Chapter 123 — Dandelion [13] - Crushing

The second the peacock released its feathers, the vine-like shadows arrived.

As they grew from the ground, their tips turned into a variety of cold weapons before they smashed towards the beast.

Instantly, the onslaught of darkness smashed against the recently raised shield.

Continuous clanging noises echoed throughout the forest while the tree on which the peacock perched shattered.

Wooden fragments and dust were scattered everywhere, obscuring the beast’s form and making it impossible to inspect its current state.

It was only seconds later, when everything had settled, that the peacock resurfaced into the outside world and its appearance was unveiled.

Its feathers were still released—forming a shield protecting it—yet it was fairly obvious that its body was unharmed.

The previous attack had not injured it, as the impact had been fully absorbed by its colorful feathers.

Still, a cruel glint flickered in its gem-like pupils. Scanning its surroundings, it searched for the person responsible.

Under its careful survey, Liora couldn’t remain undetected. Soon, she was discovered.

Seeing the person who had attacked it and, most importantly, that this person was a mere human, the peacock let out a shrill cry.

Its tail flapped backwards like a pair of wings, launching it towards its prey.

On the other hand, Liora was quite surprised to find that her sneak attack had failed.

After all, she was certain that a Twilight Wolf would have died instantly if they were to face the earlier wave of attacks.

However, she quickly realized what was going on.

’Although rare, Twilight Wolves are not considered top-tier beasts. Their rarity is artificial, being a by-product of the value that humans attach to them, rather than a result of their own power.’

Even though Liora was unable to identify the race of the peacock, she could see that its strength was quite powerful.

In her opinion, even Baron Bloodshield—someone who had reached the peak of the True Knight rank—might not be its match.

Liora was deep in thought, but time didn’t stop.

The world around her would, of course, not pause and give her the time to ponder.

Before long, the peacock had closed the distance between them and continued its charge.

Noticing this, Liora shook her head, suppressing these thoughts for the time being.

Raising her head, she cast a glance at the menacing peacock and finally reacted.

She had always been of the opinion that the best form of defense was attack.

Therefore, just as always, she didn’t try to evade but instead struck back.

The shadows beneath her feet rippled and transformed into a pair of thick vines that fired towards the peacock from both directions.

At the same time, a huge halberd made of darkness emerged from her right hand.

Although her physical strength could match that of a ranked Young Devil, its heavy weight still made it challenging for Liora to grasp.

But this didn’t make her frown. Instead, it made her delighted.

Clutching the halberd’s handle with both hands, she struggled to raise it above her head.

Then, she swung it downwards.

Like a mountain falling from the sky, the halberd crushed down with overwhelming power.

The first one to suffer its impact was the world around it.

A wave of wind crashed to both sides as the halberd’s edge split through the air, producing a loud sonic boom in the process.

Then, the halberd headed towards the peacock.

Never expecting that the weak "human" in its eyes would choose to actively fight back, the peacock was originally not planning to put up any defense.

Yet, when it sensed the threatening aura emanating from its opponent, it instantly changed its mind.

Its first reaction was to dodge, but noticing the two unfamiliar "creatures" attacking it from either side, it understood that it could not evade.

Therefore, it chose to face the blow head-on.

It didn’t release its feathers to defend, but instead opened its beak wide.

Its colorful feathers glowed brilliantly as Life Force coursed throughout its body and gathered in its mouth.

Soon, it transformed into a rainbow-colored blade and rushed out.

Its target was clear: the descending halberd.

Clearly, although the peacock was a mere beast, it possessed trump cards that common beasts like the Twilight Wolves could only ever dream of.

Despite this, though, its struggle ultimately proved meaningless.

Though the rainbow-colored blade’s power faintly exceeded the power that a True Knight could wield, faced with Liora’s all-out blow, it was like a firefly trying to fight against the shining moon.

The halberd easily slashed through the blade, cutting it in two.

It paused for a brief moment due to the collision, but very soon, it continued unabated.

Before long, a booming clap echoed, followed by a shrill howl, full of resentment and misery.

Watching the blood splatter, Liora didn’t release her grip on the halberd. Rather, she tightened it and continued exerting force.

Under the halberd’s weight and extraordinary power, the defense provided by the peacock’s feathers proved useless.

Soon, the halberd sliced through them.

Then its skin, flesh, bones, and organs...

The peacock collapsed, with a huge halberd nailing it onto the ground beneath it.

Its body quivered, and it attempted to break free, but Liora held the halberd still, holding it in place and making it impossible for it to escape.

Feeling its vitality gradually pass away, the peacock let out a sorrowful shout.

Adjusting its long neck, it turned around and stared at Liora for one last time, as if it wanted to etch the face of its killer onto its mind.

The next moment, its struggle ceased.

Sensing that its aura had evaporated, Liora couldn’t help but exhale softly.

Although the battle had been brief and straightforward—practically lasting only two strikes—the peacock was perhaps the strongest enemy she had faced since her descent into this world.

’If I hadn’t reached the peak of the True Knight rank and if my Devil strength had not been further unsealed, even I may not have been able to beat it.’

’Sure enough, it deserves to be a race that dominated the world and held humans in captivity. Although they are foolish and irrational, their strength is apparent.’