Chapter 744: Void Empress
'If that black lizard comes attacking me, I'll be finished. I have to get out of here first.' Elysia made a decision and prepared to run away with everything she had. Her EP only had a few hundred points left, so she had to avoid clashes of any kind.
'Before that, I have to check the identity of this shadow and how strong he is.' Elysia focused her gaze on checking that shadow's status screen.
Elysia gasped in surprise, and her eyes widened as if she couldn't believe the status screen before her vision. This shadow was a humanoid creature, and her ability could see in more detail. It was something she never expected, even in her wildest imagination.
'Alisha!? Is this shadow really him? But why is she being enveloped by-' Elysia had so many questions in her mind. Still, she had no time for it because her opponent immediately attacked her.
*Slash*
Elysia used a swift move to move to the side. That black spear almost scratched his head, but she was just in time to dodge, thanks to her advanced perception.
'It can't be like this. I also couldn't possibly speak in peace to her under this situation. She may not be the same Alisha as the one I remember. Is she my heart demon that I need to defeat? But her stats are insane! An Empress level, but she can match a God! Or, she is still under certain buffs?' Elysia marveled, but she couldn't peek beyond that black shadow cloak.
She could only see a shadowy form ten centimeters taller than herself, staring at her with blood-red eyes.
'With less than a thousand EP, I can only survive by dodging for a few minutes. In that time, I should be able to see the face behind that shadow cloak before I will escape by teleportation.' Elysia changed her plans a bit.
"Hmm?" The shadow was a bit confused. She could detect that her opponent was feeble and exhausted. Still, she felt unsettled, as if her instincts told her she couldn't underestimate this opponent.
She grinned from behind her hood's shadow and snapped her fingers. No sound was made, but she was disintegrated into a shadow.
"!!!" Elysia was alarmed and immediately fled backward at her maximum speed. She definitely couldn't win in a frontal clash and stood no chance of escaping if her opponent lurked in the shadow.
A fleeting shadow appeared around Elysia, creating a gravitational wave that shook the space from all directions.
Elysia curled up and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She made a golden light shield and added a bit of counter-gravity magic.
*Swoosh*
Elysia bounced pretty far like a golden cannonball due to her gravity magic's clash with her opponent.
"Hmm~" The shadow emerged herself. She became more interested in her opponent and would not let the other party run away for any reason.
"!!!" Elysia widened her eyes when the shadow suddenly appeared in front of her.
*Crack*
The shadow's hand claw caused many cracks in Elysia's golden barrier, and it immediately shattered like brittle glass. The shadow then hit Elysia in the stomach.
*Bam*
"Ghak!" Elysia was shot down into nearby space rock.
"???" The shadow looked confused once again. Her opponent was surprisingly soft and supple.
Wasn't there any additional armor or any protection behind that black cloak? Whatever it was, that shadow immediately caught up and locked her opponent, the intruder, from escaping.
"U-ugh..." Elysia felt her whole body hurt, and she couldn't move. However, that shadow suddenly sat on top of her tummy, strangled her, and locked her hands above her head. She couldn't run away now.
'I will receive a heavy backlash if I die in this trial. My abilities are also limited here. Whatever the outcome, I want to confirm who the person in front of me is. Is she really Alisha?' Elysia closed her eyes. The Celestia next to her moved by her will and slashed at that shadow's hood.
Even though it was dark, Elysia could see the figure of a cold beauty with jet-black hair. A pair of sharp blood-red eyes radiated a merciless aura, rosy lips smirked like a predator, and white skin as pale as a baby's.
Elysia had thousands of words to say, but she didn't know where to start. The one before her eyes was Alisha, despite some differences in her memory. She didn't care if this was an illusion or real. She was finally able to meet Alisha again.
"I finally got to meet you..." Elysia muttered softly with a tender tone.
"!?" The shadow trembled a little, and she accidentally loosened her hands.
Elysia took the opportunity to reach her hand to Alisha's cheek. She could touch the other party and feel a little warmth there.
However, it was the end of Elysia's consciousness because her EP had already reached a dangerous point. Her vision slowly darkened, and consciousness left her gradually.
'Ah, I failed my trial. I'll trouble everyone because of my backlash then.' Elysia muttered in her mind at the end of her consciousness.
Meanwhile, Alisha reflexively caught the hand that had just stroked her cheek. She didn't understand why the other party could use that language, and she had no idea why the other party had said that to her.
She once thought this suspicious figure was an enemy intruder, but apparently not. To make sure everything, she immediately opened the other party's hood.
"!!!" Alisha gasped in utter shock. She trembled slightly when she saw that the other party resembled her. She and this girl had many similarities, from the face to body features.
"..." Alisha looked left and right before picking up an odachi from the ground. She scratched her head and sighed.
After repairing her hood, she brought the unknown girl in a princess carry. Somehow, she knew this girl was so vulnerable, and she needed to handle this girl with extra care.
"Who she really is?" Alisha glanced at this girl's face once again. It was as if she had just found her twin, but there were too many mysteries and uncertainty. Therefore, she would conduct an interrogation later.
"Ugh..." Alisha held her head. She seemed to remember something but didn't know what it was.
'Could it be... those creatures have a method of making a replica of me to trick me? It is impossible. This girl doesn't have any malicious aura at all, and the golden light earlier... Not to mention, she can speak a language only known to me.' Alisha feels more and more curious about this girl who looks like her.
'She used too much magic to her lowest point. It could be dangerous for her life if I don't help her. I can't let her die.' Alisha immediately returned to her hideout in a bit of a hurry. She would spare no effort to save the girl she had just met for personal reasons.
"Grr?" The black dragon gasped when he saw his master being brought in by an evil shadow. He was ready to confront the intruder but received a head kick.
"Behave!" Alisha snapped and continued her steps towards the deeper cave passage.
"..." The black dragon was speechless. Apparently, he mistook someone for his master. It was his master who brought in someone who resembled his master.
But, since when were there two masters? The black dragon rubbed his head in confusion as his brain couldn't process it. Therefore, he immediately followed his master inside to find out more.
A few moments later, Elysia opened her eyes. Still, a feeling of dizziness and body aches suddenly assaulted her as consciousness returned.
She wanted to hold her head, but her hands and feet were bound by something sturdy. Her body was restrained, and the black ropes tied her to the stone table.
A few minutes later, she realized that she was lying on a stone table surrounded by some unknown material.
'Am I on a revival altar? Am I still in Madam Lifa's trial, or have I returned to Nature Realm? Uuh, it's so dark in here.' Elysia tried to free herself, but she still felt so weak.
The red light was approaching from the outer room. A shadow entered inside with a lantern in hand.
Elysia didn't respond when she saw that shadow person approaching her. She just stared into that shadow's red eyes behind the hood's shadow. Alisha's robe and cloak had some disguise effect, but she was sure this shadow person was Alisha. Or maybe, the demonic version of Alisha and most likely her heart demon.
"I am a prisoner? What are you going to do to me?" Elysia closed her eyes. She had no power left in her body and couldn't fight back. Her current situation clearly was because Alisha saved her by helping her recover a little.
"Wrong question. You don't seem aware of your position. I'm more interested in extracting information from your mind. Look me in the eyes and tell me everything. Will you give satisfactory answers, or shall I read your memory directly?" Alisha removed her hood and brought her face closer to the mysterious girl.
"Which one do you think is the best? You helped me recover, and we are here because you expect the former option, right?" Elysia opened her eyes and stared deeply into Alisha's blood-red eyes. This girl changed so much from what she could remember in her memories.
"You are quite smart. It will make this a lot easier. Tell me, who are you, and what do you know about me?" Alisha put her finger to her prisoner's chin.
"My apologies. Before I speak, can you judge whether I'm being honest or not? It would be painful if what I said honestly would only be suspected of being false and a lie." Elysia surprised him by being so calm. It was as if she had already attained enlightenment. She could take advantage of this opportunity for her safety.
"I can judge the truth without any effort. I have also inspected your entire body. Surprisingly, you are so weak and only equipped with a sword. Do you have a death wish?" Alisha narrowed her eyes. She felt rather displeased that her interlocutor was being so calm and familiar to her.
"Hehe, I've died before. And here, I finally get to see you again, Alisha." Elysia chuckled lightly, and her intonation softened.
"!?" Alisha flinched slightly at hearing that name. She moved unconsciously and hit the stone table beside her prisoner's head.
*Crack*
The stone table cracked, but she still stared into that pair of purplish-blue eyes. This girl definitely knew something about her!
"It's interesting. Not only do you speak that language, but you also know that name. I will extort everything from you, and you will not be able to escape from me. So, be prepared, hee-hee~" Alisha chuckled and sounded like she had malicious intent.