.
"Even if I descend into hell, I will never submit to you!" Lilith looked at Leo, expressing her defiance with the last of her sanity.
"Then, we shall meet again in hell," Leo said with a smile.
Releasing his grip, his face bore a fox-like grin.
Looking ahead, Leo said, "Let's go. There is much more for us to acquire, those are the real assets for our play against the world."
Watching Leo's retreating figure, Lilith felt deeply once again that the man before her was a demon – alluring yet detestable.
...
In the depths of the Infernal Marsh, greater dangers and uncertainties lurked.
Leo became more cautious, but his memories from a past life helped him avoid most perils and acquire three more hell magics.
These three hell magics were named Cursed Heart, Divine Melody Summons, and Colorless Desires.
As implied, Cursed Heart was a curse that remained undetected by the victim unless their tier was two levels higher than his.
Divine Melody Summons could summon a hell creature of the same realm to fight alongside him without draining his elemental power.
Colorless Desires was a spell for concealing his presence, undetectable by anyone below god-tier.
These three hell magics were remarkably powerful, sufficient for even a commoner to become a force to be reckoned with, let alone Leo who now possessed four hell magics.
Finally, they located the fourth hellstone.
This stone bore a bright red mark, strikingly vivid and imbued with a captivating allure.
"Lilith," suddenly, Leo turned to look at Lilith.
"What is it?" Lilith instinctively asked, anticipating that Leo would quickly learn the magic from the hellstone as he had done before.
"This hell magic is called Rose Knight, and it's particularly suited for a female knight's training," Leo explained.
"While wielding this magic, your body's strength, power, and speed will become tenfold stronger than before. Plus, you'll receive an enhancement from the Flame of Hell," Leo elaborated.
Hearing this, Lilith froze, her mind racing.
She had guessed something like this might be proposed, but she still hesitated when Leo actually suggested it.
"So why don't you learn it yourself?" Lilith couldn't help but ask.
"Heh," Leo chuckled.
He reached out, gently lifting Lilith's chin with his hand, and said with a smile, "I need a female knight who can fight alongside me, not a maid who only knows how to shed tears."
"And what makes you think I'd fight for you?" Lilith's brow furrowed slightly.
She despised Leo, and she was sure he knew it.
"Because you don't have the luxury to refuse me, unless... you can defeat me," Leo stated.
"One day, I will trample you under my feet, tormenting you mercilessly! I'll show you how terrifying I can be!" Lilith spat fiercely.
With those words, Lilith turned and walked towards the Hell Monument.
She bit her lip lightly, her right hand trembling slightly as she pressed it against the stone.
Gradually, the originally black monolith started to reveal red traces.
Then, one after another, bright and piercing roses bloomed upon the monolith, looking both eerie and gorgeous.
"Ah!" Lilith suddenly cried out in pain.
She arched her slender neck, her pale golden hair whipping around her, veins standing out on her body.
Red dots, like petals, fluttered around her, and flames began to envelop her.
In a few breaths, her clothes were burnt to ashes, and a blood-red, magnificently ornate armor clad her body, accompanied by a crimson cloak flowing behind her.
The armor covered only her vulnerable parts, leaving her snow-white thighs and voluptuous curves breathtakingly exposed, and her now blood-red eyes radiated endless allure and danger.
"Huff… Huff…" Elemental spirits stirred the wind around Lilith.
After a short time, the blood in her eyes slowly faded.
She looked down and then let out a scream.
"Ah!" She lifted her hands to cover her chest, her eyes filled with panic, resembling a startled little rabbit.
Leo stood aside, a teasing smile on his face.
"Tell me how to retract this magic!" Lilith glared at Leo, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.
"If you retract the magic now…" Leo didn't finish his sentence, his eyes playfully shifting within their sockets.
Lilith quickly understood what Leo meant.
She had forgotten that the flames had already burned her clothes, and if she retracted the magic now, she would be… exposed.
Lilith glared fiercely at Leo, her face turning crimson.
But it seemed she had no other choice, so she looked at Leo pleadingly with her eyes.
Leo shrugged and finally raised his hand, taking off his outer garment and walking over to Lilith, wrapping his clothing around her.
He then helped Lilith to her mount, his arm still around her.
"Do you find this amusing?" Lilith glared at Leo, her eyes filled with a mix of grievance and humiliation.
"What's wrong? Don't you think you look beautiful?" Leo spread his hands with a smile.
クリエイターの想い 
White_Ink
White_Ink Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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