This woman…
Kurose Akira let his gaze linger on her for a moment longer than necessary.
Something stirred faintly in his heart. He instinctively tried to open her information panel—only to be met with a startling result. Just like Idice's, it was filled entirely with question marks.
"Akira, you're here!"Roxia immediately rose to her feet and turned to the young girl beside her. "Princess Vivian, I need to step away for a moment to handle something. Please wait here for a bit—once I'm finished, I'll come back and spend some time talking with you."
"Before you go~ won't you introduce your friends from Sunset City to me?" Princess Vivian asked softly, her voice gentle and melodious, carrying a hint of curiosity and playful probing.
"Of course!"Roxia promptly introduced him. "This is Mr. Akira. He's an outstanding guildmaster."
"A guildmaster? Then you must be quite a remarkable talent~ It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Akira~"Princess Vivian smiled warmly as her gaze settled on him. Her eyes were as clear as autumn waters, those golden pupils shimmering faintly, as though they could peer straight into one's heart.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Akira replied with a polite smile.
Her smile gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity. There was none of the aloof arrogance one might expect from royalty.
"These two are adventurers from Mr. Akira's guild…" Roxia continued.
"Hello~"
"Your Highness, it's an honor to meet you," Ivsha said respectfully.
Loserine followed with a perfectly executed knight's salute, expressing her reverence and respect for the princess.
"Since Roxia has important matters to discuss with you, I won't intrude~"Princess Vivian rose gracefully and took her leave.
As she turned away, she glanced back at Akira and Ivsha, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, meaningful smile.
That smile left Akira deeply unsettled.
It felt… as though she knew him.
And those golden eyes…
A witch?
After bidding farewell to Princess Vivian, Roxia led Akira and the others down beneath Sunset City once more, returning to the area where the Flame Chrysalis stood.
The Flame Chrysalis was still there, towering silently, waves of scorching fire rippling outward from it.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly this time."
Roxia opened a glass container she had brought with her. Inside lay a blue-crystal shard, exuding an intense, bone-chilling cold.
"Are you sure this thing can directly destroy the Flame Chrysalis?" Akira asked curiously.
In his vision, the shard's information panel surfaced.
[Ice Shard (Elite): A fragment radiating powerful cold, seemingly capable of freezing everything.]
An item with freezing effects?If it could completely freeze the Flame Chrysalis, then this approach might indeed work.
"Yes. The Icefield Snow Maiden was not only a witch—she also possessed the Blessing of Ice and Snow. She once used her own magic to permanently freeze an entire nation, one no smaller than the Starfall Kingdom. The residual magic condensed into this Ice Shard is absolutely capable of destroying the Flame Chrysalis," Roxia explained confidently.
"I see."
Akira pondered silently.A witch blessed by ice and snow… This world clearly followed many different rules. Truly understanding it would take far more than brief exposure.
"Then let's begin."
At Roxia's command, two accompanying knights immediately took out frost-wreathed magic scrolls. The moment they were unrolled, a barrier of cold enveloped everyone within.
Several other knights also drew longswords radiating icy mist, clearly prepared for combat.
During the preparations, the Flame Chrysalis in the distance seemed to sense the magic of the Ice Shard—and instantly went berserk!
In an instant, flames ignited across the ash-covered ground. Countless silhouettes of fire condensed within the inferno, casting hostile gazes toward the intruders.
"Flame elementals?"Akira frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the Flame Chrysalis to be able to spontaneously generate flame elementals.
And every single one of them was level 10.
No wonder Roxia had brought multiple knights along—so this was the reason.
"Mr. Akira, please protect me. Once this is done, I will reward you generously," Roxia said solemnly before advancing.
"Alright."
Akira nodded. Destroying the Flame Chrysalis was his objective anyway—there was no reason to refuse.
With Akira's agreement, Roxia's confidence visibly increased. She stepped forward without hesitation, advancing toward the Flame Chrysalis under the protection of the icy barrier.
The moment they entered the sea of fire, the flame elementals surged toward them like a tidal wave.
The knights immediately counterattacked, swinging their frost-glimmering blades and cutting down the flame elementals one after another. Akira also ordered Loserine and Ivsha to join the battle, ensuring there would be no accidents.
With everyone working together, the flame elementals were steadily eliminated, dissolving into wisps of smoke that vanished into the inferno. No one dared to relax. They pressed onward, sprinting toward the Flame Chrysalis.
"This is surprisingly easy," one knight said casually.
"Much simpler than when we suppressed the Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly last time," another chimed in.
"Hahaha! Well, of course—this isn't the Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly itself, but the Flame Chrysalis it left behind after death. Naturally, it's easier!"
As time passed, they drew closer and closer to the Flame Chrysalis. Their steps quickened, and joy swelled in their hearts.
Compared to the battle from over a decade ago—when they had suppressed the Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly—today's situation felt far more manageable.
But Akira's expression remained tense, his eyes locked firmly on the Flame Chrysalis.
Because he had noticed something.
Starting about a minute ago, the color of the flames surrounding the Chrysalis had begun to change.
From red, they shifted to orange… then yellow…
And finally, they bloomed into a purplish crimson.
This wasn't simply a chrysalis breaking open.
It looked far more like—evolution.
"I have a bad feeling about this. We need to speed up!" Akira warned.
Roxia had also sensed something amiss and immediately ordered everyone to advance faster.
"You're worrying too much, Roxia."
"We've faced the real Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly before. That battle was far more dangerous than this."
"Relax. The Ice Shard will definitely take care of it."
"Follow Roxia's command—she's the head of the family now."
The knights increased their pace, charging forward with all their strength.
But when they were only about fifty meters away from the Flame Chrysalis—suddenly—
A wave of searing heat slammed into them!
Immediately after, terrifying flames surged like crashing tides, relentlessly battering the cold-formed magic barrier.
"Damn it! What's going on?!"
"The temperature of the flames has increased! The frost scrolls can't hold much longer!"
"Why?! These frost scrolls could withstand the flames back when the Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly was still alive—how can they fail against its flames after death?! This is ridiculous!"
"This is bad! We need to retreat now, or we'll all die here!"
At that moment, the knights' faces turned deathly pale.
None of them had anticipated the flames of the Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly to suddenly intensify to such a horrifying degree. In the previous battle, flames of this magnitude had never appeared.
At the same time, Akira finally understood the true cause of everything.
In his field of vision, the information panel for the Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly was flashing rapidly.
[Blazing Silk Demon Phoenix Butterfly (Epic) is evolving into Magicflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly (Legendary)…]