Your papa is very sick," she said gently.
"But you can fix him!" The boy grabbed her hands. "You're a healer! Healers make people better!"
Such simple faith. Absolute trust in the power of healing.
"Sometimes... sometimes people are too hurt to fix. Little one."
Jasmine was so immersed that she no longer thought of it as a trial. But as a reality.
The boy's face crumpled. "No! You have to try! Please! He's my papa!"
My papa. The same words I would have used.
Behind them, the dying man called out weakly. "...come here, son."
The boy, ran back to his father's side. The noble pulled his child close, whispering words Jasmine couldn't hear.
Last words. Final moments between father and son.
She watched as the man removed a ring from his finger and pressed it into the child's small hand. A family heirloom, probably. Something to remember him by.
The same way father gave me his pendant before he died.
"Take care of your mother," the noble whispered. "Be... be better than I was."
At least he knows he failed. At least he has regrets.
The child clung to his father as life faded from the man's eyes. The child's sobs echoed through the camp, raw and heartbroken.
This is what I looked like when father died. This is the pain I carried.
đ Casual Date is just a click away!Other children appeared from nowhereâsons and daughters of the remaining conspirators. Each one running to a dying parent, each one begging for miracles that wouldn't come.
All of them will be orphaned. All of them will know the loss I knew. I didn't want this to happen...but...sigh.
The camp had become a tableau of approaching tragedy. Children weeping over fathers who had perhaps minutes left.
Jasmine possessed the power to prevent it all.
I could save them. Save the fathers and spare the children this pain.
But the memory of her own father's death burned too brightly. These men had orchestrated Regulus's downfall not because of investigations of corruption, but because of jealousy.
Father was too powerful. Too loved. Too close to the throne.
Regulus had won the heart of the first princess. Had commanded respect from common soldiers and nobles alike. His strength and honor had made him a natural successor to the kingdom's highest positions.
They couldn't tolerate his rise. Couldn't accept that someone so principled might gain real authority.
So they had engineered his fall. Convinced the king that Regulus posed a threat to stability. Arranged for him to be sent on a mission with insufficient support, hoping the demons would solve their political problem.
They succeeded. Father came home dying, and we fled to the wilderness to watch him waste away.
Jasmine's hands trembled with suppressed rage as the memories sharpened. Years of poverty. Her mother's gradual descent into sorrow. Her father's final breaths taken in a cave instead of the palace where he belonged.
They destroyed everything. Everything.
Another child's sob cut through her fury. A little girl, perhaps eight, shaking her dying father's shoulder.
"Daddy, wake up! Please wake up!"
She'll grow up like I did. Broken. Alone. Hungry for justice.
The parallels were too obvious to ignore. These children would walk the same path Jasmine had traveled. Would learn the same lessons about powerlessness and abandonment.
Unless I save their fathers. Unless I choose healing over vengeance.
But why should she? Why should she spare these children the education she'd received? Why should she prevent them from understanding what their fathers had inflicted on others?
Let them learn. Let them know what loss means.
The boy looked up from his father's corpse, tears streaming down his face. "Lady, please. Can you... can you bring him back?"
Innocent question from an innocent child.
"No," Jasmine said quietly. "I can't bring back the dead."
"But he's not dead!" Thomas insisted. "He's just sleeping! Look, he's still warm!"
Denial. The first stage of grief.
The boy pressed his ear against his father's chest, listening for a heartbeat that had already stopped. When he found only silence, his wail of anguish pierced the evening air.
This is justice. This is what they deserve for what they did to my family.
But as Jasmine watched the child's breakdown, something cold settled in her chest. Not satisfaction. Not vindication.
Is this what I've become? Someone who watches children suffer and calls it justice? How pathetic.
The realisation should have prompted mercy. It should have triggered the compassion the trial demanded.
Instead, it only hardened her resolve.
"It's too late now. I would make this choice even if I had a thousand lifetimes. I will and would not ever help the destroyers of my family."
She turned away from the boy's grief and walked toward the camp's exit. Behind her, more children discovered their fathers' deaths. More young voices joined the chorus of loss.
đ Casual Date is just a click away!They'll understand now. They'll know what betrayal costs.
The Guardian Staff's voice echoed in her mind as the scene began to fade.
"The Trial of Compassion is complete."
Complete, huh? It didn't say pass like before. Well, I guess I'm not fit to be a healer after all. I was cursed with this damn healing talent when I could've had an offensive talent, just like father, so I can take revenge with my bare hands.
Light engulfed the medical camp, dissolving the illusion of suffering children and dead conspirators.
Jasmine found herself back in the crystalline chamber, facing the ancient staff.
I failed. I know I failed.
But as the Guardian's judgment approached, Jasmine felt no regret.
I chose justice over mercy. I chose truth over forgiveness.
The staff pulsed with subdued light, its runes shifting to darker configurations.
"You have failed the Trial of Compassion."
Failed. Yes.
"The path of light is closed to you."
Jasmine raised her chin defiantly.
"I don't want the path of light."
The chamber around her began to change, walls shifting from crystalline brightness to something deeper and more complex.
My choice. My consequences. My power...
Sorry, Fateless.
The Guardian's voice carried new undertonesânot disappointment, but something approaching understanding.
"Then let us see what darkness you are willing to embrace."
Huh?
The Trial of Compassion was over.
The chamber darkened as Sylvia's spirit materialised before Jasmine.
Unlike the memory echo from earlier, this spirit carried the presence of Sylvia, which was powerful and deeply sorrowful.
She's beautiful even in death.
Auburn hair flowed like liquid fire around Sylvia's translucent form.
Her white robes seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, creating an otherworldly glow that made the chamber feel sacred.
"Child," Sylvia's voice carried the weight of centuries. "I watched your trial. I felt your choice."
Jasmine met the Queen's gaze without flinching.
"Then you know I regret nothing."
"Regret?"
Sylvia's chuckled.
"No, I don't believe you do. But do you understand what you've chosen?"
Of course, I do.
"I chose to honour my father's memory instead of healing his murderers."
Sylvia drifted closer, her spirit form seeming to study Jasmine with uncomfortable intensity. "Your father... Regulus. I knew him, you know."
She knew father?
"He came to me once, seeking healing for wounds, wounds of the heart, but that was when he was young."
Sylvia's expression grew distant. "He was a good man,"
"A good man betrayed by those he protected."
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"Yes." Sylvia's acknowledgement carried surprising understanding.
"And you carry his pain as your own. His betrayal has become your burden."
His burden? More like my inheritance.
"Perhaps mercy is wasted on those who show none to others."
Finally. Someone who understands.
"But tell me, childâwhat happens when vengeance becomes your only purpose? When hatred defines your existence more than love ever did?"
I don't care as long as they pay.
"Then so be it. As long as I achieve what I want, I don't care."
The Queen's spirit circled Jasmine like a gentle predator. "And if that path leads to your own destruction? If pursuing their pain ensures your own?"
"Like I said, then so be it."
Her answer was simple, final and most definitely absolute.
Sylvia stopped moving, her ethereal form stabilising directly in front of Jasmine.
"Very well. You have chosen vengeance over compassion. Darkness over light. Justice over mercy."
"I won't try to change your mind. Won't lecture you about forgiveness or higher paths."
Sylvia's smile held surprising warmth.
"Instead, I'll give you what you truly want."
I want power. The power to make them pay.
"But understand thisâvengeance is not simply hatred given form. True vengeance requires strength, cunning, and above all, the ability to protect what matters while destroying what threatens."
Protect what matters. Destroy what threatens...
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The chamber began shifting around them, walls flowing like water as the area reshaped itself.
"If you walk the path of darkness, you must master it completely. Half-measures lead only to failure and regret. Either you completely embrace darkness, or completely embrace light. Do not choose both."
Her words sounded as if she regretted something.
No half-measures. No mercy. No weakness.
Light exploded through the dissolving chamber, carrying Jasmine into her final trial.
Meanwhile...
Arthur's head turned to the right as familiar presences approached Village #419's perimeter.
His senses picked up the distinctive aura signatures of Lupin, which meant that Theodore, the twins and others are here.
Finally. My ground forces have arrived.
"Mayor!" The same guard who'd announced the "monster army" came running again, this time with excitement rather than terror.
"There is human backup!"
Charles beamed. "That's great!"
He turned his head towards Arthur. Before he could ask whether they should stay, Arthur rose from his position near the Tree of Life.
"Let's go meet them,"
The mayor nodded with happiness. Everything was going well! The inheritance was being taken, and the healer Jasmine might come out with it, and their village was getting more backup by the second!
Time to unite both armies.
Through the village gates, he could see them approachingâtwo hundred fighters from his home settlement.
Behind them, his summons maintained formation like living nightmares made disciplined.
Arthur smiled as the two forces began their historic merger.
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...
The battlefield materialised around Jasmine with stunning clarity, as if it were real.
Chaos reigned across a landscape painted in blood and fire. Human soldiers fought desperately against demonic hordes that seemed to spawn endlessly from crimson portals scattered throughout the combat zone.
This isn't an illusion. This feels completely real.
The sounds hit her firstâsteel clashing against claw, screams of agony mixing with roars of inhuman fury.
The smell followedâsmoke, blood, and something sulfurous.
Demon magic. Pure corruption.
Jasmine found herself standing atop a small hill overlooking the carnage. Her healer's robes had transformed into something darkerâblack fabric reinforced with silver threads that pulsed with malevolent energy.
Different clothes. Different purpose.
A new skill blazed to life in her consciousness, knowledge flowing through her mind like liquid fire.
The ability to take the blood of enemies and use it to heal others or herself.
Understanding flooded through her. Not traditional healing that drew from her own reserves, but some kind of vampiric magic that converted enemy life force into healing power.
Healing through harm...wow. Whoever created this skill is a true genius.
"Healer!" A voice called from the battlefield below. "We need you here!"
Jasmine descended toward the combat zone, her eyes automatically scanning for threats and casualties.
The human forces were losing badly.
Demonic creatures pressed from multiple directions while portal reinforcements continued arriving.
This is a one-sided war. We need to turn the tide quickly.
Near the front lines, she spotted her primary objectivesâthree figures whose survival would determine her success or failure.
The first was a knight in battered plate armour, his sword work keeping a cluster of lesser demons at bay while protecting a group of wounded soldiers. Blood seeped through gaps in his protection, but his stance remained steady.
The second was a mage whose staff crackled with defensive barriers, holding back demonic magic that would otherwise overwhelm their position.
Exhaustion showed in every line of her body, but her spells maintained their power.
The third was an archer whose arrows found demon's weak points with precision. Each shot bought precious seconds for retreating allies, but his quiver was nearly empty.
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These three must survive...at all costs.
The thought came naturally, without hesitation. Her failure at the compassion trial had stripped away any pretense of universal healing duty.
Save who matters. Use whatever means necessary.
A lesser demon broke through the archer's covering fire, claws extended toward his exposed back.
Jasmine reacted without conscious thought. She immediately used the art that she was given as help to win the trial.
Dark Blood's First Art â Blood Steal
Power erupted from her handsânot the golden light of traditional healing, but crimson energy that struck the demon like a physical blow. The creature's life force ripped free from its body, flowing through the air as scarlet streams toward Jasmine's position.
Amazing. I can feel its vitality becoming mine.
After some time, the demon collapsed as its blood essence was drained completely. The stolen life force converted automatically into healing energy that Jasmine directed toward the archer.
Wound closure. Stamina restoration. Combat effectiveness enhanced.
"What in the worldâ" The archer spun, staring at Jasmine with a mixture of awe and terror. "What kind of healing was that?"
"The effective kind."
"Keep shooting. I'll handle the rest."
More demons pressed forward, sensing weakness in the human lines. Jasmine moved among them like death given purpose, her Blood Steal ability turning their aggression into her allies' salvation.
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Every enemy death strengthens our forces.
A Lesser DemonâLevel 10âemerged from one of the crimson portals. Its presence alone made nearby humans falter with instinctive dread.
Dangerous. But dangerous things have the most life force to steal with my dark blood art.
The creature's four arms ended in claws that could shear through steel. Its hide showed scars from countless battles. When it roared, reality itself seemed to flinch.
Perfect target for field testing.
Jasmine raised both hands toward the Lesser Demon, channelling her Blood Steal ability at maximum intensity. Crimson energy lanced across the battlefield like lightning made of liquid life.
Come to me. All of your strength. All of your power.
The Lesser Demon stumbled as its life force began ripping free.
The life force wasn't being taken at an alarming rate, its supernatural constitution resisted the drain, but steadily enough to weaken its combat effectiveness.
Stronger enemies take longer to drain. But the results are proportionally better.
The knight seized the opportunity, his sword finding gaps in the demon's defences that exhaustion had created. Steel bit deep into corrupted flesh while Jasmine continued her vampiric assault.
Perfect coordination. Drain and strike.
Blood flowed from the Lesser Demon in visible streams, arcing through the air toward Jasmine's position. She converted the stolen life force into healing energy and distributed it among her three priority targets.
The knight's wounds closed. The mage's magical reserves were replenished. The archer's quiver refilled with energy-formed arrows.
"Incredible," the mage breathed, staring at her restored staff. "I've never felt this strong."
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Power through healing. I've never expected that a healer would be able to do such a thing...
The Lesser Demon finally collapsed, drained to a withered husk. Its death sent visible ripples through the demonic forcesâconfusion, fear, uncertainty.
With a demon down and Jasmine's powers, the momentum started shifting.
But even as the immediate threat faded, Jasmine could see more portals opening in the distance. Larger demons emerging. The real battle was just beginning.
This trial isn't about single combat. It's about sustained campaign effectiveness, it's to test my ability as a combat healer.
She surveyed the battlefield with precision, counting possible casualties and assessing resource distribution. Dozens of human soldiers had already fallen before she got there. And more would die before the fighting ended unless she does something about it.
Each death reduces my final score. Each survival increases it.
The trial was clear, save as many as possible while ensuring her three priority targets never fell.
Time to prove that vengeance can be more than mere destruction.
Time to show that darkness can protect as fiercely as light.
Jasmine moved deeper into the combat zone, her Blood Steal ability already targeting the next wave of demonic forces.
Let them come. Let them all come.
Their blood will save my people.
The battlefield had become Jasmine's canvas, painted in crimson and shadow.
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Three more Lesser Demons charged through the chaos, their claws dripping with human blood.
Level 12 Epic Bossesâdangerous enough to slaughter entire squads under normal circumstances.
Not today.
Jasmine's hands moved in fluid arcs, crimson energy lancing toward the nearest demon. The Blood Steal connected like a physical chain, tearing life force from corrupted flesh with violent efficiency.
"Behind you!" the knight shouted.
Already know.
She spun without looking, her second hand extending toward a demon that had tried to flank her position. Twin streams of stolen blood arced through the air, converging on her wounded allies below.
The seventh soldier was healed. Three more to go.
The demons collapsed as husks, their essence converted into healing power that flowed through the human ranks like liquid salvation.
Broken bones mended. Severed arteries sealed. Combat effectiveness restored.
This is what real power should feel like.
A cluster of archers had taken position on a nearby ridge, their arrows providing crucial covering fire. But demonic magic was wearing down their defensive barriers, and several showed signs of mana exhaustion.
Perfect targets for healing.
Jasmine identified the largest concentration of enemiesâa pack of six Lesser Demons advancing on the archer position. Level 11 to 13, all carrying enough life force to heal multiple allies.
Her Blood Steal ability reached out like grasping hands, latching onto all six demons simultaneously. The drain was more complex than single-target extraction, requiring precise control to maintain multiple connections.
It was harder, but more rewarding.
The demons stumbled in unison as their life force began ripping free. Not quickly enough to prevent their advance, but enough to slow their assault and create openings for counterattack.
Weaken enemies while strengthening allies. Perfect synergy.
The knight coordinated the human response with veteran precision.
His sword found the first demon's throat while it struggled against the blood drain.
The mage's restored magical reserves allowed her to launch devastating spells that shattered two more.
Working together. Using each other's strengths.
The archer's energy-formed arrows punched through demonic hide with supernatural force.
His enhanced stamina, a courtesy of Jasmine's earlier healing, let him maintain rapid fire that would normally exhaust him.
The six demons fell in succession like dominoes, their stolen blood flowing toward Jasmine in visible streams. She distributed the converted life force among the archer squad, watching wounds close and exhaustion fade.
Eight, nine, and ten soldiers healed.
A new sensation blazed through her consciousness as a hidden milestone was reached.
Not just knowledge this time, but a skill.
Her Blood Steal ability evolved, gaining depth and complexity that made her previous techniques seem basic.
Dark Blood's Second Art â Blood Ignition
An area of effect skill that allowed healing on multiple targets. It was a massive range enhancement from the previous art, Blood Steal.
Understanding flooded through her brain as she learnt the skill immediately.
Instead of converting stolen blood directly into healing energy, she could ignite it, burning through demonic essence to create healing fields that affected entire areas.
I'm no longer limited to single targets using that skill. I can use blood ignition to maintain one connection whilst also healing everyone else in range...this is amazing.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
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A new wave of demons poured through the largest portalâfifteen Lesser Demons led by something that made Jasmine's enhanced senses recoil with instinctive dread.
It was a True Demon. Superior Boss rank. Level 19.
Whilst Jasmine was merely at level 13.
The creature stood eight feet tall, its four arms ending in claws that could shear through plate armor like parchment. Sulfurous flames wreathed its form, and its eyes burned with intelligence that spoke of decades spent perfecting the art of slaughter.
This one's different...the aura it gives... It's powerful.
The True Demon surveyed the battlefield with calculation, then pointed directly at Jasmine's position. His voice carried across the combat zone like thunder.
"Kill the blood-witch. She threatens our advance."
The fifteen Lesser Demons changed direction immediately, abandoning their previous targets to converge on Jasmine's hill.
Good. Let them come together. Better targets for my new ability.
Jasmine raised both hands as the demon pack approached. Instead of targeting individuals, she reached out to claim them all simultaneously.
Blood Stealâmultiple targets. Drain them all.
Crimson energy erupted from her position like a spider web made of liquid life. Each strand connected to a different demon, beginning the extraction process with violent efficiency.
Fifteen connections. Maximum complexity.
The demons slowed but didn't stop. Their superior numbers meant the drain was distributed, weakening all of them without immediately incapacitating any.
Expected. Now for the real technique.
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Blood Ignition
Jasmine ignited the stolen blood while it was still in transit.
The crimson streams exploded into scarlet fire that spread outward in expanding rings. Where the burning blood touched wounded humans, healing occurred instantly. Multiple soldiers. Entire squads. Everyone within the expanding radius.
Twenty soldiers were healed simultaneously. Thirty. Forty.
The effect was spectacular.
Broken formations reformed as wounded fighters regained combat effectiveness. Exhausted mages found their reserves restored. Desperate last stands became confident advances.
This is what area healing should accomplish.
But the Blood Ignition came with a cost, a good one. The demons providing the life force began collapsing as their essence burned away completely. Not drainedâconsumed entirely.
Lethal extraction. No survivors.
Fifteen Lesser Demons crumbled to ash as their blood ignited, their stolen life force converted into healing fields that swept across the entire human army.
Enemy losses are always acceptable losses
The True Demon's roar of rage shook the battlefield. Its lesser troops had been annihilated in seconds, and the human forces were stronger than ever.
Your turn, big one.
The Superior Boss charged directly at Jasmine, abandoning all pretence of leading. It wanted to rip Jasmine apart.
Its four arms moved in blurred patterns, claws carving through air with enough force to split it.
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He is going straight after me. Well, it doesn't matter; he will become a corpse, just like the others.
Jasmine met its charge without retreating. Her Blood Steal ability reached out like grasping hands, seeking purchase on the True Demon's large life force.
Resistance. Significant resistance.
The creature's supernatural constitution fought against her vampiric magic with impressive strength. The blood drain that had devastated Lesser Demons barely slowed its advance.
Stronger enemies require different approaches.
One massive claw swept toward her head. Jasmine ducked under the strike while maintaining her Blood Steal connection.
The True Demon's blood came slowly, but it came.
Persistent pressure. Wear it down gradually.
Her three priority targets moved to support herâthe knight engaging the demon's lower arms, the mage launching binding spells at its legs, the archer targeting weak points in its supernatural hide.
Within seconds, the True Demon's blood began flowing in visible streams as it began taking more wounds, increasing the blood that came arcing through the air toward Jasmine's position. She converted the stolen life force immediately, distributing healing energy among her three allies.
The knight's sword strikes came faster, finding gaps in the demon's defences.
The mage's spells hit harder, powered by reserves that should have been exhausted hours ago.
The archer's arrows punched through the demon's armour like armour-piercing rounds.
But the True Demon adapted quickly to their tactics. Its four arms moved in defensive patterns that blocked most attacks while its supernatural flames began spreading across the battlefield.
The fire didn't harm Jasmine directlyâher dark healing provided protection against demonic corruptionâbut it threatened her three priority targets.
Unacceptable. They cannot fall.
Jasmine intensified her Blood Steal to maximum power, accepting the increased mana cost for faster life force extraction. The True Demon stumbled as its supernatural vitality was ripped away in accelerating streams.
Instead of spreading the stolen blood across multiple targets, Jasmine focused it into a single devastating healing wave that swept over her three priority allies.
Maximum enhancement. Temporary invincibility.
The knight's sword began glowing with inner fire, each strike leaving wounds that the True Demon couldn't heal. The mage's binding spells transformed into crushing force that held the creature motionless. The archer's arrows multiplied in mid-flight, creating a storm of projectiles that overwhelmed all defenses.
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Novel Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons Chapter 335: The Final Boss
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C335: The Final Boss
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The True Demon's roar became a scream as its life force haemorrhaged through Jasmine's vampiric assault.
Its four arms flailed desperately, but the humans attacking it were too fast, too strong, too coordinated.
The knight's final strike took the creature's head clean off.
The True Demon's body collapsed, sulfurous flames extinguished, Superior Boss meaning nothing against the coordinated assault backed by stolen life force.
Silence fell across the battlefield as the last demonic portal closed. Human cheers rose from multiple positionsâsoldiers celebrating survival against impossible odds.
Finally, all three priority targets are alive. And dozens of additional soldiers were saved through the large area of effect healing skill I had gotten.
Jasmine surveyed the aftermath with satisfaction. Her Blood Steal and Blood Ignition abilities had turned certain defeat into overwhelming victory.
The knight wiped demon blood from his blade, grinning with battle-tested relief.
"Never seen healing like that before. You saved us all."
The mage lowered her staff, exhaustion finally showing as adrenaline faded.
"Incredible power. Where did you learn such techniques?"
It's indeed incredible.
But as Jasmine prepared to accept their gratitude, Sylvia's voice whispered through her consciousness like wind through a graveyard.
"Never...ever...make that mistake again. Victory is never certain on the battlefield, no matter how many enemies die."
Mistake? What mistake?
The pain in Sylvia's voice was unmistakable.
It wasn't just criticism, but memory.
The words of someone who had learned this lesson through bitter experience.
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Jasmine frowned.
The strongest demon had died.
The remaining Lesser Demons were being eliminated by her healed allies. What could possibly go wrong?
We won. The trial should be ending.
Before she could finish the thought, a large tear appeared in the sky.
A portal materialised above the battlefieldânot the crimson tears that had spawned the previous demons, but something deeper.
Darker.
The red was so profound it seemed to absorb light itself.
What's this...
Dread crawled up Jasmine's spine like ice-cold fingers. The presence beyond that portal made the True Demon feel like a child's toy in comparison.
Something's coming. Something terrible.
The first leg stepped through, it was like a human's, but what differentiated it was the skin, the colour of dried blood.
Then the second.
When the figure fully emerged, Jasmine's breath caught.
This demon... he is different.
Unlike the monstrous, huge demons she'd faced in the earlier fights, this creature stood barely six feet tall.
Almost human in proportions, with features that could have been handsome if not for the obvious demonic energy around him.
Red skin stretched over his perfect, muscular body. Two horns curved elegantly from his forehead like a dark crown.
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Sylvia's voice echoed through her heart with solemnity.
"Your trial has not ended. It has just... begun."
Just begun? But we won!
The surviving human soldiers turned toward the new arrival, their weapons ready despite their exhaustion. The knight stepped protectively in front of his wounded comrades.
"Defeat the Demon Princeâa Legendary Bossâand you will inherit the dark arts and something more powerful," Sylvia spoke.
A legendary Boss... with a level that's unknown.
Jasmine gulped at the increased difficulty. It had to be known that legendary boss monsters were far and few. The highest she had faced was the superior-ranked true demon, but a Legendary-ranked boss was something else...entirely.
Unknown to Jasmine, Sylvia's remnant soul watched with profound sorrow as she stared at the three targets she'd ordered protected at all costs.
"Show me... what the dark path would have led me to..."
Jasmine did not hear Sylvia's melancholic voice.
Power blazed through Jasmine's consciousness as new knowledge took root.
The ability to regenerate blood at an incredibly fast rate.
Understanding flooded through her.
In fact the skill name was kind of misleading. It did not just offer regeneration, but it also offered multiplication.
Blood cell division accelerated beyond any natural limits. One drop becomes ten, ten becomes a hundred.
The skill provided exponential growth, limited only by the available blood and her mana reserves.
The Demon Prince examined the battlefield with casual interest, his gaze sweeping over demon corpses and human survivors alike.
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"Fascinating." His voice carried cultured amusement. "Someone's been playing with blood magic."
He's so casual and dismissive. He doesn't see us as threats, whatsoever.
"It's quite a powerful technique." The Prince picked up a handful of ash that had once been a Lesser Demon, before he gently let it flow into the air with a blow.
The knight stepped forward, his sword raised. Despite his courage, the knight had a grim look on his face.
"You're not welcome here, demon."
He's brave. Stupid, but brave.
The Prince glanced at him with the attention one might give an insect.
"Welcome? Child, I go where I please."
His smile revealed teeth like polished quartz. "Your little blood-witch killed my legion before I had arrived. It's rather rude, don't you think?"
Legion...The Epic and Superior demons were his legion.
"I came to see what manner of creature could drain a True Demon so efficiently."
His red eyes fixed on Jasmine.
"Imagine my disappointment when I came...only to find her. I had thought that I would be having some fun fighting against a powerful blood magician. Turns out, it's just a small, little healer."
Disappointment? He expected more.
Jasmine felt her temper flare.
"I killed your forces. All of them. I don't think you have the right to be disappointed, as you will follow them soon enough."
"You killed fodder." The Prince's laugh was like breaking glass. "Although I have to commend you for killing a True demon,"
The mage raised her staff, magic crackling around its crystal focus. "Fodder or not, we canâ"
The Prince moved before she finished her sentence.
Shit! He is too fast. Impossibly fast!
One moment, he stood twenty feet away. The next, his hand rested gently on the mage's throat.
Teleportation? Spatial manipulation? How?
"Shh." His whisper carried infinite menace. "Adults are speaking."
The mage's binding spells shattered like cobwebs.
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Show menu NOVEL BINNovel Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons Chapter 336: The Final Boss (2)ONLINE GAME: STARTING WITH SSS-RANKED SUMMONSC336: The Final Boss (2)Her defensive barriers collapsed without slowing him.
Decades of magical training meant nothing against whatever power he wielded.
Complete suppression. They are outclassed.
The knight's charge died mid-step as the Prince's gaze shifted to him. He didn't overwhelm him by magic, but by pure intimidation that froze his body in place.
He instilled fear in him. His body wasn't able to stop his primal terror. Even courage has its limits.
"Now then." The Prince released the mage, who stumbled backwards, gasping. "Where were we? Ah, yes, your pathetic attempt at blood magic."
Pathetic? Who does he think he is?
I will show you how pathetic it is then.
Jasmine activated Blood Steal, targeting the corpses scattered across the battlefield. Dozens of demons had fallenâenough stolen life force to fuel healing beyond anything she'd attempted.
Multiply the available blood. Use everything. All I need to do, is kill this cocky demon and send him back to the hell he came from.
The demon corpses began dissolving as their remaining essence was extracted and multiplied. What had been a simple life force became an ocean of power that flowed toward Jasmine's position.
More. Give me more! More than I've ever controlled.
She converted the massive blood pool into healing energy and distributed it among her three priority targets. It was by no means a normal enhancement, but a supernatural transformation that pushed human limits to their breaking point.
I need maximum power. Use everything I have, with no reservation.
The knight's sword began radiating holy light that made the Prince step backwards. The mage's staff crackled with enough energy to level mountains. The archer's quiver refilled with arrows that hummed with concentrated death.
This should be enough. This has to be enough.
"Interesting." The Prince's amusement deepened. "You can multiply blood. How delightfully crude."
The enhanced humans attacked in perfect coordination.
The knight's blade slashed the air with each swing.
The mage sent all kinds of spells at the demon prince.
The archer's arrows multiplied mid-flight into storms of projectiles.
Everything we have. Everything we can give.
The Prince deflected it all.
What? How is that possible?
Light parted around him like water. Magic slid off his skin without effect. The arrow storms simply... stopped... inches from his body.
"You multiplied quantity." His voice carried pedagogical patience. "But you ignored quality entirely."
Quality...He is right. Blood isn't just about quantity, it's about quality too. It matters.
Understanding struck Jasmine like lightning. She'd been treating all blood equally, but that was wrong.
đ Casual Date is just a click away!Sign up & start meeting women in your area today.The True Demon's blood had felt different when she'd drained itâdenser, more potent, carrying power that Lesser Demons couldn't match. But she didn't dwell on it as the fight had ended too quickly for her to remember.
Different purities have different effects.
The Prince gestured dismissively at her enhanced allies. "Weak blood creates weak constructs. You diluted power by mixing common essence with superior materials."
The prince spoke like he didn't care whether she used it or not. It didn't matter, his pride was too high that he believed even whilst helping them improve, he would still win. He was a prince after all, and humans were never that powerful.
He's right. I combined everything into one pool instead of using quality sources separately.
Jasmine's gaze swept across the battlefield, cataloguing what remained. Most demon corpses were drained husks of Lesser Demons, but the True Demon's body still held residual essenceâdarker, richer blood that waited to be harvested and used by her.
Superior-boss blood. It must be more concentrated than that of the Lesser Demons.
She reached out with Blood Steal, targeting only the True Demon's remains.
The extraction was swift, despite its powerful constitution, the superior-boss had died, and it didn't have the power to resist in death. The blood came, and it brought power that made her realise that the quality of blood really existed.
The True Demon's blood multiplied exponentially, but each drop carried concentrated power that transformed everything it touched. Where common demon blood had provided basic enhancement, this created a much better improvement.
Quality over quantity...Understanding through experience.
Jasmine directed the enhanced blood toward her three priority targets. The transformation was immediate and quite dramatic.
The knight's sword erupted into flame that burned with hellish intensity. His armour became living metal that adapted to incoming attacks.
He's much stronger than before.
đ Casual Date is just a click away!The mage's staff crackled with more mana. Energy flowed from her position in visible waves.
So this is what Superior Blood accomplishes? Then what about his blood? What would it accomplish...
The archer's arrows multiplied into storm fronts of projectiles that carved through wind barriers.
He is truly a powerful archer, this is Impossible accuracy.
As a fellow archer herself, she knew when to appreciate an archer's aim.
The Prince's casual expression finally shifted to genuine interest. "Superior essence multiplication. Marginally competent."
The enhanced humans attacked with coordinated precision.
The knight's flaming blade carved reality itself with each swing. The mage's prisons collapsed around their target. The archer's arrow storms created probability fields that made evasion nearly impossible.
This should wound him. This has to wound him.
The Prince defended with movements that seemed almost lazy, but Jasmine noticed something crucialâhe was actually working now.
His casual gestures had become calculated deflections.
He's showing effort. He is no longer being dismissive.
Arrows found their mark more often than pure chance allowed. Spatial prisons forced him to use real power to escape.
There is progress. Actual progress, because he was egotistical enough to help me.
Despite the improvement, it wasn't enough.
The Prince adapted quickly to their new capabilities, his defence becoming more sophisticated with each exchange.
Damn it! We are still outclassed. Superior blood helps, but it's not sufficient.
Then Jasmine saw her opportunity.
The knight's flaming blade carved a shallow cut across the Prince's forearmâbarely a scratch, but it was enough to draw out some blood.
Crimson droplets hit the battlefield stone, each one radiating power that made the air itself recoil.
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Legendary Boss blood. The highest quality source possible.
Jasmine reached out with Blood Steal before the Prince could react, claiming those precious drops and multiplying them through Blood Regeneration.
His own power turned against him.
The effect was intoxicating. The Prince's blood carried power that made the True Demon's joke look like dirty water. When multiplied and used for enhancing her allies and healing, the difference was more visible.
This is blood of the highest quality. With multiplication, his strength will soon become mine...ours.
Blood spears erupted from Jasmine's position, but these weren't mere weaponsâthey were fragments of the Prince's own essence given a form.
She had never used the blood to create weapons before now. But after feeling the concentrated power within the blood, she wanted to try it.
They moved with his reflexes, struck with his strength.
Fighting himself. How does that feel?
The Prince's eyes widened as his own blood attacked him. "Impossible. You cannot command what you don't understand."
Understanding isn't required. Only will.
More blood spears manifested, each one carrying the Prince's own power signature. They moved with power that matched his own, struck with force that equalled his strength.
Turn his advantages against him. Use his power to destroy him.
The Prince was forced into genuine defence for the first time in the battle. His superiority complex cracked as he faced weapons forged from his own essence.
Finally. Real fear in those red, nonchalant eyes.
Jasmine multiplied the stolen blood further before using it to power the three companions she had to protect. She couldn't focus on attacking. If one of them died, she would fail the trial even if the demon had died with them.
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"This is not possible," the Prince snarled, his composure finally breaking. "You should lack the knowledge to command Legendary essence."
Indeed. I might have looked weak due to my inexperience with using blood. But now that you taught me something so fundamental, my power has increased dramatically.
The army that was enhanced by legendary blood attacked in perfect coordination. He fought desperately against his own multiplied power, but the outcome was inevitable.
Perfect counter.
The Prince's perfect body began showing damage as his own multiplied strength overwhelmed his defenses. Cuts appeared where blood weapons found their mark. Burns spread where his own power was turned against him.
Bleeding. Burning. Finally showing weakness.
Jasmine intensified the multiplication process, her own life force fueling the creation of more blood constructs.
Everything. Give everything to make him suffer.
The Prince's scream of rage shattered stone across the battlefield as he realised the full scope of his predicament. His own power, multiplied beyond his ability to control, dismantled his defences.
---------
But then his scream transformed into something else entirelyâlaughter.
"You think you've won?" Blood dripped from his wounds as his red eyes blazed with renewed fury. "You think stolen essence can defeat true royalty?"
Something's wrong. That laugh...
The Prince raised his arms skyward, and power erupted from his form like a volcanic explosion.
Oh no.
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The transformation made the weather around them gloomier. Dark clouds started appearing as the Prince's body expanded, his muscles swelling with supernatural mass.
His elegant horns lengthened into curved weapons. His red skin darkened, and flames wreathed his entire form.
He's not just getting stronger. He's becoming something else.
The blood weapons that had been overwhelming him moments before simply... dissolved. Not destroyedâthey lost cohesion as his enhanced power disrupted Jasmine's control.
"This is true power," the transformed Prince roared, his voice now carrying harmonics that made everyone on the battlefield tremble.
"This is what Legendary rank truly means!"
Jasmine immediately changed her stance to a defensive one.
Jasmine abandoned all offensive strategies, pouring her remaining energy into protection.
Her three priority targetsâknight, mage, archerâhad to survive. That was the only victory condition that mattered.
Shield them. Heal them. Keep them alive. No matter what!
She multiplied her own blood at maximum rate, converting it into protective barriers around each ally.
Not just enhancement this timeâtrue armour made of her own life force, too.
Blood armour. Blood shields. Blood everything.
The transformed Prince's first attack struck like a meteor. His clawed fist punched through the knight's enhanced defences, sending the warrior flying across the battlefield.
Blood spurted from multiple wounds.
Jasmine winced, imagining the pain.
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Critical damage. But not fatal.
Jasmine's healing energy flowed instantly, sealing arteries and mending bones before shock could set in.
The knight rolled to his feet, somewhat battered but functional.
He's okay.
The Prince's second strike targeted the mageâa blast of demonic energy that should have incinerated her completely. Jasmine's blood barriers absorbed most of the impact, though the feedback nearly knocked her unconscious.
That was a massive power drain. But at least she's alive.
The mage stumbled, her robes smoking from residual energy, but her staff remained intact. Jasmine poured healing power into her, restoring the magical reserves at the cost of her own vitality and the demon's.
Two down, stabilized.
"Hiding behind stolen blood?" The Prince's enhanced form moved with impossible speed. "Let me show you what real power accomplishes!"
His third attack came as a probability stormâdozens of strikes existing simultaneously until reality chose which one would land. The archer took a claw across his chest that opened him from shoulder to hip.
This wound is fatal, he needs as much healing as possible!
Jasmine emptied a significant portion of her blood reserves into emergency healing, forcing the archer's wounds to close faster than they could bleed. The man gasped as supernatural regeneration knitted his flesh back together.
But the cost was enormous. Each healing required more of her own life force, and Blood Regeneration had limits.
She was burning through the demon's reserves and her own reserves faster than they could naturally replenish through blood regeneration. After all, she was using an incredibly large amount of blood to stop the legendary-rank prince from obliterating the targets.
Can't maintain this pace much longer.
The Prince seemed to realise her strategy. His transformed eyes glittered with malicious thoughts.
"Ah, I see. You're prioritising their survival over your own."
His laugh was like breaking glass.
"How touchingly predictable."
He knows. He's figured out that I am focusing on their survival more than anything.
She thought, with a grim expression.
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The enhanced demon shifted tactics, launching coordinated attacks designed to force Jasmine into impossible choices.
Strike the knight and mage simultaneously, making her choose which one to save.
Feint toward the archer while actually targeting the mage's blind spot.
But Jasmine had learned something crucial during her time with Arthurâwhen facing superior force, survival trumped everything else. She didn't try to match the Prince's power. Instead, she focused on keeping her allies functional long enough for his enhancement to run out.
This is going to be an endurance battle. Outlast his burst phase, and we win.
Blood armour deflected what it could.
Blood healing sealed what couldn't be deflected.
Blood barriers bought precious seconds between attacks. She fought like someone who understood that temporary disadvantage didn't mean permanent defeat.
All I have to do is stay alive, keep them alive and wait for opportunity.
The Prince's assault continued for what felt like hours. Each strike carried enough force to level mountains.
Each spell he sent towards his attackers was either defended against or healed shortly after. None quite managed to deliver the killing blow he sought.
He's getting frustrated. His timing has been off, his attacks aren't as lethal as before.
Then Jasmine noticed something crucialâthe Prince's movements were becoming slightly sluggish.
His perfect coordination showed microscopic flaws. The Demonic Descent was approaching its limit.
His skill is finally wearing off. He's burning out.
The Prince noticed, too, and his approach shifted to desperation. If he couldn't overwhelm them through pure force, he'd create a scenario where Jasmine couldn't save everyone.
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This is the final gambit. This is where it gets dangerous.
He gathered power for one massive strike, not at all three targets, but specifically at the archer positioned furthest from Jasmine's main defensive grid.
You are forcing me to choose between perfect protection and distributed defence, huh?
The attack came as concentrated annihilationâdemonic energy compressed into a lance that could pierce any single barrier Jasmine might create.
I have no choice. I need to put everything into the Archer's protection.
She poured ninety percent of her remaining blood reserves into a single, perfect shield around the archer. The Prince's strike hit like a falling star, testing every technique she'd learned.
Hold. Hold. HOLD.
The shield held. Barely. The archer survived with minor burns instead of complete obliteration.
Her defence was a success. All three targets were still alive and the demon had started weakening, which meant that everything was finally coming to an end.
But Jasmine's reserves were now critically low. Her mana couldn't keep pace with the expenditure. She was running on fumes and determination.
I'm almost empty. But his enhancement is failing too.
The Prince's transformed state began collapsing as Demonic Descent reached its time limit. His swollen muscles deflated. His enhanced speed faltered. The flames wreathing his form guttered and died.
He is in a weakness phase! This is our chance!
The knight, mage, and archerâbattered but healed, enhanced by Superior demon blood, backed by hours of combat moved towards him immediately; they wanted to end the fight.
Perfect timing.
The knight's blade found the Prince's throat just as his defences failed. The mage's binding spell caught him mid-collapse, preventing any last-second escape. The archer's arrow punched through his chest with supernatural precision.
What an amazing execution.
But as the Prince's life ebbed away, his eyes fixed on Jasmine with pure hatred.
"You..." Blood frothed at his lips. "You're too dangerous to live."
What?
With his final breath, the Prince launched one last attackânot magic, not enhanced strength, just his dying body weaponised through sheer malevolent will.
Suicide strike.
The attack was simple but perfectly timed. Jasmine had just exhausted her reserves protecting the archer. Her blood armour was depleted. Her healing magic was offline.
She had no defence, no escape and certainly no other options.
Jasmine, who was incredibly close, tried to move away. After all, that was the only thing she could do, but her body refused to move. She had completely used her mana and stamina.
Her body was no longer listening to her command.
'Move!'
The Prince's claws punched through her chest just as his body hit the ground. Blood erupted from her lungs as supernatural venom coursed through her system.
Damn it. After everything....we killed each other.
Jasmine collapsed beside the Prince's corpse, her vision already darkening. The three priority targets had survived, but she died.
Did I win? Did I fail?
But consciousness was fading too quickly for answers.
The last thing she saw was the knight's horrified face as he rushed toward her failing body.
Too late. Already too late.
Darkness claimed her.
Light returned gradually, carrying warmth that had no earthly source.
Jasmine opened her eyes to find herself back in the chamber where everything had begun.
No wounds. No pain. No blood-drained exhaustion.
The trial space. I'm back.
Sylvia's spirit floated before her, with an unreadable expression.
In the Queen's translucent hands, she held the Guardian Staff that had spoken to Jasmine at the trial's beginning.
Back where it started. But did I pass or fail?
The silence stretched between them, heavy with judgment yet to be rendered.
Sylvia's eyes held depths that spoke of millennia spent weighing souls and finding them wanting.
"Child..."
Here it comes. Success or failure.
"Your trial is complete."
...
The chamber pulsed with ethereal light as Sylvia's spirit regarded Jasmine with eyes that held the look of melancholy.
The Queen of Healing's translucent form seemed to flicker between sorrow and something approaching hope.
The silence is killing me. Did I pass or fail?
Sylvia's gaze drifted past Jasmine toward visions only she could seeâmemories of her own trials, her own choices, her own path through darkness and light.
"When I faced my moment of decision," Sylvia began, her voice carrying the tone of regret, "I chose compassion over justice. Mercy over vengeance."
Her moment? What happened to her?
"I healed those who had betrayed my people. Restored those who had murdered my family. Choose forgiveness when hatred would have perhaps served better."
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Show menu NOVEL BINNovel Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons Chapter 339: SaintessONLINE GAME: STARTING WITH SSS-RANKED SUMMONSC339: Saintessđ Casual Date is just a click away!The Queen's spirit flickered like a candle in wind.
"And for my mercy, they destroyed everything I sought to protect."
Understanding crashed over Jasmine like a cold wave.
Sylvia hadn't just been testing the path of vengeanceâshe'd been seeking validation for choices that had haunted her across god knows how long.
She wanted to see if dark healing could have saved what light healing couldn't.
"Your trial proved something I've wondered about for millennia."
Sylvia's smile held bitter satisfaction.
"Sometimes, mercy is weakness. Sometimes, compassion enables evil. Sometimes, the dark path leads to better outcomes than the light."
She doesn't regret my choice. She envies it.
But then Sylvia's expression shifted, ancient sorrow giving way to something that might have been hope.
"But you, child... you might be able to accomplish what I never could."
What does that mean?
Jasmine straightened, confusion and anticipation warring in her chest.
"I don't understand."
"You have passed the test," Sylvia announced.
Passed? But I died!
Shock flooded through Jasmine's brain.
She'd been certain that dying during the trial meant failure.
"I died," she protested.
"The Prince killed me. How can that be passing?"
Sylvia's laugh was like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.
"Your life wasn't part of the conditions, child. The trial required keeping your three allies alive while defeating the Legendary Boss. Both objectives were accomplished."
The conditions. I met the actual conditions, not what I assumed they were.
"But more importantly," Sylvia continued, "you proved that dark healing can achieve what light healing cannot. Protection through elimination. Salvation through sacrifice. Mercy through vengeance."
Validation. She needed to see her path vindicated.
Relief flooded through Jasmine, followed immediately by anticipation. If she'd passed, that meant the inheritance was hers.
The power to make her father's betrayers pay. The strength to claim justice that had been denied too long.
Finally. Finally, I'll have what I need.
Sylvia began floating toward her with movements that seemed to dance between dimensions.
"Prepare yourself, inheritor. The Queen's legacy awaits."
This is it. This is what I've been working toward.
The spirit's hand reached out, fingers extended toward Jasmine's forehead. When they made contact, power erupted through the chamber like lightning given form.
Energy flooded through Jasmine's bodyânot painful, but overwhelming.
Black light and white light swirled around her form in patterns that seemed like an illusion.
Darkness and Light dancing together like opposing forces finding perfect balance.
Incredible. This is what true power feels like.
Whilst Jasmine was enjoying her powerup, sylvia felt something was wrong.
Sylvia's eyes widened as she stared at the dual energies surrounding Jasmine.
The Queen's confident expression shifted to confusion, then shock, then something approaching awe.
What's happening? Why does she look so surprised?
đ Casual Date is just a click away!"This wasn't meant to happen," Sylvia whispered, her voice carrying tones of disbelief.
"The black should have overwhelmed the white aura. They should be at war, not in harmony."
Something's wrong with the inheritance?
The dual energies continued their danceâdarkness and light intertwining without conflict, each supporting the other in ways that seemed to violate fundamental principles.
Realization dawned across Sylvia's features like sunrise breaking through storm clouds.
"She... she has the ability to wield both..."
Both? Both what?
"Impossible," the Queen breathed.
"Even I had to choose between light and dark. Every healer who has ever lived has been forced to pick a side. But you..."
I can use both paths. Light healing and dark healing.
The revelation sent tremors through Jasmine's consciousness. She wasn't just inheriting dark healingâshe was gaining access to techniques that no one in history had been able to combine.
A prodigy beyond anything Sylvia expected.
The energy transfer reached its crescendo, knowledge flooding through Jasmine's mind like a dam breaking.
Healing techniques both merciful and merciless. Spells that could restore life or steal it. The complete spectrum of what healing magic could accomplish when unbound by moral limitations.
All of it. Light and dark. Mercy and vengeance. Everything.
Her eyes snapped open as the inheritance completed its integration.
[Class Evolution Complete]
[SS Rank Class: Saintess of Light and Dark]
Power coursed through her veins like liquid starlight and liquid shadow combined. She could feel the potential thrumming beneath her skinâabilities that could heal armies or devastate them.
This is what I needed. This is what father's enemies will face.
đ Casual Date is just a click away!But beneath the dark satisfaction, something else stirred. The white energy hadn't disappeared when she'd gained the Dark Priest class.
Instead, it had woven itself into her very essence, creating possibilities she was only beginning to understand.
Light and dark. Mercy and vengeance. Both paths open to me.
Sylvia watched the transformation with expression caught between pride and wonder.
"The tutorial versions of these techniques are now yours," she explained.
"They will grow stronger as you do, reaching their full potential only when you've earned the right to wield them."
Hearing that the Dark arts are now part of her collection of skills.
.
"But understand this, childâyou are unique. No healer in recorded history has ever managed to balance both paths. The combination could make you the greatest healer who ever lived."
Greatest healer. Or greatest weapon.
Jasmine rose from her kneeling position, power settling into her bones like old friends finding their place.
She could feel the techniques organizing themselves in her consciousnessâdark arts focused on punishment and control, light arts focused on restoration and protection.
All the tools I need. All the power father's memory deserves.
"Thank you," she said, voice carrying new undertones that seemed to harmonize with itself.
"You've given me everything I need to claim justice."
Sylvia's smile held complex emotionsâsatisfaction, hope, and something that might have been maternal pride.
"You are my first true student," the Queen replied. "I have watched countless healers for centuries, but none showed the potential you've demonstrated. Use what I've taught you wisely."
First student. The Queen of Healing's only inheritor.
"The path ahead will be difficult," Sylvia continued. "Those who betrayed your father will not face justice willingly. But now you have the power to force the issue."
Force the issue. Make them pay whether they cooperate or not.
"Will you..." Jasmine hesitated, uncertain how to phrase the question. "Will you be watching? Will I see you again?"
Sylvia's form was already beginning to fade as the inheritance reached completion.
"My purpose is fulfilled, child. You carry my legacy now."
Her purpose. To find someone who could balance what she couldn't.
"Make them remember," the Queen's final words whispered through the chamber. "Make them understand that actions have consequences. Make them pay for what they took from you."
I will. I promise I will.
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Show menu NOVEL BINNovel Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons Chapter 340: IdentityONLINE GAME: STARTING WITH SSS-RANKED SUMMONSC340: Identityđ Casual Date is just a click away!Arthur had just finished assigning tasks to the combined forces.
Village #419's protection required careful consideration; some of his summons would remain here alongside Theodore's group and the players who had family connections.
Motivation mattered when defending territory.
Placing players in a village with no defence will not be ideal, unless they are loyal subordinates of mine or they have something they need to protect here.
His gaze drifted toward the Tree of Life, and something made his enhanced senses recoil.
That's a powerful aura. Something's changed.
The energy radiating from that direction carried something that made the air itself seem heavier. Not hostile, but undeniably transformed. Whatever trial Jasmine had faced was reaching its conclusion, and she was coming out.
Time to see what she's become.
Without wasting time, Arthur activated his spatial talent. Reality folded around him, carrying him across the village in an instant. The man who was tasked to wait for Jasmine got jumpscared as Arthur materialised near him.
Something important is happening.
The Tree of Life stood as magnificent as before, but power thrummed through its bark with frequencies that spoke of its completed purpose.
The trial is complete. She has claimed the Inheritance.
Footsteps approached from within the tree's hollow.
Arthur's enhanced perception catalogued the approaching presence, familiar but different.
It was stronger, more complex, carrying the aura that hadn't existed hours before.
She succeeded. But succeeded at what?
Jasmine emerged from the tree's embrace, her golden hair fluttering behind her from the sudden wind. In her hands, she carried a staff that made Arthur's breath catch.
That aura... It's a Legendary staff.
The staff radiated power that eclipsed even Chaos, his pseudo-legendary katana, although not by a lot.
đ Casual Date is just a click away!Ancient wood crowned with crystal that contained swirling galaxies of energy. This wasn't just any equipmentâit was a symbol of authority.
She has also claimed a legendary weapon...just like me.
But when Jasmine's eyes met his, they held the same calm composure she'd always projected.
No trace of the dark intensity he'd glimpsed during her moments of unguarded emotion. The mask was back in place.
She is hiding again. Always hiding...she really reminds me of myself.
Arthur smiled, genuine appreciation warming his expression.
"Congratulations on your success. I can feel that your power has increased dramatically."
Jasmine nodded with humility.
"That's thanks to the opportunity you gave me. I'm truly indebted to you. Fateless."
Arthur's smile remained steady, neither confirming nor denying her declaration of his favour upon her.
The moment stretched between them for a few seconds.
Jasmine had gained something significant.
Arthur's tone remained conversational. "So... Jasmine... isn't it about time you tell me who you truly are?"
No more games.
Silence crashed between them like a physical barrier.
Jasmine's expression shifted from grateful composure to neutral assessment. The mask didn't fallâit simply changed configuration, revealing wariness beneath courtesy.
The staff in her hands pulsed with power that made nearby grass bend away from its presence.
She's calculating. Deciding how much truth to reveal.
Then she gave him a bright, disarming smile.
đ Casual Date is just a click away!"I told you before. My father will repay you back a dozen times, didn't I? I'm a princess, Fateless. Or did you forget?"
The same deflection. The same half-truth.
Arthur shook his head slowly. "No, I didn't forget. But it seems like you really don't want to tell me... do you still not trust me?"
"Why would I not trust you, Fateless? I'm really telling youâI'm a princess, a lost one."
Lost princess. Convenient explanation that reveals nothing.
Arthur studied her face, noting the micro-expressions that flickered beneath her composed mask.
Fear. Determination. Something that looked like genuine pain.
Whatever she's hiding, it matters to her. More than just a normal secret.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
"Jasmine."
"What are yoâ"
Before she could complete the question, Arthur grabbed her hand and activated his spatial manipulation.
Privacy. We need absolute privacy.
Reality folded around them like silk, carrying them away from Village #419's watchful eyes. When space reformed, they stood in a landscape that spoke of desolation and recent violence.
The demon territories. Where no one can overhear.
Sand stretched endlessly in all directions, red dunes that held memories of corruption and death.
Perfect isolation.
Jasmine spun in a full circle, silver hair whipping as she took in their surroundings. Confusion replaced her diplomatic composure.
"Where did you take me? The wilderness? Why are we here?"
đ Casual Date is just a click away!Arthur's voice carried new undertonesânot threatening, but absolutely certain. "As you can see, you are in the wilderness, Jasmine."
"Yeah, but why?"
Because some conversations require complete honesty.
"Because you won't be leaving this place unless you tell me who you are."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut.
Jasmine's carefully constructed facade cracked, revealing genuine shock beneath.
"Are you threatening me?" Her grip tightened on the legendary staff, power thrumming through the crystal focus.
"I'm giving you an opportunity."
Arthur settled onto a nearby boulder, his aura projecting patience. "An opportunity to trust someone who's proven his loyalty to you."
Loyalty. Not the other way around.
"I've fought beside you. Protected you. Given you chances for power that anyone else could have claimed, besides you. I'm not saying this to guilt-trip you, but...I feel...somewhat betrayed."
His gaze remained steady, unblinking.
"What more do I need to do to earn mere honesty?"
Jasmine's expression cycled through emotions like storm clouds racing across the sky.
Fear.
Anger, and perhaps something that might have been longing.
She wants to tell me. But something's holding her back.
"You don't understand," she whispered. "Some truths are dangerous. Some secrets protect more than just the person keeping them."
"Dangerous to whom? Me? You? Someone else entirely?"
She turned away from him, staring across the endless dunes.
"If I tell you, everything changes. The way you see me. The way you treat me. The assumptions you make about my motivations."
Change. She's afraid of change.
Arthur rose from his boulder, approaching with movements that spoke of patience rather than pressure.
"Jasmine, look around us."
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