Irielle stood opposite Diana now.
She didn't know how she had gotten here, especially when she was ant to be one of Master's servants but if it was to fight, then she would.
"You… what about you, do you love my son?" Diana asked while holding onto her spear.
There was sothing about the woman in front of her that made Irielle's instincts scream. She couldn't see any openings in her stance and she wasn't even holding any weapon yet.
A worthy opponent.
"Yes I love my Master whole-heartedly as he's the one that saved ." Irielle said firmly.
Now the sa thing that had happened in her world was happening here as well. The Demon Lord's invasion was beginning and she wanted to be strong enough to stand by his side to stop it.
She wanted to be strong enough to protect him this ti.
"Good answer… I can sense the conviction in your words." Diana said while smashing her spear into the ground with a thud. "Well then, co at …"
Irielle on the other hand was wondering whether she should use her usual translucent spear. She really didn't want to kill her Master's mother in a sparring match.
"Head's up Irielle." Azel said and he threw a regular spear at her that had been enhanced by Aurum's Hand.
Irielle caught it with a smile on her face and felt the weight of it.
"Thank you Master, it fits nicely…" She said as the rain pattered around them more heavily. "Mother-in-law, would you like to hold back?"
Calling Diana mother-in-law made her cheeks redden however she still held her spear in a proper stance. She wouldn't let down her guard at all regardless of whatever happened.
"If you hold back on … then you're not worthy." Diana said as she spun her spear expertly and both of them entered their stances.
Magic flowed out of Diana and the sa thing happened to Irielle, except for Irielle, she was focusing the mana into her very body. Pumping it through her blood and using it to accelerate her own heart rate.
She was using mana like aura… at least that was what the Battalion commander back in her world had said.
Diana moved first, closing the distance between them with quick footwork and thrusted her spear forward.
Instead of blocking or dodging, Irielle parried instantly and with the sheer amount of mana she had poured into the spear, the ice spear shattered completely.
'I didn't get a chance to use this against that Devil.'
He was too strong for sothing like this to work on him however for soone on an equal level as her in terms of being human, then this was effective.
Diana's eyes widened however she conjured another stronger one and defended against the thrust that Irielle followed up with.
It sent her skidding backward in the water and cracks ford on her spear but she took a deep breath and nded the cracks imdiately.
"Very good… I like your spear form." Diana said and Irielle charged at her, closing the distance even quicker than Diana had managed.
Their spears clashed and Diana twisted, freezing the ground beneath Irielle's feet. The ice spread rapidly but Irielle simply thrust downward, the mana-infused strike shattering the frozen earth into fragnts.
Diana leapt back and created a wall of ice spikes that shot toward Irielle from multiple angles. Irielle spun her spear in a wide arc, the mana trail destroying each spike before it could reach her.
"Impressive." Diana said as she ford her spear into a longer pike and thrust from distance.
Irielle deflected and stepped in, forcing Diana to shift her weapon back to normal length. They exchanged rapid strikes, water splashing with each movent.
Diana froze the rain itself mid-fall, creating a shower of ice needles.
Irielle didn't flinch but instead she thrust upward and the shockwave from her mana-enhanced strike shattered every needle before they could descend.
"You're not just skilled." Diana said while blocking another strike. "You're experienced… I love facing warriors like you."
Blood dripped from a shallow cut on Diana's arm where Irielle had tagged her. Then another on her shoulder... Diana was being pushed back steadily.
"Should we call off the match… It's clear that Mom is being pushed back and I don't want her to get hurt." Azel said to Azariah while holding onto Anastasia's hand.
Azariah gave him a look before laughing.
"Your mother is like a goddess with spears… once she deems her worthy, you'll see what I'm talking about."
Diana took a deep breath and her entire body started giving off divinity. The pressure in the air changed imdiately and she began overwhelming Irielle, putting her on the defensive.
"You have the skill." Diana said while pressing her advantage. "But do you have the resolve?"
Their spears clashed faster now… Diana's movents beca sharper and more precise with each strike carrying divine weight behind it.
Irielle smiled as she blocked and parried. If there was anything that she had learned during her ti in the war, a burst of power didn't compare to soone with true skill.
She kept up, matching Diana's divinity-enhanced strikes with pure technique. Their spears beca blurs in the rain.
Then Irielle saw the opening.
She redirected Diana's thrust, stepped inside her guard, and swept the ice spear aside. The weapon shattered and Irielle placed her spear against Diana's neck.
The spear was burning with an insane amount of mana that actually made it steam in the rain.
"Did I make you proud, Mother-in-law?" She asked while withdrawing her blade.
Diana smiled widely.
"Very much so, Irielle was your na right? I officially recognize you as my daughter-in-law, along with that woman Stella." Diana said with genuine warmth. "You need to teach more about the spear… I'd like to know where you got your skills from."
Irielle patted the back of her head.
"That would be another ti, Mother-in-law…" She said and looked at Azel before giving him a warm smile even while being under the rain.
"Alright, next girl! Co here!" Diana said and after looking around, Mynes stepped forward with a gulp.
She would be next and she needed to win.
…
"All of you are like overgrown babies." Azel comnted as he looked at the table.
Everyone had faced against Diana and everyone had defeated her except in different ways. Irielle's fight had been a proper duel. Mynes just decided to use her strongest rune from the start and ended it imdiately.
Mira attacked the mont Diana blinked and disard her while Anastasia just straight up surrendered by saying "My weakest spell would probably kill you and since you're my mother-in-law, I can't kill you."
Now all of them had caught a cold from fighting in the rain and it was his job to keep them warm.
A bit of holy magic erged from his hand and spread outward, warming them up imdiately. Even Irielle who had been sneezing felt it die down.
"Now we can ea—"
"We have to compete…" Veyra said while slamming her hand on the table. "For who'll sleep in Azel's bedroom tonight. It was Stella last night and she got him all to herself… I spied on them and she buried his face in her breasts."
All of the girls, sohow including Azel's mother, turned to Stella who grew pink.
How was she going to explain that she was trying to give him therapy and ended up falling asleep like that?
However her pride said otherwise… she was going to flaunt it of course.
"And so what? He likes my breasts so much that he even groped in the shower." She said while using a napkin to dab her lips.
Now the accusatory glares were all pointed toward him and he shook his head.
"It was a mistake…"
"So it was a mistake when you grabbed my ass yesterday?" She asked while looking hurt.
Azel's eyes widened in alarm.
"You gave permission." He said and after so more teasing back and forth, they played the ga and the winner was decided.
…
"It's been a while since we've been together alone like this…" Anastasia said as she was naked in his room currently.
All the others were in their rooms… Dinner had passed and everyone had gone to sleep, it was only them that were awake now.
"Well, I don't really mind it. I hope you're enjoying your stay." Azel said with a yawn as he took off his shirt.
He was going to be busy tomorrow, especially since the Emperor had called them for a eting.
"I love the other girls…" Anastasia said. "And I'm grateful you told about making a clone… I wouldn't have been able to enjoy so much ti together with you and them. I hope our days can stay like this forever."
She put on a nightdress.
"I hope so too…"
However even he didn't believe his own words. This was Fall of Ares, created by sadistic authors. Was there going to be a ti of peace? He highly doubted it.
However Anastasia got on the bed and tapped the part next to her for him to get on.
Azel mounted the bed and laid down next to her, grabbing the Elf Queen by the waist and pushing her close to him.
"Honey…" She said with a bit of a red expression.
"Yes?" Azel asked. He needed to get enough sleep before the eting tomorrow because he felt like it would genuinely be one of those days.
"E-even though I'm the one that brought up those new marriage suggestions, I'm not ready to have a child yet… so we can't make love right now." She said as her legs twitched. "I'm learning so things and I'll be ready for you the next ti."
He smiled at her.
"No need to worry, I didn't really feel like doing it right now anyway."
That made the Elf Queen's face grow a bit horrified.
"Is it because you don't find attractive anymore? Or you love less or…"
Before she could continue with any of her conspiracies, he buried his face into her neck and Anastasia let out a small moan.
Her skin was sensitive and he had given her a hickey on her neck.
"It's none of those long ears." He teased as he licked the spot. "I just want to focus on cuddling you tonight."
She smiled as she pressed her face into his chest and then flicked the lights off.
"You have long ears too, anie."
Anastasia fell asleep and not even monts after she had fallen asleep, Azel did as well.
Gwendolyn looked at them with a jealous expression.
'He needs to spend ti with .'
She thought before returning to his soul to rest for the night. She had a good plan prepared for tomorrow.
…
"And that is why— Hero… are you even listening?"
This was the official eting table of the Emperor and Azel had been here many tis however today, he felt tired for so reason.
"I am… Continue speaking."
He had his hand covering his eyes and he was leaning on the table so one couldn't tell.
Rain was seated beside him and one could tell the tension between the Hero and the Saintess. If they intended to defeat the Demon Lord, they would need to let go of whatever was making them argue.
"Right, based on our reports after being compiled by the Region's best scholars… This could be the Demon Lord's stronghold." One of the old n said.
Azel had forgotten the guy's role but he was blabbing quite a bit.
"They're not even bothering to hide the rise of the demonic energies in the area."
The docunt was pushed to him and he looked at it.
"Asasiel Island…?" He blinked.
Right, that was where a Demon King from the Demon Lord's army was coordinating monsters to strike the Empire in the ga... It was a dium sized island in the sea.
"Are we the only ones going there?"
"Yes you should. We cannot afford to let any of our military leave their post as they are spread all over the Empire right now and besides, we only detected ten demonic presences from the Island… it won't be hard for you and the Saintess to use your holy powers to destroy it."
Azel gave the Emperor a look. He seed to be fine with this "Risk your life for the Empire" mission.
"Well then, that will be alright. When will we depart for Asasiel Island?" Azel asked.
"You will depart in two hours ti. The ship is prepared at the docks, we expect the round trip after defeating the Demon Lord on the Island to be a month so please… spend as much ti as you need." The old man continued.
Azel looked at the tag on his chest.
'Pri Minister, huh? I'll rember that.'
He thought as he turned to Rain. For so reason Gwendolyn refused to co out of his soul and he had to admit, he was missing her voice.
"Let's do this… for the Empire." He said and her gaze softened as she nodded.
"For the Empire."
'Fuck the Empire.' He thought, just after coming back from the Underworld… he was going to be separated from everyone so soon again.
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