Acheron's blade forced Constance back.
The Dahlia scrutinized the two women in front of her, a flicker of surprise and suspicion crossing her features. She thought she had taken them seriously enough, but the pair still managed to catch her off guard.
"One powerhouse... and another whose path I can't even read? Don't tell me it's the Preservation?" Constance voiced her doubts quite candidly.
The blue-haired woman's aura of sheer strength was easy to read, but as for the white-haired girl next to her—how on earth was she resisting the invasive power of Remembrance? It made absolutely no sense.
These two were turning out to be incredibly troublesome adversaries. Constance felt a genuine pang of vexation.
Then, from within the eerie, ghostly blue flames, hideous Memory Zone Memes thrust out their talons, closing in on the duo from all directions.
Facing Memory Zone Memes in a dream was one thing, but dealing with them in reality was a completely different story. Sylvia swung her greatsword, only to feel as though she were hacking through cotton.
Her power of Destruction did have some effect, but it felt like something was missing; the results were far from ideal.
Acheron's unreasonable, absolute power of Nihility, however, was a completely different story.
With every flash of her blade, a target fell. Between the dancing arcs of sword light, all the oncoming monsters shattered into nothingness.
Sylvia couldn't help but click her tongue. As expected, her compatibility with the Remembrance was just plain awful. The enemy couldn't touch her, but she couldn't seem to do much to them either.
Acheron noticed Sylvia's struggle as well. Compared to Nihility, the concept of Destruction simply wasn't as utterly absurd. Besides, Sylvia wasn't a true Pathstrider of Destruction; if someone truly dedicated to practicing Destruction were here, their attacks wouldn't be this ineffective.
"Leave this one to me," Acheron said, giving Sylvia a subtle wink.
Her cold, indifferent expression instantly softened the moment she looked at Sylvia, as if she were putting on a masterclass in face-changing theater.
Compatibility was just one of those things you had to chalk up to bad luck. Sylvia shrugged, having no choice but to agree.
Surprisingly, Constance suddenly dropped her guard and bowed to the two of them once more.
"Hehe~ there is really no need to be in such a rush. My father, the master of the Ever-Flame Mansion, invites you both to his residence to embrace [Destruction] together."
A brief exchange of two rounds was all it took for Constance to realize these two were not to be trifled with. Perhaps this time, she and her siblings really would run headlong into destruction together.
With that thought in mind, Constance made a polite gesture of invitation.
Duke Inferno, her father, had handed down the order the moment Constance sent the intelligence back, commanding her to invite the guests into the grand hall.
After all, a single person could not stand against these enemies. Constance had plenty of ambition and strength, but she certainly wasn't foolish enough to face these two formidable foes alone.
And inside that grand hall, Duke Inferno and his other children had long since prepared themselves.
Hearing Constance's invitation, Acheron and Sylvia exchanged a look, then followed her.
"I have yet to learn your names," Constance said, walking ahead but glancing back to scan the two women during this temporary truce.
"Acheron, a Galaxy Ranger."
"Sylvia, a Nameless."
"Hehe~"
Since when were Galaxy Rangers this terrifyingly unhinged? Constance mused.
Constance pulled her gaze away from Acheron and met Sylvia's eyes. Compared to a Self-Annihilator like Acheron, it was actually Sylvia who caught her attention.
Although Constance didn't consider herself a Memokeeper, her state of existence was identical to one. She was hyper-sensitive to memories; she could tell that Sylvia didn't lack memories, nor were they sealed away. Yet, she simply couldn't invade them, couldn't shake them.
In all her time walking the Path of Remembrance, this was the first time she had ever encountered such a thing.
Aside from her penchant for destroying useless memories, Constance's pursuit of recollection wasn't all that different from Black Swan's. Naturally, a profound curiosity toward Sylvia sparked within her.
She wanted to investigate, to understand, to analyze. What kind of existence was this woman? Could it really be the power of Preservation? Was Preservation really this potent?
And so, quite naturally, Constance's favorability system popped up right in front of Sylvia's eyes:
--+--
[Target: Constance]
[Favorability: 60 (A peculiar existence)]
[Relationship: Enemy]
['To dissect, to understand, to burn to ashes. This is how love from Destruction manifests.']
['To an entity that pries into memories, an existence that cannot be pried into is undoubtedly the most alluring.']
['To put it bluntly, she's the yandere type.']
[Reward: One White Card Pull]
--+--
"..."
Looking at the text floating before her eyes, Sylvia couldn't help but steal another glance at Constance's retreating figure. Even beneath her gown, her swaying hips traced a tantalizingly round silhouette. Coupled with that swinging tail, she definitely exuded a certain intoxicating charm.
Good grief, her very first encounter with a yandere. Come to think of it, did everyone on the Destruction track carry a bit of that yandere vibe?
Perhaps noticing Sylvia's gaze, Constance tilted her head, offering Sylvia a breathtakingly glamorous smile.
"I truly look forward to our clash later~"
Sylvia blinked, offering no reply.
Considering Acheron was right here, honestly, the Ever-Flame Mansion looked less like a threat and more like a delivery service lining up to throw the game.
If they didn't have some sort of miraculous life-saving trick up their sleeves, one slash from Acheron would send Constance straight to an early grave.
"You'd better look forward to how you're going to survive later," Sylvia couldn't help but roast her.
She certainly had a soft spot for beautiful older women, but she'd pass on the yandere type.
"Oh my~ Are you worrying about me?" Constance cupped her cheek with one hand, letting out a giggling laugh as her tone grew distinctly playful.
Acheron remained silent beside them. Her earlier intervention was merely to remind Sylvia to stay alert against the enemy, not the result of jealousy or possessiveness. Furthermore, Acheron knew Sylvia wasn't the type to lose her head just over a pretty face.
The majestic palace loomed before them.
With the grand doors thrown wide open, Sylvia and Acheron stepped inside together.
Duke Inferno sat regally upon his throne, flanked by his three formidable children acting as bodyguards. Countless desperate outlaws of the Ever-Flame Mansion had already sharpened their blades, itching for blood.
Constance stepped forward. "Father, the guests have arrived."
"Well done, my daughter."
Duke Inferno stepped down from his throne, passing Constance. In his hand rested a music box. "I can feel your battle intent, and your killing intent. You came for it, and you came for me."
Boom!
Surging torrents of fire instantly engulfed the entire hall. Embraced by the flames, Duke Inferno brought his cane down hard.
"My children, come and enjoy the feast of Destruction!"
Amidst the churning inferno, countless outlaws roared, charging straight at Sylvia and Acheron!
Even Duke Inferno, the otherwise gentlemanly Ifrit, transformed into a demon of pure fire.
With absolute malice and an insatiable desire for ruin, he swung downward at Sylvia's head, unleashing a screeching howl and scorching heat!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL