Goodbye

Beguiler? Is her name Beguiler...? Even as the thought crossed Sonia's mind, her body had already begun moving, following the girl in white stockings as they sprinted across the plains. Though she had been yanked into this bizarre place without warning, the village girl's nerves settled down quickly. Even using just her toes to think, she knew this had to be the Watcher's doing. She had told the Watcher countless times to give her a heads-up before pulling any stunts, yet the Watcher was just like her: when it came to disappointing people, he never disappointed. Because of that, the Red-Haired Sword Princess felt relatively calm. The Watcher wouldn't harm her anyway, and this bizarre encounter was sure to bring some benefit. The real issue was that she had been right on the verge of the Chief Bout against Tida. Now that she had been dragged in here, would her real-world self freeze up? If she stopped moving, Professor Trozan would probably halt the match immediately to protect her, but they would most likely rule it as an outright forfeit. There was no way the music and dancing could just keep going while everyone waited around for her to wake up; Professor Trozan wasn't thick-skinned enough for that. After all, a student's condition was their own responsibility. Sorcerers ran into these mishaps all the time. Dying in the Void Realm, for example, had a massive negative effect on one's physical state in reality. Could a sorcerer who died fooling around in the Void Realm use "poor condition" as an excuse to delay a match? Never. People would only think: *Why did you die when everyone else didn't? It must be your own fault.* Condition management was a crucial part of being a sorcerer. Venturing into the Void Realm right before an important competition was like chugging laxatives before boarding a long-distance bus—you had to suffer the consequences yourself. Yet this was Sonia's first time representing the university, and in the Chief Bout no less. If she choked right before the battle began, she could already imagine the torrent of venom awaiting her on the campus forums. *Watcher, oh Watcher, why did you have to pull this right now? You definitely knew I had a vital match tonight...* Just then, Sonia's heart skipped a beat. If she suffered a forfeit defeat in the Chief Bout, the university would undoubtedly be thoroughly disappointed in her, and it might even affect this year's Intercollegiate League. And if she couldn't take part in the Intercollegiate League, her evenings would naturally be free, allowing her to keep participating in Void Realm Exploration... Given the slightest soil, the seeds of suspicion would sprout and spread uncontrollably. No one could blame the village girl for harbouring such dark thoughts. If her heart hadn't been filled with such foul, rotting filth, Jialesi would have devoured her last year without leaving a scrap of bone. The label of a "poor, beautiful university student" certainly drew goodwill from kindhearted people, but it also invited malice from wicked ones. Whenever her interests were harmed, her first reaction couldn't be *they didn't mean it*; it had to be *they're deliberately targeting me*. It was precisely because she held onto this mindset that Sonia hadn't suffered a single loss during her year at university, never giving up a single scholarship and elbowing aside every rival for financial aid. Those were the only things she had left. If she lost any more, the only thing she could sell was herself. Over the past month, Sonia had almost abandoned that putrid way of thinking—she hated the version of herself that spent all day scheming and calculating. After all, how could someone steeped in negative energy ever be genuinely happy? Who would willingly view the people around them as villains? Who wouldn't want to be surrounded by sweet little angels who adored them? The Watcher's arrival had completely transformed Sonia's interpersonal relationships. She had not only gained better friends, but also the capital to associate with high-caliber peers. The latter was the most important. The main reason Sonia could now relax around Lois, Leonie, and the others was that she wasn't worried about being taken advantage of, nor did she fear being used or betrayed by her friends. She could afford the cost of being betrayed by a friend. Because she could afford to lose it, she wasn't afraid of having it. Yet she could not afford the cost of being betrayed by the Watcher. If... if the Watcher truly was trying to control her life... "My, my, we ran into one already..." Beguiler suddenly chuckled in a low voice. Sonia saw a shallow pool of water appear on the plains ahead. Sitting cross-legged atop the water was an orc holding two axes. He had large ears, wore fine steel armor from head to toe, and seemed to have his head bowed in deep thought. "Take him down?" Sonia heard "herself" offer a curt suggestion. "No need. This is the Shadow Evil Dragon's Realm of the Everworld. All the monsters here are its thralls. The moment we make a move, we'll basically be knocking on the door to inform the master of this domain that intruders have arrived." Beguiler glanced sideways at Sonia. "If you want to slaughter your way through, I don't mind either, as long as you don't get in the way of completing Master's task. "Otherwise, obey my commands like a good girl." Beguiler waved a hand, and both of their figures faded until they were translucent. Veiled by the light mist hanging over the area, they became virtually invisible. "I'm warning you, don't drag your feet and hold me back, Sword Demon." "Hmph." Sonia heard "herself" let out a scoff of disdain, seemingly uninterested in arguing with Beguiler. By now, Sonia finally recalled where this place was—the Realm of the Everworld, the Everworld Abyss! The Abyss was not a single, uniform environment; it possessed numerous derivative zones. For instance, there was the Waterway Abyss that appeared along river regions, the Cavern Abyss beneath cities, and even Dungeon Abysses that mimicked surface architecture. Furthermore, every floor of the Abyss was distinct. If the first floor was a Waterway Abyss, the second floor might turn into a Mire Abyss, with the monsters appearing there shifting accordingly. And the Everworld Abyss was renowned as "the Abyss closest to Hell," appearing only in the deepest layers of the Abyss. The reason Sonia knew of this place was that the Everworld Abyss frequently featured in films and stage plays. As the Abyss nearest to Hell, the Everworld was regarded as the mandatory path through which the dead resurrected from Hell, and it was primarily populated by undead monsters, perfectly matching the popular conception of Hell. At present, the Starry Country's knowledge of the Everworld came entirely from the records of legendary sorcerers, because only Legendary Sorcerers possessed the ability to venture into the deepest layers of the Abyss and set foot in the Realm of the Everworld. Beyond that, Sonia knew very little. After all, she had no plans to explore the Abyss, and everything she knew about the Everworld stemmed from the dramas starring Daidalos, such as *Alice in the Realm of the Everworld* and *I Don't Believe Sincere Hearts Are Always Betrayed*. Since "I" and Beguiler could explore the Realm of the Everworld, it proved that we had already breached multiple floors of the Abyss... which meant that both "I" and Beguiler were Legendary Sorcerers?! Still, is "my" name Sword Demon? That doesn't sound like a good person at all... Sonia quickly organized the information at hand. By then, she had already followed Beguiler past several defensive zones manned by monsters. Nearly all of the monsters sat alone upon pools of water, standing like tombstones. In appearance, they resembled sorcerers of various races; had it not been for the blooming purple gloom flowers growing out of their eyes, mouths, and ears, they would have looked quite normal. Suddenly, the scenery shifted. One moment they were traversing the vast plains, and the next, a magnificent palace appeared in the distance. A trace of delight surfaced in Beguiler's voice. "Right here!" Sonia realized at once that she had likely been pulled into a memory—the jump just now was clearly an edit cutting out the dull journey. Only a memory could undergo that kind of "editing." *Why does the Watcher want me to see this memory...?* Sonia followed Beguiler into the palace, but in the next second, fright gripped her so fiercely she wanted to turn and flee. "Good luck for us," Beguiler chuckled softly. "The Shadow Evil Dragon is asleep." Practically the entire expanse of this massive palace was occupied by a single black dragon. Its scales bore an agate sheen, and purple orbs were embedded along its wings. Curled into a ball upon a plush cushion, its sleeping visage was nonetheless terrifying. The palace was overrun with blooming purple gloom flowers, some even growing directly upon the dragon's body. Far from lending a touch of natural harmony, this only made the scene look increasingly sinister, as if the dragon and the bed of flowers were devouring one another. Logically, Sonia had slain dragons before—the severed heads of Fishcleaver Dragons she had cut down could pile into a small mound—so she shouldn't have feared seeing a giant dragon. The problem was, this dragon was simply too colossal. By rough visual estimate, if this dragon stood up, it would be dozens of meters tall. A single claw could easily blanket Sonia completely, and the heartbeat reverberating within its chest sounded like thunder rolling through the palace halls. Sonia had never seen such a gigantic creature, and it severely triggered her megalophobia. Once the disparity in size reached a certain point, all sorcery was reduced to childish parlor tricks; the dragon needed only to stomp forward to crush an insect like Sonia. An insect that knew swordsmanship was no different from any other insect. Was this the Shadow Evil Dragon? Could it be classified using the ranks of knowledge creatures? Did it count as a Perfect or an Ultimate? Yet Sonia discovered that "she" had actually gripped the hilt of her sword, seemingly eager to disrupt the Shadow Evil Dragon's quality sleep. It was Beguiler who reached out to stop her. "I told you, we didn't come here to fight. You're just my insurance policy if I fail... Watch me." The sweet-looking girl skipped forward toward the Shadow Evil Dragon, even leaping onto the bridge of its snout and strolling right up to the crown of its head. Watching from the sidelines, Sonia's heart pounded wildly—she could finally understand how the mice felt when trying to bell the cat. Yet the Shadow Evil Dragon showed no reaction to Beguiler's antics, falling into an even deeper slumber. Sonia could tell now that Beguiler was maintaining some kind of miracle, repressing the dragon's vigilance to the absolute minimum and making it ignore her presence entirely. Upon reaching the top of the dragon's head, Beguiler suddenly plunged her hands into its forehead and forced the flesh apart—she had unveiled the vertical eye on the Shadow Evil Dragon's brow! A sinister, dark-purple pupil was exposed to the air. Sonia was so nervous she felt completely numb, yet the dragon still did not awaken. The vertical pupil stared groggily into empty space, completely failing to notice Beguiler. "The director was right. It really has matured..." Humming a tune, Beguiler poured strange solutions into the vertical eye. A bad premonition seized Sonia's heart, but this was only a memory, and she had no way to stop her— "Hup!" With a sharp cry, Beguiler gouged out the Shadow Evil Dragon's vertical eye with both hands! The sound of the eyeball and nerve fibers tearing free was like the crisp pop of a wine cork! *"ROOOOAR—!"* Excruciating agony instantly jolted the sleeping behemoth awake. The dragon's roar alone created a concussive shockwave, making Sonia feel as if struck by a wind sorcery miracle—not to mention the thunderous blast that rocked the Everworld, leaving her ears ringing violently! Beguiler leaped lightly off the dragon, first sealing the purple gloom dragon eye into a transparent container to preserve its vitality before stowing it into a spatial device. "Great! My mission is complete, and the rest is your duty." "What do you mean?" "It means—goodbye, bitch."